Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow of the Dragon ❯ Return to Abnormal Days ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Lord Archive 
While Sakura's magic is an amazing discovery to her friends, they have their own closely guarded secrets.
Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.05.2004 | Updated On: 03.17.2007 | Pages: 6 | Words: 8.5K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
While Sakura's magic is an amazing discovery to her friends, they have their own closely guarded secrets.
Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.05.2004 | Updated On: 03.17.2007 | Pages: 6 | Words: 8.5K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Sakura let out a roar of a yawn as she sat up in her bed. Her hand absent-mindedly stroked where Syaoran had slept just two days ago. It had been rather nice to sleep with him. The warmth and comfort he gave her was simply wonderful.
She then frowned as her mind proceeded to go over the events of yesterday. It had been rather embarrassing seeing her friends' reactions to Tomoyo's videos of her transforming the Clow Cards. Even she could tell her childhood friends had become uneasy in her presence. If it wasn't for the fact that at least Naoko would've written down about her being a magical girl, she might've used Erase to remove her friends' memory of the battle with the dragon and of Tomoyo's videos.
Sakura grimaced at the thought of the dragon battle. The Moon Gate had been part of Tomoeda for many, many years. Now it was nothing but ash. At least the dragon golem had been taken care of, sealed under the ground at Tsukimiri shrine thanks to her using the Earthy card on it yesterday. The dragon's heart was now a decoration for her father's library in the basement.
"Sakura...." Kero-chan floated in front of the half-asleep girl. "Time isn't going to freeze for you by itself."
"EEP!" Sakura dashed out of bed and got ready for the day. Like most students, she didn't particularly like school but she REALLY wanted to be there on time today as Syaoran would be there.
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Card Captors Sakura: Shadow of the Dragon
Chapter 2: Return to Abnormal Days
Author's Warnings:
In accordance to movie system rating this series would be rated PG-13, and as for television would rate TV M for mature audience, but would be viewable with no edits save for some incidents of vulgar language. Due to subjective nature of the ratings, for FFnet this series has been labeled with R rating for those who have poor views of some of the subject matter contained within.
This series contains:
Adult situations.
Sexual situations withOUT detailed description of sex nor the naked human body.
Brief moments of violence, some cases involving people getting severely injured and possibly death.
Occasional use of vulgar language.
Japanese humor: which include bathroom jokes, panty fetish and shocking situations.
Depictions of criminal activity committed by fictional characters.
References of homosexuality.
This series will be played as Card Captor Sakura meets Kare Kano/His and Her Circumstances. It will not tiptoe around and make light of situations contained within the original canon, including inappropriate relations between teacher and student. As such this series will likely contain a darker feel to it than the anime of which this series is primarily based on. It will not ignore the light and fluffiness, either-- but will try to blend and balance both.
Only a few items from the manga that do not contradict anime canon will be used, otherwise this will be strictly written in accordance to the animated series.
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Tomoyo hummed to herself as she prepared for the school day. Walking out to the back patio to have breakfast in the warm spring weather, she was surprised to note her mother was still home. "Good morning, Mother."
"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan," the elegant woman in a business suit replied. "I heard you had all your friends over to watch some videos."
Tomoyo nodded. "It was fun showing off some of my work."
Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Which videos did you show them?"
"My two master pieces starring Sakura-chan," Tomoyo answered.
Her mother pouted. "If only I had the time to watch them." She then glared at her watch. "But as always, business calls. Have a nice day at school, and tell Sakura-chan I said, 'Hi!'"
"I will. Goodbye, Mother." Tomoyo waved.
The teenage girl then sighed as a maid brought out her breakfast. She started picking at it. Yesterday, Naoko's curiosity caused the girl to ask that with a home like this, why she wasn't a spoiled brat. And she had replied that she knew there were some things she could never have. Things that she'd give up all her wealth for. She didn't tell Naoko what it was she truly wanted.
Tomoyo had a chance to talk to her friends about their discovery of Sakura's magic. She had made it a point that each of them harbored secrets that they didn't want anyone to know. True, Sakura's secret was amazing, but was possibly no less Earth shattering than what they kept silent about in their own lives.
There were a few secrets that Tomoyo held that she hoped would never come to light. That while she wanted to get to know her father, the reason she couldn't was because he had run off with the pool-boy when she was just a baby. Her entire existence was based on a sham marriage. Her mother needed to marry someone to inherit the family fortune and take over the business, while her father was a homosexual who wanted to hide his gender preference from his own rich parents. There had been no love between her parents. It was merely a matter of duty that led to her birth.
Tomoyo didn't doubt her mother's love for her, but to meet her father and get to know him was one of her three greatest wishes. The second was a lot more possible, but still unlikely. That her mother could spend more time with her. However, the job of being one of the highest ranked businesswoman in Japan left little time for family. Her third wish was something she knew would never come to pass, and would not speak it for fear of discovery of another of her highly guarded secrets.
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Chiharu stretched as she awoke tangled up in bed sheets. Groggily she pulled herself free and shuffled her way over to the dresser. She scowled at the dust that had gathered on the model planes on top of it, as she had planned to clean the room over the weekend. However, the videos of Sakura had proved to be a more pressing matter.
Clean clothes in hand, the girl absent-mindedly made her way towards the bathing room. Her thoughts were still on the weekend. Though they were more focused on Tomoyo's words at the end of it. It was true that they each held secrets, but how could anything compare with Sakura being a witch?
Chiharu frowned as her own secrets may not be as grand, but could actually be more of an emotional burden. Part of her secret wouldn't really be much of a surprise considering the classroom nickname she had picked up, but the reasons why wasn't something she wanted to discuss with anyone who wasn't family.
"Good morning, Chiharu-chan," greeted a black-haired woman, who was folding towels in the laundry/changing room attached to the house's traditional Japanese bathing room.
"Good morning, Mother," the girl replied.
"You'd best hurry with your bath. It's getting late. Breakfast will be ready when you get out," the woman informed.
Chiharu bowed respectfully. "Thank you."
The girl stripped off her few pieces of clothes before entering the bathing room and set to the task of cleaning herself, her mind not really on what she was doing.
As much as Chiharu's mother had tried to shield the girl from the family's troubles so she could maintain her education as long as possible, life had become incredibly hard for her. Any time she was offered a free moment, she grasped it without hesitation. But her free moments were becoming rarer and more difficult to find.
After exiting the bath, Chiharu began to dry herself off. She gazed at the mirror, wondering how Sakura could remain so innocent and carefree after all the girl had been through. She certainly didn't feel innocent, with the image of a young woman staring back at her.
Then again, Sakura barely remembered her own mother, let alone the woman's death, while Chiharu's father was wasting away into nothing from cancer. Sakura was merely Li's girlfriend... not his... wife.
Chiharu rested her forehead against the mirror. Her father had weeks to live now, months at worst. She hated thinking like that, but the once strong man was dying by centimeters. His existence was now one of pain. Which was why she was rarely at her family's home. Despite the fact the house belonged to her, it was easier for her to be here, at the Yamazaki household with Takashi, her husband. Here she didn't feel so helpless watching someone she loved die. She felt more like an orphan whose parents hadn't died yet.
In a way it was kind of funny that her classroom nickname of 'Yamazaki-chan' wasn't truly a nickname. She had legally become Yamazaki Chiharu a year ago, which the school was more than eager to agree to keep it a secret. Concerns with the family inheritance because of her father's illness had pushed her mother to arrange her wedding to her longtime love. She had only just turned thirteen when her engagement was announced and she had noticed that while she had been regarded as Takashi's girlfriend since kindergarten, she had started to develop romantic interest in other boys. She had wondered if he was too much like a brother to be her lover. But her choice in the matter was taken from her. While she had learned to be his wife, there were times she felt rather odd. That her marriage was more duty than love. Yet, there wasn't much choice if her future was to be secured after the death of her family.
The teenage girl fought the urge to cry. While it was her father that was dying, she feared for her mother as well. With her dowry transferred to Takashi's name through her legal marriage and her elder sister's college fund safely secured, there wasn't much left of her birth family's estate. She was worried that once her father died, her mother would quickly join him through her own hands.
"Not that I mind the scenery, but you should hurry up and get ready," her teenage husband joked.
"Not funny, Takashi." Chiharu pitched her damp towel at him, before she finally started to get dressed. "Any problems with delivering papers?"
"Nope." Takashi pulled the towel from his face and tossed it into the dirty clothes hamper. "I'll get our school bags together. Meet you for breakfast."
Chiharu smiled as he left. "Thank you, Dear."
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Syaoran awoke with a start to the sound of rather loud clanging. He blearily looked over. It took him a moment to register that his vision wasn't blurry, but that he had the bottom of a soup ladle shoved in front of his face.
"Don't you dare go back to sleep again, Syaoran," Meiling growled. "You were supposed to be up a half-hour ago."
"Couldn't sleep well," Syaoran retorted groggily.
"Not my fault you stayed up watching those perverted Japanese shows," Meiling shot back.
"Wasn't tired then." The boy scratched himself.
Meiling hit him with the frying pan she had held in her other hand. "Don't do THAT in front of ME! And just because there's no one telling you when you should go to bed doesn't mean you can just stay up!"
