Konnichiwa minna! Chapter seven! Luckily, that whole business with ff.net is over, so we can all get back to writing and reading fanfics, ne? Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy this installment (it will probably be a bit shorter, as I've noticed that the chapters have been getting longer every time. Please tell me what length you would find ideal!), and don't give up on this fic (I promise! The big action will come in later chapters!) Anyway, enough of me blabbing! Onto the fic we go! Oh! Almost forgot! A GIGANTIC, HUMUNGOUS 'Gomen' to Kingpin, yes, your review did get through (a good one too!), but my hotmail account did something weird and blocked all the people in my inbox, so I didn't get the Review Alert
Dedication:
Arigatos:
Disclaimer:
*~Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
I no Own,
So you no Sue.
Ok. Now that that's cleared up, to the story!
The Tournament (When Worlds Collide)
A Cardcaptor Sakura fanfiction by Jurei-chan
The change was incredible.
One minute, Syaoran was in a brightly lit clearing with the other warriors, and the next thing he knew, he was in what seemed to be a quickly speeding tunnel of green, white, yellow, blue, and a dozen other colours that he either couldn't identify, or were moving much too quickly for his brain to register. This lasted for only a couple seconds before he came to a jarring halt, spit out and landing softly on what he presumed to be the ground.
"Syaoran?"
He looked around, trying to identify from which direction Ryushi's voice was coming.
"Do you MIND?"
"Oh! Gomen!"
The Chinese warrior quickly scrambled off the heap that was his travelling companions, offering them each a hand up.
Dusting themselves off, Ryushi, Húmi, Sakura, and Asina stood, looking at the surroundings. "Welcome to Raiden's Lookout!" said Shikoku, gasping slightly for breath, "Not like anything you've seen before, is it?'
The new recruits had to agree. They had come through something that looked exactly like the portal back in Japan, but with different symbols. However, that's where the similarities ended. The light was almost like that of an endless sunset, illuminating swirling fog-like mists that completely blocked the view of whatever lay below. The Lookout seemed to be a gigantic plateau, rising out of the mists. On the highest point, they could make out the gigantic outline of a Chinese-style temple.
"That's where you guys will be training," replied Ryushi in answer to the glances that Syaoran and Sakura wore when looking at the place, "The sleeping quarters are in that smaller, yet by no means less impressive building over there-hey Shikoku? Where's Kensu?"
Shikoku took another breath, glaring at the mention of the joker in his group.
"Probably reporting our arrival to Raiden-sama and Xiu." He replied, "That slimy little devil's too darn fast! I couldn't catch him!"
Sakura laughed at the way the older warrior growled when saying the last part.
"Speaking of which, we better get heading up to see them anyway. It'll save them sending a messenger to get us, and I think they want to give a talk to all the new recruits." Said Asina, taking charge.
"My! Aren't we the little leader, Asina!" said Shikoku, smiling at her slyly.
"Only because you aren't!" she answered back easily.
"Ouch! Burn!" said Ryushi. He quickly quieted when he saw Shikoku turn the glare on him.
The group began to head up the gradually sloping terrain towards the temple, laughing and joking the whole way. Sakura had to admit, things seemed a lot more lively with Asina, Shikoku, Húmi, and Ryushi than if she had been travelling alone, or with her friends back in Shotokan. Even Syaoran made a comment or two, coming out of his seemingly cold usual shell for a few moments.
Syaoran was still looking around at the unusual world-or area between the worlds, as Ryushi had explained when he had asked what the lookout was-that they had been transported to. Everything seemed pretty open and barren, except for the gigantic temple and sleeping area on the plateau, as well as some other buildings near the edge that had yet to be identified. As his gaze slowly shifted to the group (and Sakura, he realized, blushing before quickly looking away), he noticed something strange.
Rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he looked back, only to have everything be as it was supposed to be.
'Must have been the lack of sleep getting to me,' he thought, 'As soon as I can, I'm going to go straight to bed.'
Convincing himself that it was just his imagination, he went back to noting his surroundings and making the odd addition to the conversation. After all, shadows couldn't move on their own…could they?
*********
"Woah! It's huge!"
The group had just entered through the ornate double doors, each side which was guarded by a dragon statue holding out a beckoning claw, and were looking around the room inside. The roof was high above their heads, held up by tall red pillars. The room itself was huge, square in shape, lighted by floating torches. The torches themselves were unremarkable, but the light that they held was like a small yellow/orange ball of twisting flames.
"Touch it." Said Kensu, popping up out of nowhere, right beside Sakura. His face split into another roguish grin when he saw the look of surprise that she displayed. "Don't worry! It's perfectly safe!" he reassured, reaching out his own hand and touching the light. "See? Nothing happened to me!"
