©2003 By Julia and Tania
E-mail: ccs_fanz@juliaandtania.com
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Attractive Power (Alternate)
Episode 7

Seijyu High students engaged in recreational activities around the school grounds as the clock boldly stood in the distance, indicating a little past twelve thirty-five. Students enjoyed the sunny lunchtime; any remaining unrest of yesterday’s smoke ordeal disappeared as fast as the fumes in the hallways had gone the previous day.

        Like usual, the chalk white walls of Seijyu’s buildings reflected brightly against the afternoon sunlight, showing no signs of damage. It looked as clean as it had any other normal day—not one wall charred, window blackened, or a scrap of broken glass scattered around anywhere. No one would have suspected any of yesterday’s events had they looked at the sight now.

        Travelling several blocks down the road to the Kinomoto residence, a scene slightly different from the normal took place. The atmosphere up in Sakura’s room was quiet. Her uniform untidily draped over her chair as her school and sports bag sat on top of her desk—all untouched since yesterday afternoon.

        A short distance across from the study desk, Kero was found seated on a level part of Sakura’s bed. He had been worried since yesterday evening, having not been informed to why she had come home ill. Apart from hearing Touya’s conversation with the father that she had been inside a building of smoke and Sakura’s brief mention about an aura yesterday, he knew not much more.

        Arms folded as he stared vacantly at the clock above him, he waited. It was almost ten to one, and still she had not wakened. Waiting a little longer, he felt the sheets underneath him move.

        “Sakura?” he called to her quietly, hoping she’d wake up so they’d be able to talk.

        Sakura gave a small groan. Her head heavy, throat and limbs sore, she rolled over to the other side, coming face to face with her Syaoran Bear. Absentmindedly, she brushed it away as she tried to get back to sleep, but to have it roll back into her face.

        Not being bothered to set it on the ledge where it wouldn’t disturb her sleep, Sakura prepared herself to get up gradually.

        “Sakura, are you awake? Are you okay?” Kero flew to sit closer to her.

        “Kero-chan?” she replied, her voice raspy as she sat upright. Her palm rubbed the right side of her face. “What time is it?”

        “Almost one. Are you okay, Sakura?” he asked once more.

        “Yeah…”

        “Do you want something to drink or eat? Your brother came in earlier, but left when he saw that you were asleep. He set down a glass of water and some throat lozenges on a tray over there.”

        Sakura looked around her room to notice the tray with the mentioned items sitting beside her school bag. Getting up, she began to head for them. Seeing the sluggish movements, Kero tried to stop her, putting some force on her right shoulder. “I’ll get them for you, Sakura. Is it the water and lozenges you want?”

        “It’s alright, Kero-chan. I’ll get them,” striving forth she told him. “I feel much better today.” Sakura made her way to the chair on the desk as Kero retreated. She sat there, tipping the refreshing liquid down her dry throat.

        Noticing Sakura wasn’t going to return to her bed, Kero flew to hover inches from her forehead then extended a paw to it. “It’s much cooler today. I’m glad,” he said as Sakura rolled her eyes upwards to watch him.

        Flying back down, he situated himself on top of her school bag, taking the silence that was present to study his mistress. Sakura’s body language told it all: she was tired. He could only imagine what she must be coping with: school, the magical aura, and that Kid—all of which she must deal with alone. He could only imagine the load she carried with her everyday.

        The question he was going to ask would no doubt add a little more to it, but nevertheless, it needed to be asked. “Sakura…”

        “Yes, Kero-chan?” she replied quite sweetly despite what showed on the surface.

        “Yesterday, you said something about that aura you’ve been sensing before you fell asleep…”

        Sakura nodded. “Sato-kun: he’s not behind the aura,” she said suddenly, recalling the last thing she thought about before falling unconscious.

        “What—that friend of yours?” His brows furrowed, speaking calmly. “Why do you mention him?”

        “He has magic, but he’s not the aura I’ve been sensing.”

        “What are you talking about?” Kero continued to wear an expression of confusion, utterly lost by Sakura’s explanation.

        “Oh, sorry Kero-chan,” finally remembering she still hadn’t informed him of her discovery. “The other day when dad had a picnic at Penguin King Park, I saw him there…”

        At this moment as Sakura paused briefly, she swore she could sense Kero’s arising annoyance in recalling the day she had opted not to take him with her. She could still remember the petty argument about her not telling or waking him up for the picnic. Now, she was going to mention something else she had not told him about that day. Hopefully, he’d not make too much of a fuss about it.

        “…Sato-kun has his own magic. I sensed it when I was talking with Tomoyo-chan. It felt strange… I thought it belonged to the presence I’ve been sensing. I followed it and I found Sato-kun at the end of it.”

        “What—you should have told me about this.” Kero was definitely unhappy about it as his face creased further more.

        “Gomen ne (Sorry),” was all she could offer.

        Kero exhaled heavily, disappointment apparent in the depth of the sigh. For the fact that she already had so much on her plate, he left the past to the past. “Next time, Sakura,” he said, eyes squarely on hers, “Promise me that you will tell me about these things. I am your guardian after all.”

        “Hai.”

        “This Sato kid,” he began once more, pondering on the information aloud. “He has magic, but he isn’t the aura you’ve been sensing…”

        Returning to a less guilt-stricken display, she shook her head, “No. Sato-kun helped me and Tomoyo-chan. He was also in the building when he tried to get us out of there yesterday.” At the mention of her best friend’s name, her mood dropped with downcast eyes before she brought them back up as Kero continued.

        “What do you know about this friend of yours and his magic?”

        “I was going to talk to him about it at lunchtime, but that’s when the aura appeared.”

        Kero shook his head, “I’ve never heard of a Sato family in the world of magic.” Sakura stayed quiet, giving Kero a chance to flip through the history book of magicians in his mind—herself not having the answer to his statement.

        After a while, Kero proceeded with his next thoughts, not finding anything. “What happened yesterday? After you entered the building, what did you sense?”

