The Dodon Gym, to those familiar with the inner workings of the Street Fighter tournaments it is known as a place where promising young fighters come to train as they hone their skills and develop their spirits. It was inside this place that Sakura Kasugano chose to shelter herself from the world that had suddenly become so much more complicated than it had been only a week ago. She casually glanced over at the ring to see two of Dan's student's sparring, though her eyes lazily followed their movements her mind was far from the fight or any thing else in the gym. It had been three days since she and Tomoyo had RETURNed to the day of Judgment, she had not spoken to or even seen Tomoyo since their reappearance in the present. Tomoyo had been absent from class since that day and Sakura feared that the entire experience may have been too much for Tomoyo to bear. It was Tomoyo's desire to be reunited with Sakura Kinomoto that had dictated the RETURN card's actions on that fateful day. For a brief moment Tomoyo was given the opportunity to prevent the death of her closest friend and set right all the mistakes caused by the Judgment. But fate had been unkind to Tomoyo and she was forced, for the second time, to watch as her dearest friend was slain. As if that in itself had not been painful enough for her she had overheard Sakura telling Kero that Sakura Kinomoto was truly dead and would never again walk the earth, not even in the form of Sakura Kasugano. At this point Sakura was flooded by a wave of indecision, during the brief time she spent in the past she had made promises to several individuals. It was her vow to her own parents to explain to them everything that was going on in her life that weighed most prominently in her mind today. The Clow cards, Kero, the death of Sakura Kinomoto, she did not want to explain all these things to her parents, but, she DID make a promise to them. And then of course their was Karen Kanzuki. For too long she had been such a great nuisance to Sakura she found herself unable to feel anything but contempt for the girl. Yet on the day of Judgment she not only saved the life of the stubborn brat but made two separate promises regarding her, one to her father Gendo Kanzuki and a second one to the late Sakura Kinomoto. She knew that eventually she would have to deal with this problem but she couldn't bring herself to confront her would- be rival. There were so many things she should be doing right now, but she didn't particularly want to do any of them. "Sakura." The voice brought her out of her contemplation. She turned to find that the speaker was a boy about her age, his gi identified himself as a student of Dan's. "I'm sorry to bother you but I was told to deliver this message." The boy handed her a pink envelope. Sakura groaned as she clasped the envelope in her hand. There was only one person this could be from. With great anxiety she opened the envelope and read the message inside: Dear hated rival Kasugano, OHOHOHOHOH!! For too long now your pathetic fighting skills have led others to believe that you were the superior fighter between the two of us. But on this day I shall finally correct the mistaken ideas that have found their way into the minds of those imbeciles and prove to all that I am truly the greater fighter and that you are merely a fool who will suffer a humbling defeat at the hands of the mighty Karin Kanzuki!! OHOHOHOH!!! Today we will settle this rivalry of ours as I defeat you once and for all! I will be waiting at the Kanzuki mansion for your arrival, upon which the doorman will escort you to the gym where he will introduce you to your DOOM BY MY HANDS!!!! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOHO!!!!!!! Ever your superior, Karin Kanzuki Sakura let out a groan as she finished reading the letter, her worst fears had come true. The student who had handed her the letter knew from experience exactly who the letter was from and the nature of the message it contained. "Another challenge from Karin." It was more of a statement then a question. Glumly Sakura nodded as she crumpled the message in her hand. It seems that Karin had made this particular decision for her. As she made her way to the exit of the gym she promised herself that today she would permanently resolve her business with Karin one way or another. 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. Chapter 30: Sakura's broken promise Far away in a land where kings still ruled and myths and legends were as real as the hand in front of your face, a young man rode his faithful stead through the heart of a mighty forest, where few dared to tread and none were known to return alive. Spotting something on the path up ahead the man called his trusted mount to stop, he then leapt off and drew his sword readying himself for anything. As he approached the abnormality blocking his path he saw that it was a man. Emphasis on the "was". The flesh had long since been stripped from his bones and he appeared to be covered in, spider webs? So focused on the body of this former man the adventurer failed to notice an enormous spider, easily twice the size of a man, descending from the treetops above him. So silently the spider moved the hero would not have noticed him