CHAPTER TWO: TRIAL
Sakura changes into an outfit Tomoyo has made for her, one of the unusual creations that she used to go capturing in.
She also puts on the locket Syaoran gave her for her birthday (see "Green Ribbons"). She opens it up again and silently reads the inscription.
There is a quick knock on the door.
When Sakura opens it, Meiling stands there, beaming.
"Sakura-chan! I hear you're getting married!" Meiling hugs her old friend.
"Thank you for letting him go," Sakura says softly, and hugs Meiling back.
"Syaoran doesn't love me like that. But my new boyfriend does..." Meiling says offhandedly. "And get this--Mardon actually smiles!"
They both laugh.
"It's good to see you again," Sakura says warmly. "How've you been?"
"Good. And you!"
"Fabulous! I'm gonna get married, remember?"
"Oh yeah! So, where's the lucky man?"
"He went off to talk to his mother, I think."
"I want to see him later. Congratulate him... Tease him... You know, the usual." Meiling smiles.
"Believe me, I know," Syaoran says from behind Meiling.
"Syaoran!" both the girls say, look at each other, and laugh.
"Meiling, it's good to see you again," Syaoran says. He means it-- when Meiling isn't trying to get him to love her, then she's a good friend.
"I've come to fetch Sakura... We've got to go "plead our case" in front of the elders," he says and sighs.
"Good luck!" Meiling calls after them. "Not that you need it!"
All of the elders look the same: shadowy figures in black robes.
When they enter the audience room, Syaoran pauses and bows deeply. Sakura follows his lead.
"Sirs," he calls out, feeling brave, "I, Li Syaoran, future leader of this clan, have come before you to ask your permission to marry this woman, Clowmistress Kinomoto Sakura!"
The elders are silent for a moment. Then one speak in a deep, aged, wise voice.
"We, the elders of the Li clan, have assembled to decide your fates. If this girl is deemed worthy, then she shall become one of this family. If not, then she will return to her homeland. Syaoran, will you accept our judgement?"
"Yes, I shall."
"Clowmistress Kinomoto Sakura, will you accept our judgement?"
"Sirs... Kinomoto Sakura does not speak Chinese yet."
"Please translate," one says impassively.
Syaoran translates for her.
"Yes, I shall," she says in a determined tone.
Syaoran translates this to the elders and they go on.
"Li Syaoran, what qualifications deem this girl worthy of entering this clan?"
"It has been discovered that Kinomoto Aiden, father of Kinomoto Sakura, is one-half of the reincarnation of Clow Reed," Syaoran starts out.
"Keroberos dubbed her Cardcaptor because he believed that she was worthy and had the potential.
"I have seen her work her powers many times, and they are strong.
"Yue tested her during Final Judgement. When it appeared that she had lost, she made a come-back and defeated him.
"Finally, the other half of Clow Reed-san's reincarnation, Hiiragizawa Eriol, tested Sakura and found her worthy to hold the cards."
The elders betray no emotion at Sakura's impressive resume.
"We see," one says.
"Impressive," another remarks unemotionally.
"We must test her," another nods.
When Syaoran translates this, Sakura looks frightened for a moment.
"A test?"
"No less than what we expected. Don't worry, Sakura-chan. You'll do fine."
"Follow me." One of the elders rises from his seat and moves toward a door Sakura has just now noticed.
"Good luck," Syaoran says and kisses her cheek. "Remember, I love you."
"I love you too," she whispers, and follows the elder into the room.
"This is the Chamber of Trial," the man says. He speaks his Japanese slowly, and has a thick accent.
"In here, you will face a practical challenge." He nods to her and leaves.
Sakura is alone in this room.
Syaoran has been led out of the audience room. He paces the hall nervously.
"The Chamber of Trial," he says to himself. He sits down in an uncomfortable chair and puts his head in his hands.
"Oh my God," he says hoarsely. "The Chamber eats you up from inside out. God protect my dear Sakura."
He has never been a very religious man, but as he gets up to pace again he prays.
For a moment, Sakura sees nothing in the room but the dull, empty walls. Then there is an explosion of color so bright she shuts her eyes.
When she opens them again, she finds herself back in Tomoeda.
Tomoeda?
But there is no mistaking the town. It is early spring, and she stands on a sidewalk in her skates.
She stands there befuddled for a moment, then Tomoyo comes around the corner. Tomoyo is... much younger. About eleven or twelve.
Sakura looks down at herself. She appears younger too....
"My kawaii Sakura-chan!"
Tomoyo smiles and walks up beside her.
"Tomoyo-chan?"
Tomoyo frowns. "Sakura, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine..."
"Well, come on then! We're going to be late for school! Mother won't be happy. She won't let me walk with you again..."
"Uh... right. Almost late again."
Sakura hides her puzzlement and skates beside Tomoyo to their school.
Ahh... Tomoeda Elementary... She pauses to reflect on her life back then. Card captures, friendships...
They go into class 5-2, Sakura following Tomoyo's lead.
She sits down at her old desk... First row, next-to-last seat...
Syaoran is already sitting down behind her.
"Hello--" She pauses, then to be sure, she just says, "Er... Li-kun!"
