Composed by deko
Translated by Yuki Neco
The Hope Card was in the box on the altar in the yard of Hiiragizawa residence in England when the moon was in the south.
“Are you sure it’ll work?” the Hope asked in worries.
“Trust us. Eriol has looked for many materials throughout this year,” Kaho replied.
“You’re dressed in a pretty kimono. I’d like to wear one,” the Hope said enviously. Kaho dressed in a yukata looked attractive as a grown-up woman. Meanwhile, Eriol is chanting an incantation holding his magic staff.
“I’ll see you later. I’ll make you something delicious,” Kaho said.
“OK.”
Eriol stepped forward, dressed in a ceremonial robe like a bishop. “Are you ready, Hope Card?” he said. Nakuru who had been waiting for the timing, turned on the casette player. It played Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5: Fate. Although kind of disturbed for a moment, Eriol rolled his eyes before casting his spell, “O meek little lamb, let me pour powers into thy spirit!” In response, a big magic circle emerged at his feet at this moment. Powerful forces sprang through the circle up in the sky before descending back fierecely.
“Cool, Eriol! But I think I’ve seen this scene somewhere before...” Nakuru uttered her impression.
“That’s because of the auther’s poor creativity. It’s all the same,” Spinel commented plainly.
“Nooo! I’m scared, I’m scared!” Hope screamed in horror. The powerful forces fell toward the Hope Card in the altar, but the forces were repelled by the barrier created impulsively—which shot Spinel instead, who screamed. By the impluse, he fainted with his coiled tail twitching with burning smell.
“Wow, so it’s the negative shield. Talk about defence,” Nakuru whistled. At the same time, Eriol chuckled, “Impressive. That’s the negative force equal to the total power of the whole deck of Sakura Cards.” No matter how cool he acted, he got out of his calmness. Even though he tried to act self-possessed, he was nothing but excited as he looked, who blasted trains of powers into the altar. However, the powers were repelled by the barrier created by the scared girl. To make the matters worse, the girl cried so loud that Eriol and the others covered their ears from the exploding cry.
“Noooo, help me, Kaho! I hate Eriol!”
“Omigosh! Eriol’s desperate. He looks insane,” Nakuru sweatdroped.
“He never wants to lose...” Spinel whispered with dizzy eyes.
“But there’s no end to this,” Kaho said, “I know!” She changed the background music. The music played Japanese traditional melody with rhythic lead voice; it was Yagi-bushi.
“Kaho, what are you doing?!” Eriol turned back and said.
“The Hope Card is blocking herself in the barrier because she’s scared out,” Kaho explained, “We gotta change the mood to draw her out! Hey, Nakuru and Suppi, you too come up and dance, dance!”
The music shifted to another Japanese traditional melody known as Tanko-bushi (Cheer for Coal Mining). If it was in Tokyo they would sure be complained by neighbors, but in a country side in England the humans and fairies were dancing in circle. Mismatching the ritual like a witches’ Sàbbath, they were dancing to the happy-go-lucky Japanese cheering folk music.
The Hope Card got back to herself, and lower the barrier she had spread with a what-is-happening look as she heard a cheerful tune. Inspired by the music, she clapped her hands with joy.
“Eriol, now!” Kaho shouted.
Eriol shot energy of magic before the Hope could re-spread the barrier, which triggered a creation.
Sakura ran to the front door with loud foot steps as usual. She was still munching her breakfast in her mouth. Her brother, who was now a college student, was teasing her with a smirk as usual as well. “Don’t hurry like that, kaijuu. If you trip and fall, there’ll be a hole in the street, you kaijuu.”
“Stop calling me this...” She half shouted back to her brother, when she saw Wei standing on the steet. She blushed to feel embarassment to look improper.
“Good morning, Wei,” she said with a bow. The butler of the neighbor bowed politely in his usual manner, “Good morning, Lady Sakura. Uh... would you share a few minutes of your time?”
Sakura and Wei walked into Penguin Park where commuters were passing through in a hurried manner.
“Syaoran’s mother’ll drop by Japan?” Sakura exclaimed.
“Yes. She’ll be in Japan tomorrow on her way home from the U.S. on business. She said she wanted to meet with you in her short visit,” Wei explained.
“She wants to see me...” Sakura mumbled recalling that when she was ten, she once saw the mistress of Li family—a noble, confident lady.
