(NOTE - Disclaimer time once again ladies and gentlemen! Harry Potter and all related characters are the property of the one and only J.K. Rowlings. One book to completion of her series, three movies to go (with Order of the Phoenix coming in Summer of 2007). By the way, that means she only has until… hmm… I’d say we’ll see Harry Potter Year 7 the Movie by Summer 2010 if things go the way they do, so Rowlings will have to answer whether she’ll do anything with the Potter franchise past the last book of the series by then. Don’t envy her, by the way, when she finally makes her announcement if she hadn’t already.)
Four days had passed since the presents arrived.
She had, of course, remembered to send one to Harry since (oddly enough) their birthdays were on the same day. Strange, but true. She had gotten him a set of books on the best teams in Quidditch, but mostly for enjoyment and the endlessly fascinating moving pictures of the most exciting games since he obviously didn’t need it for improving his game.
For awhile she enjoyed her days, pushing back her purchasing of the new year’s school supplies, and just enjoying herself to the fullest. There was no need to rush the trip back to school yet. But she couldn’t enjoy herself today. Not today.
Once again it had come about, whether she wanted it to or not. The day had come.
With a slight sigh of irritation, Alicia wearily went down to the Leaky Cauldron to eat breakfast before heading into the “Normal” world to conduct her business for today.
The room, as usual, was filled with witches and wizards of all types, yet she didn’t feel like being a social animal. She simply requested a private booth, and set herself within to eat in private. That, more than anything, silenced the room.
Everybody was used to her usual jolly self in the room, her eagerness to jump into conversations and correct magic folks when they had a misconception about Muggles (“No, no, Pink Flamingos are not used to attack unsuspecting door to door salesmen.”, but today --- today was different and they all felt it).
She didn’t want company today. Even when her food was delivered she politely declined any offer of companionship and wished only to be alone. She wasn’t herself this morning, and nobody could figure out why.
It wasn’t the Dursleys, that’s for certain. She hadn’t returned to their home on Privet Drive in days and days. She kept in touch with Harry easy enough via her raven (who could deliver any message silently and without fail), and she hadn’t even thought of the Weasleys in a long while.
No, today was a particular “task” she did every year since she got here, which made this the third time since her arrival three years ago.
Outside people were murmuring, but instead of the normal daily business they were murmuring about her. To shut it out she pulled out her portable “telly” sphere from her pouch tesseract and set it on the table, tuning it to the W3N2 Wizarding WorldWide News Network).
“The magic community is warned that Black is considered extremely dangerous and prone to violence. The Ministry of Magic has set up a special hotline that can be reached via what Muggles call “telephones”, should any sighting of Black be made in the Muggle communities. Black should be considered extremely dangerous, and not approached under any circumstances. Instructions on the proper use of a Muggle “telephone“, and the types of coins needed to work one can be requested from the Ministry of Magic.”
The news has been carrying on about Black non-stop it seems since he escaped. Meanwhile the other being that escaped, the unknown Ani-Magius, remained at large yet unreported on. Apparently he was really as harmless as the paper suggested, and people were more worried of the devil they knew (Black) than one that was unknown to them.
Pity they didn’t take Jack Lazarus’ Guardian Academy class on the “Darkling Element“ (darkness and evil intent in both nightmares and humankind), because “it’s always the devil you know the least that can prove to be the most dangerous.” (Jack Lazarus)
The only image they had of him was of a gaunt faced individual, hair a matted elbow length tangle. Of course that was before he broke out, even the dimmest of criminals knew to change their appearance after breaking out of jail so there stood a good chance that Black didn’t even look like this anymore. The news should have prepared more images of possible appearances he might have taken on, just to have been on the safe side.
The news shifted to Quidditch news (World Cup news again) and Alicia shut her sphere off and put it back into her tesseract pouch. While it was nice that they occasionally reported on other thing, it seems that the news media in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds have been hanging on Black’s story for days (though only the Wizarding world knew the truth about Black, or as much of the truth as they had about him), but not so much as to inform the public as it drew in good ratings. Like vultures to a dead carcass, the news tended to hover over stories like this until it was beaten to death. Still, if this over exposure helped capture Black then more power to the news media.
With that she finished her meal, tidied up (making a nice neat little pile for the cleaning staff to gather up) and made her way out of the doors of the Leaky Cauldron and into the Normal world. Right off the bat her day was already doomed.
She missed her first bus and had to wait for a second one, all the while being passed by wizards from the pub still wondering what was bothering her. She smiled, and tried her best to be polite, though they all were acting like she had lost a limb back at the pub and they
were all trying to give her missing arm back to her (the way they fidgeted about her like nervous cats).
When she finally caught her bus and made it to the part of town she wanted to go she found the little store she wanted to visit was being visited already, by a gunman. With more than abit of annoyance in her voice, she stormed up to him and yanked the gun away screaming at him to get lost. Now, mind you, most Muggles should NEVER try such a stupid thing --- but then again she figured the bullets wouldn’t harm her anyway since her costume would only “emerge” from it’s resting spot in subspace to protect her, and she could have just yanked the gun free from his hand with abit of power. But she was in a foul mood, and he just so happened to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, she mused, at least she didn’t kill him. He should be grateful for that at least.
What was worst for her was, as she bought her picnic lunch, she almost forgot to pay in Muggle money (cursing as she almost handed the cashier a fistful of silver Sickles for her purchase). Today she was definitely not paying attention.
As she waited for her ride to the place where she was going to eat her lunch she felt her thoughts wander back to the permission form, and how to get it signed.
She had, for the past few days (from time to time) mulled over it. And while it wasn’t a top priority with her it still demanded some thought from her, and yet she still hadn’t come to a satisfactory conclusion over it.
She could have had her “associates” who masqueraded as her parents sign it, but it could have opened a sticky cage of Cornish Pixies if they did a background check and found out her “parents” were not even related to her. So far all she needed was a place for her mail to go that was, on the record, home, and that’s it. But this form could have opened up a deeper inquiry into her “life” and her “home” which was something she really didn’t want right now.
She didn’t know how they did it at Hogwarts, but she felt she had to play it safe rather than take a risk like this. So she still had the form, but nobody to sign it.
Stranger still was the fact that she tried to write to Harry two days ago for his advice, only for Chii to return to her with the note STILL in her possession and a small note asking her not to write for a few days. She thought it might have been that Mr. Dursley had “remembered” what she did to him, but in fact it was just that his “Aunt Marge” was visiting and she was, from what she could get in the one line or two he wrote about her, a major git and a half.
Oh, well, she was once again stuck with her perdictiment even after trying to palm it off onto someone else. One form, no signers, and no answers.
Maybe she was feeling a little bold because the next thought that came into her head was to send a message to Hermione to see if she could figure out a way around this. But knowing her she’d just scold her for trying to get around the rules and reprimand her. She had already
written to Hermione anyway, making her promise not to buy her school books since this year it was going to be Alica’s “treat” to buy them. Part in reason was to return the favor for the Animes she got her, part because it made Alicia all tingly to think about buying Hermione
“gifts” (even if they were only school books). (Maybe she would “accidentally” sneak chocolates in, just because--)
A quick thought to try and get the Weasley brothers of George & Fred to “forge” a name on the form came up, but the form was probably magicked to detect that kind of trickery (and even if it wasn’t there was probably tests they’d do on the form to make sure it wasn’t monkeyed with).
Overall? When it came to this one form somehow her scrolls of homework seemed a helluva lot easier to fathom than the problems that this one piece of paper was giving her. Sure she could dodge out of going to Hogsmeade until she was old enough to go without permission from parents she didn’t have in this world, but still -- the thought of using Hogsmeade’s’ resources to court Hermione with gifts of affection intrigued her greatly.
Then there was the matter of Cho Chang.
She’d been friends with the girl since first year (herself being a second year back then), and this year she heard Cho was going up for possibly becoming the Seeker for Ravenclaw. She thought for a few agonizing seconds about asking her, then declined it right off.
There was something that needed to be said about this.
Hermione was her crush, her interest and lost cause in love.
Cho Chang was her best friend -- but when last year ended, and Alicia took a pass at Cho saying “Seeing how I probably won’t make it out of Hogwarts with everyone and their Darke Raven uncle trying to off me, maybe I should seduce you now before I die a virgin?”
“Ask me again in two years.” she simply said, and no more with a smile most perplexing on her lips. Walking off leaving Alicia confused, as they parted for the year.
Heh. Alicia almost thought it way too naughty to even humor the unlikely thought that Cho was-- but still, in letters she sent (via Chii since she knew how much Alicia hated owls) she had hinted that, if Alicia was serious, that they could POSSIBLY try it later. Alicia said yes, and Cho said this in the next letter to her.
“I want to court a Hufflepuff for awhile. Let’s stay friends until we’ve truly decided our heart’s desires, then we’ll make our choice then.”
What a cryptic message. A Hufflepuff? Why? And who did she--- Alicia smirked at the thought of Cho picking her after her Hufflepuff “courtier“, then smiled a more humble smile. She’s just a nice friend who wants to make Alicia happy. Ah, if only it could be true.
When she finally arrived at Big Ben a few minutes later it didn’t take long to find the place she was looking for. In the shadow of Big Ben, hidden out of sight of the Muggles, she tapped out a small sequence on an ordinary wall and opened a “door” to the most beautiful park in all of London. The park, which existed in a pocket “tesseract”, was huge
and spanned as far as the eye could see. It was a hidden place of extreme beauty in the heart of the man made city of London. Trees, rolling hills of grass, and even a huge lake could be seen from her vantage point as she stepped through off of London’s hustle and bustle and into the serenity of “Tranquility Park”.
Tranquility Park was a place for magical folk to relax and enjoy themselves without having to spend time in the “normal” parks where Muggles hung around. It was their own private nature sanctuary all to themselves, and they did their best to keep it clean and tidy for all to enjoy. The park was maintained by a small rotating staff of wizards who constantly patrolled the park zapping litter and lecturing people to clean up after themselves.
Today was a nice day, as always, since the environment in the tesseract was always sunny (or a clear starry night if it was dark out in London), so it was as good a day as any for a picnic. Alicia set off across the grass, watching the birds fly by while minding not to step on the garden gnomes that wandered the landscape. She knew exactly where she was going. She’d done it before. But it had been a year since she was last there.
The last time she was there she was commuting between Diagon Alley & the Burrows (where Harry was staying after he had to be sprung from his “imprisonment” by the Dursleys on the day of his birthday), and she had almost forgotten to come. But since this year things were
relatively quiet she didn’t forget -- even if at times she wished she could forget.
As she came over the tenth hill it came into sight. Rising up from the landscape was a quiet hill with a tall stone monument looking over the park from it’s vantage point.
The marker, which she paid for herself from the large fortune of galleons she “earned” from the one key she confiscated from that Darke Raven she chased to this world that day three years ago -- the day she killed the real Alicia Spinnet and assumed her place.
The monument was made in her honor. Her final resting place, in a sense, since her body still walked the Earth despite the fact that the spirit within had gone to heaven a long time ago.
As she neared the marker, ready to set up for lunch, something felt wrong. Something was amiss. When she neared she saw that someone had vandalized the monument. Burned into the stone itself (no doubt with the use of a wand) were the words “DYKE” and “WHORE”.
Alicia’s eyes narrowed, and her teeth ground together as she stared at the words, each one burning into her mind’s eye. She raised a hand, only to feel someone else’s presence.
“Damn kids went and did it again, I see.”
The sound of shuffling and a steady thunk thunk thunk in the soft grass alerted her to the presence. With a ragged sigh she released her pent up anger slowly and turned towards the source of the words. “They did it again, Moody. Damn bastards --”
“Give ‘em a little credit.” Mad Eye Moody remarked as he neared, motioning towards the stone, “Least they managed to spell it right this time. Remember last time when they misspelled--”
“Don’t remind me.” Alicia sighed bitterly, shifting her weight on the balls of her feet as she examined it. “I guess I’ll have to repair it again.”
“Guess so. You brought lunch?”
“You know I did.”
* * * * * *
Tradition. She did it last year, and she was doing it again.
Lunch with the man who helped her defeat the Darke Raven she was hunting.
Once again he makes a table and two plush chairs appear on the hilltop, mostly since he would probably have a difficult time sitting on the grass with his wooden leg and all, and the two sit down. As they observed the fields of people relaxing, a coy thought came into Alicia’s mind.
“People probably think we’re spring/autumn lovers, you know. Wondering what kind of naughty mischief we’ll get into beneath the bushes after lunch---”
Moody frowned at her and took another bite of his chicken, looking about as usual for any sign of “Attackers”. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not my type.”
“That’s my line.” she retorted softly, chewing her food slowly as she looked back at the now cleaned and sanitized headstone. “Magical folk can be so ignorant at times.”
“Folk in general, or just me?”
“Don’t sass me.” Alicia grumbled, eyes wandering as she spoke slowly. “You know what I mean. Muggle this, Muggle that, dyke dyke --”
“Don’t be getting yourself all worked up.”
“WHY NOT!” she snarls, taking a bite out of her food, “I’ve been riled up since this morning. Nothing but Sirius Black staring me in the face on the news, and in the paper, and this ignorance today--” (shoving a hand out towards the tombstone as she goes on) “--it’s just getting on my nerves. If it’s not one thing, it’s the usual thing. And that usual thing being---”
“That usual thing being the homophobic nature of some of the younger wizards.”
“And Normals.” she finishes. Her shoulders slump abit as she speaks, “No wonder Cho didn’t give me an answer last year. Even the sweetest and gentlest of girls can be stumped when their best female friend makes a pass at her. Bet she thinks I’m some sort of freak now.”
“You’re quick to judge what others think of you.”
“Aren’t you the same?” Alicia retorted.
“Guess.” Moody accepts, smiling grimly at her as he watches her closely, “You really think that badly of others? That you can’t get close without being hurt? Do unto others as you want them to do unto--”
Alicia - “You swallow a bad fortune cookie or are you ALWAYS this annoying?!”
Moody goes back to eating, his magical eye continuing to swivel about endlessly.
‘God I hate remembrances.’ she growled to herself, in her thoughts.
* * * * * *
At the end they parted, and she laid her flowers at the base of the stone and prayed.
She didn’t know what “faith” or “beliefs” the real Alicia Spinnet had, so she could only do what she herself knew and that was the Goddess faith, which probably wasn’t what the real Alicia believed in. Still, better than nothing.
She then spent the rest of the afternoon telling tales to the stone of what she did in school, the adventures and the mishaps, and wished that Alicia could tell her what Heaven was like.
She knew that Alicia went to Heaven in the end. She saw the angels come for her soul herself. But what happened next? Even she didn’t know.
