Back at Tomoeda High School, Ren felt a strange presence rush over him. What's going on? Quietly he flipped through the pages in the textbook where he temporarily kept his Card. It was giving off a faint light. Then, another sensation washed through him. The Cards are in danger?

"Mr. Arata?" the teacher asked. "I apologize if my lecture is boring you already, it being the first day of class and all, but do try to pay attention and do not zone out!"

"Yes ma'am! Sorry, but I'm feeling sick!" With the Star Card in hand, Ren rushed out of the door and made his way outside. A classmate watched him as he disappeared out of the room, her fingers laced together under her chin.

As Ren ran out into the courtyard, he held up the Card. "Release and dispel! Sword!" At his command, the card transformed. Ren did not feel the fatigue this time as he had earlier. He felt stronger all of a sudden, in fact. Then, a small creature appeared out of nowhere, and stopped in front of Ren. It was pink in color, and looked like a rabbit, but either way it was no ordinary animal.

"I wouldn't stand there gawking at it. It'll get away, young man."

"What?" Ren looked up for the voice, but all he saw was a black cat lazily lounging in the tree above. The cat seemed to be watching him, but Ren brushed it off. The boy turned his attention back to the rabbit, which then disappeared into the woods near the school. "Hey! Wait!"

Ren took off after it. After he had disappeared, the black cat yowled loudly with a yawn as it stood and stretched. A young woman poked her head around the tree trunk. "He's not a very bright one, is he?"

"It's rather sad to think he's more in tune to the Cards than his brother, the Chosen captor, is." The black cat sighed and turned around to follow Ren, the nearly transparent wings on its back keeping it easily aloft.

Ren ran and ran, but he had already lost track of the creature. "Damn…" he said between breaths.

"You need to concentrate more. Focus your energy and you'll be able to sense it."

"What the…?" Ren looked up towards the sound of the voice. "Hey," he said, recognizing the same black cat as before. "Are you following me?"

"I'm sure it's not the strangest thing to happen to you this week? A talking cat following you while you chase after an imaginary spirit, carrying a sword that transformed from a card." The cat yawned again. "Now do as I say. Close your eyes, concentrate. You've got the magic inside of you, you just have to awaken it."

Ren glared up at the cat. Though it did have a point. It certainly was not the strangest thing to have happened. Taking a deep breath, Ren cleared his thoughts of everything except the Star Cards. He stood there, silent, concentrating. "I still don't sense anything. It's as if it disappeared."

Suddenly there was a high-pitched giggle. "Little Jump, little Jump. Won't you come to play?"

Ren looked around but saw no one. "What was that?"

"Something dangerous," the cat answered back.


"Yori, please!" Kero kept flying around Yori. "You've got to! You have no idea what kind of trouble the Cards can get into when they're not sealed, what kind of trouble Tomoeda could find itself in!"

This made Yori stop. "Trouble? For Tomoeda?"

"Yes! I can't tell you the kinds of things Sakura had to stop when she was capturing the cards."

"Sakura…did my great-grandmother really do all this?"

"She did, Yori," Kero said gently, landing on his shoulder. "Like you, she was suddenly given this strange power, a key and staff and book that weren't hers. But she used them, her powers grew. She transformed them into what you see now. And now it's your turn."

Yori looked at the Key of the Star he held in his hand. "If Tomoeda is in trouble, that means Ichiru-chan could be in trouble, right Kero?"

"I'm afraid so."

The young boy sighed. "I'll do it. If Tomoeda really is in danger…"

Kero let out a whoop. "That's the spirit! That's what I want to hear from my Card Captor! Now, release the wand, and go catch that Card!"

Yori nodded. "Key that holds the power of the stars, show your true form before me. I, Yori, command you under our contract. Release!" The key began to glow and expand, when it transformed fully, Yori took a hold of the wand, and they set off.


"Little Jump, come and play. Don't hide anymore," said the child's voice.

Ren could not find the source, however. He looked up at the cat sitting in the tree. "I cannot sense her either. Hers is an energy I am not familiar with. The thing you're looking for, however…it went that way," the cat said, using its tail to point to Ren's right. "You might want to catch it, who knows what trouble it could cause- or get into."

"Tell me one thing," Ren said, "are the cards really in danger? I can't help but sense that they are, that something is going to happen to them."

The black, winged cat blinked his eyes slowly. Then he stood up and repositioned, curling up lazily and going to sleep. "Now what makes you think I know anything about cards? But, I can't tell you, even if I did know something. I'm not supposed to remember."

"Remember what?"

"A spell," was the simple reply.

Sensing that he was going to get nothing more from this strange creature, Ren rolled his eyes and hurried forward. Suddenly the rabbit darted out from the brush and ran deeper into the woods. "H-hey!" Ren shouted and followed.

