Anybody home? :D
*Sets up tripod*
*Secures leaf-blower to tripod*
*Turns on leaf blower and sets base to ‘rotate.’*
*Blows cobby webs and other icky critters that have taken roost*
Okay!
Title: Scars (Formerly Shards)
Author/Penname: Kainasilverbane
Rating: M (for blood and later for adult topics)
Chapters: 1 (in progress)
Pairings: Fujitaka/Kaho
Summary: Set about two years in the future, sometime between Syaoran's departure and return to Tomoeda. Eriol has been possessed by a demon, and Kaho has made the arduous journey back to Japan to warn them, and to look for help in trying to free him
Warning, Notes: A very dark telling of the cute and adorable manga we know and love. Unfortunately, all things must begin to grow and break away from the innocence that youth bestows upon us. Here is just one way that Sakura learns that the world is not the warm and loving place she thought it was, and how people she cares for can be put in such terrible pain
Link to story/story behind lj-cut
Chapter 1
“Come on Dad!” The young woman said as she scampered down the sidewalk.
“Slow down Sakura,” her father laughed. Even at fourteen his daughter was still as energetic and free spirited as a ten year old.
“I want to get there and get back before Kero destroys the pie sitting out to cool,” Sakura said.
“You left it out?” Fujitaka asked.
“I had to, there was no room in the refrigerator,” Sakura answered. “There are already two other pies and a cake in there. I still can’t believe you volunteered to do all these desserts for the staff at the university.”
Fujitaka laughed, “This is easy compared the what the culinary professors are working on, I’m just enjoying myself.”
“I see,” Sakura smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil. “So what else are we getting again?”
“More crust ingredients, lemons, and some more eggs for the cookies,” Fujitaka ticked off on his free hand.
“And Kero asked for blackberries and raspberries,” Sakura smiled. “And I’d rather give in to his wants for the healthy stuff rather than all the candy he loves to put away. He’s going to be a pudgy Guardian if I don’t watch what he puts in that hole in his face.”
Fujitaka laughed loudly, ever since the day he’d learned about Sakura’s mastery over her Sakura Cards and that he was the other half of Clow Reed’s reincarnation, life at the Kinomoto residence had never been the same. The little Guardian Beast was now forever getting himself in the middle of whatever was going on in the house. Most often with whatever was going on in the kitchen. “I’m sure Yue would love to fire those bullets at him.”
Sakura giggled, “I’m sure he would.”
There was a crash and an explosion down the block, causing both Kinomoto’s to stumble and grasped each other for balance as well as comfort. When the initial shock of the explosion passed, Sakura raced for the corner.
“Sakura! You stay away from there!” Fujitaka shouted as he ran after his daughter. “There could be another explosion!”
“People might be hurt! We should see if they need help!” The teenager shouted over her shoulder as she turned the corner, and plowed straight into someone dashing in the opposite direction.
“Oh! I’m sorry! We heard the explosion an-...Ms. Mizuki?!” At first she hadn’t recognized the woman as her former teacher, but as she studied her, she understood why! She was tattered, dirty, extremely pale, and covered in blood, or at least her face and hands were streaked with it. The rest of her clothing was too dark to be able to discern a difference. “Are you all right?!”
Kaho blinked at her for a moment, as if having a hard time recognizing her, or just having difficulty in seeing altogether. She shook her head a little, then rasped out, nearly inaudibly, “Run...please....”
Sakura ignored her, and moved closer, reached out to steady the teetering woman, “What’s going on?” With one hand on her former teacher’s arm, she used her other to release her staff, that called on The Shield, covering herself, her father, and Kaho in safe, magic repelling bubble. A smart move, since fireballs began pummeling the protective barrier just seconds after it was constructed.
“Eriol’s possessed by a demon...please...you must...run...,” the battered woman managed to gasp out. “Run...away.” She looked ready to faint on the spot, and with as much blood that was beginning to pool around her, Sakura had no problem understanding why.