"I know." Syaoran finally pulled free of the bed, clad in a loose muscle T-shirt and boxers that were almost falling off.
"Don't forget part of the reason we're here is to prove we can handle living by ourselves. You don't have Wei to help you out this time." Meiling's mood darkened. While the boy may think of her as a sister, she wouldn't mind the implied incest. They were distant enough cousins that their family relations didn't matter. And seeing her first love in a state of being less-than-fully-clothed plunged her mind down to the level of perversions she had only seen on the local late-night television.
"Yes, yes," Syaoran groused, finally at least somewhat awake.
"Now you better hurry up," Meiling ordered. "I doubt you want to be standing in the hallway for being late when you can sit near Sakura again."
Meiling clenched the cooking implements tightly as Syaoran bolted out of the room inspired with that last bit of motivation. She then sighed. She guessed this was what it would me like to be his wife, without the perks. To know what he was like completely unguarded and relaxed. Something that Kinomoto had yet to experience.
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Naoko hummed to herself as she prepared a bowl of cereal for herself. She was unmindful of the milk as it splashed her while she poured it. It was why she only wore her underclothes. She was a first-class klutz, and had long given up trying to not make a mess. It wasn't like anyone would see her like this. Both her parents were office workers that went to their jobs before she woke up and usually didn't get home until after she went to bed. The only time she got to see her parents was on Sunday, after they had slept in half-the-day.
The bespectacled girl had been living more-or-less by herself since her grandmother died when she was little. She did the best she could to not use much of the house to limit the amount of chores she had to do. If she didn't dirty it, she didn't have to clean it. That left a lot of time for the girl to be alone doing nothing, which reading books had filled before.
Naoko smirked, thinking about her one major secret. It was kind of like Rika's secret boyfriend, being one that would be dangerous to talk about openly. Though her secret didn't include possible jail time for anyone, just the potential to get her expelled from school.
Like most grade schools in Japan, in order to have a job she would need a worker's permit. Unfortunately, the academies in Tomoeda only gave permits to senior high school students and children working for their family's business. However, she was neither, and yet she had a little job with no permission from the school to have it. The job was just too good for her to pass it up.
After wiping up spilled cereal and milk, Naoko allowed herself to bring a magazine to her table. She opened it carefully to the latest installment of the increasingly popular 'Bloody Sword Detective' by Konagi Noa. It was a tale about a detective in a fantasy world who dealt with crimes of magic. Her eyes scanned every line making sure no errors had appeared. After all, Noa was her penname and she had written this story.
Naoko smirked a little as the chapter had a startling discovery not unlike her own surprise of learning that one of her friends was an uberly powerful magical girl. While she had been nervous around Sakura yesterday, it had more to do with what the girl would do, not what she could do. She was more concerned of getting her mind wiped than Tomoeda getting nuked off the map. And she could tell Sakura had been tempted to remove the memories of magic. Thankfully her mind was still intact and she couldn't wait to talk to Sakura and her boyfriend about magic. It would be great having actual knowledge of magic to add realism to her story.
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The young gym teacher at Tomoeda Elementary whistled a cheerful tune as he entered the wooded section of the local park. He soon came upon a secluded grove where a young teen sat, lost in thought. He approached her, calling out her name, but got no response. Only when he waved his hand in front of her face did he get a reaction.
Rika blinked and then blushed. "Oh, sorry, Yoshiyuki. I was lost in thought."
"I could tell." Terada then smirked. "It's not very appropriate for a student to call me by my personal name."
"And what's so 'appropriate' about our relationship?" Rika leaned forward, her lips landing on to his. The contact was all too brief but still reassuring to the young girl as she was the one to decide the duration. She sighed as she pulled away. "I can't wait until we can end our secret."
Terada nodded and lost himself in thoughts he would rather not dwell on, so he changed topics. "What was it that you were thinking about before I got here?"
Rika frowned. "I found out a secret that's been kept from me for years."
Terada raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Rika paused trying to think of what to say. "It's kind of like our secret. If it became public, the trouble that would result could end lives."
Terada rubbed his chin. "This concerns Kinomoto Sakura, doesn't it?"
Rika's eyes widened. "You know!?"
"I don't know what her problem is, just that she's troubled." Terada sighed. "I can guess it started when she was in fourth grade. She started acting up at odd times. Then there was vandalism which, while there was no proof, evidence suggested she was involved. If I had to guess, Tsukishiro-san took advantage of her crush."
Rika looked at Terada with an odd expression before she broke into a fit of laughter. "I guess that is how a teacher would look at it. Though Tsukishiro-san could NEVER hurt Sakura-chan. And he especially wouldn't do it THAT way. He's the lover of Sakura-chan's brother."
Terada blinked at the girl's reaction and then laughed. "So THAT's why those two never had girlfriends in senior high." He then frowned for more reasons than his next question. "But why did Kinomoto act up then?"
Rika frowned. The truth was something that needed to be kept secret by as few people as possible. But this was her fiance and she didn't want to keep secrets from him. Besides, if he talked, Tomoyo could easily get revenge by giving the police proof of her relationship with the teacher. That would send Yoshiyuki to jail for the rest of his life for 'sexually abusing' her. She closed her eyes. "Sakura-chan is a witch. Those 'acts of vandalism' was her magical training, which she had no control over when and where they had happened."
Terada blankly looked at the girl. "Rika... that sounds completely unbelievable."
"I know it's hard to believe. But I was at the Moon Gate when it was destroyed. A dragon, Yoshiyuki, a DRAGON burned it with its breath. Then I spent all weekend at Tomoyo-chan's house watching videos of Sakura-chan learning her magic." The girl hugged herself. "There were times I was right in the middle of it. I nearly killed Sakura-chan when one of her spell cards possessed me. Later I nearly drown when Hiragizawa-kun flooded the water park. All that magic happened around me and I had been clueless."
Terada hugged his ex-student. "It's okay, Rika. If you say it's true, I believe you." He then frowned as his watch chimed. "I have to hurry to school."
Rika nodded. "I'll see you later. And thank you." She watched him run off. She would wait a little longer before taking a different path to the junior high school.
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Syaoran tapped his pencil on the desk as English class began. He wondered what his homeroom teacher's problem was. From the moment he stepped into the classroom to be introduced, he felt like he was some lab specimen under the microscope. If it wasn't for the fact Sakura was also closely observed, he would've questioned if the guy was prejudiced. At least now he had a different teacher to deal with.
"Ah, Li Syaoran," the blond-haired American-born teacher called out, getting the name from the new class list. "Translate 'kirei wa kirei.'"
The Chinese boy blinked. "Um, 'beautiful is beautiful...?' That's not right, is it?"
A few of his classmates giggled.
"A good observation. If a translation doesn't sound like it makes sense, chances are it's not correct," the teacher advised. "For example, the phrase I asked you to translate relies on the two standard meanings for 'kirei.' One, as you said, is beautiful. What is the other meaning?" the teacher pressed.
Syaoran scratched his head nervously. "I don't know, sir."
"Okay, how about you, Li Meiling? Can you translate it correctly?" the teacher asked.
Meiling stood up proud and proper. "Beautiful is clean."
"Very good, Li Meiling. That is technically correct. 'Clean is beautiful,' would be more accurate, but getting into why would be for much higher levels of English understanding." The teacher began to pace around the front of the room, always looking at his students as he moved. "There's a reason why I asked our transfer students to translate that phrase. They are both already fluent in Cantonese and Japanese, meaning they have the basic understandings of what works and doesn't work in translating from one language into another. And the first rule of fluent understanding is 'if the translation doesn't make sense, it's probably incorrect.' Though there will be times with English that the correct translation won't make sense, but more than ninety percent of the time it will. The exceptions you won't have to deal with, for the most part, until you're in senior high or college."
Syaoran sighed as the teacher continued the animated discussion over the process of bridging understandings of two languages. Something he suspected was over the head of a few of his classmates. The American was no longer saying anything he didn't already know. Which left his mind wandering, wishing that Meiling's term earlier that morning of 'near Sakura' wasn't nearly as subjective. His seat was two rows over and one seat up from his girlfriend. While she could see him out of the corner of her eye, he would likely get in trouble if he tried to look at her. In fact, with Daidouji, Meiling, and Yamazaki's girlfriend all seated behind him in the back of the classroom-- he felt rather disconcerted. He knew from his sisters there was nothing worse than having girls upset at you, and having a firing squad at his back would be no picnic if he ever got into an argument with Sakura for whatever reason. Not that he expected to ever get into one. Experience from dealing with the backwash from his sisters' love lives taught him to count on it to happen at some point, usually for the stupidest reasons imaginable.
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The classroom eagerly anticipated the ringing of the bell, calling the end to another boring class and the start of lunch. The class quickly thinned out as many students followed the teacher out of the room to either eat outside or with friends in other classrooms.
While Sakura hadn't decided on any personal plans for lunch with her friends, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that she wanted to monopolize Syaoran's time much as Meiling had during elementary school.
"Did you get that DVD?" a boy questioned.
"Sure did," was the reply from another boy who looked ready to drool. "She's beyond cute! And that transformation scene to magic girl left VERY little to the imagination."
