CardCaptor Sakura Remastered 5 (10)

Saturday (December 2nd) (Sakura Blossoms)
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 5 (10)
Nina Kotobuki (Lt.) Recording
After the Clow Card incident (Fly) I decided I needed to keep an eye on as much of the city as I could looking for other rogue cards. The surveillance gear the Judgments used was good enough, but there were still some blind spots. King Penguin Park was one of them.

To counter this blind spot I decided to string it with hover campods, a simple enough way to cover a “blindspot” like the park, or so I thought. I was just making my way back to the Daidouji residence (job completed) when something caught my eye. It was in a lake in the park. When I neared something strange came out, a ghostly figure that--

"AAAHHHH!!!!"

Nina - “…what are you doing…”

* * * * * *

Northwest High (the next day)
"STOP IT!! STOP IT!!" Nina yells over the next high pitched scream from Sakura, face contorting in anger as she does. "Your making dogs deaf for miles (both here AND in the Waking World)!!"

Sakura - "I'm sorry!!"

That was the story Nina was telling them (minus the parts that implicate her true reason for being there, or anything about the Clow Cards). The gang was all there, the same girls Sakura knew when she was younger. Nothing has changed, except the grade-- and a few other things.

* * * * * *

I'm Sakura Kinomoto.

I'm studying to advance to the next grade.
Right now I'm at summer cheerleading practice. We're getting ready for the National Cheerleading Competition coming soon. But while we do, it's summer so Naoko is telling everyone scary stories. That’s when Nina jumped in with her own story, mostly because she figured out that telling ghost stories pushed my buttons, so she does it to annoy me.

Nina - “Did not (for once). I thought this was as good a time as any to do my report since I had some free time --” (groans) “-- unhinge much?”

* * * * * *

Sakura - "Lake?! The lake at New King Penguin Park? That lake!? Sounds familiar--"

Nina - "Know any other lake with a large penguin slide nearby?"

Sakura - "N-n-no-- I mean the s-story--"

New King Penguin Park. Named that because a frustrated Nekochanian with a matter teleport device shifted the park with her secret (hidden in plain sight) business complex to give it a better location. Thus the park, which used to be between Sakura's old home and school, was now located between Tomoyo's home & school (which was in turn once a former industrial park for a major Nekochanian corporation).
The things crazy Nekos would do for a higher profit margain.

"Uh-- N-Naoko? You think something else was the monster? Tree, telephone pole, another crazy Neko doing product testing herself, something? I'm sure we did this before--" Naoko shakes her head in the negative at Sakura‘s query. "Didn't think so."
As practice resumes, Nina walks off smiling wickedly. She got what she wanted after all, and got right back on Sakura's nerves again, and was grinning like a Cheshire cat because of it (even if it truly was done without any real malicious intention at first).
"Anything wrong, Sakura?"

"Nothing--" (sobs) "--nothing at all."

* * * * * *

NINA'S MEAN!! (sobs and cries) Why do people insist on telling scary stories in a Realm of Dreams?!? During the summer no less? I have to pass that park on my way back home--- (sobs) But the story does seem familiar---

* * * * * *

As Nina sighs she looks up into the sky. "If she wasn't so easy to fluster I'd be ashamed of my--" A pom pom flies overhead. "--the pom poms are migrating early this time of year."
The pom pom lands in a tree in front of Nina. "Must be the pom pom's mating season--- or something."

* * * * * *

"I'm sorry! I'll get it!!" Sakura offers, dashing off in the direction it went.
"She's got energy again today!"
"She's definitely getting stronger each and every day!"
But for a stronger girl, Sakura can't help but start crying when she thinks about the 'ghost'. She prefers not to linger on such topics for too long, for they tend to scare her.

* * * * * *

Nina's leg nearly slips out from her, bringing her slamming into the tree bark as she looks down. "Oh now this'll look nifty on my resume. A day in Summer, somebody found a Kotobuki stuck in a tree while she was retrieving a runaway pom pom with acute dysfunctional disorder, so they brought in a one armed man to wave her down." (moans as she looks at the height) "I should shut up and stop jinxing myself--- lord knows a one armed man might show up any minute and start waving."

As Nina looks back up and focuses on the pom pom, a "Ah!" catches her ears. She quickly grabs the tree and starts sweating, "Don't wave! Don't wave! Don't wave!"

