Image of the Day

Image of the Day

Saturday, June 30, 2007

CardCaptor Sakura Remastered IV Episode 4 (10)

NOTE - Well, guess I really need to crack down and write some new Azkaban fanfics soon. But for now... well... Sakura continues.

5 entries to 100.

CardCaptor Sakura Remastered IV Episode 4 (10)
New King Penguin Park looked a tad errie at night. With the lights
turned down dim, and the sky only illuminated by the presence of the
Central Hub above, the park seemed quite errie. It was in this setting that everyone was out searching for the Dash card.

True, it was spotted earlier by Sakura, but it managed to get onto the
back of a truck and vanish into traffic earlier. It took awhile, but
Sakura managed to locate it again. First thing she wanted to do was
call Li, which was the last thing Nina wanted. She called, but he
didn’t reply.

“Must be out.” she replied, closing the new cell phone she got from
Tomoyo.

That, however, was only half right.

While Li was indeed in his apartment, he was for all intents and
purposes “out”. He and Eliza were both out fast asleep, seeking solace and comfort in each other’s arms. So he (and Eliza) was not present for this card hunt, and Nina, Keiko as well as Rebecca couldn’t have been happier about this turn of events.

As they spread out along the woods, trying to flush Dash out, Keiko
had a weird notion, “Why don’t we just lob stun grenades into the
woods and pick up the “pieces” after it gets knocked around a few
times? Seems faster to me that way.”

“No! Don’t hurt Dash!” Sakura cried out, Tomoyo nearby filming her
(and also there to support her and back her up). At this Keiko sighed
and went back to looking through the brush, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.
I--” (stops) “--anyone else hear that noise?”

“It’s Dash.” Nina whispers, kneeling down as she draws her Globtek
pulse pistol out and sets it to a low setting. “Low stun. Not enough
to put to sleep, but enough to slow and weaken it.”

Sakura nods her head as she moves forward, staff in hand, “Nobody hurt
Dash, it’s---”

Suddenly the card comes flying out of the brush and right towards
Keiko/Rebecca. Confused, the two try to tackle it only to collide with
each other as it slides between them. Sakura quickly reaches her left
hand out and brings her focus onto her Windy Ring.“Windy!” she cries
out, “Form a sphere of restraint around Dash, but don’t hurt it!”

Windy’s power whips forward trying to reach Dash, but it manages to
keep ahead of the ring’s effect jumping upwards into the tree branches
flying over tree after tree taking the overland route to escape.
“We’ve got ourselves a “flyer” here!” Nina yells out, tapping her
commlink, “Dash is coming your way through the treetops! Can you nab
it?”

“I’ll try.” the voice on the opposite end replies, Nina going into a
full sprint to keep up with the others as they all followed Dash. Over
her commlink she could hear Eve speaking in spellspeak (weaving a spell as she had already turned her Ipod on and had the right song going through her headset), “Ribbon Trap” she called out as she triggered the spell. Silence, then the sound of struggling and the bending of tree limbs. “Stop! Don’t fight the spell! Stop it, Dash! St---” (something ahead snaps) “NO!!”

“Dash!!” Sakura cries, her legs pumping faster and faster as she
rushes right up to Eve, picking herself off the ground, her face concerned. “Dash broke loose.”
Sakura looks about, raising her staff as she does, “Dash! Don’t run!
We only want to help you!”

Silence. Then, suddenly, a noise off to one side. Sakura and Eve
turn to see Dash, floating in midair frozen in place, and guiding
Him -- “Catherine?”

Sure enough there was Picadello, using her power to keep Dash secured (yet unharmed) floating in the air ahead of her. Sakura came into the clearing looking at her rather confused, “But how? How did? I mean -- uh -- thank you…?”

