CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 1-8 (10)

Sometimes reality can be multiple choice.
Where any number of things and outcomes can occur.
But what if one reality spawns two of one person, and each chose a different path?
That’s the situation for one Keiko Yamanaka, and the incident concerning a painting, a promise to two lovers for two different Keikos, and a Clow card named---

New Tomoeda Art Museum
(Named so because it’s new majority stockholder, one Misho NamoCatCat, wanted to draw in crowds by making it sound spiffier and newer than it was. And, oddly enough, it worked.)

Today Sakura’s class was doing an art appreciation class taught by Eliza (as her cover identity at the school as the school’s art teacher), and everyone picked out a topic to draw. Everyone wandered about picking subjects, Nina (as the class chaperone for the trip) just sat near Sakura/Tomoyo and sulked as she sketched on her pad, mostly out of boredom than any real desire to have an appreciation of art. “I’m not old enough to be a chaperone. Makes me sound like I’m some sort of old maid!”

“You are kinda old.” Sakura snips.

“Can it, Snoozer, I’m NOT in the mood---” (Nina frowns as she looks about) “Goddess I never realized until now just how boring modern art is. You’d think in a Realm of Dreams they’d have an exciting hentai exhibit. Lots of really hot stuff. I’d bet that make your bloods boil just thinking of it---” (turns and catches the two young women’s blushes as they go back to drawing) “---I thought so.”

A familiar presence suddenly was nearby, hovering over Nina‘s shoulder. “It’s perverts like you that keep me from putting a hentai exhibit up. I’d have overwrought girls like you masturbating in public and that’d down my approval rating with the cultured art goers who support the arts with their donations.”

Nina - “And we wouldn’t want your “cash-cat” to dry up now would we? (And I don’t do that sorta shit in public so shut up!)”
Misho NamoCatCat sits down next to Nina as she stares at her picture. “I thought you were chaperone, not student. And I don’t see any naked girls making out around here.”

“?” (Sakura takes the pad from Nina against her wishes and looks at it) “Making o--” (pales) “ACCKK!!!” Eliza quickly rushes up to shush them only to look at Sakura oddly, “Why is she all pale? What is she---” (takes the pad and looks at it) “---Nina, did you do this?”

“Yeah.” (blushes) “Well it’s her fault looking and---” Eliza bends down and kisses her softly, “You naughty girl, you. Behave or I won’t make your pictures come true--- my beautiful sweetness.”

“Hmmm---” Nina smiles at the prospects, “I like a good incentive.” she whispers back as she returns Eliza’s kiss in full. “What did you see? Sakura? Sakura?” Tomoyo asks as she tends to her fallen love. “---I’m scarred for life---” Sakura whines, “---what is she?!?”
Nina changes the subject suddenly, ignoring Sakura’s whines, “So, Misho, is there any reason your around me or are you just here to bother me?”

Misho - “Just keeping an eye on you. Making sure this isn’t “work” related. Not like last time, and you do remember last time don‘t you…”

“This is Eliza’s art class. No Clow cards here, promise. Say, what’s that in your hand?” (pointing at the box) “Secret admirer or death threat? Probably death threat knowing you.”

Suddenly Misho‘s expression changed, her hand flipping the box over a few times as she looked at it, “It’s not a bomb, I don’t smell explosives. It’s just a package. Smells like a party inside---” (opens the box for it to explode in lights and confetti) “ACK!!” As Misho falls backwards a small card pops out of the box and falls into Misho’s hair.) “Been pissing on the pop culture artist’ again have we? Let’s see---” (picks up card) “I will come for “The Smile” tonight. Resistance is Futile. Saint Mesa”--- Saint Mesa?!”

“This is all your fault.“ Misho hisses in disgust, sits up quickly and snatches the card. “The weirdoes just seem to come out of the woodwork whenever YOU are around!”

Nina - “Oh, yeah, sure, blame me for all your problems. Boy are you anti-social.”

“Whatever. (Maybe this is one of the pop artists’ because they’re freaks, but still)”
Misho huffs once and stands up, “First it’s the park event and now this, don’t tell me it’s not a coincidence that you happen to be present for both of those. This is worst for me because I got a public relations backlash because of the park incident and this…” (holds up card) “…is just another annoyance that will bite me in the media butt in the end. I don’t need a Saint whatever debacle screwing my PR because I’m already quite full from the “ghost” thing from before, thank you very much.“

And with that Misho storms off in a huff, grabbing a guard as she does. “Bring me the acquisitions dept.’s head--- preferably detached and in a basket if at all possible!”

