Sakura looked down at the battle-ravaged space below her. Hunks of rock were strewn about, with lava spewing from miscellaneous cracks. A geyser of molten ash was roaring in front of her. She stood on the ledge in her singed boots, feeling apprehensive, but definitely not uncertain. Above all this, she was dead tired.
"Not running low now, are we?" Pyrel boomed from below. He shuffled his hoofed foot and snorted.
Sakura peered down at him from her hiding space. Hoping that she wasn't in danger of doing anything overly reckless she leapt down, catching the Fire Card by surprise.
With a swing of her sword and a spell to summon Hydra the Water Card, a miniature tsunami exploded from the ground, submerging every surface in shockingly cold water. Pyrel bellowed in agony as he felt his skin burn and steam.
"With this Sakura!" Syaoran shouted from the corner. He threw her a staff of some sort, which landed with a clatter at her feet.
"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked, as she looked at him in wonderment. "Where'd you come from?"
"Fight now, apologies later." He stated shortly. He took a step forward when he saw Pyrel regain his composure. Neither Syaoran nor Pyrel looked very happy.
Letting out a bellow of pure rage, Pyrel appeared at Sakura's side, knocking her to the ground with fists covered in embers.
"Sakura!" Syaoran shouted. He bolted towards her, only to be stopped in his tracks by a wall of fire that had sprung from the hard rock floor.
Sakura watched from the ground and groaned as she felt the full impact of the attack she had been dealt. Her hand fumbled for the weapon Syaoran had thrown at her, since her own sword/staff had been knocked into the air. Grasping the handle, she immediately felt its magical properties surge through her being.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a hail of ice was hurled at the opposing wall between Syaoran and Sakura, causing it to dissipate. Yue and Kero stood at the entrance, looking very smug and pleased with themselves.
Eriol stood behind them, smirking. He took at Syaoran's flabbergasted face and said, "What? You'd think we'd let you run off and be the hero on your own?"
Sakura laughed as she returned to her feet, feeling strength return at the sight of her friends. Syaoran however, showed enough spunk and haughtiness to respond to Eriol with a rude gesture.
Tomoyo came sprinting up behind them, looking worried and anxious. "Sakura-san?"
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried.
"Sakura, stop talking and CATCH HIM, DAMNIT!!!" Syaoran screamed in agitation, bombarding Pyro with fiery shale.
The girl nodded and placed the staff between her hands. It was made of heavy, green wood, and sported an intricate design at the top, where it flared into the shape of a bell. 'It sure is an awkward weapon.' Sakura thought to herself as she channeled energy into it. Within moments, Sakura felt a lightheadedness form in the pit of her stomach. Balls of light were rotating around her body as she felt awesome power grow in her hands and take shape.
"Pyrel, Card of Fire and Warrior of Passion, I conceal you to your binds!" Sakura shouted as a beam of light emanated from the tip of her staff, wrapping itself around Pyrel's weakened body. He roared in defeat as his body was sucked into the shape of a card. It flew to Syaoran's feet and he grinned.
Sakura quickly fell to her knees, feeling exhaustion invade her system again. She was halfway done her journey, and things would soon be inevitably clear. All that and more would happen, as soon as she found a way to wipe that arrogant smirk of Syaoran Li's face.
~*~
"You were AMAZING, Sakura!" Tomoyo chirped as she nestled into her blankets.
Sakura didn't answer; just lay on the floor quietly as she began slipping into a peaceful sleep.
The two had just gotten back from their previous exploit of capturing the Fire Card. Tomoyo had insisted her friend spend the night and Sakura had gladly accepted.
"It's alright Sakura," Tomoyo whispered as she took her friend's hand, recalling one of the earlier events. "You have the Water Card, remember?"
Sakura nodded in appreciation of her friend. With a swift realization, she bolted upright.
"What? What is it?" Tomoyo asked in confusion.
"I think Eriol likes you." Sakura said passively as she churned the thought in her had.
"NANI?" Tomoyo demanded, as she jumped out of bed to join her friend on the floor.
Sakura gave her friend a sly sideways glance. "Mm-hum."
