Disclaimer: All characters of CCS are the property of CLAMP, not mine. So please don't sue me. This is only written for entertainment purposes, not for profit. You won't get any money anyways, since I only have six American dollars at the moment, and I'm not going to get any profit whatsoever for writing this.
Symbols:
" " Dialogue
Sound FX
[ ] My side-notes when necessary.
(lang) language use in dialogue. [I.e. (Eng)- English, (Jap) Japanese, etc. Japanese is the default in the dialogue.]
Italic sentence
· A character is speaking in the first person (will be specified)
· A letter or written article/document.
· A quote that was said by a character in the past (usually when a characters is looking back.
· When a character emphasizes a word during speech.
Author's notes:
Acknowledgements: I really have to thanks this one person who's really helped me complete the work of this chapter. If it wasn't for her who reread and revised this chapter, I don't know what type of junk you'd be reading.
She's the webmistress of www.videocaptortomoyo.com, Tomoyo Ichijouji (Tomoyo-chan). You gotta check out her site. It's got a lot of stuff including some small movie files (commercials, episode clips, sound FX etc.) banners as well as other cute things. Also check out another site that she works at Dreamz portal at http://dreamz.pink-cherry.net/index2.shtml which has got character profiles, animated gifts, quizzes, fanworks and much more. These sites you gotta check out!
Oh yeah, the beginning of this fic is gonna be very corny, so please deal with me for awhile.
CAUTION: THIS FIC HAS MANY FLASHBACKS AS WELL AS SLIGHT SUMARIES. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR VARIOUS PARTS YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED, I'D ADVISE YOU TO COME BACK AGAIN LATER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Character heights:
Somebody asked how tall a few characters were, so here is what I came up with. The last chapter I only gave what I was thinking, so here is what I think would make sense.
Sakura Kinomoto- 5 ft 6 in, 1.6764 m
Syaoran Li- 5 ft 10 in, 1.8034 m
Tomoyo Daidouji- 5 ft 4 in, 1.6256 m
Meiling Li- 5 ft 5 in, 1.651 m
Rikou Daidouji- 6 ft 0 in, 1.8288 m
Ok so that's done, let's go.
Li Syaoran's Story
Chapter 6
By: Psychic720
Revised by: Tomoyo-chan
Li glared at the damp sheets of paper. Faint markings were sketched all over the book of papers. The words almost transparent but Li could clearly see what was on the top paper cover.
"The Art of the Realm of Courage… The notes of Chang San-Feng," Li grasped the book and turned the pages.
"What's that?" Tomoyo asked only seeing blank pages.
"Syaoran it's not going to help if you just look at blank pages!" Meiling hollered. Li however resumed flipping through the pages
"My god…" Rikou exclaimed, "A few sheets of old paper and he's been possessed!"
The pages weren't readable when Rikou gave it to me, then how… Li's eyes burst opened. He smashed the book down and made it even wetter. He then began turning the pages violently.
The Principle of the Realm of Courage: SpeedIn Martial Arts there is a saying… Speed first, Technique second, Power last. Thus the powers of the Realm of Courage Involves a determined mind fueled by the courage of the heart. If you can hit the opponent while not get hit yourself you will be the victor of the fight. Therefore get in and get out. The One of Courage must use his determination to fuel his strength in his speed. Attack should be quick on impact and even faster when withdrawing. This is the principle of the Realm of Courage… attacks in this realm involve quick efficient blows particular to the sternum or the other vulnerable cavities of the human anatomy…
The Cage of Lightning: The cage of Lightning can be used as both a defensive and offensive maneuver, it let's out a very bright flash of light as well as engulfs the opponent or opposing attack in a cage of voltages. To release: circulate energy from you diaphragm and guide it to the sternum, to the heart, with two hands, or both hands on a blade, thrust forward in an arc like motion.
"Speed, that's the key, I get it…" Syaoran nodded to himself. The boy got up, picked up his sword, and rampaged at Sakura's foe.
"Hey Li!" Rikou yelled. He dashed after what seemed to be an enraged boy. "What are you doing! (Eng.) Son of a--!"
Li wasn't paying attention. "YOU!!!" The boy yelled at the top of his lungs. "DON"T YOU HURT SAKURA!" The Boy's blade was raised high, sparks of yellowish light illuminated brilliantly on the sword's surface.
"You don't have the power to defeat me…" The man said to the advancing boy, he continued to Shoot Sakura with his light.
"You know very well that you can't LI!!!!!" Rikou exclaimed, running after the boy.
"Die!" Li exclaimed.
He swung his blade as quick as possible. Soon after huge bursts of lightning fired from the boy's blade igniting the whole area with a blinding neon yellow light. Everyone was just about blown backwards as blinding light filled the eyes of every single person within the area. The brilliant display of light soon after vanished only to erupt again. Syaoran was ablaze with surging light throughout his body. The boy observed as the continuous ball of lightning continued to swivel around its victim.
Rikou stopped in his tracks. "What the heck?"
Syaoran smiled to himself. "Yatta… (I did it.)"
"Well genius," Rikou stared. "You could do this, and didn't do it, what kinda indiot are you?"
"I couldn't then! It was just written in here," Li held up the damp wads of paper. "The secret of the Realm of Courage is in here, in these damp sheets of—"
Meiling grabbed the wads, "You're saying there's something written here…"(sweat drop)
Sakura came over for a closer look, "There's nothing here…"
"Well, No duh, that's because there isn't anything here!" Rikou replied.
