BLOSSOMS IN THE SPRING Created by The Eternal Lost Lurker Chapter Eight: Sakura Hears the THUNDER By Scott K. Jamison "He passed out again!" "The ambulance is on its way!" Tomoyo tore her eyes away from the Chinese boy and concentrated on Dan. "What do you mean, 'Jimmy wouldn't do this'? Who's Jimmy?" "He's my friend," Dan said, as if that was an explanation. "His fighting name is Blanka," put in one of the calmer-looking students. He saw that Tomoyo was still at a loss. "Big green-skinned monster with orange hair." Dan snapped, "Jimmy is not a monster! He's just misunderstood!" Tomoyo put a hand on his arm, and spoke in a calming voice. "Yes, Sensei, but who *is* he?" The pink-clad martial artist pulled out a microphone and struck a pose. "An innocent child, lost in the Amazon. No man knows what changed him there, but he learned from the animals! The agility of the monkey, the courage of the jaguar--" "The smell of the llama," chipped in a second student, who ducked an off-hand blow from his teacher. The first student put on a pair of eyeglasses. "Actually, the llama isn't native to the Amazon basin." "Dan is telling this story, and Dan shall finish it, for he is mighty! And also, from the electric eel, Jimmy learned the shocking ability to--er, shock." "That would explain the electrical burns. But you say he wouldn't do this?" Tomoyo gestured at Li. Dan shook his head. "Jimmy may have the form of a beast, but he is manly! He only uses his electric power to stun, never to injure this badly!" The first student had been looking more closely at the victim, who was still unconscious. "You may be right, Hibiki-sensei. Look, there are only burns, no bite marks or scratches...or even bruises. It's as though he wasn't in a fight at all, just struck by lightning." Tomoyo had a feeling she knew more of what had happened to Li than the others; and that meant-- She bowed quickly. "Please excuse me, but I must go now." "But don't you want to stay and--" "Li-kun is strong. He'll recover, and I have to do something right now." Dan nodded. "If you see Sakura before the tournament, wish her luck from Dan!" Sakura woke up upon hearing her name called, and blearily looked at the clock. "It's still an hour before I have to get up! Kero-chan, wh--" A gentle snoring was the guardian beast's only response. "Sakura-chan, your friend is here!" came a voice, which she now placed as her mother's. "Coming, Mom!" Sakura quickly put on a robe and hurried downstairs. Tomoyo was standing there with a bundle of cloth under her arm. Another costume, no doubt. "G'morning. Couldn't this have waited until sunrise?" "Good morning, Sakura-chan. *yawn* No, I don't think so." Sakura noticed that Tomoyo's normally pristine hair actually looked a bit messy, and her eyelids were half-closed. "Awright. C'mon up to my room. Oh, and good morning, Mom." "Breakfast will be ready soon, dear," said Mrs. Kasugano, waving a spatula. Up in Sakura's room, Kero was sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Whazzup?" "New costume," said Tomoyo, not quite as brightly as usual. "Worked on it all night, I think you're going to need it." She sat on the bed. Sakura opened the bundle. Inside was a pink and black body suit, which was spandex where it wasn't--rubber? "Hooe...are you *sure* this is for fighting, Tomoyo-chan? It looks a bit risque." "It'll be fine," assured her friend. "The rubber is to protect you from electrical shocks. It's not quite as shockproof as I'd like, because I had to make sure you could still move okay." She leaned back. "Umm, soft bed." Sakura still wasn't convinced. "I think this might not get past the armor restrictions at the tournament today." "Doesn't matter. Besides, you'll look so cute in izzz...." Tomoyo's head hit the pillow. Kero flew over to take a closer look at the costume. "Looks kinda familiar, Sakura." Tomoyo strode confidently through the busy corridors of the hospital. She'd been here several times before when Sakura had hurt herself training too hard. Ah, there was the nurses' station. "Excuse me, ma'am, but which room is Li Shaoran in?" The weary-looking woman replied, "Number 308, just down the hall. You his girlfriend?" Tomoyo was momentarily off-guard. "Err, not really. Just a friend." The nurse nodded, and turned back to her work. Room 308 was easy to find, thanks to Li's raised voice. "I'm fine, I tell you! Release me this instant!" Inside, Li, dressed in one of those embarrassing hospital gowns, and