Obliging, she reached out a tentative finger, nervously inching closer to the light. Finally, her touch reached it, whereupon (unlike the feeling of pain, of heat that she expected to feel), she experienced a light tickling sensation. Smiling, she looked over at the others, only to be faced by looks of shock, or incredible amusement from each and every one.
"What?" she asked, worriedly, "Nani desu ka?"
Her question was returned by a shout from Shikoku as he resumed his chase of the younger fighter.
"You dolt!" he cried, "You know better than that! Honestly! And a new recruit too! Why I otta-" They didn't hear the rest because the two figures sped out of the room, one in hot pursuit of the other.
Sakura turned to Asina, who was the only one who didn't look like she was about to crack up. She was by now used to these frequent little chases and her twin brother's antics.
"Why was everyone looking at me like that?" asked Sakura, "And- why did Shikoku end up chasing Kensu out of the room?"
Asina looked at the younger girl the way that an older sister looks at a favourite sibling.
"You have just been the victim of one of Kensu's frequent-and by no means ordinary- pranks." She explained, "Those lights in the torches are called Enkyuuyu. They aren't painful, or really harmful if you touch them, but Raiden-sama and Xiu prefer if people don't touch them-"
"Oh. But, why was Shikoku mad then?"
"-Because them make the hair of the person who touched them turn green and stick straight out." Finished the female warrior.
Pure shock was written all over Sakura's face. Quickly running over to a polished copper wall ornament, she looked at her reflection to find that her hair, indeed, had turned the most unusual shade of forest green, and was sticking out in spikes. Despite being a girl, she looked a startling amount like Kensu.
"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"…And you didn't notice when Kensu did it because his hair's already spiky and green," said Húmi, coming over to try and calm Sakura down, " But don't worry. It isn't permanent. If we deal with it right away, you'll be back to normal in no time."
"How do I get rid of it?" asked Sakura, secretly amazed at how the older warrior could be so absolutely calm under any situation.
"Come with me and Húmi." Said Asina kindly to Sakura, "You two," she spoke to Ryushi and Syaoran, "Go ahead without us and explain things to Raiden-sama, would you? It will probably take a little bit of time to reverse the effects, so you should tell him to start without us and meet up with the new recruits as usual. Just say that Kensu had something to do with it. He'll understand. After all we all live with that brother of mine."
The three girls then headed down a different passage, the two older ones being almost freakishly kind to the younger one.
"Come on, let's go!" said Ryushi, pulling Syaoran through the doors straight ahead, "Don't worry! Sakura will be fine!" he added with a small mischievous smirk.
"I-HEY! THAT'S NOT TRUE! AS IF-"
"Save it. I know you like her," said Ryushi, closing his eyes sagely.
"I DO NOT!" spluttered Syaoran, face turning red from both embarrassment and anger.
The blonde warrior smirked in reply, much to Syaoran's annoyance.
I suppose that's why you asked her friend back at Shotokan for that incredible, and, may I add, life-like picture of her, ne? -Hai, I did see that, o Son of Kwaihu."
"I JUST THINK IT WAS A GOOD PICTURE, OKAY? I HAVE NO INTEREST IN SAKURA!"
"Yeah. Sure. And I'm Amaterasu-sama."*
It was Syaoran's turn to smile devilishly.
"I bow before you, o great sun kami, ruler of the land of the rising Sun." he said, making an elegant bow to Ryushi.
"That was LOW!"
*********
"Did you hear something?" Húmi asked the other two girls with her, "I just thought I heard someone yelling..."
"It was probably just Shikoku and Kensu having another argument." Said Asina in answer to Húmi's question, "Those two are accountable for half the noise we hear here."
"Why do Shikoku and Kensu fight so much?" asked Sakura curiously, "I mean- aren't they in the same department for the side of Good anyway?"
Asina giggled.
"Oh, that's just their way of fooling around. Deep down, they really care a lot about each other." She explained.(A.N: No, you ecchis! Not like that!)
"Oh. So, Kensu plays practical jokes on people and get on their nerves because that's how he shows he cares? And was his hair always like that, or did he touch one of those Enkyuuku things for too long?" said Sakura, slightly confused.
Húmi and Asina laughed at Sakura's question.
"Something like that. The 'getting on their nerves' part is just a hobby of his. Anyway, here we are!"