"What are you doing up there?" Nina stops, blushes, and looks down. "Oh, it's you." (Sakura) "What do you want, Snoozer."

"I'M NOT SNOOZER!!" (huffs breath) "I came to get that pom pom!"

"Get in line!” Nina counters, “I was up here first!!"

"---" (quickly Sakura starts rifling through her top)
Nina - "?" (blinks) "Not interested in seeing you topless (though you have developed rather nicely in that department!) Thanks anyway! You can go away now."

"There it is--" (Sakura announces with a devilish smirk, as her hand holds out the star key) "Key of the star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light! Release!" As the staff grows Sakura reaches into a pocket. "Brought it. Heh heh heh---"

"Brought what?! You better not be thinking what I think your---"

"JUMP!!" (and with that Sakura takes a large leap into the air) "No! No! No! No!" (grabs tree) "Sakura you--" (tree vibrates abit as Sakura lands, but nothing too serious) "---oh---"

"You were saying?" Sakura remarks cheerfully, joining Nina at her level, watching the green haired woman scowl at her as she does. "I hope somebody waves YOU down! It'd be so worth it just to watch you fall on your…" (suddenly Nina stops) "…singing?"

"That song." As the two of them looked, Sakura sighed. "It's Tomo-chan."

* * * * * *

Tomoyo is leading the school choir this year.
She sings like an angel. Just listening to her makes me feel all floaty-- sigh--- She's won a whole lot of singing contests, and all her awards and trophies are located in our bedroom next a case Sonomi put up for all the awards & trophies I won. The two cases sorta make a match set, one next to each other, sorta like Tomoyo & myself. Side by side.

* * * * * *

As Tomoyo bows, and the teacher leaves, Nina climbs through the window and sits on the piano bench much to Tomoyo's surprise. "? How'd you get up here ?"

"I climbed up here." (whispers) "Brought your favorite Ham-ham with me."

"Tomo-chan." (Sakura from the window) "Hey, Sakura! H-how'd you--" (looks down at Sakura's feet) "Oh, Jump. Right."

Sakura - "Choir practice again?"

Tomoyo - "Uh-huh. Nationals are up in September. This year we're leading off with Greensleeves. So when's your practice over? 3?"

"Yeah. Guess you'll be home before me…" Sakura starts, her face freezing midsentence as realization sets in. "Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"

"WALK HOME WITH ME!!!" (grabs Tomoyo, crying) "There, there now-- it's alright. It's OK-- I‘ll walk home with you, promise."

Nina (disgusted) - "Savior of the Realm of Dreams-- fhht." (walks out the door) "Not going to let myself be saved by that crybaby! Seeya Ham-girl."

"--I'm NOT a crybaby!! I'M NOT!!" Sakura sobs, holding Tomoyo tighter. "Don't listen to her. Don't listen--" (kisses Sakura's forehead) "--oh Sakura-chan--"

* * * * * *

After 3PM (on the way home).
"Illusion?" Sakura repeated, confused.

"Remember? It did that the first time this happened years ago. It has to be illusion." Tomoyo noted. The two were roller-blading alone, Sakura convincing Nina to take the girls out for ice cream while they went into New Penguin Park alone, so she wasn‘t around. Suddenly Sakura stops and points towards the lake. "There it is."
With shaky hands she draws forth the key and holds it out. "Key of the star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light.. RELEASE!"
As the last word leaves her lips the staff charges up, growing in her hand to full length.

Quickly she moves forward and thrust the water ring out towards the lake. "Umi! Reveal Illusion's presence by pushing aside it's watery shield!"
Slowly the water begins to back up from the center, the quicker, until a huge hole is open in the lake revealing it's hidden occupant. "Clow card, return to your power confined! Illusion!!" With one snap of her staff, tendrils of energy shoot out and catch Illusion. Within seconds the card is wrapped up, changed back, and in Sakura's hand.

As the water goes back into the lake Sakura holds the card triumphantly. "I did it! And this time it only took one minute! Tomo-chan, I--" (faints) "I know.” Tomoyo notes happily, “I taped the whole thing! Mirra-chan's going to be so happy when she sees this episode!"

