Hate is a Powerful Word

By Metal Garurumon/Dragonball#5

Hi, ya all. It's been a while since I made a fanfic, so I figured I'd start up again with this story. This is a Card Captors/Card Captor Sakura fic, of which I know little about, so forgive me if there's any OOC or such in the story. Note that I am still relatively new to the Card Captors world, so there may be misspellings of names and mixing of American and Japanese character names. Lastly, just so no one flames me for reasons similar to "Heart of Steel", the ages are changed. Li and Sakura are around 16 years old. Also, due to my lack of cardcaptor knowledge, let's just say this is AU. Now, read and review.

Li Syaourang sat upon his bed thinking silently of the many cards that had been captured by Sakura Avalan, his rival. "This is ridiculous!!!"

Thought Li, as he gritted his teeth. "I'm a descendant of the very sorcerer who sealed those cards in the first place, not her!! How is she making so many captures, and me so few?" He sighed heavily. "I can't think like this!! I'm a Syourang! I won't let her beat me!" He growled to himself. And yet beyond his rivalry, there was another feeling Li had for Sakura. But Li was quite unfamiliar with such feelings. He was unable to identify what they were.

Sakura Avalan sat upon her bed, thinking of all the cards she had captured, and the rivarly flaring between her and Li Syaourang. "He's so pigheaded sometimes. Why won't he just accept that I'm a card captor and that I'm a real good one?" Sakura thought as she gritted her teeth. She sighed heavily. "I can't think like this!! I'm a card captor, and as one, I have a responsibility to help, whether Li likes it or not!" She growled to herself. And yet, beyond rivalry, there was another feeling Sakura had for Li. But Sakura was unwilling to believe she had such feelings for him. She was unable to accept what they were.

Sakura's eyes drooped as her teacher continued the lecture on geo-physics. "Man, how boring can you get?" She yawned to herself. She looked drearily towards Li's seat. The young boy sat erect and attent to the teacher's every word.

"Wow, he's so disciplined!" Tomoyo whispered to Sakura. Sakura blushed heavily at this, causing Tomoyo to giggle. Sakura shot her a deadly look, but turned back to attention soon after. "Maybe I DO… nah, no way!" Sakura whispered to herself.

The tiny yellow winged cat(he is a cat, right?), Kero, shook his head as Sakura explained the new feelings she was experiencing with Li. "You've got puppy love is all. It'll pass." Kero's eyes suddenly flashed. "A card…there's a Card nearby!" He shouted. "Not so loud!" Sakura snapped quietly. "You want my brother to hear you?" Suddenly, the door burst down. Sakura's father, Fujitaku, stomped in. "Dad?" Sakura spoke shocked. "What's wrong?" Sakura looked into her father's eyes. His eyes… Their usual calmness had been drowned by a look of sheer hatred and evil. "Sakura, it's the card's power! RUN!" Kero cried out to his ally. "Wha…" Sakura barely had time to breath as Fujitaka's fists came crashing down to her. She barely dodged. "GRAB THE KEY AND RUN!" Kero cried out. Sakura nodded, rolling to her drawer, pulling out the Clow key, than leaping out of Fujitaka's thrusting hand, cracking the drawer apart. Sakura acted quickly, leaping out the window with Kero right behind. "What card is doing this, Kero?" Sakura asked as she continued to run. "It's gotta be the hate card! It makes a full circle around someone, causing them to hate everything around them so much that they'll even kill it or destroy it, and steals their soul's energy!" Kero explained. "Can card captors be affected?" Sakura asked nervously. "Oh yes, most definitely. Only a few have been able to resist that power, Li's great ancestor being one of them." "Than we should find Li." Sakura said.

Earlier, at Li's house.

Li sat down in meditation, unifying him with all around him. "Show me the way to defeat Sakura…" He muttered subconciously. "Acknowledge your true feelings. This is the only way to true victory…" A voice within Li's mind spoke. Li broke his concentration. "No. THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!" He shouted. "There has to be…" he spoke silently. Suddenly, a tingle ran down his spine. A card… close. Li picked up his sword, and moved to the window…

