Image of the Day

Image of the Day

Sunday, March 11, 2007

CardCaptor Sakura Remastered III Episode 2 (10)

Four more days before the Christmas break begins.

“STOP SAYING IT!!”

Nina looks about in a huff, her fist clenched and her teeth grinding together.

“Say what?” Sakura, in her school uniform (this happened on the way to school) asked, her face filled with genuine curiosity. Tomoyo was off to one side, silent, simply content to let Nina fume as she recorded the entire thing for posterity’s sake.

“You know what I mean! The minute it latched onto my card case you said it! It’s been moving everytime you say it! Everytime the word comes out of your mouth it moves! Doesn’t that give you the slightest hint---” (Nina stops, a shiver coming down her spine as if something
was close---) “---don’t---”

“The Move ca---” (it vanishes again)

“I SAID NOT TO SAY IT!!!” (Nina stomps down hard and storms off in a huff) “I GIVE UP! YOU CAPTURE THE DAMN THING AND GET ME MY CARDS BACK!!”

“But it’s almost time for school!”

“And whose fault is it someone keeps yelling “Move”! “Move!” “Mo---”” (pok) (Nina, in her haste, runs right into Move, stunning herself temporarily as she walks face first into her own card case and knocking Move off it’s stride, sending it warbling through the air as
Nina tries to recover. Sakura, with Tomoyo close behind, is on it before it can recover though. “Clow Card, return to your power confined, MOVE CARD!!” (it’s quickly captured, Nina’s card case falling into Tina’s open hand as the card is sealed) “Here--- uh--- Nina? That looks painful---” (pries Nina’s hands from her face) “Should I service you now?”

“Well we have to go! Bye, Nina!”

“---wait!! I---” (Nina huffs and pouts) “---I hate them.”

* * * * * *

“Please stop, Nina, if you don’t stop moving I can’t fix this.“

“It hurts, alright? I--- ouch!! Tina!!”

“Sorry, my bad.” she apologies, trying to get Nina’s head to stop bobbing about as she tries to fix the damage. The card case hit her at an odd angle and gave her a gash on her face, a small cut but it hurt all the same to Nina. “There, it’ll take a few seconds and it’ll be good as
100% new.”

“Sorry.” Nina apologied, “I can’t help it! Ouch!”

The two were sitting in the dining area of the underground monitoring base beneath Sakura’s school, and Nina wasn’t in a good mood right now. “I can’t believe she ditched on us!”

Tina - “Didn’t you want to ditch her in the first place? That’s what you said this morning.“

“Late, schmate! She made it on time and class is only now just starting!” (Nina wiggles her head abit as Tina finishes the job) “Still stings a little.”

“It’ll take awhile for it to go away.” (kisses the injury) “If you wish I’ll service you right now, anything to make you smile again mistress.“ (Nina reaches up and traces a pattern on Tina’s face) “Just being with you makes me smile, silly.”

“Nina?” (the commsystem)

“Argh--- what is it?”

“You better get in here. Something’s up in Sakura’s class.”

The two exchange glances before heading out the door.

* * * * * *

The times. They were achanging.
Since the original telling of this episode things had changed between Nina and Eliza.
They have not been an item for a few years now.
As of Remastered III, this new retelling, Eliza has been replaced by the new girl in Nina’s life… Tina, her sexdroid female lover.

But this is Sakura’s classroom, as events are unfolding.
“Maybe we should plan our Christmas shopping during Keiko’s lame period.” Rebecca sighs.

“It’s NOT a lame period! I just don’t have anything to teach---”

“Hence why it’s the lame period---” (?) “---what’s Mr. Terada writing?”

“Class? May I have your attention---?” (waits for a few seconds before speaking again) “I have an announcement to make. A student some of you might remember from a few years ago is transferring back to our class and I want you all to make her feel welcome.”

“Student?” Sakura whispers, confused. “Who could be transferring here at this time of year?”

“Kind of late for a transfer student---” Tomoyo whispers back.

“Come on in, Meilin---”

Keiko nearly falls out of her seat.

Meilin passes everyone and walks right to the back.

“Meilin!” (Sakura jumps out of her seat) “It’s good to see you again! I---” (Meilin walks right past her and to Keiko) “Sempai! I missed you!!” (grabs Keiko and hugs her to her disbelief) “…what the…?”