At the end she packed up her basket (dropping the empty thing into one of her tesseract gems for safe keeping), and went back into the now darkened Muggle streets to head back to Diagon Alley. Night was descending on the streets, and it looks gloomy in the now ominous
shadow of the towering Big Ben. Time, definitely, to go. All she had to do was get back to the bus stop and catch the next bus and she’d be on her way.
That’s when she heard the laughing, and in between a soft sobbing noise.
Her attention turned away from the bus stop, and deeper into the darkness.
She didn’t like the noise one bit, but she had to investigate. Drawing her wand (finely made custom job from Ollivander’s using a piece of rare wood from the Realm of Dreams and the “strings” of her own soul as it’s base) she held it out and tried to remember the word for
light. “Lumos.” she finally remembered, shining a light ahead of her. A few feet down, and one turn, she ran into three robed boys (obviously magicals) tormenting two Muggle girls. One laid cowering on the ground, while the other shielded her from their gazes and taunts.
One kept kicking the one on top.
“Like being on top don’t YOU! Slutty little Muggle dyke!”
“FUCKIN’ LEAVE HER ALONE YOU BASTARD!!” Alicia screaming in a rage.
“Come on! Let me kick the little pu--” (they turned and noticed Alicia, and she them), “Well if it isn’t the little dyke from---”
That’s all he said. Alicia’s eyes narrowed, her teeth clenched again (as before on the hill), only this time she had three live targets to “play” with.
She lowered her wand hand, and jerked him into the wall with her free hand, her power building as her eyes began to burn red. The others paused as there was a sudden BANG and something rolled behind her. The two girls didn’t move, one was still petrified as the other protected her.
Regardless of what it was, Alicia thought, she wasn’t going to let them get away.
“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emer--- blimey.” the voice behind her gasped.
Briefly she let her attention stray, battering back her three targets with a slight wave of the hand sending them crashing into the wall where she slammed the first one moments before. “Hang on.” she asked, turning her attention back, this time reaching out to cause all three pain by stimulating their pain centers severely, making them scream.
“Here, here!” the voice yelled, “What ’u tink yer do--” (Alicia points her wand right at his head, his body shaking as he stands before her.) “Not now. I’m busy.”
But her attention strayed, allowing them to get up to run for it. However, before the three could run very far she raised her free hand (keeping her wand pointed steady at the conductor) and began to power it, forming a disc at the palm of her hand, extending it outwards making it grow. “Eviscerator--”
“STOP!!”
“--DISC!!”
She spins (wand still managing to keep itself pointed at the conductor through the large swinging motion of her body) and she lets the disc go, dead on at her prey. That’s when something shot out from behind her. “DISPELLIUS!!”
The shot was dead on, hitting the disc dead center, shattering it. The boys continued to run.
“OH NO YOU DON’T!!” Alicia yelled, only to feel a strong hand grab her. “DON’T!”
She struggled, her eyes blazing, “LET ME GO!! LET ME GO!!”
“Don’t do it! Scum like that aren’t worth it!” Moody yelled.
“THOSE BASTARDS!! LET ME GO!!” she yelled, finally breaking free. The jolt sent both people falling to the sides of the alley, each collapsing against the wall opposite the other. Alicia’s eyes met Moody’s, and she scowled. “You let those BASTARDS get away!!”
“Not really.”
A horrific shriek filled the alley, then two more and silence.
“Better help me with their memories. Even love can’t wash away that
kind of horror of listening to that.”
* * * * * *
It was an easy enough task to mend their memories, and set the two on their way again.
In the end they caught the bus that Alicia wanted, and she caught the Knight Bus.
Moody was in a good mood after being fed, and he seemed to have had a special little spot for the loud Spinnet, because he didn’t report her to the Ministry of Magic.
The Knight Bus driver and conductor (a Mr. Ernie Prang and Stan Shunpike) also had their memories altered, but just to the point that they didn’t remember the violence.
Still, as she stewed moodily in her bed (the entire bus made up like a dormitory with beds instead of bus seats) Alicia couldn’t let go to what they were doing. It boiled in her blood, and made her angry everytime the images of them doing worst to those girls if she hadn’t
caught them came to mind.
As for what happened to them? Those evil things?
She knew it was better not to ask. At least for now.
* * * * * *
It lolled it’s head back and forth, blood dripping from it’s mouth as it surveyed the dead.
It didn’t stay long, moving back to the rooftops as soon as it heard footsteps.
As the reptilian form took refuge above, Moody looked over it’s work.
“Docile as a kitten, eh?” he sneered, “Shows what the lot of them at Azkaban know.”
He turns, and walks away, leaving the bodies behind. “Nobody ever misses trash like them anyway.” he mutters as he disappears into the alleys.
To Be Continued
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
First New Episode!
This episode has been completely re-visioned from it's original shoujoai version as the entire conflict with Mimic has been redone to remove the "card battle" element of the original for this different vision of it. Hope you liked it.
It's not the end, as next week's two parter is another completely revisioned story changing it from it's original shoujoai counterpart. Tune in to see the changes.
It's not the end, as next week's two parter is another completely revisioned story changing it from it's original shoujoai counterpart. Tune in to see the changes.
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 1-7 (10)
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 7 (10)
Mimic - “Are you suffering yet.”
Sakura - “…suffer…”
“It isn‘t such a hard question to answer, is it?” Mimic prods, tightening her grip on Tomoyo’s throat a little bit. “Does seeing your lover at my mercies hurt you? Knowing her exsistence hangs at the end of my fingertips like th--“
Sakura - “Leave her alone!“
”Stop hurting her.” Tomoyo whispers, her eyes focused only on Sakura, “Sakura didn’t hurt you, you’re suffering isn’t her fault, she only wants to he--“
Suddenly the ground shakes and from the water a platform rises out. “I am not without mercy for the merciless whore before me, who’d seal me back into my card prison without a second thought of my feelings or the life I want to live.“ she hisses as she lands on the deck, Tomoyo still in hand as she forces her onto her knees. “I’ll make it fair, more than you would do to me if our roles were reversed.“
Suddenly a book appears from nowhere, an invisible hand writing into it in front of everyone. “That looks like the Create book card, but how---” (Mimic motions to the Create book with her free hand) “I’m just having Create write the rules for our little engagement, nothing more and nothing less. From it’s own creativity comes Sakura’s judgment.“
“Writing your own rules to play by I see, nothing’s changed with you.”
“Flippant as always Kerberos.” Mimic coldly counters, “But your smug superior attitude won‘t save your pet Captor now.” Nina glances over at Sakura nervously, noticing how she is slowly coming unraveled the longer Tomoyo is held prisoner. “Uh -- Sakura? Not to doubt you or anything but you don’t look too good. Maybe I should --”
“Mimic!!” Sakura suddenly screams, her nerves unraveling in her as she does, “I’ll fight you! Whatever it takes! But don’t hurt Tomo-chan! I’ll do whatever you want but don’t hurt her!“
Sakura draws her cards and powers her rings. “I promise to harass you no more regardless of what happens! Just don’t hurt her!”
For a moment Mimic regards the offer, thinking silently before nodding her head once. “Agreed. Let’s start.”
“Sakura!” Tomoyo calls out from her kneeling position, “Don’t hold back! No matter what don’t hold back!“
“I won’t let her hurt you, Tomo-chan!” Sakura responds, hands tightening on her star staff as she waits for Mimic‘s first move.
“I’ll start this off---” Mimic whispers, taking a deep breath as she focuses… and then stops. “Ready. Your turn.“
Sakura, uncertain what to do, aims her Water ring hand towards Mimic and screams “Water lance!!” As the ring launches it’s attack, Mimic simply stares and watches with no interest, suddenly yanking Tomoyo in front of her to take the brunt of the attack. “Tomo!!“
Sakura pulls her arm back, teeth clenched as the strain of turning Water’s attack slams into her skull painfully. The attack veers off, only wetting the two slightly as Sakura buckles, her legs wobbly as she tries to gather her wits about her.
“That’s cheating!“ Kero yells, to which Mimic merely replies “That’s another bad trait of yours, Kerberos, you always expect your opponent to play fair and by some useless rulebook of conduct that only losers follow.“ (thinks it over) “As long as I have her at hand your CardCaptor there won’t dare attack me, fearing she’ll hurt her lover in the process.“
Water skeletons rises from the platform, giving Sakura the shakes as she stares at them. “Meanwhile I can attack her without fear of retribution as she’s too restrained by her heart to do me any serious harm.”
“You are too arrogant.“ Eliza notes as she steps in front of Sakura, “Since these things are not you that means we don’t have to hold back from attacking them. Like--“ (tilts her head sharply triggering her sound system, whispering to the beat as she spellweaves) “--this.“
Spell lightning lashes out, shattering each water skeleton in turn without coming near the two. However as the lightning hits them at once Tomoyo screams, head snaps back in agony. “NO!!“ Sakura yells, almost bolting forward if Mimic didn’t stop her by pulling Tomoyo close to her again. “Don’t!!“ she warned, the silence of the moment only scarred by Tomoyo’s whimpering, “Not so tough now, are you.“
Sakura, teeth clenched, can only stare in fear and anger as she is helpless to stop Tomoyo’s suffering. Mimic smiles abit at her weakness, “My ability to win hasn’t diminished because of my inability to “care” for others. Caring is a weakness, one you should learn to dismiss from your being before it drags you down in your needless love for this piece of flesh.“
Sakura stares at her intensely, shivering as she holds herself back “I love her… you used to love someone once, don’t you remember what it feels like to be in love with someone…“
“That it hurts?!? YES DAMN YOU YES!!“ Mimic yells, “I know damn well what it feels like to love until it hurts because it hurt me when you, Kerberos, and all your pals abandoned me and left me to rot in that hell Clow Reed sealed me into! It was hell, you bastard, hell!!“
Mimic loosens her hold on Tomoyo abit, looking right at Kerberos for the first time. “Born as nothing more than a mistress, and thrown away when I only wanted what Clow Reed TOOK from me without even the slightest attempt to give back to me in even the slightest way!! So am I angry?!? You bet I am!!“ (silence) “And I have every right to be!”
Sakura - “I won’t lose my faith in love like you, I won’t fail Tomoyo.”
Mimic - “Bad move, little Card Captor. One I’ll punish you with right now.“
She raises her arm, powering it with dark energy. Sakura quickly raises her water ring hand and focuses on defense. “SAKURA NO!!” Nina screams but too late, as Mimic unleashes an attack that easily shreds water’s shield knocking Sakura backwards hard onto her back.
“SAKURA-CHAN!!” Tomoyo screams, watching teary eyed as Sakura rolls over and over until she comes to a stop face down, unconscious. Tomoyo, shaking like a leaf and scared, all thoughts focused on Sakura, watches in a blind panic.
“Think I’m still a loser, Kerberos?” Mimic taunts.
“As much as you don’t like taking my advice--” Nina starts, pulling Sakura to her feet, slowly getting her awareness kicked back in, “--I think you better this time because you don’t know what your doing!”
“Tomo… Tomo-chan… Tomo…” Sakura muttered over and over, wearily looking blankly straight ahead, “Save her… save her…”
“You haven’t been a Card Captor in years!” Nina retorts, “This is a hostage crisis! You’ve never done this before! Let’s get an expert to negotiate with Mimic before this gets any further out of ha--”
“There’s no “negotiating” with me!“ Mimic yells, a look of distress on Tomoyo’s face as she looks over at Mimic then back at Sakura in turn. “Oh Sakura-chan---“ (stops and turns to face Mimic directly) “I won’t let you use me as a pawn anymore.“
“Really. Is this touching threat to stop me over with or are you going to shut up before I fry you in front of your little Card Captor?”
Tomoyo‘s eyes darken, her face turns grim, “I won’t let you use me to harm Sakura anymore!“ (holds out her hand and shows her own rings) “I will stop this right here, and right now.“
“Pathetic.” Mimic sighs as she regards Tomoyo. “You’ll have to do better than that to stop me, little girl. You are worthless.”
Suddenly everything stops for Sakura as she dimly looks up at the two.
Tomoyo. She believed in her even if her own belief was fading. As long as Tomoyo believed in her she felt confident she could do anything. Her belief carried her forward. She just needed to remember that and hold onto Tomoyo’s belief as she watched Tomoyo point towards her light ring and say… “You can‘t have sway over Sakura if you don‘t have me.”
Mimic, confused, looks at her severely, “What do you think your doing?! Trying to bribe me for your life? That won’t help!” Mimic yells, staring at Sakura then back to Tomoyo again as she began to lose control, “Just as well, your all so predictable! I won’t fall for this bluff!“
Eliza shivers near Nina, Eliza’s strong arms around her holding her back as they watch.
Long seconds pass but finally it happens. Tomoyo’s light ring flashes bright as she takes it and aims… at herself. The flash throws her back off the platform and right near Sakura, her body limply rolling just like Sakura’s did earlier before coming to a stop near her, face up, her breathing ragged and hard yet she was still breathing… still alive.
“W-w-what the hell…??” Mimic whispers in horror, eyes widened in shock.
Sakura looks on first in shock, which turns second by second into a dark blinding rage. Grabbing the sealing staff upwards she gets onto her feet abit wobbly, teeth mashed together tight as she snarls at Mimic. “MIMIC!! RETURN TO YOUR HELL FOREVER!! MIMIC!!“
Briefly a strong image of Tomoyo, smiling and radiant in her happiness, flashes in Sakura’s mind, causing her to cry out loud as she unleashes her power. The power of their love courses through Tomoyo’s Light ring, and it’s power forged from their happiness would win this for the both of them as many tendrils of light spring from Tomoyo towards Mimic, grabbing and snaring her as Sakura‘s sealing power wraps about her.
Tomoyo & Sakura together. Unbreakable. Forever.
Mimic’s eyes shoot wide open, her face freezes as she claws against the restraining powers, “NO!!!” Mimic screams, throwing the Create book desperately into the tendrils streaming out of Sakura’s staff and Tomoyo’s ring as she desperately pulls free of their combined attack, diving into a hasty portal she makes in the water to escape.
“BITCH!!” Sakura screams, jumping up on the railing overlooking the lake as she does, “I’LL GET YOU DAMMIT!! I WON’T FORGIVE YOU FOR HURTING TOMOYO!! YOU HEAR ME?!? I WON’T FORGIVE YOU EVER!!”
Tomoyo, her eyes flickering open from her prone position, sighs as she catches the Create card in her hand. It takes a few minutes to calm Sakura, but once she regathers her wits she sits next to Tomoyo, holding her close with her head leaning on Sakura’s shoulder for support. “It’s not the card you came here for, but at least it’s a card.” Tomoyo remarks quietly, “You saved me.”
“It’s our card, and you saved yourself.” Sakura cried softly, “I was so helpless. I felt so useless that I couldn’t save you. If I let you die in her hands I don’t know what I would have done in my grief… I’m sorry I’m so useless, my precious love.”
