Part Four
"Sakura," Tomoyo asked as they sat together in their room after classes, "have all the cards hidden in duelists?"
"Pretty much," Sakura said with a nod. "That's why I've asked Juri to keep an eye on the fencing and kendo clubs in case something does come up." Sakura sweatdropped a bit, as Tomoyo rewound the video of the capture of the Earth card and watched it again. "Do you have to watch that? It's so embarrassing!"
Tomoyo smiled over at the blushing Sakura and teasingly said, "Come on, you have to admit it was pretty funny to see."
She started the tape, and poor Tsuwabuki's image came up. The Earth card had made him almost unmovable, something Sakura had discovered by quite painfully bouncing off of him a few times. Still, once she figured out the card turned him into a statue leaving the rose mostly unprotected, the capture went easily enough.
Their conversation was interrupted by a soft knocking at the door. Sakura got up, letting Tomoyo shut off the VCR, and went over to answer it. Saionji, Wakaba standing at his side, nodded to her respectfully.
"There's something... rather odd going on over at the kendo club," Saionji explained to them a few moments later, sitting a bit uncomfortably at Sakura's desk. "I've spoken to Juri about it, and she sent me over to see you."
"What's going on?" Tomoyo asked him. For a moment, Saionji looked at her disdainfully, but quickly stopped when he saw Sakura's hard glare.
"Sorry," Saionji said quietly, smiling a bit self-mockingly, "an old habit. A longtime competitor has suddenly began winning all of his matches, even when up against opponents who previously had easily defeated him. The people he faces say that it's uncanny, it's like they're seeing him in more than one place at the same time."
Sakura nodded to herself thoughtfully. "Sounds like one of the cards, all right." She asked, " So who is this kendoist?"
"Kiryuu Touga," Saionji answered. Not long after, he excused himself, and he and the smiling Wakaba left together.
"We'd better call Juri," Tomoyo said to Sakura thoughtfully, "she's also a member of the student council, and can probably get us both back stage. We need to stop him before any more of the matches, right?"
Sakura nodded to Tomoyo firmly in agreement. "It's not fair to the other competetors, if we don't," she agreed.
A short while later, Juri was leading them up the back ways of the kendo hall. "So who's your mystery girlfriend?" Sakura asked her again.
Juri rolled her eyes at that. "You just won't let it go, huh?" she said, smiling. "All right, you can meet her at the parent/teacher day next week. She'll be here then."
"So she's the mother of one of the students here at Ohtori? You rogue!" Tomoyo said with a impish little smile.
Juri made a face at that before saying, "Touga's warming up in here, it should be private enough for you to make the capture." They knocked on the door, and faintly heard a voice yell out an answer from inside.
"Did that sound like 'Go away' to you?" Tomoyo asked with a smile.
Ignoring that they pushed the door open and went in. A handsome young man moved gracefully across the floor, his long red hair swinging around him. His sword cut through the air smoothly, almost like poetry in motion.
"Hey, Touga!" Juri yelled to him, "get your skinny butt over here!" He came to a jarring stop, then turned and glared daggers at Juri. The glare turned to a falsely charming smile when he saw Sakura and Tomoyo with her.
"Ladies!" he said with a lounge lizard's smile, walking over and shaking each of their hands.
Sakura shivered almost as soon as he touched her, 'Oh, yes,' she thought, 'definitely a card hiding here.' She smiled bleakly. 'And is he ever a creep,' she thought. "I'd like to challenge you to a duel," Sakura said to him simply.
Touga pretended to look shocked. "A beautiful woman like you? I wouldn't want to risk harming such a fair lady," he said.
Sakura drew out the sword, and it's soft glow lit the room, showing a strangely sinister glow around Touga's form. She spoke quietly:
"Oh Sword of Dios, Power of magic, power of Right! Surrender the Blade, the sword of Light! Release!"
She points the blade at him. "Are you a coward, Touga? Is what everyone says about you true? Or is it you're afraid of a fair fight?" Sakura said in biting tones.
"Never let it be said I'd turn away from a challenge," Touga scowled at her. Juri plucked a red rose from a nearby vase, putting the still wet flower in his coat pocket. She then produced a dry white rose and put it in Sakura's pocket. Touga calmed down a bit, and smiled coldly at Sakura as he said,. "See my power, then."
He seemed to shimmer slightly, then there were two versions of Touga facing her. Then three. Four. Five, and finally six Tougas surrounded Sakura in a full circle. All wore the red roses, and all had that very same sneer on their faces. Together, the voice echoing around her, Touga said "Catch me if you can, little girl."
Sakura turned, wheeling about, trying to see which was the real one. Suddenly, she cried out as a stinging cut burned across her cheek, and she barely brought her blade around to protect her rose. The Tougas circled her, taunting, occasionally striking out to try to mark Sakura with his blade once again. Finally she stopped, and went dead still, closing her eyes.
Sakura closed her eyes, concentrating. 'It's Mirror, it has to be,' she thought. "How to I find the real one, though?" She focused, thinking about Mirror, and when she had seen Touga practicing. 'Why is that still in my head?' Her eyes suddenly shot open in shock. She scanned the Touga's, and suddenly smiled at them. The Tougas charged at her, but Sakura unerringly found the real Touga, and in a second, his rose lay in pieces on the dojo floor.
"How?" Touga choked out.
"You are right handed," Sakura said to him quietly, "but you're twins were all lefties." She stepped back and raised her sword, as glowing shards of mirrored glass swirled out from Touga's form. "Mirror card! Return to your power confined! Mirror!" Sakura cried, and the card materialized and then floated into Sakura's hand.
She stepped back, the card in hand, and looked down at Touga coldly. "Good luck in winning your duels now, cheater." With that, Sakura led Tomoyo and Juri away.