Meilin - “Sempai? Your blushing! Are you embarrassed? Is she bothering you?”
Meilin’s voice suddenly dims as her eyes change their direction, glaring directly at Rebecca.
Rebecca looks over at the two in surprise, “Never thought she was the type---”

* * * * * *

Keiko’s free period
Keiko, obviously, wasn’t in a good mood.
“What are you DOING?!?” she demanded, trying to push Meilin away as she did.

“I came here to help you catch the Clow cards!” she announced, without missing a beat.

“I don’t remember ASKING for assistance!” (Keiko sighs heavily as she shifts about in her chair) “And besides which you can’t---”

Meilin - “Can’t what?”

“Help me catch something even I can’t catch!” Keiko hisses beneath her breath, her face scrunching up as she talks, “Don’t make me be so damn obvious to you!”

Meilin - “You need the help, and I felt a visit wasn’t out of the question especially---”

“Don’t you have duties back in the Shining Star?” Keiko irritably told Meilin, “Why aren’t you tending to your duties? Get off my back and go home!”

Meilin - “It’s time. Remember? You promised---”

Keiko‘s eyes widen abit, “Oh no! No, no, no! Not getting me hooked into that! No way!”

Meanwhile, over at another part of the class---

“What are those two carrying on about? They’ve been up there at the front rattling on in whispers for the past two minutes!” Rebecca remarks, watching the two talk. “You’d think she’d actually like one of her mistresses showing up.”

“Mistress?” (Sakura asked, confused)

“She’s making that up.” (Nina, who showed up after Keiko’s class started) “Keiko’s not the type to keep a mistress--- Eve would kill her if she did.”

“Well they’re going on about something! Tomoyo! Don’t you think---“ (looks at Tomoyo who only has eyes for Sakura and vice versa) “---never mind. Look, Keiko nearly slashed one of the students for getting to close to them, remember? She’s awfully wound up about
something and it isn’t just that her prize “pupil” (heaven forbid she actually has a prize anything, let alone a pupil) has shown up at the least appropriate moment to hassle her--- oh, wait, here they come.”

Meilin, holding onto Keiko, walks her back ot the others. “It’s settled. I’m staying to help, and we’re going to have a party on New Years’ to celebrate!”

“Celebrate?”

“My spring time wedding of course!”

“----”

“---say what---” (Rebecca)

“Stop it.” Keiko warned, noticing the confused glances between the two, “You’re reading way too much into this without even asking what’s up.”

“That’s great---” (Sakura) “---who are you marrying?”

“My sempai!”

Everyone looks over at Keiko, who gives them all a dirty look and motions to her blade, “HER OTHER SEMPAI!! (get your minds out of the gutters!!) Meilin stop being so vague!”

“Aw! Don’t be modest!” Nina remarks in an oily voice, “Polygamy suits yo---” (stops as Keiko draws her blade) “---never mind.”

“Who---” (Meilin hands Tomoyo a photo, causing her to smile) “---oh she’s very beautiful! You must be a lucky girl to have won your heart.”

Meilin nods her head gently, “I‘m even luckier to have won her heart!”

“She’s cute! You‘ll be happy together!” (Sakura)

“I think she’s great! Good for you!” (Nina)

“She’s marrying a horse-girl?” (Rebecca says as she looks over the picture)

“THAT’S IT!!!” (Meilin jumps on top of Rebecca beating her down with her fists)

“WAIT! I---ouch! Ow! Ow! Stop it! Ow! Ow! Ow!! Cut it---ou! Ow! Ow!”

Keiko nods her head. “Anti climatic. She’s marrying her mentor who she’s been under for a few years now back at the Shining Star.”

Rebecca looks up, her mouth as of yet unwilling to stay shut. “Oh, that figures she’s been under her for years. Does pony-girl yell “giddyap” and whip Meilin during sex--- Ow!! Ow!! Stop--- ow!! Stop it you… OUCH!!”

“----idiot, keep your mouth shut and you won‘t get hurt---” (Keiko)

“Is this legal? (the marriage, not Meilin kicking the heck out of ‘becky here.)” (Nina)

Keiko shrugs her shoulders, “I guess. Palominians don’t have strange marriage rules like---” (stops, sighs) “---well, they’re open about marriage. So I guess a human/Palominian marriage isn’t out of the question.”

Nina suddenly becomes rather morose and trudges off, leaving Sakura confused. “What’s wrong? Isn’t she happy for---?”