"Did you know the first recorded appearance of a magical girl was in ancient Egypt?" Takashi piped in, interrupting his two classmates. Before they could do more than nod, he continued, "From there, magical girls spread throughout the world. In Europe they became known as witches. While most performed acts of good, there were a few powerful ones who committed serious acts of evil that cast all witches into a bad light."
Chiharu began to glare at her secret husband, while the others listened in on the boy's tale.
"The fear those evil witches generated spread throughout Europe. The people, or should I say men, got so afraid of being victims of witchcraft, they started putting any girl to death they believed to have cast any spell. The hysteria was so bad that entire towns killed every single woman from elderly to infant." Takashi grinned at his audience.
Sakura began to shake, clutching onto Syaoran.
Chiharu noticed her friend's reaction. "Sakura-chan, how can you STILL believe his wild lies?!"
Meiling looked over. "Actually, everything he said IS true. The persecution of witchcraft in medieval Europe WAS that bad."
Syaoran was starting to lose all feeling in his left hand as Sakura's death grip on his arm tightened.
Chiharu blinked. "It's TRUE?! But why would he...." The girl's glare took an unhealthy gaze.
Takashi continued on, "...with the genocide of witchcraft. Magic users had to go underground to pract-URK!!"
Chiharu pulled her husband out of the room by his collar and dragged him down the hall. An occurrence that had happened frequently enough that not even teachers made comment. She tossed the boy into the cleaning supply room and slammed the door behind her. Students steered clear of the room for want of avoiding the irate 'typhoon Yamazaki-chan' as another lovers' spat exploded.
Before her husband could say a word, Chiharu snarled out, "You know, don't you?! That's why you went into that awful story. In front of Sakura-chan, no less! How can you be so mean to her?!"
Takashi looked at his wife with a blank expression.
"You scared the piss out of her, Takashi! She's now afraid that she's going to be lynched, all because of your damned true story." Chiharu rubbed her temples, sensing a serious headache coming on. "Gah! How many other of your wild stories were actually true?!"
Takashi blinked slowly. "What do you mean it's true? I got the story from Hiragizawa-kun. Why would it upset Kinomoto?"
Chiharu stared blankly at the boy. "You... you didn't know?! But I thought... oh..."
"Stuck you foot in it, didn't you?" Meiling commented at the now open door. "Figures Hiragizawa would play that kind of joke."
"Care to clue me in?" Takashi questioned.
Chiharu fidgeted. She didn't want to break Sakura's confidence, but she didn't want to lie to her husband, either.
"May as well tell him." Meiling shrugged. "Doubt you'd want to keep this a secret from him. Besides, if he did blab it, who would believe HIM?"
Takashi faked a pout as if he was insulted, but knew very well that his reputation as the boy-who-cried-wolf was well deserved.
Chiharu sighed. "Hiragizawa is a warlock, a magic-user. That story you said is true. And Sakura-chan was freaked out by it because she is a witch."
"This isn't some kind of joke you're playing on me, right?" Takashi asked.
"Why would I play a prank like this? How would we know what story you were going to pull out of your ass?" Meiling countered.
"Kinomoto is really a witch?" Takashi asked.
Meiling nodded. "Probably the strongest one on the planet. But don't let Syaoran hear that. He hopes to catch up to her someday."
Takashi stood there, letting what he had been told sink in. His shoulders began to shake before he literally fell down laughing. "Hiragizawa outdid me again! I wonder how many of the stories he sent me are true! To tell the truth and yet not be believed!"
Chiharu glared as he started rolling on the dirty and soap-skuzzy floor in his laughing fit. "I'm not washing your uniform."
Meiling glanced over. "And how much of 'Yamazaki-chan' is a nickname?"
Chiharu merely folded her arms and said nothing.
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Fujitaka tried to keep a positive outlook on all things. Even on the simplest of chores, like doing the laundry. Though there were things that tested him. Coming home to find out his daughter had nearly been disemboweled by a dragon had certainly tested his resolve. He really wished she could've had a normal life. As much as he would like to protect her, how could he protect her from herself? Taking away her means of doing magic would only open her to those who would do her harm, like the person responsible for the dragon attack.
There was perhaps one thing that unnerved him more. His little girl was growing up. The fairly decent sized bra he pulled from the hamper was evidence enough for that. That Sakura already had a seriously boyfriend would be unnerving enough if his son's assessment of the relationship was that he would be a grandfather sooner rather than later. And when Touya made a prediction, he was usually correct.
Fujitaka was starting to understand Nadeshiko's grandfather's desire of protection. Everything possible had been done to deter Nadeshiko from marrying him. She went against her family's wish and married him at the tender age of sixteen, causing her to be all but disowned. The house and trust funds for Touya and Sakura were all they got from her family. Considering that Nadeshiko had previously been the heiress that was to inherit the multi-trillion yen corporation that her cousin, Sonomi, now controlled, the loss of family status was immense. Yet, neither Nadeshiko nor himself had cared for her grandfather's business, but the love they had shared. He had no regrets in marrying Nadeshiko when she was young, especially as her life had proven to be so short. And she professed to hold no regrets even though she had been expelled from senior high school for getting pregnant, despite her existing marriage.
It was because of the pain Nadeshiko felt at her grandfather's disapproval that Fujitaka had vowed to not interfere with his children's love lives. And his children were certainly testing that vow. Sakura was setting herself up for the possibility of being expelled from junior high for getting pregnant. While Touya had lost his virginity in junior high to his then math teacher, Mizuki Kaho, and was now in a loving homosexual relationship with a guy who wasn't even human. While he could cry statutory rape against Mizuki, he would be damn near a hypocrite. Sure he had married Nadeshiko first, but their courtship, itself, was an inappropriate teacher-student relationship.
"I'm home!" Sakura called out.
Fujitaka had finished filling the washer and turned it on before going to greet his daughter. "Welcome home. How was school today?"
"Great!" Sakura smiled. "Got to see Syaoran-kun and talked to my friends." She then pouted. "Chiharu-chan kind of blew my secret to Yamazaki-kun, but we don't think that's too much of a problem. He likes to tell tall tales all the time, so no one is likely to believe him if he did tell anyone."
"That's nice... I guess," Fujitaka replied a little uncertainly.
"Sakura!" Kero-chan cried out, having overheard his mistress. "You're going to have to be more careful! The more people who know, the more likely people will learn of your powers."
"There isn't much chance anyone else will find out," Sakura protested. "Besides Dad, Touya, my friends and Yamazaki-kun, the only other people who know of my powers are members of Syaoran's family, you and Yukito-san."
"Be sure to keep it that way." Kero-chan nodded curtly. "If there's one thing I learned from watching television, is that people are scared of things they don't understand or is more powerful than them."
Sakura pouted. "Don't remind me. Yamazaki-kun found out after Chiharu-chan thought he was clueing us in that he knew about me. He had told a true story about witch hunts going so out of control in medieval Europe that entire towns put all the females in them to death."
"Now, Sakura, I wouldn't be concerned about that in this day and age," Fujitaka told her in an assuring tone. "I like to think people have moved beyond such things." The college professor couldn't help but think of the worse case scenarios that could happen. His family being run out of Tomoeda by fearful neighbors, or the government learning of Sakura's powers and abducting her to put her through inhuman tests to learn her secrets were very real possibilities. But killing Sakura, all her friends and family, along with any other girl in Tomoeda wasn't likely to happen.
"Um, Dad...?" Sakura fidgeted nervously.
"Yes, Sakura?" Fujitaka questioned.
"Would it be all right if I go over to visit Syaoran-kun and Meiling-chan?" Sakura asked. "They haven't completely finished unpacking yet, and I wanted to help them. I'd probably eat dinner there, too."
Fujitaka smiled softly. "Of course you can go, Sakura. Have fun." That certainly made dinner easier. Though he may as well make some for the little card guardian as well so he wouldn't eat alone.
"Thanks, Dad." Sakura bolted off to her room to get changed out of her school uniform before heading off to her boyfriend's new apartment.
Fujitaka sighed. Sakura still seemed so innocent, yet he had to question how much remained.
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Yoshiyuki sighed as he sat upon a park bench. He was still unsure what to make of Rika's story of Kinomoto being a witch. It sounded completely unbelievable. He wondered if her story was a lie. Something she had come up with in an attempt to push him away. Considering his relationship with the girl, the attempt to sever ties with him would indicate their relationship had gone too far for her.
The teacher had never been fully comfortable about his feelings for the young student. He had almost become obsessed with going over anything he could find on the effects of sexual abuse. Rika had previously shown zero evidence. A student that was being abused would become increasingly absent from school and try to avoid her abuser, yet Rika's school attendance was near perfect and she went out of her way to spend time with him. If he started a student group, she would become a member without him ever asking her to join. Someone who suffered from sexual abuse would become withdrawn and remove themselves from friendships, while Rika was still actively part of her friends' activities.
Yoshiyuki wished he could say that Rika not showing signs of being abused was because he had never done anything sexual with her, but that would be a lie. She was a vaginal virgin, but was rather experienced in other ways of sex. However, it had always been Rika who initiated anything. He had tried to hold off on doing anything sexual with her, but had so far only been able to keep her from going all the way with him. He didn't want to hurt the girl by going too far, even though she assured him she was ready. It certainly didn't help his conscience that if the police were to ever find out about his relationship to Rika and the number of times he had done stuff with her, he could spend the rest of his life in jail for multiple counts of sexual abuse.
