Deceiving Appearances
A Cardcaptor Sakura fan fic by *blinkblink*
Disclaimer:
I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura or the characters. I make no money from this,
please don't sue me!
Chapter 5
The knife shone as it flashed through the air. Sakura pulled a card out of her
pocket.
"Please, please, go and protect Syaoran! Release and dispel!" A pink
light shot through the globe and surrounded Syaoran. The knife bounced off it.
"What is this??? How can you do that?" But Sakura had not stopped to
listen to him. She pulled out another card.
"Fly, release and dispel!" A pair of pink wings formed on Sakura's
back, and she took off into the air. Closing her eyes, she reached out for
shield's power. It called back to her, reassuring her. She smiled and cut
through the air straight for the cliff where the ball had appeared the first time.
Landing on the outside of the cave, out of sight of the inside, she silently
called Fly back. Then, pulling out another card, released it. Her wand became
hard steel. Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the cave.
Before her was the scene she had seen through the globe. Another ball sat on a
pedestal in front of a large slab of rock. On the rock lay Syaoran, still
unconscious, surrounded by Shield. A tall man dressed in black stood right
outside Shield, scowling at it, and leafing through an old text. At Sakura's
sudden movement he looked up, and she noticed an uncanny resemblance to Syaoran
which she hadn't noticed through the ball. The only difference was the colour
and style of his hair. Sakura's jaw dropped.
"Sya-syaoran?" The man became angry. She could saw his brows knit
together and his face took on a red tinge.
"No." He nearly barked the syllable at her.
"I am not related to that... that thing. However, his appearance _was_
helpful, to get you up here." Sakura figured it out.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"But it wasn't me Sakura! Honestly!"
"Please, Sakura, can't you believe me?"
"Look, I swear it wasn't me, okay?"
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
'He was telling the truth! It wasn't Syaoran I saw, it was him!' Her eyes
flashed to the unconscious boy. 'How could I not believe you?'
"Get away from him! You don't even deserve to be in the same cave as
Syaoran!" The Syaoran-look alike grinned.
"Oh, finally figured it out, did we? Well, I guess I needn't hide from you
anymore." A swirling mist formed around him, blocking him completely from
sight. When it evaporated, he had transformed into a tall man dressed in a
black suit with a long black cape lined with red fabric. His face was so sallow
it seemed nearly transparent, but his jet black hair, styled the same as it had
been before he transformed, offset it well enough to make it plain he was real.
He smiled again. Sakura unconsciously took a step back.
"Oh, I've scared you, have I? Well, this is my true form, or true enough
for the present. I'm afraid the hair seems to stick with me wherever I go, must
be my charming personality, eh? Looking a little puzzled are we? That's
understandable." Sakura stepped forward, regaining her ground. Again, she
asked for his name.
"Ah, that would be telling. But, you can call me Loki. I don't suppose you
read mythology, Cherry Blossom?" Sakura shook her head. "Ah. It would
benefit you, although after tonight you will have no need. Loki was a Norse
god, a trickster, always causing problems and leaving others to deal with them.
It was he, inadvertently, who brought about the end of the world. A good match,
wouldn't you say?" Sakura was at a loss for words. Mythology wasn't her
strong point.
"I don't care what you call yourself. Give back Syaoran, and leave us in
peace, and we will do the same for you." "Loki" laughed.
"Again, that would be too easy. No, I've come here to get rid of you, and
get rid of you I will." In his open hand a crystal ball formed. Sakura's
eyes widened, and she threw herself to the side as he pitched it straight at
her. It landed a few feel behind her and exploded, taking the outside ledge of
the cliff with it. Sakura stood up and ran at Loki, sword upraised. With a
fluid motion he raised his hand, and made a motion, as if he was slapping a
non-existent person's face. The sword flew out of her hand, and she felt a
stinging sensation on her now empty hand.