"Sakura," Tomoyo asked as they sat together in their room after classes, "have all the cards hidden in duelists?"
"Pretty much," Sakura said with a nod. "That's why I've asked Juri to keep an eye on the fencing and kendo clubs in case something does come up." Sakura sweatdropped a bit, as Tomoyo rewound the video of the capture of the Earth card and watched it again. "Do you have to watch that? It's so embarrassing!"
Tomoyo smiled over at the blushing Sakura and teasingly said, "Come on, you have to admit it was pretty funny to see."
She started the tape, and poor Tsuwabuki's image came up. The Earth card had made him almost unmovable, something Sakura had discovered by quite painfully bouncing off of him a few times. Still, once she figured out the card turned him into a statue leaving the rose mostly unprotected, the capture went easily enough.
Their conversation was interrupted by a soft knocking at the door. Sakura got up, letting Tomoyo shut off the VCR, and went over to answer it. Saionji, Wakaba standing at his side, nodded to her respectfully.
"There's something... rather odd going on over at the kendo club," Saionji explained to them a few moments later, sitting a bit uncomfortably at Sakura's desk. "I've spoken to Juri about it, and she sent me over to see you."
"What's going on?" Tomoyo asked him. For a moment, Saionji looked at her disdainfully, but quickly stopped when he saw Sakura's hard glare.
"Sorry," Saionji said quietly, smiling a bit self-mockingly, "an old habit. A longtime competitor has suddenly began winning all of his matches, even when up against opponents who previously had easily defeated him. The people he faces say that it's uncanny, it's like they're seeing him in more than one place at the same time."
Sakura nodded to herself thoughtfully. "Sounds like one of the cards, all right." She asked, " So who is this kendoist?"
"Kiryuu Touga," Saionji answered. Not long after, he excused himself, and he and the smiling Wakaba left together.
"We'd better call Juri," Tomoyo said to Sakura thoughtfully, "she's also a member of the student council, and can probably get us both back stage. We need to stop him before any more of the matches, right?"
Sakura nodded to Tomoyo firmly in agreement. "It's not fair to the other competetors, if we don't," she agreed.
A short while later, Juri was leading them up the back ways of the kendo hall. "So who's your mystery girlfriend?" Sakura asked her again.
Juri rolled her eyes at that. "You just won't let it go, huh?" she said, smiling. "All right, you can meet her at the parent/teacher day next week. She'll be here then."
"So she's the mother of one of the students here at Ohtori? You rogue!" Tomoyo said with a impish little smile.
Juri made a face at that before saying, "Touga's warming up in here, it should be private enough for you to make the capture." They knocked on the door, and faintly heard a voice yell out an answer from inside.
"Did that sound like 'Go away' to you?" Tomoyo asked with a smile.
Ignoring that they pushed the door open and went in. A handsome young man moved gracefully across the floor, his long red hair swinging around him. His sword cut through the air smoothly, almost like poetry in motion.
"Hey, Touga!" Juri yelled to him, "get your skinny butt over here!" He came to a jarring stop, then turned and glared daggers at Juri. The glare turned to a falsely charming smile when he saw Sakura and Tomoyo with her.
"Ladies!" he said with a lounge lizard's smile, walking over and shaking each of their hands.
Sakura shivered almost as soon as he touched her, 'Oh, yes,' she thought, 'definitely a card hiding here.' She smiled bleakly. 'And is he ever a creep,' she thought. "I'd like to challenge you to a duel," Sakura said to him simply.
Touga pretended to look shocked. "A beautiful woman like you? I wouldn't want to risk harming such a fair lady," he said.
Sakura drew out the sword, and it's soft glow lit the room, showing a strangely sinister glow around Touga's form. She spoke quietly:
"Oh Sword of Dios, Power of magic, power of Right! Surrender the Blade, the sword of Light! Release!"
She points the blade at him. "Are you a coward, Touga? Is what everyone says about you true? Or is it you're afraid of a fair fight?" Sakura said in biting tones.
"Never let it be said I'd turn away from a challenge," Touga scowled at her. Juri plucked a red rose from a nearby vase, putting the still wet flower in his coat pocket. She then produced a dry white rose and put it in Sakura's pocket. Touga calmed down a bit, and smiled coldly at Sakura as he said,. "See my power, then."
He seemed to shimmer slightly, then there were two versions of Touga facing her. Then three. Four. Five, and finally six Tougas surrounded Sakura in a full circle. All wore the red roses, and all had that very same sneer on their faces. Together, the voice echoing around her, Touga said "Catch me if you can, little girl."
Sakura turned, wheeling about, trying to see which was the real one. Suddenly, she cried out as a stinging cut burned across her cheek, and she barely brought her blade around to protect her rose. The Tougas circled her, taunting, occasionally striking out to try to mark Sakura with his blade once again. Finally she stopped, and went dead still, closing her eyes.
Sakura closed her eyes, concentrating. 'It's Mirror, it has to be,' she thought. "How to I find the real one, though?" She focused, thinking about Mirror, and when she had seen Touga practicing. 'Why is that still in my head?' Her eyes suddenly shot open in shock. She scanned the Touga's, and suddenly smiled at them. The Tougas charged at her, but Sakura unerringly found the real Touga, and in a second, his rose lay in pieces on the dojo floor.
"How?" Touga choked out.
"You are right handed," Sakura said to him quietly, "but you're twins were all lefties." She stepped back and raised her sword, as glowing shards of mirrored glass swirled out from Touga's form. "Mirror card! Return to your power confined! Mirror!" Sakura cried, and the card materialized and then floated into Sakura's hand.
She stepped back, the card in hand, and looked down at Touga coldly. "Good luck in winning your duels now, cheater." With that, Sakura led Tomoyo and Juri away.