"It's right there, what do you mean there's nothing!?!" Li reclaimed the sheets of paper. Why is it that only I can read what these say? The boy thought. Li looked up. "Can I have these Rikou?"
"Gee take 'em, all I'd do is flush 'em down the nearest toilet. No use to me, ne?"
More Flashing Lights resumed to erupt through the area from the orb of voltages that Li released. But the lights began to fade as darkish auras of blackish-purple light began to form underneath the sphere of light. Loud popping sounds could be heard as the violent bulges smashed through the lightning sphere. And the spin of light stopped, as it burst into a million particles away from the man it engulfed. A dark purplish aura was filled around the escapee from the orb of light. Syaoran was thrown backwards by the blast. The man stood in front of the group with a strong purplish aura flowing throughout his body.
"You think that would stop me…?" The Mandarin dressed man murmured. "I am Ichiro, the right hand of Master Tseng, I would never fall to that feeble magic you call an attack…" The man turned to Sakura.
Sakura got to her unsteadily rose to her feet, gripped her star wand and slowly took a card from a pouch in her costume. Syaoran stopped her.
"Baka! You can't use magic in that condition!" The boy blurted.
"Demo…" Sakura started. "I can't just sit here and wait!"
"Yeah that's the way to go, go get yourself killed!" Rikou muttered rolling his eyes.
"I will make myself clear, my master desires your Sakura Cards, I will not leave without them within my possession…" the man in front of the stated. "I do not wish to destroy you, but if that is the only path, so be it…"
At around this time Keroberos and Yue shuddered out of their unconscious states. Sakura ran over to her recuperating friends/guardians. "Daijobu?"
[-- A little note, in ch 5, Yue and Kero were knocked out.]
"We're fine!" Kero blurted. "Right Yue?"
Yue nodded rising to his normal height. "A hit like that isn't enough to stop us.
Sakura got to her feet. Syaoran go in front of her to stop the obvious, the girl was going to go in one on one. "Iie, you can't, not in that condition—"
"Dai jo bu, I'm fine really!" Sakura smiled at the boy. "It'll be ok for sure, like always, ne?"
"But--!" Syaoran started.
"I'll be fine, I promise."
Rikou crept up behind the boy. "Pssssst, give 'er a hug! You know you want to!"
Li reddened. He turned abruptly "Rikou! This is no time for--!"
"Iie, we're outta trouble." Rikou said.
"Eh?" Keroberos looked at the boy confusingly. "I know you're the Wisdom guy and all, but how are--?"
"He's right." Yue interrupted the other. "He hasn't been attacking for awhile, ne?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah quite some ti--"
"I WILL REPeat Myself… the c… cards are the only thing… I am seeking… do not force… me to send you to hell…" The man weakly said in front of them the powerful boom within his voice was gone.
Tomoyo set her camera down for a second. "He's no longer as frightening as before, ne?"
Meiling nodded. "Syaoran must've weakened him with that attack, ne, Syaoran!" Meiling immediately began to embrace the boy. Like always, Syaoran attempted to struggle out.
Yue walked in front of the man, whose powerful purplish aura had faded in to a light purplish gas. The two eyed each other.
"You, are the one… they call Yue?" The man muttered coldly.
"Hai, and you are." Yue asked setting fuse to the battle of the cold tongues.
"I am the right hand of Master Tseng, Ichiro." The man replied.
"Do you still wish to continue your battle?" Yue asked his hand risen to about shoulder height a blue sphere illuminating within his fingers.
"I am honored to fight you!" Ichiro murmured. "Observe the Power of the Realms used correctly…"
The man leapt forward both hands ablaze with red-orange flames. Yue replied immediately firing his frozen arrows into the core of the flames. The center of impact just began to expand as the two applied more pressure to the ability. Fire bickered around a sphere of revolving ice.
Sakura stared at the confrontation with amazement, "Sugoi…(amazing…)." The girl had seen Yue perform this attack but not with the amount of intensity that was being displayed in the one here. Flashes of reddish white lights blazed throughout the small park. An intensifying force pushing outwards. Rikou shook his head with a frown. Sakura noticed immediately. "Rikou-kun what's wrong?"
"The old moon man, what's his name, Yue, can't win this… He's still slightly battered from that one blow, which he was caught by surprise, they both may be evenly matched now but Yue has the disadvantage since he's using ice against one who knows, fire magic? Fire melts ice, end of story…"
"**Damme…" Sakura gasped with panic. "Yue-san, come back!"
**Generally means "that's bad"
A massive explosion occurred blowing the moon guardian aside. Yue was able to land on his feet, but his wings seemed to have disappeared with the flames. The two stared at each other gasping for breath.
"You can never defeat me in that condition." The man said stroking his beard. "Your ice is weak against my flames, and you lack the psychological will to fight."
Yue stared ahead at the man. A vein could be seen forming on his forehead.
"You and Keroberos, should be able to defeat me, but are both distracted by the condition your own mistress in single handedly… The fact that you are worried about your mistress's health is what stops you," The man sighed. The man fingered his tunic, he took out two of those Taoist charms similar to what Li of ten used. "Speaking in which I have to stop you now before your rage will destroy me, ne?"
