storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2009-01-11 02:28 am
storypaint) wrote2009-01-11 02:28 am
Thirteen Nightmares (Eriol gen)
Title: Thirteen Nightmares
Length: 1693 words
Prompt:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
the_lucky13: 13 nightmares you've had or wouldn't want to have
Pairing: n/a
Other: Character death: 05-11. Thirteen canon AUs. These nightmares consist of 13 places where canon could have deviated, spoiling Eriol's plans. He dreamed them at various times before going to Tomoeda. All quoted language comes directly from the source text (manga) until the plot deviates.
Excerpt: The Clow Cards are thrown away when she moves into her first apartment with Syaoran. She digs them out of her desk while looking for some old papers she needs, and she doesn't recognize the book at first.
1. missed opportunity
It is dark and cool in the basement, and Sakura doesn't quite remember what drew her down here. She runs a hand along the bookshelf, enjoying the feel of leather against her fingers, and a hangnail catches the end of a book.
She pulls it out of the shelf and looks at the cover. "The Clow," she reads, in heavy English lettering. Probably something for one of Dad's classes. He teaches all sorts of archaelogy classes at the university.
She thinks about opening it and hesitates, her hand on the corner. She probably shouldn't. It looks old. It's probably important.
So she carefully reshelves it and goes back upstairs. Cerberus turns over in his sleep without making a sound.
2. incorrect inheritance
"Well, how do you know about the Clow Cards anyway?" Sakura asked shakily.
"None of your business," Syaoran said gruffly. "I'll search for the rest, give them to me."
"Okay," she said after a long, her face down. "You... you know what you're doing. It's your inheritance."
"Of course it is," Syaoran said, grinning slightly. He tucked the Clow Book under his arm and walked away.
3. misjudgment
"Evil will befall this world!" Yue says, his voice tinged with sorrow, and he strings the arrow. He holds his position for a long moment, staring at her. He doesn't let his Yukito-feelings interfere with his job, but those nerves are screaming.
The moment stretches thin. He has the vague feeling that he is waiting for something, but there is nothing to wait for. She was not capable. She never would be.
He fires and he can see green, green eyes before the world breaks and falls apart.
4. failure to finish
The Clow Cards are thrown away when she moves into her first apartment with Syaoran. She digs them out of her desk while looking for some old papers she needs, and she doesn't recognize the book at first.
Sakura blows the dust off and looks at the cover. "Clow," she reads aloud, and then smiles with nostalgia. That had been an interesting game, all right. And Tomoyo had taped her fake adventures, and Syaoran had played her rival before he decided it was more fun to be on her side. And there was the darkness....
What darkness? That's an odd thought.
Those were the days of youthful imagination. But not something she would need now. Her childhood was over. Vivid games were done.
*
Thousands of miles away, Eriol looks up from his book and shivers. He has an odd moment of loss, but he doesn't know why.
5. sleeping
They hold the funeral on a cold, grey day-- just Touya, Sakura, and Cerberus. It isn't much of a funeral-- there isn't anything to bury. They stride among the tombstones near Nadeshiko's grave. Yukito has no grave marker. No one else seems to remember him being alive.
Touya's eyes burn with cold fire and he says, "Why didn't he tell me?" Sakura isn't listening. Tears drip hotly down her face.
I stand perfectly still as they walk near my tree, forgetting that they can't see me, wishing I could come out and hold Sakura's hand to comfort her.
My tears drip invisibly onto the grass after they go by, and I wonder again if this is worth it.
6. slippery slope
"There is something I want, Cerberus," I say, struggling to keep my smile. His hurt is in his eyes and those eyes seem to fill my entire vision. I reel and Ruby Moon glances sideways, worried.
I raise the staff to begin the final trial and several hundred pounds of lion-creature hit me across the middle. I fall for a long time.
7. accident
"If the night is not lifted by the time dawn comes... the people of this city will sleep forever," I say.
She doesn't want to kill me, and she isn't trying to kill me. Not Sakura. But fear-- and then anger-- bubbles up and stands in the dimness like a living wall of emotion. It is magic, crackling like errant lightning.
She isn't trying to kill me, but the magic flares off and I stumble, my feet slipping on the girder. Ruby Moon reaches for me, but my fingers slip past her and I am falling again again again forever.
