I'll be honest here. I'm really used to using the US names of CCS, and I've
had to go back and correct the mistakes I've made with their names. I've
already been caught by quite a few of you on the previous chapters too.
*grins sheepishly* Anywho, ON WITH THE CHAPPY!
~*~
"Don't worry about it... kaiju." Touya added the last part slyly, as he wiped his face with a napkin and placed the coffee mug on the coaster.
"Damn-" Sakura covered her mouth and looked embarrassed. Apparently, the short time she had spent with the boys in the cave had rubbed off on her. She was speaking on more vulgar terms now that she was back from the video game.
"Don't worry about your language, just take care not to swear around Pops." Touya said calmly.
"Touya, am I going to get in trouble in school for not being there?" Sakura asked, eyeing the lemon in her teacup as she tossed a suspicious glance at her brother.
"You have a pile of homework in the living room, a phone message from your math teacher, and a large phone list of friends wanting to know where you are." Touya said passively, knocking a an ashtray off the table onto the trolley rack.
"Since your shift isn't even close to over..." Sakura said, getting up and leaving a tip on the counter.
"See you later squirt." Touya said with a smirk. "Oh, and keep in mind that everyone you meet in the game is a real person. Most of them live in our town too."
Sakura nodded at this and slammed the cafe door closed. She was anxious to get back... after all, she was devastated when she found out that she had to be pulled from the game, even though Syaoran and Tomoyo were still being held hostage. Fujitaka had specifically told her: only six hours at a time, and at least an hour break between. Now that her 'break' was over, she rushed home, hopping the bus, all the while praying that her friends were safe.
~*~
Tomoyo silently scanned the crevice in which she was trapped. It was an air pocket that she was hanging from, a dark murky depth below her. Just one snap of her binds and she'd plunge straight into the surface.
Sliding in from the water, Hydra materialized in front of Tomoyo, facing the girl.
"Won't be long..." She hissed quietly, forming another basin with her hand and projecting another image of Sakura swimming towards them.
Syaoran looked past his matted curls and at Hydra with haunted eyes. He whispered to himself as he slipped out of one of the wraps. "No, not long at all."
~*~
Sakura held her breathe for a few more moments before bursting into the small air pocket. Spitting out salt water, she splashed towards a rope of seaweed hanging from the roof, hoping it'd be strong enough to lift her. She wanted out of the lake.
Snatching the slender green rope hanging from the roof, Sakura hoisted herself up lightly, trying to get in as much air as possible. Entwining her legs with the surprisingly dry piece of seaweed, she looked up to check if her weight was putting any strain onto the roof. However, something altogether unexpected happened, nearly making Sakura fall off with shock. A huge dark opening had formed onto the roof, surrounding the seaweed she was hanging from. Before she could even register what was happening, she felt herself being pulled up into the hole with momentous speed. Grasping the plant tightly in her hand, she clung tightly as air whipped her hair as Sakura was pulled through the slime-covered tunnel, speeding past crustaceans, crabs and clams. As the saw an light filled ending come nearer, Sakura felt a shudder as she looked up at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, when she was completely through, she was flung through the air, appearing on one side, then being dragged once again upwards to a halt.
Whimpering and slightly shaken up, Sakura's eyes adjusted to the dim light and cast a glance around her new surroundings. There were Tomoyo and... the brown haired boy from the cave and shrine. Squinting, Sakura tried to get a better look at the boy, just barely making out his ruffled brown hair and piercing chestnut eyes. Craning her neck to the side, she then noticed what seemed to be some sort of fairy... made completely out of water.
"Greetings." Hydra hissed in her now familiar tone. "Took you long enough to get here."
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, glaring at her captor.
"The elusive water card that all of you had been dying to meet." Hydra said with a smirk as she circled the brown haired boy and leaned into his ear, "Isn't that right Syaoran?"
"Get away from me." Syaoran snapped, looking angrily at Sakura.
'What I'd do?' Sakura thought to herself, only slightly remembering her brush off in the mine cave. Turning her attention to her friend, she said, "Tomoyo, how'd you get down here."
