Chapter 2-First Fight
Two pairs of brown eyes surveyed the park carefully in search of unusual actions. " Yu. Are you sure this is the place?" A light male voice asked. As usual, the boy was careful not to speak too loudly, his voice vibrations carrying out only an inch so that only the girl next to him could hear. The girl, his partner, slipped out a piece of paper and reread its text. " Positive." Then the girl crossed her arms across her chest and added, " Unless you read the map wrong." The boy fell over in surprise to this accusation. " Look there's movement." The boy pointed to four specks in the distance from above the huge penguin slide. The two sets of eyes moved and focused on the four people standing in the middle and the stuffed animal hovering above a girl's head. " Should we show ourselves?" The boy didn't answer for a moment. " Not yet...What do you think?" The girl hesitated in surprise to his sudden question. He had never asked of her opinion before. It was always his commands that stood out in their partnership. " I- I don't know. Do you think we should become acquainted?" They looked at each other and a star filled their eyes indicating an agreement. The two jumped down off the head of the rather large penguin.
The two had been dressed in black Chinese fighting outfits with their faces covered by a thin piece of silky cloth, their eyes gleaming in the night-light. The pair looked closely at the startled foursome. " Kinimoto! Li! Li! Daijdiou!" Yuyue walked up to the boy with the messy tousled brown hair, carefully studying his features and clothing. " Tian ah! You're really Clow Reed's descendant!" Li stared at her sudden outburst and at the same time they both pulled out their swords. " Then you are my enemy!" The two shouted together. "Who are you?" commanded Li. " No one. Just note our rivalry." Li was silent for a while. " Then how did you know I was a descendant of Clow Reed?" A smiled formed in her eyes. " Your battle costume of course. Anyone would have known." A sweat drop formed over Sakura and Kero's heads. " This girl knows her stuff." Kero muttered. " Greetings KeroBeros." She said eyes coming to rest on the small stuffed lion with a small nod of her head. Kero backed away. " How did you know?"
" I have my ways. Especially since Li here discovered the secret so easily from Sakura. No offense to her. You were new to this line of work from the Li clan." Li recovered from his sudden unconsciousness at the compliment to his family. The two experienced fighters stood there a moment longer both ready in attack position." We'll have to duel later." he said to Yu sliding his sword into its case. " The aura of the card is becoming stronger." His rival agreed but kept her sword out. She stood completely still and placed out a catenation paper. It was held between two fingers but her hands were clasped together with her sword facing downward, resting. " Power God! Find the source of power!" The paper slashed through the air and hit the invisible force. " Meilin!" Meiling turned to face Yu. " We'll need you a lot in this battle." Meilin pouted. " Why should I take orders from you?"
" Just take note." Then suddenly out of nowhere a force attacked Hai. He moved with swift and skilled practice as the force nearly slit his throat. Another blow came for his arm. This time it had created a small cut on his forearm; blood was clearly visible in the silver moonlight. Yu watched and a pang of pain formed in her own body. Hai attacked the card with his right leg and as in the practiced movements of his martial arts he swiftly moved on to his left leg to form a forceful kick.
They all surveyed the scene. The card was a girl with designs on her costume similar to that of the Fight Card. Her hair was in a long braid with some designing forming on the above edges. Li came from behind the card while it attacked Yuyue who was protecting Hai. " Yu!" Hai almost screamed in frustration. " Hai! What are you doing yelling my name out? We're supposed to remain anonymous!" Yuyue yelled back, sliding from another attack formed by the card. It was amazing how fast it was. It attacked Yuyue from the front and also escaped Li's sword from the back. Meilin watched from a short distance becoming more and more anxious. I have to protect Li. The girl's pigtails swayed as her swift movements of skill in martial arts brought her to the fighting ground. She kicked at the side of the card. " It's the Attack Card!" Hai said as he escaped yet another close blow from it. " Its power source is its arms and legs. That's the only utensil she has and attacks with." Sakura took that as a hint and hurried her mind to find the best card to use against this one. By kicking her, Meilin had challenged her. The Attack Card turned towards her to face her opponent.
Quickly Meilin dodged two punches on both sides of her body and giving her a kick in the stomach, she kept distance from her. The card avoided it easily and gained on her again. Her pitch-black pigtails flew around as she fell onto the unwelcoming hardness of pavement. The card moved steadily towards her and lifted its foot. " Fight Card! Grant your power to this wand!" came the familiar words from Sakura's mouth. With a flick of her wrist, the card flashed and there stood a Sakura in fighting position. She charged towards the figure about to end Meilin. The black haired girl rolled over just in time for Sakura to attack since the card had focused so much on her. Sakura hit the Attack in the neck right after kicking it in the softest part of the ribs, causing it to collapse to the ground. Sakura raised her wand, ready to seal the Attack card.
