Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't be getting anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: *sigh* It's a good thing Natsu-chan agreed to upload the remaining chapters for me. For that, this chapter is dedicated to YOU, Natsu-chan! ^-^ Hope you enjoy this!
By the way, guys! I'll be going back home in a few days, so I probably won't be able to upload anything else for at least a week. Don't worry, though. I'll be working on the three, four more remaining chapters that same week and upload the FINISHED story when the weekends roll by. Gomen for the slight delay. June is fast approaching, and I still have to get my past year's grades and enroll to college. *swirly eyes* Damn school life! Still, keep those reviews coming, and if it's not too much of a hassle, please recommend my story to your peers. Who knows, I might even start writing the sequel to this. *hint, hint* Ne, Natsu-chan? *devilish grin*
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Twelve: The Card Mistress
"I wonder who this 'Card Mistress'(1) character is." Duo surmised from the passenger seat as he munched on an apple. He, Heero, and Syaoran were in another rented car driving towards the outskirts of Tomoeda, where Syaoran had arranged to meet the Card Mistress. "I mean, we've been in town for almost a month and a half but we've never even met the girl!"
"It really wasn't that important to introduce you to her yet at that time." Syaoran responded absently as he stared hard at his Lasin board, both of his hands' pointer and middle fingers lying flat on the board's surface as he manipulated it. "Her role is not really that relevant in 'niisan's training, at least not before he had to face Eriol."
Duo tilted his head to his side and looked out the window at the scenery rolling pass him. "Still, it wouldn't have hurt if you had pointed her out to us beforehand." He reflected.
Heero steered towards the right, slowed the car before completely coming to a stop behind a long black limousine and a rather large gray(2) van. "Go and find out." he intoned as he pushed the driver's side door open. Syaoran clambered out from the backseat, his Lasin board still held tightly in his hands as the three boys headed towards the dense forest.
Heero, meanwhile, could not help but feel the slightest hint of discomfort as they neared the clearing where his encounter with the so-called Card Mistress was going to be held. Truth be told, he was a little nervous about facing the girl magician. Unlike Eriol's test, the Perfect Soldier had been in the comfortable embrace of his Wing Zero. In this encounter, he would be stripped off all his weapons, his sword and magic his only defense. It was quite unnerving to be completely rid of the guns, the knives, and the explosives that he had always been accustomed to having within arm's reach during battle.
Voices coming from a little ways ahead of him distracted the Prussian eyed boy from his thoughts. Stealing a quick glance at Duo, who had his gun out, Heero did not hesitate to pull out his own weapon as the speakers came within sight.
Kinomoto Sakura and Daidouji Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at the three of them, both in their school uniforms. A bespectacled young man, approximately the same age as Duo and Heero themselves, stood grinning in a somewhat confused way behind the two of them.
"Ohayo, Duo-san, Raiu-san!" Sakura greeted them cheerfully while waving an almost excited hand in the air. Tomoyo beamed and bowed slightly at them.
"What are YOU guys doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be in school like normal sixth-graders?" Duo asked them suspiciously as he lowered his gun to the ground, keeping a wary eye on the male stranger.
The auburn-haired girl chose to ignore this question. Instead, she smiled brightly at someone from behind the Deathscythe pilot. "Syaoran-kun! Eriol-kun! Where have you guys been?"
Both Heero and Duo spun around to see a uniform-clad Eriol and a leafy and panting Syaoran dart out from the canopy of trees, accompanied by a black little cat and a dark-haired girl.
Duo held up both of his hands in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!!" he cried out loudly, giving Syaoran a rather meaningful look as he discreetly motioned with his head at the three people with them. The younger boy just shrugged nonchalantly at him in response. "What are you ALL doing out here in the outskirts of town?" He pointed a finger at the somewhat sheepish-looking teenager behind the two young girls. "And who's the guy?"
Eriol walked over to join the two girls and the other boy. Nodding his head at Tomoyo, he said, "It's time."
Both girls nodded back at him, and, turning to the pilots, waved before running out of the clearing. The English boy tilted his head at the other boy, then glanced at the two soldiers. "This is Tsukishiro Yukito. He will be essential in Raiu's training with the Card Mistress. Yukito, these are Duo, and Li Raiu."
He bowed at the two of them politely. "Hajimemashite." He greeted them formally. His eyes were crinkling at the corners when he straightened.
Leaning forward, Eriol proceeded to whisper a few words to the older boy. Duo and Heero watched in astounded silence as Yukito closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and began to glow. A large circle of light suddenly appeared under the bespectacled boy, and wings sprouted from behind him to envelope his whole body.
Duo's mouth was slightly hanging open as he watched.
Heero's whole body was tense.
A moment later, the wings unfolded, revealing a man with long, flowing white hair and the glassiest(3) of eyes the two boys had ever seen before.
