*I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the original characters.
*Keep in mind that everyone is 17.
Destiny Challenged
Chapter 10
Amora
The Power of Two
**********
"Umph!"
Touya grunted and rubbed the back of his neck as he was haphazzardly tossed onto the ground by Shinjee. He has woken up minutes before but after a brief and useless struggle, he gave up reluctantly. His attacker stepped back and bowed. Looking behind him, Touya was greeted with the coldest pair of deep brown eyes that seemed to pierce through him.
"Welcome, Touya Kinomoto." Kiryle greeted his guest. Touya raised an eyebrow at how someone whom he had never before seen in his life knew him. "I apologize for any misgivings that Shinjee might have inflicted upon you." With that Shinjee gave him a grin full of teeth. Touya growled in response.
"What do you want with me?" Touya demanded. The appearance of his present location resembled a grand throne room complete with an elegant plush chair at the end. Eyeing the scene, Touya couldn't find any means of an easy escape. Guards were positioned at every exit and he doubted that Shingee would just let him take off.
"Simple. I want your presense here to lure a certain enemy to his death. I have no other need for you afterwards."
'His?' Touya thought. 'So he's not after Sakura? Then who else would come to his rescue?'
"And who would I be luring here?"
"That does not concern you. Your role will simply be a captive here and cooperate with my plans."
"Like hell I will!" Touya exclaimed. "You can take your cooperation and shove it up your ass!" Grabbing a torch from a nearby alter, he shoved it into Shinjee's face and ran.
"Ahhhh!!" Shinjee screamed falling to his knees in pain and temporary blindness. "You bastard! I'm gonna tear you to pieces!"
Wasting no time, Touya ran for the nearest exit. The two servants that were guarding the door advanced on him with their swords drawn. As he neared the guards, Touya dove for the end of the carpet they were standing on and pulled as hard as he could. The guards went flying backwards, weapons flying from their hands.
Touya was upon them in an instant. He drove his knee into the first prone guard's upper spine, breaking his neck. Not pausing for a second, he reached out for the sword and blocked an incoming slash from the other guard. Using all the skills he had learned from years of martial arts training, he charged mercilessly. Within seconds, he had disarmed his opponent and gave him a kick to the temple. Before the guard even hit the floor, Touya was out the door.
"Idiots! Capture him!" Kiryle screamed at his servants. With a wave of his hand, the throne exploded in black flames. Scared and fearful for their lives, the subordinates rushed out to capture the escaped prisoner. When the guards all rushed out of the room, Kiryle approached a still injured Shinjee and glared in distain and disgust.
"You useless fool! Once again you have proved your incompetence. If you fail me once more, you will die very painfully!" Emphasizing his last words with a kick to Shinjee's stomach, Kiryle disappeared leaving a burned and bruised Shinjee to ponder his next move.
**********
The corridors of the fortress all looked exactly the same. Sprinting nonstop was very tiring. After running for at least half an hour, Touya picked a random door and ran inside.
"What the hell?" Touya exclaimed. He had wondered into some kind of security office. The pictures on the monitors showed every hall and room in the entire complex. Every one except the room he was currently in. Looking at another console, he realized he could also pick up audio from the exact same locations. Picking the screen where he saw Shinjee addressing a group, he switched on the audio commentary.
"-nt you to find him within the hour. If you don't, master Kiryle will have your heads. I'll try to find him through the security cameras. Now move!"
'Shit!' Touya thought frantically. 'He's coming here!' Looking around, he found a spot to hide in and layed quietly. Within minutes, the door opened and three people walked in.
"I want you two to constantly watch the monitors for any signs of him. If you do see anything, report immediately." Touya heard Shinjee's voice order the two that were with him. Fifteen minutes of silence followed and Touya began to get restless. He peeked around the box he was hiding behind and saw two figures scanning the screens for his presence. Just then he realized something. He didn't hear the door open or close.
'Where is Shinjee?' Touya thought confused. 'I didn't hear him lea- '
"Hello Touya Kinomoto." a voice said above him.
'Damn it!' Touya cursed in frustration. Looking up, he saw the end of Shinjee's sword mere centimeters from his face.
