Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The Attractive Power ❯ Hazy Encounter ( Chapter 6 )

Sakura's Hazy Encounter
©2003 By Julia and Tania
E-mail: ccs_fanz@jtc-productions.com
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Attractive Power
Episode 6

"Masaka (No way)… It's not him," Sakura said to herself, still very much in denial.

All through the night to this very moment whilst she stood in the hallway of her high school, she had been debating with what she believed and what she saw. Granted, there was no mistake in what she saw yesterday; Yoshiro was at the park and he did hold a strange object-but it didn't mean he was the one behind the aura…

"He's always been kind to me and helpful. It can't be him…" she kept on repeating to herself.

Yoshiro had become her friend and ever since she met him, there was no reason to doubt anything-not his kindness, not his character, and especially not his intentions. He just couldn't be accountable for all those strange events-or, could he be?

"…But that day at the botanical gardens, Sato-kun was the only one who didn't get wet… so maybe-but he said he went inside…" she thought, beginning to defend him again. "Also Sato-kun was the one who pointed out the changing leaves and how dry they were-he helped me defeat the magic… It's not him!" Sakura stated firmly in her mind.

Then as more thoughts streamed through her mind, doubt began to settle again, causing her to swing from one end to the other like a pendulum. "…but what did he mean by fate; and why does he always surprise me…?"

She halted her thoughts, blank for a moment, having too many of them enter at one time. Sakura was desperate to have it all figured out; to have her friend absolved from all of this, but doubt kept on persevering.

"What did he mean when he said he found me interesting-was he referring to my magic? Had he known all along that I had magic; did he sense it?

"The magic I've been sensing, it's not too much different from Eriol-kun's, but it feels… different-more serious…"

Sakura shook it all off and back to the other end did the pendulum swing. "I haven't known him as long as I have Tomoyo-chan, but Sato-kun… I think he's a good person. He has always been nice to me, and he has never ceased to help me with anything I had problems with. I trust him," were Sakura's final thoughts on the matter.

"Good morning, Kinomoto-san!" a voice greeted, beating Sakura out of her state somewhat.

Slow to respond, Sakura turned her head to the direction of the voice, partially aware of her surroundings. "Hoe?!" she expressed, having been jolted out of her thoughts by the amplitude of the voice. She could've sworn she heard cowbells ring in her ears, rattling her brain cells-what was left of them.

The female voice chuckled, finding amusement in Sakura's reaction. "Good morning," the voice repeated in a quieter tone.

As her mind began to fall back to the present, Sakura turned to see someone tall with long brunette hair standing in front of her, "Nakamura-san: oh, good morning!"

"How are you doing Kinomoto-san? I haven't talked to you kids for a while now; I suppose you're settling in alright?" her peer support leader asked.

"Yes thanks," Sakura's mind finally settling from the rattle.

"That's good." Nakamura Akina lowered to level with her, "Are you alright?"

"Hai (Yes)," Sakura replied.

"Are you sure, Kinomoto-san-do you know that you're standing right in the middle of the hallway?" Sakura looked around, obviously surprised by her position. "For a minute there I thought you were trying to be the school's new statue by the look of how still you were standing."

Sakura chuckled with embarrassment, realising the fact. A group of five students diverged upon her position before meeting up again on the other side. She shuffled off to one side, withdrawing towards the lockers-as to not get in the way of the other students further.

"I was just thinking and-I suppose I got a little lost in my thoughts," she explained.

A mischievous grin played on her lips as Akina moved her face closer to Sakura's, "Oh I see…" Sakura leaned in closer, her ears eager to catch what Akina had to say-what did she see?

Akina winked. "You're thinking about someone aren't you? There are a lot of good looking young guys in your class; do you have your eyes set on one of them?" she teased in a low voice.

Gob-smacked by Akina's assumption, Sakura mentally threw herself to the ground followed by an expression of incredulity; that was definitely NOT it.

"No, I wasn't-" she calmly explained, but was rapidly interrupted by a skeptical Akina.

"No?" Plainly, Sakura shook her head. Akina stood up, rubbing her temple, wondering where she had gone wrong. "Oh, okay…" she replied, defeated, expelling a couple of chuckles afterwards. "Well, class should be approaching shortly-I should be off. Have a fun day today okay, Kinomoto-san?"

Sakura bowed, "Hai (Okay). You too, Nakamura-san," giving a pleasant smile to the parting senior.

As Akina travelled further down the hallway, her line of vision was cleared to reveal the sandy-haired boy she had been thinking about all morning. Her breath stopped short at the sight of Yoshiro.

Unable to tear her gaze away from him, Sakura watched him from afar as her mind froze on the actions she would take next. But it also appeared that Yoshiro was just as on edge about something as she was.

Nearest one of the many school bulletin boards stood a very jittery figure of a boy. Yoshiro's eyes were tightly shut for a second, appearing to dread looking at the thin booklet that was fastened to the board. Opening one eye, he gazed at the book one last time before he finally jerked open the other eye and flipped through-what seemed to be-the very important pages in front of him.

Finding the moment a perfect one to approach Yoshiro, Sakura took a step forward, but was halted as her best friend called to her from behind. "Sakura-chan," came Tomoyo's voice, "Ohayou gozaimasu (Good morning)!"

