Syaoran's been shot… What is gonna happen to him?!
Chapter 25
Sakura leaned down and picked up Syaoran's head. His eyes were full of tears. Sakura was panicking. "Syaoran! Are you alright?! What happened?!" Syaoran opened his eyes and slowly spoke. "Err… Dammit, this stings… that guard shot me right in my arm! I… I can't feel my arm!" Syaoran said. Sakura gasped in horror when she saw Syaoran's right arm. A bullet wound was right in his upper arm, and blood was flowing quickly from the wound. "Oh my God…" She gasped. Syaoran tried to get up, but Sakura sat him back down. "Don't move. You don't want to make the wound even worse." Syaoran once again tried to move, but dropped back down, groaning in pain. "Don't worry… I'll be alright… It's just a small wound. I'll survive. I'm sure within a few hours I'll be able to move my arm again." Sakura frowned. "I'm not so sure… Hold on." Sakura took off her black shirt and put it over Syaoran's arm. (Author's note: She had a white T-shirt on underneath. This will not turn into a hentai fan fiction!) She wrapped the shirt around his arm and tightened it. "This should slow the bleeding until we can get you some medical help." Syaoran smiled. "Thanks Sakura… for caring so much…" Sakura frowned. "Of course I care! You're my boyfriend!" Syaoran blushed. "Your… boyfriend?!" Sakura blushed even more. "Hoe… I meant best friend! Yeah… just that so many people have called us boyfriend and girl friend that… it sorta confused me." Syaoran looked almost disappointed, and deep down, he was.
Sakura grabbed him by his left arm and slowly helped him to his feet. "Can you walk?" She asked. "Of course I can walk. I— Argh!" He crouched down in pain. "This is the most painful thing I've ever had happen to me…" Sakura began to cry. "I'm sorry… I wish I could do something to help you…" She hugged him. Syaoran smiled and ran his fingers on his left hand through her hair. "…You've already done more for me than anyone else ever could…" Sakura turned around and picked Syaoran up and put him on her back. "Huh? What are you doing?" He asked as she began to carry him. "I'm carrying you outside, of course, silly." And Sakura slowly walked with Syaoran on her back to the courtyard. She didn't see any more guards on the way. She opened the doors and saw Gene and many other people standing around him. They must be the villagers. They weren't moving. "Gene! It's me! Sakura! Syaoran had an accident and got shot in the arm. Let's get out of here and get him some help!" "…" Gene didn't answer. "What's wrong?" She asked. She walked forward and heard the click of the magazine of a handgun snapping in place and felt the cold metal barrel of a gun against her skull.
"Welcome, Sakura. We've been waiting for you and your boyfriend Syaoran here for a while. Please stand over there with the rest of them." Sakura turned her head and saw the face of a demon staring back. He wore a tan military jacket covered in medals. He had a small black moustache and short brown hair. He had dark brown eyes, but they weren't kind and compassionate and warm eyes like Syaoran. They were cold and heartless eyes. The very look of them sent a chill down Sakura's spine. She obeyed and walked out in front of the prisoners. She gasped as she saw a line of soldiers with rifles aiming right at them. They were captured and unarmed. The soldier that had put the gun up to Sakura's head walked to the front line and held up a pair of backpacks in one hand, and the Clow Cards in the other. "You… have the Clow Cards?!" Sakura gasped in horror. "Yes, I sent some guards to search for them where they knocked you out on the beach and they came back with these. Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. I am General Ganaly. I am the commander of all the troops here. Sadin created me himself to personally guide his troops around the world to invade and conquer countries, villages, anything that stands in our way. I'm also quite to warrior. I have never lost a fight ever, and I have been quite a few." He put the Clow Cards in the backpack and tossed it to Sakura. Sakura wondered why he was giving back the Cards. She set Syaoran on his feet and picked up the Cards; they were real. She looked confused. Did he not understand how powerful they are? No, he did. She looked around. Even if she used the most powerful of the Cards, there were so many guards, gattling guns, and other traps that if she tried, they'd all be killed in seconds.