"It's lucky for you that Kiryle has ordered me not to kill you." Shinjee said menacingly. The surpressed fury of his voice was evident. Taking a good look at his captor, Touya could see the burn marks on his face. Wasting no time, Shinjee took the handle of his blade and smashed it into Touya's temple knocking him unconscious.
"Take him to the holding cell before he wakes up." Shinjee ordered the two others that were in the room. "If you lose him, I'll kill you myself!"
"Yessir!" they responded automatically. With that, Shinjee left to report the situation to Kiryle.
******Seijou******
"Does anyone know where Kinomoto-san is today?" the teacher questioned. Everyone remained silent. Eriol looked over in question to where Syaoran was sitting and got a nod in response. He knew something that everyone else didn't. Sighing, Eriol realized he would have to wait until lunch before getting an answer. Not getting a response, the teacher continued with her lesson. The rest of class went by quickly and uneventful.
*****
Entering the cafeteria, Eriol immediately sought out Syaoran. Seeing him sitting by himself at the far end, Eriol went over and joined him.
"Hiiragizawa," Syaoran greeted simply. Eriol nodded in return and got straight to the point.
"So what happend yesterday?"
"She was attacked. Some guy in a cloak tried to kill her. I stopped him before he could and we fought. He managed to get away before I could finish him." Syaoran explained.
"Was she hurt?" Eriol asked worried.
"She was stabbed in the leg. I'm guessing that she took the day off to recover from her injuries. Maybe we should go check on her right now to see if she's ok." Syaoran suggested. Eriol agreed and nodded.
"I think we should. I'll tell Tomoyo and maybe she'll want to come too. She still doesn't know who you are yet so don't slip."
Syaoran nodded his thanks. "It's for the best. Go ahead and tell Daidouji. I'll meet you two at Sakura's house."
Throwing away his lunch, Syaoran got up and left.
******
As he walked through town to get to Sakura's house, thoughts ran through Syaoran's mind. This whole situation was getting out of hand and if he didn't find the source, it would get much bigger. What had started off as a simple test turned out to be a life or death struggle with some unknown power.
When Syaoran passed the electronics store, something caught his eye. The 12 o' clock news was on and reporting breaking news. Syaoran listened intently as the report continued.
"I'm standing in front of the Tomoeda Medical Center where earlier today, a battle of some sort between a mysterious cloaked figure and a girl took place. Witnesses say that both had some sort of supernatural power. An explosion was felt at the supposed time of the battle that destroyed the storage building of the medical center. The cause of the explosion is still unknown but spectators claim the robe figure somehow caused it while attacking the girl. It is unknown at this time whether this is an example of a kind of warfare we will see in the future or if it is linked in any way with the Tomoeda Fair incident last week. The authorities are still baffled. One other note: Witnesses say there was an additional person involved in the battle. An unidentified male was also attacked by the robed figure and eventually 'taken' when the battle suddenly ended and all parties suddenly vanished. Some say that the mysterious girl actually cried for the loss before she escaped by unknown means. Stay tuned for the latest developments."
Syaoran stood there watching the news report shocked. Images of the destroyed building were being aired with the report. The cause of destruction was evident. He had no doubt who was involved in the battle.
'Shit! She was attacked again!' Syaoran thought as he raced to Sakura's house full speed. 'And this time, Touya is involved too!'
Minutes later, he arrived at his destination panting and out of breath. There was a black limo parked in front of her house.
'So they got here before me.' Syaoran thought and rang the doorbell. Eriol answered and let him in. He was about to say something when Syaoran cut him off.
"I know what happend." Syaoran stated. "I saw it on the news as I came here. How is she?"
"Not good." Eriol answered as he led Syaoran to the living room where a distressed Sakura was crying on Tomoyo's shoulder. It ripped his heart to pieces watching her in so much pain. He had long ago vowed to protect her and now felt useless. He had failed her.
"I'm sorry Sakura. I'm so sorry..." he whispered bowing his head so she couldn't hear him. Eriol put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Eriol shaking his head.