        Closing her eyes, she tried to remember. “It was… strong, but it was hard for me to hold onto it, especially when it kept on disappearing. The aura: I didn’t like the feeling of it at all…” Sakura opened her eyes to see Kero wearing a frown.

        “And I only barely felt it once outside the house…”

        As Kero trailed off to his thoughts, Sakura drifted into her own. Looking outside her window, her gaze lay on the front gate, instigating thoughts of Tomoyo’s state of health. The last thing she remembered of Tomoyo was her unconscious body lying next to hers.

        She swivelled herself around to gently reach into her school bag. However, her actions were not gentle enough as Kero was interrupted. He flew into the air. “What are you doing, Sakura?” he asked curiously.

        “I’m going to call Tomoyo-chan to see how she’s doing,” she replied then added, “And Sato-kun too. I think I’m going to invite them over to talk about things and about yesterday.”

        “Are you sure you’re up to it?” Kero asked—though he knew it was necessary.

        “Hai.” Kero nodded as Sakura began dialing.

        “Is the tea too hot?” Sakura asked, seeing Yoshiro cringe after taking a sip of it.

        An askew smile appeared on his lips, recognising the tension that was currently in Sakura’s room. He set down the tea on the tray next to the cake Sakura had brought up not too long ago. “Slightly, but it’s okay. I’ll just let it cool down.”

        “Hai.” Sakura drank her cup of tea out of nervousness. Finding the tea hot like Yoshiro had, she felt her tongue command her to stop. Immediately, Sakura withdrew, but kept the rim of the cup pressed against her lip for the purpose of stalling time; to create the illusion of sipping tea.

        But it didn’t fool Tomoyo as she watched her nervous friend sip her cup of tea a little too strangely. “Oh yes, thank you Sato-kun for helping me,” Tomoyo said croakily, deciding to help Sakura out this way. “It was Sato-kun who helped me in the building yesterday was it not?”

        Yoshiro turned his attention to her, grateful someone had said something, “Hai.”

        “Thank you.”

        “Don’t mention it,” he replied—tension between the two seemingly nonexistent. “But, Daidouji-san, your voice doesn’t sound too good.”

        Sakura lifted her head from a sagging position, remorseful. “Tomoyo-chan, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault your voice is like that. I shouldn’t have spent so much time chasing the aura,” she interjected into the conversation.

        Clearing her throat, Tomoyo quickly acted to pardon Sakura. “No, Sakura-chan, you couldn’t help it.” Sakura shook her head in disagreement. “My throat is a little sore, but it’ll heal. It’ll be back to normal in a few days. So Sakura-chan, don’t worry okay?” Sakura stayed despondent, still affected by the guilt. “Okay, Sakura-chan?”

        Sakura looked up into her eyes, replying finally, “H-hai,” accepting Tomoyo’s forgiveness.

        “What about you, Kinomoto-san?” Yoshiro asked, directing the turn of concern towards her. Sakura spun her head to face him, having forgotten his presence for a moment. “Are you okay?”

        “Hai,” she said simply, still not ready to talk to Yoshiro yet.

        “I’m glad you’re doing okay, Kinomoto-san,” he said—a tone suggestive of sadness at the rift that existed between their friendship at the moment.

        Her eyes maintained on him, searching for the moment to begin. Not finding it, but remembering that she hadn’t paid gratitude for his help yesterday, she said, “Sato-kun: thank you for coming for me as well.”

        Yoshiro nodded again before adding, “Although, in the end, we didn’t actually manage to get out of there like I said we would. My magic just wasn’t enough to last out the time in there.” Sakura only nodded in response.

        Silence took over again.

        “It’s strange to know that Sato-kun has magic,” Tomoyo suddenly voiced—a thought probably her best friend was thinking. Sakura turned to her, surprised by the frankness of her words.

        “Yeah, I suppose it’s not someone you come across everyday,” he said chuckling, attempting to ease the mood. “Kinomoto-san is the only person I know who has magic. And she happens to be the powerful mistress of the Clow cards.”

        Picking out the usage of the word: powerful, Sakura stifled a laugh. “N-not really…”

        Yoshiro smiled at her modesty. “That day at the botanical gardens, it was you who defeated the magic?” She nodded reluctantly, foreseeing the possible compliments to come. “That was really awesome. To be able to use so much magic all at once, you have to be strong!”

        “Hai. Sakura-chan is talented and definitely the strongest magician there is. Sakura-chan is also the cutest!” Tomoyo inserted, lightening up the mood further more.

        He broke into a fit of laughter at Tomoyo’s comment, “Definitely!”

        Sakura tried to hide from the usual undue flattery her best friend always paid to her. Unable to do anything, she waited until their laughter subsided before she began again.

        “Sato-kun, did you know I had magic all this time?”

        Yoshiro shook his head. “Iie (No), I didn’t know.” Sakura cocked her head at the information. He elaborated. “I suspected, but I didn’t know for sure. When I met you on the first day of school, I sensed something in you—but you could also pretty much call it instinct…”

        “Hai…” Sakura replied, understanding the words. “How long have you been studying magic, Sato-kun?”

        “Six years, but I’m definitely not as strong as you, Kinomoto-san. My mother told me that our ancestors abandoned magic a long time ago, so it took me a while to learn and harness my magic without any knowledge or guidance.”

        “Then how did you find out you had magic, Sato-kun?” Tomoyo asked.

        Yoshiro grinned widely, remembering that day. “It’s a rather long story, but I can tell it to you if you’d like to hear it.”

        “Sure, Sato-kun,” Tomoyo replied, followed by a nod by Sakura.

REPLAY MODE…

        My parents used to tell me a lot of stories when I was younger. No matter how tired they were, they always made time to tell me at least one per week. I have to say, I remember them all to be entertaining, even though they were about our relative’s—I don’t know what to call them… escapades? I suppose it was because my parents always put so much energy into telling each of them.

        But by the end of each of the stories, I always find myself laughing at them; I was always skeptical of them no matter how much my parents insisted they were true.

        “Like Yamazaki-kun’s stories,” Tomoyo stated.

