Author's Note: Okay, this is my first attempt with a Card Captor Sakura fic, so please be gentle with the reviews. I'm using the Japanese names in here, as most people do. This isn't really good in my opinion, as it was one of those thirty-minute things. This takes place later in the series, most probably around the time of episode 35 when the Snow Card hasn't been captured yet.
Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is owned by CLAMP and Kodansha. It is not Cardcaptors nor is it owned by Nelvana. Thank you and have a nice day.
It was a nice yet cold day near the end of December. The children of Tomoeda Elementary were getting ready for the end of school, as today was the last day before winter vacation. Outside, there were small flurries, the expected weather for the day..well, at least until lunch time...
"Jeez! What's with the snow!" Kinomoto Sakura complained as a sudden wind came up, blowing snow into her face.
"Beats me." her best friend, Daidouji Tomoyo shrugged. She pulled her coat tighter around her.
"The humanity!" Li Meiling complained, "How could the teachers make us go outside in this weather?!" As if to prove her point, the snow started coming down faster and thicker.
"Easily, Meiling. They said 'go outside'." Li Syaoran said, rolling his eyes.
"I didn't mean it literally!" Meiling stomped her foot. "It's too cold!"
"Brilliant observation." Syaoran once again rolled his eyes.
"Did you know that snow originated in Africa?" Yamazaki popped up out of nowhere.
"Yeah, and elephants descended from birds." Chiharu said, coming up behind him.
"Actually, they did. You knew that?" Yamazaki asked, surprised.
"Oh, boy." Chiharu rolled her eyes.
"It all happened back in Atlantis and the bir--" Yamazaki began, but was cut off when Chiharu shoved a snowball in his mouth.
"Be quiet!" she said and dragged him off by the collar.
"The birds decided that they didn't want to fly and..." Yamazaki shouted as Chiharu dragged him away.
"He's psychotic." Sakura commented.
"No arguments there." Syaoran agreed.
Meiling glared at Sakura and Syaoran. Then she said loudly, "You'll make sure I keep warm, right, Syaoran-kun?"
"Uhh...ummm..." Syaoran said nervously as Meiling possessively grabbed onto his arm. Sakura and Tomoyo sweatdropped.
"So, the snow seems to be getting worse, doesn't it?" Tomoyo said after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Yeah, it does." Sakura said thoughtfully, watching the snow whirl around, "Maybe we'll get a big storm?"
"Maybe." Syaoran said, looking up at the sky. Well, he looked up at the sky until he got a snowflake in the eye. "OWWW!!! There is snow in my EYE!!!" he yelped.
"It'll melt." Tomoyo shrugged.
"Do you want me to kiss it better?" Meiling asked hopefully. Sakura facefaulted.
"Actually, no." Syaoran said, wrenching his arm free of hers finally. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and hopped on one foot due to that fact. "Eeep! Eeep!" he said, flailing his arms about, "Watch out!" he yelped, falling face-first into a fairly high snowbank. Also, he managed to clip Sakura's arm and she also fell into the snowbank, much to the dismay and anger of Meiling.
"Off of him, Kinomoto! He's mine!" the Chinese girl stormed angrily.
"I am not yours. I am my own person. I am not a piece of merchandise someone can buy and sell at a whim." Syaoran said, his voice muffled by the snow, "Now, can you please get off of me? Snow is not a very comfortable lying place."
"Uhh...gomen, gomen." Sakura sweatdropped and got up. Meiling shot her an evil glare and helped Syaoran up.
"Pfftthhh!" Syaoran spat snow out of his mouth. Then he proceeded to brush the snow out of his hair and off his clothing.
Tomoyo, being her usual camera-toting self, had caught the whole little 'incident' on tape. "Perfect!"
"TOMOYO!!" Sakura and Syaoran yelled,
"What are you doing with your video camera here?" Sakura demanded.
"What are you going to do with the tape?" Syaoran demanded.
"Not much." Tomoyo said, smiling innocently.
"Give me the tape!" Syaoran and Sakura yelled in unison, both chasing after Tomoyo.
"Syaoran-kun! Wait for me!" Meiling yelled and took off after them.
However, the bell rang at that moment and the four stopped.
"Aren't we supposed to have a half-hour left of lunch?" Syaoran asked in bewilderment, checking his watch.
"Yeah, that's odd." Tomoyo frowned.
"Warmth! Glorious, wonderful warmth!" Meiling shouted joyfully. She grabbed Syaoran's arm and dragged him to the school doors. Syaoran cast a pleading look at Sakura and Tomoyo.
It's really snowing hard now. Sakura thought, looking up at the sky.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo tapped her sharply on the shoulder, "We should go inside now. Almost everyone's in the school."