The three turned a corner to come face-to-face with an ornate door, just like the one at the entrance to the temple, minus the dragons. Húmi pushed the door open to reveal an incredibly large room with bunks for sleeping, as well as a small desk and a large wooden chest in the corner, tucked next to the wall. The walls were covered in bookshelves full of interesting-looking dusty old books of all different shapes, sizes, and colours.
"Welcome to the Girl's Quarters!" said Asina, making a sweeping gesture to encompass the whole room. "it isn't incredibly lavish, but it's very comfortable, and better than the guys' anyway."
Sakura giggled.
"Choose a bunk that doesn't already have stuff on it, and make yourself at home until we find the potion to get rid of that green hair." Said Húmi, already making her way over to the chest in the corner. Lifting the lid, she began to rummage around inside, trying to find the small blue bottle in which the potion was contained.
Meanwhile, Sakura decided on a bunk that was near the edge of the room and had a small bedside table on which a candle could be set, for nighttime reading. It also had a drawer, for storing any things that the user had brought with them.
Inside, she put the box containing her mother's fans, as well as the cloth bag which Tomoyo had given her before she left. Curiosity getting the most of her, she undid the leather strings holding it shut as to get a look at the clothes that her friend had designed for her. 'EEP!' she thought, taking a look at the first one, 'As usual, she designed them a bit…outrageously. I'll never be able to fight in that!'
The next two weren't so bad, however. They were both based on the traditional fighting uniform, with small variations such as sleeve length, neck, body length, colour, and trim. For Tomoyo, that was almost freakishly…ordinary.
It was the last one, however, that Sakura liked the most. The tunic part was a soft pink colour, and sleeveless. The neck was Chinese-style, buttoning across to her shoulder in a downward diagonal. On the left side, it had the Shotokan tiger symbol, and in length it went down to slightly higher than her knee. The edges were trimmed in a small cherry blossom design. Slits were cut in the sides up to about the hip level, to allow for easy movement. The material hugged her curves tightly, but was extremely light, which Sakura was thankful for. That way, the uniform wouldn't hinder her speed, movement, or agility. Unlike the other designs, this one came with soft leather boots that reached Sakura's knees, also unusually light.
"Oh! How KAWAII!"
Sakura jumped, startled by the sudden cry. "Oh! Asina! I-um-I…"
"Did someone design those for you?" asked Asina, smiling, "They're really nice. That one there might be a little hard to fight in, though."
She was gesturing, of course, to the first costume.
"Yeah, Tomoyo can get kinda carried away sometimes." said Sakura. 'See? I'm not the only one who thinks so!' she thought to herself, as if Tomoyo could hear her.
"Anyway, I came over to let you know that we can't find the potion. I have a feeling that Kensu thought this prank out before he performed it, unlike he usually does."
The younger girl's face fell
'Oh, great!' she thought, 'Now I'm going to be stuck with this hair until who knows when-matte!'
"Umm…Húmi? Asina? Can I trust you guys to keep a secret?" she asked nervously.
"Sure. What is it, Sakura-chan?" answered Húmi easily.
"Is it about that cute other recruit that came with you guys?" asked Asina slyly.
Sakura blushed lightly. 'Hoe?' she thought, 'What's going on!? It's not like I like Syaoran-kun or anything!'
"Iie, it isn't about Li-kun," she answered, trying to make the flush subside, "It's about…something else."
"We're all ears." Answered the two girls.
"Okay. Here goes. Umm…well…have you two ever heard of the Clow Cards?"
"Hai, continue-matte. If I am thinking correctly, they were lost. So…if you're brining them up, it's because…" said Húmi, things beginning to click even without Sakura's explanation.
"Oh…my…so, you're their mistress?" said Asina in shock.
"Hai..."
"Well, in that case, your hair isn't a problem! You can simply use the Create card to create the potion so that we don't have to go get Kensu to tell us where it is! This is great!" exclaimed Asina
"I was actually thinking of using the Erase to delete the green hair." Said Sakura truthfully.
"Not a good idea. You wouldn't have ANY hair after that if you used the Erase card."
"True…Create it is!"
The young mistress summoned her staff, then pulled out the Create card.
"Create! Create the item that I need! Release!" she cried, hitting the card with her wand.
Straight in front of her, in midair, a small blue glass bottle appeared. Quickly, Húmi dove, catching it before it hit the ground.
"Whew! That was close!" she said, handing the bottle to Sakura.
"So…what do I do with it?" the young Card mistress asked after a couple minutes of silence.
Both Asina and Húmi fell over, anime-style.
"Drink it!" they both cried simultaneously.
"Oh! Well, here goes!" said Sakura, pulling the little cork out of the neck and taking a sip. To be honest, it tasted pretty awful, but she didn't say anything for fear of causing some other strange effect that the two had neglected to inform her of. Being in this strange place where everything was so new was definitely going to take some getting used to.
