Part three
A sweatdropping Sakura and smiling Juri arrived at the gym, Tomoyo following close behind them and filming away madly. "What a shot," Tomoyo happily sighed to herself as the two dramatically passed through the double doors.
"Does she always do that?" Juri asked Sakura quietly.
"Yep." Sakura sighed softly. "So whom am I supposed to meet?" she asked.
Juri looked around her, then she waved to a handsome young man nearby. Both Sakura and Tomoyo stared as he walked towards him: he was short, blue haired, and very, very cute. All in all, he cut a fine figure in his fencing uniform. And, according to Juri, anybody who tried to get close to him lately had a serious accident.
"Sakura, Tomoyo, I'd like you to meet my friend Kaoru Miki." Juri said with a smile.
Miki extended his hand and Sakura took it in her own, nearly freezing as she felt that familiar tingle running up and down her spine. There was a Clow Card here, all right, but it didn't feel like it was hiding in him. Someone around him, maybe? Sakura thought.
"It's nice to meet you, Miki." Sakura said, forcing a smile.
The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat cut across the conversation, and they turned around to see a angry looking blue haired girl standing there right beside them. She looked like Miki himself, if you ignored the scowl.
"And of course," Juri said sardonically, "his shadow, oops, I mean twin sister, Kozue."
As soon as she saw Kozue, Sakura knew that she was the Card bearer. And something in Kozue's dark eyes let Sakura know that she knew Sakura was a enemy. She could feel Kozue drawing on her power, when Sakura said to her simply, "Later. Not here, not now."
Kozue looked around a moment, then she nodded to Sakura in agreement. Sakura quickly made her excuses to Miki, and told him to get to a place he could be alone. She told him she would perform a ritual to help solve his problem.
'Which is perfectly true, as far as it goes,' Sakura thought. "Juri, is there someplace more private we can do this?" she asked, and sweatdropped as Kozue gave her a death-glare.
"There's a fencing hall free," Juri said. She, Sakura, and Kozue walked in the room first, with Tomoyo lagging behind them so she could videotape the group. As soon as they entered, Kozue walked over and picked up one of the swords, smiling at Sakura evily.
Sakura offered her the chance to surrender, and Kozue flatly refused. "Sakura, should I do the roses?" Juri offered. Sakura nodded, and Juri walked over to put a blue rose in Kozue's pocket, bending over to whisper something in her ear that made the blue haired girl blush scarlet. A white rose went into Sakura's pocket, and Juri leaned close to whisper "To the winner the spoils. She is kind of cute..."
Sakura rolled her eyes at that idea, making Juri laugh. Pulling out the sword charm, Sakura said the familiar words:
"Oh Sword of Dios, Power of magic, power of Right! Surrender the Blade, the sword of Light! Release!"
The sword shining brightly in her hands, Sakura looked over at Kozue. An odd, green mist swirled all around her, but other than that nothing unusual seemed to be happening yet. Sakura charged Kozue, hoping to gain the advantage of surprise, but as soon as she entered the green mist, her skin felt like it was on fire!
"Oww! What the...whoops!" Sakura yelped, barely dodging Kozue's first strike. The girl was relentless, pursuing the half blind, pain wracked girl around the room until Sakura was finally able to get clear of the mists.
"A nice trick," Sakura managed to choke out, "but stink isn't going to win this one!" Kozue gasped in rage, and Sakura grinned.
"Always try to make an opponent mad," Juri had once told her during one of their practice matches, "mad people fight stupid."
A Clow Card appeared in Sakura's hand, and she cried "Windy Card! Empower my blade! Windy!" threw it up in the air, and then sliced across it with the Sword of Dios. Around her and the blade, a woman formed of air appeared, and with one sweep of the blade, the mist was blown away in a powerful gust of wind.
Kozue gasped in shock as her precious mist disappeared, then cried out in horror as Sakura suddenly appeared in her face. "Gotcha," she said quietly, and in one smooth gesture cut Kozue's rose to ribbons. The green mist swirled away, condensing into a human form, then calmly approached and surrendered to Sakura's blade. "Mist Card! Return to your power confined! Mist!" The card formed, and gently dropped into Sakura's hand.
Kozue staggered, a look of pain and deep loss on her face, then like a rag-doll she totally collapsed. Sakura quickly walked over, checking her pulse. "She's fine," Sakura said softly. "Let's get her back to her room."
"You're more generous than I would be," Juri said quietly as she picked up one end, Sakura the other. Sakura only shrugged a bit in reply.
Sakura knocked on Miki's door, and helped him carry Kozue inside. Tomoyo watched for a moment, then drew Juri aside. "I wanted to ask something," Tomoyo said nervously.
"What's that?" Juri asked in friendly tones.
"Are you in love with Sakura?" Tomoyo asked her boldly.
Juri looked down at her blankly, then began to, quite uncharacteristically giggle quietly. "I'm really sorry," the chuckling Juri said, "I'm not laughing at you." She wipes at her teary eyes, smiling. "After what happened with Shiori, I've totally sworn off younger women." she explained. "Besides, I have a girlfriend."
"I'm sorry," Tomoyo echoed, smiling up at her as well. Juri gave her an inquiring look, Tomoyo flushing under that gaze. "I... like her," Tomoyo admitted, "even if she doesn't know it." She looked thoughtful. "So you have an older lover?"
Juri grinned saucily. "Experience is the best teacher," she quipped. "Lets go grab Sakura, go get some food and celebrate her victory, OK?" Juri asked, smiling.
Sensing a change in topic, Tomoyo let it go.