“No problem.” Catherine Picadello smiles, watching as Sakura takes the
paralyzed Dash into her arms to comfort it. At first it doesn’t want
to be in her grasp, it’s eyes wild as if looking to escape. However,
once it calms down it begins to settle down as Catherine removes the
paralysis to allow it to move on it’s own. The first thing it does is
nuzzle Sakura’s face and lick her cheek. She giggles and fidgets under
Dash’s “affections” as Tomoyo tapes it on her camera for posterity.
“Think Dash missed you, Sakura-chan!“

“Ok. Ok. I missed you too! Come on!! Hey!!“ she squirmed, Dash’s
tongue tickling her face. Finally Catherine motions for Dash, holding
an arm out for Dash to land on. “If you will do the honors?”

“Oh! Right! Ahem --” (holds staff out) “-- Clow Card return to your
powers confined, DASH CARD!!” she yells, slamming the staff down and
unleashing a dozen strands of energy that pick Dash up and convert it
back into card form. The card jumps briefly into the air, and lands in
Sakura’s hand.

As everyone gathers around to look at the card, Catherine glances
sideways at Tomoyo and sighs.

“I’m happy just being close to her. I’m happy just being close to
her.” she sighed, her memory of the capture still fresh in her mind’s
eye after an hour.

* * * * * *

Crystallia (the Dream Continent of Antarctica)
A few hours later.

The Winterian City of Icskellius (Ick-shell-ius)

She sat in her office overlooking the cold steel buildings of the
Winterian city just outside, her office being at the top of a long
tower located near the center of the city of metal and steel. This
tower, rising above the other buildings, gave her office a commanding
view of both the city itself and the surrounding snow and ice. She had
been “commuting” back and forth from Tokyo to here ever since she
brought her first “candidate” for her excursion plans, but she’s also
been very careful to keep her activities low key and under the radar
while she was doing her present “tasks”. However it seemed she wasn’t
far enough below the radar, seeing as how she was working only to have
the commsystem beep. “If it’s not one thing -- yes?”

“Call for you from a Captain Lazarus.”

She sighed, leaning back in her chair, “Dammit.” she growled. She knew
why he was calling, and she wished he wasn’t calling if it was all the
same to her. “When it rains--”

* * * * * *

Speaking of rain… (back in Tokyo)

As soon as they returned to the Daidouji Estates it started to rain.

Low key and quietly at first, but then it began to grow, and grow.
Presently it was raining rather fiercely outside, but that made
staying inside in a nice warm bed that much more appealing.

Tomoyo shivered beneath Sakura’s loving touch, the young woman’s
fingers gently digging into her shoulders giving her a perfect
massage. She was glad that they caught Dash when they did, and wasn’t
caught out in the rain while looking for the card. “I barely did
anything today.” Tomoyo sighed, looking up at Sakura as she did, “You
did all the work.”

“But you were so helpful, and I couldn’t have done it without you --
sometimes I wonder how I can get through each day if I didn’t have you
--”

“Thanks.” Tomoyo smiled, sinking her head back into her pillow,
“You’re sweet.”

As Sakura continued to work her “magic”, Tomoyo’s mind began to drift
and she thought of all the times Sakura was there for her. “I want to
be there for you, Sakura-chan. Whenever you need me.” she whispers,
bringing a smile to Sakura’s face. “Tomo-chan.”

In awhile Tomoyo would switch places with Sakura, and return the
favor. But that was in awhile. For now she simply laid there, and
relished the attention her Sakura-chan paid to her.

* * * * * *

The PSP seemed a little bit more useful now, Kero thought, as he continued to rearrange his deck for another duel. The rain and
occasional lightning noises scared Cloud, even though their “room” had
no windows (though was also well vented and the air was fresh and
clean) and was nowhere near the rain outside. Cloud wanted to crawl
beneath the sheets, but she didn’t want to be bored while hiding, so
she was playing PSP games with Kero to pass the time away.
Still, a majority of her body was safely hidden beneath her blankets
with Kero also in her bed (on top of the sheets with his own little
blankets covering him as he dueled with Cloud playing a multiplayer game with her).

