The
New Cards
Breaking
Ground: Chapter Fourteen
By: Sakura
"Lightning! Strike!"
With his sword drawn in front of him, Di
Shang retreated with Hwa Ming beside him while The Oceanid and The Showers
continued to advance. Lightning flew out from the sword and attacked the
Oceanid, but the Showers Card, changing to its visible form snatched the sword
out of Di Shang's hand and threw it away, hitting the ground with a clatter. Di
Shang pushed Hwa Ming behind him as the two Jiao Cards loomed overhead.
"Return to your true form! Jiao Card!"
Suddenly, The Oceanid disappeared. The Showers looked around for its ally, but
could not find it. Startled to find itself alone, The Showers retreated and
tried to flee; instead coming face-to-face with the Card Mistress. Raising her
staff above her head, Sakura cried, "Return to your true form! Showers Card!"
Before the Jiao Card could budge another inch, it disappeared into its card
form. Sakura sighed with relief and put the card away. She turned to her
friends, a big smile on her face. "Are you guys okay?" she asked. Hwa Ming
nodded gratefully.
Di Shang walked to Sakura wordlessly and
hugged her. Sakura blushed lightly while Syaoran scowled and looked away. If
only he had told her…
"I'm relieved you're all right," Di Shang
told her. Sakura smiled.
"Thank you," she said. She looked around and
raised an eyebrow. "Wow," she said to Hwa Ming. "You managed to get another
boat already." Hwa Ming shrugged.
"We have Di Shang to thank for that," she
said. "Though he won't tell me how he did it. Come on, let's get going to
Chongquig." Sakura nodded and followed Di Shang and Hwa Ming to the new boat.
Syaoran stood rooted to the spot, his fists clenched, glaring at Di Shang's
back. Suddenly, Sakura turned and walked over to him, looking up at him
curiously.
"Are you okay, Syaoran?" she asked worriedly.
Syaoran jumped back in surprise, not seeing her, sputtering all the way.
"I'm…I'm, uh…" Syaoran looked away. "It's
nothing!" he yelled, his cheeks turning scarlet. He was glad his hat slipped
forward and covered his eyes. Sakura giggled, though not fully understanding
what was wrong with her friend, linked her arm with his and proceeded to lead
him to the boat. Syaoran continued to blush and sputter as she dragged him
along. Di Shang watched with hidden amusement in his eyes. Sometimes, he just
didn't understand his cousin. Did he have to push Syaoran far enough before he
would say something?
The boat was the same as before; in fact, it
was an exact copy. As Sakura walked up to the boat, Di Shang helped her in,
slipping something into the palm of her hand at the same time, unnoticed by Hwa
Ming, but not escaping Syaoran's watchful eyes all the same. "Take care of
this, Sakura," he said to her. Sakura looked at the object. It had changed to a
Sakura Card; The Copy. Sakura looked up and nodded, understanding immediately.
Syaoran folded his arms and glared at Di Shang when he offered to help him in.
Di Shang smiled inwardly, not saying anything, especially not after Syaoran
quickly sat down beside Sakura before his cousin could. Sakura blushed and
looked away when Syaoran sat down and the smile on Di Shang's face vanished. He
walked over to the other end and joined Hwa Ming.
Hwa Ming was busy studying a map, tracing her
finger from one city to another. "Where are we now?" asked Di Shang. Hwa Ming
pointed to a curving point in the river.
"Concerning major cities," she answered. "We
just passed Yueyang. The next one is Shashi. Also, we'll soon be approaching
the three major gorges of the Yangtze River. The waters can be dangerous there.
The starting point to those gorges is Yichang, which is further north, past
Shashi."
"The three gorges?" thought Di Shang. "That's
right! I remember them from my history class."
"…starting at Xiling Gorge," continued Hwa
Ming. "After passing Wu Gorge and Qutang Gorge, we're clear of them and the
rest of the journey should be a breeze. Qutang, though the shortest Gorge by
distance, happens to be one of the more dangerous gorges and shouldn't be taken
lightly." Di Shang nodded, having heard the rest of what she had to say.
Suddenly, he felt an odd sensation and turned and looked in Sakura and
Syaoran's direction. Both Card Captors were staring out at the waters, avoiding
each other's gaze. But feeling Di Shang's gaze, both turned and raised their
eyebrows in unison, a questioning look on their faces. Di Shang waved his hand
down, gesturing that nothing was wrong. Neither of them seemed to have noticed
anything out of the ordinary and they went back to looking at the waters.
