Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Neo Card Saga ❯ Chapter 1

Previously in The Neo Card Saga: After Hikari and Takeru took shelter in a seemingly abandoned house in a thunderstorm, they unwittingly released the Neo cards and met their creator, Takishino Reana. After expressing their desire to undo their mistake, Reana gave them the spirit cards of Light and Hope. After successfully completing the tests of Wisdom, Faith, and Loyalty, they were given the Triad Crystal, but their greatest challenge came all too soon when the sword card took possession of Koushiro, but with a little teamwork, the two teens transformed into Light and Hope successfully capturing the sword card, but leaving Hikari physically drained.

The Neo Card Saga: Chapter 1: The Ice Card
By Archangel Bloodraven

After Taki had seen Hika and Taichi home and Jyou and Koushiro to the hospital, Yamato dropped him off at his own apartment two floors above the older blonde's. Hika may have been responsible for actually capturing the sword card but Taki was physically sore and emotionally drained. This is going to take some getting used to. He thought stretching his aching bones as far as he could. He frowned thinking. There were so many thought swirling through his mind but at the center of the cyclone was a single thought.

Kamiya Hikari.

"I need advice." He said sullenly as he dropped to the couch.

"That's what I'm here for!" A playful voice said.

"Who said that?" He snapped springing to his feet and holding his bracelets ready to transform.

"Relax, Taki. It's me, Spirit Hope." TK did relax slightly as he crossed the room to where he had his jacket hanging. "So are you gonna let me out or what?"

"Spirit card of Hope arise and give council." He said drawing the card from his pocket and tossing it lightly on his coffee table. The figure who appeared took is breath away.

Hika was sitting on his coffee table swinging her legs. "Interesting choice." Spirit hope said. "I take a form comfortable to you."

"Odd. I don't think I could be any less comfortable right now. Kari makes me feel things I ..." He trailed off before he came right out and said it. "She scares me."

"Good scary or bad scary?"

"Confused scary." He sighed.

"I think you're in love, and the best thing would be to tell her." Spirit Hope patiently. A moment later the room was plunged into as Taki's ring glowed momentarily then faded. "But it looks like you have to go to work." She chuckled returning to her card form.

TK slipped the card back into his jacket as his cell phone rang. "Takashi Takeru."

"It's me bro. I take your place just blacked out?"

"Yeah, and I think there's a card behind it." He pulled on his jacket and slipped out the door locking it behind him. "And with Hika resting I'll have to take this one on solo."

"Be careful bro. If this card is shorting out electrical power you'll have to stop it before it reaches the hospital, the power plant or something vital."

"I'm on it." He said sprinting down the stairs. "Later."

"Good luck, little bro. And be safe." Yamato said hanging up.

"I'll do my best." TK answered more to himself than his brother. As he stepped out the door he hit a speed dial button and raised the phone to his ear. "Iori?"

"Speaking."

"It's Taki. Do you sill have power?"

"Full."

"Good. Is your computer functional?" He prayed with all his might that Miyako didn't have it disassembled for one of her 'upgrades'.

"Completely."

Arigato Kami sama. TK thought. "Then here's what I need you to do."

Iori listened patiently as Taki outlined what he needed. "Ten minutes." He said cryptically.

Taki assumed that was how long it would take to fill his request. "I'll be there in twenty." He said collapsing the phone.

"Still with me, Spirit hope?" He murmured as he wove through the crowd.

Quite. She replied in his mind. Your thoughts are as clear as your words to me, so need to look like you're talking to yourself.

Taki was about to reply when his phone rang yet again. "Talk to me."

"Taki, it's Ree. Looks like your going after the lightning card. It's a Neo so it won't hurt you."

"Much." Taki said sarcastically. "Can I handle it alone?"

"Well, you did fairly well with the sword card."

"Which Hika has."

"You can summon cards interchangeably, whether they are in your possession or not."

"Well I guess it'll be better than nothing. I better find sparky before he does some real damage. Keep me apprised." He said hanging up.

***

Taki was about five minutes from Iori's house when a sudden snowy blast knocked him and the other pedestrians off their feet.

"What was that?"

Really strange. Taki thought as he glimpsed his glowing ring.

Looks like sparky brought a friend. Spirit Hope said as Taki ducked into a nearby alley.

"Time to go to work then. NEO POWER!" He cried bringing his bracelets together. A heartbeat later the troubled teenager was gone replaced by the card captor Hope. Jumping quickly to avoid any curious investigations, he shot upwards and crouched neatly on the nearest rooftop where it was easily seventy degrees cooler than the street below despite it being midsummer. "Chilly." He quipped blowing out a frosty breath.

Must be the ice card. Spirit Hope said told him. You'll have to flush it out.

Hope looked in all directions before slinging his staff off his back.

"Unseen card that does much harm,
I trap you now in a physical form."

As he finished speaking he slammed his staff end down against the roof, sending ripples of indigo energy rippling outward in an expanding shockwave.

At first nothing happened, then several blocks ahead of him, the energy coalesced for the briefest of moments, then dispersed to reveal Hope's adversary.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" He cried incredulously. "A polar bear?"

That's the ice card all right, and if you don't stop it, Tokyo is going to be an icicle.

"Yeah I get the point." He said backing up to the edge of the roof while all the while never taking his off the great shaggy bear that ambled so unconcernedly along . Hope took a deep breath and a running start before using his staff to vault over the roof tops. Wicked. He thought.

Stay focused. Spirit Hope reminded him as he landed behind the bear.