“Somebody got up on the wrong side of the kitty bed this morning---” Nina remarks.

“By the way…” Misho stops, and spins back around towards Nina, “I got a call from the Italian Embassy for you to stop mangling the word “Fettucine”.”

“---I knew that---” Nina huffs, picking up the box (mostly to ignore Misho) as she does. “Well, it may be nothing but it’s better than just sitting around doodling. Once you two finish the project--”

“Finished.” Both girls announce holding up their completed work. “Show offs. Let’s go. I want to see the “Smile” firsthand.”

* * * * * *

“What makes you think it’s a painting?” Sakura whispers.
Tomoyo - “She’s right, it could be a sculpture or a statue.”

Nina - “Because the database said it’s a painting. And here it is---” all three stop and look at the painting, all three frowning at the same time. “That’s a smile?” The picture was of all the Ham-hams (Hamtaro) smiling in a house setting. As the three watched from a distance Nina commented quietly, “Didn’t know Hamtaro was good enough to rate a spot in the Art Museum.” (smirks) “Saint Mesa must be bored out of his or her mind to actually want to liberate this! Must be some frantic closet Hamtaro fan… or maybe just really into beastality if you know what I…” (fwhack) “…don’t use your art easel in vain, Sakura.” (points at picture) “Hey, there’s Sakura.” (pointing at Snoozer) “Ain’t she---“ (fwhack) “…get a new stchick other than hitting me when your pissed.“ (frowns) “Somebody’s still got a nasty temper---” (fwhack) “…stop it.”

“I’m NOT Snoozer!” Sakura silently hissed, turning her attention back to the painting.
“I don’t see any significance to this painting being stolen, do your Tomo-chan?”

“Maybe it’s a Hamtaro fan like Nina suggested. There’s nothing here to suggest anything out of the ordinary, and I don‘t remember there ever being a Hamster card.”

“But it’s cute though.” Somebody said from behind them, all three turn to face the source of the comment. “Hey there Sakura, Tomoyo.”

Sakura - “Hi Keiko, Eve.”
The two women, holding hands, step up besides Sakura as she greets them, “So did you manage to finish your pictures with Nina tormenting you the way she did?”

Nina - “Hey!”

Sakura - “Yup. Just did.” (Eve looks at painting as Sakura talks) “So, what were you three talking about when we got here?”

Nina - “Misho has her tail wound up in a knot because Saint Mesa is going to steal this painting… must be a stupid criminal to want to steal this sugery sweet acid trip on canvas. Anyway we just stopped by to see what’s so good about it… not much.”

“That’s the head of this museum, right? Misho NamoCatCat?” Eve asks, “I didn‘t know Nekos were into the arts.”

Nina - “Only because she floods it’s coffers with yen every year as a tax shelter or writeoff or whatever it is rich people do to stay rich, otherwise she’s about as culturally aware as a overwrought Otaku with a hentai fixation.”

“I heard that!” Misho yells, storming in and right into Nina’s face, “I got far more culture than you! At least I don’t lie about my habits unlike SOME people!”

Nina - “Now whose the bigger liar here? Bet it’s you!”

Misho looks downright frigid at the comment, “Why-- the nerve! I--”
Suddenly something catches Sakura’s attention, as all the Ham-hams move their fingers towards their lips all at once. As they finish this move, everything goes silent. No noise, no sound, nothing for seconds on end. Finally when the noise returns Misho & Nina are staring at each other dumbstruck. Misho huffs her breath and storms out, whispering to herself in a huff. Without another word Sakura takes Tomoyo & Nina and leads them out of view of the painting.

* * * * * *

“That was the Silence Card, wasn’t it?” Tomoyo asked as they left the museum with the class. “I’m sure of it--- but---” (thinks back) “The last time it was a woman dressed in black. Now it’s a bunch of Hamsters? I don’t get it. Maybe it’s another Card with the power of silence? (The Silent Animation Card?)”

