CHAPTER 2: Sakura and the Strange Night

-VERTEX TWO: 15.721699-

Tomoeda

This dream again...

The edge of a building, standing there at night with the town spread out before her like a tapestry... A small, winged, golden-furred creature hovered at her side as she clutched her staff. Before them, the Tokyo Tower-

Wait.

No, this wasn't Tokyo. The tower looming in the distance was the beloved Tomoeda Elementary clock tower that kept faithful time for everyone in town. Yet so many other details were the same: her staff, her companion, her position atop the building... And two figures still waited for her at the tower, just as in that dream from so long ago...

This is wrong...

Neither of the two that waited was familiar. She could barely see them, they stood as mere shadows against the old clock tower... but she could feel them even from far away, they were strangers.

This isn't how the dream is supposed to go! What's going on?

A tremendous, rumbling crack shook Tomoeda, vibrating through her bones and nearly causing her to fall from her perch. There was a silent cry of alarm from the creature floating next to her. She looked up...

... and saw a network of cracks spreading across the night sky, as if it had been struck by the hammer of a giant. Cold sweat rolled down her brow, mingling with the tears on her cheeks, as she raised the staff... She had to do something...

Too late. Pieces of the sky began to fall, and behind the sky... there was nothing, nothing at all. Her vision went black...

And in that darkness, someone waited. Someone very small, staring at her expectantly with wide eyes...

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Sakura Kinomoto sat bolt upright in bed, screaming as the howling voice pulled her from the dream. Acting on pure instinct, she tossed away the covers, felt inside her pajamas for the key, grasped it tightly in her fist as she flew down the stairs three at a time... The kitchen, it came from the kitchen! What could possibly-

The soles of her bare feet burned in protest as she skidded around the corner. At her mental command, the key expanded into her staff. She brandished it, and called out to the room... "Kero-chan! Where are you? What's wrong?!"

A golden blur roughly the size and shape of a teddy bear rushed forward to meet her. "Sakura..." it moaned, choked with sorrow, "My pudding! The pudding I was savin' for breakfast today, it's gone! There's not even a spoonful left...!"

Sakura took a moment to process that... then she felt a vein bulge in her forehead. She shrunk the staff back down into its dormant state as she stomped forward, meeting the small creature's golden eyes with her own. "Kero-chan..." she growled, "... are you telling me you woke me up with that screaming... on a school day... just for pudding?!"

The legendary Guardian Beast of the Clow stuck out his bottom lip. "But it was my pudding, I was savin' it...!"

"Kero-chaaaaaaaaan...!"

In the five years since the night of the Sealed Card incident, things had changed in the Kinomoto household. Toya was gone, moved in with Yukito and living above the small natural foods store that they ran together. There was no more need for Kero to pretend to be a stuffed animal... after the Sealed Card's rampage and the subsequent fallout, Sakura's father had explained that he had always known about Kero's presence and the strange events that led up to his daughter's officially earning mastership of the Cards, so he took the revelation of the truth with his usual aplomb. He likewise took the news that his precious daughter and Shaoran Li were in love with remarkable grace when they announced it to their families that night. Toya's reaction was notably less than thrilled, but that was typical.

And Sakura herself had changed, of course... from a small, cheerful eleven-year-old to a slightly larger but still cheerful teenager in the full flower of her youth. She was gorgeous by anyone's standard, threatening to surpass even the legendary beauty of her late mother, Nadeshiko... but despite how much she had grown in the intervening years, in most respects she was still the same old Sakura underneath.

Right now, that same old Sakura was engaged in a frantic chase through most of the house's first floor, trying to catch hold of the Guardian Beast and inflict some well-deserved punishment for waking her up.

Several minutes of frenzied activity later, Kero stopped and crossed his tiny arms. "Time out, time out!" he panted as he let his exhausted wings go limp. By now, he was backed into the corner where the walls met the ceiling, well out of reach of Sakura's arms... but still within throwing range of the pillow she threatened to bludgeon him with. "Look, I'm sorry for wakin' you up, okay? But ya know how I feel about pudding... and ya had to get up for school anyway, right? Right?"