"It's not your fault Syaoran. There's nothing you can do right now."
Syaoran pondered his words for a moment but then determination filled him.
"Yes there is!" he growled and dragged Eriol out of the living room and into the kitchen. "We're going to rescue Touya."
"Wha- How?" Eriol asked confused. Syaoran had never looked so determined before. This was a side he had never witnessed.
"Simple. We track down his aura. Even though he has no innate magical abilities, he can still sense other magical beings."
"Ok that's the easy part. But how will we get him out and defeat whoever kidnapped him?" Eriol reasoned. He was definitly no coward but what Syaoran was doing seemed like suicide.
"Diversions and Clow magic. That would get us past most of our obstacles. I have faith in you Hiiragizawa. Don't let me down." Syaoran said with a grin. Eriol grinned back.
"I never thought I would see this day. Receiving a compliment from my cute little descendant!"
"Shut up Hiiragizawa." Syaoran shot back without hostility. They walked back to the living room preparing for an explanation.
Sakura had finished crying but her eyes were red and her hair in disarray. Tomoyo was tearful as well. Both turned and looked at the two whom had entered.
"Shaolang-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as she noticed him for the first time. She limped over and gave him a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here! Thank you for everything..." she trailed off.
Syaoran only nodded. He kept himself quiet and let Eriol do the talking.
"Well here's what we are planning to do..." Eriol started to explain. Sakura wasn't paying attention. She buried her head in Syaoran's chest and inhaled his scent. Pleasant shivers ran down her spine as he played with strands of her hair.
Tomoyo wasn't listening either. She was engrossed in watching pair interact with each other. Dispite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help but let out a 'kawaii' escape.
After speaking for five minutes, Eriol threw in a sentence that had no relationship to what they were talking about and his fears came true. Only Syaoran turned and looked at him oddly. Sakura was in her own little world and Tomoyo was too busy watching the two of them.
"I think you better explain." Eriol said dryly.
Syaoran sighed and started from the beginning. "Sakura," he started and waited for her to look at him. When she did he continued. "We're going to rescue him."
Sakura was suddenly alert. Her eyes were shining at the thought. "Really?" she asked full of renewed hope. It didn't matter that ten minutes before she had thought it was all over. It didn't matter that odds were stacked highly against them. What mattered was that Li Shaolang was telling her that they would rescue Touya. Li Shaolang. Her savior. The person who she is falling in love with. That was all that mattered.
"Really." Syaoran repeated. "No matter what happens, I promise I'll bring him back." He kissed her lightly on the forehead. Tomoyo let out another kawaii.
Eriol watched the entire exchange in amusement. Syaoran had undoubtedly changed in seven years. Realizing that Syaoran hadn't fully explained the details, he coughed to gain everyone's attention.
"The plan is that we track down Touya using his aura as guide. To gain access to wherever he is held, we will use misdirection. A field where I'm proud to say I am best at." Eriol explained and was rewarded with three pairs of raised eyebrows. Ignoring the gestures, he continued. "Once inside, Li and I will depend on luck but mostly on skill."
Sakura looked up startled. "What do you mean? I'm going too!"
Eriol started to reply but was cut off by Syaoran.
"Sakura," he started. "You're still hindered by that leg. To pull this off, we need speed, not power. And besides, I think Touya would personally hunt us down for putting you in danger."
Sakura nodded understandingly. "But be careful. And...how did you know about my power?"
Syaoran mentally slapped himself. He had let that slip. "Well...uh...I'll explain later. Hurry up Hiiragizawa!" he said and quickly exited the room.
Eriol watched Syaoran's disappearing figure and then turned to Tomoyo. He bent over and gave her a butterfly kiss. She enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Be careful Eriol-kun. Come back to me."
"I will Tomoyo-chan. I promise." He held her for a bit longer before releasing her and turning to leave. "Aishiteru Tomoyo-chan."
"Aishiteru Eriol-kun."
Sakura stood still during the exchange. She watched her two friends and felt something in her heart. Something she was now well aware of.
'Aishiteru...Shaolang-kun...'
Again thank you for any reviews. I truly do appreciate them.