"Gentlemen, this is Yue, the Moon Guardian of the Card Mistress." Eriol introduced softly. The girl standing beside him smirked in a self-knowing kind of way, her slender fingers gently stroking the black cat's soft fur as she watched the reaction of the two pilots.
Yue stared at the two boys indifferently, folding his great angel wings behind him as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Where IS the Card Mistress?" Heero asked Eriol tightly.
It was at that moment that Sakura and Tomoyo arrived. Tomoyo was still sporting her uniform, but Duo could see that she had one of those bulky(4) cameras in her hands. Sakura was wearing a forest green medieval-type dress, with cap sleeves and gold embroidery. The dress split in two from the empire-cut waist, ending in a flowy skirt that was slightly longer in the back than in the front. Sakura's legs were encased in white tights with golden stars stitched onto it(5). On her shoulder rested a yellow stuffed animal with wings, a deep green hunter's hat with a feather on it resting upon the small head. Both girls came to stand beside the transformed Yukito.
Duo stared incredulously at Sakura's strange outfit. "What is with the costume, Sakura-chan?" he asked the younger girl in a half exasperated voice as he ran a hand lightly over his head. These kids were giving him a headache, as if he didn't have enough weird shit on his plate at the moment. "And what's that yellow lump sittting on your shoulder? A stuffed animal?"
To his and Heero's surprise, the 'stuffed animal' suddenly flew up high the air in indignation. "Who are YOU calling a stuffed animal, PRIEST BOY?!" it shouted in a high, squeaky voice, flitting its small wings a little in the air as he circled around Duo.
The air around the Deathscythe pilot grew cold as he glared darkly at the flying *it*. "What did you just call me, you little dingbat?" he growled as he trained his pistol at the small creature.
"I CALLED you PRI--"
"Maa, yamero, Keroberos!" Li Syaoran spat out angrily as he stalked over to them, amber eyes narrowed.
"Why you little BRAT--"
"Kero-chan!" Sakura admonished immediately as a vein in Syaoran's forehead began to throb. Leaping into the air to grab the little creature, she apologized profusely at the two boys.
"Eriol..."
Everyone turned to stare at Heero Yuy's direction. The Wing pilot's face was wearing its' eternal stoic facade once again. "Where is the Card Mistress?" he asked Clow Reed's half reincarnation in slow, even tones, the fingers on his right hand twitching in a familiar gesture that meant 'I'm-currently-feeling-trigger-happy-and-if-you-value-your-life-you-better-start-answering-my-questions-right-now'. (6)
Sakura stepped forward to stand in front of Heero, still clutching the flailing yellow body against her chest. "I am the Card Mistress, Raiu-san." She told the older boy firmly. She let the small creature in her arms go and said softly in carefully measured tones. "Reveal your true form, Sun Guardian."(7)
Instantly the little wings of the creature she had called as 'Kero-chan' grew and wrapped around it in a cocoon-like shape, the glowing circle appearing beneath it just like Yue's had. Within a few moments a huge lion emerged from the cocoon of wings to land on the Card Mistress' right. Yue flew to the air and landed gracefully on Sakura's other side.
The auburn-haired girl held out her right palm and closed her emerald eyes. "O Key which conceals the power of the Stars, reveal your true form to me. I, Sakura, command you under contract. Release!"
The magical circle appeared under her feet, even as a sudden rush of almost visible air surrounded the young girl. The Key that she had been holding grew, until it became a pink baton-like wand topped with a golden star.
Sudden light coming from Eriol's direction indicated that the young magician had also transformed his own Key into his long staff. The girl and the cat vanished. A black panther and a long-haired girl took their place, both with dark butterfly wings.
Duo found himself being dragged by Tomoyo as Syaoran gently pushed his brother forward. Leaning towards him, Li Syaoran gave his older brother a small piece of advice. "No matter what happens, keep calm. Trust your instincts. If there is one thing in this clearing that you have to worry about, it's Yue. Just go with the flow of your magic, and everything will be fine." he said softly.
Heero found himself listening intently, ignoring the slight pang of irritation in the pit of his stomach for letting an eleven-year-old boy instuct him how to win this battle. After all, he WAS the eldest son. But still, Syaoran was more experienced in these things than he was.
The amber-eyed lad gave him a rare smile and a firm nod. "Don't worry. I'll watch your back." With that, he darted off towards the trees beside Duo and Tomoyo.
It took the Perfect Soldier a while to notice that Eriol had also moved away from the clearing. Sakura and her Guardians stood some feet away from the dark-haired boy, waiting for him. Not really knowing what to do, Heero took a deep breath, fumbled under his shirt for his jade tasseled orb, and concentrated on summoning his power. He found it a little difficult to concentrate without Syaoran's instruction, but his younger brother's advice of always trusting his instincts echoed through his mind and he held on to it. The minute that resolve had been firmed, he seemed to automatically know what to do. Closing his eyes, Heero held his jade orbs in front of him and whispered.
