Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Card Captor Sakura - Altered World ❯ Sakrura's Pitch Dark Literary Fest ( Chapter 21 )

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

Card Captor Sakura - Altered World

Card Captor Sakura - Altered World

Notes: This fanfic is S+S, and has mature concepts. Read at your own risk.
I'm poor; don't sue. I don't own CCS at all.

Chapter 18:
Sakura's Pitch Dark Literary Fest

"Good Morning!" cried Sakura, bursting in the room. Habits were really hard
to break, especially if you've been repeating them for the last ten years. With
relief, Sakura noted that Mizuki-sensei was not in class yet. Taking a few deep
breaths, she plopped down into her desk.

"Good Morning," greeted Tomoyo, as she did every day of school.

"Good Morning, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura returned the greeting brightly, as
always. She turned around and greeted the two Chinese students, "Good Morning,
Meiling-chan. Good Morning, Li-kun."

"Good Morning," they both greeted although there was something wrong with
the manner in which Li-kun was greeting. His gaze was focused away from hers
and it seemed much colder than usual. It was not the chilling glare that made
her want to shrink from before but those eyes seemed to warn her to stay away
from him. It was like if the year they spent capturing cards together were
nothing. She didn't know why but she felt so saddened by this. Sakura really
thought that she had broken his barrier and crossed into the lines of
friendship with him. And everything was back to where it started.

Syaoran watched Sakura turn away in the corner of his sight. She seemed so
unhappy with his new attitude. I'm sorry, he thought, I have to treat
you this way despite all you've done for me. But I don't know what is wrong
with me these days, and I can't risk anything happening. I can't get close to
you. I must not get close to you. I'm such a horrible person…

Mizuki Kaho stepped into the room, alerting Syaoran immensely. What was with
that woman, and the power she emanated? There was always a deep sense of
foreboding that surrounded her. And that girl had premonitions about her.

Sakura straightened at the entrance of the teacher. Her lips were on the
verge of upturning, but images flashed in front of her eyes. Sakura paused, and
contemplated her thoughts from the night before. Mizuki-sensei and her were to
have a confrontation in the future. But, but, Mizuki-sensei had always made her
feel so at ease, like the way she was smiling now. Hanyaan…

"For our school's pageant, I would like to do a play. To show your
improvement in your English skills, you are to recite the play in English,"
announced Kaho as various groans were uttered across the classroom.

"Now, now," said Kaho with a laugh, motioning them to be silent, "It won't
be that hard. We are going to do a simple fairy tale in English."

"What kind of fairy tale?" asked Naoko enthusiastically, with her hand raised
politely. Her love of stories was evident in the way she smiled.

"Something that everyone knows well, preferably Grimm. Hmm, and maybe a
romance story as well," answered Kaho with her eyes sparkling, "Though I think
the males are less motivated."

"Yeah," agreed many of the males in the class, uninterested, wishing for
something better to do. A few girls glared at them, making the less confident
shrink slightly.

"Hmm, any suggestions for the story?" questioned Kaho, tapping her finger
against her desk.

"Well, we did Sleeping Beauty in Tomoeda primary school, so we can't have
that," said Chiharu, receiving nods from her previous classmates.

"Okay, well no Sleeping Beauty, A romance so… Cinderella or Snow White?"

"No Cinderella, please," said Sakura, remembering an odd, odd play involving
her brother in a dress. Cinderella wasn't quite the same afterwards, nor was
mackerel in tin cans. She wasn't sure whether she should adore them or cringe
at them.

"Snow White then. Anyone disagree?" asked Kaho, looking for a difference of
opinion. The room was pretty much silent except for the chattering of other
classmates that never ceased.

"Okay, Snow White it is. To make the drawing of the cast far, it'll be
completely random," said Kaho, as she revealed the system the were to use, a
complicated maze of lines, "Everyone writes their name on a line and then we'll
use the map to determine the roles. I'll set it up and we'll choose our roles
tomorrow."

*****

"Yo! Sakura!" greeted Cerberus, in the mist of shooting several alien
spaceships with his game pad, as Sakura opened the door wearily. Cerberus
paused the game, observing at Sakura's crestfallen expression. "What's wrong?"
Sakura smiled and shook her head. "There's nothing wrong. Here."

Cerberus flew and caught the chocolate bar thrown to him using both arms. He
flapped his wings over to Sakura's desk and dropped the bar down onto the
table. Cerberus slowly peeled the wrapper off the bar, as Sakura was changing
out of her school uniform. He paused.

