Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The Enemy Revealed ❯ Game Start ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

SR, thank you very much for looking over this part for me :o)

The Enemy Revealed
Chapter 3: Game Start

"So Touya-san will be out again?" Tomoyo asked Sakura as they made their way towards the Kinomoto residence.

"Hai. He has a part-time job," Sakura explained as she skated.

"Another one? How many has he had?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know."

Sakura stopped herself before she could pass her house. She and Tomoyo entered the house to find Kero-chan flying before them. "Kero-chan? Why aren't you in my room?" Sakura asked before bending down to take off her rollerblades.

"You have visitors," the Beast of the Seal answered.

"Visitors?" Sakura wondered as she put on a pair of house slippers.

"Hmmmmmm..." Tomoyo took off her shoes and replaced them with house slippers.

"I think you want to see them," Kero-chan said as he flew towards the living room.

*Who would want to visit me?* Sakura asked herself as she and Tomoyo followed Kero-chan. To her surprise, she found Nakuru sitting on the couch. Suppi-chan sat in her lap.

"They just showed up a few minutes ago," Kero-chan explained to the two girls. "I heard a noise downstairs while I was playing video games. When I came down, I found them there."

"Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan!" Nakuru greeted with an upbeat smile.

"Konnichiwa," Sakura greeted back. "How did you get here? Where's Eriol-kun? Why isn't he...?"

"Where's Touya-san?" Nakuru asked excitedly with a mischievous grin. "I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Oniichan's working," Sakura answered.

"Awwwwww," Nakuru said with disappointment. "I was hoping..."

"Nakuru, please! We have more important matters to discuss with Sakura," Suppi-chan said urgently. He flew off Nakuru's lap and hovered before Sakura. "We have reasons to believe you are in grave danger."

"Is it the Cybers?" Tomoyo asked.

"Cybers?" Suppi-chan said, a little confused.

"They're these robots who tried to take the Cards and Key," Sakura clarified.

"But Sakura-chan stopped them," Tomoyo said excitedly. Her eyes became starry. "She was magnificent, and I caught it all on tape."

Sakura bowed her head and sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan..."

"Yes, it concerns the robots," Suppi-chan acknowledged. "Do you happen to have that tape?"

"I have a copy in my room," Sakura replied. "Kero-chan, can you...?"

"Hold on!" Kero-chan shouted, waving his little arms around. "Um, do you think that's necessary? After all, we can just tell them what happened and..."

"What's with him?" Nakuru whispered to Tomoyo as she pointed to Kero-chan.

"A Cyber defeated him and Yue-san in a fight," Tomoyo whispered back. "He's still upset about it."

"I heard that!" Kero-chan shouted.

Sakura pointed to the stairs. "Kero-chan..." she said, her eyes narrowed.

Kero-chan huffed. "Fine, but one of these days, I'm gonna..." He flew up the stairs, grumbling all the way.

"Why do you want to look at the tape?" Sakura asked.

"Because I want to know how our experience compared with yours," Suppi-chan answered.

"You mean you were attacked, too?" Tomoyo asked.

Nakuru nodded. "We weren't so lucky."

Suppi-chan bowed his head. "They took Eriol," he announced gravely.

"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed. "They have Eriol-kun? How?"

"They managed to get themselves invited in," Suppi-chan explained, glaring at Nakuru. She smiled weakly in response. "We assumed our true forms and tried to protect Eriol, but we were defeated."

"By the Cybers?" Tomoyo asked.

"By their leader. Someone in armor," Suppi-chan clarified. "I believe he was wearing a crown and a cape."

Flashes of Sakura's dream returned to her. "The User."

"The User? You know his name?" Nakuru asked.

"I had a dream," Sakura answered. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"I'm afraid not," Suppi-chan said, shaking his head. "We got distracted easily by the robots, and he took us out."

"Suppi-chan, do you think the same thing happened to Syaoran?" Nakuru asked. The question just popped into her head.

Sakura's ears perked up at the sound of her beloved's name. "Syaoran-kun? They tried to get Syaoran-kun too?"

Suppi-chan nodded. "We believe so. A school in Hong Kong collapsed under mysterious circumstances. I confirmed it to be the school Syaoran attended."

Sakura gulped. "Is he...?"

"No," Suppi-chan answered. "The story I saw reported no casualties."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Kero-chan returned with the tape. "Here it is," he said as he handed it to Tomoyo.

