Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Card Captor Sakura - Altered World ❯ Sakura and the Shrine of Memories ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Card Captor Sakura - Altered World
Card Captor Sakura - Altered World

Notes: This fanfic will be S+S, and will deal with more mature concepts later on. Read at your own risk. I'm poor; don't sue. I don't own CCS at all.


Chapter 8: Sakura and the Shrine of Memories

Cherry blossoms flew around the Tokyo Tower at night. The moon was bright and full. Sakura was standing yet again on the rooftop in front of the Tokyo Tower. Scattered Clow Cards fluttered in the air between her and the tower. Sakura focused. A longhaired figure stood on the tower, her hair fanning in the wind.
"Who is that?"
Sakura could not distinguish the face of the figure.
"Who are you?"

"Who could that be?" wondered Sakura as she woke up in her bed. Rubbing her eyes to clear them, she looked behind her to see her clock read 6:00 AM.
"Oh, it's so early," said Sakura, as she got out of her bed, not able to sleep after seeing the prophetic dream.

Sakura skated luxuriously on the path to school, a rare thing to see. Her mind was not focused on the movement of her feet but on her thoughts. She did not trip as she roller bladed mindlessly, her legs already trained to the path for many years. Coloured leaves fell gently around her as a small breeze passed by.
"I had that dream when I first met Kero-chan. I had it also when I met Li-kun…"
Flash of a shrouded figure, with her long hair and trench coat billowing in the wind.
"And then…"
The words "Tsukimine Shrine" flashed past her and Sakura paused.
"I met Mizuki-sensei yesterday, what a mysterious person…" Sakura said, voicing her thoughts.
"You really think so?" said a female voice from beside her. Sakura stiffened in surprise.
"I'm sorry. Did I surprise you?" Kaho asked, holding a broom in her hands.
"No, I mean… Good Morning!" said Sakura, stumbling over the first few words.
"Good Morning. You get up early Kinomoto-san."
"I got up early in the morning, so I'm taking a walk."
"I'm cleaning up the premise of the shrine," Kaho said and smiled at her. Sakura smiled brightly back at her. Somehow whenever I see Mizuki-sensei, I feel so sweet.
"I'll help too!"
"Are you sure? How about your walk?"
"It's no big deal."

Sakura sweep several leaves to the pile that she gathered together before. The pavement of the shrine was now clear of leaves except for several piles of leaves.
"Is it okay that I leave it here?" asked Sakura.
"Sure. Thank you," said Kaho and gave her a brilliant smile. Sakura felt herself automatically smile back at her.
I'm so glad that I got up early today.
"Be careful. As I thought, the teacher isn't any normal person."
Even though he said to be cautious, I can't help but to feel hanyaan around Mizuki-sensei.
"You were really a great help. Thank you very much. Please take some chestnuts," said Kaho, while handing her a bag.
"Thank you!" said Sakura happily and taking the bag.
"Oh look at the time. I think we should be going to school now."
"Hai!"

"Tomoyo-chan! Good Morning!" said Sakura bubbly.
"Good morning Sakura-chan. Why are you so happy today?"
"It is because of… this!" said Sakura as she raised the bag in her hand for Tomoyo to see.
"And…"
"Well, this morning… Mizuki-sensei…"
"I told you to be careful with her!" interrupted a scowling Syaoran, sitting behind her.
"Li-kun! But…" trailed Sakura.
"Syaoran!" interrupted a voice from the classroom door. Meiling ran to him and looked angrily at him, "I was putting on my shoes and you left me behind!"
Tomoyo and Sakura blinked.
"Oh chestnuts?" said Meiling, finally noticing Sakura and Tomoyo. Behind them, Syaoran looked relieved.
"Do you want some Meiling?" offered Sakura.
"Yeah! Thanks!" said Meiling happily and began to crack some of them.
Sakura smiled happily too, but for a different reason.

Kaho was standing below a tree at her shrine at night. She was staring solemnly at the full moon. Then her lips curved into a smile.