“Are you ready yet?” she growled, looking rather bored as she waited.
“In a second, in a second!” he growled back, working to finish his
deck. “There. Now I’m ready to beat you.”

“Doubt it!” she cheered, loosening up as Kero got ready, “I’m going to
beat you again!”

“Hmph.” he huffed his breath, focused --- but then --- “What do you
think of that Syaoran brat?”

For a few moments Cloud didn‘t say a word, then she said “Too immature for my tastes. I like my men big yet sensitive, tough yet caring, and has a taste for the finer things in life -- and when I find a man like that I’ll let you know!” (phht!)

Kero played his first card, glaring over at Cloud as he did. She
merely smiled and played a card, “Oh don’t pout at me! You know you’re
the only one for me.”

Kero’s features softened, and he played another card. She’d change her mind, of course, the minute she started losing, but he knew that she cared for him.

From beneath the blankets Cloud looked about the room and sighed, “I
wish this house had room service. (too cold to even think of going to
the kitchen!)”

“It’s not that cold.”

“Then YOU go!” Cloud countered, to which Kero shook his head and
muttered, “Too cold.”

“As I said, too cold.”

* * * * * *

Meanwhile--- (Icskellius)

Her finger punches down on the button as she leans back, the link
establishing almost immediately. “To what do I have this “pleasure” of
your company?”

Jack didn’t look the slightest big pleased, in fact he looked
downright angry. “Tell me I don’t have this paper in front of me right
now hinting at a quote “Black Ops” operation that had passed recently?“

“I can’t tell you that.” she replied honestly, “You know that.”

“I know that you’re doing something rash again. So how many---”

“One.” Catherine retorted, “One that would have died anyway if I hadn’t intervened. In any case she’s no longer a threat---”

“YOU HAVE MIMIC THERE?!?” Jack yelled, to which she quietly raised her
hands and motioned him to calm down, “She’s no longer a threat because
the thing that pulled her strings is gone.”

“Thing? You don’t mean---”

Catherine sighed, leaning backwards into her chair to stare listlessly
at the ceiling, her voice fading as she spoke and her mind opened up
to what was.

* * * * * *

What Happened Before---

You see, this whole particular situation began truly began years and
years ago when Clow Reed forged the original Clow Cards in the “waking
world” (the Earth that he hailed from).

When he passed on he sealed the cards in the Clow Book and left
Kerberos to guard them.

Over the natural course of time they would remain this way until the
one who he had pre-planned to take his place as the world’s most
powerful mage opened the book.

It took a lot of questionable, and quite unethical acts to make his
dream come true, but one day Sakura Kinomoto, his chosen one, opened
the book and set the stage what should have been the creation of the
world’s next greatest mage.

That was before she came into the picture, Catherine Piccadello, where
this divergence in events took place which brings us to where we are
now.

Feeling a disturbance in a nearby dimension she investigated, and came
upon the whole situation as it unfolded, with Sakura coming close to
becoming the world’s greatest mage.

But the situation was something Catherine would not tolerate, and for
her own reasons she “intervened”. (She omits certain things at this
point, things that she didn’t need to say since she knew that Jack
probably already knew this information without her saying it)

It was on the day of Sakura’s Final Test, under the shadow of Tokyo
Tower, that Piccadello brought her allies into play and fought for the
very survival of this world. Eriol’s minions fell quickly enough, and
it was simple enough for Jack to find one soul whose strength of
character and purity was enough to move mountains, or one stubborn
moon back into it’s rightful orbit.

But the power of the one who used to be Clow Reed was still potent.
His patience, however, had fled him.

Catherine, who had thought she had him pinned down, was quickly
overcome by him.

Two others, SpellThrashers, tried to take him out but were tossed
aside.

Keiko Yamanaka, the 7th Judgement, tried to stop him but was hurled
into a tree where she was impaled on a sharp protruding branch. Sakura
tried to stop him, but was struck so hard that she hit the ground and
bounced like a ragdoll. “Eriol”, it seems, was angry at the
interference and had lost all sense of reason.