"Strange," thought Di Shang as he looked back
ahead. "I could have sworn I sensed something." Unbeknownst to him and his
peers, a dark solid figure made its way beneath the waters, swimming further
and faster, toward the area the third gorge stood.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Wandering to the front of the boat, Syaoran
plopped down beside his cousin and Hwa Ming. Glancing back, he saw Sakura
curled up there, still fast asleep. A soft smile flickered across his face.
"Need something, Syaoran?" asked Di Shang.
"Huh?" said Syaoran, startled out of his
thoughts. "Oh…I was just wondering how long it would take us to navigate
through this place."
"The Xiling Gorge is about sixty-six
kilometres long," answered Hwa Ming. "Fortunately, since this is the longest
gorge, the others shouldn't take us as long."
It was well past evening now and the sun had
long since set. Sakura, still tired from the events of the day before and having
sealed two Jiao Cards and transforming three, decided to go to sleep a little
earlier than usual. Hwa Ming and Di Shang decided to travel at a much slower
pace, seeing how night was setting in and stars were beginning to appear in the
sky. Syaoran started to go back to his seat by Sakura when he felt a tap on his
shoulder. Turning around, he raised an eyebrow when he saw Di Shang.
"Do you have any idea how to defeat the Hour
Card?" asked Di Shang. "Because I've been thinking about it all day but only
drawing up a blank." Syaoran shook his head.
"I can't think of any way, either," he said.
"We've tried The Time and The Return, but this one Jiao Card is so much
stronger than those two Sakura Cards combined. In fact, the Hour Card seems to
have the same attributes as both cards, which explains why it has so much
power. But," he added. "If we don't seal it soon, we could be trapped in this
time period forever." Both boys fell silent.
Breaking the silence, Di Shang said, "Why
didn't you say anything?" Syaoran stared at him, confused, not knowing what his
cousin was talking about. Di Shang sighed in exasperation. "Why didn't you tell
her?" Again, he was given the lost look. Gripping his cousin's shoulders, Di
Shang shook Syaoran. "Why didn't you tell her you love her?" he whispered
fiercely, keeping his tone down so Sakura wouldn't hear him. Realization dawned
on Syaoran's face and Di Shang let go of him. Syaoran looked at Sakura and then
back at Di Shang.
"I tried to…" he said, voice trailing off.
"And?" prompted Di Shang.
Syaoran was looking at floorboards. "I don't
know," he replied. "I just…can't. The timing's never right, either. And if she
doesn't love me…" He turned abruptly and walked over to talk to Hwa Ming,
wanting to avoid the subject of their conversation entirely.
Di Shang groaned inwardly. He was glad that
his cousin finally understood how he felt about Sakura but he was just so
blind! And though Di Shang didn't like it, he knew Sakura cared for Syaoran in
return, to an extent that could be called love. But Sakura, being equally as
dense as Syaoran didn't see that Syaoran loved her and therefore did nothing
about it. Both of them were so afraid that the other didn't love them back…
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sakura! Sakura! Wake up!"
Sakura opened her eyelids sleepily. "What's
the matter, Hwa Ming?" she asked her friend, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
Suddenly, the boat dipped and shuddered violently, causing Sakura to bolt up
immediately. They were under attack!
A boulder crashed down, hurtling toward the
small watercraft. Sakura withdrew her star key and released it, calling upon
the Through Card. "Through!" she cried. "Make the rock lose its solid state!"
The boulder fell right through the boat and dropped further and further in the
water. It landed with a slight thud on the riverbed when The Through returned
to its card form.
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she
watched the rock sink, but it was short-lived. Another boulder was flung down
and slammed into the water, narrowly missing the boat, and it caused the water
to erupt in a giant splash, which drenched the occupants of the boat.
"What's going on?" grumbled Syaoran, wringing
the water out of his hat. Di Shang, looking up, spotted a figure standing on
the cliffside towering over the Yangtze and pointed it out for his friends.
Syaoran's gaze followed the direction indicated. On the rocky ledge of the
mountain stood a rather short, broad-shouldered figure, built entirely out of
solid rock. Di Shang took a step back in surprise.
"What's the Rock Card doing up there?" he
thought. He quickly turned to Sakura and shouted, "Sakura, check your cards. Is
The Rock there?" Sakura, immediately understanding what he was asking about,
skimmed through her cards and couldn't find it. That meant another card had
broken its seal. And this was a very aggressive card, too.