Within a blink of an eye the man had launched himself forward. Yue quickly tried to intercept the striking hand coming towards his stomach. However, the strike was a feint, for the real target, Ichiro was aiming for was the face, as the hand carrying the charm smashed squarely into the guardian's face.
"Nani?" Yue exclaimed bewildered trying to get the charm off, but soon every muscle in his body froze.
"Yue-san!" Sakura screamed.
"Only a mere immobilization scroll." Ichiro muttered. Fingering another one out. Kero had floated right in front of the man.
"I see ya got another one of those things, but you can't pull the same trick twice." Kero said matter-of-factly.
"We'll just see about that…" Ichiro murmured.
Kero bent his back growling in the process. The other man bent forward himself, timing the attack. Kero pounced forward his claws aiming straight for the man's throat. Although Ichiro's timing was correct, The man wasn't fast enough from getting nicked, but in the shoulder instead of his throat. In an instant, as if nothing happened, the charm was snapped down on the lion's spine. Kero landed with a great thud.
"Kinomoto-sama," Ichiro started. "If you do not yield, I may be forced to destroy them, as for yourself you are not in the condition to fight either… It may be best if you just hand your cards over, so no more damage--"
Rikou burst out laughing, "WAHAHAHAH! You still think you're in the condition yourself?"
"My master wishes the cards, I'll keep going till…"
"Until you've got the cards in your possessions, my butt! This isn't one of these lame-o movies! And if it was, you suck at acting. You tell me you're still able to fight efficiently which that blood gusher in your left shoulder? Hmm? I wonder, who's the underdog now, eh?" Rikou blurted. "Since it'd be dishonorable to strike at a defenseless person, here's a proposition, we sit here and rest for an hour, and when both sides are ready, we fight to the death, Sakura-san doesn't seem to have any intention in handing over the cards, neither do you have the intention of leaving without 'em. Now I know that you can't possibly down us all if we were to come forth and try to end this and go home for a good night's sleep, and vice versa. Not in this condition anyways. That doesn't sound good? Fine, strike happens, when we feel we've recuperated long enough."
"Deal…" the man murmured.
Everyone walked back to the shelter of the tree. Li looked at the other man in confusion. "This is impossible, it's like he's an immortal… No matter how beat up he gets, he can still fight on."
"so desu ne…" Sakura replied. "Rikou decided to put in that deal to gain time."
"You think that waiting would do us a thing?" Meiling exclaimed. "If Rikou the cowardly one would strike now then he with Syaoran could easily down him since he's in this condition!"
"Give me some slack, he moves as though he didn't have any pain, what is one psychic attack supposed to do?" Rikou muttered.
Tomoyo observed the "immobilized" forms of Yue and Kero. "Sakura-chan! These pieces of papers don't come off Yue-san's and Kero-chan's bodies!"
"Nani!?!" Sakura exclaimed looking at the two immobilized bodies. She gave a good yank at one of the yellow charms. It wouldn't budge.
"We can't take them off unless we defeat that guy over there," Li murmured.
"No…" Sakura gasped under her breath. "So they'll be frozen like this forever if we don't defeat him…" sweat slowly dribbled down the girl's face. Suddenly the girl winced as if a knife had just plunged in to her back.
Li immediately rubbed the girl's back. "Hey! Daijobu?"
Sakura shook her head. "Just a strange stingy like feeling."
"Like a knife plunged in your back, ne?" Rikou commented. "I know I'm being intrusive with the mind reading, but don't lie like that! You best sit still to slow that 'plague' of your spreading."
"Daijobu Daiyo!" Sakura exclaimed trying to keep a reassuring tone of voice.
"Hey Li…" Rikou murmured. "Have you noticed his martial style?"
"He hasn't even used any martial arts, How should I be able to know?" Li grumbled.
"Hsing Yi Chuan!" Rikou explained. "Mostly, that is. Although I'm not sure of it, this Ichiro guy knows some things about the Realms, Fire, the magic of power, and no he doesn't appear to be a likely sage candidate. Anyway magic from this realm is most effective at the end of the attack when the power is at its maximum. Just like Hsing Yi, it is soft at the start but is solid at the end of attack, If you can hit him while he completes his attack, You could defeat him! It's exactly like trying to counter these forms of attacks in martial arts."
"I understand," Li nodded. "You know, now's the only time I understand why they call you the one of wisdom."
Rikou smiled. He pulled the boy to the corner. "You know, there will be times when you get hurt. If that happens, Sakura-san will definitely jump up and try to help." Rikou glanced over to the girl. "We can't let her happen, that venom from the 'plague' is bad enough as it is. Do you know Dim Mak*, you know the ones where you can temporarily freeze people?" *Dim Mak is the Chinese Art of Pressure Points
"Yes I do, but the longest it can work is in fifteen minutes," Li said.
"Good enough," Rikou nodded. "Just nail him in that time. You know what Chang said about the Realm of Courage."
Li nodded.
Tomoyo was slowly giving Sakura some water from a bottle that she brought along. "Oni-san said that this 'plague' you have in your body will injure you if you use magic."
Sakura smiled. "It's nothing much. I can still care for myself for the moment, ne?"
Tomoyo glanced at the two boys conversing further away from the group. "Li-kun and Oni-san are figuring out a way to down Ichiro-san over there."