at all, but his faithful mount could see the spider perfectly and let out a neigh to alert her master. Turning, the young adventurer saw the spider as it dropped onto him, it's fangs bared and it's legs flailing. Taken by surprise the heroic young man was unprepared to deal with such a foe and was quickly dispatched by the giant arachnid. The man fell to the ground and as the final breath of life escaped him a simple message formed on the television screen. GAME OVER. "Stupid game!!" Kero shouted in disgust as he kicked the controller in front of him. An action witch he quickly realized was a bad idea as he, in his current "plushy" form, was not much larger than the controller itself and his foot was not built as sturdily. Hoping on one foot and cursing all things with eight legs Kero decided it might be a good idea to play something else for a while. * * * * * Sakura drug her feet across town on her journey to the Kanzuki mansion. She kept running over the meeting with Karin in her mind and dreaded the thought of trying to make up with the girl. She silently prayed for something, anything to happen that would prevent her from reaching her destination. Looking up from the sidewalk Sakura noticed that she was still a long ways from the Kanzuki household. She could have taken the subway but she thought she could postpone the fateful meeting longer if she walked. Examining her surroundings Sakura noticed that she was across the street from the ice-cream shop where Tomoyo had introduced her to her mother. Thoughts of Tomoyo began to seep into Sakura's mind as she began to wonder if she would ever be able to speak with the girl again. Trying to shake away the thought of losing her best friend Sakura refocused her attention on dealing with Karin, and promptly came to the conclusion that she would much rather be training with the school track team. With more than a little apprehension Sakura resumed her journey, forcing one foot to move after the other. Suddenly she stopped. A familiar sensation formed on the edge of her senses, she could feel a powerful magical essence nearby. A Clow Card. Sakura found herself relieved by this new distraction, anything was better than having to deal with Karin Kanzuki. She spent a brief moment to pinpoint the location of the card and concluded that it wasn't too far away. Thankful to have a reason not to continue towards the Kanzuki mansion Sakura rushed off anticipating her next capture. Rei Kasawara stepped out of a local grocery store carrying several bags of purchased foodstuffs. Her mood was bright and cheerful, not unlike the Spring weather that had descended upon Tokyo this day. As she began her trek back home she caught an image out of the corner of her eye. Turning to see what it was she witnessed Sakura running down the street at a brisk pace. It may have been her imagination but she appeared to be in a great hurry. Despite her rather cumbersome burden Rei took it upon herself to discover what Sakura was in such a rush to do and chased after the Street Fighter. Sakura ceased her running as she soon found herself surrounded by run down buildings and unkempt sidewalks. She wasn't sure where she was exactly, the neighborhood she now found herself in reminded her a little bit of the district the Dodon gym was located in, except this place seemed even seedier. As she looked around she noticed that the street was also completely empty, not a single person could be seen. It occurred to Sakura that this place would be perfect for Street Fighting territory. "Sakura!!!" Hearing her name Sakura spun around and quickly dropped into a defensive stance poised to counter any attack that might be thrown at her. But instead of an attacker Sakura found herself facing a very worn out looking Rei Kasawara, who seemed to be struggling to hold up a rather large assortment of grocery bags. "Rei, it's, um, good to see you." Sakura said rather dumbly, Rei's sudden appearance had caught her off guard "uh.. so what are you doing here?" Rei was breathing heavily, she was even more worn out than Sakura had thought. Between breaths Rei managed to spurt, "Sakura... saw you, running... chasing, you... nine blocks... groceries, heavy. Need to, sit... down." As she finished her last sentence she unceremoniously plopped her groceries onto the ground and fell to her knees. After letting Rei catch her breath for a while Sakura quickly explained how she had sensed a Clow Card and set off to seal it. She purposefully left out any mention of her impending visit to the Kanzuki mansion. "The fewer people that know, the better." she reasoned. Finally Rei regained her composure and stood up, with a new vigor she asked for the location of the Clow Card. "It should be really close," Sakura explained, "But..." she left the thought unfinished. "'But' what?" Rei asked, detecting a bit of hesitancy in Sakura's voice. "I wasn't sure at first, but now that I'm closer, I think it's..." she paused. "You know what card it is?" Rei guessed. Sakura shook her head, "I don't know for sure which card it is. But I can tell it's a very powerful one, the aura's really strong." For a moment Rei seemed concerned, almost worried but she shook away the feeling, "Well I don't care how strong the card is, I know you can capture it!" Sakura looked over at Rei appreciatively, "Thanks for the support." She turned back down the empty street, "Now let's find that card!" She began to walk down the length of the street, looking for signs of anyone who might posses the card, but the street was completely empty. After walking the length of about two houses she saw what appeared to be the figure of a man standing right in the middle of the road not too far from her. She blinked her eyes in surprise, she was certain he wasn't standing there a second ago. Cautiously she took several steps toward the stranger. