"So, you're saying you can't do anything about it?"
"Yes, because I don't have an extra controller for you!" Syaoran said angrily.
Sakura relented, staring him dead in the eye, "No need to be so rude about it!"
"Well, what did you think I was trying to tell you?" Syaoran spat.
Sakura felt her temper flare. "Who do you think you are? I came here to ask for help and you just bite my head off!"
Syaoran looked away for a moment, as though contemplating something. After a moment, he snatched a piece of paper off his desk, "Take this then." He said, slapping it into her hand.
Sakura looked down at it. It had an address. She looked up at him.
"Tomoyo's house. You can take my bus pass too." Syaoran turned on his heel and left. After a few moments of quiet conversation with his sister and several bangs and sounds of rummaging, he returned.
He handed it too her, placing the blue card in her hand. Something about him seemed different about him in real life. Later on, while she would be walking out the door, she'd think that maybe he held onto her finger just a little bit longer that he was supposed too.
~*~
"Is Tomoyo-san here?" Sakura asked midly, as she stood in the door way of a large victorian mansion. She had endured a bumpy bus ride and a few wrong turns to get here.
The house maid nodded, ushering Sakura inside. With a flick of her gloved hand, the woman, who had introdued herself as Nora, pressed the button on the intercom.
"Alright, I'm coming right down." Came a staticy voice through the speaker.
When a few minutes passed, a dark haired girl stood at the top of the staircase.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo squealed as she ran downstairs to greet her friend. "What happened to you? We had to pause the entire game when you didn't come back!"
Nora suddenly huffed in agitation and fled, her apron flapping out behind her.
"Nani?" Sakura said in confusion as she watched the older woman leave.
"She doesn't approve of those games," Tomoyo sighed, "I'm afraid she's a bit old-fashioned."
"Opposed to those who are too modern." Sakura said unhappily, remembering her father and his pretentious habits.
"That's definetely true." Tomoyo said consolingly.
"I guess I better just say why I'm here," Sakura smiled, "My game is completely crashed. Dad says that somebody had to hack into it to make it stop working like that."
Tomoyo paused for a minute, "I understand. Well, you're in luck because I have an extra visor." Tomoyo said as she stepped up the stairs. "We'll go into my room. After we tell Mom you're here that is."
~*~
"Wow, that was a really really big dinner." Sakura said as she lazily flopped onto the bed.
"Good thing your Dad let you stay, hm?" Tomoyo said with a happy wink.
"Ready to play?" Sakura asked, feeling the weight of all that food settle into her stomach.
"In a few." Tomoyo said as she picked up a camera on a desk, "This must really be your first time with VR, because we're not supposed to go in on a full stomach."
"Which explains why Kero and Yue are always complaining of hunger!" Sakura chimed.
They laughed together as Tomoyo move about the room, fiddling with cameras, adjusting lenses, and tidying cluttered desktops. Sakura shifted on the bed, glancing around the room. The room was lined with purple curtains that bordered the entire place, with a bed in the centre, complete with a canopy.
"I'll show you a video I made!" Tomoyo said suddenly, pulling Sakura through the door.
"Slow down Tomoyo!" Sakura yelped as they sped through the halls.
Upon arrival at Tomoyo's home theatre, Sakura gaped at the large television screen while Tomoyo went to look for her disk.
"Alright, here it is!" Tomoyo called excitedly as she waved the CD case around.
Popping the disk into the DVD player, Tomoyo sat down on the cushy sofa next to Sakura.
After a few seconds of having a flashing screen, it quickly changed to reveal the moment Sakura and Tomoyo had met. With cut up scenes from that time until now, the video presented several amusing scenes, such as Tomoyo and Eriol attacked by a giant dog, to the duel between Sakura and Syaoran. When it ended, Sakura clapped.
"That was really good!" Sakura said with a grin.
"Glad you like it!" Tomoyo replied. "I think it's time to get the others online now." She said, glancing at her watch.
"Let's get going!" Sakura chirped.
The two dashed back to Tomoyo's room. After some phone calls and the assembling of the other players, Sakura and Tomoyo were soon strapped to the helmets.
~*~
Sakura lay in the cool sand, running her fingers through the fine white grains. The stars above her were hung against the inky sky, which looked as though someone had ran a purple paintbrush over it.
"Jesus, stop snoring, damnit!" Syaoran snapped at Eriol, who was snoozing away beside him.
"He can't help it." Yue said as he placidly as he laid back against a tree.
Tomoyo sighed loudly. "And to think I was hoping ot get some actual sleep."
"Well, technically speaking, we all are kinda unconscious back in the real world." Kero said.
