Author's note: This takes place after the capture of the Earthy card, but before it is signed. The names are not in Japanese (sorry), but I hope that won't take the fun out of it.
A Different Destiny
"Kero" cried Sakura, "You can't be in your true form out here."
"No one's around." He replied. "I can't wait for all the yummy treats. Cotton candy, hot dogs, corn dogs…….." He began to start drifting off in his mind and drooling.
"YUCK!" cried Sakura as a splash of sticky and clammy feeling water dripped onto her.
"O, sorry about that." He mumbled and went back to his dream.
"You've got to convert back, Kero. We are almost at the festival." Sakura continued, "KERO, ARE YOU LISTENING!"
"I hear you. But I still think you should have signed the Earth card. Why are you waiting? Please let's go back………Please"
"No!" Sakura was tired of the subject by now. She wanted to go to the festival first before this test that would make or destroy her destiny. "I have the Wood card on it to guard the Earth, along with every other card."
"Come on Sakura" A voice spoke from behind a tree. Sakura jumped almost two feet into the air in the thought of a ghost and landing on the ground, Kero became fully alert eyeing the tree knowing what was behind it. Then Li slowly appeared from the shadows.
"You don't know what the Earth is capable of. Trust me this time." He just blurted out immediately.
At the fair, Madison was waiting with Tori and Julian for Sakura. "Shouldn't she have been here by now." Julian asked Tori.
"Just like her to be late." Tori said. "Right when you think she'll be on time, she proves you wrong."
"I'll go back to see if she's at your house tori, ok?" Madison asked.
Tori nodded but added, "If you see her, tell her she's doing the chores on Sunday."
As this happened, a figure in shadows crept into Sakura's room. Seeing the Clowbook on the table, it advanced forth. "I'm not too late" it spoke, You should have signed the Earth while you had the chance. You should have listened to that guardian of yours. It won't be able to protect you anymore" It said, "Your mistake will cost you." It giggled.
"With all my power thrust in hand
Summoned from across the land
To form a time when Clow is untamed
And the forces of the seal shall share their power
COPY THE SEAL!
The figure fell to the floor in a loss of strength as the room fell into darkness and the Clowbook seemed to start to vanish, but a second copy began to appear next to it. Then after a minute, both books turned back to a solid form. "I've done it!" It shouted taking the duplicate copy and vanishing into the air.
Li and Sakura were flying back to Sakura's house on Kero's back. "Faster" Li commanded.
"How'd you like to walk" Kero retorted. "At least I won't be a stuffed animal when I lose too much energy." Li murmured. Sakura was saddened at her decision, but suddenly, Kero began to loose altitude. "Kero, what are you doing!"
Kero, in a dazed state, reverted back to his "plush toy" form, sending Sakura and Li plummeting towards the ground. Sakura screamed frantically in search of something to grab as Li calmly drew his sword. "Element: Wind!" He cried as a gust of wind filled the space between them and the ground, slowing their descent as they touched the ground. "Now the Earth has escaped again……" Li began but kero stopped him.
"The Earth is still in the book, but the cards seem to have lost most of their power." Kero corrected Li. Li, Sakura, and Kero raced to Sakura's house arriving a half and hour later and dashed up into her room to search out the book, but it lay undisturbed on the table she had left it. Kero opened the book and all cards were there. He didn't understand the mysterious power drain. "Quick Sakura, sign the Earthy" Li finally said breaking their silence. Sakura slowly wrote her name on it in fear of what was to happen. Li and Kero looked around, as if expecting to see something. Sakura glanced at them. "It must be because the cards are incomplete" kero murmured. "My cards still have full power." Li told them. "I wonder why his cards have full power and Sakura's don't. Maybe this is one of Yue's tests." Kero kept murmuring knowing that etherway, he'd have to actually rely on Li if the power was to be restored to the rest of the cards.
"Ok kid" Kero quickly spoke. "We need to go outside," Kero spoke as he left Sakura's room to the door with Li and Sakura trailing. "Alright, use The Time Card to rewind time about two hours before this"
"YOU'RE STILL CRAZY, AREN'T YOU!" Li replied immediately. "If we don't follow are footsteps exactly, we could ratically alter the future!"
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!" Kero replied as he chased Li who was running in circles attempting to get away from Kero's chomps.
"Now, Now." A soft voice spoke from the air. Li and Kero drastically looked around for the voice and Sakura froze. "Arguing is such child's play."