"Give it up, you're no match for me, and your little friend there won't be
giving any help." He was right, Syaoran was out cold. Sakura ran for the
sword, but he stepped in front of her, and grabbed the front of her coat.
Picking her up easily, he held her against the cave wall. She could feel the
sharp rock sticking into her back. Tears came to her eyes, unwillingly falling
to the ground. He smiled, and she shuddered. Even through her coat, his hand
felt colder than the rock she was pressed against.
He dropped her coat and held her up by her neck. Sakura could feel the air
trapped in her lungs, unable to escape. She began to feel faint, and the world
spun, round and round, with Loki's laughing face always in the middle, taunting
her. It was growing darker. She couldn't breath.
'I'm going to die. There's nothing I can do, and no one left to save me. I'm
going to die.' The thought hit her calmly, she knew there was no way to escape.
'Syaoran...'
-------------------------------
The phone rang. Kero watched it vibrate for a minute, then, realising it was
his phone, lazily flew over and picked it up.
"Kero!" Kero held it away from his over-sized ear.
"Yo, Tomoyo, tone it down a bit, will ya?" The girl at the other end
sounded near hysterical.
"Something's happened. This evil... thing has been trying to get Sakura
for the past few days, and now it's got Syaoran. She went to find him, but she
hasn't come back, and if it was strong enough to get Syaoran..." The
emphasis went unsaid.
"Okay, I'll pick up Yue and go find her. You're at that winter camp on the
mountain right?" An assent was all he needed before he dropped the phone
and flew out the window, scarcely stopping to shut it after himself against the
cold outside.
"Yue! I want to speak to Yue!" Kero zipped through Yukito's house,
regardless of the grandparents he knew were about somewhere. A minute later
Yue, the Judge, stepped out directly in front of him, staring down
indifferently. Kero flew right into him.
"What is it, Cerberus? You know my false form's Grandparents are in
residence here. You will attract attention." Kero flew up to Yue's face.
"Sakura's in trouble! Tomoyo just called! Some evil guy's got the brat,
and Sakura went after him, and she's not back yet, and-" Yue began walking
briskly towards the outside door.
"We will go immediately. She is at the mountain camp, is she not?"
Kero nodded and flew out the opened door, then transformed into his true form.
No one noticed the lion and albino angel fly over the town towards the snow
covered mountain.
Flying over the mountain, both raked the snow covered ground with their eyes.
It was Cerberus who spotted Sakura's magical aura. The faint pink magic was
coming from a cave on the side of the mountain. Yue and Cerberus shot into the
cave, as bullets out of a gun. Cerberus rocketed into a tall man dressed in
black, who also happened to be holding Sakura against the wall by her neck. He felt
Sakura drop out of the man's grip, and promptly sat on him, razor sharp claws
millimetres away from the unknown man's throat. Yue caught Sakura as she fell
to the ground, only barely conscious.
"Syaoran?" It was barely even a whisper. The Judge picked her up in
his arms, and walked over to the aforementioned boy. The Shield card surrounded
him, but Sakura reached out an arm to touch the dome, and it returned to a
card. Yue moved to stand next to the stone dais. Sakura looked over to Syaoran,
and then up at Yue.
"Is he okay?" Yue shuffled her gently so one arm was free, which he
rested lightly on Syaoran's chest.
"He lives still. Cerberus, what of that one?" Cerberus was watching
Loki's face intently. Loki had started by glaring at the large lion sitting on
him, but realising that, with the help of a full jaw of teeth, the lion could
far out-glare him. Now he was smiling in what he apparently thought to be a
disarming manner.
"I don't know. I've always wondered if humans could fly, given a big
enough kick. What do you think?" Loki, aware that if he didn't do
something soon it would be too late, spoke a spell beneath his breath. Cerberus
was watching Sakura stand, supported by Yue, whom she was trying to reassure.
When he looked down he found his prey had escaped him, and was standing behind
Syaoran.
"Oh, you're a brave bunch when you have each other to count on, and you're
all safe, but what do you do when one isn't?" He grabbed Syaoran's shirt
and pulled him up, a sharp knife again under his throat.
