Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Sakura's Christmas Surprise ❯ Sakura's Return to a Normal Life ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Lord Archive 
Sakura returns home to continue what she considers to be a normal life, but not all is as normal as she believes.
Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.23.2006 | Updated On: 12.20.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Completed
Sakura returns home to continue what she considers to be a normal life, but not all is as normal as she believes.
Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.23.2006 | Updated On: 12.20.2008 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Completed
Sakura's Christmas Surprise
Chapter 5: Sakura's Return to a Normal Life
By Lord Archive
Characters are property of CLAMP and are used without consent.
Warning, this chapter contains adult situations. There is no graphic depiction of anything beyond kissing, however it does hold implied acts done 'off screen' much as one would find in a Soap Opera on afternoon television or in evening shows (in particular a few episodes of 'Roseanne' has had similar implied content.)
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Meiling huffed. "Have I ever told you how much I hate airports?"
Tomoyo paused in thought. "Actually, no you haven't."
The increasingly upset Chinese girl folded her arms. "You're always sending someone off, leaving them, or trying to find them in this confusing mess."
Tomoyo nodded in sympathy. "At least with Sakura-chan she'll be able to find us."
"It does make things easier for us." Meiling sent a side glance at her friend. "Do you have any idea why Kinomoto is coming home already? She could've stayed there for another week."
Tomoyo shrugged. "Li-kun's mother told me when I was setting this up that Sakura-chan would be the one to decide when or if she would return home." The girl frowned as she finished her statement. "I never did like that last part."
Meiling raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound right. Kinomoto couldn't possibly be allowed to stay in Hong Kong like that. They wouldn't be able to marry there until they're twenty-one. And I don't see her agreeing to stay with my family, getting trained morning, noon and night, while being away from you and her family."
Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at that. "Then it would be best if Li-kun comes here. All they'd need here is parental consent for marriage."
"And being sixteen," Meiling corrected. "Hong Kong won't recognize a marriage before that age."
"You seem to know a lot about the marriage laws for Hong Kong," Tomoyo observed.
Meiling laughed. "Syaoran WAS my fiance for most of my life. I tried to marry him before he left for Japan the first time."
Tomoyo nodded in understanding and was almost surprised to note there was no bitterness in Meiling's words, but sounded more like she was thinking about a fond memory.
"Tomoyo-chan! Meiling-chan!" they heard Sakura cry out. Turning, they saw the girl running straight toward them, waving her free left arm as her right was burdened with luggage. She then called out their names again.
Meiling blinked as Tomoyo shot off towards the incoming girl.
"Sakura-chan! Welcome back! And your last baby tooth is gone! How did it happen? Did Wei-san get it on tape for me?" Tomoyo questioned in a rush.
"Hoooooooeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sakura cried out in surprise. "Ah, yes it is, and no, Wei-san wasn't there."
"How did it happen?" Tomoyo pressed, but received no reply beyond Sakura's face turning cherry red.
Meiling didn't have any interest in how the tooth was lost. She stomped towards the girls, setting her hands on their shoulders. "I've had enough of this place. Let's get back to Daidouji's before the plushy eats all the food at the mansion."
Sakura nodded feverishly to escape the question she was faced with.
"Yes. And you can tell me how you lost your tooth there." Tomoyo began to laugh her strange laugh, while Sakura whined pitifully.
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Chiharu struggled with pulling her bag free of the car trunk, a scowl on her face thanks to her fiance watching her with an amused look. There was no help from his parents, nor her own, as they discussed the events of the trip. With a final tug, the bag freed itself and she fell down onto the street.
Takashi laughed. "You know you could've asked for help."
"Shut it," Chiharu growled.
"Is that any way to talk to your future husband," Natsumi mockingly chastised.
"Don't you start too, older sister," Chiharu shot back.
"Oh, dear, are you all right?" Mrs. Mihara asked her daughter.
"I'm fine," Chiharu insisted, now standing and brushing dirt off the back of her skirt.
"You should've asked for help with your bag," Mrs. Mihara admonished. "So, how was your honeymoon?"
"MOM?!" Chiharu cried out, her face painted red with embarrassment.
"WHAT?!" Natsumi cried out in surprise.
Takashi's smirk was more evident than his blush.
Mrs. Mihara smiled in amusement. "There's no need to hide your relationship with Takashi-kun from us."
"Mother, really, I can't talk to YOU about THAT," Chiharu protested with a huff.
Natsumi alternated between looking at her mother, sister and future brother-in-law. "Chiharu and Takashi-kun already did IT?!"
Mrs. Mihara laughed. "I doubt this trip was their first time."
"MOTHER?!" Chiharu cried out again before grabbing her bag and running off.
Takashi merely shrugged and followed after his fiancee.
