Li took a calming breath, imitating Haru as he started on his kata. It wasn't that Li didn't know how to fight, just the opposite in fact seeing as how he'd been training since he was in diapers. But even a complete fool knows that there is a major difference, not only in Chinese and Japanese martial arts, but also in styles from dojo to dojo. He wished he'd been able to feign a stomachache or something, but Haru told him he'd only get a check up from Hari, and he'd be caught. So in the long run it was just going to be easier if he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible during the practice. Li was actually experienced enough to be able to follow Haru through a kata with only a slight hesitation in movement, and after the first run through he could rely on muscle memory to take him through another.
They got through opening exercises without any problems, and Li could feel his anxiety begin to fade.
"Team up." Master called out, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he strolled around the dojo and approved or disproved matches.
"Joji, not with Lorei, you've both advanced. Kite, Cole, switch with these two, work them hard."
"Sensei." The four youth bowed, then obediently switched partners. Almost immediately the two beginners where kissing mat.
"Good." He nodded, "Joji, Kite will teach you to keep your guard up, you are too lax in protecting yourself, trusting in an attack to keep you safe. You need to balance, everything is a balance, you just need to find yours."
"Hai, sensei." Joji bowed and went back to face Kite in stance.
"Lorei, Cole will help you with your speed. You wait for your opponent, which is not bad, but you are not ready for them when they come at you. Cole, pay close attention to his flinches, we don't want to have a twitching pupil do we?" he made it into a joke, getting both students to laugh at themselves before he moved onto the next pair.
"He's good." Li muttered as Haru kicked up to knock him in the chin. Without thinking Li grabbed his foot and twisting, bringing the younger boy down to the mat in an advanced move one of his sisters had taught him.
"Shit Li." Haru grinned up at him as he helped the boy to his feet.
"Sorry Haru, reflex." He shrugged, then swore under his breath as he noticed Master watching them. "How would Kyo react to that kind of move?"
"He'd duck, then try to sweep my other foot away."
"Smart." Li admitted, "Gives him the choice to either get away or get you while you're down. What would Kyo do?"
"Wait for me to get back up..." Haru grinned, "He always says its funner to beat on someone if they can defend themselves. Otherwise its just a waste of time."
"Sounds like he enjoys karate."
"Its pretty much his life." Haru agreed.
"Kyo."
"Master." Li bowed.
"Have you been practicing the advanced kata I showed you?" Li looked over at Haru, twitched his eyebrows in a question. Haru shrugged, he had no idea what Master was talking about.
"Its not perfected." Li managed, a flush across his cheeks as his mind raced. Was Kyo the kind of person who would care about that? Li knew he would never present a move to his teacher that had not been studied for even the slightest flaw.
"Show me." Master watched as Kyo hesitated, something was off about the boy, beyond his fight with Akito the previous day.
"Master?" Haru pointed over to a sparring couple that had just kicked each other full force in the stomach, "I think they need help." Silently blessing the idiots Haru and Li breathed twin sighs of relief as Master gave them both a curious glance before walking off to tend his students.
"Man, almost got me." Li rubbed his hands over his eyes and glanced at the wall clock, "Last time this happened I was stuck in a plush toy claw machine right now." He smirked as Haru tried to stifle the giggles that appeared. He didn't do a very good job. He ended up sitting on the mat, holding his stomach with both arms as the clock on the wall clicked to four.
"So..." Sakura walked next to Kyo as they exited the school. Kyo scanned the trees, looking for the thugs that always tried to catch him after the last bell rang.
"Kyo, what are you looking at?" Meilin asked, her expression puzzled, Li often looked pensive, and was always ready for a fight, but Kyo reminded her of a twitchy cat waiting for a dog to bite him. She figured it was because he was, in a sense, a cat, but he was on high alert. If he'd been in cat form, his fur would be standing on end.
"What?" Kyo blinked, as if the two girls had just appeared out of thin air. Then he remembered, no one would jump him, he wasn't himself.
"Are you all right? Don't worry, a few more hours and you'll be good as new." Meilin laughed cheerfully as they passed store fronts and bright flower pots.
"Yeah..." Kyo looked down at his feet, a few more hours and he'd be looking over his shoulder again. Waiting for Akito to strike, or for those kids in his class to take offense at more than just his hair color. Jumping out of the way of crowds in case a girl was among them. He was tired of it, of the stupid curse, of everything. Once again he caught himself wondering why he didn't just end it.
"You know, we should keep in contact after you switch back. It'd be fun!" Sakura grabbed his hand and shook it as if making a deal.
