A CCS Fanfic By Card Captor Schlueter (a.k.a. Syaoran-kun)
Memo From The Legal Dept.
We don't own this stuff and we don't care because we have disclaimers. Try to sue us and we'll shred you into coleslaw, got it?
Chapter Eight: Isn't This Where I Came In?I was at the end of my rope.
Literally.
Maybe I should elaborate on that point a bit. I had been feeling great going into tonight's card capture since Tomoyo's latest costume wasn't finished yet. That meant that I got to wear my robes. The latest card was hiding on top of an office building. I had decided to sneak up on it by scaling the building using my grappling hook. I figured that using 'The Float' or 'The Fly' to get to the roof would attract the card's attention, which I didn't want.
Things don't always work out the way you want them to.
That was how I ended up dangling twenty-nine floors up and swinging like a pendulum while 'The Arrow' card used me for target practice from its post atop the building across the street. The windows on three floors had been shattered by 'The Arrow' card's attempts to do away with me. Sakura was at a cruising altitude of about ten floors up from me. She kept trying to get close enough to save me from plummeting to my death except that whenever she tried 'The Arrow' would try to pick her off. In the meantime, I was dodging arrows and shards of glass. I was not having fun.
More over I was getting dizzy and nauseous.
Fortunately, on my next swing to the left, I managed to hook my foot around the corner of the building. I had to get back on the ground without killing myself somehow. This wasn't an easy task since I didn't have a free hand to use my sword or cards. In other words, I was in serious trouble here.
"Sakura!" I shouted, "You've got to get that card to stop shooting at me!"
"I'm trying, Li-kun!" she shouted back.
Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough as the next shot snapped the rope. I managed to grab the flagpole with one hand on the way down. I came to a jarring halt, still ten floors up in the air and with 'The Arrow' preparing another attack. The only things I had to my advantage were that I hadn't dislocated my shoulder and that I had a hand free. I guess the fact that I hadn't gone splat on the pavement was a bonus but that might not last.
Seconds later I was dodging arrows again by means of some fairly elaborate gymnastics tricks. It would have been a great Olympic routine for the uneven bars except that I was improvising to save my life. The barrage of arrows had started to do some serious damage to the concrete and a couple of more shots would certainly blast the flagpole loose. So, I took the only remaining option.
I let go.
"Float card! Release!" Thankfully, I was fast on the draw tonight and managed to get 'The Float' card to slow my descent. Being back on the ground didn't turn out to be such a great deal either. No sooner had 'The Float' card returned to my hand than 'The Arrow' had jumped down from the building across the street and attacked again.
"Li-kun! Watch out!" shouted Sakura who, I hoped was coming to help me. It was hard to tell, what with dodging lethal projectiles and all. Nice of her to point out the obvious though.
It's a good thing that I can think fast or I might've been in trouble. I managed to come up with a brilliant plan.
"Sand card! Firey card! Release!" 'The Sand' and 'The Firey' quickly surrounded 'The Arrow'. The end result was just what I had hoped for.
Voila! 'The Arrow' under glass.
"Arrow card! Return to your power confined!" The glass shattered into thousands of tiny pieces and were absorbed into a single card. 'The Arrow' drifted over into my hand.
I let out a sigh. "I sure hope I never have to do that again."
"That was a great capture, Li-kun, and I got the whole thing on tape!" Tomoyo was having way too much fun at my expense."
Sakura, who had just gotten back down to the ground herself, looked disappointed however.
"Is something wrong, Sakura?" I asked.
"No… No! Not at all, Li-kun." Sakura said. "That was a great capture."
Something was bothering her. I could tell. But, if she didn't want to talk about it, I couldn't make her.
Besides, I had problems of my own to deal with.
**
I knew when I wrote my last letter to my family that there would be consequences. I told them all about Sakura and I. Thinking back on it, I don't know if the letter was a good idea or not.
The response had come in the mail just that morning. It was more gracious than I would've hoped. I was certain someone would have a problem with my dating the girl I had been sent to defeat but, surprisingly, that wasn't the case. Both my mother and sisters seemed oddly pleased by my announcement. However, mother had become concerned about my claims of the second Clow book. My announcement gave me a reason to lie in order to stay in Tomoeda, thus the book and the cards had to be authenticated.
That was what I had predicted would happen. What I hadn't predicted was that Meiling was the one they were sending to check out the cards. According to the letter, she would be arriving in a couple of days.
This could lead to some very bad things.
**
"Daidouji."
"Yes, Li-kun."
"Can I just say that I hate you?"
