THE HUNTER, THE HUNTED
A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfic
Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess
With Assists from Rinnako-chan and Hawking
Paid for by contributions made to this station...And by Viewers like you.
Chapter One - Spring Break, Finally!
A loud cheer erupted as students poured through the doors of Shinta Yakumi
High
School. It had been a long school day full of the usual exams, lectures and
activities. Never before had a day dragged like this one. But the final bell
had rung, and that meant only one thing.
Spring Break!
The last signs of winter were beginning to fade, snow melting into the
ground,
providing nourishment for the soon to grow tall grasses and fields of flowers.
The sun hung higher in the air, the temperatures warming to a pleasant degree.
It promised to be a beautiful two weeks of vacation.
Sakura Kinomoto inhaled the cool afternoon air and let it out slowly. She
smiled to herself, eyes twinkling in anticipation of the break. She stood on
the main steps of the school, hugging her books to her chest. The break
couldn't come soon enough, she thought. She'd spent the last two weeks taking
nothing but exams and writing reports. Her fingers ached from typing and her
brain hurt from all the study. But now she could relax, she told herself. It
had all been worth it.
Besides her, Tomoyo Daidouji smiled happily, watching the other students
as they
made their way out of the school and towards the sidewalk. She, too, couldn't
wait for Spring Break. Her mother would be working through most of it, but she
didn't mind. It would give her time to go through her collection of videos, and
finish up partial projects. Her eyes sparkled just at the thought. Then she
turned those twinkling brown eyes to her best friend.
"Sakura-chan, what do you plan to do for your break?"
Sakura smiled at her friend, recognizing the look Tomoyo was giving her.
The
other girl was thinking about her video collection again. Probably those
unfinished works that included her favorite subject of all time.
Sakura.
"I'm not sure," Sakura replied with a shrug. "I haven't
made any plans yet."
She turned away from Tomoyo for a moment and searched the school grounds before
returning her gaze to her friend. "Li was supposed to set something up, but
he
hasn't mentioned anything yet."
Tomoyo's eyes sparkled even brighter. The smile on her face suddenly
appeared
mischievous. "Were you planning a weekend alone together Sakura-chan?"
Sakura immediately blushed. She always did at the thought of her
boyfriend.
They had been dating for nearly two years. Correction they had been dating
seriously for two years, but they had actually confessed their love for each
other months, years before that. Now in their second year of high school, they
were a school item.
"Well...something like that...I guess...." Sakura muttered,
covering her mouth
with one timid hand.
Tomoyo giggled. "Where would you be going that Touya couldn't follow you?"
Sakura laughed. Touya was her older brother. It always appeared to be a
love-
hate relationship between the two, but no matter how many times they fought
Sakura knew her brother cared for her. It showed in the littlest of things.
Especially in his annoyance with Li Saoryan.
Sakura opened her mouth to respond but a young male voice beat her to it.
"Somewhere far, FAR away."
Sakura nearly jumped as she felt arms wrap around her shoulders from
behind in a
hug. But she immediately relaxed as soon as she realized who it was. She
smiled, carefully turning in those arms to look at their owner.
"I don't think they make a place THAT far away, Li-kun," Sakura replied.
Li immediately blushed, ducking his head slightly. His on-going feud with
Sakura's brother was merely a game, he knew. Actually the two of them were
getting along much better than they had while Sakura and Li were still in middle
school. But old habits died hard and neither one was willing to give it up yet.
Besides, his biggest feud was with the guardian of the Clow Cards,
Keroberos.
For whatever reason, the two of them had never really gotten along. There were
exceptions of course. Perhaps it was a game to them as well, Li had once
thought. But Kero was incessant with his constant teasing and joking. It was
enough to drive Li insane.
The young man sighed, shaking his head. "Well, that may be." He
smiled down at
Sakura. "But I'm sure we can find SOME place."
"Well, even if you can find someplace to hide from the ogre, I'LL
still be able
to find you."
All three turned to see Meilin standing several stairs down from them. She
smiled happily up at Li, Sakura and Tomoyo. She held her bookbag behind her
back with both hands. Rocking back and forth on her feet she tilted her head
questioningly. "What DID you have planned for Spring Break, Li?"
The young man shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "Nothing, yet."
Sakura looked up at him surprised. As did Tomoyo and Meilin.
"Nothing?" they asked in unison.
Li nodded, his face flushed. He saw the look of disappointment on Sakura's
face
and frowned. "But I'm sure we can think of something tonight," he said
quickly,
hugging Sakura again. "We do have two weeks after all."
