Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ All That She Is ❯ Meiling vs. Sakura ( Chapter 19 )

All That She Is

Chapter Nineteen - Meiling vs. Sakura

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer - I don't own CCS, nor do I claim to. No profit is being made from this…it's only for my amusement :P

Author's Notes - Whoa, I thought I'd never get this done. Sorry for the delay…I was on vacation for two weeks, and I just got home Tuesday night. I've got my grad coming up next week…very exciting :D Anyway, this is a pretty intense chapter. If you didn't think Meiling was a bitch before, you certainly will after this chapter. But don't fret, because this was her downfall…things are going to get better for her after this, okay? ^_~ I promised Meiling would turn good at some point…and I'm working towards that now. But yeah…crazy sword wielding girls are fun! I love Meiling! ^_^

Pairings - Sakura/Syaoran, Eriol/Tomoyo

Summary - Sakura's recently moved to Tomoeda. Syaoran makes a bet that he can have any girl, even her. But when he finds out who she really is...the adventure's only just beginning.

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"Kinomoto."

Sakura looked up, squinting slightly in the darkness of the night as she tried to make out who was standing not too far off from her. Overhead a cloud had passed over the sky, making it hard to see much of anything. The most she could make out was a dark outline of a person, and from the tone of voice she knew it was a female.

"Tomoyo?" Sakura asked hopefully, sitting up on the stone bench and placing her hands on the cool hard rock on either side of her, "Is that you?"

"No such luck," The voice answered, and at that moment the cloud passed overhead, allowing the moonlight to shine upon the earth again and revealing the long dark hair and ruby eyes of a girl that Sakura wished she'd never have to see again.

"Meiling." Sakura acknowledged, now sitting more rigid as she stared uncomfortably at the other girl, who wore a twisted smirk upon her face. Sakura didn't like that look; Meiling was up to something.

"Ah, so you remember my name." Meiling step forward, and Sakura got to her feet. There was a pause as Meiling tilted her head, her red eyes glinting in the moonlight almost evilly, "But yet you forget that Syaoran is mine, my fiancé."

"I never forgot that." Sakura told her, backing up a step as Meiling closed in on her.

"Oh?" Meiling raised one brow, "It really doesn't look that way to me."

"Well maybe you should look harder, because Li and I - we're not even friends half the time. He cares nothing for me," Sakura almost choked saying the last part, and she felt the need to cry. "He just wants the Clow Cards!"

"I warned you to stay away from him!" Said Meiling, ignoring Sakura as her voice rose, "And yet I see you everywhere with him! Tutoring after school, catching Cards together, dancing like a couple!" Her eyes burned with fury, "I warned you Kinomoto, and now I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Sakura took another step back as she watched Meiling raise a hand to her chest, pulling a strange looking amulet out from under the blouse she wore. The dark Chinese symbols upon it twinkled in the night before Meiling's hand firmly closed around it, holding it tightly before her.

"Meiling-" Sakura started, eyes darting to the object in the other girl's hand and back to Meiling's hateful gaze, "What are you doing?"

The wind was beginning to pick up, and Sakura wrapped her arms around herself to keep a chill from running down her spine. Something wasn't right…what was that that Meiling held in her hand, and why did the air suddenly feel thick with magic? A dark glow surrounded Meiling, glowing brighter and brighter as the wind blew more furiously.

"Meiling! Stop it!" Sakura cried over the sound of the wind whipping around her, her voice lost to the other girl.

The glow suddenly engulfed Meiling's hand, and a moment later the amulet seemed to extend, its red glow growing brighter and brighter. Sakura could do nothing but watch, eyes wide as she stared in fear and confusion. As the light finally dimmed until it flickered out, Sakura gazed at the object in Meiling's hand, her eyes widening even further.

"Come on, Kinomoto. Let's see how good your sword skills are, shall we?" Meiling smirked, drawing her awesome sword in front of her, its sharp metallic blade glinting in the moonlight.

It was then Sakura realized how much trouble she was in.