        No, not really. It’s more like the family stories that you get with your grandparents, but I never believed them because they all seem too adventurous, too incredible.

        Then there was this one story that caught my attention. It really intrigued me…

        The right eye of a young Yoshiro focused on a cat-eye marble in the distance as he imagined a line between it and the one lodged in between his thumb and index finger. Switching his focus, he then looked beyond to the tin can off to the left. There it lay on its side as its mouth sneered at his competence.

        Challenging it, he looked at the distant marble, the tin can then the one in his hold once more. Finally content with the line, he smirked before he propelled his marble forward with a strong flick of the thumb.

        The smirk remained on Yoshiro’s lips as the marble rolled along the carpet floor, certain he had not misjudged. Sure enough, a sharp clicking sound was made at the clean impact, setting the second marble off speedily, closing in on the tin can.

        Yoshiro watched it race into the can followed by an earsplitting rattle as it rammed itself into the alluminium base. He pulled his clenched fist down in victory. “Alright!” he said, joyous.

        Meanwhile, in the background as Yoshiro prepared to set up another marble, his mother winced at yet another successful shot. How she wished her seven-year-old son would give the game a rest and allow her a break from the racket. It was even more so when she saw the one he was aiming for now.

        Scooting himself a little to the left, Yoshiro eyed one that was much closer to him and much bigger than the last one. Realising that the little marble he had in his possession would not do the job, he took out his only other big marble from his left overall pocket.

        In his hand was a large brown, speckled marble—his favourite out of them all. Crouching himself back down, Yoshiro realigned the more formidable marble then sent it on its way, hitting the target dead on.

        Like the many times before, the marble rolled along the floor in the same fashion, heading exactly where he wanted. He waited for the satisfying clonk to confirm his success, but it never came. Instead, nearing its entrance, the marble backtracked.

        Blocking its path was a rectangular object, a few inches wide. Yoshiro followed the hand holding the object, scrolling up the arm to find, “Okaa-chan (Mother),” Yoshiro said with surprise.

        She smiled. “Yoshiro, look what I found.”

        Unsuspecting his mother’s intentions, Yoshiro asked, “What is it?”

        His mother sat herself down in front of him, brushing aside some marbles. “What do you think it is?” before placing the object between him and herself.

        It looked pretty plain to me; nothing more than a block to hold back something like a door or a paperweight. I didn’t find anything interesting about it… Come to think of it, I think my mother was trying to stop me from playing the game. Then she told me the story…

        “Long time ago members of our families were magicians,” Yoshiro’s mother began.

        “Magicians—like the people who pull rabbits out of a hat?”

        Yoshiro’s mother shook her head, chuckling. “No, not tricks—I mean real magic. Magic that can influence such things as: wind, fire, water, earth—almost anything. This can be the summoning arc and with it, you can summon up magic.”

        “How?” curiously, he asked.

        She pursed her lips, brows furrowed. “Now that’s the problem, Yoshiro. I have no idea. Your grandparents, your great grandparents, we were all unable to unlock the magic from this object and that is why I’m showing it to you. Maybe you can do it; maybe you have the magic hiding inside you to use it.”

        Yoshiro looked into his mother’s eyes then at the object. For once, he was unsure whether to believe it or not. He reached for the alleged magical item. “Imagine that, Yoshiro, you: the special someone to unlock the magical properties within this,” Yoshiro heard his mother say.

        It sounded so fascinating; I really wanted to see this magic. But in the end I dismissed it, laughing it off. Eventually, Mother gave up trying to convince me, leaving me with the object. But seeing it there, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about it. The idea of being the one to bring out this magic my mother was talking about was so appealing that I kept on thinking about it. And before I knew it, I found myself studying it and taking it with me quite often, hoping something might set it off—whatever it was.

        Then one night at a neighbour’s house while I waited for my parents on the porch, I took it out again. Having nothing to do, I started throwing and catching it, watching it come down each time, but one time it didn’t. I looked up and there it was; the summoning arc hovering above me before it descended to my palm.

        “What’s this?” the young Yoshiro said in amazement as he saw the markings on the arc flash rapidly and erratically. In disbelief, Yoshiro’s eyes widened, “Magic! I did it.”

END REPLAY MODE…

        In the centre of the circle, Yoshiro’s arc floated a foot into the air, its more or less white light saturating the nearby area. Hiding in his drawer, Kero inconspicuously peered through the slit he had created.

        “So that’s the object I saw you using yesterday.” Sakura said.

        “Hai. It’s called the Summoning Arc—that’s what I use to bring out my magic. Occasionally I practice just to keep my magic strength up. Since I’ve come to Tomoeda, I’ve been training with it much more especially with all those strange events.”

        “You sense the aura?” Sakura asked.

        He nodded, “But I have to concentrate extremely hard to accustom myself to auras.” Yoshiro attended to his summoning arc. His expression became concentrated as he stared at it before relaxing. The object dissipated into thin air.

        “Thank you for explaining it to me, Sato-kun,” Sakura said—a smile of relief adorned her lips.

        Yoshiro nodded. His eyes suddenly brightened in realisation, “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about yesterday?”

        Nodding she replied, “Hai, I saw you at Penguin King Park a couple of days ago and I thought… that Sato-kun might be…”

        “The presence behind the events?” he said, chuckling slightly, finding the role out of his league. Sakura nodded shyly. “I guess not, huh?”

        Tomoyo smiled at Yoshiro’s casual reaction before her facial cast changed to puzzlement. “Sakura-chan?”

        Sensing something wrong, Sakura turned to face Tomoyo with concern. “Nani (What is it)?”

        “I was wondering when the fire bell came on yesterday.”

        Sakura cocked her head, “Why do you ask? Didn’t you hear it, Tomoyo-chan?”

        “I heard it, but only when the building was filled with smoke—after I got out of the music room.”

        Confusion presented on Sakura’s face. “But, the alarm came on just a few seconds after you left the changing room.” Tomoyo shook her head, regret apparent as her view of the events did not conform to her best friend’s. Sakura’s mind became troubled as she pondered on the new information her friend had just divulged.