Natsumi folded her arms. "Does this mean I can go sleep with some boy if I wanted to?" She sounded as if she was more than a little tempted to do so.
Mrs. Mihara gave her eldest daughter an even look. "If you're sure to marry him."
"You know you're utterly insane letting Chiharu have sex," Natsumi groused.
Mrs. Mihara looked over at her frail and bald husband. "Dear, sometimes it's less about letting something happen than reluctantly letting a sacrific be done."
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It was getting late in the evening. Already Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo were dressed in pajamas as they sat around the large screen television that was playing the videos Wei had made. Kero-chan slept on the other side of the room on top of a now empty tray that recently had cookies stacked on it.
Sakura buried her head under a pillow as the video now showed Syaoran being kissed by his sisters under the mistletoe. She knew very well what was coming next.
Tomoyo squealed in delight as the next image showed a close-up shot of her best friend kissing Syaoran. "Sakura-chan, was that your first kiss?"
Sakura nodded sheepishly.
"Kind of a waste, especially for a first one," Meiling spat. "I've given him better kisses than that."
Sakura accidentally flung the pillow she had held when she sat up quickly. "You have? Did you use your tongue?"
Meiling looked confused. "Of course not. When I was kissing him, it was back when we were still engaged. I was still a little girl."
Tomoyo leapt at her best friend, grabbing hold of her hands. "You shared more kisses with Li-kun, didn't you? You used your tongue, right?"
Sakura tried to scamper away, blushing fiercely. She managed to pull her hands back, one instinctively going to her cheek. "I, ah, well..."
Tomoyo's eyes widened even more. "THAT'S how you lost your tooth! Li-kun knocked it out with his tongue!"
Sakura regained her pillow and tried to hide behind it, while Meiling looked like she had swallowed her own tongue.
"Tell me you have that on tape!" Tomoyo demanded.
Sakura's pillow shook back and forth.
"A wonderful moment like that, gone!" Tomoyo pushed down the pillow. "Where did it happen?"
"Syaoran-kun's school," Sakura squeaked out.
"How long was the kiss?" Tomoyo pressed.
"I don't know. It was... intense and long and...," Sakura trailed off.
"Just how far did you go?!" Meiling cried out.
"We just kissed, a lot," Sakura asserted, yet there was a phantom feeling of his hand on her rear.
Tomoyo giggled, wishing she had that on tape. "And what did you do with the tooth?"
Sakura shrugged cluelessly. "I don't know. I never got it back from Syaoran-kun after he spit it out of his mouth."
"He didn't?!" Tomoyo chirped.
Sakura could only nod.
Meiling huffed. "I bet he still has it."
"Are there other times you kissed on these tapes?" Tomoyo wondered.
Sakura's reply was to use the pillow to cover her face once again.
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Sakura sat up abruptly from where she had slept on Tomoyo's bedroom floor. Her hand clutched at her chest. "What was that dream?"
Tomoyo yawned next to her, having used her friends' visit as a long slumber party. "Bad dream?"
Sakura shook her head, her face flushed. "Not bad, very good really. But it was... strange."
"How so?" Tomoyo wondered.
Sakura turned away from her friend. "I'm not sure. I was having fun with Syaoran, yet there was something different about it. I can't really remember much from it."
Tomoyo gave a tired nod and fell back asleep.
Sakura stared out the window. She remembered far more than she could put to words. That in her dream both she and Syaoran were very naked and touching each other. Her body still felt hot from the events of the dream. She could only guess that they had made love.
Reflecting on her feelings, Sakura wondered if there was something more to the dream that she just couldn't place. She felt odd. It was almost like the time she had studied hard for a test, but got the date for it wrong. A similar feeling of sadness over lost time mixed with relief that she didn't have to take it yet, though different and more. Trying to figure out why she'd felt like that was like trying to grab the wind with her bare hands; while there was a whispery touch tantalizing her senses, there was no way to hold it.
Glancing at the time, Sakura noticed that she had slept for only a couple hours. Had she stayed in Hong Kong, she would be going to bed about now. It may have only been an hour difference in time, but Syaoran was a night person who tried to stay up as long as he could. And she would have stayed up with him. Would she have fallen asleep in Syaoran's arms, exhausted from love had she stayed? She shook her head. No way would they have done that, especially with his mother around. Yet it was a nice thought that they could've been together so intimately. Touched each other as only people married in their hearts should do.
Lying back down, Sakura nestled her head against her pillow and pulled her blanket up to her chin. A smile lightened her lips. "Li Sakura."
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Chiharu hugged her stuffed alligator as she sat on the floor of her bedroom, sitting across from her best friend. She couldn't make eye contact, unsure of what to say. Small talk seemed pointless, while what she wanted to say was far too personal.