Sakura sighed and put the pillow aside. "All right, truce."

"Truce." Kero floated back down to her and settled on her shoulder. His face briefly crinkled into a suspicious frown. "As long as you didn't eat it..."

"I didn't, honest!"

"And I can tell you're not lyin'. So let's check the fridge again... maybe your dad moved it or somethin'."

So they did. When they found the pudding dish (empty), they also found a note attached to it, which read:

"Dear monster,

Had to stop by early this morning to get supplies and stuff from Dad's garden. Yuki's making dinner tonight and we needed more fresh vegetables. Didn't have breakfast, so I ate the pudding in the fridge. Sorry.

IOU one pudding.

Toya

PS. Tell the little monster it was delicious."

In a rare occurrence, the moods of both Cardcaptor and Guardian Beast intersected as they finished the note.

"My poor pudding...!" Kero moaned, pawing at his face in despair.

"Onii-chaaan...!" The vein bulged in Sakura's forehead again as she crumpled the note into a ball. "I'm not a monster...!"

From there it was mostly routine: a light breakfast, over which the two discussed various means of painful revenge on Toya, followed by a shower, dressing for school, and a mad dash to get together Sakura's various books and papers. Kero, of course, went back to his bed in Sakura's desk drawer, muttering dark things about which sweets he was owed and from whom. Sakura strapped on her roller blades and was out the door into the summer heat, only five minutes late... not bad at all.

She had to smile as she rolled past Tomoeda Elementary. The familiar schoolyard was filled with bright, chattering faces and small bodies in black-and-white uniforms. Had she really been that size just five years ago? For a moment she idled, hoping to catch a glimpse of Terada-sensei somewhere in the crowd, but no such luck. On she sped, thankful that Seijo High was so close by.

Her arrival in class (now eight minutes late, but still not bad) was met with the usual greetings from her friends: Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, and Yamazaki-kun, who appeared to be well into another of his trademark stories, judging by the fist Chiharu was raising behind his back. How remarkable, that the group had stayed together for so long... almost like the hands of fate had intervened, intent on keeping things as they were.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," said a soft, lilting voice from the next desk over as she took her seat. "You made it just in time!"

"Barely," she said with a sheepish grin. "Good morning, Tomoyo-chan. Did you sleep well?"

Tomoyo Daidouji was likewise mostly unchanged from their elementary school days. Taller, certainly, and now possessing a serene, mature beauty that belied her age... in fact, she had been approached by more than one talent agency in the years since, and more had come running once word of her angelic singing voice got out. Tomoyo politely refused them all; she had no need for fame, her family was already rich enough, and she was perfectly happy living as an ordinary teenager. Just as before, she was Sakura's constant companion, confidant, and best friend, her camera a constant presence in her hand and ready to record at a moment's notice. There was now an entire wing of the Daidouji mansion converted into a full studio specifically for her hobby, a warehouse-sized room for the thousands of costumes she had made, and a solid steel vault inside which rested the innumerable tapes and discs of Sakura's exploits, both mundane and fantastic. She was nothing if not through.

"I'm afraid not," sighed Tomoyo, putting a hand to her cheek. "I was up far too late last night..."

"Don't tell me-"

"... but I just had to get the editing of 'Sakura-chan Rides the Bullet Train' right!" Tomoyo's eyes shone as she clenched her hands into fists and stared up in the general direction of the ceiling. "I had to do justice to such a momentous occasion!"

"Tomoyo-chan..." Sakura blushed and waved her hand in a noncommittal sort of way. She loved Tomoyo, but she was so hard to understand sometimes... "It was just a train ride, it wasn't a big deal..."

"You say that, Sakura-chan, but you looked so cute in that blue sundress I made for you!" Tomoyo squealed. "It was critical to film it and make it perfect!"

"Hoeee~..."

