Chapter 3 - Sakura and her Angelic Wings

Sakura and her Angelic Wings

As the sun began to come up on the new day Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Kero went outside to see the damage the storm had caused that night. "It's not as bad as I thought it'd be." Syaoran said. Then there was heard the sound of a car pulling up. The four with Kero disguised as a stuffed animal once again looked to see a cab pull up to them. The passenger door on the opposite side of the car opened and out popped a tall black haired Chinese girl. She looked at the group and bounded over to them loudly. "LI!" she yelled as she threw her arms around Syaoran's neck.

"Meling, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay in Hong Kong!”

"Hi Meling!" Sakura biped. "How have you been?" Tomoyo asked nicely.

"Hi Sakura, hi Tomoyo!" She said ignoring Syaoran's question.

"Meling," He said calling her attention back to the question.

"You mother sent me!" She answered.

"My mother!?" Syaoran gasped.

The cab driver had popped the trunk of the car and Meling was now taking out luggage. She fished out of a suitcase a white envelope. "I'm a messenger! She told me to give you this!"

"Couldn't she have just sent it though the mail?" Li argued.

"It's a pretty important letter." She paused with a look on her face that hinted bad news at the very least. "Well anyway, she wanted me to check on you anyway." She said as she handed Syaoran the letter and some of her baggage to take into the apartment. "So what's been going on?" She asked as she looked around at everyone.

"The cards have released again." Syaoran said.

"Yay!" Meling exclaimed to everyone's surprise. "That means we get to be cardcaptors again!" Syaoran let out a groan of unhappy frustration and the girls giggled. The future seemed to be set as Sakura and Tomoyo said goodbye to their old friends but only to see them again very soon. The two started back to their homes for some much needed rest and relaxation. As they walked, having left their friends with smiles, Sakura’s heart still felt heavy. She stared up into the patchy gray sky. There were dark clouds on the horizon threatening to erase the partial blue above. It seemed ominous to Sakura as if a warning of the days to come. For the first time in quite some time it took an effort for her to smile her brightest. Somewhere deep inside she felt something had changed that would never return to its former self. Perhaps she knew it not then but this feeling would befall her all too commonly in the months to come.

The next morning came somewhat sooner than Sakura would have liked. She slept most of the previous day and all the night, her ordeal had taken so much out of her. Her hand came slamming down on her alarm clock as it's bothersome sound woke her out of a relaxing slumber. "Uug!" Sakura muttered in disgust that it was morning already. She got up and out of bed and walked down the hall and into the bathroom. She stood in front of the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Is this the mirror card? Or could it be the illusion card... or maybe - maybe it's just my reflection." Sakura thought to herself. She splashed some cold water on her face and rubbed her eyes.

"G'morning sunshine!" Kero said kiddingly as he flew into the bathroom.

"There’s nothing good about this morning, Kero." Sakura said as she grabbed her brush and pulled at her hair. "There are fifty-one Star Cards on the loose, I look terrible and it's the first day of the new semester!"

"Sakura, you look fine, and I know for a fact that you're not as miserable as you think." Kero said reassuringly.

"What do you mean, Kero?" Sakura said as she washed her face.

"Well I hate to say it but it's probably more of a good thing than a bad one that the brat has come back." Kero said.

Sakura, despite her mood, couldn't help but smile at his mention. "Your right. Syaoran’s always looking out for me, but..." Sakura thought about the previous night and Syaoran's words. "...but it feels like he's holding something back."

"I know what you mean." Kero said. "He knows something about what's going on that we don't. It's not just the cards being released that we have to worry about. Be sure and remember that."

"I know, I know." She said as she hopped into the shower.

"Be sure and hurry up in there, you're gonna be late!" Kero called over the sound of the water.

After showering she dressed in her school uniform in her room. As she stood at her dresser looking into the mirror she was reminded of something. Reaching down, she opened a drawer and saw the gold necklace her father had given her still safe. 'I'll keep it safe. It and everyone.' She said to herself. She then closed the drawer, said good-bye to Kero and walked down stairs.

"Morning monster, you’re up early." Touya said.