"After you fell, I tried to save you. But, I ran out of energy so Syaoran and his friends helped me. He got captured, I tried to help him, and I ended up getting caught too."
"...Hai? (Hai means to affirm something too)" Sakura asked, sweat dropping slightly.
"What she's saying is that even though you nearly set us on fire in the mine tunnel, we were willing to forgive and help you." Syaoran growled.
"Ah." Sakura said, smiling weakly.
"Enough of this." Hydra said calmly. "It's time to assure whether or not you're worthy of the title as Card Captor, and to see if you'll be able to command me and my brothers."
"One female card and three males?" Tomoyo wondered, "What a rip off..."
"There are things to even it out." Syaoran grumbled, thinking to himself and about to ask why this was relevant.
"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!!" Hydra screamed, forcing the others to shut their traps and stare in flabbergasted amusement.
"How do you expect me to fight you in this place?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence.
With a wave of her and without a word, Hydra transported them all into the cave with the acidic water Sakura had been in earlier.
"Let's begin." Hydra said with a small twist of her lips. Summoning the power that abled her to manipulate water, the Water Card kicked up a protective shield of twirling water. Through the small spaces between the funnels of twirling water, Sakura and Tomoyo could see that Hydra's face had changed from the cocky grin she had displayed earlier. Sporting a look of rapt concentration and powerful fury, Hydra raised her hands, churning a small hurricane in Sakura's direction.
The girl definitely hadn't been expecting anything like that. Without being prepared, she was hit square in the chest with the air knocked out of her. Flying backwards from the sheer force of it, Sakura had fallen headlong into the acidic water; tasting small chemical bites on her face and hands. Resurfacing, Sakura charged, sword in hand and magic spurting from her fingertips.
"Sakura, don't!" Syaoran yelled, knowing the effects of pure energy on a Data Card.
Slicing her metal blade into the air and unleashing an arc of pink light directly at the typhoon, Sakura was again thrown back when her attack was harmlessly reflected back at her. Sakura thought she was about to sick, her forehead had a nice even cut on it and her stomach felt like it was weighed with lead. Shakily getting up, Sakura tried to recollect herself and think of a new strategy. After her fogginess had cleared away, Sakura saw that Hydra was readying another attack. Lifting her arms to her face, Sakura prepared to block. She still didn't know what she was getting into, and she wasn't about to come in completely unprepared.
Syaoran jumped in and lept with Sakura in his arms as a large chunk of explosive steaming foam erupted underneath his feat. Crying out as they bothed crashed into the sandy walls, Syaoran realized that small sparks was slowly replacing Sakura's burnt outfit. After the light from Sakura's body had diminished, Syaoran saw the new outfit Tomoyo had uploaded in the nick of time. Where Sakura's long trench coat once hung, was a top that tightened directly under Sakura's breasts, then flared expansively until it reached her knees. In the centre of this techno skirt was a gap that revealed a pair of shorts, with boots that reached her knees. Completing this whole ensemble was a headband perched atop Sakura's newly styled hair (no different than usual just blue hair ties). Sporting a golden fringe, the new accessory had fins on each side. Every single tip, edge, ending of stretchy fabric was lined with gold, and even looked more noble with Sakura's newly awakened face and hardened expression. Our girl wasn't about to give up, not like this.
"If you ever get the chance to Hydra..." Sakura said quietly as she stepped back into view, "Tell your brothers and all forces that oppose me that... given all eternity and granted every single power of the heavens, you will never be able to defeat my loving heart."
Raising her staff in its original form, Sakura said quietly, "Like the shooting star every single destiny can become, fly to me, the power to defeat the fools that stand before me."
Spurting from the tip of her staff, dazzling lasers began taking shape out of the air, dancing around Sakura and her closed hand. Magic, unlike any other, began tingling through the air, racing to meet its commander. Feeling the power of a true Card Captor burning through her vains, Sakura swung her staff down, ejecting a single bird of light towards Hydra. Frozen with shock at the thought of underestimating the girl in front of her, Hydra, lowered her shields and accepted defeat, already knowing there was know way she could ever escape from the winged beast that was flying towards her. As the bird touched hydra, the scene was swallowed up in light, the only visible thing being Sakura's exhausted figure falling to the floor.