Sakura spun her head around, disappointed that her courage had been broken, nonetheless was happy to greet her friend, "Ohayou, Tomoyo-chan!"

With a buoyant smile, Tomoyo arrived to stand next to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, you're early this morning," she observed. Sakura nodded, not revealing the reason behind her earliness. "Yesterday was fun wasn't it?"

"Hai, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura affirmed with cheer. "Thank you for coming to Tokyo city with me!"

Tomoyo smiled sweetly. "Did you get a chance to try on your new slippers?"

"Hai, they're very comfortable!"

Sensing class was about to start, Tomoyo took a glance at her wrist watch. "Oh, it's almost time-we should head into class, Sakura-chan."

"Right," Sakura nodded.

Casually, the two friends made their way down the hallway together. A few steps into the walk, Sakura's casual manner instantly disappeared as her attention was drawn back towards Yoshiro. She had almost forgotten the concerns she had about the guy; until she caught a smile directed towards her and Tomoyo before he turned back to his booklet.

Feeling apprehension form upon meeting Yoshiro, Sakura's gaze grew penetrating as she stared at him. The events of last night just kept on churning at her. No matter how hard she tried to rid the thoughts for the moment, she couldn't; her mind kept on telling her to confront him.

Inwardly, Sakura knocked the doors to her mind: Think. Think. What to say, what to do first? I don't want him to know I suspect him, or let him see through me.

A rush of nerves lashed past her as beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. Without realising, she clawed at the straps of her backpack, feeling the pressure mount up.

"Sakura-chan: are you alright?" Tomoyo asked, noticing this sudden anxious display from her friend-not to mention-the loud grating sound of nail against fabric.

Sakura turned to face Tomoyo, flustered, "H-hoe?"

"You look so tense."

"Do I?" Sakura asked with an uneven tone, her attention returning to Yoshiro again.

Furrowing her brow, Tomoyo maintained her eye on Sakura before she was made to track Sakura's distant gaze. "Sato-kun-why are you nervous about seeing Sato-kun?" Tomoyo queried, discovering the reason behind Sakura's odd behaviour.

"Hoe?" Sakura repeated, unaware her attention had switched back to him.

"Sakura-chan: are you sure you're alright? You haven't said more than a two-word-sentence since you noticed Sato-kun. What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked, now very concerned.

Sakura shook her head, "No, nothing's wrong. Let's go talk to him and see what he's doing, Tomoyo-chan?"

Regarding her with a worried expression, Tomoyo hesitantly nodded, "Hai." Then Tomoyo followed Sakura as her friend tried to put on a cheerful façade.

Having approached Yoshiro, Tomoyo noticed Sakura's nervous display. She was standing there behind Yoshiro, unsure whether to call for him or not. This gave Tomoyo another reason for concern: Sakura wasn't telling her something and it had to do with their friend.

Sakura leaned forward, preparing to greet him, but indecision jerked her back. She tried again. "O-ohayou, Sato-kun!" she greeted, making the last part of her speech more cheerful and composed.

Yoshiro turned around with a smile. "Ohayou Kinomoto-san, Daidouji-san!"

"Ohayou Sato-kun," Tomoyo replied from behind. She took a glance at the booklet on the notice board, reading the heading of the page, "Intercontinental Martial Arts… so how did you go, Sato-kun?"

Sakura felt a pang in her heart as she stood as a spectator in the conversation-although not really having a clue to why those words affected her that way.

"I got in!" he replied excited laced with relief. "I can't believe I was so nervous just before."

Tomoyo smiled, pleased for him. "That's great, Sato-kun! Congratulations."

"Promise you'll cheer me on when I make it to the finals, Daidouji-san?" his spirits obviously very high.

"Of course-when is it?"

"Arigatou Daidouji-san," Yoshiro said. Tomoyo smiled while Sakura stood in the background very much distracted by the presence of Yoshiro. "The dates aren't confirmed, but I know it's near the end of summer vacation." He turned his attention to Sakura. "What about you, Kinomoto-san. Cheer me on?"

Hearing her name, Sakura jumped, breaking off her pensive stare directed past Yoshiro, "What was that?"

Yoshiro inclined his head to his left, brows furrowed. "Daijoubu desu ka, Kinomoto-san (Is something wrong, Kinomoto-san)?"

Hesitating in her response, she replied with deceiving cheerfulness, "Yeah, I'm okay! Umm…"

Sensing Sakura's struggle, Tomoyo repeated Yoshiro's question. "Sato-kun made it into the Martial Arts tournament. He has your support right, Sakura-chan?"

"Hai, Sato-kun… umm… When is it?"

Yoshiro studied Sakura with curiosity for a brief moment before he dismissed it, repeating what he had already told Tomoyo, "Sometime near the end of summer vacation. I'll tell you both when I know the exact date," he said returning to his excited demeanour, flipping through the booklet again.

Retaining her mask, she replied with assurance and enthusiasm, "Hai! Tomoyo-chan and I will be there to watch you then," smiling afterwards.

"Shall we head into class?" Tomoyo asked the both.

Yoshiro nodded as he let go of the pages he had suspended in the air. "Hai-I've finished anyway."

Having a few minutes to spare before class officially started, students casually talked about all sorts of topics, catching up on each other's weekends. Nearest the teacher's desk gathered a group of students.