*Keep in mind that everyone is 17.
Destiny Challenged
Chapter 10
Amora
The Power of Two
**********
"Umph!"
Touya grunted and rubbed the back of his neck as he was haphazzardly tossed onto the ground by Shinjee. He has woken up minutes before but after a brief and useless struggle, he gave up reluctantly. His attacker stepped back and bowed. Looking behind him, Touya was greeted with the coldest pair of deep brown eyes that seemed to pierce through him.
"Welcome, Touya Kinomoto." Kiryle greeted his guest. Touya raised an eyebrow at how someone whom he had never before seen in his life knew him. "I apologize for any misgivings that Shinjee might have inflicted upon you." With that Shinjee gave him a grin full of teeth. Touya growled in response.
"What do you want with me?" Touya demanded. The appearance of his present location resembled a grand throne room complete with an elegant plush chair at the end. Eyeing the scene, Touya couldn't find any means of an easy escape. Guards were positioned at every exit and he doubted that Shingee would just let him take off.
"Simple. I want your presense here to lure a certain enemy to his death. I have no other need for you afterwards."
'His?' Touya thought. 'So he's not after Sakura? Then who else would come to his rescue?'
"And who would I be luring here?"
"That does not concern you. Your role will simply be a captive here and cooperate with my plans."
"Like hell I will!" Touya exclaimed. "You can take your cooperation and shove it up your ass!" Grabbing a torch from a nearby alter, he shoved it into Shinjee's face and ran.
"Ahhhh!!" Shinjee screamed falling to his knees in pain and temporary blindness. "You bastard! I'm gonna tear you to pieces!"
Wasting no time, Touya ran for the nearest exit. The two servants that were guarding the door advanced on him with their swords drawn. As he neared the guards, Touya dove for the end of the carpet they were standing on and pulled as hard as he could. The guards went flying backwards, weapons flying from their hands.
Touya was upon them in an instant. He drove his knee into the first prone guard's upper spine, breaking his neck. Not pausing for a second, he reached out for the sword and blocked an incoming slash from the other guard. Using all the skills he had learned from years of martial arts training, he charged mercilessly. Within seconds, he had disarmed his opponent and gave him a kick to the temple. Before the guard even hit the floor, Touya was out the door.
"Idiots! Capture him!" Kiryle screamed at his servants. With a wave of his hand, the throne exploded in black flames. Scared and fearful for their lives, the subordinates rushed out to capture the escaped prisoner. When the guards all rushed out of the room, Kiryle approached a still injured Shinjee and glared in distain and disgust.
"You useless fool! Once again you have proved your incompetence. If you fail me once more, you will die very painfully!" Emphasizing his last words with a kick to Shinjee's stomach, Kiryle disappeared leaving a burned and bruised Shinjee to ponder his next move.
**********
The corridors of the fortress all looked exactly the same. Sprinting nonstop was very tiring. After running for at least half an hour, Touya picked a random door and ran inside.
"What the hell?" Touya exclaimed. He had wondered into some kind of security office. The pictures on the monitors showed every hall and room in the entire complex. Every one except the room he was currently in. Looking at another console, he realized he could also pick up audio from the exact same locations. Picking the screen where he saw Shinjee addressing a group, he switched on the audio commentary.
"-nt you to find him within the hour. If you don't, master Kiryle will have your heads. I'll try to find him through the security cameras. Now move!"
'Shit!' Touya thought frantically. 'He's coming here!' Looking around, he found a spot to hide in and layed quietly. Within minutes, the door opened and three people walked in.
"I want you two to constantly watch the monitors for any signs of him. If you do see anything, report immediately." Touya heard Shinjee's voice order the two that were with him. Fifteen minutes of silence followed and Touya began to get restless. He peeked around the box he was hiding behind and saw two figures scanning the screens for his presence. Just then he realized something. He didn't hear the door open or close.
'Where is Shinjee?' Touya thought confused. 'I didn't hear him lea- '
"Hello Touya Kinomoto." a voice said above him.
'Damn it!' Touya cursed in frustration. Looking up, he saw the end of Shinjee's sword mere centimeters from his face.