"Not really, and I'm sixteen now, you can't call me that!" Sakura said with balled up fists.

"Alright you two that's enough, now come and eat some breakfast." Fujitaka, Sakura's father said. Sakura saw yummy looking pancakes on the table with maple syrup and juice, her favorite. 'Yay!' she thought. There was then the sound of a car horn coming from the street. 'no.' Sakura whimpered. "Sorry dad my ride is here. I gotta go!" Sakura said as she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door.

Sakura got in the back seat of a luxury sedan. "Hey everybody!" Sakura said happily. "Hi Sakura!" Tomoyo said from the driver's seat. "Hey Sakura." Yamazaki said leaning over the passenger's side seat. "Ya know Sakura, on the first day of the second semester of your sophomore year in high school it's tradition to wear all your cloths backwards." Yamazaki said still leaning over the seat. "Really?" Sakura said with a dumbfounded look on her face not noticing that everyone’s clothes were on correctly. "No, he's lying!" Chiharu said from the seat next to Sakura's.

"Guess what guys!" Sakura bubbled.

"What?" Yamazaki and Chiharu said almost in unison.

"Syaoran is back!"

"Really? Li's back? When did he get here?" Chiharu asked.

"Yesterday, actually." Tomoyo said.

"And he'll be staying for a while so he'll be at school with us!" Sakura said rather excited.

They arrived at school a few minutes before the first bell. Tomoyo and Sakura walked slowly towards their homeroom class while Yamazaki ran off somewhere with Chiharu. Sakura saw Syaoran standing next to a tree so she and Tomoyo walked over to greet him. "Hi Syaoran." Sakura said in a playful voice. She then saw another person standing next to him latched onto his arm. "Oh, ah, hi Meling. I. didn't know you were going to stay."

"Of course I am!" Meling stated. "You think that I'm just going to leave my Li alone? We are still engaged you know."

"Hey." Syaoran said in a low voice seeming to be trying to ignore the clamp on his arm. Sakura looked at Syaoran's face, he had a bandage over his left eye from the lashing trees the previous night. "How ya feeling Syaoran?" Sakura asked in a supple tone.

"Not bad, some scrapes, I'm fine, how about you?" Syaoran asked.

"I'm fine." Sakura said. The warning bell rang and everyone started toward their the classroom.

Syaoran strode next to Sakura as they walked. "Just try and be careful. I...” he paused “...well, just be careful." Sakura looked up at him for a moment. It seemed as though he was going to say something more but hadn’t. She wondered just how many secrets he was keeping from her. It made her want to frown but she couldn’t blame him. She had never known him to keep anything from her that might harm her. She trusted him and so she let it go for the moment and smiled.

"Okay, Syaoran! I will!" Sakura said with happy enthusiasm.

Both Syaoran and Meling had homeroom with Sakura and Tomoyo. They were introduced to the class and given a relatively warm welcome. The day began going by without incident of any sort. The bell for lunch rang and everyone poured out of their classrooms and migrated to the courtyard to eat and socialize. Sakura and Tomoyo sat down to have lunch. "I'm starving!" Sakura said. Syaoran later walked up with Meiling attached to his arm as always, and sat down. He still looked rather serious, but then again, that was relatively normal for him. He sat with a frown without looking at anyone. Sakura thought that maybe he was in deep thought. He’d looked this way since he arrived. She was still getting the nagging feeling that he was hiding something and that something was bothering him.

No one said anything for a while, they just sat there eating. "So, Syaoran, how are you doing so far, ya know with classes and your apartment and stuff? Are you getting settled in?" Sakura said trying to start a conversation to break the silence.

"We're settling in just fine and Li is so smart that no matter what the subject is he'll do great!" Meiling gloated for Syaoran. "Stop it, Meling." Syaoran said in a not so friendly tone. Meling sat there looking a bit melancholy at Syaoran's scolding.

“But you are!” she protested “there’s no challenge you can’t come out of on top!” she gloated some more, her usual arrogant light returning to her face.

“NO MELING! I CAN’T! YOU KNOW THAT - SO STOP SAYING OTHERWISE!” Syoran almost shouted at her as he stood from his seat. Meling almost looked like she was about to cry. Syoran looked down at her angerly for a moment and then turned and walked off without another word.