"Are you okay, Chiharu-chan?" Rika questioned.
Chiharu fidgeted. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine to me. What's the matter?" Rika pressed.
Chiharu's gaze locked on her bed. "I don't want to say."
Rika reached over and grabbed the girl's hands. "We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me anything, just as I can tell you."
"There are some things that are too private," Chiharu retorted with little conviction.
"I want to make love to Terada-sensei," Rika announced suddenly.
"WHAT?!" Chiharu cried out.
"I want to make love to Terada-sensei," Rika repeated in all seriousness.
"You shouldn't even consider that! I've had enough problems with Takashi screwing me, but you and Terada-sensei would be a LOT worse. Ignoring it's illegal for him, he'd have to be bigger than Takashi and it HURTS when we did it, especially the first time. I can't imagine how much a man, like Terada-sensei, would hurt a girl our age during sex," Chiharu protested vehemently.
Rika blinked, her mouth dropping in surprise. "You made love with Yamazaki-kun already?"
Chiharu flinched as if slapped, realizing what she had blurted out. She then slouched in defeat. "I wouldn't exactly say 'made love,' but, yes, we had sex."
"Why wouldn't you tell me that?" Rika wondered, hurt by the believed betrayal.
Chiharu still couldn't look directly at her friend. "Because I honestly didn't like it. I didn't exactly dislike it either. It's just... something I'll have to do as his wife."
Rika couldn't understand what her friend was saying. "Don't you love him? Aren't you engaged to him?"
"I do care deeply for Takashi. He's been like a brother to me." Chiharu sighed. "And that's the problem. He's been so close to me for so long, I have a hard time seeing him as someone I want to touch that way. As for being engaged to him, the only person to ever ask if I wanted this was Takashi... and I can't say no to him."
"How often have you done it?" Rika asked curiously. "Did you celebrate the New Year with him yet?"
Chiharu nodded. "Yeah, we kind of 'celebrated.' My parents let him stay here last night, and he slept with me in my bed. Before that, just a few times during the vacation."
"I see..." Rika trailed off uncertainly. "Didn't you ever want to be with him like this?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I do love him, but it was too soon. I'm still not ready for this," Chiharu admitted.
Rika sighed wistfully. "I think I'm ready to be with Terada-sensei."
Chiharu locked eyes with her friend for the first time that day, and in a gravely certain voice ordered, "For your own sake and his, DON'T! You might think you're ready, but you can't be. I know Takashi would never hurt me, yet I was scared of him that first night in a way I can't explain. I... I... Just, please, Rika-chan, don't rush into this. Wait until you're both ready."
Rika folded her arms. "I don't want to wait almost three more years for it to be safe and legal. I love him so much."
"True love can endure anything, Rika-chan. If waiting three years to be with him ends up costing you your relationship with him, then it wasn't a true love. And, honestly, what would happen if you got pregnant and people found out before you could get an abortion? He'd be in jail for the rest of his life! Do you want that to happen? To be separated from him forever just because you couldn't wait?" Chiharu pleaded desperately.
Rika could only bow her head in thought. "I'll think about it."
Chiharu let out a scream of frustration.
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Naoko frowned at the contract before her. "It's still a job."
"That cannot be avoided. They want assurances that they will receive submissions on time to print monthly," Ishida Noriko informed in a dull, flat tone. The business pantsuit she wore practically screamed her occupation as a lawyer.
"If my school finds out about this...," Naoko fretted.
"If they do not know, they cannot issue punitive measures. With this, you may submit your completed chapter to your editor through email. Your pay will be directly deposited into an account from which you'll have a debit card to access and withdraw funds from it as needed. If anyone asks why you're withdrawing funds, simply tell them Konagi Noa is a family friend and is very secretive. Your anonymity is secured," Ishida informed with a similar blandness as the morning traffic report.
Naoko frowned deeply. "Still, this is rather risky, don't you think? I could end up expelled from school."
"There is risk in any business venture. I am taking a risk by assisting you on this matter. As long as you follow the contract and don't attract attention to yourself, neither of us will get in trouble," Ishida replied. "All that is left is your decision to write for them or to reject this offer."
In truth, there was no question to Naoko. This was, after all, a dream come true. Just a tad earlier than she had expected it to. She signed her life away as 'Konagi Noa.'
Ishida smirked. "Congratulations, Konagi-san. You are now a proud writer for Dragon Magazine. Don't let anyone know of this."
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Sakura hummed a song to herself as she cooked dinner at her house. Vacations always seemed to fly by and end far too quickly. The past two weeks just flew by, yet it seemed like forever since she saw Syaoran. Though as much as she missed him, it would be nice being home with her family.