Someone opened the classroom door, but she had felt him coming long before his hand touched it. Sakura turned a warm and sunny smile to the door as Shaoran Li stepped through.

It was almost two years ago that he returned to Japan. Coming back was against all logic, against the wishes of his mother... but he did it anyway. Meilin, bless her heart, vouched endlessly on his behalf to the Li family, and in the end they gave in. Shaoran was back for good, and they would never be apart again.

Of the circle of friends, it was Shaoran who was the most different from the spring six years before when they first met. He was almost unrecognizable as the glowering, over-serious transfer student that once sat in the seat behind Sakura's, burning holes in the back of her head with his stare. Being with the one he truly loved revealed the gentle soul inside him, the soul that Sakura so adored.

He had quite a few inches on her now, but still the same old hairstyle and bright brown eyes that gazed curiously out at the world from under thick, dark eyebrows usually knitted in a frown... unless Sakura was around. When they were together, it was like a different Shaoran emerged from inside him, one that beamed with the sheer joy of being alive, of being with her... He smiled in that way that always stopped Sakura's heart as he crossed the room. "Hi, Sakura."

"Hi, Shaoran-kun..." Pinkness colored Sakura's cheeks as their fingertips touched fleetingly. "Did you have a good night?"

"Sort of. You?" He was still terse and reserved with his speech, that much was the same... but with time and practice, Sakura had become an expert at reading the volumes that he spoke with those bright eyes. They didn't need words to understand each other.

"Until this morning," she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh?"

"Pudding."

"Ah." Shaoran nodded, comprehending immediately. "So he was upset?"

"Very."

"Who ate it?"

"Toya."

"Ah, no wonder." Shaoran cocked an eyebrow. "The sweet shop on the way home?"

Sakura grinned. "I'd love to."

"Okay." He brushed her hand again, then went back to his chair... a few desks away from Sakura, out of necessity. Their teachers had quickly noticed their tendency to become quite distracted if they were seated too close together, and had made appropriate arrangements to ensure they remained focused on their schoolwork.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, as the days tended to do. Lectures, quizzes, lunch, study, afterschool clubs... the clock tower's bell rang five o'clock before Sakura knew it.

Clock tower.The words sparked a brief memory in her mind as she packed her bag, but it was gone before she could catch hold of it.

On the way home, hand in hand with Shaoran with Tomoyo and her camera one step behind, it occurred to her again. "Shaoran-kun," she asked, breaking the silence of the last few blocks, "have you had any strange dreams lately?"

Shaoran wrinkled his brow. "Not that I can remember. Why?"

"I thought I had one this morning, but..." She shrugged. "I don't know. I sort of forgot it with all the commotion."

"If it's anything important, I know you'll remember it soon, Sakura-chan," said Tomoyo, looking up from her viewfinder.

"Yeah," said Shaoran. "Or you could just use DREAM if you're worried."

"I'm not worried, really," she said, squeezing his hand for emphasis. "It was just... weird."

All too soon, it was time for the three to part ways. One more embrace for Shaoran and one for Tomoyo, and Sakura turned the corner alone to walk the last few blocks. Her thoughts wandered over tests and homework and ordinary things... as usual, Shaoran tended to appear here and there among them, making her giggle and sigh each time.

When the tinkling chime sounded from her school bag, Sakura reached for her cell phone by instinct, certain that it was probably Rika or Naoko or Chiharu calling for the latest gossip update. She unbuckled the bag and drew it out to find that the phone was still and silent, but the chime continued to play. "Hoe~?" Sakura stopped, blinking in confusion...

She could have slapped herself; how on earth could she have forgotten that sound? It wasn't her cell phone ringing after all... With far more urgency, she dug into the bottom of her bag.

Out came the special phone, made of chunky, tarnished pink plastic. This was the one Tomoyo had given her at the start of their adventures long ago, the one that was only connected to identical phones owned by Tomoyo, Shaoran, and Kero... the one that only rang when there was urgent Cardcaptor business to attend to. The one that had not rung in almost five years... Sakura pressed the button. "Hello?"