"---but it's too short to be a real episode-- it only took five minutes to capture--" Sakura laments. Tomoyo, however, would not be put off so easily, "We'll call it a Cardcaptor intermission then, filler between episodes."

"--if you say so--" Sakura relents, knowing fully well how unstoppable Tomoyo was once she had set her mind to something. Suddenly the water begins to shine and glow. "Wh-what? But that c-c-can’t be…" (looks at her hand) "I have Illusion right-- here--"

A ghostly female figure in a kimono rises out of the water. She looks like she was drowned in life, and reaches out to Sakura. "To-to-Tomoyo?!? Do you---"

"I see it--- I see it--- a woman in a kimono---" she whispers, filming it rising up, staring Sakura straight in the eyes. With a panicked yelp Sakura grabs Tomoyo and drags her away. She doesn't stop running until they come to the front door of the Daidouji Estates, and give Tomoyo's bodyguards the shock of their lives when Sakura comes barreling through the halls with Tomoyo in tow. "I--I thought we were picking up the two later?"

"They can't wait to feel the Earth move beneath them?" the other one remarks, blinking beneath her sunglasses as she looks down the corridor Sakura ran down in a panic. "Sakura seems in a hurry."

"When you gotta go, you gotta go--- I guess."

* * * * * *

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!!" Sakura moaned as she washes her hair. "NOT FAIR AT ALL!"

"But you caught Illusion, right?" Tomoyo (lying in the bathtub waiting for Sakura) thinks out loud, "So what was that that came out of the lake after Illusion? Can't be the card's doing."

"Something strange came out! And I don't like things that are strange! They're freaky!!"

"Sakura-chan--" Tomoyo sighs, "--can ghosts live in a Realm of Dreams?"

"I don't know. In the waking world ghosts used to hang around the tree in the park, and Illusion once hung out in the lake, but I never saw that thing before-- it's something different--" (Sakura blinks) "--maybe it's one of those fan Clow cards Nina mentioned. That could be it! It's a fan Clow card!" Sakura finishes washing and joins Tomoyo in the bath, both women lounging side by side soaking in the huge tub.

"Sakura-chan, you'd like it to be a Clow card wouldn't you? Your not comfortable with even the thought of ghosts (which makes it convenient that you didn't fall in love with Naoko since she loves ghost stories)."

Sakura shakes her head, "Clow cards are not as scary as ghosts, and at least Clow cards I can deal with. Ghosts I can't."

"Kero didn't have an answer either--" Tomoyo admits as she leans towards Sakura, wrapping an arm around her and resting her head on Sakura's shoulder. "--but she didn’t scare me in the slightest. I feel so safe just being with you, no ghost can scare me if you‘re with me."

"Me too… except the ghost thing…" (hugs Tomoyo back, choking back a sob at the thought of her continued weakness towards ghosts) "Still I'm so lucky to have you with me…" (sighs as she hears Kero's voice at the door) "SAKURA!! DINNER'S SOON!! DON'T FORGET TO SEND SOMEONE UP WITH MY DISH THIS TIME!! I'M STARVING RIGHT NOW!!"

"Alright, Kero, alright--" (sighs) "--I wish Nina was actually a better bodyguard than she was a pain in the butt. At least we should tell a few of your bodyguards about the Clow cards."

"It's best if we keep the secret to ourselves. Keiko and the others are working to keep all Clow Card incidents out of the public spotlight so we have to do our part to keep this secret. We haven't told anyone yet and even here it's best if we keep the secret. Though sometimes I suspect mother may be catching on."

"I noticed." Sakura smiles, "That was the same way with Toya. He eventually figured it out."

"Hope that doesn't happen with mother." With that the two kiss, eyes closed, bodies close. Their world only existing of each other, for each other.
"COME ON!! MAKE OUT LATER!! I'M STARVING!!" (Kero)

* * * * * *

Sakura sends Gaia to bring Kero his food. "What's this?" Sakura asks, poking her food. "It's chicken fettucini. Eat it, it's good for you. Keep you awake more often." Nina grumbles, serving Tomoyo as the others eat. "Everyone else is eating so pipe up, or I'm going to give YOU hell when it's your turn to cook again."

"I'm eating, I'm eating." Sakura remarked, her distrusting expression turning into surprise on her first bite, "It's actually edible."