"Sakura, I..." Tomoyo said quietly as she looked at her hands.
"Never mind. If it embarrasses you, I'll stop talking." Sakura said with a smile, and with that, she wiped away a stray strand of hair off Tomoyo's forehead.
~*~
"Good job Syaoran but..."
Syaoran lifted his gaze to meet Kero's stare, his face shadowed. "But we can't find the next card."
"Not without Sakura." Yue agreed.
Eriol jumped down from the tree he was sitting in and landed at Syaoran's feet. He got up and stared him in the eye, "You're not happy even about this, are you?"
Syaoran nodded and smiled bitterly. He got up and walked onto the soccer field where his next game would take place. Dropping the soccor ball that had been tucked under his arm onto the floor, he began dribbling the ball around the field, juggling it on his knees and forehead as he went along.
"Syaoran-kun, it's time to go." Kero said gently as he watched his friend stop and droop his head.
The brown haired boy turned around, his expression hollow. His friends knew what was going on; he didn't know who or what he was anymore.
Eriol came up and put a hand on Syaoran's shoulder. Whether either of them wanted to admit it, they were the best of friends and the worst of rivals. Eriol smiled and said, "Suck it up princess, life goes on with or without you. Get on the damned beast and RIDE."
And with that fairly vulgar remark, Eriol readjusted his glasses and bid farewell to the others.
Syaoran turned to watch him go, with his jacket flapping in the wind. 'Even though things change for better or worse, I think they're all trying to tell me that somethings stay the same, no matter the consequence. Atleast I know I'll have my friends when I need them, right?'
~*~
Sakura sat on the floor in the middle of the night, with moonlight filtering onto her blankets and resembling liquid lead. She weaved the seemingly thin sheets between her fingers, breathing heavily and sweating through her pajamas. She looked at the clock and groaned inwardly. Three A.M was a fine time to wake up. Admitting defeat and getting up, she glanced around. Tomoyo was soundly asleep and looked as though she wasn't about to wake up for a long time.
Sakura settled herself back down and realized it could be worse. She could be out looking for a washroom and be lost. She was hesitant about going to back to sleep though. Somebody was invading her sleep, and she wasn't so sure about letting him stay in there.
~*~
Eriol wandered down the posh streets of his neighborhood, breathing in night air and contemplating whether to go have a smoke or not. If Yue and Kero ever found out, they'd probably beat his addiction out of him. Including Syaoran. Especially Syaoran.
He turned another corner, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The temperature was dropping fast, so quickly that he could see puffs of steam rise from his mouth. Sensing something was wrong, he tucked up his collar and quickened his pace. A strange tingling sensation was crawling up his back, a feeling he usually got when something was about to happen.
Eriol, with his ashy blue hair and fine-rimmed glasses was scared, and heading home as quickly as he could.
~*~
"You're not kidding, are you?" Syaoran questioned as he stared Eriol in the eye.
Eriol nodded and said, "That's why I'm going back."
"Hot damn, it's early." Yue said and beckoned to the clock, which read 3:30am. "Yeesh, you just had to call everybody over to my house, didn't you?"
"I wonder what it could've been." Kero said as he pondered the statement. Nobody said anything about Eriol imagining anything though, they all considered it insulting.
"Alright, let's go find out what's happening in there." Yue said.
They all agreed to leave at that very moment. Yue, being a packrat, had several visors for the others to use. Within seconds, they were off.
~*~
After talking with the others, Syaoran stood alone at the edge of a field, trying to train. He had chosen an isolated location, a grassy area dotted with trees.
"Northwind Blizzard!" he shouted as he raised his swords to strike the ground. However, he was interrupted by a small disk of lightning, which nearly maimed him on the side of the head.
"Gomenesai!" A figure said as she popped out from behind him, "I hope-"
Syaoran wheeled around, "Sakura?"
"Syaoran?"
"BAKA!! Watch where the hell you're aiming!!!" Syaoran yelled angrily.
Sakura twitched but didn't say anything.
"Why can't you just stay out of my way?"
Sakura opened her mouth, remembering the pang of worry she had felt when she saw Syaoran jump up to protect her against the Fire Card, "Maybe I will! It might teach you not to be so ungrateful!"