He had the merest fraction of a second to register that he had hit the rooftop before sliding back to slam into a storage shed with a resounding thud. The Ice Card gazed back at him but any threat he perceived from the young card captor did not disturb him and he continued unperturbed.

Are you all right? Spirit hope asked.

Thumped my head pretty hard I think. Give me a second and I'll be okay. Hope replied slowly getting to his feet and looking around the roof, which was coated with a thin but slick layer of blue ice.

That must be why you slipped.

Guess so. The Ice Card must leave this behind when he walks so lets track him. He replied shaking off the last of his disorientation, as he leapt to the next building over and began chasing the Ice Card again.

The polar bear's ambling pace was deceptive as it took Hope the better part of a half hour trailing the ice slick the card left in its wake before he caught sight of it again. Moving quickly to intercept it, Hope bounded in front of the bear, attempting to reason with it.

"Hey buddy, think you could cut a card captor a break?"

Jump! Spirit Hope screamed in his mind.

Even as he bent his knees to react, the bear roared unleashing a frozen blast that trapped him in ice from the waist down before going about his way.

"Damn!" Hope muttered as he hammed at his legs with his staff. "I should have been faster."

We both should have been. Spirit Hope said. But now is not a time for recriminations. Reason didn't work, so what do you want to try now?

"How about brute force?" He mused shattering the last of the ice.

All right, but be careful. His guide said.

Nodding his acknowledgement, Hope sprang to a parallel rooftop and began to trail his quarry once more.

Again the bear's seemingly patient stroll had put a considerable distance between the Ice Card and Hope, but after almost an hour the card captor landed in front his prey, staff held in a battle position. "No further." He said body tensed to dodge an attack.

The bear never even slowed. One moment he was prepared to move and the next he was completely encased in ice as the bear moved on.

The rooftop was still before Hope shattered his prison with an energy blast. "How the hell did he do that?"

I never knew he was that fast. Spirit Hope said penitently. Look, that last shockwave cut into your life force.

"What? How?"

All of your physical exertions have been drawing off your card captor energy as well as the Triad fragment you carry. The Spirit Card said. But more to the point is that card has to be put on ice, and now.

Hope was about to set off after the Ice card again when he froze. "What did you say?"

That card has to be...

"Put on ice." They finished in unison. "You are a genius, Spirit Hope."

Actually, you can call me Jasmine.

"Well Jasmine, let's find a place to spring our little surprise."

***

"Hey frosty." Hope said as the frosty beast landed a few feet in front of him. "End of the line. SWORD CARD ARISE!" he shouted. An instant later the deadly slim sword was in his hand as he lashed out cutting open several high pressure fire ports.

The bear played his part to perfection lashing out with his deadly ice blast freezing the water into a wall of ice as Hope leaped out of the way and sliced open more ports on his left side drenching the beast with water that froze almost instantly. The Ice Card never stopped it's icy barrage as it turned toward him, murderous rage in it's frozen eyes, but Hope was already gone, slashing open more ports until the Ice Card was faced with a barrage of rapidly freezing water on all sides which soon enveloped him in a frozen prison.

"How do you like it?" Hope chuckled returning the sword to it's Card form.

That won't hold it long. Jasmine said as the card captor slung his staff from his back.

"I know." He grinned as the ice began to spread back to the ports. Then his face darkened as he became all business.

"A roaming card you cannot be.
Your power tamed, return to me!"

Hope's words echoed across the rooftop as the Ice Card burst from its prison only to be contained by a blast of azure energy. Hope grabbed the newest card and scrambled off the roof as the intense water pressure broke through the remaining ice.

We did it! Jasmine cheered silently.

"We sure did." Hope said dropping into the alley. "Power down." He whispered reverting to to Takeru and slumping against the wall. He managed to limp weakly to the mouth of the alley when he heard a small voice sobbing.

"Hey kiddo, what's wrong?" He said addressing the little girl who sat huddled on the ground.

"My mommy and I got lost at the mall and I think she went home without me."

"Well that's not a nice thing to do. By the way, I'm Takeru but you can call me Taki."

"I'm Sakura but everyone calls me Saki." She laughed. "My mommy loves me, but when all the lights went out in the mall we got separated, but maybe you can help me. My mommy gave me a magic card to help me get home."

Magic card? Jasmine said.

"Really? Can I see it?"

"You have to promise to help me get home." She said fiercely.

"I promise." Taki said. Saki nodded and fished a laminated card on a lanyard out of her t-shirt.

"'Hi! My name is Kinomoto Sakura, and I'm only six years old. I live at 1759 Highton View Terrace. Will you please take me home and call my mother so she doesn't worry. Her number is 345-2579.' Only six, huh?" He said dialing his cell phone. "Hello Mrs. Kinomoto. I'm Takashi Takeru. No you don't know me, but I have someone here who would like to speak to you." He handed the little phone gently to Sakura.

"Hi mommy. Taki's really nice. I showed him my magic card and he promised to help me get home..." Takeru listened to her rambled on

Pity. He said silently. I was hoping she might know something about the Neo Cards.

She may not know anything but I can feel energy radiating from this girl, not the same as the Neo Cards, but not too different either. Jasmine said. Count on running into her again.

Saki tugged on his leg and handed him the phone. "My mommy wants to talk to you." She said before dropping her voice to a whisper "And I'm hungry."

Takeru nodded and gave her a wink. "Mrs. Kinomoto. Yes. I'll bring her right over. You'll have dinner waiting? All right. I won't get her anything." At this he crossed his fingers and gave Saki a wink. "All right. Sayonara." He said collapsing his phone. "Let's go get something to eat." He grinned.