Monday, August 25, 2008

   Card Captor Sakura: Stars
After Sakura had sealed and changed the final card “The Nothing” that was created by Clow Reed into a Sakura card, it was reincarnated into another card. Sakura had created this card with a heart and a crown on top of it, along with it was two wings on each side of the heart. This card is Sakura’s most cherished feeling when Li Shaoran went back home to Hong Kong. And so the final card is reincarnated as “The Hope” card that Sakura created, now she has confessed her feelings of love that she longed to tell Shaoran how she felt about him. Now everything is peaceful once again in Tomoeda. Or isn’t it?

Chapter 1
Sakura’s Strange Dream
and a new presence
Sakura was dreaming about three figures, one was a shadow and the other was facing the shadow figure along side a red bird. Sakura wondered who that shadow figure is. And why the other figure and the red bird is facing the shadow figure. Sakura woke up early this morning and saw Kero still asleep while getting dressed to see Tomoyo. Sakura ran down the stairs to see her father and her big brother Toya was in the kitchen. Sakura said “Good morning Dad.”
Fujitaka said “Good morning Sakura. Did you sleep well?” Sakura said “I did sleep well Dad.” Toya said “Well it’s no wonder you slept well because the monster snores in her sleep.” Sakura said “I do not snore big brother.” Toya said “Really, because I thought it was so loud that the neighbors complained how loud a monster snores.” Sakura was about to say something but something in her mind made her stop. Sakura said to herself “What was that dream about? Whatever it was I hope I find out soon.” Sakura’s father Fujitaka said “Is something wrong Sakura?” Sakura said “No Dad, I’m fine. Really there is nothing wrong.” Just then the phone rang. Sakura said “I’ll get it Dad.” Sakura ran to the phone and she picked it up. Sakura said “Hello, Kinomoto residence.” Li Shaoran said on the other line “Hello, Sakura.” Sakura said “Hello, Shaoran. It been a long time hasn’t it Shaoran?” Just then Sakura’s older brother Toya heard that his sister Sakura was talking to someone on the phone. Toya said “Who is it your talking to squirt?” Sakura was very annoyed by her big brother and said “It’s none of your business to know who I am talking to.” Toya said “You’re talking to that bratty kid. Aren’t you Sakura?” Sakura said “Yes I am. And he’s not a bratty kid, he has a name too. It’s Li Shaoran and I love him.” Toya said “You what?!” Sakura said “I said I love him.” Toya said “I don’t believe this that my sister “the monster” is in love with a brat.” Sakura said as her big brother walked away “I am not a monster, he is not a brat!” Sakura continued to talk to Shaoran on the phone. Sakura said “I’m sorry my big brother interrupted us.” Shaoran said “It’s ok. So Sakura how have you been lately?” Sakura said “Ok I guess.” Shaoran said “What do you mean you guess?” Sakura said “Well Shaoran, I had a really strange dream last night.” Shaoran said “What was it about?” Sakura said “Well I saw three figures in my dream. One was a shadow figure and the other was facing the shadow figure along side a red bird. But that’s all I got out of it so far.” Shaoran said “I see.” Just then Sakura felt a strong presence as if someone was watching her. Sakura said “Shaoran, I feel something.” Shaoran said “What is it Sakura?” Sakura said “A strong presence nearby, as if someone was watching me.” Shaoran said “Who is watching you?” Sakura said “I don’t know who is watching me Shaoran. I wish I knew who is.” Shaoran said “Whoever it is will be watching and waiting for you Sakura. And I’ll be there for you Sakura. You can count on me to be there with you.” Sakura said “Thank you Shaoran.”


Chapter 2
Welcome Back
Li and Meilin!