"I was at my dad's presentation in the weekends and he couldn't stop wiping off the sweat building up on his forehead," a classmate said.

"I've never been on stage before. I wonder why it gets so hot up there," another said.

"I heard it's the lights," Takashi came into the conversation providing an answer.

"Really-is it because of the lights?" the first classmate asked.

"Yes," Takashi concluded before heading into another story of his. "Have you ever wondered why the opera singers sing so loud?"

"Because that's what they do?" one replied.

Then another chimed in with an answer, "It's to dramatise the emotions in the song," stating it as a matter-of-factly.

"No, it's because of the lights," he replied simply, causing everyone to become speechless. Takashi attempted to endorse his story with a firm nod, encouraging them to listen further. "That's right. Have you ever noticed how the singers are alright at the beginning, but when the lights come on, the singer's start to shout?" Everyone shook their heads. "Well, it's because they're reacting to the bright lights in front of them-they're crying out to the technicians to turn it off." Just as a couple were about to question the information, Takashi carried on.

"But of course, if the technicians did turn it off then the audience can't see them and they'll all leave because the opera is a performance too-they have to see the singers. So the only thing they can do is to continue to scream and scream in protest until the end of the performance. It is said that the lights are so bright and so bad that they scream out in a whole different language-and that's how the opera was born."

For a brief moment, the classmates stood there, dumbfounded. They all looked to each other, searching for an answer, but no one had one. Soon, a wave of nods passed through the group as they accepted the story.

Meanwhile, in the background stood the three sharper classmates-Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika.

"I can't believe they bought it!" Chiharu said as she watched a proud and elated Takashi being praised by his admiring followers.

"He does have a way with telling his stories," Naoko complimented. "People just believe him."

"But they're so unbelievable a five year old can see through them!" Chiharu expressed, frustrated. Naoko and Rika casually agreed with a nod as they saw three of their classmates enter through the front door.

"Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan, Sato-kun: Ohayou gozaimasu!" Rika greeted.

"Good morning," the three returned in unison as they approached their friends.

"What's with Yamazaki-kun and that group over there?" Yoshiro asked, having noticed Takashi's stressed body language as he scratched his head.

"What about the actors on stage?" a classmate asked.

Takashi smacked his lips together as if he were blowing bubbles in a sea of water. He was sinking, slowly sinking to the depths of the sea.

"What about those big huge seminars some adults hold? They have bright lights too."

And sinking…

"Yeah-my dad didn't scream when he was doing his presentation in front of the audience. He had bright lights on him too."

Sinking further down Takashi went. But just as he was about to touch the bottom, he felt him come afloat. His posture straightened as his forefinger pointed high in the air, "That's because the lights aren't as bright as the ones in the opera."

Hearing his counter, Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko felt their feet collapse underneath them. Meanwhile, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Yoshiro raised an eyebrow in response to the satisfied students.

"Anyway, how did you guys do on your science homework?" Chiharu asked her friends, leaving Takashi and his group to their business.

"That worksheet was quite a hard one. I still have some that aren't finished," Naoko replied.

Sakura nodded, "Me too. I struggled a bit on the section on plant growth and the diagram."

"Yeah, I'm the same here. What about you, Tomoyo-chan, Sato-kun?" Chiharu asked.

"I did okay. I did all the questions…" Before Tomoyo could continue, everyone fell into a depressed moan. "But I'm not sure if they're all right-they were pretty tough," she said smiling afterwards, trying to comfort the group.

"I'm with you all-I didn't get to finish all of them either. My mind just couldn't concentrate yesterday," Yoshiro followed.

Chiharu nodded. "Well I just hope that Okuda-sensei won't call on me to answer those questions!" she expressed. Everyone nodded.

"Rika-chan: what about you?" Sakura decided to ask, noticing her quiet manner.

Coming out of deep thought, she replied, "Yeah, I did-I finished it all."

"Really-all the questions?" Naoko inquired with interest.

"Hai… I had some help from Terada-sensei," she hesitated to say as a tinge of red spread across the breadth of her cheeks.

"Terada-sensei," Sakura said with excitement at the thought of her former elementary teacher. "How is he doing?"

"He's still teaching at Tomoeda Elementary. He's doing very well."

"Oh that's great! You gotta say hi to him for me the next time you see him," Sakura said.

"Hai," Tomoyo chimed in then she wore a mischievous smile, "Please say hi to Terada-sensei for all of us the next time you see him, okay Rika-chan?" Feeling a little hotter now, Rika bowed her head, attempting to hide her blush.

The bell was heard soon after. Following not too far behind the bell was Okuda-sensei. "Alright everyone-to your seats!" not that he needed to instruct the students as most of them had already settled into them.

Having dealt with morning proceedings, Okuda Kansuke took no time in starting Science class. "I have good news for you all," he began. The students gasped in hope and excitement. "Two weeks from now, as a finale to our plant life module, we'll be heading to a nursery in the countryside. Isn't that a treat?"

"Hai!" the students cried in approval.

"I knew you all would be excited," he said, supporting a grin.

Okuda-sensei moved over to his briefcase situated on the teacher's desk. He took out a stack of paper before moving back to the speaker's podium. "These are the permission slips," showing them to the class before handing them to the front row to pass around the class. "I want you all to make sure you give these to your parents and get them signed by next Thursday."