Sakura jumped as the front door opened, signaling the return of her father from his excavation. She quickly made sure everything was properly placed and cooking appropriately, before rushing to greet her father. In her haste she nearly ran straight into her brother, who had picked her father up from the airport. She took a step back and waved sheepishly. "Welcome home."
"It's good to be home. Egypt is a wondrous place to visit, but the desert sun is quite harsh there all year round, even at the start of winter," Fujitaka replied.
Sakura frowned. "Are you okay?"
Fujitaka ruffled his daughter's hair. "I'm fine now. But I must say that was the happiest sun-stroke I've ever had."
Sakura pouted unsure how to accept that. "Did you find anything?"
Fujitaka shook his head. "Not while I was there, but I got to look at a few artifacts that few have seen in thousands of years."
"Sakura, aren't you cooking something? I think it's boiling over," Touya groused from down the hall.
"Hooooooeeeeeeee!!!!!" Sakura rushed back to the kitchen to adjust the stove.
Fujitaka slowly followed his daughter. "You didn't have to cook diner."
Sakura shook her head fiercely. "I had some extra money left from what you gave me for my vacation and I wanted to throw all of us a feast." She turned to look at her brother. "Can you invite Yukito over? It's almost done."
"And how was your vacation?" Fujitaka asked his daughter.
Sakura turned away, focusing her attention toward the cooking food in hope that her father wouldn't see her blush. "It was great. I got to learn a lot more about Syaoran-kun and his family. They invited me to come back this spring to be one of his sister's bridesmaids."
Fujitaka smiled. "That's wonderful."
"The brat kept his hands to himself, didn't he?" Touya groused.
"Syaoran is not a brat!" Sakura wished he was within striking range. Too bad her father didn't know of her magic, otherwise she would use The Move or something to smash his foot.
"Did he touch you?" Touya demanded suspiciously.
Sakura folded her arms. "Sure he did. He held my hand and he hugged me."
Touya growled. "That isn't what I meant and you know it."
"No, I don't know what you mean," Sakura shot back.
"Now, now. There's no need to go into that. Sakura is old enough to make her own decisions, just as you did at her age." Fujitaka waved his hands in downward fashion motioning for them to calm down.
"You KNOW what I was doing when I was her age," Touya reminded bitterly.
Fujitaka nodded. "The more reason you should be more understanding of her position."
Touya turned and stomped away, knowing that this was a losing battle.
Sakura blinked cluelessly. "What was oniichan doing at my age?"
"Nothing that concerns you." Fujitaka walked next to her. "Now let's get this feast ready. I'm starving."
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"I'm back!" Meiling announced strutting into Syaoran's family house as if she owned it. She soon found Fanren and Syaoran sitting in the main room.
Syaoran more grunted than said, "Hi."
"What a warm welcome," Meiling groused bitterly, but then smirked evilly. "I'm sure you welcomed Kinomoto with open arms."
"More like Sakura tackled him, but yes," Fanren answered before her brother could.
Meiling let out a hollow laugh. "She would do that. So, how was having Kinomoto for yourself for a week?"
Syaoran blushed and fidgeted. "It was nice."
"Still have her tooth?" Meiling shot at him, letting what little jealousy she had toward him rear its ugly head.
Syaoran's mouth hung agape. "How do you know about that?"
Meiling advanced on her ex-fiance. "There's nothing Kinomoto can hide from Daidouji. You know that."
Syaoran tried looking away.
"Why would he have her tooth? Did she lose one?" Fanren wondered.
"Heh. So Kinomoto didn't mention to you that she lost her last baby tooth while she was here." Meiling made a show of shrugging, attempting to suggest she didn't care, but failing miserably. "Guess I shouldn't be surprise considering she lost it while making out with lover boy, here. He even had to spit her tooth out from his mouth."
"Way to go, Syaoran!" Fanren cheered. "I can't wait to tell our sisters about this!"
"Syaoran," Yelan called out, her presence flooding the room.
Syaoran gulped, wondering how much his mother had heard. He tried to temper his worries knowing that his mother's foresight likely told her about him getting that close to his girlfriend. Still, his voice shook when he replied, "Yes, Mother?"
"It is high time that you created your own means to cast spells, rather than rely on what has been passed down to you," Yelan inform sternly.
"Don't I need to get a magical core for a device? Where would I get one suitable for me?" Syaoran questioned.
Yelan almost glared at him. "It is already in your possession."
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"This is unforgivable."
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Author's Notes:
Just who said the last line will eventually be answered in my fanfict, Shadow of the Dragon, which is set a few years after the events of this story. The one behind the attacks said it, but that has yet to be revealed.
Finally finished this mini-series. About three times or so larger and longer than expected for what was meant to be a one-shot Christmas special. It has now more than served its purpose as a bridge between canon Card Captor Sakura and my long-running fanfict of Shadow of the Dragon, helping to further explain characterization differences.