"Hello... Sakura," Syaoran mumbles. A small bit of red plays across his cheeks.
And I never noticed it? Honestly, a complete stranger could figure out he likes me... she thinks. Well... Guess I'll pretend I don't notice. She smiles to herself.
Their teacher walks in. "Ohayo, students," he says and calls roll.
"This semester, we have a special treat for you... a new exchange student. I hope you'll all welcome Hiragizawa Eriol."
Eriol! Sakura smiles.
They wait a few moments, but Eriol does not walk in.
"Hmm... I wonder where Hiragizawa-kun is," Mr. Terada says. He sends Rika with a note to the office.
Class gets underway. In about five minutes, Rika returns with bowed head, giving the note to the teacher.
He reads it, and he too bows his head.
"Students... I am sorry to inform you that Hiragizawa Eriol will not be joining us. As he crossed the street this morning, he was struck by a truck and killed instantly. Can we have a moment of silence, please?"
Sakura freezes. That didn't happen, she thinks, shocked. Eriol-kun came to school, and he sat down in Meiling's old place, and he made Syaoran suspicious and uneasy....
Tears drip down her cheeks. What in the world happened?
Tomoyo notices Sakura's tears and rises from her desk.
"Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"
Syaoran gets up too, and leans forward trying to see Sakura's face.
"What's wrong with Sakura?" he demands.
"Miss Kinomoto... do you have a problem?" Mr. Terada asks.
"I knew... Eriol-kun...." she says through her tears.
"I'm sorry, Miss Kinomoto. Miss Daidouji, why don't you take Miss Kinomoto to the restroom and help her calm down?"
Tomoyo pulls her into the restroom.
"Okay, Sakura-chan, what's going on? You never mentioned that boy before." Tomoyo is concerned but surprised.
Sakura finds she can't meet Tomoyo's eyes. The boy Tomoyo would have loved.... Dead before they ever met...
"Something's wrong... That didn't happen..." she mumbles.
"It happened, Sakura-chan! Don't go into a state of denial," Tomoyo says worriedly.
"It must be part of the test," Sakura says to herself. "To throw me off..."
"Sakura, are you sure you're okay???" Tomoyo asks.
"Yeah..." Then she jerks her head up. She senses something...
"Tomoyo-chan... it's weird, but I sense magic... Not Clow magic, something else..."
Tomoyo claps her hands together happily.
"All right! Something new to tape!"
Chiharu comes in.
"Are you okay now, Sakura-chan? Terada-sensei told me to check..."
"Call you later," Sakura whispers to Tomoyo.
She finds that she can stop crying if she just keeps repeating to herself that it never happened and that this reality isn't real, so she wipes her face and returns to class.
Sakura hurries home after classes and immediately runs up to her room to speak with Kero.
"Kero!" she calls as she runs up the stairs. The guardian beast is asleep on her pillow.
"KERO!" she yells, awaking the winged toy.
"Sakura, why'd you have to do that? I had a good nap going. And it's not like there's any more cards running around out there....." Kero yawns.
Sakura holds a quick mental debate: should she tell Kero about the test and everything, or just about the new magical force?
She decides on just the magic and tells him about what she sensed.
"Hmm... what did it feel like, once more?" Kero asks. He sits crosslegged in the air, thinking.
"Umm... I sensed a human girl I think... Didn't feel like a card, anyway... And fire."
"Fire?"
"I got the impression that this magician likes fire," she answers him.
"That sounds like... But it couldn't be..."
"What, Kero-chan?"
"Well... There is a legend that speaks of an enchantress called Alcyone (al ky a nee). She was said to be fond of the flame... She was also said to be an enemy of Clow Reed-sama, but I never met her and Master never spoke of her."
Sakura shrugs. "It's the best lead we've got."
"True... Sakura, you'd better check it out tonight."
Just then her pink cell phone rings.
"Moshi moshi!"
"Um..."
It is Syaoran's voice.
"Hello, Li-kun! What's going on?"
"I was just wondering if you were okay.... About that Eriol kid..."
"Yeah, I'm all right. It was the shock, really. I... uh, sensed something earlier."
Syaoran is apparently having difficulties speaking with her. Nervous, I suppose, she thinks and sweatdrops.
"I was just discussing that with Kero-chan. What does it feel like to you, Sy-- Li-kun?"
"Powerful, female, fire... Does the stuffed animal have any ideas?"
"Hey!" Kero exclaims. He has been listening closely. "You gaki!"
"Playtoy!"
They continue to argue in Sakura's ear.
"QUIET!" she yells both at Kero and into the phone.
They immediately shut their mouths.
"Anyway, before you and Kero started fighting," she says in a disapproving tone, "I was going to say that Kero says there's a legend of a magician lady enemy of Clow Reed who likes fire."
"Oh yeah... Alcyone, that's right. I forgot about her..."
"Anyway, we're going to check it out tonight. Meet us at the school, okay?"
"Okay... Ja ne, Sakura."
"Ja ne, Syaoran-kun," she says and hangs up.
Okay, so she's started to call him by his first name a bit earlier... But in real life Eriol never died and Alcyone never existed.
She knows in her heart that she has a fierce battle ahead.... To be Continued...