"Kero-chan, what's wrong?" asked Sakura, clothed in street wear. "Normally
you'd be through with that bar already."

"Sakura, we're buddies right?"

"Huh? Of course we are."

"Then why don't you tell me what is wrong with you? You seem really sad
today," said Cerberus unusually gentle.

"I'm sorry Kero-chan, it's just that there has been a lot on my mind lately.
A confrontation with Mizuki-sensei… it worries me," replied Sakura honestly.

"Yue…" mumbled Cerberus under his breath.

Sakura turned head towards Cerberus and asked innocently, "What was that?"

"I was just saying… ue! Hunger! Yep, I better start eating," said Cerberus
desperately, shoving a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"Mou, Kero-chan, can't you think of something other that food? Well, there
was something else bothering me, Li-kun-"

"That kozou!" interrupted Cerberus immediately, "He better not be trying
anything or I'll really bite off his fingers next time!"

Sakura frowned. "Li-kun isn't bad but he's acting strangely now. He seems to
make an effort to avoid me. It really makes me feel awfully sad."

"Eh, who cares about the kid? He's such a nuisance anyway, always thinking
he knows everything. Geh," said Cerberus, stating his obvious dislike of the
Chinese man who exceeded in Taoist magic.

Sakura sighed. "You'll hold onto your grudge, won't you? I won't try to
change you but I wish that you wouldn't be so stubborn. Deep down, Li-kun is
really nice." Sakura allowed herself to smile slightly in sadness.

"Yeah, really nice and perverted," muttered Cerberus under his breath.
Apparently, that kozou thought he had not noticed anything. Yeah, right. Only
his mistress could be so oblivious. If the boy thought he could go anywhere
with Sakura, he could be assured that he wouldn't be able to have children for
the rest of his life. In fact, Sakura had collected quite an arsenal of cards…
Hmm… Memories of Clow's less than pleasant personality quirks could definitely
be put to use.

"Kero-chan?" Sakura called him hesitantly after sighting a rather disconcerting
glint in his eyes.

"Hmm… Erase, naw, too easy. Oh, err, Sakura, ignore that, could you?"

*****

Sakura finished writing her name on the map. Li-kun was acting the same
yesterday, to her dismay. He made her feel incredibly uncomfortable, like if
she didn't exist. Part of her was feeling extremely frustrated, the other part
was confused and sad. The confused and sad part took precedence in her war of
emotions. She turned and walked over to her desk, conversing with Tomoyo but
refusing to admit to her best friend, that Li-kun's attitude was bothering her.

Kaho stopped Syaoran as he approached his desk. "It'll be soon," she said
mysteriously, and then allowed him passage. Syaoran creased his eyebrow in a
frown and glanced cautiously at the teacher as she passed. He sat down at his
desk and waited patiently for the conversation between camera girl and that
girl to pass, a promise of a stage costume, self-designed, and consequential
"Hoe" of embarrassment.

"The teacher said 'I'll be soon,'" Syaoran informed Sakura of his encounter
with the priestess, his frown still present.

"What could that mean?"

"I'm not sure but the teacher is definitely up to something."

"Oh…" trailed Sakura softly. She turned away and watched Mizuki-sensei.
Li-kun had always said to be wary but she really couldn't help liking the
woman. Mizuki-sensei was always so kind to her, and always smiling and
laughing. How could she not like the woman? Bur those images of foreboding kept
flashing in her mind, making her worry immensely. Surely Mizuki-sensei would do
her no harm but why?

Another thing added her worry. It was odd that it had been the second time
Li-kun had spoken to her since the morning, but then again, he never talked to
her unless the cards were concerned. Or when she was unhappy. And when she was
unhappy, he was really kind to her, which made her sad all over again to see
their friendship in this state.

"Mmm… wouldn't it be so nice to have Syaoran as the handsome prince that
wakes Snow White and sweeps her off into his castle on his white stallion,"
said Meiling with her eyes sparkling and hands clasped together. Syaoran
scowled, like if he wanted the spotlight.

"I don't want to be the prince," stated Syaoran bluntly, snapping Meiling
out of her daydreaming/giggling girl state. Meiling pouted, Syaoran was such a
bore sometimes.

"And now announcing the role of the prince and Snow White…"

*****

"A prince? That's your part?" asked a surprised Cerberus.

"Sakura-chan will make a cute prince!" said Tomoyo, already in a happy daze.
"I'll talk to the teachers about making your costume."