Sakura’s and Tomoyo’s eyes went back to Meling after Syaoran was out of sight. Her saddened expression had changed to desperate dispar as she sat doing her best to fight back her tears. The girls decided lunch was over and they took Meling out of the crowded courtyard as Syaoran’s raised voice had drawn some attention. They took her to a shady spot under a large tree elsewhere on the school campus and sat down with her.

The two girls hadn’t many words of comfort to give Meling. She knew Syaoran better than anyone and very much loved him. “Don’t worry, Meling,” Sakura offered “he didn’t mean it!”


“I- I know.” Meling said with a small voice still sniffing back her tears. “It’s just, I’ve tried so hard...ever since it happened he’s been- and I haven’t been able to help him.” Meling began to cry and Sakura’s mind began to race. ‘So something did happen!’ she thought. Sakura pushed it out of her mind for the moment though and turned her attention back to meling. It was obvious to both Tomoyo and Sakura that Meling wasn’t at all mad at Syaoran. Her tears weren’t even for herself, they were tears for his pain. Touching though it was how utterly devoted Meling was to Syaoran, the pain she felt for him wrenched the two girls’ hearts.

After a few minuets Meling was beginning to calm. The three girls sat for a time but then Sakura turned to Meling. She had to know, even if it meant going behind Syaoran’s back. “Meling, you said he’s been this way ‘ever since,’ ever since what?” Sakura asked as tenderly as she could not wanting to rush Meling.

“I-” Meling started to say but paused and bit her lip. “I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?” Sakura said confused.

“Well, he’s been like this ever since a couple of months ago. I was away from the Li family compound when...”

“When what?” Sakura said as if on the edge of her seat.

“That’s just it.” Meling said leaving the other girls puzzled. “I wasn’t there. Something happened but Li won’t tell me either. But he’s been different ever since. Whatever it was made him loose his confidence. He doesn’t seem to believe in himself anymore! I’ve tried to tell him how wonderful he is and that he can do anything but he just- shuts me out. I had to beg his mother to let me come to him. I couldn’t stand being away from him again, especially when he needs me.” She fell silent.

Sakura didn’t know what to say. Syaoran had lost his confidence, his belief in himself. It reminded her of what had happened years before. He felt like this then too and yet he was so strong and powerful now and then, Sakura thought. It occurred to her that he must be many times more powerful now that some years had gone by. She in fact knew of this for a fact. She remembered they’re reunion just that last night when she felt his magical power sweep over her like a great wave. He was more powerful, and yet according to Meling, he thought himself to be weak. This troubled Sakura greatly.

The bell to return to classes came and the girls parted ways with Meling after making sure she’d be alright.

The rest of the school day went by and the dismissal bell rang. Sakura met Tomoyo in the parking lot to go home. Meling’s story had stayed in her thoughts ever since lunch. Sakura was rather quiet as they walked to Tomoyo’s car. She looked at the car and realized that it was just the two of them. “Hey, where's Yamazaki and Chiharu?" Sakura asked Tomoyo. They're off somewhere, said they'd walk home." Tomoyo answered. The two girls got in the car and started home. "You’re worried about Li, aren’t you" Tomoyo inquired.

"Yah." Sakura in a small voice.

"He seems even more depressed than before." Tomoyo said. “I’m worried about him too.” She said more to comfort Sakura than to express her own feelings.

“Thanks, Tomoyo. You’re a good friend.”

Sakura got home and she and Tomoyo went up to her room to study. "So how was your fist day back at hell-high?" Kero asked Sakura and Tomoyo.
"I wish you wouldn't repeat things you hear Yamazaki say." Sakura complained.
"Well as much as you complain about it, it sounds like a accurate description." Kero pointed out. Sakura then told Kero what Meling had told her and Tomoyo.

“AH HA!” he exclaimed. “I knew the brat was keeping things from us!”

“KERO!” Sakura scolded. “I’m worried about Syaoran here!”

