In the span of a few seconds everything fell apart. Eliza, possessed by Sword, attacked and injured Nina. It was now attacking Sakura (as she tried to defend herself). And Tomoyo was filming the whole thing (grabbed her camera when she heard the commotion). Eliza slowly backs Sakura into a corner, holding her at bay with Sword. Suddenly something darts out of the side of Sakura's vision and knocks Eliza over, both Eliza and the attacker hitting the floor. As Eliza regains her footing, but her attacker (Nina) isn't so fortunate as she withers on the floor in agony. Sakura makes good her escape and gets clear of the corner she was trapped in (barely avoiding another swipe from Sword). "Eliza? Don't worry! Everything's going to be OK! Don't worry!" Sakura calls out, backing away from Eliza as she does, "Have to get her to drop Sword somehow---" Sakura hiolds out the key, and powers up. "Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light! RELEASE!" (As the power releases, the staff grows longer. Quickly Sakura grabs a card and uses it fast.) "Illusion! Form the image in my mind's eye and hold yourself in check." As the card forms on the floor (glowing pattern) Eliza looks at it oddly, then sidesteps it. "N-no good!" Nina rasps from her place on the floor, "She knows that trick! And what she knows Sword knows!" "Alright then--- FLOWER! Distract Sword with a storm of flowers!" As Flower comes up and dazes Eliza with a flower whirlwind, Sakura grabs Nina and tries to move her, "Forget me! Get out of here!" "B-but!" "GO!!" (Kero, flying down from upstairs, darts past Sakura as he screams at her). "Right---" (pulls new card) "--Jump!" Quickly Sakura spins about and ducks out the door, dodging Sword's swipes as Eliza follows behind her out into the huge yard of the Daidouji Estates. Each slash clearing the path between Eliza and Sakura, going through anything to get to the Cardcaptor. Finally, on top of the roof of the mansion, Sakura tries to catch her breath. "I can't attack Eliza! We have to get her to drop Sword somehow!" "Show her an illusion of her beloved--- oh, wait, the real thing is bleeding in the hallway. Never mind, that won't work---" Kero ponders, "---maybe you should run until you wear her out?" Sakura - "I can't leave her like this! And I have to get back to save Nina!" The next thing she knows Eliza is standing next to her, Sword at the ready. "Guess we forgot she's got her own powers---" Kero laments. As Eliza swings at Sakura a blur of metal obscures Sakura's vision for a second, followed by the clang of metal on metal and the glint of light off as Sword is caught between the hard glint of two Glocks. Sakura - "Rebecca?!?" Rebecca - "Trinity insisted I come over and apologize to you, but I couldn't build up the courage to do it... until now." (Rebecca kicks Eliza away, coming face to face with Sakura) "I'm sorry I hurt Tomoyo, and I'm sorry I threatened you..." (frowns) "...but I'll never forgive Fly for what it did to Trinity. Never." Rebecca suddenly thrusts herself off the roof right at Eliza, catching Eliza off guard and knocking her to the ground. As she lands on the ground stunned, Rebecca straddles her and points both guns at her head. "Let's finish this up quick-like." Sakura - "REBECCA NO!!" Quickly Sakura jumps down off the roof, grabbing Rebecca off of Eliza before she can shoot, "Sakura?!? What the hell are---" With one bound she takes into the air, the Jump boots still on, carting Rebecca with her for the ride. "AIGH!! SAKURA STOP!!" Both women hit the roof, Rebecca not too happy about the flight. "What are you doing?! You could have gotten us killed!" Sakura - "You can't hurt Eliza! I won't let you!" Rebecca - "I wasn't planning on hurting anyone! I know what I'm doing! She can survive grazing shots but it'd screw up her body to the point that Sword would be immobilized!" Sakura - "All we need to do is to get her to drop Sword for one--- Nina?" Everyone turns to watch Nina, bloodied, stumble out of the side and grab Eliza from behind, holding tight against her bucking and straining. "No--- you--- don't!!" (Nina grabs hold of Eliza's sword hand, prying the fingers open as she does), "LEAVE--- HER--- ALONE!!" Sakura, jumping on her chance, quickly jumps down from the roof and rushes towards the two, batting Sword aside as she does. "Clow card return to your power confined! Sword card!" With one strike the staff releases tendrils of energy, capturing Sword in it's grip and yanking it in to be sealed, changing it back into card form. As the card flies free it lands in Sakura's hand. Eliza, shaken, quickly grabs Nina as tears flow down her face. "Nina? NINA!! Oh goddess I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!" Rebecca helps Eliza get Nina inside as Tomoyo (watching from the sidelines the whole time) steps forward. "You OK?" Sakura - "Yeah. Tomoyo? Why didn't you use Gaia to catch---" Tomoyo shook her head, "I tried. While you were arguing with Rebecca. Sword cut through Gaia's restraints like a knife through butter. It only slowed Sword for a second, but I guess a second was enough in the end." "And thus my point is proven." Everyone looks around, until their gazes falls upon Rebecca (standing off to one side, also an active "audience" in the capture but not as active as Tomoyo) "These cards are far too dangerous! If it isn't Fly it's this Sword card! Nina's going to make it but the next time somebody could die because of these damnable cards..." (sneers) "...still think they're innocent things?" Tomoyo steps between Sakura & Rebecca, angry, "That's a lie! Sword is only confused from being seperated forcefully from Sakura! And Sakura did her best to stop Sword! You have no right to say that the cards are monsters!" "Say what you will." Rebecca remarks nonchalantly, "Love tends to blind, and the kind of love you share is quite blinding. You can't see for yourself that it took everyone to make an opening in Sword's defensese where it should have been stopped back in the house when it first showed up! And there's still more cards to capture, more chances for innocent people to suffer because of someone else's magic." Kero takes over, "What would you know about it! She's the most powerful mage on Earth!" "On HER Earth." Rebecca quickly countered, "Here, she's just another girl with a bag of tricks and a job that's too big for her to handle alone. She's not impressive here, she's just another liability that might get innocent people killed. Period." "Nobody's dead yet." (Kero) "Do you want to wait until it's too late?" And, with that, she turns and walks off without another word. Almost--- her cellphone goes off and she answers it. "What? Trinny I... did I invite them to dinner? Trinny!! I--" (sighs) "---hold on." (walks back to everyone) "Oh, and Trinny wants to invite you to dinner next week. It's potluck so bring something with you that doesn't stab people in the gut. Bye." Trinity (phone) - "And apologize for scolding them and being nasty!" "Sigh-- I'm sorry--- there." (Rebecca walks off) "I still say we're going to be stuck catering the whole thing! They'll probably bring nothing but jell-o being slackers and all!" Trinity - "Then we'll order out from Olive Garden! Won't that be fun?" "Actually--- yes. Get on your slinkiest thing that shows off the most cleavage because I'm cranky and your hot. Let's go, I'm starving'." * * * * * * "Hi. You busy?" "Busy for a girl lying around and reading all day, Eliza." Nina remarks as she looks up from her book, "If that's busy them I'm just wading hip deep in work. Oh, yeah." (sighs) "It's only the second time I ended up on the disabled list, Sakura, and your not in the doghouse this time either so come in already. I know your hiding behind Eliza" (motions for Sakura to sit next to her) "What's up?" Sakura - "You OK? That stab you took." Nina - "Wasn't as serious as it looks. Really, the only one really damaged in all this was Eliza. She hasn't stopped wanting to serve me since the incident." (rubs Eliza's head as she sits next to her) "I keep trying to tell her it's OK and she didn't do anything wrong, but she's been feeling kinda crappy ever since she tried to skewer me so I'm just letting her work off her guilty conscious until she's ready to be forgiven and move on." Sakura - "How long will that be?" "Not long. Nina?" (Eliza), "Your bath's ready, and I got my french lingere maid outfit on underneath for you." Nina - "I don't know, I could live with this just for a little while longer. Go on, dear, you know I like you all frilly and ready when I get there." Eliza smiles and nods her head meekly, stepping out bowing as she does. Nina - "It's not so bad except she insists on wearing the outfit all the time, and wants to do EVERYTHING for me! I know she's kinda guilty conscious and all but there's somethings a girl's gotta do on her own--- like my hygiene." Sakura - "She washes you?" Nina - "Well--- not that it's your business but it's a--- well it IS none of your business. When I'm talking hygiene I mean she brushes my teeth. Litterly makes me open wide and brushes for me. Now I love her and all but I prefer to handle my own dental hygiene if it's all the same to her." Sakura - "Oh." Nina - "Well, no use putting it off." (Nina crawls out of bed in her nightgown and walks off) "Might as well face the bath. I'm feeling rather frisky right now anyway. See ya' around." Sakura - "Sure. And Nina? I'm sorry." Nina - "For what?" Sakura - "Nothing. I'm just--- sorry--- that's all." "Shake it off." Nina remarks, saluting Sakura