I am bored.

Bored, bored, bored...

Yes, Cerberus was bored. I think we get that by now. He lay on Sakura's bed rolling back and forth trying to break the monotony. He had read all the books and magazines in Sakura's room, defeated all the video games 20+ times each, and all the shows on TV were reruns or not his taste (aren't they all)...

Cerberus sighed. He wasn't strong enough in this form to open the window, and turning into his true form just to open the window was a waste of precious energy. With the Clow Cards gone, he had to ration it. Opening the door? Same problem...

Suddenly the door opened. Sakura? Cerberus sat as still as he could on the desk. Sakura's dad stepped in. He was humming and carrying in what appeared to be laundry. Cerberus sized up the situation:

A. I can stay still, play it safe, and die of boredom.

Or, B. I can take a chance, fly like mad, and live happily ever after...well, at least today.

B, of course, won.

Fujitaka Kinomoto turned around. He could have sworn he saw something orange fly by in the corner of his eye. He stared at the door for a moment and then shrugged it off. I was probably nothing...

Cerberus flapped his wings as fast as he could. "Must get out, must get out," he muttered to himself.

Okay, he thought, I've gotten this far, now what?

He heard footsteps coming down the staircase. Cerberus began to panic. Then, mercifully, he noticed the open window. Cerberus flew straight towards it and...

BANG!

He flew back, holding his head in his paws, trying not to scream. Stupid screen.

The footsteps became louder. He knew that had seconds till Sakura's dad came in the living room. Cerberus was determined to get out, so he backed up and rushed the screen at full speed. Cerberus was able to push it out with the force and fluttered off to freedom, "woo-hooing" all the way...

Fujitaka entered the living room. The screen to the open window was gone, and he thought he heard a crash and wingbeats. How strange; I'm seeing and hearing things today...

Sakura was very happy. She had Yukito to her left and her brother following behind (as he always did). Perfect day. Too bad Tomoyo couldn't come...or Shaolan.

She smiled a little at the thought of Shaolan. He was always so brave and valiant in battle, but if she tried to talk to him for one second about something that didn't involve the Clow Cards, he started to blush crimson red. He's so shy, she thought. I wonder why...?

"Sakura-chan? What are you thinking about?"

"Ah, nothing, Yukito-san!" said Sakura a bit flustered. "Oh, look! There's a bakery! I want to get something for Tomoyo-chan!"

Sakura shuffled right over to the bakery. Thinking about Shaolan when she practically had Yukito to herself! Sure, Shaolan was cute, but Yukito was the one for her; she had known this since she met him.

She opened the door and walked in with Touya and Yukito following her. She hopped over to the counter. So many goodies! How was she going to choose?

"The lemon bars are good here," said Yukito.

"Really? Tomoyo-chan will love them!" said Sakura.

"By the way, why didn't Tomoyo come today? You did go by her house," said her brother.

Sakura stared at Touya for a moment. "Tomoyo-chan was injured last night."

He blinked. "How?"

Sakura stalled a moment. She wasn't about to say, "Tomoyo-chan was erased last night." Instead she decided to say, "Tomoyo-chan was...ah...knocked unconscious at the fashion show by...the crowd. You know, there was a...um...fire in the auditorium last night. That's what they said."

Touya looked confused. "Fashion show?"

Sakura started to understand why her brother was confused. "You were there, weren't you?"

Touya shook his head. She looked at Yukito. Yukito was staring at Touya. She looked at her brother again. "Onii-chan, I asked you to come... Were you busy again...?"

Tomoyo got up from her bed and walked around her room stretching. She felt much better.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tomoyo heard the tapping at her window. It was probably a bird. She walked over to the window and saw...

"Kero-chan!"

She opened the window to let the fluttering guardian in. "Hiya, Tomoyo! How ya feeling?" he asked in his usual Osaka-ben.

"I'm better, Kero-chan," Tomoyo said as she shut the window. "I was just a little ill. Nothing big."

"Hmm," he said as he sat on the bed. "I heard you wanted to play 'Card Captor' last night."

Tomoyo laughed as she pulled a box of candy from her dresser. "Yes, Sakura-chan told me about it, though I don't remember it." She gave him a chocolate.

He happily received it and munched on it. "Mmm, this is good. Thanks," he said. "But, ya know I can't make you a Card Captor."

"No, I'll leave that to Sakura-chan."

"Well, you're really helpful. Gotta thank you for that."

"I do it for Sakura-chan..."

