<__< BLOSSOMS IN THE SPRING <__< A crossover Improfanfic started by The Eternal Lost Lurker Street Fighter and all related trademarks belong to Capcom. Cardcaptor Sakura and all related trademarks belong to CLAMP, Kodansha. Used without permission. Part 15: A DASHing performance By Pang Sze Chuan "I can't believe it," Sakura muttered for the, Tomoyo lost count of how many times she had said it in the past hour. "Come on, it's not THAT bad." "They want me to join one of the clubs, 'Yuriko'," she hissed, remembering to use Tomoyo's pseudonym while in school. "They said I needed some 'after school activities to fulfil my extracurricular requirements'." "I don't think the teachers consider Street Fighting and Card Capturing as after school activities, Sakura." Tomoyo followed her as they walked down the corridor. "I already devote all my time to both of them. How am I supposed to join a club AND do both? I don't have the time to go to enough club meetings. You have to attend at least half of all meetings to qualify as a member. Besides, why do I have to do it? You're not in any club and they don't get on YOUR case." "Actually, Sakura. I'm a member of the Sewing Club." She admitted. A thoughtful look appeared on her face. Why this was just perfect. Sakura could practically hear the gears turning in her head. "Don't even think of asking me to join the Sewing Club with you. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that I can't sew. I can mend my own clothing after a fight, but that's about it." "You don't HAVE to sew, Sakura. You can just model our clothes. You know you've got the figure for it. My fellow members would just love the idea." Sakura blanched. Modelling for a club full of Tomoyos? No thanks. She'd rather go up against a room full of Zangiefs. "Erm... but 'Yuriko' that would mean I wouldn't model exclusively for you anymore, right?" Sakura stammered out an excuse. Tomoyo blinked. She had not considered THAT. No, that would definitely not do. "I guess that wasn't such a good idea after all. What about a sport? One that the teachers would recognise," Tomoyo suggested. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Gimme a break. Compared to my skills, the Karate Club is a joke. Hell, even Karin could take them apart with one arm tied behind her back." "It doesn't HAVE to do with fighting, you know." "'Yuriko', what else can I do besides martial arts? I'm not interested in any other form of sports." Tomoyo stopped to consider that. That's right. Sakura doesn't remember her past self as a cheerleader. Before she could say anything, Sakura suddenly whirled around as she sensed someone behind them. "Hello, Sakura, 'Yu. Ri. Ko.'" Hitomi greeted them from where she stood, not even three feet from them. How long had she been walking behind them and how much had she heard? Sakura wondered. "I heard that you're looking to join a club, Sakura." Sakura decided she REALLY did not like the smile on her face. "Well, I know the perfect club for you. The Track and Field Team is looking for new members. You'd be a great new addition to our team. I KNOW that you're in top physical condition. I'm sure you'll win dozens of medals in no time." She began to pull Sakura in the direction of the stadium. Sakura was trying to think of a way to politely refuse her offer when a sudden feeling rose within her. She ignored Hitomi's pullings for a moment as she turned to look out the window. There was no mistake about it. It was the power of a Clow Card. She was sure of it. Tomoyo followed the direction of Sakura's gaze to the track where the Track and Field Team was training. Looks like they'll be going in that direction after all. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm sorry, but you know the rules, Hitomi. No one is to approach the Track and Field Team while they're training." The girl barred Sakura and Tomoyo's way to the track. Sakura clenched her fist. She could feel the power of the Clow Card. It wasn't even trying to hide itself. She couldn't however, make out whom possessed the Clow Card from here. She was going to have to find a way to get past this sentry. "What's going on here?" Sakura and Tomoyo turned to see a tall brunette in a sweat suit walk up. "Captain, Sakura would like to enter our team," Hitomi gushed. Yukari watched Sakura warily. "Is that true?" "Well, I'm thinking of it. Could I take a look first before I decide to join?" That would give her the chance to find out who had the Card without committing to anything. Yukari shook her head solemnly. "I'm sorry, but if that's the case, I can't let you in. We're training for a competition. No spectators allowed. Team members only. IF you decide to join, we'll let you in for a test and IF you pass, you'll be allowed on the team. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to go to the competition next week to watch us like everyone else." Sakura could see the stubborn resolve in her eyes. She wasn't going to budge. Wait a minute. Was that a flash of fear? The power from the Clow Card was definitely not coming from her, so why? Sakura decided to puzzle over it later. Right now, they weren't going to get any further. "Come on, 'Yuriko', let's go." They started to walk away. Hitomi was crestfallen for a moment and then brightened once again. "Captain, I got this for Rena's pet. Do you think she'll like it?" Sakura stopped and turned. She held a cute little sweater with the markings of the Track and Field Team on it. The sweater had a long body and very short sleeves. A sweater for a ferret? --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> "Sakura, are you sure you want to do this?" Tomoyo asked Sakura with a concerned expression as they made their way back towards the track. "It's the only way to get close enough to find the Clow Card," she replied, "Any idea on what Card this might be? I keep getting this feeling of déjr vu, but I can't figure out why." Tomoyo brightened. There was only one Card who fitted what she had seen. The identity of the Card must be on the tip of Sakura's tongue. "Yes, I know which Card it is, but I'll leave it to you to remember. I know you'll remember real soon." "Which reminds me..." Tomoyo's mind went back to the previous topic, "I still don't think this is such a good idea. Joining the Track and Field Team, I mean." "Look, I checked. They let you join as long as you pass their entry tests and you're considered to have fulfilled your yearly extracurricular activity requirement as long as you win a medal in one competition. This way I'll be able to get close enough to find out who has the Card. We capture it and we'll have one less Card to worry about. And when I win a medal next week, all my extracurricular requirements for the year will be filled. I kill two birds with one stone. It's a win-win situation." Sakura smiled confidently. This was going to be easy. With her athletic ability, she'll have no problems defeating the competition. Tomoyo smiled at Sakura's confident self. She was right, of course, but she still had some worries. Unlike most teams who were trained by a teacher, the seniors, led by the team captain, were responsible for training their school team. Nobody has ever complained about it, especially since they've been the regional champions for six years running. At the same time, however, it was well known throughout the school that those very same seniors liked to push their members to the limit. If even half the rumours about her were true, then Sakura was in for a real tough time. "Relax, there's no training they can dish out that I can't handle." Those horror stories from those who had quit the team were always blown up several times. No one liked to admit that they couldn't handle just a bit of training. "I'm glad you feel that way because we're going to give you a special intensive training to prepare you for the competition. IF you pass the entry tests AND IF I decide to insert you in the competition, of course." Sakura winced, as Yukari stepped around the corner. "Sakura Kusanago, right? I just received word about your desire to join us." she addressed Sakura. Sakura nodded. "Go get changed. I want you on the track in two minutes. Your friend," she indicated Tomoyo, "is not allowed to follow. Especially with that video camera of hers." Tomoyo was crestfallen. She wouldn't be able to capture her precious Sakura in action. