Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Card Captor Sakura: The Next Quest ❯ Sakura and the Magical Forest ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: Sakura and the Magical Forest

~~~~~Tokyo, Japan~~~~~

"How are you feeling?" Syaoran asked Heero as they walked out of their Economics class after their latest exam.

"I've been in worse shape," answered Heero despite the throbbing pain that still existed in his head. "Although if we hadn't had an exam, I probably would not have attended this class either."

It was the day after the battle with the Ice Card, and Heero was not quite fully recovered from the ordeal. After sleeping the entire night after being knocked unconscious by the Ice Card, Heero had awoken to find Sakura cuddled up against him in his bed. Sakura had woken up a few minutes after Heero, but she woke up with no pain while Heero had a splitting headache and numerous cuts and bruises on his body. After taking a few moments to say good morning, make sure they were both alright, and give each other a kiss, the couple had gone outside to find Duo, Eriol, and Ranma all eating breakfast. The three guys had told them that after they defeated the Ice Card, they had taken them both back to the dorms. The original plan was to put each of them in their own respective beds, but then Tomoyo pointed out that whoever woke up first was most likely going to go straight to the other, no matter how injured they were, so it seemed easier just to put the two of them in the same bed. Heero and Sakura thanked the three guys for their help, before going back to Heero's room to rest some more. They each mutually decided that except for Heero's Economics class, since he had an exam, they would take the day off from school and just relax together.

"Are you heading back to the dorm now?" asked Syaoran.

"Hai. Sakura is waiting there for me," said Heero. "She decided to skip her classes today and just rest. I assume you are going to meet Ami-san outside her Psychology class like usual?"

Syaoran just nodded an affirmative to his cousin. "We'll stop by afterwards and check up on you two. Ami is worried about both of you and wants to make sure you're both alright."

"When you see her, just tell her we are fine and that we just needed some rest."

As Heero and Syaoran were reaching the turnoff where they would split so Heero could go back to Sakura and Syaoran could meet Ami, they both began to notice the sky slightly darkening and there didn't seem to be any people around either. Although Econ was their last class of the day, it was still early enough that it shouldn't have been getting dark yet, and the area they were in was always bustling with students going from place to place.

"Do you feel that?" Syaoran asked Heero once they stopped to examine the situation.

"Feel what?" replied Heero.

"The magical presence."

Heero pushed back all the pain in his head and body and forced himself to concentrate. "It feels faint," said Heero after concentrating hard enough to pick it up. "I can't determine a location, but it doesn't feel far away, just masked somehow."

"I agree," confirmed Syaoran. "But this feeling is unlike any I have felt before."

"It's not a Clow Card," said Heero.

"No, it is definitely not. Something about this feels completely wrong." Syaoran closed his eyes to see if he could get a better feel. "It feels almost like an aura of pure evil."

"You two are more observant than I thought," said a booming voice that seemed to come from all around them. "But that won't be enough to save you; Li Xiao Lang and Li Xiao Long."

"Who are you!?" called out Syaoran into the air as both he and Heero constantly scanned the entire area for the source of the voice that was addressing them.

A loud laughing echoed throughout the air. "You should be more worried about attempting to find a way to save your own useless existences."

"Why don't you show yourself," challenged Heero as he and Syaoran both released their swords. With a grin and a mocking tone, Heero added, "Then we will see who has to worry about finding a way to stay alive."

Heero's taunting obviously angered the voice, as a loud roaring sound filled the area. Heero and Syaoran watched the sky grow even darker with a number of lightning flashes illuminating the ground while thunder boomed across the sky. When they spotted one particularly dark cloud descending toward them, both Heero and Syaoran took ready positions. However, what emerged from the dark cloud was a sight that shocked both fighters. Before them stood a large figure with a demonic expression, a look of pure bloodlust in its eyes, and wearing what looked like a black cloak wrapped around his body.

"Now you will experience the power of Charon!"

At first, neither Heero or Syaoran remembered the name Charon, but the memory quickly returned. "No wonder the aura felt so evil," said Syaoran. "You aren't even human. You are a demon."

A wicked smile spread across the face of the evil demon, showing sharp yellow teeth, stained with spots of dark red blood. "Now you're catching on."

"I thought you were trapped in the spiritual realm," said Syaoran.

"Thanks to your Clan I was," hissed Charon with anger and spite in his voice. "But now I am back to exact my revenge." The smile disappeared from Charon's face as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate his energies, chanting some type of spell.

Heero and Syaoran didn't wish to wait for the demon to finish his spell. To counter attack, Heero called forth the Wing Card to give both Syaoran and himself increased maneuverability. With magical wings now attached to their backs, Syaoran and Heero charged their enemy with swords raised, moving at incredible speed.

The two fighters reached striking distance moving at full speed, and were prepared to finish the battle in one powerful strike, when the demon's fiery red eyes shot open. Neither Heero or Syaoran even flinched when they saw Charon's eyes open and a devious grin cross his face, but also neither one was expecting what came next. Mere moments before being simultaneously impaled by the two swords, Charon's cloak unfolded in a single lightning fast motion, knocking Heero to the ground several feet to the right, and Syaoran several feet to the left.

"I just got back to the physical plane," said Charon with a laugh. "You think I will allow myself to be defeated so easily?"