"Force, know my plight. Release the light."(8)
Thunder resounded loudly across the clear, cloudless skies as Heero's long sword appeared in his hands. He could see Syaoran and Duo nodding encouragingly at him out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but notice that his partner still hadn't kept his gun. Tomoyo stood a little way away from them, filming the entire thing. She waved cheerfully at him when she saw him staring, then at Sakura before giving them both the thumbs-up.
Eriol firmly tapped his long golden staff on the ground. "Are you all set?" he asked the two parties quietly. Sakura nodded at him, her grip on her pink wand tightening just slightly as she focused all her attention at the Li heir. Both her Guardians took a few steps back, far enough so as not to get in the way, but close enough to interfre if necessary.
"Raiu?"
Heero bent his knees slightly and took on one of the battle stances that Wei had diligently taught him weeks ago. "Hai." he affirmed.
"Then, begin." His ancestor simply instructed before taking to the air to watch them from above, his Guardians hovering nearby.
Sakura threw one of her cards in the air. "Windy!" she shouted, raising her wand directly under the spinning card as an ethereal female form took to the air and headed directly at him, stones and pebbles trailing her wake with alarming speed. Heero stilled for a second, marvelling at the intensity of the eleven-year-old's power vibrating in the air as he formulated his counter-attack. Deciding that the first coarse of action would be to dodge as he had always done with bullets, he started moving, and immediately found out that his plan was a mistake.
The stones pelted him from all directions, grazing his chin, his cheek, his body. He ached all over from various cuts and bruises, but he pushed the pain at the back of his mind and focused on his battle.
'Trust your instincts.'
He closed his eyes as the number of stones pelting him increased. Wind. Opening his eyes, he held up his sword.
"Fuuka Shourai!"(9)
Instantly a strong gush of wind hurtled the Card Mistress' stones back at her with deadly accuracy. Her eyes widening slightly, she flung another card in the air and held her wand against it. "Shield!" she cried out. A protective barrier immediately surrounded the emerald-eyed girl seconds before the stones hit her body. Both Yue and Keroberos lunged forward in chagrin, eyes blazing, but the stern look from their Mistress and the threatening wave of Eriol's staff halted their actions.
"You are not to interfere." Eriol smoothly reminded them as his own two Guardians flitted downward to prevent the other two from helping their Mistress.
While Sakura was distracted, Heero pulled out one of the brown ofudas that Syaoran had handed to him before they left that morning and raised it in the air. "Kashin shourai!"(10) he yelled, throwing the ofuda on the ground and stabbing it with his sword. He didn't know what triggered him to do that said act, but he was merely trusting his instinct. To his surprise and everlasting relief, it worked. A fierce line of fire immediately shot out from the now-burning ofuda and unerringly made its way towards the shocked and slightly unerved Sakura.
"Jump!" She shouted. Small wings appeared on her heels, and she leapt into the air with all the grace of a champion gymnast. She threw another card in the air and cried, "Watery!" Immediately another woman figure of unearthly beauty shot out of the card suspended in the air. Watery swooped down low over the fire Heero's ofuda made, dousing the furious flames effectively. The steam rising from the dying flames blocked out Heero's view of the airborne Card Mistress.
"Shimatta!" He whispered harshly, squinting and trying in vain to catch a glimpse of Sakura through the thick haze.
"Sword!"
Heero whipped around just in time to block Sakura's well-aimed thrust with her--his eyes widened ever so slightly--sword. 'Where the hell did she get that?' his mind thought frantically even as his body automatically parried with the sword-wielding Card Mistress. He lunged forward unexpectedly, his sword stretched out in front of him. It would have hit its mark if not for Yue, who suddenly flew forward, grabbed his Mistress by the waist and carried her to safety a few feet away from Heero.
The Moon Guardian looked coolly at the Wing pilot, before calmly moving his arms, as if shooting an arrow. He let fly. Heero prepared himself for the searing agony he knew would follow.
It never came. He opened the eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed in time to see Yue frozen in place, his arm still stretched taut behind him. Only his eyes expressed any emotion, and at that moment they were smoldering with fury. Fury directed at the calm visage of Clow Reed hovering a few feet above them all, Sun staff held in front of him. "I warned you not to interfere, Moon Guardian. You didn't heed me." the young boy stated matter-of-factly.
He pointed his staff at the Moon Guardian, who started, as if freed from a trance. Yue looked long and hard at Eriol, a calculating look reflecting in his glassy eyes. He nodded and stepped back a few paces away from the two engaged in battle.
"Arigato, Yue-san." Sakura murmured quietly. She then turned to the older boy standing quietly in front of her. "Well? Shall we resume?" she asked timidly.