"Hai." the students replied obediently.

"On the sheet of paper you have in front of you, it also has information on the cost of the trip and what to bring. Unless you want to use the vending machine they have there, you all will have to bring your own lunches. We'll discuss more about the details when the date nears."

"Hai," the students replied once again.

"Alright now, I want you-"

Suddenly, a loud, drawn-out bell reverberated throughout the room and the hallways of Seijyu High. The science students looked at each other, slow to react to the rare sound of the bell.

"You know what to do! This is a fire drill. Leave everything where they are and get yourselves out the door in an orderly fashion; head to your designated place on the field and wait for the roll-call."

Sakura and Tomoyo waited with the rest of the students on the fields as the teachers finished checking students off their registers. Unlike the others who were enjoying the interruption, Sakura stood perturbed, unaware of Tomoyo's call.

"Sakura-chan… Sakura-chan? Are you okay?"

"Nani (What?)" Sakura replied finally.

Tomoyo looked at her suspiciously, "You've been like this since this morning. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing Tomoyo-chan," Sakura answered with a grin.

"Sakura-chan: when you keep on staring off into the distance it is not 'nothing'; when you keep on answering 'nothing' to your best friend when she obviously knows there is something wrong, it's not 'nothing'." Tomoyo gave a friendly smile before allowing Sakura time to think about it.

Unable to deceive her perceptive friend, Sakura smiled, "I guess not…"

Finding that Sakura was reluctant to start, Tomoyo gave her a push. "Has it got something to do with Sato-kun?"

"Hai," Sakura barely said above a whisper, facial expression: serious.

"Why are you so distracted by Sato-kun?"

"I…" Sakura hesitated, debating within herself. Deciding on the answer, she replied, "When I know for sure, can I tell you then?"

A little startled by Sakura's final answer, Tomoyo watched her with curiosity, brows furrowed. "Hai," she replied shortly after, respecting Sakura's wishes.

"Arigatou Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo scanned her surroundings, wondering if anyone was making a move back to class: everyone, including the teachers, was still chatting away. She turned back to face Sakura. As she did so, Tomoyo heard two voices in the background which caught her attention.

"Sato-kun," Tomoyo greeted. Sakura turned to look in the direction Tomoyo had.

"Hi everyone," he replied as he and Akina approached.

"Are we heading in soon?" Tomoyo asked as Yoshiro moved to stand next to her and Sakura. Spotting Akina, she greeted her, "Ohayou Nakamura-san."

"Ohayou Daidouji-san… and ohayou for the second time Kinomoto-san."

Sakura bowed. "Ohayou."

"Not yet it looks like," Akina answered to Tomoyo's question. "These fire drills-you can never get used to them can you."

"Iie (nope)," Tomoyo replied, smiling.

"But it's nothing to complain about, huh everyone?" They nodded. "But, being a role model and all, I shouldn't say those things. School is important everyone," jested Akina.

After a moment, she looked up, trying to make eye contact with one of the teachers on the field. Catching the eye of a teacher, Akina lifted her chin, maintaining eye contact. She pointed towards the school building with her thumb, mouthing the words, "Shall we?"

Akina waited as the teacher looked around for the attention of other teachers. A wave of nods ran through each of them before it was directed back towards the teacher Akina had addressed.

Given the final nod to head inside, Akina turned back to the group. "Well everyone, time to head in; lots of learning to do!"

"Hai."

Filing into the room, the students of Okuda-sensei's class took their seats once again. Scuffles of feet against the floor echoed through the class before silence fell finally just as Okuda-sensei made his way in.

"Right-where were we?" Okuda-sensei asked rhetorically. Recalling, he continued. "The field trip… oh yes. Before we get on with class and check our science homework…" Quiet groans from the students could be heard at the mention. "…we need to get you all into groups for the trip. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll let you all decide who you want to go with. Get into groups of threes or fours, okay? You have a few minutes to do that. We've already lost a lot of time with the fire drill, so get to it."

"Hai," the students replied.

Ceasing the opportunity, no one wasted any more time in finding their groups. Chair legs scraped against the floor as the majority of the male population seemed to head in a uniform direction.

"Hoe?" Sakura expressed as she watched a guy seated in front dash past her.

Following her classmate, her gaze laid upon a crowd of male students who had stopped to surround the girl near the back of the room. There they stood, suffocating the girl with long saddle-brown hair as they waited for her to accept them into her group.

Sakura spared a few more moments in that direction, interested to see how the situation was going to unfold.

"Can I be in your group?" a male student asked.

"Do you want to be in my group?" came in another.

"Who's in your group? Can I go with you?" and another.

"Me, too?" and another.

"…And me?"

A wave of requests and invites just kept on flooding in, not giving her friends a chance to get to the girl. "Sayuri-chan…" a friend called, trying to invite Miyamae Sayuri into their usual group.

Sayuri didn't hear. The friend tried again as she tried to pick out an opening to obtain eye contact through the wall of guys. "Sayuri-chan… Do you-" She moved her head to her right as the opening shifted. "Do you want to-"

The opening shifted once again, causing her to move further to her right, "…go with us?"

Sayuri stood up, having enough of the pestering guys. "Umm… I already have a group. I… I'm going to go with my friends-sorry."