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his back was to Sakura so she was unable to see his face, but she was absolutely certain that this individual possessed the Clow Card. He was nude from the waist up and appeared to have some sort of purple tattoo that snaked around his upper body. His pants were purple with yellow colouring on the inside of his thighs and around his waist he wore a red sash. His hair blond and done in long braid that fell down his back to waist length. Sakura grit her teeth and prepared herself for anything this stranger might throw her way. Reaching for the Key she wore on her neck Sakura initiated the chant. "Key which hides the powers of the Dark... reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract... RELEASE!" In a flash of light the key extended to it's full length and hovered in the air as Sakura grasped it. She began to walk towards the man hoping she could remove the card with out him noticing. At this point the mysterious figure turned around to face Sakura. She let out a gasp under her breath as she saw that the man wore a mask which covered the features of his face. This however did not concern her nearly as much as the other thing she became painfully aware of. Attached to the man's right arm was a cat claw, three long blades that extended out from the man's forearm. Before she was given the opportunity to fully analyze her opponent's weapon Sakura saw the man take off in a mad dash straight towards her. Instinctively she held out the staff to block the oncoming assault. With a quick jab her attacker caught the staff between two of his claws and with a twist to loosen Sakura's grip on the staff, he threw in into the air. The event's transpired so quickly that Sakura barely had time to register what happened before she found herself on the receiving end of two powerful kicks to her midsection. Staggering backwards she put up her guard to block anymore attacks to her torso, she was however completely unprepared when her attacker dropped to the ground and knocked her clean off her feet with a sweeping kick. A second later Sakura found herself on her back looking skyward. Against the backdrop of the clear blue sky she watched as her staff made it's journey back towards the earth. She followed it's movements until it fell out of her line of sight somewhere behind her. Groggily she pulled herself to her feet and reassessed the situation. She saw the masked man standing back in his original position, as if he hadn't moved at all. Sakura bit her lip, "who ever this guy is he's a real pro, and that claw doesn't exactly tilt the odds in my favour." Looking over her shoulder she saw Rei with a look of anxiety on her face, Rei's martial arts skills were on par with her own and Sakura could tell she realized exactly how bad the situation was. Searching the ground Sakura was unable to see where the staff had landed. Worriedly she asked Rei, "where did the staff come down?" With an unsteady hand Rei pointed to an old street light that was long since broken. Following her friends gesture Sakura saw, with no small degree of amazement, the staff, teetering precariously atop the iron structure. "Did he do that on purpose? Or did he just get lucky?" She shook her head and turned her attention back to her masked assailant who seemed to be admiring the craftsmanship of his weapon. Sizing up her opponent it occurred to Sakura that she had made a grave mistake. She hadn't tracked down the man, he had been using the card as bait to lure her into a trap! Gritting her teeth Sakura new she would have to fight her way out of this situation. Not wishing to invite another attack Sakura rushed the man at top speed. Three yards from her target she leapt into the air and thrust her foot out trying to plant it on the man's masked face. She was inches from connecting with her target when, to her amazement the man casually sidestepped out of the way. With nothing to connect with Sakura pulled out of her kick and landed already starting her next attack. She delivered a series of punches and kicks towards her attacker but he was able to dodge each one without any visible effort. Sakura noticed his footwork in particular was exquisite, he always remained on balance and ready to move at any time. Attempting to knock him off balance Sakura dedicated a few kicks to trying to destroy his footing, but she found she still could not land any sort of blow. Out of frustration she curled her fingers and threw a fist at the masked man's head. Before she made contact however the man grasped her arm with both of his hands and threw himself backwards. This added to the momentum