swathed in bandages, was trying to get out of bed. A rather large male nurse was keeping him from succeeding. The Chinese boy noticed the visitor, and held a hand out to her. "Tomoyo! Tell this fool to unhand me!" She smiled brightly. "I'm Yuriko, Li-kun. Yu-ri-ko, *remember*?" "See, kid?" asked the nurse. "You're so zonked on pain killers, you can't even keep your girlfriends straight. Now stay in bed, or we're tying you down." Li laid back, muttering, "She's not my girlfriend." After some fussing about with the bedclothes and an IV drip, the nurse left the two teenagers alone together. "Good afternoon, Li-kun." "'Yuriko'? What's up with that?" Tomoyo dropped close to Li's ear and whispered. "It's complicated. I'll tell you more when you get out, okay?" "Well, that will be quickly then. I'm leaving now." Li tried to sit up again, but Tomoyo gently held him back by one of the unbandaged parts of his arm. She went to fetch his medical chart. "It says you're in here for at least a week. So, knowing how fast you heal, a couple of days. What happened, anyway?" A dark look passed over Li's face. "That's private." Tomoyo loomed over him. "It was a Clow Card, wasn't it? Which one?" "HOW--how did you know--oh, of course, you were there, weren't you? Why didn't I remember that you knew?" Li looked puzzled, an expression Tomoyo found rather endearing. "Everyone's memory was a bit clouded, then," offered Tomoyo. "Very well. It was the Thunder Card. But it was different than before. It was inside this big green monster, and I was taken by surprise. That won't happen again." Tomoyo nodded. "Of course not. Well, here's some flowers, it's been nice seeing you again." She laid a bouquet on the bedside table. Li watched her go, but when she neared the door, asked, "Was that all you came for?" "Perhaps. What do you remember, Li-kun? About before?" "I...I remember you sang. You had a very nice voice." His words were a bit slurred, obviously the pain killers kicking in. "Thank you, Shaoran-kun. I still sing sometimes." "Tomo--Yuriko...could you sing for me now?" Tomoyo blinked. "Well, I suppose so..." She cleared her throat and warmed up a little. "mi, mi, mi....'If time passes, everything turns into beauty; If the rains stop, tears clean the scars of memory away...." She noticed that Li's eyes were closed, and stopped. "See you later." Li floated in the state between wakefulness and full sleep. Tomoyo...it had been good to see her again. Even if it had ended badly, six years ago. As quickly as they had come together, he and Tomoyo had drifted apart. She'd seemed distracted by affairs of her own, and he'd decided to go back to Hong Kong. The Clow Cards, after all, were nowhere to be found. And that had been the only reason he was in Tokyo in the first place, wasn't it? The Clow Cards, his family's rightful inheritance from the great magus, Clow Reed. The key to restoring the Li clan to their rightful prominence after the ignominious death of his father. Shaoran had been raised from infancy to be the chosen one, the Card Captor. Magic, swordsmanship, the intricate forms of combat, all his to master. It was simply impossible for him to fail. And yet, though he remembered coming to Tokyo to hunt the cards (why there?), and searching for them (surely his memories of actually possessing some were not false?), most of that time was a blur or a blank to him. Something was missing, the truth of what had happened. He'd returned home, to find his mother and cousin as confused as he about what had happened. But the Li matriarch had sensed that the Clow was not entirely gone, and that the cards would return. So Shaoran had returned to his studies and training, preparing for that day. And now it had come. He had felt the Clow Cards moving, and knew he must return to Tokyo. But the cards seemed to have changed beyond his understanding. And there was Tomoyo, whatever she was calling herself now. Why did he feel so strangely torn when he saw her? After all, he had a perfectly good betrothed, however annoying Meilin was at times. And yet, Shaoran knew a bond had formed between him and the Japanese girl. "At the moment of the end, we fell into each other's arms. Linked by? Our loss. But what did we lose?" Then it came to him. The Thunder had said he wasn't the Captor. There had been another, one who had fallen and been erased from living memory. Shaoran struggled to recollect bits and pieces of that year. Yes, someone Tomoyo had always been