"So, whose the princess?" asked Cerberus curiously. Sakura knitted her
fingers together shyly. Meanwhile, Tomoyo was still in her hanyaan state. "This
is so fun!"

"Li-kun," said Sakura quietly as Cerberus froze and blanched on the bed,
falling over stiffly. He flew upward, punching the air, and yelled, "WHAT THE
HECK IS THAT!"

"The casting is completely random," explained Sakura, still very
embarrassed. Cerberus raised his hand to his head in pain. "But why does the
kozou have to be the princess?"

"I think Li-kun will make an adorable princess! I'll have to make his
costume also since he's Sakura-chan's co-star!" cried Tomoyo happily. A chance
to make costumes for Sakura, what more could she ask for?

"I don't know about this… all the parts are mixed up," said Cerberus
uncertainly. Sakura explained, "It was Mizuki-sensei's idea." Well Seijou High
did have a history of cross-dressing plays… Tomoyo continued, "It was unbiased
so all the students were given a chance to be role."

"That teacher… even the kozou is suspicious of her and Sakura's dreams…"
wondered Cerberus as he stretched on Sakura's bed, "I need to get a clear look
on this teacher. I should go to the play too."

Sakura facefaulted promptly with a thud. She got up and bunched her fists
under chin. Sakura, finding it was embarrassing enough already without Cerberus
watching, cried, "WHY?"

Cerberus rubbed his chin. "To check out that mysterious teacher of yours and
of course to see Sakura's gallant prince in action!" Sakura fumed, and grabbed
the relaxed Cerberus in one hand. "YOU JUST WANT TO SEE THE PLAY!"

Tomoyo chuckled.

*****

The murmurs of the audience were heard through the curtains. Sakura took a
peak at the audience and noted, with much embarrassment that Yukito-san was
sitting in one of the front seats. She turned around and looked at the other
cast members doing final adjustments on their costumes.

"Sakura-chan! You look so cool!" cried Chiharu and Naoko. Sakura was clothed
in Tomoyo's prince costume, a button up blue jacket rimmed with yellow, split
at the back making a long tails. The sleeves were long and puffed at the shoulders.
A long red mantel rested on her shoulders, clasped on by two gems. Underneath
her the tails of her jacket, she wore puffy red shorts. A sword was strapped
across her torso and long black boots encased her legs. For a final touch, a
large blue and red-rimmed hat, with a plume, rested on her head.

Sakura smiled and replied to their complements, "Tomoyo-chan made it after
all. Right now, Li-kun is trying his costume."

"NO!" a male voice yelled from the changing rooms. Sakura turned and
examined Syaoran in his costume. "Wow…"

Syaoran pulled at his skirts with a scowl. He wore a long skirt, consisting
of many layers. His magenta jacket encased his torso and his upper arms. The
shoulders were puffed also and the sleeves were split at the shoulders. Underneath
the jacket, two pale pink sleeves extended, frilly at the edges. Underneath the
coronet he wore, a long curly brown wig, the colour almost consistent with his
natural hair. Tomoyo gave a satisfied smirk.

"Cute," commented Sakura, and then received a nerve-wracking glare from
Syaoran. Tomoyo happily examined her subject and told him, "It really suits
you."

"It does not!" retorted Syaoran furiously, "Why do I have to wear this?"

"Well you are the princess, are you not?" countered Tomoyo cheerfully.

"Why the big frills and the curly hair?!" snapped Syaoran, "It's
disgraceful!"

Tomoyo leaned over and said a few words that made Syaoran flush, "Well,
Tsukishiro-san is watching from the audience." Sakura and Syaoran watched
Tomoyo continue with similar flushed faces. Tomoyo raised her hand to her cheek
and closed her eyes in thought. "I'm sure he wanted to see the play… and since
that Li-kun refuses to take part, the play will be cancelled. Tsukishiro-san
will probably be very disappointed. It's a pity but I suppose I better tell the
teacher."

"I'll do it!" yelled Syaoran, and promptly stormed off, dragging his dress.
Sakura looked at Tomoyo with awe. "Tomoyo-chan is amazing."

Tomoyo smiled.

*****

"Once upon a time, in the winter time, when the snowflakes fluttered to the
ground..." Tomoyo's amplified voice said through the speakers.

Takashi, in a dress, sat by the window, embroidering unsuccessfully, and
accidentally pricked his finger. He suppressed the urge to suck it and let his
blood fall on the artificial snow.