"Aa." Was Heero's terse reply. He crouched down into a fighting stance once again, sword up and ready. He nodded at the auburn-haired girl, who aquiesced. Sakura threw another of her Cards into the air and stretched her wand over her head. "Power Card!" she cried in a clear voice. A tiny girl with a permanent smile pasted on her face appeared quite suddenly in front of Heero. The blue pixie immediately mimicked Heero's fighting pose, smiling all the way.
'And I'm supposed to fight that?' Heero thought, a bit incredulous. 'This is gonna be easy.' He barely heard Syaoran's whispered warning. "Don't underestimate it, 'niisan. That's the Power Card. It didn't get its name for nothing." Heero glanced quickly at his little brother and nodded, silently acknowledging Syaoran's help.
He turned his attention back toward the Card and was bowled over by the force of its tackle. He lay on the ground gasping for breath for a moments, painfully reminded of the time when Duo had glomped onto him while on a sugar high. He would have laughed if it weren't so painful. He was sudenly reminded of the imminent threat posed by the Power Card, who was currently straddling his hips, with both fists firmly planted on his stomach, effectively hindering every breath he took, no matter how deep he inhaled.
While his magician's mind was crying defeat, the military tactician in him began to realize that the Power Card's weight was shifted all wrong. Too much of it supported its arms. If he could only just maneuver enough so as to free his legs a bit, he could...
A millisecond later all in the clearing were surprised when the normally undefeatable Power Card landed in a tangle of tiny blue arms and legs above Heero's head. The little elfin girl sat up, bewildered, before rubbing her chubby fists against her eyes, crying softly.
Sakura blinked. "Return to your true form, Sakura Card..." she commanded, somewhat frazzled. Even Eriol looked slightly amused.
"I think that would be enough for now." The magician announced as the Power Card disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Both Heero and Sakura nodded tiredly at his announcement.
The Wing pilot, who was currently still sprawled on the ground, twisted his body and landed solidly on his feet, clutching his stomach protectively. Duo and Syaoran could be heard arguing as they rushed towards him, while Tomoyo happily recorded everything in her handycam which Heero was beginning to hate.
"I TOLD you he would kick the Power Card's butt!" Duo bragged impressively as they ran.
Syaoran threw him a dirty look. "But that was THE Power Card, Duo-san! That little elf girl was even stronger than a full-grown elephant and a baby elephant combined!"
The braided boy was not impressed. "You forget that your brother is a soldier, Syaoran." He reminded the other boy cheekily.
"Yeah, yeah." As they neared the standing Wing pilot, Syaoran called out, "'Niisan! Daijoubo ka?"
"Aa. Daijoubo." Heero answered tiredly.
Syaoran smiled. "I'm glad."
As Heero turned away, he barely caught the softly whispered words, "I'm proud of you, 'niisan."
TBC
== *snore*
Ne, was that long? No? *smiles disorientedly* It's 3:40 in the friggin morning, and I'm still nowhere near asleep. Maybe I should start with the next chapter???? *smiles again*
FOOTNOTES:
1. Yes, yes, I know that in Chapter Six the Li girls had all but screamed to the whole world that Sakura is the Card Mistress, and Yeran herself had also made constant reference on Sakura while they were talking during breakfast. Let's just say that both Heero and Duo were too caught up with the girls' teasing that they haven't been paying that much attention...
2. Is the van that Tomoyo uses for hauling all of Sakura's battle costumes gray, or another color? My memory seems to be failing me a little...anyway, for those of you who know, tell me! ^-^
3. I don't know how to describe the strange color of Yue's eyes...they look somewhat gray and blue, but the gray's a little more shinier...so I opted to just refer to it as 'glassy'. It fits.
4. Let us all remember that Duo Maxwell came from the future where the cameras are about as small as half the palm of your hand and the mobile phones are installed in your head.
5. My sister thought this up. Don't ask why. I think she's got a particulr GWing ficcie in mind when she suggested this costume. *screams of 'I LOVE DUO!' coming from somewhere to the left of rei-chan* Oh yeah, and she says that if you wanna imagine what Kero's hat would look, you should think Robin Hood. ^-^
6. For those of you who read Gundam Wing fanfiction, you would recognize this familiar little twitch that Duo fondly refers to as 'the trigger happy action'. ^-^
7. This is completely my own invention. Gomen if it sounded a tad too stupid. *grins*
8. From what I've researched, this actually came from Nelvana's (poor) CCS dubbing. I've asked every CCS fan I know what Syaoran says when summoning his sword, but no one's been able to provide me with anything. Natsu-chan told me that Syaoran usually doesn't say anything. He just holds his orbs a little strangely, all snaked around his hand and that, and concentrates. It seems a little, uh, off for them not to say anything, so I decided to just use Nelvana's. Hope you guy's don't mind that.
9. Syaoran's wind charm. I figured it would be all right for him and Heero to have the same powers, considering that they ARE brothers and stuff. The difference in their powers would be revealed during the battle with the Tzes, around a chapter from now.