Sakura already had and succeeded in hurtling her through the air. Upon landing Sakura became fed up with the entire situation. This masked assailant, whoever he was, appeared to be way out of her league. Pulling herself to her feet Sakura committed herself to ending this fight as quickly as possible. Her eyes wandered to the lamp post where the staff had landed on and saw Rei climbing up the side of it. Reaching above her she grasped the staff in her fingers and held it above her head. "Sakura! Catch!" Rei motioned to throw the staff to its master. "Wait just one second Rei," Sakura replied. Rei seemed confused by this choice of actions but understood perfectly when she saw her friend cup her hands and take up the famous Shinku-Hadoken stance. Sakura focused energy into the palms of her hands and a ball of blue chi began to form. Lately she had been concerned about overcharging her Hadokens with magical energy, but she felt this situation called for extreme measures. She opened the flood gates that held her magical powers within her spirit and channeled as much as she could into her Hadoken. Confident that she had more than enough energy for her attack she let the ball fly with the trademark shout. "HADOOOO-KEN!!!" The ball shot forth with incredible speed on a collision course with the masked assailant. Sakura let herself enjoy a smile as the Hadoken barreled down on it's target, but the smile quickly disappeared when she saw what happened next. Halfway between Sakura and the man the pavement of the road split apart and a large jagged rock thrust itself into the air. Unable to alter it's course the Hadoken plowed into it and exploded in a shower of dust and smoke. Sakura stood dumbfounded. The Card! She had been so worried about the attacker's fighting skills that she completely forgot he was possessing a card. Not just any card though, Sakura thought with a grim realization. The air was charged with a magical electricity that only a few cards in the deck of Clow Reed could produce. After witnessing the events that had just transpired there was no doubt in her mind that she was facing off against the EARTHY card. "Sakura!" Hearing her name she turned to see Rei run towards her with the keystaff. "Sakura are you alright?" she asked, concerned. "I'll be fine," Sakura muttered. That Hadoken had take a lot out of her and she had no idea how much fight was left in her attacker. Rei held out the staff in an offering gesture and Sakura gladly took it. "How bad is it?" "Real bad. Whoever this guy is he's really good, and he's using EARTHY, one of the strongest cards." Sakura reached for her deck of cards and drew them from her pocket. "But I think I've got it covered." Sorting through the deck Sakura finally located the card she sought and prepared to summon it. "Surround me with Images! ILLUSION!" As she brought the beak of the staff down on the card copies of Sakura appeared all around her. "Let's see him hit me now." Fixing her eyes on the spot where her Hadoken had been intercepted Sakura tried to make out the figure of the man through the smoke and dust. Soon enough she could clearly make out her attacker, standing exactly has he had been before she threw her Hadoken. The Masked man held out his left hand and Sakura watched in awe as a dozen rocks about 60 cm in diameter exploded through the pavement of the street then hovered in the air. A subtle gesture of his hand sent them flying towards Sakura and her copies. She tried to dodge the oncoming assault but she was worn down and unable to move fast enough. One of the stones caught her in the chest and she could feel the keystaff slip through her fingers as she was carried backwards by the stone's momentum. It was several minutes before Sakura was able to pull herself to her feet. Her chest hurt badly and she felt bruises beginning to form all over her body. Still she fought against the fatigue and weariness to remain on her feet. It took a while before her vision came back into focus, and when it did it gave Sakura a shocking sight. Rei was fighting valiantly against the masked stranger, she had probably jumped into the fray to protect Sakura. Unfortunately she was loosing badly. Sakura could see several bad cuts all over her body. A thrusting kick sent Rei flying several meters across the street and when she landed she wasn't moving. Holding out his left hand the man summoned a boulder, large enough to completely flatten Rei. He meticulously guided the rock through the air until it was directly above Rei, who by this point, had regained her senses enough to realize what was happening. "That tears it!" Sakura spat. "No one is gonna hurt my friends!!" All the pent up frustration this masked assailant had given her sparked into a flurry of anger. She cupped her hands once again and let fly another Hadoken. The bright blue ball of energy hurtled through the air impacting on the boulder and shattering it into millions of tiny pieces. Rei held up her arm to shield her face from the shrapnel. The man turned to face Sakura, his relaxed stance giving the impression that he wasn't in any danger of being attacked. It infuriated Sakura to be belittled this way, she was the master of the Clow cards, a powerful martial artist, she