Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Neo Card Saga ❯ Chapter 2

Previously in the Neo Card Saga: Takeru was hoping to unwind after his battle with the sword card, but that was cut short as the Lightning card plunged the apartment building into darkness. While pursuing the card, Takeru encounters a much more immediate threat in the Ice card, but with his quick wits, Hope turned the card's power back on itself, trapping it. Surprisingly enough, he finds a young girl with a strange destiny of her own: Kinomoto Sakura.

The Neo Card Saga: Chapter 2
The Lightning Card
By Archangel Bloodraven

"I thought you told my mommy you weren't gonna get me anything to eat." Sakura said as climbed up on the stool next to Takeru.

"I know Sakura, but I'm starving, and I can't just pig out in front of you. Hey Akane, how's business?"

"Oh Takeru! Business is great but Ranma's out running errands for me."

"Aren't you glad my brother taught you how to cook? Oh by the way, this is my friend Kinomoto Sakura. Sakura, this is Saotome Akane."

"Pleased to meet you." She bowed as her stomach growled.

"You poor dear! Taki where did you find this girl?" Akane demanded sharply.

Takeru held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "She lost track of her mother when the power went out at the mall. I found her looking for help."

"Well I'll fill you up good." Akane said.

"But my mommy has dinner waiting for me at home, Akane san."

"Then I'll feed you a little, to make up for the lunch you missed."

"I'm starving Akane." Taki said, as much to distract her from overfeeding his young charge as to refresh his own energy.

Good thinking. The lightning card's still out there somewhere. Jasmine commended him silently.

"We'll you two probably have to be going if you're taking her home before the trains stop running. I'll be right back."

"I'm a little light on cash." Taki said handing Akane a twenty yen note.

"You just paid off your tab last week. I'll be back."

"Hey Akane, do you know anything about those blackouts?"

"Just what I see on TV." She said flicking on the TV hanging in the corner and turning up the volume.

As Taki watched the news broadcast, his cell phone rang.

"Moshi moshi."

"Your late." Iori said scathingly.

"Card problems."

"Just as well. It's taking me far longer than I expected and having the power go in and out while they're trying to bring power back to blacked out regions isn't helping. It's like they've been drained dry."

"Hmm. Interesting." He said as his phone chirped. "I've got another call."

"How long are you going to be?"

"Hopefully no more than an hour."

"See you soon." He said hanging up as Taki switched over. "Moshi moshi?"

"Taki, it's Ree. Good job with the Ice card, but the Lightning card is still out there."

"I know, but I've got to take a friend home first."

"Yes, I know about Sakura." She said. "So she is to be Clow Reed's chosen." She murmured absently.

"What?"

"Nothing. Are you really up to capturing a card alone so soon?"

"Is Hika rested?"

"No, she's not."

"Then I have no choice." He said as Akane came out with a bowl of egg drop soup for Sakura and a take out bag for Takeru. "I gotta go but I'll be in touch, okay?"

"All right but be careful."

"I'll do my best." He said collapsing his phone. "Thanks Akane."

"Your new tab is at fifteen yen. Pay it off or work it off." Akane said with a smile.

"Thank you." Sakura said quietly from her soup bowl.

"You're welcome." She said ruffling the young girls brown hair before she hopped off the stool and crossed to the door.

"Is something wrong Saki?" Takeru asked.

"He's got no hands." She said pulling the door open as far as it would go.

Sure enough scant seconds Ranma ambled through the doors arms burdened with groceries for the restaurant. "Arigato little one." He said as he managed to set the bags on the counter. "I'm Saotome Ranma."

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura." She smiled as she bowed. "Nice to meet you."

"Finish your soup Sakura. We'll have to be going soon." Taki said. "It's been too long Ranma. When are we gonna have another sparring match?"

"When are you going to stop letting me win?"

"I never let you win!" He cried. "Well maybe just once." He laughed.

"Well I'm sure you've been busy. And running the restaurant and the dojo is no easy task, you know."

"I'm done Taki." Sakura said pulling on a light jacket

"All right Saki." Taki said picking up his bag as he clasped hands with Ranma. "I'll be around." He said heading out the door.

"I see nothing but trouble ahead for both of them." Akane shuddered.

***

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs. Kinomoto. I've got someone here who belongs to you." Taki said into the speaker before lifting Sakura up to the box.

"Hi mommy I'm home!"

"Oh Sakura! I'm on my way down!"

Minutes later a brunette woman burst out of the doors to scoop Sakura into her arms and shower her with kisses.