10. The fire charm.
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
Author's Notes: *sigh* It's a good thing Natsu-chan agreed to upload the remaining chapters for me. For that, this chapter is dedicated to YOU, Natsu-chan! ^-^ Hope you enjoy this!
By the way, guys! I'll be going back home in a few days, so I probably won't be able to upload anything else for at least a week. Don't worry, though. I'll be working on the three, four more remaining chapters that same week and upload the FINISHED story when the weekends roll by. Gomen for the slight delay. June is fast approaching, and I still have to get my past year's grades and enroll to college. *swirly eyes* Damn school life! Still, keep those reviews coming, and if it's not too much of a hassle, please recommend my story to your peers. Who knows, I might even start writing the sequel to this. *hint, hint* Ne, Natsu-chan? *devilish grin*
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Twelve: The Card Mistress
"I wonder who this 'Card Mistress'(1) character is." Duo surmised from the passenger seat as he munched on an apple. He, Heero, and Syaoran were in another rented car driving towards the outskirts of Tomoeda, where Syaoran had arranged to meet the Card Mistress. "I mean, we've been in town for almost a month and a half but we've never even met the girl!"
"It really wasn't that important to introduce you to her yet at that time." Syaoran responded absently as he stared hard at his Lasin board, both of his hands' pointer and middle fingers lying flat on the board's surface as he manipulated it. "Her role is not really that relevant in 'niisan's training, at least not before he had to face Eriol."
Duo tilted his head to his side and looked out the window at the scenery rolling pass him. "Still, it wouldn't have hurt if you had pointed her out to us beforehand." He reflected.
Heero steered towards the right, slowed the car before completely coming to a stop behind a long black limousine and a rather large gray(2) van. "Go and find out." he intoned as he pushed the driver's side door open. Syaoran clambered out from the backseat, his Lasin board still held tightly in his hands as the three boys headed towards the dense forest.
Heero, meanwhile, could not help but feel the slightest hint of discomfort as they neared the clearing where his encounter with the so-called Card Mistress was going to be held. Truth be told, he was a little nervous about facing the girl magician. Unlike Eriol's test, the Perfect Soldier had been in the comfortable embrace of his Wing Zero. In this encounter, he would be stripped off all his weapons, his sword and magic his only defense. It was quite unnerving to be completely rid of the guns, the knives, and the explosives that he had always been accustomed to having within arm's reach during battle.
Voices coming from a little ways ahead of him distracted the Prussian eyed boy from his thoughts. Stealing a quick glance at Duo, who had his gun out, Heero did not hesitate to pull out his own weapon as the speakers came within sight.
Kinomoto Sakura and Daidouji Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at the three of them, both in their school uniforms. A bespectacled young man, approximately the same age as Duo and Heero themselves, stood grinning in a somewhat confused way behind the two of them.
"Ohayo, Duo-san, Raiu-san!" Sakura greeted them cheerfully while waving an almost excited hand in the air. Tomoyo beamed and bowed slightly at them.
"What are YOU guys doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be in school like normal sixth-graders?" Duo asked them suspiciously as he lowered his gun to the ground, keeping a wary eye on the male stranger.
The auburn-haired girl chose to ignore this question. Instead, she smiled brightly at someone from behind the Deathscythe pilot. "Syaoran-kun! Eriol-kun! Where have you guys been?"
Both Heero and Duo spun around to see a uniform-clad Eriol and a leafy and panting Syaoran dart out from the canopy of trees, accompanied by a black little cat and a dark-haired girl.
Duo held up both of his hands in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!!" he cried out loudly, giving Syaoran a rather meaningful look as he discreetly motioned with his head at the three people with them. The younger boy just shrugged nonchalantly at him in response. "What are you ALL doing out here in the outskirts of town?" He pointed a finger at the somewhat sheepish-looking teenager behind the two young girls. "And who's the guy?"
Eriol walked over to join the two girls and the other boy. Nodding his head at Tomoyo, he said, "It's time."
Both girls nodded back at him, and, turning to the pilots, waved before running out of the clearing. The English boy tilted his head at the other boy, then glanced at the two soldiers. "This is Tsukishiro Yukito. He will be essential in Raiu's training with the Card Mistress. Yukito, these are Duo, and Li Raiu."
He bowed at the two of them politely. "Hajimemashite." He greeted them formally. His eyes were crinkling at the corners when he straightened.
Leaning forward, Eriol proceeded to whisper a few words to the older boy. Duo and Heero watched in astounded silence as Yukito closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and began to glow. A large circle of light suddenly appeared under the bespectacled boy, and wings sprouted from behind him to envelope his whole body.
Duo's mouth was slightly hanging open as he watched.
Heero's whole body was tense.
A moment later, the wings unfolded, revealing a man with long, flowing white hair and the glassiest(3) of eyes the two boys had ever seen before.