Cerberus stared at Tomoyo for a moment. He had always suspected that Tomoyo loved Sakura more than just a friend. How ironic that Sonomi's child would love the child of Nadeshiko. He knew that Sakura would never find out, and Tomoyo would never outright admit it. So, Tomoyo would eternally chase an oblivious Sakura...

"Are you okay, Kero-chan?" asked Tomoyo. "You are staring."

"Ah!" he said startled. "Sorry, Tomoyo! I was just thinking!"

She smiled. "Clow Cards, perhaps?"

"Something related to that." Distantly, he added in thought.

Cerberus turned his head quickly to hear the branches of a tree banging noisily against the window. "Maa, is there a storm coming?" asked Tomoyo.

He flew over to the window. That was sudden, he thought. He looked in the direction of the shopping district. A strange swirling mass with a faint golden glow hovered over it.

"I gotta go, Tomoyo. There's a Clow Card out there."

"I'm coming too!" said Tomoyo as she changed into a dress.

"Tomoyo! You don't..."

She grabbed him and her camera, and said, "Have I ever missed a chance to tape Sakura-chan?"

Cerberus sighed, "No. Alright, let's go."

Tomoyo said, "Get in the bag, and let's go help Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura!"

Damn, where is she? thought Touya as he fought the strong winds. He felt terrible. Sakura had asked him to that fashion show weeks ago, but as soon as Yukito had asked him to out with him, he forgot. Touya could beat himself up. He had always protected and supported Sakura, but lately...

Lately he didn't spend time with her. All there was was "Yuki" in his mind. He loved Yukito more than anything, but that gave him no right to ignore his sister.

And now, because of his stupidity, Touya was searching for Sakura, who ran off in tears, in this storm.

"Yuki!" he yelled. "Do you see her?!"

No answer.

"Yuki?"

Yukito was not behind him. What now...?

He grumbled a little as he flew against the winds. Here he was happy and having a good day shopping with Touya and Sakura. Then, Touya goes and admits he screwed up by forgetting Sakura again. Sakura yells at Touya; he says the wrong thing; she runs off; and Touya chases her. And to top it all off, this blasted storm brews up.

If you can't tell, Yue was ticked.

Yue had been quite happy for the past seven years living in ignorant bliss as Yukito. Though Yue was aware of what his Yukito-side was doing, Yukito was clueless to his Yue-side. That was good. Yue wanted to forget ever being a guardian...

But now, this damned Clow Card decided to rear its ugly head. He knew he had to find Sakura quickly, get this over with, and then go back to being Yukito. Simple.

He searched the streets from above. Lots of panicking people, barking dogs, and overturned displays. Then something caught his eye. An orange-haired girl with a long braid. Sakura. She appeared to be crying despite what was going on around her.

Yue sighed as he descended towards her. He couldn't blame her; her heart was broken, no doubt. Yukito could probably cheer her up after this, if she still wanted to talk to him...

Crack! Zaam!

Yue felt searing pain all over his body. He tried screaming, but he couldn't utter a sound. Finally, he lost control and crash-landed onto a rooftop.

He felt himself falling in and out of consciousness, as he lay dazed on the grimy roof. The last thing he saw was a Chinese lady approach him with a crooked smile, and...the boy...the Chinese boy...

...shao...lan...?

"What the hell did you do to him?!" asked Xiao Lang angrily.

"Relax," said Mei Ling. She knelt before the limp body of Yue and lifted his face. "He's asleep."

"He doesn't look like he's having pleasant dreams..."

Mei Ling scowled for a moment and then turned to him with a grin. Always the weak one. "Would you have preferred to fight to him? And don't give me any noble lines like 'I would have rather fought him face to face,' because you and I know you couldn't or wouldn't have fought him."

Xiao Lang looked away from her towards the "storm." "Let's just get this over with."

"Patience," she purred as she walked towards Xiao Lang. She slid behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "If this one is here, the Card Captor must be close."

Mei Ling could feel him tense up from those words. She leaned her head on his shoulder and continued, "No sense dirtying our hands. Let her do the hard work of actually capturing it."

He turned his head slightly towards her. "That's not fair..."

"Are you saying you want to go back on our deal?"

"No."

"Good," she said with a bit of pleasure. She looked up at him. "You know, you still look handsome in your robes."

Xiao Lang frowned and grabbed her hands and unraveled them from his neck. He walked towards Yue and made sure he was all right; then he went to the roof's edge and waited.

Mei Ling grinned and muttered, "You will be mine, Xiao Lang..."