“Would you like to see her?” Wei asked.
“I’d be glad to. But why? Syaoran and I are just friends...” she stuttered. The old man smiled gently, since the perplexity of the girl worrying her long future onward looked innocent. She was staring at a high school boy and girl walking on the sidewalk hand in hand smiling at each other.
“We saw your future daughter in the villa last winter,” (See Gate to the Stellar Field) Wei said; followingly he and Sakura sighed.
“Was she truly my future daughter? She was a tomboy.”
“She must be. I know what happened in the villa,” the old man replied.
Sakura giggled to imagine that the cheerful tomboy had lived a few days of vacance in the same villa without Sakura and others knowing. This old man must have enjoyed the secret life with the little girl in the winter break. At this time, a bell tolled in the distance—that was Sakura’s junior high school signing the beginning of the class.
“Oh, no! I’ll see you later, Wei! Hoeee! I’m totally late!” Sakura dashed out of the park. The old butler was politely seeing her off at her full speed. “Yes, she was your daughter. The way she acted was completely inherited from you... Master Syaoran, you need to win your own future. Life is a train of competition...” he thought jumping on his feet not caring about his age. At this time, he had a pain in his back reminiscent of the series of competition he had had in his life.
In the lunch time, Chiharu and Takashi are talking in the classroom. Chiahru said, “OK, Takashi, we’ll go visit the science museum this weekend night.”
“The forecast said that we’ll have the big Leonids Meteor Shower,” Takashi explained, “On a year in the 20th century, enourmous number of meteorites fell like a shower literally.”
“It’s true. I read about it in a book that said poeple went panic under the Leonids,” Naoko joined the talk. Chiahru sighed with impression... but followingly, Takashi restarted his story, “However... an exterrestrials’ space ship sneaked onto the earth hiding in the meteorites.”
Chiharu and the others sighed with not-again look.
“You... not again...” Chiharu groaned.
“Hidden among the moteorites, their space ship landed on the earth,” Takashi continued, “The aliens went to the cemetery and chose the bodies from newly buried bodies so they walk around the human society in those bodies for each.” In his untrue stories, he was checking the scaredy-cat Sakura’s reaction; but this time, she was looking out the window with Syaoran not caring about his story. Tomoyo looking at her best friend sighed sadly.
“Syaoran looks depressed today,” Chiharu sighed.
“I wonder if he got a bad luck in his fortune-telling?” Takashi frowned.
Rika, also a friend from the elementary school days, tried to liven up the conversation. “Talking about fortune-telling, the computer fortune-teller at Twin Bells in Moto-Machi, I tried it the other day.”
“You must have gotten a good luck,” Naoko said, knowing from her happy face. Everybody knew about what fortue-telling she tried.
“When Syaoran does his fortune-telling, it’ll say he’ll be under his wife’s thumb,” Takashi smirked.
“You think so?” Syaoran pouted.
“It’d be an interesting footage...” Tomoyo added.
A crow was on the wire outside under the hazy sky.
Sakura and Tomoyo were on the swings in Penguin Park, with the sunset on their backs.
“What? Syaoran’s mother will drop by Japan?” Tomoyo said in surprise.
“Yeah, Wei told me this morning.”
“Meiling didn’t tell me about it in her e-mail. I wonder if it was an impulsive visit,” Tomoyo said.
“I don’t know. She said she wanted to see me, and that’s all,” Sakura replied.
They could only sigh not knowing what to do about it—though they knew it was not the smartest way. Sakura swang her swing even stronger as if she was trying to swing her anxiety away.
“I’ll take my son back to Hong Kong!”
Sakura heard Syaoran’s mother all of a sudden. Getting down off the swing with a gasp, she looked around her but didn’t find Mrs. Li anywhere. Tomoyo was looking at her with a puzzled look.
“Syaoran might be going back to Hong Kong,” Sakura mumbled.
“That can’t be. Leaving you alone?”
This anxiety arising in her mind threw her into depression.
“Syaoran was disappointed by me. I wake up late every morning, didn’t do homework, and am always confused. He didn’t want to live along with me...” Sakura said in a depressed manner with tears.
“Sakura, calm down.” Tomoyo wiped the tears on Sakura’s cheeks and smiled at her. “There’s no need of worrying about it. You should see his mother in person.”