Upon the decline, all the guys hung their heads, mumbling a few words of disappointment underneath their breaths. Sakura frowned at the outcome. "Hoeee," she expressed, sympathising for the guys.

"Quite a sight huh, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo's voice echoed through her thoughts. Sakura turned to look behind her desk at Tomoyo, nodding. "It looks like Miyamae-san is much admired by some of our classmates."

"Hai," Sakura replied, letting out a few chuckles afterwards. "Miyamae-chan is pretty. She's quite nice too."

"Miyamae-san: she's your vice captain for the school cheerleading squad, right Sakura-chan?"

"Hai," she said nodding then she looked around the classroom. "It looks like most of our classmates have found their groups. So it's Tomoyo-chan, me and…"

Both of them searched around for one more person to complete their group. In the distance, they saw Rika, Chiharu, Naoko, and Takashi already in a group; the guys who were recently rejected by Sayuri formed a group. The only person who was still not in a group was Yoshiro who stood at the front of the class, handing back spare permission slips to the teacher.

He made his way back from the teacher's desk to stand in front of the two. "I'm glad Sayuri-san finally made her choice!" he said chuckling as he looked at the calmer display in the corner of the room. Yoshiro turned his attention back towards them. "Do you mind if I join you: Kinomoto-san, Daidouji-san?"

Tomoyo smiled, "No, we don't mind." She looked at the hesitant Sakura sitting in front of her, kindly urging her to respond.

Realising she hadn't answered, she quickly replied with a cheerful tone, "Sure Sato-kun!"

"Great. I'll let Okuda-sensei know then," Yoshiro said before making his way to the teacher.

"Thanks, Sato-kun," both Sakura and Tomoyo said.

Sakura watched his retreating back right to the point where he arrived at the teacher's desk Okuda-sensei was situated at. She continued to be mesmerised by him until she was forced to stop, jerking her eyes downwards, having made eye contact upon his return.

Yoshiro casually made his way back to his desk. He sat down, facing the front. Then he turned to his left, leaning his left arm on the back of the chair, his right arm against his desk. "Kinomoto-san…" he began.

Sakura faced him, swallowing, "Nani (Yes)?"

"Are you okay? You seem different today."

"What do you mean?" pretending she had no clue as she stared into Yoshiro's unreadable expression.

"I was just wondering-that's all. But if nothing's wrong then that's good."

"Hai," she affirmed, but inside she continued to struggle with her need to confront him about yesterday.

"Actually," Sakura said. Yoshiro turned back around again. "Sato-kun, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Yoshiro waited for her next actions, but she made no indication of continuing. "Now Kinomoto-san?" he asked, confused.

Chuckling slightly, she shook her head, feeling embarrassed she had kept him waiting. "Sorry, umm… later." Sakura's voice lowered to a more serious tone, "Can we talk at lunchtime?"

"Okay," he said then turned away.

Just then, an all too familiar ring sounded for the second time. Students looked up, staring at each other, wondering why the fire bell was at it again. Even the teacher seemed surprised.

"Why is there another one?" Okuda-sensei said to himself. From his relaxed position, he abruptly stood up, "This must be the real thing. Students: head for-"

The bell stopped ringing.

"That's odd…" Okuda-sensei went to the window. No one was there. He then made his way out of the classroom for a while, leaving puzzled students waiting for his next instructions.

"It was a false alarm, students. No need for concern. Let's get on with class," he said coming back into the room.

* * *

Ito Hideaki, the phys-ed (physical education) teacher, stood behind a line of orange cones with a serious facial cast as he looked out into the distance before him. He held a discus close to his chest, fingertips barely over the edge. Ito-sensei began to swing the discus arm rearward to position it high above his head as his weight laid heavily on the back foot. Reaching his maximum point, he hurled the discus into the air with one quick rotation, his arm pointing in the direction of the flying discus.

"HOEEEEEE!" Sakura expressed as she watched the discus fly far into the distance.

"It's as simple as that, girls," he said to her and Tomoyo.

Ito-sensei picked up another discus, handing it to Sakura. "Here, you give it a try first, Kinomoto-san; and then you go next, Daidouji-san. Just remember, don't grip the discus too firmly-it should fall to the ground when you flip your hand over. That's how loose it should be."

Both of them nodded, "Hai."

Readying herself, Sakura held the discus, sandwiching it between her two palms, swaying it back and forth to get the feel of its weight. She looked out into the distance, visualising where she wanted to direct her discus. Finding the sunlight obstructing, she moved out of its way to the left before going through the steps Ito-sensei had gone through.

"That's it, Kinomoto-san! You did it. That was excellent stuff," he praised as he watched the discus glide smoothly through the air. "Now, Daidouji-san, you give it a try."

"Hai, Ito-sensei," Tomoyo complied.

Stepping up to the line, Tomoyo went through the same steps both Ito-sensei and Sakura had gone through previously. She swung it, imitating the technique as closely as she could before releasing the discus into the air.

Ito-sensei, Sakura, Tomoyo, and four other classmates behind them watched it in its path, making its way nicely through the air; almost as smoothly as Sakura's when suddenly, its path was cut short by an oncoming discus.

Everyone gasped at the contact. Ito-sensei tracked the direction the second discus had come from. "Who was that?"