“Damn I knew I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s that time of year after all.” (Keiko)

Sakura can only shake her head in confusion, “What time of year?”
(Tomoyo asks, drawing closer to Sakura to draw her close)

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. You don’t know---“ Keiko leans back in her chair, putting her thoughts together. “Nina would have married Eliza about now if the two stuck together, so everytime Christmas comes around Nina becomes majorly depressive over the breakup, even if she’s got a hot new girl in her bed to replace her old Amazonian lover.”

Silence reigns afterwards… sorta (Rebecca is still being beaten on by Meilin).

Tomoyo - “Can’t we do something to help her?”

“It’s best in situations like this to not interfere, Tomoyo.” (smiles as she pokes Tomoyo’s cheek, watching the two (Tomoyo/Sakura) cuddle a little closer as she speaks) “I know you two want to do something nice for her, but it’s best to let her resolve this on her own. She usually tires out near Christmas and becomes cheery again by default so it’ll come to a resolution within a few days----” (stops) “----and you can get off of Rebecca now.”

“She’s rude!” Meilin spits out, sitting back in her chair in a huff as Keiko pulls Rebecca back into her chair, “You dead yet, “Rude-na?”

“Shut up!” (Rebecca pushes Keiko away as she stablizes herself in her chair, collapsing into her desk) “I’m not in the mood.”

“If your not in the mood, you shouldn’t have opened your yap like that.” Keiko retorted.

Rebecca - “Screw you, miss perfection!”

Silence reigns for a few seconds, then---

Rebecca - “What if we used the Fight card to force the issue?”

Eyes turns to Rebecca, looking at her. “If Nina takes a beating for Tina, she might finally get out of her funk and realize she’ll never do better than that good girl she’s got right now and stop moping over her and Eliza’s failed relationship. And, while we’re at it, Nina might be able to slip in her marriage proposal while in Tina’s arms and she’d be too distraught to say no… well, she won’t say no it’s just that people seem to frown majorly on women marrying their artificially created sexdolls… people are just weird that way.”

“Isn’t that interfering?” Tomoyo asks, “Didn’t you want to help her, or not?”

The trio exchange glances, then look back at Rebecca. “Fine, you know while that whole let’s get Nina pulverized in the name of love is a nice theory and all…. Ahhh… it loses a little credibility when we actually have to go through with it and get Nina beaten up in the name of love, and all that.”

(Keiko) “though a tad cliché and fatalistically Florence Nightengale-esque for Tina to be helpless against a battered Nina’s wish to marry, but there’s one problem… well TWO actually if you count the fact that there’s an anti marriage to sexdroid law on the books… there is the matter of the Fight card being on the loose. Somehow I don’t think it’s going to simply appear just because the plot demands it---” (Tomoyo catches newspaper thrown by Rena) “---what the--- girl in strange outfit beats up Darklings?” (reads on) “Girl in
strange outfit appearing within the Mega Neko Industrial Park stopped two Darklings from assaulting a young secretary on her way home from work.”

Rebecca - “Isn’t that industrial park---?”

Keiko - “It used to be where King Penguin Park was? Yes.”

“Looks like she’s going back to her old haunts.” Rebecca smiles, pleased with herself.

“No problem. She’s still wearing the same outfit as before---” (Keiko stops as she’s handed the paper while Tomoyo/Sakura look on) “---that’s very appropriate.”

“What is she---?”

It was Fight all right, dressed up like---- a female St. Nick? (minus the beard and tighter clothes)

“Yeah. I thought it was a gag too but I matched it up and it fits.” (smiles at Meilin) “Looks like it’s memory lane for you. Didn’t she beat you on your first date? Bet she gave you weird tastes in sex af---!!” (dodges attack) “Cut it out! I’m just kidd--- stop it!! Hey!! Stop!! Keiko!!”

Keiko leans back into her chair and sighs, “I’m not involved. You two work it out yourselves.”

“KEI--ow!! Get off me!! (again!!)”

Keiko - “Grasshopper has big mouth, little brain.”

“I’ll grasshop--- ouch!! Stop it!! Stop it!! I didn’t know you were into S&M--- ouch!! Stop!!”

“Hi!” (Ms. Mitsuki) “I’ll be subbing for Cath---erine and--- I’ll---?? I didn’t see that coming.”

Keiko - “With Rebecca nobody ever sees the beatings coming. Not even Rebecca.”

“I HEARD TH--- ouch!! Ow!! Stop it!! Ow!!”

* * * * * *

One of Sakura’s happy moments inspired her.

