The New Cards
New Battlefields: Chapter Eleven
By:
"Guangzhou?" exclaimed Meiling. She began walking back and forth in front of Sakura, Syaoran and Di Shang. She stopped pacing for a moment and looked at them. "But that's where…" Syaoran nodded.
"I know," he said. "We'll take a boat there and find our way from that city."
"Wouldn't going by plane be faster?" asked Meiling. "I mean, considering the destination…"
Syaoran nodded again. "Most likely, but there's something Di Shang and I have to do first."
Meiling didn't say anything right away. She stood at the window, her back to the Card Captors. Then she turned around and smiled at them. "Well," she said. "I wish you all the best. Don't go ruining your battle costumes now, because I can't fix them for you anymore." They nodded. Sakura walked over to Meiling and gave her a hug.
"Thanks for everything, Meiling," she said softly. "I'm sorry you can't come with us." Meiling shrugged carelessly.
"I don't want Chun Hua to think I'm deserting her again," replied Meiling. "Besides, there's still a lot I need to learn from her. You all take care; especially of each other." She gave Syaoran a stern look as she said the last part. Syaoran looked away, pretending he didn't noticed.
After they left, Meiling gave an exasperated sigh. Chun Hua, passing by, asked, "Why didn't you go with them, Meiling? I would have let you go." Meiling shook her head.
"Xiao Lang has to see the truth for himself," she answered. "During the past week, I have thrown hints and comments at his face and he ignores them all. The only way he'll learn is if he does it on his own." She held her head in one hand. "But he can be so clueless sometimes I wonder if he'll ever realize it. And Sakura can be just as dense and I'm beginning to think she'll never notice."
Chun Hua smiled softly. "True love will always find a way, Meiling," she said. "So have some faith in them."
~*~*~*~*~*~
While cruising on the Zhujiang, Sakura ran up the stairs on the boat and stood by the railing, looking down into the waters. The waterway, Zhujiang, means Pearl River, and the city Guangzhou was situated at the mouth of this river. Sakura turned and leaned against the railing, a carefree smile on her face. For a few moments, she let herself forget her troubles with the Jiao Cards and Kam Un and enjoyed the smooth breeze that flowed through the river. Syaoran ascended the stairs slowly and caught sight of Sakura by the railing, her back to him. Di Shang was feeling rather seasick and decided to stay below the deck, but Syaoran wanted some fresh air to clear his head. Though, after seeing Sakura, his mind flew into a jumbled mess once again.
Not wanting to disturb Sakura, Syaoran stood by the side of the stairs, just watching her. Sakura closed her eyes and allowed the wind to breeze by her face. The smile still alighted her expression and Syaoran loved to see her at peace. She looked so happy…maybe it would've been better if they sent her home. Then she wouldn't have to get involved again. He hated it when something happened to his cherry blossom.
Sakura's eyelids opened as she sensed something and she turned around; only to find her gaze locked with Syaoran's. He had been watching her the whole time; Sakura had felt his presence. But she didn't mind, it was calming and she felt safe when he was near. Syaoran walked onto the deck and joined Sakura by the railing, now that she knew he was there. Together, they stood side by side, looking out into the Pearl River.
"Do you ever regret it, Sakura?" Syaoran suddenly asked her out of the blue. Sakura looked up at her friend curiously.
"Regret what, Syaoran?"
"Regret that you've never been able to lead a normal life, like every other girl?" Syaoran's hands clenched tighter to the railing. "The fact that you always have the world in the palm of your hands, the power, and not want it?"
"My power?" thought Sakura to herself. "No," she said softly. "I don't regret it. None of it. At the beginning, I was often hesitant, afraid that I might make a mistake and ruin everything; that I would let people down, like Kero. But since then, I've learned to accept my fate. If I can use my powers to help people, then all the better."
Syaoran suddenly turned and placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders. Sakura looked up at him with surprise. "But your life is constantly in danger because of those powers," he said. "If you could have the chance to rid yourself of that power, to change your fate, would you?" Sakura shook her head slowly.
"If it weren't for this power," she said. "Then you would leave and I would never see you again. After all, that is why you came back, right?" Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth, immediately after realizing what she had just said. She turned crimson red and whirled around, trying to hide it. Syaoran's arms dropped to his sides. "I, uh, have to go," stammered Sakura. She turned quickly and ran down the stairs.