The teacher wished he had someone to talk to. The only other person who knew of his relationship with Rika had been Mizuki Kaho. Though he still couldn't figure out how she knew it. It had helped him to know that Mizuki had been involved with a student herself. A student she claimed fully consented and loved her at the time. Yoshiyuki, being one of the newer teachers at Tomoeda Elementary Academy, hadn't taught the woman's student lover, Kinomoto Touya, as the boy had already moved on to junior high before his teaching career had begun. As such, he didn't know the boy well enough to trust her assurance of her past relationship.
Thinking of the devil, Yoshiyuki watched as Touya walked past with Yukito, whom Rika had said that those two were lovers. The angry demeanor and the apparent switch of sexual preference made the teacher wonder just how willing the Kinomoto boy had been with Mizuki. If only he could ask the questions that were on his mind. After the pair disappeared down the curved park path, Yoshiyuki thoughts returned to his dilemma.
"You wanted to ask something?"
Yoshiyuki jumped. Surprise was etched into his face as he now stared at Touya sitting next to him on the backrest of the bench.
Touya glared. "I know you want to ask me something. If you were thinking any harder about it, I'd have heard it."
"How?" was all the teacher could think to ask.
Touya relaxed a little and sighed. "I assume by now Sasaki has told you about Sakura. She's not the only one in my family."
"You mean about Kinomoto-chan being a witch?" Yoshiyuki questioned uncertainly.
Touya nodded curtly. "Yes. I may not know any spells, but I'm able see things other people can't. Remember when you first saw me?"
Yoshiyuki paused in thought. "I think it was shortly after I started teaching at Tomoeda. I only remember because you looked at me with such... well, hatred. It was disturbing."
"Remember who you were helping in your gym class at the time?" Touya pressed.
Yoshiyuki shook his head. "I can't recall."
"You were helping Sasaki," Touya answered bluntly. "I didn't like what I was seeing then. I KNEW that the two of you would become too close. I was afraid Sakura would also get your 'attention.'"
Yoshiyuki blinked. "Rika would only have been in second grade. It wasn't until the end of third grade that she started to crush on me. Fourth grade when...."
"The line was crossed," Touya finished. "I'm not saying I approve, but I can see how deep your relationship with Sasaki is. In a year you'll have a very hard time of things."
"How do you know all this?" Yoshiyuki questioned.
"As I said, I see things other people can't," Touya repeated. "What I see between you and Sasaki is a bond of love. And while I can't predict the future, I can make educated guesses. My mother was practically disowned when she married her teacher, and was later expelled from high school because she was going to give birth to me. I doubt you're going to have it any easier than my parents did."
"How did you develop this... sight?" Yoshiyuki questioned.
Touya shrugged. "I was born with it. I could see ghosts and spirits all the time. I had a really hard time accepting my mother was dead, until she explained to me so was no longer alive."
"Does it ever bother you that you see things like that?" Yoshiyuki questioned with the tenderness of a caring teacher.
"At times. Mostly when I see things I don't want to. Like when I first met Li Syaoran and just KNEW that he would marry my sister." Touya shook his head. "I had a taste of what it was like to be without my sight. It was like losing a limb. I couldn't do everything I could before. Now Sakura feeds me some of her magical power so I have my second sight back."
Yoshiyuki paused in thought.
"I better get going before Yuki decides to make too much food. He still forgets he doesn't need to eat as much anymore," Touya told himself more than the teacher. "If you really want to talk to someone about your relationship with Sasaki, my Dad certainly knows what you're going through." He got up and hopped off the bench.
"Oh, Kinomoto-kun, just one more question? Do you regret what happened between you and Mizuki-san?" Yoshiyuki questioned.
Touya looked up to the sky. "Nah. She could've done better when she broke up with me, but we did love each other. Besides, it helped me be a better partner for Yuki. We don't nearly have as much trouble as I did with her. And she didn't 'turn me gay.' I love Yuki for who he is. It doesn't matter to me he's a guy or even that he's not human. He's simply my Yuki."
"Okay...," Yoshiyuki trailed off, confusion still thick in his words. "Thank you, Kinomoto-kun. I appreciate the talk."
"No prob." Touya waved as he began to walk away. "Just try to help cover for Sakura if trouble occurs. Some magic-user is out to get her, and she needs all the help she can get."
Yoshiyuki nodded. "I'll try." The teacher then shook his head, not quite believing all that he had been told. At least now he could accept that what Rika had told him earlier was what she believed was true. It was now a question of whether or not they were being deceived.
-----------------------
Tomoyo's head rested on her arms as she slept sitting at her video-editing desk. The noise of digital footage being played on continuous loop on the monitor next to her did not disturb her slumber at all.
Sonomi crept quietly into the room, smiling softly at her daughter. She then stared at what was on the screen. A dragon was sinking its claws into Sakura's side. "Oh, my...." She quickly turned the monitor off, not wanting to see any more.
Sonomi decided to work on the task at hand, getting her daughter to bed. She eased the young girl to sit back in the chair and proceeded to wheel it and its occupant down to Tomoyo's bedroom. With the aid of a few maids that were waiting for them, the young girl was carefully placed into her bed.
The helpers quickly left and Sonomi tenderly brushed Tomoyo's hair out of her face. "Goodnight, beloved daughter." Slowly she walked out of the room.
Tomoyo's skills with a camera were certainly on par with professionals. Tonight had not been the first time Sonomi had found her daughter asleep in her editing room. The footage the mother had seen previously were of flights of fancy and magic. This was the only time she saw someone get seriously hurt in them.
Sonomi took a step towards her own bedroom, but then turned around and went straight to Tomoyo's editing room.
-----------------------
> Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
> We all have sorrow
> But if we are wise
> We know that there's always tomorrow
Sakura sat at her desk, hair frazzled, as she looked over her geometry textbook. Tomoyo peered over her shoulder and pointed out the cause of the girl's confusion.
> Lean on me, when you're not strong
> And I'll be your friend
> I'll help you carry on
> For it won't be long
> 'Til I'm gonna need
> Somebody to lean on
Naoko prepared herself for a gym exercise with her friends cheering for her in the background.
> Please swallow your pride
> If I have things you need to borrow
> For no one can fill those of your needs
> That you don't let show
Touya slept under a tree, resting his head against Yukito who looked guiltily at his small lunch of a sandwich and a drink.
> Lean on me, when you're not strong
> And I'll be your friend
> I'll help you carry on
> For it won't be long
> 'Til I'm gonna need
> Somebody to lean on
Chiharu looked upset at the charred cake before her, yet Yamazaki still reached to try a piece of it.
> If there is a load you have to bear
> That you can't carry
> I'm right up the road
> I'll share your load
> If you just call me
Sakura waffled as she carried a large stack of papers down the hall, and nearly fell. She was saved by Meiling catching her and steadying the papers.
> So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
> We all need somebody to lean on
> I just might have a problem that you'd understand
> We all need somebody to lean on
Syaoran and Sakura dressed for a night on the town walk off in the distance leaving Tomoyo and Meiling watching them go with forlorn looks. The Chinese girl's hand placed comfortingly on Tomoyo's shoulder. Yukito likewise has his hand on Touya's shoulder, who was scowling at the departing couple.
> Lean on me when you're not strong
> And I'll be your friend
> I'll help you carry on
> For it won't be long
> Till I'm gonna need
> Somebody to lean on
Upon the stage were Sakura, Tomoyo and Rika acting in a play, while their families and friends sat in the audience, watching them.
> Lean on me...
Sakura peacefully slept, resting her head against the true form of Cerberus, who was also asleep.
Author's Notes:
Why didn't I describe action with the opening theme? Too afraid of being overly literal with it. 'Your toes will be over the treetops tonight' can be done by Sakura. I'll leave it to your imagination of a Sakura and Syaoran focused action following the song.
Well, this came out quicker than expected. When I finished chapter one I wasn't sure what I was going to do with chapter two. But then the muse smacked me with the suggestion of laying down the foundation of some of the plot lines that don't affect Sakura directly. Whether it's the continuation of the canon relationship of Rika-chan and Terada-sensei or giving Naoko-chan a plot line of her to deal with.
I have received questions on whether or not Eriol will make an appearance in this series. I may have him visit later in the series for a couple chapters, but for now he's happily in England being a willing 'victim' of statutory rape there with Mizuki-sensei. He is not behind or connected to the threat Sakura faces in any way, shape or form. If you had hopes for Eriol/Tomoyo pairing, definitely not going to happen when neither of them were truly interested in the other in any way beyond friendship, and both were solidly shown to have different love interests.
The comment of Terada 'crossing the line' is not referring to sexual activity, but the teacher returning Rika-chan's feelings and beginning a relationship.
To clarify something in regards to age of consent in Japan. Even when the nation's age of consent was 'anyone who wasn't a child,' or to put it more bluntly 'if there's grass on the field, play ball,' people in positions of authority could still face sexual abuse and statutory rape charges for relations with someone under the age of eighteen. Today the age of consent is set at thirteen with conditions that makes it more sixteen to eighteen. Marriage can override the age of consent, but a girl has to be sixteen to get legally married without consent of her parents. At a younger age, marriage is possible with approval of parents.
