The Past Returns

The Unspoken Anguish

Please note;

I will be addressing Kero as Cerberus while he is in his true lion form but Sakura and Tomoyo won't. instead they will be addressing him as Kero, like normal. Only Eriol will address Kero by his true name of Cerberus regardless of form, as demonstrated in the TV series and movies. I am also going to address the woman from the first movie by her original name Madoushi and not Su Yung (her English dubbed name).

I will be continuing on this pattern.

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Sakura's face became rigid as she absorbed Calista's story. "What happened to Lang?" she asked finally, breaking the room's silence. Calista stiffened at the question, unprepared to disclose more than necessary. Who did this nosy girl think she was? Charging into her home uninvited and demanding her life story. There was no way the green-eyed girl, who looked no older than thirteen, would truly understand her vendetta against Clow Reed, especially if she was told nothing but the good.

"What a stupid question," Calista spat out. Sakura winced at the outburst, half expecting a snide comeback but not this.

"Please, Calista. I just want to help you."

"Help me?" Calista snorted. "The only thing that can help is to go back in time and stop Clow from creating the Cards in the first place."

The atmosphere shifted. There was no way Sakura could do such a thing, even if she wanted. Going back in time required a ridiculous amount of energy, and success was far from guaranteed.

"How dare you ask Sakura to do such a thing!" Cerberus roared, his voice echoing through the room like thunder. His fur bristled, and his eyes glowed with fiery intensity, emphasising his protective stance over Sakura.

"Kero, please," Sakura implored, her voice steady but carrying a hint of concern. She gently placed a hand on Cerberus's back, trying to soothe the agitated guardian.

"I'm sure you would know better than most that there would be a steep price to pay," Cerberus responded, his growl lowering into a more ominous tone. The air in the room crackled with tension as if the very magic within Cerberus surged in response to the suggestion of altering time.

"I'm fully aware. I'm sure his reincarnation will happily pay the price. After all, it's as much his fault as it was my brother's," Calista answered, her voice laced with accusation as she pointed an accusing finger at Eriol.

"You leave me with no choice!" Cerberus roared, his growl resonating with a mixture of frustration and protectiveness.

"Kero, please stop," Sakura said again, her voice carrying more force, attempting to quell the escalating tension.

"I'm sorry, Calista. I just can't do what you ask for. I can't change the past," Sakura responded solemnly, her words echoing with a weight of inevitability.

"Of course, you can't," was all Calista said, her words hanging in the air like an unresolved echo. The room retained a heavy stillness, a clash of opposing desires lingering within its confines, the air charged with the unspoken turmoil of differing convictions.

Silence fell again, and Sakura surveyed the room they stood in. The furniture appeared dusty, as if untouched for centuries. Tomoyo's lessons in their years of friendship had taught her that this particular room hadn't been updated in decades.

"Have you been living here all this time?" Sakura asked, not questioning how Calista existed in this world. She had a feeling the answer would reveal itself in time. Sakura had encountered Madoushi in China, sealed away by Clow Reed for safety. It wasn't a stretch to think something similar might have happened to Calista. But then, why would Clow Reed seal away his own sister?