"Sakura, ya gotta come home right away!" said a voice with a pronounced Kansai accent. Kero sounded frantic... and not frantic like this morning, but frantic like he used to sound when there was trouble brewing. Sakura felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck... "Come quick, there's somethin' wrong with the Cards!"

"I'll be right there. Hang on, Kero-chan." Sakura hung up, stuffed the pink phone into her bag, and quickly slid on her roller blades. Four more blocks. She could be home in five minutes if she hurried... so she did.

*****

"I don't understand," said Sakura. "I just don't understand..." She had been repeating variations of those words for most of the last hour.

Sakura kept running her thumb and forefinger over the surface of her key, without realizing she was doing so... a nervous gesture. The Book lay open before her, all the Cards spread out upon the floor. Kero hovered by her shoulder, his arms crossed, a grave expression on his face.

Some of the Cards were the same as the last time she looked at them. By her count, twenty of them were unchanged since the end of her trials five years ago. The others, though...

Sakura gingerly reached for one card at random, as if she was afraid it might break. It was The SHIELD. In horrified fascination, she turned it back and forth... The surface of the card shifted, like one of those lenticular hologram things she had seen a few times before. Turned one way, it was the same card as ever, an image of a wing-shaped shield wrapped in chains on a pink background, bordered by a sun, moon and star, its name and her own written in bold letters. But turned another way, her name disappeared and the card turned golden and brown... it was a Clow Card again, as it had been when she first sealed it... The same was true of twelve others, including all but one of the major elemental Cards.

Of the remaining nineteen, not only had they returned to being Clow Cards, but they were thin and insubstantial like phantoms, barely tangible at all. When she picked up one, she could see her hand straight through it.

That wasn't all. Her key, the one she kept turning over and over in her other hand... it was likewise back in its original shape, stylized and bird-like... the Star Key no more.

And of The HOPE, her final Card, there was no sign at all.

"I already tried several times," said Kero grimly. "I can't take on my true form anymore. It's a sure bet that Yue can't either... we'll probably be hearin' from Snow Rabbit soon as he notices."

"What's happening, Kero-chan?" Sakura whispered. "What does this mean...? Does Clow Reed think I'm not worthy anymore, or-"

A small hand poked her cheek. "Don't go thinkin' that. Clow chose you, Sakura, no one else. Just you. He decided you were worthy long ago, and there's no way he'd change his mind now. The only other guy I can think of that could do somethin' like this is Eriol... and we know he's on the level now."

"I just don't understand," said Sakura again, placing The SHIELD back in the Book, one cover of which now bore the symbol and name of Clow once more. Her hands clenched and unclenched around the key in her lap. "I don't get it at all..."

"Hey." Kero floated down and hugged her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Remember your invincible spell: 'Everything will be all right somehow.'"

"You're right." Sakura sniffled and wiped her eyes, then hugged Kero back. "Thank you, Kero-chan, I just-"

The phone rang, interrupting her sentence. It was Tomoyo's pink phone again... Swallowing a feeling of dread, Sakura fished it out of her bag. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Sakura-chan," said Tomoyo's voice. "May I speak with you in person?"

Sakura blinked. "Tomoyo-chan? What's the matter?" She spared a glance at her alarm clock. "It's really late... And why are you using the special line? You have my cell phone number..."

"Yes, I apologize, but I really must speak to you and Li-kun, and I don't quite feel comfortable doing so over the phone. We need to be face-to-face for this. I'll meet you and Li-kun in the park in front of King Penguin in half an hour, is that acceptable?"

"I'll try, Tomoyo-chan, but I'm sort of dealing with-"

"Thank you, Sakura-chan. I'll see you both there." Click.

Sakura wasn't sure she heard correctly. "Hello? Tomoyo-chan?" Nothing, only a dial tone. If it was important enough for her Tomoyo to voluntarily cut off a conversation with her, then something was very wrong indeed.

"What's goin' on with her?" asked Kero.