"Did it work?" she asked, looking at her seniors in question.
"See for yourself!" was the answer she received. Asina guided her over to the large oval brass plaque that hung on the wall for that purpose. (A.N: Mirrors are not used at the Lookout, or by the side of Good. You'll find out why later)
Sakura looked to see her reflection had returned to normal. 'Whew! It's a good thing that that's over with!' she thought, 'What would Syaoran think if I was stuck with green spiky hair?-matte! Why did I just think that?'
"Well, we should head back to the main hall," said Asina, glancing at the door, "All the new recruits must be here by now. I don't think that we should have to make Raiden-sama have to repeat what he has to say. Oh! Sakura? Do you feel nervous at all?"
Sakura looked at Asina quickly before answering.
"Um…I guess…a little…" was what she said. She hadn't really thought about everything, and hadn't really had a chance to feel nervous, but now that it was brought up, she did notice a couple butterflies in her stomach.
"Don't be. You'll make friends quickly, and will be too busy with training to notice anyone who you aren't on the friendliest terms with." Said Húmi smiling, "On top of that, you'll probably be assigned to a certain duty as well, so you'll fit right in."
"Arigato." She felt a lot better now, thanks to the words of encouragement.
*********
"So…what's this Raiden-sama like?" asked Syaoran nervously. He, Ryushi, Shikoku, and Kensu sat at one of the stone tables that surrounded the center floor. There were only about three tables, each holding about four each. All in all, there were only about ten people in the room. The young warrior was slightly surprised. He had expected there to be more people.
The door to the hall opened, revealing a back-to-normal Sakura, a reflectively calm Húmi, and a pretty angry Asina. The three made their way over to a table that was virtually empty-except for a young man. On their way, they passed the guys' table, whereupon a large "CRACK" was heard, followed by a less audible "Itai!!!"
Asina ignored her twin brother's yelp, smoothly putting away her Bo staff and choosing a seat. Kensu rubbed his head thoughtfully, looking up through the shock of green to see if there were any telltale marks left. (A.N: Stupid Kensu! As if you could see anything through that mop!) "Whatdija for?" he asked, complaining in a very innocent-sounding voice.
"For hiding the potion. That was really underhanded, dear brother!"
Astonishingly, Kensu didn't deny the claims. "So, how did you find it?" he asked, grinning his usual sly grin.
Sakura stiffened slightly, knowing that this was going to be a toughie. Though her outer expression was cool and calm, Asina was thinking rapidly in an attempt to find a good story with which to dupe the green-haired youth. Unfortunately, Kensu had an uncanny ability to tell stories from the truth. (A.N: Boy would that be handy with Yamazaki, ne?) This was what made it so difficult to get back at him with another prank.
"You forgot, dear brother, that the boys' quarters has their own healer's chest." She answered coolly. Sakura realized that it had only taken her a couple seconds to come up with her own lie.
Kensu smacked himself on the head. "Oh yeah…and, knowing you, sis, I wouldn't put it past you to go get it."
Asina smiled at her triumph over her sibling. 'Chalk one up for me!' she thought in satisfaction.
Sakura looked around the room curiously. "I thought there would be a whole bunch more fighters," she said, noting the small amount of people.
For the first time, the youth sitting at the table spoke. "The Side of Good had always been noted for not using many warriors," he said, looking at Sakura steadily, "We tend to class quality over quantity."
Sakura looked him over carefully, whereupon he smiled at her. He had golden-amber eyes, with black messy hair that was tied back with a red cloth headband, the loose ends of which hung haphazardly behind his head. His bangs fell over its edge, giving him a slightly roguish look, followed by a handsome, well-cut face. He was dressed in a red fighter's uniform that looked like a mix between Chinese and Japanese styles, which concealed a well-muscled frame. All in all, he was pretty kawaii.
"What's your name?" he asked curiously, flashing her another handsome, yet small, smile.
"I'm Kinomoto Sakura. May I ask what they call you?" replied Sakura, flushing a light pink.
"My name is Yi Jun Fan. Sakura? Hmm…a very wise choice for one of such beauty."
Sakura's blush turned darker at Jun Fan's compliment.
"Ah…um…arigato." She managed to pull out, only to be greeted by another kawaii smile.
All this didn't go unnoticed by Syaoran, who didn't look happy to say the least. 'That guy's making moves on my Sakura!' he realized, anger boiling in the pit of his stomach, 'Matte! Why the hell am I reacting like this? It isn't like I like her or anything!'