        “For Tomoyo-chan to get to the music room…” Sakura trailed off as she resided to the thoughts in her mind, running through the events again.

        “Daidouji-san should still have been outside…” Yoshiro thought aloud, picking up on the peculiarity of it. His brows suddenly furrowed. “Didn’t you see everyone head for the fields, Daidouji-san?”

        “No. I just headed for the music room.”

        “That doesn’t make sense,” Yoshiro said looking at Tomoyo, who in return, responded with a clueless cast.

        Disturbed by the information, Sakura sat there, staring past her friends. Lines appeared as a frown settled in. She dropped her head to stare at her own reflection in her cup of now cold tea. “What does this mean…?” she thought before a nagging pain in her chest began to grow, heavy and unsettling.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

        Sakura casually scanned the hallways as she walked passed them. They look much better than the last time she had seen them: they were bright, clean, and not full of harmful smoke. The atmosphere that occupied Seijyu High this morning was as normal as she had hoped for.

        Students roamed the hallways, chatting and talking as usual whilst they prepared for their classes. Catching onto some of her peers’ conversation, as Sakura made her way to her locker, the topic of Monday’s lunchtime fire scare was barely mentioned. They were already in the process of forgetting about the entire ordeal—to much of Sakura’s delight.

        Arriving at her locker, Sakura routinely got out her indoor footwear, getting into them before placing her outdoor ones and roller-blades into the compartments of the locker. Shutting her locker door, she knelt down to buckle her shoes then finally set off for her classroom.

        As she approached the door to her first class, sounds of classmates conversing with each other rang through clearly, but it seemed livelier than usual. Bearing a hint of curiosity, Sakura slid the door open to walk inside, revealing a group of her classmates situated at the back corner, left-hand side of the classroom.

        “Ohayou (Good morning)!” she greeted cheerfully to them.

        A combination of excited greetings of “Ohayou, Sakura-chan…” and “Ohayou, Kinomoto-san…” was sent back in her direction around the room.

        “Tomoyo-chan: you’re at school today!” she said cheerfully to her friend standing amongst the group at the back.

        “Hai, Sakura-chan,” she replied, voice almost back to its normal pitch.

        Happy to be back at school around her friends, Sakura quickly headed to her desk, looking forward to catching up with them. In her haste, she had overlooked Tomoyo’s facial demonstration—one of which showed anxiousness and anticipation. What Sakura had also missed was the reason behind it: the addition of a new classmate. She had failed to notice the tall, dark-haired, brown-eyed male standing across from Tomoyo.

        But it was not to say she was completely blind to the latter.

        Releasing the straps of her backpack from around her arms, she motioned to hang it on the hook situated at the side panel of the desk. But midway through the motion, her movements slowed to a stop, body posture arched as her eyes locked in recall. Suddenly and finally, her conscious mind picked up what her subconscious had seen when she passed the group at the back.

        Sakura finished hanging her backpack before she stood to stare at the calm scenery beyond the window, allowing her to recollect the setting. Rika and Naoko were standing next to each other, followed by Chiharu and Tomoyo. Across from Chiharu: Takashi. Sakura then vaguely recalled one other person who was standing next to him around the same height. That person next to Takashi, he was so familiar. He was…

        “Syaoran-kun?” Sakura thought aloud—could it be Syaoran-kun?

        Sakura sharply pivoted to her left. Indeed, it was him; only several metres away instead of thousands of kilometres across the waters back in Hong Kong. The guy that she had dreamed of returning, of seeing, and just to be closer to was right in front of her.

        Every part of her body told her to leap onto him, wrap her arms around his neck and give him the tightest bear hug she could give him, but she knew better to restrain herself. Syaoran was not the same as the one she regularly saw in her dreams and daydreams. No, this Syaoran was reality.

        Alternatively, a set of conflicting emotions came to rest amongst the excited ones: anxiety, apprehension, trepidation—all of which were the result of her nerves taking over, but never letting them get so far as to surface.

        Keeping the turbulent emotions intact and hidden well inside, she coolly approached the group. Her friends parted, making room for her.

        “Guess who’s here?” Tomoyo asked rhetorically, knowing full well Sakura had spotted him already.

        Sakura turned to Tomoyo, giving a smile as she approached—an indication that she was going to be fine. Entering the circle, she situated herself between Tomoyo and Chiharu. “Ohayou, Syaoran-kun! When did you come back?” she greeted with the cheerful tone her friends were all used to.

        “Ohayou. Two days ago,” he replied neutrally.

        “Really?”

        “Hai,” he answered in the same manner. A blush began spreading across Sakura’s cheeks, unable to contain her beating heart anymore. Consumed by his presence, she stared at him. Syaoran’s eyes moved from corner to corner searching for his next actions, unsure how to react to Sakura’s odd behaviour.

        “It’s great to have Li-kun back, isn’t it, Sakura-chan?” Chiharu expressed.

        Dismissing his surroundings for the moment, a slight frown formed on Syaoran’s face. His attention stayed with Sakura for a short while, taken by the intensity of her gaze. Unable to understand it, he broke from it to return to the group again.

        Upon Syaoran’s actions, Sakura’s mind was blinked back into the present, disappointment clearly written on her face. Following Syaoran finally, Sakura turned to the group to answer, “Hai!”

        “Oh Sakura-chan, are you feeling better? We missed you yesterday,” Naoko asked as the others nodded in agreement.

        “Hai, I feel a lot better today,” she replied, looking at each of her friends with a reassuring smile.

        Rika grimaced. “When the firemen brought you, Tomoyo-chan, and Sato-kun out unconscious from the smoke, we were so worried!”

        “Hai, then when you didn’t turn up at school yesterday, it got us even more worried,” Chiharu added, looking at both Sakura and Tomoyo.

        “Thanks a lot for worrying about us.” Sakura looked at Tomoyo, “but we’re really okay aren’t we, Tomoyo-chan?”

