CardCaptor Sakura Remastered III Episode 1 (10)

Previously…

The vision. A figure in shadows, wearing a cape and sitting on the roof of the Daidouji estates. He was watching her. Sakura looks up, noticing for the first time Lunaris in the sky above. “But it’s night---”

“Lunaris sometimes appears in people’s visions regardless of time.”

Sakura looks around, but no one. The voice was coming from everywhere and yet nowhere.

“Sakura -- it’s not time yet --” (the voice calls to her) “-- we’ll talk again soon. Sakura -- Sakura -- Sak --” (silence) “Sakura?”

“Who are --” Sakura’s eyes lazily drift open, coming face to face with a wide eyed and curious Rebecca staring at her from in front of her desk. “ACK!”

“I know the colonization period of the 21st Century is a tad dry and boring but still --” (Rebecca smiles as she rests her head on Sakura’s desk, looking at her sideways). “Have a nice nap?”

“I-I’M SORRY!!!”

“ACK!” (Keiko jumps back with a start, waking out of her own stupor to come crashing to the floor in an awkward way) “-- ouch --”

“Well I’m glad someone over there had worst falls than that in her life -- still --” (a smile creeps across Rebecca’s face) “-- that was worth it. Thanks, Sakura.” (stops) “You have practice today?”

“No --”

“Then cuddle and snooze at home please, thanks.” (walks back to the board) “And that goes double for you, Miss blades!”

“---oh shove it---” Keiko hisses as she pulls herself back into her chair.

The day was nearly done, and they were going to the party for the cast members of the play next.

Misho was holding it at a room in the huge Convention Center she built in downtown Tokyo, and went through a lot of trouble to make it a hot ticket event. Still -- Suddenly Sakura noticed Rebecca was next to her again, “I’m awake!”

Rebecca leans over and whispers to her, “I noticed how beautiful you are when your sleeping. So very very cute -- Nina doesn‘t know anything. Snoozer indeed. Your so very --” (Rebecca reaches a hand out, but stops) “-- I’m jealous.” (with that Rebecca retreats without another word said, leaving Sakura confused.)

* * * * * *

“I’m so embarrassed!!”

“I’m sorry,” Tomoyo said in a comforting manner, “I tried to wake you up.”

“But I had that dream again, and then Rebecca said --” (stops, blushing) “-- she said she I was beautiful and she was jealous of me --?”

“Rebecca said that to you?” Tomoyo asked, her face filled with curiosity. “Why? I thought she only wanted to steal Fly away from you, did she ever show that kind of feelings for you?”

“I don’t know --” (class had dismissed and the two were walking to the party) “-- but I have this strange feeling --”

“Uh oh.” Tomoyo stops, looking a little concerned, “When you feel like that something is going to happen. Is there a card nearby?”

“I don’t know -- I can’t explain it but -- something is coming. I don‘t know what it is but --”

“Give it time then.” (Tomoyo takes Sakura’s hand as she steps past her) “It’ll come to you.”

Suddenly Sakura stops, her head looking upwards, “Rebecca?!”

Sitting perched in a tree, Rebecca watches as the two draws near, dropping down in front of them as they draw close. She reaches into a pocket and withdraws two things, a Seeker, and a wristband with a jewel setting. “Got something for you, Tomoyo. Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks.” Tomoyo accepts gracefully, her expression turning curious as Rebecca pushes the Seeker sphere towards her. “Your Seeker?”

“Yours. It took me awhile but I found another Seeker, it’s yours. Figure it’ll come in handy.”

“-- why thank you --” Tomoyo whispers, bowing as she accepts the mystical object. “How do I take it home? In my bag?”

“Tap it to the crystal on the wristband. It’s a storage device, it’ll hold anything you want in it.” (smiles) “Figured it’d make losing this an unlikely event.”

“How practical!” Tomoyo gleefully remarks, tapping the sphere onto the wristband where it’s enveloped in a field of light and swallowed into the jewel setting. “How do I --”

“Tap the jewel and think of what you want, and it’ll come out. Easy as th --?” (Sakura’s hand grasps Rebecca’s arm) “-- ? -- oh but don‘t putting loose candies in there because I did that once and I‘m still randomly pulling gummy bears out of my storage crystal clinging onto other
stuff (they’re still edible too) and -- what are you doing?! I‘m not that entranced by you for holding back with Fly to be giving you gifts.”

Sakura looked very nervous as she struggled with her words, “Rebecca -- about earlier. What did you mean?”

“About what?” Rebecca asked with genuine interest, and a tad bit of confusion.