Next in Chapter 3: Sakura and Emerging Rivals
Competition is in the air. Whether it's a rival in love, obsessiveness, or physical ability, no one wants to lose-- especially not Sakura's lurking foe.
She then frowned as her mind proceeded to go over the events of yesterday. It had been rather embarrassing seeing her friends' reactions to Tomoyo's videos of her transforming the Clow Cards. Even she could tell her childhood friends had become uneasy in her presence. If it wasn't for the fact that at least Naoko would've written down about her being a magical girl, she might've used Erase to remove her friends' memory of the battle with the dragon and of Tomoyo's videos.
Sakura grimaced at the thought of the dragon battle. The Moon Gate had been part of Tomoeda for many, many years. Now it was nothing but ash. At least the dragon golem had been taken care of, sealed under the ground at Tsukimiri shrine thanks to her using the Earthy card on it yesterday. The dragon's heart was now a decoration for her father's library in the basement.
"Sakura...." Kero-chan floated in front of the half-asleep girl. "Time isn't going to freeze for you by itself."
"EEP!" Sakura dashed out of bed and got ready for the day. Like most students, she didn't particularly like school but she REALLY wanted to be there on time today as Syaoran would be there.
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Card Captors Sakura: Shadow of the Dragon
Chapter 2: Return to Abnormal Days
Author's Warnings:
In accordance to movie system rating this series would be rated PG-13, and as for television would rate TV M for mature audience, but would be viewable with no edits save for some incidents of vulgar language. Due to subjective nature of the ratings, for FFnet this series has been labeled with R rating for those who have poor views of some of the subject matter contained within.
This series contains:
Adult situations.
Sexual situations withOUT detailed description of sex nor the naked human body.
Brief moments of violence, some cases involving people getting severely injured and possibly death.
Occasional use of vulgar language.
Japanese humor: which include bathroom jokes, panty fetish and shocking situations.
Depictions of criminal activity committed by fictional characters.
References of homosexuality.
This series will be played as Card Captor Sakura meets Kare Kano/His and Her Circumstances. It will not tiptoe around and make light of situations contained within the original canon, including inappropriate relations between teacher and student. As such this series will likely contain a darker feel to it than the anime of which this series is primarily based on. It will not ignore the light and fluffiness, either-- but will try to blend and balance both.
Only a few items from the manga that do not contradict anime canon will be used, otherwise this will be strictly written in accordance to the animated series.
-----------------------
Tomoyo hummed to herself as she prepared for the school day. Walking out to the back patio to have breakfast in the warm spring weather, she was surprised to note her mother was still home. "Good morning, Mother."
"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan," the elegant woman in a business suit replied. "I heard you had all your friends over to watch some videos."
Tomoyo nodded. "It was fun showing off some of my work."
Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Which videos did you show them?"
"My two master pieces starring Sakura-chan," Tomoyo answered.
Her mother pouted. "If only I had the time to watch them." She then glared at her watch. "But as always, business calls. Have a nice day at school, and tell Sakura-chan I said, 'Hi!'"
"I will. Goodbye, Mother." Tomoyo waved.
The teenage girl then sighed as a maid brought out her breakfast. She started picking at it. Yesterday, Naoko's curiosity caused the girl to ask that with a home like this, why she wasn't a spoiled brat. And she had replied that she knew there were some things she could never have. Things that she'd give up all her wealth for. She didn't tell Naoko what it was she truly wanted.
Tomoyo had a chance to talk to her friends about their discovery of Sakura's magic. She had made it a point that each of them harbored secrets that they didn't want anyone to know. True, Sakura's secret was amazing, but was possibly no less Earth shattering than what they kept silent about in their own lives.
There were a few secrets that Tomoyo held that she hoped would never come to light. That while she wanted to get to know her father, the reason she couldn't was because he had run off with the pool-boy when she was just a baby. Her entire existence was based on a sham marriage. Her mother needed to marry someone to inherit the family fortune and take over the business, while her father was a homosexual who wanted to hide his gender preference from his own rich parents. There had been no love between her parents. It was merely a matter of duty that led to her birth.
Tomoyo didn't doubt her mother's love for her, but to meet her father and get to know him was one of her three greatest wishes. The second was a lot more possible, but still unlikely. That her mother could spend more time with her. However, the job of being one of the highest ranked businesswoman in Japan left little time for family. Her third wish was something she knew would never come to pass, and would not speak it for fear of discovery of another of her highly guarded secrets.
-----------------------
Chiharu stretched as she awoke tangled up in bed sheets. Groggily she pulled herself free and shuffled her way over to the dresser. She scowled at the dust that had gathered on the model planes on top of it, as she had planned to clean the room over the weekend. However, the videos of Sakura had proved to be a more pressing matter.
Clean clothes in hand, the girl absent-mindedly made her way towards the bathing room. Her thoughts were still on the weekend. Though they were more focused on Tomoyo's words at the end of it. It was true that they each held secrets, but how could anything compare with Sakura being a witch?
Chiharu frowned as her own secrets may not be as grand, but could actually be more of an emotional burden. Part of her secret wouldn't really be much of a surprise considering the classroom nickname she had picked up, but the reasons why wasn't something she wanted to discuss with anyone who wasn't family.
"Good morning, Chiharu-chan," greeted a black-haired woman, who was folding towels in the laundry/changing room attached to the house's traditional Japanese bathing room.
"Good morning, Mother," the girl replied.
"You'd best hurry with your bath. It's getting late. Breakfast will be ready when you get out," the woman informed.
Chiharu bowed respectfully. "Thank you."
The girl stripped off her few pieces of clothes before entering the bathing room and set to the task of cleaning herself, her mind not really on what she was doing.
As much as Chiharu's mother had tried to shield the girl from the family's troubles so she could maintain her education as long as possible, life had become incredibly hard for her. Any time she was offered a free moment, she grasped it without hesitation. But her free moments were becoming rarer and more difficult to find.
After exiting the bath, Chiharu began to dry herself off. She gazed at the mirror, wondering how Sakura could remain so innocent and carefree after all the girl had been through. She certainly didn't feel innocent, with the image of a young woman staring back at her.
Then again, Sakura barely remembered her own mother, let alone the woman's death, while Chiharu's father was wasting away into nothing from cancer. Sakura was merely Li's girlfriend... not his... wife.
Chiharu rested her forehead against the mirror. Her father had weeks to live now, months at worst. She hated thinking like that, but the once strong man was dying by centimeters. His existence was now one of pain. Which was why she was rarely at her family's home. Despite the fact the house belonged to her, it was easier for her to be here, at the Yamazaki household with Takashi, her husband. Here she didn't feel so helpless watching someone she loved die. She felt more like an orphan whose parents hadn't died yet.
In a way it was kind of funny that her classroom nickname of 'Yamazaki-chan' wasn't truly a nickname. She had legally become Yamazaki Chiharu a year ago, which the school was more than eager to agree to keep it a secret. Concerns with the family inheritance because of her father's illness had pushed her mother to arrange her wedding to her longtime love. She had only just turned thirteen when her engagement was announced and she had noticed that while she had been regarded as Takashi's girlfriend since kindergarten, she had started to develop romantic interest in other boys. She had wondered if he was too much like a brother to be her lover. But her choice in the matter was taken from her. While she had learned to be his wife, there were times she felt rather odd. That her marriage was more duty than love. Yet, there wasn't much choice if her future was to be secured after the death of her family.
The teenage girl fought the urge to cry. While it was her father that was dying, she feared for her mother as well. With her dowry transferred to Takashi's name through her legal marriage and her elder sister's college fund safely secured, there wasn't much left of her birth family's estate. She was worried that once her father died, her mother would quickly join him through her own hands.
"Not that I mind the scenery, but you should hurry up and get ready," her teenage husband joked.
"Not funny, Takashi." Chiharu pitched her damp towel at him, before she finally started to get dressed. "Any problems with delivering papers?"
"Nope." Takashi pulled the towel from his face and tossed it into the dirty clothes hamper. "I'll get our school bags together. Meet you for breakfast."
Chiharu smiled as he left. "Thank you, Dear."
-----------------------
Syaoran awoke with a start to the sound of rather loud clanging. He blearily looked over. It took him a moment to register that his vision wasn't blurry, but that he had the bottom of a soup ladle shoved in front of his face.
"Don't you dare go back to sleep again, Syaoran," Meiling growled. "You were supposed to be up a half-hour ago."
"Couldn't sleep well," Syaoran retorted groggily.
"Not my fault you stayed up watching those perverted Japanese shows," Meiling shot back.
"Wasn't tired then." The boy scratched himself.
Meiling hit him with the frying pan she had held in her other hand. "Don't do THAT in front of ME! And just because there's no one telling you when you should go to bed doesn't mean you can just stay up!"
"I know." Syaoran finally pulled free of the bed, clad in a loose muscle T-shirt and boxers that were almost falling off.
"Don't forget part of the reason we're here is to prove we can handle living by ourselves. You don't have Wei to help you out this time." Meiling's mood darkened. While the boy may think of her as a sister, she wouldn't mind the implied incest. They were distant enough cousins that their family relations didn't matter. And seeing her first love in a state of being less-than-fully-clothed plunged her mind down to the level of perversions she had only seen on the local late-night television.
