The Chronicles of the Card Captors

Chapter 1: Destinies Cross

By Yrenn Chiou

Genre: Fantasy

Sub-Genres: Action, Romance, Comedy

Taipei, Taiwan

"I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!" An-shui Lan complained to his friend Ryan.

Lan was preparing his textbooks for an out-of-school study class, which he felt was completely unnecessary for him.

"Sometimes I think my parents send me there just so they can get rid of me from the house."

"Aw, come on Lan, It's not that bad…I'd give anything to trade places with you." Ryan's background was not as fortunate as Lan's, and he was always awed by Lan's family's wealth. This was further reinforced by his visits to Lan's mansion. It was spectacular, one of the largest in the country, and its inside was every bit as magnificent as the outer appearance.

"What would you know about my difficulties?" Lan retorted. Lan checked himself in the mirror and patted down his hair. Lan was an extremely handsome boy, with black hair that was medium length. If it weren't for his age, Lan could easily be mistaken for a star model.

Ryan shrugged, still not convinced by Lan. Together they got into a limo, just one of over twenty limos that were always in the mansion's garage. They rode in silence most of the way. Lan ordered the driver to drop them off a ways from the study center, as he didn't want to attract too much attention. Lan signed again as they walked near the study center. Lan didn't want to go, not because he hated studying, but because his intelligence was way over whatever the study center here could teach him. According to the last diagnosis, it was determined that his knowledge was that of at least a 12th grade student, instead of the 6th grader he really was. Yet it was a fact that his parents refused to acknowledge.

"Come on, cheer up. Hey, you know I got this new fan-fiction manga of Card Captor Sakura?"

Lan's ears perked up at that. One of his favorite activities was reading manga books and watching anime, and Card Captor Sakura happened to be one of his favorites. Although the manga series was already over, there were still lots of fan-work books coming out. His dad didn't really approve however, thinking it childish, so Lan was forced to borrow manga books from Ryan.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, you want to read it?"

"Of course, thanks man."

Lan was once again grateful for having a friend like Ryan. Ryan was one of the few people who weren't frightened of the background Lan came from. Although Lan's family was extremely rich, and Lan's father had a very high status rating in the world, it was in two worlds. Besides being the president of one of the world's largest privately owned companies- An-shui Corporations, he was also the leader of the world's largest crime organization- An-shui Gates. An-shui Gates was extremely like the Mafia, dealing with various crime activities such as drug trafficking, prostitution, and etc. But in that aspect it had no difference then other crime organizations. What really made An-shui Gate famous and unique were their highly skilled and deadly bodyguards and assassins. As a result, most people were extremely polite to Lan, but never developed any deeper relationships with him. Ryan was different. Ryan was extremely friendly to Lan from the start. Lan had thought he did this just to get close to him, but it turned out he wasn't. In time, Lan found out that he needed Ryan just as much as Ryan needed him. Lan came had a rich but strict family. Ryan's family was poor, but they were open-minded. Lan and Ryan were friends, but they also used each other. Ryan was everything Lan wasn't, and vice versa. As he was thinking, they arrived at the study center's door. Lan took a look at it scowled, and then went in.

4 Hours Later

Lan was in his room, deciding how to use his remaining hour of free time before going to bed. Lan had already finished the manga book Ryan lent him, which Lan now decided wasn't all that good. He'd seen better. Lan decided to browse the Internet to see if he could find a new fan-fiction series of CCS on the Internet. Although these were mere text stories, they were sometimes better then their manga counterparts, whose characters were often drawn a bit funny. Lan himself had actually posted a few of his own fan-fiction stories on the web, which were received with enthusiasm by many people. That was another aspect Lan liked about the Internet. No one knew who you really were. As Lan was browsing the Internet, a particular web page caught his eye. "Ah ha! A new one," his mind thought. He clicked the link and hummed happily as he waited for the page to show, thinking that perhaps this day wouldn't be so dull after all. Suddenly, the computer screen started to glower in a white, blinding light. As Lan's hands automatically shielded his eyes, he could feel himself being drawn closer and closer into the computer. In a final burst of whiteness, Lan was completely sucked into the computer.

Tomoeda, Japan

Kinomoto Sakura was strolling happily down the streets of the town of Tomoeda, with Li Shoaran and Daidoji Tomoyo beside her. All three were walking home from a day in the new amusement park. Sakura was in a good mood, actually, she was always in a good mood, but now she was in an especially happy state. The reason for her happiness was that her beloved one, Shoaran, had returned from Hong Kong yesterday and was now going to live in Japan with her. Right now, Sakura was talking happily with Shoaran, and with Tomoyo recording her every movement on a V8. Tomoyo was Sakura's best friend, in fact they were more like sisters than just friends, other then that, they were actually cousins too. Tomoyo was just about the perfect child, being raised on the traditional ways of the nobles, in fact, the only thing queer about her was that she loved to capture Sakura on film.

As they were talking, Sakura asked Shoaran a question.

"Shoaran, what did you say your mom told you to do in order to come to Japan?"