Sakura - “When you said you thought I was beautiful, and was jealous.”

Rebecca facefaulted briefly, “But I didn’t say --” (stops, face flushes slightly) “-- I was down with Misho preparing for the party so I asked Catherine to sit in my class for me, why didn‘t she sit in my… oh. She did.” (a slight irked expression passes over Rebecca’s face) “She took my form, didn’t she. Did she take my form? That --” (?) “-- what was she --”

“Phwee?”

“Uh--- nothing. Never mind.” (Rebecca backs away, waving at the two) “Better hurry before the party starts without us! Come on!”

“But Rebe---”

“She’s gone.” Tomoyo notices, watching her speed off. “What was that all about?”

“---I don’t know---”

* * * * * *

As the two walk away hand-in-hand, on top of one of the school buildings Catherine watches, her hands clenched together as if she was wringing them, watching as Sakura & Tomoyo walked away.

“---goddess I am jealous--- aw man---”

Behind her, unknown to her, someone else watches.

“What are you up to, Catherine?”

* * * * * *

“If I knew this was going to be a cake party I’d have not skipped lunch.” Keiko grumbles slightly, poking the table as she sat there staring at the others. “We are going to get some cakes over here eventually, right? This is a cake party after all--- cake-u, cake-u, cake-u!”

“Make up your mind whether you want cake or not you hypocrite!” Misho hisses under her breath, leaning back in her spot on the huge table. On this table there was Sakura, Tomoyo, Nina & Eliza, Keiko, Rebecca & Misho. (Both Eve & Trinity were on another table with Naoko, Chiharu & Rika).

Keiko noted the empty table with disdain, “All I’m saying is that if we’re going to have a cake party--- be nice if there was cake, that’s all. After all a cake party without cake is lame.”

“Patience oh psychotic one. Patience.” Rebecca groaned, scanning the huge room for a traveling cake cart, “It’ll be here before you can say “hypoglycemic coma”.”

Everyone - “Hypoglycemic coma.”

“---not funny---”

* * * * * *

Meanwhile--- The Shining Star International Spaceport

(The Dream Continent of Hong Kong)

“I wish it would snow.” Xai Shar muttered beneath her breath. It was cold, but not enough to keep the flights grounded--- she hated that.
Outside the viewing windows she could see several of the the huge aircraft lumbering into the sky, and coming down for landing right next to the stellar capable crafts as they did their take offs and landings in turn. She didn’t feel at all comfortable with this, but she knew there was no point in arguing with her once she made up her mind. She was going, and that was that.

So, with that thought out, she turned to face her companion. “I’d have to say I’m a little surprised your going so soon after your promotion.” Xai Shar (the 5th Judgment of the Shining Star) remarked, her long hair cascading down her back as she shook her head back and forth, her Palominian features (animorphic horse/human female features) sweating slightly as she regarded her companion. “You’re the youngest girl I’ve seen rise to the rank of 11th Judgment. It takes some ages to rise the ranks but you’ve done it remarkably fast for one so young.”

Silence, her companion seemed too intent on her ticket to notice. She only noded her head at Xai Shar’s remarks. “And what of your mentor? The one you told me about? Will she be there? The one who is…”

“Yes. She‘s always been there--- in Nippon.”

Xai Shar pressed the subject, “And this boy… I mean man you told me about? Isn’t he leaving also for…”

“He is.” She quickly responded, cutting the conversation on him short. Xai nods her head, pushing the topic of “him” aside. “Will you be gone long?”

“Not long. Not until I help Sempai recapture those annoying cards and returned home again.”

“Well, whatever possessed you to do this I wish you the best--- so long, Meilin.”

Meilin smiles, her Judgment uniform feeling very comfortable as she gives her companion a hug goodbye. “Think Sempai will be surprised I’m visiting?”

“Before or after you tell her the good news?”

“She might be a little disagreeable.” (smirks) “But this time I’m not taking no for an answer! Before next year is out I‘m going to be a married woman and she---” (smiles) “---you know the rest.”

Ten minutes later her flight leaves, destination - Tokyo.

* * * * * *

Back in Nippon (Tokyo)

“Cake before I fall asleep or start craving real food already!” Keiko sighed in boredom.

Misho - “Shut up, you’re only making it worst.”

“It’s your party, Misho--- make it come faster!” Nina was grumbling now.

Misho - “Shut up, you’re only making it worst.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Shut up, you’re only making it--- oh. Never mind---” (Misho looks over, and nearly falls over) “WHAT?!? YOU???”

Sakura facefaults herself now, “Toya?!”