"Gentlemen, this is Yue, the Moon Guardian of the Card Mistress." Eriol introduced softly. The girl standing beside him smirked in a self-knowing kind of way, her slender fingers gently stroking the black cat's soft fur as she watched the reaction of the two pilots.
Yue stared at the two boys indifferently, folding his great angel wings behind him as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Where IS the Card Mistress?" Heero asked Eriol tightly.
It was at that moment that Sakura and Tomoyo arrived. Tomoyo was still sporting her uniform, but Duo could see that she had one of those bulky(4) cameras in her hands. Sakura was wearing a forest green medieval-type dress, with cap sleeves and gold embroidery. The dress split in two from the empire-cut waist, ending in a flowy skirt that was slightly longer in the back than in the front. Sakura's legs were encased in white tights with golden stars stitched onto it(5). On her shoulder rested a yellow stuffed animal with wings, a deep green hunter's hat with a feather on it resting upon the small head. Both girls came to stand beside the transformed Yukito.
Duo stared incredulously at Sakura's strange outfit. "What is with the costume, Sakura-chan?" he asked the younger girl in a half exasperated voice as he ran a hand lightly over his head. These kids were giving him a headache, as if he didn't have enough weird shit on his plate at the moment. "And what's that yellow lump sittting on your shoulder? A stuffed animal?"
To his and Heero's surprise, the 'stuffed animal' suddenly flew up high the air in indignation. "Who are YOU calling a stuffed animal, PRIEST BOY?!" it shouted in a high, squeaky voice, flitting its small wings a little in the air as he circled around Duo.
The air around the Deathscythe pilot grew cold as he glared darkly at the flying *it*. "What did you just call me, you little dingbat?" he growled as he trained his pistol at the small creature.
"I CALLED you PRI--"
"Maa, yamero, Keroberos!" Li Syaoran spat out angrily as he stalked over to them, amber eyes narrowed.
"Why you little BRAT--"
"Kero-chan!" Sakura admonished immediately as a vein in Syaoran's forehead began to throb. Leaping into the air to grab the little creature, she apologized profusely at the two boys.
"Eriol..."
Everyone turned to stare at Heero Yuy's direction. The Wing pilot's face was wearing its' eternal stoic facade once again. "Where is the Card Mistress?" he asked Clow Reed's half reincarnation in slow, even tones, the fingers on his right hand twitching in a familiar gesture that meant 'I'm-currently-feeling-trigger-happy-and-if-you-value-your-life-you-better-start-answering-my-questions-right-now'. (6)
Sakura stepped forward to stand in front of Heero, still clutching the flailing yellow body against her chest. "I am the Card Mistress, Raiu-san." She told the older boy firmly. She let the small creature in her arms go and said softly in carefully measured tones. "Reveal your true form, Sun Guardian."(7)
Instantly the little wings of the creature she had called as 'Kero-chan' grew and wrapped around it in a cocoon-like shape, the glowing circle appearing beneath it just like Yue's had. Within a few moments a huge lion emerged from the cocoon of wings to land on the Card Mistress' right. Yue flew to the air and landed gracefully on Sakura's other side.
The auburn-haired girl held out her right palm and closed her emerald eyes. "O Key which conceals the power of the Stars, reveal your true form to me. I, Sakura, command you under contract. Release!"
The magical circle appeared under her feet, even as a sudden rush of almost visible air surrounded the young girl. The Key that she had been holding grew, until it became a pink baton-like wand topped with a golden star.
Sudden light coming from Eriol's direction indicated that the young magician had also transformed his own Key into his long staff. The girl and the cat vanished. A black panther and a long-haired girl took their place, both with dark butterfly wings.
Duo found himself being dragged by Tomoyo as Syaoran gently pushed his brother forward. Leaning towards him, Li Syaoran gave his older brother a small piece of advice. "No matter what happens, keep calm. Trust your instincts. If there is one thing in this clearing that you have to worry about, it's Yue. Just go with the flow of your magic, and everything will be fine." he said softly.
Heero found himself listening intently, ignoring the slight pang of irritation in the pit of his stomach for letting an eleven-year-old boy instuct him how to win this battle. After all, he WAS the eldest son. But still, Syaoran was more experienced in these things than he was.
The amber-eyed lad gave him a rare smile and a firm nod. "Don't worry. I'll watch your back." With that, he darted off towards the trees beside Duo and Tomoyo.
It took the Perfect Soldier a while to notice that Eriol had also moved away from the clearing. Sakura and her Guardians stood some feet away from the dark-haired boy, waiting for him. Not really knowing what to do, Heero took a deep breath, fumbled under his shirt for his jade tasseled orb, and concentrated on summoning his power. He found it a little difficult to concentrate without Syaoran's instruction, but his younger brother's advice of always trusting his instincts echoed through his mind and he held on to it. The minute that resolve had been firmed, he seemed to automatically know what to do. Closing his eyes, Heero held his jade orbs in front of him and whispered.