Suddenly, the Rock Card lifted its hand up
high, though still aiming it at the water. Tiny spikes formed in the palm of
its hand. Di Shang recognized this attack right away, having experienced it
months ago when he was in China. Looking about him, he saw his friends had
their gazes locked on the Jiao Card, not realizing what it was about to do. The
spikes grew in length to be about two centimetres and swiftly exited the card's
hands, speeding towards Sakura. Di Shang reacted immediately before he even saw
the spikes leave the cards' hand and gathering her in his arms, dropped to the
wooden floor of the boat. He hadn't been fast enough; some of the spikes grazed
his left arm while others punctured through his skin, causing blood to flow.
"Di Shang!" cried Sakura as she sat up. Di
Shang lay down on the boat, his eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain in his
left arm.
After a few seconds, he opened one of his
eyes and looked up at Sakura, who was slightly shaken by the speed of the
card's attack. "Are you okay, Sakura?" he asked her. Sakura nodded. He tried
getting up, his right hand clutching his left arm - just above the cuts - but
couldn't find the energy. He cursed himself for forgetting about some of the
Rock Card's special attacks. When these stone pellets drew blood, they took
energy with it as well. He never figured out where the energy went yet. Sakura
held him down by pushing him down lightly on his shoulders.
"Don't get up yet," she said. "You're hurt."
Di Shang looked up and saw the worry in Sakura's emerald-green eyes. He
assented to her words. Hwa Ming rushed to her friends' side to see how she
could help out.
"I knew the Qutang Gorge could be dangerous
sometimes," she muttered to herself. "But this is ridiculous." Syaoran, after
seeing what the card had done and could do, unsheathed his sword and took out
an incantation paper, aiming them at the Jiao Card.
"Element: Water!" he cried. Water blasted out
from the incantation paper but the cliff was too high and it never reached it.
Sakura stood up, her hands clenched around her staff. She glanced over at Di
Shang and he smiled reassuringly. She nodded in response. Choosing a card that
would never fail her, Sakura called upon the Wood Card. Vines whipped out of
the card form, heading straight toward the Rock Card, but as Syaoran's spell
had failed, so did the Sakura Card. The opposing card was just too high up.
Sakura's grip on her staff tightened. "I'm
not letting this card get away for hurting my friend," she thought. Drawing out
another card, she shouted, "Fly!" Graceful pink wings sprouted from her back.
Hwa Ming gaped at the sight. A person with…wings? How did she do it? Only birds
could have feathers and wings. Sakura turned to Syaoran and held her hand out
to him. Syaoran stared at her, confused. "Come on," she told him. "We can beat
that Jiao Card if we work together." Syaoran nodded, understanding at once.
With a little help from the Power Card as
well as The Fly, Sakura flew into the air, with Syaoran arms encircled around
her waist and holding onto her. Sakura's focus was on the Jiao Card, for it was
uppermost on her mind. For Syaoran, it took him but a moment to notice the
extremely close contact he had with Sakura and he turned beet red. "Don't think
about that!" he thought to himself, shaking his head to clear those thoughts.
"Is something wrong, Syaoran?" asked Sakura
when she saw him shake his head.
"Huh?" said Syaoran. "Uh…no, it's nothing.
It's just I…" Out of the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw the Rock Card throwing
a small boulder in their direction. Sakura, still watching Syaoran, hadn't
noticed. "Sakura," he shouted. "We have to get lower or we'll get hit!"
"What?" cried Sakura. She looked up to see
the boulder right in front of her and her eyes widened. There wasn't enough
time for her to dodge it! Syaoran quickly thought of a way around it. Exerting
more power and weight on his end, he pulled Sakura down with him. Sakura,
surprised at the sudden change in weight, was forced to put The Power away and
they fell. They landed, but on Syaoran's back, and skidded onto the cliffside,
Syaoran still holding onto Sakura. When they stopped moving, Syaoran slowly
lifted his head up, his vision swimming. "Syaoran!" cried Sakura, sitting up
and shaking him lightly. "Syaoran, are you okay? Speak to me!"
Looking through blurred eyes, Syaoran could
see a silhouette of a girl with long wings. "Like an angel…" he murmured to
himself. Then her voice cut through his dazed stupor. "Sakura?" His sight
returned to normal and his amber eyes locked with Sakura's emerald eyes. He
could read relief in them. Sakura impulsively hugged Syaoran.
"I'm so glad you're all right," she said.