“There’s no way I’m leaving you here by yourself!” Sakura protested as she surveyed the woman a little more, noting different injuries, and her eyes began to well up with tears. “You’re bleeding so badly.” She peered beyond Kaho, and she was granted with an image that shook her to the very core.
Eriol, fully grown and the spitting image of Clow Reed, was sauntering towards them, a black with white stripes, butterfly winged cat that could have only been Spinel, trailed reluctantly behind him, looking horribly sad and dejected.
“Just...run....” Kaho was adamant about her desire, even as she lost her balance and slumped against the wall of the building next to them. The shield was suddenly completely encompassed by fire, and, while it kept out the deadly flames, the heat within the shield spiked to nearly unbearable temperatures.
But as quickly as it started, it ended, and there was a collective sigh of relief as The Shield immediately cooled off.
Kaho pushed herself away from the wall and went to move from the safety of the barrier, but Sakura grasped her arm and stopped her. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
The woman’s glassy eyes hardened into clarity for a moment, “I told you to run! Now get out of here while you have the chance!” And with strength Sakura didn’t realize the woman still possessed, she ripped her arm from the teenagers grasp, and dashed toward the demon possessed man.
Sakura glared after the irrational woman, but a splash of blood on her hand caught her gaze, and she turned to her father. “What do we do? We have to help her! She’ll die if we don’t do something!”
Fujitaka frowned at his daughter, “I’m...not sure.” He looked up at the two warring in the street. Eriol had easily evaded the woman’s attempt at attacking and now had one of her bloody arms locked in his iron grasp. Spinel had just clamped his teeth down on her left shoulder, and Fujitaka had the terrifying feeling in the pit of his stomach that Eriol was about to rip her apart.
He watched as Kaho and Eriol struggled for a moment, then there was a flash that sent Spinel running, and the demon possessed man landed a blow to the side of her face with his fist, before sending a dangerous bolt of magic into the woman’s midsection. He wasn’t sure how she hadn’t been blown apart, but somehow she survived the blast, only to be thrown back down the street. Kaho somehow managed to keep her balance during her brief flight backwards, but when her travel stopped, he realized the look on her face spoke of defeat just short of death.
“Distract him!” Fujitaka hissed at his daughter, then made a dash for the dying woman. He caught her just before she fell completely to the ground. “Now!”
“Surround and confound! Illusion!” Without hesitation, the teenager called upon a Card, and a colorful wave of magic enveloped the demon possessed man.
“Can you stand?” Fujitaka asked as he attempted to help the woman to her feet. She swayed and muttered something unintelligible, and he was disturbed to see that not all of the blood that was dripping from her came form the horrible cuts on both her forearms. She was also very, very cold to the touch, and he could tell by the disgruntled look on her face that the only reason she was allowing him to hold her was because he was very warm.
“Do I have a choice?” Kaho rasped out, barely above a whisper, then her legs betrayed her and she nearly fell to the ground again.
Catching her, Fujitaka quickly bent and got one arm under her knees, the other behind her shoulders, then easily lifted her into his arms. He was caught by surprise at how little she weighed, she was nearly as tall as he was, and a fleeting thought nagged at him about how she could have possibly gotten this way. “Let’s go,” he called to his daughter. “She’s losing too much blood!”
He ran back the way they had come, and behind him he could hear Sakura release another Card, one that was hopefully erasing their trail.
“We have to hide!” Sakura shouted as she raced up beside her father. “I can call Kero and have him come and get us!”
They ran for a while longer before Fujitaka selected a suitable side street for them to duck behind, then a little farther down to an alley where they hid behind a huge dumpster.
“Not the most comfortable place I’d pick for hiding spot, but it’ll have to do.” Fujitaka said as he settled the woman on the ground in his lap, with one knee up to keep her upright. With both hands free, he unwound his scarf from around his neck and tore it in half, with an apologetic look to his daughter, who’d made it for him a few weeks previous. He wrapped each half tightly around the woman’s bleeding arms, hoping to keep in what little blood she had left. He took one of her ice cold hands in both of his and slowly forced his own bit of magic through his hand and into hers, hoping it would help keep her alive.
