Part 1
This is a very random spur of the moment Cardcaptor Sakura fic I decided to do one day. Canon is avoided a little, especially with Tomoyo's area, but I thought it would be interesting anyway. A bit of shojo ai but all innocent. I must thank Joan for the spiffy title! Cardcaptor Sakura and all characters are (C) CLAMP. This fic was made by a fan for fans. Please don't sue!
Morning's rays peaked through the window of a well to do mansion. Normally, one would awaken to such luminosity. However, Tomoyo Daidouji was already awake. The sunlight's rays only caused her luxurious black hair to glisten like strands of pure ebony. Even though her hair shone brightly, her eyes reflected glints of sadness as she gazed at her calendar. Her finger pointed to the current date, then trailed off to a later one. Her frowned changed to an expression of one who wanted to cry.
"It's almost time, isn't it?" she asked herself. She held her right wrist with her left hand and looked down as she opened and closed her hand. "I have to find a way out."
The date on her calendar had no specific mark on it. Perhaps it was one of those dates of which only Tomoyo knew the answer and decided to keep track of in her mind only. As she closed her eyes, she knew all well what sort of day that was going to be.
The day was coming where Tomoyo Daidouji would allow herself twenty-four hours of selfishness.
Punch, kick. Slow movements, fast movements. Those and many more actions were what people were greeted with as they departed from school. Meilin was outside on the school yard, practicing her katas. The forms of her traditional Wu Shu style were very slow and graceful, but every once in awhile she allowed some sharp movements from hard styles to trickle in. Anyone with an inkling of martial arts knowledge would guess that Meilin was making up the form as she went along. Li was also there watching, arms folded and unimpressed, contrary to the passerbys who gasped in awe and applauded. Li had grown up with martial arts in his everyday life. They were nothing special to him.
Soon, Sakura Kinomoto and the ever-present Tomoyo joined the crowd. Everyone knew how inseparable those two were. Li acknowledged their presence with a mere glance. That was good enough for him who didn't really speak to anyone else. Sakura waved to him but he brushed her off with a glare.
"L-Li-kun..." Sakura sweatdropped with a sheepish smile and wave, as she was used to Li glaring at her every morning. Her trail of sight went to Meilin who was still practicing some martial arts movements or the other. Now, Meilin was making up all her moves which involved cartwheels and fancy jump kicks. Sakura's eyes went wide as she watched Meilin's smooth movements. She knew nothing about martial arts but just knew that whatever Meilin did looked awesome. "Hoe! Tomoyo-chan, look! She's so good!" Sakura squealed as she pointed.
"Years of practice must have done her well." Tomoyo commented with a gentle smile. "Although, Sakura-chan, I think you'd do just as well if you practiced katas too." She placed her small hands on Sakura's shoulders and giggled.
Sakura jumped. "N-no way, Tomoyo-chan! I could never do something like that! I'm only good at baton twirling and gymnastics, but martial arts is too far away from my league for me." Her face had that adorable 'It's too complicated for me' closed-eyed look to which Tomoyo giggled amusedly. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, why is Meilin showing off today of all times? Is she trying to prove she can beat anyone in school?"
"That is where you are wrong, Sakura." Meilin stopped her kata to put her hands on her hips and gloat. "I will prove that I can beat anyone in the world!"
Li rolled his eyes. He had probably heard this all before many, many times. He folded his arms and closed his eyes with a clear-as-day "I need an asprin" look.
The brown-haired girl shrinked back behind an unfazed Tomoyo as Meilin approached them. "For your information, the Worldwide Children's Kumite Tournament is being held right here in Japan in two days - this Saturday for the misinformed - at the national stadium. Of course, you know where that is, right? Because if you don't, you're really sad, I mean..."
While Meilin continued to prattle, Sakura turned to Tomoyo. "Worldwide Children's Kumite Tournament? I've never heard of it. What's Kumite anyway?"
"Kumite is a term for free sparring. That means you fight your opponent one on one." Tomoyo whispered back. "As for the tournament, it's a gathering of all the best children fighters in the world. I heard the tournament used to be national, but because some rioters complained about how it promotes violence with children, it's been banned in many countries. So it's become sort of underground."