“You’re never useless, Sakura-chan, my love.” Tomoyo whispers, “Just being there for me made me strong, and gave me the strength to stand up against her. Without you… I could never have… been strong enough to resist… her.”
The two kiss, holding each other close as they embrace, their bodies trembling as they share this beautiful moment just for the two of them. “Let’s get some takeout on the way home!” Kero calls out to the two, who are oblivious to the world, “I’m hungry! Make out kissey face and all later, feed me now!!”
Somethings never change. Speaking of which--- “SAKURA!!” Nina screeches, looking down at her clothes. “I’m soaked! Your combined attacks (and it’s aura burn afterwards) shielded you from the water, but I got soaked! (too close to the lake!)” (huffs) “I can’t go home like this! I don’t want to catch a cold or worst!”
“Don’t worry.” Tomoyo remarks, “I came prepared just in case.”
“For Sakura, sure, but not for---” (blinks as Tomoyo asks Sakura to get her backpack and open it up) “--what the--”
Tomoyo - “IT’S YOUR FIRST COSTUME!!” she cried out, pulling the costume up and out with Sakura’s help, “I figured I’d make you and Sakura like sisters with matching outfits and everything! Isn‘t this cute?”
Nina - “I’M NOT HER SISTER!!”
Eliza - “And that’s way flashier than the one Sakura has on.”
Nina faints, leaving Eliza holding the bag to explain it all (more or less).
Sakura shakes her head ruefully, “I don’t get it.” she sighs as she watches Tomoyo (now mysteriously back up on her feet and energetic again) struggle to get Nina to put the costume on. “I’d rather go home naked!” Nina whimpers.
Tomoyo - “Come on, wear it“
Sakura - “It‘d look cute on you, I‘ll bet.”
Nina - “Mind your own beeswax, Snoozer!”
Tomoyo - “But it’s nice, and warm, and dry and---”
Nina - “It won’t be for long if I throw it in the lake!”
Eliza - “Nina!!”
Sakura grabs Nina and drags her into the bushes “PUT IT ON!!”
Tomoyo smiles at Sakura‘s sudden “enthusiasm“, “Sakura-chan can be so spirited at times.” she notes, watching as Nina disappears into the brush. Eliza shakes her head, “I better promise her extra service tonight or she’ll never stop cursing Sakura’s existence. She can be so stubborn at times.”
Nina - “PERVERT!! STOP THAT!! I WANT A LAWYER!! ELIZA!! HELP ME!! ELIZA!!”
* * * * * *
“I was so wrong.” Tomoyo sighs, “How could I have been so wrong.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s not worth it.”
Tomoyo turns towards Jack, face ashen in regret. “I’m not 11 anymore, I can’t pretend that my presence with Sakura doesn’t affect her. I could have gotten Sakura killed being held hostage like that, being more of a liability than a help to her.”
Jack sits down next to her, looking at her with an understanding expression. “You do seem rather off about this whole situation, what with this whole death thing and all.”
Tomoyo blushes a little, “I think it’s the theme of the setting and all.” (looks about) “We are sitting in the middle of a dream representation of the death Tokyo and all.”
Jack frowns, “Oh, that…” (stands up) “…what can I say, you caught me off guard. I was waiting to speak to someone else and all, but I felt you needed the pep talk more. Hence the whole, you know, dead Tokyo thing and all. Totally not here to bring up the death thing.”
“Oh, really.” Tomoyo noted, “But it doesn’t change the fact that I am more liability than use to Sakura. If Sakura wasn’t hampered by what happened to me she would have captured Mimic, but instead she was more concerned with my safety than with Mimic’s capture and Mimic used that against her.” (silence) “I’m Sakura’s weakness, and her failing.”
“She doesn’t see it that way.” Jack begins pacing, looking at Tomoyo firmly as he walked, “You’re her hope, and her joy, you’re everything to her. If you stopped going out on these missions it would slowly fill her with doubt, and that doubt would grow until it became an unbearable pain that would drive her to quit before the job was done.”
Tomoyo - “I know that, I know. But--”
“But nothing. You both complete each other, in both cardcaptoring and married life. Nothing, not even Mimic, can break you as long as your together.” (Jack snaps his fingers) “That’s what those like Mimic are banking on. Once they break you two apart they know Sakura’s faith would crumble until she gave up the quest in order to hang onto you, it’s their one weapon against Sakura… and your one strength if you don’t allow their effots to come to fruitation.”
“But--” (Tomoyo head lowers) “--I could have lost Sakura-chan… She could have… I screwed up so badly…”
Jack raises her head to stare her right in the eyes, “Everybody screws up, believe you me if there’s nothing else I know it’s screwing up.” (smiles as he kneels close to her) “But that’s your strength together, isn’t it, to take a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage when things are their bleakest. It’s how you fell in love, and how you’ll always be in love no matter what happens.” (distant sound of footfalls) “Well, that’s my 2:45 so it’s time to send you home.” (Jack stands again and motions towards Tomoyo) “You have to be strong for Sakura. Things with Mimic are going to be worst before they get better… but they will get better, you’ll see, they’ll get better…”
Snap.
Tomoyo wakes up in Sakura’s arms, held tight as she slept. Tomoyo smiles, kisses Sakura on the cheek and cuddles in to fall asleep in her beloved’s arms.
* * * * * *
Back at the Daidouji Estates (the next day)
Eliza - “I ordered a copy of the new adventures for us. And it has a cute scene of you in your new costume at the end. It’ll be ready this afternoon and we can watch it tonight and--” (Eliza was apparently talking to herself because Nina was sulking over her last remains of breakfast in a pouty mood).
Nina - “Give me a break.”
“What are you doing today, Nina?” Sakura asks with genuine interest. Nina frowns at her as she enters, “I’m going to drown myself and come back to haunt you forever. What a stupid question.” (Sakura pouts as Nina gets off the table, countering with “Don’t need to take your bad mood out on me. Where you going?”
Nina - “Where you do think? At least some of us wake up at a godly hour.”
“Humph. Bad mood and ridicule.” Sakura sighs. But as she pouts her mood changes the instant Tomoyo reaches out beneath the table and takes her hand, washing away Sakura’s pouty mood with her bright and beautiful presence, bringing a smile to Sakura’s once sad face. “Thanks, Tomo-chan.”
Tomoyo - “For what?”
Sakura - “For being you, as always.”
Nina - “SOMETIME TODAY, PEOPLE, HOP TO IT!!”
Tomoyo smiles as Sakura/Mirra-chan wolf down theirr breakfast (she finished awhile ago but sat patiently next to Sakura watching her eat). As they each grab their breakfast and rush out the door Nina sighs, turning to look at an empty room she whispers something as if someone’s watching, then turns to leave. “Who were you speaking to, Nina?“
“My guardian angel, Eliza.“
The image on her mind’s eye when she was saved. The woman who kept her from drowning (and who protected Tomoyo at her moment of greatest need). She was there, and she heard Nina’s words. She simply smiles and mouths the words “I love you too, my precious daughter.“ and leaves.
“Love Conquers All, even Clow Cards”
To Be Continued
Mimic - “Are you suffering yet.”
Sakura - “…suffer…”
“It isn‘t such a hard question to answer, is it?” Mimic prods, tightening her grip on Tomoyo’s throat a little bit. “Does seeing your lover at my mercies hurt you? Knowing her exsistence hangs at the end of my fingertips like th--“
Sakura - “Leave her alone!“
”Stop hurting her.” Tomoyo whispers, her eyes focused only on Sakura, “Sakura didn’t hurt you, you’re suffering isn’t her fault, she only wants to he--“
Suddenly the ground shakes and from the water a platform rises out. “I am not without mercy for the merciless whore before me, who’d seal me back into my card prison without a second thought of my feelings or the life I want to live.“ she hisses as she lands on the deck, Tomoyo still in hand as she forces her onto her knees. “I’ll make it fair, more than you would do to me if our roles were reversed.“
Suddenly a book appears from nowhere, an invisible hand writing into it in front of everyone. “That looks like the Create book card, but how---” (Mimic motions to the Create book with her free hand) “I’m just having Create write the rules for our little engagement, nothing more and nothing less. From it’s own creativity comes Sakura’s judgment.“
“Writing your own rules to play by I see, nothing’s changed with you.”
“Flippant as always Kerberos.” Mimic coldly counters, “But your smug superior attitude won‘t save your pet Captor now.” Nina glances over at Sakura nervously, noticing how she is slowly coming unraveled the longer Tomoyo is held prisoner. “Uh -- Sakura? Not to doubt you or anything but you don’t look too good. Maybe I should --”
“Mimic!!” Sakura suddenly screams, her nerves unraveling in her as she does, “I’ll fight you! Whatever it takes! But don’t hurt Tomo-chan! I’ll do whatever you want but don’t hurt her!“
Sakura draws her cards and powers her rings. “I promise to harass you no more regardless of what happens! Just don’t hurt her!”
For a moment Mimic regards the offer, thinking silently before nodding her head once. “Agreed. Let’s start.”
“Sakura!” Tomoyo calls out from her kneeling position, “Don’t hold back! No matter what don’t hold back!“
“I won’t let her hurt you, Tomo-chan!” Sakura responds, hands tightening on her star staff as she waits for Mimic‘s first move.
“I’ll start this off---” Mimic whispers, taking a deep breath as she focuses… and then stops. “Ready. Your turn.“
Sakura, uncertain what to do, aims her Water ring hand towards Mimic and screams “Water lance!!” As the ring launches it’s attack, Mimic simply stares and watches with no interest, suddenly yanking Tomoyo in front of her to take the brunt of the attack. “Tomo!!“
Sakura pulls her arm back, teeth clenched as the strain of turning Water’s attack slams into her skull painfully. The attack veers off, only wetting the two slightly as Sakura buckles, her legs wobbly as she tries to gather her wits about her.
“That’s cheating!“ Kero yells, to which Mimic merely replies “That’s another bad trait of yours, Kerberos, you always expect your opponent to play fair and by some useless rulebook of conduct that only losers follow.“ (thinks it over) “As long as I have her at hand your CardCaptor there won’t dare attack me, fearing she’ll hurt her lover in the process.“
Water skeletons rises from the platform, giving Sakura the shakes as she stares at them. “Meanwhile I can attack her without fear of retribution as she’s too restrained by her heart to do me any serious harm.”
“You are too arrogant.“ Eliza notes as she steps in front of Sakura, “Since these things are not you that means we don’t have to hold back from attacking them. Like--“ (tilts her head sharply triggering her sound system, whispering to the beat as she spellweaves) “--this.“
Spell lightning lashes out, shattering each water skeleton in turn without coming near the two. However as the lightning hits them at once Tomoyo screams, head snaps back in agony. “NO!!“ Sakura yells, almost bolting forward if Mimic didn’t stop her by pulling Tomoyo close to her again. “Don’t!!“ she warned, the silence of the moment only scarred by Tomoyo’s whimpering, “Not so tough now, are you.“
Sakura, teeth clenched, can only stare in fear and anger as she is helpless to stop Tomoyo’s suffering. Mimic smiles abit at her weakness, “My ability to win hasn’t diminished because of my inability to “care” for others. Caring is a weakness, one you should learn to dismiss from your being before it drags you down in your needless love for this piece of flesh.“
Sakura stares at her intensely, shivering as she holds herself back “I love her… you used to love someone once, don’t you remember what it feels like to be in love with someone…“
“That it hurts?!? YES DAMN YOU YES!!“ Mimic yells, “I know damn well what it feels like to love until it hurts because it hurt me when you, Kerberos, and all your pals abandoned me and left me to rot in that hell Clow Reed sealed me into! It was hell, you bastard, hell!!“
Mimic loosens her hold on Tomoyo abit, looking right at Kerberos for the first time. “Born as nothing more than a mistress, and thrown away when I only wanted what Clow Reed TOOK from me without even the slightest attempt to give back to me in even the slightest way!! So am I angry?!? You bet I am!!“ (silence) “And I have every right to be!”
Sakura - “I won’t lose my faith in love like you, I won’t fail Tomoyo.”
Mimic - “Bad move, little Card Captor. One I’ll punish you with right now.“
She raises her arm, powering it with dark energy. Sakura quickly raises her water ring hand and focuses on defense. “SAKURA NO!!” Nina screams but too late, as Mimic unleashes an attack that easily shreds water’s shield knocking Sakura backwards hard onto her back.
“SAKURA-CHAN!!” Tomoyo screams, watching teary eyed as Sakura rolls over and over until she comes to a stop face down, unconscious. Tomoyo, shaking like a leaf and scared, all thoughts focused on Sakura, watches in a blind panic.
“Think I’m still a loser, Kerberos?” Mimic taunts.
“As much as you don’t like taking my advice--” Nina starts, pulling Sakura to her feet, slowly getting her awareness kicked back in, “--I think you better this time because you don’t know what your doing!”
“Tomo… Tomo-chan… Tomo…” Sakura muttered over and over, wearily looking blankly straight ahead, “Save her… save her…”
“You haven’t been a Card Captor in years!” Nina retorts, “This is a hostage crisis! You’ve never done this before! Let’s get an expert to negotiate with Mimic before this gets any further out of ha--”
“There’s no “negotiating” with me!“ Mimic yells, a look of distress on Tomoyo’s face as she looks over at Mimic then back at Sakura in turn. “Oh Sakura-chan---“ (stops and turns to face Mimic directly) “I won’t let you use me as a pawn anymore.“
“Really. Is this touching threat to stop me over with or are you going to shut up before I fry you in front of your little Card Captor?”
Tomoyo‘s eyes darken, her face turns grim, “I won’t let you use me to harm Sakura anymore!“ (holds out her hand and shows her own rings) “I will stop this right here, and right now.“
“Pathetic.” Mimic sighs as she regards Tomoyo. “You’ll have to do better than that to stop me, little girl. You are worthless.”
Suddenly everything stops for Sakura as she dimly looks up at the two.
Tomoyo. She believed in her even if her own belief was fading. As long as Tomoyo believed in her she felt confident she could do anything. Her belief carried her forward. She just needed to remember that and hold onto Tomoyo’s belief as she watched Tomoyo point towards her light ring and say… “You can‘t have sway over Sakura if you don‘t have me.”
Mimic, confused, looks at her severely, “What do you think your doing?! Trying to bribe me for your life? That won’t help!” Mimic yells, staring at Sakura then back to Tomoyo again as she began to lose control, “Just as well, your all so predictable! I won’t fall for this bluff!“
Eliza shivers near Nina, Eliza’s strong arms around her holding her back as they watch.
Long seconds pass but finally it happens. Tomoyo’s light ring flashes bright as she takes it and aims… at herself. The flash throws her back off the platform and right near Sakura, her body limply rolling just like Sakura’s did earlier before coming to a stop near her, face up, her breathing ragged and hard yet she was still breathing… still alive.