Syaoran clenched his fists. "You think…you think I only came back because of your powers, Sakura?" he asked softly. "What have I ever done to make you think something like that? I came back - not because of your powers or the Jiao Cards - but because I…I…" He angrily struck the railing with his fist. "Why can't I say it?" He slouched against the railing. "Maybe that's why you think that…because I can't ever admit it…not even to myself…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura gaped at the busy city scene before her while Di Shang smiled with relief, happy to be off the boat. When it came to boats, he was usually all right if travelling by a large ship, but when using a ferry like the one they had just been on, his stomach always felt rather queasy.
"Welcome to Guangzhou," Di Shang told Sakura. "The capital of the Chinese province, Guangdong, of which Hong Kong is also a part of."
"Why are we here?" asked Sakura. "I don't think this was the destination Kam Un wanted us to go to. Wasn't it 'Sian'? Or something along those lines?"
"It's Xian," corrected Syaoran, coming from behind her. He stopped and surveyed the crowd. "We have to go north; until we reach Yuexiu Park." Sakura stared at him with confusion on her face. "Just follow me and you'll see," said Syaoran. Sakura assented wordlessly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Two men stood side by side next to the mythological monument located in Yuexiu Park. One man glanced at his watch impatiently. "Xiao Lang is always so irresponsible," he muttered to his partner.
"Just give them both time," said the other soothingly. "Di Xuan always keeps his word. And so does Xiao Lang - eventually. They will be here soon." Not far in the distance, three figures could be seen approaching; the two Li cousins and the Card Mistress. "See?" The first man responded with a muffled snort and waited for the Card Captors to arrive.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"There they are," said Di Shang as they made their way through the park. Sakura studied the two elderly men. Both stood tall at approximately six feet with long greyish-white braids resting on their broad shoulders. They may be old, but it was obvious they weren't what you would call weak. When the Card Captors reached them, Di Shang and Syaoran bowed respectfully to them and Sakura, not sure of what to do, curtsied politely before them. Eyes on the ground, Sakura could feel the slightly shorter of the two men glowering condescendingly at her, a scowl on his face, while the other smiled warmly.
"It's good to have you back in China, Di Xuan," the latter told Di Shang as the boy straightened up. When he turned to look at Syaoran, Syaoran glared at him defiantly and the older man's eyes twinkled with amusement. "And I see our runaway has returned as well." Walking past the Li cousins, the man stopped in front of Sakura. "It's nice to finally be able to meet with you, Card Mistress," he said, speaking in fluent Japanese. Sakura stepped back slightly in surprise. She hadn't expected to hear much Japanese while she was in China. "I am Li Wing Kuen, one of the Li Elders."
"Nice to meet you, too," she answered softly. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura."
Wing Kuen nodded. "And this man," he said gesturing to his peer. "Is Li Shum Yee, another Li Elder." Shum Yee nodded curtly in response. Looking over at the Li cousins, he said, "We have much to discuss with you about the Jiao Cards. And," he added, staring straight at Syaoran. "Some of you have some explaining to do." Syaoran countered his gaze, defiance still in his eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"So you've decided to return, Xiao Lang?"
Syaoran, having just stepped into the room, looked up to see his mother's back to him. She was arranging something at a desk and spoke to him as she did so. "Mom?" he said.
Yelan turned around, her long black hair swirling behind and resting lightly on her back. She studied her son from head to toe. "You've grown a bit the past year," she commented. Turning back to her work, she asked him, "How is the Card Mistress? And Di Xuan?"
"They're okay…" mumbled Syaoran. "But why are you here?"
"I have some things to take care of, Xiao Lang," she answered. "I'll tell you about them later. The council will be wanting to see you soon, so go join your friends." Syaoran slowly stepped out of the room, not knowing what else to say. He decided to just leave and did so. He found Di Shang showing Sakura a little waterfall he had made once with magic and was telling her the story.
"…and so, I hadn't been watching when this…oh, hey, Syaoran," said Di Shang. Syaoran sat on the edge of the pool and didn't answer. Sakura and Di Shang exchanged a glance and Sakura moved and sat down beside Syaoran as Di Shang did the same.
"Is something wrong, Syaoran?" she asked gently. Syaoran was staring into space, not paying any attention at first. Then he turned and faced her, eyes troubled.
"I'm afraid the Elders will send me back to Hong Kong," he said, almost glumly.