"Yes, yes," Syaoran groused, finally at least somewhat awake.
"Now you better hurry up," Meiling ordered. "I doubt you want to be standing in the hallway for being late when you can sit near Sakura again."
Meiling clenched the cooking implements tightly as Syaoran bolted out of the room inspired with that last bit of motivation. She then sighed. She guessed this was what it would me like to be his wife, without the perks. To know what he was like completely unguarded and relaxed. Something that Kinomoto had yet to experience.
-----------------------
Naoko hummed to herself as she prepared a bowl of cereal for herself. She was unmindful of the milk as it splashed her while she poured it. It was why she only wore her underclothes. She was a first-class klutz, and had long given up trying to not make a mess. It wasn't like anyone would see her like this. Both her parents were office workers that went to their jobs before she woke up and usually didn't get home until after she went to bed. The only time she got to see her parents was on Sunday, after they had slept in half-the-day.
The bespectacled girl had been living more-or-less by herself since her grandmother died when she was little. She did the best she could to not use much of the house to limit the amount of chores she had to do. If she didn't dirty it, she didn't have to clean it. That left a lot of time for the girl to be alone doing nothing, which reading books had filled before.
Naoko smirked, thinking about her one major secret. It was kind of like Rika's secret boyfriend, being one that would be dangerous to talk about openly. Though her secret didn't include possible jail time for anyone, just the potential to get her expelled from school.
Like most grade schools in Japan, in order to have a job she would need a worker's permit. Unfortunately, the academies in Tomoeda only gave permits to senior high school students and children working for their family's business. However, she was neither, and yet she had a little job with no permission from the school to have it. The job was just too good for her to pass it up.
After wiping up spilled cereal and milk, Naoko allowed herself to bring a magazine to her table. She opened it carefully to the latest installment of the increasingly popular 'Bloody Sword Detective' by Konagi Noa. It was a tale about a detective in a fantasy world who dealt with crimes of magic. Her eyes scanned every line making sure no errors had appeared. After all, Noa was her penname and she had written this story.
Naoko smirked a little as the chapter had a startling discovery not unlike her own surprise of learning that one of her friends was an uberly powerful magical girl. While she had been nervous around Sakura yesterday, it had more to do with what the girl would do, not what she could do. She was more concerned of getting her mind wiped than Tomoeda getting nuked off the map. And she could tell Sakura had been tempted to remove the memories of magic. Thankfully her mind was still intact and she couldn't wait to talk to Sakura and her boyfriend about magic. It would be great having actual knowledge of magic to add realism to her story.
-----------------------
The young gym teacher at Tomoeda Elementary whistled a cheerful tune as he entered the wooded section of the local park. He soon came upon a secluded grove where a young teen sat, lost in thought. He approached her, calling out her name, but got no response. Only when he waved his hand in front of her face did he get a reaction.
Rika blinked and then blushed. "Oh, sorry, Yoshiyuki. I was lost in thought."
"I could tell." Terada then smirked. "It's not very appropriate for a student to call me by my personal name."
"And what's so 'appropriate' about our relationship?" Rika leaned forward, her lips landing on to his. The contact was all too brief but still reassuring to the young girl as she was the one to decide the duration. She sighed as she pulled away. "I can't wait until we can end our secret."
Terada nodded and lost himself in thoughts he would rather not dwell on, so he changed topics. "What was it that you were thinking about before I got here?"
Rika frowned. "I found out a secret that's been kept from me for years."
Terada raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Rika paused trying to think of what to say. "It's kind of like our secret. If it became public, the trouble that would result could end lives."
Terada rubbed his chin. "This concerns Kinomoto Sakura, doesn't it?"
Rika's eyes widened. "You know!?"
"I don't know what her problem is, just that she's troubled." Terada sighed. "I can guess it started when she was in fourth grade. She started acting up at odd times. Then there was vandalism which, while there was no proof, evidence suggested she was involved. If I had to guess, Tsukishiro-san took advantage of her crush."
Rika looked at Terada with an odd expression before she broke into a fit of laughter. "I guess that is how a teacher would look at it. Though Tsukishiro-san could NEVER hurt Sakura-chan. And he especially wouldn't do it THAT way. He's the lover of Sakura-chan's brother."
Terada blinked at the girl's reaction and then laughed. "So THAT's why those two never had girlfriends in senior high." He then frowned for more reasons than his next question. "But why did Kinomoto act up then?"
Rika frowned. The truth was something that needed to be kept secret by as few people as possible. But this was her fiance and she didn't want to keep secrets from him. Besides, if he talked, Tomoyo could easily get revenge by giving the police proof of her relationship with the teacher. That would send Yoshiyuki to jail for the rest of his life for 'sexually abusing' her. She closed her eyes. "Sakura-chan is a witch. Those 'acts of vandalism' was her magical training, which she had no control over when and where they had happened."
Terada blankly looked at the girl. "Rika... that sounds completely unbelievable."
"I know it's hard to believe. But I was at the Moon Gate when it was destroyed. A dragon, Yoshiyuki, a DRAGON burned it with its breath. Then I spent all weekend at Tomoyo-chan's house watching videos of Sakura-chan learning her magic." The girl hugged herself. "There were times I was right in the middle of it. I nearly killed Sakura-chan when one of her spell cards possessed me. Later I nearly drown when Hiragizawa-kun flooded the water park. All that magic happened around me and I had been clueless."
Terada hugged his ex-student. "It's okay, Rika. If you say it's true, I believe you." He then frowned as his watch chimed. "I have to hurry to school."
Rika nodded. "I'll see you later. And thank you." She watched him run off. She would wait a little longer before taking a different path to the junior high school.
-----------------------
Syaoran tapped his pencil on the desk as English class began. He wondered what his homeroom teacher's problem was. From the moment he stepped into the classroom to be introduced, he felt like he was some lab specimen under the microscope. If it wasn't for the fact Sakura was also closely observed, he would've questioned if the guy was prejudiced. At least now he had a different teacher to deal with.
"Ah, Li Syaoran," the blond-haired American-born teacher called out, getting the name from the new class list. "Translate 'kirei wa kirei.'"
The Chinese boy blinked. "Um, 'beautiful is beautiful...?' That's not right, is it?"
A few of his classmates giggled.
"A good observation. If a translation doesn't sound like it makes sense, chances are it's not correct," the teacher advised. "For example, the phrase I asked you to translate relies on the two standard meanings for 'kirei.' One, as you said, is beautiful. What is the other meaning?" the teacher pressed.
Syaoran scratched his head nervously. "I don't know, sir."
"Okay, how about you, Li Meiling? Can you translate it correctly?" the teacher asked.
Meiling stood up proud and proper. "Beautiful is clean."
"Very good, Li Meiling. That is technically correct. 'Clean is beautiful,' would be more accurate, but getting into why would be for much higher levels of English understanding." The teacher began to pace around the front of the room, always looking at his students as he moved. "There's a reason why I asked our transfer students to translate that phrase. They are both already fluent in Cantonese and Japanese, meaning they have the basic understandings of what works and doesn't work in translating from one language into another. And the first rule of fluent understanding is 'if the translation doesn't make sense, it's probably incorrect.' Though there will be times with English that the correct translation won't make sense, but more than ninety percent of the time it will. The exceptions you won't have to deal with, for the most part, until you're in senior high or college."
Syaoran sighed as the teacher continued the animated discussion over the process of bridging understandings of two languages. Something he suspected was over the head of a few of his classmates. The American was no longer saying anything he didn't already know. Which left his mind wandering, wishing that Meiling's term earlier that morning of 'near Sakura' wasn't nearly as subjective. His seat was two rows over and one seat up from his girlfriend. While she could see him out of the corner of her eye, he would likely get in trouble if he tried to look at her. In fact, with Daidouji, Meiling, and Yamazaki's girlfriend all seated behind him in the back of the classroom-- he felt rather disconcerted. He knew from his sisters there was nothing worse than having girls upset at you, and having a firing squad at his back would be no picnic if he ever got into an argument with Sakura for whatever reason. Not that he expected to ever get into one. Experience from dealing with the backwash from his sisters' love lives taught him to count on it to happen at some point, usually for the stupidest reasons imaginable.
-----------------------
The classroom eagerly anticipated the ringing of the bell, calling the end to another boring class and the start of lunch. The class quickly thinned out as many students followed the teacher out of the room to either eat outside or with friends in other classrooms.
While Sakura hadn't decided on any personal plans for lunch with her friends, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that she wanted to monopolize Syaoran's time much as Meiling had during elementary school.
"Did you get that DVD?" a boy questioned.
"Sure did," was the reply from another boy who looked ready to drool. "She's beyond cute! And that transformation scene to magic girl left VERY little to the imagination."
"Did you know the first recorded appearance of a magical girl was in ancient Egypt?" Takashi piped in, interrupting his two classmates. Before they could do more than nod, he continued, "From there, magical girls spread throughout the world. In Europe they became known as witches. While most performed acts of good, there were a few powerful ones who committed serious acts of evil that cast all witches into a bad light."
Chiharu began to glare at her secret husband, while the others listened in on the boy's tale.