That's one way to break the spell, but not the one I expected. She isn't trying to kill me, really. It is, in the end, just an accident.
8. broken doll
"Why don't we play a bit, to put her in the mood?"
Spinelsun knows to hold back a little-- just a little. Kero is still in great shape, even after all these years, but my panther is just a little stronger. He knows to conduct the dance with utmost care.
So I don't believe it when Cerberus falls to the ground, sighing, and doesn't move. Not at first.
9. chosen
"Clow, if you were going to be reborn, why did you make us choose a new master?" Yue asks, his pain raw in his voice.
"Meh. Well, if Yue's here, guess I should be his opponent," Ruby says, yawning a bit. She is playing her part well.
She begins to gesture, the power flowing to her hands. Yue doesn't move, even as she slashes at him. I lift my hand, crying out in alarm, but I am too late.
He doesn't drop his gaze until his body slides to the ground, the life pouring from his neck.
10. catch you catch me
I lash out with my staff and she throws Watery and Shield. Good choices, both, but they won't affect me at such a range. She does just as I hoped she will and summons Jump.
"Two more," I mutter. This is going quite well. I strike out again, but this time she falls. Syaoran looks up at her, muttering a spell in desperation, but he cannot summon in such a state and falls to the ground, succumbing to my sleep. I am surprised he has lasted this long, though I understand why.
When Sakura hits the ground, it is a very little sound, but everything stops, and this isn't what I wanted at all.
11. not enough
She's figured it out, as I knew she would. She's a smart girl, my co-reincarnate's daughter. The Light and the Dark, with Cerberus and Yue to power it. And her invincible spell, of course.
She makes the new staff and Syaoran drags himself forward to help. It is... somewhat unexpected, how things have worked out here. My eyes dart sideways to Sakura's brother. By all rights, he should have been awake for this too. But destiny isn't fixed, is it? I hadn't anticipated my blood relative being here for this, but Li's always surprised Clow a little.
His hands rest next to hers on the staff, and the cards glow for a long moment before falling dark, falling down.
I can see the fear in her green, green eyes for just an instant before the night reigns.
12. dark
"Well, it is peaceful now," I say, my voice muffled and heavy in the dark. Sakura looks at me, tears rising in her eyes, and says, "Why did you do this?"
She falls to her knees in the darkness that has engulfed everyone, leaving only the two of them visible. There is no sensation of the concrete on which she has been standing. There is no sensation at all. There is one confused Cardcaptor and the boy she thought was her friend.
"I never dreamed that you wouldn't win," I say.
"What do we do now?" she asks. "What can we do, Eriol-kun?"
I lean down beside her and put my hand on her shoulder. I look into her eyes and she can see the pain I have been hiding.
"Nothing," I say. "There is nothing we can do. You have failed to prevent the chaos I have caused, and they are all gone."
"It can't be," she says, wiping away tears that began to fall faster.
I do not reply, but I pull her into my arms and let her cry.
"I trusted you!" she says after a moment, her hand tightening on my shoulder enough to make me wince.
So I lean forward and whisper in her ear, "I trusted you, dear Sakura-chan, with the world."
I hold her as the darkness swallows us.
13. what I want
"I have a request for you, Sakura," I say, heartbeat pounding in my throat. I keep my outer calm, of course. I have to.
"I want you to cast a spell on your father and me."
"Why do you want me to cast a spell on Dad?" she says, and there's a note of suspicion in her voice.
"You are the only one who can do it, actually," I reply. "Don't worry. It's not a spell that will hurt him."
For a long moment, Fujitaka looks at Eriol, and so does Sakura. Her face is blank, but then her jaw tightens.
"Haven't I done enough for your sake, Hiiragizawa-kun?" she says softly, turning away. "I think, perhaps... you'd better go."
My stoic expression breaks and I stare at her back with utmost desperation in my eyes. Her shoulders shake a little. She sniffles. Fujitaka gives me an accusing look and moves to comfort his daughter. Syaoran and Tomoyo crowd around.
I look at Ruby Moon and Spinelsun and they look back at me.
"What did you hope to accomplish, Eriol?" Spinelsun says in his gruff whisper. I open my mouth to speak, but I can't, disappointment choking my throat.