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura stretched her legs and scanned the track. No sign of the Card anywhere. Has it gone into hiding? "Kusanago," Yukari barked, "get your butt here right now." Sakura scooted quickly to the starting line. Except for a few members practising the long jump, the others were all waiting by the side to watch her. "I want to see how fast you can run. Four hundred metres around the track. Full tilt. Start at the sound of my whistle. Understood?" Sakura nodded. She turned her attention to the task at hand. Finding the Card can wait until later. "Ready. Set. Go!" --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead. Yukari had put her through what must have been every event from the hundred-metre dash, to the long jump, to the short putt and javelin. "You seem to have a very good stamina, Kusanago," Yukari commented, "so I'm going to prepare you for the marathon." "Hitomi," she called. "Sakura, you did decide to join us." Hitomi exclaimed as she looked at Sakura through her yellow tinted goggles. "Hitomi joined a few days before you, so the two of you will train together. Take her for a slow jog on the 10 km route for starters," Yukari ordered her. Ten kilometres slow jog, huh. That didn't sound too difficult. Yukari reached behind her and brought out two sets of weights. She spoke to Sakura as she put them in her hands. "Wrist and Ankle weights. One kilo each. They are to be worn at all times during training. Get them from Hitomi before training and return them to her after it. I expect the two of you back here in forty-five minutes." Ten kilometres in forty-five minutes? Wearing weights? That's her definition of a slow jog? Sakura's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Before she could protest, she felt Hitomi grab her arm and drag her away. "Come on. Let's go. It's no use protesting," Hitomi smiled sympathetically, "if you do, she'll only make it even harder. Just put on your weights and start running. Count yourself lucky she's going so hard on us, it means that we may stand a chance of competing next week, even if we've joined so late." --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura breathed heavily as she walked about the track. That run had been quite a work out. She had not had a run that hard in a long time. Maybe the She-devil's reputation wasn't all hype after all. "You've really got stamina," Sakura said to Hitomi, who was only slightly winded. "Thanks," she smiled angelically as she returned with instructions from the team captain. "Rest time's over, I'm afraid. The Captain is coming over to train you personally. Good luck." "Oh, by the way," she clapped her hands apologetically before her, "there's something I should tell you. There's a rule in the team. New members who join the team midway through the semester have to clear the equipment at the end of the day for two weeks unless someone else joins within that time. In which case, that new member has to do it." Wait a minute. "Kusanago," Yukari cried from where they getting ready for the shot put, "get over here." "Sorry, bye." Hitomi waved and ran off to the high jump. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura picked up the hammer for the thirty-sixth time and steadied herself. Her arms were killing her and all that spinning was making her dizzy. They really weren't kidding when they said the training here was tough. Miyuki was a technician when it came to the throwing disciplines. She demanded perfect form for every throw. Not that Sakura could fault her. She demanded from herself perfect form too for her katas, so she just stepped into the circle again. Ready. Spin. Wait a minute. That was a Clow Car- Whump. Sakura found herself sprawled on the ground. The hammer had left her hand early and she had overbalanced. The sudden appearance of the Card had distracted her. "Sakura, are you alright?" Miyuki rushed to her side. "Yeah, I'm fine." Sakura shook the dizziness the sudden fall had given her out of her head and searched for where the sensation was coming from. Over there. That shorthaired girl sprinting along the track. "Good. Then get up and get ready to throw again. You can't let a starting gun startle you like that. This means you haven't fully internalised the motions. We'll keep throwing until you can achieve ten perfect throws in a row." Sakura's eyes followed the girl as she ran. "Stop looking. You're not slated for the sprint events." "Just out of curiosity. Who was that?" "That's Rena," she replied, "she's one of our fastest runner and the senior in charge of track event, which you are not doing, so stop staring and get ready for your next throw." Her voice contained an edge of impatience that compelled Sakura to follow her orders. Rena, the girl with a pet ferret. If she didn't miss her guess, that girl had run four hundred metres at a speed comparable to, if not faster than, an Olympic athlete. There's no way a mere high school student can- DASH that fast? The memory hit her. Another track meet. A girl who had used a Card to better her performance. A Card whose form resembled a ferret. "Sakura," Miyuki warned again. She was shaken out of her thoughts by the call, but she now knew who and which Card she was dealing with. Tonight, she'd capture that Card. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> "Sakura, are you alright?" Tomoyo asked with great concern. Her friend looked as though she was ready to drop any minute now. "I'm fine. They really weren't kidding when they said the track team's training was tough. I'm looking forward to catching this Card and going home for a LONG soak in the furo." For once, Tomoyo had come up with a sensible costume. A close fitting cotton one-piece suit that reached from her neck to her knees. A bright blue V that started from her belly to her shoulders was sewn over the otherwise pink suit. The only ornaments on the suit were slight frills on the shoulders and the green earpieces shaped like wings that pointed towards the back. No sequins, no streamers and most of all, no ribbons. "Are you sure, she'll be around here?" Tomoyo looked around the huge park in the outskirts of town. "Yes, I heard she runs out here at night as part of her training. Kero will you stop sulking." "I can't help it. You went undercover in the track team without me. All those girls in their vests and suits. And I didn't get to see them," he wailed. Sakura felt like giving the hentai plush toy a punch, but decided against it. She was just too tired