as she walks out the door, "It's better that way for all of us if you'd just shake it off." "Easy for you to say." Sakura remarks glumly, waiting a few seconds before leaving Nina's room. "May our love give us strength to carry on even at our darkest moments." * * * * * * Keiko leans back in her chair positioned in front of the door leading out with a strange expression on her face. "She'll never believe it, she'll never believe it..." The door opens and in walks Mirra-chan, groceries in hand. Mirra - "I'm home! Everything for dinner was easy to get and..." "Hey, Mirra-chan." "Keiko? What are you doing---?" Mirra gasps silently to herself, noticing for the first time how mature and worldly Keiko appeared. Everything about her from her orderly hairdo to her strong legs caught Mirra's attention. 'She's--- beautiful---' Mirra thought to herself excitedly, 'Not as beautiful as Hikaru-chan but she's---' "Nice hat by the way." Mirra snaps to attention as Keiko's voice brings her back to reality. "Tomoyo made that for you, right? Rabbit? Sorta like one Sakura had?" "The cap is a different color and there's a stripe of fur down the center---" (blushes slightly) "What are you doing? Where's Sakura-Papa?" Keiko - "She's in the garden" Mirra - "She doesn't like gardening." Keiko - "I know." Mirra-chan dashes past Keiko without waiting for a longer explanation. "Told them that wasn't going to cut it. (Heh, "cut it", now I'm talking in clich?---)" In the huge living room (with gigantic glass doors leading into a sunny place with a table/chairs set up to enjoy a good day out in the yard) Mirra-chan found Tomoyo/Sakura. They had set up a huge blanket on the ground and a chair, Tomoyo was busy cutting Sakura's hair a little shorter while (to one side) Nina runs her hand through her own recently cut hair. "Is there something wrong?" Tomoyo asked. "No, no, Tomoyo. I'm just admiring it. Have to keep it a certain style for shooting my scenes in Pink Panties dontcha' know... if we ever get back to filming it." "HI!" Mirra-chan gasped, looking on in awe at how comfortable and relaxed Sakura looked under Tomoyo's gentle hands. "What--- uh--- hi Tomoyo-mama, Sakura-papa, uh--- hi?" "I was cutting Nina's hair as a favor to her and Sakura-papa wanted a trim." (leans close and rubs her cheek to Sakura's cheek) "Right?" "---uh-huh---" (Sakura blushes under the attention) "---wow---" (Mirra looked excited watching Sakura getting her hair cut, as her thoughts raced---) 'Is that how they show affection? Maybe--- oh goddess, I wish Hikaru-chan would cut my hair!!' she thought with a gleeful breathless giggle. Tomoyo looked over Mirra and motioned for her to come closer, "Want me to cut your hair next? (You could use a little trim)" Mirra - "CAN YOU???" Tomoyo - "Uh-huh." "OK!" (Mirra silently curses herself for blurting out the answer so frantically) Tomoyo - "I'm almost done so have a seat and your next." As Mirra sits next to Nina, her hands begin to tremble. "Never had a haircut before?" "Uh..." (touches her hair) "Actually I never needed one before. My hair never grew before." Nina - "Oh, really? Well it's not that scary (though you better keep a check on your pubic hair just in case that starts growing awkwardly). Just relax and follow Tomoyo's instructions and you'll do fine." Mirra, already not looking all that comfortable after Nina's comments, said only "Right." Minutes later Sakura steps down (with a loving kiss from Tomoyo) and it's Mirra's turn. "It's your first trim so I'm going to just even up the ends and not do too much first time out. Is that OK with you?" "--o---o---okay---" Mirra stammers. As Mirra relaxes, and lets Tomoyo work, her cheeks redden. 'If only it was Hikaru-chan, I'd be in HEAVEN!! Sigh---' Eliza walks in with sodas for everyone. "Command sent a new batch of things to watch on the cinema mode of the holochamber. Why don't we take a break tonight , pick some movies, and watch them?" Nina - "Sounds like a plan to me, eh?" "There isn't another thing about me in there---" Sakura lament. Tomoyo - "But Sakura-chan, you're my favorite movie star!" "---tomo-chan---"(Sakura blushes from the compliment) * * * * * * Outside, watching from the backyard lawn, she watches them talking as Tomoyo continues to cut Mirra's hair for her. "Voyeurism isn't something the school board approves of." Kaho Mitsuki sighs as she already knows who's behind her, but only by voice recognition. "Of all the people in the world, you're the only one who still manages to surprise even me." "What can I say? I don't like people knowing what I'm going to do before I do it." Keiko hisses, stepping out from her hiding place as she does. "Shocked?" "I saw you inside waiting for Mirra-chan." Keiko - "Oh, that..." * * * * * * Eve gingerly pulls