Sakura nodded. "Hai." She smiled again. "And otousan is
cooking up one of his
best dishes for dinner tonight, so you can't miss it." She looked at Tomoyo
and
Meilin. "The two of you are invited as well." She grinned
mischievously. "I'm
sure Li could use the extra support against oniichan."
Li blushed a deeper shade of pink than before and gawked at his girlfriend.
"S-sakura-chan!?" he stuttered.
The girls laughed.
* * * * *C*A*R*D*C*A*P*T*O*R*S* * * * *
Li needed very little help with Touya as the older boy was on his best
behavior
during the evening meal. It not only surprised Sakura, Li, Tomoyo and Meilin,
but it surprised their father as well. He knew of the little aggression between
the two boys. And it was only natural he had once told Touya, to be defensive
of a little sister.
But not one smart remark left his mouth. Not one estranged glance.
Sakura had thought him ill. She asked him several times through the meal
if he
was all right. Touya only smiled and nodded. The scene itself was a bit
frightening, but Sakura and the others finally relaxed after the older boy
excused himself to visit Yukito.
The four teens sat in the living room for over an hour, just chatting. The
television was turned on, but merely for background noise. Occasionally one of
them would comment on a commercial, but most of the conversation focused on
activities for Spring Break.
Sakura sat on the couch, her legs curled under her. She leaned back, half
on
the back of the couch and half on Li. Li sat forward, one arm resting on the
back of the couch, the other on the arm. His legs were crossed, right over left
in an attempt to get comfortable. The tips of his fingers lightly caressed the
top of Sakura's shoulder, nudging her a little closer.
Tomoyo sat demurely across from the young couple, her small body seemingly
lost
in the overstuffed chair Touya loved so much. A smile plastered to her face as
always, she sat with her ankles crossed left over right, both arms resting on
the large arms of the chair.
Meilin sat next to her in a beanbag chair, her small form sinking to the
floor
through the mass of beans in the bag. She sat Indian style, her arms crossed in
front of her. Her eyes floated from the television to the others.
"We could visit the botanical gardens," Sakura suggested.
"The flowers are just starting to bloom," Tomoyo stated with an
encouraging nod.
"That would be perfect."
"I hear they opened a new tropical exhibit," Meilin added.
Li tried not to wrinkle his nose in dislike. It's not that he didn't like
flowers. They were okay in his book. But he was hoping to do something a
little more exciting.
"Oh, and there's the new art museum downtown," Tomoyo suggested.
Sakura shrugged. "That would be okay for an afternoon I guess."
Li failed at holding back that wrinkle, turning his nose up at the idea.
Flowers may be boring, but museums were worse.
"What about the amusement park?" he asked.
"Again?" was the unanimous reply.
Li shrugged, leaning back further into his seat. "It was just a
suggestion," he
muttered with a frown.
Sakura patted him on the knee. "That would be good for a day or
so," she told
him. "But I want to come up with something that will keep us busy for more
than
a day, you know."
Everyone nodded.
"Sakura-chan!"
"Hai!" the girl answered instinctively. She began to stand from
the couch as
her father peered into the room. He smiled at the four teens and held out the
phone in his hand.
"Telephone," he told her. "From England."
Sakura blinked. "England?"
"From Eriol?" Li questioned, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Meilin and Tomoyo looked at each before offering a curious glance of their own.
Sakura nearly leapt from the couch and rushed to get the phone. She hadn't
heard from Eriol in months. He rarely called, unless it was in regards to the
Clow Cards. He managed to slip in a personal call once in a while, but it was
rare.
"Arigato, otosan," Sakura said, taking the phone from her
father. She turned
towards the others, lifting the receiver to her ear. "Moshi moshi."
"Konbanwa, Sakura-san."
The girl's eyes widened as she recognized the rich male voice on the other
end
of the line. "Konnichiwa, Eriol-san," she said happily. "Daijobou
desu ka?"
"I'm doing well. And you?"
"I'm great," Sakura replied, moving back towards the couch with
the phone
cradled in her hands. She sat down carefully. "Spring Break starts
today."
"Does it now?"
"Hai," Sakura replied, a huge smile covering her face.
"And what is it you plan to do for your break?"
The smile faded slightly. "Nothing at the moment." She glanced
at Li, then at
Tomoyo and Meilin. "We're still trying to figure that out."
A pause. "We?"
"Tomoyo, Meilin, Li and myself," Sakura replied.
"Ah. And how is everyone?"
Sakura held out the phone and motioned for Tomoyo and Meilin to speak as
loudly
as possible.
"We're doing great!" the two girls said in unison, giggling.
Eriol laughed as well. "And how is Li-kun, Sakura?"
"He's fine," Sakura said, looking at Li. The boy smiled in return.
