*Author's notes: Hey guys! I'd just like to say, thanks again to my fans for all of the nice comments, I really appreciate it all! Love ya!* ~ Kitty ^^
Chapter 5: First Attack
Sakura sighed heavily as she kept her arms straight out in the air, Tomoyo measuring them with a smile on her face. At least SOMEBODY was happy about the whole thing.
It had been about a week since Sakura's Cards had shot into the air so suddenly, and Sakura's ache from being struck by the Thunder Card was almost gone. She was just careful not to move too quickly or the pain would come back.
"Ok, Sakura, now you can put your arms down," Tomoyo said, and Sakura let her arms fall back to her sides as Tomoyo began stringing the measuring tape around her waist.
"Tomoyo, why are you re-measuring me?" Sakura questioned. "You did this the last time you made me costumes."
"Which was almost three years ago, Sakura!" Tomoyo said eagerly. "And you've grown since then! I'll need to have your right measurements in order for your costumes to fit." She smiled happily as she wrapped up the measuring tape and placed it in her pocket.
"Kero, isn't there any other way to do this?" Sakura said. Kero, floating in the air above them, shook his head.
"No, you'll just have to re-capture all of the Cards, and that's that."
"But, Kero.." Sakura moaned, flopping down onto her bed. "There MUST be another way to go on about this, I just KNOW it."
Kero let out a long sigh. "No, there isn't. If there was, I'd tell you."
"This a nightmare," Sakura groaned, shuving her face into her pillow. "This is worse than a nightmare."
"Tell me about it.." Kero mumbled.
"Are you kidding?! This is a MIRACLE!" Tomoyo said. Her eyes started to shine with pride as she clasped her hands together in delight. "This a dream come true!"
"Yeah, maybe for you!" Sakura shrieked. "You're not the one capturing the Cards, AGAIN! All you have to do is just stand there and videotape the whole thing!"
Tomoyo laughed heartedly. "Oh, but that is the best part, Sakura! You, re-capturing the Cards, with your cute outfits on, saving the world from destruction! It's everything I ever hoped for!"
Sakura proceeded to have a look of -_- pointed at her strange friend. Kero just sighed again and floated down to Sakura's bed.
"So, Kero, you don't have any idea as to why my Cards have deserted me?" Sakura asked quietly.
"No, I don't, Sakura.. But I do know this.. The Cards ARE loyal to you, and whatever made them to do that, wasn't of their own will, but of force. That I am sure of."
Sakura nodded slowly. "But the question is… Who?"
"We'll find out in good time," Kero replied. He paused for a moment, and then said, "Sakura, did you notice that after the Cards… left… the rain suddenly stopped?"
Sakura thought for a moment then remembered when she had looked out her window just after the Cards had disappeared into the sky, and the rain had stopped. "Oh, yeah Kero, you're right! Do you think maybe that the rain was some kind of warning, some kind of clue like that sensing I got?"
"Well, the circumstances are sure pointing to it. I'm almost 100% positive that all of the rain and you're weird sensing has something to do with the Cards leaving."
"So you think maybe it was another magician, Kero?"
Kero shrugged his shoulders in a "i couldn't really tell you" answer. "No one knows, kiddo. But I would say yes. Even though I still can't sense what you did, I think that maybe another person with magical abilities might have forced your Cards to do what they did."
Sakura lay in deep thought for a moment, Tomoyo silent as she watched Sakura, Kero also in consideration.
"Well, I say that we call up Syaoran," Sakura replied after a moment. Tomoyo nodded agreement, and Kero just glared into the air. He never did like Syaoran, and Sakura sopposed that he never would.
"Alright," he mumbled after a few seconds. Sakura then stood up and went to reach for her phone, but a loud crash of glass made her whip her head around to her window.
Sakura had just enough time to throw herself to floor as an arrow came hurtling towards her. She heard Kero and Tomoyo hurriedly ducking behind Sakura's bed beside her.