"Yeah, it'd be fun." He looked into her bright eyes and found himself smiling. It was almost impossible to keep feeling down when she was so cheerful. It was no wonder why Li liked the girl so much, he'd had to endure the teasing of a few of the kids in the class when he found himself watching her during gym. Apparently it was something Li had to deal with a lot.
"See something you like Li?" Takashi grinned as came up behind the boy. "You know, you really should pay more attention to the soccer ball, or you'll get hit in the head like you did last week when you saw something you liked." The taller boy had grinned to take any of the sting out of the comment.
Kyo smiled as they passed storefronts and colorful flowers lining the streets. It was a peaceful afternoon; it had been too long since he didn't have to worry about anything.
"Sakura! Li! Meilin!" a shout from behind him caused his neck to swivel around, while the girls stopped and waved cheerfully.
"Eriol! Where have you been all day?" Sakura jumped forward to greet the boy as he approached. Kyo felt his guard go up as the boy grinned, his eyes hidden behind the glare that reflected off his round glasses.
"Yeah, why weren't you in class?" Meilin asked, hanging back around Kyo, like she would with Li.
"I was not feeling very well this morning." Eriol nodded politely to Kyo, and smiled gently. Kyo suddenly got the feeling that the boy wasn't fooled at all. He knew it wasn't Li inside Li's body.
"Oh, poor Eriol." Sakura smiled shyly as Eriol lifted her hand to his lips.
"Just knowing that one so fair as yourself was worried over me, makes me feel like the healthiest person alive." He grinned as Sakura blushed and giggled cutely. Kyo kept himself from gagging as Meilin tugged Sakura away.
"I saw the cutest toy in this window..." she said as they left the boys alone.
"So..." Kyo held his hands behind his back as he and Eriol followed the girls at a more sedate pace.
"My name is Eriol, who are you?" he asked politely.
"Uh... Li..."
"Please, don't insult my intelligence. The CHANGE card is involved in this?" Eriol stopped under the shade of a large tree; Kyo just noticed they had walked toward Penguin Park. The girls where swinging, giggling together as they pushed themselves higher.
"How did you-?" Kyo stopped as the boy's violet eyes lit with amusement.
"That means Li is in your body? I wonder how he's handling it." Eriol shrugged off his amusement and pinned Kyo with an otherworldly stare. "Who are you?"
"Kyo Sohma." Kyo found his mouth answering without permission.
"Sohma?" Eriol stepped back, suddenly worried. "You're not..." he blinked and seemed to glare into Kyo soul seeking the answers he needed, "You are one of the cursed."
"How do you-?"
"This is not good. The Clow cards were never meant to be mixed with other magics..." Eriol pushed his glasses up his nose and turned to watch Sakura with a worried expression on his face.
"Who are you?" Kyo snarled as he found himself unable to move. Eriol glanced at him from the corner of his eye and relaxed his hold.
"I suppose it does no harm to tell you, seeing as how I'll make you forget anyway..."
"You'll what?"
"But only because I'll need your help to fix this mess, and I'm considerably surprised that the shock of mixing magics and curses didn't send Sakura into a coma." Eriol sat on the grass and motioned for Kyo to join him. Kyo let out a sigh and sat, if he ever wanted to know anything, he realized he'd have to make a compromise.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
"So Kyo is in Li's body and Li is in Kyo's?" Momiji sat on Kyo's bed, his feet dangling and kicking the side as Haru and Li finally gave in to the boy's incessant questions.
"Yes, and we have to switch back at nine tonight." Li watched the clock on Kyo's desk with an almost obsessive glare. 6:23, two hours and thirty-seven minutes until he could look in the mirror and see himself looking back.
"Isn't it weird?" Momiji blinked as he pushed his face closer to Li searching, in vain, for any telling differences.
"Weird... how?" Li asked as he drew away from the blond, "Weird as in normal weird, or weird as in weird for magic?"
"Huh?"
"Li is somewhat of a mage actually Momiji, I guess he sees weird stuff all the time." Haru lay on the floor, throwing a yellow nerf ball to the ceiling and catching it lazily. He looked over to Li and smiled, "Though I don't think you've ever been turned into a cat before this incident."
"No," Li admitted, "but there is a first time for everything."
Sakura knew something was going on, Kyo looked tenser than he had all day when he broke away from Eriol, who smiled, waved, and went on his way. Sakura had asked if he was feeling sick, but Kyo just waved away all her questions and told her not to be late. So she hurried home, fixed dinner for her brother, Yuki and father, and tried not to think of it.
