Sakura: Knight of the Clow
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sakura Kinomoto ran along the street, her cloak swirling around her as she tried to keep away from her opponent. It was actually kind of refreshing to be dealing with a plain old monster rather than a Clow Card, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down.
Behind Sakura a cat's hungry yowl split the night, and the cat-women burst around the corner to chase after her. They were tall and slim, around six foot tall or so, and their body's were shaped mostly like attractive women. However they were covered by a layer of catlike fur, colored in solid browns or black, or in patterns like some cats. Their faces were very much like a cat-mask, and the ends of each finger were tipped with razor sharp claws.
Sakura had tried talking to them first, but they had charged her instead, leaving behind the corpse of a police officer. She was too late to save him, but Sakura was determined to make sure they would take no more lives.
'Including mine,' Sakura thought grimly as she ran through the side gate to a deserted sports field. Drawing forth a Clow card she held it a moment, concentrating, then struck it as she called, "Lightning!"
The cat-women had been closing in for the kill when the bolt flared from the card, arching out to strike the leader. The explosion of light seared her to ashes in a second, and the backwash of light and hear stunned the rest.
Seizing the moment Sakura twisted the head of the staff, then with a steely hiss drew out the hidden sword. Using the casing as a improvised club she swept in, attacking with both hands. Blood splashed on the grass as a second cat died, the five others stunned by the sudden visciousness of the attack. Blocking a claw strike with the base of the staff she gutted her opponent, the cat staggering back as she tried to hold her guts in. Another leaped at Sakura's back but she whjeeled around, raising her blade to drive it right through the eye and into the brain. Yanking the blade free she swept it out visciously, severing a third woman's throat.
At their comrade staggered backwards drowning in her own blood, the two remaining cat-women looked at Sakura in awe and horror. The one cat knelt, bowing her head as she pleaded, "Please, mistress of the Clow, spare us!"
Sakura was startled they could talk, much less that they were intelligent. "And how many of your victims begged too?" she asked as she advanced on them.
"We are hunters," the other woman spat defiantly, "it is what we do!"
"And this is what I do," Sakura struck the standing one first, a swift and lethal strike to the heart through the ribs. She turned to the kneeling one, "How do you want me to kill you?"
The cat-woman looked at her with a odd sort of dignity as she rose. "Make it quick and clean," she asked simply.
"I will," Sakura promised and did so, ending the woman's life cleanly.
Returning to her car Sakura felt... oddly relieved that Tomoyo and the others had been called away to a emergency press conference tonight. While killing these creatures had been necessary, it wasn't heroic or noble. It had been pure butchery, not something she wanted Tomoyo to see.
Sliding the sword away into the staff she shrunk it down to necklace size, climbing into her car and sitting back with a sigh. She leaned forward to start the car... when clawed hands closed tightly around her neck!
"URGHL!" Sakura made a choking sound, writhing as she fought against that steel like grip, her hands unable to budge them.
"Saw you hunting my sisters," the cat-woman growled from where she had hid in the back seat, her voice tickling Sakura's ear, "followed you and caught your scent. Pretty little car, easy to force the back door open and nap a bit."
Sakura silently cursed her inattention even as she grabbed the Key of Clow around her neck, willing it to staff size. She blindly jabbed over her shoulder, with what little strength she had, and gasped in air as the woman released one hand to catch the weapon. Sakura twisted free, the claws tearing at her skin then yelped as her back hit the passenger side door.
"Die!" the cat-woman howled, lunging across the seat at her.
Taking the staff in both hands Sakura slammed the pointed 'beak' decoration into the woman's face, sending her reeling into the back seat. Consumed by some kind of battle madness Sakura followed, hammering down the staff on the cat's head, blood splattering the walls. Claw swipes marked her arms and face as Sakura attacked, then a blow from her staff brought a sickening c rack and the cat-woman was still.