"However," he said, "I've always considered myself a history buff. Sadin gave me strict orders to kill both of you, but I can't resist this. You see, I've studied the history of many planets from other soldiers who have traveled to them. One of my favorite periods of any world has to be the ancient Romans. The idea of sending two men to battle each other to the death in a massive structure just for the entertainment of others is brilliant. So, I'll make a deal…" He pointed to Syaoran, who was holding his right arm, trying to keep the pain down. "If the boy, Syaoran I believe, can best me on the battlefield in hand-to-hand combat and with weapons, I'll let you and the villagers go. But if you fail, you all die. Do we have a deal?" Sakura stepped forward. "Syaoran can't fight! He was shot in the arm. He can barely get around, I doubt he would be able to fight you." General Ganaly rubbed his chin. "Is that so? I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Well, I guess then I'll just have to kill you all then. Adios, compadres." He raised his hands to signal the soldiers should fire. "WAIT!" Syaoran screamed out. "I don't care if I can't use my right arm. I'll fight you anyways!" The general laughed. "Fight a one armed man? That hardly seems fair… or fun. Sounds all of too easy." Sakura looked at him. "Syaoran, I'm not going to let you get hurt even more. You won't fight. I won't let you." Syaoran raised his voice. "Sakura, if I don't fight, we'll all die! At least this way, we have a chance! Besides, if I can't fight, who will?" Sakura turned towards the general. "I will fight you instead!" Syaoran, Gene, the soldiers, the villagers, and the general all gasped. "Sakura, you've gotta be kidding! No offense, but fighting isn't your thing. You haven't trained in karate since you were young like me." The general thought for a second. "To tell the truth, I've never fought a woman before. It might prove interesting. Okay, I've decided. I'll fight the bold lass here, though I'm not expecting much. Tomorrow at dawn, we shall fight here in the courtyard. The guards will take you back to your cells for now. And one more thing: If you try to escape, the prisoners will all die. Comprende, amiga?" Sakura picked up her backpack and a pair of armed soldiers led her and Syaoran back to the cells they had started in.
They sat in silence for an hour in the same cells as before. Eventually, Syaoran broke out in anger. "Argh! I can't take it! What are you thinking?! Fighting a skilled soldier like him hand-to-hand?! He'll tear you to shreds! He's going to kill you right in front of me and then kill all of us… WHY?! Because you didn't want to see me get hurt any more?! I would give my life to save you, and now you're just going to throw that away and die in front of me?! Why?!" Sakura sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what he said. "You… would really give your life to save me?" She began to blush. Syaoran blushed too. "Well, yeah… But I don't want to ever see a woman die in front of me, especially if I could have prevented it. Especially a close friend like you. I just wish you'd let me fight instead. I can still win." That's when a brilliant idea hit Sakura. "Syaoran, you are going to fight out there tomorrow." Syaoran looked up. "You mean you're going to let me fight in this condition? That's not like you. I thought you'd say something like, 'Syaoran, I can't just sit back and watch. I have to do something!'" Sakura smiled and hid one of the Clow Cards behind her back. "Well, actually, I will be fighting out there, or at least it will LOOK like I'm fighting out there." Syaoran looked puzzled. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura stood up and looked out of the cell. "No guards around good." She showed the Card to Syaoran and he went pale. "You've gotta be kidding me. No way!" Sakura smiled. "Well, it's either this, or else you let little, defenseless me go out there and fight alone against that soldier…" Syaoran cursed under his breath. "Alright, alright, you've made your point. I'll do it, but I won't like it." He said frowning. "Great!" Sakura was holding up the Change Card smiling. "All we have to do is switch bodies with the Change Card and you'll be able to fight, right hand and all, and it will look like I'm fighting, but you'll be the one who really is!" Syaoran frowned and blushed. "But there are a couple of problems: First, my arm… you'll feel all the pain I'm in right now." Sakura frowned too. "I guess so… but it can't feel much worse than being killed by that demon out there." Syaoran nodded his head. "I guess so… but, what about strength? No offense, but I'm a lot stronger than you. I'm not sure I could take him down in your form." "Well, that's true, but I'm faster than you are, so you would be able to attack faster." Syaoran sighed and blushed some more. "Well, this last reason… it's kinda embarrassing but… I'm a guy, and you're a girl…" Sakura blushed too. "Well, uh, I guess we'll just have to find out what it's like to be the other… just for a little while. We'll just have to pay that price. Come on, let's just do it while the guards aren't looking."
Sakura grabbed the staff and tossed the card in the air. They stood next to each other at the bars. "CHANGE CARD! SWITCH MY AND SYAORAN'S BODIES!" A green chain surrounded both of them and enveloped them in light. When the light died down, they looked at each other. "It worked!" Sakura screamed, jumping up and down in Syaoran's body in Syaoran's voice. But he quickly stopped and held his arm in pain.
(Author's note: Sakura and Syaoran will remain like this throughout the chapter, maybe into a few others. I will refer to Sakura as 'him' and Syaoran as 'her.' I hope this clears up any confusion in what is sure to be a confusing chapter, since people will refer to them as who they look like, while S+S will refer to each other by who they really are.
Example: Sakura put his hands on his hips.
Syaoran covered her mouth.
This sounds weird, but it's the only way I can think of that works.)