"I'm not too sure, all she said was that something strange was going to happen at Tomoeda soon." Shoaran replied, "And that it was a matter of the largest importance."

Besides being ordinary 6th grade students, Sakura and Shoaran were also conjurers. Sakura was the Cardmaster of the Sakura cards, a kind of magical card, which she created from another set of cards, the Clow cards. Shoaran is the latest descendent of a long line of conjurers from the Li family. Together, they make the best pair. As they were speculating why Shoaran's mother asked him to come to Japan, the observant Tomoyo noticed something weird in the sky.

"Look! What's that thing in the air?"

At the mention from Tomoyo, both Sakura and Shoaran looked up…to see someone falling from the sky! Reflexes as quick as ever, Shoaran takes out a pendent and using his magic power, turns it into a sword in a whip of hand. Then he put his index and middle finger on the sword and chanted,

"Petals of Wind, answer my call!"

A gush of wind arose around Shoaran and blew to the falling person. The wind cushioned the person's fall just seconds before he crashed into the ground. The person bounced from the wind cushion and flew straight to…

"Watch out, Tomoyo!"

By reflex, Tomoyo's eyes automatically closed. The person flew straight into Tomoyo, and they both went crashing to the ground. The person was lying on top of Tomoyo when she opened her eyes. Tomoyo blushed, and hurriedly got up. The person was actually a young boy, they could see. But he was unconscious.

"What should we do? What should we do?" Sakura panicked.

Shoaran kneeled over him, and inspected him over.

"Don't worry, from the looks of it he's just mentally exhausted from exposure to magic, he's just sleeping, that's all"

Sakura and Tomoyo breathed a sign of relief.

"In that case, let's bring him over to our house," Sakura said. "I'm sure dad won't mind, and Touya's done for the day." Touya was Sakura's older brother.

Together, they carried the boy to Sakura's house.

"Ah, Sakura, you're back?"

"Yep dad, and I'm bringing some friends over okay?"

"Ok, I'll bring up some tea and deserts"

They went up to Sakura's room and laid the boy on Sakura's bed. In a few moments, the boy came to.

"Ugh, what a headache…" the boy muttered.

"Are you okay?" Sakura and Tomoyo asked in unison. Shoaran just slightly leaned his head forward to show interest.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine." He was still drowsy from the side effects of his exposure.

"Where am I?" He then asked the only logical question to ask.

"You're in my home" Sakura answered.

"To be specific, you're in Tomoeda, Japan, at the Kinomoto residence." Shoaran added.

"Oh, ok, I'm in Tomoeda, Japan, at the Kinomoto house…Wait a minute!"

The boy suddenly sat upright from the bed. He looked closely at the trio, then his jaw dropped and his mouth turned into an O shape.

"Kinomoto Sakura?"

"Li Shoaran?"

"Daidoji Tomoyo?"

Now the three were surprised.

"How do you know our names?" Shoaran demanded.

The boy just kept shaking his head in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, and then pinched himself to make sure this wasn't a dream. Tomoyo, being the most calm of the three, asked him what his name was.

The boy, still shaking is head replied. "My name is An-shui Lan, I come from Taiwan…and unless I'm mistaken, you," he said pointing to Sakura, "are the owner and master of the Sakura cards." "And you," he said, pointing to Shoaran, "are Li Shoaran, the latest descendent and conjurer from the Li family."

After this declaration, the others were even more surprised and more befuddled by who Lan was.

"How do you know who we are?" Sakura asked. Their magical powers were supposedly secret except from a few close friends and Li's family.

"Well, I read about you guys…" Lan said. Seeing the three were waiting for more he added, "in a manga book."

Now it was the three's turn to drop their mouths and stare.

"W..W…What?"

Lan himself was as surprised as they were, for here were three of the most important characters in the anime and manga, Card Captor Sakura, and yet here they were in front of him.

"Wait, what do you exactly mean by saying we're manga characters?" Shoaran asked.

Lan spent another few minutes explaining to them what he knew of them. The three listened in rapt attention, only being drawn away once by Sakura's dad bringing up tea and desserts.

"So," Shoaran asked after Lan finished his explanation, "what you're trying to say is that we're not really supposed to exist?"

"Yes."

"Well that's hard to believe since we have had lot's of memory which we are pretty much certain aren't fake." Shoaran commented.

"Well, I don't know much about it either, it's just strange to see you guys in the flesh."

"Hmm…"

All four of them searched for a logical solution to the problem.

"Might he just be from another world?" Tomoyo asked. "One that just happened to have a record on our world?"

"Another world? That sounds just as unlikely…" Shoaran commented.

"Maybe…" Lan wondered. "Actually, in a new manga called Tsubasa which involves you guys in it, multiple worlds do exist." "Then again they might not be different worlds but actually different, parallel dimensions, as is currently what string theory is based on…"

"Huh? String theory? What's that?" The rest asked.

"Err, nothing…"

"Oops," Lan thought. "String theory is probably too complicated for them."