"Oi, Yuki." Toya washed dishes as Yuki sat at the table, working on his advanced trig assignment.
"Yes Toya?" He looked up as Toya put away some dishes and turned to face him.
"How's she doing?" His brow furrowed anxiously as he dried the frying pan. Since he'd given most of his power away to keep Yuki from disappearing he couldn't feel when danger was lurking around his sibling. But he still got occasional twinges, usually right before she fainted.
"She has to switch back Li and Kyo today, in about an hour, but I don't think that should be a problem." Yuki shrugged and pushed his chair back to stand as Toya opened his mouth.
"I don't like it, Yuki, I mean our magic isn't a curse, and can't that kind of thing get tricky?" Toya threw the dishcloth to the counter and grabbed Yuki by the shoulders, "I don't profess to know a great deal about this kind of thing, but I do know that messing about with curses is a bad idea." Yuki placed his palm on Toya's cheek, leaving it there as he stared into his boyfriend's worried eyes.
"That's why she'll have me there, I'll protect her Toya, you don't have to worry." Yuki smiled gently as Toya leaned in.
"Kiss me quick, Yuki, I can hear the monsters stomping feet already."
Heehee... like I promised, Yuki and Toya! Such a cute couple, ya just gotta love em! By the way, the final chapter! I'm putting it up next! So go ahead and review BOTH of them! You know you want to!
Cheerful-pinkstar- you are awesome! Thanks so much for reviewing again! and make sure to read my next crossover when I get around to writing it! I promise you'll adore it!
Swt-Anime-Angel- yeah, kyo gets picked on a lot, he mentions it during the episode where the tiger won't talk because she was getting picked on... and of course during those last episodes when he's reminiscing about Master (and I apologize right now for not naming him... I can't find my last dvd and none of the sights I can find mention him by name!)
CS fan()- naw, Yuki Sohma isn't in this one, mostly because I get the feeling that he and Kyo were kept apart for a reason when they were younger... but I added Momiji just for you! ( and because I love Momiji myself! Ahhh!!!) so you're welcome! BTW- my next fanfic for this crossover will have Yuki Sohma... and you'll just DIE when you find out what I'm doing to him!!!
ghoulee()- you are just the best! Thanks soooo much! (love ya doll-face! ) this one and the next are the last of this part of the crossover- but the next one, when they're older will have looooong chapters... you'll like it! PROMISE!
sakura no kaijuu- tohru will be in the next fic! It'll be fun writing her! Thanks for the review!
They got through opening exercises without any problems, and Li could feel his anxiety begin to fade.
"Team up." Master called out, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he strolled around the dojo and approved or disproved matches.
"Joji, not with Lorei, you've both advanced. Kite, Cole, switch with these two, work them hard."
"Sensei." The four youth bowed, then obediently switched partners. Almost immediately the two beginners where kissing mat.
"Good." He nodded, "Joji, Kite will teach you to keep your guard up, you are too lax in protecting yourself, trusting in an attack to keep you safe. You need to balance, everything is a balance, you just need to find yours."
"Hai, sensei." Joji bowed and went back to face Kite in stance.
"Lorei, Cole will help you with your speed. You wait for your opponent, which is not bad, but you are not ready for them when they come at you. Cole, pay close attention to his flinches, we don't want to have a twitching pupil do we?" he made it into a joke, getting both students to laugh at themselves before he moved onto the next pair.
"He's good." Li muttered as Haru kicked up to knock him in the chin. Without thinking Li grabbed his foot and twisting, bringing the younger boy down to the mat in an advanced move one of his sisters had taught him.
"Shit Li." Haru grinned up at him as he helped the boy to his feet.
"Sorry Haru, reflex." He shrugged, then swore under his breath as he noticed Master watching them. "How would Kyo react to that kind of move?"
"He'd duck, then try to sweep my other foot away."
"Smart." Li admitted, "Gives him the choice to either get away or get you while you're down. What would Kyo do?"
"Wait for me to get back up..." Haru grinned, "He always says its funner to beat on someone if they can defend themselves. Otherwise its just a waste of time."
"Sounds like he enjoys karate."
"Its pretty much his life." Haru agreed.
"Kyo."
"Master." Li bowed.
"Have you been practicing the advanced kata I showed you?" Li looked over at Haru, twitched his eyebrows in a question. Haru shrugged, he had no idea what Master was talking about.