“W-w-what the hell…??” Mimic whispers in horror, eyes widened in shock.
Sakura looks on first in shock, which turns second by second into a dark blinding rage. Grabbing the sealing staff upwards she gets onto her feet abit wobbly, teeth mashed together tight as she snarls at Mimic. “MIMIC!! RETURN TO YOUR HELL FOREVER!! MIMIC!!“
Briefly a strong image of Tomoyo, smiling and radiant in her happiness, flashes in Sakura’s mind, causing her to cry out loud as she unleashes her power. The power of their love courses through Tomoyo’s Light ring, and it’s power forged from their happiness would win this for the both of them as many tendrils of light spring from Tomoyo towards Mimic, grabbing and snaring her as Sakura‘s sealing power wraps about her.
Tomoyo & Sakura together. Unbreakable. Forever.
Mimic’s eyes shoot wide open, her face freezes as she claws against the restraining powers, “NO!!!” Mimic screams, throwing the Create book desperately into the tendrils streaming out of Sakura’s staff and Tomoyo’s ring as she desperately pulls free of their combined attack, diving into a hasty portal she makes in the water to escape.
“BITCH!!” Sakura screams, jumping up on the railing overlooking the lake as she does, “I’LL GET YOU DAMMIT!! I WON’T FORGIVE YOU FOR HURTING TOMOYO!! YOU HEAR ME?!? I WON’T FORGIVE YOU EVER!!”
Tomoyo, her eyes flickering open from her prone position, sighs as she catches the Create card in her hand. It takes a few minutes to calm Sakura, but once she regathers her wits she sits next to Tomoyo, holding her close with her head leaning on Sakura’s shoulder for support. “It’s not the card you came here for, but at least it’s a card.” Tomoyo remarks quietly, “You saved me.”
“It’s our card, and you saved yourself.” Sakura cried softly, “I was so helpless. I felt so useless that I couldn’t save you. If I let you die in her hands I don’t know what I would have done in my grief… I’m sorry I’m so useless, my precious love.”
“You’re never useless, Sakura-chan, my love.” Tomoyo whispers, “Just being there for me made me strong, and gave me the strength to stand up against her. Without you… I could never have… been strong enough to resist… her.”
The two kiss, holding each other close as they embrace, their bodies trembling as they share this beautiful moment just for the two of them. “Let’s get some takeout on the way home!” Kero calls out to the two, who are oblivious to the world, “I’m hungry! Make out kissey face and all later, feed me now!!”
Somethings never change. Speaking of which--- “SAKURA!!” Nina screeches, looking down at her clothes. “I’m soaked! Your combined attacks (and it’s aura burn afterwards) shielded you from the water, but I got soaked! (too close to the lake!)” (huffs) “I can’t go home like this! I don’t want to catch a cold or worst!”
“Don’t worry.” Tomoyo remarks, “I came prepared just in case.”
“For Sakura, sure, but not for---” (blinks as Tomoyo asks Sakura to get her backpack and open it up) “--what the--”
Tomoyo - “IT’S YOUR FIRST COSTUME!!” she cried out, pulling the costume up and out with Sakura’s help, “I figured I’d make you and Sakura like sisters with matching outfits and everything! Isn‘t this cute?”
Nina - “I’M NOT HER SISTER!!”
Eliza - “And that’s way flashier than the one Sakura has on.”
Nina faints, leaving Eliza holding the bag to explain it all (more or less).
Sakura shakes her head ruefully, “I don’t get it.” she sighs as she watches Tomoyo (now mysteriously back up on her feet and energetic again) struggle to get Nina to put the costume on. “I’d rather go home naked!” Nina whimpers.
Tomoyo - “Come on, wear it“
Sakura - “It‘d look cute on you, I‘ll bet.”
Nina - “Mind your own beeswax, Snoozer!”
Tomoyo - “But it’s nice, and warm, and dry and---”
Nina - “It won’t be for long if I throw it in the lake!”
Eliza - “Nina!!”
Sakura grabs Nina and drags her into the bushes “PUT IT ON!!”
Tomoyo smiles at Sakura‘s sudden “enthusiasm“, “Sakura-chan can be so spirited at times.” she notes, watching as Nina disappears into the brush. Eliza shakes her head, “I better promise her extra service tonight or she’ll never stop cursing Sakura’s existence. She can be so stubborn at times.”
Nina - “PERVERT!! STOP THAT!! I WANT A LAWYER!! ELIZA!! HELP ME!! ELIZA!!”
* * * * * *
“I was so wrong.” Tomoyo sighs, “How could I have been so wrong.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s not worth it.”
Tomoyo turns towards Jack, face ashen in regret. “I’m not 11 anymore, I can’t pretend that my presence with Sakura doesn’t affect her. I could have gotten Sakura killed being held hostage like that, being more of a liability than a help to her.”
Jack sits down next to her, looking at her with an understanding expression. “You do seem rather off about this whole situation, what with this whole death thing and all.”
Tomoyo blushes a little, “I think it’s the theme of the setting and all.” (looks about) “We are sitting in the middle of a dream representation of the death Tokyo and all.”
Jack frowns, “Oh, that…” (stands up) “…what can I say, you caught me off guard. I was waiting to speak to someone else and all, but I felt you needed the pep talk more. Hence the whole, you know, dead Tokyo thing and all. Totally not here to bring up the death thing.”
“Oh, really.” Tomoyo noted, “But it doesn’t change the fact that I am more liability than use to Sakura. If Sakura wasn’t hampered by what happened to me she would have captured Mimic, but instead she was more concerned with my safety than with Mimic’s capture and Mimic used that against her.” (silence) “I’m Sakura’s weakness, and her failing.”
“She doesn’t see it that way.” Jack begins pacing, looking at Tomoyo firmly as he walked, “You’re her hope, and her joy, you’re everything to her. If you stopped going out on these missions it would slowly fill her with doubt, and that doubt would grow until it became an unbearable pain that would drive her to quit before the job was done.”
Tomoyo - “I know that, I know. But--”
“But nothing. You both complete each other, in both cardcaptoring and married life. Nothing, not even Mimic, can break you as long as your together.” (Jack snaps his fingers) “That’s what those like Mimic are banking on. Once they break you two apart they know Sakura’s faith would crumble until she gave up the quest in order to hang onto you, it’s their one weapon against Sakura… and your one strength if you don’t allow their effots to come to fruitation.”
“But--” (Tomoyo head lowers) “--I could have lost Sakura-chan… She could have… I screwed up so badly…”
Jack raises her head to stare her right in the eyes, “Everybody screws up, believe you me if there’s nothing else I know it’s screwing up.” (smiles as he kneels close to her) “But that’s your strength together, isn’t it, to take a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage when things are their bleakest. It’s how you fell in love, and how you’ll always be in love no matter what happens.” (distant sound of footfalls) “Well, that’s my 2:45 so it’s time to send you home.” (Jack stands again and motions towards Tomoyo) “You have to be strong for Sakura. Things with Mimic are going to be worst before they get better… but they will get better, you’ll see, they’ll get better…”
Snap.
Tomoyo wakes up in Sakura’s arms, held tight as she slept. Tomoyo smiles, kisses Sakura on the cheek and cuddles in to fall asleep in her beloved’s arms.
* * * * * *
Back at the Daidouji Estates (the next day)
Eliza - “I ordered a copy of the new adventures for us. And it has a cute scene of you in your new costume at the end. It’ll be ready this afternoon and we can watch it tonight and--” (Eliza was apparently talking to herself because Nina was sulking over her last remains of breakfast in a pouty mood).
Nina - “Give me a break.”
“What are you doing today, Nina?” Sakura asks with genuine interest. Nina frowns at her as she enters, “I’m going to drown myself and come back to haunt you forever. What a stupid question.” (Sakura pouts as Nina gets off the table, countering with “Don’t need to take your bad mood out on me. Where you going?”
Nina - “Where you do think? At least some of us wake up at a godly hour.”
“Humph. Bad mood and ridicule.” Sakura sighs. But as she pouts her mood changes the instant Tomoyo reaches out beneath the table and takes her hand, washing away Sakura’s pouty mood with her bright and beautiful presence, bringing a smile to Sakura’s once sad face. “Thanks, Tomo-chan.”
Tomoyo - “For what?”
Sakura - “For being you, as always.”
Nina - “SOMETIME TODAY, PEOPLE, HOP TO IT!!”
Tomoyo smiles as Sakura/Mirra-chan wolf down theirr breakfast (she finished awhile ago but sat patiently next to Sakura watching her eat). As they each grab their breakfast and rush out the door Nina sighs, turning to look at an empty room she whispers something as if someone’s watching, then turns to leave. “Who were you speaking to, Nina?“
“My guardian angel, Eliza.“
The image on her mind’s eye when she was saved. The woman who kept her from drowning (and who protected Tomoyo at her moment of greatest need). She was there, and she heard Nina’s words. She simply smiles and mouths the words “I love you too, my precious daughter.“ and leaves.
“Love Conquers All, even Clow Cards”
To Be Continued
Question : To Hentai or Not Hentai?
To everyone reading I'd like to ask you if you think it'd be possible to do hentai fanfictions on blogspace. I think all the kids hang out over at MySpace these days, don't they? So... well, I want to get everyone's opinion on this as it'll shape my choice for the third fanfic to come into this site in January 2007.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
A new direction for ADSpace coinage
I'm going to shift the direction here.
Clicking on ads here will put money towards the publication of my first review book, Pocket Passions (the book of portable game reviews).
I have a publisher so far, now I just need the money to publish.
Something to save for on a future date.
Speaking of new directions I'll have some notes on what I'm considering for the new fanfiction here in January this weekend. Stay tuned for that.
Clicking on ads here will put money towards the publication of my first review book, Pocket Passions (the book of portable game reviews).
I have a publisher so far, now I just need the money to publish.
Something to save for on a future date.
Speaking of new directions I'll have some notes on what I'm considering for the new fanfiction here in January this weekend. Stay tuned for that.
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 1-6 (10)
Thursday (December 7th) (Sakura Blossoms)
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 6 (10)
New King Penguin Park.
The night of the “Taste of Tokyo” event.
“So tell me again how many businesses you conned into setting up here for this---”
“Shut up, Nina.” Misho hissed.
“Because it’s a nice set-up and all, but considering there’s a crazed Clow card in the lake over there your setting up a lawyer buffet line if someone gets hurt. And they usually come running at the first sign of an ambulance.”
Misho spun about spitting venom at Nina, “And who’s fault is THAT for not catching the card? Think that was your job, wasn‘t it.”
“Who blocked the park off so we couldn’t catch the second card without drawing attention to ourselves? It goes both ways, Misho.” Nina quickly retaliated, to which Misho merely spat “Whatever.”. However, left with no choice, Misho NamoCatCat finally was forced to relent her position, her tail swinging in the air as the catgirl leaned against one of the booth counters and waited for their food. “Since your such a know-it-all why don’t you take a flying leap into the lake and capture the card with your bare hands? Wrassle’ it down like a croc on that movie with that guy in the khaki shorts.”
Nina - “Crocodile Hunter. Yeah, I heard you sunk money into that movie‘s production to get an environmental group off your back because they said you were nature indifferent.” Nina remarks, smirking as she does, “Don’t you like crocodiles? I heard your not making a single yen off the movie.”
Misho - “He just arrived sometime ago in the Realm of Dreams and is working Waking World Wildlife/Environmental Preservation efforts. Want me to arrange a meeting with you two so you can crank off in his face about how impressed you were with his movie?“ (silence) “Didn’t think so. Anyway it all went to that preservation group I just told you about, for the protection of animals and nature preserves through dream manipulation or somesuch stuff. Anyway what’s good for them is good for me as I like keeping the nutty animal rights groups off my front door if I even look like I’m giving to some sort of animal thingee. Besides which if it keeps wild cats wild and feed ‘em it’s kudos for my personal tastes in “animals“.“ (sneers) “Though if that movie ever beats Happy Feet in total ticket sales when it’s all said and done then it just goes to show how sick the movie going public in the Waking World is these days. I mean, really! I didn’t even think that lame Like Mike would get anywhere and look at it.”
“At some point you were going to take a breath, right?“ Nina remarked.
Misho frowns and redirects Nina’s attention by pushing her away, “Get out of my face.”
* * * * * *
“There’s Sakura and Tomoyo. Think that‘s Mirra also” Eliza offers, pointing off in one direction. “Yeah. Let’s go hook up---” Nina remarks as she looks about, “If we can wade through this crowd, that is.”
Eliza changes the subject, “Well, that ended rather well with Misho. Don’t you think?”
“What I think is that she’s still a sexually frustrated cat with a unattainable crush. She didn’t bring it up but I know she has Tomoyo on her mindset, as it is. Personally I’d rather not think about the kind of unbearable grudge she has against Sakura because she‘s hot for some Tomoyo lovin‘ but… never mind, forget I said anything.”
“Well that’s a first, you asking anyone to forget anything you said.” (Nina looks over at Eliza questionably) “You defending “Snoozer” is also a first while I‘m on the topic.”
“Nobody harasses the Snoozer but me, Eliza. And definitely not a Neko in heat like Misho.” Nina quickly changes the subject as they catch up to Sakura/Tomoyo, “Hey, Tomo! Snoozer! Managing to stay awake? Don‘t die from the over-exertion!”
“I’m NOT Snoozer!!” (Sakura suddenly sighs) “And why did you bring Toya with us?” (motions at Mirra-chan who’s fascinated with Toya) “Well?”
Nina - “I wanted to get your goat?”
“Sakura-chan---” Tomoyo quickly jumps in, deflecting Sakura’s anger. “She’s just worried about you, and wanted to make sure Mirra-chan is safe in case there’s any incident at the lake.”
“I guess---” (smiles as she peers over at Mirra-chan/Hikaru) “--but since Mirra-chan brought Hikaru to be here with her I’m happy.”
Nina nudges Eliza aside, whispering as she does, “Snoozer should stick to card captor-ing, because she makes a lousy Cupid. All that snoozing and eating---”
“I heard that!” Sakura grumbles, bumping Nina aside as she does. “Carmel apples! Quick, get some for us!”
“Yeah, Toya! Get some for---” Nina stops as she notices Sakura pointing at her and not Toya. “W-wh-what?!? Your rich enough, you do it! (Don’t freeload off my expense account you loser!) And why are they selling that stuff here at a food… oh, wait, I see it now…” (points at sign) “…it’s another NamoCatCat Foods business. Of course. What Taste of Tokyo fair is complete without the self serving need to promote one’s own food businesses no matter how unrelated to the topic of the fair the business is. Damn.”