Sakura left for school this morning and saw her friend Tomoyo. Sakura told her friend about her dream on the way to school. Tomoyo said “Wow Sakura that is strange.” Sakura said “And when I was talking to Shaoran on the phone, I felt a strong presence. All I know is that this presence is a lot stronger than Eriol, and the final card I captured.” Tomoyo said “Wow Sakura! Any idea who it is?” Sakura said “No I don’t know who it is Tomoyo. And that’s strange for me to not know who it is.” Tomoyo said “What does Kero say about this Sakura?” Sakura said “He told me expect the unexpected. And all these times I have expect the unexpected.” Tomoyo said “And you have been doing a good job Sakura. You captured almost all the Clow Cards, have passed the Final Judgment. You became the new master of all the Clow Cards, and have changed all of them into Sakura Cards. And you defeated Eriol’s spell, matured into an amazing magical girl Sakura. I think you can handle anything that is coming your way.” Sakura said “Mm” Both Sakura and Tomoyo entered into their school, into classroom 6-2 with the other students. Mr. Terada came into the classroom. Mr. Terada said “Ok, class let’s be seated please. I have a very important announcement to make.” All the students faced Mr. Terada to hear his announcement. Mr. Terada said “We have two transfer students returning to us today.” All the students didn’t understand that two transfer students returning. Sakura said “I wonder what Mr.Terada is talking about.” Tomoyo said “We’ll have to wait and see who it is Sakura.” All of a sudden the door opened and two students walked into the classroom. All the students recognized the two transfer students, it was Meilin and Li. Tomoyo said “I wonder why Meilin and Li are here?” Sakura was still in a daze to see Shaoran again, he was happy to see her too. Both Meilin and Li walked to their usual seats in the back of the classroom. Li sitting behind Sakura, and Meilin sitting behind Tomoyo. As class started Sakura kept wondering why Shaoran and Meilin are back here in Tomoeda. Not that it would bother Sakura that much to see them both here again. What bothered Sakura the most was the dream that she saw, for some reason she can’t get it out of her mind. Most of all Sakura doesn’t want whatever is coming to hurt her friends or her family. When class was over they reconvened at the park for a chance to talk. Sakura was dangling on the swings with Meilin while Shaoran and Tomoyo was standing in front of them. Sakura said “When did you arrive in Japan?” Meilin reported gleefully “Just hours ago.” Sakura said “I would’ve picked you up if you’d let me know.” Meilin said “I kept quiet because I wanted to surprise you!” Meilin glanced briefly at Tomoyo, whose secretive smile indicated she’d known for a while. Sakura felt abashed. Sakura said “I really was surprised to see you both.” Meilin said “Then the mission was a success.” Sakura said “Hoe?” Meilin said “Oh nothing.” Meilin shook her head quickly, long braids whipping back and forth. Meilin said “So, Shaoran told me about your dream and he was worried about you. And he decided that he wanted to come here and protect you.” Meilin pushed her swing close to Sakura’s, dropping her voice to a confidential whisper. Meilin said “ And what I wrote in that last letter is true. How Shaoran vowed his life to protect you always.” Sakura’s smile faded while she said to herself “Shaoran was worried about me from all the way to Hong Kong.” Sakura wasn’t fooled. “Tomoyo, you’ve been swapping e-mails with Shaoran haven’t you?” Tomoyo said “Yes.” Sakura said “You knew all along about this haven’t you when I just told you about it at school?” Tomoyo batted her eyelashes innocently and said “I didn’t mean to trouble you about it Sakura.” Sakura said “It’s ok Tomoyo. As long as Shaoran told you about it I’m fine.” Sakura said to Shaoran “I’m glad that you were worried about me.” Shaoran said “I wasn’t the only one that was worried about you.” Sakura said “If you aren’t the only one that is worried about me, who else would be worried about me Shaoran.” Shaoran said “Well unfortunately my mother was.”