"But why?"
"Because I wasn't supposed to go to Japan," he answered. "I left without telling them; without telling anyone. This wasn't a mission given to me. I am supposed to have no business with this. They didn't want to send me again because my first mission had failed." Sakura was silent. He had failed because of her. If she had just given him the cards instead of fighting with him over them before Yue's judgement, he could have brought them back to China and made the Li Elders happy. She didn't want to lose Syaoran…not because of this…there were times she needed him…
Standing up, Sakura said, "Don't worry, Syaoran. When it's my turn to see the council of Elders, I'll speak on your behalf." Syaoran looked up at her, an expression of surprise on his face.
"You'd do that?" he asked. "For me?" Sakura nodded with a smile on hers.
"Don't."
Syaoran and Sakura turned around and saw Wing Kuen standing behind them. "Don't do it," he repeated. At Sakura's questioning look, he said sternly, "Card Mistress, if you told the Elders such a thing, they will deny Syaoran the right to continue capturing Jiao Cards. Already he is not favourable in their eyes and getting requests from the Card Mistress on his behalf will set them against him even more. He has disobeyed them too many times and they will not be so lenient to him anymore. And as for you, Card Mistress, because you are the cause of Syaoran's failure in his mission, they do not like you nor your presence here any better."
Sakura eyes were downcast. To hear such a thing; and from a Li Elder at that! Looking at Sakura's downhearted expression, Wing Kuen's expression softened and he added, "But I am not like most Elders, Card Mistress." Sakura switched her gaze from the ground to the Elder, an image of hope in her eyes. "I will do my best to persuade the rest of the council on Syaoran's behalf. It is better for him if he stays with the two of you for I believe he'll learn more battling side-by-side with his friends than he will sulking at home." Sakura nodded, expressing her heartfelt thanks and Wing Kuen smiled. "It's the least I can do after all you have done for us."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm going on, mother."
Yelan turned around at the sound of her son's voice. She nodded. "I knew you would," she said. "With Wing Kuen backing you up."
Syaoran stared at her, astonished. "You want me to go?" he asked. "You're not mad I left without telling you?"
His mother smiled wryly. "I would have appreciated it if you wrote to me once in a while. That way I wouldn't have to depend on Di Xuan's reports to the Elders to know how you were doing." She stood up, walked to her son and hugged him. "Be very careful, my son," said Yelan. "And don't let yourself get trapped by the dimensions of time." Confusion registered on Syaoran's face but Yelan volunteered no further information. She released him and straightened up. "Watch over the Card Mistress," she added. "And protect her at all costs." Syaoran nodded.
"I won't let you down," he promised. Turning, he ran out the door, toward the place Sakura and Di Shang were. "Not anymore," he added in a whisper. Yelan watched her son leave, smiling to herself for she had heard every word he said.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Syaoran joined Sakura and Di Shang as Wing Kuen was giving the two Card Captors some tips and information about China. "And remember to watch your backs," concluded Wing Kuen. "I believe it's safe to say Kam Un is more slippery than an eel."
"Goodbye, Li Wing Kuen," said Sakura with a curtsy. "And thank you for all your help."
Wing Kuen smiled. "Think nothing of it, Card Mistress. I'm just glad I can assist you all in your journey."
"I'll report back to you once a week, Elder Li Wing Kuen," said Di Shang. Wing Kuen waved his hand, immediately dismissing the idea.
"There's no need to," he said. "So don't write any reports, understand?" Di Shang nodded and the trio of Card Captors turned and left. "Because no one will ever get it," Wing Kuen added under his breath, after the Card Captors were out of hearing range.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After walking for several hours, Sakura ventured to ask their guide, Syaoran, a question. "Why are we still walking?"
Syaoran paused and stopped walking. "Tired already?" he asked her. Sakura shook her head.
"No, just curious," she said.
"Believe it or not," he answered. "It's much faster if we walked through this area. Besides, these suburbs barely have any other modes of transportation besides horses and we can't spend the little money we have on that. We're saving that for our plane tickets." Sakura nodded at the reasonable answer and reflected that she could use the Fly Card if she really wanted to, or even The Windy. But as the Card Captors continued walking, they were suddenly greeted by a sandstorm and their arms flew up to protect their eyes. The odd thing was that area was all grasslands. Where did all the sand come from?
