Chapter Text
It is a large, heavy chest. A fancy, decorated one at that. Made of strong wood, steel, and inlays of precious metals and stones, it is truly something of a work of art. Most of the chest is made of white oak, with ebony trim and steel to strengthen it. Decorative designs are made of silver, gold, brass, and even various semi-precious and precious stones such as jade, sapphire, ruby, and onyx. It is truly a wondrous chest – especially considering the fact it is full sized and not a miniature – except for one thing:
No matter what, no one can unlock it. Arguably this increases its worth, as it makes people believe that there is truly something precious hidden within it.
As it travelled across the world, starting in Hong Kong (where it was found buried underground by some farmers) then going to Britain in the 19th century, then France, Italy, back to China after a brief stay in India, then finally, old and mostly forgotten, it ends up in Japan in a small monastery. A young, new member with the name of Fujimoto Shirō is then tasked to bring it down to the basement as there is nothing more they can do about it; it is a donation from a rich benefactor after they died of old age, and a rather useless one for them at that.
The young exorcist eyes it. Slightly dirty from the trip through the ages, the designs on it are still quite wonderful to behold. On one side, there is a brilliant sun done in gold with rubies added for an extra touch. The other has a moon done in much the same style, except with silver and sapphires instead. On top, there is a large star done in brass; or rather, it is outlined in brass with jade filling in the centre. Other, smaller designs made of brass and onyx edge the chest as well, looking like odd magical symbols.
Shirō sighs, as it is going to be a very heavy thing to move and the other, older members have already left him alone. Rolling up his sleeves, he sets to moving it to the trolley he was given. It takes a while, but finally he finishes getting it in place and rolls over to the stairs lead down to the basement. Moving carefully, he gets it down most of the steps with no trouble.
At least until he is almost at the bottom, at which point a wonky step results in the wheels catching and the chest being flung out to hit the bottom with a heavy sound. Shirō reflectively winces at that, then stares.
The chest landed on its front before bouncing upright, the clasps unsnapped, and the lock...the lock is broken. Shirō can't believe it and rushes down to see it. After almost two centuries of existence, the chest has finally been unlocked. Hesitating briefly, the young man then opens the chest.
He stares, then slumps. “Ah man...you have to be kidding me...”
The ancient chest, the mysterious expensive chest that has all a flutter over its contents...
...is completely empty.
“Well...that's a let down.” After a moment, Shirō closes it and snaps the clasps shut. He was told to put it in the basement in the back after all. He doesn't have to say anything about it being open and disappointingly empty to his superiors. It isn't really that important after all.
After he has stuck it in the back, he turns and exits the basement, going up the stairs quickly. It is almost supper time and he is hungry.
He moves so fast, that he completely misses the magic circle that appears under the chest and envelops the chest in brilliant light. A soft voice, a sweet voice, speaks then, seemingly coming from the light that surrounds the chest.
“Ah...it is almost time.”
Chapter 1: Birth Of A New Cardcaptor
The large crashing sound and the resulting cloud of dust that hits his face and makes him cough is totally his fault. In various ways.
First of all, he shouldn't have recklessly just grabbed something to move without checking to see if it is safe to do so. Which is where the crash comes in.
Second, he should have thought to bring some kind of face mask for the amount of dust and grime down in the basement. Which is why he is having a serious coughing fit.
And finally, he shouldn't have lost his temper and caused such a fuss on his first day at Junior High, resulting in his adoptive father punishing him by making him clean out the old basement.
Waving away the dust and still coughing, Okumura Rin has to wonder how long this place has been untouched. Maybe for decades given the density of the grime. Rin shivers at the sight of the cobwebs; he doesn't really like the idea of bugs and other stuff crawling around in the dark where he can't see them. It is too gross.
Sighing, Rin stands up, grabbing the discarded flashlight he brought down with him. There is no way out of it; he is to at least attempt to clean the place until Father Fujimoto says he is allowed to stop and come up.