wasn't going to be pushed around by some punk wearing a mask. As she stared at the expressionless mask he wore Sakura felt her anger swell inside of her. She wouldn't let this freak push her around anymore. With a savage yell she took off heading straight for the masked man. Had she been less focused on her attack Sakura might have noticed that, as she charged towards her opponent her feet were not touching the ground. By this point however Sakura was too angry to care. As she closed in on her target Sakura crossed her arms and leapt head first toward the masked man. Then in an action dictated by pure instinct she began to twist her torso in a movement that sent her entire body into a spiral. As she spun a sizzling aura began to form around her and surrounded her in an impenetrable shell. The masked assailant seemed only mildly surprised by this turn of events, it was almost as if he was expecting this to happen, or perhaps he had seen a similar attack performed so many times it was simply commonplace to him. Regardless of how he perceived Sakura's attack he was unable to move quickly enough to dodge it and Sakura plowed into him head first with enough momentum to knock him off his feet and send him flying down the length of the street. He came to a landing about 3 houses down from where he took off and for the first time since the fight began he showed signs of fatigue. Sakura looked on at the wounded man as he brought himself to his feet. "That was for hurting Rei!!" She screamed in a fit of rage. Then she immediately dropped back into her Shinku-Hadoken stance and began to conjure yet another Hadoken. She was surprised how much energy she had left inside of her, she would have thought almost all of her power had been depleted from the fighting, but there still seemed to be plenty left to draw from. She merrily charged her Hadoken with her spiritual life force as well as her magical energy picturing how much it would hurt when it hit it's target. As she was channeling energy Sakura realized that her magical powers really were quite depleted, as she had thought earlier. But she could still feel something else, there was another source present inside of her, one she hadn't noticed before. She wasn't sure exactly what it was but it felt powerful, raw and unbridled. After only a split second of hesitation she reached out to it and channeled it into her Hadoken with impressive results. The Hadoken she held between her palms more that tripled in size and she was barely able to contain it any longer. Sakura set her eyes upon her attacker and in an unnaturally cold tone she whispered. "And this is for me." Then she released her Hadoken and watched with what can only be described as glee as her creation shot towards the man who possessed the EARTHY card. In less time than it takes to bat an eyelash the Hadoken had covered the distance between the two combatants and exploded with a satisfying amount of noise and black smoke. Examining her handiwork Sakura felt a strange sense of pride, whoever that freak was he certainly wouldn't be bothering her again. Sakura fought to suppress a giggle as she pictured the expression behind the mask when the man saw the Hadoken coming straight for him. For some strange reason Sakura was downright giddy at the thought. Rei however was not quite as joyful about Sakura's victory, in fact she felt a little frightened at how easily her friend dispatched of the man. Her uneasiness more than doubled when she saw the masked man appear behind Sakura, coming out of the cement as if he were exiting a swimming pool. "Sakura!!! Look behind you!!" Following Rei's instruction's Sakura turned around and watched as the masked man delivered three roundhouse kicks to her face before she blacked out. * * * * * Once more a heroic youth rode through the depths of the perilous forest that had only a short time ago been the means of his demise. But that was in the past and this time he wasn't going to be ambushed by some giant spider. The ringing of a telephone pulled Kero out of the forest and set him back in front of the controller in Sakura's bedroom. After hearing a second ring a grumbling Kero got up and went to answer the phone Neither of Sakura's parent's were home at the moment and Kero had a pretty good feeling that the party on the other end of the phone line would turn out to be Sakura, most likely asking him about something Clow Card related. After picking up the receiver with both hands and setting it on the counter Kero cleared his throat and spoke into the bottom part of the phone. "Kasugano residence. May I ask who's calling?" Pause. "Rei? Calm down, you're talking too fast." Pause. "What? A Clow Card? Which card was it?" Pause. "Oh, this isn't good, EARTHY is one of the four elemental cards and they're some of the most powerful cards in the entire deck." Pause. " What about the guy possessing it." Pause. "He wore a mask and fought with a cat claw? Hmm, Now why does that sound familiar?" Pause. "What do you mean it gets worse? Is Sakura Okay?" Pause. "You mean he just knocked her unconscious and then left? That's strange, why would he go to all that trouble to knock her out and then just leave?" Pause. "Is there anything else?" Pause. "Acting strangely? What