Sakura Kinomoto dreamed.
Of late, her dreams had been rather unusual ones. Or rather tended to be prophetic ones that heralded fundamental changes or preceding encounters with beings who would greatly alter the course of her life. It was a gift of clairvoyance that had apparently been awakened with her magic.
Of course these dreams tended to be rather enigmatic at best. And hardly at all useful.
She was standing in what appeared to be a dimly lit room. There were four people sitting around the low table in the center of the room. They were the strangest quartet that Sakura had ever seen.
Two were women. The third was definitely male. The sex of the fourth and final one was uncertain due to the heavy robes and hood that they were wearing that left that person’s features in darkness and shadow.
“I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” the man snarled. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew out a swirl of smoke. “Why should I?” he demanded petulantly. He was tall and powerfully built and appeared as rugged and primitive as they came. He was dressed in what had once might have been fine clothing but they were in tatters and threadbare now. And he even seemed to revel in his primal appearance, wearing them as proudly as a king in his finest and most majestic robes. Golden eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the others around the table and tossed a long lock of his shaggy silver hair over his shoulder. He reminded Sakura of those pictures of barbarian warriors.
The hooded one spoke in a deep and masculine voice, “This child possesses tremendous power and potential Schneider. Power that could change the world. But in order for that potential to be fully realized it must be carefully guided and shaped and channeled.” he said calmly.
“What am I? The brat’s father? She’s not MY responsibility!” the silver haired man called Schneider retorted.
“She is dangerous.”
Sakura turned to gaze upon the woman who had spoken for the first time in a cold tone of voice. She was exotic looking yet was also dressed perhaps the most normally of the four. Her clothing was modern and elegant. The expensive silk blouse and slacks and jacket, they simply emphasized her feminine figure. Her skin was tanned and her hair was long and tinted a dark green. She was beautifully and coldly aloof.
At first glance, Sakura would have guessed that she was in her early twenties. Except that when she looked closer did Sakura suspect that she was far older than her appearance would have suggested. Despite the lack of any lines or wrinkles, the firmness and shapely form of her body, when Sakura looked at this woman, she sensed an immense weight of age hanging on this woman. It was her brilliant red eyes. They looked old. Ancient. Especially now when they were narrowed and flinty. “She is a threat to the future. We should kill her now. While we have the chance.” the woman said firmly.
Sakura felt something cold form in the pit of her stomach. This woman was casually discussing murder as if she was ordering take out.
There was a sharp bang as other woman slammed a large glass bottle of sake that she had been swigging as though it was water. “No killing Pluto. Not now. Not ever.” She growled as she glared at the other woman who had a calm almost disinterested look on her face.
Although this woman was almost as darkly tanned as the other, her hair was pure white. This color was not from age however as far as Sakura could tell. She looked roughly the same age as the other woman but they were definitely cut from a different cloth.
Her clothing was a bizarre cross between a modern dress and priestess robes … although no priestess would have the skirt cut so indecently high. She thought that Tomoyo might like the outfit though. Also she wore several necklaces and was adorned with multiple bracelets around her wrists and a few around her ankles including some earrings and rings.
She was also lounging about, sprawled casually on the floor while the woman in the modern clothes sat straight up and proper, holding herself tautly.
Sakura thought the facial tattoos were a bit odd though. It was also strange but her eyes refused to focus directly on the tattoos, it whenever she tried to stare at them, her gaze slide off them. The tattoos seemed to almost glow softly, radiating a light. And … Sakura cocked her head as she looked directly at the white haired woman. It seemed … off somehow.
It was like looking at her from different angles, things about her seemed to change. At one angle, there was a woman floating above her with wings, one dark and the other white and cold flames wreathed her. Sakura blinked and her appearance shifted again. This time, she was radiating some sort of brilliant light. Blink. Another change. The woman sitting sprawled looked more … Greek? She held some really ancient sewing instrument … a distaff if Sakura remembered correctly in one hand. Blink. The woman appeared almost normal this time. Except that she had a pair of wings herself now. One appeared to be feathered like a bird’s and another looked like a bat’s. Confused, Sakura turned away.
“She is potentially the most powerful adept the world has ever seen. More powerful than Merlin, more potent than Clow Reed even.” the hooded man continuing his discussion with the others.
Clow?
Sakura tentatively stepped closer to the hooded man, her curiosity peaked by the mention of the creator of the Clow Cards.
“She could remake the entire world if she chose to and bring back magic to this plane.” the cloaked man pressed, “That is something important. To all of us.”
His look focused on Schneider who had finished his cigarette and had fished another one from his robes. Schneider almost casually snapped his fingers and a small flicker of flame ignited from the tip of his index finger to light the cigarette. He grimaced. “Yeah, OK. That is important.” He admitted grudgingly against his will.
“Yes. Because you are a magician. And all magicians have a responsibility to magic itself. To see that it is used correctly. Wisely. And even more so, to promote it.” The mysterious stranger said pointing an accusing finger towards the sulking man.
“I SAID I’D DO IT DAMMIT!” Schneider roared, his eyes flashing with lightning and a howl of wind whipping his silver hair around.
Ignoring his companion’s tantrum, the hooded man turned to the green haired woman. “Pluto?”
“I still say she’s dangerous but if you’re so insistent … alright. I will show her what is to come.” Pluto said sulkily.
“Urd?”
“Yes. I will show her what has gone on before.” Urd promised with a nod.
“And I shall show her the now.” The hooded man said with a nod and glanced at Schneider and cocked his head.
“And I’ll show the brat the other lands. Whoopee. I’m a damn babysitter slash tour guide.” Schneider groused as he stuck a finger up his nose and rooted around.
Pluto wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Please stop that.”
Schneider removed his finger and with a leering grin, exchanged it with another one.
Pluto’s eyes narrowed. “Uncouth barbarian.” She sneered.
“And proud of it baby.” Schneider retorted with an extended tongue.
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(Posted Sun, 20 Mar 2005 15:32)
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