Sakura pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly dialed home. She had a brief conversation with Kero, and the guardian promised he’d get to them as fast as he could fly. Kaho regained consciousness not long after Sakura hung up the phone.
“Hey, she’s waking up!” Sakura exclaimed, “Kerberos is on his way, we’re going to get you out of here.”
The woman tried to sit up, but only succeeded in squirming a little before slumping down against Fujitaka again. Her eyes slipped shut again, and the man nudged her when her breathing shallowed out too much for his liking.
“Hey now, don’t you go dying in front of my daughter, Mizuki,” he said sternly, but his gentle smile tempered the harshness in his voice.
Her eyes opened again, but this time she decided not to move, only responding with, “My apologies....” She coughed a few times, and succeeded in alarming both of them more as blood coated her teeth and trickled down the corner of her mouth. Breathing in ragged gasps, the woman looked over at Sakura, and coarsely ground out, “Are you real?”
Sakura looked up at her father for a moment, and he saw a look of stunned surprise mixed with confusion, then she reached out and took Kaho’s other bloody hand in both of hers and said, “Of course I am, see? I’m right here.” She gently squeezed the fragile woman’s hand, and was surprised when a momentary tight grip was returned. It went limp a second later with an exhale that scared them both for a moment.
“Stay with us Ms. Mizuki, Kero will be here soon!” She felt a squeeze on her hand in response, but nothing more from her. “Stay with us,” they both repeated over and over, until they heard the sound of fluttering feathers and a dull thud that signaled Kero’s arrival.
Comments and critiques are highly valuable to me. This story and its counterparts have been in the works for nearly ten years now, and I always strive for continued improvement :)
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or any of the characters, trust me if CLAMP saw what I was doing to them, they'd probably murder me :D
*Secures leaf-blower to tripod*
*Turns on leaf blower and sets base to ‘rotate.’*
*Blows cobby webs and other icky critters that have taken roost*
Okay!
Title: Scars (Formerly Shards)
Author/Penname: Kainasilverbane
Rating: M (for blood and later for adult topics)
Chapters: 1 (in progress)
Pairings: Fujitaka/Kaho
Summary: Set about two years in the future, sometime between Syaoran's departure and return to Tomoeda. Eriol has been possessed by a demon, and Kaho has made the arduous journey back to Japan to warn them, and to look for help in trying to free him
Warning, Notes: A very dark telling of the cute and adorable manga we know and love. Unfortunately, all things must begin to grow and break away from the innocence that youth bestows upon us. Here is just one way that Sakura learns that the world is not the warm and loving place she thought it was, and how people she cares for can be put in such terrible pain
Link to story/story behind lj-cut
Chapter 1
“Come on Dad!” The young woman said as she scampered down the sidewalk.
“Slow down Sakura,” her father laughed. Even at fourteen his daughter was still as energetic and free spirited as a ten year old.
“I want to get there and get back before Kero destroys the pie sitting out to cool,” Sakura said.
“You left it out?” Fujitaka asked.
“I had to, there was no room in the refrigerator,” Sakura answered. “There are already two other pies and a cake in there. I still can’t believe you volunteered to do all these desserts for the staff at the university.”
Fujitaka laughed, “This is easy compared the what the culinary professors are working on, I’m just enjoying myself.”
“I see,” Sakura smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil. “So what else are we getting again?”
“More crust ingredients, lemons, and some more eggs for the cookies,” Fujitaka ticked off on his free hand.
“And Kero asked for blackberries and raspberries,” Sakura smiled. “And I’d rather give in to his wants for the healthy stuff rather than all the candy he loves to put away. He’s going to be a pudgy Guardian if I don’t watch what he puts in that hole in his face.”
