24 November, 2000

Card Captors

"Dimensions"

By : The MOUSE...........................

From the moment she had gotten home Sakura had locked herself away in her room, refusing to eat, refusing all calls from her friends, refusing any form of comfort. She felt she didn't deserve any of it. She touched her cheek gingerly where a red handprint was slowly forming, throbbing as it became swollen. Pain was Sakura's comfort. Meilin had hit her, beat her almost savagely while accusing her of being the cause of Syaoran's disappearance. A slap across the face was the last blow she had gotten in before Tomoyo had tackled her to the ground. Not once did Sakura defend herself from the onslaught from the hysterical girl. She was Syaoran's closest Cousin after all, so it was natural for her to lose her sanity at this moment in time. And Meilin had been right. It was her fault. Syaoran was always defending, placing his life on the line to keep her safe because Sakura couldn't fight. She didn't know how, she had never learned. She reached for her necklace and held it before her eyes, pain building in her heart.

"Forgive me, Syaoran... This was all my fault..."

She stared at the bobble like pendant, Syaoran's sword in its hidden form, now hanging next to her Key of Clow and her tears returned in full, heart aching force.

"I never... got a chance... to tell you..."

If only she had learned how to fight, then none of this would have happened.

If only she had realized the situation earlier...

If only...

If...

She cried herself to sleep that night with Kero hovering over her in worry. To Sakura, the worst part about it all had to be the fact that she could still feel Syaoran's presence nearby. She could still feel that familiar and wholly pleasant tingling along her senses telling her he was near, that he was watching over her still.

Kero landed on her pillow and watched her cry in her sleep. It hurt the Guardian Beast of the Seal to see her so depressed, so devastated over the loss of her friend, but there was nothing he could do to make it all better. He had already done all he could. At his urgings she had released the Portal Card and had calmly, gently asked it to return Li Syaoran from where ever it had sent him. But the card couldn't. It had only been reacting to his and Sakura's attack then and didn't have full control over its own abilities. It didn't know where the Chinese warrior had disappeared to or what had happened to him on the way. That had been the only suggestion Kero had been able to make.

As the magical creature watched a lock of Sakura's golden auburn hair moved at an unnatural angle, as if someone had physically moved it. But no one could have done that. Kero was the only other being in the room with the human teen and he would have felt it had magic been used. He floated above his Mistress's body protectively, growling low in menace.

"I am Keroberus, the Guardian Beast of the Seal, the Guardian with the golden eyes, and sworn protector of Card Captor Kinomoto Sakura!" he hissed in his most threatening voice.

A moment passed in silence. Movement at the room's desk then suddenly caught his eyes and he turned in time to see a pen and paper float to the desktop's center. The pen moved on its own, quickly scribbling two words on a piece of paper. Kero cautiously flew over and read the words.

I know.

He blinked and sat on the desk next to the paper. "You know, huh? Well, then, that's good. Then you should also know that I won't let you hurt her."

More words were scribbled on the paper.

I could never hurt Sakura.

"Could never...? Um... good... I would have hated to hurt you." he stated in over confidence.

More words.

Oo, how the stuffed animal threatens! (Ha, ha!)

Kero blinked and looked to a point just beyond the pen in shocked recognition.

"Li?"

* * *

I'll always be with you, Sakura. Be patient, I'll find a way back...

The words from her dream echoed in her mind as Sakura stared at the cold, tall walls of the High School in growing slight dread. No one apart her, Tomoyo, and Meilin knew of Syaoran's disappearance. And she couldn't tell any of them. There would be too many questions to answer, too many questions she wasn't yet ready to answer. Silently she wondered if she could make it through the whole day as if nothing was wrong. She knew the immediate questions her friends and classmates would ask her, seeing as she was friends with the handsome Chinese teen.

"Have you seen Li?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where Li's hiding today, would you?"

"Why are you so sad, Sakura?"

"Is something wrong?"

Yes, something's wrong! her mind screamed. I was never meant to be the Card Captor, he was! He was never supposed to have to watch over me at the risk of his life! Too many of my friends are getting hurt or worse because of my screw ups!

Tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision.