"I have no idea, that was really weird... She didn't sound like herself." As she stood and stretched the kinks out of her legs, Sakura grabbed for her jacket hanging on the back of her chair. She then gathered up the Cards and placed them neatly back in the now-mismatched Book. Once it was clasped shut, she began to slide it into her open dresser drawer, into its usual spot... but something gave her pause. I think I'll need this after all, she thought, pressing the Book into her chest. Just in case.

Tomoeda Park

"She didn't say anything to you?"

"Not a thing."

"Hrm." Shaoran's eyes narrowed. "I don't like it."

"I don't like it either, kozou," said Kero, floating in their wake as they made their way down the moonlit path. "This, plus whatever's goin' on with the Cards... it smells like bad news."

"You're sure you don't sense any new magic?" asked Sakura, for what felt like the tenth time.

"I got nothin' at all, magic or no magic. And that worries me even more..."

The path led them to the small children's playground where they had spent so many days as children. A wave of nostalgia washed over Sakura as she saw the King Penguin slide standing proudly in the moonlight. How many times had they come here? She couldn't count them all.

Tomoyo sat on the end of the slide, her shoulders slumped so that her waist-length hair fell around her like a blanket. It was difficult to make her out in the dark like that... and that posture was nothing like the normal, cheerful, straight-backed Tomoyo. With great difficulty, she resisted the urge to run to her side and hug her, instead taking a few cautious steps forward. "Tomoyo-chan? We're here."

"Careful, Sakura," muttered Shaoran next to her.

Tomoyo stood, smoothed out her dress, and smiled bright. It was as if someone had flipped a switch; this was the Tomoyo they knew and loved. Clutching her camera, she bowed to them both. "Good evening, Sakura-chan, Li-kun. Thank you for coming out so late... I apologize for the inconvenience."

Sakura bowed back. "It's okay, Tomoyo-chan. Just tell us what's going on and we'll help you however we can. Is it something about the Cards?" With all that had happened in the last few hours, Sakura half-expected that to be the case...

"Oh no, nothing like that," said Tomoyo. "I wanted to talk about the three of us... you and me and Li-kun."

Shaoran blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, of course." Tomoyo turned her smile to him. "You see, Li-kun, I never realized it before, but... you are somewhat of a thief, aren't you?"

Struck dumb, Shaoran stared at her. "I- what?!"

"Hoeeee~?!" Sakura had never heard Tomoyo say anything of that nature about anyone. "Tomoyo-chan, what are you talking about?! Shaoran-kun's not a thief!"

Every muscle in Kero's small body went tense at once. "Sakura, kozou, stay sharp, somethin' stinks here..."

"He is, in a way," continued Tomoyo. She pressed a hand to her cheek and sighed. "Li-kun, I'm afraid you stole my Sakura-chan."

"D-D-Daidouji..." sputtered Shaoran, taking a nervous step back as his face reddened. "I thought we- you and I, you told me that-"

"I know, Li-kun, and I apologize. I did encourage you back then, but now..." Her tone brightened again. "I've realized that I loved Sakura-chan long before you ever did, and it's simply not fair that you're here to come between us."

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura edged toward her friend. This was all wrong... "Tomoyo-chan, I don't know what's going on, but you and Li-kun and I are friends! I love both of you, you know that!" Her voice was tinged with panic.

"And I love you, Sakura-chan," said Tomoyo, as cheerfully as she always did. "That's why I'm afraid I have to kill Li-kun."

Ice water danced up and down Sakura's spine. Her stomach tightened into a knot, her face turned pale... "T-T-T-Tomoyo-chan, you're... you're joking... d-don't tell jokes like that..."

"Oh, it's not a joke," said Tomoyo. In that same, soft, lilting, friendly voice, she giggled as she drew a pen knife from her pocket, flicking it open. Moonlight winked on the blade, silver and deadly. "Please wait, Sakura-chan. I'll kill Li-kun, and then we'll be together. It's all going to be fine."

END OF CHAPTER 2