Heero and Syaoran lifted their heads and looked back at their enemy to find what they had previously believed to be a cloak covering the length of the demon, was really a giant pair of black wings that had previously been folded around his body. They could also see that he had a much more muscular physique than they had thought. Their attack plan had been based on the fact that when Charon's wings had been folded around his body he didn't look very physically capable, and therefore they assumed he was more of a magical threat. This development changed their mindset, however, as a giant sledge hammer appeared and the demon grasped the handle tightly with both hands.

Heero was a little quicker to regain his wits than Syaoran, and resumed the assault on the demon alone. Charon turned toward the charging Li Clan member, and with a grin on his face, brought his weapon up in a ready position. As Heero flew toward his enemy, he raised his sword, getting prepared for a slashing attack. Charon saw this and maneuvered his hammer to block the impending strike. However, by doing this, Charon left himself wide open for any number of attacks, and Heero exploited this. Instead of slashing down with his sword, he faked the attack and instead landed a powerful roundhouse kick to the unguarded side of the shocked demon. However, Heero's attack didn't stop there. Taking a step forward to get back into reach of the staggering fiend, Heero followed up his kick with a punch with his free hand, another roundhouse with is left foot, a side kick with his right, and finally a slash with his sword that resulted in a spray of dark black blood from a large gash on the wing of Charon. This strike caused enough pain to the demon to get him very angry, and he released a burst of evil energy that was strong enough to send Heero flying through the air, landing on his face and sliding a few feet on the ground.

The monstrous demon took slow long strides until he was hovering right above Heero, who was struggling to get back up after Charon's attack. "Now, Li Xiao Long," said Charon as he raised his giant hammer above his head. "Now it is time for you to die!"

Just as Charon was about to squish Heero's head like a tomato with his hammer, a bolt of lightning came flying through the air, striking Charon in the back hard enough to stop the execution.

"Sorry to disappoint you," taunted Syaoran, who was standing up with sword in hand. "But I don't believe either one of us plans to die today." During Syaoran's little speech, Heero took the opportunity to roll out of the reach of Charon, and slowly made his way to his feet. "You alright Yuy?"

Heero closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself and then nodded to his cousin before resuming his fighting stance.

At seeing both his opponents taking ready positions, Charon allowed an evil grin to cross his face. "Good. I was hoping for an entertaining fight and you almost let me down."

Syaoran was the first to resume attacking the taunting demon, flying full speed at Charon, forcing him to turn and face the incoming assailant. Just as Charon pulled up his weapon to defend himself, Syaoran stopped on a dime just out of reach, and smiled. Charon took a moment too long to process the action of the Li, and was slow to react when he saw Heero out of the corner of his eye, flying straight at him from behind. Heero landed a solid kick to the open backside of the demon, sending him falling straight at Syaoran, who did a spinning kick to the side of Charon's head, sending him flying off to the side, landing hard on the ground and skidding face first on the dirt until he came to a stop. Before the demon could rise, Heero and Syaoran attacked again.

"God of Wind, Come Forth!"

"God of Fire, Come Forth!"

Heero's wind attack and Syaoran's fire spell combined and struck Charon straight on, engulfing the entire area in flames. However, when the flames dissipated and the smoke cleared, the site before Heero and Syaoran was not what they were expecting. Instead of the figure of Charon lying on the ground in pain, he was standing straight up with his arms crossed across his chest and had a fire burning in his blood red eyes. "Do you really think a fire attack will work against me?" said Charon with a smirk. He then unfolded his arms and closed his eyes and in a flash his previously jet black wings erupted in a frenzy of bright orange flames. "You best learn more about your opponent. I am a great demon of fire. Your attacks mean nothing to me." Both Heero and Syaoran got back into ready stances as they realized the fight was far from over. "Now let me show you what a fire attack is supposed to be." Charon closed his eyes once again, and concentrated his magical powers. The result was a pair of glowing red fireballs, one in each of his hands. The same evil smirk again crossed Charon's face, as he heaved both fireballs simultaneously at the pair of college students. Heero and Syaoran quickly dove out of the way of the incoming attack, but their struggles didn't end there. Instead of impacting the ground as their original trajectory would have led them, the two fireballs changed direction and flew straight at Syaoran, forcing him to jump out of the way again. This same pattern continued, with the fireballs gradually gaining ground on the dodging magician.

When Syaoran's luck had finally run out and he had no time left to dodge the deadly balls of fire, Heero finally took action. "Be a protective barrier. Wall!" When Heero released the Wall Card, a giant white wall barrier erected itself right between Syaoran and the two quickly approaching fireballs. The first of the two attacks struck full force on the magical barrier, creating a loud booming sound as it exploded in a flaming spectacle. After the explosion of the first fireball, the second came streaking in right after it. Heero expected the same result with the second fireball, but once it was too late he noticed that the explosion of the first attack had caused a giant hole to appear in the barrier he had put up, and the second fireball flew right through it. Completely unhindered, the second fireball impacted right on Syaoran, who only had enough time to raise his sword and arms in front of his face to provide what little protection he could manage. The fireball exploded with just as much force as the first, and sent a now unconscious and very injured Syaoran flying through the air. Syaoran landed unceremoniously on the ground with a thump and laid there completely unmoving as thin streams of smoke rose from his badly burned and injured body.

Heero looked on in shock at his roommate, that he recently found out was also his cousin, laying on the ground unconscious and obviously in very bad shape. Heero quickly regained his composure and turned to face the one responsible for the attack that injured his cousin. Charon stood still, admiring his handiwork, with his trademark evil grin plastered on his face. "One down," said Charon as he turned toward Heero. "One to go."