Rin hopes it will be in time for dinner, but he isn't holding his breath too much in that regard. Going without a proper dinner is something of a default punishment at the monastery. And Rin caused enough of an incident that it probably comes attached to his current punishment.
Shaking his head, Rin begins to look around again at the place. He should be more careful in here; he doubts the old man would have sent in the twelve-year-old if it is truly dangerous, but that doesn't mean he can't accidentally hurt himself if he isn't careful.
A small light in the back makes him pause in the middle of trying to straighten the mess he made, and he tries to figure out what it is, peering into the hushed darkness. That's when he realizes something.
Staying very quiet, Rin realizes he can hear some kind of growling/groaning sound. The hair on the back of his neck raises at that, and he starts to consider screwing his punishment and getting out of here. That sound is freaky. Then he sees the flash of light again and whirls around to follow it with his eyes. It looks like some kind of small ball of light, bobbing around the place. Despite the eerie look of it and the growling/groaning sound, Rin can't help but be curious. He only hesitates for a moment before sneakily stepping behind the light ball that is dancing nearby, above an old lamp with a noxious pink flower pattern that is probably supposed to be of sakura but looks more like toxic blobs.
The ball continues to dance in place, before starting to bob around, weaving and wobbling like it's drunk or something. Eventually it settles down in the very back, bobbing up and down in place. Rin blinks. As strange as it is, it seems like it is telling him to come over there. Slowly, carefully, Rin walks over to it. The light hovers in place, illuminating the area. Rin glances down as it begins to sink and sees the old chest below it. The light sinks into the chest and vanishes from sight.
Curiosity fully roused at this point, Rin approaches the chest and sets down his flashlight. He kneels in front of it and carefully brushes the top. Rin can feel impressions on it, some kind of design underneath all the dust and grime. It is too dark to really see it though, even with his flashlight. Groping around for a bit, Rin finally finds the clasps and undoes them. There was a lock at some point, but it is broken, allowing Rin to easily open the chest. After the dust settles, Rin picks up the flashlight and peers into it.
To his surprise, everything within it looks brand new, with only a light coating of dust from the recently disturbed outside. There are various tech devices in there, most of them looking like some kind of battery pack. There is also old clothing which, when Rin pulls out one, is sized and designed for a young girl. It is rather pretty and even cute Rin has to admit. Setting aside the outfit, Rin's eyes catch on the one thing in the chest that isn't clothing or a tech device. It looks like a book; a rather pink one at that. Curious, Rin picks it up and shines the flashlight on it.
Despite the pink, there is a rather awesome looking winged lion thing on the cover, with some kind of chain and sun pendent inlaid on top. Rin wonders if it is real gold and turns the book around, blinking at the other design: it has what can be called a “magic circle” in the middle, with a winged sun over top and a winged crescent moon on the bottom, with a banner beneath it. He turns back to the front, and looks up at the top, where he can see a very similar banner.
Frowning, he slowly sounds out the word written there. “Sa...ku...ra. Sakura.” He tilts the book back and forth, then looks back at the chest. “Did all this once belong to this Sakura girl? Uh.”
He notices the clasp on the book has a lock and sets aside the flashlight, though he makes sure he can still see. “Aah...it's probably...” Rin winces, as something like static electricity races up his fingers when he touches the book's lock. It snaps open, startling him.
“Uh. That's odd.” Rin carefully opens the book and is surprised. “Cards? Well, I guess if you wanted to hide them or something...” He lifts up the first one. He frowns, not wanting to put aside the book but unable to read the card without picking up the flashlight. Placing the card back in the book, he looks around. “There has to be a light switch around here somewhere...I'm sure Tou-san mentioned it...”
It takes awhile, but eventually Rin tracks down the light switch. He is also lucky enough to find one of the lights that are scattered through the place right above the chest, allowing him to set aside and turn off his flashlight.