"Underground?" Sakura repeated, still whispering. All of what Tomoyo was whispering to her went over her head completely. She would get it eventually once all the information sunk in, but not right now.
"That means in secret." came Tomoyo's reply.
"Oh..." Sakura gave Tomoyo this incredulous look of, 'How did you know?' "You're so smart, Tomoyo-chan. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Meilin continued on like nobody had ignored her. She must have said everything that Tomoyo already explained, although it was much easier to understand Tomoyo and much harder to interpret Meilin's logic through her bragging. "I will be competing again and proving once again that I am the best!"
"You competed last year?" Sakura asked. It came to her as a complete surprise that Meilin would be competing in such a secret tournament, despite that it came as no shock to everyone else. "Wow! What place did you get?"
Meilin smirked arrogantly. "Well, I don't mean to brag - and Heavens know that I never brag, I only speak the truth - but I won first place."
Li slapped a hand over his groaning face. Nobody seemed to notice.
"WOW!" Sakura clasped her hands to both sides of her face, all wide-eyed in amazement. "Meilin! First in the entire world? You're amazing!"
"I'd expect nothing less of you." Tomoyo smiled sweetly.
Meilin glanced at Tomoyo, neither girls' expressions unchanging, then back at Sakura. "Are you coming to watch the upcoming competition, Sakura? If you're lucky, I'll mention your name to the reporters when they interview me on my triumphant win."
Sakura shuddered nervously. Her, Sakura Kinomoto, attend a martial arts tournament despite the fact she knew nothing about the genre? It was very rude to decline such a once in a lifetime event. "I... I don't know if I'm allowed, but I'll ask. I might feel a little out of place, though. I mean, I know nothing about fighting or martial arts or all that. I think it's kinda scary." She looked at Li. "Ne, Li-kun, are you entering the tournament, too? You can fight pretty well too, I think..."
Li gave a uninterested shrug. "No. I don't have anything to prove, so why bother?"
His comment seemed to be directed more at Meilin than about himself, because she flinched a little. But only a little. Her gaze returned to Tomoyo. "So, Tomoyo, are you going to the tournament, too?"
Tomoyo paused for a brief second. Only Meilin and Li noticed the brief waver in her expression before she regained her composure. "Fighting tournaments aren't my cup of tea. I don't know much about martial arts, either, but I'll go if Sakura-chan is going." She glomped her brown-haired companion's arm with a smile that looked like a giggle.
A large sweatdrop went down the side of Sakura's forehead. "U-um... I'll ask my dad." she smiled nervously.
Li watched the two friends through his intense gaze and shook his head at Sakura's denseness. Everyone ignored the gesture or didn't think much about it. He turned back to Meilin, still looking as annoyed as ever. "Anyway, Meilin, we'd better go home. You don't want to spend all your time showing off."
His voice was full of sarcasm and bitterness but Meilin took him literally. "Of course! You're right! If I practice here, then my potential opponents could see what I'm made of. I'm going home to train instead. Mark my words, I'll show you," she pointed in Sakura's general direction, "what I'm made of! Let's go Syaoran!"
She left before her ears caught Li's annoyed reply of, "Am I your dog?!"
With Li following reluctantly behind Meilin, the Chinese cousins left the school grounds. Sakura and Tomoyo stayed where they were, watching them leave. Sakura stood, too stunned at these recent turn of events. Everything happened so suddenly and right after school, too. She was unsure of what to say or do until Tomoyo tapped her on the shoulder.
"Ne, Sakura-chan, is it all right if I stay over at your house tonight?"
That question came unexpected, too. Even though the two were the best of friends, it was unusual for Tomoyo to want to leave the comforts of her own mansion, at least, that's how working-class-family-girl Sakura saw things. The brown-haired girl blinked in surprise. "Sure, Tomoyo-chan, anytime. But why?"
The raven-haired girl smiled. "Because, I want to spend tonight with my best friend. Is there something wrong with that?"