Chapter 3-Yelan meets Sakura again
Sakura remembered Li’s mother from Li’s homeland in Hong Kong. Where Sakura and Tomoyo and Kero, and Sakura’s older brother Touya along with Yukito stayed at from a local drawing that Sakura did at Twin Bells. For some unknown reason Sakura had won the Grand Prize to Hong Kong but she was there for a reason, that reason was that she was beckoned to Hong Kong. Sakura knew that Shaoran’s mother is very wise and graceful, also very powerful as well. Sakura said “It was nice of her to worry about me, but I’m ok.” Meilin said “Actually Ms. Kinomoto, Shaoran’s whole family came to see you.” Sakura said “You mean Shaoran’s mom, his sisters and Wei are here too?” Meilin said “Yes they are.” Shaoran said “My mother wants to see you Sakura.” Sakura said “All right.” Tomoyo said “This is going to be great Sakura to see Li’s mother, his sisters and Wei again.” Sakura said “Yeah it’s really great.” Shaoran and Meilin led Sakura and Tomoyo where they stayed in Tomoeda. They reached the house and Shaoran rang the bell, Wei answered the door. Wei greeted Shaoran and Meilin as they entered the house, but then he saw Sakura and Tomoyo standing in the doorway. Wei said “It’s a surprise to see you both again.” Wei bowed to both of them and Sakura and Tomoyo returned it. Sakura and Tomoyo entered the house, until all of a sudden Li’s sisters were all over Sakura and Tomoyo. They rushed them upstairs to get them properly dressed instead of their school uniforms. Both Sakura and Tomoyo were properly dressed in Chinese clothes. Sakura said to Tomoyo “They really didn’t have to get us dressed.” Tomoyo said “They just wanted to show their appreciation Sakura.” Then Sakura and Tomoyo came downstairs, Shaoran saw how beautiful Sakura was. He led her to see his mother with Meilin and Tomoyo behind them. Li’s mother Yelan was happy to see Sakura again. Yelan bowed to both girls. Tomoyo returned the bow to Yelan. Sakura said as she returned her bow to Yelan “Thank you for being worried about me.” A hand took her chin and tipped her face up, to look directly into Sakura's eyes. "I feel great power approaching you Sakura." the elder Li murmured. "You have the Clow Cards, don't you?" She looked directly at Sakura's backpack when she said this. Sakura nodded. "Great power may also serve as an opportunity for hardship," Li-san continued, "especially in Tomoeda." Another chill washed over Sakura, but the enigmatic woman said nothing further on the subject and stood up. "Stay the night." Shaoran did a double-take and uttered an unhappy sound in his throat, but did not protest for Sakura and Tomoyo to stay the night at his house. "All right!" his sisters cheered, making Sakura’s ears ring. Tomoyo saw her friend’s face when the Li sisters cheered for them to stay. Li Yelan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to her son. "Shaoran... show me your report that you are doing in school." Shaoran thought I hope she will like it.
Dinner was delicious, of course, and in due course Tomoyo and Sakura retreated to their guest room to turn in. Now they were in traditional Chinese pajamas, wonderfully soft and comfortable as well as exotic.
Kero stretched and yawned. "For some reason, today was really stressful for Sakura, wasn't it?" Tomoyo said “I think it went rather well for Sakura. And besides Li-kun's mother is so pretty." Tomoyo mentioned, noticing that Sakura seemed deep in thought. Her friend looked up and nodded. Sakura said "Yeah, she's beautiful, isn't she? She also has a feel of mystery about her." Kero said "That's true." But Sakura wasn’t thinking how beautiful Shaoran’s mother was. Sakura was tired too, but the words from Li's mother continued to echo in her mind. Yelan said in Sakura‘s mind "Great power may also serve as an opportunity for hardship. Especially in Tomoeda." Sakura wondered “What kind of hardship will I be facing here in Tomoeda, though?” Sakura did not remember falling asleep, though she did fall asleep. She was here, again, in the same dream with the same room and the same place she saw the shadowy figure standing in front of her. The white ribbons too were there, waving tauntingly in the air before her. She looked up at the waiting girl and asked for her name, twice, with no answer. Uncertainly Sakura reached for the beckoning ribbons, and after a moment of indecision grabbed one firmly. Immediately it coiled tightly around her wrist.
