Book One

Chapter One
A small creature runs across Tokyo Tower, chased by a girl in a strange outfit followed by a flying teddy bear. Using magic, she summons a magic staff and transform the creature into a card. This is an adventure recorded on video tape, and the girl in the tape is Sakura Kinomoto a ten year old fourth grader that hates math and loves gym and music. She is awaken by the other being in the tape, Kero-chan the one viewing the video. She takes the video tape, gets ready for school and wishes goodbye to her father and picture of dead mother before catching up with her older brother and his best friend Yukito, a boy Sakura has a major crush on. They go to school and Yukito gives Sakura a piece of candy, much to the delight of Tomoyo, Sakura's slightly weird best friend who loves to record her 'cuteness' on video and was the one to record Sakura's adventure at Tokyo Tower, as well as make the costume Sakura wore. Sakura used to be a normal girl, until she discovered a magical book in her father's study called the Clow. Keroberos, the guardian of the book fell asleep and let the cards he was guarding escape. Being that Sakura was able to unlock the book, he assigns her the job of retrieving the cards and become the Cardcaptor. Since opening the book Sakura has managed to retrieve three cards: the Windy, the Wood, and the Jump-- the card from the movie. However, Keroberos or Kero-chan has assured Sakura that there are many more cards and Sakura must capture all of them to prevent disaster from befalling the world. During gym, Sakura spots her brother and Yukito at the neighboring high school and while trying to get a look at her crush a huge wind kicks up, knocking everyone down. Tomoyo goes to see if Sakura is okay and Sakura asks her friend if she saw anything strange. Tomoyo says no while Sakura says she saw a giant bird, one she thinks might be one of the magic cards to escape the Clow Book.

Chapter Two
Sakura returns home from school with Tomoyo to ask Kero-chan about the bird she saw at school. Like Sakura suspected, Kero-chan believes the bird to be a Clow Card and suggests they go back to the school to try to find it. Tomoyo is delighted with the idea since she has the perfect costume for Sakura to wear. Sakura's father comes to give the girls a treat and nearly catches Sakura's secret with Kero-chan. After he leaves they head for school and meet up with Tomoyo and her all female bodyguards. The guards leave and Sakura goes into the school for a moment to drop off her inline skates. Kero-chan senses the Clow Card nearby when the wind picks up again and the bird once again appears. Kero-chan tells them that the bird is the Fly Card. Sakura summons her magic wand and calls on the help of her other card Windy, but Kero-chan tells her not to. But is too late and Windy is thrown back at her and Sakura is blown in the air, caught in the last second by Kero-chan. Failing in the capture, Sakura and Kero-chan return home. Kerochan explains that Fly is a wind attribute card, and Windy was too gentle in personality to fight it. All cards, Kero-chan explains, have distinct personalities and strengths. But Kero finds it odd that Fly, a normally gentle card, would be so dangerous. She goes to sleep and dreams that the Fly card is injured when her father wakes her up because she is late. She goes to leave when she realizes she forgot her skates! She asks her brother for a ride and when she realizes Yukito is not joining them, asks to stop by the high school to see him. Today he is helping out with the archery club and when he goes over to talk to Sakura and her brother Touya, the wind picks up again and the Fly card returns. Touya protects her, but Sakura notices the bird sounds like it is crying. That evening Sakura, Kerochan and Tomoyo return to school to attempt to capture it. Sakura uses Wood to create a net and Jump to jump onto Fly. She tells it she will help and the bird shrinks down to normal and returns to its card form. Sakura asks how she can heal the injured card and Kero-chen tells her to put it in the book after she signs it. She does as she is told and the card is returned to normal and gives her the power to fly in the air.

Chapter Three
Sakura and her friends are eating outside and discussing their lessons when one of her friends tells a story that something in the school's pool grabbed her sister. Sakura begins to freak about because what is being described sounds like a ghost and Sakura hates ghosts. During Gym Sakura's class are at the pool and after diving in, she forgets all about her friend's story. However after hearing her friend Chiharu scream, she goes to try to help and sees a band of water holding onto her friend's leg. Sakura tries to break it when the band of water grabs her too. Sakura wakes up to learn that she nearly drowned but Tomoyo managed to save her. Sakura talks with Kero-chan about the pool and the guardian beast suspects it's a Clow Card. Suddenly Touya and Yukito come home and Sakura offers to make Yukito some of the pancakes she bought with her allowance. Sakura is delighted with seeing Yukito again and Kerochan has to remind her of her mission as a Cardcaptor. Kero-chan asks more questions about the pool and deduces that the card is Watery, one of the high level element cards, but a card so powerful that her current cards wouldn't be able to fight it. The next day at school there are reports of more attacks in the pool and Sakura is still trying to figure out how to capture it. While investigation at the pool, Yukito comes over to say hi and invites her out for shaved ice as thanks for the pancakes. Hearing 'ice' Sakura suddenly realizes how to capture Watery and after thanking Yukito runs home to tell Kero-chan. That evening they return to the pool and after calling Tomoyo to confirm her plan, confronts Watery and gets it to chase her. She lures it to the home economics room and into the class's freezer. Using Windy to excellorate the process, freezes Watery into ice and seals it. When Kero-chan asks how she came up with the idea to freeze Watery, she explains Yukito gave her the idea and then she freezes in happiness.