“Here---” Tomoyo hands her cellphone off the Sakura, “Ask Kero. I called him while we were leaving the museum.” (Sakura takes the phone and relays the message, seconds later the answer comes) “Oh no, it’s Silence alright. But there should only be one image unless---” (thinks) “---there must be more than one card in play here. Silence must be “merged” with another card to better hide it’s presence. One I know, Prism, might be the culprit. It creates multiple images of one thing--- but the effect---” (silence) “---that one has me stumped. Ham-hams? I don’t think we’ve ever had an animation card before… maybe it’s a fan card though -- arghhh -- I have this nagging feeling I should know this one! I have to some research on that one.”

Sakura - “Research?”

Kero - “Yeah! There’s this great hentai site I found and it’s all naughty you, you, you doing the most dirtiest things (nowhere near as special as the fansite dedicated to consensual lesbian you and Tomoyo)! However the dirty site is important because somebody went out of their way to make a master list of all fan created cards. I’ll browse that for awhile and see what synches while I think of new ways to test my humor on you! Bye!”

Sakura - “Kero, wait! KERO!!” (growls as she closes the cellphone) “He’s been really on my case ever since we started going after Clow cards again! What’s with him?!”

Tomoyo - “He just seems to have fostered a new (and bad) sense of humor. It probably didn’t help that he ordered that manga from that site and got a Card Captor Sakura fan porn accidentally shipped to him with his manga. Ever since then he’s been fixated on teasing you about your sexual exploits with men… Toya…” (cough cough) “…mostly.”

“THAT WASN’T ME!!” Sakura yelled, quickly hushing down as everyone stared at her, blushing she quickly waved them off until they had their “privacy“ again. “I didn’t do that! It’s sick fantasy stuff about me, but it’s NOT me! I swear!”

Tomoyo smiles her even-leveled smile as she embraces Sakura, “I know, I know. I think Kero’s just cranky about being little Kero again all the time and he’s taking his frustration out on you in this manner. Helps him unwind and not be so upset if he has something to keep his mind active.”

Sakura sighs bitterly at the thought of being Kero‘s verbal punching bag, “I wish he’d get a girlfriend because his jokes are making me angry.”
Nina smirks at that thought, “I sorta like the homemade manga he made where you thumped the entire household staff from tail end to tail end in hot lesbian action and---” (next words are silenced as Sakura beams Nina upside the head with her bag).

* * * * * *

“Did you learn anything?” Eliza sighs, checking Nina’s bruise again. “Snoozer needs a slow Prozac drip near her bed to simmer that god awful temper?”

Eliza - “You know what I mean.”

“I know, I know…” (Nina sighs) “…she’s not as sociable as the other serious relationship girls in her class. I heard there’s another girl in her class who drew a sex manga with her lover’s permission of them doing it and her love? She didn’t mind one bit.”

Eliza - “You just said why she didn’t mind one bit, mostly because she probably participated and it wasn’t meant to mock her. It was a loving gift for them to remember their first time. Kero’s manga wasn’t as kind or as beautiful though I guess I’m being hypocritical since I did kinda help with the sex positioning on his manga. As for the other manga I did get a copy of that when it was done because I helped with the publishing. It was called “Sweet Sixteen Love“, beautiful stuff. It‘s about two girls who were friends since they were 11-12 and grew up together eventually falling in love and dating for a year or two before consummating on one of the girl‘s sixteenth birthday. Sorta like Sakura/Tomoyo only without the Card Captoring or the daughter who used to be a card spin on things. Think they live together now ever since one of the girl‘s parents died and left the house to her.”

Nina huffs her breath, clenching her teeth abit as Eliza uses a medico stick on her injury, “Alright. So Kero’s manga wasn’t that beautiful as “Sweet 16 Love”, but it sure was red-hot. I kept a copy of it for myself and it’s filled with naughty stuff. Still---” Nina stifles a whine as she wiggles under Eliza‘s “care“, “Sakura can stand to be less violence prone and a little more diplomatic being she’s the world’s greatest mage and all. And where is the great Snoozer, mistress of the cards, any-- ouch!”

“Don’t wiggle so much. As for Sakura? Maybe she’d be nicer if you got off her back once in awhile.”