with, someone she was videotaping, someone she...loved, once? "I'll show him...show him who really deserves to be the Captor. I won't fail...not this time." The abandoned bus garage hadn't been built for good acoustics. Every sound echoed back from the concrete walls again and again, making it impossible to understand conversations even a few feet away. This was just fine with Sakura as she rendezvoused with Tomoyo. "This costume is too hot," she pointed out. "If the fights go on for too long, I'll be fainting." "Oh, you'll be fine, Sakura-chan. Did you find anything at the warehouse?" "Only a nest of cardboard boxes and packing material. Kero wasn't even sure there'd been a card there." Tomoyo nodded. "Well, you should get your chance to see for yourself tonight." "Provided, of course, I can beat this Li kid. Where is he, anyway?" Sakura scanned the crowd. Tomoyo fidgeted a bit. "Well...actually, he won't be making it." "What are you talking about, Yuriko? I thought he was supposed to be really hot to compete?" "He found the Thunder Card last night. But he didn't know they'd changed." Sakura frowned. "You mean he was the man who was attacked? Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't want you to worry. Besides , I wanted to see if he'd changed." "And has he?" "He's a lot taller now." "And?" Sakura was getting impatient. "Li-kun was pretty badly injured. He'll be in the hospital for a few days." Sakura's gym bag wiggled a bit, and there was a muffled "Good," from inside. "Hush, Kero, we're in public." The noise level abruptly dropped as the officials (or as official as underground tournaments ever got) stepped onto the raised area that would serve as the fight ring. "Let the tournament begin!" shouted the owner of the building, a courtesy to him for the use of the space. Li Shaoran was not one to take things lying down. He winced as he thrust a bandaged arm into the sleeve of his robe. "Fools, thinking a few small burns can stop me." He looked at the television, set to a news program that displayed the time. He'd have to hurry if he didn't want to forfeit his fight. He briefly considered going out the window, but Li didn't quite feel up to a ten-story leap. So sneaking through the corridors it was. The hospital was quieter with nightfall, and the one visible nurse had her back turned to him. Moving slowly, so as not to aggravate his burns too much, Li ghosted down the hall. He smiled. His sifu had always been critical of his light-foot skills, yet he was doing just fine. The stairs were around the left corner, and--there was someone there, waving their arms. "Yo, young'un, where do you think you're going?" Li broke into a run, dodging a bit clumsily around the overalls-clad figure, and a yellow stand on the ground. Belatedly, it occurred to him that the figure was a janitor, and the floor was covered in fresh wax. Worse, a nurse wheeling a cart filled with clattering glass containers was between him and the stairwell. Li attempted to shift direction, but his feet went out from under him, and even his best roll didn't keep him from landing painfully on burns. His momentum carried Li into the cart, and the containers shattered around him. "Ooh, that's got to hurt," said the nurse. "It's a good thing those urine sample jars were empty. You just hold on, and the stretcher will be right here." Sakura bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet. She'd had to wait five agonizing minutes before this Li person's failure to show up had won her the match by default, then another half hour while other fights went by. At last, the one she was waiting for came up. Blanka against someone named Frey Arbeit. She jostled her way to a front-row vantage point. Blanka was as impressive (I am not frightened, Sakura assured herself) as she remembered from glimpses at other tournaments. He was hugely muscled, and the orange mane of hair added even more size. By comparison, Herr Arbeit was nearly completely overshadowed. He was short and scrawny, with sunken eyes and thinning blond hair. He wore a white gi a size or two too large for him, with the word "Rache" painted in red on the back. Not very imposing, but Sakura knew that looks could be deceiving. After all, she herself looked like a harmless schoolgirl. The fight began, and the two warriors circled, sizing each other up. Soon, Blanka charged, his mighty paws slapping Arbeit halfway across the ring. The German fighter wiped some blood from his lips and