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"This is nice," Tomoyo sighed contentedly, laying her head against Eriol's shoulder as she melted into his arms. The slow song had been playing for a few minutes now, and she was finally getting over her shock of suddenly being pulled out onto the dance floor with a song dedicated to her and her boyfriend. She was finally relaxing, enjoying the soft tune being played in the background.

Eriol raised his hand a little higher, raising it from the small of her back to play with her soft hair. She giggled in response, and he smiled, though at the moment she couldn't see his face. Scanning the room as they moved, Eriol raised a brow as he spotted Syaoran near the window. What's he still doing here? He's supposed to be looking for my Card Mistress!

Tomoyo must have noticed how his hand had suddenly stopped and he tensed, for she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Syaoran's still where we left him…"

Tomoyo frowned, pulling back so that she could look up into his face, gazing at him before she followed the direction that he was looking in. Blinking, she spotted Syaoran...though it seemed he wasn't alone. "How cute! He's dancing with Rika!"

"He's supposed to be out looking for Sakura."

Tomoyo gasped - with her boyfriend's loving arms around her, she'd totally forgotten about Sakura! She was about to pull away from him and march over to Syaoran when Eriol gripped her upper arm. Looking back at him, she saw him shake his head and pull her towards him. She didn't protest, but raised an eyebrow in question.

"It would be rude to interrupt," Eriol whispered in her ear. "Besides, this dance can't go on too much longer. I'm sure Sakura's fine."

"But Eriol-" She tried to move away from again, and if by magic, the music stopped and couples started to clap as the lead singer bowed.

"Thank you!" She winked at the couple, "Hope you liked the song!"

Eriol have a wave and a nod to indicate that they did, and the band started to play a song with a faster beat. Eriol finally let go of Tomoyo, who instead, grabbed him by the hand and pulled him off the dance floor and in Syaoran's direction.

Halfway across Eriol suddenly felt his skin prickle, and his eyes narrowed as his gaze darted around the room. Somewhere close by someone was using powerful magic…

"Tomoyo, where's Meiling?" He suddenly asked, still looking about the room.

His girlfriend shrugged. "I haven't seen her since the song started…" She saw his serious look, saw how he was searching the room for something. "Eriol?"

"Come on," He started pulling her towards Syaoran at a fast pace, "I'm afraid something's wrong! We must find Sakura!"

Tomoyo gripped his hand tightly, hurrying to keep up with him as they practically ran through the dancing people in the direction they'd last seen Syaoran. However, when they finally got there, he was nowhere to be found.

Looking around frantically, Tomoyo spotted Rika off to the side, and running up to her, she gripped the other girl by the shoulder and turned her so that Rika was facing her.

Seeing her friend's worried look, Rika asked, "Tomoyo? Is something wrong?"

"Where did Syaoran go?" Tomoyo asked, slightly out of breath.

"I don't know," Rika told her, "He took off as soon as the song ended - didn't even say goodbye! He just kind of ran out of here…"

"Which direction did he go?"

Rika pointed in the direction of the back door, the one that lead to the back yard of Eriol's house.

"Thanks!" She said, turning around to look for Eriol. He was nowhere to be seen. This is great…first Sakura disappears, and now Eriol! What next!?

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"Fight me!" Meiling screamed in a rage, swinging her sword down at Sakura for what seemed like the hundredth time. Sakura barely dodged, landing hard on her knees as she struggled to get away from the other girl.

"Meiling!" Sakura stood on shaky legs, nervously watching the other girl advance towards her, "Don't!"

Another swing of the sword, this time more closer to her head. Sakura ducked, but in the light of the moon she could see three silver stands of her hair fall to the ground. Damn that thing is sharp!

"Please, I don't want to fight you!" She yelled, stumbling away from Meiling.

"Too bad!" Another swing, "Bring fourth your sword and fight me!"

The sound of tearing could be heard, and Sakura glanced down at her shirt to find it ripped across her stomach, a small line of blood starting to form. And she certainly knows how to use that thing too!