Sakura, however, isn‘t in the mood for explanations. “Stop complaining! Your living under Tomoyo’s roof AND you haven’t helped once where it counts!” (shoves Nina towards the stand) “ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I’LL DO IT!!” (grumbles as Sakura starts cheering) “Damn Misho! Investing in that chain of caramel apple stands at local parks, what was she thinking?!? (And stop doing that! Act your age already, Snoozer! Should have called her Howdy! Damn her)---” (seconds later she returns) “Eliza first. Then Mirra & Hikaru, Tomoyo, Toya, Yuki---”
Sakura - “What about me?!”
Nina - “Yeah, here. Me then you.” (smirks as Sakura huffs her breath in anger). “Whatever, Snoozer, whatever.” (looks at Eliza) “Tell me if you want seconds.”
Eliza - “I’m fine for five or ten minutes.” Sakura pushes her way in front of Nina, “Aren’t you bring rude making it sound like Eliza’s a pig!”
“Not like you, the genuine kawaii-pig, right?” (Sakura fumes at that) “BUT for your information Eliza is Amazonian, so her metabolism coverts food into energy.”
“So she can run fast, or lift more?” Tomoyo asks. Briefly Nina looks about, noticing Mirra-chan & Hikaru has moved on to explore on their own, before she motions for everyone to draw closer. “So she can cast magic. Haven’t used that yet because, well, we put all our eggs into the Snoozer basket here---” (brings another huff from Sakura) “---so Eliza hasn’t dusted off her mojo yet. But if Sakura here ever drops the ball, Eliza’s here to pick up the pieces in case things go antarctic south.”
Eliza is quick to jump in and defuse the situation before it explodes, “BUT I’m just here to keep Nina company, rules state that only Sakura has the power to capture Clow cards. I’m just companionship material.” Eliza quickly throws in. (Which in turns makes Sakura all smiles from that announcement, which is something that can’t be said of Nina). “---uh---” (Yuki speaking now) “---how much do you eat?”
“Well---” Eliza looks over at Nina, then genuinely thinks about the answer. “Well. Today I ate breakfast at the estate, then picked up a wrap in town to eat with a bag of chips, then ate two box lunches that Sakura made for me & Nina (Nina usually gives me her lunch whenever Sakura makes it)---” (looks at Sakura) “---and I really shouldn’t have mentioned that. Then there’s the meal Nina makes for me after--- well, after. Then we ate dinner out at an all you can eat buffet before coming here and I already ate the full wares of six booths---”
“What happens if you don’t cast magic tonight?” Yuki asks without a thought of the consequences of hearing the answer. “Then I expend my excess energy in bed with Nina while we--”
“I DON’T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT!!” Sakura yells, grabbing Tomoyo and dragging her off. “Well I never--” Nina drags Eliza after Sakura. “--is that normal--?” Yuki asks, but gets no reply as they follow the four. That is, before the scream catches everyone’s attention.
“Now what?!”
“That came from the lake, Nina.” Eliza notes, pointing back the way they came and off in one direction. “Oh.” Nina sighs as she watches the chain of girls spew out into the main “street” of booths. “And here I thought we were actually taking the day off. Silly me.”
Nina walks to the small crowd, claps her hands and draws everyone’s attention. “HELLO!! PEOPLE!! WHAT DID YOU--”
“We’re not deaf. We can hear you.”
“Oh. Well, what did you---” All the girls answer at once, “A woman in a kimono who looked like she drowned.”
Silence.
Nina - “Any reason in the world you can’t wait five friggin’ seconds for me to finish my sentence?”
Silence.
Nina - “---never mind---” (walks off) “---try the caramel apples if you haven’t already.” (sheesh)
* * * * * *
The lakeside (five minutes later)
Eliza looks over the water as she waits for Sakura. “Is she ready yet?”
“I’ll check-- hey, Snoo--”
“PERVERT!! I’M NAKED!!” (Nina is thrown out of the bushes and lands on her butt) “Personally I’d give it another five minutes. Though I can see what stirs Tomoyo‘s loins when it‘s bed--”
“I HEARD THAT!!” Sakura shrieks from behind the bushes. Eliza, trying to find any reason to keep Nina behaved, motions for her to come near her. “Oh. Nina, come over here.” Nina stands up, rubbing her rear (from the fall on her butt), as she walks over to where Eliza is, staring into the water. “I thought I saw something down there, a brief flicker of light and movement.”
“Where?”
“Maybe it was reflected moonlight.” Eliza remarks, to which Nina replies “No. It must have been the card, but it’s too shy now to come out.”
“Wasn’t too shy for those girls.” Eliza notes, “Maybe it likes ‘em young. Of course Sakura is the height of a little girl so maybe it thought she was tasty little Lolita treat--”
“I HEARD THAT TOO!!!” (Sakura stomps out of the brush wearing her costume, fuming mad) “Now, now Sakura-chan---” (Tomoyo follows right behind her trying to calm her down, but Sakura was on a roll) “YOUR RUDE!!”
“And your bossy and loud, crank it down five and come over here. Eliza saw the card.”
“What?” (Sakura quickly rushes over and leans over, looking down into the water) “Where?” Nina smirks, ‘Bet Tomo’d get a real kick seeing Sakura’s breasts through that top once I--’ (Eliza grabs Nina’s arm and pulls her to one side, stepping between the two) “What are you doing, Eliza?”
“You had that look in your eye.” Eliza whispers, pulling Sakura back from the railing. “It was only a glimpse of something that might have been something. Nothing concrete I’m afraid.”
“Oh.” (shakes her head abit as she steps back, sweating bullets now) “So it might not be a card after all.”
“Sakura-chan, if you don’t want to---”
“No, Tomo-chan, I must.” Sakura replies cautiously, “People are scared and it’s my duty to capture that card.”
“If it is a-- OUCH! Eliza!!” (Eliza gives Nina a soft but stern look) “--your no fun--”
“Anyway---” (tears start flowing down Sakura’s face) “--we have to pass here to get home! I have to capture that card or--”
“Or it’ll give Sakura paranoid complexes forever and--” (Nina sighs) “--I know, I know, zip it. Got it, got it, zipping it, sigh---” (removes kimono to show her work uniform beneath it, passes kimono to Eliza as she takes out a few armbands from her pouch (one large and a few smaller ones)). “First off, new commlinks (frees up your hands since they’re sensitive to motion). Make a fist twice in rapid succession and the device triggers.” (holds up arm as she slaps device on and demonstrates) “Like this. Squeeze-squeeze and---” (link comes on) “It’s sensitive to movement in the arm. Two quick squeezes makes the appropriate area flex and the device picks that up and activates. This also has a touch pad for data transmissions if vocal is impossible. It can work underwater, but only up to a certain depth--” (looks at lake) “--but since this lake is nowhere near that deep that shouldn’t be a problem. Still it can’t take a set amount of pressure. If the pressure starts to strain the device it’ll start to emit a pinging noise that’ll signal it’s integrity is failing. If you have a message it’ll vibrate. Oh, and here---” (attaches larger gauntlet to left arm) “This is my neural gauntlet. I’m trying something new with this model, it has a matter arranger and displacer, which is good for weapons deployment and good old fashioned energy shooting (so you are covered either way). I already put some of my favorite designs in here including a lightsaber and a few good guns from the best 3rd Preson Shooters out there so it’s good to go.“
As Sakura examines what she’s been given Nina hands her a small mask, “Now here’s a re-breather mask, with a ten minute oxygen yield. Just in case.” (Nina notes as she helps Sakura put it on her face). “I know Water gives you an air bubble but once it runs out the mask will take over and supply 10 additional minutes of air. That’s it otherwise.” (snaps Sakura in the butt as she passes) “Go Ham-ham on their butts, Snoozy.”
“----” (Sakura still isn’t happy being called Snoozer) “---sigh, Umi! Form a bubble of air to protect me from the water!”
Nina - “Remember, even if the air runs out in the bubble you’ll have 10 minutes of air from the re-breather, but that’s that. Don’t stay longer than that. If you need to chat to me (and lord knows I‘m mocked you long enough so you wouldn‘t feel the need to do that) I‘ll have my link gear on---” (slides half circle metal headband onto the back of her head connected to her wetware links) “--and I’ll monitor your transmissions on my visor just in case.” (the visor links into the metal piece). “Got it?“
“I got it.”
“Well, good luck.”
And, with Tomoyo recording, Sakura jumps into the water and disappears. “Good thing I bought these little gizmos with me---” Nina giggles as she pulls three small pods out of her pocket and tosses them into the water. “What are those?”
“Campods, Tomoyo, they’ll keep a record of her adventure down there--- something for your second volume DVD collection. Here--” (pulls out screen) “--let’s watch.”
As the campods follow Sakura down the water grows darker and darker. Briefly Sakura seems to stop but then continues to let the bubble carry her down. Soon it begins to grow bright again as she nears the source of the disturbances. “Better illuminate it so I can see what I’m doing…” (hold up gauntlet) “Now let’s see--” (the holo-imager comes up and displays all available functions, but in the dim light Sakura can hardly make anything out). “Here it is, there is a light feature on this thing. Now let’s see what’s ah----ead of…?!?”
Suddenly it’s very bright, dry, and Tomoyo/Eliza’s looking at her oddly. But that only lasts for a second or so. “WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?!?” Eliza screams. Sakura looks down at the gauntlet display that she selected. “What the… I didn’t see this option before…“
Sakura shows the holoscreen to Eliza.
“Emergency Teleporter?!? How the hell did… but that means Nina-- NINA!!”
* * * * * *
Everything happened so fast she hardly had a chance to gulp down any air before the world collapsed around her, and everything went watery and dark. Nina’s senses shut off as the water slams into her (and the small amount of air that traveled with her during the switch) and she is sent reeling from the blow. Her mind nearly blanks out as she struggles to regain her senses, but dimly her thoughts focus on one thing.
* * * * * *
Eliza.
That’s all the link would say. Over and over again it flashed just that.
“NINA! NINA!! Respond!! NINA!!” Eliza yelled, growing more and more frantic.
Then, something new came up.
‘Sakura--- don’t--- I can’t--- I’m dying--- let go---’
“What?!?” Sakura gasped, looking over the readout on her own link. Tomoyo was just as confused as Sakura about this, “Sakura’s up here! What is she thinking?!”
* * * * * *
Nina weakly struggled against the encompassing arms, looking straight into Sakura’s face as she began to feel her air running out. Briefly Nina blacked out, but regain consciousness fast only to feel herself weakening, slipping in and out. As she opened her eyes again, she was Eliza holding her, and stopped caring whether she lived or died.
* * * * * *
‘---don’t leave me--- ‘liza--- hold me please--- don’t let me go--- please---’
“NINA NO!!” Eliza screams, leaping over into the water. But as she hit’s the water she freezes up as if she jumped into a tub with a live electrical cable in her hands. She screams as she hits, electricity shocking her hard, before she is tossed into the railing hard.
Quickly Tomoyo rushes forward and grabs Eliza’s upper body, struggling to keep her above water as Sakura helps to try and pull her up. “--no--- no--- Nina--- noooo---”
“I’ll get her!” Sakura quickly moves to jump the railing, only for a dark shadowy thing to fly across her line of sight and into the water. “Yuki! He’s going to---” (stops, turns) “---Yuki?” He was standing behind her. As he and Toya helped pull Eliza from the water, Sakura turns to face the lake. “What was that?!”
* * * * * *
Nina shuts her eyes, and with the last bit of will she moves left hand to her right neural gauntlet and triggers the holo imager.
“Self Defense Mode Active. Ship Defense Security Armor Deployed.”
As she holds tight the gauntlet activates, and encases her in hard SWAT unit armor, covering her face in the gasmask helmet and reviving her lungs with fresh air (generated from the bodysuit by drawing the oxygen out of the water and turning it into breathable air for Nina). Briefly stunned, she grabs tightly onto “Eliza” and sneers, her eyes visible through the helmet’s eye sockets as they narrow.
“Electroshocker Defense Mode Engaged. Charge Dispel Triggered.”
“Bang.”
With a scream she launches an electrical assault, supercharging the water around her as she throttles the thing she was holding (and herself) with a full on electrical barrage. Under the attack it disappears, leaving Nina to float towards the bottom of the lake drained and wasted, her strength gone. Worst, as the armor drew oxygen out of the water like a shark does, which means it only works if Nina moves constantly. If she stops moving the air dries out again, and she starts to suffocate once again. “Damn.” Nina gasps, watching the light fade above her, “I’m scared--- goddess-- ‘liza--- I’m scared--- please--”
As she blacks out she feels two soft feminine arms wrap around her, and a loving gaze of a woman’s smiling face gazing into her visor as she’s embraced by someone. “---goddess---”
* * * * * *
When she comes to she finds herself lying in the Medico Bay of the U.S.S. Ryoko, her clothes gone and her body mending from the experience. To one side she spots a familiar face. As Dr. Adri Talbot approaches her, Nina takes a swipe at the doctor’s shoulder length dark hair and smiles. “Knew you were more than a pretty face, doc.”
“That must be the delirium talking from the self induced electroshock therapy you gave yourself, but thanks all the same.” (pokes Nina’s chest as she talks) “I went through the trouble of clearing your lungs of the liquid you swallowed, and I treated you for shock (self induced I see) as well as the onset of hypothermia (that lake you were in was cold).“ (sits next to Nina staring at her intently, “Any reasoning as to what compelled you to jump in a lake like that anyway, only to give yourself a shock for some unfathomable reason?”
“Somebody else made my mind up.” Nina admitted honestly, “Where’s---?”
“They’re waiting in the Resting Area. Here---” (hands off neural gauntlet) “--Sakura wanted you to have it back. She was really apologetic the whole time, couldn’t stop bowing.”
“Well it’s not her fault. Now where’s… there it is…” (holds up microchip from open panel) “Somebody slipped a jammer into my gauntlet. How the heck did that happen.” (sighs as she shoves the panel close again with a slick clickt) “Somebody’s going to pay for that one. But--” (slumps back abit winded just from talking) “--maybe later. Where’s Eliza?”
“Bathroom break.” Adri noted, “She’s been sitting here non-stop watching you. When she first brought you in here she was in the grip of a panic attack, I had to give her a relaxant just to calm her (and at double dose no less!) and she still was nervous. She didn’t want to leave your side until you were feeling better.”
“Poor thing. It’s not her fault either. Sigh. So, who saved me?” Nina asked.
“Glavius. He was there with his wife and jumped in when he heard the commotion.”
“Nice guy. When Eliza gets back I’ll--” Suddenly Nina stops and looks, spotting Eliza to one side standing near a doorway shaking like a leaf. “Come here--- come here---” With tentative steps, then dashing strides, Eliza jumps into Nina’s arms and holds her tight. The two hug until Nina’s strength gives out again. As she pulls Eliza into the bed, both fall asleep in a soft embrace, Eliza sobbing for a few minutes until she also falls asleep. “At least ask me if you can double up before doing it.” (rubs her head wearily) “Better tell the others the good news so they can have their “privacy“.”