"Nothing," I say very quietly, and walk into a future I already know. It is a lonely thing indeed.
Length: 1693 words
Prompt:
the_lucky13: 13 nightmares you've had or wouldn't want to havePairing: n/a
Other: Character death: 05-11. Thirteen canon AUs. These nightmares consist of 13 places where canon could have deviated, spoiling Eriol's plans. He dreamed them at various times before going to Tomoeda. All quoted language comes directly from the source text (manga) until the plot deviates.
Excerpt: The Clow Cards are thrown away when she moves into her first apartment with Syaoran. She digs them out of her desk while looking for some old papers she needs, and she doesn't recognize the book at first.
1. missed opportunity
It is dark and cool in the basement, and Sakura doesn't quite remember what drew her down here. She runs a hand along the bookshelf, enjoying the feel of leather against her fingers, and a hangnail catches the end of a book.
She pulls it out of the shelf and looks at the cover. "The Clow," she reads, in heavy English lettering. Probably something for one of Dad's classes. He teaches all sorts of archaelogy classes at the university.
She thinks about opening it and hesitates, her hand on the corner. She probably shouldn't. It looks old. It's probably important.
So she carefully reshelves it and goes back upstairs. Cerberus turns over in his sleep without making a sound.
2. incorrect inheritance
"Well, how do you know about the Clow Cards anyway?" Sakura asked shakily.
"None of your business," Syaoran said gruffly. "I'll search for the rest, give them to me."
"Okay," she said after a long, her face down. "You... you know what you're doing. It's your inheritance."
"Of course it is," Syaoran said, grinning slightly. He tucked the Clow Book under his arm and walked away.
3. misjudgment
"Evil will befall this world!" Yue says, his voice tinged with sorrow, and he strings the arrow. He holds his position for a long moment, staring at her. He doesn't let his Yukito-feelings interfere with his job, but those nerves are screaming.
The moment stretches thin. He has the vague feeling that he is waiting for something, but there is nothing to wait for. She was not capable. She never would be.
He fires and he can see green, green eyes before the world breaks and falls apart.
4. failure to finish
The Clow Cards are thrown away when she moves into her first apartment with Syaoran. She digs them out of her desk while looking for some old papers she needs, and she doesn't recognize the book at first.
Sakura blows the dust off and looks at the cover. "Clow," she reads aloud, and then smiles with nostalgia. That had been an interesting game, all right. And Tomoyo had taped her fake adventures, and Syaoran had played her rival before he decided it was more fun to be on her side. And there was the darkness....
What darkness? That's an odd thought.
Those were the days of youthful imagination. But not something she would need now. Her childhood was over. Vivid games were done.
*
Thousands of miles away, Eriol looks up from his book and shivers. He has an odd moment of loss, but he doesn't know why.
5. sleeping
They hold the funeral on a cold, grey day-- just Touya, Sakura, and Cerberus. It isn't much of a funeral-- there isn't anything to bury. They stride among the tombstones near Nadeshiko's grave. Yukito has no grave marker. No one else seems to remember him being alive.
Touya's eyes burn with cold fire and he says, "Why didn't he tell me?" Sakura isn't listening. Tears drip hotly down her face.
I stand perfectly still as they walk near my tree, forgetting that they can't see me, wishing I could come out and hold Sakura's hand to comfort her.
My tears drip invisibly onto the grass after they go by, and I wonder again if this is worth it.
6. slippery slope
"There is something I want, Cerberus," I say, struggling to keep my smile. His hurt is in his eyes and those eyes seem to fill my entire vision. I reel and Ruby Moon glances sideways, worried.
I raise the staff to begin the final trial and several hundred pounds of lion-creature hit me across the middle. I fall for a long time.
7. accident
"If the night is not lifted by the time dawn comes... the people of this city will sleep forever," I say.
She doesn't want to kill me, and she isn't trying to kill me. Not Sakura. But fear-- and then anger-- bubbles up and stands in the dimness like a living wall of emotion. It is magic, crackling like errant lightning.
She isn't trying to kill me, but the magic flares off and I stumble, my feet slipping on the girder. Ruby Moon reaches for me, but my fingers slip past her and I am falling again again again forever.
That's one way to break the spell, but not the one I expected. She isn't trying to kill me, really. It is, in the end, just an accident.