“But... what if she’s going to take him back...?” Sakura mumbled.
“Stop whining! What is your invincible spell?”
“It’s all right. I can make it...”
She managed to get over her weakness. She raised her face, beginning to smile as usual. “Thank you, Tomoyo. I gotta prepare for tomorrow. See you!”
Seeing her running away, Tomoyo talked to the little girl who had been hiding behind them, “Your mother is OK. It’s been a while, girl from the future.”
Syaoran was walking in Tomoeda on his way home from school. He still looked sad as in school. He saw girls crowding around the computer fortune-teller at the door of Twin Bells.
“Hey, I’ll live on writing!” Naoko exclaimed with joy.
“That’s great,” Takashi said, “How about me... uh... You are easy to deceive. Your goal should be simplicity and fortitude.”
“This machine is busted,” Chiharu narrowed her eyes.
“That can’t be,” Rika denied.
“She’s right. This fortune-teller earns a good reputation,” Maki, the owner of the store, said.
Syaoran would passed by without a word usually, but that day he stopped to grope in his pocket.
Chiharu was reading her fortune, “Well... about me... You will live with your happy family. However, you should be careful... Yes! It looks true.”
“Careful about what?” Takashi asked.
When Chiharu was showing the result paper to Takashi, she found Syaoran with a red face. The gang were stunned at her classmate frozen with a coin in his hand.
In Penguin Park, Tomoyo and a girl with chestnut hair were sitting on a bench.
“I wonder if I overdid?” the girl stuck her tongue.
“Oh, you did a job on her, you mean?”
The girl has amber eyes like Syaoran’s and chestnut hair like Sakura’s. She looked kind of gloomy in contrast to her colorful outfit. “Syaoran Li... I mean Dad was depressed for a long time; it was recorded in the future storage,” the girl explained.
“Future storage?”
“Yep, recorded by our private video freak, who is president of a big toy company, She always says ‘Something special worth recording.’”
She just implied you-know-who... The video freak-to-be gave a smile proudly, “That’s my pleasure. So you mean Sakura and Syaoran got...”
“Married as you guess,” the took over Tomoyo’s sentense, “But they were restless up till right before their wedding. Aunties in Hong Kong often told me stories about it.” Tomoyo took the girl’s hand; her arms were dressed in sleeves embroilered richly by hand. The girl continued, “The restleness was even one of the smoothest case. That’s why I wanted my father to support Mom better so that I talked to him that way.”
“Sakura... your mother was kind of moderate, don’t you think? Anyway, did you use a magic card?” Tomoyo asked.
Kind of arrogant as she was, the girl blushed at that question. That reaction inherited from her father brought Tomoyo a smile on the face. The girl jumped on her feet as she took out a Card from her pocket, saying, “Please, don’t tell Mom about this. I knew it’s no good interfere with the space-time continuum.”
“There’s no problem if I remember this meeting?” Tomoyo asked for a confirmation.
“Yes!” she nodded. “Neo Return!” she called out as a strong magic circle appeared around her; simultaneouly, the Sakura Card flushed to control the space-time.
“I just want to ask. What is your name?”
“I shouldn’t. You’re the one who named me,” the girl replied.
Her refusal sounded convincible. It would be boring if you knew whatever you would do in the future. However, Tomoyo didn’t like the reply as she acted different than her usual attitude—sticking her tongue to the magic circle disappearing in front of her. “Uh well, I’ll forgive you. Looked like she was dressed in a outfit made by me in the future.”
Sakura was comparing her Sunday bests laid on the bed, when Sakura Cards floated where they liked to be around her. Although she was supposed to talk to them usually, she looked so obsessed that Cards couldn’t talk—except Kero, not knowing she was deep in thoughts, who was busy with playing a video game in the corner of the room.
“Darn it! Catch up! How come I’m much behind Suppi’s lap time?!” he said to himself excitedly. Some Cards floated to Kero. Now, they moves on their own will because the mistress had grown powerful enough.
“Turn down your voice. You could annoy Sakura,” the Mirror Card whispered, “She’ll be terrible when she’s mad.”
“She was worrying something,” the Wisdom Card said.
“Syaoran across the street has been deppressed like that,” the Light Card added.
“Yeah, you’re right. He’s been quiet for these six months. That’s favorable,” Kero commented. At this time, Cards flew up to the ceiling as they found Sakura standing behind Kero.