“H-H-” (Misho was speechless, for once)

Tomoyo - “Hello there, Toya. Working?”

“Working.”

Misho - “A-A--- HOW?!?”

“How many times do you fire him only to rehire him again?” Keiko remarks sharply.

Misho - “I’m not doing this!! What’s going on?!?” (takes the cake from Toya anyway despite her anger) “Didn’t I fire you three weeks ago?!?”

“Sheesh. The guy really does work everywhere---” Nina sarcastically remarks as she pokes her cake abit before eating it, “Doesn’t Yuki pull his weight in their relationship or is Toya doing all the work?”

“Let’s eat.” Tomoyo quickly shifts the subject, noting Toya’s peeved expression at Nina, “All the cakes look very delicious!”

“It is.” Misho (coming back to Terrra) remarks, sticking another bite into her mouth. “But Nina’s got a point, I never see Yuki working ANYWHERE…”

“It’s absolutely divine!” Sakura pines, her face glowing radiantly as she and Tomoyo smile at each other, taking a bit of their cakes and feeding the other watching their faces as they chewed and relished the tastes of the other‘s food. Keiko takes another bite and swallows
hard, “Try not to jump each other while at the table please.”
Inspired, Nina suddenly jumps up from her spot and dashes over to Eliza’s table, jumping into place to swap cakes with her and do the romantic thing Sakura/Tomoyo were doing.

Toya looked peeved x2, Rena couldn’t care less, and Misho just wanted another cake (grabbing one from the huge tray Toya bought) when suddenly, “That really does look good.”

At the sound of the voice, both Rebecca & Keiko sigh irritably. “The walking 8-ball.”

“Ms. Mitsuki!” Sakura suddenly freaks a little, noticing she was watching the two from behind them for a little while now. Seconds later another person came into view, Catherine, she borrows Sakura for a second and puts Ms. Mitsuki down on their table while she talks with her. Keiko grabs her seconds later and walks off with her to stop her from staring at Tomoyo.

Obviously Rebecca and Keiko aren’t tickled pink by this, but Tomoyo watches with some interest as the two talk quietly over at another table. “You know why Keiko & Rebecca are here, and you know in a sense why I’m here--- have you ever wondered why Nina’s here though?”

“Orders?”

Catherine - “Eventually however, with all this support your getting from the Judgments and a Raven you’d think Command would give Nina the option to opt out of her mission and go back on leave again. She was on offtime when she was called in for the job after all, you’d think
she’d want to return to that.”

Sakura - “Maybe they didn’t call her back?”

Catherine - “Maybe they did and she wanted to stay here.”

Sakura - “Did Nina tell you that?”

Catherine - “No. Nina doesn’t like talking to me. She keeps her distance from me.” (suddenly Catherine grows a little distant, her thoughts wandering) “The art of card related magic is actually quite a rarity. Despite the fact card battle games are a dime a dozen few people actually use cards for such purposes (it’s too impractical to many it seems). Clow Reed of course is an exception to the rule, him and his Clow Cards (which will become your Star Cards). Then there are the people who forged the first mystical set of Tarot cards, as well as a distant relative of Misho NamoCatCat whose ancestor created crystal cards capable of entrapping necromancy beings entitled Rubicon cards, as well as---” (Catheirne stops) “Sorry, I‘m rambling, well the art is a very rare one in consideration of all the mystical artifacts forged over the ages.”

Sakura - “Are you---” (at this Catherine returns to reality)

Catherine - “I was involved somewhat with Misho’s family legacy, the Rubicon cards. She still carries some to this very day as a matter of fact. So in a sense I’m partially linked to the chain of magic that is related to cards. And so is Misho, Keiko, Rebecca (and not just by the default of the Fly incident)--- all of us here who have joined you have some connection to card magic in one form or another it seems. And there’s even a few you haven’t met yet---”

“Who?”

“You’ll know when the time is right---” (Catherine goes distant again) “What do you know about Ravens, Sakura? The guardian class known as Ravens, I mean (not the bird).”

“Not much. Only what Nina, or Keiko, or someone told me. They’re powerful, right? Like you? Guardians of dreams?”

Catherine smiles abit, still distant in thought, “I’m only Neo level power. That’s strong, but there’s a few levels above mine to go. One other, who is with you but not obvious, is a
Theta. There’s even stronger levels than that as well---” (Catherine smiles, reaching out to pass a hand through Sakura’s hair) “---I’m sorry I confused you while I was in Rebecca’s form. I didn’t mean to, but--- you truly are very beautiful.”