the illusion ring off, Keiko's form sliding away as her own returns. "I can never get used to Keiko's short buzzcut hair---" (runs a hand through her long flowing hair) "Though it is dreadfully cute on her." * * * * * * Keiko - "I thought we agreed you would NOT make a repeat performance?" Kaho frowned, "At no point did I ever promise I wouldn't return." Keiko - "At no point did you ever NOT promise to stay out of the way either! Or don't you remember the long chain of chaos you strung in your path that I had to clean up to even come near to the peace we're in now." Kaho - "Your still angry over the---" Keiko - "Yes I'm still angry over the 53rd Card incident. Why shouldn't I be?" (watches Ms. Mitsuki walk past her) "You know as well as I do that there should NEVER have been a 53rd card! And where do you think you're going? I could just as well call for Tomoyo's body---" (Ms. Mitsuki draws a door handle from her pocket, clicks it into the wall leading to the street, and turns the handle opening a door inside the wall. With wide eyes, Keiko watches Kaho step through the door, and close it behind her, handle disappearing.) "---Dimensional Door Handle. Sheesh---" (silence is all that remains as Keiko looks about at the now empty garden) "---she's been shopping at all the right places lately." * * * * * * The next day (Northwest High) Nina runs her hand through her hair again as she looks about herself, hand poised to open the door to the janitorial room, "Slick." she silently whispers (mostly to admire her hair again) as she opens the door, however not unseen as someone rounds the corner as she enters. "Hey! That's restricted! You can't go in there!" (opens door) "You have to..." (Nothing inside) "...come out of---?" Below the school, the hidden elevator stops at the Command level letting Nina out. Eliza - "So did you...?" "Of course." (pulls fast food breakfast out of pouch she had slung over her shoulder) "Breakfast." As the two sit down in the monitoring room, Eliza pokes her food abit. "Considering our occupation maybe we should eat a healthier (or at least homemade) breakfast more often." Nina - "Blame Sakura, not me. She changed the time on my alarm clock (mostly out of spite for all the times I called her Snoozer) so it's her fault we're late." "Nina, didn't you change the time yourself so you could sleep later on weekend and forgot..." Nina - "Do you want to eat breakfast, or accuse me of making us late?" "Sorry." Eliza apologizes as Nina reaches over and taps a button. "Let's see how the evolving soap opera of two young Elementary school kids in love is going." Eliza facefaults, "Your not going to spy on Sakura again are you?" Mirra - "Good morning!" Hikaru - "Good morning, Mirra!" Nina - "What! What's wrong with "As Mirra-chan Turns"?" Eliza - "You're a dreadfully finicky "soap opera" watcher. Last week it was "All My Clow Cards", and now this... no shame, huh?" Nina - "And the week before that it was "General Mirra-chan". Yeah. Do you mind? I'm watching--- stop being such a dreadful stick in the mud." Hikaru - "Uh---Mirra? Did you go to Neko Toys at the mall yesterday?" "Phwee?" (Mirra was getting good at 'mirroring' some of the quirky traits of her "father" Sakura) "No. I went grocery shopping then watched movies with my family at home. Why?" Hikaru - "That's good to know. It wasn't you after all." Mirra, Nina & Eliza all blank out. "?" Mirra - "What do you mean?" "Somebody who looked a lot like you pushed over a display in front of the store." Nina was already on it. "Accessing mall security cameras. It's going to take a minute so we might as well listen to abit more before I put my report together and call Sakura about it." Mirra - "...Tomoyo-mama... cut my hair for me." At that Hikaru blushes abit, and is lead to the side by Mirra where the two talk in low whispers and seem to draw closer and closer with each word. Nina - "Eh? Computer! Focus on Mirra and increase volume!" "Increasing volume and focusing." "Aren't you going to check the security footage instead of try to pry into Mirra's lovelive?" Eliza surmises. Nina - "Yeah, yeah, but right now I wanna see if they're going to make out yet!" Eliza face faults, "---nina---" "Security Camera Footage Obtained. Standing By." "Damn." (switches to computer link) "So much for that. Scan for anyone resembling Mirra in the footage and alert me when you have a match." "Affirmative. Search will take 5.7 minutes to compare footage via search parameters." "Take your time, take your time---" Nina leans back into her chair, her eyes focused on the huge screen before her, "I have all the time in the world---" (goes back to eating) Eliza - "Is it---" Nina - "We'll see soon enough, we'll see soon enough."
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