Tomoyo walked to the TV. "Here we go," she said as she inserted the tape into the VCR and pressed "play."

* * * * *

Kaho yawned as she walked towards the kitchen. She was planning to make a cup of coffee for herself and a piece of toast. She got a pleasant surprise when she found them preparing breakfast. Wearing a pink apron with "KISS THE CHEF" on the front, Ready was at the stove making French toast. Maya was making coffee. Brandon and their Guardians were busy keeping O.G. from eating the food already on the table.

"Come on! Can't I have one bite?" the bear pleaded as he struggled towards the plate of bacon and scrambled eggs.

"No!" Pegasus Uni and Lupe shouted as they held O.G.'s arms.

"Not until Miss Mizuki comes down," Brandon told his Guardian sternly.

"Then I guess we can eat," Kaho said, putting on a smile.

"Good morning!" everyone greeted cheerfully when they saw the schoolteacher.

"Finally!" O.G. broke free from his fellow Guardians' grip and dashed for the food. His freedom was short-lived because Brandon picked him up by the head.

"Wait until Ready's done with the toast," Brandon admonished.

O.G. struggled to break free. Since his head was being squeezed, the thought of withdrawing into his spiked shell did not occur to him. "You know, ever since you started helpin' the Starlighter, you've gotten soft, boss. You like her or somethin'?"

"Wh-wh-what?" Brandon exclaimed as he dropped O.G. on the floor. He felt his face turn hot. "O.G., are you out of your furry mind?" he said to the Guardian on the floor. Unfortunately, O.G. could not answer. His eyes were swirly.

"Huh?" Ready wondered from the stove. She was finishing up the French toast. "Brandon, did you say something?"

"No," Brandon managed to say as he picked up O.G., his face still red. *That was close.*

Ready shrugged and finished the French toast. Standing on the kitchen table, Pegasus Uni and Lupe watched as Kaho sipped her coffee. They and their masters knew that the poor woman spent the previous night crying over Eriol's abduction before succumbing to sleep. As they ate pieces of French toast, the winged unicorn and wolf noticed how affected the schoolteacher was. Her breakfast, two pieces of French toast drenched in maple syrup, stood on her plate untouched.

Ready set the last of the French toast onto the table. Kaho picked one piece, then left it on her plate. As Ready sat down, she noticed the downcast eyes of Kaho and the untouched toast. "Miss Mizuki, are you all right?" she asked. "Is my toast okay? I know it's not as good as Er..." Ready stopped herself. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Mizuki," she apologized, sensing the schoolteacher's anguish.

Kaho looked up at Ready and kept her emotions in check. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." She poured some maple syrup on her toast and took a bite. "It's good, Ready. It has the right amount of cinnamon."

Brandon took the seat next to Ready and set O.G. on the table. He picked out some French toast, eggs, and bacon. The smell of food revived the little bear, and he started munching down on Brandon's food. "This is great!" O.G. exclaimed. "I'm glad we didn't kill ya, Ready!"

Ready smiled a little at the little joke. The young Shadowwalker yawned and looked at her. His eyes widened upon reading what was stitched into the apron. He quickly turned away and blushed, something that did not escape Maya's watchful eye. Shaking her head and smiling a little, she sat down and helped herself to some of the food.

"Hey, where's Suppi and Nakuru?" Ready asked.

"They went out," Kaho answered.

"To look for E...?" Brandon was stopped by a glare from Maya.

Kaho nodded. "They left late last night."

"Oh," Ready said, pretending not to know.

Umbriel entered the kitchen in his false form. "Morning," Ready greeted her Darkling Guardian.

Umbriel nodded and looked at the table. "I see that you decided to make breakfast, Mistress."

"Well, I thought we all needed a good pick-me-up," Ready said with a smile.

"I'm amazed you were able to wake up early to do it," Umbriel commented, looking into his mistress' eyes.

Ready laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. It's a miracle."

"Indeed." Umbriel turned to Kaho. "Miss Mizuki, will you be staying home today?"

"I will be. Spinel recommended that I should," Kaho answered after a sip of coffee. "I'm going to call the school and tell them something came up."

"Will they understand?" Maya asked.

"I'll tell them it's a family emergency," Kaho replied. "I won't be lying exactly."

"Then you'll be helping me with the children's training today," Umbriel hypothesized.

Kaho nodded as she ate her French toast. "I will be."

"Do you know where the materials are? Eriol did tell me where they were kept once, but I keep forgetting."