The six young captors widened their eyes in surprise to see the girl stand up and avoid the wand as it hit the former space where her head was. The card's eyes closed and head bent slightly as she bowed lightly and grasped the handle of her sword. Hai stared. He had let the fact slip from his head that the Attack card also had a traditional Chinese fighting sword to defend itself. Thank god we found out about the card before it started challenging opponents to battle. Hai thought for a moment. The cut on his arm wasn't so painful. The blood was still rushing at uncompromisingly high speed but he could deal with the card in about thirty-six movements. Hai grasped the slit one last time and pulled out his sword, the tassel at the end of the handle swinging in effect to his action. He walked in front of the card, eyes resting for a moment on hers and then bowed in his request for a battle. The card bowed too and plunged her sword at him making sure she had the advantage of first move. Hai quickly moved out of target, learning fast from past attacks. As the card turned around in being ready for her next attack, Hai took the advantage to escape again even before she pounced. He tried to sneak up on her form the back but she was too quick and instead of him giving the blow, she did. Hai narrowly missed it, turning around to face her. He bent down and brought his leg swinging in order to trip his enemy. It worked. The card hadn't expected this attack. The girl fell down to the floor and painfully watched the Clow Mistress bring the wand upon her. Her head bent up, staring pleadingly at the innocent pink wand. And head bent down in failure and accept ion of failure as she watched her body turn into wisps and rushing streams of pale, moonlight blue targeting into the small form of a soon to be, sealed Clow card.
Yuyue stared at Hai's bleeding arm with infinite concern. " Hai?" The boy grasped the cut and looked up into Yu's eyes. " Hm?"
" Do you need a bandage?" Hai smiled comfortingly at her. " I'm all right." Yu took one step towards him but stopped and turned around just in time to see the new card fly into Sakura's out-stretched hands. " Good fight cherry blossom." Sakura looked at her and blushed. Yu nodded respectfully at the Li's and flew into the air with Hai, disappearing into the endless sky. Sakura stared in awe, her eyes lighting. Kero saw the expression streak across her face. " It's a very old type of Chinese arts. Takes years to learn it. Wonder how their martial arts are. Li probably doesn't even know how to do that." Li stared at the stuffed animal and searched his mind for replies and wise excuses. Finding none he muttered " Stupid stuffed animal."
" What?" Kero fumed and bit Li's forefinger. " Ah! Get off! Get off!" The boy started shaking his hand in a useless attempt to shake the little lion off. Meilin pulled on Kero's hip causing him to release the painful bite on Li's finger. The pair jumped onto the head of the Penguin slide. Taking one glance back the two hurried onto the nearest roof and then the next.
Sakura sighed, as Tomoyo emerged from some bushes, smiling widely as usual. " What's wrong?" she asked. The girl's bright green eyes looked troubled. " It's that pair. I heard the boy call his partner 'Yu'. Sounds awfully close to Yuyue huh?"
" She seems so different from today. In school she was shy and very polite. But just then she seemed so skilled, confident and completely clear in mind."
" Un-huh." Tomoyo looked down at her watch. " It's almost midnight. Let's go home." Sakura nodded and they both set off in their own directions.
~*~*~*~*~
Li had been watching his desk for the past five minutes as the music teacher tried for auditions to the winter concert. Solos were mostly taken by Tomoyo. Her sweet, talented voice ringing through the classroom as she auditioned for each small beginning. Taking a break from his staring contest with the desk, Li looked out the window of the cozy classroom. The snow had started falling rather early this year. The leaves on the tree were completely gone, welcoming the soft, gentle swirling of the white snow. His thoughts turned from the snow to the cards. He had quite a few but not as many as would have liked. He had failed his mission in trying to capture all the cards and instead he had helped the Card Mistress in doing so. That was never what he had intended to do. Now there was a new round of cards and he would not fail this time.
~*~*~*~*~
Yuyue hesitated at the front of the mailbox from the walk from school. She sighed slightly as she skimmed through the pile of white and pale yellow envelopes, occasionally looking a little closer at them to see what exactly the text was. The girl continued flipping as her fingers moved from one smooth surface to the next. Her movements suddenly ceased altogether when it came across a milky purple one. Its elegant calligraphy swirling across the page printed in black ink. How strange. She wondered. What kind of bill would be printed in calligraphy and on purple envelope paper?
The girl fumbled a bit as she slid her finger under the thin concealment of purple wax. The kind they used in England. She wondered a little more as her eyes laid them selves curiously on a yellow parchment paper. Her eyes narrowed slightly as they skimmed to the bottom to find which company had sent this. Her rosy lips parted as if to gasp or exclaim in shock. This was something Hai would find interesting as soon as he came from violin practice.