~*~
"Don't worry about it... kaiju." Touya added the last part slyly, as he wiped his face with a napkin and placed the coffee mug on the coaster.
"Damn-" Sakura covered her mouth and looked embarrassed. Apparently, the short time she had spent with the boys in the cave had rubbed off on her. She was speaking on more vulgar terms now that she was back from the video game.
"Don't worry about your language, just take care not to swear around Pops." Touya said calmly.
"Touya, am I going to get in trouble in school for not being there?" Sakura asked, eyeing the lemon in her teacup as she tossed a suspicious glance at her brother.
"You have a pile of homework in the living room, a phone message from your math teacher, and a large phone list of friends wanting to know where you are." Touya said passively, knocking a an ashtray off the table onto the trolley rack.
"Since your shift isn't even close to over..." Sakura said, getting up and leaving a tip on the counter.
"See you later squirt." Touya said with a smirk. "Oh, and keep in mind that everyone you meet in the game is a real person. Most of them live in our town too."
Sakura nodded at this and slammed the cafe door closed. She was anxious to get back... after all, she was devastated when she found out that she had to be pulled from the game, even though Syaoran and Tomoyo were still being held hostage. Fujitaka had specifically told her: only six hours at a time, and at least an hour break between. Now that her 'break' was over, she rushed home, hopping the bus, all the while praying that her friends were safe.
~*~
Tomoyo silently scanned the crevice in which she was trapped. It was an air pocket that she was hanging from, a dark murky depth below her. Just one snap of her binds and she'd plunge straight into the surface.
Sliding in from the water, Hydra materialized in front of Tomoyo, facing the girl.
"Won't be long..." She hissed quietly, forming another basin with her hand and projecting another image of Sakura swimming towards them.
Syaoran looked past his matted curls and at Hydra with haunted eyes. He whispered to himself as he slipped out of one of the wraps. "No, not long at all."
~*~
Sakura held her breathe for a few more moments before bursting into the small air pocket. Spitting out salt water, she splashed towards a rope of seaweed hanging from the roof, hoping it'd be strong enough to lift her. She wanted out of the lake.
Snatching the slender green rope hanging from the roof, Sakura hoisted herself up lightly, trying to get in as much air as possible. Entwining her legs with the surprisingly dry piece of seaweed, she looked up to check if her weight was putting any strain onto the roof. However, something altogether unexpected happened, nearly making Sakura fall off with shock. A huge dark opening had formed onto the roof, surrounding the seaweed she was hanging from. Before she could even register what was happening, she felt herself being pulled up into the hole with momentous speed. Grasping the plant tightly in her hand, she clung tightly as air whipped her hair as Sakura was pulled through the slime-covered tunnel, speeding past crustaceans, crabs and clams. As the saw an light filled ending come nearer, Sakura felt a shudder as she looked up at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, when she was completely through, she was flung through the air, appearing on one side, then being dragged once again upwards to a halt.
Whimpering and slightly shaken up, Sakura's eyes adjusted to the dim light and cast a glance around her new surroundings. There were Tomoyo and... the brown haired boy from the cave and shrine. Squinting, Sakura tried to get a better look at the boy, just barely making out his ruffled brown hair and piercing chestnut eyes. Craning her neck to the side, she then noticed what seemed to be some sort of fairy... made completely out of water.
"Greetings." Hydra hissed in her now familiar tone. "Took you long enough to get here."
"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, glaring at her captor.
"The elusive water card that all of you had been dying to meet." Hydra said with a smirk as she circled the brown haired boy and leaned into his ear, "Isn't that right Syaoran?"
"Get away from me." Syaoran snapped, looking angrily at Sakura.
'What I'd do?' Sakura thought to herself, only slightly remembering her brush off in the mine cave. Turning her attention to her friend, she said, "Tomoyo, how'd you get down here."
"After you fell, I tried to save you. But, I ran out of energy so Syaoran and his friends helped me. He got captured, I tried to help him, and I ended up getting caught too."