        “Hai!”

        “Yokatta (that’s great),” the three girls chorused as Takashi nodded and smiled in the background.

        The school bell rang, signifying start of first period; all faces turned towards the front of the room. The pleasant-looking mathematics teacher appeared through the door, punctual as ever. Contrary to the composed appearance of the mathematics teacher followed a rather ruffled student, panting heavily as he leaned his right arm against the doorframe out of breath.

        “Sato-kun, good morning—just made it I see,” she teased.

        “Good morning, Amaya-sensei.”

        “Are you feeling better from yesterday, Sato-kun?” she asked.

        “Hai, sorry I’m late!” Yoshiro replied—attempting to sound controlled as he concentrated hard on his breathing pattern.

        “Today, I’ll excuse you for being late.” Yoshiro sighed in relief, speaking a ‘thank you’ amongst it as he stayed resting against the doorframe. “Well, Sato-kun: hurry it along, get into class.” Amaya Izumi stepped aside to allow the latecomer in.

        “Oh. Hai!” Yoshiro briskly walked to his desk as he mouthed an ‘ohayou’ to Sakura and Tomoyo, glad they were back in good health and at school too. The two girls both smiled in return.

        “Okay, class, let’s begin,” she called out to the seated students.

        Several equations had been written up on the whiteboard whilst the teacher ran through each of them, aiding the students on how each one may be approached. As the class paid careful attention to each equation, Sakura sat at her desk paying attention to something else.

        With her head down enough to appear she was at work and her eyes inconspicuously at the corner, she caught onto a small glimpse of Syaoran over her shoulders. Her lips curved upwards as she turned back towards the front of the class, delighted to see him so near.

        “I can’t believe Syaoran-kun has returned to Japan. Syaoran-kun has changed a lot since I last saw him: he’s grown again,” she thought, absentmindedly writing down a few numbers. “But, Syaoran-kun’s still the way I remembered him to be; he’s still the same kind person I’ve come to know these past years…”

        Then her smile inverted. Sakura turned in Syaoran’s direction again, watching his movements for a second. Conscientiously, he worked at his desk, attentively paying attention to the teacher like he always did. Syaoran was untroubled, very much content—that was what disturbed her most. He assumed no loss or pain; life just seemed normal to him as he carried on in this altered existence of his, oblivious to the heavy price he paid a year ago.

        She returned her gaze to her books, eyes downcast. “My heart feels so heavy when I look at him. Syaoran-kun looks so emotionless, so empty… There is nothing left.”

        Sakura directed another gaze at him. This time Syaoran sensed her, sending her a blank, confused look before looking away again. Sakura frowned in empathy. “Syaoran-kun’s without love—how lonely it must be inside for him to live without it. I wish I can help him; I wish… he can feel what I can feel…”

        Amidst lunchtime, Sakura walked glumly across the fields. She allowed the wind and the surrounding environment to comfort her as she searched for a nice place to have lunch whilst she waited for Tomoyo to join her later on.

        Noticing a tree not too far off in the distance, Sakura headed for the semi-sunny spot. She took a seat between the sun and shade, making the best of the warmth that existed in the location.

        Sakura reached for her lunchbox when suddenly she felt a small weight on her left shoulder. “Can I speak with you, Kinomoto?” she heard the all-too-familiar voice call from behind. She turned around, surprised to see Syaoran had come, “Umm… sure!”

        With a little of nervousness, Sakura shuffled over to make room for him as he took a seat next to her. She waited until he settled. “Umm… Syaoran-kun,” she began cheerfully. As he turned to face her, Sakura noticed a flinch in his facial display. Quickly she caught onto the reason. “Or do you prefer Li-kun?”

        Syaoran sat there, quiet for a second, appearing to be in thought. Sakura wondered what could’ve been going through his mind. He flinched again, but this time not in surprise, but in… confusion, wonder?

        “It doesn’t bother me too much,” he replied finally, dismissing such trivialities.

        “Hai, Syaoran-kun!” she exclaimed loudly, happy.

        The both sat there in silence, neither talking. Thinking that Sakura had something to say when she called his name a moment ago, Syaoran waited for her to continue. But seeing that she hadn’t chosen to, he took it upon himself to begin. “Mihara-tachi (Mihara Chiharu and the others) mentioned about you and Daidouji being found unconscious in the school building two days ago: it was the doing of magic wasn’t it?”

        Disappointed, but not unexpected of Syaoran’s reason for the visit, she replied simply, “Hai.”

        “What happened on that day?”

        Changing her expression to a more serious manner, Sakura pulled both her legs closer to her, wrapping her arms around them as she revisited the events of Monday. “I felt the aura in the main building, so I quickly went inside to search for it. I couldn’t find it; it kept on disappearing on me…”

        Syaoran nodded in confirmation. “I felt the same thing that day when I arrived in Tomoeda.”

        “Hai,” Sakura answered, nodding.

        “What else?”

        “When I couldn’t feel the aura anymore, I tried to think of a way to stop the smoke, but then that’s when the aura reappeared.” Syaoran stayed listening, not interrupting. “I went to look for it, but the smoke, I couldn’t stand it. So I tried to clear it again, but I ran out of magic… and I couldn’t summon my cards to get rid of it. Sato-kun also tried to get us out of there, but in the end, he couldn’t either.”

        His brows furrowed, unacquainted with the name. “Sato?”

        “Hai. Sato Yoshiro, he’s in our class too and…” She paused for a second, preparing the moment before she revealed Yoshiro’s magical abilities. “…he has magic.”

        Syaoran jerked back in surprise, “This Sato has magic?”

        “Hai.”

        “He… helped you get out?” he asked.

        “Hai,” she replied with a smile, not recognising the insinuation in his tone. “Sato-kun tried to help me and Tomoyo-chan. He’s our friend. Syaoran-kun should meet him; I’ll introduce you to him next class!”

        Accepting the knowledge and her gesture, he nodded once before proceeding again. “Do you have any idea why it’s happening?” he asked curiously.

