http://clampfix.fanworks.net/ccs-fix/carry.txt </head><body><pre>From: Mistwind@aol.com Hey gang, thought I'd finally post something. Must be getting lazy. But this is something I wrote a while ago. It's acually my first stab at fanfiction, but I think it came out okay. This is a CLAMP crossover between Card Captor Sakura and X. Yeah, I know, I'm crazy, but somehow this just felt right. Two other notes before the fic: 1. I have a CCS website <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/2585/">Irrashaimase! Ann's Shrine to Card Captor Sakura</A> and am glad to post any Card Captor Sakura fanfic. and 2. For the other CCS fans out there, there's also a CCS fanfic mailing list here <A HREF="http://www.onelist.com/viewarchive.cgi?listname=CardCaptor">ONElist E-mail Communities </A> I don't know if everyone is on both, so if you write any CCS fic, you can send it there too! I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on some of this great fic! Anyway, Card Captor Sakura doesn't belong to me. Neither does X. I am not that lucky. All of this is written in the spirit of fun and fandom, so just enjoy and don't sue me. Carrying On... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kamui sighed in relief. He had finally gotten away from Sorata and Yuzuriha. It was as if they were afraid to let him be alone. Afraid he'd slip into another depression. He took a shortcut into King Penguin Park, away from all the kekkai's and dark memories. The part had an easy winding path that took him into the heart of the woods, away from the city, away from everything. He sat against a tree, shielded under its foliage. So much had happened since he'd returned to Tokyo, so much pressure on his shoulders. Only now was he getting a chance to catch his breath. A little bird landed by his feet. Little bird…kotori. The shade of the tree seemed to darken.<The water is pretty, I love it. The sky is pretty too. The air and wind. All pretty. This is where Kamui-chan is. I love it.> Her last words. And now she was gone, never again to see the birds, feel the cold kiss of water or the feel of the breeze on her skin. <Think about yourself before you think of the Earth.> Tokiko had said. <Kamui, do you have something that you want to protect? Do you know anyone... that you want to be happy, so much, that you wouldn't care what happened to yourself, as long as they were happy?> his mother had asked him. <Kotori and Fuuma.> But it was all so pointless. In the decision to protect his friends, he had lost them both. Kotori was Dead. And Fuuma was Fuuma no longer. He had lost his reason to fight, lost his reason to protect the world. The memory of Fuuma's voice, and the steel in his eyes, <Kamui, I will kill you.> Why even bother anymore. He stood and walked out from under the shade of the tree, trying to shake free of his thoughts. Maybe Sorata and Yuzuriha were right. Kamui took a few steps and felt a crunch under his feet. It was an empty can of milk coffee. All the junk, all of the pollution had made its way even to this secluded part of the park, hidden away from civilization. Maybe the Angels were right. Maybe it would be better to start again. To save the world from its plague of humanity. It seemed like all people ever did to each other was cause pain. He kicked the can away. As he stood there deep in thought he felt a strange presence. It felt different from any power he had ever sensed before. Kamui dropped his bag and ran. He came to a grotto in the park and saw a little girl dressed in her school uniform. She stood defiantly in front of what looked like a woman made entirely from vine, studded with long barbed thorns and fierce claws. Kamui was shocked. This was unlike any magic he had ever encountered in all of his battles with the Angels and Seals. There were tears in the girl's eyes, but her teeth were gritted in determination. She pulled a small necklace from around her neck. " Key that hides forces of darkness! Show your true shape in to me! I, Sakura, command you under contract! Release!" And the charm on the necklace grew to the size of a staff. The vine thing snarled at her and lashed out with a whip of thorns. The girl pulled a large card out of one pocket and struck it with the staff. "Jump!" Small wings appeared on her shoes and she leapt easily out of the path of the whip. The thing attacked again, and this time the whip caught on her staff and wrapped around her wrist. She screamed and tried to pull away but was held tight by the vine. The thorns tore at her sleeve and left long angry scratches on her arm. The vine woman smirked and raised another vine, ready to finish the little girl off. Kamui jumped forward and snapped the vine with a spell. He caught the little girl up in his arms and rolled to the other side of the clearing, barely missing the second thorny whip. The thing howled in pain. The little girl looked up at him with startled green eyes. "Wh-who are you?" He shook his head; there wasn't time for introductions. He stood, hands crackling with energy, ready to destroy this monster. "No!" Surprised, he turned to face the girl. She tugged on his sleeves. "No! You can't! I have to catch it." She took another card from her pocket. "Windy! Become a reprimanding chain!" From the card came a white wind that curled around the vine woman, holding her in place. The girl stepped forward and brandished her staff. "Return to your true form! Clow Card!" The vine thing struggle briefly, but swiftly shrank into the form of a card which landed