"Momma!" Sakura mock whined. "Momma this is my new friend Taki- er Takeru."

"Hello ma'am. I'm just glad I could help Sakura. Here squirt." He fished out two of his business cards and handed one to Sakura and one to her mother. "If you ever need anything and think I may be able to help, give me a call."

"What if I just wanna talk?" Sakura asked.

"Call this number here and I promise I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"How do I know you're gonna?"

"Hey, I promised you I'd help you get home and here you are safe and sound, so you know I keep my other promises."

"Okay." Sakura said. "You wanna come in?"

"No Saki, I gotta go home. It's getting late."

"Okay. I'm gonna go to bed. And tell Akane I'll take a rain check on that egg drop soup." She waved as she and her mother headed back to their apartment.

Now you better high tail it to Iori's. Jasmine reminded him.

"In a minute." He said dialing Hikari's voice mail. "Hi Hika, it's just me. Just wanted to let you know there's a card loose but I'm on top of it. Rest well."

"You really care about her." Jasmine said manifesting beside him. Though startled, Taki welcomed the conversation partner.

"Yeah." He said as they descended to the train station. Beside him Jasmine faded to shadow as he paid his fare and boarded only to reappear beside him in an empty seat. "I just feel so right when I'm with her."

"Hmm." Jasmine said before falling silent for a long while. "I told you what I think, and honestly I think you should get another spirit card. I think I'm falling in love with you myself and that means I can't be objective."

"What do you want for me?"

"I want you to stay alive and be happy." She snapped as they disembarked.

"Then you're still doing your job." Takeru said sagely. "As far as what you're feeling, I can't help that and neither can you."

"Maybe a new look." Jasmine mused. She shimmered a moment before becoming a red head with pale blue eyes.

"Does it help?"

"A little." She said as they ascended the stairs to Iori's apartment. "But I still care about you a lot." She said raising her hand to knock.

"Come on in Takeru." Iori called.

"Hey Iori." Taki said swinging the door shut behind him. "This is my spirit card Jasmine. Jasmine, this is Hido Iori."

"A pleasure to meet you." Iori said before quickly becoming all business. "All right, I tapped into the power company's computer like you asked. Here's a map of the blacked out areas, but let me update it." He said tapping a few keys. "Oh my goodness..."

"It's heading straight for the dam." Takeru said paling.

"If it drains the electricity from the dam..." Jasmine said with a quiver in her voice.

"Not gonna happen. NEO POWER!"

***

"Lightning card!" Hope shouted standing between the sparking disturbance and the power transformer.

You do have a plan, right? Jasmine asked nervously

I'm going to give him exactly what he wants. "No farther." He said slinging his staff off his back.

The disturbance crackled and twisted to reshape itself into a lithe wildcat. So nice of it to show it's true form.

Be careful Hope. Cards can do a lot more damage in their true form. Jasmine advised.

As if to illustrate her point the lightning card lunged at Hope even as he brought his staff around to defend himself. He spun, twisted and blocked, managing to defend himself well until the card lashed out one massive paw and left three razor thin incisions in Hope's face before he repelled her. Point taken. He replied, feeling the warm trickle of blood down his face.

You're hurt!

Don't get sentimental on me now spirit hope. He said moving to position himself in front of a power converter assembly. "You should have made that strike count, cause it's the only one you're gonna get." He snarled.

The Lightning card roared with rage and lunged at him. In a flash Hope was in the air, calling on all the power of his triad fragment in a single forced burst of speed that sent him high into the air as the card ripped through the speed shadow he left to slam into the converter.

"ICE CARD ARISE!" He shouted flinging the card to the ground. A heartbeat later the great bear arose. "Freeze the Lightening card!" He shouted.

The bear roared compliantly coating the card and converter into a thick layer of ice. Seconds later the wildcat attempted to shock its way out but the melting ice only completed the circuit drawing the card's electrical energy into the converter draining it as it restored power to the affected areas. By the time the ice prison was gone the lightening card was too drained to fight. Hope crossed to it and knelt beside it as the bear returned to its card form. As the beaten cat nuzzled his hand, Hope whispered the words to seal the card.

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

Well done. Jasmine said as the cards flew back to him.

***

"After all this time, the Neo cards are released and these upstarts are picking them up left and right." A dark figure growled as Hope made his way home. "I will have those cards, no matter what."

***

Hi, this is Archangel Bloodraven, creator of the Neo Card. If there's a Neo or Necro card you'd like to see in the series, drop me a review, or e-mail through my website. See you next time.