"Oh how I wish I had a child with hair as black as ebony of this window
frame, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood," Takashi announced to
the audience.

"So it came to pass that the queen had a newborn daughter. Shortly after her
daughter's birth, the queen became ill and passed away. The king remarried a
woman who was vain and cruel, but incredibly beautiful.

Meiling, clothed in a high collared flowing dress, enters the stage. She
walks with a graceful yet powerful stride to the mirror.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of all?" asked Meiling,
feigning haughtiness.

"You, my queen are the fairest of all," answered a male classmate, his face
painted with silver makeup.

"Was the answer of the mirror always. Snow White grew, fulfilling her
mother's wishes as she grew to be a strikingly beautiful woman. But one day…"

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of all?"

"You, my queen is fair. 'Tis true. But Snow White is still a thousand
times fairer than you," answered the mirror.

"YOU'RE LYING!" screamed Meiling, giving an impression of blind rage. She
banged her fist across the wall furiously and stomped away.

"Meiling is awesome!" commented Rika from the backstage.

"During rehearsal, she kept complaining that she didn't want play the evil
queen," said Chiharu, wonderingly.

"She's the type who has to do things right. It doesn't matter whether she
wants to or not," reasoned Naoko.

"The queen was so angry that she called the a huntsman to her throne."
Meiling sat on a throne, her fingers tapping on the armrest. Another classmate
stood in front of her, kneeling.

"I order you to kill Snow White for me, the ungrateful girl, and bring me
back her heart as proof," commanded the evil queen.

"I will do as you command, my queen," said the huntsman, leaving the throne
room. The queen thought aloud. "With Snow White gone, I will definitely be the
fairest of all."

Meiling threw back her head and cackled evilly, "OHOHOHOHO!"

*****

Syaoran stood in the middle of the stage, crouching on the floor, and
pretended to pick flowers. He scanned the audience and focused on Yukito. The
student teacher smiled and waved at him and Syaoran felt his determination
rise. The 'huntsman' entered the stage.

"Princess, I'm sorry to say but the queen has ordered me to kill you," said
the male classmate, brandishing a knife. The man smirked at the sight of
Syaoran cross-dressing and Syaoran had to stop himself from bashing the guy's
face in. He took a look at Yukito smiling at him and waiting expectantly for
his lines.

"PLEASE. SPARE. MY. LIFE," shouted Syaoran, completely unladylike, "I. AM.
JUST. A. POOR. GIRL."

"The performance is just bad, they should have made a better choice," said
Cerberus, sweatdropping, in the speaker room with Tomoyo.

Tomoyo smiled and said cheerfully, "Li-kun is doing his best to be good, in
his role as Sakura's rival."

Sweatdropping from Syaoran's blocky speech, the classmate said, "Because you
are so… fair." The classmate choked. "I will spare your life, run away far from
this kingdom and never come back again."

Syaoran stood and lifted his skirts, stomping off the stage.

"What a miscast, what kind of princess goes around stomping like that," said
Cerberus, shaking his head.

"So the princess ran far way from the kingdom, past the mountains. The
hunter killed a doe and gave the heart to the queen, which she ate. Snow White,
tired and exhausted, found a cottage in the mist of the forest."

"HELLO! IS ANYBODY THERE?" yelled Syaoran, banging his fist against the
door. Turning to the audience, Syaoran bellowed, "MY. THERE MUST BE NO ONE
HOME. I HOPE THEY WILL NOT BE OFFENDED BY MY INTRUSION."

Syaoran opened the door and exclaimed, "WHAT A MESS! I MUST CLEAN IT UP!"

For once in the play, Syaoran did not blunder. He cleared the tables and
tidied the beds. Taking a duster, he waved away all the dust gathered in his
room. He got on his knees and started scrubbing the floors. Syaoran cleaned
with neatness and proficiency, making the dusty cottage gleam.

"Li-kun can really clean," commented Chiharu, watching from backstage, "He
reminds me of Takashi." Chiharu flustered. "It's really embarrassing to have
your boyfriend better at this kind of stuff than you."

"But then again, Li-kun's apartment is really tidy. He lives alone so he's
really good at this stuff," explained Sakura without taking a pause to think.

"My, Sakura-chan is pretty close to Li-kun," Naoko remarked.

Sakura turned back watching the stage and said softly, "Not really."

"It's our part soon," warned Rika, fixing her long cap.