Sakura panted softly as she slowly came to her senses in the car, her mind coming out of the bezerker haze. Twinges of pain told her the cat had marked her pretty good, her hands aching from how hard they had clenched around her staff. She was virtually bathed in the creature's blood, and worse the backseat was soaked in it.
Slumping tiredly Sakura leaned against the nearest door, literally too tired to move. "I wonder if grandmother or mother ever had days like this?" she finally sighed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"What did you do then?" Tomoyo Daidouji asked, looking more than a little stunned as the two women finished up breakfast in her apartment. The black haired woman had come home from a emergency news conference to find Sakura outside her door, apparently car-less and battered, wearing a spare set of clothes with no shoes or socks on.
"I stripped out of my bloody clothes. Thank goodness I had brought a spare set in the trunk," Sakura sighed, "then used Firey to torch my clothes, the car and the body."
Most people would have asked why she did that, but a experienced reporter like Tomoyo put it together in moments. "The body had trace evidence of your car on it, and there was no way you could clean your vehicle completely," she realized, "not to mention the creature having bits of your blood and tissue under it's claws."
"Exactly," Sakura agreed.
Sakura unconsciously touched her cheek where fading red marks from claws were, along with ones on her neck and her arms. If she didn't heal faster than a normal person because of the Clow Cards she would have much more vivid looking injuries, and as it was she had decided to call in sick, today. There was no way she could go into work today without her boss or assistant looking at the marks and asking what happened.
"I suppose I'll have to report the car as stolen," Sakura grumbled, "maybe carjacked. Otherwise too many questions will be asked."
"Any chance the police could recover anything from the car?" Tomoyo wondered.
"I was pretty thorough," Sakura said, "by the time I was done, it was a puddle of slag." She sighed softly, "My poor car..."
"I'm sorry I wasn't with you last night," Tomoyo apologized softly, reaching out to gently pat the top of Sakura's hand.
Sakura shrugged slightly. "I'm sort of glad you weren't," she admitted softly, "I don't want to imagine what might have happened if she had attacked you first."
Tomoyo looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully didn't. "Are you going to be able to get to work all right?" she asked.
Relieved to be talking about something more normal Sakura smiled, "Oh, I'll be all right. I can bus pretty easily from my home to work, after all. I did that as a trainee too." She made a face, "Unless I want to fly I'll need a ride from you or Yukito if I'm going to chase any Clow Cards, though."
"You can count on me," Tomoyo said warmly. She looked off in the distance, tapping her fingers thoughtfully. "I'd love to write a story on the cats, but I better not."
"Because I crashed here?" Sakura asked.
"That and I'd be basing it on what you told me, rather than what I saw," Tomoyo admitted. "I can't exactly use you as a source without revealing who you are..."
"Sorry," Sakura said, shrugging slightly. She knew Tomoyo hated missing a story, but the other woman would be fine. Curiously she asked, "What happened with you last night?"
Tomoyo smirked, "The police, specifically a certain detective I know who owes me a favor, got a warrant to search the Mayor's residence involving certain documents involving the improper awarding of certain contracts."
"From the look on your face they found them," Sakura smiled.
"Right where my source said they were," Tomoyo agreed. "Me, a TV news reporter and our cameramen got it all on tape, while his Honor the Mayor fumed in the background."
Sakura drank some orange juice, sighing happily. "Do you think it will be enough to bring him down?" she wondered.
"That, I don't know," Tomoyo answered, sounding a bit frustrated. "The stuff I've turned up already should have lead to his own allies ousting him, but he's holding on."
"Don't worry," this time Sakura patted Tomoyo's arm comfortingly as she said, "I'm sure you'll get him eventually." That stirring moment was interrupted by her stomach, which picked just that moment to gurgle loudly.
"Hungry again?" Tomoyo asked, faintly surprised. She knew that Sakura had a appetite, but it usually wasn't this bad.
"I think it's because of the fast healing," Sakura blushed as she explained, "it really burns through the calories."
"Makes sense," Tomoyo conceded as she got up from the table and walked to her kitchen. "How about I make you a early lunch?"