Present

Sakura contnued to run. There were sounds of violence all around her, but she forced them out. "Just concentrate on finding the card." She thought. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw…something…move. It was coming after her! Sakura began to run faster. Kero, riding in her pocket, called out. "Don't panic, Sakura. Stay calm." Sakura stopped cold, however, when the familiar form of Li Syourang landed in front of her. "L…Li? That was you." Sakura said. Li nodded. "I came to tell you this card is mine, so back off." Li growled. "No, Li! Whether you like it or not, I'm coming!" Sakura spoke boldly. "But…" Li stopped. He couldn't say what he truly felt. "If she gets hurt, I'll never forgive myself…" He thought. Sighing heavily, he went off, motioning for Sakura to follow him. The two card captors continued to run forward, until they came up to a large church. At the top, near the bell, a misty, yellow serpent lay, circling the tower. "It's the card." Li snarled. "I'll capture it!" Sakura cried, running towards the tower. "Flight card, Release and dispell!" She called out. Putting her magic wand between her legs, Sakura took off in flight as the pole sprouted wings. "NO, SAKURA!" Li called out. Too late. As Sakura approached the tower, the dragon stirred. It looked up at her. "Uh-oh, it's seen us!" Kero said. The card shot up at Sakura, but was hit by a bolt of lightning. The angered card stared down to see Li, sword crackling, standing in defiance. "Leave her ALONE!" He shouted. Sakura gasped. "Could he…?" She started, but was cut off when the creature lunged at Li. "LI, WATCH OUT!" She cried. "Sakura, RUN! Forget about me, save yourself!" Li shouted as he stabbed at the card. "I WON'T!" She said, tears stirring in her eyes. "LI, I LOVE YOU!!!" She finally called out, crying uncontrollably. "I can't leave you!" Li was stunned. The card came at him. Li turned away, as if rejecting Sakura. "Li… he really hates me. I was a fool to believe he'd love me back." She spoke softly as Li battled the card. At last, he was bitten in the shoulder, stunning him long enough for the card to circle him. "LI!!!" Sakura called out. Li stood, trembling, holding his head in pain, as his sword fell to the ground. He looked up at Sakura, his brown eyes glazed with a dark red. He did not speak. Instead, he crouched, grabbed his sword, then looked at Sakura again. This time, he lunged at her, sword first. She dodged it, but Li was quick and managed to gore her shoulder. "AAAGH!!" Sakura shrieked in pain as the metal blade protruded deeper inside. "NO!! SAKURA!" Kero called out. Desperate, he flew at Li, biting his nose. The boy called out in annoyance, but it was more of a feral growl then that of a human. Sakura rubbed her shoulder, blood seeping through her fingers. "Li…Oh, god, no…" She weeped. Kero avoided Li's swatting hands, flying to Sakura. "Let's go, huh?" He said. "No…I won't abandon Li…there has to be a way…to reach him." Sakura spoke inbetween gasps of pain. The wound was great, but Li was not forgiving, charging relentlessly at Sakura.

Li's thoughts were a blur. Nothing made any sense to the boy, only that he kill any thing he could. And within the swirling thoughts of chaos, Sakura stood as the target. Thoughts, coherent only to Li, passed through. "Kill her…" "She is the enemy…" "You are the only true card captor…" "She must die!" And throughout all of it, Li was too passive to disagree. They were his thoughts…weren't they? Rationality was swallowed again by instinct as Li went at Sakura.

Sakura's well timed roll spared her any further agony as Li's sword did not hit. "Li. Stop!!" Sakura called out. "Please, Li, if you can hear me, stop!" The feral Li did not acknowledge her words, instead thrashing at her almost blindly with his sword. Nipping her here ansd there, Li finally stabbed her near her left breast. In a whelp of pain, Sakura fell to her knees. "Li…please…" She cried weakly. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Li stared at her. Something stirred in his instinct-driven gut…love…Sakura…Li grasped his head as these thoughts collided with those of his feral side. Throughout it all, the hate card began to fly off to claim more souls. Li's sword moved towards Sakura, she drew her wand in weak defense, and the card went to her. Everything became a blur of confusion. No one could quite see what happened. At last, everything halted. There stood Li, sword tip on the front of a glowing card. "S…Sakura…" Li spoke in gasps…

"I love you too…" At last, both card captors weak, they fell to each other grasping the other tightly.

A bright light greeted the awakening Sakura. She looked around and saw she was in a hospital next to Li in another bed. Her father stood next to Sakura, Li's aunt with him. "Sakura, thank god you're ok. I woke up from a little nap and saw you were missing and found you and Li in the street. I was so worried. I called the hospital and…well, here you are." Sakura giggled.

It was a few hours later. Everyone was gone, most discussing what to do. And in their absence, they missed two new lovers, out of bed, kissing passionately.

There, done! Whew, my fics are getting' longer, huh? I don't think you'll like this, but try! I doubt I'll write another CC fic again, though. It's just not me. But who knows…