A sweatdropping Sakura and smiling Juri arrived at the gym, Tomoyo following close behind them and filming away madly. "What a shot," Tomoyo happily sighed to herself as the two dramatically passed through the double doors.
"Does she always do that?" Juri asked Sakura quietly.
"Yep." Sakura sighed softly. "So whom am I supposed to meet?" she asked.
Juri looked around her, then she waved to a handsome young man nearby. Both Sakura and Tomoyo stared as he walked towards him: he was short, blue haired, and very, very cute. All in all, he cut a fine figure in his fencing uniform. And, according to Juri, anybody who tried to get close to him lately had a serious accident.
"Sakura, Tomoyo, I'd like you to meet my friend Kaoru Miki." Juri said with a smile.
Miki extended his hand and Sakura took it in her own, nearly freezing as she felt that familiar tingle running up and down her spine. There was a Clow Card here, all right, but it didn't feel like it was hiding in him. Someone around him, maybe? Sakura thought.
"It's nice to meet you, Miki." Sakura said, forcing a smile.
The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat cut across the conversation, and they turned around to see a angry looking blue haired girl standing there right beside them. She looked like Miki himself, if you ignored the scowl.
"And of course," Juri said sardonically, "his shadow, oops, I mean twin sister, Kozue."
As soon as she saw Kozue, Sakura knew that she was the Card bearer. And something in Kozue's dark eyes let Sakura know that she knew Sakura was a enemy. She could feel Kozue drawing on her power, when Sakura said to her simply, "Later. Not here, not now."
Kozue looked around a moment, then she nodded to Sakura in agreement. Sakura quickly made her excuses to Miki, and told him to get to a place he could be alone. She told him she would perform a ritual to help solve his problem.
'Which is perfectly true, as far as it goes,' Sakura thought. "Juri, is there someplace more private we can do this?" she asked, and sweatdropped as Kozue gave her a death-glare.
"There's a fencing hall free," Juri said. She, Sakura, and Kozue walked in the room first, with Tomoyo lagging behind them so she could videotape the group. As soon as they entered, Kozue walked over and picked up one of the swords, smiling at Sakura evily.
Sakura offered her the chance to surrender, and Kozue flatly refused. "Sakura, should I do the roses?" Juri offered. Sakura nodded, and Juri walked over to put a blue rose in Kozue's pocket, bending over to whisper something in her ear that made the blue haired girl blush scarlet. A white rose went into Sakura's pocket, and Juri leaned close to whisper "To the winner the spoils. She is kind of cute..."
Sakura rolled her eyes at that idea, making Juri laugh. Pulling out the sword charm, Sakura said the familiar words:
"Oh Sword of Dios, Power of magic, power of Right! Surrender the Blade, the sword of Light! Release!"
The sword shining brightly in her hands, Sakura looked over at Kozue. An odd, green mist swirled all around her, but other than that nothing unusual seemed to be happening yet. Sakura charged Kozue, hoping to gain the advantage of surprise, but as soon as she entered the green mist, her skin felt like it was on fire!
"Oww! What the...whoops!" Sakura yelped, barely dodging Kozue's first strike. The girl was relentless, pursuing the half blind, pain wracked girl around the room until Sakura was finally able to get clear of the mists.
"A nice trick," Sakura managed to choke out, "but stink isn't going to win this one!" Kozue gasped in rage, and Sakura grinned.
"Always try to make an opponent mad," Juri had once told her during one of their practice matches, "mad people fight stupid."
A Clow Card appeared in Sakura's hand, and she cried "Windy Card! Empower my blade! Windy!" threw it up in the air, and then sliced across it with the Sword of Dios. Around her and the blade, a woman formed of air appeared, and with one sweep of the blade, the mist was blown away in a powerful gust of wind.
Kozue gasped in shock as her precious mist disappeared, then cried out in horror as Sakura suddenly appeared in her face. "Gotcha," she said quietly, and in one smooth gesture cut Kozue's rose to ribbons. The green mist swirled away, condensing into a human form, then calmly approached and surrendered to Sakura's blade. "Mist Card! Return to your power confined! Mist!" The card formed, and gently dropped into Sakura's hand.
Kozue staggered, a look of pain and deep loss on her face, then like a rag-doll she totally collapsed. Sakura quickly walked over, checking her pulse. "She's fine," Sakura said softly. "Let's get her back to her room."
"You're more generous than I would be," Juri said quietly as she picked up one end, Sakura the other. Sakura only shrugged a bit in reply.
Sakura knocked on Miki's door, and helped him carry Kozue inside. Tomoyo watched for a moment, then drew Juri aside. "I wanted to ask something," Tomoyo said nervously.
"What's that?" Juri asked in friendly tones.
"Are you in love with Sakura?" Tomoyo asked her boldly.
Juri looked down at her blankly, then began to, quite uncharacteristically giggle quietly. "I'm really sorry," the chuckling Juri said, "I'm not laughing at you." She wipes at her teary eyes, smiling. "After what happened with Shiori, I've totally sworn off younger women." she explained. "Besides, I have a girlfriend."
"I'm sorry," Tomoyo echoed, smiling up at her as well. Juri gave her an inquiring look, Tomoyo flushing under that gaze. "I... like her," Tomoyo admitted, "even if she doesn't know it." She looked thoughtful. "So you have an older lover?"
Juri grinned saucily. "Experience is the best teacher," she quipped. "Lets go grab Sakura, go get some food and celebrate her victory, OK?" Juri asked, smiling.
Sensing a change in topic, Tomoyo let it go.