        She shook her head. “No…” Sakura then dropped her head, distressed over these uncertain times. She sighed heavily, “I thought when I captured and transformed all the Clow cards my destiny would have been fulfilled and nothing else would happen anymore. But then Emptiness came.” Sakura snuck a look towards Syaoran’s direction, sorrow in her eyes; he maintained a neutral expression. “It seems that things just keep happening for some reason...” Sakura went into her own thoughts while Syaoran sat unsure of the response.

        Deciding to refresh his mind, Syaoran gazed out into the scenery in front of him. After a few seconds, still staring off into the field, he finally replied, “Mother suspects difficulty ahead. She sent me back to Tomoeda to help you.”

        Sakura smiled. “Arigatou (Thank you) Syaoran-kun for your help,” she said, meeting up with the right profile of his handsome face as his head nodded to her appreciation.

        For a while, she kept her gaze on him. And the longer she continued, the more she was fooled by the normality of the situation.

        At the moment he didn’t seem any different; the discussion they had was like it had always been. They were always serious, but whenever there was a moment she became worried, Syaoran always, in his own subtle way, eased her concerns somehow. It seemed it hadn’t changed much, but his next action suggested the circumstances had. Syaoran was standing up to leave.

        “Thank you for informing me. I’ll see you back in class,” he said suddenly to a preoccupied Sakura then turned to walk away.

        In a frantic motion, she shot her head up, leaping to her feet: “Umm Syaoran-kun!!”

        Syaoran spun his head around, hearing his name reverberate kilometres into the field. There wasn’t a problem, or trouble—not any that he was aware of anyway—but the call sounded so urgent, so desperate he was left puzzled as he was met with a stiff and distressed Sakura.

        She just stood there; Sakura didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that she had to stop him from leaving and stall time. He had to stay.

        “Syaoran-kun…” she called again, speaking the words as they entered her mind. “Umm…” Syaoran’s brows furrowed, nevertheless waited patiently as he came full circle to face her again. “Are you… do you have somewhere important to be?”

        No response; same expression; just waiting.

        “Can we catch up? I haven’t seen Syaoran-kun for so long,” her pleading eyes looking into his.

        Again, there seemed to be no reply as a slight hesitation in time existed before finally, he responded with a nod. Pulling the strap of his school bag over his head, he placed it onto the ground next to him as he seated himself back down along with her. He returned to his previous activity, staring out into the field. Sakura smiled in relief; she had managed to get him to stay.

        Looking down at the lush green grass beneath her, she felt his aura emanate from him. “My heart races just being near him, knowing Syaoran-kun’s sitting next to me…”

        The emotions further intensified; her heart working overdrive, trying to cope with the many emotions that were coming into play at the moment. Attempting to calm them down, she closed her eyes for a second as she concentrated on the rhythm of her heart and breathing.

        It was working. She had managed to control the two, but only to have it fail on her again a few instances later.

        The serene grounds of the school field which she saw in her mind was replaced by a picture of her and Syaoran sitting next to each other, as they were now. Soon she felt him again. His aura diffused itself in hers, sparking a tingling sensation throughout her entire body—how much she would’ve loved to satisfy it with an embrace.

        “Syaoran-kun,” she finally said, staring directly at him, voice quivering for a second as she commanded herself to hold back the strong feelings.

        He turned around, “What is it?”

        “I’m really glad you returned to Tomoeda,” she began, cheer in her tone, very much in control on the surface. “I’ve missed Syaoran-kun a lot!”

        As soon as she had confessed it, Sakura could see he was slightly taken aback by the happiness portrayed in the tone. She retreated herself with a more subdued smile, afraid it was a little too much for him. It did it; he finally responded with a casual nod.

        “So, how’s Meiling-chan? I was meant to write to her sooner, but I didn’t get around to it. Is she doing okay?” she carried on despite the lack of responsiveness from Syaoran.

        “Meiling is doing okay. She wishes to see you and Daidouji.”

        “Really?” Syaoran nodded. “Will Meiling-chan visit us soon?” she asked, hopeful. “I really want to see her again soon, too.”

        “She’s planning to visit us during the Summer Vacation.”

        Sakura gasped in delight, “That’s great! It will be just like the old times, won’t it, Syaoran-kun?”

        “Yes.”

        Sensing another quiet patch arising, Sakura searched her surroundings in hopes of starting up a new topic. Her eyes landed upon her unzipped school bag where her lunchbox stuck halfway out of the opening.

        Motioning for it, she took a hold of the lunchbox as Syaoran more or less followed her movements. “Syaoran-kun, have you had lunch yet?”

        “No. I was thinking of going to the cafeteria later to get my lunch,” he said.

        She straightened; a smile suddenly appeared on her lips. “Onii-chan and Otou-san packed a big lunch for me today. They said I needed to eat lots to get my strength back up.” Sakura looked at her lunchbox full of mainly sushi, a diagonally sliced sandwich, and some other Japanese snacks. A crooked smile spread across her face at the sight of the amount. “But I don’t think I can finish it all. Do you want to share my lunch, Syaoran-kun?” She then extended the lunchbox towards him.

        Jerking back, he looked at Sakura, surprised by the kind gesture. Sakura, on the other hand, continued to smile. “I really can’t finish it by myself. Shall we share, Syaoran-kun?” again, hoping he’d agree.

        “A-are you sure?” he asked, looking squarely into her eyes. Sakura nodded firmly. “Arigatou.”

        Upon his response, everything seemed to have brightened; Sakura’s eyes flickered in the sunlight, her mouth wide open in glee as she gasped in elation. She then laid the lunchbox in front of Syaoran and herself before heading over to her backpack again.

        “I think there’s a spare set of chopsticks in my bag somewhere. I’ll just look for them, Syaoran-kun,” she said, her movements rather quick and excited.

        “Okay,” he nodded with an ever so slight curl to the corner of his lips.

        “Hai (here you go).” Sakura handed Syaoran a set of black chopsticks after a few seconds of searching.

        “Thank you,” he said as he watched Sakura prepare the rest of the lunch.