"Right." Sakura nodded and followed her best friend into the school. Everyone was grouped inside the front doors, stomping snow off their boots, shaking the snow from their hair and wiping it off their clothes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hmm...that's a whole heckuva lot of snow..." Kero muttered as he stared out the window of Sakura's bedroom. He frowned.
The snow swirled around outside, bringing down thick and heavy flakes of frozen precipitation.
"It's almost as if it's..." Kero mused. His eyes widened, It's a Clow Card! he realized...Darn it all. Sakura's at school. And I can't show up there...
"Guess she'll have to figure out there's a Clow Card there herself." the guardian beast muttered to himself then yawned. As for me, I'm tired. With that, the little golden stuffed-toy look-alike --Kero: HEY!! I am not a stuffed toy!-- okay, golden animal-thingie settled down on Sakura's pillow for a nap.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I thought we were only supposed to get flurries today." Sakura thought out loud as she looked out the window at the swirling snow.
"Apparently whatever weatherman you listen to was wrong." Syaoran muttered from behind her.
"You be quiet." Sakura said, not turning around.
"And then, to convert fractions to decimals, you simply..." Terada-sensei droned on.
I hate math. Sakura grimaced. She looked up at the clock. Yes! Only three minutes left! she inwardly cheered.
BRRIINNGG!!! The bell resounded throughout Tomoeda Elementary. Sakura rose to leave.
"Hold on a minute, class." Terada-sensei held up a hand.
The fourth graders all turned to their auburn-haired teacher with confused expressions,
"Due to the heavy snowfall, we have been advised that you stay here until it clears up a bit and the roads get ploughed." Terada-sensei continued.
A collective groan rose up from the children.
"A little snow doesn't bother us, right Syaoran-kun?" Meiling asked the brown-haired card captor.
"Actually, it's more than a little snow, Meiling." Syaoran said dryly.
Meiling pouted.
"It's really coming down now, ne?" Rika commented, looking out a window.
"Yeah." Tomoyo agreed, taking out her video camera. She switched it on and filmed the blowing snow. Then she turned to the classroom, "Well, it's the last day of school before Christmas vacation and currently, we are snowed in at Tomoeda Elementary." she narrated.
"It's not faaiir! I wanna go hooome!" Meiling whined.
Sakura gave her an exasperated look, "Be thankful that we're only snowed in here and there are no Clow Cards around."
Meiling stopped whining and glared at Sakura, "Back off, Kinomoto!"
"Clow Cards? What are they?" Naoko asked curiously from behind Sakura.
"WAHHH!" Sakura jumped into the air and whirled around, "Naoko-chan, don't scare me like that!"
"Gomen, Sakura-chan." Naoko smiled sheepishly, "Well, what are Clow Cards?"
"Umm...uhh...they're...uhh..." Sakura stalled, her eyes darting around nervously. She turned to Syaoran, "Help me out here!" she mouthed.
"It's a game. A card game." Syaoran said quickly.
"Oh. How do you play?" Naoko asked curiously.
"It's very complicated." Tomoyo spoke up, "It takes awhile to understand."
"I'm a fast learner!" Naoko protested.
"I don't have the set here with me." Sakura blurted out.
"Oh." Naoko said, sounding disappointed. She then left to go chat with Rika and Chiharu.
"That was close." Sakura sighed.
"You should've been more careful when you mentioned the Clow Cards, Kinomoto." Meiling said superiorly.
"Come off it, Meiling-chan." Sakura rolled her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It's five-thirty." Sakura moaned, slumping against the wall, "I'm hungry."
"And the snow hasn't lightened up one bit." Tomoyo said. She had long since switched off her video camera.
Almost all of the fourth grade class was quite restless by now and Terada-sensei had gone to see if there was anything the class could do.
"I'm missing Hey Hey Hey!" Chiharu complained [Hey Hey Hey is a musical variety show in Japan].
"I'm missing supper!" Yamazaki complained.
"I'm bored!"
"I'm hungry!"
"I'm starving!"
"I'm famished!"
Sakura sighed as the class complained.
Terada-sensei poked his head back in and smiled, "Good news, we can use the gym."
"But we want food!" Meiling complained loudly.
"Gym will take your mind off of food." Terada-sensei said, "Now, let's go."
Sakura scrambled up off the floor and followed the rest of her class down the hall and stairs to the gym. It was still set up from the class who had had gym last period and they had been doing gymnastics. Terada-sensei and some of the kids cleared away most of the equipment and started a game of soccer. Sakura yawned,
"Tomoyo-chan, I'm tired." she said, "Help me with one of these mats."
"Okay." Tomoyo agreed cheerfully and helped Sakura drag one of the mats over to near the wall.