8. broken doll
"Why don't we play a bit, to put her in the mood?"
Spinelsun knows to hold back a little-- just a little. Kero is still in great shape, even after all these years, but my panther is just a little stronger. He knows to conduct the dance with utmost care.
So I don't believe it when Cerberus falls to the ground, sighing, and doesn't move. Not at first.
9. chosen
"Clow, if you were going to be reborn, why did you make us choose a new master?" Yue asks, his pain raw in his voice.
"Meh. Well, if Yue's here, guess I should be his opponent," Ruby says, yawning a bit. She is playing her part well.
She begins to gesture, the power flowing to her hands. Yue doesn't move, even as she slashes at him. I lift my hand, crying out in alarm, but I am too late.
He doesn't drop his gaze until his body slides to the ground, the life pouring from his neck.
10. catch you catch me
I lash out with my staff and she throws Watery and Shield. Good choices, both, but they won't affect me at such a range. She does just as I hoped she will and summons Jump.
"Two more," I mutter. This is going quite well. I strike out again, but this time she falls. Syaoran looks up at her, muttering a spell in desperation, but he cannot summon in such a state and falls to the ground, succumbing to my sleep. I am surprised he has lasted this long, though I understand why.
When Sakura hits the ground, it is a very little sound, but everything stops, and this isn't what I wanted at all.
11. not enough
She's figured it out, as I knew she would. She's a smart girl, my co-reincarnate's daughter. The Light and the Dark, with Cerberus and Yue to power it. And her invincible spell, of course.
She makes the new staff and Syaoran drags himself forward to help. It is... somewhat unexpected, how things have worked out here. My eyes dart sideways to Sakura's brother. By all rights, he should have been awake for this too. But destiny isn't fixed, is it? I hadn't anticipated my blood relative being here for this, but Li's always surprised Clow a little.
His hands rest next to hers on the staff, and the cards glow for a long moment before falling dark, falling down.
I can see the fear in her green, green eyes for just an instant before the night reigns.
12. dark
"Well, it is peaceful now," I say, my voice muffled and heavy in the dark. Sakura looks at me, tears rising in her eyes, and says, "Why did you do this?"
She falls to her knees in the darkness that has engulfed everyone, leaving only the two of them visible. There is no sensation of the concrete on which she has been standing. There is no sensation at all. There is one confused Cardcaptor and the boy she thought was her friend.
"I never dreamed that you wouldn't win," I say.
"What do we do now?" she asks. "What can we do, Eriol-kun?"
I lean down beside her and put my hand on her shoulder. I look into her eyes and she can see the pain I have been hiding.
"Nothing," I say. "There is nothing we can do. You have failed to prevent the chaos I have caused, and they are all gone."
"It can't be," she says, wiping away tears that began to fall faster.
I do not reply, but I pull her into my arms and let her cry.
"I trusted you!" she says after a moment, her hand tightening on my shoulder enough to make me wince.
So I lean forward and whisper in her ear, "I trusted you, dear Sakura-chan, with the world."
I hold her as the darkness swallows us.
13. what I want
"I have a request for you, Sakura," I say, heartbeat pounding in my throat. I keep my outer calm, of course. I have to.
"I want you to cast a spell on your father and me."
"Why do you want me to cast a spell on Dad?" she says, and there's a note of suspicion in her voice.
"You are the only one who can do it, actually," I reply. "Don't worry. It's not a spell that will hurt him."
For a long moment, Fujitaka looks at Eriol, and so does Sakura. Her face is blank, but then her jaw tightens.
"Haven't I done enough for your sake, Hiiragizawa-kun?" she says softly, turning away. "I think, perhaps... you'd better go."
My stoic expression breaks and I stare at her back with utmost desperation in my eyes. Her shoulders shake a little. She sniffles. Fujitaka gives me an accusing look and moves to comfort his daughter. Syaoran and Tomoyo crowd around.
I look at Ruby Moon and Spinelsun and they look back at me.
"What did you hope to accomplish, Eriol?" Spinelsun says in his gruff whisper. I open my mouth to speak, but I can't, disappointment choking my throat.
"Nothing," I say very quietly, and walk into a future I already know. It is a lonely thing indeed.