to be bothered. She raised her head as she felt the presence of the Clow Card. It was coming from over there. She rushed towards the source of the feeling. For once, Kero managed to get there before she did, coming to a small clearing with exercise equipment. "Sugoi." Rena stood next to the monkey bars. Kero's eyes twinkled as he took in the tight outfit and short shorts she was wearing and then widened in shock as he saw DASH by her feet. How is that possible? "I thought you might come here, Sakura." She tapped her right foot on the ground with a constant rhythm. "Miyuki told me you were asking questions about me." "I'm afraid DASH doesn't want to go with you tonight, do you, DASH?" On the ground, DASH shook his head. "Seeing as your Card doesn't want to go with you tonight, I don't suppose we can just go our separate ways and forget about this?" She gave her a friendly smile. "I can't do that, Rena." Sakura shook her head and raised her Key staff before her. "It's my duty to capture all the Cards. And another thing, you're using DASH to cheat in competitions. I can't let you continue like this. You have to win your competitions on your own ability and not resort to cheating." "Oh, is that all." She laughed. "I don't use DASH like that. DASH is just our victory mascot, Sakura, so let DASH run free a bit longer, okay?" "I don't believe you." She shrugged. "If that's the case, it looks like we'll have to fight after all." She lowered herself into a crouch and Sakura braced herself for the attack. On the ground, DASH turned itself into streams of light that flowed into her. With a grin, she raced off away from the Card Captor. Sakura, Kero and Tomoyo sweatdropped. "Hoe. That's new." Sakura started off after the errant Card. "Usually I have to fight them. They've never run away before." "Well, you haveta remember that DASH is basically a non-offensive Card. All it can do IS run. I guess racing is his form of fighting." Kero flew beside Sakura. "Well, then all we have to do is outrun them. After that Card." Sakura picked up the pace. Kero wasn't too sure it would be as simple as she said. The whole reason the Cards had to possess people was because they didn't have enough power. In order for them to manifest these days, their host had to be unconscious. They needed to be alone in tapping the energies of their host's body. If DASH and his host could be present at the same time, that meant that the two they were pursuing held a LOT of power between them. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura felt her legs ache and lungs burn. Rena and DASH were fast. They've been running for half an hour now. Half an hour, during which she saw the gap grow from just six meters to nearly a fifty meters and she was running full tilt too. She had long since left Tomoyo behind her and Kero was beginning to lag behind. Sakura didn't let that discourage her. The rate at which the gap was growing was decreasing. DASH was a sprinter. It did not have the stamina for a long race. The gap between them had not grown at all for the past few minutes and she could feel the strength of the Card flagging. All she had to do was keep up her pace and she'd catch up with them. Hoe? Wasn't that Chiharu from the team in front of them? Sakura watched as Chiharu begin to run in front of Rena and they did a classic relay pass without the baton. They then broke off from one another. Rena continuing her run on the trail and Chiharu began climbing up the stairs on the hill. What was that for? Sakura wondered as she and Kero passed the steps. And came to a halt immediately. The feeling of the Clow Card. It was now coming from the top of the stairs. Sakura quickly backtracked to the base of the steps. Chiharu was already on the top? That's not possible. There had to be- "One hundred and fifty steps, Sakura," Rena called from the further up the trail, "Happy climbing. Our school has the fastest relay team in the district." Her tinkling laughter could be heard as left the bewildered Card Captor behind. "HOE?!" ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Sakura Kusanago lay in bed, exhausted from her fruitless chase the night before. It was a conspiracy. At the slightest hint of her getting the upper hand in the chase, another member of the relay team would turn up to take up the Card. Each time the Card was passed onto a fresh runner, it would draw upon the new owner's energy to recharge itself. She was now very familiar with all four members of the relay team. Rena, the team starter and sprint star, Chiharu, second runner in the team, Miyuki, third runner and trainer from the previous day and Yukari, team captain and final runner. She had chased all four until her legs had given out. SPLASH. A bucket of cold water was dumped over the sleeping form. "Yaaa!" Sakura jumped out of bed, and immediately regretted her actions as the muscles in her legs protested against the continued abuse. She turned balefully at the person responsible for her current dampness. "HITOMI! What are you doing in here?" she roared. A look out of the window told her that the sun had not even risen yet. "Captain Yukari called me last night and told me to wake you up for morning training," Hitomi grinned sheepishly as she set down the bucket. "With a bucket of water?" she glared at Hitomi. "Okay, so maybe that was my own idea, but she did tell me to wake you up every morning at four thirty." She grinned weakly. Four thirty? Sakura checked her alarm clock. She could have slept for at least half an hour more. "Morning training for the Track and Field team starts at six. It's still too early." She held out her alarm clock indicating the time. "I'm just following orders. She said you might not wake up on time, so she sent me here," she protested weakly. "Well, seeing as you're now awake anyway, you might as well get ready." She smiled sunnily. |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Sakura panted from her last run. She was really regretting spending the last night chasing Rena, Chiharu, Miyuki and Yukari through the park. The four seniors did not look the least bit worse for wear from their exertions. And to add insult to injury, it appeared that DASH really was the team mascot. The entire team was familiar with the ferret-like creature. When they had introduced it to her this afternoon, she was sure the Card had been laughing at her for her futile chase the night before. The Card had manifested itself and was sitting in the shade on the stadium steps watching the team train. With the Card sitting out there as it was, Sakura found it impossible to pinpoint the person who currently held possession of it. Even worse, every once in a while, a team member would come up to the Card and feed it tidbits or sweets, which it would devour eagerly, or pet and cuddle it and it would lap up the attention like an eager puppy. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> "What, no new costume?" Sakura deadpanned as she wore the exact same costume as the previous night. Tomoyo was close to tears. "No, I didn't expect you'd need another one so soon. But don't worry, if you fail to catch DASH tonight, I'll definitely have a new one for you tomorrow night," she replied with a determination that led Sakura to wonder whose side she was on. "Well, there won't be another night. I'm catching DASH tonight once and for all," Sakura turned in the direction she felt the Card's emanations come from. She took nary a step before turning to look at Kero who had perched on her shoulder. "Kero, get off." "But my wings hurt from last night," the Guardian protested. "Then how do you think my legs feel? You're going to have to fly along under your own power. I'm not taking any pillion riders." She shook him off her shoulder and took off. Flapping his wings as hard as he could, Kero and Tomoyo followed the Card Captor. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura could feel the lactic acid build up in her legs as she chased Miyuki among the trees in the park. In a few moments now, they would come to the lake. Sakura grunted as she poured out as much speed as possible. Unlike Rena and Chiharu, Miyuki used DASH for incredibly fast spurts. Right now, Miyuki was running under her own power, making their race almost even but for the lead Chiharu had given her, but Sakura could feel the Clow Card in her, but if she failed to catch her before they came out to the track around the lake, she would lose her. Sakura watched helplessly as she hurdled over the bushes and ran behind a copse of trees. A flare up of magic could be felt at that instant. When Sakura jumped onto the track, the girl was nowhere in sight. "She's -HUFF- on -WHEEZE- the -HUFF- far -WHEEZE- side," Kero pointed to her on the other side of the lake. Continuing at the pace before she had used DASH, Miyuki had, in just a short instant, created a lead of over four hundred meters. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> "MOM," Sakura stomped into the kitchen with bleary eyes, "why did you let her into my room this morning?" "Let who into your room?" her mother asked. "Hitomi," she said, shuddering as she could still feel the cold from the ice cubes that had been put into her pajamas. "Sakura, I didn't let anyone into your room this morning." she said, "By the way I'm glad that you've finally gotten over this fighting kick of yours, but do you still have to train into the night for your track team?" Sakura worked her mouth noiselessly, but no sound came out. She couldn't very well tell her mother the truth. The things she did just to capture a few stupid Cards. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> If the videos of her in costume ever became public, she'll kill everyone who ever saw her and no jury in the world would ever convict her, Sakura decided. Tonight's costume was modelled after something from a sci-fi flick. Her body was covered by tough plastic and leather pieces painted with metallic paints. A single piece covered her front and was tied behind by tough leather straps. She blushed just thinking about how snugly it fitted against her contours. "Tomoyo, are you sure about this?" Kero had serious reservations about this costume. She was risking a premature awakening of Sakura's memories. It had better help against DASH. "Uh-huh, don't worry about it. She'll be fine and we get to jog her memories a little. It's not that big a memory, anyway." Tomoyo nodded. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt," Kero admitted. Being woken up so early in the morning was not his cup of tea. And the nightly chases were making him aware of muscles he never knew he had. Kero examined the little extra Tomoyo had designed into this costume to help Sakura. Roller blades. Though Sakura had protested against their use, she was adjusting to them very quickly as the old Sakura's instincts rose within her. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura smiled as she bladed after Rena. She had had her reservations about the roller blades. After all, she had never used them before, but they felt like a part of her now just after a few rounds. They also made chasing after DASH a lot easier with her increased speed and the downhill slope they were currently on let her save her strength. That's odd, she frowned. Even with her increased speed, she was no closer to catching up with DASH than she was four nights ago. Were they holding back on her, or were the daily trainings taking a toll on her? Sakura was brought out of her thoughts as she suddenly realized that Rena was no longer in front of her. Where did she disappear to in such a short time? Behind her. Sakura felt a shove from behind and A LOT of magic flowing into her roller blades. Before she knew it, she found herself flying down the track towards the lake. The scenery turned into a blur as she fought to slow down as much as possible without losing her balance. Too late. At her speed, Sakura could not make the turn onto the lakeside track. Instead, she sailed off the pavement beside the lake. Under normal circumstances, the trained street fighter would be able to do a proper tuck and roll to dive into the lake properly, but between the supernatural speed imparted to her and the dulling of her reflexes by the constant rigours of the past few days, Sakura found herself wheeling through the air and landed in a big flop into the water. Sakura broke the surface spitting out water. Whatever smugness she had felt at the use of the roller blades had vanished in a flash as she found out how hard it was to tread water in them. Gods, if she had been wearing one of Tomoyo's normal costumes made of wool or cotton, she'd have sunk like a stone. The shore was forty meters away. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw Rena and Chiharu there. In their hands, they held up hastily written placards with numbers on them. A closer look revealed that DASH was now perched on Rena's shoulders. 4.3, 4.7 and 3.7, awarded by DASH who held it's own placard in its mouth. Alright, this means war. She had refrained from using her own Cards so far since she had thought she could solve this using her physical prowess alone, but their team tactics led her to the conclusion that it would not suffice. In her anger, Sakura forgot how much more effort she had to put in to tread water with the roller blades. The next thing she knew, her head was under water again. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura's feet pounded the pavement in pursuit of Rena. Her costume had long dried from her dunk in the lake and she had broken off the wheels of the roller blades with a knife hand chop to reduce her footwear to merely a pair of stiff boots. The distance between them was starting to close. Her eye's narrowed as she saw Yukari at the fork before them. They were going to pass off DASH again. Sakura's mouth began to curl in a smile. Perfect. She took advantage of the slight hesitation of the runners as they matched speed to do the pass to bring her just that bit closer for her plan to succeed. In front of her, the two runners broke the contact between their hands. Yukari turned left and headed uphill as Rena took the right path away from the rising ground. Yes. She'd done it, Sakura thought as she chased Yukari. Yukari was now within range. Now if she could just keep it there while she used her magic. Sakura pulled out a Card from her costume. This was going to be tricky. She was going to have to call forth the Card without slowing down or Yukari would be out of range. "DREAM." The stream of coloured light managed to just reach the target. DREAM would put Yukari slowly to sleep, so there was no danger of her stumbling and getting hurt in a fall. DASH was as good as hers. The smile left Sakura's face abruptly as she felt the Clow Card's power come, not from in front of her, but from her right. She turned her head to look pass the railings of the hillside road. Sitting smugly on a swing below the hill, Rena was feeding the manifested form of DASH on her lap from her left hand. Her eyes literally lit up while she sipped from a water bottle when she saw the astonished look Sakura was giving her. Sakura barely noticed as Yukari slow down and lay herself on the road above. If DASH had been with her, it would have been a simple thing to capture the Card. The problem was, it wasn't. They'd tricked her. Rena had never passed the Card on at the fork. They had just made use of the fact that Sakura had expected them to pass on the Card. Sakura felt the world begin to fade away. Between the early morning runs, school, afternoon training and her nightly chases the past few nights, as well as her use of the DREAM Card just now, her physical limit had just been reached. Her legs just gave way under her as she joined the girl she had just been chasing in dreamland. Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Z- Sakura sighed in pleasure as the currents in the spa pool washed the pain out of her tired muscles. This was one of the perks that being on the Track team that had won the regional championships for four years running. Some rich sponsor had installed in the school a spa pool for the team's exclusive use. After the exertions she'd had to go through, the hot water felt just heavenly. From both sides of her, two other fellow team members echoed her sigh. "I'll be glad when the competition is over," one of the girls commented. "Know what you mean. When captain Yukari said we'd work our butts off to ensure we keep the trophy earlier this year, I didn't know she meant it literally. Even my parents have noticed my butt's grown smaller since I joined." The other girl nodded in agreement. "What are you two complaining about? You two don't have to endure the torture she and her three friends put me through. Four, if you include Hitomi, the walking alarm clock from hell." Sakura complained good-naturedly. The other girls giggled. "That's what you get for being so talented. Track AND field events? And the marathon to boot. Your training must be pure hell. I'm surprised you can still think clearly enough to walk home after training. I'd have to be led home-, no make that carried home." Sakura started. That's right. She was dead tired after the training. That was why she made such a mistake last night, chasing the wrong girl. Why those sneaky, no good, conniving seniors. They were making sure she was not at her physical and mental best when she chased them. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura chased Miyuki once more through the familiar grove of trees. She was the first one from the relay team she was chasing that night, so she was sure that Miyuki held DASH within her. She was not yet that tired as to make the mistake from the night before. From experience, she knew full well what would happen if she did not catch her before they got to the track. Well, she was going to end this once and for all. DASH was going to be caught tonight. She pulled out the Card that would let her overtake the other Card. "MOVE!" Magical energies engulfed her, moving her body through the fabric of time and space, albeit only for a short distance. It would, however, be enough for her to- Sakura materialised over the center of the lake. An all to familiar feeling of déjr vu came over her as she felt gravity take over. This was not part of her brilliant plan. "Achoo!" Sakura sneezed as she dried herself off. "Sakura, what happened?" asked Tomoyo. She may not be able to keep up with them, but Sakura's dunk in the lake had given her time to catch up. "I don't know. Any ideas?" she turned to Kero. "I can't be sure. I was pretty tired at the time, but I think you were tired and couldn't control your magic properly. I felt quite a lot of magic when you used MOVE. Too much in fact. So you overshot when you used the Card." Oh. Terrific. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Saturday. In most countries, Saturday was a day where there was no school. This was not the case in Japan. In one out of every two Saturdays, students in Japan had to go drag themselves out of bed and go to school for half a day of classes. On this Saturday, Sakura did not need to go to school for learning and she was certain she would NOT wake up early. SHE was going to take her time today and REST. She was going to spend the whole day gathering her strength for tonight's chase. And to that end, she had taken certain precautions. Like telling her mother she had no school today, to hold any calls for her and most importantly of all, locking her bedroom door. Thus it was when Hitomi came over that morn. Confident in her precautions, she did not even flinch when the doorknob was jiggled. Neither did she stir when Hitomi, on the other side of the door, drew two hairpins from her head and inserted them into the lock. Had she been less tired, or more paranoid, she would have sprung out of bed the instant the door opened. Wearing the most wicked smile on her face, Hitomi crept into the room with a set of bagpipes. She was all ready to play a reveille to wake the sleeping beauty up to demonstrate her skill with the unorthodox instrument. Which was to say almost next to none. There were days, she loved her job. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> If one listened carefully that day on the grounds of a certain high school track, one could have heard the low grinding sound of teeth being ground against each other. "I thought you didn't like spectators while your members trained." If looks could kill, a certain captain of the track team could not even use an urn to contain her remains. "It's not like I have a choice. Somehow the staff found out about my worries that you would not be ready for next week's competition, so they demanded that you receive extra training. They even volunteered to oversee your training today," Yukari did her best to shrug apologetically and fought to keep her face straight as she said that, "Since they don't know very much about the field and sprinting events, they'll be working with you to build up your stamina for the marathon." She pointed to the car parked just beside the stadium. "They'll be following behind you the whole time you run to the next town and back." She held up a map for Sakura to see. "You just have to run there and back twice today. They SHOULD call it quits after that. I'm sure the vice-principal has better things to do on a Saturday than make sure the unbroken record of victory our team remains... unbroken." Sakura had to use all her willpower to resist wiping that huge smirk off her face with a Shouryuken. That next town on the map was at least twenty miles away. That car, belonging to the shop teacher, had a custom built 1,800cc engine with nitro injectors and it's owner and driver, the shop teacher, was a racing fanatic with a matching temperament and she didn't even want to think about their vice-principal. The deafening howl of the car horn broke the peace of the neighbourhood. "Kusanagi! Get your butt in gear! I wanna feel the wind in my face!" If the horn had not woke the neighbours up then that bellow certainly did the trick. I am the Card Captor. I am the Card Captor. It is my responsibility to capture the Cards. Sakura kept reciting the mantra in her mind to remind her why she was doing all this. "Oh and we'll be waiting for you tonight for the usual nightly training you wanted, Sakura." Yukari shouted out as she saw Sakura near the car. Whatever misgivings she had had about all this were fading. The plan Drag-it-out was running perfectly. From the warm and fuzzy feeling she felt inside, not to mention the tinkling laughter in her mind, she knew her Clow Card was pleased too. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> "Sakura, didn't you say we could take a break tonight?" Kero whined. They'd been chasing those darned girls the whole week without success and nothing to show for except sore muscles. "Don't have a choice," she grumbled, "Yukari's got the teachers to back her up on this. They WANT me to chase them every night to keep me too tired to have a chance to catch them." Her legs felt like jelly and she'll be glad to never see another highway again. In her exhausted state she couldn't trust her control over her magic. If she even tried, she'd be lucky if she just overshot her goal like last night. More likely, the Card would not even be called forth properly. Still, she'd have to try. It was her only option. She had no chance of catching them otherwise. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sunday was the day almost everyone looked forward to. It was the one and only day in the week where you could sleep in undisturbed. Barring the need to go to the supermarket, noisy kids and evil two- legged alarm clocks, of course. Even before the sun rose, Keroberos found himself wide awake. The regular wake up-calls must be getting to him, he thought sourly. Not having to go to school like Sakura, he could catch up on his sleep during the day. He idly wondered what tactic that evil alarm clock girl would think up this morning to wake Sakura up. He harboured no illusions about whether or not the girl was coming. Well, she'd have an impossible task this morning. Where Sakura had found the strength last night to LOCK her room he'd never know, but exhausted or not, no one could get past the wards Sakura had summoned to protect her slumber. The LOCK was not something you could pick your way through. The soft padding of feet alerted him to the fact that the show was about to begin. Outside the door, Hitomi put a hand on the door. The door was locked and nothing could be inserted into the keyhole. Hmmm... she'll have to use her AC/DC CD another day. Today, she'll have to use something even more underhanded than usual. "Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi. La-la-la-la-la-la." Hitomi found the correct pitch. Inside the room, Kero wondered what that singing was about. Sakura had set LOCK to only allow normal sound volumes in. If that girl wanted to blast this room with noise, the magic would reduce it to nil. "Of course I told Sakura about it. What kind of parent do you think I am, springing something this important on her without warning?" If Kero could have fallen out of the drawer he was using for his bed, he would have. That girl was imitating the voice of Sakura's mother perfectly. "We are talking about an omiai. What girl Sakura's age would not understand its importance." On the bed, Sakura's ear twitched. "I told her about it three nights ago. That's plenty of time." Pause. "No, she's not said anything against it. She does have the material on him, so I guess she must be agreeable to it. I'm so excited by the prospect of grandchildren." Sakura began to rise slowly from her bed as the snippets of the fake phone call filtered into her consciousness. Subconscious alarm bells sending messages to her mind's panic centre. "Well, the priest said we could have it within a month if we wanted. I think it would be best if we held it as soon as possible. I don't know about you, but I think it'll do Sakura a world of good to finally be settled down." In her wardrobe drawer, a certain Guardian beast cowered under his blanket. This was not going to be pretty. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "So are you ready for your daily run?" "Yeah, yeah," Sakura grumbled to Yukari as she began to warm up. She had long since learned the importance of stretching before chasing after the errant Card. A few hundred meters away, Rena and DASH were doing the same. "We're quite happy with your progress the past few days, so we've decided to try something special today." Sakura felt the hairs on her neck rise. "Today, we'll just be running five laps around the park. If you can catch DASH in that time, he's yours. If not, all of us will just go home. Don't even think of trying to ambush us at our homes. If you haven't figured it out by now, you won't find out today. To even things up a bit, none of us will use DASH. Okay?" "Why the sudden sporting chance?" she asked warily. "Well, we know that DASH belongs to you and DASH knows that he belongs to you. He just feels that this is something he has to do." "You have no idea how much better I feel knowing that," she responded sarcastically. Having finished her warm-up, Rena waved to them to indicate her readiness. "So do you accept our terms?" Yukari asked her. Sakura nodded. This was her best chance at catching DASH, even if she had the suspicion that the dice were still loaded somehow against her. "Good, then let's begin." Yukari drew out a stopwatch and a starter's pistol. "Ready, steady, GO!" At the sound of the gun, Sakura began what she hoped was her final chase. "Hey, Sakura," Kero panted. "What?" "Have you noticed that this is our third round and we're still nowhere near catching DASH?" "Yes," Sakura replied through clenched teeth. She had figured out the catch to today's chase. Even without calling upon DASH's power, the four senior members of the relay team were still the fastest girls in the district. They could all outdistance her without any problems. She could feel the power of Clow fade in one girl and flare in the next whenever they made a changeover, but beyond that she could not sense any magic being used. Even so, she had still not been able to close the gap between the runner, right now it was Chiharu, and herself. She had to wonder how much they had really been using DASH the past week. If she did not miss her guess, they had just been letting its power show in them as they ran. Using it as bait for her chase them. Using their chases as a form of training. How much faster they would be if they really were to use DASH's power? "So isn't it time to use a Card?" Kero pleaded. Pride in her top physique was one thing, but they've been chasing the same Card for a week now. He wished she'd just admit that she has not got a chance of catching the Card today on her strength alone. "Oh all right," she gave in. Kero gave a sigh of relief. Sakura waited until Chiharu entered a series of turns that would hide her if she were to glance back before pulling out a Card. "MIRROR." The MIRROR Card turned herself into a copy of Sakura and matched Sakura step for step. "Okay, Kero. This is what we're going to do." Sakura pulled out another Card. "I'm going to turn myself invisible with ILLUSION. The next stretch will be a straightaway so she'll be able to see you and MIRROR. I want the two of you to slow down a bit, lull her into a false sense of security while I keep up my pace. With some luck, I'll be able to nail DASH before he knows what hit him." "WHAT? That's your plan?" Kero couldn't believe his ears. She still wanted to continue with the chase? They could end this immediately if she used MOVE, instead of draining herself