storypaint | Cardcaptor Syaoran (Syaoran gen)

Comm: 5_changes
Words: 947
Title: Cardcaptor Syaoran
Author: rhap_chan
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Claim: What if Sakura had given up the Clow Cards; that is, what if Syaoran became the officical Cardcaptor?
Theme Set: D
Theme: 3. Violet
Rating and Warnings: G
Summary and Notes: When Syaoran took on the job of Cardcaptor, he didn't think the instruments would be so girly.

It had been easy to take the Cards from her. She didn't have much spunk.

"Okay," she said, her face down. "You... you know what you're doing. It's your inheritance."

She handed me the book and looked up at me and I could see the hurt in her eyes about to spill down her cheeks. I hated it when girls cried. It was so babyish.

She sniffled and then two people called her name-- the best friend and the brother-- and I decided to take my leave. I had what I wanted, after all. I turned to walk away and almost in an instant the brother was over the fence. I looked up at him. He was ridiculously tall and outweighed me, but I figured I could take him. I tucked the Book under one arm and stepped into a fighting stance.

When he did the same thing I began to regret it. I only had one free arm and this guy had almost two feet on me in height. Luckily a second high-schooler appeared, and the tension lessened.

"Sakura-chan!" her friend said, running to her side. The girl was still sniffling and sobbing. She whispered something and the friend looked up and glared straight through me. I have never seen violet eyes so threatening.

"I got pork buns!" the brother's friend announced obliviously, and ignoring the tense atmosphere, he offered one to me.

He was tall and pale with kind eyes and steel-colored hair. He was lithe and friendly and there was something special about him--

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran away at full speed, the Clow Book tucked firmly under my arm.

That afternoon when I got home I opened the Book with caution and regarded the Cards the incompetent girl had already collected. There weren't many. I rubbed her name out and wrote my own, noting with satisfaction how their auras deepened to forest green.

Mother would be very proud of me. There were still plenty of cards out there though. Tonight I would go searching. Judging by the girl's aura, she hadn't even enough strength to sense the presence of the cards, and I could.

I wondered how she found the few she had. By luck?

There was a scratching at my window and I moved to see what it was. The trees must need trimming, I supposed. When I opened the window I was nearly bowled over by--

A weird yellow thing with an Osakan accent, which I immediately trapped under my coat, just to be cautious. I'd never seen a creature like this before. I pulled it out carefully by the tail to look. It looked like a plush toy, a deformed one with a funny tail and big ears. It also seemed angry. I wondered where the batteries were.

"Put me down, you fool! Is this how you treat Keroberos, Guardian Beast of the Seal?"

I held it up to eye level and looked again. "'Keroberos, the leonine creature with eyes of flame'? That Keroberos?"

"This is my false form, of course! I'm here to protect the Clow Cards."

I let it go and the creature sulked up to the ceiling and settled on the light fixture, out of reach. For something that small, it made a lot of noise. I hoped Wei had gone to bed early. I didn't know how to explain this.

"The Clow Cards are safe," I told the creature, wishing it would go away. Where had it been staying, with the girl? And she hadn't strangled it yet?

"Look, kid..."

"Don't call me kid!"

"Look," it said again, drifting down to eye level and holding out a paw, "if we're going to work together we have to get along."

"I don't need a sidekick," I informed it.

"That's a Li for you..." it mumbled. "Stubborn as the hind end of a--"

"What was that, Keroberos?" I said icily.

"Nothing. Anyway, are you sure you know what you're getting into? Sakura and I had this under control..."

"Yeah. It would only take five more years for that pathetic girl to collect all the cards, if she was in fact capable of it. I am a Li. I know what I'm getting into."

"I'm supposed to choose the candidate," Keroberos said with a sigh. "And I thought she could do it. But she said she would rather let a professional handle things... Kid, hold out your hand."

Suspiciously, I did, and a carved key fell into my hand. I knew it had to be the key to the book. According to my studies, the key could seal the book and each individual card. It didn't look like much how it was now.

"Key of Clow," Keroberos intoned in a solemn voice that was made funny by its squeakiness and Osakan accent. "There is someone here who wants to make a contract with you. His name is--"

Here Keroberos paused and I realized I hadn't told him my name.

"Li Syaoran."

"His name is Li Syaoran," the plushy guardian beast continued, and after a tense moment I grasped the sealing wand in my hand. Triumphantly I raised it above my head, and then I looked at it.

"Why is it violet?" I said distastefully. The whole thing seemed pretty girly. I wished I could use my sword to seal the cards.

"Violet?!" Keroberos said, getting excited again. "It's pink, you stupid kid! And it's a very cute staff, Clow worked hard on it--"

"What was he, gay?"

"How dare you-- how dare you--" Kero sputtered, and I sighed.

Welcome to the world, Cardcaptor Syaoran. It's going to be some long months.