* * * * * *
It takes Adri two minutes to calm everyone down to the point of them listening. Inside the room was Sakura, Toya & Glavius (a tall dark haired male wearing a comfortable looking dress uniform (for the food fair)). Tomoyo took Mirra-chan & Hikaru home, and Yuki went home to wait for Toya.
“She’ll be fine. Got the excess water out of her and she’ll make a quick recovery.”
Adri stops, notices Sakura’s morbid expression, and smiles. “She’s not angry at you. She probably won’t stop calling your Sneezer for awhile but she’s rather forgiving right now.”
“Snoozer.” Sakura corrects, still nervous and depressed. Adri dreaded doing it, but she had to ask Sakura something, “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about though, Sakura.” (leans over to talk to her) “Nina muttered something about you holding her down, then Eliza, then something I couldn’t make out. She was too delirious when she was brought in to make much sense, and now that she’s well she’s too tight lipped to answer questions. Being naturally stubborn and all being part of her natural genetics and all.”
“She saw me in the lake?” Sakura asked, face becoming a reflection of her confusion.
“I think the card took your form, Sakura, that’s the only answer.” Kero surmises.
Sakura - “But why my form, and then Eliza’s? And her true form is a woman, right?”
“Not really though she might indeed be female---” (Glavius) “I noticed some of the reports and the descriptions, and they match the appearance of a model Misho was using to promote the festival who fell into the lake and got wet.”
“F-fell in?” Sakura stammered, “She’s alive, well, and posting a new batch of nude pics of herself on her website.” Glavius quickly added, blushing abit at the end words, “But obviously this thing saw her, mimicked her form---”
Kero - “THAT’S IT!!”
Everyone turns to look at Kero, who was now all excited. “It’s Mimic!”
Tomoyo - “Clow Reed made a card called Mimic?”
“Actually it was one of his earlier mistakes.” Kero accentuated, drawing everyone into his story as all eyes focused on him and him alone, “Clow Reed made the card, but it was too stubborn and arrogant. The card thought it was better than everyone including Clow Reed, so he finally had to seal it away and replaced that card with Mirror (who was gentler and had a child like innocence to her personality). Clow got rid of Mimic somewhere, and we haven’t heard about it in ages -- but is this really Mimic? After all these years it’s been here? In a place of dreams?”
“Seems that way.” Adri concludes, “That explains the ability to take on other people’s forms. But how do you capture a card that can mimic anything it sees?”
“Good question.” Sakura mutters as she slumps her shoulders, the events of the night finally weighting down on her and wearing her out. Toya finally decides to take Sakura home, putting her in Tomoyo’s care as he leaves the mansion. As Tomoyo walks next to one of her bodyguards, watching Sakura’s face as she sleeps, she smiles abit and thinks to herself ‘She does sorta look like Snoozer when she’s sleeping. How cute!’
* * * * * *
“Ever think about giving Sakura a break?” Adri asks as she oversees Nina’s transfer back planetside (for her to complete her resting at the Daidouji residence), walking aside her hover stretcher as they head down to the Teleporter-room. “Why? Your not going to mother hen her too, are you?”
“It’s not that, Nina, I just think you should ease off her back abit. That’s all.”
“I’ll forgive the near drowning thing, alright? Just don’t take away my ability to call her ‘Snoozer’. It’s one of the few joys I have in life that isn’t sex related.” Nina complains.
“But she’s so cute!” Adri protests, “Can’t you stop teasing her like you do?”
“Look, Adri, I’m the ONLY one who screws with her mind. Anyone teases her gets a fist in the face from me, anyone messes with her gets a spanking from me, anyone violates her gets the “Full Monty” (Winterian Style) from me. That might be hunky-dorry for sick fan porn, but in my world, on MY watch, it’s not kosher. Got it?”
“Sure. She’s not my type anyway---” (Adri blinks as a thought occurs to her) “Say, Nina, forgive me for being rather off base if I am, but your not having wet dreams about her are you? I mean what with your obsessive…”
Nina - “Want me to give you a rectal exam with your pocket light stick?”
Adri - “---I’ll take that as a no then---”
* * * * * *
Nina lays back, and flips the page. “Finally found time to catch up on my reading.” (sighs) “Should take more time off whenever possible. Hmm---” (smirks) “---maybe I should put a request through Command to post a request for Ryoko (Real Bout High School) hentai pics. I got my rank, I’m due it.” (hears a knock at the door) “Enter.” (looks over to the door) “Hey, Tomoyo, how‘s tricks? Just came back from the Shinto Shrine praying for my eternally damned soul?”
Tomoyo, wearing a beautiful dress, enters with Eliza’s pouch slung over her shoulder. “How are you doing?” (Nina shrugs) “I’m doing fine, but I’m guessing that’s a tribute to me since it’s Eliza’s pouch and she wouldn’t give that up unless it’s to bring me something. How’s Sakura? She does know I’m not going to blow up at her or anything--- she could grace me with a visit once she gets over the fear of me trying to kill her while she’s at it.”
“I can come in?” (the meek little voice outside the door asked) “Yeah, Sakura, come in.”
“Sorry.” (Sakura, head bowed, walks in blushing) “Cut that out, Sakura, I’m fine. Come over here and sit down. If there’s edible treats in there let’s share. (I have my dust buster so I’m good to clean the sheets of crumbs after we eat)---” (blinks) “---is the bag moving?” (pokes open the pouch and pulls Kero out, smiling) “Nice. You’re here too.” (rubs him on the head) “Your not all sad too, are you?” (puts Kero on the bed) “When I’m 100% again I’ll be back to being the same ole’ bitchy me I can be, so don’t get used to me being all nice and accomidating all the time.” (sighs) “But that’s later. So--- whatcha bring me?”
“Cookies. Sorry. Eliza got you a book too.” Tomoyo noted.
“Well she knows what I read. And thanks, you know I just love your cookies. Though your REAL sweet spot is only for Sakura’s tongue---” (blinks) “---and the mere fact that Sakura didn’t even flinch at the sex remark, let alone try to hit me is a bad sign isn‘t it.” (shakes Sakura with one hand, smling as she does) “Come on, stupid! This isn’t my wake! Stop pouting and get over it! What happened happened, and it’s nobody’s fault! Here---” (pulls out gauntlet) “Somebody hacked it’s mainframe with a Jammer chip, so they automatically used the mini emergency teleporter in the gauntlet to “swap” our positions (with my own gauntlet and it’s emergency teleporter).”
“H-how?” Sakura asks meekly. “Not too hard if you got the gear and a few years out of a good cyber-technical college (something Tomoyo should look into being that she’s all into the latest technology and all). Anyway I’ll find out one day, but not today---” (smiles) “---today is COOKIE DAY! Let’s eat.” (opens bag and hands out cookies) “Man I love a good cookie rush! Somebody go over to my replicator I put on the cabinet and make us some chocolate milk. Goes great with cookies.”
As Tomoyo (who already knew how to make the device work) did that, Sakura talked to Nina. “Did you get in trouble?”
Nina - “Nah. It went right under the radar (like I went under sea level). Nobody at Command heard about it and that’s OK in my book. Mina 00 even covered my stay on the Ryoko and no report was ever filed about it by either Adri or Mina 00, and that’s double OK in my book.” (holds up cookie & milk) “And I get to wolf down cookies & chocolate milk in bed! Triple OK in my book! How can eating chocolate in the form of little Captain America shields not be a good thing? (All round and all… Captain America hurls his cookies…)”
Kero - “We figured out what card it was down there. Mimic.”
“So that explains why it changed form---” (Nina tags a pouty Sakura on the cheek) “---should make your sex life far more interesting when you catch it you goddess, you!”
Sakura - “---aren’t you angry?” Nina leans back and thinks, “Not really, and I don’t need to beat on you certainly since you seem more than capable of self torture all on your own. Anyway it’s not like it was done on purpose or anything so I have no reason to be pissy about it. Besides which, for the life of me all I can think about is how Eliza almost killed herself trying to save me and that was---” (smiles) “Forget about it. I don’t want to be angry this time, because it just reminds me how I almost lost Eliza and that makes me somber when I think about it.” (shakes off thoughts) “So let’s not think about it! Now how are you going to catch this ---?!?”
Sakura grabs Nina and gives her a noogie.
“YOU’RE THE GREATEST, NINA!!”
Nina wiggles free of Sakura and sneers at her, “NOW I’M ANGRY!! STOP IT!! STOP IT!!” (bats her back with a rapid swinging of her arms) “TAKE YOU DYSFUNCTIONAL OUT ON SOMEONE ELSE, I’M SICK AND BEDRIDDEN!! STOP THAT!!” Nina finally pushes Sakura away and huffs at her, “Damn grow some maturity! Now, back to capturing the card---”
“Who saved you?” Eliza asked, seemingly popping out of nowhere as she tosses a data pad onto the bed for Nina to look at. On the bed was an image from Nina’s wetware (from her mind) showing a gentle female face holding her. Nina blinks, then shudders at the image. “So I wasn’t hallucinating. Are you angry at me, Eliza?”
Eliza - “No. I just want to know.”
Nina - “Sure, but it‘ll make zero sense to you because ---I think it might be--” (stops) “--I really can’t say.”
“What?!” Eliza protests, moving forward to sit next to Nina, “Why not?!?”
Nina sighs, falling back into the pillows to lie staring up at the ceiling, “It hurts too much to say, that‘s why.” Nina grabs and pulls Eliza close, pulling her tight on top of herself. “Please don’t ask me about it. Not now. I’ll explain later but--” (sighs) “--not now.”
“Alright.”
The rest of the conversation is spent talking about less stressful things.
* * * * * *
That night.
“I should be getting used to this--” Nina sighs, feeling her strength returning as she takes another deep breath of the night air. “But here we go again, Round 2.”
Nina clicks on her commlink headgear and motions to the others (wearing similar devices). “These headset comms I had Mina send down should do the trick in keeping us linked.”
As they all neared the lake the water began to churn, then whirl about until it explodes, as a figure rises out of it. At this everyone stops and stares in disbelief. “It’s Nina?!?” Sakura spits out. Sure enough, floating over the lake (wearing one of Nina’s neural gauntlets) is Mimic, in Nina’s form. It stares at Sakura with a mix of contempt and hatred.
In a flash she moves, grabbing ahold of Tomoyo by the neck as she levitates her into the air above them. Shocked, all they can do is watch as she holds Tomoyo over them.
Mimic - “So, Kero, still think I’m stupid?”
To Be Continued (Friday)
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered Episode 6 (10)
New King Penguin Park.
The night of the “Taste of Tokyo” event.
“So tell me again how many businesses you conned into setting up here for this---”
“Shut up, Nina.” Misho hissed.
“Because it’s a nice set-up and all, but considering there’s a crazed Clow card in the lake over there your setting up a lawyer buffet line if someone gets hurt. And they usually come running at the first sign of an ambulance.”
Misho spun about spitting venom at Nina, “And who’s fault is THAT for not catching the card? Think that was your job, wasn‘t it.”
“Who blocked the park off so we couldn’t catch the second card without drawing attention to ourselves? It goes both ways, Misho.” Nina quickly retaliated, to which Misho merely spat “Whatever.”. However, left with no choice, Misho NamoCatCat finally was forced to relent her position, her tail swinging in the air as the catgirl leaned against one of the booth counters and waited for their food. “Since your such a know-it-all why don’t you take a flying leap into the lake and capture the card with your bare hands? Wrassle’ it down like a croc on that movie with that guy in the khaki shorts.”
Nina - “Crocodile Hunter. Yeah, I heard you sunk money into that movie‘s production to get an environmental group off your back because they said you were nature indifferent.” Nina remarks, smirking as she does, “Don’t you like crocodiles? I heard your not making a single yen off the movie.”
Misho - “He just arrived sometime ago in the Realm of Dreams and is working Waking World Wildlife/Environmental Preservation efforts. Want me to arrange a meeting with you two so you can crank off in his face about how impressed you were with his movie?“ (silence) “Didn’t think so. Anyway it all went to that preservation group I just told you about, for the protection of animals and nature preserves through dream manipulation or somesuch stuff. Anyway what’s good for them is good for me as I like keeping the nutty animal rights groups off my front door if I even look like I’m giving to some sort of animal thingee. Besides which if it keeps wild cats wild and feed ‘em it’s kudos for my personal tastes in “animals“.“ (sneers) “Though if that movie ever beats Happy Feet in total ticket sales when it’s all said and done then it just goes to show how sick the movie going public in the Waking World is these days. I mean, really! I didn’t even think that lame Like Mike would get anywhere and look at it.”
“At some point you were going to take a breath, right?“ Nina remarked.
Misho frowns and redirects Nina’s attention by pushing her away, “Get out of my face.”
* * * * * *
“There’s Sakura and Tomoyo. Think that‘s Mirra also” Eliza offers, pointing off in one direction. “Yeah. Let’s go hook up---” Nina remarks as she looks about, “If we can wade through this crowd, that is.”
Eliza changes the subject, “Well, that ended rather well with Misho. Don’t you think?”
“What I think is that she’s still a sexually frustrated cat with a unattainable crush. She didn’t bring it up but I know she has Tomoyo on her mindset, as it is. Personally I’d rather not think about the kind of unbearable grudge she has against Sakura because she‘s hot for some Tomoyo lovin‘ but… never mind, forget I said anything.”
“Well that’s a first, you asking anyone to forget anything you said.” (Nina looks over at Eliza questionably) “You defending “Snoozer” is also a first while I‘m on the topic.”
“Nobody harasses the Snoozer but me, Eliza. And definitely not a Neko in heat like Misho.” Nina quickly changes the subject as they catch up to Sakura/Tomoyo, “Hey, Tomo! Snoozer! Managing to stay awake? Don‘t die from the over-exertion!”
“I’m NOT Snoozer!!” (Sakura suddenly sighs) “And why did you bring Toya with us?” (motions at Mirra-chan who’s fascinated with Toya) “Well?”
Nina - “I wanted to get your goat?”
“Sakura-chan---” Tomoyo quickly jumps in, deflecting Sakura’s anger. “She’s just worried about you, and wanted to make sure Mirra-chan is safe in case there’s any incident at the lake.”
“I guess---” (smiles as she peers over at Mirra-chan/Hikaru) “--but since Mirra-chan brought Hikaru to be here with her I’m happy.”
Nina nudges Eliza aside, whispering as she does, “Snoozer should stick to card captor-ing, because she makes a lousy Cupid. All that snoozing and eating---”
“I heard that!” Sakura grumbles, bumping Nina aside as she does. “Carmel apples! Quick, get some for us!”