"Me," a student two teams away from Sakura's confessed.

"Uchiyama-kun that was good, but try to keep it straight!" he shouted with hint of a laugh. He turned back to Tomoyo, "Your throw was excellent as well, Daidouji-san. Keep at it," he said to the rest of her teammates before heading off in Uchiyama's direction.

"You did great Tomoyo-chan! It was funny how your discus and Uchiyama-kun's bumped into each other, but before that, it was great!" Sakura said, walking to the back of the line with Tomoyo.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan; yours was great too!"

Letting a short silence settle in between the two, they continued to make their way to the back of the line.

"Tomoyo-chan," Sakura began, passing the end of the line.

Tomoyo met Sakura's eyes, "Hai."

"Yesterday…" she began. Tomoyo's cast hardened, recognising the seriousness of Sakura's expression. "When my family was on our way home, I spotted Sato-kun." Tomoyo nodded, acknowledging her words. "He has a magical aura…"

They stopped a couple of metres beyond the last student in the line.

"Sato-kun: he's the new presence you've been sensing?" Tomoyo said; eyes widened at the revelation.

Sakura delayed a shake of the head. "I'm not sure-that's why I need to talk to him at lunchtime."

A brief moment of silence existed as Tomoyo too was trying to process it through her head. Finally she nodded, "I understand. Gambatte kudasai, ne (It is good luck then)?" realising Sakura had to talk to him alone on this matter.

"Arigatou, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said, mood downcast.

"Hai."

"Listen up everyone!" Ito-sensei's voice came roaring through the field. "Time's up. Gather up your group's gear and bring it all over here," he said, gesturing to a box by his feet. "Then head back to the changing rooms to get changed; and once that's done, you're dismissed. Have a nice lunchtime."

"Hai!" the students replied, their unified response resonating through the field.

Sakura stood in an almost empty changing room as she did up the last couple of buttons on her shirt. She picked up her necktie, placing it underneath her collar before attempting to do up the tie herself.

"Hoeeee? I could do it this morning when I had a mirror in front of me," Sakura whined to herself.

Tomoyo, who had finished changing into her uniform, walked over to Sakura. "Do you need some help, Sakura-chan?"

She smiled with a hint of embarrassment, "Yeah."

Tomoyo moved to take hold of the strips of material as Sakura tilted her chin upwards. Tomoyo began to loop the longer strip around the shorter one as Sakura studied the steps attentively. "Thanks Tomoyo-chan. I don't know why I can't do this sometimes."

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. It just takes practice. By the end of this year, you'll be a pro at it," Tomoyo said with a reassuring tone.

"Well, thanks for doing my tie today."

"No problem," Tomoyo said just as she slid the knot upwards, tightening the necktie. She flipped over the collar before straightening it out with her thumb and forefingers. "Here you go, Sakura-chan."

"Thanks so much again, Tomoyo-chan!"

"Hai. Anyway, I'm going to head off to the music room to get sheets of music for choir. I'll see you in the next class."

"Hai," Sakura replied.

"And good luck again, Sakura-chan," she said in a softer tone before leaving the changing room.

As Sakura put her phys-ed gear back into her bag, she could feel knots and butterflies form in her stomach. After this, she had to meet Yoshiro and deal with what she saw yesterday. What if he was not who she thought he was? What if he was the one behind all those events; and if he was-what exactly were Yoshiro's intentions? What was he after?

There were so many questions and she was about to find out in the next few minutes as she prepared to leave the changing room to meet him. Feeling uneasy, a few steps were taken before she was sharply alerted by something, causing her to stop and examine her surroundings.

"The aura!" she said, quietly.

Full of concentration, she felt the aura beckoning her for the slightest of moments. It existed only for a short while, but she truly felt it this time and it was strong. Sakura further waited for the sensation, hoping it'd turn up again and allow her to fully grasp it. Sure enough it did, but it continued to fluctuate. Nevertheless a hint of a smile was seen on her lip.

Following the aura, came an obscure layer that hovered on the ground around her feet. Then it began to disperse, darkening and thickening as it slowly ascended. Sakura soon realised what it was: "Smoke," she said underneath her breath.

Not long after, the earsplitting sound of the fire bell reverberated throughout the room. Reflexively, Sakura looked to the ceiling, as if the sound was foreign to her, but very quickly caught on to its alarming ring. She looked around the changing room, remembering the few classmates still with her, but they had already left.

COUGH. COUGH.

Her throat was beginning to irritate; she was in danger. She needed to get out of there fast and before the harmful atmosphere overtook her consciousness.

Using her athletic abilities, she carried herself out speedily into open air. Sakura took erratic gasps of fresh air, occasionally choking on her own breath. Once her breathing pattern stabilised, she prepared to head for the field, but was halted when she felt the aura again.

"The aura is in the main building. It's there!" her senses told her.

Resolute in her mission, she ran in the direction she felt the aura, gripping tightly onto the star key.

Out on the fields, panic and chaos ran through the minds of the teachers. Desperately they gathered the students in their year groups, trying to account for the ones who were present and the ones who weren't. The task was made even more difficult with lunchtime in session.

"Can anyone tell me who's not here?" Okuda-sensei asked the students assembled in front of him with exigency; a few students who heard him, shook their heads-too shocked by all of the events happening around them.