Chapter Four
Before cheerleading practice Naoko says she saw a ghost in Penguin Park when she was walking home. Hating ghosts, Sakura freaks out and can't concentrate during practice and accidently sends one of her pompoms into a tree. When she goes to retrieve it, she uses a Clow Card to get to it and hears Tomoyo at choir practice. After her practice Tomoyo spots Sakura in a tree and they discuss her singing. Remembering Naoko's story, Sakura asks Tomoyo to walk her home. After club, a group of Sakura and her friends walk by Penguin Park. Suddenly something appears from the lake and girls run off screaming, but all describe different things. Sakura tells Kero-chan about the lake experience and Kero asks how Sakura can be so cowardly around ghosts but be fine with Clow Cards, Sakura explains she doesn't like what she can't understand and she doesn't understand ghosts at all. However, Kerochan doesn't know if it's a Clow Card or not just from what Sakura described. Sakura is called downstairs for dinner and spots a picture of her deceased mother she had not seen before. Though she had been dead for years, Sakura still loves and misses her. She also notices Touya is not home and her father says he is at work. Sakura goes back upstairs to give Kero-chan Touya's pudding when she spots a fax from Tomoyo inviting her to a festival being held in Penguin Park. They go together with Touya and Yukito and Touya gets them snacks. As it turns out Yukito eats a lot and is almost always hungry. Suddenly a bunch of girls come out screaming saying they saw something scary at the lake, once again all describing different things. After the festival, Sakura and Tomoyo return with Kero-chan to see if the thing in the lake is a Clow Card. Tomoyo gives Sakura a cell phone that sends text messages when Sakura is underwater. Sakura uses the Watery to create an air bubble and dives into the lake. When she reaches the bottom she sees something she never excepted: her mother.

Chapter Five
Tomoyo and Kero-chan receive a message from Sakura 'Mother is here' which they cannot believe since Sakura's mother has been dead for years. Down below the lake, Sakura is thrilled to see her mother and gives her a hug. Sensing something is not right, Kero-chan tries to get to her, but something blocks him. Tomoyo attempts to go in after Sakura when someone beats her to it. Though Sakura is happy to see her mother she realizes she is drowning but the phantom of her mom refuses to let go. Just when she feels she is a goner, someone grabs for her. When she wakes up, she finds herself in Yukito's house and is told that her clothes were changed by his grandmother. He said he was passing by and saw her in the lake and saved her. Tomoyo caught a ride home with her bodyguards, but Yukito had to call Touya to let him know what happened. Touya was not upset and Sakura is relieved and just before she falls asleep again tells Yukito about seeing her mother's ghost in the lake and wonder if she needed her help. Yukito tells her if that was really her mother, she'd never put Sakura in any danger. Touya comes over to pick up Sakura and Yukito tells him what Sakura said about her mother and asks Touya if he saw her too. As it turns out Touya has spiritual powers and can see ghosts, and the things he told to Sakura gave her her phobia of ghosts, and though he saw his mother he did not see her in the lake. The next day Tomoyo comes over to see if Sakura is okay and Kero-chan apologizes for both failing to protect her, and for putting her in so much danger by making her the Cardcaptor. Sakura is not upset with him and apologizes to the two for them for messing up and ruining Tomoyo's things. Tomoyo is of course more worried about her friend than her things and asks Sakura about her text message 'mother is here'. Sakura explains she saw her mother in the lake, and Tomoyo comments that everyone saw something different. Kero-chan suggests they skip this card, but Sakura is determined to see this through and find out if her mother is in trouble. They return to the lake, but this time everyone sees Sakura's mother. Sakura asks her mother if she needs her help, and her mother responds by trying to drag her underwater. At first Sakura thinks her mother wants her with her but remembers what Yukito said about her mother not wanting to see her hurt. She realizes her mother is a fake and the illusion is broken. Kero realizes it really is a Clow Card, one known as the Illusion. She uses Watery to seperate the lake and grabs the card and seals it. Kero explains the card shows what's in a person's heart, hence why everyone saw different things inside the lake. Sakura desperately wanted to see her mother and when she did the strength of her feelings blocked anyone from saving her, but Sakura is grateful her mother wasn't alone and scared inside the lake. The next day Sakura heads off to school, once again late. But before leaving she looks at the picture of her mother and says goodbye to her. Just then Touya sees the spirit of his mother watching over Sakura and she tells him she was needed a little bit this time.