"I'm glad everyone is doing okay." Eriol's voice was pleasant
and light. "But
for the reason I called...."
Sakura frowned. Was something wrong? Was that why Eriol had called?
"Nani?" Tomoyo asked, concerned.
"It is nothing bad I assure you," Eriol continued quickly,
reading Sakura's
thoughts. "I figured if you didn't have plans for Spring Break that you'd
like
to spend it here in England."
Sakura blinked, nearly dropping the phone from her hands. Li hurried to
catch
it before it hit the floor. He handed it back to Sakura, a worried expression
on his face.
"What did he say?" Li asked.
The smile returned to Sakura's face. "He's inviting us to visit him
in
England."
"Honto?" Meilin asked, smiling as well. "All of us?"
Sakura nodded vigorously. "Hai," she nearly squealed in excitement.
Li smiled. A trip to England wouldn't be so bad. There would be much to
see
and do. And on top of that, he and Sakura could spend some time alone as he had
hoped.
Tomoyo was all smiles, clapping her hands happily. "A trip to
England." Her
eyes lit up as she began to imagine what it would be like. There was a twinkle
in her eyes as she stood from the chair, her hands clasped in front of her
chest. "What should I take to wear?"
Meilin also stood, smiling. "An adventure at last," she said.
"Sakura-san?"
"Oh, gomen nasai, Eriol-kun." Sakura's apology came out in
between giggles. "I
think we have a unanimous agreement here." She looked at Li who nodded in
response.
"Good. I will have everything arranged for you and call you back with
the
details," Eriol replied.
"Sugoi!" Sakura said happily. "Arigato, Eriol-kun."
Eriol chuckled on the other end of the line. "Thank me once you're here."
"Hai," she replied, bouncing up and down on her toes. Li finally
pulled her
back down onto the couch to get her to settle down. She was smiling like an
idiot she knew, but things couldn't have worked out better.
They had plans for Spring Break!
"I'll be waiting for your call," Sakura told him once she was a bit calmer.
"Oyasumi nasai," Eriol replied before a soft click could be heard.
Sakura turned off the phone and fell back in her seat, her head resting
half on
the back of the couch and half on Li's shoulder. "I can't believe we're
going
to go to England!"
"It'll be a wonderful trip," Tomoyo assured her with a smile.
"I have to go home and pack right now," Meilin stated with a firm nod.
"But what to pack?" Tomoyo said, dreamy-eyed.
Both girls looked at each other. "Shopping!" they squealed in delight.
Li rolled his eyes. Anything was an occasion to shop for the two of them,
he
told himself. But he couldn't hold back a smile as Sakura became rapt in the
notion as well. There was a trip to the mall being planned for tomorrow,
although no one had actually said a word yet. He just knew it.
"We have to get together tomorrow and go to the mall," Meilin suggested.
Sakura and Tomoyo nodded, smiling happily at each other.
"Sakura-chan!"
All four teens quieted as Sakura's father returned to the room. He smiled
from
the doorway. He was still wearing the apron from the kitchen, and carrying a
tray of cookies.
"Would you like some snacks?" he asked them.
"Hai!" they all said.
The smile never left his face as Sakura approached to retrieve the tray.
"Who
was that on the phone, Sakura-chan?"
"A friend," she said, giggling. "He's invited Tomoyo,
Meilin, Li and I to visit
him for Spring Break."
"Oh my," her father replied, still smiling. "Then I guess
taking you to the
amusement park is out of the question?"
Sakura nodded, smiling apologetically. "Gomen nasai, pappa."
"It's all right," he told her, allowing her to take the tray
from him. "My
little girl should get out and see more of the world. Where is your
friend?"
"London," Sakura stated. She was suddenly nervous. Would her
father even let
her go? She hadn't given it any thought. She bit her bottom lip, waiting for
an answer.
Her father paused for only a moment. He had said he wanted her to see more
of
the world. But London? Why not, a small feminine voice said in the back of his
mind. The voice of his wife. The voice of reason. The smile faltered, then
returned.
"I suppose it will be all right," he said, resting a hand on
Sakura's head.
"We'll sit down and go through all the information once you have it. All
right?"
Sakura smiled brightly, nodding emphatically. "Hai!" She watched
her father
leave before turning back to her friends. She grinned mischievously, holding
out the tray to them.
"Let's snack!" she called excitedly.
"Um...Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo questioned.
"Hmm?"
Tomoyo smiled uncertainly. "What about Kero-chan?"
Sakura gasped, unsure. Li and Meilin simply grunted, eating their snacks.