He breathed a heavy sigh as his eyelids dropped, shaking his head, frustration apparent on his visage. "This is hopeless!"

"The worst thing is the senior students: since some of them may have chosen to go out for lunch, we haven't a clue if any of them are in the building or having lunch off site," hissed the female teacher standing next to Okuda-sensei.

"Hai," he replied coolly, restraining the rage he felt towards the situation.

"Okuda-sensei," entered a voice above the commotion. The teacher turned to see Chiharu, Rika and Naoko running towards him in distress. "Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan, and Sato-kun are not here!"

"What was your last class?" he demanded.

"Phys-ed," Chiharu replied.

"Did you see them leave that class?"

Brows furrowed, looking squarely into Okuda-sensei's eyes, Naoko replied, "I don't know. Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan were still changing out of their gear when we left."

"…about five minutes ago," Rika added, assuming that would be the teacher's next question.

"Okay, thank you for that."

"Hai," the three said, concern displayed on their faces.

Okuda-sensei turned to the female teacher next to him, "I'm going to look for them."

"Wait-"

"It's okay," he said firmly before running towards the phys-ed block. "Just inform the fire department I'm in there when they arrive."

A lone figure walked the now very bleak conditions of the hallway. The faint outlines of a hand could be seen as it touched adjacent walls, using it as a substitute for sight, guiding the way.

"Sakura-chan," it called. It was Tomoyo's barely audible, raspy voice.

She continued relentlessly through the hallway. It seemed so futile to move through the murky environment only to feel door after door after door. Her eyes were stinging whilst a burning sensation subsided in her chest with every step she took, finding it harder and harder to breathe through the stifling air. To make it worse, her body was beginning to protest against it, feeling weak and tired.

"Sakura-chan… Please help me…" she pleaded, but once again, in vain.

Finding the situation testing, she sighed heavily, taking in a great deal of the acrid smoke. She coughed violently, her body rejecting the dirty air. Gradually, her body sunk to the ground, leaning against the wall.

For a while she sat there, resting whilst listening to the continuous ring of the fire bell. "How come I didn't hear the warning of the bell in the music room?" she said, recalling a quiet room.

Suddenly Tomoyo felt her head droop ever so slightly. Quickly she forced it back up, carrying on thinking to prevent herself from falling unconscious. "It's odd how there's still no fire either-Magic?"

At the thought, Tomoyo went into a whine, "Sakura-chan: I had so many battle costumes made for you too and you haven't even worn one… Today would have been the perfect opportunity."

Determined to make it out of the hallway for that fact, Tomoyo stood up. "I'll do it for Sakura-chan…" Tomoyo felt herself sway as she became light-headed, nevertheless she continued, shaking it off. "…and the costumes," she said weakly, almost falling over again.

She leaned heavily against the wall, her hand slapping it, providing support. As she did so, her hand slipped against a booklet. "This feels familiar," she whispered. Her right cheek raised; a slight curl to the lips formed. "If this is the martial arts competition booklet then I don't have far to go."

Just as she said that, she collapsed to the ground, feeling herself drift off into darkness; her senses were beginning to retire. Whatever was left for her eyes to see began to blur as all sound blended into one low hum. Then her eyelids began to close as reality and illusion became the same.

In that state, Tomoyo began to doze off, but before she did, she felt her body being lifted off the floor onto something. Repetitively, she felt herself slip as her limbs dangled heavily in the air. After a while of moving around, she found herself become stable as her head lurched forward, sustaining her position before she finally lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, Sakura feared not much better. "Where's the aura?" she said, running-her steps showing signs of fatigue as she heavily stamped on the floors.

She had been chasing the aura in this suffocating smoke for a while now and it was causing her to lose a lot of energy. The smoke was getting worse every passing second-rather she was getting worse; and although she had only been in this environment for a few minutes, she didn't know how much longer she could stand it.

Sakura halted in her tracks, unable to pinpoint the aura's location. "I can't sense it. It's gone," exhaling heavily, coughing repetitively as she shielded her eyes from the smoke, feeling them sting. "I have to stop all of this," deciding that defeating the magic was more important.

Flaccidly throwing a Sakura card into the air, Sakura raised her transformed sealing rod before weakly commanding, "Windy!" The white spirit obeyed her mistress as its long, slender figure powered through the vicinity effortlessly.

Keeping her gaze on Windy, the spirit continued to move boldly ahead, trapping and containing the smoke within her form. Hope ran through Sakura as she witnessed a path devoid of smoke emerge. Just as it looked like it was working, Windy suddenly halted in her path, confused to why her hold had been broken. Windy spun herself around as she watched the smoke circle her figure before it settled back in the space it had occupied not too long ago.

Sakura gasped, "What? It's not working!" once again, letting out a few coughs-each consecutive cough harsher than the previous; the dark, thick smoke had surrounded her once more.

"What can I do? Why isn't Windy working on the smoke?" Sakura questioned-desperation apparent in her tone as Windy returned.

Suddenly, Sakura felt herself give way to exhaustion. "I spent too long chasing the aura…" she said to herself, realising her mistake.

Sakura collapsed to the ground. Her hands and knees hit hard against its surface as she was forced to let go of the grip she had around the sealing rod upon contact.

