*Flashback from last chapter*
Eriol looked sympathetically at Syaoran. He waited until Syaoran looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "He wants only your life and the cards."
*End of flashback*
Syaoran's Savior
"It would be wise for me to stay with you," said Eriol, eying Syaoran in search for any fear, "But some may become suspicious if I don't return to my room."
"Go on," said Syaoran, with a wave of his hand, "I can handle it."
Eriol smiled at Syaoran. He was proud, he didn't sense very much fear in the boy, and he imagined that he would handle himself quite well in the challenge that would oppose him shortly. He nodded politely and left the room, re-locking the door after he did.
Syaoran sat alone in his room, he was very nervous, but somehow the feeling of fear was absent. He was very sure of himself; he had nothing to be afraid of. He was getting more and more impatient, he knew something was going to happen, he knew he had only wait for it to come. Sheesh! Why couldn't whoever it was just show himself and get this whole ordeal over with?
He was very tired, but just as far from sleep. He stood from his bed at a sudden thought and slipped his sword and the cards out from under his 'mattress'. He looked closely at the front and back of each card carefully, slowly moving from one card to the next. He knew all of them by heart; Windy, Earthy, Jump, Mirror, Shadow, Sword..........." He could have gone on, but a crash jerked him to attention.
He yelled at himself (mentally) for giving his enemy exactly what he wanted; a chance for an ambush. He had allowed himself to get distracted, and now, most likely, he would pay for it.
All this thought occurring in only a fraction of a second, Syaoran reached for his sword quickly and held it in front of him at ready. Suddenly, the cards (which he had dropped on the floor) all glowed with a black 'light' and floated up to about Syaoran's eye level. Syaoran froze. What was happening? The cards. they were only supposed to obey the Master of the Clow, and a new one hadn't been chosen yet.
A loud booming laughter filled the room. "You let your guard down, little boy!" It said evilly, "You will pay dearly!" Suddenly Wood moved farther away from Syaoran. It began spinning, and then it let out a burst of blinding black 'light'. Syaoran shielded his eyes with his hand, but then let out a cry of surprise.
~ ~ ~
Sakura had heard the crash and had been even more determined not to move from her spot. Soon after though, she had heard creaking from the wall that she had her back against and fled her room. Once out in the hallway, she had clearly felt the deep gray color. With a deep breath to steady her heartbeat, she had headed toward the source of the color.
Sakura was now running through the servant's 'level' as it was called (the basement, where the servants all ate and slept); more terrified that she had ever been in her life. She stopped abruptly in front of a door. It was a door to a room of one of the servants, the only other thing she knew was that the aura was coming from inside. She grabbed the chain around her neck. It held two keys, a large, pink key that had a star on it and looked nothing like a normal key, and another, normal looking key that could open any lock. She hesitated. Why was she going inside? She could run away right now....
~ ~ ~
Inside the room, Syaoran yelled in surprise as he felt something wrap around his wrist. He held his wrist up to look at it and gasped. The Wood was attacking him. Before he had a chance to react, Wood had knocked his sword out of his hand, had his other wrist, and had bound both of his arms to his sides. A large tree sprouted from the ground behind him and began entangling him in even more branches and vines. Then Syaoran couldn't breathe. The vines tightened around his neck and he was almost completely helpless without his sword or his hands.
Syaoran wasn't sure what to do, but he used his foot to slide his sword closer to him until it was at an easy-reach level. Then he put all his strength and thought into freeing his arms. He strained as hard as he could, and suddenly they loosened. Syaoran quickly reached down and was able to get a grasp with one hand on the blade of the sword near the hilt. He had to waste a precious moment to get his sword held properly and then he brought it down hard on the length of one of the vines that were strangling him. The vine withered and loosened, but only more vines took its place and mingled with the others.
Syaoran hadn't breathed in about sixty seconds by now and was having trouble moving and thinking. He whacked three more vines and they loosened from his neck, but there were many left. Then he thought of his magic cards. Why hadn't he thought of that? Syaoran's other hand, by this time, was once again covered in vines, but a swing of his sword freed it.
Syaoran pulled a magic card out of his pocket and held it up. Then he realized his mistake. He couldn't yell the words. He couldn't breathe for crying out loud! He was becoming dizzy and faint and he struggled to keep his feet and not to drop his sword. The evil gray aura was surprised he had held out for so long and was amused at his futile attempts to save himself.