"You scared me when you pulled us down like that and…" Sakura held up one hand,
a look of dismay on her face. Syaoran's back was red…a bit of his blood was on
her fingertips. Syaoran looked from the expression on Sakura's face to her
hands. He forced himself to stand up.
"Don't worry," he told her, though grimacing
slightly with pain. "I'm just fine. Let's seal that card and go back to the
others." Sakura didn't budge; instead she just watched him. "Come on!"
commanded Syaoran, pulling Sakura to her feet. Syaoran held out his hand and
cast a little spell, his sword appearing in his hand. Taking out another
incantation paper, he cried, "Element: Water!" Again, water shot out from the
paper and surrounded the Rock Card. Syaoran took a glance at Sakura and saw she
was still looking at his back; the torn battle costume, the scratches tinged
with red… "Sakura!" he yelled again. Sakura looked up at him, then looked over
at the Jiao Card, as if remembering what she had flown up there to do.
"Wood!" she cried, holding her star staff and
the Wood Card in the air. "Use your vines to wrap up Rock!" The Wood Card flew
forward, gliding round and round the Jiao Card, tying it up. The Rock Card
attempted to struggle out of the Sakura Card's grasp, but being weakened at the
same time with water from the incantation paper, it fell to its knees instead.
Sakura walked to it, pointing her staff at the card. "Return to your true form!
Rock!" The solid bulky figure vanished and was replaced with a blue and yellow
card. The Jiao Card landed in Sakura's hand and transformed while Sakura sighed
with relief. She turned around to show Syaoran the re-sealed card but instead,
she saw him fall forward, unconscious, to the ground.
"Syaoran!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Syaoran slowly opened his eyes and winced in
pain. His back felt like it was on fire. "Ow!" he cried out when he felt
something lightly being applied to his back. He turned around and glared at the
person behind him and found himself face to face with Sakura. She was applying
medicine to Syaoran's wounded back but even her most gentle touch hurt him. His
glare faltered when he encountered her emerald eyes.
"I'm sorry, Syaoran," she said softly. "I
didn't mean to hurt you further. I'm just trying to help."
"Don't mind him, Sakura," came Di Shang's
voice. Syaoran looked up to see Di Shang walk over and join the pair. Di Shang
smiled. "Syaoran's just being a big baby."
Syaoran scowled at Di Shang and muttered
something incoherent. Then turning to Sakura again, he said, "Go ahead." Sakura
nodded and continued to lightly place the lotion onto Syaoran's back. He winced
again, but gritting his teeth this time and bearing it, not wanting to let Di
Shang have an opportunity to call him a "baby" again.
The Card Captors and Hwa Ming had long since
past the Qutang Gorge and they were now slowly drifting on the Yangtze River
heading toward Chongquig. The waters were much smoother and calmer. Night had
past and day would soon begin for the sky began to brighten as the sun slowly
rose. Sakura paused in her work and clasped her hands together.
"Syaoran, look," she whispered softly. "I've
never seen the sun rise before. It's so beautiful." Syaoran slowly propped
himself up with one arm, lying on his side.
"That's because you're always still sleeping
like a rock at that time," commented Syaoran. Sakura glared at Syaoran but when
she saw the small smile on his face, her anger dissolved and a blush crept onto
her cheeks.
"Don't joke like that!" she said playfully,
giving him a light pat on the back. Syaoran grimaced and Sakura's hands flew up
to her mouth. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I forgot!" Syaoran's face lost the
grimace and he bore the pain with patience and a soft smile.
"That's all right," he said. "Don't worry
about it." Sakura smiled back and they continued to watch the sun rise slowly
over the cliffsides in peaceful silence.
In the back of the boat, Hwa Ming continued
to steer the watercraft while Di Shang quietly watched the two Card Captors
sitting in the front. Hwa Ming looking over at her friend, noticed him
watching, and gently nudged him. "Jealous?" she asked. Di Shang glanced over at
her quizzically then laughed.
"I suppose I am…a little bit," he replied
truthfully. He turned to look out at the waters of the river while he
continued. "You see, my cousin, Meiling, and I always figured that, if Syaoran
could never see his true feelings for Sakura, then we'd be the one to help him
see it, since he could be so blind sometimes. There was only one problem with
that…" His gaze shifted back to Sakura and Syaoran "After I moved to Japan, I started
to love Sakura, too." He turned to face Hwa Ming again. "I have no intention of
taking Sakura from my cousin, because I believe Syaoran is the only one that
can truly make her happy. It's just sometimes I wish I was the one Sakura met
first instead of Syaoran." Di Shang finished, a wistful expression on his face.