"If Eliza didn't ask me to behave I'd so hit you right now." Nina hisses, yet managing to calm herself as she begins eating "?" (looks at picture) "Who's that? Noticed all these pictures but nobody ever said who she was… beautiful--"

"That's Nadeshiko, Sakura's mother, at 16---" Sonomi whispers, looking over at the picture with a loving gaze. "She was a model when she started Junior High. That's why so many pictures of her exist to this day, even here--" (sighs) "Since Sakura moved in I put up new pictures of her every day so we can both remember her, and how much we-- I mean Sakura-- I--" (blushes, skips subject and doesn't mention it) "Say, where's your 'shadow'? The tall blonde you always hang around with?"

"Eliza is NOT my 'shadow'!” Nina complains halfheartedly, “And she's supervising something tonight so I'm keeping her food over in the fridge. I'll cook it the minute she comes home so it's fresh when she eats it. No cold leftovers for her if I have anything to say about it."

"Lots of prep for someone who's NOT your shadow." Sonomi pries, to which Nina counters "Back off. What's between me and Eliza is BETWEEN me & Eliza. So bug off."

"And what makes you--"

Nina‘s eyes narrow on Sonomi. "Your thoughts are clear, so to speak. I don't need to be a Jedi master to see what your up to--"

"Your paranoid." She counters. "Oh sure! You just don't want to admit--"
Sakura gives up on trying to understand what the two are implying and goes back to eating.

* * * * * *

Back in Sakura's "lab"
Sakura - "Dessert! I took Nina's when she wasn't looking!"

Kero - "YAH!!"

* * * * * *

Downstairs
Umi - "Dessert?"

Nina - "Made an extra one. Figured Snoozer would try to steal my--? Where's my back-up dessert?" (looks over at Umi) "Well?"

Umi - "Uh-- that was yours?"

Nina - "Good thing I made one for Kero, I'll "steal" that one---" (looks over her shoulder as someone enters the room) "Tomoyo?"

* * * * * *

Back in Sakura's "lab" (ten minutes later)
"Hi Kero!" (Tomoyo walks in) "There's an e-mail for Nina, but I made a copy for you to read." (looks at the two) "Sharing seconds?"

Sakura - "I figured we had all that pound cake and I didn't want it to go to waste." (looks at fax in Tomoyo's hand as she hands it to her) "Isn't that illegal?"

Tomoyo - "Only if she finds out. She just left to deliver dinner to Eliza--- think I'll have a piece myself while it‘s out."
As Tomoyo makes herself a slice of the ice cream/pound cake treat, Sakura reads.

* * * * * *

To Lt. Kotobuki, Nina
From Lt. Destiny, Eliza
Re - New Penguin Park Menace

Nina,
The mainframe's online and the sensors are all engaged. In the last few minutes it's been picking up strange readings from the lake in New King Penguin Park. It's Clow energy but there's also a secondary signature, type unknown. It might be spirit energy but spirits in the Realm of Dreams is unusual and very rare to say the least, so nobody bothered to keep a record of the types of spirits that show up here from time to time.

There's also a complication that just came to light. Misho NamoCatCat (NamoCatCat Corps) announced her "Taste of Tokyo" food fair to happen in New King Penguin Park in a few days. I know, I know, total theft of the "Taste of Honolulu" event but she insists it's her own idea. With that spirit in the lake, and the attendance to this food event expected to be high, a strong presence by us & Sakura/Tomoyo would be recommended. And since it's a big event, Mirra-chan should come since there can be lots of fun to be had while we seal up the ghost and call it a night. She can bring her friend and enjoy the food and each other.

This has to be done, however, because there won't be any chance of doing the sealing prior to the event. Misho has the park swarming with her people and it's filled 24/7 with shift upon shift of workers preparing for the event. So it's event night or bust on the capture.

I'm going to be late so please don't wait up. I'll warm up dinner when I get home. You know how much I love your cooking--- as much as I love you.

Take care, sweetness.
Eliza Destiny.

PS - Don't forget you promised to behave yourself if I treat you extra special when I get home. It’s the price you have to pay for keeping Sakura safe but I’m sure you’ll love the rewards that are coming to you.

* * * * * *

Sakura makes a nauseated expression as she reads. "Eeewww--- they really ARE that close!"

