Author's Note: Whoa...I am really freaking out here now. I have NEVER gotten this many reviews before. Or have I? Thank you to all!

Elven Sword: Don't worry, I'm not offended. In fact, I'm pleased that you were the only one who noticed that paragraph.

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura.

The Magic Paintbrush

By: Wings of Jade

Chapter 3: The Shape Shifter

Sakura ran her fingers over the magic paintbrush. It was dangerous. She had painted an actual human being. She didn't even want to think about it. She hoped Touya wouldn't find out.

A dove darted in from the window and dropped something onto the floor, then flew back out. Sakura picked it up quickly. Only her brother would deliver a message with a dove. She opened it.

Dear kaijuu:

I hope everything is going just perfectly horrible over there at your place. But of course, that's typical me, wishing my lovely little monstrous sister bad luck. Master Yue has taught me quite a lot this month. I can even enchant the mirror to show me how you are doing. But that takes a whole lot of my energy and by the time the mirror shows me how you are, I would have passed out in tiredness. I'm still practicing.

Remember your stupid paintbrush. If you make anything big come alive, I swear I will rip your head off your shoulders. You remember what okaa-san told us. It is dangerous. Hopefully, you have followed my advice. Hopefully. Knowing you, you'd probably have painted a human by now. YOU'D BETTER NOT!

Master Yue tells me that I only need a few more months to go to the next level. When I've mastered that level, I'll come home. Finally.

Sincerely,

Your brother Touya-chan

Coming home after a couple of months? No way! Then he'd definitely find out about Syaoran Li. Darn...why did she paint him in the first place? Now she was really going to get it!

Sakura glared at the magic paintbrush, innocently lying on her desk.

"This is all your fault!"


Syaoran stepped into his old house, pausing to take in the difference from six months ago. Dust filled and web filled, it looked pretty old, like it had been abandoned for six years instead of six months. What the hell happened here? wondered Syaoran. Did Yang try to imprison my home or something? Sheesh.

He took something from inside his robes. It was a book, with the title The Book of Spells, opening the traditional Asian way, from right to left, and written up and down, from right to left. It was full of Chinese characters, which Syaoran understanded, since he was of Chinese descent. He bet anybody else in the Kinomoto lands would even recognize them.

Syaoran hadn't reviewed that book in six months. It was a gift from his martial arts and magic sensei Yue, and it contained complex enchantments that took days and weeks to learn. However, it wasn't completely filled; it was a thick volume, and only little more than half of it had characters on it. Yue had put a tricky charm on it so that each spell would appear when Syaoran was ready to learn it.

He opened it to where the last spell he had mastered had been last. Another spell had been added under it. Surprised, Syaoran read it.

Heal Wounds(1)

Essence of Yue, be no longer sealed
Spirit of Yang, let me be healed.

-words used by the Sorcerer of Medicine Yao, when he was in trouble and needed to heal himself

This spell is immensely difficult to learn, but worth the work. When you have mastered it, you will be able to heal yourself easily, no matter how damaged you are; if you can summon Heal Wounds, then you will have no problem, for the magic will do the rest. The words used by Sorcerer Yao are a sort of inspiration.

Syaoran smirked as his eyes traveled to the couplet. He never laughed. Maybe chuckle, but that was the limit. He so did not laugh. He was that kind of person, setting limits for himself, rather than others. The spell mentioned Yue and Yang, possibly the two most powerful sorcerers in the world, but polar opposites. He read on, and then seated himself onto the dusty floor. Realizing it was dusty, he waved his hand carelessly and his house automatically became un-dusty and clean again.

He looked at the spell. Perhaps he could master it at the moment. After all, if it appeared, then it meant that he was allowed and ready to try it. But as soon as he got comfortable into lotus position, he heard a scream. He rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess. A damsel in distress?" Then he grabbed his sword and with a swish of his green cloak, he vanished.


Sakura rushed to Willow Pond, her auburn hair flying behind her. She rode on a painted horse, and all the while, she kept thinking, Tomoyo, Tomoyo, please be okay...

She had received word that her best friend was in danger. Sakura knew that Tomoyo had gone to Willow Pond for a swim, but she never imagined that she would be in trouble. The more she thought about it, the more upset she was with herself; Tomoyo wasn't the best swimmer, she should have gone with her! UGH! Now her boy friend (he was a friend that's a boy, a boy that was her friend, but not her boyfriend) Eriol had rushed to her and told her that Tomoyo was drowning!

When she reached Willow Pond, people were crowded around the pond. Sakura pushed through them quickly (A little too quickly, she thought) and reached the pond.

"Tomoyo!" she shouted. "Tomoyo! Can you hear me? Where are you?" The people around her began muttering. Sakura felt the tension rising in her. "Tomoyo! Where are you?"