"Don't think it will be that simple," growled out Heero. He then pulled out one of his Clow Cards he had not yet transformed. "Card Created by Clow. Discard Your Old Form and be Reborn, Under the Name Heero; Your New Master." The Clow Card Heero was holding glowed a bright white for a moment as it changed itself into a Heero card, then dropped back into the hand of its new master. "See how this feels," said Heero directly to the demon in front of him. "Douse that demon. Tsunami!" Heero unleashed the Tsunami Card, seeing its true form for the first time since he wasn't there for its capture. The giant wave of water steadily made its way toward Charon before collapsing against the ground, submerging the demon underneath its watery mass. Charon had been caught completely off guard, since in his previous fights with the Li Clan many years ago; he had learned that almost none of the Li's had good control over the element of water. This made his fights against the members that much easier, since water was his one and only weakness. All Charon had had enough time to do was close his fiery wings around his body and try to protect himself from the falling wall of water. While the Tsunami Card wasn't strong enough to kill him, it was powerful enough to cause him substantial damage.

When the water from the Clow Card finally disappeared, Charon was on one knee, obviously shaken up, but not destroyed. "You win this round, Li," muttered Charon. "I will not underestimate you next time." With that, Charon concentrated his remaining magical power and transported himself away from the scene.

Heero watched as the demon retreated from the battle and then rushed over to his fallen comrade. He gave Syaoran a quick once over, but his knowledge of medicine was not extensive enough to determine exactly how badly he had been injured from Charon's blast. His first instinct was to just bring him to a hospital for care, but didn't know what kind of questions he might be asked if he did that. He then thought that Ami would probably be able to figure out just how injured Syaoran really way, plus she was very close to the guy so Heero figured she should know what happened. Taking a glance at his watch he noticed it would be at least half an hour before Ami got out of class and Heero knew she turned off her cell phone when she was in school. He then remembered the Telepathy Card and pulled it out of his pocket. "Card Created by Clow. Discard Your Old Form and be Reborn, Under the Name Heero; Your New Master." The Telepathy Card turned a bright white momentarily and then turned back into a normal card. "Give me a telepathic connection with Ami-san. Telepathy!" When Heero released the Telepathy Card, he saw the little boy that first showed up when he captured the card appear for a split second, and then disappear again. Heero wasn't sure if the card had worked but knew there was only one way to find out. "Ami-san. Can you hear me?"

"Heero-kun?" came a thought in Heero's head in a voice that sounded just like Ami's.

"Hai. I'll explain the telepathy thing later. Right now, I need your help in the clearing between the math and science buildings. Please come as soon as possible."

"Alright," answered Ami. "I'm on my way."

When the short conversation was over, Heero recalled the card and immediately started to feel the effects of changing such a powerful card. Heero forced himself to ignore the feelings of weakness as he awaited Ami's arrival.

Ami had been listening intently to the lecture of her professor when Heero's telepathic call came through. She was very startled at first, but did a good job of keeping her composure as she talked to Heero through the temporary link. After the conversation was over, Ami packed her bag in lightning fast time and then quickly made her way out the door. When she heard Heero ask her for help, she knew it must be some sort of an emergency since Heero wasn't the type of person to ever ask for help. She ran as fast as she could to the area Heero had mentioned, hoping everything was alright, although already knowing something must be very wrong.

When Ami first caught sight of Heero, she began to breathe a sigh of relief since it looked as if he was alright. However, when she allowed her focus to drift downward slightly, her breath caught in her throat and her heart began beating at an unusually high speed. What she saw was Syaoran on the ground with Heero kneeling over him, obviously unconscious and he looked to be injured quite badly. Ami started running even faster than before and since she was running on adrenaline she didn't even notice her lack of oxygen when she finally reached her fallen boyfriend. "What happened?" Ami asked in a hurried and worried voice.

"We were attacked by a demon," answered Heero. "Li got hit pretty hard and you know much more about injuries than I do, so I called you. I didn't know if taking him to a hospital was necessary, since they will ask lots of questions we wouldn't be able to answer. Li is breathing and has a heartbeat, but I don't know to what extent his other injuries might be."

Ami bent over Syaoran and tried to examine him as carefully as she could. It turned out to be more difficult than she imagined it to be, since her hands were trembling from fear and her eyes were starting to water making it difficult to see clearly. She did manage the examination, even in her state, and was at least a little relieved to discover that it didn't seem like Syaoran had any life threatening injuries. "I think his arm is broken and he probably has a concussion, but it doesn't seem as if his injuries will be fatal."

"Is he safe to move?" asked Heero.

"As long as you are careful, it is probably a good idea to get him out of here and back to the dorms," answered Ami. Heero nodded and then picked up his roommate, making sure not to aggravate his broken arm. "You don't look too good either, Heero-kun," said Ami when she noticed his slightly pale complexion and saw that he wasn't moving with the exactness and precision he normally demonstrated.

"I had to change two Clow Cards," answered Heero. "It takes a lot out of me. But I'll be fine." Ami hoped Heero was right, but couldn't think about it for long since worrying about Syaoran was a little more important at the moment, since Heero would definitely be alright after a day or two. Heero and Ami then made their way, quickly but carefully, back to the dorms to take care of Syaoran's injuries.