“I’m gonna go downstairs to make dinner, so Kero, what do you like to eat?” she asked. “Listen everybody. You don’t have to sympathize me, really.”
“Your brother and father will come home late tonight?” Kero asked.
“Yep, he was preparing for the conference,” she said before she went downstairs. Staying in the room, Kero sighed when looking out the window where Syaoran’s room was seen, which was blinded by the curtain. “When either one is depressed the other, too. That’s pathetic,” Kero mumbled.
“Distress concerning a love affair? How come you don’t give them helping hand even though you know that, Kerberus?” Mirror Card asked in a puzzled look.
“That’s exclusively between them. Even if we have...” he half explained, but noticed the Vision Card’s attention was caught by something, “Hey, Vision Card, what’s wrong?”
“Can’t you see that powerful forces coalescing,” the Vision Card replied. It was when the guardian beast got aware of the great power in the room.
The mistress of Li family was sitting in a first class seat on an airplane flying above the U.S. “It was a short stay this time, but do you have any plan in Japan, Mother?” Suehua asked.
“I have to inspect the young lady and Li family’s fate,” Yelan replied.
“You mean Sakura?” Huanlian said, “She’ll make a good match for Syaoran.”
“She’s as naive as he is! But I guess, once they’re turned on they’ll be passionate,” Feimei said playfully.
Yelan picked up the cup of yerba maté tea. At that moment, the plane swayed so roughly that flight attendants staggered and fell. The four sisters of Li family were confused like other people in the series of fierce toss.
“Element...” the mother started incantation calmly, in contrast to the chaos on the plane. Her ring flashed creating a powerful field around, which grew in the blink of an eye big enough to enclose the airplane entirely, blocking the disturbing forces. The airplane was stabilized to normal; it was just a few seconds. Every passenger thought it was just a meterological turbulence—but not knowing the true cause.
“Someone was behind the turbulence,” Yelan said.
It was an autumn night—so quiet that crockets’ sing was heard. Suddenly, the roar of cats in rut interrupted the quietness.
“Not again. They’re busy with that kind of thing all the year,” Kero woke up rubbing his eyelids. No sooner had he poke his head out of the drawer than he sensed the enormous powers filled in the room. “Sakura...”
The mistress of the Cards was laying her face on the desk emitting the strong forces, as if she was frozen. “What should I tell his mother?” she was questioning to herself in thoughts, “Should I tell her... that Syaoran is just the one for me... I want to spend my time with him... I want to be with him forever and ever... So don’t take him away to Hong Kong. Why can’t I tell her this?!”
Kero understood that she was in a suffer from the strong emotion serging within her. Humans sometimes show various powers risen up from their emotion—which has creative energy as strong as the power of destruction. She was obsessed with all her senses by the meeting that was supposed to taken in the following day. She felt anxiety and fear. The tension and irritation toward her disability of finding an answer in the limited time, kept her up after the midnight. She couldn’t find a right phrase to tell the wise mistress; she was not aware of the fatigue conquering her when she was distracted by every sense she felt. The Sakura Cards, inside the book on the desk, were scared of the same distress and the touch-and-go situation she was sure to encounter.
“She is really in love with that brat...” Kero mumbled quietly. He brougth a blanket in his mouth and covered her shoulder with it, when he saw tears running out of her eye. She was almost overcome by the sleepy feeling. She needed a time during which she was free from all her distress. However, she was refusing to fall into asleep. At this time, roaing sound came from the yard—threatening and declaring the battle inspired by the cats’ fighting instincts not merely rutting.
Kero opened the window and said to the cats, “Sakura’s having a fateful day today. Give her a moment of peaceful sleep, OK?”
Cats didn’t listen to him. He flew out the window to face the cats.
“Hey, you kitties, I said... Awwwwww! H-hold on, you... That’s not fair!”
Crashing potted plants in the yard and a scream followed, which disturbed Sakura from falling into asleep. She jumped on her feet, “Kero!?” He managed to crowled in through the window with scratches all over him so painful.
“Painful! Cats, why did you hurt him so bad?!” Sakura cried holding the gurdian beast at her chest. At this moment, all of her senses and forces flowed and coalesced at one point, creating a powerful glowing magic circle. She felt dizzy in the powerful field she just created—like when she had created the nameless Card of Love. When the glowing ceased, there was a new card left; “The Translate” was printed on it.