"It's lucky for you that Kiryle has ordered me not to kill you." Shinjee said menacingly. The surpressed fury of his voice was evident. Taking a good look at his captor, Touya could see the burn marks on his face. Wasting no time, Shinjee took the handle of his blade and smashed it into Touya's temple knocking him unconscious.
"Take him to the holding cell before he wakes up." Shinjee ordered the two others that were in the room. "If you lose him, I'll kill you myself!"
"Yessir!" they responded automatically. With that, Shinjee left to report the situation to Kiryle.
******Seijou******
"Does anyone know where Kinomoto-san is today?" the teacher questioned. Everyone remained silent. Eriol looked over in question to where Syaoran was sitting and got a nod in response. He knew something that everyone else didn't. Sighing, Eriol realized he would have to wait until lunch before getting an answer. Not getting a response, the teacher continued with her lesson. The rest of class went by quickly and uneventful.
*****
Entering the cafeteria, Eriol immediately sought out Syaoran. Seeing him sitting by himself at the far end, Eriol went over and joined him.
"Hiiragizawa," Syaoran greeted simply. Eriol nodded in return and got straight to the point.
"So what happend yesterday?"
"She was attacked. Some guy in a cloak tried to kill her. I stopped him before he could and we fought. He managed to get away before I could finish him." Syaoran explained.
"Was she hurt?" Eriol asked worried.
"She was stabbed in the leg. I'm guessing that she took the day off to recover from her injuries. Maybe we should go check on her right now to see if she's ok." Syaoran suggested. Eriol agreed and nodded.
"I think we should. I'll tell Tomoyo and maybe she'll want to come too. She still doesn't know who you are yet so don't slip."
Syaoran nodded his thanks. "It's for the best. Go ahead and tell Daidouji. I'll meet you two at Sakura's house."
Throwing away his lunch, Syaoran got up and left.
******
As he walked through town to get to Sakura's house, thoughts ran through Syaoran's mind. This whole situation was getting out of hand and if he didn't find the source, it would get much bigger. What had started off as a simple test turned out to be a life or death struggle with some unknown power.
When Syaoran passed the electronics store, something caught his eye. The 12 o' clock news was on and reporting breaking news. Syaoran listened intently as the report continued.
"I'm standing in front of the Tomoeda Medical Center where earlier today, a battle of some sort between a mysterious cloaked figure and a girl took place. Witnesses say that both had some sort of supernatural power. An explosion was felt at the supposed time of the battle that destroyed the storage building of the medical center. The cause of the explosion is still unknown but spectators claim the robe figure somehow caused it while attacking the girl. It is unknown at this time whether this is an example of a kind of warfare we will see in the future or if it is linked in any way with the Tomoeda Fair incident last week. The authorities are still baffled. One other note: Witnesses say there was an additional person involved in the battle. An unidentified male was also attacked by the robed figure and eventually 'taken' when the battle suddenly ended and all parties suddenly vanished. Some say that the mysterious girl actually cried for the loss before she escaped by unknown means. Stay tuned for the latest developments."
Syaoran stood there watching the news report shocked. Images of the destroyed building were being aired with the report. The cause of destruction was evident. He had no doubt who was involved in the battle.
'Shit! She was attacked again!' Syaoran thought as he raced to Sakura's house full speed. 'And this time, Touya is involved too!'
Minutes later, he arrived at his destination panting and out of breath. There was a black limo parked in front of her house.
'So they got here before me.' Syaoran thought and rang the doorbell. Eriol answered and let him in. He was about to say something when Syaoran cut him off.
"I know what happend." Syaoran stated. "I saw it on the news as I came here. How is she?"
"Not good." Eriol answered as he led Syaoran to the living room where a distressed Sakura was crying on Tomoyo's shoulder. It ripped his heart to pieces watching her in so much pain. He had long ago vowed to protect her and now felt useless. He had failed her.
"I'm sorry Sakura. I'm so sorry..." he whispered bowing his head so she couldn't hear him. Eriol put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Eriol shaking his head.