"So you won't be needing to do a thing, ne?" Meiling added in front of Sakura. "Syaoran's a great fighter, and that other kid is supposed to be the Sage of Wisdom, right? He should be able to think of something if Syaoran can't, ne?"
Li walked over to the girls. "Rikou and I thought of something, but first…" Li poked his finger into the girl's spine. "Gomen nasai…"
Sakura looked wide eyed at the boy who dashed off towards Ichiro with his sword to start his attack. Sakura tried to run after the boy but a huge tingling in her body stopped her immediately.
"Syaoran-kun! What are you doing! Syaoran-kun!" Sakura screamed.
"Why couldn't he just hit the point to make her be quiet too?" Rikou muttered. Observing the boy.
Li dashed off towards the man His fingers touched a charm from within his sleeve. "God of Thunder, descend!" Li exclaimed.
But the voltages weren't fast enough, Ichiro was immediately on his feet and simply dodged the attack from afar.
"You think that if you were to attack me before I attack you?" Ichiro laughed. "Despite the effort. Your idea is useless when you're trying to attack from that far… From that distance my flames can strike you at its fullest power because the distance gives it time…"
Flames were launched forward at the boy causing him to fall to the ground, miraculously untouched by any burns. Li lunged forward and began to hastily attack his opponent. The boy was blown backward by a quick deceptive attack of his opponent's arm. Li steadily stood on his feet, picked up his blade and swung forward again, lightning surges flowing around the edge of it.
"There he goes doing another kamikaze strike… I said, counter, not attack!" Rikou muttered. He turned to Meiling and Tomoyo. "You know, we could use some popcorn right now, yeah?"
"Hey!" Meiling looked at the boy in disgust. "Why aren't you doing a thing?"
Rikou shuddered. "Yeah, I'll help, but the odds don't seem to favor us currently. His powers are really strong and it doesn't seem to be a life or death situation yet, ne?"
"You speak big, but you're still hiding…" Meiling said dryly.
Tomoyo nudged the girl slightly. "I think Oni-san's just waiting for the right time."
"And what time is that? When we're all dead!?!" Meiling bit her lip after her enraged speech.
Rikou just stared on to where Li was fighting. "I said I'd attack under a Life-or-Death situation, if we were dead, that isn't a life-or-death situation is it?"
Meanwhile Li dashed forward at the Mandarin fit person waving his blade madly. Lightning surges arose from the boy's blade. Li cautiously circled his opponent, anticipating a good time to strike. Rikou-kun is quite successful when he waits until he finds a weakness. That's what I should anticipate, a weakness. Li 's mind jolted back to the papers, which only he seemed to be able to read.
The two stared at each other as the circling resumed. Li then lunged for a strike, the man stepped to the side instantly a smashed Li hard in the shoulder blade. Li fell face down onto a large puddle in the pouring rain. That's it, that one technique Chang wrote about, stopped this guy once, maybe…
"If you think that your limited powers of The Realm you have will save you, you're utterly wrong…" The Dark dressed man. "Observe the Realms' might in the right hands…"
"Go ahead!" Li exclaimed. Lightning was ablaze on Li's blade readying the cage of lightning that the boy had used on his opponent. However before anything happened a gust of wind blew the boy out of reach from the dark guy. Li was hurled backward and landed nearby Rikou.
"Damme!" Sakura exclaimed, getting paler after releasing a little more magic.
"Sakura!" Li exclaimed at what he thought was a reckless move. But I thought I froze her. "How were you able to break the pressure point?"
Sakura shrugged. "I don't know, the tingling went away."
The Mandarin suited guy looked at the girl bemusedly. "You risk death to save your friends…? If you hand of the cards we could end this right now…"
"Iie! I can't" Sakura exclaimed. "But… I don't want my friends to get hurt anymore than they are now because of me! So I have to fight you."
"You're telling me, that you wish to fight in that condition…?" Ichiro murmured
"Daijobu," Sakura replied. "It'll be ok for sure in the end…"
"So be it…" Ichiro sighed. He lunged forward. Raising his hand ignited in flames. In an instant the heated energy scorched forward merciless to anything in its way.
"SHIELD!"
The protective barrier appeared in time to intercept the masses of heat from harming Sakura. Sakura flinched slightly, but then stared straight at her attacker. "I'm ok…" she said to reassure herself of her current state.
"Impressive…" Ichiro stared as the flames disappeared. "That shield, is impenetrable, using standard attacks… But you don't remember about the Plague blast do you?"
The reddish flames that had been in Ichiro's hands had changed to a purplish, and instantly careened itself against the protective barrier. Sakura instantly knew that she couldn't just sit and wait. The girl cautiously took a card out, a slight tremble involuntarily occurred in her arm. No not now. Sakura thought as the "plague" within her began to spread.
"Fly!" Sakura exclaimed. The twin wings appeared behind the girl's back and launched her into the air.
"Fly, fly, while you can, let's just see if you can land…" Ichiro commented. The boy's hand smashed down on the ground, a giant break in the earth blasted open, huge bursts of lava blasted from the crack.
"H…hoeeeee!" Sakura exclaimed at what just happened. And science class said that could only happen due to tectonic movement!