"GHOST!!!!!!" Sakura screamed as she leaped for the door.
"Lock Card, lend your powers to my key, grant me your powers, Release!" An image of the Lock shot towards the door. Sakura desperately pounding at the door to force it open.
"Clow's magic!" Li cried. "Source of light with ancient spin, send forth the magic power with in, force know my plight, release the light." He swiftly spoke as the ray of light shot forth to the air in front of them. Kero flue up to Sakura window and grabbed the Clowbook off Sakura's desk.
"Sakura" Kero said as he flue out of Sakura's bedroom window with the Clowbook in his paws. "Use the key"
"Key of Clow, power of magic, power of light, surrender the wand, the force ignite, RELEASE!!!!!! WINDY!"
Windy's spirit spun around the air that the laisin board was pointing to, seemingly tying itself around something.
"WINDY!" The voice of the air roared as another Windy spirit broke Sakura's Windy from entangling it. Both Windy's combated each other in a stand off. "Sakura, an attack card!" ordered Kero.
"WATER!" Cried Sakura returning her Windy spirit and launching Water's. It rushed through the other Windy and raced toward a the entity of the air. The water flowed around it, giving away an image. It was a person, covered with a cloak, about average height for their age. It was holding a wand, almost identical to Sakura's except that the wing and beak tips were sharper. The figure fell to the ground and became visible. Kero gained enough power to succeed transforming and attacked with his fireballs. He trapped the person who was a boy about Li's age, in a fire tornado. "You're the one responsible for the power loss of the Clow cards!? Kero queried. "Yes, the boy answered. But I realized some cards were missing, I've comeback to taken them. "That's what you think" Li snobbishly told. "That's what I know." the boy replied.
The boy brought out an incantation card similar to Li's. "Electroshock!" he cried hitting the palm of his hand against the card releasing a bolt of lightning at an unexpecting Kero. "Kero! No!" Sakura screamed as Kero fell to the ground changing back.
"Shadow card! Entangle Li and take his cards! Shadow!" The boy said. Kero now in his little form finally knew what was going on. "Sakura, counter with light!"
"Light card! Release! The shadow card was struggling with Li as the bright light defeated it. The visible form lay on the ground, weak. "Sakura, seal it!" kero weakly ordered.
"Shadow, return to your power confined, Shadow!" she said, remembering the first time she caught the shadow card. The visible form went into the card and glided to Sakura. Sakura then put the cards on top of each other and they combined into one card. "You'll pay for that!" The boy said with rage. "Electroshock!" he roared. "Shield card, Release!" Sakura said trying to counter the shock, but the shield was loosing power rapidly.
"Sword card, lend your powers to my key, grant me your powers, Release!" the boy said happily as his wand transformed into a sword. As he dashed at toward the shield. Sakura froze and the boy sliced the shield and what power it had left.
"Shield, Return and unite your powers, Shield!" He said throwing up his shield card and tapping it with his wand. Sakura's shield slipped into his card. "Now for the rest of them" he said.
"Enough!" Li said deciding to do something instead of watching. "Element, Lightning!" A bolt of lightning shot forth and struck the boy's leg.
"Time for me to go" he said painfully, "Fly!" He commanded, adding "But don't worry, I'll be back". As the boy flue off, Li shot lightning bolts at him, but kept missing.
"Kero, what's going on." Sakura asked.
"Well, Clow reed had rivals. He thought that the Clow cards should be used to protect the world and they should be kept from doing danger themselves. But another sorcerer thought that they should have been used to control the world and have China rule it. That was one of the reasons Clow Reed hid the book. The boy's name is Kuragari.
"But why not take the book, Kero?" asked Sakura.
"Because the book opens with the key now that it is in someone's possession. So, he had to copy of the Clow, both sets of cards have only half their powers though, making it easier for the book to be opened without a key. It's a seal that touches many lives, and survives through time." Kero responded. Sakura and Li both listened to Kero's story as Madison came out from a bush.
"I'd love to tape these new adventures of you Sakura." she said in a calm voice. Sakura just fainted at the thought of more costumes. "And now we have another descendent to deal with." Kero added with a smirk.
Author's note: Kuragari, got the name from a friend, means darkness. Li hasn't shown any feeling for Sakura yet. But don't worry, I'll get to them. It'll come at one of those times where things don't look like they won't make it.