Syaoran couldn't believe her eyes, even though he knew what was going to happen. "Are you okay Sakura? …Or are you Syaoran now and I'm Sakura?" She said in his old voice. They were able to sound like both their old selves and like each other. They had decided to talk like their old selves when they were alone and to sound like each other in public. Sakura took his hand off his shot arm and said, "No, I'm fine. And you can call me Sakura still, but just call me Syaoran when we're in public. But this is weird… I feel tall." Syaoran frowned. "I feel weird… I never knew being a girl would feel like this. Not that I ever really was trying to find out." Sakura giggled. "Aww… you look so cute pouting like that!" Syaoran growled. "…I don't wanna be cute… Sakura, are you sure this will work? Don't you think they'll notice we don't act like we normally do?" Sakura smiled. "Normally, yes, but these guards don't know us. They won't notice the difference! But tell me, what do you think of my body?" Syaoran blushed. "W-w-what do you mean?" "I mean, do you think you'll be able to fight in my body?" Syaoran sighed in relief and ran around her cell for a minute, threw a few kicks, and did a back flip. "Well, it feels very different, but I think I can do it. I don't have as much force, but…" He did another flip in the air. "I'm agile enough to make up for it." Sakura's jaw dropped. "How did you do that?! I could never do those things, even when I had my own body, but now you can do them right off the bat?" "Well, a lot of this is mental stuff. Concentration and practice. If you had been practicing like me, you'd know how to." Sakura sighed. "Hoe…" Syaoran frowned. "…I don't say 'hoe,' so try to avoid saying that."
A guard walked in carrying a plate of bread and water. "Alright, here's your last meal. Enjoy it while you can. Because this will be the last thing you'll ever eat." Syaoran threw her fists in the air. "I doubt it. I'm going to win tomorrow! I'm gonna enjoy crushing your precious leader!" He said in Sakura's voice. The guard gave her a weird look. He thought, "Is this the same girl who was acting so innocent outside? What's with her? These guys are nuts." He gave them their food and left. As Syaoran ate her bread, Sakura spoke up. "You know, if you're going to act like me, try not to threaten so much. And don't act like you want to fight." Sakura bit into a piece of his bread. Syaoran burned red in embarrassment. "Heh… sorry. I guess I got carried away. Sorry, I should have realized you wouldn't talk like that." Sakura smiled. "That's okay. I'm not doing much better. I never realized being a guy would be so…" Syaoran coughed in an attempt to interrupt him. "Well, why don't we try to get some sleep? We're gonna need to rest for tomorrow." She said. "Okay, Syaoran. My, I mean your, arm is starting to hurt pretty bad. I'd just like to go to sleep too." He said. And they sat down in the corners and fell asleep. (As soon as they got over the thought of they were looking at themselves in someone else's body.)
Sakura was the first to wake up. He stood up and looked out the window. It was just a small window that barely showed anything, but it gave him a small view of the courtyard. Sakura saw the general standing out in the field, already waiting impatiently. Sakura turned and looked at Syaoran. He… err… she was sleeping silently against the wall, not thinking about the danger that was ahead. A million thoughts raced through her mind. Was she doing the right thing? Was it right for Syaoran to fight for her? What if Syaoran was hurt? "I don't think I could take it… if he, I mean she, were to get hurt, it would all be my fault…" He said quietly to himself. "It's my fault he's even in this situation. I should have known better than to even want to fight…" Syaoran began to wake up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Is that you, Sakura?" Sakura frowned. "Yeah, it's me. I was just thinking. I didn't mean to wake you up." "It's alright, Sakura. I would've woken up soon, anyways. What were you thinking about?" Sakura turned away. He couldn't stand to look at Syaoran's (or was it his own?) emerald eyes. "I was thinking it's all my fault, that we're even here right now. If I hadn't been a klutz and dropped my radio, I would've been outside and you wouldn't have been shot. Then we might not have been captured. Plus, I'm sure you didn't want to be a girl. I shouldn't have forced you… I shouldn't have been a coward and just fought my own damned self and not make you fight instead." Syaoran frowned. "Don't say that. It's not your fault. For all we know, if you hadn't come out late, we would have been shot early. And I know I was shot, I'm sure you can feel it. But it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have been so hasty and rushed in like that. Plus, if it weren't for you, that guard would have fired again, and I wouldn't be here right now. I'd be dead. And I'll admit it: I'm not thrilled to be a girl. But it's a small price to pay if we get out of here alive." Sakura was silent. A guard walked in. The two heroes quickly changed their voices to their respectable bodies.
"Alright you two: Let's go. The time is for the battle is now."
They were led out to the courtyard. Sakura, Gene, and the villagers sat against a wall surrounded by armed guards. Syaoran was standing face to face with the general in the center. "I'm surprised you're still willing to fight, little girl." The general said smiling. All else was silent, but the wind blew, throwing Syaoran's now-long hair in the wind. "I'm no little girl." Syaoran said coldly. "Ah, but that is where you are wrong. To me, everyone is little. I've killed men twice my own size with my bare hands. So you're nothing but a little girl to me." Syaoran stood in a karate stance, ready to begin. "Fair warning, I'm not going to ho easy on you just because you're a mere general." The general stood similarly. "And I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."