"You don't have to...," Sakura started to protest.
Tomoyo waved that off, "I know, but I want to." As she started getting items out of the fridge she added impishly, "You can always pay me back later."
Normally Sakura would have ignored that or made a joke, but her close call last night was far too recent. "Well, neither of us are going out today...," she purred suggestively.
Tomoyo nearly dropped the eggs, recovering at the last minute. "Who are you," she joked, "and what have you done with the real Sakura?"
Sakura couldn't help but laugh.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sonomi Daidouji sat in her office, studying the report in front of her. It wasn't as complete as she would have liked, her agents were limited in how close they could get to Sakura, but what she read was disturbing. The young woman had nearly been killed last night, probably would have been killed if not for her fast reflexes and a bit of luck.
'I need to send Tomoyo some samples of the light weight armor cloth were developing,' Sonomi thought grimly as she picked up another sheet.
The police report on Sakura's car had also been forwarded by certain individuals who owed her favors on the police force. The fire that had destroyed the car had virtually vaporized any trace evidence, so much so the detective involved thought the car had been stolen for a yakuza hit. Her people would keep monitoring the case, but so far Sakura was merely considered the victim of the theft of her car.
Sonomi made a note for her staff that if Sakura had any trouble with insurance or obtaining another car, steps would need to be taken. Sakura was family, even if they had different last names, and you took care of family.
'I also need to determine if there's anything more direct we can do to help,' Sonomi mused, turning in her chair to look out the window.
Police's early encounters with the monsters had shown that most kinds of conventional weapons were useless. Bullets barely fazed the variety of creatures encountered, only brute force applications of power like ramming it with a car had even slowed one down. Edged weapons were some use, as a housewife had demonstrated when she chopped a attacking kobold apart with a meat cleaver, but the odds were good she couldn't convince the police to give up guns for swords.
'It seems we're stuck depending on Sakura and her magic sword,' Sonomi thought grimly, then her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. 'If there's one magical sword,' she mused, 'why can't there be more?'
With new determination Sonomi picked up the phone, connecting to her secretary. "Get me the head of the archeology department at Tokyo University," she ordered, "and make it fast."
To be continued...
Sakura: Knight of the Clow
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Yue Susanoo eye's widened slightly as he took in his boss. Even without the now fading bruises he would have known she had been hurt from the psychic traces. Surprisingly part of him wanted to find the monster that had hurt her and deal with it, even though he knew Sakura had probably killed it herself already.
'It seems I'm becoming more attached to her than I planned,' Yue admitted to himself. "Are you all right, Sakura?" he asked her gently.
"I'm fine," Sakura smiled, the faded bruises around her throat looking weeks old, not days.
"I rather doubt that," Yue said gently, "but I won't press." Briskly he offered, "Did you want to get back to work?"
"Please!" Sakura smiled as they went back through the museum to the small workroom.
The work in a museum was often dull and repetitive, yet Yue found it oddly fascinating. What had begun for him as a means to monitor Sakura had become a enjoyable occupation, one in which he learned new things everyday.
The back room was full of items to clean and study, each protected from the elements in different ways. Crates were set up along the walls with uncatalogued items, while other artifacts were sent via secured shipping to be examined. It was a busy yet efficiently organized place, much like Sakura's own lifestyle.
"All right," Sakura said briskly, "what's on today's agenda?"
"We heard back from the consults on the Clow tablet we were studying," Yue said calmly, "the general consensus is that it's legitimate." He added wryly, "Bearing in mind they were just studying pictures of course."
"Of course," Sakura chuckled. She smiled at Yue, "Always keep in mind that archeologists will always cover their asses in this situation. The only way I'd get a unabashed yes would have been if I flew each expert here in person."
"Have you ever been flown in for a consultation?" Yue asked curiously.
"Once or twice," Sakura admitted. "I went to New York to study one artifact, and London another time. It's pretty rare though."
"I see," Yue nodded.