"Force, know my plight. Release the light."(8)
Thunder resounded loudly across the clear, cloudless skies as Heero's long sword appeared in his hands. He could see Syaoran and Duo nodding encouragingly at him out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but notice that his partner still hadn't kept his gun. Tomoyo stood a little way away from them, filming the entire thing. She waved cheerfully at him when she saw him staring, then at Sakura before giving them both the thumbs-up.
Eriol firmly tapped his long golden staff on the ground. "Are you all set?" he asked the two parties quietly. Sakura nodded at him, her grip on her pink wand tightening just slightly as she focused all her attention at the Li heir. Both her Guardians took a few steps back, far enough so as not to get in the way, but close enough to interfre if necessary.
"Raiu?"
Heero bent his knees slightly and took on one of the battle stances that Wei had diligently taught him weeks ago. "Hai." he affirmed.
"Then, begin." His ancestor simply instructed before taking to the air to watch them from above, his Guardians hovering nearby.
Sakura threw one of her cards in the air. "Windy!" she shouted, raising her wand directly under the spinning card as an ethereal female form took to the air and headed directly at him, stones and pebbles trailing her wake with alarming speed. Heero stilled for a second, marvelling at the intensity of the eleven-year-old's power vibrating in the air as he formulated his counter-attack. Deciding that the first coarse of action would be to dodge as he had always done with bullets, he started moving, and immediately found out that his plan was a mistake.
The stones pelted him from all directions, grazing his chin, his cheek, his body. He ached all over from various cuts and bruises, but he pushed the pain at the back of his mind and focused on his battle.
'Trust your instincts.'
He closed his eyes as the number of stones pelting him increased. Wind. Opening his eyes, he held up his sword.
"Fuuka Shourai!"(9)
Instantly a strong gush of wind hurtled the Card Mistress' stones back at her with deadly accuracy. Her eyes widening slightly, she flung another card in the air and held her wand against it. "Shield!" she cried out. A protective barrier immediately surrounded the emerald-eyed girl seconds before the stones hit her body. Both Yue and Keroberos lunged forward in chagrin, eyes blazing, but the stern look from their Mistress and the threatening wave of Eriol's staff halted their actions.
"You are not to interfere." Eriol smoothly reminded them as his own two Guardians flitted downward to prevent the other two from helping their Mistress.
While Sakura was distracted, Heero pulled out one of the brown ofudas that Syaoran had handed to him before they left that morning and raised it in the air. "Kashin shourai!"(10) he yelled, throwing the ofuda on the ground and stabbing it with his sword. He didn't know what triggered him to do that said act, but he was merely trusting his instinct. To his surprise and everlasting relief, it worked. A fierce line of fire immediately shot out from the now-burning ofuda and unerringly made its way towards the shocked and slightly unerved Sakura.
"Jump!" She shouted. Small wings appeared on her heels, and she leapt into the air with all the grace of a champion gymnast. She threw another card in the air and cried, "Watery!" Immediately another woman figure of unearthly beauty shot out of the card suspended in the air. Watery swooped down low over the fire Heero's ofuda made, dousing the furious flames effectively. The steam rising from the dying flames blocked out Heero's view of the airborne Card Mistress.
"Shimatta!" He whispered harshly, squinting and trying in vain to catch a glimpse of Sakura through the thick haze.
"Sword!"
Heero whipped around just in time to block Sakura's well-aimed thrust with her--his eyes widened ever so slightly--sword. 'Where the hell did she get that?' his mind thought frantically even as his body automatically parried with the sword-wielding Card Mistress. He lunged forward unexpectedly, his sword stretched out in front of him. It would have hit its mark if not for Yue, who suddenly flew forward, grabbed his Mistress by the waist and carried her to safety a few feet away from Heero.
The Moon Guardian looked coolly at the Wing pilot, before calmly moving his arms, as if shooting an arrow. He let fly. Heero prepared himself for the searing agony he knew would follow.
It never came. He opened the eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed in time to see Yue frozen in place, his arm still stretched taut behind him. Only his eyes expressed any emotion, and at that moment they were smoldering with fury. Fury directed at the calm visage of Clow Reed hovering a few feet above them all, Sun staff held in front of him. "I warned you not to interfere, Moon Guardian. You didn't heed me." the young boy stated matter-of-factly.
He pointed his staff at the Moon Guardian, who started, as if freed from a trance. Yue looked long and hard at Eriol, a calculating look reflecting in his glassy eyes. He nodded and stepped back a few paces away from the two engaged in battle.
"Arigato, Yue-san." Sakura murmured quietly. She then turned to the older boy standing quietly in front of her. "Well? Shall we resume?" she asked timidly.