"It's not your fault Syaoran. There's nothing you can do right now."
Syaoran pondered his words for a moment but then determination filled him.
"Yes there is!" he growled and dragged Eriol out of the living room and into the kitchen. "We're going to rescue Touya."
"Wha- How?" Eriol asked confused. Syaoran had never looked so determined before. This was a side he had never witnessed.
"Simple. We track down his aura. Even though he has no innate magical abilities, he can still sense other magical beings."
"Ok that's the easy part. But how will we get him out and defeat whoever kidnapped him?" Eriol reasoned. He was definitly no coward but what Syaoran was doing seemed like suicide.
"Diversions and Clow magic. That would get us past most of our obstacles. I have faith in you Hiiragizawa. Don't let me down." Syaoran said with a grin. Eriol grinned back.
"I never thought I would see this day. Receiving a compliment from my cute little descendant!"
"Shut up Hiiragizawa." Syaoran shot back without hostility. They walked back to the living room preparing for an explanation.
Sakura had finished crying but her eyes were red and her hair in disarray. Tomoyo was tearful as well. Both turned and looked at the two whom had entered.
"Shaolang-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as she noticed him for the first time. She limped over and gave him a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here! Thank you for everything..." she trailed off.
Syaoran only nodded. He kept himself quiet and let Eriol do the talking.
"Well here's what we are planning to do..." Eriol started to explain. Sakura wasn't paying attention. She buried her head in Syaoran's chest and inhaled his scent. Pleasant shivers ran down her spine as he played with strands of her hair.
Tomoyo wasn't listening either. She was engrossed in watching pair interact with each other. Dispite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help but let out a 'kawaii' escape.
After speaking for five minutes, Eriol threw in a sentence that had no relationship to what they were talking about and his fears came true. Only Syaoran turned and looked at him oddly. Sakura was in her own little world and Tomoyo was too busy watching the two of them.
"I think you better explain." Eriol said dryly.
Syaoran sighed and started from the beginning. "Sakura," he started and waited for her to look at him. When she did he continued. "We're going to rescue him."
Sakura was suddenly alert. Her eyes were shining at the thought. "Really?" she asked full of renewed hope. It didn't matter that ten minutes before she had thought it was all over. It didn't matter that odds were stacked highly against them. What mattered was that Li Shaolang was telling her that they would rescue Touya. Li Shaolang. Her savior. The person who she is falling in love with. That was all that mattered.
"Really." Syaoran repeated. "No matter what happens, I promise I'll bring him back." He kissed her lightly on the forehead. Tomoyo let out another kawaii.
Eriol watched the entire exchange in amusement. Syaoran had undoubtedly changed in seven years. Realizing that Syaoran hadn't fully explained the details, he coughed to gain everyone's attention.
"The plan is that we track down Touya using his aura as guide. To gain access to wherever he is held, we will use misdirection. A field where I'm proud to say I am best at." Eriol explained and was rewarded with three pairs of raised eyebrows. Ignoring the gestures, he continued. "Once inside, Li and I will depend on luck but mostly on skill."
Sakura looked up startled. "What do you mean? I'm going too!"
Eriol started to reply but was cut off by Syaoran.
"Sakura," he started. "You're still hindered by that leg. To pull this off, we need speed, not power. And besides, I think Touya would personally hunt us down for putting you in danger."
Sakura nodded understandingly. "But be careful. And...how did you know about my power?"
Syaoran mentally slapped himself. He had let that slip. "Well...uh...I'll explain later. Hurry up Hiiragizawa!" he said and quickly exited the room.
Eriol watched Syaoran's disappearing figure and then turned to Tomoyo. He bent over and gave her a butterfly kiss. She enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Be careful Eriol-kun. Come back to me."
"I will Tomoyo-chan. I promise." He held her for a bit longer before releasing her and turning to leave. "Aishiteru Tomoyo-chan."
"Aishiteru Eriol-kun."
Sakura stood still during the exchange. She watched her two friends and felt something in her heart. Something she was now well aware of.
'Aishiteru...Shaolang-kun...'
Again thank you for any reviews. I truly do appreciate them.