"Good luck!" cried Sakura warmly.

"I AM SO TIRED, I MUST TAKE A REST," announced Syaoran, tripping on the hem
of his dress and falling face forward onto the bed. He hastily turned over,
straightened himself, and closed his eyes.

"The dwarves, coming home from their mining, entered their cottage."

"Who has cleaned our house?" exclaimed Chiharu.

"Look! Look! There is a woman sleeping on my bed," exclaimed a male
classmate. The 'dwarves' encircled the bed and examined the sleeping princess.

"She is very beautiful," commented Rika in awe. A few of the 'dwarves' had
to turn their heads to the side and stifle their laughter.

"Yes, she is," Naoko agreed, smiling.

Syaoran rubbed his eyes and saw all the faces around him. "AHHH! I AM SORRY
FOR MY INTRUSION! PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I WAS LOST AND I HAVE NOWHERE TO GO."

"Why do you not have anywhere to go?" asked another male dwarf.

"Snow White told the dwarves of her plight, how her wicked stepmother wished
to kill her. The dwarves were awed by her beauty and took pity on her."

"We will allow you to live with us, if you cook and clean for us," said
Chiharu pleasantly.

"So it came that Snow White lived with the dwarves but the queen however…"

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who in this land is fairest of all?" asked
Meiling, standing in front of the mirror proudly.

"You, my queen, are fair; it is true. But Little Snow-White beyond the seven
mountains is a thousand times fairer than you," stated the mirror.

"What?! She is alive!!! I must do away with her!" yelled Meiling, gliding
offstage.

"The queen prepared a magically poisoned apple and disguised herself as a
peddler. She discovered Snow White's hiding place and then…"

Meiling knocked on the door, her back bent, disguised as a gnarled old
woman.

"WHO MIGHT IT BE?" hollered Syaoran as he opened the door.

"My… what a pretty young lady you are. Surely you would like a healthy red
apple? Yes?" drawled Meiling.

"I SUPPOSE AN ELDERLY WOMAN LIKE YOU MUST MEAN WELL BUT I HAVE NO MONEY TO
SPARE," replied Syaoran, still unable to calm down with Yukito watching him.

"Don't worry my dear, take an apple. Please do," said Meiling, smiling
tenderly.

"I CANNOT ACCEPT SUCH A THING," Syaoran shouted to the heavens.

"Will you really decline an old woman of her humble offerings? Please accept
it," Meiling said, holding an apple in her palm.

"I WILL ACCEPT YOUR GOOD WILL," yelled Syaoran, taking a big bite of the
apple and swallowing it. Syaoran coughed, and clutched at his throat, turning
blue. Chiharu commented, "I think he really did choke on the apple."

"I hope he's alright," said Sakura worriedly.

Syaoran finished by tripping on the back of his dress and thudded down.
Meiling paused and sweatdropped, staring at the motionless Syaoran. She
cackled, "OHOHOHOHOHO! Now Snow White is dead, I shall be the fairest!"

Meiling exited the stage, and echoes of her evil laughter resonated in the
auditorium.

*****

"So the dwarves found their beloved Snow White's body and they cried and
cried. Unable to bury the sight of her away, they put her in a glass casket,
her beauty for all to see."

"Sakura's performance is coming soon!" cried Tomoyo joyously, setting up her
camera, "This will capture all of Sakura's heroic actions."

"Oh, I got a good feeling about this!" cried Cerberus as Sakura entered the
stage.

Tomoyo smiled rested her head on one hand. "I spent two days making her
costume."

Sakura scanned the audience quickly. Spotting Yukito smiling and waving at
her, she felt her determination rise.

"I am so lost in this unknown land. When shall I find my kingdom," recited
Sakura as she gracefully walked onto the stage. She approached the glass casket
with wonder. "My what a beautiful lady she is." A rustle was heard.

"Who's there?" cried Sakura, unsheathing her sword. The dwarves approached
her and answered, "We are just seven dwarves, caretakers of this girl's grave.
She was a princess from the land beyond the mountains and our beloved friend.
But the evil queen has done away with her, jealous of her beauty. Now she lies
deathlike sleep in this casket."

"What injustice! I must right these wrongdoings!" announced Sakura, raising
her sword into the air. Sakura exited the stage and loud applause was heard.

"Sakura's so cool!" commented Cerberus enthusiastically, raising his fist.

Tomoyo placed both of her hands on her cheeks. "Sakura-chan is the cutest!"