Sakura sat in the alley and cried. She had never had her heart broken like this before. She was oblivious to her surroundings. All she could think about was what happened in the bakery...

Sakura looked straight at her brother. "Onii-chan, I asked you to come... Were you busy again...?"

Touya looked at her for a moment, then suddenly turned away. She could see that he was thinking. Why would he have to think about this...?

Then it hit her. He forgot. Her brother actually forgot, and this wasn't the first time. "You forgot didn't you?" she said.

He turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Sakura could feel herself getting angry. She closed her and calmed herself down. "What happened, onii-chan?"

Touya turned around and wouldn't answer. "Onii-chan!" she said. She turned to Yukito. He wasn't smiling and was shaking his head. "Onii-chan! Where were you last night?!" she yelled.

Touya quickly turned around and said, "I was out with Yuki! He asked me to go out with him."

Sakura was taken aback. Go out with him? She slowly said, "A date?"

Touya answered, "Yes. I'm sorry I forgot."

Sakura didn't even pay attention to the apology. Her brother's confirmation was what stuck in her mind. A date...?

That's when it started to dawn on her. How could she be so stupid? The way her brother looked at Yukito. The way Touya called him Yuki. The reason they were always together...

Touya loves Yukito.

Sakura looked up at her brother with tears in her eyes. Touya looked at her with concern. "Sakura, are you all right?"

Yukito-san...he's...he can't be...

"Sakura?"

Sakura refused to answer. Instead she ran.

"Sakura!" she heard her brother yell.

No...no...no...onii-chan...Yukito-san...

She didn't turn back.

How dare he...how dare he...

"Yukito-san..."

"Tomoyo-chan! Where are we now?"

"We're at the shopping district now."

Cerberus jumped out of the bag. "Okay! Let's find Sakura and catch that Card!"

Tomoyo turned on her camera. "Card Captor Sakura vs. the Raging WINDY Card! Ah, Kero-chan, didn't you once say that the WINDY is a peaceful Card?"

Cerberus folded his arms (or is that front paws? Or legs...? Aw, forget it...). "Usually it is, but given the recent attitudes of the Cards, we can't rely on past experience."

"That's true," said Tomoyo.

Cerberus latched onto Tomoyo's shoulder. As they called for Sakura, he couldn't help but think how this situation was. The WINDY had been causing havoc in the shopping district for at least ten minutes; why hadn't Sakura already sprung into action? She could have ditched her brother and the Snow Bunny easily.

How strange...

"Why hasn't she shown up?" grumbled Mei Ling as she struggled to stand in the strong winds.

Xiao Lang couldn't help but think that as well, but deep down he wished Sakura wouldn't show. A miracle, he commented to himself.

He didn't want Sakura to see him. He didn't want to face Sakura. He didn't want Sakura to know they were at odds now.

"At this rate, we are going to have to fight that Clow Card!" growled Mei Ling.

He turned to her with a little hope. "Shall we?"

She gave him a look. "You're too impulsive, cousin..."

What about you? he thought.

"...We'll wait five more minutes, and then we will take it down ourselves."

Xiao Lang nodded and turned back to the storm. Please, Sakura, don't come; don't come, he repeated to himself over and over like a mantra...

"Sakura!!"

Sakura looked up from her knees. Someone was calling her.

"Sakura-chan!!"

Tomoyo-chan?

"Where could she be?" said Tomoyo.

"We gotta keep looking," said Kero-chan.

Sakura got up and was immediately blown over. What the hell? she thought. That's strong wind...

A Clow Card.

Sakura got up once again and ran as fast as she could towards the street. "Tomoyo-chan! Kero-chan!" she yelled.

Both of them turned around and yelled, "Sakura!"

"Where ya been...? Sakura, have you been crying?" asked Kero-chan as he examined her face.

Sakura looked away. "No. I'm fine."

"Sakura-chan..." said Tomoyo.

"It's nothing!" snapped Sakura.

Tomoyo and Kero-chan backed up a little. "I-I'm sorry... I've just had a bad day..." she apologized.

Tomoyo smiled and said, "It's okay; we will talk about it later... But now, we have to dress you for the occasion!" Tomoyo held up her bag triumphantly.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you, Tomoyo-chan..."

"Five minutes are up, Mei Ling," said Xiao Lang.

Mei Ling's face was a stoic mask. However, inside she was fuming. How dare that stupid Japanese bitch not show up. She wanted the Card Captor to come, see her with Xiao Lang, and then show how Xiao Lang did her bidding. That would crush the Card Captor's spirits and hopes of ever having her cousin...no, fiancé. Xiao Lang was Mei Ling's...