Tomoyo - "Figured the way she could keep Nina on a tight leash that they were lovers."

Sakura - "I know but--- eeww!! I can't even think of the things they do!"

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo smiles as she “protests” in mock anger. "You shouldn't judge them. They don't do anything worst than we do in bed--- and I know how excited you can get when we make love. It keeps my libido up a long time just being near your enthusiasm."

"Tomo-chan!!" Sakura sputters in embarrassment, looking at Kero nervously. "You know I-- Well-- you know…"

Tomoyo waves off any explanations with one hand, "Sorry. I forget sometimes you're a little shy about talking about our more-- intimate moments in front of Kero."

"Excuse me--" (Kero) "--that's all fascinating about your love lifes and all but let's talk about the card for a second?" (serious) "Like Eliza said there'll be lots of people there. If it's a troublesome Clow card we should nip it in the bud before anything happens! Take the cards, and the rings, and go down and shut down it's ghost act once and for all and teach it who the true mistress of the cards are!"

"Yeah--" Sakura blushes, "--you're right. As usual. I have a job to do."

"Then afterwards you can bring me home the good stuff!" (both Tomoyo & Sakura blinks at Kero‘s demands) "Don't waste time on those little restaurant selections! Bring me home a doggie bag from an Iron Chef restaurant! Maybe Iron Chef Kobe (Italian)! Or French (Sakai)! Something good, and really really neat! Or maybe fancy and elegant! At least from a 3 star restaurant if not an Iron Chef and--"

"Is that REALLY why you want me to go?!" Sakura complains. "Of course not, of course not! Don‘t be silly! You go capture the card, knock yourself out. Now back to my treats. Meats if you can, but I'll settle for sushi from a good place or maybe--"

* * * * * *

Sakura woke up to sobbing.
Next to her Tomoyo was crying in her sleep, her arms out as if trying to grab something.
"Sak-- sakura-- no-- sakura-chan--- don't leave me--- no--- sakura--"
Carefully she wraps her arms around Tomoyo, drawing her close, and gently starts to rock her to sleep, whispering quietly "I'm here-- I'm here Tomo-chan-- always-- I'm here-- don't cry-- I'm here--"
Tomoyo's arms wrap around Sakura, and her head buries itself into her shoulder as she holds on as if for dear life, crying softly, begging Sakura to stay with her.
After awhile her sobs quiet down, and she falls back asleep. Sakura rolls back onto her back, pulling Tomoyo on top of her, and holds her throughout the night in her arms, cradling her beloved as she slumbers peacefully.

* * * * * *

Sometimes Tomo-chan cries in her sleep.
I don't know why, but I think she still has nightmares about me leaving her behind.
Once I asked and she told me a boy took me away. A boy in strange robes armed with a sword. I guess she means Syaoran Li, but he's been gone ever since I knew in my heart Tomoyo was the right one for me. He eventually got together with Meilin I think--- don't know how, but maybe they're happy where they are. Sleeping under the same dream sky as I am, in each others arms as happy as I am.

I keep telling Tomoyo that I'll never leave her, but sometimes her nightmares return, making her cry and hurting her. I don't like seeing Tomo-chan cry, it huts me seeing her in pain.

Sometimes people say when a nightmare is firmly lodged in someone's mind and never leaves no matter how much a person knows it'll never happen. That most likely means it's probably a "darkling" (a minion of the Realm of Nightmares) that's causing the nightmares. If I ever found out something was hurting Tomo-chan, I would never forgive it, and punish it severely for hurting my precious Tomoyo. If anything is hurting her, they're going to regret the day they heard the name Sakura Kinomoto!

* * * * * *

As Sakura wakes up, she's briefly blinded by the light of the morning coming through a window. But as her senses focus, she feels Tomoyo's slumbering body still on her's. As she looks, Tomoyo turns her head, and looks her straight in the eyes and smiles.
"Thank you, Sakura-chan. Thanks for tolerating my…" With that she kisses Sakura softly, a tear rolling down her cheek as she does, then she rests her head on Sakura's strong shoulder and whispers softly "Thank you." one more time before closing her eyes.

For a long the time two lie there, exchanging touches and kisses, eventually making love-- and that is a story best left for a lemon section tale for adults only, isn’t it.

See you next time!
To Be Continued (Thursday)