"So the prince travelled far and wide and found the land and arrived at the
castle."

Sakura unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Meiling. "So you are the evil
queen. I shall spare you my wrath if you remove your curse from the fair
sleeping Snow White."

"OHOHOHOHO! What makes you think that you alone can change my decision? I
SHALL BE THE FAIREST! GUARDS!"

Sakura dodged in between the blades coming to her. She twisted around
immediately, swinging her sword and slaying the 'guards.' A sword swung towards
her back and Sakura dropped to the ground, rolling under the blade. She quickly
thrust the point of her sword into the guards back. Flashes were emitted from
Yukito's camera as he snapped shots for Touya. Sakura flipped over an incoming
guard and spun around to slay him. Sakura approached the backing queen and
pointed her sword at her chest. "Now remove your curse."

"Even if dead, I will not let a woman fairer than I live!"

"Then I shall spare this world of you, so you can no longer do harm in it,"
said Sakura, as she stabbed Meiling.

"Damn you prince," cried Meiling as she clutched her wound and fell over.

"Heavy hearted, the prince returns to the princesses grave, unable to spare
her of her fate."

Sakura walked towards the princess's grave and lifted the casket open. "Oh
fair princess, I cannot wake you but let me have this one kiss."

Meiling gritted her teeth and strangled the stage curtains. "Oh, I wish I
was the prince!"

Sakura slowly leaned towards Syaoran's lips, as he flushed and twitched.
Sakura noticed Syaoran's movements to edge away from her and frowned. She
lifted Syaoran's hand into hers and knitted their fingers together. Softly, she
whispered into his ear, "Li-kun, I don't know what's been happening between us
for the past few days, but do you really hate me that much that you refuse to
let me kiss you?"

Syaoran's eyes flew wide open at her words. The pain in her voice, how she
sadly was gazing down, stunned him. I-I…I… He protested quietly, "It's
not that."

Suddenly, his heart was thumping wildly as Sakura smiled sweetly down at
him. Her eyes shone with much joy that he couldn't understand. Why are you
so happy? They are just simple words. How can words have so much meaning to
you? I cannot comprehend this. Maybe because I never lived enough to
understand…

And then he was very aware of the silky strands of her hair caressing his
face and the soft texture of her skin brushing against his lips. Li Syaoran's
lips are no longer pure, announced a voice in the background of his mind as he
stiffened.

"Oh, my! Sakura-chan's first kiss!" cried Tomoyo, with stars in her eyes,
clasping her face. If she weren't so refined, she probably would be doing a
little jig.

"He better not be thinking of anything…" muttered Cerberus under his breath.

Yukito rapidly took pictures, almost at the rate of which he ate at. Yukito
smiled happily, Touya was definitely going to blow a fit. He reminded himself
shut and lock Touya in a room when he showed the pictures before his sister
complex could do possible harm to Sakura's promisingly future boyfriend. Ah, it
was so fun to tease him.

"Ah! How lucky Kinomoto-san is!" cried Meiling in frustration, as she wished
she was the one bending over Syaoran. She clutched the curtains tighter, almost
causing them to tear and collapse, as people cautiously edged away.

There were cries and whistles from the crowd for the kiss to deepen, and
Sakura blushingly obliged for a better performance, pressing her lips harder
against Syaoran's so it was no longer a mere brush of skin against skin.
Syaoran thought he was going to die at this rate. Welcome heaven.

Syaoran was faintly aware of his free hand was in an incoherent spasm. He
wasn't sure whether it was to pull her head closer so he could feel the kiss
better, or was it to push her away. Then Syaoran realised that guy must be
watching, and he must have been out of his mind right now to enjoy this. He
hastily pushed her away and sprawled on the casket, turning away and heaving
heavily, clasping a hand to his chest. Right, definitely to push her away.

As Syaoran calmed down, he noticed the edges of his eyesight becoming
darker. He paused and blinked, the darkness seeping in further. Sakura asked
hesitantly, "What… What is this?"

Their surroundings were completely pitch black now. Syaoran's eyes narrowed
and he warned, "Be careful, it's a Clow Card. It's Da-"

Syaoran was interrupted as the darkness encircled and encased him. Sakura
reached a hand to pull him back but he was completely swallowed. "LI-KUN!"

"Li-kun! Li-kun!" called Sakura, as she wandered in the darkness aimlessly.
She paused and remembered. "Oh right! Kero-chan and Tomoyo are in the control
room!" Sakura spun around, seeing nothing but darkness and her own body.