Now fully distracted from his original task, Rin picks up the book and the card again. The card is as pink as the book, but still rather neat to look at. It has a large half-star shape in gold on top, with a smaller complete star on the bottom. Half of a sun symbol is on the left, while there is a crescent moon on the other side. In the middle is a picture of a lady. She has long hair dressed high and falling forward into two long strands, reminding Rin of wings. Wing-like shapes are also on her head and she seems to have insect or rather fairy-like wings, though Rin can't see any feet; in fact, he can only see her torso really. There is a caption on the bottom in a banner like thing and Rin focuses on that.
“Hm...” Rin begins to walk back and forth, almost unconsciously. Still holding both the book and the card, Rin struggles to read the word. It is in English, he thinks. “Um...Wi...Win...”
Unnoticed to him, a strange design made out of light begins to slowly appear below him, flickering like it is being turned on and off.
Rin grins as he finally figures it out, stopping his pacing as he does so. “Windy!”
He then flinches back, shocked as a great wind suddenly appears and a light below him erupts. Covering his face and clutching both the book and card, Rin doesn't notice as all the other cards within the book are whisked out by the wind and into the air. They seem to hover for a moment, before they all suddenly start scattering, somehow going through the walls and out of the monastery.
There is a pause as the wind slowly dies down. Rin lifts his face, wondering what the hell happened and looks at the card. Then glances at the book; the now very empty book.
“Uh...oops?” Rin isn't sure what happened, but it is probably his fault...again.
“Ah...and now it begins again...” A voice softly whispers, before the light orb that had brought Rin to the chest finally disappears with a burst, leaving only some kind of glitter that hovers there before slowly drifting to Rin and sinking into his skin.
The long, awkward moment made of Rin staring alternatively at the Windy card and the book ends when the young boy decides to give up and sit on the ground.
Sitting cross-legged, Rin sets aside the book so he can just stare at the card. “That...did that really happen?”
A sudden strange glow makes Rin turn, stunned as the book starts glowing. It flips over to stand upright and a figure slowly rises out of it. Rin stared. It looks like some kind of yellow-orange stuffed animal, with big ears and wings on its back.
Small black eyes focus on Rin. “Yo!”
Rin lets out a yelp of shock and half-crawls away. “You...you...”
The thing tilts its head, looking confused. “Oi, is there somethin' the matter?”
“You're talking!” Rin blurts out, staring with wide, scared blue eyes at the strange creature that appeared in front of him. 'And in Osaka dialect to boot!'
The stuffed animal thing frowns at that. “Ohcourse Ah talk! Is there a problem with that?”
“Ahh...but you are...a...” Rin pauses, blinks. “What are you?”
“Ah'm not a what, Ah'm a who. Ah'm Keroberos, Beast of the Seal and Guardian of the Cards!” The thing – he, Rin figures from the manner of speech – puffs himself up.
“Uh...” A word sticks in Rin's mind, that of “cards”. “Um...what cards?”
Keroberos smirks. “Why, only the greatest Cards themselves! The great magic Cards originally crafted by Clow Reed, mastered and expanded by Kinomoto Sakura! These very Cards themselves!” He gestures behind him at the empty book. There is a pause, a very uncomfortable pause for Rin.
“You...mean....cards like this one?” Rin offers the Windy to Keroberos.
The winged being flutters up to see and grins. “Yes, just like this one!” He pats the top of it. He then pauses and looks down. “Windy?” There is a moment of silence as Rin can see something like dread cross the small creature's face. “Oh no.”
He turns around and looks at the book.
“NOOO!!!” He cries upon seeing the very empty book, rushing to it and staring at the empty compartment as if he stares hard and long enough the cards will magically reappear. He then slumps down onto the ground. “Oh, Keroberos. You never learn do you? You should know by now; when on guard duty takin' a nap is a recipe for disaster! ...Yue's gonna kill me when he wakes up.”
Rin gives a nervous smile. “Um...I'm sorry. I think it is my fault. I was just reading the name of this card and a great wind came up and...”