"What was that??" Tomoyo said. Sakura cautiously peered over bedside and said loudly, "No, not my window again, I just got it replaced!!"
"Uh, Sakura, this isn't the time to be worrying about your window!" Kero yelled, as more arrows shot into the room, twanging on the walls behind the three as they ducked behind the bed.
"It's the Arrow Card, right?" Sakura said, quickly grabbing her Key off of her neck.
"Yeah, but how are you going to capture it??" Kero asked.
Sakura's face went pale. "I was just about to-" she cut off when another arrow came flying at her head and she ducked, "-ask that!"
"I'm all out of ideas, kiddo, you're just going to have to capture the Arrow without any of your Cards," Kero replied, keeping his body behind the bed.
Sakura sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, Kero." She then turned to Tomoyo. "Well, if you have any costume for me to wear, you better get it now, 'cuz I've got a Card to capture."
"Oh, Sakura, like I said before, you look gorgeous!" Tomoyo cried happily, her video camera flashing at Sakura as Sakura sweat dropped, looking down at her new battle outfit. It was a sleeveless red dress that was cut just below the thighs, rather short, with a deep neckline and a matching necklace, earrings and hairpieces. Knee-high, blood-red boots completed the outfit.
"It's.. different.." Sakura said apologetically, as she clutched her staff in her hands and stared around at her surroundings. They were along the path in the forest that Sakura's friend Naoko usually took to go home after school, and it was night time, looking rather spooky. They had followed the Arrow Card here when it stopped shooting at them, and then it disappeared into the trees in the forest.
"Be on the lookout, kiddo," Kero said, as he floated onto Tomoyo's shoulder, who was videotaping Sakura with a big smile planted on her face.
Sakura nodded and took a step forward, ready to call out the Shot Card, but her mouth was left hanging open in mid-sentence as an arrow came soaring through the trees to land beside where Sakura's foot had been.
"Aha! There you are!" Sakura yelled out, as she watched the Arrow Card's shadow appear in a tree, standing one of the high branches, it's bow raised and an arrow drawn.
"Sakura, watch out, that's an illusion!" called out a familiar voice that echoed through the forest.
Tomoyo, her eyes wide, lowered her camera and stepped forward. "Eriol?"
"Watch out!" the voice cried again, just as Sakura spotted a movement from the corner of her eye, having just enough time to hurl herself at Tomoyo and throw themselves to the ground. Sakura could hear the arrow whistle by over her head.
"Sakura, Tomoyo, the real Arrow Card is right behind you! Run!" yelled the bodyless voice from among the trees again.
Sakura hurriedly picked herself up from the ground, grabbing Tomoyo by the arm and rushing into the forest, Kero flying after them.
"Tomoyo, I want you to run the other way through the forest," Sakura said quickly, as the three of them dodged through the trees. "You'll be safe once you reach the path again."
"No!" Tomoyo's face was sheer determination as she clutched her video camera and ran by Sakura's side. "That was Eriol's voice."
Sakura looked over at her friend and nodded. To tell the truth, it did sound like Eriol Hirrigizawaa's voice, but why he would be here lost Sakura.
"Sakura, whoever that was that yelled out that warning, is right," Kero said, ducking under branches as he flew at Sakura's side. "The Illusion Card is working with the Arrow."
"Damnit!" Sakura growled, holding her staff out in front of her as she ran on faster, ready to use her staff to hack through the trees if need be. She kept her eyes on all parts of the forest, praying that the Arrow Card wasn't catching up to them. "Kero, what am I going to do? I haven't got any Cards!"
Kero was silent. For once, he didn't say anything.
"Oh great, just frigin' great!" Sakura nearly screamed in frustration. "Without my Cards, how in the HELL am I going to capture one Card, let alone two?!"
"Let's just keep running," Tomoyo said, her eyes set straight ahead. "Eriol can help us."