"...Hai? (Hai means to affirm something too)" Sakura asked, sweat dropping slightly.
"What she's saying is that even though you nearly set us on fire in the mine tunnel, we were willing to forgive and help you." Syaoran growled.
"Ah." Sakura said, smiling weakly.
"Enough of this." Hydra said calmly. "It's time to assure whether or not you're worthy of the title as Card Captor, and to see if you'll be able to command me and my brothers."
"One female card and three males?" Tomoyo wondered, "What a rip off..."
"There are things to even it out." Syaoran grumbled, thinking to himself and about to ask why this was relevant.
"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!!" Hydra screamed, forcing the others to shut their traps and stare in flabbergasted amusement.
"How do you expect me to fight you in this place?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence.
With a wave of her and without a word, Hydra transported them all into the cave with the acidic water Sakura had been in earlier.
"Let's begin." Hydra said with a small twist of her lips. Summoning the power that abled her to manipulate water, the Water Card kicked up a protective shield of twirling water. Through the small spaces between the funnels of twirling water, Sakura and Tomoyo could see that Hydra's face had changed from the cocky grin she had displayed earlier. Sporting a look of rapt concentration and powerful fury, Hydra raised her hands, churning a small hurricane in Sakura's direction.
The girl definitely hadn't been expecting anything like that. Without being prepared, she was hit square in the chest with the air knocked out of her. Flying backwards from the sheer force of it, Sakura had fallen headlong into the acidic water; tasting small chemical bites on her face and hands. Resurfacing, Sakura charged, sword in hand and magic spurting from her fingertips.
"Sakura, don't!" Syaoran yelled, knowing the effects of pure energy on a Data Card.
Slicing her metal blade into the air and unleashing an arc of pink light directly at the typhoon, Sakura was again thrown back when her attack was harmlessly reflected back at her. Sakura thought she was about to sick, her forehead had a nice even cut on it and her stomach felt like it was weighed with lead. Shakily getting up, Sakura tried to recollect herself and think of a new strategy. After her fogginess had cleared away, Sakura saw that Hydra was readying another attack. Lifting her arms to her face, Sakura prepared to block. She still didn't know what she was getting into, and she wasn't about to come in completely unprepared.
Syaoran jumped in and lept with Sakura in his arms as a large chunk of explosive steaming foam erupted underneath his feat. Crying out as they bothed crashed into the sandy walls, Syaoran realized that small sparks was slowly replacing Sakura's burnt outfit. After the light from Sakura's body had diminished, Syaoran saw the new outfit Tomoyo had uploaded in the nick of time. Where Sakura's long trench coat once hung, was a top that tightened directly under Sakura's breasts, then flared expansively until it reached her knees. In the centre of this techno skirt was a gap that revealed a pair of shorts, with boots that reached her knees. Completing this whole ensemble was a headband perched atop Sakura's newly styled hair (no different than usual just blue hair ties). Sporting a golden fringe, the new accessory had fins on each side. Every single tip, edge, ending of stretchy fabric was lined with gold, and even looked more noble with Sakura's newly awakened face and hardened expression. Our girl wasn't about to give up, not like this.
"If you ever get the chance to Hydra..." Sakura said quietly as she stepped back into view, "Tell your brothers and all forces that oppose me that... given all eternity and granted every single power of the heavens, you will never be able to defeat my loving heart."
Raising her staff in its original form, Sakura said quietly, "Like the shooting star every single destiny can become, fly to me, the power to defeat the fools that stand before me."
Spurting from the tip of her staff, dazzling lasers began taking shape out of the air, dancing around Sakura and her closed hand. Magic, unlike any other, began tingling through the air, racing to meet its commander. Feeling the power of a true Card Captor burning through her vains, Sakura swung her staff down, ejecting a single bird of light towards Hydra. Frozen with shock at the thought of underestimating the girl in front of her, Hydra, lowered her shields and accepted defeat, already knowing there was know way she could ever escape from the winged beast that was flying towards her. As the bird touched hydra, the scene was swallowed up in light, the only visible thing being Sakura's exhausted figure falling to the floor.