Almost instantly, Sakura flopped down on her back, "Tomoyo-chan, this is so boring!" her hair brushed the wall and she absent-mindedly played with a few strands.
"You're starting to sound like Meiling-chan." Tomoyo said absent-mindedly, leaning against the wall.
Sakura made a face, "I am not."
Then, a shadow obscured her line of vision.
"Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked.
"What?" Sakura propped herself up on her elbows so she could see him.
"Remember what you said about there not being a Clow Card here?" Syaoran inquired.
"Hai." Sakura nodded, "I remember." then she realized what Syaoran was hinting at, "You don't mean there is one, do you."
Syaoran smiled wryly, "There is. Can't you sense it?"
"Hey! Watch out!" a voice called.
"Li-kun!" Tomoyo cried.
Suddenly, Syaoran was hit in the back with a flying soccer ball. It took him by surprise and he stumbled forward and tripped on the edge of the mat, falling on top of Sakura.
"Uhhh..." Tomoyo said nervously.
"SYAORAN-KUN!!" Meiling stomped over to them, "What are you doing?!"
"I fell, Meiling." Syaoran said. "The soccer ball hit me in the back and I tripped and fell."
"Right on top of Kinomoto, right? I'm not blind, you know!" Meiling crossed her arms, "You did something with the soccer ball, didn't you Kinomoto? You did something with those damned Clow Cards of yours!"
"Meiling-chan, I did nothing!" Sakura protested. She shifted uncomfortably underneath Syaoran.
"Whatever." Meiling scowled.
"Meiling, it was an accident." Syaoran said loudly, "I didn't mean to fall on Sakura-chan."
"Well, why are you staying like that?" Meiling challenged.
"Because nobody is helping me up." Syaoran said.
"Fine!" Meiling grabbed hold of one of his hands and yanked him up. Sakura quickly scrambled up.
"Gomen, Sakura-chan." Syaoran said, bowing his head slightly to hide his blushing face.
"It's all right." Sakura said, blushing also. "Now, you said there's a Clow Card here?"
"Yeah." Syaoran nodded, remembering the topic that had brought him over to talk with Sakura.
"A Clow Card? Which one is it, Syaoran-kun?" Meiling asked.
"The Snow Card?" Sakura suggested, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"Precisely." Syaoran said.
"But how are we supposed to capture it here? There's too many people around." Sakura said, looking around the gym.
"The card is outside." Syaoran said.
"Yeah, but Terada-sensei would never allow us outside." Tomoyo said uncertainly.
"Maybe..." Sakura said thoughtfully then raced over to Terada-sensei, "Terada-sensei?"
"Hai, Kinomoto-san?" Terada-sensei said.
"I need to use the washroom." Sakura lied.
"Okay." Terada-sensei said, his attention returning to the soccer game that he was refereeing.
Sakura walked to the door, then turned around. She motioned for Syaoran, Tomoyo and Meiling to follow her while Terada-sensei's attention was focused on the soccer game.
"Come on." Syaoran muttered to the others. They tip-toed behind Terada-sensei and slipped out the door...well, Syaoran and Tomoyo slipped out the door.
"Li-san, where are you going?" Terada-sensei inquired of Meiling.
"I want to go get a drink of water!" Meiling said quickly.
"Kinomoto-san is already out, so you'll have to wait until she comes back." Terada-sensei said.
Meiling pouted and flounced over to the wall where she sat, griping about the turn of events.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay, let's do this." Syaoran said, gripping the handle of his sword. They were outside with the snow swirling around them.
Sakura removed the Clow Key necklace from around her neck and held it out in front of her where it floated, glowing, "Key that hides the forces of darkness! I command you under contract!" Sakura raised her arms above her head, "Show truth's image to me," she then brought her arms down abruptly, "Release!" The Key turned into a pink wand.
"Oh, drat this snow!" Tomoyo muttered angrily, "It's blinding my camera lens." then she raised her voice in encouragement, "You can do it, Sakura-chan!"
"Okay, which card?" Sakura muttered to herself, trying to forget the fact that she was freezing cold.
"Windy?" Tomoyo suggested.
"No. It would make the snow more powerful." Syaoran said.
"Fine then." Sakura said, taking out a card, "Storm Card! Release and dispel!"
The Storm Card turned into a large mist shape before heading off into the snowstorm.
However, that turned out to be a very bad idea. The snowstorm grew stronger.
"Real smart, Sakura!" Syaoran yelled over the noise of the combined storms, "Use a different card!"
"Storm Card! Return to your power confined!" Sakura yelled, swinging her wand. The storm lessened as the power of the Storm Card was sucked back into it's Clow Card form.
"Oh no!" Tomoyo's cry resounded.
"Damn." Syaoran muttered. The storm seemed to form into a person.