"And what if that voice wasn't Eriol's?" Kero questioned.
"It is, I just know it," Tomoyo said firmly. If Sakura didn't know better, she would have thought that Tomoyo loved Eriol.
It must have been 15 minutes before the three stopped to catch their breath. Kero kept on the lookout while Sakura sat down on the ground, huffing and puffing from lack of air.
"I.. think.. we.. lost them.." Sakura panted, gulping in air. She looked up at Tomoyo, who was still standing, breathing in easily, her eyes scanning the trees intently.
"Uh, you guys," Kero said in a panic. "Hate to break it to ya, but they're coming!"
Sakura pushed herself up from the ground and stood ready, her hands clutching her staff tightly. She watched the Arrow running towards her. She couldn't tell if it was the Illusion's version of the Arrow Card, or if it was the real one, and that was what scared her.
"Sakura, that's the real Arrow," Kero said. "I just know it."
Sakura nodded, as she stepped forward, watching the Arrow hop up into one of the trees.
"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked quietly. The Arrow Card had obviously heard her, for it stopped in mid-way of drawing an arrow.
"Why..?" Sakura repeated again, walking forward a bit more. "Did someone tell you do this?"
To Sakura's amazment, the Arrow nodded and lowered it's bow.
"Who?" Sakura asked quickly. "Who did?"
The Arrow was just opening it's mouth, when it stopped and then looked up at the trees at something.
Everything happened at once. The Arrow's lips curved into a vicious smile just as Sakura tossed her body around, Tomoyo's scream echoing through the forest as a ball of fire raced towards the Cardcaptor.
A human blur came flying out of the trees, tackling Sakura out of the way just as the ball of fire struck a tree right behind her.
Sakura groaned as she lifted her already acheing body from the ground, her fingers grasping the leaves beneath her as she pulled herself onto her hands and knees.
"For god sakes, if that's ANOTHER Card, I'm going to-" she stopped in mid-sentence as she raised her head, staring wide-eyed at the person beside her.
"Syaoran…?"
Chapter 5: First Attack
Sakura sighed heavily as she kept her arms straight out in the air, Tomoyo measuring them with a smile on her face. At least SOMEBODY was happy about the whole thing.
It had been about a week since Sakura's Cards had shot into the air so suddenly, and Sakura's ache from being struck by the Thunder Card was almost gone. She was just careful not to move too quickly or the pain would come back.
"Ok, Sakura, now you can put your arms down," Tomoyo said, and Sakura let her arms fall back to her sides as Tomoyo began stringing the measuring tape around her waist.
"Tomoyo, why are you re-measuring me?" Sakura questioned. "You did this the last time you made me costumes."
"Which was almost three years ago, Sakura!" Tomoyo said eagerly. "And you've grown since then! I'll need to have your right measurements in order for your costumes to fit." She smiled happily as she wrapped up the measuring tape and placed it in her pocket.
"Kero, isn't there any other way to do this?" Sakura said. Kero, floating in the air above them, shook his head.
"No, you'll just have to re-capture all of the Cards, and that's that."
"But, Kero.." Sakura moaned, flopping down onto her bed. "There MUST be another way to go on about this, I just KNOW it."
Kero let out a long sigh. "No, there isn't. If there was, I'd tell you."
"This a nightmare," Sakura groaned, shuving her face into her pillow. "This is worse than a nightmare."
"Tell me about it.." Kero mumbled.
"Are you kidding?! This is a MIRACLE!" Tomoyo said. Her eyes started to shine with pride as she clasped her hands together in delight. "This a dream come true!"
"Yeah, maybe for you!" Sakura shrieked. "You're not the one capturing the Cards, AGAIN! All you have to do is just stand there and videotape the whole thing!"
Tomoyo laughed heartedly. "Oh, but that is the best part, Sakura! You, re-capturing the Cards, with your cute outfits on, saving the world from destruction! It's everything I ever hoped for!"