gently in the little girl's hands. "The Thorn." The little girl said, struggling over the English word. "What, what was that thing?" Kamui asked. "A Clow Card. You don't know? I thought you must, I mean, you used magic against it, and, and..." "I've never seen magic like that used before." Kamui said shaking his head. There was something in the girl's open expression that reminded him of Kotori. His expression darkened. "Thank you for saving me. I'm Kinomoto Sakura, yoroshiku." She bowed slightly. "Shiro Kamui." He paused. He knew that he ought to leave, but couldn't help himself from asking, "What were you doing?" Sakura looked down at the card in her hands, "I'm the Card Captor. All the Clow Cards got loose when Kero-chan wasn't looking, and I have to catch them all before they do something bad." She sat down on the grass, and sighed. "I wish I didn't have to. But at least Tomoyo-chan wasn't here today." Kamui was intrigued despite himself. He joined Sakura on the grass. "Who's Tomoyo-chan?" "My best friend. She makes costumes for when I capture the cards. They're pretty, but Tomoyo-chan has kinda gaudy tastes. And then she videotapes me fighting the cards. I don't really mind. But I'm afraid she'd get hurt while I was capturing the cards." "What would happen if you didn't capture all the cards? You said you wished you didn't have to. What if you just stopped?" Kamui asked as his earlier thoughts surfaced. "I can't stop!" She frowned, "Kero...Kero-chan told me when I started capturing cards. He told me that if all the cards aren't captured that a disaster would happen to the world. "I was afraid that it would be something like the earth shattering. But Kero-chan said it wasn't. But I don't know... I'm still worried. I don't want anything bad to happen to the world." Kamui's eyes widened in shock. Could she know? Was she involved in the fate of the world? But he knew in his heart that she wasn't. She had nothing to do with the Angels or the Seals. "Why not?" he heard himself ask, "Maybe we deserve it for treating the world so badly." She looked surprised. "But, but, I love this world. I love the flowers, and the birds and animals. And all of my friends are here. I want them to be happy here too. Everything here is special to me." <The water is pretty, I love it. The sky is pretty too. The air and wind. All pretty. This is where Kamui-chan is. I love it.> "Daijoubu desu ka?" Sakura looked worried. "Daijoubu. It's just that, you remind me very much of someone." "Oh, what kind of person is she?" "She's dead now." Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." "No, it's alright. You didn't do anything wrong. I just think that she would have liked you very much." And when he said it he knew that it was true. Kotori would have liked Sakura very much. They shared the same gentle love for the world. "How did you learn magic?" she asked, "The only people I know who can do magic are involved with the Clow Cards." He smiled weakly, "I suppose that I'm trying to do the same thing that you are. Trying to keep the world from shattering." He had meant that he wanted to protect them. Protect them from the danger, from the madness of the battle for the end of the world. But he hadn't been able to do that. He hadn't been able to save either of them. But he could protect their world. Protect the world that they had loved. A bird landed on his shoulder and chirped, cocking its head to one side. Another landed on his outstretched hand. "Sugoi..." Sakura exclaimed softly, her eyes wide with wonder. "Hold out your hand." Kamui carefully tipped his hand, and the bird hopped from his arm to hers. She laughed at the feel of its tiny feet tickling her skin. Sakura brought the bird level with her face and they regarded each other seriously for a long moment, before she dissolved into giggles again. "Sakura-chan!" A boy with white hair and glasses popped around the corner wearing a high school uniform. "Yukito-san!" She blushed furiously. "There's a new cake store that I heard about, would you like to join me?" "Hai!" Sakura ran forward a few steps and then turned and bowed to Kamui. "Thank you again for saving me. And don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to the world." Then she ran after the white haired boy, laughing and smiling. He smiled back at her and the two of them walked around a bend in the path and disappeared. Kamui smiled slightly as he watched them go. "I won't let anything happen to the world either," he said softly. Then he too left the park, Sorata and Yuzuriha were probably getting worried. The End Japanese: Kekkai-The spirit shields that the Seven Seals use to protect their surroundings during a fight. Kotori-Little Bird Yoroshiku-Pleased to meet you Daijoubu desu ka-Are you all right? Daijoubu-I'm all right. Sugoi-Cool, Great Hai-Yes Author notes: 1. Okay, I know, it's weird. But everything else in the CLAMP universe seems to fit together, no matter how different the shows are. And besides I love Card Captor Sakura, and I love X. 2. This is supposed to take place between the 10th and 11th volumes of X, and somewhere before the 5th book of Card Captor Sakura. 3. The "Thorn" Card is just something I made up because I needed something fairly vicious for Sakura to face up against. Kamui's really not the kind of guy to jump into a fight for no reason, but I figured that if Sakura looked like she was in actual danger that he might help her. 4. Well? Well? What do you think?</pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>