Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ The Great Glomping Experiment ❯ Gotta Catch 'Em All ( Chapter 1 )

The Great Glomping Experiment

 

Chapter 1: Gotta Catch 'Em All!!

 

In a dimly lit college dorm room, with the television playing the Law and Order theme song in the background, there sat two girls of indiscriminate age looking at a computer screen and giggling madly.  You do not need to know what they look like, know only that they are highly and easily amused.  

 

"What are you two doing at such a late hour?"

 

The two girls looked up as the dashing butler stepped out of the swirling vortex that normally functioned as a closet.  He adjusted his shiny black top hat and lifted an article of clothing off the floor with his black cane before depositing it into the laundry hamper.  

 

"This room is always such a mess," he said, looking around disapprovingly, "I do not see why you cannot tidy it up once in a while."

 

"But if I picked up my stuff, I wouldn't know where it was," the girl known as Cedar replied.

 

The butler simply rolled his eyes and sat down on the twin bed beside the other girl. "Sahara, what are you working on?  That does not look like homework...oh my, who is that poor, unfortunate girl that seems to be on fire?" he asked.

 

"Well, Winston, that would be a certain anime character that we hate with the fiery passion of a million suns."

 

Cedar chimed in again. "Don't you think it's pretty realistic for someone with our limited ability?"

 

Winston frowned. "I do not believe that this is an appropriate activity for young ladies."

 

"But we're poor and bored and out of new shows to watch what with this writer's strike," Cedar said.

 

Sahara nodded in agreement as she continued to shade the flames frantically.

 

Winston stood up and sighed.  "It would be much better for you young ladies to venture outside for some fresh air and exercise on occasion."

 

"That would be a good idea if there was something to do outside," Cedar replied as she sank deeper into her comfortable chair.

 

"We could always run in circles for a while," Sahara said sarcastically without looking up from her computer screen.

 

"Well what if you could have grand adventures outside, like in those strange cartoons you are always watching?" Winston asked with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

 

"That would be great, but what are the chances of that happening?" Cedar said forlornly.

 

Winston, to the girls' surprise, began chuckling and it quickly drew their attention away from the computer.

 

"Winston, are you alright?  What's wrong with you?" Sahara asked, concerned. "Are you sick?"

 

"No no, merely amused.  I've just had a brilliant idea," he said as he tapped his cane twice upon the messy floor.  Another swirling vortex appeared in front of the television, but this time a small town could be seen on the other side.

 

Sahara and Cedar leaned forward, interested, the computer forgotten.  "What's that?  That doesn't look like your secret room," Sahara said.

 

"That is because it is a portal leading to one of those anime worlds you two are always talking about," Winston said, looking quite pleased with himself at their shocked expressions.

 

"Really?  Is that really an anime world?  You're not kidding, Winston?" Cedar was almost beside herself with excitement.

 

"Which one is it?" Sahara asked, not doubting the magical butler's words for a moment.

 

"You will have to discover that for yourself," Winston replied mysteriously.

 

"You just don't know, do you?" Sahara smiled knowingly at him.

 

"No, I do not," he replied. "My magic works in ways that even I cannot fathom at times."

 

Sahara and Cedar grinned at each other before advancing toward the mysterious swirling portal.  Winston was suddenly alarmed.  "Wait, we should prepare the proper necessities before departing, and there are rules I must explain!"

 

"There's no time, Winston!  Anime awaits!" Cedar cried as she dove headfirst towards the town.

 

Winston looked extremely distressed.  "Oh dear.  Perhaps I should have explained things before opening the portal."

 

"There'll be time for that later, Winston.  Let's go!" Sahara said, grabbing Winston's arm and pulling him after her.  

 

He tripped over an empty cupcake container.  "Blast this dimly-lit room!" he declared.

 

"Yeah, I'll have to get that light fixed when we get back," Sahara said before she was sucked into the mass of swirling colors.