Kaho dropped her fork. Everyone watched as she rose from her seat. "I believe I'll call the school now," she said in a controlled tone before leaving the kitchen quickly.

Brandon glared at Umbriel. "Way to go."

"Yeah, whay ta goh," O.G. mumbled through a mouthful of food, spitting out specks of bacon, eggs, and French toast.

"I meant no offense," Umbriel said solemnly.

"Poor Miss Mizuki," Ready said with worry. "We've got to do something."

"Leave the searching to Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon," Umbriel told his mistress sternly.

"And what if they run into more robots?" Brandon asked. "They got their butts kicked last time. What makes you think they'll win next time?"

"I fear the odds are stacked against Spinel and Ruby if they run into more robots," Maya agreed. "They might need our assistance."

"You are all officially in training," Umbriel reminded them firmly.

"Hey, we've had battle experience," Brandon reminded the Darkling. "Okay, so we did try to kill each other..."

"Technically, you were trying to kill Ready," Pegasus Uni corrected. "She was trying to defend herself."

"Well, you two were trying to kill me," O.G. growled, glaring at his fellow Guardians.

"We were protecting our mistresses," Lupe answered.

"Well, I was protecting my boss," O.G. retorted.

"Enough!" Ready shouted. "Umbriel, whoever kidnapped Eriol was obviously more powerful than him, and Eriol's Clow Read's reincarnation."

"And you propose to go after the kidnappers while your skills aren't even on par with Eriol's," Umbriel said, folding his arms over his chest.

"That's the plan," Brandon said with a small grin.

"Ready and Brandon were able to defeat these robots," Maya mentioned. "They are not invincible."

Umbriel nodded. "This is true."

"Also, Spinel and Ruby got their butts kicked, so what's makes you think they'll be able to take them on the second time around?" Brandon pressed.

"They have learned from their mistakes," Umbriel said calmly.

"Umbriel, I can't let Miss Mizuki cry anymore," Ready said with determination in her voice. "She misses Eriol. We don't know what they're doing to him, but it's got to be bad." She gave the Darkling a serious look. "I'm going to find Eriol and these robots no matter what you, Miss Mizuki, or Suppi say."

Brandon stood by Ready. "I'm with her."

"As am I." Maya stood by her friends.

"Us too!" the three Guardians declared from the table.

Umbriel saw he was outnumbered six to one. "You are just like your parents, Mistress," he said, managing a little smile.

"Does that mean you'll...?" Ready began to ask.

"I am your Guardian. I am bound to serve you," Umbriel said with a bow.

"We'll definitely need you," Brandon commented. "That is, unless you guys want to master a teleportation spell."

"I suppose you have a plan, Mistress?" Umbriel asked Ready.

Ready smiled. "You might say that."

* * * * *

Tokyo was alive. People filled its sidewalks and cars roamed its streets. The place was filled with the sounds of idle chatter and running motors. Some walked to places because business demanded it. Others wandered through the Japanese capital because they wanted to see its majestic sites. One was the Tokyo Tower, the city's answer to Paris' Eiffel Tower. Streaked in red and white, the structure stood out among the many buildings of the city.

A Gateway opened above the tower, and Techno, Hacker, and Cracker appeared. They hovered above the structure and looked at the people below.

"Look at all those humans," Techno said with a giggle while holding a large hammer.

"Yeah. They're just walking around as if nothing's going to happen," Cracker said, eyeing the seemingly tiny people below him.

"They are a fascinating species," Hacker commented, his arms crossed over his chest. "They look weak, but they are capable of great actions."

"Ha! They're just big bugs waiting to be squashed!"

The three Masters turned around to see someone emerge from the Gateway. He was a clown with a spiked pod for a lower body. Skulls made up his torso and shoulders. They also hung from the ends of his fool's cap. A death's head with a fool's cap adorned the front of his pod. He grinned at his fellow Cybers as the Gateway closed.

"Psycho! Good of you to join us!" Techno greeted with a giggle.

"Yeah!" Cracker said. "We were gonna start without you!"

"What? You were going to start the party without me? I'm hurt," the evil clown said with a mock frown before breaking out into his weird laughter, a sound reminiscent of loud high-pitched gurgling. He watched the scene below through his beady red eyes. "Ah, Tokyo," he said, making a grand sweep with his clawed hand. "So large, so modern, so grand..." He studied everything below. "So utterly dull!" he said with disgust.

"Hee hee hee. I have to agree with you, Psycho," Techno said.