with the use of two Cards. He never got the chance to protest as Sakura called forth the power of ILLUSION and disappeared from his sight. Sakura let the cloak of invisibility drop as she passed the starting point a fifth time. The four seniors had huddled together the moment Rena had passed the finish line and linked their hands. The aura of DASH had gone into hiding. She couldn't tell which girl now held DASH. "Cheating Sakura?" Yukari's eyes narrowed in disapproval, "for someone who lectured us about the use of the Cards in sports, you certainly didn't seem above using your Cards in our race." Sakura burned in embarrassment at having the accusation returned. "I didn't cheat. Exactly." She explained how she had tried to trick them into allowing her to catch up with them. "I see. You thought that we," she gestured towards the four of them, "would not try our best just because we thought our competitors were nowhere as good as we were." "That's right." Sakura lowered her head. Behind her, Kero and MIRROR crossed the finishing line. They did not need to ask to know how Sakura had fared. "Just because it does not look as though we were in any danger of losing, we would never allow ourselves to put in anything less than our best. I find it insulting that you, a self-proclaimed athlete, would even think such a thing." Yukari's anger showed in her eyes and tone of voice. Sakura didn't think she could have felt any smaller than she did at that moment. "Training is over for today, so I advise you to rest while you can. The competition is next Saturday. Before we stop to rest for it, there are still three days of training left. Expect yourself to be pushed to the breaking point in those three days. To give you a taste of what's to come next week, I'll tell you this right now. Tomorrow, we're going to increase the weight of your wrist and ankle weights and we won't give you such a chance like this again tomorrow night. If you want to catch DASH, then you're going to have to have to find a way to match his speed." With that, she turned to leave with the other four girls. "Wait," she called out after them. "I know you didn't use DASH at all today, but if you're all so fast already..." The four of them exchanged looks. Rena stepped forward. "I thought I told you already on our first night. DASH is just our mascot. It's something he's agreed to, so we let him stay around us. We'd never use him to cheat in a competition." Sakura was bewildered. "Sakura, DASH's pride won't let him just be captured. He wants you to prove that you can catch him before he will return to you," Rena continued, "and in the meantime, we get a special mascot. Good luck next time." The four of them walked off. Kero fluttered over to her. "You know, if you'd just-" "Don't start with me, Kero," Sakura warned. Her tone in voice showed how close she was to tears. Kero wisely shut his mouth. --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> Sakura's feet pounded the pavement in pursuit of Chiharu, the current host of DASH. Why did the girl love stairs so much? Sakura groaned as she turned to another flight of stairs. "MOVE" Sakura blinked to the flight of stairs just beneath Chiharu. Chiharu noted her use of the Card. Turning out of Sakura's line of sight; she called forth the power of the Card within her. Empowered by the power of the JUMP, the veteran of the pentathlon and champion of the triple jump began leaping up the stairs, taking entire flights of stairs in a single bound. Within seconds, she had regained the lead she had lost to Sakura's use of the MOVE. Satisfied with the lead, she let JUMP's power fade. Wouldn't help Sakura's or her own training if she were to completely lose her. They had to let her think she had some hope of catching them after all. Chiharu continued under her own power up the stairs. Being chased, she mused, made training a lot more fun. There was nothing like adding a hint of danger to spice up her life. Even JUMP appreciated the addition to just jumping about. Miyuki watched from her vantage point from the hill. Sakura and Kero were now chasing Yukari down the path along the lake. Wait a minute- There was another Sakura resting at the pavilion there with Tomoyo. That Sakura had just gotten to her feet and was now headed towards the others, paralleling their path, separated by a hedge of bushes. Miyuki mentally calculated the speeds at which they were moving and came to an unsettling conclusion. If they were to maintain their present speeds, the other Sakura would come out onto the path just in front of Yukari. "Yukari, I think you're being chased by a Sakura double. You've got another Sakura headed your way from the pavilion path. She'll come out just before you reach it. If that's the real Sakura, then you can't use your Card without her finding out about our deception. There's a bend up ahead where both Sakuras can't see you. I'll LOOP you further down the path," she spoke seemingly into the air. "Got it. Thanks for the assist," came the reply, carried from the distance by the wind. As Yukari approached the bend, Miyuki called forth the power of LOOP to bend space. Choosing a point a distance safely away from the two Sakuras as the starting point and the bend Yukari was near as the end, she created a wormhole between them. As soon as Yukari stepped across the 'end' line beyond the bend, she found herself at the 'starting' point much further down the path 'again'. Her work done, Miyuki let her LOOP break, allowing the fabric of space return to normal with the Card Captor none the wiser. And if the Card Captor were to try using MOVE when it was her turn to be chased, she'd just let Sakura find out again how the 'end' point of the MOVE can be turned into the 'starting' point just above the lake. Rena exalted in the flow of air on her face, through her hair and around her body. Running was her life. The way the scenery would blur past her as she threw herself forward. Within her, she sensed that DASH felt the same way. This was the way it should be. If she had her way, she would never let DASH go. To be trapped in the form of a Card, she shuddered, unable to feel the freedom of the endless road. But DASH had a debt of sorts to the Card Captor and it had to be paid by returning to its confined form. She had agreed when they had first met, that he would be returned to the Card Captor when she came for him. That was, however, before Yukari's Card came up with that plan of hers to train Sakura for Judgement. So now, they had a kind of reprieve as they 'trained' Sakura. Just a little more time together and she would take as much of it as possible. She turned to check that Sakura was still tucked in behind them and grinned wickedly. She had improved from last week. Improved enough that she could afford to run full out with DASH for a few short moments without completely losing her. Let's go, DASH, she whispered to the Card within her. Let's show the Card Captor what we're really capable of. She heard with satisfaction a cry of agreement within her and in moments, they were off. Girl and Card running in unison down the next path. "Sakura, I hate to say it, but don't you think it's time we got help?" a weary Kero pleaded, as they got ready for that night's chase. "What help?" Sakura asked. Seeing Kero struggle to say the words, Tomoyo spoke up for him. "He means Li-kun, Sakura." Sakura recoiled. "HIM? No way! Have you forgotten that if he'd get the Card if