Fujitaka laughed loudly, ever since the day he’d learned about Sakura’s mastery over her Sakura Cards and that he was the other half of Clow Reed’s reincarnation, life at the Kinomoto residence had never been the same. The little Guardian Beast was now forever getting himself in the middle of whatever was going on in the house. Most often with whatever was going on in the kitchen. “I’m sure Yue would love to fire those bullets at him.”
Sakura giggled, “I’m sure he would.”
There was a crash and an explosion down the block, causing both Kinomoto’s to stumble and grasped each other for balance as well as comfort. When the initial shock of the explosion passed, Sakura raced for the corner.
“Sakura! You stay away from there!” Fujitaka shouted as he ran after his daughter. “There could be another explosion!”
“People might be hurt! We should see if they need help!” The teenager shouted over her shoulder as she turned the corner, and plowed straight into someone dashing in the opposite direction.
“Oh! I’m sorry! We heard the explosion an-...Ms. Mizuki?!” At first she hadn’t recognized the woman as her former teacher, but as she studied her, she understood why! She was tattered, dirty, extremely pale, and covered in blood, or at least her face and hands were streaked with it. The rest of her clothing was too dark to be able to discern a difference. “Are you all right?!”
Kaho blinked at her for a moment, as if having a hard time recognizing her, or just having difficulty in seeing altogether. She shook her head a little, then rasped out, nearly inaudibly, “Run...please....”
Sakura ignored her, and moved closer, reached out to steady the teetering woman, “What’s going on?” With one hand on her former teacher’s arm, she used her other to release her staff, that called on The Shield, covering herself, her father, and Kaho in safe, magic repelling bubble. A smart move, since fireballs began pummeling the protective barrier just seconds after it was constructed.
“Eriol’s possessed by a demon...please...you must...run...,” the battered woman managed to gasp out. “Run...away.” She looked ready to faint on the spot, and with as much blood that was beginning to pool around her, Sakura had no problem understanding why.
“There’s no way I’m leaving you here by yourself!” Sakura protested as she surveyed the woman a little more, noting different injuries, and her eyes began to well up with tears. “You’re bleeding so badly.” She peered beyond Kaho, and she was granted with an image that shook her to the very core.
Eriol, fully grown and the spitting image of Clow Reed, was sauntering towards them, a black with white stripes, butterfly winged cat that could have only been Spinel, trailed reluctantly behind him, looking horribly sad and dejected.
“Just...run....” Kaho was adamant about her desire, even as she lost her balance and slumped against the wall of the building next to them. The shield was suddenly completely encompassed by fire, and, while it kept out the deadly flames, the heat within the shield spiked to nearly unbearable temperatures.
But as quickly as it started, it ended, and there was a collective sigh of relief as The Shield immediately cooled off.
Kaho pushed herself away from the wall and went to move from the safety of the barrier, but Sakura grasped her arm and stopped her. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
The woman’s glassy eyes hardened into clarity for a moment, “I told you to run! Now get out of here while you have the chance!” And with strength Sakura didn’t realize the woman still possessed, she ripped her arm from the teenagers grasp, and dashed toward the demon possessed man.
Sakura glared after the irrational woman, but a splash of blood on her hand caught her gaze, and she turned to her father. “What do we do? We have to help her! She’ll die if we don’t do something!”
Fujitaka frowned at his daughter, “I’m...not sure.” He looked up at the two warring in the street. Eriol had easily evaded the woman’s attempt at attacking and now had one of her bloody arms locked in his iron grasp. Spinel had just clamped his teeth down on her left shoulder, and Fujitaka had the terrifying feeling in the pit of his stomach that Eriol was about to rip her apart.
He watched as Kaho and Eriol struggled for a moment, then there was a flash that sent Spinel running, and the demon possessed man landed a blow to the side of her face with his fist, before sending a dangerous bolt of magic into the woman’s midsection. He wasn’t sure how she hadn’t been blown apart, but somehow she survived the blast, only to be thrown back down the street. Kaho somehow managed to keep her balance during her brief flight backwards, but when her travel stopped, he realized the look on her face spoke of defeat just short of death.