"It's got to be another Jiao Card," shouted Di Shang over the whirling sands.
"Right!" answered Sakura, releasing her star wand. "Gust Card! Create a whirlwind to trap the Jiao Card! Release and dispel!" The Gust flew out and formed a strong whirlwind, completely wrapping itself around the Jiao Card. "Jiao Card, return to your power confined!" The form converted into a card, simply reading The Gravel. But as Sakura picked up the card, they all realized that the Gravel Card was used only as a diversion. Suddenly, a black form appeared before them as the sand vanished and swallowed up the three Card Captors before they had a chance to escape. Everything went black.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura groggily lifted her head up. Sitting up, she looked around, a dazed expression on her face. "Where am I?" she muttered. She found herself under a tall shaded tree, in a forest, quite unlike the fields of vegetation they had been in earlier. Di Shang, lying beside her, also sat up and rubbed his head. "Are you okay?" asked Sakura.
Di Shang nodded, wincing as he found a bump on his head. "I'll live," he answered. Behind him, someone groaned as he woke and grumbled to himself.
"Kam Un just had to send two cards after us, and we just had to fall for the decoy."
"Cheer up, Syaoran," said Sakura. "At least we're okay. But, um," she looked about her. "Where are we?" Syaoran shrugged as he glanced about him.
"We're not anywhere near Guangzhou anymore," he replied. "That's for sure."
"There's a town up ahead," said Di Shang. "Let's go there and find out." The others nodded in agreement. Sakura dusted herself off and was relieved to find the star key around her neck and her charm bracelet still on her wrist. Dusting off her pink ceremonial robes, Sakura stood up and, joined by Di Shang, quickly followed Syaoran, who was already halfway toward the village.
As the Card Captors walked through the town, Sakura could feel the townspeople staring at them as they walked back. It made her feel really nervous. Was there something wrong? Why did they stare at them? She also noticed that the townspeople's clothes were rather…old-fashioned. She had seen clothes like these in her school history textbooks. Both men and women wore long robes, sweeping the ground. Men wore their hair long, braided tightly or flowing loosely, resting on their backs. The women's hair, also very long, was more elaborately dressed, with headpieces, pins, and hairclips. Sakura's hand conscientiously flew to her own hair, and wished, for a brief moment, that she had long beautiful flowing hair as those women did. Di Shang noticed this and gently pulled her hand away from her hair.
"Your hair is beautiful the way it is," he whispered to her. "I wouldn't want it any other way. Just ignore them." Sakura's cheeks coloured a light pink at the comment. "Syaoran," said Di Shang, calling to his cousin. Syaoran stopped walking and turned around to face him. "Do you notice anything strange about this place?" Syaoran nodded.
"I feel like I'm in the nineteenth century or something," Syaoran replied. "Because of the way the people are dressed. The roads…this one isn't even paved. It's just hardened dirt." Syaoran adjusted his green hat uncomfortably as he could see people pointing to his and his peer's short hair. Glancing at his watch, he added, "It's seven o'clock now. What say we find a place to stay for the night and continue tomorrow?" Di Shang and Sakura nodded. Looking around them, Syaoran saw a store that doubled as a restaurant and a hotel and entered it. The customers stared at him as he walked past and he could hear their whispers.
"What's with the big hat?"
"No one ever wears their undergarments in public."
"Such short hair. Did he cut it that way purposely? What a disgrace."
"No respect at all."
"He's just a small child."
"Undergarments?" thought Syaoran. He then realized why they thought he was wearing undergarments. It was because of his pants. All the other males in the restaurant wore long robes that covered the pant legs. The two cloths that hung in the front and the back of his battle costume didn't count as a robe in their eyes. "What is going on?" wondered Syaoran. The man at the desk stared at him.
"Can I help you?" the man asked coldly.
"How much is it to reserve two rooms here?" asked Syaoran, trying to act calm on the outside, though shaking like a leaf inside. Sakura, feeling Syaoran's uneasiness, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and when he glanced at her briefly, she smiled warmly at him. This smile calmed Syaoran down and he was able to completely regain his composure.
"I'm afraid we only have one room left," the man said. "You have come at the busiest time of the year. And I can assure you that all other places are booked full, as we almost are." Syaoran exchanged glances with his friends. Di Shang nodded, stating that they ought to take it.
"We'll take that, then," said Syaoran.