The next night I was back on card capturing duty and back on the corporate rooftops. (I'm starting to hate heights.) Unfortunately, Tomoyo's new outfit was ready. I think it was her idea of a joke to dress me up in an exact replica of Eriol's robes including the stupid hat and glasses. My closets were starting to fill up with some really weird stuff.
"Where's your sense of humor, Li-kun?" said Tomoyo.
"If this is your idea of humor, Daidouji, then don't quit your day job." I replied. All I can say is that only someone like Eriol would have a fat enough head to wear a hat like this. At least I didn't have do carry that stupid staff. "If Hiiragizawa finds out about this…" I grumbled.
"I'm sure he'd find it amusing." said Tomoyo.
"That makes one of us." I said. On the bright side, I had finally tracked down 'The Thunder' card. The Clow cards were dropping left, right and center. Thankfully, most of the powerful ones were already captured. "Where's Sakura tonight?" I asked.
Tomoyo shrugged. "She said she wasn't coming. Maybe she's coming down with a cold or something."
I didn't believe that for a second.
"Is something wrong, Li-kun?" asked Tomoyo. I decided to tell her about the letter I had received yesterday.
"But why Meiling?" Tomoyo asked.
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. But things could get very complicated soon." I was interrupted by a faint crackling sound. I looked off into the distance and saw 'The Thunder' card, about a hundred and fifty yards away and closing. I looked over the edge of the roof. I'm really starting to hate heights. Well, all I had to do was knock it out of the air with a lightning incantation, secure it with 'The Shadow' card and seal it? How hard could that be?
Famous last words, if you ask me.
"Okay, Let's get this over with." I drew my sword and targeted 'The Thunder' with it. "LIGHTNING!" The blast hit 'The Thunder' perfectly. I've got to admit, I'm good. 'The Thunder' hit the roof about ten feet away. It returned to its visible form. The rest should be easy.
"Shadow card! Release!" Hey. That wasn't me. That sounded like…
'The Shadow' quickly subdued 'The Thunder'. I turned to see Sakura on the next rooftop over. She was wearing the battle costume from her first battle with 'The Thunder'. You know the one I mean, black and pink with cat's ears and bells. She jumped the gap between the two buildings and continued with her work.
"Thunder card! Return to your power confined!" I was stunned. Sakura had just popped up out of nowhere and sealed the card. When she was done she handed me 'The Thunder' card looking quite proud of herself. I, on the other hand, was not happy.
"What the hell was that?!" I said when I finally found my voice again.
Sakura recoiled as if I'd slapped her. "W-What?" Tomoyo seemed surprised too.
"I thought I told you not to not to use the cards to help me unless it was absolutely necessary!" I shouted.
Sakura's eyes started to well up with tears and she sniffled a little. Suddenly, I felt awful. I was yelling at her again. Dammit, when will I learn? Sakura's sniffle turned into outright sobbing, which she did on my shoulder. I put my arms around her out of instinct.
"Sakura." I said in a calm voice. "What's this all about?"
"You sniff d-don't need me," she said, her voice muffled. "You d-don't need my help to capture sniff the cards and even when you're in trouble you save yourself. I've j-just been getting in the way. I don't know why I was chosen as a Card Captor at all. Magic has always been easier for you. sniff"
I allowed myself a small smile at the irony in all of this. "So that's what this is all about." I said. "Sakura, do you remember when you captured 'The Thunder' card?"
"sniff Yes." Sakura replied. "You thought I was hopeless."
I smiled again. "That's right. I did. And the next day you said to me 'Thanks for your help, Li-kun. But I won't need it next time.' I knew that wasn't true and I was right. You did need my help, for awhile. But as time passed, you got better and you needed my help less and less to capture the cards. One day, I started dreading that you tell me you didn't need me anymore again and I'd know it was true. Yes, I'm better with magic and I can capture the cards faster. But I've had more training than you have and I had the benefit of watching you at work. But would you really want to be me? You were chosen as the Card Captor because you weren't me. Touya isn't that far off about me sometimes. I am a brat sometimes. That's why I'll always need you. Without you I'm just an obnoxious twerp with a sword."
Sakura's sobbing stopped and a sweet little smile crossed her face. "Thank you, Li-kun," she said.
I used my handkerchief to wipe away her tears. "Don't thank me yet." I said. "We still have some problems to deal with."
I handed her the letter from home.
Next: Meiling's back! And just in time for Syaoran to deal with 'The Fight Card'. She says she has no problem with Sakura and Syaoran but can it really be that easy?
Plus, the most humiliating battle costume from Tomoyo yet!
(Hint: Think of an anime character closely associated with wolves. Syaoran's next costume is based on that character. Heeheehee ^-^)
All this and more in: Chapter Nine: Meiling Has Entered The Building!