But it was in this few moments, when his reason had fled, that a
distraught Tomoyo rushed to Sakura’s side crying. She saw Eriol
approaching, anger in his eyes, as he screamed at her to get away from
his property (Sakura), his reason gone with only a rage which seemed
to consume him remaining.

It could be said that it was building up ever since Piccadello first
interfered, or perhaps it was by the manipulation of an outside force
that made him so irrational, but one thing was certain -- he was
beyond reason at this point.

At this moment Tomoyo blindly grabbed for her bag, to desperately make
him go away, and swung blindly.

She had instead grabbed Keiko’s fallen sword, her cursed blade, whose
metal was unbreakable. And with her one swing, as Eriol knelt to grab
Sakura by her neck, she decapitated him.

It was an accident. She didn’t mean to. But as the blade swung through
Eriol’s body fell backward, parted from his head, his staff falling to
one side apparently useless. The reincarnation of Clow Reed was dead.

However unlike Lord of the Rings the consequences to Tomoyo (killing
him) was quite dire. It took a lot of effort to “wipe” her mind of
what she did, lest it would weight terribly in her mind and slowly
destroy her from the inside out.

As for the staff? The staff, the last remnants of this “Clow Reed”’s
power, laid there waiting for someone to take it. To perhaps use it or
destroy it. However in her grief, Eve, Keiko’s companion, got to it
first. In a rage she ripped a portal into the dark passages between
worlds, OtherSpace, and hurled it in.

The staff disappeared from all mention after that, and hasn’t been
seen since.

At least, that’s how Jack remembers it. However---

* * * * * *

The Here and Now.

“Five days ago I felt the same dread I felt when I was on that world,
Sakura’s Earth, and I knew it had to be that staff. When that sphere
appeared a few days later? I felt as if my dread was being justified
and my suspicions were being proved as a simple truth.”

Jack neither spoke nor moved, he simply stared at her. “It’s gone. CLAMP School isn’t around this time around, that means we have nothing to fear from anything. Especially not…“

“OtherSpace is not endless, nor is it capable of hiding a tool of such
power for long periods of time. Remember last time?” Jack noted, “It held it, hid it from prying eyes, but only for a “season“ which eventually drew to an end.”

“You don’t think that season has passed once again, Jack, you couldn’t be thinking…”

“You think so.“ he responded, “Your preparing a “welcoming committee” for it again, aren’t you. If not then why interject again in the matter of Mimic if you aren’t doing it again? Are you going to once again try to find a staff that you only suspect might be there BEFORE…?”

“I am doing no such thing.” she countered, to which he shrugged and replied “Why would I.” (looks at her seriously) “Look, far be it for me to tell you what to do, but you better be careful while recruiting (again). I’m not the only one who caught wind of this (again). The SpellThrashers also have heard of this and they’re stepping up security around likely “chosen ones” to keep them from being recruited.” (silence) “And I don’t think I have to warn you again, but if you plan on going on any other “trips” be careful, eh?” (stops) “Refresh my memory if you will, what did you mean earlier? About Mimic?”

Catherine smiled, and laid out her evidence before him.

* * * * * *

Return to Flashbacks.

The staff, lying on the ground, was mostly intact when Eve heaved it
into her hands, anger burning.

But she missed one shard. One small metal shard that broke free from
the staff. One piece.

The metal shined dully in the new light of day, glistening with power,
but untouched. By sheer coincidence it was dragged through the portal
opened to take Piccadello and the others home.

However it did not end up where they did, but was drawn to Tokyo Tower
where, in it’s shadow, it waited.

Time passed, and dozens upon dozens of people picked up the shiny
object only to feel compelled to throw it aside. None of them were
suitable, so they felt that they had no use for the apparently
worthless chunk of metal and dropped it.

But then, by chance, a suitable person came along.

The shard was picked up by a female who was a “shard” herself, a
fragment of another being.

Mimic. A being that was part Clow created, hence perfect by the
shard’s simplistic reasonings.