"She can't use too much magic to the 'plague'…" Rikou whispered to Li. "If she can't land, she'll just drain some more energy… She'll perish--"
Li scowled in fury causing him to lunge forward catching the guy off guard from his rear, temporarily stopping the attack that the man was throwing at Sakura. The hole in the earth sealed itself. The boy's blade was in a blaze of lightning as the boy battered on relentlessly as energy flowed from the boy's arm to his weapon. The protective shield, that had just protected Sakura, slowly faded around the girl. Rikou teleported behind her and hit a point on the center of Sakura's spine with his forefinger igniting the small area with a blue light.
"Rikou-kun, nani wo shi masu ka?" Sakura asked weakly. (what are you doing?)
"Nothing to worry about, it's a technique enabling the user to give treatment to others." Rikou replied a matter-of-factly. "I wouldn't be able to do this if Li wasn't distracting that other dude. This won't destroy this 'plague' but I can suppress it temporarily. But hey you can't get everything in this world can you?"
"Domo Arigato, Rikou-kun," Sakura said staring intensely towards Li.
Tomoyo stood next to Meiling within the shelter of the tree. Her camera was down now a fraction due to the tension that was really going on.
"I hate times like this…" Meiling muttered next to her.
Tomoyo nodded. "You want to help them too, ne? Meiling-chan?"
"But without magic, we'd just get in the way…" Meiling replied. She grabbed her head and shook it. "Why couldn't have it and then I could help Syaoran!"
Tomoyo patted the girl. "They'll be fine, if Sakura-chan's here, they'll be fine…"
The two resumed uncomfortably looking on towards the onslaught ahead.
Dodged another blast of light as he advanced forward. This new idea I'm using, practical it may be, but I can only use it in relatively close range, curses!
Once the distance between the two was diminished, Li swung his blade forward, producing the same bright light as before. The other evaded the strike and moved swiftly out to gain distance.
"I have no time for this farce…" The man said. With a burst of speed he propelled himself forward, not at Li, but directly at Sakura.
Rikou with his free hand shot a small blue beam towards the attacker, who repelled it with a quick motion with his hand.
"(Eng) Damn!" The boy cursed. Using telekinetic abilities, Rikou pushed Sakura back towards Tomoyo and Meiling next to the temporary safety of the tree. Ichiro lunged forward smashing a palm full of flames in the boy's back. Rikou grunted, kneeling downward a bit.
"So this is the psychic power of the Realm of Wisdom, amusing…" Ichiro chuckled.
"(Eng) Your mom!" Rikou shouted. "Repel!" Blue light flashed from the boy's back shooting Ichiro blowing away Ichiro.
"Eh? So you do have tricks up your sleeve…" Ichiro smiled.
"O-nei-chan," Rikou exclaimed. "Make sure Sakura-san doesn't use a hint of magic or even a god won't be able to help her if that 'plague' gets to her vital organs."
"Hai! Oni-chan!" Tomoyo smiled raising her two fingers up reassuringly. "Sakura-san couldn't possibly get hurt if Ichiro-san's distracted by you and Li-kun!"
"Just make sure that other girl doesn't bite her head off!" Rikou exclaimed back.
"NANI!" Meiling screamed.
The boy didn't bother replying, although he would've loved to. However Ichiro had already started to attack. Rikou turned himself quickly to defend. Ichiro's flames blew outward, Rikou caught them in his barrier, and reflected the attack back. Ichiro blew a volley of flames to meet the counter, stopping them immediately. The two stopped noting that the way they proceeded would take maybe forever and started to use physical attack instead, Ichiro's firm blast from his fist was smoothly redirected away from Rikou, who immediately tried to counter by pressing forward, the other leapt backwards to evade the counter. This gave Li enough time to catch up and attack the man from behind. The guy turned around trying to fend off the new threat, Rikou however took the time to smoothly maneuver to the man's back and lightly catch the man's arm in a quick joint lock. Li rose a leg kicking Ichiro squarely at the side of the neck. Not wanting to get struck again, the man leapt high into the air breaking Rikou's grappling technique and deceptively confused Li into kicking his ally in the face.
Rikou backed away grabbing his eye. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN'? SON OF A--!"
The other man landed neatly on his feet and held out his hand, a long handled saber appeared within them. "As I said, I have no time for this farce."
Sakura sat staring at her friends being beaten down continuously. "Syaoran-kun, Rikou-kun… stop…"
Ichiro immediately busted Li in the side of his face with the back end of his saber. A huge blood smudge appeared on the boy's face.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura screamed. The adrenaline was pumping through out the girl's body.
Rikou plunged above Li swung out his narrow blade to prevent Ichiro to complete the finishing blow, redirecting the blade towards its owners side, but it wasn't any good, The boy was just nailed in through the sternum, blowing him backwards. Li leapt up trying to do a flying crescent kick at the man's scull, which became unsuccessful.
"Damme!" Sakura hollered she got up only to be grabbed and brought back down by Tomoyo and Meiling. "Tomoyo-chan, Meiling-chan, why are you stopping me?"
"Oni-san said that you couldn't use magic in this state!" Tomoyo replied instantly.
"Demo, if we just sit here, Syaoran-kun and Rikou-kun will die!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Even if they do, what would you be able to do?" Meiling exclaimed. "You can't use magic, or else you'll get killed, and you're not such a fighter to assist physically, Syaoran and that other kid wouldn't want you to get hurt needlessly! No one here does. So just stay here ok?" Meiling glanced to the two. "They know what they're doing, I think…"
The two boys lunged forward with their blades but the other just twirled a long spear-saber in a quick circle disarming his attackers' swords, and quickly bashed them on the side of their faces with a quick blow with the back end of his weapon. The two boys broke to the ground in pain.