* * * * * *

“What the hell are they talking about?” Rebecca grumbles beneath her breath, the Seeker flashing bright but showing nothing to her. Ms. Mitsuki was with Keiko and Eve at another table, and Misho went to another table leaving them alone to talk. “Even this can’t tap into
their conversation.” (with a grunt she puts the Seeker back into place) “Catherine’s being super paranoid today.”

“Can it listen in to conversations?” (Tomoyo)

“Less of listening in, more like it taps the surface “thoughts” of the two talking. When people talk they tend to think out their words as well as speak them, the Seeker just grazes those top thoughts and relays them. It’s a very light and non-evasive technique so it normally would be beneath Catherine to protect against such a weak and low level reading--- but today she is for some reason… and no, I can‘t scan Sakura because Catherine‘s paranoia is radiating outward to form a “dead zone“ of thoughts, making it hard to tap anyone around her.”

Tomoyo - “Maybe she just wants her privacy.”

“And if she wanted that she could go to the girl’s bathroom to talk to Sakura--- and then we’d be at the door listening with water glasses.” (Rebecca sighs irritably) “I guess what I’m really getting at is she’s taking far too many precautions for a simple little chat--- eh? Oh, great, it’s the walking 8-ball now coming in this direction---” Rebecca sighs under her breath, “And they’re breaking up the talk. Well, so much for that.”

“What’s wrong? You seem rather down.” (Tomoyo)

“---?--- oh, yeah. Sakura’s getting all dosey-dorky with Ms. Mitsuki again. It’s a wonder nobody wrote a lemon with them doing---” (sighs irritably) “Sorry, it’s just that Kaho gets on my nerves. I keep telling Sakura to not get suckered in like that but she never listens!”

“That’s Sakura for you.”

“----and if I knew her like you did, Tomoyo, I’d actually know what that meant.”

“Why are you giving Sakura advice?”

For a few seconds silence reigns, but Rebecca eventually finds her voice. “Eh? Oh--- I’m one of the few with actual advice to give. Heaven forbid the person staying at your place can contribute something, but Nina’s about as useful in the advice dept. as a “Tickle-Me-Elmo”.
That’s why.”

“I thought you’d want the girl who snubbed you from taking Fly so you could destroy it to fail at her task?”

Rebecca sighs, leaning back in her spot. “Don’t read too much into it, damn you. I‘m not that angry at Sakura for what she did. Maybe -- well maybe -- I just don‘t know --” (staring up at the ceiling, Rebecca begins to loll her head back and forth) “I just don’t like half-ass jobs, that‘s all. Lord knows one of these days I’ll be like Trinity and forgive Fly for what it did. Who knows. Anyway if it’s going to be done, even if I’m not the one doing it, it’s gotta be done right. Sure I could have done it better, but that‘s old news -- best not to go over it over and over again. Save me from becoming overtly bitter about it.”

“So why do you worry about Sakura?” Tomoyo baits, to which Rebecca looks down at her irritated. “Go fish somewhere else. I have somebody already, and I‘m still struggling over forgiving Sakura for her interference or not. Anyway she is so not my type…” (hisses) “And you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Hear what?” Tomoyo asked.
Rebecca frowned, “I honestly hate you at times.”

* * * * * *

“Pick something.” (Misho)

“Make up your mind.” (Toya)

“But they all look so good---” (Sakura)

“Recommend something.” (Misho)

“Why?” (Toya)

“Am I paying you to work for me or to sass me! Help her---” (Misho)

“She can pick something.” (Toya)

“I don’t have eternity plus one to wait for THAT!!” (Misho)

“Then you pick something.” (Toya)

“---but they all look so good---” (Misho, mouth drooling a little)

Toya sighs irritably.

Keiko walks up, makes a few selections, and sighs. “The walking eight ball is coming over.”

“What?” (Misho/Sakura look back) “She’s with Catherine?”

“The two make a cute couple--- if Kaho didn’t have a sick twisted idea of her ideal mate.”

“Still going on about that?” Rebecca grumbles, joining the four, “It’s bad enough to listen to you gripe about it at mission briefings, must you bitch about it in public?”

“I’m just saying it’s dead wrong and---” (?) “---Sakura’s lost it.”

“?” (looks down at Sakura’s clueless expression) “Whoops. Too much information.”

“No kidding.” Keiko sighs as she tries to bring Sakura back to reality.

Seconds later--- “There. Now that wasn’t so hard--- only took several tries---” Misho sighs irritably. “Let’s go---”

“Your Sakura, right?” (she turns to the voice next to her) “Tomoyo asked me to look for you. Come on, she’s waiting.” (Sakura reaches out, grabbing the male’s hand and feeling a strange warmth from it) ‘!’ (Sakura blushes abit) “What’s wrong?”