"We need to clean and photograph several more items," Sakura mused as she took off her jacket and pulled on a protective overcoat over her casual clothes, "and we need to prepare the tablet for display. That'll take a few hours, so we'll do it after the cleaning."
"I'll look forward to helping you with it," Yue said respectfully.
"Good," Sakura pulled on a set of rubber gloves with a snap as she said, "let's get to work."
Lunch arrived in the form of Caroline, Yue's friend. Her brassy blond hair and cheerful manner were a nice counterpoint to Yue's own serious manner. At times Yue wondered if Clow had created them that way deliberately, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.
"Hey, Sakura!" Kero waved, "How's working with grumpy here?"
Sakura laughed, "He's not that bad."
"Yes," Yue said dryly as he took the several food packages from Kero, "I only really have to be grumpy around you."
"Hey!" Kero protested.
Sakura chuckled warmly. "Thanks for picking up our lunch," she told her, "want to join us?"
"I'd love to," Kero grinned.
Sitting around the break room they got out paper plates and split up the food, digging in eagerly. As they ate they talked, mostly about books or TV shows Kero had seen. Sakura rarely got out to see such things because of her busy schedule, and Yue wasn't as interested.
"Did either of you hear the stories about the clock tower?" Kero asked at one point.
"No, what?" Sakura asked innocently.
"There seems to be odd things happening around it," Kero said eagerly, "at least according to the rumors I've heard. People get unnerved around it, and no one can walk the stairs all the way up."
Sakura leaned forward intently, "Really?"
Yue watched them, for once wishing Sakura wasn't quite so innocent. He could easily tell Kero was leading the woman into investigating the tower, but he suspected Sakura was quite unaware. It was almost sad manipulating someone so innocent.
"You don't think it's something dangerous?" Yue asked Kero thoughtfully.
"I've heard that some people have vanished too," Kero admitted.
'And that was the final hook,' Yue thought as Sakura's eyes narrowed intently. The woman seemed completely unable to ignore people in trouble, and hearing that people were disappearing would be sure to get her involved.
"I see," Sakura bit her lip, deep in thought even as Kero shoveled food away.
Yue felt the need caution her, "You aren't going to do anything rash, are you? You aren't fully recovered from whatever happened to you, Sakura."
Sakura neatly reached up to the now fading bruises, but stopped herself. "I won't do anything too foolish," she promised.
Silently Yue resolved to be near the Tower the next few nights, in his transformed form 'And I'll bring Keroberos with me too,' he decided. They may not be able to do much, but he was determined to do what he could for the young lady.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Tomoyo Daidouji smiled at Sakura as the two women met at a small restaurant not far from the museum. The black haired woman frowned curiously as she repeated, "The old clock tower?"
"Yes," Sakura said as she leaned close, smiling. The woman added, "I got a tip there might be something interesting there."
"I can do some digging at the paper," Tomoyo offered, "though I don't remember anything off the top of my head."
"I'd like that, please," Sakura said.
"When are you going to check it out?' Tomoyo asked thoughtfully.
"Not until tomorrow at least," Sakura admitted, shaking her head. "I'm still too sore from last time I went out..."
"Are you feeling better?" Tomoyo asked gently.
"Just stiff," Sakura smiled back. She sighed ruefully, "I shouldn't have let myself be surprised like that..."
"Uhm," Tomoyo looked sheepish, "I told my mother about it."
"Is that good or bad?" Sakura had to ask.
"Good, pretty much," Tomoyo smiled, "she sent me a new type of armored cloth, I'm going to use it to make your next uniform with."
"Really?" Sakura asked, surprised. "What's it like?"
"I did some experimenting with it, it's fairly comfortable," Tomoyo told her, "I even made the skirt I'm wearing out of it."
Sakura looked at the knee length navy blue skirt thoughtfully, "Can I touch it?"
Tomoyo gulped, feeling a slight blush color her cheeks. "Sure, go ahead," she offered warmly.