 

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Cedar and Sahara landed in a heap on the grass while Winston magically floated down from the sky, his fall slowed by a black umbrella that he held over his head.  When he landed, he closed the device, gave a flick of his wrist, and the umbrella turned back into his cane.

 

"Are you two alright?" he asked, looking down at the girls.

 

Sahara quickly climbed off of her friend and stood up, brushing grass and dirt off her clothes.  "I'm fine, but this isn't what I was thinking of when you mentioned exercise, Winston."

 

Cedar jumped up, excited again. "But we're here, Sahara!  We're in an anime world!  I don't know which world, but we should be able to figure it out pretty quickly."

 

They both looked around, trying to determine where they were.  "We're on someone's lawn, in a pretty normal-looking neighborhood," Cedar said, adjusting her glasses, "though I think we're in Japan, because I can't read that sign."

 

"I can read that sign," Winston said, proudly.

 

"Good job, Winston, you're our automatic subtitles," Sahara said, giving the butler a hug. "What does it say?" 

 

"It says 'Slow: Children at Play,'" Winston replied.

 

"Hmm, that's not very useful," Cedar said, then added quickly, "but thank you anyway, Winston."

 

"Hey, do we know any characters that like to rollerblade?" Sahara asked, peering down the street.

 

"Why?" Cedar looked at her friend in confusion.

 

At that moment, a small figure whizzed up the driveway and stopped at the front door before turning to peer at the strange people standing in her yard.

 

"Oh hello!  Are you friends of my brother?" she asked in a sweet, high-pitched voice.

 

Sahara and Cedar stared at the girl, their jaws hanging open while Winston took off his hat and bowed.  "Good day young lady, I am Winston and these are my wards, Sahara and Cedar.  We're just visitors to this country," he said.

 

"Nice to meet you.  I'm Sakura Kinomoto," the girl said, also bowing, "Your Japanese is very good for a foreigner."

 

"Thank you," Winston replied.  He glanced at the young ladies curiously, wondering why they hadn't said anything yet.  "Hello?  Are you two still with us?" When he received no response, Winston raised his cane and shot a small jet of water from the end, wetting Sahara and Cedar.  "You shouldn't be rude to our new friend.  Please stop staring."

 

The friends snapped out of their daze and mumbled greetings.  Sakura ignored them since she was too busy gazing at Winston in amazement.  "How did you do that?" she asked.

 

Winston smiled kindly at the young girl, "Just a bit of magic, my dear, nothing to be alarmed at."

 

Instead of alarm, a somewhat calculating look overtook the girl's features.  It was gone in an instant, though, as she sat down and pulled off her rollerblades. "Would you like to come in for tea and snacks?"

 

"That would be delightful," Winston replied, "I haven't had a good cup of Japanese tea in ages.  Come along, you two."

 

Sahara and Cedar followed the butler as he entered the Kinomoto residence.

 

"Please have a seat in the living room and I'll bring the tea in soon," Sakura said as she headed for the kitchen.

 

Sahara and Cedar immediately broke into excited whispering.

 

"I can't believe we're really here!" Cedar said, gripping tightly to the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

 

"Sakura's so cute!  I just want to hug her!" Sahara replied, bouncing a little.

 

"Me too!  I want to hug Fujitaka, too!  Do you think he's here?" She suddenly looked around as if the handsome man would appear as she spoke. 

 

"I don't know, but I hope so.  I hope Touya or Syaoran are here, too." Sahara bounced faster at the thought.

 

"I rather like that young Miss Sakura.  She's so polite and considerate," Winston said. "You two could stand to learn a few things from her."

 

It was at that moment that the butler's hat suddenly fell into his lap.  Winston studied it curiously. "Oh dear.  My hat seems to have acquired a dent in it."

 

"That didn't work?" Sakura's sweet voice came from behind Winston. "You must be a very powerful Clow Card."

 

The three were surprised to see Sakura standing up from her spot behind the couch, her magical staff in her hand.  Kero popped up as well, and began searching the room frantically.