I would like to thank Anna Yolei, Kevin Zhu, everyone who has sent me comments, and especially Jeremy Mullin for their help in improving this series.
Chapter 5: Sakura's Return to a Normal Life
By Lord Archive
Characters are property of CLAMP and are used without consent.
Warning, this chapter contains adult situations. There is no graphic depiction of anything beyond kissing, however it does hold implied acts done 'off screen' much as one would find in a Soap Opera on afternoon television or in evening shows (in particular a few episodes of 'Roseanne' has had similar implied content.)
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Meiling huffed. "Have I ever told you how much I hate airports?"
Tomoyo paused in thought. "Actually, no you haven't."
The increasingly upset Chinese girl folded her arms. "You're always sending someone off, leaving them, or trying to find them in this confusing mess."
Tomoyo nodded in sympathy. "At least with Sakura-chan she'll be able to find us."
"It does make things easier for us." Meiling sent a side glance at her friend. "Do you have any idea why Kinomoto is coming home already? She could've stayed there for another week."
Tomoyo shrugged. "Li-kun's mother told me when I was setting this up that Sakura-chan would be the one to decide when or if she would return home." The girl frowned as she finished her statement. "I never did like that last part."
Meiling raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound right. Kinomoto couldn't possibly be allowed to stay in Hong Kong like that. They wouldn't be able to marry there until they're twenty-one. And I don't see her agreeing to stay with my family, getting trained morning, noon and night, while being away from you and her family."
Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at that. "Then it would be best if Li-kun comes here. All they'd need here is parental consent for marriage."
"And being sixteen," Meiling corrected. "Hong Kong won't recognize a marriage before that age."
"You seem to know a lot about the marriage laws for Hong Kong," Tomoyo observed.
Meiling laughed. "Syaoran WAS my fiance for most of my life. I tried to marry him before he left for Japan the first time."
Tomoyo nodded in understanding and was almost surprised to note there was no bitterness in Meiling's words, but sounded more like she was thinking about a fond memory.
"Tomoyo-chan! Meiling-chan!" they heard Sakura cry out. Turning, they saw the girl running straight toward them, waving her free left arm as her right was burdened with luggage. She then called out their names again.
Meiling blinked as Tomoyo shot off towards the incoming girl.
"Sakura-chan! Welcome back! And your last baby tooth is gone! How did it happen? Did Wei-san get it on tape for me?" Tomoyo questioned in a rush.
"Hoooooooeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sakura cried out in surprise. "Ah, yes it is, and no, Wei-san wasn't there."
"How did it happen?" Tomoyo pressed, but received no reply beyond Sakura's face turning cherry red.
Meiling didn't have any interest in how the tooth was lost. She stomped towards the girls, setting her hands on their shoulders. "I've had enough of this place. Let's get back to Daidouji's before the plushy eats all the food at the mansion."
Sakura nodded feverishly to escape the question she was faced with.
"Yes. And you can tell me how you lost your tooth there." Tomoyo began to laugh her strange laugh, while Sakura whined pitifully.
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Chiharu struggled with pulling her bag free of the car trunk, a scowl on her face thanks to her fiance watching her with an amused look. There was no help from his parents, nor her own, as they discussed the events of the trip. With a final tug, the bag freed itself and she fell down onto the street.
Takashi laughed. "You know you could've asked for help."
"Shut it," Chiharu growled.
"Is that any way to talk to your future husband," Natsumi mockingly chastised.
"Don't you start too, older sister," Chiharu shot back.
"Oh, dear, are you all right?" Mrs. Mihara asked her daughter.
"I'm fine," Chiharu insisted, now standing and brushing dirt off the back of her skirt.
"You should've asked for help with your bag," Mrs. Mihara admonished. "So, how was your honeymoon?"
"MOM?!" Chiharu cried out, her face painted red with embarrassment.
"WHAT?!" Natsumi cried out in surprise.
Takashi's smirk was more evident than his blush.
Mrs. Mihara smiled in amusement. "There's no need to hide your relationship with Takashi-kun from us."
"Mother, really, I can't talk to YOU about THAT," Chiharu protested with a huff.
Natsumi alternated between looking at her mother, sister and future brother-in-law. "Chiharu and Takashi-kun already did IT?!"
Mrs. Mihara laughed. "I doubt this trip was their first time."
"MOTHER?!" Chiharu cried out again before grabbing her bag and running off.
Takashi merely shrugged and followed after his fiancee.
Natsumi folded her arms. "Does this mean I can go sleep with some boy if I wanted to?" She sounded as if she was more than a little tempted to do so.
Mrs. Mihara gave her eldest daughter an even look. "If you're sure to marry him."