was she doing that was so strange?" Pause "SHE DID WHAT!?!" Pause. "HAPPY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE LOOKED HAPPY!!" Pause. "That doesn't sound good at all." Pause. "Look when Sakura comes to have her come home right away." Pause. "Thanks a million Rei." Kero hung up the phone and folded his arms across his chest. There was only one thing he could think of to explain Sakura's strange behavior, and it wasn't a scenario he particularly wished to think about. And that mysterious attacker. Who was he? It seemed he knew something about the Clow Cards, and there was something about the description Rei gave... A man wearing a mask, fighting with cat claws... He knew he had heard of someone like that before. But where? If he would just take a moment to pause and think about it he was sure the answer would... PAUSE? He forgot to pause his game before he answered the phone! In a mad dash Kero ran back to Sakura's room to discover a rather full looking spider climb back up into the treetops while the screen faded out to be replaced with the two words Kero hated most. GAME OVER. * * * * * Fog. It was the only thing Sakura could make out. Thick layers of fog obscured everything around her to the point where she couldn't see anything at all. "Hello?" she called out hoping someone would answer. She was more than a little surprised when the answer she received came in the form of a deep-throated belly-laugh. "Who's there?" she demanded. Turning to face the source of the voice Sakura could barely make out a figure through the fog. She couldn't see his face but the silhouette he produced seemed huge. The image gave off the appearance of a hulking man with large muscles on his arms and legs. Instinctively Sakura knew she had seen this man before. "What do you want?" Sakura demanded. "Nothing at the moment. I just thought I'd check up on you and see how you're... developing." Sakura took a defensive stance. "You'd better not come any closer if you know what's good for you." There was that laugh again. "Oh but I do know what's 'good' for me. In fact you're the *best* thing that's happened to me in years." "What are you talking about!?" "Don't you see? You belong to me now. Hahahahahah!" "Sakura? Sakura wake up." Groggily Sakura shook the cloudy image from her head and sat up. Opening her eyes she saw Rei looking at her with oceans of concern in her eyes. Shakily and with support from Rei, Sakura got to her feet. Looking around she saw she was on the lawn in front of one of the houses on the same street where that masked man ambushed her. "Are you okay?" Rei asked with more than a little anxiety in her voice. Wearily Sakura nodded an affirmative. "Who was that guy?" Sakura thought for a moment, "I have no idea. He's really good with a cat claw though." she observed some of the cuts Rei had acquired as souvenirs of her fight. "Oh don't worry about me. These look much worse than they are." Sakura grinned. "You got off lucky. I've heard stories of people doing some nasty things with a cat..." She stopped abruptly. "Sakura. What's wrong?" Sakura swallowed hard. She had suddenly become very pale and was barely able to squeak out her next word. "Vega." "Vega?" Rei repeated quizzically. Sakura slowly nodded. "I've heard stories of a masked man from Spain who fights cage matches armed with a cat claw like the one that man was using." "Is he good?" "Most of the people who go into the cage with him, don't come out alive." "Oh." Rei replied meekly. A look of panic overtook Sakura's features as she spun around looking around the street. "Where is he!?" "He left after he knocked you unconscious." Rei answered. "He left?" Sakura couldnÕt believe what she was hearing. "Are you sure?" Rei nodded. "That doesn't make any sense at all, why would he go to all the trouble of luring me into a trap and then just leave?" Rei's eyes began to dart back and forth in a nervous fashion. "Well he didn't JUST leave. HeÉ kind ofÉ did a few things before he left." Sakura gasped. "The cards! He came to steal the cards!" "No, no, no. The cards are fine, he never touched them." Sakura thought for a moment longer. "Did he make off with the key?" "No the key's right here." Rei held up the miniature sized key in the palm of her hand. Apparently it had returned to its more compact form when Sakura had lost consciousness. Sakura was at a loss. "Well what did he take?" Rei nervously shifted from one foot to the other. "He didn't exactly take anythingÉ" Sakura was reaching the end of her patience. "Well then what did he do!?" she shouted. Nervously Rei looked up and down the street as if she were making certain they were alone. Then she leaned over and whispered something in Sakura's ear. "HE DID WHAT!?!!" Sakura shouted aloud. "That pervert!! The next time I see him I'm gonnaÉ I can't believe he actuallyÉ of all the nerve! I thought he was supposed to be a serial killer not a, aÉ masked Hentai! Rei watched as Sakura ranted and considered asking her about the 'strange behavior' she had exhibited during the fight, but thought it would be better to leave the topic alone. "Wait a minute!" Sakura stopped in mid rant. Turning to Rei with an accusing look she fired off a verbal assault, "Why didn't you stop him!? You