"Be strong, Sakura." a warm, familiar voice seemed to whisper in her ear as a strong hand gripped her shoulder.

She reached for the hand to squeeze it in thanks, but found nothing holding her shoulder. Sakura looked around quickly and discovered she was standing alone. She blinked, unsure on whether to be afraid or disappointed. She could still feel the phantom hand on her shoulder, still feel the gentle tickle of her beloved warrior's aura against her senses, and her hand and shoulder tingled as if they had come in contact with a live electrical wire. But there was nothing there to cause such a reaction. She sighed, her hand dropping back to her side.

"Wishful thinking." she murmured.

Then she turned back to the school. Tomoyo was standing in front of the main entrance waiting for her patiently. Meilin stood next to her, looking wretched and remorseful.

"Ohayo, Sakura." the amethyst-eyed girl greeting her best friend with a sympathetic smile.

"Ohayo." she returned, monotone. "Hi, Meilin."

"Hi,... Sakura."

The Card Captor blinked. Meilin had just called her by her real name, not her family name. The ruby-eyes Chinese girl fidgeted slightly before continuing, her fingers tangling unconsciously in her long raven tresses.

"I... I want to apologize for beating on you yesterday. I had no right--"

Sakura gripped her shoulder to stop her. "It's okay, Meilin."

She met her eyes in awe. "You mean that?"

She nodded. "We all had to deal with the loss somehow. And you were right, it was my fault."

"No, no, no! That was the heat of the moment! I... I wanted to hurt you because he was gone. In my mind I thought you had no right to cry for him. It's not your fault, it was Syaoran's decision. He wanted to protect you at any cost. He told me that. I was in the wrong to even try to blame you for it."

"It's alright, Meilin."

Tears were in her eyes. "Then, you... you forgive me?"

"Of course." she replied, forcing a smile.

The Chinese teenager strangled a sob and threw herself at the Card Captor, hugging her tight. This was why Li Syaoran had been so enamoured with her. Despite how she felt, Sakura always put the well being of others first. A pure heart.

"I know Syaoran would want us to work together, to find a way to bring him back." Meilin sobbed on her new friend's shoulder.

"We'll find a way."

"Why don't you guys come over to my house after school." Tomoyo suggested. "We can brainstorm with Kero on what else we can do... after we get out fortunes told by that fortuneteller my 'Kaa-san hired for her Halloween party. Who knows, if she'll the real thing, maybe we'll get a message from Li."

"Nah, Sakura could get a message from him even without the help of some psychic medium." came a new voice from within the Card Captor's backpack.

"Kero?"

A bulbous yellow head popped up into view with a sheepish grin. "Gomennasi about stowing away like this, Sakura, but I'm worried about you."

She smiled softly. "It's okay, Kero."

"The other reason I tagged along is I found something out last night and I have some really important news to tell you."

The peel of a bell rang through the air. "Tell her at lunch, fluff ball." Meilin near snapped. "Right now we have to get to our classes or we'll be late." and she began to run off.

"But it's important!" he protested.

Sakura carefully pushed his head down out of sight as she and Tomoyo ran for their homeroom class. "Later, Kero. It'll have to wait."

* * *

The day's classes were boring and uneventful as usual, save for one aspect. Sure, there was that spout of excitement in the chemistry lab when someone's experiment exploded mysteriously on the Bunsen burner, and the electro-magnetoscope in Physics class started blowing sparks big time for some unexplained reason, but that wasn't the strange part.

All of a sudden Sakura seemed to have become a guy magnet for some reason.

She knew that Syaoran had been the inhibiting factor to them since he was one of her closest friends. Most of the school's male population was afraid of the Chinese boy and with reason. Almost all of them had seen him compete in some of the school's martial arts competitions. Now with his absence, most of the guys at her High School saw her as available. She saw it differently though. In every class she walked into alone there seemed to be some unspoken signal to the male population that Sakura was now available. Even through the lunch hour they hadn't left her alone for a moment, not giving poor Kero the precious chance he needed to tell her his important news. With every request for a date the tension in the air seemed to mount. She was flattered, but politely turned down every proposal. Her last class of the day turned into a free study period due to the teacher's sudden absence. No reason was given apart from she wasn't feeling well. With her nose pressed firmly into her Calculus textbook, Sakura ticked off the remaining ten minutes of class. Hopefully she could get through this last class without trouble.