"Tr-"
With a loud rumble and the hiss of moving sand, a large crack spit out from the ground, with sand pouring into the large crevice.
"What the-" Eriol said, snapping awake.
"Tomoyo, move!" Sakura shouted as she saw the ground open up beneath her friend.
The girl quickly scrambled out of the sleeping bag, backing up against her friends. A huge crack in the land had grown, cutting them off from anything that might have laid across it.
The sky was slowly turning from a bluish purple to a fiery red. Sakura felt her knees buckle as the ground started rumbling. A large figure had appeared above them, looking as though its entire being were swallowed by flames.
"Is that..." Tomoyo wondered out loud, as she looked up.
Syaoran's face ashened as he stared at the creature.
"The Fire Card."
~*~
Sakura felt a stining sensation across her forehead as she breathed in the stuffy air. It smelt of vomit and blood, and if you tried, you could smell the salt of tears that had ran down the faces of people long, long ago. At her feet was hardened lava, with bright red liquid bubbling and spitting as it oozed its way across the pit. She was in the heart of a volcano.
Craning her neck for a better view, Sakura nearly cried out when a jolt of pain had started in the back of her neck.
"Tomoyo? Eriol? SYAORAN?" Sakura accidently hollered the last name and blushed.
After her voice had echoed through the chamber, Sakura heard what she thought at first was rumbling. But the galloping of hooves informed her of her mistake. There, in all his glory as he appeared from a corner, was the Fire Card, with the human part of his body reared to its full height.
"A centaur?" Sakura asked herself. It seemed like it, but the human skin on his arms and face was red...
"Or whatever you humans want to call me." His voice sounded like twigs snapping under someone's shoes.
Sakura smiled weakly, wondering if it was indeed or a joke or not. After several seconds of staring at his gargantuan figure, Sakura finally said, "Where are my friends?"
He laughed, the same rumbling sound she had heard before. "Probably grieving your disappearance." At this he loomed closer, staring straight through Sakura as though he already knew everything she was and wasn't. "But never mind that. You have my sister. Release her, or suffer the consequences."
Sakura gulped. "No. I'll fight you for her. I worked hard to capture her, and I won't give it up without a fight."
He positively roared in hysterics this time. "My name is Pyrel, and I glady, GLADY, accept you challenge."
Sakura felt whatever was holding her release its grip. There she stood, alone and tired in a world of fire and heat. What was she going to do now?
"Yes, because I don't have an extra controller for you!" Syaoran said angrily.
Sakura relented, staring him dead in the eye, "No need to be so rude about it!"
"Well, what did you think I was trying to tell you?" Syaoran spat.
Sakura felt her temper flare. "Who do you think you are? I came here to ask for help and you just bite my head off!"
Syaoran looked away for a moment, as though contemplating something. After a moment, he snatched a piece of paper off his desk, "Take this then." He said, slapping it into her hand.
Sakura looked down at it. It had an address. She looked up at him.
"Tomoyo's house. You can take my bus pass too." Syaoran turned on his heel and left. After a few moments of quiet conversation with his sister and several bangs and sounds of rummaging, he returned.
He handed it too her, placing the blue card in her hand. Something about him seemed different about him in real life. Later on, while she would be walking out the door, she'd think that maybe he held onto her finger just a little bit longer that he was supposed too.
~*~
"Is Tomoyo-san here?" Sakura asked midly, as she stood in the door way of a large victorian mansion. She had endured a bumpy bus ride and a few wrong turns to get here.
The house maid nodded, ushering Sakura inside. With a flick of her gloved hand, the woman, who had introdued herself as Nora, pressed the button on the intercom.
"Alright, I'm coming right down." Came a staticy voice through the speaker.
When a few minutes passed, a dark haired girl stood at the top of the staircase.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo squealed as she ran downstairs to greet her friend. "What happened to you? We had to pause the entire game when you didn't come back!"
Nora suddenly huffed in agitation and fled, her apron flapping out behind her.
"Nani?" Sakura said in confusion as she watched the older woman leave.
"She doesn't approve of those games," Tomoyo sighed, "I'm afraid she's a bit old-fashioned."
"Opposed to those who are too modern." Sakura said unhappily, remembering her father and his pretentious habits.
"That's definetely true." Tomoyo said consolingly.
"I guess I better just say why I'm here," Sakura smiled, "My game is completely crashed. Dad says that somebody had to hack into it to make it stop working like that."
Tomoyo paused for a minute, "I understand. Well, you're in luck because I have an extra visor." Tomoyo said as she stepped up the stairs. "We'll go into my room. After we tell Mom you're here that is."
~*~
"Wow, that was a really really big dinner." Sakura said as she lazily flopped onto the bed.