It was perfectly silent, until Gene leaned over towards Sakura, not realizing it was actually her, and said, "Are you sure about this? I know you're not exactly in fighting condition, but I think you'd fare better. Sakura hasn't even fought like this before has she? Sakura thought, "What would Syaoran say? Ummm… I know!" She frowned. "I know, but he'll do alright. Syaoran knows what he is doing. He has a plan." Gene raised one eyebrow. "Did you say Syaoran has a plan? Are you sure you weren't hit in the head or something? Sakura's out there, not you." Sakura blushed. "Oh, right. I meant Sakura. I… I'm just kinda nervous. I'm not thinking straight. Hoe…" "Hoe? Isn't that what Sakura's always saying?" Sakura blushed even worse. "Uhh… no, I said 'how?' How can we be here? I'm still in shock a little bit." Gene had a sweat drop roll down his head. "Right…" He went back to watching Syaoran stare down the general. Sakura slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh boy, did I manage to screw that up. Get it straight Sakura! You're Syaoran, Syaoran is Sakura, and don't say hoe!"
The general gave a smug smile to Syaoran. "Well, let's begin. Have at you!" The general charged and threw a fist at Syaoran who quickly dodged the blow to one side. The general was surprised. He his head to the side to see Syaoran smiling with her hair blowing in the wind in the light of the sunrise. "So… you know a little fighting yourself. This may prove more interesting than I thought." Syaoran said nothing but lifted her leg and quickly brought it down on the general's back, sending him face first to the dirt. "Still think I'm a little girl?" He said mockingly.
The soldier's, Gene's, and the villager's jaws all dropped at once. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sakura… I mean Syaoran, was not only staying in the fight, but also winning. Gene finally overcame his speechlessness and said, "Where the hell did she learn to fight like that?!" Sakura smiled. "Oh, she picked it up here and there…"
The general picked his face up out of the dirt. "Heh, so you are good. But not good enough!" The general quickly got into a seated position and did a sweeping kick, causing Syaoran to land flat on her back. The general followed up by jumping into the air, ready to land feet first on Syaoran's face, but Syaoran rolled back and got to her feet and kicked the general right between the eyes when he landed. "Ow… you little… okay, no more warm ups." The general quickly recovered. He charged and with lightning speed punched Syaoran in the gut, and then quickly in the face, sending her flying back into the dirt. Not satisfied with that, he lifted her with one hand and kicked her repeatedly in the thigh. He threw her to the ground and sprang back. When Syaoran got up, he immediately charged and tackled her to the ground again with great force. Syaoran coughed as a small amount of blood trickled down her face. The demon then sat down and began to punch her in the face constantly. The villagers, Gene, and especially Sakura were horrified at the screams. Eventually, the general got up and laughed. "You know, it was actually tougher to beat you before when you were tied down in your cell." Syaoran lifted his head. "What did you say?!" The general cackled. "You're pathetic. It was harder to beat you when you were still injured, naked, and bloodied in your cell. You're so weak. Let's just finish this. GUARDS! Hand me my sword." At that point, Syaoran's blood was boiling. This was one of the men who had beaten Sakura, lied to her and told her he was dead, and left her in those God-forsaken cells. He couldn't take it any longer. He stood up and wiped the blood off her face. "Hand me a weapon." She said snarling. A guard walked up and handed her a small black rod, probably about 3 feet in length. Meanwhile, the general held a 2- foot sword double-edged sword. The general smiled evilly. "I hope you plan on using that for something else, because it won't help you beat me with this beauty, my weapon of choice." Syaoran grinded her teeth. "Shut up and fight, coward." He didn't give his foe time to respond. He charged and smashed one end of the pole into the general's foot, and used that to propel her foot into the air and into the side of the general's head. Before the general could hit the dirt, Syaoran jumped behind him locked him into a chokehold. There he pummeled the general's face with a flurry of punches. "This will teach you to hurt Sakura!" The general thought to himself, "Sadin almighty… she's gone insane!" Syaoran wouldn't stop her relentless attack. She picked the general up and utterly did everything she could. She smashed his face with her foot and sent him tumbling to the ground. She beat him with her rod. She punched him in the gut. Finally, she grabbed the back of his neck, and dropped, snapping his neck and causing him to fall to the ground. Syaoran grabbed the general's sword and held it at his neck. "You lose."