And with that she stormed off, leaving behind a speechless Syaoran.
"Not running low now, are we?" Pyrel boomed from below. He shuffled his hoofed foot and snorted.
Sakura peered down at him from her hiding space. Hoping that she wasn't in danger of doing anything overly reckless she leapt down, catching the Fire Card by surprise.
With a swing of her sword and a spell to summon Hydra the Water Card, a miniature tsunami exploded from the ground, submerging every surface in shockingly cold water. Pyrel bellowed in agony as he felt his skin burn and steam.
"With this Sakura!" Syaoran shouted from the corner. He threw her a staff of some sort, which landed with a clatter at her feet.
"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked, as she looked at him in wonderment. "Where'd you come from?"
"Fight now, apologies later." He stated shortly. He took a step forward when he saw Pyrel regain his composure. Neither Syaoran nor Pyrel looked very happy.
Letting out a bellow of pure rage, Pyrel appeared at Sakura's side, knocking her to the ground with fists covered in embers.
"Sakura!" Syaoran shouted. He bolted towards her, only to be stopped in his tracks by a wall of fire that had sprung from the hard rock floor.
Sakura watched from the ground and groaned as she felt the full impact of the attack she had been dealt. Her hand fumbled for the weapon Syaoran had thrown at her, since her own sword/staff had been knocked into the air. Grasping the handle, she immediately felt its magical properties surge through her being.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a hail of ice was hurled at the opposing wall between Syaoran and Sakura, causing it to dissipate. Yue and Kero stood at the entrance, looking very smug and pleased with themselves.
Eriol stood behind them, smirking. He took at Syaoran's flabbergasted face and said, "What? You'd think we'd let you run off and be the hero on your own?"
Sakura laughed as she returned to her feet, feeling strength return at the sight of her friends. Syaoran however, showed enough spunk and haughtiness to respond to Eriol with a rude gesture.
Tomoyo came sprinting up behind them, looking worried and anxious. "Sakura-san?"
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried.
"Sakura, stop talking and CATCH HIM, DAMNIT!!!" Syaoran screamed in agitation, bombarding Pyro with fiery shale.
The girl nodded and placed the staff between her hands. It was made of heavy, green wood, and sported an intricate design at the top, where it flared into the shape of a bell. 'It sure is an awkward weapon.' Sakura thought to herself as she channeled energy into it. Within moments, Sakura felt a lightheadedness form in the pit of her stomach. Balls of light were rotating around her body as she felt awesome power grow in her hands and take shape.
"Pyrel, Card of Fire and Warrior of Passion, I conceal you to your binds!" Sakura shouted as a beam of light emanated from the tip of her staff, wrapping itself around Pyrel's weakened body. He roared in defeat as his body was sucked into the shape of a card. It flew to Syaoran's feet and he grinned.
Sakura quickly fell to her knees, feeling exhaustion invade her system again. She was halfway done her journey, and things would soon be inevitably clear. All that and more would happen, as soon as she found a way to wipe that arrogant smirk of Syaoran Li's face.
~*~
"You were AMAZING, Sakura!" Tomoyo chirped as she nestled into her blankets.
Sakura didn't answer; just lay on the floor quietly as she began slipping into a peaceful sleep.
The two had just gotten back from their previous exploit of capturing the Fire Card. Tomoyo had insisted her friend spend the night and Sakura had gladly accepted.
"It's alright Sakura," Tomoyo whispered as she took her friend's hand, recalling one of the earlier events. "You have the Water Card, remember?"
Sakura nodded in appreciation of her friend. With a swift realization, she bolted upright.
"What? What is it?" Tomoyo asked in confusion.
"I think Eriol likes you." Sakura said passively as she churned the thought in her had.
"NANI?" Tomoyo demanded, as she jumped out of bed to join her friend on the floor.
Sakura gave her friend a sly sideways glance. "Mm-hum."
"Sakura, I..." Tomoyo said quietly as she looked at her hands.
"Never mind. If it embarrasses you, I'll stop talking." Sakura said with a smile, and with that, she wiped away a stray strand of hair off Tomoyo's forehead.