Just then, a lock of dark hair floated to the surface. Then, it was quickly followed by another lock, and then another lock, and a head sprouting tons of dark hair. Sakura felt relieved.

"Tomoyo? Is that you?"

"Come here, Sakura," said Tomoyo, her back to her. Sakura was confused.

"What do you mean? I can't go into the water, I--"

"Go. Into. The. Water." Tomoyo's voice was becoming quite menacing. Sakura looked around her. The people had scattered.

"Why?"

"I need help with something."

"What?"

"You'll know when you come in." Sakura grimaced. It was not like Tomoyo at all to be so blunt. She checked that her paintbrush was safely tucked into her skirt's belt, and then stepped hesitantly into the water.

Immediately, Tomoyo turned around, but it was not Tomoyo's face that she saw, but somebody else's face. Her eyes were black, and her mouth was stretched into a sinister smile. Her hair turned white. The person who impersonated Tomoyo rose from the water. She was wearing a tight silver dress, fanning out at the ankles, and it was strapless. She carried a crystal ball in her right hand.

Sakura stepped out of the water swiftly. "Wh-Who are you?" she stammered.

"Do you really need to know?" she asked in an eerie voice. Sakura felt a shiver creep up her spine.

"Wh-Where's Tomoyo?" she demanded in a shaky voice. "What have you done with her?"

"She went a long time ago," sneered the woman. "I can't believe someone like you can be so gullible." Then, without another warning, the woman shot towards Sakura with astonishing speed, her claw-like hands stretched out, and Sakura screamed.

The claws barely reached her throat before somebody shouted, "Circle of Fire!(2)" Sakura saw something bright red and hot sear the woman's hair, and she recoiled. Sakura backed away and looked up.

Syaoran, the warrior she had set free, the guy who she had been worrying about for the past few hours, was floating down, sword drawn. He landed smoothly, and watched patiently as Sakura's would-be killer tried to put out the fire, finally jumping into the water. Sakura was too terrified to say anything. Her hand curled around her paintbrush.

When the woman emerged, smoking, her eyes had turned red and they were glaring at Syaoran.

"Syaoran Li. I should have known. Never missed a chance to save a damsel in distress, have you?"

"Never missed a chance to make a damsel in distress, have you?" Syaoran returned calmly. His quick wit and smart mouth was often more efficient than six Circle of Fires. But the killer-ess merely threw her head back and laughed.

"Do you even know me?" she hissed. Her hair suddenly became blue, then yellow, then red, then black, then brown, and then white again. Her eyes became green, then blue, then gray, then yellow, then back to black. She became skinny as a stick, fat as a pumpkin, and then back again. Syaoran shrugged.

"Iie. But I know what you are after. If you leave right now, I just might spare your life. And," he said, "Judging by your quick shifting of appearance, I would say you are a Shape Shifter."

"Clever little boy, aren't you? Yes, I am a Shape Shifter. Therefore, I can turn into this stupid little girl--" she pointed at Sakura, "and you wouldn't know the difference."

"Oh yes I would," replied Syaoran. "Because you don't have the magic paintbrush."

"We'll see about that," hissed the Shape Shifter, and then she morphed into a replica of Sakura. The crystal ball was in her right hand, but then she stuffed it into the front of her outfit. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw an exact copy of herself shoot at something that looked like the speed of light towards her real self. In a flash, Syaoran had pointed his sword at her and shouted, "Freeze!3" The Shape Shifter was suddenly encased in ice, inches away from Sakura. Syaoran shot towards Sakura and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sakura nodded shakily. "I'm fine."

"Is your paintbrush still with you?" Syaoran took a step closer. Suddenly, Sakura smiled.

"Nope," she answered, and then, her hands became claws, and she sank them into his chest. Syaoran's eyes widened.

"You--You're not...You're not Sakura," he gasped. The fake Sakura smirked and yanked her claws out of Syaoran's chest. Blood began staining Syaoran's robes, trickling from ten tiny holes in his chest. He gasped for air. How could that be? No way could a Shape Shifter be that fast!

He let out another gasp. The fake Sakura watched him. "You are so slow, Li," said the Shape Shifter. "I made the switch extremely quickly so you would be confused. Honestly, can't you even see that?" She laughed. Then she observed herself in her crystal ball, which she plucked from inside her clothes. "Hmm. I like this form. I look pretty good." Then she laughed again.

Syaoran sank to the ground, holding his chest wounds. "Heal Wounds(1)," he sputtered. "Heal..." The Shape Shifter laughed even harder.

"Have you gone crazy or something? Please. Now you're trying to heal yourself?" Syaoran's breath came in short, ragged gasps. He was losing consciousness. He had to remember that spell. What did it say? He couldn't 't...remember...

Essence of Yue, be no longer sealed
Spirit of Yang, let me be healed.