~*~*~*~*~
The continuous waiting signal of the phone beeped eternally in Sakura's ears, then the receiver was picked up at the other and a click popped in the phone line.
" Hello?"
" Tomoyo? Tomoyo Daijiou?" Sakura's innocent voice said into the speaking piece.
" Speaking." The sweet voice replied to the other's request.
" Tomoyo." Sakura said, the sound fading into a faint whisper as she said the always-reliable name of her dearest friend.
" Sakura!" The other exclaimed, obvious unexpected delight in her voice. Kinomoto closed her eyes and sighed slightly, savoring the dear sound of that word coming from that only person in this universe she would savor it from.
" Tomoyo." She said again, her voice quivering in her intensity of the impact of how much affection she had for this one person, this one person. A delighted giggle squiggled through the receiver, her giggle.
" Sakura." She repeated her laughter ceasing. " What's the reason for your call?" Silence. The mahogany haired girl hesitated not really sure, she then thought, she wasn't the kind of person to call someone for no reason. The silence grew. She sat, holding the phone, staring, lost in her own thoughts. The deep hair on the others' didn't move one millimeter, patient and intent on waiting for a reply.
" A dream, Tomoyo. Again." This time the moment's silence was created by the violet-eyed girl, pondering."
" What of?" was the question asked. " Just shadows and whispers then it ends with a wisp of whispers that I can't figure out what it says." The two stopped talking, each lost in theories. " Don't worry." A consoling voice broke the silence. " We'll know sooner or later. Remember last time? The dreams of the tower and Li, then the same except with the lady? We'll find out." Tomoyo wished she could just reach out and pat the shoulder of Sakura but this was only technology communication. She sighed at the other end and waited for Sakura to reply. " I guess." She said and laughed fakery. She really wasn't sure what to believe right now. " Thanks." Silence. " Bye." Tomoyo stared into oblivion, slightly hurt, but she just couldn't put why it hurt into words because she didn't know. She stared more. She, Tomoyo, a Daijiou, felt insecure, this was rare. She thought wryly. She laughed her usual laugh and mouthed 'bye' sound a faint wind, and hung up hearing the dry click of the phone. She brought her knees up and thought more, then of nothing, dark emptiness.
~*~*~*~*~
Sakura dropped the phone lightly into place on the charger and stretched then yawned. She hadn't told Tomoyo of how she worried, just informed her of the latest Clow news. Li, maybe Li will understand. She picked up the phone again, and then put it back down. Somehow, she felt shy calling the one person she loved in this way, this way. She blushed. " Thinking about that brat again?" Her blush deepened. " How do you know?" she asked agitatedly. The annoying stuffed lion smirked. " Why would you blush then?" the pink sherry blossom fumed. " I see you've ate the last of my pudding." The girl asked crossing her arms in her latest revenge. A sweat drop hung heavily on the yellow doll's head. " Hee, you weren't eating it so I thought I would finish it for you."
" How thoughtful. You know, those candy in my drawer are missing too." She smirked. She winked and closed her eyes, smiling devilishly. The smile faded and she jumped into bed, then added seriously, " Good night, Guardian of the Clow." Her nightgown ruffled as she turned her back. The sweat drop increased on his head. " Hmph."
~*~*~*~*~
A click echoed a little through the mansion that Hai and Yuyue lived in. Dust glided itself to the floor but was quickly wiped up by a delicate hand. Yu stopped working and stared down at her hand and felt it, cold as always. A memory surfaced in her mind. She remembered when Hai used to tease her about being cold blooded all the time. The girl thought for a moment, her head bent down slightly and her long strands of bangs hung into her eyes, as always, shadowing sorrow and loneliness, all that relates to those empty words.
" Hai." She stated in greeting. The boy stood there dripping wet from the rain, his bangs dripping into his eyes, his lips parted slightly from his running. His violin hung in protection on his back, parts wet and others dry. It was clear that he had tried to shelter it form the merciless rain. Hai sighed slightly and dropped off his jacket in the closet.
" Clow card." The boy said casually. The girl nodded, not facing him.
Author's Notes:
Gomen ne! Gomen ne! I just can't help it! I know I'm writing too much about the made up characters but I think that I like them better than the original ones! I don't know why. I guess it's because I tried to fashion them to my liking. I apologize but please tell me if you really don't want me to do this. I hope you read on! ( Oh, and I just remembered something, if you ever read my prologue: Card Captor Sakura. I hope it came out ok because I forgot to but a blank line between paragraphs. If its bad then tell me!)