No such luck.

She frowned at the equation before her in growing frustration. Ugh! I don't understand any of this stuff. Why did I take this stupid class to begin with? She froze, her eyes saddening as she turned to look at the empty desk behind her. Oh, yeah. That's why.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of her male classmates walking purposefully towards her. Higato Allan, the tall and blond captain of the basketball team and a guy with an ego bigger than the Big Card could expand something. She frowned and did her best to ignore him, turning back to her textbook. She desperately wished Tomoyo, or even Meilin, had been in the same class as her at that moment. A kind of tension seemed to fill the air, a fury at the fact that she was being bothered needlessly. Allan leaned against the edge of her desk and grinned confidently, oblivious to the tension.

"So... where's Li?" he asked almost casually.

Pain touched Sakura's heart as the memory tried to surface. "I don't know."

"You know, he can be a real scary guy."

She allowed herself a grin. "Only if he doesn't like you." she answered.

"Why you even hang around with him is beyond me."

"Because he was... is nice to me."

Allan looked at her skeptically. "Maybe... So, what're you doing tonight, beautiful?"

She groaned inwardly. "Hanging out with Tomoyo and Meilin."

"Oh. Well, how about tomorrow night?"

"No."

"No what?"

"No, I won't go out with you tomorrow night; the night after that; next week; next month; or ever." she snapped, never once looking away from her textbook.

It didn't seem to phase Allan and he continued to smile in a snake charming manner. "Aw, c'mon, Sakura-"

"Kinomoto to you."

"-I know you want to be my girl."

"No, I don't."

"Don't deny it. You want me."

"You are so full of yourself."

"Every girl in the school wants the chance I'm giving you right now."

"I'm not every girl." The tension in the air seemed to rise even higher. It felt like an electrical field, making the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand on end. What is that feeling?

"C'mon, Sakura, we'd be perfect together." Allan insisted. "The most beautiful girl in school and on the cheerleading squad, the captain of the basketball team, it's a perfect match."

"No."

"Being with that gaki is only hurting your chances in this school."

"I said, no!"

Allan forced her textbook down hard, making her look up at his frowning face in surprise. "Get this straight, Kinomoto, no girl ever says no to me." he ground fiercely in a very clear menace.

The tension building in the air suddenly exploded.

Allan was lifted off his feet, clear off the floor, and was hurled unceremoniously across the room. He crashed against a wall and landed on the ground in a groaning heap. Students leapt to their feet and babbled in surprise and shock. They had all seen him talking to Sakura, but what force had thrown him across the room? Certainly not the lithe cheerleader.

She could just sit there and stare at Allan, confused at what had just happened to him. Sakura's magical senses screamed to life, demanding to be acknowledged this time instead of ignored. There was an aura nearby. It was strong, disciplined, protective and caring towards her. She knew that aura. Not two days ago it had been wrapped around her like a warm blanket, adding security to the arms that held her as well. But it was impossible for her to feel this aura now, wasn't it? The owner of this aura, this soul, was gone... Wasn't he?

The last bell rang above the noise and students began to leave. Allan picked himself off the floor, giving Sakura a wide berth as he retreated like a wounded dog with his tail between his legs. She sat there for a moment more, using her senses to locate the spot the aura was radiating from, hope beginning to grow in her fast beating heart.

"Sakura, let me out of here!" Kero griped from her back pack.

She blinked, snapping back to reality. "Gomen, Kero." she quickly apologized, releasing the magical creature from her pack.

"Man, the guys from your school are just relentless. So, what happened to this last one? I heard him make a threat then everyone started talking really loud."

"I... I'm not sure what happened."

Kero landed on her desk. "What do you mean?"

"Kero, I feel something. Someone's here, I can feel him."

"Him? Him who?"

She opened her mouth to reply, the shut it with a shake of her head. "I'm going crazy, Kero. He's been gone less than a day and already I miss him so much that I'm imagining things."