"But where is the room?" Sakura yelled, in fear, "TOMOYO-CHAN! KERO-CHAN!
WHERE ARE YOU!"

*****

"Kero-chan! Tomoyo-chan! Li-kun!" Sakura called yet again as her fleeting
footsteps were echoed in the void. Sakura peered into the darkness and
wondered, "How strange, no matter how far I walk, I don't seem to be getting
anywhere. Is anybody there?"

With her fear and loneliness rapidly increasing, Sakura broke into a run
again, calling, "Kero-chan! Tomoyo-chan! Someone! Please answer me!" Being so
hasty, Sakura tripped and fell to her knees. Sakura stared down at her hands
and asked herself, "Where is everyone? Am I all alone?"

Her vision went blurry and she knew her tears were to fall. Other people may
think that such a circumstance that could cause someone to cry was pitiful but
they would fail to realise for people, who have been surrounded by loved ones
all their lives, would find much fear in loneliness.

Sakura wiped her tears and said to herself, "Crying would do me no good." That's
what Li-kun would say. "I have to find a way. Tomoyo-chan and everyone else
might be trapped in the darkness also. Li-kun said this was the work of a Clow
Card. I can do something about this then."

Sakura removed her necklace and gripped the sealing key. "O Key which
hides the forces of darkness, reveal thy true form before me. I, Sakura,
command thee under contract. Release!" Sakura gripped the now transformed
sealing wand with both of her hands, her face set in determination. "I've
decided to collect all the cards. I have to my best!"

Cerberus felt a strong aura. Sakura used the key? "Come on Sakura! I know
you can do it. Just find the other one!"

"It really is pitch dark. I wonder how far it goes," speculated Sakura, as
she examined the expanse of darkness again. Taking a card out, she chanted, "Go
and explore the farthest reaches of this expanse! Wood!"

The wood dryad formed long twigs that shot forth into the darkness
endlessly in a blur of green and brown. Sakura looked at the result in anxiety
and called shakily, "Re-return."

Wood lost its form and swirled back into a card. "No good. No matter how far
you went, you didn't hit anything." Alone in the darkness yet again, she called
out, "What do I do?"

She closed her eyes in concentration and contemplated her situation. What
card would work? Kero-chan, Tomoyo-chan, and Li-kun aren't here. I have to do
this by myself. Black? No, that is not it. It's pitch black… it's really…
"Dark."

The darkness faded as an aura pulsed momentarily. Sakura gave an ecstatic
smile. "That's it!"

"Sakura figured the nature of the card!" Cerberus's eyes narrowed. "But
knowing what the card isn't the only thing needed. Sakura must find 'that'.
Hurry and find it, Sakura."

It got dark again. Sakura stared uneasily at returned darkness. Unlike
the time with Mirror, it looks like that I need to know more than its name. Sakura
raised her hand and pressed it against her mouth, her eyes closed. I have to
think. What can I do against darkness? Her eyes flashed open and she
paused, looking down at her hand. "Huh? If it was really dark, I wouldn't be
able to see myself." She clutched her wand closer. "Why can I see myself?"

The darkness began to edge up her legs slowly. "What?" Sakura cried in fear.
"I can't see myself!" She clamped her eyes shut and clutched at her wand in
fear. She felt her eyes becoming moist and restrained herself from crying. "I
can't cry! Even if I disappear, I have to do my best!"

Sakura smiled to herself and said, "It'll be alright." A sphere of light
glowed from her heart. "It'll definitely be alright!" A burst of light emitted
from her heart, chasing away the darkness so it no longer threatened to consume
her.

"That's it. I shined so I could see myself in the darkness!" The light grew
stronger, illuminating the area in a brilliant white. A brilliant orb of light
escaped from her heart, breaking away. In flash the light completely burst and
formed into a figure. She had long white flowing dress, rimmed with black.
Below her collarbones, a symbol of the sun was faintly etched. Black symbols of
the sun decorated the upper sleeves of her dress. Her hair was long and wavy,
and two spirals of hair framed her face, descending from a crown.

Sakura moved forward and opened her mouth. "Are you a Clow Card?"

"That's right," the card replied, "I am the Suns, Cerberus's most devoted
supporter."

Gently lowering a hand, the card pointed to Sakura's heart. "I was always
here, inside your heart. Ever since the seal was broken."

Sakura replied in astonishment, "I didn't know."