"You, Cherry Blossom, step away from your guardians. You two, you get out,
or the boy won't be waking up." Yue and Cerberus looked at Sakura, who
nodded. They took off, flying out into the cold, but hovering close by.
While Loki was watching Cerberus and Yue fly away Sakura shuffled backwards and
picked up her sword. At a soft word from her, it transformed back into the wand
behind her back. Shuffling through her pocket she felt the card she wanted.
Drawing it out in a swift movement, she threw it in front of her and struck it
with her wand.
"Shot! Knock the knife out of his hand!" A small pink bullet shot
forwards and struck Loki's hand. He dropped the knife and Syaoran, and both
fell to the ground. Loki turned to snarl at Sakura.
"You've interfered for the last time!" Yue and Cerberus, seeing that
Syaoran was out of danger, flew back, but found there was a shield in place
over the mouth of the cave. Loki turned on them, losing any appearance of
calmness.
"I will not fall for the same trick twice!" Turning to Sakura, he
whipped out a charm.
"Wind! I call you!" The charm evaporated, and a powerful wind ripped
at Sakura, throwing her against the wall.
"Fire! I call you!" The charm swirled around in a circle, before
emitting a huge blaze. Sakura pulled out a card.
"Watery! Protect me from the flames!" The water spirit launched
itself onto the flames, putting them out instantly. Loki snarled and snapped
his fingers. A small wand, like that of a magician, appeared in his hand.
Twirling it about, it extended into a long rod with a metal head, sharpened to
a point. Pulling his arm back behind his body he then launched it forwards,
straight at Sakura, and watched smiling as it went straight through Watery.
"Shield! Stop the spear!" A bubble appeared around Sakura, and the
spear bounced off, landing harmlessly on the ground. Sakura sighed, and both
Shield and Watery returned to cards. Sakura pulled herself up.
Loki pulled a small glowing ball, no bigger than a marble, out of his pocket.
"If I cannot rid myself of you, I will rid the world of both of us!"
Sakura's eyes widened. The ball began to glow brighter. She could hear Cerberus
throwing himself at the wall, and even Yue was pounding on it. Sakura looked
around her.
'If he blows this cave up, it will come down straight on the camp!' Taking a
running start, she dove into Loki. Cerberus fell through the shield.
"Take Syaoran and go! Now!" Yue flew behind and grabbed the boy. The
light from the marble was almost blinding. Yue felt the boy stir. Looking down,
he saw him open his eyes. Looking around, he summed the situation up in one
glance. In the folds of his lower cloak he found Loki's knife. Tearing himself
out of Yue's grasp, he ran into the light. The light was blinding. Yue could
see nothing, but he felt himself being swept up and blown out of the cave, in a
gale force wind. Cerberus was beside him. Yue heard a scream from inside, and
then the blast echoed through his ears. The light flashed, then went out.
Yue looked around, and found everything was black. Slowly things came into
focus. The light had temporarily blinded him, and Cerberus. They were both
hanging in the air, surrounded by the Windy spirit. Yue understood, the wind
that had shoved them out of the cave had been Windy. Sakura had not wanted them
to be hurt. Windy released them and blew itself back into the cave. Yue and
Cerberus followed it.
Inside the cave a small bubble of the shield floated, now empty. The walls of
the cave were charred, and there was a large dent in the ground under the
floating bubble. Shoved against the wall was Loki, or what had been Loki. A
bloody knife lay next to him, blood soaking through the red lining of his cape.
Sakura and Syaoran lay against the far wall, unmoving. Yue and Cerberus floated
to them. The Moon guardian knelt next to his mistress, picking her up gently in
his arms, moving her away from her position protecting Syaoran. Placing her on
the ground for a moment, he picked the boy up and placed him lightly on
Cerberus' back, who snorted, but did not object. Then, with his mistress in his
arms again, they flew off towards the camp.