"Its not perfected." Li managed, a flush across his cheeks as his mind raced. Was Kyo the kind of person who would care about that? Li knew he would never present a move to his teacher that had not been studied for even the slightest flaw.
"Show me." Master watched as Kyo hesitated, something was off about the boy, beyond his fight with Akito the previous day.
"Master?" Haru pointed over to a sparring couple that had just kicked each other full force in the stomach, "I think they need help." Silently blessing the idiots Haru and Li breathed twin sighs of relief as Master gave them both a curious glance before walking off to tend his students.
"Man, almost got me." Li rubbed his hands over his eyes and glanced at the wall clock, "Last time this happened I was stuck in a plush toy claw machine right now." He smirked as Haru tried to stifle the giggles that appeared. He didn't do a very good job. He ended up sitting on the mat, holding his stomach with both arms as the clock on the wall clicked to four.
"So..." Sakura walked next to Kyo as they exited the school. Kyo scanned the trees, looking for the thugs that always tried to catch him after the last bell rang.
"Kyo, what are you looking at?" Meilin asked, her expression puzzled, Li often looked pensive, and was always ready for a fight, but Kyo reminded her of a twitchy cat waiting for a dog to bite him. She figured it was because he was, in a sense, a cat, but he was on high alert. If he'd been in cat form, his fur would be standing on end.
"What?" Kyo blinked, as if the two girls had just appeared out of thin air. Then he remembered, no one would jump him, he wasn't himself.
"Are you all right? Don't worry, a few more hours and you'll be good as new." Meilin laughed cheerfully as they passed store fronts and bright flower pots.
"Yeah..." Kyo looked down at his feet, a few more hours and he'd be looking over his shoulder again. Waiting for Akito to strike, or for those kids in his class to take offense at more than just his hair color. Jumping out of the way of crowds in case a girl was among them. He was tired of it, of the stupid curse, of everything. Once again he caught himself wondering why he didn't just end it.
"You know, we should keep in contact after you switch back. It'd be fun!" Sakura grabbed his hand and shook it as if making a deal.
"Yeah, it'd be fun." He looked into her bright eyes and found himself smiling. It was almost impossible to keep feeling down when she was so cheerful. It was no wonder why Li liked the girl so much, he'd had to endure the teasing of a few of the kids in the class when he found himself watching her during gym. Apparently it was something Li had to deal with a lot.
"See something you like Li?" Takashi grinned as came up behind the boy. "You know, you really should pay more attention to the soccer ball, or you'll get hit in the head like you did last week when you saw something you liked." The taller boy had grinned to take any of the sting out of the comment.
Kyo smiled as they passed storefronts and colorful flowers lining the streets. It was a peaceful afternoon; it had been too long since he didn't have to worry about anything.
"Sakura! Li! Meilin!" a shout from behind him caused his neck to swivel around, while the girls stopped and waved cheerfully.
"Eriol! Where have you been all day?" Sakura jumped forward to greet the boy as he approached. Kyo felt his guard go up as the boy grinned, his eyes hidden behind the glare that reflected off his round glasses.
"Yeah, why weren't you in class?" Meilin asked, hanging back around Kyo, like she would with Li.
"I was not feeling very well this morning." Eriol nodded politely to Kyo, and smiled gently. Kyo suddenly got the feeling that the boy wasn't fooled at all. He knew it wasn't Li inside Li's body.
"Oh, poor Eriol." Sakura smiled shyly as Eriol lifted her hand to his lips.
"Just knowing that one so fair as yourself was worried over me, makes me feel like the healthiest person alive." He grinned as Sakura blushed and giggled cutely. Kyo kept himself from gagging as Meilin tugged Sakura away.
"I saw the cutest toy in this window..." she said as they left the boys alone.
"So..." Kyo held his hands behind his back as he and Eriol followed the girls at a more sedate pace.
"My name is Eriol, who are you?" he asked politely.
"Uh... Li..."
"Please, don't insult my intelligence. The CHANGE card is involved in this?" Eriol stopped under the shade of a large tree; Kyo just noticed they had walked toward Penguin Park. The girls where swinging, giggling together as they pushed themselves higher.
"How did you-?" Kyo stopped as the boy's violet eyes lit with amusement.
"That means Li is in your body? I wonder how he's handling it." Eriol shrugged off his amusement and pinned Kyo with an otherworldly stare. "Who are you?"
"Kyo Sohma." Kyo found his mouth answering without permission.
"Sohma?" Eriol stepped back, suddenly worried. "You're not..." he blinked and seemed to glare into Kyo soul seeking the answers he needed, "You are one of the cursed."