“Yeah, Toya! Get some for---” Nina stops as she notices Sakura pointing at her and not Toya. “W-wh-what?!? Your rich enough, you do it! (Don’t freeload off my expense account you loser!) And why are they selling that stuff here at a food… oh, wait, I see it now…” (points at sign) “…it’s another NamoCatCat Foods business. Of course. What Taste of Tokyo fair is complete without the self serving need to promote one’s own food businesses no matter how unrelated to the topic of the fair the business is. Damn.”
Sakura, however, isn‘t in the mood for explanations. “Stop complaining! Your living under Tomoyo’s roof AND you haven’t helped once where it counts!” (shoves Nina towards the stand) “ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I’LL DO IT!!” (grumbles as Sakura starts cheering) “Damn Misho! Investing in that chain of caramel apple stands at local parks, what was she thinking?!? (And stop doing that! Act your age already, Snoozer! Should have called her Howdy! Damn her)---” (seconds later she returns) “Eliza first. Then Mirra & Hikaru, Tomoyo, Toya, Yuki---”
Sakura - “What about me?!”
Nina - “Yeah, here. Me then you.” (smirks as Sakura huffs her breath in anger). “Whatever, Snoozer, whatever.” (looks at Eliza) “Tell me if you want seconds.”
Eliza - “I’m fine for five or ten minutes.” Sakura pushes her way in front of Nina, “Aren’t you bring rude making it sound like Eliza’s a pig!”
“Not like you, the genuine kawaii-pig, right?” (Sakura fumes at that) “BUT for your information Eliza is Amazonian, so her metabolism coverts food into energy.”
“So she can run fast, or lift more?” Tomoyo asks. Briefly Nina looks about, noticing Mirra-chan & Hikaru has moved on to explore on their own, before she motions for everyone to draw closer. “So she can cast magic. Haven’t used that yet because, well, we put all our eggs into the Snoozer basket here---” (brings another huff from Sakura) “---so Eliza hasn’t dusted off her mojo yet. But if Sakura here ever drops the ball, Eliza’s here to pick up the pieces in case things go antarctic south.”
Eliza is quick to jump in and defuse the situation before it explodes, “BUT I’m just here to keep Nina company, rules state that only Sakura has the power to capture Clow cards. I’m just companionship material.” Eliza quickly throws in. (Which in turns makes Sakura all smiles from that announcement, which is something that can’t be said of Nina). “---uh---” (Yuki speaking now) “---how much do you eat?”
“Well---” Eliza looks over at Nina, then genuinely thinks about the answer. “Well. Today I ate breakfast at the estate, then picked up a wrap in town to eat with a bag of chips, then ate two box lunches that Sakura made for me & Nina (Nina usually gives me her lunch whenever Sakura makes it)---” (looks at Sakura) “---and I really shouldn’t have mentioned that. Then there’s the meal Nina makes for me after--- well, after. Then we ate dinner out at an all you can eat buffet before coming here and I already ate the full wares of six booths---”
“What happens if you don’t cast magic tonight?” Yuki asks without a thought of the consequences of hearing the answer. “Then I expend my excess energy in bed with Nina while we--”
“I DON’T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT!!” Sakura yells, grabbing Tomoyo and dragging her off. “Well I never--” Nina drags Eliza after Sakura. “--is that normal--?” Yuki asks, but gets no reply as they follow the four. That is, before the scream catches everyone’s attention.
“Now what?!”
“That came from the lake, Nina.” Eliza notes, pointing back the way they came and off in one direction. “Oh.” Nina sighs as she watches the chain of girls spew out into the main “street” of booths. “And here I thought we were actually taking the day off. Silly me.”
Nina walks to the small crowd, claps her hands and draws everyone’s attention. “HELLO!! PEOPLE!! WHAT DID YOU--”
“We’re not deaf. We can hear you.”
“Oh. Well, what did you---” All the girls answer at once, “A woman in a kimono who looked like she drowned.”
Silence.
Nina - “Any reason in the world you can’t wait five friggin’ seconds for me to finish my sentence?”
Silence.
Nina - “---never mind---” (walks off) “---try the caramel apples if you haven’t already.” (sheesh)
* * * * * *
The lakeside (five minutes later)
Eliza looks over the water as she waits for Sakura. “Is she ready yet?”
“I’ll check-- hey, Snoo--”
“PERVERT!! I’M NAKED!!” (Nina is thrown out of the bushes and lands on her butt) “Personally I’d give it another five minutes. Though I can see what stirs Tomoyo‘s loins when it‘s bed--”
“I HEARD THAT!!” Sakura shrieks from behind the bushes. Eliza, trying to find any reason to keep Nina behaved, motions for her to come near her. “Oh. Nina, come over here.” Nina stands up, rubbing her rear (from the fall on her butt), as she walks over to where Eliza is, staring into the water. “I thought I saw something down there, a brief flicker of light and movement.”
“Where?”
“Maybe it was reflected moonlight.” Eliza remarks, to which Nina replies “No. It must have been the card, but it’s too shy now to come out.”
“Wasn’t too shy for those girls.” Eliza notes, “Maybe it likes ‘em young. Of course Sakura is the height of a little girl so maybe it thought she was tasty little Lolita treat--”
“I HEARD THAT TOO!!!” (Sakura stomps out of the brush wearing her costume, fuming mad) “Now, now Sakura-chan---” (Tomoyo follows right behind her trying to calm her down, but Sakura was on a roll) “YOUR RUDE!!”
“And your bossy and loud, crank it down five and come over here. Eliza saw the card.”
“What?” (Sakura quickly rushes over and leans over, looking down into the water) “Where?” Nina smirks, ‘Bet Tomo’d get a real kick seeing Sakura’s breasts through that top once I--’ (Eliza grabs Nina’s arm and pulls her to one side, stepping between the two) “What are you doing, Eliza?”
“You had that look in your eye.” Eliza whispers, pulling Sakura back from the railing. “It was only a glimpse of something that might have been something. Nothing concrete I’m afraid.”
“Oh.” (shakes her head abit as she steps back, sweating bullets now) “So it might not be a card after all.”
“Sakura-chan, if you don’t want to---”
“No, Tomo-chan, I must.” Sakura replies cautiously, “People are scared and it’s my duty to capture that card.”
“If it is a-- OUCH! Eliza!!” (Eliza gives Nina a soft but stern look) “--your no fun--”
“Anyway---” (tears start flowing down Sakura’s face) “--we have to pass here to get home! I have to capture that card or--”
“Or it’ll give Sakura paranoid complexes forever and--” (Nina sighs) “--I know, I know, zip it. Got it, got it, zipping it, sigh---” (removes kimono to show her work uniform beneath it, passes kimono to Eliza as she takes out a few armbands from her pouch (one large and a few smaller ones)). “First off, new commlinks (frees up your hands since they’re sensitive to motion). Make a fist twice in rapid succession and the device triggers.” (holds up arm as she slaps device on and demonstrates) “Like this. Squeeze-squeeze and---” (link comes on) “It’s sensitive to movement in the arm. Two quick squeezes makes the appropriate area flex and the device picks that up and activates. This also has a touch pad for data transmissions if vocal is impossible. It can work underwater, but only up to a certain depth--” (looks at lake) “--but since this lake is nowhere near that deep that shouldn’t be a problem. Still it can’t take a set amount of pressure. If the pressure starts to strain the device it’ll start to emit a pinging noise that’ll signal it’s integrity is failing. If you have a message it’ll vibrate. Oh, and here---” (attaches larger gauntlet to left arm) “This is my neural gauntlet. I’m trying something new with this model, it has a matter arranger and displacer, which is good for weapons deployment and good old fashioned energy shooting (so you are covered either way). I already put some of my favorite designs in here including a lightsaber and a few good guns from the best 3rd Preson Shooters out there so it’s good to go.“
As Sakura examines what she’s been given Nina hands her a small mask, “Now here’s a re-breather mask, with a ten minute oxygen yield. Just in case.” (Nina notes as she helps Sakura put it on her face). “I know Water gives you an air bubble but once it runs out the mask will take over and supply 10 additional minutes of air. That’s it otherwise.” (snaps Sakura in the butt as she passes) “Go Ham-ham on their butts, Snoozy.”
“----” (Sakura still isn’t happy being called Snoozer) “---sigh, Umi! Form a bubble of air to protect me from the water!”
Nina - “Remember, even if the air runs out in the bubble you’ll have 10 minutes of air from the re-breather, but that’s that. Don’t stay longer than that. If you need to chat to me (and lord knows I‘m mocked you long enough so you wouldn‘t feel the need to do that) I‘ll have my link gear on---” (slides half circle metal headband onto the back of her head connected to her wetware links) “--and I’ll monitor your transmissions on my visor just in case.” (the visor links into the metal piece). “Got it?“
“I got it.”
“Well, good luck.”
And, with Tomoyo recording, Sakura jumps into the water and disappears. “Good thing I bought these little gizmos with me---” Nina giggles as she pulls three small pods out of her pocket and tosses them into the water. “What are those?”
“Campods, Tomoyo, they’ll keep a record of her adventure down there--- something for your second volume DVD collection. Here--” (pulls out screen) “--let’s watch.”
As the campods follow Sakura down the water grows darker and darker. Briefly Sakura seems to stop but then continues to let the bubble carry her down. Soon it begins to grow bright again as she nears the source of the disturbances. “Better illuminate it so I can see what I’m doing…” (hold up gauntlet) “Now let’s see--” (the holo-imager comes up and displays all available functions, but in the dim light Sakura can hardly make anything out). “Here it is, there is a light feature on this thing. Now let’s see what’s ah----ead of…?!?”
Suddenly it’s very bright, dry, and Tomoyo/Eliza’s looking at her oddly. But that only lasts for a second or so. “WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?!?” Eliza screams. Sakura looks down at the gauntlet display that she selected. “What the… I didn’t see this option before…“
Sakura shows the holoscreen to Eliza.
“Emergency Teleporter?!? How the hell did… but that means Nina-- NINA!!”
* * * * * *
Everything happened so fast she hardly had a chance to gulp down any air before the world collapsed around her, and everything went watery and dark. Nina’s senses shut off as the water slams into her (and the small amount of air that traveled with her during the switch) and she is sent reeling from the blow. Her mind nearly blanks out as she struggles to regain her senses, but dimly her thoughts focus on one thing.
* * * * * *
Eliza.
That’s all the link would say. Over and over again it flashed just that.
“NINA! NINA!! Respond!! NINA!!” Eliza yelled, growing more and more frantic.
Then, something new came up.
‘Sakura--- don’t--- I can’t--- I’m dying--- let go---’
“What?!?” Sakura gasped, looking over the readout on her own link. Tomoyo was just as confused as Sakura about this, “Sakura’s up here! What is she thinking?!”
* * * * * *
Nina weakly struggled against the encompassing arms, looking straight into Sakura’s face as she began to feel her air running out. Briefly Nina blacked out, but regain consciousness fast only to feel herself weakening, slipping in and out. As she opened her eyes again, she was Eliza holding her, and stopped caring whether she lived or died.
* * * * * *
‘---don’t leave me--- ‘liza--- hold me please--- don’t let me go--- please---’
“NINA NO!!” Eliza screams, leaping over into the water. But as she hit’s the water she freezes up as if she jumped into a tub with a live electrical cable in her hands. She screams as she hits, electricity shocking her hard, before she is tossed into the railing hard.
Quickly Tomoyo rushes forward and grabs Eliza’s upper body, struggling to keep her above water as Sakura helps to try and pull her up. “--no--- no--- Nina--- noooo---”
“I’ll get her!” Sakura quickly moves to jump the railing, only for a dark shadowy thing to fly across her line of sight and into the water. “Yuki! He’s going to---” (stops, turns) “---Yuki?” He was standing behind her. As he and Toya helped pull Eliza from the water, Sakura turns to face the lake. “What was that?!”
* * * * * *
Nina shuts her eyes, and with the last bit of will she moves left hand to her right neural gauntlet and triggers the holo imager.
“Self Defense Mode Active. Ship Defense Security Armor Deployed.”
As she holds tight the gauntlet activates, and encases her in hard SWAT unit armor, covering her face in the gasmask helmet and reviving her lungs with fresh air (generated from the bodysuit by drawing the oxygen out of the water and turning it into breathable air for Nina). Briefly stunned, she grabs tightly onto “Eliza” and sneers, her eyes visible through the helmet’s eye sockets as they narrow.
“Electroshocker Defense Mode Engaged. Charge Dispel Triggered.”
“Bang.”
With a scream she launches an electrical assault, supercharging the water around her as she throttles the thing she was holding (and herself) with a full on electrical barrage. Under the attack it disappears, leaving Nina to float towards the bottom of the lake drained and wasted, her strength gone. Worst, as the armor drew oxygen out of the water like a shark does, which means it only works if Nina moves constantly. If she stops moving the air dries out again, and she starts to suffocate once again. “Damn.” Nina gasps, watching the light fade above her, “I’m scared--- goddess-- ‘liza--- I’m scared--- please--”
As she blacks out she feels two soft feminine arms wrap around her, and a loving gaze of a woman’s smiling face gazing into her visor as she’s embraced by someone. “---goddess---”
* * * * * *
When she comes to she finds herself lying in the Medico Bay of the U.S.S. Ryoko, her clothes gone and her body mending from the experience. To one side she spots a familiar face. As Dr. Adri Talbot approaches her, Nina takes a swipe at the doctor’s shoulder length dark hair and smiles. “Knew you were more than a pretty face, doc.”
“That must be the delirium talking from the self induced electroshock therapy you gave yourself, but thanks all the same.” (pokes Nina’s chest as she talks) “I went through the trouble of clearing your lungs of the liquid you swallowed, and I treated you for shock (self induced I see) as well as the onset of hypothermia (that lake you were in was cold).“ (sits next to Nina staring at her intently, “Any reasoning as to what compelled you to jump in a lake like that anyway, only to give yourself a shock for some unfathomable reason?”
“Somebody else made my mind up.” Nina admitted honestly, “Where’s---?”
“They’re waiting in the Resting Area. Here---” (hands off neural gauntlet) “--Sakura wanted you to have it back. She was really apologetic the whole time, couldn’t stop bowing.”
“Well it’s not her fault. Now where’s… there it is…” (holds up microchip from open panel) “Somebody slipped a jammer into my gauntlet. How the heck did that happen.” (sighs as she shoves the panel close again with a slick clickt) “Somebody’s going to pay for that one. But--” (slumps back abit winded just from talking) “--maybe later. Where’s Eliza?”
“Bathroom break.” Adri noted, “She’s been sitting here non-stop watching you. When she first brought you in here she was in the grip of a panic attack, I had to give her a relaxant just to calm her (and at double dose no less!) and she still was nervous. She didn’t want to leave your side until you were feeling better.”