he were responsible for capturing it? That's partially the reason why we're in this mess in the first place. Judgement was too strong for me the last time because the Cards were split among the two of us. I don't want him to get any more Cards if necessary." "Well, then how are you going to catch DASH? This is the last night we're coming out to chase them. They'll be staying home to rest for your upcoming competition after this, remember? The TWO of us alone can't nail down which of them has the Card when all FOUR of them keep passing the Card around. Even if Tomoyo helped out to follow one of them, she won't be able to tell if the girl she's following's got a Card." "Don't worry. I've got it all figured out," Sakura drew out a Card confidently, "tonight'll be our last night." Kero looked at the Card doubtfully. "ILLUSION? How's ILLUSION going to help?" "Simple. Before we start, I'll create an illusion of the entire park over the park. With a few minor errors, of course," she added with a smile. "And what would these errors be?" asked a doubting Kero. "For one, the lakeside path's going to be shifted a few feet. In the direction of the lake," Sakura was pleased with her own cunning. This was just going to be one the few surprises she had in store for them. "-in the direction of the lake." On a windswept hill not far from where Sakura was, the relay team listened in as Sakura explained her plan to her friends. Yukari, through the use of WINDY, was using a breeze to carry Sakura's words through the air to them. "My former mistress has really come up with a clever plan this time. I'm glad I decided to listen in on them." WINDY spoke up from within Yukari to the other girls and Cards. The four girls stood in a circle with their hands linked. This arrangement had its advantages. One, it allowed all four girls and Cards to converse normally, and two, it allowed the Cards to pool their energies. Where a single Card might not have the power any more to manifest itself, together they could allow any one of their number to function as before by donating their combined power to that one Card. "Yes," Yukari, who held WINDY, admitted, "she could have caught us in that trap of hers. If we had not been warned." "Yes, thanks WINDY," Chiharu said with JUMP within her. "So, any ideas on how to get turn the tables on her, or will we be returning the Cards to her tonight?" Miyuki asked. "No, not yet," Yukari and WINDY replied at the same time. "You know WINDY, if Sakura ever finds out you were the one who put us up to this, you're going to be in a lot of trouble. Whoever heard of Cards training a Card Captor?" Rena giggled. "She won't do anything to me. I'm her favourite Card," WINDY replied confidently. "So you say." "That's enough," Yukari interrupted, "now here's what we'll do tonight." She went on to explain their plan for tonight. It was only after they had gone their separate ways did she turn her attention back to her Card. "Is this really necessary? Sakura could catch DASH and JUMP easily if we weren't pulling this farce. LOOP too, if she were clever enough." Wind began to gather around her, pushing her body forward as she ran. This backwind allowed her to run at speeds faster than humanly possible. "Yes, it is. My old mistress died because she wasn't strong enough. She's been given a second chance. I intend to see to it that she is strong enough to win this time round. That's why we need to train her." Her voice was wistful as she thought of the old days. "So we continue our ruse with the 'relaying' of DASH." "Until she catches one of them under her own power or figures out our trick." "Then we will begin the real training," Yukari Aoki remarked. *********************************************************************** The girl who called herself Hitomi Hoshino jumped down from the tree where she had been spying on the eavesdroppers after they had left. Their plan was sound. Sakura would not be catching any Cards tonight. She took off her tinted glasses and shook her hair loose. She would not be needed here tonight. She could therefore head over to her Syaoran. He would not be noticing this batch of Cards anytime soon. She would see to that his divinations were thwarted. 'Hitomi' allowed her false form to fade, returning to her true identity. A twin to Sakura now stood on the hill. A twin with long hair and large white wings. She was Constellita, the Star Guardian. ******* LEAVE IT TO CONSTELLITA ******* Constellita skips onscreen. "Due to certain difficulties, Kero is unable to make it for his segment tonight." A picture of an exhausted Kero is flashed. "So instead, I will be taking over for him." "I guess most readers will be wondering who I am. I am definitely NOT one of the original Guardians created by Clow Reed. Well, I'll explain in tonight's segment, but only if you promise to keep it a secret from Sakura, Keroberos, Tomoyo, Yue and my Syaoran." "You see, Sakura's magic is sourced from the stars. When she went around catching the Cards the first time round, her powers had been awakened and she began to draw on her magic. At that time, the Clow Cards were still powered by the magic of Clow Reed, so Sakura did not have to draw on her own power too much. The Star magic could therefore be stored in her body." "If that unfortunate incident had not happened, after passing Judgement, Sakura would have went on to power the Cards using her own Star magic. Instead, she died during Judgement. Now the Star magic that had built up in her body HAD to go somewhere." "Now, the Cards, Keroberos and Yue were attuned to the magic of the Sun and Moon back then, so the magic couldn't flow into them. Likewise, Mizuki and my Syaoran are users of Moon magic and incompatible with it." "If the magic had just been released into the open, or had gone into someone who had had no magic, there would have been a very big explosion since there would have been no control over the magic. Sakura's subconscious knew that and gave her magic form, so even as she died, I, Constellita, was born. I hope that explains your questions." Constellita listens to a question from offstage. "If Keroberos, the Sun Guardian's duty is to choose a new Master and Yue, the Moon Guardian is to judge the fitness of said Master, what are my duties?" Constellita smiles mysteriously. "The stars know all, whether they reveal their secrets to you is another thing altogether." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: Whew! Finished my first try at Impro. Please feel free to C&C. In fact, please C&C. I'll be out of town for the next two weeks after I submit my part though, so don't expect a reply any time soon. I was almost afraid that I'd leave town before my turn came up. I thought it a shame that we keep having parts skipped in BitS and Impro. Why four Cards in my part? And Sakura didn't manage to catch them either. Well, my reasoning is, the Cards now possess humans and humans have the ability to cooperate (and deceive), so so should the Cards. It's also important that Sakura be challenged in ways that she can't depend on physical means to win the fight. Nor should it always be easy. As for training Sakura? Well, some of the Cards love Sakura and want her to be their master, and seeing as how miserably Kero had trained her the first time round, don't think that they're going to let this second chance go by without trying something. Thanks to Smlee and Yonjuuni for prereading. Bye. Pang Sze Chuan