Suddenly the door burst open and a terrified looking Princess stepped in. She screamed when she saw The Wood and took a few steps back. Syaoran tried to yell, but he couldn't. Wood grabbed Sakura's left arm and Sakura screamed again in fright. Syaoran dizzily grasped his sword better and swung it with all his might at the vines. This time, all of them were sliced through and Syaoran fell to his knees gasping. He noticed the pink key that hung around Sakura's neck and suddenly a rush of memories came back. They were muddled and the only clear thing he made of them was 'Card Mistress' 'key' and a magical chant.
"Sakura!" he managed to yell. "Hold....out.... your magic key!" He said between gasps. His sword was now gone from his hands and was beyond all reach.
Sakura looked at him and wrapped her hand around the pink key. "Th. this?" She said, her eyes darting from the Syaoran to the branches and vines that were covering more of her body by the second. She was immensely confused, but she decided that this was no time to ask questions.
Syaoran nodded, ".... Repeat!" he commanded. He said the chant quickly, "Clow Card, Clow Card, hear my plea! Lend your powers to my key!" Sakura repeated this while holding up her key. "RELEASE!" Syaoran yelled.
Sakura yelled it louder out of disparity. Her key, miraculously, turned into a long pink staff with a yellow star on the end. Sakura gasped as a flash of yellow light emitted from it, driving all the vines and branches away. Syaoran was helplessly being covered by the branches again; all he could do was thrash and yell, which was what he was doing. The branches were also advancing on Sakura again, but she didn't know what to do.
Syaoran calmed his own panic and told Sakura another magical chant, "Clow Card, let this evil be,"
"Clow Card, let this evil be," Sakura repeated.
"Return to your card, and obey only me."
"Return to your card, and obey only me." Sakura took a deep breath and touched the bottom of her staff to the floor, "RELEASE!" she yelled knowingly. All the vines withdrew; a gasp was heard from the evil aura. The branches twisted together and forged themselves into a beautiful, elflike maiden covered in leaves and vines. She closed her eyes and was sucked into the glowing black card.
All the cards stopped glowing and fell to the floor. All the cracks and crevices made by the card were sealed and disappeared. Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Sakura from his place on the ground. Sakura's staff turned back into its key form and she put it once again around her neck.
"What was that?" Sakura whispered.
Syaoran stood up and deliberately sat down on his cot. "Nothing," he said shortly.
"Yes it was!" Sakura said, breathing hard, not noticing or caring about his or her own manners.
"I could have handled that on my own, you know."
Sakura looked at him like he was crazy. "When I came in here, you being strangled by a TREE!"
Syaoran scowled. "If you hadn't come along, I could have handled by myself. I didn't need your help."
"So why did you tell me what to do?"
"Well," Syaoran stammered, "You were being attacked too!"
"Sure." Sakura said turning away from him. "Tell me what happened." Syaoran was about to yell at her again but Eriol appeared in the doorway.
"An outside force was trying to take the Clow Cards and the life of their holder." Sakura stared at him. Eriol, not forgetting his manners, bowed respectfully before his princess. "The Clow Cards are magical cards created thousands of years ago by their master, Clow Reed. When their master died, they awaited a new one. The person with the gray aura."
"The color?"
Eriol smiled. "Yes," he continued, "He wanted to be the new Master of the Clow. He wanted to steal the cards and kill Syaoran so that nobody else would know."
Sakura was confused, even though Eriol was taking great care to make it as simple as he could. "You are the new Card Mistress." Eriol said.
"NANI?"
"You hold the key, the staff bearing the symbol of your star." Sakura brought a hand to her chin and gave Eriol a confused look. "You need to be aware of your magic," Eriol said.
"I have magic?" Sakura said, sounding like a small child.
Eriol gave her a warm smile. "From now on, you must meet me down here every evening. I will train you in use of your magic and the cards; you may need it."
Sakura nodded. She didn't know what else to do.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I will make the next chapter as soon as I can!
Thank you IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, You got what you wanted, another chapter!
Thank you Anna-May, I'm glad you liked it!
Thank you kawaii kitty, Syaoran finally gets a bit of his own attitude! Well, Sakura's high authority over him won't last much longer.
Thank you Syth Colbalt, I'm glad you thought it was good!
Thank you Madison, I hope I'm updating fast enough for you!
Thank you fire_blade, I'm glad you like it!
Thank you Carmen, I hope you are satisfied with this chapter!
Thank you Christopher Nowinski, I'm glad you liked my start and I hope you read the rest!
Thank you CCSakura, It'll get sweeter and more kawaii as it goes!
Thanks again for all the reviews! I am so surprised at how many I got for just one chapter!!! I guess Fantasy is a popular subject! I hope that all of you will continue reading and reviewing my story. Ideas are welcomed and I hope you enjoy my story!