"Good thing your Dad let you stay, hm?" Tomoyo said with a happy wink.
"Ready to play?" Sakura asked, feeling the weight of all that food settle into her stomach.
"In a few." Tomoyo said as she picked up a camera on a desk, "This must really be your first time with VR, because we're not supposed to go in on a full stomach."
"Which explains why Kero and Yue are always complaining of hunger!" Sakura chimed.
They laughed together as Tomoyo move about the room, fiddling with cameras, adjusting lenses, and tidying cluttered desktops. Sakura shifted on the bed, glancing around the room. The room was lined with purple curtains that bordered the entire place, with a bed in the centre, complete with a canopy.
"I'll show you a video I made!" Tomoyo said suddenly, pulling Sakura through the door.
"Slow down Tomoyo!" Sakura yelped as they sped through the halls.
Upon arrival at Tomoyo's home theatre, Sakura gaped at the large television screen while Tomoyo went to look for her disk.
"Alright, here it is!" Tomoyo called excitedly as she waved the CD case around.
Popping the disk into the DVD player, Tomoyo sat down on the cushy sofa next to Sakura.
After a few seconds of having a flashing screen, it quickly changed to reveal the moment Sakura and Tomoyo had met. With cut up scenes from that time until now, the video presented several amusing scenes, such as Tomoyo and Eriol attacked by a giant dog, to the duel between Sakura and Syaoran. When it ended, Sakura clapped.
"That was really good!" Sakura said with a grin.
"Glad you like it!" Tomoyo replied. "I think it's time to get the others online now." She said, glancing at her watch.
"Let's get going!" Sakura chirped.
The two dashed back to Tomoyo's room. After some phone calls and the assembling of the other players, Sakura and Tomoyo were soon strapped to the helmets.
~*~
Sakura lay in the cool sand, running her fingers through the fine white grains. The stars above her were hung against the inky sky, which looked as though someone had ran a purple paintbrush over it.
"Jesus, stop snoring, damnit!" Syaoran snapped at Eriol, who was snoozing away beside him.
"He can't help it." Yue said as he placidly as he laid back against a tree.
Tomoyo sighed loudly. "And to think I was hoping ot get some actual sleep."
"Well, technically speaking, we all are kinda unconscious back in the real world." Kero said.
"Tr-"
With a loud rumble and the hiss of moving sand, a large crack spit out from the ground, with sand pouring into the large crevice.
"What the-" Eriol said, snapping awake.
"Tomoyo, move!" Sakura shouted as she saw the ground open up beneath her friend.
The girl quickly scrambled out of the sleeping bag, backing up against her friends. A huge crack in the land had grown, cutting them off from anything that might have laid across it.
The sky was slowly turning from a bluish purple to a fiery red. Sakura felt her knees buckle as the ground started rumbling. A large figure had appeared above them, looking as though its entire being were swallowed by flames.
"Is that..." Tomoyo wondered out loud, as she looked up.
Syaoran's face ashened as he stared at the creature.
"The Fire Card."
~*~
Sakura felt a stining sensation across her forehead as she breathed in the stuffy air. It smelt of vomit and blood, and if you tried, you could smell the salt of tears that had ran down the faces of people long, long ago. At her feet was hardened lava, with bright red liquid bubbling and spitting as it oozed its way across the pit. She was in the heart of a volcano.
Craning her neck for a better view, Sakura nearly cried out when a jolt of pain had started in the back of her neck.
"Tomoyo? Eriol? SYAORAN?" Sakura accidently hollered the last name and blushed.
After her voice had echoed through the chamber, Sakura heard what she thought at first was rumbling. But the galloping of hooves informed her of her mistake. There, in all his glory as he appeared from a corner, was the Fire Card, with the human part of his body reared to its full height.
"A centaur?" Sakura asked herself. It seemed like it, but the human skin on his arms and face was red...
"Or whatever you humans want to call me." His voice sounded like twigs snapping under someone's shoes.
Sakura smiled weakly, wondering if it was indeed or a joke or not. After several seconds of staring at his gargantuan figure, Sakura finally said, "Where are my friends?"
He laughed, the same rumbling sound she had heard before. "Probably grieving your disappearance." At this he loomed closer, staring straight through Sakura as though he already knew everything she was and wasn't. "But never mind that. You have my sister. Release her, or suffer the consequences."
Sakura gulped. "No. I'll fight you for her. I worked hard to capture her, and I won't give it up without a fight."
He positively roared in hysterics this time. "My name is Pyrel, and I glady, GLADY, accept you challenge."
Sakura felt whatever was holding her release its grip. There she stood, alone and tired in a world of fire and heat. What was she going to do now?