"Aa." Was Heero's terse reply. He crouched down into a fighting stance once again, sword up and ready. He nodded at the auburn-haired girl, who aquiesced. Sakura threw another of her Cards into the air and stretched her wand over her head. "Power Card!" she cried in a clear voice. A tiny girl with a permanent smile pasted on her face appeared quite suddenly in front of Heero. The blue pixie immediately mimicked Heero's fighting pose, smiling all the way.
'And I'm supposed to fight that?' Heero thought, a bit incredulous. 'This is gonna be easy.' He barely heard Syaoran's whispered warning. "Don't underestimate it, 'niisan. That's the Power Card. It didn't get its name for nothing." Heero glanced quickly at his little brother and nodded, silently acknowledging Syaoran's help.
He turned his attention back toward the Card and was bowled over by the force of its tackle. He lay on the ground gasping for breath for a moments, painfully reminded of the time when Duo had glomped onto him while on a sugar high. He would have laughed if it weren't so painful. He was sudenly reminded of the imminent threat posed by the Power Card, who was currently straddling his hips, with both fists firmly planted on his stomach, effectively hindering every breath he took, no matter how deep he inhaled.
While his magician's mind was crying defeat, the military tactician in him began to realize that the Power Card's weight was shifted all wrong. Too much of it supported its arms. If he could only just maneuver enough so as to free his legs a bit, he could...
A millisecond later all in the clearing were surprised when the normally undefeatable Power Card landed in a tangle of tiny blue arms and legs above Heero's head. The little elfin girl sat up, bewildered, before rubbing her chubby fists against her eyes, crying softly.
Sakura blinked. "Return to your true form, Sakura Card..." she commanded, somewhat frazzled. Even Eriol looked slightly amused.
"I think that would be enough for now." The magician announced as the Power Card disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Both Heero and Sakura nodded tiredly at his announcement.
The Wing pilot, who was currently still sprawled on the ground, twisted his body and landed solidly on his feet, clutching his stomach protectively. Duo and Syaoran could be heard arguing as they rushed towards him, while Tomoyo happily recorded everything in her handycam which Heero was beginning to hate.
"I TOLD you he would kick the Power Card's butt!" Duo bragged impressively as they ran.
Syaoran threw him a dirty look. "But that was THE Power Card, Duo-san! That little elf girl was even stronger than a full-grown elephant and a baby elephant combined!"
The braided boy was not impressed. "You forget that your brother is a soldier, Syaoran." He reminded the other boy cheekily.
"Yeah, yeah." As they neared the standing Wing pilot, Syaoran called out, "'Niisan! Daijoubo ka?"
"Aa. Daijoubo." Heero answered tiredly.
Syaoran smiled. "I'm glad."
As Heero turned away, he barely caught the softly whispered words, "I'm proud of you, 'niisan."
TBC
== *snore*
Ne, was that long? No? *smiles disorientedly* It's 3:40 in the friggin morning, and I'm still nowhere near asleep. Maybe I should start with the next chapter???? *smiles again*
FOOTNOTES:
1. Yes, yes, I know that in Chapter Six the Li girls had all but screamed to the whole world that Sakura is the Card Mistress, and Yeran herself had also made constant reference on Sakura while they were talking during breakfast. Let's just say that both Heero and Duo were too caught up with the girls' teasing that they haven't been paying that much attention...
2. Is the van that Tomoyo uses for hauling all of Sakura's battle costumes gray, or another color? My memory seems to be failing me a little...anyway, for those of you who know, tell me! ^-^
3. I don't know how to describe the strange color of Yue's eyes...they look somewhat gray and blue, but the gray's a little more shinier...so I opted to just refer to it as 'glassy'. It fits.
4. Let us all remember that Duo Maxwell came from the future where the cameras are about as small as half the palm of your hand and the mobile phones are installed in your head.
5. My sister thought this up. Don't ask why. I think she's got a particulr GWing ficcie in mind when she suggested this costume. *screams of 'I LOVE DUO!' coming from somewhere to the left of rei-chan* Oh yeah, and she says that if you wanna imagine what Kero's hat would look, you should think Robin Hood. ^-^
6. For those of you who read Gundam Wing fanfiction, you would recognize this familiar little twitch that Duo fondly refers to as 'the trigger happy action'. ^-^
7. This is completely my own invention. Gomen if it sounded a tad too stupid. *grins*
8. From what I've researched, this actually came from Nelvana's (poor) CCS dubbing. I've asked every CCS fan I know what Syaoran says when summoning his sword, but no one's been able to provide me with anything. Natsu-chan told me that Syaoran usually doesn't say anything. He just holds his orbs a little strangely, all snaked around his hand and that, and concentrates. It seems a little, uh, off for them not to say anything, so I decided to just use Nelvana's. Hope you guy's don't mind that.
9. Syaoran's wind charm. I figured it would be all right for him and Heero to have the same powers, considering that they ARE brothers and stuff. The difference in their powers would be revealed during the battle with the Tzes, around a chapter from now.
10. The fire charm.
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