"I'll teach you to interfere with my love life!" Meiling hissed, and swung her blade once again, this time hitting Sakura across the arm. The Clow Mistress cried out in pain, grabbing her injured arm with her other one, wincing as she stared up at the enraged girl before her. She's going to kill me…

"Fight!" Meiling screamed, and Sakura just only managed to get out of the way as Meiling brought her sword down. It dug cleanly into the earth, glinting deadly in the light. Breathing heavily, Meiling glared at Sakura, her hands tightly gripping her sword as she pulled it out of the ground. If I don't fight her…she'll kill me…

Another swing. Another cut.

Sakura stared at Meiling, tears in her eyes. She'd refused to fight at first, but at this rate Meiling would slice her to pieces! She still didn't want to, but…

Pulling her chain away from her neck in one quick gesture, she spoke hurriedly, "Oh Key of Clow, Power of magic, Power of light...Surrender the wand, The force ignite!...Release!" A glowing light surrounded her and within her hands she now held her Sealing Wand.

Meiling stopped her attack, grinning wickedly as Sakura held the wand in front of her. "I see you're starting to see things my way!" She laughed, lifting her sword, "But that stupid wand isn't going to save you!"

Sakura smirked in response. "No, but this will!" And with one swift movement she pulled the one and only Card that she had taken that night, the one Card that Syaoran had given her. The Sword Card. Raising it into the air she yelled, "Sword Card! Release and dispell!"

Meiling watched in amusement as Sakura's wand started to glow and change. When the light died down Sakura was no longer holding a wand, but a sharp sword. "Impressive, but do you have the skills to beat me?"

Sakura held the sword in front of her for protection. "Please don't make me do this Meiling!"

Meiling held her sword in one hand, lifting the other and moving her fingers in the moonlight, beckoning Sakura forward. "Come on Kinomoto, show me what you've got!" With that, the raven haired girl lunged forward, sword held high.

Sakura held her ground, unsure of what she should do. She'd never used a sword before, and she certainly didn't want to hurt the girl in front of her - so what was she going to do? Tilting it in front of her in hopes that it would protect her somewhat, Sakura forced herself to keep her eyes open as Meiling swung her sword at her.

The sound of metal clashing, and Sakura realized she was staring into Meiling's burning eyes.

"Is that it?" Meiling spat, sliding her sword against Sakura's so that more metallic sounds filled the air. "This is sad, really! Coming from the supposed Clow Mistress!"

Sakura gritted her teeth, struggling against the weight of Meiling's sword on her own. Meiling finally backed away, searching out Sakura's weak points as she brought her sword up to strike again. This time Sakura was ready, and raising her own sword, she met Meiling's half way.

It continued that way. Meiling attacking, Sakura defending herself and not once bringing her sword up to strike the other girl. The clink of metal, the flash of blazing red eyes, the flashes in the moonlight…it seemed to continue forever, and Sakura quickly grew tired of it.

"I'm going to win - you do know that, right, Kinomoto?" Meiling laughed, "Syaoran will see just how much I love him, how strong I am to defeat the Card Mistress, and he'll take me back! And I'll never leave him again…we shall be married, and I will live happily ever after!"

"You're crazy, Meiling." Sakura hissed as she blocked another swing, struggling to hold onto her sword even though she was beyond tired.

"Crazy in love," Meiling smirked wickedly in response, raising her sword in what Sakura knew would be the last strike. When Meiling brought it down, it hit Sakura's sword hard, and unable to hold on any longer, she watched in defeat as it flew out of her hands and landed on the cold ground near the fountain near the entrance of the clearing they're been fighting in.

Sakura sank to her knees, exhausted and breathing heavily.

"So this is it, huh?" Said Meiling, "The almighty Card Mistress was brought down by a mere girl with no magic skills what so ever." She shifted her sword from hand to hand, "Defeated, once and for all."

Sakura stared at the ground silently, wondering what was going to happen next. Was it all over now? Was Meiling happy with beating her, or would she finish the job she'd started and kill her? Seeing a glint out of the corner of her eye, Sakura realized Meiling was raising her sword once more. She closed her eyes tight, not wanting to see what was going to happen next.

With a gleeful laugh Meiling brought her sword down, and Sakura could hear it slicing through the air just before it would strike her. She clenched her eyes more tightly together, waiting for the deadly blow.