The villagers all cheered as they jumped in the air. The guards looked on in anger and disgust. The villagers charged forward and all gathered around Syaoran. "You've saved us Sakura!" "Way to go!" "What a girl! Who knew she could fight like that?!" Syaoran blushed. Sakura ran up next and hugged her. "You fought so well! Congratulations, 'Sakura.'" Syaoran smiled. "Heh, thanks, 'Syaoran.' But to tell the truth, you'd make a pretty good fighter. Your body…" He brought it down to a whisper. "It's pretty fast. It was pretty easy fighting." Sakura blushed. "Come on, I just don't have the fighting spirit. Sakura hugged her again and Syaoran dropped her sword. The general reached and grabbed it and stood up, aiming at Syaoran. It seems I have the advantage now, little girl. Okay men, you may fire when ready." The guards shoved the prisoners to the center in a group. Sakura shouted, "What the hell are you doing? Sakura beat you fair and square. You promised you'd let us go!" The general grinned. "Here's a lesson in life: Never trust a demon. Alright men, FIRE!" He lowered his arm and the sounds of gunshots rung out into the crowd…
To be continued…
Chapter 25
Sakura leaned down and picked up Syaoran's head. His eyes were full of tears. Sakura was panicking. "Syaoran! Are you alright?! What happened?!" Syaoran opened his eyes and slowly spoke. "Err… Dammit, this stings… that guard shot me right in my arm! I… I can't feel my arm!" Syaoran said. Sakura gasped in horror when she saw Syaoran's right arm. A bullet wound was right in his upper arm, and blood was flowing quickly from the wound. "Oh my God…" She gasped. Syaoran tried to get up, but Sakura sat him back down. "Don't move. You don't want to make the wound even worse." Syaoran once again tried to move, but dropped back down, groaning in pain. "Don't worry… I'll be alright… It's just a small wound. I'll survive. I'm sure within a few hours I'll be able to move my arm again." Sakura frowned. "I'm not so sure… Hold on." Sakura took off her black shirt and put it over Syaoran's arm. (Author's note: She had a white T-shirt on underneath. This will not turn into a hentai fan fiction!) She wrapped the shirt around his arm and tightened it. "This should slow the bleeding until we can get you some medical help." Syaoran smiled. "Thanks Sakura… for caring so much…" Sakura frowned. "Of course I care! You're my boyfriend!" Syaoran blushed. "Your… boyfriend?!" Sakura blushed even more. "Hoe… I meant best friend! Yeah… just that so many people have called us boyfriend and girl friend that… it sorta confused me." Syaoran looked almost disappointed, and deep down, he was.
Sakura grabbed him by his left arm and slowly helped him to his feet. "Can you walk?" She asked. "Of course I can walk. I— Argh!" He crouched down in pain. "This is the most painful thing I've ever had happen to me…" Sakura began to cry. "I'm sorry… I wish I could do something to help you…" She hugged him. Syaoran smiled and ran his fingers on his left hand through her hair. "…You've already done more for me than anyone else ever could…" Sakura turned around and picked Syaoran up and put him on her back. "Huh? What are you doing?" He asked as she began to carry him. "I'm carrying you outside, of course, silly." And Sakura slowly walked with Syaoran on her back to the courtyard. She didn't see any more guards on the way. She opened the doors and saw Gene and many other people standing around him. They must be the villagers. They weren't moving. "Gene! It's me! Sakura! Syaoran had an accident and got shot in the arm. Let's get out of here and get him some help!" "…" Gene didn't answer. "What's wrong?" She asked. She walked forward and heard the click of the magazine of a handgun snapping in place and felt the cold metal barrel of a gun against her skull.
"Welcome, Sakura. We've been waiting for you and your boyfriend Syaoran here for a while. Please stand over there with the rest of them." Sakura turned her head and saw the face of a demon staring back. He wore a tan military jacket covered in medals. He had a small black moustache and short brown hair. He had dark brown eyes, but they weren't kind and compassionate and warm eyes like Syaoran. They were cold and heartless eyes. The very look of them sent a chill down Sakura's spine. She obeyed and walked out in front of the prisoners. She gasped as she saw a line of soldiers with rifles aiming right at them. They were captured and unarmed. The soldier that had put the gun up to Sakura's head walked to the front line and held up a pair of backpacks in one hand, and the Clow Cards in the other. "You… have the Clow Cards?!" Sakura gasped in horror. "Yes, I sent some guards to search for them where they knocked you out on the beach and they came back with these. Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. I am General Ganaly. I am the commander of all the troops here. Sadin created me himself to personally guide his troops around the world to invade and conquer countries, villages, anything that stands in our way. I'm also quite to warrior. I have never lost a fight ever, and I have been quite a few." He put the Clow Cards in the backpack and tossed it to Sakura. Sakura wondered why he was giving back the Cards. She set Syaoran on his feet and picked up the Cards; they were real. She looked confused. Did he not understand how powerful they are? No, he did. She looked around. Even if she used the most powerful of the Cards, there were so many guards, gattling guns, and other traps that if she tried, they'd all be killed in seconds.