were there, you could have done something! But instead you just sat there and watched himÉ" she shuddered at the imagery. Turning her face down towards the ground Rei murmured regretfully. "I wanted to do something, I really did. I was just, afraid. I thought that if I tried to stop him he mightÉ" she shuddered "he might finish what he started with that rock." Sakura felt ashamed. How could she have turned on her friend so suddenly? "Look Rei, I'm sorry. I'm sure if you would have done something if you could have." Rei turned to face the battered street fighter. "I was going to stop him, really I was. But by the time I had mustered enough courage he was already gone." Her face flushed red with embarrassment. "He was, umÉ really quick with his hands." Several minutes past before Sakura had calmed down enough to become coherent again. "The next time I run into that freak I'll make him regret ever setting foot in the same COUNTRY as me!" She took a deep breath and tried to let out as much anger as she could. "In the mean time, I'd better get back home. Kero's gonna wanna hear ALL about this." "Actually, I already told him." Rei informed her. "I had to run back to the grocery store to find a pay phone but I told him all about it." Catching Sakura's deadly glare she added. "No. I didn't mention that. I just told him everything else. I figured it was really important." Sakura digested this new piece of information. "You mean you left me unconscious in the middle of the street with a dangerous assassin just so you could tell Kero about it!?" "Sakura! I would never do that!" Rei said taken aback. "I didn't leave until AFTER the assassin." Sakura facefaulted. * * * * * It was a few hours later when Sakura finally arrived home. Completely exhausted from the activities of the day she was barely able to drag herself up the stairs and into her room. The only thought on her mind was sleep. Kero however had other ideas. "Sakura!" The plushy flew straight up to Sakura's face upon her entering the room." "Not now Kero," the girl was barely able to mutter. "Listen Sakura, I know you're tired but listen. I figured out who your attacker is." The plushy spouted. "Kero I already... Is that a slide projector?" Sakura said pointing to the strange object on her desk. Kero happily nodded. "After Rei-chan called I thought I'd do some research." In a lighting quick motion Kero flew over to the door, shut it, flipped off the lights and turned on the projector. "Kero..." Sakura began but was cut off. "Listen I've got it ALL figured out so just pay attention okay?" Kero took a deep breath and flipped to the first slide. "THIS is Vercci. According to legend he was a 16th century weapons merchant feared across the seven seas as the 'merchant of death.' He spent his entire life collecting all kinds of treasures from all over the world. He kept them in a secret location known as..." Next slide "...The money pit, a deep underground labyrinth filled with hundreds of booby traps. Now in order to keep thieves out Vercci sent his most loyal servant to remain inside. The man's name was Voldo and he spent years in the money pit protecting his master's treasure. For decades he waited deep underground, never seeing the light of day. People say he first lost his vision, then lost his mind, he became an insane blind man who's only goal in life was to protect his master's treasure. There are rumors that even after death his corpse still guards the treasure." "Kero." "Besides being a blind crazy guy Voldo was famous for wielding a pair of deadly katars BUT, he was also known to use a set of cat claws from time to time. He also wore a large gold plated mask on occasion. It didn't have any eye holes of course cause he didn't need to see." "Kero!" "Anyway my theory is that just a few years ago the money pit was infiltrated by..." Next slide "...a ninja! He snuck into the money pit and stole some valuable treasures. Voldo, being the obsessive single-minded guy he is, followed him back to Japan to retrieve them." "Kero!!" "So this ninja, let's call him Steve, decides to sell his stolen treasure on the black market in an attempt to gain enough money to purchase..." Next slide "... An exact scale-replica of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom: General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver unit (as seen on Gundam SEED.)" (Warning: This product may not be exactly as seen on television and may or may not actually operate under the circumstances displayed on this or any other program. This product constitutes a severe choking hazard and should not be used without adult supervision. The makers of this product are not responsible for any property damage caused by any person or persons operating this equipment during a Kaijuu battle with any other giant fighting robots and/or giant radioactive lizards. Weapons and equipment each sold separately, batteries not included, some assembly required.) "Kero!!!" "Now while Steve is busy saving up for his new toy Voldo tracks him to Tokyo but stumbles upon a secret government conspiracy to covertly acquire the Clow Cards and use them to locate..." Next slide "...The Ark of the Covenant!! Naturally Voldo concocts a plan to steal the cards for himself so