* * * * *C*A*R*D*C*A*P*T*O*R*S* * * * *
Li fidgeted as the airline attendant compared his profile to that of his
passport. It had been over a year since the passport had been renewed, and his
picture was not exactly a mirror image. His hair color had gotten darker, the
deep chocolate locks falling nearly to his shoulders when his hair was unbound.
He was taller to be sure, broader across the shoulders and chest. After several
uncertain moments the airline attendant smiled sweetly and told him to pass.
Each of the teens was scrutinized as they checked in, but they were all
allowed
to pass into the terminal without question. Sakura was ecstatic. She had only
been on an airplane once -- when her father and brother decided they wanted to
vacation in Australia. It was just before she entered high school. She had
been nervous then, but now she couldn't wait to get on the plane. She wanted to
see the city from the sky, watch the tiny cars as they drove around the streets,
weaving through traffic. She clutched Tomoyo's hand as the girl stepped through
the security checkpoint and -- for once -- nearly dragged her towards the
waiting area.
Tomoyo giggled, allowing her friend to pull her along. She had been on
planes
many times...her mother traveled extensively, but she only got to attend several
functions with her a year. The girl smiled happily as they stopped in front of
a window, Sakura cupping her hands over her eyes as she gazed out into the yard
where the plans were landing and preparing for take off. Tomoyo sighed
inwardly, wishing she could've had her camera with her. The flight attendants
suggested she check it in with the rest of her luggage. The girl grudgingly
agreed, knowing that she'd be able to film Sakura once they reached London.
Sakura and Tomoyo both looked down as Sakura's bag started to jump and
wiggle.
Sakura put a hand to her mouth and gasped, forgetting she had stuck poor
Keroberos in the bag. She opened the zipper a crack, hearing the tiny beast
curse. She and Tomoyo winced as he went into a tirade about why he didn't like
being trapped inside bags. Sakura promised him a snack before they boarded the
plane. It was enough to calm his anger, his thoughts now on food.
Meilin passed through the checkpoint just ahead of Li. Flying was nothing
new
to her either, but she was excited to be going on such a trip. She'd never been
to Europe. Clutched in her hands, along with her tickets, was a small tour book
of London. It was written in Japanese, so it was taking her a while to
decipher. But she had already folded the corners of several pages, marking
those places she wished to visit on their trip. She smiled as she joined Tomoyo
and Sakura by the window, gazing out as a plane began its ascent into the clear
blue sky.
Li trailed the group, grabbing his carry-on bag as he stepped away from
the
checkpoint. He slung the heavy strap over his shoulder, following Meilin over
to the window. He stood behind Sakura, watching her look of fascination in the
window as another plane began its trip down the runway. A smile passed his lips
as she watched in awe. The little things always seemed to amuse her, and he
could never get enough of it.
"We should head for the gate," he told the girls as the last
plane disappeared
into the clouds above them. "The plane will be boarding shortly."
"Do we have enough time to bet a snack?" Sakura asked, picking
up her carry-on
bag from the floor and clutching it in both hands. She looked down at it
meaningfully, remembering Kero.
"Cake! Cake!" Kero called from inside the bag.
"There's a shop on our way," Tomoyo pointed out with a smile and
a tilt of her
head. "I want to buy a gift for Eriol before we leave."
Sakura nodded happily. "I never thought of that. But we should get
him
something special, since he did invite us."
Together they made their way through the growing crowds of people towards
the
shop. Sakura, Meilin and Tomoyo each bought a tiny trinket for Eriol...and one
for themselves. Li grabbed a box of chocolates, hiding them in his bag after
purchasing them. He wanted them to be a surprise for Sakura once they were in
flight.
They made one more stop at a juice stand before taking seats just outside
their
assigned gate. The flight didn't appear to be crowded, as there was only a
small group of passengers gathered there. But they were early. Many people
were still trying to check in at the desk.
Sakura and Meilin chatted while Li and Tomoyo regarded the others joining
them
on the flight. Li was half-hoping he'd sense some other magic, some indication
of danger. But his other half was glad when his senses told him that everything
appeared to be fine. He leaned back in his chair, craning his neck backward to
stare at the ceiling.
Tomoyo watched as a young mother prepared her little daughter for the
flight.
She smiled as the girl noticed her watching and waved, giggling. Tomoyo
returned the gesture before her eyes returned to roaming once more. She still
wished she had her camera, but she settled back into her chair with a contented
sigh and watched those around her.
They waited for fifteen minutes before the flight attendants began calling
for
boarding passengers. Tomoyo and Meilin boarded first, their seats two rows
behind Sakura and Li. They both waved happily as the last two boarded, Li
ushering Sakura into the seat and stowing their carry-on bags before sitting.