“Ah come on, kid. He’s a tough cookie as much as I hate to admit it, and you’re right, I felt it too, he’s a lot stronger than he was before. It’ll be fine.” Kero said as if it closed the case.

“Yah well, I’m still worried about hi-” Sakura stopped mid-word and turned her head toward the window. She stared intently out of it for a time and then Tomoyo asked, "Sakura what is it?"

"I sense a Clow Card!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh yah! Our first Clow Card!" Kero shouted. Sakura, Tomoyo and Kero left the house and started to search for the card. "Can you tell where it's coming from?" Tomoyo asked.

"Over there." Sakura pointed to the wooded area near her house.

"It's getting dark." Tomoyo said as she held onto Sakura's arm.
"Can you tell which card it is?" Kero asked Sakura. "It's familiar, one of my first." Sakura said, concentrating.

They walked a ways, Sakura leading them, following the distant magical vibrations of the Card. They passed into the woods and the dimming sky all but disappeared under the tree tops and all become very dim though they could still see where they were going.

"What's that?!" Tomoyo said as she pointed to a beam of bright blue light through the trees. "It's Syaoran! Remember? His darivitor." Sakura said with a hint of excitement. Sakura, Tomoyo and Kero ran toward the source of the beam. Sakura burst out of the bushes behind Syaoran. "SYAORAN!" Sakura she greeted loudly.

"Ahhhh!" Syaoran he yelled, startled. "Ahiiiii!" Sakura squealed and fell down having been startled by Syaoran's yell.

He turned around with and went to her. "Don't do that! You okay?" Syaoran said looking down at her. Tomoyo jumped out of the bushes and saw Sakura sitting on the ground. She knelt down next to her. "Sakura are you okay?"

“I’m fine, this root broke my fall.” She said rubbing her backside.

"Sakura, what is wrong with you, I could have killed you!" Syaoran scolded.
"I’m sorry." Sakura whimpered looking down. “You just... scared me” she giggled as it all now seemed rather silly.

"I was the one who was scared!" Syaoran said as his hear went budump budumb. "Don't sneak up on me like that in the dark." Syaoran warned half in jest as he helped her up. Sakura could tell that despite his attempt at kindness, Syaoran was still troubled by whatever was bothering him. He turned from her to continue the search but Kero flew in front of him.

"You got alota nerve kid! Knocking Sakura down for no reason!" Kero growled at Syaoran as all Kero had seen when he came out of the bush with Tomoyo was Sakura on the ground and Syaoran standing in front of her. Syaoran stared at Kero for a moment and than swatted at him a few time and started off again. "We've got a card to capture." Syaoran said as he stormed off, irritated more at Kero than anything else at that moment. Sakura and Tomoyo giggled.

Kero buzzed around Sakura and Tomoyo’s heads waving his little fists in the air “That Li kid has gone too far!" Kero he complained.
"He didn't knock me down, I fell down." Sakura said. This didn't really surprise Kero, and it made more sense, but he didn't want to admit that. "You remember what I told you? About what Meling said?" Sakura said quietly.

"Yah yah, fine. We'll deal with that later, right now we have a card to catch." Kero said. "Sakura, where is it?"

"Close, I can feel it." Sakura said. After a short while more of searching, Syaoran called back to the girls and Kero, “I’m going to scout ahead, just shout if you need me.” he said.

“Ah... okay.” Sakura said a little unwilling to let him go off on his own.
“Good, get lost.” Kero call after.
“KERO! Not funny!” Sakura shouted at him as Syaoran dashed off silently and stealthily.

Now without Syaoran the two girls an Kero walked through the now thick darkness. There was only the occasional patch of glowing ground from the white light of the moon above the trees. “We’re very close!” Sakura said at length. She, Kero and Tomoyo all stopped and looked around.

“So then where’s it comen’ from?” Kero asked as his eyes darted to one dark, spooky hollow to the next.