"Wood!" he heard Yori's voice. Suddenly branches and vines rose up in front of the rabbit, forcing it to stop. Ren stopped as well, his eyes narrowed. To his left, Yori suddenly appeared. "R-Ren?" Yori said, feeling happy, surprised, and worried at the same time.

Ren said nothing, only stared at Yori. In one hand, he held the Star Wand, in the other, the Book. Ren's face was stone. Without a word, he raised his sword, and rushed at the Jump. Scared, the rabbit took off to the side, and Ren and Yori both gave chase.

"C'mon Yori, you can do it! Run after the little beast!"

"I'm running as fast as I can, Kero!"

"Not fast enough, squirt," Ren said as he passed his brother.

Yori's eyebrows went down and he stopped, holding out his Card. "Wood!" he shouted, directing it towards Ren. A branch lifted up out of the ground. Ren jumped it easily, laughing, but missed the second one, causing him to fall face down as Yori passed him.

"Take that," Kero said with a grin as he flew after Yori.

"My, my," said a familiar voice. "You're not going to do much capturing if you're laying down on the job."

"Shut up," Ren said as he stood up and followed suit.

The rabbit continued to run until a tree cage rose up in front of it. Yori came up, panting heavily, cornering the Jump. "Now then, I gotcha!" he said, but his voice broke into a short string of coughs. The rabbit jumped, scaling the tree wall with no effort.

A high-pitched giggle followed. "Looks like Jump wants to play some more," the voice said.

"What was that?" Kero asked, but the voice was gone, and so was the presence. "No matter, just release the wall and follow Jump!"

Before Yori had the chance, Ren came running up and sliced through the wall as easy as if it were paper, and jumped through the hole. Yori was quick to follow, and the two brothers ran neck and neck for the Jump, which was doing a good job of avoiding them. Ren would gain on Yori, and Yori would catch up. Eventually, they finally cornered the rabbit; Yori created a large cage-like ceiling, keeping the Jump from escaping.

"All right! Great job Yori, now, seal it before it gets away!"

Yori nodded, and swallowed. Slowly, he advanced towards the rabbit, which looked at him, then at Ren. It started to back up, and just as it did, a black portal opened behind it.

"Little Jump, won't you come to play, come with me today!" the taunting voice said. The rabbit was lifted up as if being controlled by some other force.

"Yori, quick!" Kero shouted, but Yori was frozen on the spot, shaking, his eyes wide.

"K-Kero, what's happening?"

Ren rushed forward, raising the Sword above his head. The words of the black cat rang in his head, "When you reach the spirit, raise your sword, and chant: Return to your power confined, and name the card."

"But how will I know what the card is named?"

"If it is meant to be yours, you will know. Though honestly, only a complete idiot would not be able to deduce the card's name."

Time was running out, the rabbit was nearly absorbed by the portal. Raising his sword, Ren shouted. "Jump Card! I command you, return to your power confined!" Ren brought the sword down, and just before it reached the spirit itself, it was stopped by a barrier, in which the outline of a Star Card was made. Wind picked up around them as both the card and the rabbit began to glow, and soon the rabbit became a ball of light that surged towards Ren, sealing the Jump Card for once and for all. The portal closed, and the card floated towards Ren, who took it gently.

Holding up his sword, he said, "Return, Sword!" Then he turned to Yori, who was still standing, frozen in place. "The first card goes to me, little brother. Let's see who catches the next." With that, Ren gently placed the two cards in a small pouch, and walked back towards the school.

Kero flew around to face Yori. "Hey, kid! What happened back there? It was your card that captured the Jump, why didn't you seal it!"

"Wh-wh-what was that thing, Kero? It was cold and void… I didn't like it!"

"I don't know Yori, but whatever it was, it wants the Star Cards. That's why you have to seal them, and quick!" Yori nodded.

"Sorry, Kero."

Kero sighed. "Ah don't sweat it kid. It's weird though," Kero mused.

"What is?"

"Well, in the past, only the Captor that I chose could seal the Cards," Kero said. When Sakura was a Captor, so was Syaoran, but he couldn't seal cards, only Sakura could. And then, if the Card recognized Syaoran as the victor, the Card would go to him, but Sakura still had to seal it."

"So, you're saying-"

"I'm saying it's just odd that your brother has the ability to seal a Card just as you do. Ah well, it's probably because he held onto a card like you did when they were released, or something another. Let's go home." The two turned and started walking. Neither noticed the portal; a small painting fell out, one of a pink rabbit surrounded by stars, with a sun and moon in either corner. It landed with a soft thud, and the portal closed.

"Aww, I lost my friend," said a voice.