 

"Where is it, Sakura?  Where is the card you sensed?" Kero cried.

 

Sakura looked confused.  "Isn't it right here, sitting on the couch?"

 

Kero flew over and studied Winston's face carefully.  Winston frowned and pulled away slightly.

 

"I am getting some strange magical energies from him, but not anything like a Clow Card," Kero said.

 

"I will ask you not to discuss my energies in mixed company, if you please," Winston replied, annoyed.

 

"I'm sorry, sir," Sakura said, looking embarrassed. "I thought you were..." She trailed off, looking unsure of how to finish her sentence.

 

"Oh, it's okay, Sakura.  We know all about your mission to catch the Clow Cards," Cedar said, trying to sound reassuring.

 

"Winston's fine anyway.  He's survived much worse.  Like my laundry," Sahara quickly added.

 

Sakura and Kero looked shocked.  "How do you know about the Clow Cards?" she asked.

 

Cedar and Sahara looked at each other, both trying to think of an answer that made sense.

 

"Clow Reed was an acquaintance of mine," Winston said calmly.

 

"What?" everyone who was not Winston asked incredulously.

 

At that moment, the door opened and Touya Kinomoto entered his house.  Kero quickly went limp and fell onto the nearest surface, which happened to be Sahara's lap.  Sahara suppressed a squeal and hugged the small beast quickly.  Touya stared at the strange people in his living room.

 

"Who are you?  Friends of the monster?" he asked.

 

"Brother!" Sakura shouted indignantly, stepping on Touya's foot.  "Be polite to our guests!"

 

After the introductions, Touya left the group to go upstairs and do his homework in his room.  Sahara looked downtrodden as he walked up the stairs, but her thoughts were quickly discarded as Cedar let out a small shriek.  Fujitaka had just walked through the door and looked politely at the strangers.

 

"Oh, hello," he said, "Are these your guests, Sakura-san?"

 

"Yes, Dad," Sakura replied, rushing over to hug her father.  "These are Cedar-san, Sahara-san, and Winston-san."

 

"It's nice to meet you," he said, looking a bit confused as the girls suddenly approached him.

 

"Mr. Kinomoto, I'm such a big fan of yours," Cedar said, her eyes turning into hearts.

 

"Oh, thank you.  It's always nice to meet fellow archeology lovers," he said, smiling.

 

"Mr. Kinomoto, I have a request for you that may sound a little strange at first, but it's really important to me," Sahara said, looking serious.  Winston stood up from his seat and gave her a disapproving look that she completely ignored.

 

"Um, what is it?" Fujitaka asked.

 

"I would really like it if I could...give you a hug," Sahara finished, gazing up at him hopefully.

 

Cedar gasped, unable to believe her friend's nerve until Fujitaka said yes and then she quickly asked for one, too.  Both girls hugged the professor tightly.  Sahara let go after a minute, looking extremely happy, but Cedar held on for a few seconds longer before reluctantly backing away.

 

"Thank you so much, Mr. Kinomoto," Sahara said, dreamy-eyed, "You have no idea how much that meant to us." She glanced over at Cedar who was still speechless and added, "Especially Cedar."

 

Winston cleared his throat from behind them.  "I believe it is time to leave, you two.  We have imposed on these kind people enough."  He moved to the front door and opened it only to find a small boy just about to knock.

 

"I'm sorry," the boy said, blushing, "I was just looking for Kinomoto-san."

 

Sahara peered around Winston and her eyes lit up.  "Syaoran-kun!" she shouted and hugged the boy tightly.

 

"Hey!  What are you doing?  Get off!" Syaoran said, pulling away.

 

"Sorry, sorry!  I couldn't help myself!" Sahara apologized.

 

Winston sighed and frowned at her.  "We really must be going now," he said.

 

"What's all this noise down here?" Touya said as he reappeared in the living room.