She remembers waking up the morning after she and Tomoyo first made love, staring into the camera lens of one of Tomoyo’s cameras (wielded by the scantily clad Tomoyo herself). “?”

“Smile. I want to get this all for the camera.”

“Tomo-chan.” Sakura sweat drops, looking into the lens, “Why are you---”

“I wanted to film you while you were sleeping. You looked so beautiful lying there so contently. You just woke up, and I was filming you so… well I can‘t resist.”

Sakura smiles abit, reaching a hand up to touch Tomoyo’s cheek, “You made me so happy. I…”

“Hush.” (Tomoyo touches Sakura’s cheek) “I know we promised to wait, but I love you… I wanted to make your birthday special… and maybe…”

“I already decided that we’ll never part, nothing is going to change that. Nothing.”

Tomoyo nods her head, slowly pulling the camera to one side only for Sakura to stop her, “Wh--?”

“Keep filming please, Tomo-chan. I’m getting used to the camera filming our special moments.”

“Really?” (Sakura nods her head) “Ok---” (a warm smile creeps across Tomoyo’s features) “I’ll get the tripod and you take your undies off again!”

“---Tomo-chan---”

The idea of the camera to break the ice made Sakura think---

* * * * * *

Nina felt something stirring at her feet, she rolls over discontently grumbling. “Go ‘way, Kwero, ’m n’t ‘ungry rig’ nu‘---”
Though it was 6AM in the morning (a personal record for Sakura in terms of waking up), Nina was still half asleep. However that didn’t dim her senses enough that she couldn’t feel someone moving on the bed towards her. Silence. The movement seemed heavier than Kerberos, and it was moving up the bed.

“’etter nut bwe u’ gin’ Yuko!’ Go way’!”

Still nothing. Couldn’t be Miyuko, she’d be asking silly questions right about now--- silence.

“’Tina, kut it owt‘---”

“?”

“Liet e’ get hup ‘irst b’fore we ‘o ‘gain---”

“Huh?”

Nina opens her weary eyes, and stares right into Tina’s eyes as she stares from her side of the bed (wide awake being full of spunk and energy as she always was, though she was sporting a full head of “morning hair” that needed to be put under control ASAP)
“I’m right here -- what was that about me?”

“?” Nina sighs, slowly looking up towards the ceiling, and into the lens of a camera filming her. Bleary eyed she rolls to her side again and begins to nudge Tina, “---ake’ up Tina, de head hirit of Allen Fund h’s com’ to hock us---”

“Uh… I don’t think Allen Fund’s dead spirit has come to haunt us, Nina.” Tina remarked, turning to look at Sakura. “Good morning, Sakura.”

“Morning!”

“---ah damn---” (Nina rolls over onto her stomach and covers her head with her pillow) “Hit’s toot’ hoon to gwet ou mai lust goo’ herbe--- go ‘way!” (still sleepy so she’s muttering)

“I thought you’d want to record your happy moments, maybe---”

“Sakura?” (Tina) “This might not be the best of times to be doing that.”

“---mmph---”

Sakura - “Maybe you’d like to tell someone how you really---” (?) “---feel and tell her how
much you---”

“MMPPH!!!” (Nina rolls onto her back, her eyes bleary and yet angry looking. “---moh’ on a mumen---” (Nina rolls onto her side, her hand reaching over towards the nightstand, fumbling open a drawer which she sticks her hand into, pulling out something as her finger jam down on the button hard, her hand waving it menacingly (sorta) before her)
“---muhve oven, I’m gonnu whill her---”

“The saber blade’s in the recharger, dear, you put it there last night… but Nina, precious, as much as I love you I don‘t want you to kill Sakura in an angry rage.”

“---su’ that’s whine it’s buzzin’--- thought it was mae---” (turns off device and drops it back into the drawer, pulling a gun from the drawer.) “---cwhip--- clwhip---”

“No Nina, please don‘t shoot Sakura either. Uh…“ (turns back towards Sakura) “Better leave before she regains enough sense to kill you. She wants a recharged ammo clip.”

Sakura didn’t need anymore prodding, and was out the door without being asked twice.

* * * * * *

On the way out Sakura runs right into someone as she‘s closing the door, “Mistress? I---?” (Light looks into the camera lens as Sakura holds it up defensively) “---?---does Mistress Tomoyo know your using her camera?”