Sakura, completely oblivious to Di Shang's
words, quietly hummed a tune to herself as she bandaged Syaoran's back with
long strips of white cloth. Luckily for Syaoran, the scratches weren't too deep
and the healing process would not take long. Sakura handed Syaoran his white
buttoned-down shirt and watched him as he slipped it on. Syaoran felt her gaze
and turned around. "What?" he asked. Sakura looked down at the floorboards and
shook her head, blushing lightly.
"Nothing," she said nonchalantly. She still
didn't lift her head. Syaoran gazed at her for a moment, his eyes softening.
The sun had risen above the small cliffs now and continued to rise. Sakura's
emerald eyes, always filled with warmth, were no different now. The sun's rays
seemed to lightly kiss her brown hair and they gleamed, making the shade seem
lighter. A tiny smile played at the corners of her lips, waiting to blossom. He
loved her so much…
"Sakura…" he said in a low tone. Sakura
looked up at him when she heard her name and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
Syaoran plucked his courage together. This was it. "Sakura, I…"
"Breakfast is ready!"
Syaoran and Sakura jumped at the sudden
interruption, both sweatdropping when they saw Di Shang holding on plates of
food to them. Di Shang looked from Sakura and Syaoran and blinked. "I'm sorry,"
he said. "Was I interrupting something?" Sakura shook her head and Di Shang
smiled. "That's good," he said. "For a moment, I thought I…" Seeing the
venomous look in Syaoran's eyes, Di Shang decided to just hand his cousin his
breakfast and leave. Syaoran was boiling inside. Another moment…lost again! He
continued to glare at his cousin while he ate his breakfast. Sakura, not
knowing what Syaoran was going to say, glanced every so often at him and
wondered why his face held an angered expression.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Do you really have to go?"
Hwa Ming nodded sadly, eyes on the ground. "I
do," she said resignedly. "It's the family business to ferry passengers and
courier to towns and cities along the Yangtze River and I can't quit now.
Besides, I promised my father I'd be back in a fortnight and I've been gone for
three weeks." Her gaze shifted from the ground and back to her friends. She
smiled. "I'm going to miss you all," she said. "I have to admit, being with you
was definitely interesting. And…" She walked up to Syaoran and kissed him on
the cheek. Syaoran stared at her in surprise, his face red from blushing, while
Sakura looked way, trying not to get angry.
"It's not like I'm jealous or anything," she
told herself, but knowing she didn't sound very convincing. She wished she
could kiss Syaoran on impulse…but he may not like that…
"I have you to thank, Syaoran," said Hwa
Ming. "Because of you, I got my sight again." She bowed to him once, showing
her appreciation.
Syaoran smiled at her. "Just glad I could
help you out," he said. Hwa Ming nodded and waved goodbye as the three Card
Captors turned to leave.
"Bye! Be careful!" she called after them. "Maybe
I'll see you again someday!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Do you think we'll see her again?" asked
Sakura.
The three Card Captors had been making their
way through the busy streets of Chongquig since they left the port. For now,
though, they took a break inside a small restaurant, ignoring the short glances
they kept receiving from other customers and the shopkeepers. Syaoran held the
map provided by Kam Un before him, trying to decide where to go and the easiest
route to Xian from there.
"I'm sure we will," answered Di Shang. "But
we shouldn't get too attached with the people here. Don't forget, we're not in
our own time." Sakura nodded. Syaoran opened his mouth to add in something but
was cut short. The Card Captors immediately sensed something; a dark aura. Jumping
up, they ran out of the restaurant, Syaoran in the lead. The dark aura seemed
to be beckoning to them.
"It has to be Kam Un," thought Syaoran as he
ran. "And we must be getting close since the signal is getting stronger each
time." Weaving their way through the crowds on the street, Syaoran caught sight
of someone running before them, dressed in long black robes. The figure tossed
their long charcoal shaded braid over their shoulder and took a look behind
them. That's when they recognized Kam Un. Kam Un saw them and ran even faster.
"Come back here, coward!" shouted Syaoran. Kam Un turned swiftly and ran
through a quiet alleyway, Syaoran close behind. Then the latter tried his best
to keep up, but Kam Un moved too fast and soon rounded another corner. By the
time Syaoran reached the corner, Kam Un had disappeared. Syaoran leaned against
a wall, panting and trying to regain his breath. By then, Sakura and Di Shang
had caught up to him.
