[Oct 20] [Cardcaptor Sakura] Speculation Over Sweets

[archangelunmei.livejournal.com]

Title: Speculation Over Sweets

Day/Theme: October 20, 2008 ~ gingerbread

Series: Cardcaptor Sakura

Character/Pairing: Rika, Chiharu, Naoko

Rating: G

Word count: 1,106

Summary: Sometimes the background characters are smarter than you give them credit for.

A/N: So… I finally gave in and ordered the complete set of CCS DVDs online. Since I received them earlier today, I’ve been totally overdosing on fluff and the Adorable that is Sakura. For some reason, I started thinking about the ‘sidekicks’, Rika, Chiharu and Naoko. They’re involved with the Clow Card adventures fairly often, and yet never seem to think anything terribly odd is going on. Granted, half the time they don’t remember, but still, let’s give them some credit. And thus this fic was born…. No particular timeline, mostly anime-verse sans Meilynn.

~*~

Snow was falling early in December, and the students of Japan had switched to their winter uniforms just in time. As Tomoeda turned white, a rash of sudden sniffles had swept through the town.

Kinomoto Sakura, like nearly everyone else, had come down with a cold within a few days of the sudden weather change. But hers hadn’t gotten better, and had in fact taken a turn into a case of bronchitis. She would be okay, but she was staying home from school for several days to rest. Her father and brother still had work, so Tomoyo had hurried over directly after school to take care of her friend.

It was Rika who came up with the idea first.

”Ne, ne, Naoko-chan, Chiharu-chan, we should take Sakura-chan some sweets to cheer her up and let her know we miss her.”

Naoko smiled, and Chiharu clapped her hands. “That’s a great idea! We can go to my house, my mother lets me bake things all the time, so we can use the kitchen. Can we do it now?”

Neither of the others had anything else to do, so they bundled up in their coats and scarves and headed for Chiharu’s house. They were so excited about the prospect of making sweets for Sakura that they hardly felt the cold. It wasn’t long before they’d piled into the warm entry way, pulling off their shoes and coats, chattering excitedly about what they could make.

”We’ll have to see what kind of supplies we have,” Chiharu spoke over her shoulder as she led the way to the kitchen. “My mother made pancakes yesterday, so I’m not sure if we have any chocolate chips or not…”

”That’s okay, we can make something else,” Naoko insisted. “Something warm. It got cold so fast….”

Rika nodded thoughtfully, then her eyes lit up. “What about gingerbread? That’s good in the winter. I learned a good recipe from….” She trailed off into a blush, and Naoko and Chiharu giggled.

”Okay!” Chiharu recovered from her giggle fit. “Gingerbread sounds great! Here, I’ll get the extra aprons.”

Soon, the kitchen was caught in a flurry of activity as the three girls set about baking. Their chatter ranged everywhere from what Yamazaki-kun would say if he was here (“Probably something about how gingerbread used to be used in the glue that holds the pyramids together!” Chiharu huffed) to what kanji would be on their next exam. But after awhile, once the first batch of gingerbread men were in the oven, they had time to plop down onto stools around the counter and take a rest.

”I hope Sakura-chan feels better soon,” Naoko sighed, putting her chin in her hands. “School just isn’t the same without her cheerful smile…”

Rika nodded, absently playing with some of the leftover gingerbread dough. “I know… Even Li-kun seems more moody since she’s not here.”

Chiharu giggled again. “Li-kun is always moody!”

The other two laughed with her, but then Rika frowned. “You know last week, right before Sakura-chan got really sick? I just remembered I saw her that night.”

The other two blinked at her in surprise. “You did?! Where?”

Rika frowned harder, trying to remember. “I was out shopping, and she ran by on the other side of the street. She really looked like she was in a hurry. I called out to her, but she must not have heard me, because she didn’t stop. I thought it was strange for her to be running around out in the snow, because she already had the sniffles.” She blinked again. “Now that I think about it…. You know that plush toy she always has with her?”

Chiharu and Naoko both nodded immediately. “Yeah, that little yellow bear with the wings. Did Li-kun give it to her?”

Naoko shook her head. “No, I remember she had it before Li-kun transferred here. Maybe Tomoyo-chan gave it to her…. Anyway, what about it, Rika-chan?”

Rika was still frowning. “I know this will sound crazy but… when Sakura-chan ran by me… I think the plushie was flying.”

Her friends both blinked at her again. “Flying? Like someone threw it? How mean!”

”No.” Rika shook her head. “I mean it was flying, beside her. It followed her.” She was still playing with the gingerbread dough, absently forming it into a little winged plushie cookie.

All three of them were quiet for a minute, thinking about that.

”You know….” Naoko hesitated, thinking. “Weird things do always seem to happen when Sakura-chan is around…”

”You’re right… Like the broach I lost…” Rika nodded. “She said I must have dropped it, but I dunno….”

”Yeah, and that test of courage at the beach…”

“And that ghost behind the school. I heard Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan went to see it again after we did, and after that no one ever saw it again.”

”But… if Sakura-chan is involved in all that somehow, what does it mean?”

”Well, you know…” Naoko spoke up. “I heard that the reason Sakura-chan is afraid of ghosts is because her older brother can see them.”

”He can see ghosts?!” Chiharu squealed, shivering in fear. “Do you think it’s true, Naoko-chan? You know about things like that!”

Naoko shrugged. “I don’t know, I’ve never gotten the chance to talk to Sakura’s older brother. But if that’s true, then maybe Sakura has some kind of powers too!”

”Like the power to make plushies come alive?” Rika sounded skeptical.

”Well, what do you think it was, Rika-chan?”

Rika sighed. “I don’t know… Maybe Sakura-chan does have some sort of powers.”

Chiharu frowned. “Should we ask her when we go to give her the gingerbread? If all those weird things have to do with her, maybe she’s in danger….”

The three hesitated, looking at each other.

Finally Rika sighed, putting the tail on the gingerbread Kero-chan. “….She and Tomoyo-chan are always together. If anything was happening to Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan is sure to know about it. And Li-kun is always near them to. I think… I think if Sakura-chan knew we knew she had powers, she’d just worry about us.”

”That’s true….” Chiharu stared down at her hands. “Sakura-chan is always so bright and cheerful. I’m sure Tomoyo-chan and Li-kun can keep her safe.”

Naoko smiled. “And we can just be good friends for her when she needs us. If she decides to tell us what’s going on someday, we’ll be ready for it, right?”

All three of them nodded firmly, and smiled. “Until then, let’s make sure Sakura-chan keeps her bright smile.”

They grinned at each other, and descended into chaos again as the timer on the oven went off.