"The fear those evil witches generated spread throughout Europe. The people, or should I say men, got so afraid of being victims of witchcraft, they started putting any girl to death they believed to have cast any spell. The hysteria was so bad that entire towns killed every single woman from elderly to infant." Takashi grinned at his audience.
Sakura began to shake, clutching onto Syaoran.
Chiharu noticed her friend's reaction. "Sakura-chan, how can you STILL believe his wild lies?!"
Meiling looked over. "Actually, everything he said IS true. The persecution of witchcraft in medieval Europe WAS that bad."
Syaoran was starting to lose all feeling in his left hand as Sakura's death grip on his arm tightened.
Chiharu blinked. "It's TRUE?! But why would he...." The girl's glare took an unhealthy gaze.
Takashi continued on, "...with the genocide of witchcraft. Magic users had to go underground to pract-URK!!"
Chiharu pulled her husband out of the room by his collar and dragged him down the hall. An occurrence that had happened frequently enough that not even teachers made comment. She tossed the boy into the cleaning supply room and slammed the door behind her. Students steered clear of the room for want of avoiding the irate 'typhoon Yamazaki-chan' as another lovers' spat exploded.
Before her husband could say a word, Chiharu snarled out, "You know, don't you?! That's why you went into that awful story. In front of Sakura-chan, no less! How can you be so mean to her?!"
Takashi looked at his wife with a blank expression.
"You scared the piss out of her, Takashi! She's now afraid that she's going to be lynched, all because of your damned true story." Chiharu rubbed her temples, sensing a serious headache coming on. "Gah! How many other of your wild stories were actually true?!"
Takashi blinked slowly. "What do you mean it's true? I got the story from Hiragizawa-kun. Why would it upset Kinomoto?"
Chiharu stared blankly at the boy. "You... you didn't know?! But I thought... oh..."
"Stuck you foot in it, didn't you?" Meiling commented at the now open door. "Figures Hiragizawa would play that kind of joke."
"Care to clue me in?" Takashi questioned.
Chiharu fidgeted. She didn't want to break Sakura's confidence, but she didn't want to lie to her husband, either.
"May as well tell him." Meiling shrugged. "Doubt you'd want to keep this a secret from him. Besides, if he did blab it, who would believe HIM?"
Takashi faked a pout as if he was insulted, but knew very well that his reputation as the boy-who-cried-wolf was well deserved.
Chiharu sighed. "Hiragizawa is a warlock, a magic-user. That story you said is true. And Sakura-chan was freaked out by it because she is a witch."
"This isn't some kind of joke you're playing on me, right?" Takashi asked.
"Why would I play a prank like this? How would we know what story you were going to pull out of your ass?" Meiling countered.
"Kinomoto is really a witch?" Takashi asked.
Meiling nodded. "Probably the strongest one on the planet. But don't let Syaoran hear that. He hopes to catch up to her someday."
Takashi stood there, letting what he had been told sink in. His shoulders began to shake before he literally fell down laughing. "Hiragizawa outdid me again! I wonder how many of the stories he sent me are true! To tell the truth and yet not be believed!"
Chiharu glared as he started rolling on the dirty and soap-skuzzy floor in his laughing fit. "I'm not washing your uniform."
Meiling glanced over. "And how much of 'Yamazaki-chan' is a nickname?"
Chiharu merely folded her arms and said nothing.
-----------------------
Fujitaka tried to keep a positive outlook on all things. Even on the simplest of chores, like doing the laundry. Though there were things that tested him. Coming home to find out his daughter had nearly been disemboweled by a dragon had certainly tested his resolve. He really wished she could've had a normal life. As much as he would like to protect her, how could he protect her from herself? Taking away her means of doing magic would only open her to those who would do her harm, like the person responsible for the dragon attack.
There was perhaps one thing that unnerved him more. His little girl was growing up. The fairly decent sized bra he pulled from the hamper was evidence enough for that. That Sakura already had a seriously boyfriend would be unnerving enough if his son's assessment of the relationship was that he would be a grandfather sooner rather than later. And when Touya made a prediction, he was usually correct.
Fujitaka was starting to understand Nadeshiko's grandfather's desire of protection. Everything possible had been done to deter Nadeshiko from marrying him. She went against her family's wish and married him at the tender age of sixteen, causing her to be all but disowned. The house and trust funds for Touya and Sakura were all they got from her family. Considering that Nadeshiko had previously been the heiress that was to inherit the multi-trillion yen corporation that her cousin, Sonomi, now controlled, the loss of family status was immense. Yet, neither Nadeshiko nor himself had cared for her grandfather's business, but the love they had shared. He had no regrets in marrying Nadeshiko when she was young, especially as her life had proven to be so short. And she professed to hold no regrets even though she had been expelled from senior high school for getting pregnant, despite her existing marriage.
It was because of the pain Nadeshiko felt at her grandfather's disapproval that Fujitaka had vowed to not interfere with his children's love lives. And his children were certainly testing that vow. Sakura was setting herself up for the possibility of being expelled from junior high for getting pregnant. While Touya had lost his virginity in junior high to his then math teacher, Mizuki Kaho, and was now in a loving homosexual relationship with a guy who wasn't even human. While he could cry statutory rape against Mizuki, he would be damn near a hypocrite. Sure he had married Nadeshiko first, but their courtship, itself, was an inappropriate teacher-student relationship.
"I'm home!" Sakura called out.
Fujitaka had finished filling the washer and turned it on before going to greet his daughter. "Welcome home. How was school today?"
"Great!" Sakura smiled. "Got to see Syaoran-kun and talked to my friends." She then pouted. "Chiharu-chan kind of blew my secret to Yamazaki-kun, but we don't think that's too much of a problem. He likes to tell tall tales all the time, so no one is likely to believe him if he did tell anyone."
"That's nice... I guess," Fujitaka replied a little uncertainly.
"Sakura!" Kero-chan cried out, having overheard his mistress. "You're going to have to be more careful! The more people who know, the more likely people will learn of your powers."
"There isn't much chance anyone else will find out," Sakura protested. "Besides Dad, Touya, my friends and Yamazaki-kun, the only other people who know of my powers are members of Syaoran's family, you and Yukito-san."
"Be sure to keep it that way." Kero-chan nodded curtly. "If there's one thing I learned from watching television, is that people are scared of things they don't understand or is more powerful than them."
Sakura pouted. "Don't remind me. Yamazaki-kun found out after Chiharu-chan thought he was clueing us in that he knew about me. He had told a true story about witch hunts going so out of control in medieval Europe that entire towns put all the females in them to death."
"Now, Sakura, I wouldn't be concerned about that in this day and age," Fujitaka told her in an assuring tone. "I like to think people have moved beyond such things." The college professor couldn't help but think of the worse case scenarios that could happen. His family being run out of Tomoeda by fearful neighbors, or the government learning of Sakura's powers and abducting her to put her through inhuman tests to learn her secrets were very real possibilities. But killing Sakura, all her friends and family, along with any other girl in Tomoeda wasn't likely to happen.
"Um, Dad...?" Sakura fidgeted nervously.
"Yes, Sakura?" Fujitaka questioned.
"Would it be all right if I go over to visit Syaoran-kun and Meiling-chan?" Sakura asked. "They haven't completely finished unpacking yet, and I wanted to help them. I'd probably eat dinner there, too."
Fujitaka smiled softly. "Of course you can go, Sakura. Have fun." That certainly made dinner easier. Though he may as well make some for the little card guardian as well so he wouldn't eat alone.
"Thanks, Dad." Sakura bolted off to her room to get changed out of her school uniform before heading off to her boyfriend's new apartment.
Fujitaka sighed. Sakura still seemed so innocent, yet he had to question how much remained.
-----------------------
Yoshiyuki sighed as he sat upon a park bench. He was still unsure what to make of Rika's story of Kinomoto being a witch. It sounded completely unbelievable. He wondered if her story was a lie. Something she had come up with in an attempt to push him away. Considering his relationship with the girl, the attempt to sever ties with him would indicate their relationship had gone too far for her.
The teacher had never been fully comfortable about his feelings for the young student. He had almost become obsessed with going over anything he could find on the effects of sexual abuse. Rika had previously shown zero evidence. A student that was being abused would become increasingly absent from school and try to avoid her abuser, yet Rika's school attendance was near perfect and she went out of her way to spend time with him. If he started a student group, she would become a member without him ever asking her to join. Someone who suffered from sexual abuse would become withdrawn and remove themselves from friendships, while Rika was still actively part of her friends' activities.
Yoshiyuki wished he could say that Rika not showing signs of being abused was because he had never done anything sexual with her, but that would be a lie. She was a vaginal virgin, but was rather experienced in other ways of sex. However, it had always been Rika who initiated anything. He had tried to hold off on doing anything sexual with her, but had so far only been able to keep her from going all the way with him. He didn't want to hurt the girl by going too far, even though she assured him she was ready. It certainly didn't help his conscience that if the police were to ever find out about his relationship to Rika and the number of times he had done stuff with her, he could spend the rest of his life in jail for multiple counts of sexual abuse.