~~~~~Tokyo, Japan Few Days Later~~~~~

Syaoran awoke with a splitting headache and the feeling of pain coursing throughout his body. His left arm was in a cast made by Ami, to keep him from aggravating the two fractured bones in the limb. He had countless spots on his body that has been bandaged up because of either deep cuts or bad burns. Despite all the pain he had to endure to do so, Syaoran turned his head to look down at the one positive thing he had going for him at present. For the last three days, since the fight with Charon, Ami had been sleeping with Syaoran in his bed because of a mix of her stubbornness and his insistence.

~~~~~Flashback, Three Days Earlier~~~~~

When Syaoran had regained consciousness after being hit with Charon's powerful fireball, he had found himself in his own room with Ami passed out, sleeping sitting in a chair and resting her head on top of him lying in his bed. With Sakura, Heero, and everyone else's help, Ami had immobilized his broken arm and bandaged up his wounds, and was now passed out from worry and exhaustion. However, when Syaoran was stirring while waking up, he also unintentionally disturbed Ami's slumber, waking up the previously soundly sleeping Senshi.

"You're awake!" exclaimed Ami when she saw Syaoran's caring amber eyes looking down at her.

"Hai," Syaoran managed to get out as Ami gave him an excited, yet careful, tight hug around the neck.

"I was really worried," whispered Ami as she felt tears of relief forming in her eyes while she held on tightly to Syaoran's neck.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," answered Syaoran, feeling Ami's tears falling from her eyes and dropping onto his shoulder. With his free hand, Syaoran placed a hand lightly on his girlfriend's head and gently ran his fingers through the soft blue strands of Ami's hair. Ami finally let go of Syaoran, and pulled away just far enough for Syaoran to carefully wipe away her tears and lightly cup her soft cheek in his hand. Ami closed her eyes and held Syaoran's hand close against her face, relishing in the feeling of warmth provided by his body and his magic. After what felt like an eternity, and yet also no time at all, Ami reopened her eyes and guided Syaoran's hand off her cheek, interlocking their fingers and resting their hands in her lap.

"How do you feel?" Ami asked after she felt she had spent enough time as the worried girlfriend and switched into doctor mode.

"Like I was hit by a truck," answered Syaoran. When he saw the concern starting to show again on Ami's cute face he quickly added, "But I'll be alright. Do you know what happened after I got knocked out?"

Ami responded by nodding her head. "Heero-kun explained the entire situation to all of us. Apparently after you got hit, Heero transformed the Tsunami Card and managed to injure Charon enough to make him run away for the time being. After that he transformed the Telepathy Card and told me you had been hurt. We then brought you back here and immobilized your arm, which is fractured in two places so you better make sure not to movie it, and bandaged up the cuts and burns you had."

"When you say `we' did the medical care, I assume you mean you did most of the work and the others just did as you told them," said Syaoran as sweetly as he could. Ami blushed a deep shade of red and slowly nodded her head. Being the modest person she was it was embarrassing for her that Syaoran knew she had done most all the work. Syaoran very gently placed his hand on the small of Ami's back, pulling her into a light embrace until he felt Ami's silky smooth hair against his cheek. In a voice so quiet that had Syaoran's lips not been mere centimeters from her ear, Ami would never have heard it, Syaoran whispered, "Arigato, Ami-chan." Ami couldn't help but smile when she heard Syaoran put such a personal touch to her name by calling her Ami-chan. In reality it may have been a very minute detail, but neither Syaoran nor Ami were in the habit of missing such details, so the comment meant worlds to the teen.

When Syaoran pulled away, which left Ami with a feeling slight sadness; he had a hint of his usual seriousness in his expression. "Is something wrong?" asked Ami.

Syaoran answered Ami by asking a question of his own. "What is the Telepathy Card?"

"Do you remember that weekend near the beginning of the school year when all of us, except Heero-kun and Sakura-chan, went on that Biology trip?" Syaoran nodded his head to Ami's question. "Well, apparently during that weekend the two of them captured a Clow Card called the Telepathy Card. It is made from Mirror, Time, and Illusion if I remember correctly."

"Must be a powerful card," interrupted Syaoran.

"Yes, it is. They said that before they captured the Card, it created some type of permanent telepathic link between Heero and Sakura's minds. When Heero-kun changed the Telepathy Card yesterday, he used it to make a temporary link with me to tell me that you had been hurt."

"Why didn't they tell us about the Card before?"

"It seems that they refrained from telling us about the Telepathy Card because they wanted to keep their telepathic link they shared with each other a secret."

"Now that I think of it," said Syaoran as he was contemplating the situation. "Sakura and Yuy do seem to space out a lot, and they always do seem to know what the other is thinking."