"However," he said, "I've always considered myself a history buff. Sadin gave me strict orders to kill both of you, but I can't resist this. You see, I've studied the history of many planets from other soldiers who have traveled to them. One of my favorite periods of any world has to be the ancient Romans. The idea of sending two men to battle each other to the death in a massive structure just for the entertainment of others is brilliant. So, I'll make a deal…" He pointed to Syaoran, who was holding his right arm, trying to keep the pain down. "If the boy, Syaoran I believe, can best me on the battlefield in hand-to-hand combat and with weapons, I'll let you and the villagers go. But if you fail, you all die. Do we have a deal?" Sakura stepped forward. "Syaoran can't fight! He was shot in the arm. He can barely get around, I doubt he would be able to fight you." General Ganaly rubbed his chin. "Is that so? I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Well, I guess then I'll just have to kill you all then. Adios, compadres." He raised his hands to signal the soldiers should fire. "WAIT!" Syaoran screamed out. "I don't care if I can't use my right arm. I'll fight you anyways!" The general laughed. "Fight a one armed man? That hardly seems fair… or fun. Sounds all of too easy." Sakura looked at him. "Syaoran, I'm not going to let you get hurt even more. You won't fight. I won't let you." Syaoran raised his voice. "Sakura, if I don't fight, we'll all die! At least this way, we have a chance! Besides, if I can't fight, who will?" Sakura turned towards the general. "I will fight you instead!" Syaoran, Gene, the soldiers, the villagers, and the general all gasped. "Sakura, you've gotta be kidding! No offense, but fighting isn't your thing. You haven't trained in karate since you were young like me." The general thought for a second. "To tell the truth, I've never fought a woman before. It might prove interesting. Okay, I've decided. I'll fight the bold lass here, though I'm not expecting much. Tomorrow at dawn, we shall fight here in the courtyard. The guards will take you back to your cells for now. And one more thing: If you try to escape, the prisoners will all die. Comprende, amiga?" Sakura picked up her backpack and a pair of armed soldiers led her and Syaoran back to the cells they had started in.
They sat in silence for an hour in the same cells as before. Eventually, Syaoran broke out in anger. "Argh! I can't take it! What are you thinking?! Fighting a skilled soldier like him hand-to-hand?! He'll tear you to shreds! He's going to kill you right in front of me and then kill all of us… WHY?! Because you didn't want to see me get hurt any more?! I would give my life to save you, and now you're just going to throw that away and die in front of me?! Why?!" Sakura sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what he said. "You… would really give your life to save me?" She began to blush. Syaoran blushed too. "Well, yeah… But I don't want to ever see a woman die in front of me, especially if I could have prevented it. Especially a close friend like you. I just wish you'd let me fight instead. I can still win." That's when a brilliant idea hit Sakura. "Syaoran, you are going to fight out there tomorrow." Syaoran looked up. "You mean you're going to let me fight in this condition? That's not like you. I thought you'd say something like, 'Syaoran, I can't just sit back and watch. I have to do something!'" Sakura smiled and hid one of the Clow Cards behind her back. "Well, actually, I will be fighting out there, or at least it will LOOK like I'm fighting out there." Syaoran looked puzzled. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura stood up and looked out of the cell. "No guards around good." She showed the Card to Syaoran and he went pale. "You've gotta be kidding me. No way!" Sakura smiled. "Well, it's either this, or else you let little, defenseless me go out there and fight alone against that soldier…" Syaoran cursed under his breath. "Alright, alright, you've made your point. I'll do it, but I won't like it." He said frowning. "Great!" Sakura was holding up the Change Card smiling. "All we have to do is switch bodies with the Change Card and you'll be able to fight, right hand and all, and it will look like I'm fighting, but you'll be the one who really is!" Syaoran frowned and blushed. "But there are a couple of problems: First, my arm… you'll feel all the pain I'm in right now." Sakura frowned too. "I guess so… but it can't feel much worse than being killed by that demon out there." Syaoran nodded his head. "I guess so… but, what about strength? No offense, but I'm a lot stronger than you. I'm not sure I could take him down in your form." "Well, that's true, but I'm faster than you are, so you would be able to attack faster." Syaoran sighed and blushed some more. "Well, this last reason… it's kinda embarrassing but… I'm a guy, and you're a girl…" Sakura blushed too. "Well, uh, I guess we'll just have to find out what it's like to be the other… just for a little while. We'll just have to pay that price. Come on, let's just do it while the guards aren't looking."
Sakura grabbed the staff and tossed the card in the air. They stood next to each other at the bars. "CHANGE CARD! SWITCH MY AND SYAORAN'S BODIES!" A green chain surrounded both of them and enveloped them in light. When the light died down, they looked at each other. "It worked!" Sakura screamed, jumping up and down in Syaoran's body in Syaoran's voice. But he quickly stopped and held his arm in pain.
(Author's note: Sakura and Syaoran will remain like this throughout the chapter, maybe into a few others. I will refer to Sakura as 'him' and Syaoran as 'her.' I hope this clears up any confusion in what is sure to be a confusing chapter, since people will refer to them as who they look like, while S+S will refer to each other by who they really are.
Example: Sakura put his hands on his hips.
Syaoran covered her mouth.
This sounds weird, but it's the only way I can think of that works.)