Though he was so violently stating what he considered the truth, for some reason, Syaoran didn't feel so sure now.
*Bong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* (Gomen minna! I don't know how to write gong sounds!)
All conversation in the hall stopped as a loud gong was heard. Suddenly, all the lights dimmed, except for those that were illuminating the stairs and two dragon-guarded doors at the top. Slowly, majestically, the doors swung open to reveal a middle-aged warrior dressed in black Chinese fighter's clothes, followed by an old man in white Chinese-style robes, white hair tied back in a braid. He was the spitting image of a Chinese warrior-monk/ wise man, down to the thin mustache and beard that accompanied his sharp, thin face. It was his eyes, however, that betrayed his superhuman origins. They were a light, Ice blue, strong, determined, sharp, caring, gentle, all rolled into one. He wore a flattened-dome hat on his head, giving him an all-around mysterious, yet familiar appearance. The raw power that radiated from the pair could be felt throughout the entire room.
The two made their way to the bottom of the stairs in total and complete silence. Once they had arrived, the younger warrior stepped to the side of the hall, leaving the center of the room free for the old man to speak.
"Warriors, new and old, I would like to welcome you to the Lookout. I am Raiden, son of Kwailwong the previous guardian of the worlds. I thank you for joining our ranks in the fight against Yao'Xi'Liu and all he stands for. As it has been explained to all you and your closest companions, the Tournament in which you are about to compete has a long and dangerous history, full of great fighters, epic battles, and tragic events. (here, he looked at Syaoran and Sakura). I warn you, however, that this one is different. This time, we fight for the sake of the entire Worlds' past, present, and future. This will be by far the most epic, dangerous, and tragic."
Silence followed the announcement. All the warriors could sense that Raiden had more to say.
"The training you will have to endure will be arduous, the battles incredible, and the losses great. If any of you feel that they do not wish to take part, this is your final chance to step down. No one will be thought less of for this, as many of you have homes to return to, loved ones to take care of. Any who wish not to risk their lives for such a dangerous cause, speak now."
There was another long silence. Then, a tall man dressed in orange fighter's clothes stood up. He had an honest face, under a short crop of light brown hair. "I believe I speak for all of us here when I say that I would think less of myself if I did not fight. I have a home and family to return to, but I must fight in order to ensure their future."
All the recruits in the room nodded agreement with the man's statement. There were mutters of 'Hai' and 'Osu' throughout.
"Then, I bind you all under the warrior's oath to the Tournament. The contract has been made, the fates sealed. I now welcome you to the brotherhood of Good, and the final battle against evil."
Raiden looked around the room, locking eyes with every recruit. They were now glowing a brilliant ice blue, pure energy crackling from them like fire.
"I welcome you to Final Combat."
*********
Outside the Lookout, a shadow materialized out of the ground. It seemed to smile a twisted grin as it noted the absence of witnesses. Not that it couldn't have dealt with witnesses, but right now, it had more important things to attend to.
Silently and unnoticed by those within the temple, it glided over in the direction of the graveyard…
*********
^^ That's it for chapter seven minna! Please spare a review! Oooh, it looks like Syaoran might have a little competition! As for that last line by Raiden, I was sooo tempted to write it with a 'K' instead of a 'C', but I couldn't exactly rip them off too much, could I? Anyway, I have a couple things to explain in liner notes here, so I'm going to stop talking. Ok Jurei-chan, shut up. Ok.
A.N#1: Amaterasu (or Amaterasu-sama) is the sun goddess of Shinto tradition. Supposedly, the Imperial family are her decendants. The truly interesting thing is that she was the main god in Shinto, which is the Indigenous religion of Japan (a male oriented society)
A.N#2: Those light things are made up by me. I just invented the name by kixing a couple Japanese words together. I just thought that EVERYBODY has torches, so I'd do something different. Oh! The Enkyuuku are living creatures.
ULT
"Do Mu Kyoku" - "No Limitations for Life"
-The true essence of martial Art, and the main focus of training. The idea that the body may become almost invulnerable through physical discipline, and that no matter how long we train, we will never learn everything there is to know. This also means that there is no limitations caused by your knowledge, as you are always, and will always be, teachable.
Song of the chapter:
Wai! Green Day has to be my absolute FAVOURITE band in the world! Here's one of my favourite songs from them!
Time fo your life
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
~Chorus~
It's something unpredictable,
But in the end is right.
I hope you have the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still-frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf of good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while
~Chorus~
~* Instrumental break*~
~Yeah, it's something unpredictable
But in the end it's right,
I hope you have the time of your life.