        Sakura took out the sandwich, removing the lunch wrap from it. “Syaoran-kun, would you like half the sandwich?”

        “You should have it. You need the energy.”

        Smiling, Sakura persisted, pushing the segments of the sandwich she laid on her palm further towards him. “I’ll have one half and Syaoran-kun can have the other half.”

        Graciously accepting, Syaoran nodded, taking the segment closest to him, “Thank you,” he said then courteously waited for Sakura to take a bite before he started on his.

        As she munched on her segment of the sandwich, Sakura found herself staring at Syaoran once more, unaware she had slowed her eating down to a complete stop.

        Inwardly, she shook her head once: she couldn’t believe he was right next to her eating lunch together. Until this moment in time, she believed there was very little chance he was going to return to Japan, and it was going to be a very long time before she was able to visit him. But here he was now, returning sooner than she had thought.

        This happiness she was presently feeling was beyond anything she could explain in only a few words. Even a casual occasion such as eating lunchbox food out on the grounds of Seijyu High with Syaoran was special. It meant so much to her knowing that occasions such as these would not come by very often anymore, now that he was different. Therefore, she absorbed every feeling, every view, every action—everything.

        “Kinomoto: is something the matter?” Syaoran asked—brows furrowed in concern.

        Sakura broke the steady intent look she set on him, “Hoe?”

        “You weren’t eating,” he replied simply, reporting his observation.

        Stifling a laugh, Sakura quickly took one bite then swallowed followed by more bites, bringing about a confused and questioning look from Syaoran.

        Not exchanging anymore words, the two sat in silence, dining on their lunch, enjoying the mild day. Many students had also taken advantage of the beautiful day where several groups scattered themselves around the area not too far from the two, eating and chatting happily, enjoying the gentle breeze that fanned this afternoon.

        Several quiet moments later, back under the tree where Sakura and Syaoran situated, the lunchbox full of food was now well eaten into. Only a few Japanese snacks and a handful of sushi rolls were left including the two that were being eaten.

        “Would you like some more?” Sakura asked, noticing he had finished his sushi roll.

        “No, it’s okay. I’m quite full. Thank you for lunch,” he said, bowing his head then added, “It was fulfilling.”

        “Okay. Then I’ll save these for Tomoyo-chan,” she said, reaching for the lunchbox lid.

        Noticing that Sakura was beginning to pack up, Syaoran offered a hand in the clean-up. He passed his set of chopsticks to her before collecting all the litter to one side for throwing out later.

        Sakura zipped up her bag before turning around to thank him, “Arigatou, Syaoran-kun.” Syaoran nodded. “So, Syaoran-kun where are you staying?” she asked curiously.

        Replying in a neutral tone, he said, “I’m living at the same building, different floor from last year.”

        “Oh okay. I want to visit you sometime… can I visit you sometime?” she rephrased, afraid he’d mind.

        “If you like.”

        Sakura sprung in joy. “Great!” she exclaimed, grinning widely.

        Syaoran moved his eyes around, waiting for the information he thought she’d inquire next, but it didn’t come. “Would you like the address?” a hint of sarcasm in his intonation.

        Feeling a little stupid to have not connected that an address would be quite useful in getting to his apartment, she rubbed her temple, letting an awry smile show through. “Oh yeah… then can I have your address, Syaoran-kun?”

        “Sure.” Syaoran reached into his bag for his pen and paper, ripping out a page from one of his exercise books before folding it to a smaller size. He wrote his name and address neatly onto the paper. “Here,” he said, handing the paper to her.

        “Thank you so much, Syaoran-kun!” She gently took it from his grasp, bringing it close to her chest, smiling contently as she gazed into his eyes.

        As Sakura continued to gaze intently at him, apparently not releasing it anytime soon, Syaoran lowered his left brow. Why was she looking at him like that? “Kinomoto: what is it?” No reply came from her; she only focused that same look on him. Then a change to seriousness was seen, indicating her beginning finally.

        “Syaoran-kun, do you… remember the day we captured the last unsealed Clow card a year ago?” slowly Sakura began.

        “The Emptiness…?” he said, contemplating the reason for the mention.

        A brief display of surprise showed through the eyes; Syaoran remembered the card. Then she nodded. “What do you remember?”

        “Why do you ask?” At this moment, Syaoran wore an unusually perplexed cast—almost to a point where he seemed distressed about something.

        “I just want to know… can you please tell me, Syaoran-kun?” she asked.

        Recognising some sort of importance in obtaining this information from him, he nodded reluctantly. “Do you want me to start from the beginning?”

        Sakura shook her head. “I was just wondering what you remembered while we were in the clock tower.”

        Syaoran turned to the field, seeking its serenity. “I remember you standing across from me and I knew you had sealed the card because it was descending to your hands.” Sakura nodded, allowing him to continue, but only to have it end. “That’s all I remember.”

        Sakura’s brow creased, mouth open in disbelief, sadness also present. “You don’t remember me talking to you, Syaoran-kun?”

        He shook his head, going into a little more detail. “I remember being captured by the spirit’s black sphere on the Ferris wheel then I found myself in the clock tower opposite you, after you sealed it.”

        “But—” she began, but decided it’d be best to confine it to her thoughts. “Syaoran-kun wasn’t captured… that’s not what happened.”

        Returning her attention outside of her mind, Sakura was greeted with Syaoran’s serious and inquiring stare. “What about the card’s contract?” she continued, leaving him answerless, quelling none of the curiosity clearly visible on his face.

        “The card’s contract…?” he returned, confused with yet another one of her questions.

        “Hai. The person with the greatest magical strength at the time of capture would lose their most important feeling,” she recited the words more or less used by Eriol. Syaoran shook his head, not recalling the contract.

        “Syaoran-kun…” she muttered to herself.

        “W-what’s wrong?” he asked, leaning towards her.

        She looked into his eyes to see them showing concern. Not wanting to worry him further, she quickly put on a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing. Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to know. Thank you, Syaoran-kun for telling.”