"Yaaaah!!"

Mei Ling turned to her left to see the Card Captor. She was dressed in a short white Chinese dress with long sleeves and gold trim, similar in style to one that Mei Ling once owned. The Card Captor was also wearing white knee-high button-up stockings, a white and gold hat similar to Xiao Lang's, and gold slippers. How interesting the Card Captor's costumes were, but not as interesting as the fight ahead...

Sakura knew that this fight was going to be difficult. She only had three Cards! The LIGHT, the SHIELD, and the ERASE... Woo! That'll do a lot. I wish I had at least the JUMP or the FLY...

A sudden gust of wind nearly knocked her over. Sakura kept going over and over what she could do...

LIGHT? Nope, can't blind it...

ERASE? Worthless Card...

SHIELD? Worth a try...

Sakura pulled out Shield and hit it with her staff.

<<SHIELD!!>>

A shield formed before her, blocking the wind. She recalled something from her fight with Kaiou. She poured more energy into it.

<Form a seal to enclose the WINDY!>

SHIELD obeyed and encapsulated WINDY.

"Success!" Sakura yelled.

Unfortunately, it was a short one. WINDY didn't take to having its brief freedom interrupted. WINDY used all its strength and shattered SHIELD.

Sakura started to retreat. Now what? WINDY was hot on her tail. It probably used a lot of energy on that counterattack... It was then that Sakura noticed a something on a building that could help her. She ran into the store below it and ran to the back. She noticed Tomoyo and Kero-chan following her.

"What are we going to do, Sakura-chan?" said Tomoyo frantically.

"Upstairs!" yelled Sakura as she pulled Tomoyo and Kero-chan along with her.

Kero-chan yelled, "What are you planning?"

Sakura grinned, "I saw something interesting in the building on the top floor."

They reached the top floor. There was nothing but an empty flat in need of repair. "Leave the door open!" yelled Sakura. "We're just going to let it in here!"

"What?"

"Tomoyo-chan! You see that switch over there? Flip it up to "max" when I tell you!"

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, Sakura-chan!"

It was then WINDY flew into the room. It produced a great gust of wind that shattered all the windows and pushed Tomoyo, Kero-chan, and Sakura against the walls.

"N-Now, Tomoyo-chan!!"

"Un!" said Tomoyo as she flicked the switch.

A metallic creak was heard, followed by a loud whirling sound. The industrial fan was working. WINDY was caught off guard, so it began to be sucked into the fan because of its weightlessness. Before it reached the fan, Sakura jumped in between it and the fan.

<Return to your original form!>

<<CLOW CARD!!>>

Tomoyo shut the fan off immediately after Sakura captured the Card. "That was amazing, Sakura!" yelled Kero-chan.

Sakura laughed, "That wasn't anything."

"Oh, but that was something."

Sakura, Tomoyo, and Kero-chan turned around to see a Chinese girl clapping. To her left was...

"Shaolan-kun?" whispered Sakura.

Shaolan lowered his head. The Chinese girl laughed a little then approached Sakura. "Quite amazing, Card Captor. No wonder Cerberus chose you." The girl smiled at the little guardian. Kero-chan stepped back and muttered, "You're a descendant of Clow. I can smell it."

Sakura looked at Kero-chan for a moment and then at Shaolan. "Is she a relative of yours, Shaolan-kun?" He didn't answer.

The girl laughed and said, "I'm Mei Ling, Xiao Lang's fiancée."

Shaolan looked up suddenly and glared at her. Sakura repeated, "'Shaolan's fiancée?"

Mei Ling smiled as she saw shock engulf the Card Captor's face. "Well, now that we are acquainted, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?" questioned Sakura.

"The Card. Give me the Clow Card."

Sakura gripped the WINDY tightly. "No! It's mine! Shaolan-kun, why does she want it?"

Xiao Lang looked away. "Give her the Card, Sakura."

The Card Captor's face went pale. "Sh-Shaolan-kun?"

He looked straight at her with a stern face. "Give her the Clow Card now, Sakura."

Mei Ling smiled. "Do what my fiancé says, or you will regret it."

The guardian rushed in front of Sakura. "She is the Cards' Mistress! They rightfully belong to her!"

Mei Ling looked down at him. "They belong to whomever writes their name upon their surface."

Cerberus growled and began his transformation...

Slice!