The Storm gazed at the two Card Captors and Tomoyo serenely. Then she lifted her arms above her head and a blast of snow, ice and freezing wind headed to where Sakura and Syaoran stood.
"Out of the way!" Syaoran tackled Sakura to the ground and the Snow Card's attack passed right over them, "Use a different card!" he said as he scrambled up, then helped Sakura up.
"Fly!" Sakura said, throwing out another card and hitting it with her wand. The wand instantly sprouted wings, "Come on!" Sakura said to Syaoran.
"What?" Syaoran blinked at her, confusedly.
"We'll have to evade it's attacks." Sakura said, mounting the wand, "Now, come on!" she insisted.
Syaoran climbed onto the wand behind her, rather gingerly.
"Hold on." Sakura ordered and the Fly Card-controlled wand took off.
"Yipes!" Syaoran yelped as his hat was swept off. He quickly clung onto Sakura.
"I told you to hold on." Sakura said as they flew up to the top of the school. The wand returned to normal, "Now!" Sakura commanded as she flung out another card, "Firey Card! Release and dispel!" she cried.
The Firey soared up to eye-level with the Snow Card then surrounded it.
"Firey, return to your power confine!" Sakura called.
The Snow floated down to the ground where Tomoyo was filming.
"Capture it now, Sakura!" Syaoran commanded.
"Snow! Return to your true form!" Sakura ordered, swinging her wand, "Clow Card!" she called and the Snow Card was sucked back into being a simple Clow Card.
"Good job." Syaoran said shyly.
"You were great, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo called from down below.
"YES!!" Sakura said excitedly, "I got the Snow Card!" she flashed a peace sign.
"Yeah, I'm glad for you and everything." Syaoran said through chattering teeth, "But it's still freezing out here and unless you're gonna get the Firey back out again, I suggest we go inside."
"Uhh...right." Sakura sweatdropped.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You left without me!" Meiling said petulantly when Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo were safely back in the gym. Fortunately, Terada-sensei hadn't noticed they were gone.
"Gomen, but we had a card to capture, Meiling-chan." Sakura said, holding up the Snow Card, "See?"
"Terada-sensei!" a sixth-grader rushed into the gym, "The snow's stopped! We can go home now!"
The fourth-grade class cheered.
"That's excellent news, Nishida-san." Terada-sensei grinnned, "I suppose you all can leave now."
"YAY!" the fourth graders rushed eagerly out of the gym.
"Well, see you at the next card capture, ne, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura said happily to Syaoran as the remaining few filtered out of the gym.
"Yeah, I suppose." Syaoran said.
"This has got to be the worst day in history!" Meiling complained, "First Kinomoto falls on you," she said to Syaoran, "Then you fall on top of her and then you two go off to get the Snow Card without me!"
"Calm down, Meiling." Syaoran said.
"The only thing that would make this day worse would be you two standing under mistletoe!" Meiling complained. She started out the front doors of the school broodingly. Then she brightened, "There's my ride!" she said happily, "See you later, Syaoran-kun!"
With that, Meiling rushed out the doors to the waiting vehicle.
"Mistletoe?" Syaoran laughed, "Like there'd be any of that here." he said.
"I wouldn't be too sure." Tomoyo smiles secretively and pointed to the doorway above Syaoran and Sakura.
The two Card Captors looked up to see a sprig of the holiday plant up there.
"Mistletoe?" Sakura asked.
"You know, mistletoe was originally used by the Incas when they played badminton!" Yamazaki said.
"YAMAZAKI-KUN!!" Chiharu exclaimed. "Don't listen to him." she directed at Syaoran and Sakura. Then she dragged the tall-tale-telling male off by his ear.
"You know what happens when you stand under mistletoe." Tomoyo said suggestively. "I'll leave you two alone. My ride's here." she grinned and left.
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura blushed scarlet.
"Well..." Syaoran bit his lip, his face turning a faint pink as well.
"Well what?" Sakura turned to him.
"Uhh...Merry Christmas." Syaoran said quickly. Then, blushing red as a rose, he leaned in and quickly kissed Sakura on the mouth. Then he backed away nervously and looked out the front doors of the school, "Isn't that your dad's car?"
Sakura looked out the front doors to, "Uhh...yeah.." she said, still blushing.
"See you later then." Syaoran said, shuffling his feet nervously.
"Yeah.." Sakura said. She turned to go, then stopped.
"What?" Syaoran asked.
"Merry Christmas to you, too, Syaoran-kun." Sakura said. She then flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Then she dashed off through the front doors to her father's waiting vehicle.
Syaoran stood in the entrace hall to the school, blushing and grinning.
Author's Note: Okay, I did manage to work Sakura/Syaoran romance in there. Yipee! Review, please.