"N-no, of course not, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura waved her hands frantically as if to smooth over an insult that never happened. "You're my bestest friend in the whole world. Dad and -" she grumbled, "Touya would love to have you over."
"Thank you, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo glomped onto Sakura's arm tighter and giggled. "I love you, too."
Dinner at the Kinomoto's went well. Fujitaka - Sakura's father - and even Touya welcomed dainty Tomoyo with welcome arms. Sakura's father even went so far as to cook them a nice meal. It turned out that Sakura was allowed to spectate the tournament after all despite Touya's ill-placed comments about the tournament teaching Sakura to be a violent Godzilla. Her father gave her money for her ticket. Tomoyo commented that she would buy her own ticket as to not inconvenience anyone, although she sounded a bit reluctant.
That night, Sakura's bed was shared as Tomoyo, clad in purple pajamas, sat on her half, waiting for Sakura to get dressed. "I appreciate you letting me stay overnight, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo spoke.
"It's no problem, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura pulled over a pink pajama shirt. "You've let me stay over at your house many times so it's only fair for me to do the same." She looked over and saw Tomoyo videotaping her with that omnipresent camcorder. "HOE! Tomoyo-chan! You're cruel!"
Tomoyo giggled. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I couldn't help it - you're so cute when you get dressed."
"I-I see..." Sakura sweatdropped.
Kero laid on his side of the table. "So you two are going to a martial arts competition tomorrow, huh? I wonder what it'll be like. I bet there'll be a lot of chop-sockey action to watch!" He stood and made some punches in the air like a boxer.
"You're coming too, Kero-chan?" Sakura asked.
"Of course I am! I wouldn't miss this for the world!" the stuffed bear grinned enthusiastically.
However, Kero's enthusiasm only made Sakura worry even more. It was in her nature to worry obsessively. "But... what if someone saw you and you get caught?"
"Don't worry, Sakura! Everyone will be too busy watching the fights to notice me. Besides, I'll stay well hidden in your knapsack or so."
"I think tomorrow will be very interesting." Tomoyo spoke up. "I heard that this particular tournament is full contact. It must be very hard on the fighters."
"'Full contact'?" Sakura repeated.
"She means that nobody holds their punches." Kero explained.
"Hoe!" Sakura yelped. "I'm really glad that I'm not in this competition!"
"Don't worry. We'll be there to cheer in Meilin if anything happens to her." Tomoyo slipped under the covers and settled herself down. "Although, Meilin is very good. I don't think she needs any encouragement..." With that said, she closed her eyes.
Sakura scratched her cheek with her finger, looking sheepish. "Tomoyo-chan is right. Meilin is a fighter and her own cheering section in one." She slipped under the covers herself. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, are you all right? I mean, it's not like you to ask for things on spur of the moment."
"Hai, I'm fine." Tomoyo smiled.
Silence continued. Tomoyo must have fallen asleep. "Well, if you say so, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura agreed.
She crawled under the blankets herself and fell immediately to sleep. Tomoyo slinked over to Sakura and wrapped her arms around her, smiling as she slept. Meanwhile, Sakura noticed nothing.
Although the Kinomoto household appeared to be sleeping, the Li household was not. Meilin was in the basement, continuing to train as hard as possible. Each punch was sharper than the last. Each kick was faster than the last. Each one of her movements had to be quick and precise, otherwise she would fail. Sweat trickled down her skin.
"You'd better go to sleep or you won't be awake to gloat again tomorrow." came a familiar male voice.
Meilin stopped what she was doing and turned around, panting. She was so intent on her training, she didn't even hear Li come down the stairs. "I have to keep practicing, Syaoran. My life depends on it."
She continued. Li leaned on the wall and folded his arms. "You mean your pride."
Punch.
"You lied to Kinomoto and Daidouji earlier." Li continued. "You didn't get first place in the championships. You got second."
Kick.
"Face it. The only reason you're upset is because you don't want to lose to that person again, granted that person entering this year."
Meilin winced a little. She knew that he was right. "Just give me another half an hour. I'll come to bed then."
Li shrugged. "Suit yourself." he said and left.