~*~
"Good job Syaoran but..."
Syaoran lifted his gaze to meet Kero's stare, his face shadowed. "But we can't find the next card."
"Not without Sakura." Yue agreed.
Eriol jumped down from the tree he was sitting in and landed at Syaoran's feet. He got up and stared him in the eye, "You're not happy even about this, are you?"
Syaoran nodded and smiled bitterly. He got up and walked onto the soccer field where his next game would take place. Dropping the soccor ball that had been tucked under his arm onto the floor, he began dribbling the ball around the field, juggling it on his knees and forehead as he went along.
"Syaoran-kun, it's time to go." Kero said gently as he watched his friend stop and droop his head.
The brown haired boy turned around, his expression hollow. His friends knew what was going on; he didn't know who or what he was anymore.
Eriol came up and put a hand on Syaoran's shoulder. Whether either of them wanted to admit it, they were the best of friends and the worst of rivals. Eriol smiled and said, "Suck it up princess, life goes on with or without you. Get on the damned beast and RIDE."
And with that fairly vulgar remark, Eriol readjusted his glasses and bid farewell to the others.
Syaoran turned to watch him go, with his jacket flapping in the wind. 'Even though things change for better or worse, I think they're all trying to tell me that somethings stay the same, no matter the consequence. Atleast I know I'll have my friends when I need them, right?'
~*~
Sakura sat on the floor in the middle of the night, with moonlight filtering onto her blankets and resembling liquid lead. She weaved the seemingly thin sheets between her fingers, breathing heavily and sweating through her pajamas. She looked at the clock and groaned inwardly. Three A.M was a fine time to wake up. Admitting defeat and getting up, she glanced around. Tomoyo was soundly asleep and looked as though she wasn't about to wake up for a long time.
Sakura settled herself back down and realized it could be worse. She could be out looking for a washroom and be lost. She was hesitant about going to back to sleep though. Somebody was invading her sleep, and she wasn't so sure about letting him stay in there.
~*~
Eriol wandered down the posh streets of his neighborhood, breathing in night air and contemplating whether to go have a smoke or not. If Yue and Kero ever found out, they'd probably beat his addiction out of him. Including Syaoran. Especially Syaoran.
He turned another corner, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The temperature was dropping fast, so quickly that he could see puffs of steam rise from his mouth. Sensing something was wrong, he tucked up his collar and quickened his pace. A strange tingling sensation was crawling up his back, a feeling he usually got when something was about to happen.
Eriol, with his ashy blue hair and fine-rimmed glasses was scared, and heading home as quickly as he could.
~*~
"You're not kidding, are you?" Syaoran questioned as he stared Eriol in the eye.
Eriol nodded and said, "That's why I'm going back."
"Hot damn, it's early." Yue said and beckoned to the clock, which read 3:30am. "Yeesh, you just had to call everybody over to my house, didn't you?"
"I wonder what it could've been." Kero said as he pondered the statement. Nobody said anything about Eriol imagining anything though, they all considered it insulting.
"Alright, let's go find out what's happening in there." Yue said.
They all agreed to leave at that very moment. Yue, being a packrat, had several visors for the others to use. Within seconds, they were off.
~*~
After talking with the others, Syaoran stood alone at the edge of a field, trying to train. He had chosen an isolated location, a grassy area dotted with trees.
"Northwind Blizzard!" he shouted as he raised his swords to strike the ground. However, he was interrupted by a small disk of lightning, which nearly maimed him on the side of the head.
"Gomenesai!" A figure said as she popped out from behind him, "I hope-"
Syaoran wheeled around, "Sakura?"
"Syaoran?"
"BAKA!! Watch where the hell you're aiming!!!" Syaoran yelled angrily.
Sakura twitched but didn't say anything.
"Why can't you just stay out of my way?"
Sakura opened her mouth, remembering the pang of worry she had felt when she saw Syaoran jump up to protect her against the Fire Card, "Maybe I will! It might teach you not to be so ungrateful!"
And with that she stormed off, leaving behind a speechless Syaoran.