"It's time that I finish this…" The man dashed forward saber in hand to hack the remains of his downed attackers. Ichiro rose his hand, huge bursts of flames charged in the man's hand.
"Well Li, it was nice knowing ya…" Rikou moaned.
"It was a pleasure to figure out the true capability of the Sages," Ichiro murmured. "You threw a good fight, farewell…"
The flames blasted belched forward to incinerate its victims, and for a moment, it seemed all over for the two boys.
Sakura's eyes widened in an instant. "Windy!"
A violent wind erupted throughout the area blowing piles of dirt and all sorts of other things into the air. The shadowy person was forced back a few steps, He then tried to stop the blow's force by stamping his foot firmly in the ground, the attempt were unsuccessful. Immediately the man vanished a shroud of violet light. Soon thereafter all was quiet again.
"Yokkata" (Thank goodness.) Sakura stroked a bead of sweat from her forehead.
Li yelled out at the girl. "BAKA! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"Gomen, gomen, but I'm ok, ne?" Sakura smiled. "I don't feel that much pain as before, so I guess I'm really fine."
"Already forgot that you have that Plague thing didn't chya?" Rikou hanging from a loose branch of a tree. "But while you were forgetting you just had to blow this innocent fellow up in a tree when he don't like heights!"
"S…Sumimasen…" Sakura replied, embarrassed.
"You're lucky the plague didn't react…" Li grunted turning his face away, not daring to look at the girl directly in the eye the reddish color returning to the boy's face. "Rikou's healing technique only suppresses the venom temporarily, not destroy it."
"Daijobu daiyo!" Sakura smiled (I'm fine). "Nothing that was bad was permanent, ne?"
"Demo--!" Li started he then stopped.
Sakura smiled. "It's truly nothing, thanks for worrying, but I'm fine, Honto!" (really)
"COULD YOU DEBATE AFTER YOU GET ME DOWN! I HATE HEIGHTS!!!!!!"
(Someplace unknown to common people)
"I'm sorry Master Tseng, I have failed…" The Mandarin clothed guy said to another staring out towards the darkness and the moon through a window.
"That is not true, my loyal vassal, Ichiro-san…" the man said shifting two steel Tai Chi Balls within his hand. "I had never expected you to actually obtain the Sakura Cards today, though I said to… Plus you've enabled the Plague within the Card Mistress to spread…" the man smiled after this. "Now she will snap easily to the slightest gust. Had she not been infected, our campaign might as well be useless… As for the so called Sages (chuckle)… there isn't no need to worry about them."
"Chang, San Feng, failed, but he was close, ne?" Ichiro asked
"Ichiro-san, I raised you to be analytical, I see I have succeeded. Chang? He's dead along with his Art of the Three Realms. The legendary founder and his studies has vanished from the Earth, pity… His later disciples? Just mere kids assuming they are proficient in an art that is impossible to learn."
"Clow Reed has also departed from this world too."
Tseng laughed. "Ah yes Clow, he was a powerful fellow, calm, clever, but cocky… Had he let me use the cards, would we be in this mess?"
Ichiro looked at his mentor confusingly. For a long time Ichiro saw the man as a master, a sage, a father. "I have a question I've been wanting to ask for a long time. Why do you strive to get the cards when you're not really sure that--?"
"Oh I'm sure. I haven't lived seven centuries for nothing…" The ancient man sighed. "Now, my vassal, it has been a long night for you, and there's a lot of things ahead of us, go, we both need our rest…" Tseng attempted to get out of his chair, but after a slight snap, the man slumped back down. "Hmm, These old bones, are beginning to get out of shape, (smile) but that's what happens when you live as long as I do. Clow himself couldn't figure out this state of being for he hasn't lived as long as I has he?" The old man laughed. "Ah take off the fake beard Ichiro-san, you still have youth, enjoy it…"
"Oh yes!" Ichiro took the grayish hair from his face.
"Oh, before I forget, take this," Tseng tossed Ichiro a small flask.
"Eh?" The man, after taking off the artificial facial hair, was actually rather young, still in his teens.
"The antidote to the plague blast. It may come in handy…"
Ichiro bowed with respect. The man departed out of the dark room. Tseng slowly looked out a damp window
"Chang… So close… yet you fail."
(The next day)
"Sakura… Sakura…" Kero yelled at the top of his lungs at the sleeping girl.
The girl's eyes fluttered open. "Mmm… Nan desu ka, Kero-chan?" (What is it?)
"Daijobu desu ka?" Kero asked worried.
"I'm ok" Sakura started, closing her eyes for a few seconds.
"Honto?" Kero asked.
"Really, I'm fine…" Sakura murmured in her sleep. "No pains from last night, so I'm fine
"Well you do know that your alarm's been ringing for ten minutes, are you sure you're ok?" Kero mentioned
Sakura's eyes immediately blasted open after just being merely shut. "WHAT!!!" Sakura launched herself
out of bed.
"Eh, don't go too fast, that plague you have within you will… " Kero stopped Sakura, with her light-speed clothes changing abilities had already changed and was running down the hallway. Kero rolled his eyes. "Spread…"
Kero looked out the doorway of Sakura's room. "Sigh… happens everyday…"
"That kid says that the 'plague' would spread throughout the body injuring a person when they use magic… So Sakura may…"
Li rose his hand in the air a sparkle of lightning surged through his fingers as he strolled down the walkway away from his apartment. "Strange, before all the other magic made me more tired. A few pages in those papers and I already feel great power in my body, yet I feel more replenished."