"You know you're utterly insane letting Chiharu have sex," Natsumi groused.
Mrs. Mihara looked over at her frail and bald husband. "Dear, sometimes it's less about letting something happen than reluctantly letting a sacrific be done."
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It was getting late in the evening. Already Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo were dressed in pajamas as they sat around the large screen television that was playing the videos Wei had made. Kero-chan slept on the other side of the room on top of a now empty tray that recently had cookies stacked on it.
Sakura buried her head under a pillow as the video now showed Syaoran being kissed by his sisters under the mistletoe. She knew very well what was coming next.
Tomoyo squealed in delight as the next image showed a close-up shot of her best friend kissing Syaoran. "Sakura-chan, was that your first kiss?"
Sakura nodded sheepishly.
"Kind of a waste, especially for a first one," Meiling spat. "I've given him better kisses than that."
Sakura accidentally flung the pillow she had held when she sat up quickly. "You have? Did you use your tongue?"
Meiling looked confused. "Of course not. When I was kissing him, it was back when we were still engaged. I was still a little girl."
Tomoyo leapt at her best friend, grabbing hold of her hands. "You shared more kisses with Li-kun, didn't you? You used your tongue, right?"
Sakura tried to scamper away, blushing fiercely. She managed to pull her hands back, one instinctively going to her cheek. "I, ah, well..."
Tomoyo's eyes widened even more. "THAT'S how you lost your tooth! Li-kun knocked it out with his tongue!"
Sakura regained her pillow and tried to hide behind it, while Meiling looked like she had swallowed her own tongue.
"Tell me you have that on tape!" Tomoyo demanded.
Sakura's pillow shook back and forth.
"A wonderful moment like that, gone!" Tomoyo pushed down the pillow. "Where did it happen?"
"Syaoran-kun's school," Sakura squeaked out.
"How long was the kiss?" Tomoyo pressed.
"I don't know. It was... intense and long and...," Sakura trailed off.
"Just how far did you go?!" Meiling cried out.
"We just kissed, a lot," Sakura asserted, yet there was a phantom feeling of his hand on her rear.
Tomoyo giggled, wishing she had that on tape. "And what did you do with the tooth?"
Sakura shrugged cluelessly. "I don't know. I never got it back from Syaoran-kun after he spit it out of his mouth."
"He didn't?!" Tomoyo chirped.
Sakura could only nod.
Meiling huffed. "I bet he still has it."
"Are there other times you kissed on these tapes?" Tomoyo wondered.
Sakura's reply was to use the pillow to cover her face once again.
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Sakura sat up abruptly from where she had slept on Tomoyo's bedroom floor. Her hand clutched at her chest. "What was that dream?"
Tomoyo yawned next to her, having used her friends' visit as a long slumber party. "Bad dream?"
Sakura shook her head, her face flushed. "Not bad, very good really. But it was... strange."
"How so?" Tomoyo wondered.
Sakura turned away from her friend. "I'm not sure. I was having fun with Syaoran, yet there was something different about it. I can't really remember much from it."
Tomoyo gave a tired nod and fell back asleep.
Sakura stared out the window. She remembered far more than she could put to words. That in her dream both she and Syaoran were very naked and touching each other. Her body still felt hot from the events of the dream. She could only guess that they had made love.
Reflecting on her feelings, Sakura wondered if there was something more to the dream that she just couldn't place. She felt odd. It was almost like the time she had studied hard for a test, but got the date for it wrong. A similar feeling of sadness over lost time mixed with relief that she didn't have to take it yet, though different and more. Trying to figure out why she'd felt like that was like trying to grab the wind with her bare hands; while there was a whispery touch tantalizing her senses, there was no way to hold it.
Glancing at the time, Sakura noticed that she had slept for only a couple hours. Had she stayed in Hong Kong, she would be going to bed about now. It may have only been an hour difference in time, but Syaoran was a night person who tried to stay up as long as he could. And she would have stayed up with him. Would she have fallen asleep in Syaoran's arms, exhausted from love had she stayed? She shook her head. No way would they have done that, especially with his mother around. Yet it was a nice thought that they could've been together so intimately. Touched each other as only people married in their hearts should do.
Lying back down, Sakura nestled her head against her pillow and pulled her blanket up to her chin. A smile lightened her lips. "Li Sakura."
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Chiharu hugged her stuffed alligator as she sat on the floor of her bedroom, sitting across from her best friend. She couldn't make eye contact, unsure of what to say. Small talk seemed pointless, while what she wanted to say was far too personal.
"Are you okay, Chiharu-chan?" Rika questioned.
Chiharu fidgeted. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine to me. What's the matter?" Rika pressed.
Chiharu's gaze locked on her bed. "I don't want to say."