Eriol looked sympathetically at Syaoran. He waited until Syaoran looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "He wants only your life and the cards."
*End of flashback*
Syaoran's Savior
"It would be wise for me to stay with you," said Eriol, eying Syaoran in search for any fear, "But some may become suspicious if I don't return to my room."
"Go on," said Syaoran, with a wave of his hand, "I can handle it."
Eriol smiled at Syaoran. He was proud, he didn't sense very much fear in the boy, and he imagined that he would handle himself quite well in the challenge that would oppose him shortly. He nodded politely and left the room, re-locking the door after he did.
Syaoran sat alone in his room, he was very nervous, but somehow the feeling of fear was absent. He was very sure of himself; he had nothing to be afraid of. He was getting more and more impatient, he knew something was going to happen, he knew he had only wait for it to come. Sheesh! Why couldn't whoever it was just show himself and get this whole ordeal over with?
He was very tired, but just as far from sleep. He stood from his bed at a sudden thought and slipped his sword and the cards out from under his 'mattress'. He looked closely at the front and back of each card carefully, slowly moving from one card to the next. He knew all of them by heart; Windy, Earthy, Jump, Mirror, Shadow, Sword..........." He could have gone on, but a crash jerked him to attention.
He yelled at himself (mentally) for giving his enemy exactly what he wanted; a chance for an ambush. He had allowed himself to get distracted, and now, most likely, he would pay for it.
All this thought occurring in only a fraction of a second, Syaoran reached for his sword quickly and held it in front of him at ready. Suddenly, the cards (which he had dropped on the floor) all glowed with a black 'light' and floated up to about Syaoran's eye level. Syaoran froze. What was happening? The cards. they were only supposed to obey the Master of the Clow, and a new one hadn't been chosen yet.
A loud booming laughter filled the room. "You let your guard down, little boy!" It said evilly, "You will pay dearly!" Suddenly Wood moved farther away from Syaoran. It began spinning, and then it let out a burst of blinding black 'light'. Syaoran shielded his eyes with his hand, but then let out a cry of surprise.
~ ~ ~
Sakura had heard the crash and had been even more determined not to move from her spot. Soon after though, she had heard creaking from the wall that she had her back against and fled her room. Once out in the hallway, she had clearly felt the deep gray color. With a deep breath to steady her heartbeat, she had headed toward the source of the color.
Sakura was now running through the servant's 'level' as it was called (the basement, where the servants all ate and slept); more terrified that she had ever been in her life. She stopped abruptly in front of a door. It was a door to a room of one of the servants, the only other thing she knew was that the aura was coming from inside. She grabbed the chain around her neck. It held two keys, a large, pink key that had a star on it and looked nothing like a normal key, and another, normal looking key that could open any lock. She hesitated. Why was she going inside? She could run away right now....
~ ~ ~
Inside the room, Syaoran yelled in surprise as he felt something wrap around his wrist. He held his wrist up to look at it and gasped. The Wood was attacking him. Before he had a chance to react, Wood had knocked his sword out of his hand, had his other wrist, and had bound both of his arms to his sides. A large tree sprouted from the ground behind him and began entangling him in even more branches and vines. Then Syaoran couldn't breathe. The vines tightened around his neck and he was almost completely helpless without his sword or his hands.
Syaoran wasn't sure what to do, but he used his foot to slide his sword closer to him until it was at an easy-reach level. Then he put all his strength and thought into freeing his arms. He strained as hard as he could, and suddenly they loosened. Syaoran quickly reached down and was able to get a grasp with one hand on the blade of the sword near the hilt. He had to waste a precious moment to get his sword held properly and then he brought it down hard on the length of one of the vines that were strangling him. The vine withered and loosened, but only more vines took its place and mingled with the others.
Syaoran hadn't breathed in about sixty seconds by now and was having trouble moving and thinking. He whacked three more vines and they loosened from his neck, but there were many left. Then he thought of his magic cards. Why hadn't he thought of that? Syaoran's other hand, by this time, was once again covered in vines, but a swing of his sword freed it.
Syaoran pulled a magic card out of his pocket and held it up. Then he realized his mistake. He couldn't yell the words. He couldn't breathe for crying out loud! He was becoming dizzy and faint and he struggled to keep his feet and not to drop his sword. The evil gray aura was surprised he had held out for so long and was amused at his futile attempts to save himself.