"It's... It's, above us!" Sakura said as she looked toward the sky along with her two companions all with eyes wide. There was silence and then a hoot of an owl. Nothing was up there.
“Eh, it was just an owl.” Kero said. "well, if it is up there it could be the Fly Card. Or maybe the Float Card." There was then a loud and long screech coming from above.
“Ah! That wasn’t an owl!” Sakura said as she held her Star Key close to her chest. The area of sky above they could see through the trees vanished as the form of something massive that was white and glowing like the full moon swooped overhead. As it did the trees waved from the wind of it's wake. "Yep, defiantly the Fly. Sakura, you're up!" Kero said.

"The key that hides the powers of darkness show your true form before me, Release!" Sakura chanted as her Star Wand appeared. "Windy, bring fly down!" The windy burst from it's card and chased after the large bird. When it caught up with fly it wrapped itself around the bird and they fell from the sky. Sakura ran to where they fell; in a grove where the trees were scarce and found windy struggling to keep fly in its grasp. The bird was as large as before and it seemed to be stronger this time. "Seal it now!" Kero shouted. Just then, fly burst from windy's grasp and flapped it's wings once toward the three with gale force knocking them to the ground.

“Imperial Lightning! Strike!" A deep voice penetrated the air. A massive bolt of lightning left Syaoran's sword and impacted the bird and there was a blinding flash and a loud crack of thunder that shook the ground. An instant later, Sakura looked up from the ground where she and the others had been knocked to see the luminescent bird sprawled on its back in the clearing.

“PWWEEEEE!!??” Sakura frantically exclaimed. “Oh NO! Did Syaoran kill it?”

The bird’s long neck and wings then began to move again as it attempted to return to the sky.

“SAKURA! Seal it NOW!” Syaoran yelled from across the clearing.

"Right!” she yelled back as she jumped to her feet. “Return to your true form, Star Card!" Sakura yelled. The bird was pulled into it's card in a beautiful stream of light. The card floated into Sakura's hand as they had so many times before.

“YAY! YOU DID IT!!!” Kero celebrated with Tomoyo.

Syaoran walked to the others and Sakura beamed at him. "Thanks for your help Syaoran, I, couldn't have done it without you." Sakura said and gave him a big hug. He blushed profusely but none could see it in the dim light of the moon above.

“Well, you- you’re welcome.” He said.

He smiled as Sakura let go of him and looked into his eyes. She thought of what Meling had said that day. “No, really! You’ve gotten so much stronger, Syaoran!” She stopped short for some unknown reason and Syaoran was puzzled. “Pwe- I’m mean, that’s not to say you weren’t powerful before! You were!” To Sakura’s delight, Syaoran laughed. “What I mean is, I’m really glad you came back. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

Still blushing, Syaoran suddenly felt as though he were bing watched. He turned his head to see Tomoyo pointing her video camera right at them with stars in her eyes again. ‘Such a perfect ending.’ she said softly to her self over and over.

Sakura laughed. “Haha, Tomoyo, you’re so weird sometimes!” both the girls giggled.

“Maybe so,” Tomoyo giggled, “Lets try out your new wings!" she said cheerfully.

“Yah! Good idea!” Kero cheered.

"Okay!" Sakura said as she taped the fly card with her wand. And with that a pair of beautiful white wings appeared on her back and Sakura flew into the sky like an angel ascending to heaven with Kero fluttering around her still singing the praises of their first victory.

Syaoran stood next to Tomoyo who was still recording Sakura. He looked into the air and saw the angel in the light of the moon. Tomoyo lowered her camera and looked at Syaoran. “You know, she meant what she said.”

“Yah, but, she probably didn’t need me that much. She could have taken down Fly without me. I can’t help her. I never could.” Syaoran said.

“That’s not true, Li.” Tomoyo said and put her camera-free hand on his shoulder. “You give Sakura so much. Let me ask you this: do you think I’m useless to Sakura? I certainly can’t help her in battle and often times she has to protect me. Do you think she’d be better off without me?”

“Wh-wha- no! Of corse not!” Syaoran said.

“Then why should you be any different? Hmm?” Tomoyo smiled at Syaoran. “You’re just like me, Li. We both love her.”

Syaoran’s face turned bright red again. “WHA-What?”

Tomoyo giggled and started toward a spot on the other side of the clearing where Sakura and kero and just touched down. “Come on. She’s waiting for us.”


To be Continued...

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