It never came.

Opening one eye, Sakura glanced up curiously, wondering what had happened, and for a moment she panicked. She couldn't see Meiling anywhere - but then she realized it was because someone was standing in between them. Someone tall, well dressed with chestnut brown hair.

"Syaoran?" She let go of the breath she had been holding.

Syaoran Li stood in between the two girls, his sword held tightly in his hands as he blocked Meiling's last deadly strike. The ruby eyed girl was staring up at him with wide eyes, unable to believe that her fiancé was standing in front of her protecting Sakura.

"Meiling, what the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked coldly.

The dazed girl blinked, her grip on her sword loosening. With a smile she let it fall to the ground, and unnoticed, it transformed back into the amulet that she had around her neck earlier. "Syaoran! You're here!" She said brightly.

"Answer my question Meiling!" He snapped at her, still holding his sword in front of him threateningly.

Meiling tilted her head, glancing at Sakura before looking back at him. "Nothing much. Was just taking care of a little problem…showing Kinomoto her place." A grin spread across her face, "I beat her, you know! She's a wimp! I'm much stronger than her!"

Syaoran glanced over his shoulder at Sakura, looking her over. "Are you okay?"

She ignored the pain in her stomach, arm and everywhere else Meiling had managed to get her, including the small cut across her right cheek. "I'll be fine…"

"SAKURA!" Cried a voice, and the trio looked up as Tomoyo and Eriol ran into the clearing. Upon seeing Sakura, Tomoyo gasped in shock. "Sakura! What happened!?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak Syaoran said, "Meiling attacked her."

Tomoyo looked at Meiling, her mouth opened in shock. "Meiling! How could you!"

Suddenly growing angry again, Meiling yelled, "She deserved it!"

Ignoring Meiling's ranting, Tomoyo went over to Sakura, looking over her injuries as Eriol helped her to her feet.

"Come on," He put her arm around his shoulder to help her walk, "I have some bandages in the house. Tomoyo will fix you up right nice. She's good with stuff like that."

Sakura nodded, wincing as Tomoyo touched her arm, pulling at the shirt so that she could get a better look at Sakura's injuries.

"It doesn't look too bad. Most of these cuts aren't even deep." She looked up, giving Sakura a comforting smile, "They'll heal in no time, and they won't even leave any scars!"

Sakura forced a smile, letting Eriol lead her away towards the house. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Syaoran watching her from where he still stood, sword in hand, in front of Meiling. He caught her gaze and held it, though soon the trio disappeared into the trees of the large garden and could no longer be seen. Even then, he stared at the spot he had last seen her, his sword finally lowering.

"Syaoran?" Meiling asked quietly, taking a step forward.

He raised a hand to stop her, unable to look at her. "This is unforgivable, Meiling. This," He indicated to the trampled and somewhat bloody grass, "Is disgusting! I can't even look at you!" With each word he raised his voice, "I can't believe you would do something like this! If I hadn't had stepped in, you would have killed her!"

"No I wouldn't have!" Meiling protested, "I was just trying to scare her away!"

Syaoran shook his head, "Unforgivable!" His sword returned to being the amulet he usually wore around his neck as he bent down to pick up Sakura's lost and forgotten sword. He looked at it, continuing to shake his head. "When I get home, I'm calling Mother. This engagement is off!"

"What!?" Meiling stepped forward, "No! Syaoran! You can't do that! You promised me!"

"Just wait until the family hears about this…how you used your gift to harm an innocent girl!" He glared at her moonlit shadow on the ground, still refusing to look at her. Finally, he turned around and started to walk off, carrying Sakura's sword in his hands. It's a good thing I gave her the Sword Card…if I hadn't, she would have been long dead by the time I found her.

Behind him frantic cries filled the air. "Syaoran! Don't do this to me!"

"You did this to yourself, Meiling!"

Standing alone in the clearing, Meiling fell to her knees staring at the ground, her eyes misted over with tears. She'd been beyond jealous and had let her hatred consume her…and now she was paying the price.

To Be Continued…