“I only borrowed it -- she has several of them so I thought to borrow one.” (sighs as she looks at Light, lowering the camera abit) “I thought I could foster some warm feelings the way Tomoyo did when she filmed us in bed -- guess it only works if the one doing the filming
is the one you love.”

Light shrugs, “I guess. Got a minute, Mistress?”

“What’s wrong?”

Light fidgits abit, pulling on her maid’s uniform a little before speaking, “I was thinking of getting a gift of affection for Fuu--- but what does she like? I mean--- we’ve been her lovers (myself and Dark being the “we“) for months now yet--- I don’t feel that I know
her well enough yet. It’s confusing, I want to make her happy--- but I don‘t know how to best go about this--- I love her dearly---”

“You both make her happy by loving her so.”

“But I want to get something nice. Like the gifts you and Mistress Tomoyo exchange. I want to give Fuu something from my heart to express my feelings--- but I don’t know what--- I feel so--- awkward.”

“Maybe Dark knows?”

“She’s confused too. She wanted me to ask you---”

Sakura holds up the camera again, filming Light as she talks. “Maybe Tomo-chan? She knows far better gifts than I do.”

“Gifts for who?”

Sakura’s eyes widen, her breath catches abit--- “Tomo-chan?”

“I’ll take that.” (her hands nimbly retrieve the camera) “Got any good shots?”

“Well, I--- I mean I---”

“Sakura---” (pokes her lightly on the cheek with two fingers from her free hand) “---maybe it would have worked better if you gave Tina the camera---” (rewinds film, watching it through the vid screen attachment on the camera) “---oh, they were both sleeping--- I---?”
(stops, looks up) “You’ve been around. Is this footage of Umi/Gaia in bed? Umi looks rather confused that you’re in there.”

Sakura looks rather flustered by her earlier “filming“ incident, blushing as Tomoyo stops the tape. “I made a mistake--- walked into the wrong door!”

“I’ll say.“ (Umi walks past the two, motioning for the kitchen) “Anyone else want breakfast since we’re all up early? Mistress‘ woke us up.“

“I’m sorry!!”

“Don’t be---” (Umi smiles as she walks past) “Gaia wants a camera now for Christmas. Think she wants to make our own happy videos---” (smile turns abit mischievous) “---oh the possibilities---”

Inside the kitchen Umi sets out bowls and pours cereal (one of the few things she can make on her own without supervision) “I heard you’re playing match maker, Mistress, but maybe making Nina homo--homa--” (“Homicidal?” (Tomoyo)) “---that word--- maybe that isn’t the way to go--- and why did you walk in on us in bed?” Umi remarks as she shifts through the fridge (“Sorry!” (Sakura apologies again)), pulling a bottle out opening it, quickly swigging down a drink of the contents. “Soda that tastes like cranberries but not too intensely like cranberries. What will people think of next?”

“Soda that makes people in the waking world lose weight?” (Tomoyo)

“I don’t believe in stuff like that…” (Umi) “…if that was true I’d be rich from selling my own brand of weight loss fluids.” (Tomoyo leans over, showing the image to Sakura as they share the memory of what Sakura saw a few minutes ago. The image on the camera’s vid screen shows Umi/Gaia, cuddled into each other’s arms, lying on a soft looking “bed” of vines and soft moss which wrapped around the two like a blanket) “I never knew Gaia could make such a cute bed! Is that real plants?”

“Yeah. She’s the green thumb of the house---” (smiles) “---though I’m always a little dehydrated in the morning. Her bed keeps wanting to tap a little of my moisture. I like it when we sleep on my bed every other day--- my water bed, heh-heh---” (sighs) “---though sex is a little hard on it though. All that swaying and rocking, first time we tried making love on it almost made Gaia motion sick! Poor thing---”

Tomoyo - “Guess she’s not used to it like you are.”

“Comes from formerly being made of water I suppose---” (looks over at Sakura) “---what’s wrong, Mistress? You seem sad---”

Sakura looks as if she was ready to cry, “I really botched it this morning--- I‘m sorry everyone!”

“Don’t take it too hard. Your heart was in the right place.” Tomoyo assures her.

“I guess, but I just want everyone to be happy.”

“I’m sure they’ll find their way.” Tomoyo remarks, setting breakfast before Sakura, “We just have to believe in them that’s all. Like they believe in us.”

“Really?” (Tomoyo nods as she pecks Sakura on the forehead) “Really. Eat your breakfast, dear.”

To Be Continued