"Will you be having your dinner down here or in your room?" asked the man. At Syaoran's questioning look, he added, "We offer a combination of dinner and accommodations."
Not wanting to face the people's stares again, at least, not so soon, Syaoran replied, "We'll have it in our room." The man nodded and called for someone. A girl appeared from another room and stood beside them.
"She will take you to your room," said the man. "Enjoy your stay."
"This way," said the girl. She led the Card Captors up a flight of stairs and took them to the room at the end of the hallway. Pushing open the doors, she entered and lit a candle, placing it on the center table. "If you want more light, candles are provided in that drawer. Would you like your dinner now or later?"
"Now is fine," answered Syaoran. The girl nodded and turned to leave. "Hold on a minute," said Syaoran. The girl, an expression plainly showing on her face that she wanted to be anywhere but there, turned around submissively at his request. "Where are we? What…what day is this?"
"You are in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and it's April 20, 1821," she told him. They all gaped at her with surprise. Was she serious? 1821? How was it possible?
"Um, you can go," mumbled Syaoran feebly. The girl quickly walked out of the room. Syaoran dropped into a chair. "How could this happen?" he asked. "The last day I remembered was July 17. How did we go back in time?"
"It has to be the black form that attacked us," said Di Shang. "It may have been the Hour Card. We better defeat it before we get stuck in this time period." Sakura was silent. They were…in the past now! How would they get back to their own time?
"That's what my mom meant," thought Syaoran. "When she said to not let myself get trapped by the dimensions of time. Somehow, she knew this card would appear." A light knock on the door broke through his thoughts. Sakura walked over and opened it. A different girl - one that was pretty and petite in stature - stood there, a tray of food held in her arms. She didn't look to be any older than fifteen years old. Her long dark brown hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail and a demure smile dimpled her face. But her cinnamon eyes were clouded and her expression was of one in misery.
"I've come to deliver your food," she said softly.
"Come on in," responded Sakura. The girl gingerly stepped into the room and slowly walked toward the table in the center of the room. Syaoran, still sitting on the chair by the table, raised an eyebrow to his friends at the girl's slow pace. Suddenly, the girl tripped, and the tray of food came crashing down on Syaoran, knocking him off the chair. Both he and the girl lay on the ground in a heap of food. The girl sat up quickly, her face red with embarrassment. Syaoran was quick to anger.
"What did you do that for?" he shouted at her.
"I'm…I'm sorry…" she stammered. "I couldn't help it."
Sakura helped the unfortunate girl to her feet. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It was just an accident. Things happen." Di Shang helped his cousin clean up the mess of food on the ground but Syaoran noticed the girl did nothing to help them.
"Well?" snapped Syaoran, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Aren't you going to help us?"
"I…I…" stuttered the girl. Her shoulders suddenly slumped forward and she buried her head in her hands. "I…I can't see anything!" she cried brokenly.
Author's Note: Some of you are pretty good; you've guessed who the mysterious man was in the last chapter (I haven't mentioned it yet in this chapter). But no one has guessed correctly where the destination is. Obviously, as mentioned in this chapter, it's China. All these Chinese names and cities…getting confused yet? Let me know if you are. These are actual place names, by the way. I didn't make any of them up. You're probably wondering why I'm using inland China so much. It's because I want my fan fic to be different. Of all the CCS fan fics I've read, they either take place in Japan, Hong Kong, England, or the United States; never really inland China. This is why I mentioned before that I was doing research. The research is on the geography of China and landmarks and such. *laughs* My mom is really happy about all this research, even if it's just for a fic. Hmm…they go back in time…way back…Now who is this unnamed girl? Friend or foe? What do you think?
Author's Note to sakurablossom: I don't live in Japan nor did I purchase the DVD there. I live in Canada and bought it at a store near where I live. It's a (Chinese) store called "Image and Sound". They sell a lot of anime-related stuff there like VCDs, DVDs, and CD Soundtracks. But most of the stuff is either in Japanese with Chinese subtitles or just Chinese. I really wish I knew exactly what they were saying. They have a couple of things with English subtitles, but never any of the stuff I'm looking for. I'm just surprised at how many copies of the CCS: second movie I've seen here in Canada. Sorry if this isn't really too helpful for you, sakurablossom. By the way, I've never read any Harry Potter books (boy, am I behind!). Who's Lord Voldemort?
*Sakura
~The Animé Archives Team
