Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Fruit of the Tree ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 2 )

Fruit of the Tree

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: TB/X and CCS do not belong to me, they belong to CLAMP. I make no money from this work of fanfiction at all.

Nadeshiko sighed, kicking a stone as she headed into Ueno to visit Sakura.

"You are troubled?"

"GAAAAAAAAHHH!"

She still had NO idea how Sakura did that- somehow manage to sneak behind her no matter what time it was, or how alert she tried to be. So she jumped about a foot in the air and landed, nearly doubled over and staring at the gently amused expression on her friend's face.

Finally getting her nerves back under control, Nadeshiko nodded. "It- it's a long story…"

"Most are."

"Would you mind… listening?" Nadeshiko asked awkwardly. Eyebrows raised at this.

"Have I ever?"

Nadeshiko rolled her eyes, then looked around. Somehow they had managed to get close to the giant tree that they had first met at, and she made herself comfortable sitting under it. Somehow she ignored the fact that the tree was constantly blooming, or that the smell was very distinct. Nadeshiko was, and always had been, an airhead.

Yet she was comfortable there- she knew she was safe. There was a danger lurking- but not to her. She didn't understand but never questioned it…

"Its Sonomi," she finally huffed. Sakura's eyebrows raised again.

"She- she's in love with me."

"I thought such a thing was taboo."

"I don't care about that!" Nadeshiko burst out, loudly. Then she groaned and leaned back against the strangely warm tree, closing her eyes and hugging her knees. "It IS taboo," she sighed. "But that's not what's the matter. I mean, I love Sonomi as my cousin and best friend. But- its not what she wants."

"Someone else is special to you?" Sakura asked. Nadeshiko could feel Sakura's presence next to her, with her eyes closed, and a rough hand with petal soft fingers brushed across her cheek.

"Yes… but, I want to get married. I want to have a family… two children, a boy and a girl," she said wistfully, curled up against the old rough bark. The silver haired woman sighed, and yawned. "I'm sorry- I walked here…"

Sakura blinked. "Feel free to take a nap in the tree here- you'll be safe…"

Nadeshiko smiled brilliantly at her friend, and climbed up.

The next thing she new, she was waking up on top of a very handsome young man- and she looked up in time to see Sakura smile faintly before disappearing.

"I'm sorry!" Nadeshiko got to her feet and bowed, repeatedly. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry!"

The young man, not too much older than she was, blinked, startled to find himself on the ground and in such close proximity of a pretty young woman.

"No- its all right!" he chuckled at her, getting to his feet. "I am always happy to be of service…"

"I'm Nadeshiko, by the way," she smiled, as he offered his arm.

"My name is Fujitaka."

~*~@~*~@~*~

Sakura stared up at the giant tree, terrified. She remembered it from her many dreams of dying underneath it-

"So, that's who you are," said a voice, and the nightmare faded away to reveal a blank space, and a man sitting on a transparent globe. She couldn't see his eyes clearly- but she knew that this was the man from the other night.

Sakura fidgeted, as he took her in, assessing, analyzing- judging. She had no idea what had really happened that night- but she knew that this was more than just a dream.

"Who are you?" she finally said, mumbled, under her breath, like she had been caught doing something. She had reverted to herself only- an insecure little girl.

"I am," he paused. "You do not know me now?"

Sakura shook her head. "I have been having some strange dreams lately, sir," she said softly, talking to her hands. They were twisting themselves in front of her. It had to be his resemblance to Yue. Her moon guardian still intimidated her.

"Yes, I've seen that."

Her head shot up. "You can? How?"

"I have the ability to look into other people's dreams," he said gravely. "You seem to be dreaming that you are- someone who was so dear to me…"

"I'm sorry."

"Do you know why?" he asked carefully. Sakura shook her head.

"They started after I changed the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards. Um- them," she brought up the mental image of her cards, and their not card forms. Her visitor's eyes widened- not enough to see them clearly but enough to show that he was certainly impressed.

"Those are very much like something… she would have enjoyed…"

"Who was she?" Sakura interjected, timidly.

"Her name was Hokuto. I met her only a few times, yet- she meant so much to me."

"She died, didn't she." Not a question.

"Yes."

"Why do I-" Sakura started, beginning to shake. She was terrified- because now that she had spoken of it, it was real, even if all this was a dream.

"I have an… idea. It is, possibly, a haunting. Hokuto was murdered under this tree," her visitor stepped off his glass globe. "She was a strong willed person, and had enough magical ability to stay in the world as a ghost. There is another option-" he looked at Sakura sharply and she frowned back. Then he shook his head. "You are too young to be her reincarnation. Her death occurred nine years ago."