Syaoran couldn't believe her eyes, even though he knew what was going to happen. "Are you okay Sakura? …Or are you Syaoran now and I'm Sakura?" She said in his old voice. They were able to sound like both their old selves and like each other. They had decided to talk like their old selves when they were alone and to sound like each other in public. Sakura took his hand off his shot arm and said, "No, I'm fine. And you can call me Sakura still, but just call me Syaoran when we're in public. But this is weird… I feel tall." Syaoran frowned. "I feel weird… I never knew being a girl would feel like this. Not that I ever really was trying to find out." Sakura giggled. "Aww… you look so cute pouting like that!" Syaoran growled. "…I don't wanna be cute… Sakura, are you sure this will work? Don't you think they'll notice we don't act like we normally do?" Sakura smiled. "Normally, yes, but these guards don't know us. They won't notice the difference! But tell me, what do you think of my body?" Syaoran blushed. "W-w-what do you mean?" "I mean, do you think you'll be able to fight in my body?" Syaoran sighed in relief and ran around her cell for a minute, threw a few kicks, and did a back flip. "Well, it feels very different, but I think I can do it. I don't have as much force, but…" He did another flip in the air. "I'm agile enough to make up for it." Sakura's jaw dropped. "How did you do that?! I could never do those things, even when I had my own body, but now you can do them right off the bat?" "Well, a lot of this is mental stuff. Concentration and practice. If you had been practicing like me, you'd know how to." Sakura sighed. "Hoe…" Syaoran frowned. "…I don't say 'hoe,' so try to avoid saying that."
A guard walked in carrying a plate of bread and water. "Alright, here's your last meal. Enjoy it while you can. Because this will be the last thing you'll ever eat." Syaoran threw her fists in the air. "I doubt it. I'm going to win tomorrow! I'm gonna enjoy crushing your precious leader!" He said in Sakura's voice. The guard gave her a weird look. He thought, "Is this the same girl who was acting so innocent outside? What's with her? These guys are nuts." He gave them their food and left. As Syaoran ate her bread, Sakura spoke up. "You know, if you're going to act like me, try not to threaten so much. And don't act like you want to fight." Sakura bit into a piece of his bread. Syaoran burned red in embarrassment. "Heh… sorry. I guess I got carried away. Sorry, I should have realized you wouldn't talk like that." Sakura smiled. "That's okay. I'm not doing much better. I never realized being a guy would be so…" Syaoran coughed in an attempt to interrupt him. "Well, why don't we try to get some sleep? We're gonna need to rest for tomorrow." She said. "Okay, Syaoran. My, I mean your, arm is starting to hurt pretty bad. I'd just like to go to sleep too." He said. And they sat down in the corners and fell asleep. (As soon as they got over the thought of they were looking at themselves in someone else's body.)
Sakura was the first to wake up. He stood up and looked out the window. It was just a small window that barely showed anything, but it gave him a small view of the courtyard. Sakura saw the general standing out in the field, already waiting impatiently. Sakura turned and looked at Syaoran. He… err… she was sleeping silently against the wall, not thinking about the danger that was ahead. A million thoughts raced through her mind. Was she doing the right thing? Was it right for Syaoran to fight for her? What if Syaoran was hurt? "I don't think I could take it… if he, I mean she, were to get hurt, it would all be my fault…" He said quietly to himself. "It's my fault he's even in this situation. I should have known better than to even want to fight…" Syaoran began to wake up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Is that you, Sakura?" Sakura frowned. "Yeah, it's me. I was just thinking. I didn't mean to wake you up." "It's alright, Sakura. I would've woken up soon, anyways. What were you thinking about?" Sakura turned away. He couldn't stand to look at Syaoran's (or was it his own?) emerald eyes. "I was thinking it's all my fault, that we're even here right now. If I hadn't been a klutz and dropped my radio, I would've been outside and you wouldn't have been shot. Then we might not have been captured. Plus, I'm sure you didn't want to be a girl. I shouldn't have forced you… I shouldn't have been a coward and just fought my own damned self and not make you fight instead." Syaoran frowned. "Don't say that. It's not your fault. For all we know, if you hadn't come out late, we would have been shot early. And I know I was shot, I'm sure you can feel it. But it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have been so hasty and rushed in like that. Plus, if it weren't for you, that guard would have fired again, and I wouldn't be here right now. I'd be dead. And I'll admit it: I'm not thrilled to be a girl. But it's a small price to pay if we get out of here alive." Sakura was silent. A guard walked in. The two heroes quickly changed their voices to their respectable bodies.
"Alright you two: Let's go. The time is for the battle is now."
They were led out to the courtyard. Sakura, Gene, and the villagers sat against a wall surrounded by armed guards. Syaoran was standing face to face with the general in the center. "I'm surprised you're still willing to fight, little girl." The general said smiling. All else was silent, but the wind blew, throwing Syaoran's now-long hair in the wind. "I'm no little girl." Syaoran said coldly. "Ah, but that is where you are wrong. To me, everyone is little. I've killed men twice my own size with my bare hands. So you're nothing but a little girl to me." Syaoran stood in a karate stance, ready to begin. "Fair warning, I'm not going to ho easy on you just because you're a mere general." The general stood similarly. "And I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."