The teacher wished he had someone to talk to. The only other person who knew of his relationship with Rika had been Mizuki Kaho. Though he still couldn't figure out how she knew it. It had helped him to know that Mizuki had been involved with a student herself. A student she claimed fully consented and loved her at the time. Yoshiyuki, being one of the newer teachers at Tomoeda Elementary Academy, hadn't taught the woman's student lover, Kinomoto Touya, as the boy had already moved on to junior high before his teaching career had begun. As such, he didn't know the boy well enough to trust her assurance of her past relationship.
Thinking of the devil, Yoshiyuki watched as Touya walked past with Yukito, whom Rika had said that those two were lovers. The angry demeanor and the apparent switch of sexual preference made the teacher wonder just how willing the Kinomoto boy had been with Mizuki. If only he could ask the questions that were on his mind. After the pair disappeared down the curved park path, Yoshiyuki thoughts returned to his dilemma.
"You wanted to ask something?"
Yoshiyuki jumped. Surprise was etched into his face as he now stared at Touya sitting next to him on the backrest of the bench.
Touya glared. "I know you want to ask me something. If you were thinking any harder about it, I'd have heard it."
"How?" was all the teacher could think to ask.
Touya relaxed a little and sighed. "I assume by now Sasaki has told you about Sakura. She's not the only one in my family."
"You mean about Kinomoto-chan being a witch?" Yoshiyuki questioned uncertainly.
Touya nodded curtly. "Yes. I may not know any spells, but I'm able see things other people can't. Remember when you first saw me?"
Yoshiyuki paused in thought. "I think it was shortly after I started teaching at Tomoeda. I only remember because you looked at me with such... well, hatred. It was disturbing."
"Remember who you were helping in your gym class at the time?" Touya pressed.
Yoshiyuki shook his head. "I can't recall."
"You were helping Sasaki," Touya answered bluntly. "I didn't like what I was seeing then. I KNEW that the two of you would become too close. I was afraid Sakura would also get your 'attention.'"
Yoshiyuki blinked. "Rika would only have been in second grade. It wasn't until the end of third grade that she started to crush on me. Fourth grade when...."
"The line was crossed," Touya finished. "I'm not saying I approve, but I can see how deep your relationship with Sasaki is. In a year you'll have a very hard time of things."
"How do you know all this?" Yoshiyuki questioned.
"As I said, I see things other people can't," Touya repeated. "What I see between you and Sasaki is a bond of love. And while I can't predict the future, I can make educated guesses. My mother was practically disowned when she married her teacher, and was later expelled from high school because she was going to give birth to me. I doubt you're going to have it any easier than my parents did."
"How did you develop this... sight?" Yoshiyuki questioned.
Touya shrugged. "I was born with it. I could see ghosts and spirits all the time. I had a really hard time accepting my mother was dead, until she explained to me so was no longer alive."
"Does it ever bother you that you see things like that?" Yoshiyuki questioned with the tenderness of a caring teacher.
"At times. Mostly when I see things I don't want to. Like when I first met Li Syaoran and just KNEW that he would marry my sister." Touya shook his head. "I had a taste of what it was like to be without my sight. It was like losing a limb. I couldn't do everything I could before. Now Sakura feeds me some of her magical power so I have my second sight back."
Yoshiyuki paused in thought.
"I better get going before Yuki decides to make too much food. He still forgets he doesn't need to eat as much anymore," Touya told himself more than the teacher. "If you really want to talk to someone about your relationship with Sasaki, my Dad certainly knows what you're going through." He got up and hopped off the bench.
"Oh, Kinomoto-kun, just one more question? Do you regret what happened between you and Mizuki-san?" Yoshiyuki questioned.
Touya looked up to the sky. "Nah. She could've done better when she broke up with me, but we did love each other. Besides, it helped me be a better partner for Yuki. We don't nearly have as much trouble as I did with her. And she didn't 'turn me gay.' I love Yuki for who he is. It doesn't matter to me he's a guy or even that he's not human. He's simply my Yuki."
"Okay...," Yoshiyuki trailed off, confusion still thick in his words. "Thank you, Kinomoto-kun. I appreciate the talk."
"No prob." Touya waved as he began to walk away. "Just try to help cover for Sakura if trouble occurs. Some magic-user is out to get her, and she needs all the help she can get."
Yoshiyuki nodded. "I'll try." The teacher then shook his head, not quite believing all that he had been told. At least now he could accept that what Rika had told him earlier was what she believed was true. It was now a question of whether or not they were being deceived.
-----------------------
Tomoyo's head rested on her arms as she slept sitting at her video-editing desk. The noise of digital footage being played on continuous loop on the monitor next to her did not disturb her slumber at all.
Sonomi crept quietly into the room, smiling softly at her daughter. She then stared at what was on the screen. A dragon was sinking its claws into Sakura's side. "Oh, my...." She quickly turned the monitor off, not wanting to see any more.
Sonomi decided to work on the task at hand, getting her daughter to bed. She eased the young girl to sit back in the chair and proceeded to wheel it and its occupant down to Tomoyo's bedroom. With the aid of a few maids that were waiting for them, the young girl was carefully placed into her bed.
The helpers quickly left and Sonomi tenderly brushed Tomoyo's hair out of her face. "Goodnight, beloved daughter." Slowly she walked out of the room.
Tomoyo's skills with a camera were certainly on par with professionals. Tonight had not been the first time Sonomi had found her daughter asleep in her editing room. The footage the mother had seen previously were of flights of fancy and magic. This was the only time she saw someone get seriously hurt in them.
Sonomi took a step towards her own bedroom, but then turned around and went straight to Tomoyo's editing room.
-----------------------
> Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
> We all have sorrow
> But if we are wise
> We know that there's always tomorrow
Sakura sat at her desk, hair frazzled, as she looked over her geometry textbook. Tomoyo peered over her shoulder and pointed out the cause of the girl's confusion.
> Lean on me, when you're not strong
> And I'll be your friend
> I'll help you carry on
> For it won't be long
> 'Til I'm gonna need
> Somebody to lean on
Naoko prepared herself for a gym exercise with her friends cheering for her in the background.
> Please swallow your pride
> If I have things you need to borrow
> For no one can fill those of your needs
> That you don't let show
Touya slept under a tree, resting his head against Yukito who looked guiltily at his small lunch of a sandwich and a drink.
> Lean on me, when you're not strong
> And I'll be your friend
> I'll help you carry on
> For it won't be long
> 'Til I'm gonna need
> Somebody to lean on
Chiharu looked upset at the charred cake before her, yet Yamazaki still reached to try a piece of it.
> If there is a load you have to bear
> That you can't carry
> I'm right up the road
> I'll share your load
> If you just call me
Sakura waffled as she carried a large stack of papers down the hall, and nearly fell. She was saved by Meiling catching her and steadying the papers.
> So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
> We all need somebody to lean on
> I just might have a problem that you'd understand
> We all need somebody to lean on
Syaoran and Sakura dressed for a night on the town walk off in the distance leaving Tomoyo and Meiling watching them go with forlorn looks. The Chinese girl's hand placed comfortingly on Tomoyo's shoulder. Yukito likewise has his hand on Touya's shoulder, who was scowling at the departing couple.
> Lean on me when you're not strong
> And I'll be your friend
> I'll help you carry on
> For it won't be long
> Till I'm gonna need
> Somebody to lean on
Upon the stage were Sakura, Tomoyo and Rika acting in a play, while their families and friends sat in the audience, watching them.
> Lean on me...
Sakura peacefully slept, resting her head against the true form of Cerberus, who was also asleep.
Author's Notes:
Why didn't I describe action with the opening theme? Too afraid of being overly literal with it. 'Your toes will be over the treetops tonight' can be done by Sakura. I'll leave it to your imagination of a Sakura and Syaoran focused action following the song.
Well, this came out quicker than expected. When I finished chapter one I wasn't sure what I was going to do with chapter two. But then the muse smacked me with the suggestion of laying down the foundation of some of the plot lines that don't affect Sakura directly. Whether it's the continuation of the canon relationship of Rika-chan and Terada-sensei or giving Naoko-chan a plot line of her to deal with.
I have received questions on whether or not Eriol will make an appearance in this series. I may have him visit later in the series for a couple chapters, but for now he's happily in England being a willing 'victim' of statutory rape there with Mizuki-sensei. He is not behind or connected to the threat Sakura faces in any way, shape or form. If you had hopes for Eriol/Tomoyo pairing, definitely not going to happen when neither of them were truly interested in the other in any way beyond friendship, and both were solidly shown to have different love interests.
The comment of Terada 'crossing the line' is not referring to sexual activity, but the teacher returning Rika-chan's feelings and beginning a relationship.
To clarify something in regards to age of consent in Japan. Even when the nation's age of consent was 'anyone who wasn't a child,' or to put it more bluntly 'if there's grass on the field, play ball,' people in positions of authority could still face sexual abuse and statutory rape charges for relations with someone under the age of eighteen. Today the age of consent is set at thirteen with conditions that makes it more sixteen to eighteen. Marriage can override the age of consent, but a girl has to be sixteen to get legally married without consent of her parents. At a younger age, marriage is possible with approval of parents.
Next in Chapter 3: Sakura and Emerging Rivals
Competition is in the air. Whether it's a rival in love, obsessiveness, or physical ability, no one wants to lose-- especially not Sakura's lurking foe.