Sakura proceeded to have a look of -_- pointed at her strange friend. Kero just sighed again and floated down to Sakura's bed.
"So, Kero, you don't have any idea as to why my Cards have deserted me?" Sakura asked quietly.
"No, I don't, Sakura.. But I do know this.. The Cards ARE loyal to you, and whatever made them to do that, wasn't of their own will, but of force. That I am sure of."
Sakura nodded slowly. "But the question is… Who?"
"We'll find out in good time," Kero replied. He paused for a moment, and then said, "Sakura, did you notice that after the Cards… left… the rain suddenly stopped?"
Sakura thought for a moment then remembered when she had looked out her window just after the Cards had disappeared into the sky, and the rain had stopped. "Oh, yeah Kero, you're right! Do you think maybe that the rain was some kind of warning, some kind of clue like that sensing I got?"
"Well, the circumstances are sure pointing to it. I'm almost 100% positive that all of the rain and you're weird sensing has something to do with the Cards leaving."
"So you think maybe it was another magician, Kero?"
Kero shrugged his shoulders in a "i couldn't really tell you" answer. "No one knows, kiddo. But I would say yes. Even though I still can't sense what you did, I think that maybe another person with magical abilities might have forced your Cards to do what they did."
Sakura lay in deep thought for a moment, Tomoyo silent as she watched Sakura, Kero also in consideration.
"Well, I say that we call up Syaoran," Sakura replied after a moment. Tomoyo nodded agreement, and Kero just glared into the air. He never did like Syaoran, and Sakura sopposed that he never would.
"Alright," he mumbled after a few seconds. Sakura then stood up and went to reach for her phone, but a loud crash of glass made her whip her head around to her window.
Sakura had just enough time to throw herself to floor as an arrow came hurtling towards her. She heard Kero and Tomoyo hurriedly ducking behind Sakura's bed beside her.
"What was that??" Tomoyo said. Sakura cautiously peered over bedside and said loudly, "No, not my window again, I just got it replaced!!"
"Uh, Sakura, this isn't the time to be worrying about your window!" Kero yelled, as more arrows shot into the room, twanging on the walls behind the three as they ducked behind the bed.
"It's the Arrow Card, right?" Sakura said, quickly grabbing her Key off of her neck.
"Yeah, but how are you going to capture it??" Kero asked.
Sakura's face went pale. "I was just about to-" she cut off when another arrow came flying at her head and she ducked, "-ask that!"
"I'm all out of ideas, kiddo, you're just going to have to capture the Arrow without any of your Cards," Kero replied, keeping his body behind the bed.
Sakura sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, Kero." She then turned to Tomoyo. "Well, if you have any costume for me to wear, you better get it now, 'cuz I've got a Card to capture."
"Oh, Sakura, like I said before, you look gorgeous!" Tomoyo cried happily, her video camera flashing at Sakura as Sakura sweat dropped, looking down at her new battle outfit. It was a sleeveless red dress that was cut just below the thighs, rather short, with a deep neckline and a matching necklace, earrings and hairpieces. Knee-high, blood-red boots completed the outfit.
"It's.. different.." Sakura said apologetically, as she clutched her staff in her hands and stared around at her surroundings. They were along the path in the forest that Sakura's friend Naoko usually took to go home after school, and it was night time, looking rather spooky. They had followed the Arrow Card here when it stopped shooting at them, and then it disappeared into the trees in the forest.
"Be on the lookout, kiddo," Kero said, as he floated onto Tomoyo's shoulder, who was videotaping Sakura with a big smile planted on her face.
Sakura nodded and took a step forward, ready to call out the Shot Card, but her mouth was left hanging open in mid-sentence as an arrow came soaring through the trees to land beside where Sakura's foot had been.
"Aha! There you are!" Sakura yelled out, as she watched the Arrow Card's shadow appear in a tree, standing one of the high branches, it's bow raised and an arrow drawn.