It was perfectly silent, until Gene leaned over towards Sakura, not realizing it was actually her, and said, "Are you sure about this? I know you're not exactly in fighting condition, but I think you'd fare better. Sakura hasn't even fought like this before has she? Sakura thought, "What would Syaoran say? Ummm… I know!" She frowned. "I know, but he'll do alright. Syaoran knows what he is doing. He has a plan." Gene raised one eyebrow. "Did you say Syaoran has a plan? Are you sure you weren't hit in the head or something? Sakura's out there, not you." Sakura blushed. "Oh, right. I meant Sakura. I… I'm just kinda nervous. I'm not thinking straight. Hoe…" "Hoe? Isn't that what Sakura's always saying?" Sakura blushed even worse. "Uhh… no, I said 'how?' How can we be here? I'm still in shock a little bit." Gene had a sweat drop roll down his head. "Right…" He went back to watching Syaoran stare down the general. Sakura slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh boy, did I manage to screw that up. Get it straight Sakura! You're Syaoran, Syaoran is Sakura, and don't say hoe!"
The general gave a smug smile to Syaoran. "Well, let's begin. Have at you!" The general charged and threw a fist at Syaoran who quickly dodged the blow to one side. The general was surprised. He his head to the side to see Syaoran smiling with her hair blowing in the wind in the light of the sunrise. "So… you know a little fighting yourself. This may prove more interesting than I thought." Syaoran said nothing but lifted her leg and quickly brought it down on the general's back, sending him face first to the dirt. "Still think I'm a little girl?" He said mockingly.
The soldier's, Gene's, and the villager's jaws all dropped at once. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sakura… I mean Syaoran, was not only staying in the fight, but also winning. Gene finally overcame his speechlessness and said, "Where the hell did she learn to fight like that?!" Sakura smiled. "Oh, she picked it up here and there…"
The general picked his face up out of the dirt. "Heh, so you are good. But not good enough!" The general quickly got into a seated position and did a sweeping kick, causing Syaoran to land flat on her back. The general followed up by jumping into the air, ready to land feet first on Syaoran's face, but Syaoran rolled back and got to her feet and kicked the general right between the eyes when he landed. "Ow… you little… okay, no more warm ups." The general quickly recovered. He charged and with lightning speed punched Syaoran in the gut, and then quickly in the face, sending her flying back into the dirt. Not satisfied with that, he lifted her with one hand and kicked her repeatedly in the thigh. He threw her to the ground and sprang back. When Syaoran got up, he immediately charged and tackled her to the ground again with great force. Syaoran coughed as a small amount of blood trickled down her face. The demon then sat down and began to punch her in the face constantly. The villagers, Gene, and especially Sakura were horrified at the screams. Eventually, the general got up and laughed. "You know, it was actually tougher to beat you before when you were tied down in your cell." Syaoran lifted his head. "What did you say?!" The general cackled. "You're pathetic. It was harder to beat you when you were still injured, naked, and bloodied in your cell. You're so weak. Let's just finish this. GUARDS! Hand me my sword." At that point, Syaoran's blood was boiling. This was one of the men who had beaten Sakura, lied to her and told her he was dead, and left her in those God-forsaken cells. He couldn't take it any longer. He stood up and wiped the blood off her face. "Hand me a weapon." She said snarling. A guard walked up and handed her a small black rod, probably about 3 feet in length. Meanwhile, the general held a 2- foot sword double-edged sword. The general smiled evilly. "I hope you plan on using that for something else, because it won't help you beat me with this beauty, my weapon of choice." Syaoran grinded her teeth. "Shut up and fight, coward." He didn't give his foe time to respond. He charged and smashed one end of the pole into the general's foot, and used that to propel her foot into the air and into the side of the general's head. Before the general could hit the dirt, Syaoran jumped behind him locked him into a chokehold. There he pummeled the general's face with a flurry of punches. "This will teach you to hurt Sakura!" The general thought to himself, "Sadin almighty… she's gone insane!" Syaoran wouldn't stop her relentless attack. She picked the general up and utterly did everything she could. She smashed his face with her foot and sent him tumbling to the ground. She beat him with her rod. She punched him in the gut. Finally, she grabbed the back of his neck, and dropped, snapping his neck and causing him to fall to the ground. Syaoran grabbed the general's sword and held it at his neck. "You lose."
The villagers all cheered as they jumped in the air. The guards looked on in anger and disgust. The villagers charged forward and all gathered around Syaoran. "You've saved us Sakura!" "Way to go!" "What a girl! Who knew she could fight like that?!" Syaoran blushed. Sakura ran up next and hugged her. "You fought so well! Congratulations, 'Sakura.'" Syaoran smiled. "Heh, thanks, 'Syaoran.' But to tell the truth, you'd make a pretty good fighter. Your body…" He brought it down to a whisper. "It's pretty fast. It was pretty easy fighting." Sakura blushed. "Come on, I just don't have the fighting spirit. Sakura hugged her again and Syaoran dropped her sword. The general reached and grabbed it and stood up, aiming at Syaoran. It seems I have the advantage now, little girl. Okay men, you may fire when ready." The guards shoved the prisoners to the center in a group. Sakura shouted, "What the hell are you doing? Sakura beat you fair and square. You promised you'd let us go!" The general grinned. "Here's a lesson in life: Never trust a demon. Alright men, FIRE!" He lowered his arm and the sounds of gunshots rung out into the crowd…
To be continued…