jumped over Blanka's follow-up legsweep. He then counterattacked, stiff fingers darting about Blanka's body. "Pressure point specialist," muttered Sakura. That kind of attack was devastating, if it managed to hit accurately. But if it missed, a pressure point attack did far less damage than a regular punch. Arbeit had landed at least one of his blows, as Blanka roared in pain. The beastial fighter attacked aggressively, rolling forward. It was quickly obvious that Blanka had the advantage in this battle. His superior reach and unusual physiology made it difficult for Arbeit to attack his vulnerable points, while his own attacks were at full effect. Soon, Blanka had Arbeit in a headlock, dangling him off the ground. His fist was drawn back for a final blow. But it seemed this was the opportunity the German had been waiting for. His foot lashed out in a bizarre sequence of kicks, each striking home. Blanka staggered as Arbeit called out "Chakra Revers--" Sakura felt the Card presence even as a faint purple outline covered Blanka and a smell of ozone filled the air. Arbeit's short hair stood on end, and he fell over from the power of Blanka's electrical attack. He did not rise. As soon as the referee declared Blanka the winner, A pink-clad form tumbled out of the audience and bent over Arbeit. "He's just fine!" Dan stood up and extended a hand to Blanka. "I knew you couldn't have been the one who burned that man last night, Jimmy!" For some reason, Blanka seemed unable to look his friend in the eyes, and shambled away. Tomoyo's voice came from behind Sakura. "Is it true, Sakura-chan? Did he hurt Li-kun?" Tomoyo sounded more concerned than she had before, and Sakura wondered again what kind of person this Li was. "Thunder's inside him. Now all I have to do is figure out how to remove it." Since Sakura had gotten a bye on her first fight, and her opponent hadn't, it was an easy victory. The next two fights were less simple, but not very memorable. Likewise, Blanka tore through his opponents. So it was not surprising when the two ended up in the ring together in a semi-final. "Go, Sakura-chan!" cheered Tomoyo, who had perched Kero on her shoulder. Her video camera was at the ready. Sakura waved, and turned her attention to her opponent. He was even more imposing up close, and yes, he did smell pretty bad. Not that she was any prize herself right now, after several fights in a rubber suit. The referee shouted, "At the ready! Set! Fight!" As Blanka charged, Sakura jumped and bicycle-kicked his head. It didn't seem to faze him much. The two circled again, looking for the advantage. Sakura moved her hands in a diagonal position, slightly cupped as if she were carrying a staff. Blanka's eyes had a strange light in them. "Is that Jimmy in there," she asked in a low voice, "or Thunder?" Abruptly, Blanka bounded to the far side of the ring and straightened, holding his arms towards the ceiling. A wolf-like aura surrounded him, and electricity arced from him into the metal fittings above. The lightning then rained down on the audience, striking each member of it, and knocking them out. "What?! You monster!" The wolf's head turned to Sakura. "Do not misjudge me, maiden. I merely stunned them, that we might speak in private." "Y-you can do that?" "I am capable of subtlety as well as power." Sakura could have sworn the wolf was grinning. "But thou shouldst know this, if thou art truly the Captor." "I suppose you want me to prove it?" Sakura shifted to a better defensive stance. "Thou art correct. The false Captor, last night, insulted me with his arrogant presumption, and was punished." Thunder bared its fangs. "If thou art the Captor reborn, show me the Key." Sakura drew the small version of the Key from its hiding place and said, "Release." It grew to its full size, and she grasped it at the ready. "Yes. That is truly the key. I acknowledge that thou art the true Captor of the Clow." "So, are you going to come quietly?" "I think not. This host pleaseth me. He hath both a strong heart, and an innocent one. I had to defeat both Flower and Sweet to possess him." Sakura tapped her foot impatiently. "You are *not* going to keep that body. If nothing else, you're driving a wedge between Jimmy and his friend. Does Dan deserve to be treated like that?" Thunder was quiet for a moment. "Thine argument hath merit. Very well, then, if thou canst show thy strength against me and mine host, then shall I allow thee to master me." The aura