“N-n-nothing---”

Seconds later, she confides her feelings to Tomoyo.

“The same?”

“It was the same feeling I had when I touched Catherine’s hand. That strange warmth--- who is--?”

“We met him during the Fly incident, remember?” Tomoyo reminds Sakura.

“Oh, right. Captain Lazarus--- what’s he---?”

Tomoyo - “He helped with the stage settings for the play and did the background imagery.”

Sakura - “Oh.” (smiles) “I thought those were really cute!”

* * * * * *

“Getting a little too close are we, Jack?” Keiko remarks as she slides up next to him.

“Just doing a favor for Tomoyo.” he remarks as he bites into a piece of cake. “Not bad.”

“I think she copped a feel off of your power aura.”

“It’s suppressed, Keiko. She can’t do that.”

“Oh, really.” Keiko remarked, her attention turning back towards Sakura and Tomoyo, “So why did she suddenly blank out for a second? I think she felt your aura and she was covering it up. She felt something touching you and it wasn’t a lolita crush on you either.”

Jack shook his head, “Heaven forbid we go through the whole Yuki thing again.”

“The point is---” Keiko leans forward abit to accentuate the point, “Just how much do we REALLY know about how sensitive her powers are? She might be able to detect a power level even if it’s being buried by technique. She seems very sensitive to mystical energy, even if the user is trying to bury that energy in her presence--- though only by touch it seems. She can’t read it by her sensory “touch”.”

Jack - “For which we’re all grateful or she’d be reading more than she needs to know now.”
Keiko moves away, but stops--- “What if she needs to know more than we’re giving her?”
She moves away before he can question her further. “---sigh---”

“So--- what were you two talking about?” (Catherine)

Jack turns his head and stares at her as she sits down. “What were you talking about with Sakura?”

Catherine frowns at the question, “Not THAT if that’s what your wondering--- I can keep that under tight wraps.”

“You’re not having---”

Catherine stops, and smiles at Jack, to which he replies “Don’t do that, Cathy, that’s the same look Mitsuki gives to weasel her way out of talking--- and I find it even more disturbing to see YOU do it!”

“Sorry. It’s going to be awhile longer -- but she’s getting there.”

Jack - “And where are you getting to?”

Catherine shrugs, “I don’t know.”

Jack leans back, his thoughts racing---

‘I take it she means Sakura is getting to the point of recovering all the cards. She’s right. It’s only a matter of time before all the cards are retrieved once again. But then---’ (sighs as he takes another bite) ‘---that’s when things are going to get touchy.’

‘As Sakura seals each card she’s bringing about the triggering of Final Judgment -- but if she isn’t the one to be judged, having already been judged -- who will she judge in turn? I feel as if she’ll stand over someone in judgment -- but who? Nina? Keiko? Rebecca? Catherine? Maybe even myself?’ Jack’s eyes rove the scene before him as he bites into the cake again, finishing it off as he reaches for a new one. ‘Nervous as all heck, must explain my chewy-chewy mood today. Just can’t stop chewing --’ (sighs as hew chews again) ‘It didn’t go
the way we thought it would when we visited her world -- everything went so horribly wrong. Even this fix might not last if the ramifications of what we did then come back to haunt us.’

‘For one of us, our own time of judgment is coming -- then what?’

* * * * * *

“For the last time stop staring at me!” Rebecca grumbles, putting a few people between herself and Tomoyo, “Your reading too much into it! Stop it!”

Sakura steps between the two, “Stop what?”

Tomoyo - “I’ll tell you later.”

Rebecca - “OH NO YOU DON’T!!”

Tomoyo laughs as she and Sakura walks off in one direction, leaving the others to stare at Rebecca. “What?!? Nothing happened!! Stop glaring at me!! (Go on Nina! They’re walking home so get going! Stop staring at me!!”) (Rebecca storms off in a huff with Trinity close behind, in a giggly mood.)

As Nina and Eliza catches up to the two, the obvious question comes out. “What were you and Rebecca talking about anyway? She’s in a huff about it!”

“Nothing much.” Tomoyo answers, and then she goes back to talking to Sakura.

“Something much or she wouldn’t be in a bad mood---” Nina sighs. “Then, Sakura, what did you talk about with Cathy?”

Sakura’s answer is about as vague as Tomoyo’s prodding of Rebecca.

“---sorry I asked---”

To Be Continued