"Why don't we liven things up a bit?" Cracker asked, punching his open palm.

"My dear Cracker, that's a brilliant idea!" Psycho exclaimed, flying near the large Cyber. He eyed Hacker, who was watching the people below silently. "Hey, Hacker, look a little excited! We're about to obtain the Cardmistress' little toys for the User."

Hacker looked sideways at the evil clown. "I still question this plan of yours, Psycho," he stated firmly. "Why don't we just go to Tomoeda and confront the Cardmistress instead of doing this wastefully extravagant show you put together?"

Psycho laughed his bizarre laugh. "Hacker, there's more people here in Tokyo. We can have more fun here instead of Tomoeda."

"I am not interested in having fun," Hacker said harshly. "I am interested in obeying the User's commands."

"And the User put me in charge of this operation," Psycho reminded his fellow Master.

"I am aware of that," Hacker said with disgust.

"Well, deal with it." Psycho turned to Techno and Cracker. "So, you wanna kick things up a notch?"

"Definitely!" Techno said, giggling wildly.

"Yeah!" Cracker agreed.

"Okay, then!" Psycho raised his arms in the air. "It's play time!" he declared loudly.

Below, Gateways appeared around Tokyo Tower. People stopped to look at the glowing portals. Cybers emerged from them, ready to carry out Psycho's orders. They were Deleters, the cone-headed Altrons, the missile-launching Inserts, the caped Caps, the tentacle-shooting Shifters, the orb-topped Controllers, the thin Arrows, the blade-armed Tabs, the tank-like Backspaces, the mole-like Enters, the tall-and-muscular Nums, the missile launcher Homes, and the heavily-armed Ends. Orb-shaped Cameras followed the Cybers. The reaction to the newcomers varied.

"Nani?"

"What's going on?"

"Is it a movie?"

"Whoa. Where's my camera?"

"Mommy, are those real?"

The Cybers responded by firing at the people, who responded by running away. As the Inserts marched forward, they fired at their surroundings. Trees exploded under their firepower, sending chunks of wood flying around them. The cone-headed Altrons fired their arms at their surroundings and ripped whole trees out of the ground. Other Altrons fired at the humans with laser rifles. Deleters and Shifters charged with their claws outstretched. Tabs joined in with their blades. The large Nums added to the destruction with rocket launchers. Caps grew and smashed cars, walls, and anything else that got in their way. Backspaces fired at anything live or inanimate. Enters dived into the ground and popped up before startled humans before roasting them with flamethrowers. Homes fired missiles from their tops, and Ends blew away everything with their arm and shoulder cannons. Controllers coordinated the attacking Cybers. The thin Arrows dashed through the sky and fired at skyscrapers and humans alike.

Across the city, more Gateways spat out Cybers. People abandoned their cars just as they were blown up. They ran out of buildings just before a round of laser fire or missiles exploded on them. Some tried to find cover, but ended up running from an explosion or a lunging Deleter, Shifter, or Tab. Debris rained down on them thanks to the fast Arrows attacking from above and the Inserts and Altrons from below. If the falling concrete and steel did not kill the people, then the Cybers did. They did not discriminate among their targets. Male or female, young or old, all fell victim to the Cybers' weapons.

The people in Tokyo Tower watched as the city erupted violently below them. Despite their fear, they fought the urge to stampede out of the tower, knowing the dire fate that awaited them outside. Above, Psycho and the other Masters watched the destruction as it spread. Buildings exploded in the distance and nearby. The clown waved his hand, and several Windows appeared showing the Cybers attacking at random in various parts of Tokyo. "Now things are really exciting!" he declared, grinning wickedly.

"It's just like the movies!" Cracker exclaimed. "Hey, I hope that guy had insurance!"

"Hee hee hee! Definitely!" Techno agreed. "There goes another car!"

"Ouch! That's gotta hurt!" Psycho said as someone was shot by a Backspace. "Look, Ma, no head!"

Techno giggled. "Little kid! 1000 points!"

"Two kids and a mom! 5000 points!" Psycho declared gleefully.

"Hey, I think that guy was a lawyer," Cracker guessed as an Altron shot a man with a briefcase. "Or was he a businessman? I can't tell the difference."

"In any case, I'd say 1,000,000 points," Psycho said with a wicked grin.

The three Masters continued to watch the devastation they started, occasionally laughing. As they enjoyed themselves, Hacker shook his head and resigned himself to silence as the chaos continued.