The card winked at her and smiled. "When you would absolutely not give it.
You realised my existence and so I appeared."

The card floated away from her and gave her a cheerful smile. "I have a
riddle. What chases away the darkness?"

"Light!"

"You're right!" A brilliant light complete emitted the area, making the
darkness compact beside her. Streams of black flew together and formed another
figure similar to Light, except her colours were inversed and her hair was
straight.

"I'm glad you noticed Light. She knew all along that you'd be able to seal
me," spoke Dark, clasping Light's hand.

"Of course, she's the girl whose heart I've been living in," replied Light,
making Dark smile. "Please seal us both together."

"Return to thy form which thou should be! Clow Card!" called Sakura,
initiating the sealing the cards.

"We would love to have you as our mistress," said Light as she and Dark were
slowly breaking apart into streams.

"Only Yue will be the Last Judgement. Good luck to you," said Dark, making
Sakura look at her in confusion.

"Yue?"

A whirlwind of white and black, respectively, enveloped Light and Dark,
making them form into the cards.

"Yue is close to you," spoke Dark as she fluttered into Sakura hand.

"But it's going to be okay! Because you have the invincible spell,
'Everything will definitely be alright!'" said Light as she flew into Sakura's
other hand.

"It's the same as the dream..." wondered Sakura as she blankly stared at the
cards.

In a flash, her surroundings shifted. Sakura blinked and Syaoran looked at
her in confusion. Sakura jumped on the casket and yelled cheerfully, "I'm so
glad! You really came back!" She launched her arms around him and hugged him
tightly, making him his eyes go wide and his face turn more shades of brilliant
red.

"Hey!" yelled Meiling as she gritted her teeth. Meiling ran up to the casket
and pulled at Sakura's cape, strangling Syaoran. "Mou! How dare you getting all
out of hand like that! You've already got to kiss him!"

"What happened?" asked Tomoyo, facing towards Cerberus.

"You didn't notice, did you? It's a Clow Card. It's the card, Dark , which
only pulled those with magic into the dimension it created. To those with no
magic, it's as though time has simply continued." I can sense it... The power
of the moon... Yue, I guess the time for us to meet will be very soon...

Kaho watched as Sakura tried to evade Meiling's scolding. She smiled and
said, "It'll definitely be okay, right?"

Far away, in the Tsukimine shrine, a bell tied with purple ribbons lay on a
desk. In Chinese characters, the word 'Yue' was engraved upon it.









Mou - expression used to display annoyance --> Geez
(Sorry, forgot in last ch.)
Ue - Hunger or Starvation. ^^, took me a while to find a word that rhymes.
Toya- Yukito's pet name for Touya.









Author's Notes: (Too much talk that can't be helped)
I changed Sakura's ultimate spell from "It'll be okay for sure" to "It'll
definitely be alright" Sounds better. =P
A little note to CC watchers, this episode is quite different from the
original. No kiss actually happened because Syaoran chickened out (wuss) and it
was Sleeping Beauty instead of Snow White. The reference to mackerels in tin
cans was to a cross-dressing play that Touya did (hehe, he makes a wonderful
Cinderella) and Yukito, instead of a fairy was canned fish... ^^;;;
I did this chapter based on the manga ('cept for a few changes), so it was
easier to cram the details. Snow White had to be changed to give Sakura her
glory. (I don't think I did a very good job on that...) Why I had them kiss?
You'll see later...
Missy-chan, the last chapter was an actual episode. I don't mind keeping people
updated if they want me to. Is there anyone else who doesn't have Author Alert
and want to be informed of updates? Tell me. I don't mind.
Kloud, domo arigatou gozaimasu for being my first beta reader! I really
appreciate it!
Jo, I've haven't planned the Sakura and Yukito scene, but I may do it like the
anime.
Daughter of Bast, criticism is in fact very welcome. I thought the paragraph
break would specify the new scene, oh well. Ch. 5 was filler to me because I
couldn't add to the story. (Though it was my fault in the lack of the skill
department, and producing chapters like crazy instead of spending time
thinking.) You are off on the facts of Syaoran and Meiling's engagement, but
it'll be discussed next chapter. I am very impressed that you've spent six
hours reading my fic! Thank you for taking your time reviewing and telling me
your thoughts!
Ashley-chan, Syaoran actually did the lame excuses in the original episode.
Sorry for getting you confused, but at least you can read some of the missing
scenes. ^^
August 1, 2001, Christine Chan aka Kinomoto Sakura of Ffnet