Nina - “Where’s the fun in -- Ow… are you doing that on purp-- ouch!!“

* * * * * *

“I can’t believe she was so mean!” Sakura pouted, lying face down on the bed as she did. Tomoyo carefully rubs the kinks out of Sakura’s back, working her nerves to a calm state slowly as she does. Both of them were still in their school uniforms but Sakura felt naked beneath Tomoyo’s loving fingers. “She gets a rise from making you react like that. Don’t let her antics upset you, she means well even when she’s getting on your nerves.” (sighs) “I’m only sad that they never got it right.”

Sakura - “Phhew?”

Tomoyo - “Us, I mean. What few times we make love in these things from what Kero told me? It’s short and it’s not in the beautiful depth of our lovemaking, or holds the strength of our feelings when we make love.” Sakura smiles, her nerves relaxing as she does. “I know. It’s beautiful the way we make love. There are days I wish we should share it with the world and scream from the top of Tokyo Tower how truly beautiful it is and how ignorant people are to even try to describe the true beauty of a love like ours.”

Tomoyo - “Then let’s tape it one day and I‘ll draw the manga inspired by it!”
If Sakura wasn’t already on her face she would have fell over from the shock. “?!?”

“Come on, Sakura-chan! I’m the only one who’d see it and nobody’s know and I’ll need it as reference material to draw it and your so beautiful when we make love and---”

“I think I heard this story before.” Sakura whispers, sweat dropping.

* * * * * *

After dinner, Nina makes a phone call while the others get ready to leave. Eliza seemed confused by this, “Who are you calling?”

“Jack. If there’s anyone who knows what’s going on with somebody called Saint Mesa it’s the resident Raven of the Earth--- hey there, Jack? Yeah, it’s Nina--- Kotobuki--- yes, yes, the one that smelled like chicken. Are you going to go over that old joke from the start of the volume or are you going to help me? Yeah? Yeah! Sure I’ll hold---” (looks at Eliza’s odd expression) “I’ll explain later---” (sighs) “---I hate elevator mus--- oh, there you are. Right. I need to know what the word is on this so called Saint Mesa and what he or she’s up to with this painting “The Smile”.”

* * * * * *

Here is what Jack had to say.
“Saint Mesa? She’s relatively nobody. There’s never been a Saint Mesa from what we know of it (in either fictional or real history from anywhere or anytime). He or she does seem to be fixated on this painting Misho has, and if Misho NamoCatCat has this treasure he or she is so hot on then maybe focusing on that might yield info about what this Saint Mesa is.“

“That’s the official spiel about Saint Mesa. Give me the unofficial version. You know, the stuff kept under wraps only for Guardian/Judgment corps to know about.”
Silence. A long unbearable silence. Then--

Jack - “What do you know about Keiko Yamanaka’s family history?”

Nina - “Nothing. You can’t squeeze that kind of personal history from a cranky bitter silent type like her and you know it.“

Jack - “Keiko was once a Normal of sorts who lived in the Waking World. She lived and died in Japan before the age of contact with the “outside world“. For the most part her family went to heaven, and she is mostly alone here. Which is odd, mind you, because of her particulars of ther existence… but that is all sealed info, so even I can‘t reveal that to you except for two facts.”

Nina - “And those facts would be…?“

Jack - “Keiko Yamanaka has a sister living in the realm, a TWIN sister named Reiko. That’s one. The second… she’s been working the Americas as of late as Keiko, and is presently tied to a cowgirl named Rachel who lives in…“

Nina - “Don’t tell me, let me guess… Mesa.“

Jack - “Recently Reiko placed a request for a seizure of a painting from NamoCatCat, claiming it was stolen from Rachel’s family and they laid claim to it. This might be the painting though the record is not totally in the open as it is a Judgment Action Report that is presently in the process of being mediated over. Perhaps Rachel just got tired or waiting for the mediators to resolve this and decided to do something about it herself.“

Nina - “And I guess just giving her the painting is out of the question as there is a Clow Card on the painting, right?”