Sakura reached out to stroke the fabric, not incidentally touching Tomoyo's legs. She rubbed the cloth between her fingers as she mused, "It doesn't even feel any thicker."
Tomoyo shivered faintly at Sakura's touch, blushing again. "It's a kind of space aged material," she said, "I don't entirely understand how it's made myself."
"I appreciate the help," Sakura smiled. She looked a bit sheepish, "Could I ask you or Yukito for a ride tomorrow night?"
"No problem," Tomoyo smiled warmly, covering Sakura's hand with her own.
They ate their dinners then walked out to the parking lot, talking quietly. The light of sunset gave Sakura a almost supernatural glow, reminding Tomoyo of some kind of ancient goddess.
"Sakura," Tomoyo smiled as they reached her car, "would you like to stop by my house? I have a costume I'd like you to try on."
"I'd like that," Sakura beamed. Before they got in the car Sakura carefully peered inside, frowning slightly.
'That close call is going to stay with her,' Tomoyo mused as they climbed in. "I should be more careful too," she noted aloud.
"I don't think you're in too much danger," Sakura admitted, "but I'd feel better if you were on guard too. Just in case."
"Hmm," Tomoyo agreed as she pulled out of the parking lot. "How do the monsters hold up against electricity?" she asked curiously.
"They don't like it," Sakura looked at her curiously, "why?"
Tomoyo smiled slightly, "Because my mother makes a kind of 'shock baton' for security services. It's a policeman's club with a built in taser function, triggering on impact."
"That sounds pretty impressive," Sakura admitted.
"I'll talk to her about it tomorrow," Tomoyo resolved, "maybe she can get one sent to me by courier," She looked at Sakura, "I'd like to be able to help you more, if you'll let me."
"You help me a lot already," Sakura smiled, taking her hand as they pulled into the parking lot of Tomoyo's building.
Tomoyo squeezed her fingers back, only letting go reluctantly. She parked the car and they went inside, Sakura nodding a sheepish greeting to one of Tomoyo's neighbors. "What's that about?" Tomoyo murmured softly.
"She's the one who let me in your building last time," Sakura admitted,
"I'll have to thank her then," Tomoyo grinned as she let them into her apartment. She showed Sakura the new costume, then poured each of them a mild drink.
"Tomoyo, could I ask another favor?" Sakura asked softly. "I'm still nervous after last night... could I stay here?"
"Of course you can," Tomoyo told her gently, "Stay however long you like."
To be continued...
Sakura: Knight of The Clow
Chapter Thirty
Tomoyo Daidouji was very pretty when she slept, Sakura Kinomoto decided as they lay together on the big bed. Her usual serious expression was wiped away by sleep, leaving a softer, more innocent look to her. She could easily imagine Tomoyo being a model or fashion designer, not the ace reporter she had become.
The cuts that Sakura had suffered at the hands of the catwomen had finally faded last night, the bruises too. However Sakura was sore for another reason, Tomoyo having finally convinced her that her affections were more than friendly.
Sakura felt herself blush, and a beaming smile tugged at her lips. She wasn't as experienced as most women her age, though it wasn't for lack of opportunity. As a attractive female archeologist she got hit on at conferences, and had been chased after even in school. But somehow she just couldn't be bothered, and Sakura had never understood why.
'Well, I guess I know why now,' Sakura thought, tenderly pushing Tomoyo's hair away from her sleeping face.
The first kiss had been nervous, the two of them sitting on the couch together. Tomoyo gave her a chance to draw away, but instead Sakura had reached out, pulling her closer and kissing her back lingeringly. They had stayed out on the couch awhile, necking, then taking Tomoyo's hand Sakura had led her into the bedroom.
Sakura found herself blushing furiously at the memories. She wasn't normally so bold outside of her heroing, but somehow it had just seemed right. The two of them had ended up... well, they weren't done for HOURS.
"Hmm," Tomoyo shifted in bed, then her eyes opened. Her smile was warm and tender as she pushed herself up, "Do you feel as good as I do?"