"You're surprised that we didn't figure out they had a telepathic link before, right?" asked Ami rhetorically. "I was thinking the same thing when I found out, and apparently Tomoyo-san came to the same conclusion. The only one who already knew about the link was Hiiragizawa-kun. He said he figured it out a couple days ago when we were at the ice skating rink."

"So the link between you and Yuy is gone?"

Ami nodded. "The link was severed as soon as Heero-kun recalled the Card."

Syaoran was about to ask if he missed anything else, when he saw Ami yawn slightly, indicating that she was more tired then she was trying to let on. "You should go get some sleep, Ami-chan," said Syaoran with a smile. "You seem to be exhausted."

"I'm fine," answered Ami, although it was a partial lie. "Besides, I don't want to leave you. I'm afraid that you will get up and do something to aggravate your condition."

"I'll be fine now, thanks to you," responded Syaoran. "But you need some sleep."

"No," stated Ami firmly. "I'm not leaving you."

Seeing that Ami had taken a stand and wasn't going to budge from her position, Syaoran did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He pulled up his covers slightly and motioned for Ami to get under. "In. If you won't go to sleep in your own room, then you will at least go to sleep in here."

Ami was a little surprised both that she had won the argument and also that Syaoran would offer to share his bed with her since she wasn't going to leave his side. Although she was a little nervous, since it would be her first time sleeping in the same bed with a guy, Ami's natural feelings of comfort that she got when she was around Syaoran and her exhausted state made the offer seem most agreeable. Wordlessly, Ami made her way under Syaoran's green sheets and snuggled up against the warmth provided by her boyfriend's body. The comfortable position she was in quickly took over Ami, and in no time at all she fell fast asleep. "Good night my sweet Mercury Princess," whispered Syaoran to Ami's sleeping form as he gently stroked her soft blue hair with his one good hand.

~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~

After taking a few moments to soak in the beauty of the girl sleeping with him, Syaoran very carefully bent down and gave Ami a gentle kiss on the forehead. Syaoran couldn't help but smile when he heard her soft moan of contentment and saw the smile creep across Ami's sleeping face. Although it didn't do so right away, Syaoran's kiss did serve to wake up the sleeping Senshi, and Ami awoke to find Syaoran's soft amber eyes staring down at her and a cute smile crossing his lips. "Morning," Syaoran greeted.

"Good morning," answered Ami as she smiled herself. This wasn't merely a standard greeting, because for Ami it really was a good morning. Ever since she had started sleeping in the same bed as Syaoran, Ami had found herself waking up feeling better than ever before. Syaoran would also admit that since he started sleeping with Ami, he woke up feeling very refreshed. Even his wounds were healing just the slightest bit faster than he and Ami had expected. What the couple didn't know was that while they were sleeping, their magical energies intermingled with each other, and the increased power from the combined magic was serving to heal Syaoran faster and keeping them both in better health, which explained why they both woke up feeling so refreshed. "What time is it?"

"A little past ten," answered Syaoran after checking the clock out of the corner of his eye. "We can sleep a little longer if you want."

"No, it's okay," answered Ami. "Want to go out for some breakfast?"

"Sure."

Ami smiled up at Syaoran again and then quickly gave him a kiss on the lips before getting out of bed. Syaoran got up right after Ami, and after changing he walked with her the few doors down the hall to the girls' suite.

"Good morning everyone," greeted Ami when she walked through the door of her dorm suite.

"Morning," responded Minako, Duo, Ranma, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Ukyo in unison.

"How is your arm, Li-kun?" asked Tomoyo.

"Getting better," answered Syaoran.

"We were about to go out for some breakfast. Do you want to come along?" invited Ami when she saw the girls weren't dressed yet, showing they had only recently gotten up.

"Sure," answered Minako for everyone present.

"Where is Yuy and Sakura?" wondered Syaoran.

"They just left a few minutes ago," said Eriol. "I think they said something about going to where Yuy keeps his Gundam for more lessons."

"I still can't believe Sakura-chan is learning how to pilot that huge mobile suit," said Tomoyo with sparkles in her eyes. Tomoyo had wanted to go to videotape Sakura learning to pilot Wing ZERO, but Heero had told her that there wouldn't be any way she could do that since the cockpit was already too cramped with only two people inside. Tomoyo had been a little dejected at first, but she soon got over it and was back to her normal self after some cheering up by Sakura.

"Those two make a very interesting couple," mused Eriol. Everyone present laughed at Eriol remarks, thinking about how unorthodox the lives of both Heero and Sakura were.