Suddenly the door burst open and a terrified looking Princess stepped in. She screamed when she saw The Wood and took a few steps back. Syaoran tried to yell, but he couldn't. Wood grabbed Sakura's left arm and Sakura screamed again in fright. Syaoran dizzily grasped his sword better and swung it with all his might at the vines. This time, all of them were sliced through and Syaoran fell to his knees gasping. He noticed the pink key that hung around Sakura's neck and suddenly a rush of memories came back. They were muddled and the only clear thing he made of them was 'Card Mistress' 'key' and a magical chant.
"Sakura!" he managed to yell. "Hold....out.... your magic key!" He said between gasps. His sword was now gone from his hands and was beyond all reach.
Sakura looked at him and wrapped her hand around the pink key. "Th. this?" She said, her eyes darting from the Syaoran to the branches and vines that were covering more of her body by the second. She was immensely confused, but she decided that this was no time to ask questions.
Syaoran nodded, ".... Repeat!" he commanded. He said the chant quickly, "Clow Card, Clow Card, hear my plea! Lend your powers to my key!" Sakura repeated this while holding up her key. "RELEASE!" Syaoran yelled.
Sakura yelled it louder out of disparity. Her key, miraculously, turned into a long pink staff with a yellow star on the end. Sakura gasped as a flash of yellow light emitted from it, driving all the vines and branches away. Syaoran was helplessly being covered by the branches again; all he could do was thrash and yell, which was what he was doing. The branches were also advancing on Sakura again, but she didn't know what to do.
Syaoran calmed his own panic and told Sakura another magical chant, "Clow Card, let this evil be,"
"Clow Card, let this evil be," Sakura repeated.
"Return to your card, and obey only me."
"Return to your card, and obey only me." Sakura took a deep breath and touched the bottom of her staff to the floor, "RELEASE!" she yelled knowingly. All the vines withdrew; a gasp was heard from the evil aura. The branches twisted together and forged themselves into a beautiful, elflike maiden covered in leaves and vines. She closed her eyes and was sucked into the glowing black card.
All the cards stopped glowing and fell to the floor. All the cracks and crevices made by the card were sealed and disappeared. Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Sakura from his place on the ground. Sakura's staff turned back into its key form and she put it once again around her neck.
"What was that?" Sakura whispered.
Syaoran stood up and deliberately sat down on his cot. "Nothing," he said shortly.
"Yes it was!" Sakura said, breathing hard, not noticing or caring about his or her own manners.
"I could have handled that on my own, you know."
Sakura looked at him like he was crazy. "When I came in here, you being strangled by a TREE!"
Syaoran scowled. "If you hadn't come along, I could have handled by myself. I didn't need your help."
"So why did you tell me what to do?"
"Well," Syaoran stammered, "You were being attacked too!"
"Sure." Sakura said turning away from him. "Tell me what happened." Syaoran was about to yell at her again but Eriol appeared in the doorway.
"An outside force was trying to take the Clow Cards and the life of their holder." Sakura stared at him. Eriol, not forgetting his manners, bowed respectfully before his princess. "The Clow Cards are magical cards created thousands of years ago by their master, Clow Reed. When their master died, they awaited a new one. The person with the gray aura."
"The color?"
Eriol smiled. "Yes," he continued, "He wanted to be the new Master of the Clow. He wanted to steal the cards and kill Syaoran so that nobody else would know."
Sakura was confused, even though Eriol was taking great care to make it as simple as he could. "You are the new Card Mistress." Eriol said.
"NANI?"
"You hold the key, the staff bearing the symbol of your star." Sakura brought a hand to her chin and gave Eriol a confused look. "You need to be aware of your magic," Eriol said.
"I have magic?" Sakura said, sounding like a small child.
Eriol gave her a warm smile. "From now on, you must meet me down here every evening. I will train you in use of your magic and the cards; you may need it."
Sakura nodded. She didn't know what else to do.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I will make the next chapter as soon as I can!
Thank you IwillmarryJustinTimberlake, You got what you wanted, another chapter!
Thank you Anna-May, I'm glad you liked it!
Thank you kawaii kitty, Syaoran finally gets a bit of his own attitude! Well, Sakura's high authority over him won't last much longer.
Thank you Syth Colbalt, I'm glad you thought it was good!
Thank you Madison, I hope I'm updating fast enough for you!
Thank you fire_blade, I'm glad you like it!
Thank you Carmen, I hope you are satisfied with this chapter!
Thank you Christopher Nowinski, I'm glad you liked my start and I hope you read the rest!
Thank you CCSakura, It'll get sweeter and more kawaii as it goes!
Thanks again for all the reviews! I am so surprised at how many I got for just one chapter!!! I guess Fantasy is a popular subject! I hope that all of you will continue reading and reviewing my story. Ideas are welcomed and I hope you enjoy my story!