The shard merged with her, and then it began to fill her head with
lies. It was not particularly sentient, but it compelled her most base
fears and need for love and acceptance to fill her with self deluded
fears and hatreds. Why? It needed her emotions to run high so it could
“grow” and be “fed” by her strengths as it exploited her weaknesses.

All her hatred and malice towards Mirra? It came from this one thing
that pushed all her buttons and made her hate without even truly
knowing why.

But that night she was stabbed by Hikaru, that’s when it ended.

By sheer luck the blade sliced through near her heart, and dislodged
the shard (already maturing into the raw material to form a new
“sealing staff”) from her body, but not enough so it came out then and
there. It was when Hikaru hurled Mimic through the windows of the
Tower’s observation deck that the shard fell loose. It tumbled out of
her and fell into darkness.

* * * * * *

And Back Once Again to the Here and Now.

“Where is it now?”

“Gone again.” she concluded, spreading her arms out as she talked. “No
doubt waiting and biding it’s time until it finds another suitable
“host” from which to work it’s evil through. And if your wondering I DID check the original pass host that took it from there, only that person was pure (not even a trace of it like before).”

“No doubt.” Jack concluded, “Well, keep an eye out for things and do
be careful.”

“I will.” she acknowledged, watching the link cut off. As the room
fell silent again she picked up the shard from a hidden spot on her
desk and looked at it. The shard was as big as her fist, and made the
most insistent racket in her head, but still -- “Tempt me all you
want, you can never give me what I truly want.”

Her memory quickly flashed back to before, back on Sakura’s world.

* * * * * *

Catherine’s Flashback.

One night she visited Tomoyo as she slept.

She laid in bed, her face red and stained with tears as if she cried
herself to sleep.

Still, despite how untidy she appeared, she still was very beautiful
to Catherine.

She knew that she could keep Tomoyo “asleep” by simply keeping Tomoyo
from sensing her presence, but she wanted to do more while she did
this. She climbed onto the bed until she was face to face with her
young “host”, staring into her closed eyes. At that moment she did
something quite rash, and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

Her lips brushed softly against the sleeping Tomoyo’s lips, her heart
banging against her rib cage hard as she kissed her while she slept,
and wished for something she knew she could never truly have.

To wake up each and every morning, Tomoyo’s smiling face and bright
eyes greeting her, as she lazily laid in Catherine’s arms and rested
her head upon the older woman’s bare breasts.

Without meaning to her arm slipped out from under her, and she fell on
top of Tomoyo. She quickly strengthened her efforts to keep Tomoyo
asleep, but was shocked as Tomoyo unconsciously wrapped her arms about
her and hugged her tight.

At that moment she began to sweat, her heart was racing (which was a
good thing that she was already “dead” once because she felt that it
was going to explode if it raced faster), and she felt like crying
herself. She rested her head on Tomoyo’s shoulder and succumbed to her
desires if only for the moment. But she had to grit her teeth and
steel her resolve as deeper feelings surfaced.

Her hand brushed against Tomoyo’s thigh, and the burning insistent
urge to touch her -- she pressed herself close to Tomoyo to suppress
those thoughts, hands gripping the sheets to keep them from wandering.

‘I just want to be close.’ she thought to herself, her words blurring
as she chanted them in her head over and over again, ’I just want to
be close. I just want to be here. I just want to be loved. I just want
--- I just want to love --- YOU!!’

* * * * * *

The Here and Now.

Catherine’s thoughts focused again as she dropped the shard into a
tesseract sphere and then locked it away for safe keeping. “Silly
dreams.” she chided herself, straightening up to her full height
trying to keep her head up as she did, “I’m not cut out for a happily
ever after ending. The first time around proved that.”

Suddenly the commlink buzzed again. “Now what?”

As she clicked it on she saw Jack’s face again, “Silly me. I forgot.”

“Forgot what?”

“I have three high profile young ladies for your little “insertion”
team if your ready to meet them.”

“Eh?”

To Be Continued