Chapter Text
This would be such a good place for a date, she thinks, blushing slightly at the idea. We could sit right there, in the grass under the willow, and enjoy the peaceful scenery of the lake, the delicate scent of the lotus flowers in full bloom and the soft sound of the water lapping at the sand.
She sits, as if to test her idea, and closes her eyes, pretending he is with her right now and not half a continent away. It's a hot, heavy day, and she appreciates the shadow under the tree and the breath of fresh air coming from the water, brushing her wild hair from her face. It will not be long before she sees him again, she knows, but even a week so far apart hurts. She takes her phone out of her bag and fiddles with the idea of calling or texting, but decides against it. He's with family and she should not disturb him. Besides, it's not like she has anything important to tell him. These days anytime she calls he answers with urge and anxiety in his voice. It makes her sad that he worries so much.
Today is the first time in a long while that Sakura is left to her own devices. Her dad and brother are at work, Kero is occupied at home and refuses to move beyond a three meters radius from the air conditioner, all her friends have things to do and Syaoran is back home in Hong Kong. She doesn't mind the alone time, it's a nice change of pace. Especially since they all keep asking her how she feels constantly.
She watches the dance of the dragonflies in the sunlight, their wings glittering as they come and go around the lotus flowers. This place gives her a feeling of peace and contentment, as a small world in and of itself,a tiny universe of respite from the chaos of her life. How nice would it be to jump across the lily pads, to make friends with the koi fishes and butterflies ? As night comes, to dance amongst the fireflies ? She could just about picture it, a dress made of lotus petals, shining in the moonlight, and the music of crickets, toads and owls to lead her right into the spirit of summer.
Sakura gets up and walks to the edge of the water. She wants to smell the lotus, to make the illusion last just a bit longer, just a bit further.
She should have known better.
The pull and tug of magic at work throws her off balance and she tumbles face first into the water. She braces for impact, but instead of meeting the earth under the shallow water, she finds herself fading through the liquid without end. She opens her eyes, looking up to the rays of light piercing the liquid like golden swords, and swims, soon emerging again. She must have fallen further from the edge than she had thought, as she cannot see it from where she is. She spots the lily pads and lotus flowers. These grow next to the edge of the water, where it is shallow and quiet, she thinks, and goes that way. Maybe whatever magic is at work here dropped her right in the middle of the lake.
The swim is longer still than she had thought, and the shapes of the green seems just as unreachable as when she started. Her muscles ache, and Sakura stops. It's time to think more practically. She could fly there, but she doesn't know if the flight card likes water. Most likely it doesn't, with its delicate shape and texture.
«Release !»
No, the most efficient card here would not be flight.
«Aqua ! Push me to the lily pads !»
It's a good thing the area is deserted. She soars through the water, pushed by the magic of aqua, and finally reaches the greenery. It's enormous. Either the world has suddenly grown ten times bigger, or she is now fairy sized. With a final push, aqua gets her to stand on a lily pad and dissolves, its work done. Sakura thanks it.
She knows that the only way to get back to get normal size is to catch the card responsible. She understands now, what she suspected for a while is true. She does create the cards as she wishes for things. It doesn't have to be a strong wish, or even an articulate one, it can be a curiosity or a vague feeling, and that's how she makes the cards. She wonders if anyone else knows, if that's why everybody worries about her. But it makes sense that she would be the only one capable of sensing the clear cards. She senses her own magic. It's scary, dangerous that any thing she could think of might materialise. What if someone gets hurt because she had mused about volcanoes or meteorites ? It is enough to make anyone feel anxious.
The wind blows the lotus perfume in her face, and so close to the flowers the powerful scent is intoxicating. Sakura breathes in deeply and looks up at the dragonflies. Magic is magic, there is no reason to let it scare her. Sure, she doesn't understand what is happening to her, and she misses Syaoran badly, but even alone there is no reason to be so gloomy. She has always dealt with the cards, this is no different from the usual shenanigans.
She closes her eyes, feeling the magic, trying to pinpoint its exact location. It feels close, inside the jungle of lotus flowers. Sakura bounces across the lily pads, laughing softly at the strange elasticity they offer in her smaller size. The magic turns as playful as her, and evades as she closes in, hiding amongst the greenery in a winding hide and seek game. She can glimpse it from the corner of her eye, but never quite catch up.
«Labyrinth !»
This should even the playing field, she thinks. The plants are now arranging themselves to trap the rogue card in dead ends, twisting and turning to reroute it back to Sakura. It fights and evades but eventually she gets a clear view of the little trickster.
«Force without master, heed the call of my staff of dreams, and become my power ! Secure ! »
The card obediently turns back and she only has time to glimpse at it before the magic that made her small dispels and she falls through the lily pads and lotus flowers right into the shallow waters of the lake. Untangled in the long stems and large leaves, it takes her a while to sort herself out and finally stumble out, drenched and dirty. She looks down on her ruined outfit and thinks, maybe it was not such a bad thing that Syaoran sat this one out. Or Tomoyo, for that matters. She picks up her abandoned bag and cover on the lake side and walks home.
In a week she could see him again. And for now, she has a fun story to tell, which is an excellent excuse to text him. She smiles.