~~~~~Uninhabited Forest Somewhere in Japan~~~~~

"These two levers control the throttle," explained Heero as he continued explaining the different cockpit controls. "When you are flying and taking off, push them forward to increase the power in each of the engines."

"This is a lot more complicated that I thought," whined Sakura from her position in the pilot seat of Wing ZERO. "I know I said I wanted to learn how to pilot your Gundam, but I didn't know it was going to be so hard and confusing."

Heero laughed lightly at Sakura's whining and gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "Wing ZERO is probably the most advanced machine on this planet. It takes most people years to get acquainted enough with the controls to pilot a mobile suit effectively." In the reflection of one of the view-screens in front of them, Heero saw Sakura frown and cutely wrinkle her nose at the idea. In the numerous lessons Heero had already given Sakura, he had only finished teaching her how to start up Wing ZERO's main systems, how to walk, and how to control the different limbs of the machine. He was now in the process of teaching her the basics of how to use Wing ZERO when it was in the air. "But I can assure you it won't take you nearly that long. Once you know where the basic controls are and how to power up the main systems, ZERO will teach you the rest."

"Because of the ZERO System?" asked Sakura while moving her hands across the various controls, making sure she remembered all the ones Heero had already taught her.

"Hai," answered Heero. "With the System's help, you'll have perfect control over the suit's actions and be able to pilot ZERO in no time."

"It will really teach me how to pilot itself?" asked Sakura, who wasn't quite convinced that a machine could teach her to operate itself.

"It should," answered Heero. "But in truth I'm not sure it will work, since Duo, Trowa, Wu-Fei, Quatre, and myself have been the only ones to ever pilot this suit before."

Sakura turned around and gave Heero a look of amusement. She never would have thought he would trust in something he had never seen before. "If you think it will work, I'll believe in you then." Heero smiled at Sakura and gave her a quick kiss before pointing to the next set of controls in the cockpit.

"Ready to give it a try?" asked Heero after giving Sakura a little while to review after teaching her the last of the main controls.

"Are you sure I know enough to do this?" asked Sakura who was still a little skeptical of her own abilities and of the abilities of the ZERO System.

"We've had quite a few lessons and you know all the controls," answered Heero. "I'm positive you can handle this suit, at least on the ground, but there is only one way for you to find out for yourself."

Sakura sighed, knowing Heero was right. If she ever wanted to learn to pilot Heero's Gundam, she would eventually have to overcome her own self doubts. Knowing Heero thought she was ready enough to pilot the suit did give her a bit of confidence, but the idea of piloting a thing like Wing ZERO was still daunting to the girl. "Alright," Sakura finally said. "I'll try."

"Don't worry, Cherry Blossom," said Heero, making Sakura blush again at the mention of her pet name. "You can do it." Heero gave Sakura a light kiss on the top of her head for luck, and then strapped into the auxiliary seat and watched intently as Sakura began letting her fingers dance across the controls.

Considerably slower than Heero, since she was still a beginner, Sakura methodically pressed each button in the sequence Heero had showed her, in an attempt to start up the main systems of Wing ZERO. Heero knew Sakura knew all the necessary controls to start up the Gundam, but still found himself a little surprised that she didn't make a single mistake because of her apparent nervousness. Immediately after Sakura finished the final sequence to start up the giant mobile suit, Wing ZERO came to life with a rumble. If anyone had been present, they would have seen the mobile suit slowly activating; green eyes lighting up and white wings extending out.