The ride was uneventful...at least for Li. Once they were in the air,
Sakura
had traveled back to see Tomoyo and Meilin, leaving him sitting by himself with
his historical novel. Not that he minded, he told himself truthfully. There
would be plenty of time to spend with Sakura when they were in London. And he
was positive it would be a lot less quiet.
"Mommy, I wanna drink!"
"Oh look at that! I haven't seen anything like it before...."
"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom!"
"Daddy, I'm hungry."
"Stop pushing. I wanna see too!"
"That's my game! Give it back!"
Li sighed, shaking his head.
'Or maybe not.'
"Air Italy Flight 1390 from Rome, now arriving at gate 10. Repeat,
Air Italy
Flight 1390 from Rome, now arriving...."
'Finally.'
Eriol smiled to himself, standing to his full height -- some 5'8".
Arms
crossed, he had been lounging against the wall across from the gate. People
preparing to fly out of town had taken most of the seats. Besides, he hadn't
wanted to sit. There was a nervous energy about today, and it was bothering him
to no end.
"Are they here yet?"
Eriol nodded his head, turning his eyes over his left shoulder to wear his
friend Suppi had remained perched in silence. The tiny beast had insisted on
tagging along...he was Eriol's partner after all. But he was also hoping that
Sakura would've thought to bring along Keroberos. He so wanted to beat the
other tiny beast in a game of his choosing.
"The plane has arrived," Eriol said quietly. "They should
enter the terminal
shortly."
Suppi nodded, tiny arms folded in front of him. "I hope Kero is ready...."
"I'm sure he is," Eriol answered, smiling knowingly. "Now
hush, we shouldn't be
much longer."
"Thank the master," Suppi muttered. "I hate airports."
Eriol nodded. It was definitely crowded at the airport today. Perhaps that
was
why he had been picking up strange vibrations. It certainly couldn't be a clow
card. But he placed those thoughts in the back of his mind as the terminal
began to flood with people coming in from the plane. He scanned the crowd for a
few minutes before he recognized two of the passengers.
"Li-kun! Sakura-san!"
Sakura's head snapped up at the sound of her name. A happy smile slowly
grew on
her lips. She had her carryon clutched in one had and was holding Li's with the
other. She released Li's hand, raised it above her head and waved frantically
to Eriol. Li also waved, a small smile crossing his lips.
Meilin and Tomoyo were right behind them. Meilin raised her hand and waved
as
well. Tomoyo smiled politely, clutching her carry-on bag in both hands.
"Ah Meilin-san, Tomoyo-san," Eriol greeted as the group managed
to disengage
themselves from the main flow of the crowd and stepped aside to stand with him.
"I'm glad you could all make it. How was your flight?"
"Great," Meilin replied.
"Beautiful," Tomoyo said.
"Terrific," Li nodded his answer.
"Fantastic," Sakura replied enthusiastically.
"Hmrumph farumph," came a small voice from inside Sakura's carry-on bag.
Eriol looked down at it in dismay, then smiled briefly. "I take it
you also
brought Keroberos."
Sakura blushed, embarrassed. "H-hai." She glanced down at the
bag, then smiled
up at Eriol. "Perhaps we can find someplace where I can open the bag and
give
him some air."
Eriol nodded. "Let's head down to the baggage claim," he told
them. "It'll
take a while for your luggage to appear, and it will give Keroberos a chance
to...catch his breath."
The others nodded. The flight had been uneventful, so little was said as
they
made their way through the airport towards the baggage claim. Sakura chatted
with Eriol amiably about the flight and what some of their plans were. He
simply nodded, making a few suggestions of his own.
They gathered their luggage from the baggage claim area. Tomoyo won a
prize for
the most bags. Of course, she had one more than everyone else because of her
camera. Eriol had been surprised she had brought it with her, but then he
would've been equally surprised if she had left it at home.
As they moved towards the exit, Sakura unzipped her carry-on to check on
Kero.
He wasn't pleased with being stuffed in the bag, and Suppi was relentless in his
teases. But Eriol assured the little guardian that once they reached his car,
he would be free to roam about as he pleased. Sakura offered Kero a piece of
candy in hopes of keeping him appeased until then. He grudgingly accepted the
candy, glad to finally be back on solid ground.
The air was chilled as they left the airport, walking towards the parking
area.
It took a few minutes to find Eriol's car. He helped Li to load the girls' bags
into the trunk, then placed Li's in as well. The doors then unlocked, opening
on their own. Sakura, Li, Tomoyo and Meilin blinked in surprise. Eriol
chuckled softly, smiling.
"My friends, welcome to England."
~~TO BE CONTINUED~~