Rika reached over and grabbed the girl's hands. "We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me anything, just as I can tell you."
"There are some things that are too private," Chiharu retorted with little conviction.
"I want to make love to Terada-sensei," Rika announced suddenly.
"WHAT?!" Chiharu cried out.
"I want to make love to Terada-sensei," Rika repeated in all seriousness.
"You shouldn't even consider that! I've had enough problems with Takashi screwing me, but you and Terada-sensei would be a LOT worse. Ignoring it's illegal for him, he'd have to be bigger than Takashi and it HURTS when we did it, especially the first time. I can't imagine how much a man, like Terada-sensei, would hurt a girl our age during sex," Chiharu protested vehemently.
Rika blinked, her mouth dropping in surprise. "You made love with Yamazaki-kun already?"
Chiharu flinched as if slapped, realizing what she had blurted out. She then slouched in defeat. "I wouldn't exactly say 'made love,' but, yes, we had sex."
"Why wouldn't you tell me that?" Rika wondered, hurt by the believed betrayal.
Chiharu still couldn't look directly at her friend. "Because I honestly didn't like it. I didn't exactly dislike it either. It's just... something I'll have to do as his wife."
Rika couldn't understand what her friend was saying. "Don't you love him? Aren't you engaged to him?"
"I do care deeply for Takashi. He's been like a brother to me." Chiharu sighed. "And that's the problem. He's been so close to me for so long, I have a hard time seeing him as someone I want to touch that way. As for being engaged to him, the only person to ever ask if I wanted this was Takashi... and I can't say no to him."
"How often have you done it?" Rika asked curiously. "Did you celebrate the New Year with him yet?"
Chiharu nodded. "Yeah, we kind of 'celebrated.' My parents let him stay here last night, and he slept with me in my bed. Before that, just a few times during the vacation."
"I see..." Rika trailed off uncertainly. "Didn't you ever want to be with him like this?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I do love him, but it was too soon. I'm still not ready for this," Chiharu admitted.
Rika sighed wistfully. "I think I'm ready to be with Terada-sensei."
Chiharu locked eyes with her friend for the first time that day, and in a gravely certain voice ordered, "For your own sake and his, DON'T! You might think you're ready, but you can't be. I know Takashi would never hurt me, yet I was scared of him that first night in a way I can't explain. I... I... Just, please, Rika-chan, don't rush into this. Wait until you're both ready."
Rika folded her arms. "I don't want to wait almost three more years for it to be safe and legal. I love him so much."
"True love can endure anything, Rika-chan. If waiting three years to be with him ends up costing you your relationship with him, then it wasn't a true love. And, honestly, what would happen if you got pregnant and people found out before you could get an abortion? He'd be in jail for the rest of his life! Do you want that to happen? To be separated from him forever just because you couldn't wait?" Chiharu pleaded desperately.
Rika could only bow her head in thought. "I'll think about it."
Chiharu let out a scream of frustration.
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Naoko frowned at the contract before her. "It's still a job."
"That cannot be avoided. They want assurances that they will receive submissions on time to print monthly," Ishida Noriko informed in a dull, flat tone. The business pantsuit she wore practically screamed her occupation as a lawyer.
"If my school finds out about this...," Naoko fretted.
"If they do not know, they cannot issue punitive measures. With this, you may submit your completed chapter to your editor through email. Your pay will be directly deposited into an account from which you'll have a debit card to access and withdraw funds from it as needed. If anyone asks why you're withdrawing funds, simply tell them Konagi Noa is a family friend and is very secretive. Your anonymity is secured," Ishida informed with a similar blandness as the morning traffic report.
Naoko frowned deeply. "Still, this is rather risky, don't you think? I could end up expelled from school."
"There is risk in any business venture. I am taking a risk by assisting you on this matter. As long as you follow the contract and don't attract attention to yourself, neither of us will get in trouble," Ishida replied. "All that is left is your decision to write for them or to reject this offer."
In truth, there was no question to Naoko. This was, after all, a dream come true. Just a tad earlier than she had expected it to. She signed her life away as 'Konagi Noa.'
Ishida smirked. "Congratulations, Konagi-san. You are now a proud writer for Dragon Magazine. Don't let anyone know of this."
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Sakura hummed a song to herself as she cooked dinner at her house. Vacations always seemed to fly by and end far too quickly. The past two weeks just flew by, yet it seemed like forever since she saw Syaoran. Though as much as she missed him, it would be nice being home with her family.
Sakura jumped as the front door opened, signaling the return of her father from his excavation. She quickly made sure everything was properly placed and cooking appropriately, before rushing to greet her father. In her haste she nearly ran straight into her brother, who had picked her father up from the airport. She took a step back and waved sheepishly. "Welcome home."