"Probably," Sakura blushed.
Tomoyo chuckled warmly, kissing Sakura gently but lingeringly. "I really enjoyed last night," she said quietly.
Sakura blushed furiously even as she murmured, "I haven't... uhm... done this sort of thing very often. I was alright, then?"
"You were more than that," Tomoyo reassured her, reaching up and caressing her cheek. Quietly she added, "I love you."
Sakura felt her heart skip a beat, the surge of joy rising up within her. She turned and kissed Tomoyo again, drawing back to sigh, "Me, too." She blushed, laughing, "I wish I had something more poetic to say..."
"Hey, I'm the writer and my mind's blank," Tomoyo joked gently. She smiled at Sakura fondly, "Are you okay with this?"
Sakura automatically wanted to claim she was fine, but honestly she was a bit shaken. For most of her life she had thought she was just not a romantic person, when it seemed the truth was she had been waiting for the right girl to come along. "I will be," she promised.
"Fair enough," Tomoyo agreed, reaching out and squeezing Sakura's hand in her's. They lay there a moment, both comforted by the other's presence, then Tomoyo sighed. "We have to get up eventually," she pouted.
Sakura sighed, knowing the other woman was right. They got up together, Sakura faintly surprised by how her gaze wanted to linger across Tomoyo's nude body. A surge of hunger made her blush, remembering kissing those breasts hungrily, then...
"Sakura?" Tomoyo gave her a questioning look.
Sakura blushed furiously, "Sorry, got distracted."
Tomoyo's slow smile was impish and very knowing. "Me too," she agreed, but picked up their discarded clothing with a sigh.
Sakura picked up her own clothes, wrinkling her nose at the slightly clammy feel. "Do you have something I could borrow?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course," Tomoyo smiled, "in fact I finished working up a top and skirt made up of that armor cloth mother sent me."
"Thank you," Sakura beamed as Tomoyo brought the clothes and fresh underwear out, Sakura slipping into them gracefully. The new cloth was both soft and comfortable, and Sakura was oddly comforted knowing how damage resistant it was. Not that she wanted to test that out, mind you, but it was still a comfort.
"Come on," Tomoyo said, having dressed herself in a stylish skirt and blouse combo, "let's get some breakfast."
The two women went into the kitchen together, and cooperated on making breakfast. It was actually rather fun, both of them deliberately bumping hips or touching hands as they scrambled eggs and made up several pieces of toast.
"What do you have to do today?" Sakura asked curiously. She was rather glumly considering her own busy workload, including stopping in at the museum and her planned trip out to the clock tower later tonight. A large part of her wanted to ignore her responsibilities and stay in to cuddle Tomoyo, even though she knew it was selfish.
"I have to go to the Mayor's press conference," Tomoyo pouted, "especially considering my story helped bust him. I also need to work on a features article I promised to do and the first 'monsters of Tokyo' article."
"Monsters of Tokyo?" Sakura asked, munching on her scrambled eggs.
"I did some digging based on your adventures," Tomoyo nodded respectfully, "it turns out there's been stuff turning up for years. The police even have a special department for it."
"I hope they don't get hurt," Sakura frowned, knowing how hard it was to fight the monsters and how poorly normal weapons did.
"You can read my story if you want," Tomoyo offered warmly, "notes too." She looked thoughtful, "Maybe some of what they told me might lead to a Clow Card..."
Sakura leaned forward eagerly, "Thank you."
The chime of the intercom made them both jump, and Tomoyo cursed softly. "I wonder who could have such bad timing," she grumbled, stomping over to the unit mounted by her door.
Sakura watched her stalk off, once again fascinated by how gracefully she moved. Tomoyo had a unconscious grace that Sakura occasionally envied, coupled with a great degree of poise. In the middle of any crisis or emergency she seemed calm and composed, even though others might be near panicking.