Sakura jumped, and frowned. Something inside her head, her heart, was tickled- but confused. There was something missing.

"How did she meet you?" Sakura asked, looking around. "Did you go to school together?"

There wasn't an immediate answer- but then the scene around them changed.

The man walked up behind her, as they watched a black haired, green eyed young woman appear beside a younger version of Sakura's visitor. They spoke- and Sakura watched them both intently.

"…out of this dream- outside!" Hokuto said- and the dream ended, with Kakyou's hand falling through hers.

Sakura's eyes welled up.

"You- you're crying..?"

Sakura nodded, covering her face with her hands. "You can't wake up? You stay in your dreams?"

"Yes. I have no desire for escape, nor even to live. My one wish now, is death."

"NO!" She grabbed hold of him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Don't- I don't want you to die, Kakyou-san," she said softly, still hugging him.

Kakyou stared. "I never told you my name…"

"She would want you to live, Kyou-chan," Sakura went on, heedless of what she was saying. "I believe everything WILL be all right. They say I'm the most powerful sorceress in the world," she pulled back, sniffling, and wiped her nose and eyes with the heel of her hand. "I believe- everything… will be all right!"

"She was like that," Kakyou murmured under his breath. "Yet that belief did not save her."

"Hokuto," Sakura stated- and she said the name like it tasted oddly in her mouth," may want me to finish what she started. If that's why she's haunting me…"

She gave Kakyou a brilliant smile. "I'll get you to wake up!"

~@~@~@~@~@~@~

Wakefulness arrived slowly, and at first Sakura had trouble telling she was awake at all. She ached. Her body felt old and worn, like she had not slept at all.

Several moments passed, as she laid on her back, trying to find the energy to rise. Air rushed in and out of her lungs, rasping the faintest bit. Her head felt stuffed in cotton.

This was serious. She had participated in a long, disturbing conversation with one of the figments of her imagination.

Yet- well, she was beginning to wonder if these dreams were really dreams at all. Kyou-chan had said that she was probably being haunted. She chewed her lip, trying to come to some kind of plan. Then she wanted to beat on her head. She rarely had great ideas…

Okay. These dreams were getting more than just scary. They were getting real. She was a sorceress- therefore her dreams weren't just normal dreams. Next step. She had to figure out who the people were in her dreams.

Hokuto… and Kyou-chan. No- Kuzuki Kakyou. Sakura got to her feet to wander down to the bathroom. This meant research. Ugh.

Yet that would mean the dreams would stop, right? That would mean she would stop feeling so scared…

She could go back to being Sakura. JUST Sakura- no more Hokuto. Sakura started to brush her teeth energetically at the thought. Her next stop would be the library.

~*~@~*~@~*~

Sakura felt an uncharacteristic surge of temper go through her as she stared at the computer screen before her at the public library.

She had entered Kyou-chan's name- and had come up with a very wealthy, prominent family, but no mention of a Kakyou. She tried the same with Sumeragi (after a few moments of hyperventilating after realizing no one had ever told her the last name before, even in her dreams, but figured Hokuto for whatever reason was being helpful) and come up with yet another well known family, this time of magicians. Practitioners of Onmyoujitsu, to be exact.

It was a infuriating. Hokuto and Kyou-chan might as well not exist. Sakura too several deep breaths to calm herself down-

There. An obituary. Short, simple, about the time of the ceremony. No cause of death, no exact date, nothing. Only that she was survived by her grandmother and…

"Brother- Subaru."

"Subaru… Sei-chan. Kyou-chan," she closed her eyes, thinking of the affectionate nicknames, and closing, and rubbing her eyes.

"There was something else in the park that night. He was trying to stop what happened, yet he was bound to only see, not interfere. He saw what happened in person- not just in a dream."

Sakura's eyes shot open. Her heart thudded in her chest at the voice. She wanted to turn around. She was terrified of it. Sakura whimpered like a wounded dog.

"Kakyou fled into his dreams because he could not save the one creature closest to him, though she had no idea of it."

Sakura trembled, and started to turn her head, just the slightest bit. There was a bit of white out of the corner of her eye.

"Subaru had been caught into a wager he had no way of winning. His sister wanted to give him a reason to live- but had to die to free him. Kakyou is where you want to start."

Finally, Sakura managed to whip herself around-

To find no one there.

"Was that you… Hokuto?"

To be continued.