“TWA Airline from the U.S. via Narita bound for Hong Kong was through the refueling. It’ll soon proceed to take-off preparation. All passengers: board the plane through the Gate 2,” the announcement was heard in Narita International Airport. Yelan and her daughters didn’t listen to the announcement, neither did Syaoran standing near them, waiting for Sakura they were eager to meet with. She hadn’t shown up yet.
“We don’t have time...” Yelan said sadly.
Syaoran didn’t find a word to say.
“Wei said she would come, didn’t he. So much for waiting,” Feimei turned to look at Yelan.
“Please... just a few minutes...” Syaoran stuttered.
“Little Syaoran, this could be a crucial problem,” Fuhua said narrowing her eyes, “A promise is a promise, you know.” He couldn’t find an appropriate reply, when his cell phone rang. It was from Wei.
“Master Syaoran! Lady Sakura has just arrived. I’m bringing her,” Wei reported on the phone.
Although she hardly express her emotion on the face, this time, she curled up her mouth into a smile as soon as she found the girl who was running straight to her. When she found the girl’s face was unwashed with bloodshot eyes, the smile disappered on her face. Syaoran too was shocked and ran to her. He embraced, saying, “You idiot, you stayed up all night?!”
“I’m sorry.”
Syaoran took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her face gently. She stood letting him do so. The way it looked brought the mother and her daughters gentle smiles and blessing.
“Are you OK?” Syaoran said. The two teenagers stepped forward and bowed to the mistress of Li family, when a Card jumped out of Sakura’s pocket. A force field appeared at the moment, which people without magic powers weren’t aware of.
“Ni hao. Long time no see, Mrs. Li,” Sakura said in Cantonese with the help of the Translate Card.
“Ni hao, Sakura. But we speak Japanese,” Yelan replied.
AN: Suppose Sakura and others speak Japanese in their daily lives because they live in Japan.
“Oh...” Sakura blushed as red as a beet, and Syaoran too.
“Thank you, young girl. I see you wanted to give me your cordial welcome. What a wonderful Card—you created it with your kindness and sincerity,” Yelan smiled, “This Card channels ideas or feelings between people to help them communicate... even between animals with vocal organs.”
“Sakura and Syaora, what a lovely couple! Mother, it sure is worth a short visit,” the daughters cheered.
“Hoe?”
“Th-they are saying they wanted to see you... a-as my girlfriend,” Syaoran with a blush explained stutteringly
“Hoeeeee!” Sakura steamed from her head, feeling a gread happiness and some sort of misunderstanding.
On the other hand, in England, a weird event was being held. A beautiful woman in a yukata, a girl in a maid uniform, a strange black beast, and a boy with glasses in a ceremonial robe were dancing to Tanko Bushi in the Japanese tradisional melody.
The doll girl, who had shivered in the altar, heared a happy-go-lucky tune when she looked out around. She had scarcely begun clapping her hands inspired by the rhythm when Kaho shouted, “Eriol, now!”
The Hope Card spread a barrier in response, but a great deal of energy penetrated it. “Help me, Sakura!” the Hope Card screamed. The energy was condensed into one point—into the body of the doll. Subsequently, a force field spread from inside the doll. The Hope Card at the center lost its shepe and vanished as if it were melted away, when the entire body starts beating with vibration with a heartbeat sound. A magic circle glowed with uncountable flux of light emitted from where the doll was.
“Is this OK with her,” Kaho asked in astonishment.
“Probably. This is the work of Eriol who created us,” Nakuru replied.
“With some personality problems...” Suppi added.
“Quiet! Transformation almost completed,” Eriol shouted.
Just as Eriol said, when all the flux of light was sucked into the body on the center, there was a different body, not a lifeless doll—a living body. White smoke was rising out of the box in the altar, where they see a body in pink clothes.
“Spinel, go get the snack!” Kaho shouted. When she held the body in a pink clothes, it was a girl with brown hair. “The Hope Card?” she called.
“Could this be... Oh my goodness!” Suppi groaned, when the girl took the snack from Suppi’s paw.
“Delish!”
That was the birth of a little lady.
Thank to Ezotchi, an enthusiastic CCS fan, for his idea of the Translate Card that Sakura newly created in this fanfic.