 

Sahara smiled mischievously, "Well, since I'm being rude and we're leaving anyway..." She dove at Touya and hugged him quickly, then hugged Sakura and bolted out the door at a flat out run.

 

During the confusion, Cedar quickly hugged Fujitaka again before dashing over to his daughter and embracing her as well and following Sahara out the door.  

 

Winston looked horrified, his normally calm expression shattered.  "Please accept...my deepest apologies at the poor behavior of my wards." He waved his cane and a large table of desserts appeared in the Kinomoto living room.  "I hope this will in some way make up for this debacle." Winston bowed once again before stepping outside.  He swiftly changed his cane into an umbrella and flew off after the girls who were still running down the street.  

 

The Kinomotos stared after them and silently vowed never to open their door to strangers again.

 

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By the time Sahara and Cedar had finally stopped to catch their breath, they realized that they were surrounded by shops.  

 

"Uh...Where are we?" Sahara asked, confused.

 

"I guess...Tokyo still," Cedar replied.

 

"Oh.  Do we have any money?"

 

"I don't think we have any yen."

 

"I cannot believe what just happened.  Do you have no shame?" Winston said as he floated to the ground, once again changing his umbrella back into a cane.

 

The girls looked up at him guiltily.  "I'm sorry!  I couldn't help it," Cedar apologized.  "I never thought I'd actually meet one of my favorite fictional characters."

 

"You were the one that brought us here.  Don't you ever listen to us while we're watching these shows?" Sahara asked.

 

"No.  I try to avoid you while you watch these shows," Winston replied.

 

Sahara grinned, "Then it's your fault, isn't it?"

 

Winston looked affronted, "Of course not.  I tried to do something nice for you girls and this is how you behave?"

 

"I know.  I'm sorry, too, but I can't promise that I won't do it again," Sahara said, shrugging.

 

"Me neither," Cedar added.

 

Winston sighed, "Well, if that is the worst act you commit in these worlds, then I suppose it is all right. But I feel the need to lay down some ground rules before we continue any further."

 

"Rules?" Cedar asked.  The girls looked up, interested.

 

"Yes.  Every part of life should have rules and this is no exception," Winston cleared his throat before beginning.  "First, you cannot do anything that would interrupt the natural story line of each world.  For example, you cannot tell anyone about what will happen in the future, you cannot prevent them from completing the tasks that are necessary for the world, and you especially cannot kill anyone or prevent anyone from dying."

 

"What?  No!"  Cedar exclaimed, "But there's some people that we need to save!"

 

"And there's some people that need to die," Sahara added, rubbing her hands together.

 

"I am sorry, but you cannot.  Any careless action you take could disrupt the fabric of space-time itself,"  Winston looked sternly down at the two pouting faces.

 

"I understand that, but you can't expect me to let my favorite character die!" Cedar protested.

 

"If you choose not to follow the rules, we will go home immediately," Winston said firmly.

 

"Alright," Cedar said, not at all content.

 

"Good.  Next, my magic has its limits.  The portals that open are completely random and not even I know where we land next.  However, once we have been to a world, I will be able to return there if need be.  Also, opening portals is very draining and so we must spend at least an hour in each world before I can open the next one."

 

The girls nodded in understanding, but Sahara was quickly distracted by the delicious smells wafting out of a nearby cafe.

 

"Winston," she said slowly, "You wouldn't happen to have any yen, would you?"

 

"Well, I do not currently possess any, but I could create some if I had to.  I do not wish to disturb the economy of this world, though," Winston replied.

 

Sahara crossed her arms and looked disapprovingly at the butler. "Oh Winston, how could buying a few pastries disturb the entire economy?  Are they golden pastries?" she asked sarcastically.

 

"I suppose you have a point," Winston acquiesced and with a wave of his cane the girls found a few of the foreign bills in their hands. 

 

"Hooray!" Sahara rejoiced, bounding off into the nearest cafe.  Cedar and Winston followed and soon the three were enjoying a tasty afternoon snack.