“Distract him!” Fujitaka hissed at his daughter, then made a dash for the dying woman. He caught her just before she fell completely to the ground. “Now!”
“Surround and confound! Illusion!” Without hesitation, the teenager called upon a Card, and a colorful wave of magic enveloped the demon possessed man.
“Can you stand?” Fujitaka asked as he attempted to help the woman to her feet. She swayed and muttered something unintelligible, and he was disturbed to see that not all of the blood that was dripping from her came form the horrible cuts on both her forearms. She was also very, very cold to the touch, and he could tell by the disgruntled look on her face that the only reason she was allowing him to hold her was because he was very warm.
“Do I have a choice?” Kaho rasped out, barely above a whisper, then her legs betrayed her and she nearly fell to the ground again.
Catching her, Fujitaka quickly bent and got one arm under her knees, the other behind her shoulders, then easily lifted her into his arms. He was caught by surprise at how little she weighed, she was nearly as tall as he was, and a fleeting thought nagged at him about how she could have possibly gotten this way. “Let’s go,” he called to his daughter. “She’s losing too much blood!”
He ran back the way they had come, and behind him he could hear Sakura release another Card, one that was hopefully erasing their trail.
“We have to hide!” Sakura shouted as she raced up beside her father. “I can call Kero and have him come and get us!”
They ran for a while longer before Fujitaka selected a suitable side street for them to duck behind, then a little farther down to an alley where they hid behind a huge dumpster.
“Not the most comfortable place I’d pick for hiding spot, but it’ll have to do.” Fujitaka said as he settled the woman on the ground in his lap, with one knee up to keep her upright. With both hands free, he unwound his scarf from around his neck and tore it in half, with an apologetic look to his daughter, who’d made it for him a few weeks previous. He wrapped each half tightly around the woman’s bleeding arms, hoping to keep in what little blood she had left. He took one of her ice cold hands in both of his and slowly forced his own bit of magic through his hand and into hers, hoping it would help keep her alive.
Sakura pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly dialed home. She had a brief conversation with Kero, and the guardian promised he’d get to them as fast as he could fly. Kaho regained consciousness not long after Sakura hung up the phone.
“Hey, she’s waking up!” Sakura exclaimed, “Kerberos is on his way, we’re going to get you out of here.”
The woman tried to sit up, but only succeeded in squirming a little before slumping down against Fujitaka again. Her eyes slipped shut again, and the man nudged her when her breathing shallowed out too much for his liking.
“Hey now, don’t you go dying in front of my daughter, Mizuki,” he said sternly, but his gentle smile tempered the harshness in his voice.
Her eyes opened again, but this time she decided not to move, only responding with, “My apologies....” She coughed a few times, and succeeded in alarming both of them more as blood coated her teeth and trickled down the corner of her mouth. Breathing in ragged gasps, the woman looked over at Sakura, and coarsely ground out, “Are you real?”
Sakura looked up at her father for a moment, and he saw a look of stunned surprise mixed with confusion, then she reached out and took Kaho’s other bloody hand in both of hers and said, “Of course I am, see? I’m right here.” She gently squeezed the fragile woman’s hand, and was surprised when a momentary tight grip was returned. It went limp a second later with an exhale that scared them both for a moment.
“Stay with us Ms. Mizuki, Kero will be here soon!” She felt a squeeze on her hand in response, but nothing more from her. “Stay with us,” they both repeated over and over, until they heard the sound of fluttering feathers and a dull thud that signaled Kero’s arrival.
Comments and critiques are highly valuable to me. This story and its counterparts have been in the works for nearly ten years now, and I always strive for continued improvement :)
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or any of the characters, trust me if CLAMP saw what I was doing to them, they'd probably murder me :D