        Believing not a word she said, Syaoran narrowed his eyes at her, suspicious of the tone and facial display employed to deceive him. As sweet as the display maybe on her face though, this façade did not cover for the quick and brief sentences she spoke with. There was a problem; she just wasn’t letting him in on it.

        At every passing second, Syaoran’s stare grew more intense the longer he kept his attention on her. Although his eyes were a little intimidating in its unswerving nature, Sakura felt a strange, increasing feeling of an inability to look away.

        Syaoran had such enchanting eyes; they were so alluring. Whenever she looked at them for more than a few seconds, she would find herself locked onto them. There was this inescapable force that trapped her, drawing her deeper and deeper into them; and she couldn’t pull away.

        Continuing to be drawn in by his eyes, heat began to rise to her cheeks, fanciful thoughts entering her mind.

        On the other end, Syaoran maintained the suspicious stare, but soon his furrowed brow relaxed to one that showed puzzlement. He noticed that her eyes had softened, bearing sort of a glazy appearance. They were no longer looking at him with a deceiving eye; they were looking at him with a different eye now.

        He had seen that look before: it was this morning. The way she was looking at him right now was exactly the way she had this morning. What was the deal with that look?

        Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Syaoran quickly averted to the field. In his motion, not too far in the distance, he saw Tomoyo heading towards their position ahead of him. Although not much changed in his expression, a sense of relief could be felt through an ever so slight tilt of the head in acknowledgement of her presence.

        Sakura turned also to see her best friend approach. “Tomoyo-chan!” she called out to her happily, her blush receding slowly.

        Staying standing, Tomoyo said, “Sorry I’m late, Sakura-chan.” She looked at her watch. “Lunch time is almost over. I’m sorry I couldn’t accompany you for much of lunch today.”

        “It’s alright, Tomoyo-chan.”

        Directing her attention to the person next to her, she smiled. “But, it looks like you didn’t eat lunch alone.”

        “Daidouji,” Syaoran greeted. Tomoyo nodded in acknowledgement.

        “Sit, Tomoyo-chan. There’s still a little time left. I have a few sushi rolls left that Syaoran-kun and I couldn’t finish, would you like to have them, Tomoyo-chan?”

        “Oh, thanks, Sakura-chan!” She sat down just as Syaoran stood up, taking the litter left by his side with him.

        “H-hoe?” Sakura said, looking up, surprised.

        “Thank you for lunch, Kinomoto. I’ll be off now. See you in class,” he said then bowed his head at the girls, preparing to leave.

        “H-hai! Thanks for accompanying me, Syaoran-kun!” Sakura said, trying to get all her words in before he left. He nodded again before heading off.

        Tomoyo laid her bag down beside her as Sakura stared after Syaoran for a while before getting her lunchbox back out to place it in front of Tomoyo.

        “Thanks, Sakura-chan.”

        “Hai,” she said, smiling. “Did you get things sorted with your music teacher?”

        Tomoyo nodded. “Hai, everything is sorted.”

        “That’s good.”

        Reaching for a sushi, Tomoyo took hold of one with her chopsticks then took a bite from it. “This is good,” she said, after swallowing. “As usual,” she added.

        Smiling, she replied, “Arigatou.”

        “Did you invite Li-kun to join you for lunch?”

        Sakura shook her head, “No, Syaoran-kun came up to me while I was waiting for Tomoyo-chan.”

        “Really? That’s great. So Sakura-chan, how was lunch with Li-kun?” Tomoyo asked casually.

        “It was great!”

        “Did Li-kun want to talk to you about the new presence?”

        Sakura nodded, “Hai. Syaoran-kun wanted to know what happened the other day.”

        “Is that what you and Li-kun discussed most of lunchtime?” Tomoyo asked—a very much ordinary question, but clearly not without an objective as she approached it slowly.

        “No,” Sakura responded. Her eyes suddenly lit up at some news she had received earlier from him. “Syaoran-kun told me that Meiling-chan is thinking of returning sometime in the Summer Vacation.”

        “That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t seen Meiling-chan for a while. We can do so many fun things when she comes back.”

        “Hai! It’ll definitely be fun!”

        Tomoyo nodded with enthusiasm. A short pause existed as she fully exhaled a breath, toning down the current mood. Delicately, she proceeded once more. “How is Li-kun?”

        Sakura’s expression drooped, understanding the underlying direction of this question. “Syaoran-kun…” Sakura paused, looking back on their encounter, “he’s… the same.”

        “The same,” Tomoyo repeated, inviting her to expand on it.

        “He’s the same Syaoran-kun we all know. He’s still kind, and he’s still helpful—I can see it in his eyes,” Sakura explained. Tomoyo nodded despite the fact Sakura was staring at the grass beneath her. A weak smile then displayed on Sakura’s face before it was overturned shortly after. “...Just that he doesn’t remember me,” Sakura said turning to face her best friend. Tomoyo let out an empathetic sigh.

        “When I asked him if he remembered me telling him my feelings in the clock tower that day we sealed Emptiness,” she continued, her gaze resting on the field that Syaoran had frequently used to seek solace this afternoon, “Syaoran-kun said he was pretty much unsure of how he got up there. And when I told him about the contract of Emptiness, he didn’t even know what I was talking about… But, Tomoyo-chan, what hurts me the most is to see Syaoran-kun so empty,” Sakura finished—her eyes back down on the ground.

        Tomoyo sat in silence, letting that comfort the both for the moment whilst she stared at her friend, searching for a way to console her. Sakura looked so lost, so unhappy.

        “Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo called to her sweetly. Sakura looked up, her eyes covered by a film of water. “Try to cheer up, okay? …it’s the only way.”

        “Hoe?” Sakura’s voice: extremely quiet.

        “Sakura-chan needs to be Sakura-chan for Li-kun to see Sakura-chan again,” Tomoyo said, looking into Sakura’s eyes with sincerity. Slow to understand, but eventually she did. Sakura nodded.

To be continued in episode 8: “Sakura and the Freak Storm”.