"The poem..." Syaoran arranged himself in lotus position. "Essence of Yue...be no longer sealed, Spirit of Yang...let me be healed." He hated Yang with all his heart, and hated even having to mention his cursed stupid dumb name, but then, he needed to be healed badly. Did the Shape Shifter have poisonous claws or something? He felt his eyes going black, his brain churning...

He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to stop the blood running down his wrists. Then, suddenly, his chest didn't hurt anymore. His breathing came back to normal. His magic started rising inside of him, and he felt energized. He picked up his sword, much to an astonished Shape Shifter.

"What--Why are you still alive?" she hissed. "Why? I will--"

"Kill me? Think again."

Syaoran ran towards her, nothing but a green blur, and stabbed the Shape Shifter in the chest, at the same time calling, "White Lightning!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shrieked the Shape Shifter, as lightning started crawling all over her body. Syaoran stepped back to watch her get fried, but then...his White Lightning spell was slowly disappearing, and...the Shape Shifter's wounds weren't visible!

"Don't think a puny little piece of metal can finish me," hissed the Shape Shifter. She was still in Sakura's form. "I will totally destroy you, you filthy little magician." Her arm mutated into a deadly spiked mace and started swinging towards Syaoran. Syaoran blocked every attempt the Shape Shifter tried to spike him, but his sword kept getting chipped. He jumped up and aimed a 360 degree kick at the Shape Shifter's head, then stabbed at her again. The Shape Shifter blocked him and jumped back. She rubbed her head where he had kicked her.

"Playful little baka, aren't you?" she said ruefully.

"Playful, but not baka," shot Syaoran. "Freeze(3)!" The Shape Shifter was encased in ice once again. Syaoran panted. She was tough. Then he looked at the real Sakura, frozen in his magical spell. He pointed his sword at her and said, "Return(4)." The ice suddenly disappeared, and Sakura was back to normal. She shivered.

"What happened?" she asked. Her hand went to her waist, where the paintbrush was.

It wasn't there!

"My paintbrush!" cried Sakura, patting down her torso and legs. "It's gone!"

"What?" said Syaoran. "But--" He looked at the Shape Shifter, trapped in the ice. He walked around her. Then, he saw that in the Shape Shifter's belt was the paintbrush. He put his palm up to the cold ice.

"Burn." A single flame escaped from his hand and snaked its way into the ice, melting a small hole to the paintbrush. Syaoran took it and threw it at Sakura, who caught it.

"There's your paintbrush."

"Arigatou..." Sakura didn't know what else to say. They stood, looking at each other, in silence.

Suddenly, the Shape Shifter started Shifting! It began to transform into a flame, melting the ice that Syaoran had frozen her with. Sakura watched, horrified, as the Shape Shifter began morphing into Sakura again, when...

"Water Dragon Spirit!(5)" commanded Syaoran. A translucent blue dragon shot out of the end of Syaoran's sword, and wrapped around the Shape Shifter, who was still in the middle of transformation, which meant that she was still half fire. The water dragon looked like molten glass, having the Shape Shifter in a tight grip, and when the spell disappeared, the Shape Shifter had gone.

"She's...dead." Sakura's voice was shaky.

Syaoran collapsed, exhausted. The Water Dragon Spirit spell was effective and powerful, but required way too much energy. He shouldn't have used it. But at least it destroyed that Shape Shifter.

Far away, Yang watched in his mirror. He fumed and threw his porcelain bowl down, which shattered into pieces and scattered his dinner. Heiji hurried towards him to clean it. When he collected the pieces and went to throw them out quietly...

"HEIJI!"

Darn.

"Heiji, you big fat fool, get over here!"

"Yes, sir?"

"You told me the Shape Shifter would be smart enough to lure that stupid girl there and get the magic paintbrush. But no, she draws the attention of Syaoran Li who somehow manages to heal himself after getting hurt and kill the stupid Shifter!"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Heiji apologetically. "I had no idea, sir."

"Well, send another monster! I need that dumb brush quickly."

"Will Yumi(6) be good enough?"

"She'd better be."


Okay, people, this is the first monster of Yang's they must fight. There will be more monsters, as well as more adventures. REVIEW! Hey Elven Sword...spot the flaw yet? -winks-

1: Heal Wounds: a spell in which you can effectively heal your wounds by saying the couplet or 'Heal Wounds'. It is pretty complicated to master, though. Syaoran had luck with him when he healed himself.

2: Circle of Fire: fire spell. Summons a circle of fire to burn your enemy.

3: Freeze: a spell in which you can encase your enemy in a barrier of ice.

4: Return: allows you to undo your spell. Sorta.

5: Water Dragon Spirit: summons a water dragon to extinguish any fires. Powerful, but tiring.

6: Means beauty in Japanese. I think.