Unfortunately, Mei Ling attacked before it was complete. A strong blow of her knife cut deeply into Cerberus' hide and sent him flying. Tomoyo picked him up. "Kero-chan!"

"Hand it over!" screamed Mei Ling as she slapped Sakura, knocking her over. Xiao Lang nearly lunged at Mei Ling, but she growled in Cantonese, "You stay in your place, or I'll do worse..." He stood completely still gnashing his teeth.

"Shaolan-kun! Wh-why won't you help me?!" pleaded Sakura as she touched her bleeding lip.

Mei Ling smiled as she saw Xiao Lang shaking with anger but do nothing. Good boy...

"What's going on here?!"

Mei Ling turned her head to the doorway. It was that brunette man from last night. What was he doing here...?

"Sakura!" Touya yelled. "What are you doing to Sakura?!"

This was a strange situation. The winds die down. He finally hears Sakura screaming and finds her in an empty storage room with Tomoyo, the girl from last night, and... that damn kid. All of them, save Tomoyo, were dressed in Chinese clothing; and Sakura was carrying that stuff while the other two had weapons.

"O-onii-chan? What...?" squeaked Sakura.

The Chinese girl approached Touya. "Leave, this has nothing to do with you..."

Touya scowled. "That's my little sister. This does involve me."

"Don't make me or Xiao Lang teach you not to butt into others' business."

Touya glared at Shaolan. He knew that boy was never up to any good. He felt the anger burning inside of him...

He turned back to the girl. To his surprise, the formally confident woman was replaced by a shocked girl who was backing up. What happened?

"X-Xiao L-Lang... I don't think we're getting the Card today. Let's leave..."

"Mei Ling?!"

The girl began to scream something in another language. Chinese, perhaps? Touya guessed that she was yelling to get out of there, even thought he had no idea why. They jumped through one of the shattered windows and were gone.

Touya walked over to Sakura, who was sitting on the floor crying. He knelt down. "Are you all right, Sakura?"

Sakura took one look at him. He expected her to run, but instead she hugged him fiercely and continued to cry. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry..." he said.

She didn't answer...

Yukito entered the demolished flat. He looked around in complete wide-eyed amazement. Touya was holding a sobbing Sakura; Tomoyo was holding something in a bloody t-shirt; and all the windows had been blown out. What happened here? he thought.

A throbbing sensation in his head caused him to stumble a little. While he tried to regain his balance, the voice filled his head. It was cursing:

<That stupid bitch! How did she knock me out?!>

He felt a bit strange. The situation around him was odd, but what was really strange was the fact that the always calm voice was screaming about being defeated.

Yukito, for once in his life, was truly scared...

Xiao Lang entered his apartment. Following close behind him was Mei Ling. He wasn't in the best mood.

"Well, that was a failure," Mei Ling commented.

He spun around with a scowl on his face. "Why did you have to tell her you were my fiancée?"

She slipped her arms around his hips. "You still are, Xiao Lang."

He didn't reply to that. It was bad enough he had to support Mei Ling today, but that...

There was something else bothering him. He slid out of her arms. He walked over to the couch and sat down. He then asked, "If you were so insistent on getting WINDY, why did you tell me to retreat?"

Mei Ling sat down on the other sofa. "It was because of him."

"Him?" said Xiao Lang with a bit of shock. "You mean Touya?"

"'Touya,' yes, him. Did you notice his aura?"

"Can't say that I did. Believe me, the worst he can do is give a good beating, but you're a little too quick for him. Now, if you no more need of me, I would like to get a shower."

"Go right ahead."

He got up, and walked into the bedroom, and shut the door. He bit his lip. He felt like crying.

Shaolan-kun! Wh-why won't you help me?!

He punched the wall. Ouch. He pulled back his fist. It was cut all over and bleeding. The wall fared worse with a hole in it.

Xiao Lang entered the bathroom and stripped. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. The hot water felt good until it ran over his hand, which stung as the water washed over it. He watched the blood mingle with water as they spiraled down the drain.

"Sakura..."

Mei Ling reclined on the sofa. She was silently cursing herself for retreating. For the gods' sakes, she wasn't Xiao Lang! She should have held her ground and taken the Clow Card.

However, that man, "Touya," scared her. She saw that dark blue aura spark with anger, and she knew she was in the presence of a stronger power. Though she knew he couldn't use it, it still scared her. She would have to talk with the old man about this Touya.

Mei Ling closed her eyes and listened to the water rushing through the pipes...