"Did you really sense a Clow Card?" Sakura asked her beady-eyed companion.
"I'm sure, it woke me up!"
"Tsukimine shrine… I captured the maze card yesterday at this place."
"The one where the mysterious teacher lives?"
"Yeah… What card is it, I wonder…"
"All I know it is a pretty powerful card," replied a male voice from behind her.
"Li-kun!" said Sakura, turning around and spotting the unruly haired boy.
"I know that, since it could wake me up," said Cerberus, annoyed at Syaoran.
Sakura looked around, curiously. She peered into the distance behind Syaoran.
"What?" asked Syaoran in annoyance.
"Where's Meiling-chan?" wondered Sakura.
"I left her behind, because she didn't finish her homework."
"Hah. That girl is still doing her homework at this hour," said Cerberus smugly.
"Don't say that! Meiling-chan just transferred from Hong Kong and she doesn't know Japanese too well," scolded Sakura.
"How about that girl with the video camera?" asked Syaoran.
"It's too late to call her at this hour," replied Sakura.
"In any case, the card is in that shrine…" trailed Cerberus. Sakura and Syaoran turned towards the shrine.
The full moon continued to shine brightly.

"This is strange. We should have found it right away," said Cerberus, hovering in the air.
"I'm sure it is nearby," said Syaoran with a frown.
"We've been searching the shrine for almost an hour," stated Sakura.
"I'm sure I felt it before, but now I can't feel a thing. Man, I'm thirsty. Is there a vending machine around here?" complained Cerberus.
"I want one too. Buy one for Li-kun also, okay?" said Sakura, while throwing her change purse to Cerberus. Cerberus swooped and grabbed onto it with both hands, making his arms hunch down from the weight.
"Oh, well. I will if I remember," said Cerberus nonchalantly.
"What do you mean?!" said Syaoran angrily.
"Hey, that's my wallet!"

Syaoran was sitting up on a sacred tree in the shrine. A few branches away, sat Sakura.
"I wonder where the card is," said Sakura, breaking the previous silence.
"It should be nearby. It probably knows we're here, so it has hidden itself."
"But if there's really another card, then that makes it the second one we've found here."
"That teacher was here, wasn't she?"
"Ye...Yeah. I saw her this morning. I helped her sweep the place and she gave me chestnuts."
"You really didn't sense anything about that teacher?"
"I feel so hanyaan around her," said Sakura, bunching her fists under her chin.
"Hanyaan?" asked Syaoran in puzzlement, "Anyhow, you could sense something else too, right?"
"Ye...Yeah."
"I guess people with powers are drawn towards other things with powers."
"You mean, me?"
"Because you have powers, you can capture the Clow Cards, right?"
"But when I'm with Miss Mizuki, I don't feel any fear at all. Instead, I feel really happy."
"Things don't always appear what they seem, you know?"
Sakura shook her head at those words, "But you know, if you think someone is nice or if you like someone, there's nothing you can do about that feeling. There's someone else I feel hanyaan about too."
"Do I know him?" Syaoran asked, looking at her with a bit of curiosity.
"No, he's studying somewhere. Is there someone you really like?"
"No. No one," he said softly. A long silence fell upon the two.
"I'm sure you'll find someone someday!" said Sakura brightly, giving him a brilliant smile. Syaoran stared at her and found his heart beating rapidly. Blood rushed uncontrollably to his face. Realising he was blushing, he shook his head frantically and jumped off the tree.
"Wait, Li-kun!" shouted Sakura, watching his running form. She jumped off the tree after him. As she tried to step forward, she found herself being pulled backwards. She looked behind her to see a black abyss that had formed in the trunk of the tree.
"LI-KUN!" she screamed helplessly.
Syaoran turned around to see Sakura half submerged in the void of the tree. He ran to her and reached out with his hand and grabbed hers.
"They had the juice I like," said Cerberus as he arrived on the scene. Three cans of drinks clattered to the ground as he saw the scene before him, "Sakura!"
Syaoran found himself being dragged in as well. His feet dragged on the floor as he resisted the force that inevitably would pull them in. He felt the stuffed animal grab onto his shirt, but it did little to improve their situation.
"Li-kun, let go and you won't be dragged in!" yelled Sakura.
"What are you thinking you idiot!" he yelled at her and then said with gentle expression, "Who else will seal the cards when you're gone?"
"Thank you," she said with a soft smile and loosened her grip on his hand. Her hand slipped from his and she was absorbed in the black void.
"How was she sucked into the tree?" said Syaoran, grabbing Cerberus off his ceremonial robes and then began to grip him tightly.
"Loosen your grip, kid. This is… the card Return!"