"Sakura, watch out, that's an illusion!" called out a familiar voice that echoed through the forest.
Tomoyo, her eyes wide, lowered her camera and stepped forward. "Eriol?"
"Watch out!" the voice cried again, just as Sakura spotted a movement from the corner of her eye, having just enough time to hurl herself at Tomoyo and throw themselves to the ground. Sakura could hear the arrow whistle by over her head.
"Sakura, Tomoyo, the real Arrow Card is right behind you! Run!" yelled the bodyless voice from among the trees again.
Sakura hurriedly picked herself up from the ground, grabbing Tomoyo by the arm and rushing into the forest, Kero flying after them.
"Tomoyo, I want you to run the other way through the forest," Sakura said quickly, as the three of them dodged through the trees. "You'll be safe once you reach the path again."
"No!" Tomoyo's face was sheer determination as she clutched her video camera and ran by Sakura's side. "That was Eriol's voice."
Sakura looked over at her friend and nodded. To tell the truth, it did sound like Eriol Hirrigizawaa's voice, but why he would be here lost Sakura.
"Sakura, whoever that was that yelled out that warning, is right," Kero said, ducking under branches as he flew at Sakura's side. "The Illusion Card is working with the Arrow."
"Damnit!" Sakura growled, holding her staff out in front of her as she ran on faster, ready to use her staff to hack through the trees if need be. She kept her eyes on all parts of the forest, praying that the Arrow Card wasn't catching up to them. "Kero, what am I going to do? I haven't got any Cards!"
Kero was silent. For once, he didn't say anything.
"Oh great, just frigin' great!" Sakura nearly screamed in frustration. "Without my Cards, how in the HELL am I going to capture one Card, let alone two?!"
"Let's just keep running," Tomoyo said, her eyes set straight ahead. "Eriol can help us."
"And what if that voice wasn't Eriol's?" Kero questioned.
"It is, I just know it," Tomoyo said firmly. If Sakura didn't know better, she would have thought that Tomoyo loved Eriol.
It must have been 15 minutes before the three stopped to catch their breath. Kero kept on the lookout while Sakura sat down on the ground, huffing and puffing from lack of air.
"I.. think.. we.. lost them.." Sakura panted, gulping in air. She looked up at Tomoyo, who was still standing, breathing in easily, her eyes scanning the trees intently.
"Uh, you guys," Kero said in a panic. "Hate to break it to ya, but they're coming!"
Sakura pushed herself up from the ground and stood ready, her hands clutching her staff tightly. She watched the Arrow running towards her. She couldn't tell if it was the Illusion's version of the Arrow Card, or if it was the real one, and that was what scared her.
"Sakura, that's the real Arrow," Kero said. "I just know it."
Sakura nodded, as she stepped forward, watching the Arrow hop up into one of the trees.
"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked quietly. The Arrow Card had obviously heard her, for it stopped in mid-way of drawing an arrow.
"Why..?" Sakura repeated again, walking forward a bit more. "Did someone tell you do this?"
To Sakura's amazment, the Arrow nodded and lowered it's bow.
"Who?" Sakura asked quickly. "Who did?"
The Arrow was just opening it's mouth, when it stopped and then looked up at the trees at something.
Everything happened at once. The Arrow's lips curved into a vicious smile just as Sakura tossed her body around, Tomoyo's scream echoing through the forest as a ball of fire raced towards the Cardcaptor.
A human blur came flying out of the trees, tackling Sakura out of the way just as the ball of fire struck a tree right behind her.
Sakura groaned as she lifted her already acheing body from the ground, her fingers grasping the leaves beneath her as she pulled herself onto her hands and knees.
"For god sakes, if that's ANOTHER Card, I'm going to-" she stopped in mid-sentence as she raised her head, staring wide-eyed at the person beside her.
"Syaoran…?"