 

The conversation topic quickly turned back to hugging.

 

"I still can't believe I hugged Fujitaka!" Cedar gushed, waving her croissant for emphasis.

 

"I know what you mean.  It was so much fun!" Sahara agreed, cutting her apple danish into fourths.

 

Winston sipped his green tea. "Are you still on that topic?" he asked.  "I thought it was incredibly improper for young ladies to go around hugging strangers."

 

"But they're not strangers to us!" Cedar argued, "We invested hours in their stories."

 

"We know they're not going to hurt us or anything," Sahara said, stacking the pieces of her danish like Linkin' Logs.

 

"Well, some of them might hurt us.  Imagine if we tried to hug someone like Sesshomaru," Cedar reasoned.

 

"Yeah, that would be cool," Sahara said, getting a dreamy look in her eyes.

 

"We'd probably have to hug and run...or to make some sort of plan," Cedar said, "But I'd still like to see the look on his face."

 

"I do not like where this conversation is heading," Winston interrupted, looking worried.  "I hope you are not seriously thinking about hugging more people in the worlds we visit.  Most of them would not appreciate it."

 

Cedar and Sahara pretended not to hear Winston's concerns and continued talking. "Wouldn't it be cool to see how our favorite characters reacted to being hugged?" Cedar asked, looking excited.

 

"We could track their reactions.  It would be an experiment for science," Sahara replied.

 

"What branch of science would this knowledge be useful for?" Winston asked, skeptical.

 

"For our branch of science," Sahara replied as if the answer were obvious, "We'll be practicing the scientific method, too.  Forming a hypothesis and planning experiments, evaluating results.  It'll be just like school, but way more awesome!"

 

"We'll need to get notebooks, then.  Winston, can we have more money?" Cedar asked.

 

Winston knew the two girls could not be dissuaded from this idea and materialized some more yen.  After finishing their snack, only half of which Sahara actually ate, the girls wandered into a shop and fortunately found a pair of notebooks and pencils pretty easily.  They were so busy discussing their upcoming experiment that they bumped into someone on their way to the checkout counter.

 

"Oh I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Cedar and Sahara gaped at the smiling face of Yukito Tsukishiro before glomping him simultaneously.  Before he could respond, they had rushed up to the counter and purchased their items, which were then opened and furiously scribbled upon.

 

"I think that's everyone in this world, isn't it?" Cedar asked.

 

"I think so," Sahara agreed.  "I can't think of anyone else."

 

The bell on the shop door jingled as Winston entered.  "Are you through with your purchasing?" he asked, looking around.  He then spotted a very rumpled-looking Yukito, and sighed, "Oh not again.  Please accept my apologies and head over to the Kinomoto residence for an offering."

 

Sahara and Cedar waved to Yukito as they followed Winston back outside.

 

"Have you recharged your magic yet, Winston?" Cedar wondered, still writing in her notebook.  Sahara peeked over her friend's shoulder.

 

"Hey, you're just writing 'I love Fujitaka' over and over again," she said, laughing.

 

"Please don't question the way I organize my notebook and I won't question yours," Cedar replied.

 

Sahara laughed harder, "I'll probably do the same thing at least once during this trip."

 

"I'd wager more than once."

 

Winston looked nervously around the street. "My magic is fully charged now, girls.  Let us go now before the local authorities come looking for us."

 

"We'll be the notorious Hug Bandits.  Stealing hugs all across the city!  We'll be untouchable, untouchable I say!" Sahara cried triumphantly.

 

"I think you'd better open that portal before Sahara goes crazy with power," Cedar muttered to Winston.

 

"Quite right," the butler agreed, ducking into an alley and quickly creating the portal.  The two girls said their goodbyes to the world of Cardcaptor Sakura, held tightly to their notebooks, and dived into the swirling vortex.

 

Disclaimer: We do not own Cardcaptor Sakura, Linkin' Logs, or that apple danish Sahara was eating.  They were all borrowed, but put to good use.