As they were talking, the time quickly passed. Lan noticed and said, "Kinomoto-san, Daidoji-san, Li-san, if you guys will…" Sakura interrupted, saying, "Just call us Sakura, Tomoyo, and Shoaran, if you will." Sakura looked towards the other two. Tomoyo nodded approval, and Shoaran just shrugged indifferently.

"Okay," Lan said, feeling relieved and surprised that they had accepted his tale and considered him their friend. "Anyways, since it's starting to get late, I wonder if you guys could excuse me to find a living arrangement first."

"Well, you could live here…" Sakura said hesitantly.

"Umm, I think that'll be too much trouble for you," Lan said. "Besides," Lan continued, looking at Shoaran, "I might upset some people…"

Sakura and Shoaran looked puzzled while Tomoyo gave a smile. They were both thinking along the same lines. Tomoyo then spoke up.

"Why don't you come to my house? We certainly have enough rooms, and I'm sure my mom won't mind." Tomoyo's mom was the leader of the Daidoji Organization, which was a company specializing in entertainment products. Tomoyo lived in a mansion too.

"If it doesn't trouble you too much, sure." Lan was also aware of Tomoyo's status, and knew their family could take in quite a few guests without any trouble.

"Then it's decided," Sakura concluded.

The sun had almost completely settled when Lan and Tomoyo started to walk to Tomoyo's house. Tomoyo and Lan were chatting about various topics, including what they thought of Sakura and Shoaran. Finally, the topic rotated to Lan's life.

"So, Lan-san, can tell me about your family and yourself?" Tomoyo asked.

Lan hesitated awhile before saying,

"I live with my father and mother, as for myself, I really don't know what to tell you. Well, I like to read manga and watch anime as well as read. And my favorite sport is soccer."

Tomoyo, being the observant person she was, noticed Lan's hesitation, and changed topics. It wasn't in her personality to barge into other people's affairs, especially secrets which other people really didn't want you to know. They chatted for a little while more and then Lan stopped.

"What's the matter?" Tomoyo asked.

"Quiet." Lan said softly. Since he was a child, he had been forced to undergo various training programs that sharpened his senses. These skills were mostly used to avoid being followed. Lan's senses were telling him someone was following him. Lan and Tomoyo waited for a few minutes, then Lan relaxed.

"It's probably nothing," Lan answered to Tomoto's questioning eyes. "For a while there I thou…"

Then his body jumped into motion.

"Get down!" He pulled Tomoyo into the ground, just a split second before a fireball flew over them. Lan rolled to one side, and at the same time swiftly reached into a secret compartment in his shoes and extracted three needles. These needles were actually small tranquilizers that held a special chemical that had the same effect as a stun gun. Anyone coming into contact with these would automatically be totally paralyzed. Lan quickly scanned the direction the fireball had come from. It was an empty space. Confused, Lan quickly scanned all directions…just in time to dodge a series of arrows of ice. Lan glanced back just in time to see an outline of a person disappear. "Camouflage!" He thought. Lan waited until another fireball came, and in just the nick of time walked up a wall and did a 180 degree turn back flip, at the same time, his hand lashed out, releasing the needles towards the direction where the fireball came from. All three needles flew true and straight but the person was quicker. In a blast of wind, the person-thing disappeared, but not before one of the darts struck home. Lan had the satisfaction of hearing a deep grunt coming from the disappearing person. Lan picked himself up and carefully eyed the surroundings. Once he was satisfied there wasn't anyone else around, he turned and helped Tomoyo up.

"What was that?" Tomoyo asked.

Lan shrugged. "You mean the person? You tell me."

"No, I mean your moves. They seem even better than Shoaran's martial art skills."

Lan shrugged again, "Just lucky I guess."

Tomoyo wasn't convinced, but she kept her mouth shut.

Later, at Tomoyo's house, Tomoyo introduced Lan to her mom, Daidoji Sonomi. Tomoyo noted that the way Lan greeted her mother in the proper way, that of only high-standing people used. As Tomoyo went inside to prepare tea and dessert, she noted that Lan was getting alone considerably well with her mom. In fact, they were talking about how to run a company as well as future markets for products and other management stuff. She also noticed that Lan seemed completely at ease in their mansion, unlike most others who would either get very self-conscious and shy, or stare about. The way Lan looked around at the house seemed to be with a judging eye instead of an awed one.

"How odd," Tomoyo thought. "I wonder what kind of background he has."

In a Daidoji Mansion guest room on the 3rd floor

Sleepless, Lan decided to take a breather on the balcony in his room. As he stared at the moon and the night scene of Tomoeda his mind wondered about.

"All these strange things that happened, the different world, meeting with manga characters, it still seems like a dream." Lan thought to himself. He looked once again at Tomoeda beneath him. He thought of Sakura and Shoaran, their willing friendship, and the magic this world had. He thought about the mysterious person that one of his darts had struck, the encounter that almost cost him his life. Then he looked down on the streets of Tomoeda and thought, "What a peaceful and dull town." Then he thought of Tomoyo. Lastly he thought of being away from his parents and parting with his high-status life. Lan smiled. He was going to like it here.