However that calm, grace and poise seemed to have deserted her as Tomoyo listened to whomever it was outside. "Are you all right?" Sakura asked, worriedly.
Tomoyo looked at Sakura with a faintly pained look, "My mother is here."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sonomi Daidouji waited outside the apartment building, wondering if visiting her daughter like this was such a good idea. Her lover Kaho was constantly urging her to try to bridge the gap between her and her daughter, and admittedly Tomoyo had made several steps towards doing that. But still, Sonomi wasn't sure about just dropping in like this.
"I have some company," Tomoyo's voice came over the intercom, "but come on up. I'll buzz you inside."
Sonomi raised her eyebrows slightly as she turned to her bodyguards, wondering who Tomoyo might have over so early. 'Or is it someone who stayed overnight?' she mused. Aloud she said, "I shouldn't be gone too long. Have a team keep an eye on the building while you wait here."
The boyish woman in a suit tipped her formal cap, "Understood, ma'am. Should we have the helicopter ready for a fast extraction?"
Sonomi smiled wryly, touched once again by the concern of her security staff. "Have it available, just in case," she suggested, then headed into the building.
"Yes, ma'am," the woman saluted, then climbed into the car to wait.
As Sonomi headed upstairs, she found herself hoping it was Sakura who was with her daughter. 'They would go together very well,' she mused, even as she conceded it would also be like a continuation of her own issues.
Tomoyo answered the door promptly, and peering past her Sonomi was pleased to see Sakura there too. "Sorry to intrude," Sonomi said mildly.
Giving her mother a odd look Tomoyo answered, "It's fine, come on in."
"Good morning, Sakura," Sonomi said, fighting back a smile at the girl's slightly mussed hair.
A blush cutely colored the girl's cheeks as she bravely answered, "Morning."
Tomoyo gave her mother a distinctly annoyed look, and Sonomi felt a touch sheepish. "What can I do for you today, mother?" Tomoyo asked flatly, gesturing for the woman to take a seat at the table with her and Sakura.
"Actually," Sonomi reached into the bag beside her and passed a box in it over to Tomoyo as she said, "I have a present for you."
Tomoyo opened it as Sakura looked on curiously, the younger woman nodding thoughtfully as she pulled out the long, rounded black baton. "Is this the...?" she started.
"It's one of the shock baton prototypes we're developing," Sonomi told her daughter proudly. She pointed out the recessed button just above the grip, "It's quite simple to operate too. Just press here to start charging the baton, releasing the button before you actually hit something. This colored bar here shows how strong the charge is."
"Not bad," Tomoyo conceded, handling the weapon carefully. "And if it's charged and I decide not to hit anyone with it?" she asked.
"Press the baton to the ground and release the button, it grounds out," Sonomi answered promptly. She watched Tomoyo swing the weapon around proudly, glad that the self defense classes she made the girl attend were paying off.
"Nice," Tomoyo nodded.
Sonomi looked over at Sakura, taking in the girl's fading bruises and cuts. "I'm glad to see you've mostly recovered," she noted.
"I'm nearly back to normal," Sakura lied cheerfully.
Sonomi felt a pang, remembering how her cousin Nadesico had done the same thing, bravely smiling even when she was hurt. "Don't push yourself so hard," she cautioned gently, "it will do no one any good if you're hurt again."
Sakura blushed faintly, "Sorry."
Tomoyo looked like she wanted to jump in, but visibly restrained herself. Instead she said, "Thank you for the new gear, mother. I'll try to use it well."
"I'm sure you will," Sonomi agreed, smiling. She got up, smiling at both of them as she said, "Now, I'm sorry to say I have to go. A corporate empire waits for no one."
"Thank you for coming by," Sakura smiled.
"She's right, thank you," Tomoyo said as she walked her mother to the door. Quietly she added, "I'll call later."
"I'll be at my office till late," Sonomi agreed even as she wondered what Tomoyo wanted to talk about, "call there."
"Will do," Tomoyo nodded as Sonomi left.
To be continued...