"I did it!" exclaimed Sakura in triumph.

"I knew you would," said Heero with a smile. "Now all you have to do it start up the ZERO System, and with its help you should be able to control the suit well enough to move around." Heero had purposely taught Sakura a sequence in starting up ZERO that would allow the ZERO System to be powered up last and independently.

Sakura didn't say anything to Heero in response, merely nodding her head slightly instead. Of all the capabilities of the mighty mobile suit, Sakura felt the most anxiety toward the ZERO System. From what Heero had told her, despite all the firepower of the Gundam, the ZERO System was still the most dangerous part of Wing ZERO's design, since it had the ability to cause the pilot to act completely out of character and do things they would not otherwise want to do. When Sakura had heard this, she had immediately told Heero that she wasn't sure if she wanted to learn how to pilot ZERO anymore, but he had quickly reassured her of her abilities by reminding her that she had already been exposed to the ZERO System before and nothing bad had happened. Plus he would be with her the entire time, and promised he would keep her safe.

Sakura sighed lightly and started moving her hands across the controls meant to start up the ZERO System. Heero noticed Sakura was moving just slightly slower across the controls than earlier. Knowing that it was not because she didn't know the controls, Heero could only assume it was because she was still a little fearful of the ZERO System. "Don't worry, Sakura-san," said Heero quietly in their shared minds. "Everything will be fine. I promise."

"Hai, Heero-kun. I trust you." Just as she finished her thought to Heero, Sakura's hand settled on the final button to start up the ZERO System, and with eyes closed, Sakura gently touched down on the control. As the ZERO System received the command to activate, the entire cockpit lit up an eerie yellow color and the system created its links between the two minds present in the cockpit.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" asked Heero once the ZERO System was fully operational.

"Hai," answered Sakura in a voice that held a hint of surprise in it. "I was expecting to feel a lot different, but all I feel is a slight tingling sensation in my head."

"Once you start piloting the suit, you'll notice the effects," said Heero. "Believe me."

Sakura took a deep breath and gripped the Wing ZERO mobility controls firmly in both hands. Remembering what Heero had taught her, Sakura began manipulating the controls in an attempt to make Wing ZERO walk forward. However, once she started playing with the controls, she found herself no longer thinking, and just acting. With much more grace than she thought she would be able to achieve, Sakura managed to make Wing ZERO execute each movement she had wanted. While she was experimenting with moving around the arms and wings of the mobile suit, the reason she was performing so well finally hit Sakura.

"Wow," Sakura said in amazement. "The ZERO System really does help. It isn't controlling my actions, but it helps me control the suit without having to think about how to do what I want to accomplish."

"That is the purpose of the System," answered Heero. "It is meant to allow for soldiers to react in battle in a much more efficient manner than they normally would manage. Since you are not fighting anything, you shouldn't encounter the one flaw in the System that makes it really dangerous."

"It might be flawed like you say," said Sakura thoughtfully as she made Wing ZERO lift slightly into the air and flap its wings. "But it seems to be really useful in teaching people to pilot these mobile suits."

"You are very correct," said Heero with a smile to the back of Sakura's head.

Sakura saw Heero smile at her in the reflection of the view-screen in front of her, and also allowed a smile of her own to cross her lips, both from seeing Heero's smile and from his earlier compliment. For the next hour, Sakura continued to practice controlling the mobile suit, even managing to fly for a short distance and land, although a little roughly, without damaging anything. "That was so fun!" said an excited Sakura as she jumped from the open cockpit down to the ground below.

"I must admit I was very impressed," complimented Heero as he jumped to the ground right after Sakura. "Even with the ZERO System, you did an exceptional job piloting."

Sakura blushed and looked down at the ground with a smile on her face. "Arigato, Heero-kun." She eventually looked back up from the ground when she felt Heero's gently hand on her cheek, and found Heero's deep cobalt eyes staring down at her. Although the look in Heero's eyes seemed to scare most people, whenever Sakura lost herself in those intense blue pools, it would always melt her heart. Tilting her head upward and getting up on her tip toes, Sakura gently touched her own soft lips to Heero's. Both Heero and Sakura closed their eyes and wrapped their arms around one another and enjoyed their passionate kiss in the peacefulness of the outdoors.

When the couple broke their kiss, Sakura looked around at their surroundings and noticed something she had surprisingly never noticed before. "Do you want to go for a walk?" Sakura asked with a smile. "I never noticed just how beautiful this forest is before."

Heero took a moment to look around, and he too found their surroundings to be much more lively than he had previously noticed. "I'd love to," answered Heero who was rewarded with another smile and a quick kiss from Sakura.