"How do you-?"
"This is not good. The Clow cards were never meant to be mixed with other magics..." Eriol pushed his glasses up his nose and turned to watch Sakura with a worried expression on his face.
"Who are you?" Kyo snarled as he found himself unable to move. Eriol glanced at him from the corner of his eye and relaxed his hold.
"I suppose it does no harm to tell you, seeing as how I'll make you forget anyway..."
"You'll what?"
"But only because I'll need your help to fix this mess, and I'm considerably surprised that the shock of mixing magics and curses didn't send Sakura into a coma." Eriol sat on the grass and motioned for Kyo to join him. Kyo let out a sigh and sat, if he ever wanted to know anything, he realized he'd have to make a compromise.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
"So Kyo is in Li's body and Li is in Kyo's?" Momiji sat on Kyo's bed, his feet dangling and kicking the side as Haru and Li finally gave in to the boy's incessant questions.
"Yes, and we have to switch back at nine tonight." Li watched the clock on Kyo's desk with an almost obsessive glare. 6:23, two hours and thirty-seven minutes until he could look in the mirror and see himself looking back.
"Isn't it weird?" Momiji blinked as he pushed his face closer to Li searching, in vain, for any telling differences.
"Weird... how?" Li asked as he drew away from the blond, "Weird as in normal weird, or weird as in weird for magic?"
"Huh?"
"Li is somewhat of a mage actually Momiji, I guess he sees weird stuff all the time." Haru lay on the floor, throwing a yellow nerf ball to the ceiling and catching it lazily. He looked over to Li and smiled, "Though I don't think you've ever been turned into a cat before this incident."
"No," Li admitted, "but there is a first time for everything."
Sakura knew something was going on, Kyo looked tenser than he had all day when he broke away from Eriol, who smiled, waved, and went on his way. Sakura had asked if he was feeling sick, but Kyo just waved away all her questions and told her not to be late. So she hurried home, fixed dinner for her brother, Yuki and father, and tried not to think of it.
"Oi, Yuki." Toya washed dishes as Yuki sat at the table, working on his advanced trig assignment.
"Yes Toya?" He looked up as Toya put away some dishes and turned to face him.
"How's she doing?" His brow furrowed anxiously as he dried the frying pan. Since he'd given most of his power away to keep Yuki from disappearing he couldn't feel when danger was lurking around his sibling. But he still got occasional twinges, usually right before she fainted.
"She has to switch back Li and Kyo today, in about an hour, but I don't think that should be a problem." Yuki shrugged and pushed his chair back to stand as Toya opened his mouth.
"I don't like it, Yuki, I mean our magic isn't a curse, and can't that kind of thing get tricky?" Toya threw the dishcloth to the counter and grabbed Yuki by the shoulders, "I don't profess to know a great deal about this kind of thing, but I do know that messing about with curses is a bad idea." Yuki placed his palm on Toya's cheek, leaving it there as he stared into his boyfriend's worried eyes.
"That's why she'll have me there, I'll protect her Toya, you don't have to worry." Yuki smiled gently as Toya leaned in.
"Kiss me quick, Yuki, I can hear the monsters stomping feet already."
Heehee... like I promised, Yuki and Toya! Such a cute couple, ya just gotta love em! By the way, the final chapter! I'm putting it up next! So go ahead and review BOTH of them! You know you want to!
Cheerful-pinkstar- you are awesome! Thanks so much for reviewing again! and make sure to read my next crossover when I get around to writing it! I promise you'll adore it!
Swt-Anime-Angel- yeah, kyo gets picked on a lot, he mentions it during the episode where the tiger won't talk because she was getting picked on... and of course during those last episodes when he's reminiscing about Master (and I apologize right now for not naming him... I can't find my last dvd and none of the sights I can find mention him by name!)
CS fan()- naw, Yuki Sohma isn't in this one, mostly because I get the feeling that he and Kyo were kept apart for a reason when they were younger... but I added Momiji just for you! ( and because I love Momiji myself! Ahhh!!!) so you're welcome! BTW- my next fanfic for this crossover will have Yuki Sohma... and you'll just DIE when you find out what I'm doing to him!!!
ghoulee()- you are just the best! Thanks soooo much! (love ya doll-face! ) this one and the next are the last of this part of the crossover- but the next one, when they're older will have looooong chapters... you'll like it! PROMISE!
sakura no kaijuu- tohru will be in the next fic! It'll be fun writing her! Thanks for the review!