"I've waited for you forever," the girl sighed, speaking for the first time. Sakura was surprised, but she didn't like the way that ribbon was squeezing so tightly and she tried to pull her hand free. "I waited for a very long time, for you alone." Abruptly the ribbon yanked her right off her feet and Sakura squealed. It’s grip wouldn't loosen and her wrist hurt terribly, and now she was dangling helplessly right in front of the girl. "For a very long time, for you alone!" She lifted her chin and Sakura could see the face for the first time, beautiful but hard, eyes glittering with determination. The woman gathered herself and sped right for Sakura and she lost her head with fright. Sakura screamed with fright. Kero said "What's wrong, Sakura? Sakura!" Someone was tugging on her hand she sat up straight in bed, to see Kero's and Tomoyo's worried faces. Tomoyo said “Are you alright Sakura?” Sakura said "A dream..." she panted, but couldn't quite subdue the panic even now that she was awake. It had been so terrifyingly real, and unthinkingly she pulled back her sleeve. Underneath, her flesh was strapped with angry red rope burns.
Kero took one look and narrowed his eyes. "That was no ordinary dream." A knock sounded on the door and Kero dove under the covers. Someone entered, but it was not Shaoran‘s sisters. Yelan took one look at Sakura and brought her outside, to the mansion's elaborate rear garden. It was even more beautiful than the one in front, with blooming with tropical blossoms and a lily pond that faithfully reflected the crescent moon above. The most fantastic thing about it, though, was the glittering view spread out below. The Li mansion was almost directly above Tomoeda downtown, and the gilded panorama was even more beautiful at night than day.
Yelan turned Sakura away from that view and positioned her firmly in the center of an empty terrace on the edge of the drop. Sakura said “Key which hides the power of the Stars, show your true form before me!” A glowing magical circle appeared under her feet as she spoke, one of a star and a moon and a sun. “I, Sakura, command you under our contract! Release!” Sakura’s staff was within her own hands as she was ready for anything. Yelan began her words "Jade emperor inquires, please answer, four gods..."
In one hand she pointed a thin fan at Sakura. "Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, please answer." Sakura thought some of that litany sounded familiar, then remembered Li chanted it before using his compass. The fan was beginning to glow blue. "Jade emperor enquires, God of Thunder and Wind. Answer me through this compass, God of Lightning. Bring forth to us your words!"
Sakura thought to herself “What compass?” But then she got her answer a moment later when something flashed under her feet and an image of Li's compass appeared on the patio, a gigantic version of it with her right in the middle. Soft lights, like glowing snow, fell all around them and Yelan studied the markings below her carefully.
"It appears that someone was beckoned here to Tomoeda to test you."
"By who?" An orb of red light materialized between them, shimmering with power.
"By the girl in your dream. Be careful. A danger incomparable to dangers past approaches."
Sakura wanted to whimper aloud at that, but restrained it. "What should I do?
"Only you know the path you must take. Those with great power are susceptible to the temptation of evil. In particular, you are the holder of the cards made by Clow Reed. The girl which will test you will be all the greater." Sakura clutched at the key hanging around her neck, suddenly very conscious of everything she'd inherited from Clow. Not just his magic... but his burdens.
"However," Yelan continued, "there is also a guidance in such power. The girl which beckons you is within a dream. The help you require is also within a dream."
The lights faded away and so did the compass, leaving her with no more answers that when they'd begun. Anxiety welled up in her throat, but Yelan tipped her chin up again. Somehow, even as regal and intimidating as the woman was, she managed to convey a comforting look.
"It's all right. I know you are capable of finding the answer." Sakura looked rather worried at what was being said to her. Shaoran was worried about Sakura so he stepped outside to see how Sakura was. And he noticed that she looked rather scared.
In the distance shadows someone said “Be very afraid Sakura because I plan to test your skills at my Uncle’s cards, to see if you are worthy to be the master of them.” Another voice said “For her sake I hope she makes it, because you foresaw what will happen when your older sister approaches.” The little girl in the shadows said “I think Sakura will make it sis.” The older sister said “We will see.”

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