he can obtain the Ark and bring it back to the money pit to appease his long dead master." "And THAT, my dear Sakura, is why he attacked you. However once he learned that you didn't yet posses ALL the Clow Cards he left you alone so you'd capture the rest, then he could return later and take them all at once." Kero finished. "So am I right or am I right?" He gloated. Sakura's response to this question was a roundhouse kick which connected firmly with the Guardian of the Cards. The force of impact knocked the living plushy clean across the room and into a wall. "Like I was trying to say. I already know who attacked me." Sakura stated. "Though I don't know why." She added grimly. "Or why he would suddenly leave when he had the chance to..." she decided against finishing that thought." As he slid down the length of the wall to the floor Kero noted that: 1. He had been unsuccessful in lightening Sakura's mood, and 2. Sakura's roundhouse kicks were definitely improving. Sakura walked over to the slide projector and turned it off. She then walked over to the bed and gladly collapsed on top of it. Kero struggled to his feet and hovered over Sakura. "Are you okay? Rei said he beat you up pretty bad." Sakura nodded, "I'll be fine. I'm just a little shaken up." "Is that all?" "Well there is one other thing," she admitted. "Oh?" "It's nothing major. I just have this funny feeling that there was something I forgot to do today." * * * * * Meanwhile inside the Kanzuki mansion: "I can't believe that little bitch didn't show up! I spent all day waiting for that useless turd to come here so I could finally beat the snot out of her and she has the gall to stand me up!!! The next time I see that little worm I'm gonna rearrange her internal organs!! She won't know what hit her! I, the great Karin Kanzuki swear I will have my revenge!!! Even if it's the last thing I do!!!" Leave it to Kero-Chan! A mysterious figure in a dark blue trench coat walks onstage. He has an air of mystery about him and stranger still, he has no face. "Greetings and salutations to all. Please allow me to introduce myself. Some of you may know me as 'The Question' from the popular television show 'Justice League Unlimited.' It has recently been brought to my attention that one Kero Beros, known to some as Cerebrus, has recently acquired several copies of some very sensitive data that I have been investigating. This data is of a very confidential nature divulging the truth behind an insidious plot involving American boy bands, the assassination of Jonathan Fitzgerald Kennedy, the girl guides and dental floss. Unfortunately before I could act the party in question posted parts of said classified information into Part 30 of the Improfanfic Blossoms in the Spring. This leak of information could set off a chain reaction resulting in the end of the world as we know it. Therefore until such a time as all copies of this data is retrieved and/or destroyed, 'Leave it to Kero-Chan' will on an extended hiatus." "Oh no you don't!" Kero comes flying on set carrying a baseball bat and proceeds to strike The Question with said object. "I've had enough layabouts trying to take over my segment for one lifetime!" WHAP!!! "So listen up everyone! The next person who tries to commandeer 'Leave it to Kero-Chan' in any way, shape or form will have to deal with me and my brand new personal bodyguard, Voldo!" "Hissssssss" "Now why don't you give Mr. Question here a demonstration of your talents." "Hger-hurk-urk" The Question grabs the camera and holds it up for a close-up of his face. Er, wait a minute... "Listen to me! The little plastic tips at the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Their true purpose is sinister!!" "Kur-snarl!!" "Aghhh!" *GLITCH!!!* "Thata boy Voldo! Show him what a blind, mute, mentally handicapped, sadistic psychopath can do." "Gnarnsssssskk...." Suddenly the image disappears and is replaced by a message. "Please bare with us as we sort out a few technical difficulties." -Thank You, The Management Author's Notes This piece marks my first submission to Improfanfic, hopefully it will not be my last. I'd like to thank JonB for all his pre-reading, Ardweden for being such a considerate administrator and all the people on the message board who encouraged my to submit this piece in the late stages of this project. I would also like to thank Voldo for taking time out of his busy schedule to make an appearance. We all know how busy you are working on Soul Caliber 3. Vega; an enigma wrapped in a mystery coated in a sugary taffy. What are his intentions? What motivates his attack on Sakura? Is he the victim of a vengeful Clow Card out to seek retribution against its former master? Or perhaps his appearance today is a foreshadowing of events to come. Perhaps this heralds the return of the mighty MOFF BISON!!!! . . . Uh, I mean M. Bison. Drat! I've been watching too much "Super Console Wars." Thanks for ruining a perfectly good dramatic moment Nate! Regarding the Vega/Sakura post fight scene; I would like to take this opportunity to accept full responsibility for creating what may become a controversial display. But I'm a coward, so instead I'm going to do some good old fashioned scape-goating. It was all JonB's idea!!