faded into Blanka, and the green-skinned warrior moved naturally again. Sakura slotted the staff into the loops on her costume. "Let's fight, then." Blanka grunted agreement, and they came at each other. Sakura was faster and more agile than her opponent, but not as much as their relative sizes would normally have indicated. And he was obviously much, much stronger. A solid hit from one of those mighty thews, and she'd be down for the count. So she spent the first few moments dodging. She backpedaled to get some room, and considered her options. Thunder wasn't like the other cards she'd fought; it seemed reasonable, in a broad sense of the word. It wasn't likely she could provoke it into making a mistake. And its host was the most skilled fighter she'd faced since Ken. No help for it, then. Sakura would have to resort to magic. As she dodged another series of blows, she reached into a pocket and pulled forth the Mirror Card. "Multiple copies! Release!" Instantly, several duplicates of Sakura appeared in a circle around Blanka. They dodged and tumbled in unison with her. As Blanka tried to figure out which of the figures was real, Sakura concentrated on her ki. "Hadoken!" Her 'fireball' impacted Blanka's rear end, breaking his confusion. The beastial fighter roared with rage, and made a rolling charge. Sakura jumped, allowing him to slam into the concrete pillar she was standing in front of. Blanka made a considerable dent in it, and plaster drifted down from the ceiling. Sakura moved in before he could recover, and hit Blanka with a series of spinning kicks. Unfortunately, it didn't do as much damage as she had hoped, and Blanka grabbed her ankle. He glowed and released his electrical aura. "Th-th-thank you, Tomoyo," Sakura said through gritted teeth, realizing that her costume was indeed protecting her from the worst of the damage. She reached for another card, in the process losing all but the one she was holding to the floor. "Push Card! To the wall--release!" Blanka was sent crashing into a wall, and seemed slower rolling back towards Sakura. She looked down, seeking the right card for her purpose. Yes, there it was. "Illusion Card! Become what Blanka most desires! Release!" To Sakura's surprise, the card's illusion took on a vague female shape, standing in front of Blanka. It held its arms open wide. Blanka's jaw dropped open. "Ma...ma?" Sakura abruptly felt ashamed of her trickery, but this was no time to hold back. She moved into position, and delivered a classic rising uppercut. As Blanka crashed to the ground, Thunder appeared again, and said, "Thou hast won the battle. Thou art worthy to be mine master, Captor." Sakura nodded and pulled out her Key. "Return to the Form you were meant to be! Clow Card!" She tapped it lightly on Blanka's forehead, and the Thunder Card appeared, the piece of pasteboard spinning in mid-air. Sakura did a little victory dance. "I did it! I did it! Who's the Card Captor?" The audience began waking up. Sakura waved at her friend. "Yuriko! I di--" Her world exploded into stars and darkness. "'Innocent heart', my foot," complained Sakura. "Blanka blindsided me!" She was awake again, and sitting up on one of the mats that held injured fighters. Tomoyo smiled. "But none of the judges saw that, now did they? You were out, Blanka was standing, so he won the fight. And you won the important battle, right?" Sakura nodded, and immediately regretted it. Blanka had clipped her good. But he'd lost the final, probably because her fight had worn him out. "Let's go home." A blond man on a mat several feet away hadn't heard the conversation, lost as he was in his own musings. "Ach, that verdammt beast got me good. Twice in one evening. But he's never displayed the ability to knock out an entire crowd before. My masters will be most interested to learn this...." Kero-Chan Check! Konyannichiwa! I didn't have much of a role this time, but I'll do better next chapter! Tomoyo-chan may have some wacky ideas about costume design, but sometimes they're practical, like today's outfit! And Sakura-chan sure looks hot in rubber! "Kerrroooo...." "Time to go! Catch you on the flip side!" TO BE CONTINUED Author's Notes: Late is better than never, right? Lurker sure threw everyone a loop last time, and I'm afraid I had to pass most of the consequences to the next fellow. Best of luck! The song fragment is from the group X-Japan. Thanks to my prereaders, especially Sharyna. Comments, questions? SKJAM!