"Where did he go?" asked Di Shang. Syaoran
shrugged then turned and punched the wall behind him angrily. He couldn't
believe he had missed him again! "Maybe…" A shout cut Di Shang off in
mid-sentence. It had come from the direction Kam Un had taken. The Card Captors
exchanged glances and headed toward there. They stopped short when they saw a
person lying on the ground, apparently unconscious, while another person was
crouching beside him. The one crouching turned around. It was Kam Un. He
laughed then turned and ran again. Without another thought, Syaoran chased
after him, and Di Shang as well, after telling Sakura to check on the person
that Kam Un had hurt to ensure he was all right. Sakura nodded and watched as
her friends left, right on Kam Un's tail.
Sakura walked around the boy once, mumbling
to herself about no fire, wire, gas, and/or glass; something she had picked up
in her health class about finding an unconscious person. Not encountering any
of the aforementioned hazards, she decided to go to the next step: being
certain the person was really unconscious. She shook the person lightly,
saying, "Are you awake? Speak to me." The person never responded. That meant he
was really unconscious. Sakura looked up thoughtfully as she tried to think of
the next step. "I wonder what Kam Un did to him," she said aloud. Suddenly, someone
grabbed her left wrist and jerked her forward. She looked up and found herself
face-to-face with the "unconscious" boy.
"Absolutely nothing, Card Mistress," he said
with a smirk. Sakura tried withdrawing her arm but the boy held fast. She
watched in horror as the boy transformed into Kam Un. The Jiao User held up a
card in his hand; The Mask.
Sakura thought quickly, she had to stall for
time. "Then who is Syaoran and Di Shang chasing?" she asked.
Kam Un smiled arrogantly. "I bet you never
noticed you were missing a card, did you?" he said. "If you were to go through
your cards now, you'll find out the Copy Card is no longer there. In fact, all
of the Jiao Cards you sealed are gone. Take a look." Sakura could only stare at
him. It couldn't be! He had to be lying! She opened her pouch, the one holding
all her Sakura Cards and quickly scanned through them. There were only
fifty-two cards…all the former Jiao Cards were gone! Kam Un laughed at the Card
Mistress' astonished expression. "Told you. Now" he said, tightening the grip
on her wrist. "If you'll just come with me quietly and-"
Sakura's right hand flew to her star key and,
holding it, she began her chant. Before she could go any further, though, Kam
Un grabbed her right wrist as well and pulled it down, breaking the clasp on
her necklace and forcing her to drop the star key. It landed on the dusty
ground. Not wanting the troublesome Card Mistress to have a chance to do more
damage, he twisted her arm behind her and pushed her to the ground. Sakura
cried out in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. "I warned you," said Kam Un. He
drew a card from his pocket and smiled. "Didn't I tell you before the Prophet
Card is never wrong?" Sakura's eyes instantly flew open. This was almost
exactly what happened in her dream! He placed the card flat on Sakura's back
and the card glowed. Sakura screamed as a searing pain rippled through her
entire body.
"Syaoran…Di Shang…" she thought, tears
streaming down her face. "Where are you? I need you both…" The Card Mistress
crumpled to the ground, losing all unconscious, everything turning pitch-black…
Author's Note: Sorry! I'm really sorry I've
been taking so long (almost a month) just to write one chapter! *sighs* I've
been really busy…
So we get a mixture of S + S and D + S in this chapter. I know I said I was
going to continue the S + S flavouring, but I kept forgetting and added a few S
+ D moments. *sweatdrops* I know…Hwa Ming's gone…Sorry if you liked her. (Who
actually did? I'm just curious…)
That thing Sakura did at the end of the chapter while checking on the
"unconscious" person was something I had learned in phys-ed class - the health
unit. We had to walk around a person and check to make sure there weren't any
fires, wires, gas, or glass. Uh…I don't really know how to explain it. o_O
I had once entertained thoughts of literally drawing a map of where the Card
Captors go, how, etc. , but I've never actually tried it yet. Should I? Also,
I'll probably be posting a list of Jiao Cards soon so watch out for them.
I've only started watching the Sakura Card Arc recently and I then realized my
fic sort of clashes with the third season at certain parts…*sweatdrops* I'm
sorry! I hadn't known many of the events that occurred then. While writing, I
was completely oblivious to it. Even watching it now doesn't help much because
I can barely read Chinese and I don't understand Japanese…
*Sakura
~The Animé Archives Team