The boy commenced pacing towards the street. Rikou strolled to a stop in front of him a cup with a Starbucks symbol in his hand.
"Ohayo Li-kun." Rikou greeted sipping the beverage. "Hey and I thought it was impossible to get Seattle's best in the capital of the Starbucks Empire, It's even more harder just to get a cappuccino here!"
"Right…" Li said.
"Around halfway through the semester, ne?" Rikou said.
Li nodded.
"You're a slow one, still haven't told Sakura-san a thing have ya?"
"Iie…"
Li walked down the sidewalk. Rikou paced next to the boy casually.
"You know, there was this one kid I met," Rikou started, "who had this crush on this one girl."
"What are you coming up with?" Li mumbled not being pleased by the topic the other was bringing up.
"Wait listen, It's a really bad story…" Rikou replied. "Anyways he had this crush on a girl, but he didn't have the guts to say it."
Li didn't look like it but he was really listening intently. Maybe this will have some truth.
"So everyday he would have these dreams about her, visions, depressions, yadda, yadda," Rikou continued.
"So…"
"So he decides finally to tell her his feelings after quite a long time."
"AND?"
"Well the problem was that his crush by then had a crush on some other guy, so he was rejected." Rikou added in a matter-of-factly tone. "The more ironic thing was that she was still single until then, yadda, yadda, and so the boy winds up living the rest of his high school days in misery…"
"Honto?" Li asked. He was beginning to sweat now. "That would really happen if I— That's just lame Rikou-kun."
"This was some dude named, cough, cough LI SYAORAN!" at that instant Rikou stamped his foot down and burst down the street as fast as he could
"RIKOU!" Li rampaged down the sidewalk after him.
Rikou finally halted to a stop after a block or two of pursuit. "What's holding you back anyways?"
Li stopped at the question. "I…"
"Too scared to face the consequences?"
"No… I…" Li stammered.
"(Yoda voice) Do or Do Not, There is no try! It's all your choice. If you do it, do it fast, and get it over with, or you don't do it and just forget about it altogether. That's my motto! Think about the rest for yourself. Also take note who has the care free life and who's depressed. The rest?" Rikou took another sip out of his coffee. "It's all up to you." The boy looked through his cup. "God, no more, now I hafta go back to that Starbucks, and wait another half-hour! Oh well see you at school." Rikou smiled and walked away from the boy mumbling to himself. "Stupid overpopulation…"
Li continued the rest of his walk alone contemplating to himself.
Sakura raced down the sidewalk as quickly as she could. "I'm going to be late!"
Despite her effort though, her mad Blitz was interrupted. A young man walked out onto the intersection, only to get run over by the unpunctual girl. Amazingly Sakura hadn't plowed the man straight downward into the ground. Sakura immediately got up and bowed instantly.
"Gomen Nasai, I didn't see you come out. I was trying to get to school quickly because I'm late but I--!"
"It's ok." The familiar friendly looking face looked back into Sakura.
"Yukito-san!" Sakura gasped. "Sumimasen!"
Yukito smiled. "Yesterday I found myself extremely tired, did my 'other' self go out last night?"
Sakura nodded nervously.
"Well there's nothing I can do about it ne?" Yukito smiled warmly.
"Etto…" Sakura murmured, she smiled back instantly and immediately changed the topic. "Hoe, shouldn't you've gone to the university?"
Yukito laughed. "Well I was on my way to the subway, but I got hungry, and I noticed that I hadn't brought any food, and my wallet, I seemed to have left in my other pants. (chuckles) Someday my stomach may be my undoing, ne?"
Sakura shook her head sincerely. "Iie! Eating a lot is--!"
"Yeah I know, eating a lot is healthy, but it does get in the way at times." Yukito replied with one of his Sakura-becomes-jittery smiles.
"H-hai!"
Meanwhile Li was walking along the exact same road. The boy all of a sudden had a sick feeling in his stomach. Just the sights of the sudden appearance of the girl made him want to just get up and run for all he's worth. In fact, was exactly what the boy did. At the moment the boy laid eyes on her, Li immediately turned around and took a detour to school without a thought.
Sakura burst into her high school classroom. "Ohayo!"
Tomoyo smiled at the girl. "Ohayo goziamasu, Sakura-chan. You are healthy today?"
Sakura looked around panicky around the classroom. "Am I late!?!"
"Iie…" Tomoyo smiled. "You're actually a little early, fifteen minutes, for that matter, ne?"
"Yokatta…(Thank goodness)" Sakura sighed with relief and placed her head on her desk. She gave off a soft sigh. The rays from the rising sun beamed over through the window making golden stripes on various places within the room. "Actually I feel sort of different after that one night…"
Tomoyo looked at the girl worry in her eyes. "Are you hurt?"
Sakura shook her head with her don't worry smile spread across her face. "Honto ni, daijobu daiyo!" (really I'm fine!)
"Don't push yourself too hard, ok?" Tomoyo replied to Sakura. "You still have to keep your health up, last night didn't really seem like the other encounters…"
"We were fine in the end, ne?" Sakura replied happily. "Whatever happens later on, It'll be ok for sure!"