"Huh? Why did I fall asleep at a place like this?" wondered Sakura as she raised herself room the ground in front a tree in the shrine.
"Um... I came to the shrine to look for a Clow Card with Kero-chan. I saw Li-kun, and we were talking here... That's right! I got sucked in by the tree!"
Sakura turned around and looked at the trunk of the tree in puzzlement, "Huh? There's nothing..."
A breeze blew and a flurry of pink fell around her. She caught one of objects in her hand and examined it, "The cherry blossoms are falling…"
She turned around at the sound of footsteps.
"Li-kun? Not him! I got to hide somewhere. Jump!"
Using the card, she landed on a tree branch and spied on the newcomer, "Onii-chan?!"
Sakura's older brother was in his junior high school uniform. He was even younger than her. He stepped up to the tree, and placed his right palm against it. A small blue glow appeared where the contact was made.
"You've come to protect us today," said the younger Touya to the spirit.
"Good evening. Did you come to worship at this hour?" said a female voice from behind Touya, surprising him.
"Mizuki-sensei..." wondered Sakura from her hiding place.
"It came to protect us, so I came to say hello," replied Touya.
"You can tell something is dwelling in this tree, can't you? You see a lot of them, don't you? Isn't it hard for you? To be able to see something others can't see..." trailed Kaho.
"I'm used to it," replied Touya.
"Would you tell me your name?" asked Kaho.
"Kinomoto Touya," replied Touya.
"What year?" Kaho continued to ask.
"Grade 8," replied Touya.
"So as I thought, I'm really am in the past," said Sakura as she continued to watch the scene below her.
"I'm Mizuki Kaho. I'll see you tomorrow again," said Kaho, turning around and walking away, leaving a wondering Touya standing there.
"She said the same thing to me…" trailed Sakura.

"Return is a card that sends people back to the past, but it takes a lot of magical power. It's rarely put in use," said Cerberus, occasionally glancing back worriedly at the tree.
"But then why did it act all of a sudden?" asked Syaoran, looking at his hand and then he clenched it tightly.
"Most likely, this tree is closely related to this shrine and has stored up lots of power. It's probably returning her these powers. Also, it's impossible to go back with just the will of one person... Someone must have be waiting underneath the tree," explained Cerberus and then he said while looking up at the sky, "Besides... Today the moon is full."

"You're the student teacher for our class. That's why yesterday you said you'd see me tomorrow again," said Touya as he confronted Kaho.
"I only recognize the uniform. I didn't know who's in my class yet," she replied.
"Then how did you know?" asked Touya in confusion.
"I just do. It's like you can see things that other people can't, it's hard to explain, you know?"
"I guess so."
"I'm sure we'll become friends."
"Do you just know so too?"
"No. I have faith in you," said Kaho with a smile. Touya stared at her and the wind blew around them.
"Touya and Mizuki-sensei knew each other…" wondered Sakura.

"What happens if it goes on like this?"
"Before the past which Sakura is in catches up with the present, it'll only go on like this," replied Cerberus, uneasily.
"Isn't there something we can do?" asked Syaoran calmly, his voice edged with anger. One hand was tightly gripping the hilt of his sword.
"There is. But..."

"Study abroad? When?"
"Tomorrow."
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Touya angrily.
"If I told you, it would bother you, right? Both you and I will feel sad," replied Kaho. She wrapped her arms around Touya's waist from the side and rested her head on his shoulder.
"It all began under this tree. It's almost been a year since you told me that you love me," reminisced Kaho.
"They're so far away, I can't hear them..." said Sakura from the tree.
"I was really happy, because I loved you very much too. We had a lot of fun together. I had a really good time," continued Kaho.
"Why are you talking in past tense…" said Touya, turning his head to look at her.
"Let's say good-bye," said Kaho, unwrapping her arms from his waist and lifting her head.
"Why...?" asked Touya heatedly, looking at her with hurt eyes.
"Because when we meet again, you would already have someone you care about. I'll find someone else, too," she said and then with a reassuring smile, "It'll be okay. Because when we meet next time, you and I would have become great friends. I will come back for sure. When the time comes..."
Kaho moved away from him and looked upwards, "What a beautiful full moon."
Then she said softly with a smile, "When a disaster befalls upon this world..."
"Mizuki-sensei!" cried Sakura as she found everything around her dissolving into black.
"But... I'm sure..." continued Kaho's voice from far away.