"It's good to be home. Egypt is a wondrous place to visit, but the desert sun is quite harsh there all year round, even at the start of winter," Fujitaka replied.
Sakura frowned. "Are you okay?"
Fujitaka ruffled his daughter's hair. "I'm fine now. But I must say that was the happiest sun-stroke I've ever had."
Sakura pouted unsure how to accept that. "Did you find anything?"
Fujitaka shook his head. "Not while I was there, but I got to look at a few artifacts that few have seen in thousands of years."
"Sakura, aren't you cooking something? I think it's boiling over," Touya groused from down the hall.
"Hooooooeeeeeeee!!!!!" Sakura rushed back to the kitchen to adjust the stove.
Fujitaka slowly followed his daughter. "You didn't have to cook diner."
Sakura shook her head fiercely. "I had some extra money left from what you gave me for my vacation and I wanted to throw all of us a feast." She turned to look at her brother. "Can you invite Yukito over? It's almost done."
"And how was your vacation?" Fujitaka asked his daughter.
Sakura turned away, focusing her attention toward the cooking food in hope that her father wouldn't see her blush. "It was great. I got to learn a lot more about Syaoran-kun and his family. They invited me to come back this spring to be one of his sister's bridesmaids."
Fujitaka smiled. "That's wonderful."
"The brat kept his hands to himself, didn't he?" Touya groused.
"Syaoran is not a brat!" Sakura wished he was within striking range. Too bad her father didn't know of her magic, otherwise she would use The Move or something to smash his foot.
"Did he touch you?" Touya demanded suspiciously.
Sakura folded her arms. "Sure he did. He held my hand and he hugged me."
Touya growled. "That isn't what I meant and you know it."
"No, I don't know what you mean," Sakura shot back.
"Now, now. There's no need to go into that. Sakura is old enough to make her own decisions, just as you did at her age." Fujitaka waved his hands in downward fashion motioning for them to calm down.
"You KNOW what I was doing when I was her age," Touya reminded bitterly.
Fujitaka nodded. "The more reason you should be more understanding of her position."
Touya turned and stomped away, knowing that this was a losing battle.
Sakura blinked cluelessly. "What was oniichan doing at my age?"
"Nothing that concerns you." Fujitaka walked next to her. "Now let's get this feast ready. I'm starving."
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"I'm back!" Meiling announced strutting into Syaoran's family house as if she owned it. She soon found Fanren and Syaoran sitting in the main room.
Syaoran more grunted than said, "Hi."
"What a warm welcome," Meiling groused bitterly, but then smirked evilly. "I'm sure you welcomed Kinomoto with open arms."
"More like Sakura tackled him, but yes," Fanren answered before her brother could.
Meiling let out a hollow laugh. "She would do that. So, how was having Kinomoto for yourself for a week?"
Syaoran blushed and fidgeted. "It was nice."
"Still have her tooth?" Meiling shot at him, letting what little jealousy she had toward him rear its ugly head.
Syaoran's mouth hung agape. "How do you know about that?"
Meiling advanced on her ex-fiance. "There's nothing Kinomoto can hide from Daidouji. You know that."
Syaoran tried looking away.
"Why would he have her tooth? Did she lose one?" Fanren wondered.
"Heh. So Kinomoto didn't mention to you that she lost her last baby tooth while she was here." Meiling made a show of shrugging, attempting to suggest she didn't care, but failing miserably. "Guess I shouldn't be surprise considering she lost it while making out with lover boy, here. He even had to spit her tooth out from his mouth."
"Way to go, Syaoran!" Fanren cheered. "I can't wait to tell our sisters about this!"
"Syaoran," Yelan called out, her presence flooding the room.
Syaoran gulped, wondering how much his mother had heard. He tried to temper his worries knowing that his mother's foresight likely told her about him getting that close to his girlfriend. Still, his voice shook when he replied, "Yes, Mother?"
"It is high time that you created your own means to cast spells, rather than rely on what has been passed down to you," Yelan inform sternly.
"Don't I need to get a magical core for a device? Where would I get one suitable for me?" Syaoran questioned.
Yelan almost glared at him. "It is already in your possession."
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"This is unforgivable."
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Author's Notes:
Just who said the last line will eventually be answered in my fanfict, Shadow of the Dragon, which is set a few years after the events of this story. The one behind the attacks said it, but that has yet to be revealed.
Finally finished this mini-series. About three times or so larger and longer than expected for what was meant to be a one-shot Christmas special. It has now more than served its purpose as a bridge between canon Card Captor Sakura and my long-running fanfict of Shadow of the Dragon, helping to further explain characterization differences.
I would like to thank Anna Yolei, Kevin Zhu, everyone who has sent me comments, and especially Jeremy Mullin for their help in improving this series.