The couple started to leisurely walk through the beautiful forest, but not after long, Sakura started running, jumping, hopping, and skipping around the trees and flowers, with Heero casually following with a smirk of amusement on his face. "I can't believe I never knew how beautiful this place was," said Sakura in awe as she stared at her surroundings. The leaves of the tall trees were a rich dark green in color and glistened in the sunlight from the accumulated moisture from the air. This moisture created a light mist throughout the area that slightly dimmed the bright sun overhead, creating a magical glow in the area. Not a single brown leaf could be seen as the trees swayed ever so slightly in the gently breeze, causing intermittent drops of dew to fall from the highest branches. Rustling could be seen and chirping could be heard, within the denser parts of the luscious green foliage, as birds and other forest creatures scurried about looking for food amongst the leaves. On the ground below, small saplings, that would one day become the grandest of trees, drank in the moisture from the air above and awaited the chance to rise to magnificence. Also growing in the fertile brown soil were small bunches of wildflowers, each of which seemed to be a slightly different shade, creating a beautiful ocean of color. The patches of blue, yellow, violet, pink, white, and red sparkled in the sunlight and emitted a most pleasant fragrance, adding to the freshness of the air.

"It really is a breathtaking sight," said Heero with a smile. "But it's even more beautiful because you are in it." Sakura hid the bright red blush on her face by burying it in a rainbow of colorful flowers. Heero chuckled to himself at Sakura's cuteness and found a spot at the base of a nearby tree where he sat down to enjoy the peacefulness and to watch Sakura running happily amongst the flowers. "This really is a magical place," Heero thought to himself. Just as this thought entered his mind he realized something. He realized that he could feel magic emanating from all around him. The magic did not feel weak, but it felt like it was a subtle power. This was not the strangest part of the feeling however. The strangest part of the feeling was that Heero could swear it was a Clow Card.

Sakura eventually noticed the perplexed expression on Heero's face and skipped over to where Heero was sitting to ask what was wrong.

"Can you feel it?" Heero asked Sakura when she plopped down beside him.

Sakura showed a face of confusion at first, but then suddenly she noticed the presence of the magical force. "A Clow Card?" asked Sakura as she tried to make sense of the strange magical feeling.

"I think so," answered Heero. "But it feels a little different somehow."

Sakura closed her eyes and using one of the skills Syaoran had taught her, she attempted to discern the nature of the Clow Card by feeling its magical presence. The results of her concentration startled even herself with the amount of detail and information she received just from the magical presence. "It is called the Heal Card," said Sakura, surprising Heero that she knew that. "It is one of the kind cards and just wants to stay here and help the forest grow."

"How do you know all this?" asked Heero in slight disbelief.

"Syaoran taught me long ago how to concentrate to determine the nature of some magical presences," explained Sakura. "It helps distinguish one type of magic from another, but I have never been able to read a presence so thoroughly before."

"And you are sure it just wants to stay here and won't cause any trouble?" asked Heero. Sakura nodded her head an affirmative. "Are we allowed to do that?"

"I don't see why not," answered Sakura with a shrug. They were both silently deciding what would be the best course of action when Sakura suddenly got an idea. "If this is the Heal Card, then maybe it can heal all of Syaoran-kun's injuries."

"But I thought you wanted to allow it to stay free?"

"I do," answered Sakura. "But maybe it will let us borrow its power for a little while."

"How are we supposed to do that?"

"We release a Clow Card that can talk, so it can ask the Heal Card." Sakura thought for a moment before speaking again. "I can release Mirror since it can speak, and you can release Telepathy. I know Telepathy can talk since it spoke to us right before we captured it."

"Well, let's give it a try then," Heero said as he took hold of his pendant he wore around his neck, watching Sakura do the same.

"Key that Hides the Power of the Stars/Space. Show Your True Self to Me. I Sakura/Heero Command You Under Contract. Release!"

"Mirror!"

"Telepathy!"

Once released, the little boy form of the Telepathy Card and the girl true form of the Mirror Card stood before the couple. "Can you two please talk to the Heal Card and ask it if we can capture it so we can heal our friend and then release it to live here in peace afterwards?"

Both Clow Card nodded their heads and then closed their eyes to converse with the unseen Heal Card. When they finally reopened their eyes, both Mirror and Telepathy spoke in unison. "Heal agrees with your request and thanks you for allowing it to live free. It also says if you ever need its help, Heal will be happy to help the Card Master and Mistress."

"Arigato," thanked Sakura sincerely. In a flash, the entire area lit up a beautiful white. Once the light had disappeared, Heero and Sakura saw three cards. One was Sakura's Mirror Card, one was Heero's Telepathy Card, and the last was the brand new Heal Card.

Sakura picked up the Heal Card and thanked it again before she and Heero left to heal Syaoran before returning to re-release Heal to care for the beautiful forest.