"Like what?"

"That I can feel his aura nearby, that I can feel him, that I can hear his voice..." Tears formed in her eyes. "It hurts so much..." she breathed.

"Be strong, Mistress of the Cards." Kero consoled. "I found out something last night that will guarantee you're not going crazy. And I know you'll like this news."

"What news?"

"We have to find Tomoyo and the she-brat first. No good depriving them of this news too."

Confused and intrigued, she gathered the Guardian Beast of the Seal into her pack and left the class. She walked the halls quietly, not looking at anyone, not noticing the looks of fear and worry she got from her schoolmates. Meilin and Tomoyo stood at her locker waiting for her. She barely looked at them as she got her things together to leave. Her friends looked at each other in concern at her unusual silence.

Meilin was the first to break the silence. "I heard you threw Higato Allan against a wall in your Calculus class."

"I never touched him." she answered.

"Physically, in any case."

"Or magically."

Tomoyo frowned slightly. "Then, how did he end up colliding with the wall?"

Sakura sighed and closed her locker. "I wish I knew for sure. I have a theory, but I know it's too crazy to even be true. And yet..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Kero wants to talk to us now. He'll bust a gut if he doesn't get to tell us that news soon."

"Choose a spot away from prying eyes." came a muffled voice from the bag slung over the Card Captor's shoulder.

The three girls couldn't help but chuckle lightly, then left the school together for the small park near the track field. Golden and ocher, crimson and orange leaves decorated every tree, making the few rare green pines stand out even more. The air was thick with the smell of damp leaves, smells of autumn, smells that reminded the Card Mistress too much of her beloved warrior/sorcerer. She fought her tears, very few managing to escape. Much to her surprise, phantom fingers brushed the tears away. Her skin tingled from the light touch, her senses reacting strongly to the presence of the familiar aura. Once out of sight of the school and the road, Sakura let Kero fly out of her bag.

"Now, what so important you had to drag us all the way out of sight for?" Meilin demanded in her usual impatience.

"Just sit down, she-brat?"

"Why?" Tomoyo queried.

"Trust me, you'll want to be sitting down for this." Kero floated over the center of the sidewalk as his Mistress and her friends sat on one of the park's benches. "Now, let me set the stage for what you're about to see."

"Kero!" Meilin groaned.

"So sue me, I have a flair for the dramatic. Anyway, after Sakura came home last night she went straight to bed and wouldn't let anyone come near her. By the way, Sakura, I never did get my dessert last night."

"I'll make it up to you, Kero. Now, onegai, continue."

"Right. Sometime after Sakura went to sleep last night I started to feel magic. I couldn't see anyone, but I knew there was someone there, so I went on the defensive."

Meilin snorted. "As defensive as a stuffed animal can get."

He glared at her. "I challenged whoever or whatever was there..."

"There was a ghost in my room and you didn't tell me?" Sakura demanded in some visible fear.

"Will you let me finish already!" he shouted. Then, "I challenged whoever or whatever was there and nothing attacked. So I started questioning. Well, you can imagine my surprise when I found out who it was."

"Who was it?" Tomoyo queried, sitting on the edge of her seat from the suspense.

"I'm gonna show you." He turned to the empty air on his left with a proud smirk. "Alright, just like I taught you last night." he near commanded.

The three girls were about to accuse him of going mad when a disembodied voice answered him. "You didn't teach me, flying fluff. We just stumbled onto this and you know it."

"Just do it already before the girls die of impatience." Kero griped.

The trio stared in confusion and shock. There was a spirit in their midst, a ghost, but it wasn't threatening. And the voice had been familiar, or did they just want to hear that voice so badly that they were imagining it? Little by little, in the golden glow of the waning afternoon light, a figure began to take shape. There was no definition yet, only a mass of pale mist taking on a male form. Ghosts usually terrified Sakura to the point of a screaming fit, but for some reason she didn't feel afraid of this apparition. She suddenly understood why when the transformation was complete. Now standing there, transparent, was the one being who could make her heart explode from joy at a single word or smile. Tears flowed down her cheeks as an elated smile spread across her face.

"Syaoran...!"

To Be Continued...