"Sakura! Sakura!" called a voice in Osaka dialect. Sakura winced as she raised herself from the cold ground. She opened her eyes to see the familiar flying Guardian of the Seal.
"Kero-chan..." she trailed.
"Thank goodness. You really came back," said Cerberus happily.
"How did I...?" wondered Sakura as she stood up.
"You gotta thank the brat this time," replied Cerberus with a hint of irritation in his voice.
Black miasma began to flow out of the tree. It formed together in a black mass that swirled chaotically, tendrils occasionally escaping from it.
"Sakura, that's the true form of the card!" yelled Cerberus.
"Return to thy form which thou should be! Clow Card!" cried Sakura as she hit her staff against it. The card flew into her awaiting hand. There was movement around the tree and Sakura tensed.
"You did come back..." said a staggering Syaoran.
"Li-kun!" Sakura cried out and ran to him, lifting his arm around her shoulders.
"The card that took you away was called Return. For Return, in order to stop the flow of time by using the card Time, a seal has to be placed on the entire tree. But it takes a lot of magical power to use the card Time. On top of that, to stop the flow of time in the past with magical power..." said Cerberus, with another lengthy explanation.
"Li, I'm so sorry..." interrupted Sakura, as she put her face close to Syaoran's. Syaoran looked away, flustered.
"Thank you so much!" cried Sakura as she threw her arms around him and gave him a hug.
Holy shit, Syaoran thought as he felt the girl's body press up against his. His body began to glow bright red like a fluorescent sign, and he felt so very, very hot all of a sudden. When had he last felt something similar to this? The time where he fell on top of her and his hand was… No, don't go there, begged his mind. Suddenly he was aware how nice it felt with their chests pressed together. He gulped. Fighting for control, he pushed her away and ran in desperation.
"Li-kun?"
"Hmm, looks like the kid wasn't as tired as I thought he was," said Cerberus, turning his vision away from Syaoran, who could possibly out time Dash at the rate he was going.
The moon…
"Yue…"


Hanyaan: Another Sakura catchphrase, means Schweet. ^^
Hai: Yes (I don't know why I'm using it. Maybe because when Sakura says it, it's so cute!)
Small note on vending machines: There are located everywhere in Japan. It's not uncommon to see a vending machine located at some random corner.

Babblings of a psychotic author:
Sorry to the people who read the unchecked version of the last chapter. I was sleepy and it was 12 am in the morning, not to mention I had school the next day. I usually proofread my writing at least three times. (Yes, I'm that bad.) And also my planning before reaching to that point applies to writing sentences and doing math as well. I'm always jumping onto the next step with my brain, which usually leads to many mistakes.
A long due apology to any male readers, sorry but I don't know too much about the opposite sex and basically I'm messing with anime style comedy of sexual frustration.
Is it me, or Syaoran is too affectionate in fics right after a love confession? I feel that Syaoran would have problems properly showing his love for Sakura (come on, the love confession took ages) Also, in fics, he jokes around too much, to me, he'll always be a very serious type.
Do you that this story has taken over my life? (What life? Shut up!) Whether I'm about to go to sleep, or riding on the subway to go home, I'm always planning this story. Sigh.
I'm starting to wonder if I'll write another CCS fic after this… I clearly have no new ideas for fics. I don't even know if I'll write a fic again after this. I'm heading into my OAC year (grade 13 for people who don't live in Ontario, Canada) and I really really want to get into Computer Science at Waterloo so I don't know if I'll have the time.
I had this hilarious conversation with a friend who found out I was writing fanfiction. I made her promise not to read it, because it would be so embarrassing, especially how I wrote Syaoran. I think she would be shocked if she knew I wrote this thing…
Man, the power went out for 5 hours on Friday and I was at home at 11 AM due to a strike at school! Therefore the delay in this chapter. Blah.
And Care, you're right. I do like to make people think a bit (maybe because I'm always thinking so much). Sure I do care about reviews as any other author does, but I only want them if I deserve them. I don't see any point to get a review unless it makes people go, "wow, that was good."
Oh Tafumi-chan, I really do love slowly building the plot and character. I find that most fics rush things. Things like feelings and character development shouldn't just spontaneously come out.
Blah, I'm getting depressive, don't mind me if the chapters come out slower.
Becoming long-winded, wonder what I would be like when I'm sixty…
April 8, 2001 Christine Chan aka Kinomoto Sakura of Ffnet