In and out… in and out, she told herself, concentrating on her breathing for the while-although uneven. If she were to defeat this magic, she needed to stay conscious; it was all up to her. There was no one else to do this; she was the card mistress. She had to stay awake.

Groggily, Sakura stood up, pushing herself to carry on. Every part of her body pained and ached, limbs like anchors at every movement she took. Her throat felt unbearably sore now that she swore serrated knives were slicing through the walls each time she swallowed.

Trying to stop the awful sensation, Sakura placed a hand around her throat. With her free arm, she then placed it over her nose and mouth area in an effort to protect the smoke from entering her system any further.

Unexpectedly, the aura appeared again, but it was confused with something else. She didn't know what though. "What?" Immediately, Sakura shot her head up, forgetting any discomfort she felt a moment ago.

LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT… Sakura's feet ran, but she didn't get very far as the coughs took control of her, forcing her to stop once again. "I can't stand this much longer." Her head began to sag, eyes closing to only slits, "Why… are you doing this?" voice losing strength.

Feeling breathless, she realised her first priority was not finding the aura, but saving herself and clearing the smoke: the aura had to come second.

Body slumped, Sakura stood still, trying to recover a little bit of her strength. As she thought, her coughs continued to surface. Coming up with an idea, she took off her blazer (school jacket), draping it over her left arm. "Watery," she commanded.

A spray of water lightly soaked the blazer as Watery swept past it. Content with the amount of saturation, Sakura sluggishly grabbed it to place the blazer over her mouth.

"A little bit better," she said. "Okay, what can I do to get rid of this smoke?"

"I already tried Windy, but it didn't work. Why not? What can I use to defeat the magic?"

Her eyelids blinked wearily a couple of times.

"I burnt my croquettes one time… and the kitchen filled with smoke, so I waved a cloth and the smoke cleared," she recalled. "But how come Windy didn't clear the smoke?"

As she continued to find the solution, Sakura's balance began to lose itself. She was beyond exhaustion, but held on.

"Ar…Arrow-I need to open windows… Arrow," she commanded, finally finding the answer. Arrow flew out of the card, waiting for a command from her mistress, but none came.

"I'm… tired…" Sakura barely got out, swaying further as her head lost elevation.

Not having enough magic to sustain Arrow, the blue figure dissipated away. Sakura slowly inclined off to the side as gravity pulled her closer to the hard floor below. There was nothing left in her to fight anymore.

"I couldn't do it…" she said to herself, disappointed as she closed her eyes.

Sakura continued to fall to her slumber. At any moment now she was going to crash to the floor, hitting head first. No doubt the right side of her head would throb immensely, but she didn't care; she didn't have the energy to care.

Inches above the ground as she expected to feel its hard surface beneath her, she felt firm arms wrap around her shoulders before they trembled slightly. She opened her eyes ever so slightly to see the arms of the figure. Then Sakura noticed another figure: the second figure was unconscious as its long hair hung over the first figure, tickling her face.

"W-what's… going on?"

"I-it's okay," the figure said, voice losing strength also, "I'm here to help you." Sakura nodded, laying her trust in the figure.

In her periphery as she rested, she could see a line of floating spheres of light, tracking all the way back in the path the figure had come from.

"We're all going to get out of here, Kinomoto-san," she heard him say.

"Sato-kun?"

"Hai," his voice: hoarse.

Sakura felt herself slide in his arms as Yoshiro was apparently trying to get the figure on his shoulder to the ground. Her eyes widened as something above her provided illumination, allowing her to see who the figure was: "Tomoyo-chan!"

Then her eyes lazily rolled upwards, catching onto an arc-like object, glowing, and slowly descending. She watched it as it stopped to hover overhead. Yoshiro's hand moved into her line of vision, out-stretched fingers pressing down on the surface in some sort of sequence.

One, two, three, Sakura counted the times he made contact with the object. His arm moved out of her way. Shortly after, she noticed that her breathing improved a smidgen. Yoshiro had done something to make the air more bearable-a shield maybe. She then felt an arm hook around her own before she was on the move.

Awkwardly, Sakura and Tomoyo were dragged along the floor-a jerking motion apparent as Yoshiro pulled them backwards. He, too, was having trouble competing with the smoke.

Sakura watched the floating spheres pass her by on her right. Slowly, the lights became indistinct as they blinked in and out of her vision. She relaxed further into Yoshiro's grasp, surrendering to the fatigue as her eyelids became heavier by the second. In doing so, she felt herself slip.

He was getting weaker; his grip was getting weaker. Not before long, Sakura felt Yoshiro's arms unhook from under her. "Sato-kun?" she called out in her mind-where did he go?

COUGH… COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH

Realising what had happened, Sakura switched her mind to her best friend. "Tomoyo-chan..." she thought as she made her way to the ground. "Sato-kun… Yokatta (I'm glad)."

With those last thoughts, Sakura met the ground, finally losing the will to stay awake. She had been beaten by the smoke.

To be continued in episode 7: "Sakura and the Return of an Old Friend".

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OUR THANKS
Ekimozo: Thank you again for your comments-definitely! Heehee so kind of you to drop us a message; we appreciate it very, very much for that and for you reading this fanfic series of ours!!! Long chapters again, hope it wasn't too stressful to read! LOL.

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