“What? You serious?” Jack asks, to which Nina grunts in the afirmative, “Actually, Jack? It’s more like three cards are on the painting from what I know of it. Silence, Prism, and another card. It’s not going to be easy catching them though because Silence has some weird powers and that’ll make catching it harder. Anyway we can contact this Rachel and convince her to sit on her dude ranch hat for awhile so we can clear up the Clow card thing?“

“She’ll get suspicious if I called because officially we don’t acknowledge having this information, and Reiko will be suspicious because I said I‘d never contact her lover directly. This is all way too complex as it’s all under the table hush-hush, way too much secrecy for it‘s own good it seems. In fact I shouldn’t even have told you what I did. Sorry, but you’ll have to greet this Saint Mesa and take it from there. Be gentle though, if you thought Keiko was a hothead when it comes to Eve being harmed you can bet Reiko will be just as volitale when it comes to Rachel’s safety.“

“I see.” Nina said with gritted teeth, “Well, we’ll do our best. Thanks.”
“Take care, and give Sakura a break once in awhile.”
Nina sighs as she turns off her phone. “Well? What did she say?”
“Your in for a shock. It seems…”

* * * * * *

Outside the Museum (11PM)
“Very nice.” Nina remarks as she pokes around the van’s interior, “Sorta like a mobile Card Captor base complete with GPS system, very comfortable office seating bolted to the floor with seatbelts attached and a huge storage compartment the size of a closet. Interesting.” Nina quickly sits down in one of the office style chairs and swings herself around in it. “I’m going to love Card Captoring in this baby!”

Kero, for his part, was very deep in thought (Tomoyo was filming him as he thought things through) “Never thought Silence would team up with any other cards. But it makes sense since Sakura caught her so easily the last time. But one is Prism… the other must be… must be… must be…” (shakes his head) “It’s on the tip of my tongue but I can’t seem to remember! So damn close and yet I‘m blanking out!”

“Give it a second, I’m sure it’s there.” Tomoyo urges him as she turns to film Sakura, “Any ideas?”

“We know two of the cards. Maybe the effect masking the cards is Mimic’s work?”

Kero shakes his head, “Nah, Mimic is too egotistical to work with any other card on equal terms under any circumstances (you remember Mimic‘s totally bad attitude, right?). It might be using those cards to gauge Sakura’s abilities but that seems unlikely since Silence usually hates working with any of the uppity cards even under the worst of conditions. Right now Mimic has gone to ground so we won’t hear from it for awhile--- still, something familiar about this card.”

Sakura - “It must be something with a strange sense of humor, using toon-ish images as…”

Kero - “THAT’S IT, SAKURA!!” Kero suddenly leaps into the air, flutters around abit as he cheers, and grabs Sakura and kisses her hard. “That’s IT!! You‘re a genius (sometimes)!”

Sakura - “Kero! Don’t do that…” (Sakura wipes her mouth off) “…no tongue.”

Kero couldn‘t hold it in anymore, flittering about madly he cried out “It’s the Toon card!” Silence. A long unbearable silence. “The Toon card. The Toon card. Hello, am I talking to myself here? I said it‘s the Toon card!”

Sakura - “Kero, I never heard of the Toon card. Is that a fan card you read about on that dirty site you “love“ so much---”

Kero - “NO, no. It’s a card Clow Reed created off the books.”

“Off the books?” (Tomoyo was now talking) “Why wasn’t it part of the original set?”

“Because we mostly used the card when we were bored.” (Kero) “There were days when we had nothing to do, nothing new to create or things to accomplish and Clow Reed, myself & even dull as wood Yueh would become bored by it all. So Clow Reed created the Toon card just to entertain us.” (Kero suddenly starts to smile in a half dream like state) “I remember we used to sit around for hours laughing as Toon’s wild shows and plays it did for us, each one more hilarious than the last. And it’s card image is my favorite. Sigh--- memories like that are so sweet! Like chocolate cake… like the one we have at home and can eat the minute we finish this and go home.”

“I’ll see if I can hurry it along.” Sakura sighs, turning towards the door, “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Tomoyo called out to Sakura, “You almost forgot your costume!”

“Oh---” (Sakura blushes) “---right. My costume. Silly me.”

Tomoyo - “Everyone else outside while Sakura changes.”
As everyone files outside Nina sighs, “Must be nice to have one’s own wardrobe expert.”

“Sure.” Kero adds, “Think she’ll ever make Sakura some kinky bedroom play outfits?” Everyone stops and thinks--- An image of Sakura dressed in a cat outfit and--- everyone stops thinking and shudders. “Let’s save those “warm” thoughts (as if) for the lemon stories.” Nina remarked, to which everyone quickly nods their heads quickly.
Nina - “I feel like a cold shower all of the sudden, anyone else?”

To Be Continued