Li bolted in soon after. His face was bright red, but his mind was surging with thought. "Sakura!"
Sakura's head rose a fraction from her desk. "Ohayo, Syaoran-kun."
"I want to talk to you for a sec!" Li blurted. Rikou's words were well in his mind:
… If you do it, do it fast, and get it over with, or you don't do it and just forget about it altogether. Li thought.
Sakura looked at the boy puzzled. "Ima?" now?
Li nodded his head. His mouth quivered for a sec "I want to speak to you alone…" At this moment Li picked up Sakura's arm and pulled her towards the classroom door.
Tomoyo glanced towards the door. The girl smiled, already knowing what Li was trying to do. Rikou silently approached his seat from the door. His head fell softly to its side on the desk.
Tomoyo turned around from the window. "Ohayo, Rikou-kun."
Rikou sighed. "O yasumi nasai…" good night.
Tomoyo chuckled. "Not enough sleep?"
"Yeah… Two cups of coffee and an extra half-hour of waiting, I want my money back." the boy mumbled. "Anyways, I would say that Li-kun is confessing his feelings towards Sakura out in the hall, but I'd say that's not likely since the boy hasn't got a tongue for these words.
Tomoyo grinned. "And you do, Oni-san?"
"Monchi ron!" (Of course) Rikou replied instantly. "Dai-Su-Ki, Je T'adore, I love you, etc. It's three syllables in all the languages I can think of. Simple." Rikou took a sip from a water bottle he had close at hand. "You know, uhhh." Rikou scratched the back of his head. "Hypothetically, suppose that Sakura wasn't able to use magic for the rest of her life, how depressed, would she be?"
Tomoyo looked at the boy worry in her eyes. "Nani? She can't use her magic?"
"Supposing she doesn't care that she gets injured or we find an antidote, sure she could use magic…"
"Nani? You mean she's not cured of that 'plague' when you were healing her?" Tomoyo asked.
"Hey, I'm just a kid with a couple more abilities, not a god." The boy grunted. "That healing technique, can stop venom and stuff from reacting temporarily, but then it goes away."
"Couldn't you do that many times, to try to force it out," Tomoyo asked worry in her eyes.
"Yeah sure, if you want a dried up vegetable for a brother. I could try and force the thing all out." Rikou replied. "When I heal myself, I feel more energized because my energy is circulating itself. However, if I heal someone else, it drains my energy because I'm transferring energy. And with enough plague to make her spit blood sigh, Chang San Feng himself would become a dried vegetable if he forced it out. You see what I mean?"
"Hai…" Tomoyo said in disappointment.
Li stopped next to their lockers in the hallway. He stared right through Sakura's eyes. "You… I, etto…" The boy stuttered as his face became redder, and sweatier the more he proceeded
Sakura waited patiently at the stammering boy to say something. "What is it, Syaoran-kun?"
"About you…" Li stopped. "I… I…"
"What is it?" Sakura asked curiously. "You're turning all red, do you have a cold, Syaoran-kun, daijobu? You seem healthy. Are… are you blushing?"
"No! I—!"
"Talking about colds!" Yamazaki appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
Sakura and Li jumped backwards in surprise.
"Colds are actually hot!" Yamazaki stated.
"H…hoe?" Sakura jumped back as the boy who appeared out of nowhere.
"Colds were found in Greenland when people all of a sudden had these huge heat emissions!" Yamazaki added. "In fact the colds made them so hot, that they didn't mind the harsh cold climate of the polar region within Greenland, and therefore didn't know that it was even a disease! They though it was a good thing!"
"But didn't colds exist before then?" Sakura asked baffled, "Then they'd would've known that Colds were bad… ne? Syaoran-kun?"
Li just stood at the boy mouth gaping wide in his pale form.
"Iie!" Yamazaki said. "Colds didn't exist until it they got it in Greenland and--!"
Chiharu went behind the boy and with her two fingers grabbed his ear. "Hai, hai and then?" Chiharu knew that the more she would tell everyone it was a lie the more twisted they became so she merely dragged him inside.
Li, freed from all distractions turned to Sakura again. "Sakura, Boku (I)—"
Coincidentally the School bell rings dropping the boy off mid sentence again.
Sakura cocked her head slightly to the side. "Well, we've got to go inside, or we'll be really late for class. We can talk later, all right?"
"H…hai…" Li stuttered.
Sakura smiled. "Are we going?"
"I'll follow you later"
"Okay. I'll go in ahead of you. That's all right with you, ne?" Sakura asked as she started to walk back towards their classroom.
"Sure, I'll meet you back later."
Sakura gave Li a quick wave and left the boy behind. Li turned towards his locker placed his forehead on its cool metal surface. The boy unconsciously smacked his fist into the metal compartment in dismay. "Why do I have to start all over? Why is it so hard still even though this is a second time?" Syaoran beat the locker one more time, and headed back to class.
(End of ch 6)
May 25,2002: It seems like it took forever to actually finish this chapter, my last posting was like months ago wasn't it? Gomen Nasai, but School and extracurricular activities have really been nailing my time. But I was finally able to finish this. Hopefully I can finish the next chapter soon. If you have any comments/suggestions, please Email me at psychic720@yahoo.com or write a review if you're writing from Fanfiction.net. Well see you in the next chapter!
-Psychic720