“Poor thing. It’s not her fault either. Sigh. So, who saved me?” Nina asked.
“Glavius. He was there with his wife and jumped in when he heard the commotion.”
“Nice guy. When Eliza gets back I’ll--” Suddenly Nina stops and looks, spotting Eliza to one side standing near a doorway shaking like a leaf. “Come here--- come here---” With tentative steps, then dashing strides, Eliza jumps into Nina’s arms and holds her tight. The two hug until Nina’s strength gives out again. As she pulls Eliza into the bed, both fall asleep in a soft embrace, Eliza sobbing for a few minutes until she also falls asleep. “At least ask me if you can double up before doing it.” (rubs her head wearily) “Better tell the others the good news so they can have their “privacy“.”
* * * * * *
It takes Adri two minutes to calm everyone down to the point of them listening. Inside the room was Sakura, Toya & Glavius (a tall dark haired male wearing a comfortable looking dress uniform (for the food fair)). Tomoyo took Mirra-chan & Hikaru home, and Yuki went home to wait for Toya.
“She’ll be fine. Got the excess water out of her and she’ll make a quick recovery.”
Adri stops, notices Sakura’s morbid expression, and smiles. “She’s not angry at you. She probably won’t stop calling your Sneezer for awhile but she’s rather forgiving right now.”
“Snoozer.” Sakura corrects, still nervous and depressed. Adri dreaded doing it, but she had to ask Sakura something, “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about though, Sakura.” (leans over to talk to her) “Nina muttered something about you holding her down, then Eliza, then something I couldn’t make out. She was too delirious when she was brought in to make much sense, and now that she’s well she’s too tight lipped to answer questions. Being naturally stubborn and all being part of her natural genetics and all.”
“She saw me in the lake?” Sakura asked, face becoming a reflection of her confusion.
“I think the card took your form, Sakura, that’s the only answer.” Kero surmises.
Sakura - “But why my form, and then Eliza’s? And her true form is a woman, right?”
“Not really though she might indeed be female---” (Glavius) “I noticed some of the reports and the descriptions, and they match the appearance of a model Misho was using to promote the festival who fell into the lake and got wet.”
“F-fell in?” Sakura stammered, “She’s alive, well, and posting a new batch of nude pics of herself on her website.” Glavius quickly added, blushing abit at the end words, “But obviously this thing saw her, mimicked her form---”
Kero - “THAT’S IT!!”
Everyone turns to look at Kero, who was now all excited. “It’s Mimic!”
Tomoyo - “Clow Reed made a card called Mimic?”
“Actually it was one of his earlier mistakes.” Kero accentuated, drawing everyone into his story as all eyes focused on him and him alone, “Clow Reed made the card, but it was too stubborn and arrogant. The card thought it was better than everyone including Clow Reed, so he finally had to seal it away and replaced that card with Mirror (who was gentler and had a child like innocence to her personality). Clow got rid of Mimic somewhere, and we haven’t heard about it in ages -- but is this really Mimic? After all these years it’s been here? In a place of dreams?”
“Seems that way.” Adri concludes, “That explains the ability to take on other people’s forms. But how do you capture a card that can mimic anything it sees?”
“Good question.” Sakura mutters as she slumps her shoulders, the events of the night finally weighting down on her and wearing her out. Toya finally decides to take Sakura home, putting her in Tomoyo’s care as he leaves the mansion. As Tomoyo walks next to one of her bodyguards, watching Sakura’s face as she sleeps, she smiles abit and thinks to herself ‘She does sorta look like Snoozer when she’s sleeping. How cute!’
* * * * * *
“Ever think about giving Sakura a break?” Adri asks as she oversees Nina’s transfer back planetside (for her to complete her resting at the Daidouji residence), walking aside her hover stretcher as they head down to the Teleporter-room. “Why? Your not going to mother hen her too, are you?”
“It’s not that, Nina, I just think you should ease off her back abit. That’s all.”
“I’ll forgive the near drowning thing, alright? Just don’t take away my ability to call her ‘Snoozer’. It’s one of the few joys I have in life that isn’t sex related.” Nina complains.
“But she’s so cute!” Adri protests, “Can’t you stop teasing her like you do?”
“Look, Adri, I’m the ONLY one who screws with her mind. Anyone teases her gets a fist in the face from me, anyone messes with her gets a spanking from me, anyone violates her gets the “Full Monty” (Winterian Style) from me. That might be hunky-dorry for sick fan porn, but in my world, on MY watch, it’s not kosher. Got it?”
“Sure. She’s not my type anyway---” (Adri blinks as a thought occurs to her) “Say, Nina, forgive me for being rather off base if I am, but your not having wet dreams about her are you? I mean what with your obsessive…”
Nina - “Want me to give you a rectal exam with your pocket light stick?”
Adri - “---I’ll take that as a no then---”
* * * * * *
Nina lays back, and flips the page. “Finally found time to catch up on my reading.” (sighs) “Should take more time off whenever possible. Hmm---” (smirks) “---maybe I should put a request through Command to post a request for Ryoko (Real Bout High School) hentai pics. I got my rank, I’m due it.” (hears a knock at the door) “Enter.” (looks over to the door) “Hey, Tomoyo, how‘s tricks? Just came back from the Shinto Shrine praying for my eternally damned soul?”
Tomoyo, wearing a beautiful dress, enters with Eliza’s pouch slung over her shoulder. “How are you doing?” (Nina shrugs) “I’m doing fine, but I’m guessing that’s a tribute to me since it’s Eliza’s pouch and she wouldn’t give that up unless it’s to bring me something. How’s Sakura? She does know I’m not going to blow up at her or anything--- she could grace me with a visit once she gets over the fear of me trying to kill her while she’s at it.”
“I can come in?” (the meek little voice outside the door asked) “Yeah, Sakura, come in.”
“Sorry.” (Sakura, head bowed, walks in blushing) “Cut that out, Sakura, I’m fine. Come over here and sit down. If there’s edible treats in there let’s share. (I have my dust buster so I’m good to clean the sheets of crumbs after we eat)---” (blinks) “---is the bag moving?” (pokes open the pouch and pulls Kero out, smiling) “Nice. You’re here too.” (rubs him on the head) “Your not all sad too, are you?” (puts Kero on the bed) “When I’m 100% again I’ll be back to being the same ole’ bitchy me I can be, so don’t get used to me being all nice and accomidating all the time.” (sighs) “But that’s later. So--- whatcha bring me?”
“Cookies. Sorry. Eliza got you a book too.” Tomoyo noted.
“Well she knows what I read. And thanks, you know I just love your cookies. Though your REAL sweet spot is only for Sakura’s tongue---” (blinks) “---and the mere fact that Sakura didn’t even flinch at the sex remark, let alone try to hit me is a bad sign isn‘t it.” (shakes Sakura with one hand, smling as she does) “Come on, stupid! This isn’t my wake! Stop pouting and get over it! What happened happened, and it’s nobody’s fault! Here---” (pulls out gauntlet) “Somebody hacked it’s mainframe with a Jammer chip, so they automatically used the mini emergency teleporter in the gauntlet to “swap” our positions (with my own gauntlet and it’s emergency teleporter).”
“H-how?” Sakura asks meekly. “Not too hard if you got the gear and a few years out of a good cyber-technical college (something Tomoyo should look into being that she’s all into the latest technology and all). Anyway I’ll find out one day, but not today---” (smiles) “---today is COOKIE DAY! Let’s eat.” (opens bag and hands out cookies) “Man I love a good cookie rush! Somebody go over to my replicator I put on the cabinet and make us some chocolate milk. Goes great with cookies.”
As Tomoyo (who already knew how to make the device work) did that, Sakura talked to Nina. “Did you get in trouble?”
Nina - “Nah. It went right under the radar (like I went under sea level). Nobody at Command heard about it and that’s OK in my book. Mina 00 even covered my stay on the Ryoko and no report was ever filed about it by either Adri or Mina 00, and that’s double OK in my book.” (holds up cookie & milk) “And I get to wolf down cookies & chocolate milk in bed! Triple OK in my book! How can eating chocolate in the form of little Captain America shields not be a good thing? (All round and all… Captain America hurls his cookies…)”
Kero - “We figured out what card it was down there. Mimic.”
“So that explains why it changed form---” (Nina tags a pouty Sakura on the cheek) “---should make your sex life far more interesting when you catch it you goddess, you!”
Sakura - “---aren’t you angry?” Nina leans back and thinks, “Not really, and I don’t need to beat on you certainly since you seem more than capable of self torture all on your own. Anyway it’s not like it was done on purpose or anything so I have no reason to be pissy about it. Besides which, for the life of me all I can think about is how Eliza almost killed herself trying to save me and that was---” (smiles) “Forget about it. I don’t want to be angry this time, because it just reminds me how I almost lost Eliza and that makes me somber when I think about it.” (shakes off thoughts) “So let’s not think about it! Now how are you going to catch this ---?!?”
Sakura grabs Nina and gives her a noogie.
“YOU’RE THE GREATEST, NINA!!”
Nina wiggles free of Sakura and sneers at her, “NOW I’M ANGRY!! STOP IT!! STOP IT!!” (bats her back with a rapid swinging of her arms) “TAKE YOU DYSFUNCTIONAL OUT ON SOMEONE ELSE, I’M SICK AND BEDRIDDEN!! STOP THAT!!” Nina finally pushes Sakura away and huffs at her, “Damn grow some maturity! Now, back to capturing the card---”
“Who saved you?” Eliza asked, seemingly popping out of nowhere as she tosses a data pad onto the bed for Nina to look at. On the bed was an image from Nina’s wetware (from her mind) showing a gentle female face holding her. Nina blinks, then shudders at the image. “So I wasn’t hallucinating. Are you angry at me, Eliza?”
Eliza - “No. I just want to know.”
Nina - “Sure, but it‘ll make zero sense to you because ---I think it might be--” (stops) “--I really can’t say.”
“What?!” Eliza protests, moving forward to sit next to Nina, “Why not?!?”
Nina sighs, falling back into the pillows to lie staring up at the ceiling, “It hurts too much to say, that‘s why.” Nina grabs and pulls Eliza close, pulling her tight on top of herself. “Please don’t ask me about it. Not now. I’ll explain later but--” (sighs) “--not now.”
“Alright.”
The rest of the conversation is spent talking about less stressful things.
* * * * * *
That night.
“I should be getting used to this--” Nina sighs, feeling her strength returning as she takes another deep breath of the night air. “But here we go again, Round 2.”
Nina clicks on her commlink headgear and motions to the others (wearing similar devices). “These headset comms I had Mina send down should do the trick in keeping us linked.”
As they all neared the lake the water began to churn, then whirl about until it explodes, as a figure rises out of it. At this everyone stops and stares in disbelief. “It’s Nina?!?” Sakura spits out. Sure enough, floating over the lake (wearing one of Nina’s neural gauntlets) is Mimic, in Nina’s form. It stares at Sakura with a mix of contempt and hatred.
In a flash she moves, grabbing ahold of Tomoyo by the neck as she levitates her into the air above them. Shocked, all they can do is watch as she holds Tomoyo over them.
Mimic - “So, Kero, still think I’m stupid?”
To Be Continued (Friday)
The Ads are Go... see? There they are. Up there.
Yeah, here we go...
To offset the ads I added another day for fanfictions.
Look for fictions every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
This month Wednesdays and Fridays are CardCaptor Sakura Remastered, while Sundays are Azkaban.
January 2007 Wednesday will be something new, while Fridays are for CardCaptor Sakura Remastered and Sunday is for Azkaban.
Now the new fanfiction posting so let's go.
To offset the ads I added another day for fanfictions.
Look for fictions every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
This month Wednesdays and Fridays are CardCaptor Sakura Remastered, while Sundays are Azkaban.
January 2007 Wednesday will be something new, while Fridays are for CardCaptor Sakura Remastered and Sunday is for Azkaban.
Now the new fanfiction posting so let's go.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Yes, you can't escape ads even here.
Looks like I got approved for the ad thing.
I don't suppose it'll help if I tell you that everyone who clicks the ad will earn me a little bit of money that I'll use for review materials for AmeriManga Times, huh? Huh? Why don't I do that... well, because it's forbidden.
Anyway I said my peace, no more will be said on the ads above. Enjoy otherwise what you came here for, you know, the fanfiction stuff.
(NOTE - As of this post, however, they still have the public service ad up. I guess tomorrow it'll be the regular ad.)
I don't suppose it'll help if I tell you that everyone who clicks the ad will earn me a little bit of money that I'll use for review materials for AmeriManga Times, huh? Huh? Why don't I do that... well, because it's forbidden.
Anyway I said my peace, no more will be said on the ads above. Enjoy otherwise what you came here for, you know, the fanfiction stuff.
(NOTE - As of this post, however, they still have the public service ad up. I guess tomorrow it'll be the regular ad.)
AdSense for here too?
I did it over at AmeriManga Times because I could use the money for the good old budget for reviewing materials, but this site didn't need it (being fanfictions and all this doesn't need a budget to work with).
Well... it'll get added to AmeriManga Times budget, the more the merrier, and it'll go for work so it's all good... I guess. Anyway it'll be a few days before the decision is made so it might not get approved at all, so cross fingers and wait to see what transpires in a few days.
Well... it'll get added to AmeriManga Times budget, the more the merrier, and it'll go for work so it's all good... I guess. Anyway it'll be a few days before the decision is made so it might not get approved at all, so cross fingers and wait to see what transpires in a few days.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
The Weekly Commentary
As we come up to Monday let's get this down early.
I won't finish this post up until we get to Monday, of course, but while I'm getting there let's check commentary on these first days out of the starting gate and see what feedback we got so far...
First Check (Sunday December 3rd)
So far it looks pretty quiet for a first week out. I didn't check every post for a comment but I guess it's abit early for comments this soon out of the starting gate. I'll come back Monday and check one more time before calling it a week.
Monday (December 4th)
Oh, well. It was a quiet week for comments. Maybe next week.
Next Week
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered 6 and 7 (10) (Thursday and Saturday)
Azkaban 2 (Sunday)
See you then!
I won't finish this post up until we get to Monday, of course, but while I'm getting there let's check commentary on these first days out of the starting gate and see what feedback we got so far...
First Check (Sunday December 3rd)
So far it looks pretty quiet for a first week out. I didn't check every post for a comment but I guess it's abit early for comments this soon out of the starting gate. I'll come back Monday and check one more time before calling it a week.
Monday (December 4th)
Oh, well. It was a quiet week for comments. Maybe next week.
Next Week
CardCaptor Sakura Remastered 6 and 7 (10) (Thursday and Saturday)
Azkaban 2 (Sunday)
See you then!
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