“...blew all the cards away.” Keroberos finishes. His head lifts up and he looks off into the distance. “Could it be?” He whirls on Rin.
“Oi! How exactly did you find this Book!?” He demands, floating up to Rin's face.
Rin pulls his head back, a little startled by the sudden close proximity. “Uh...I found it...” Rin thinks back. “There was this strange light thing that I followed...and I saw it go into the chest.” Rin gestures behind Keroberos at said chest. Rin hesitates then, as there is something intent in Keroberos's gaze.
“Go on. Tell me more.”
“Um...” Rin's eyes dart around for a bit then finally settle on Keroberos once more. He figures he isn't getting away from here. He doesn't know anything about what a Guardian Beast is or who Keroberos is, aside from looking like a stuffed animal and using an Osaka dialect. “Well, I saw it, the book, in the chest and picked it up. When I touched the lock it just snapped open...”
“That lock. Has a magic seal on it. You shouldn't have been able to open it, much less have it open just by comin' in contact with you.” Keroberos tells him slowly. He then smirks. “Plus this? Activatin' Windy and scatterin' the cards...heh, it's like the first time Ah met Sakura.”
“What are you talking about?” Rin is confused. He has every right to be. Magic cards, talking stuffed animals, and vague comments....it is something out of a fantasy manga.
“To have used Windy, you would have needed to have natural magical talent. To have seen that light you mentioned and have the book unlock for you...” Keroberos suddenly grins. “You must be the candidate Ah was waitin' for.”
“Ca...candidate?” That is all Rin manages to get out before Keroberos is on him again.
“What's yer name?”
“Uh...my name is...Okumura Rin.” Rin says finally.
Keroberos blinks. “Rin? That's a girly name.”
Rin scowls at that. “Oi, as if you have any right to talk! You look like a stuffed animal and have a name that doesn't fit you at all!”
Keroberos rolls his eyes. “This is only mah sealed form. The form Ah take to remain under the radar and to conserve energy. Right now Ah cannot take mah awesome true form.” There is a pause, then he speaks again, a little quieter, “You can call me Kero when Ah'm like this then, if that's easier for you.”
Rin blinks. There is a strange cast to Kero's face then. “Kero...is something the matter?”
The little guy shakes his head and suddenly grins. “Nope. Nothin' to burden you with. After all, you already have a great burden.”
Rin stares. “I do?”
“Yup.” Kero flutters over to stand on top of the book. “As of today, yer duty is to track down and capture all the escaped Cards!”
There is a moment of silence. Then...
“WHAT?!” Rin charges at Kero, grabbing a hold of him and making him yelp in shock before shaking him furiously. “What do you mean my duty? Isn't it your job to guard the cards or something!?”
Kero can't respond immediately, Rin squeezing him too hard for that. Rin notices this though and quickly lets go of Kero with a muttered “sorry”. Kero gasps and manages to flutter his wings, allowing him to float in the air. “Damn, Ah thought Ah was gonna die...you are a strong kid.” He shakes his head. “Look, mah job is two fold; first, guard the Cards. Second, choose the new Heir for the Cards.”
“What happened today leads me to believe you are to be the next Master of these Cards.”
Rin stares at him. “M...Me? I...I'm not suited for that kind of thing. I...I can't even last an entire day at school without getting into a fight. I destroy stuff and suck at school work. The only thing I'm good at is cooking! Uh, uh. You got the wrong guy.”
Kero listens to this with an attentive tilt to his head. “So you will allow the Cards to run rampant, cause chaos in the world, and even danger to others?”
Rin freezes at that. That...doesn't sound good.
Kero sighs and sits back down on top of the book. “Right now, the Cards are scattered throughout the city. They are masterless and probably confused, lost even. They will be nothin' but trouble to the inhabitants of this world, even the ones that are gentle by nature. The Cards will tear apart this world. They can't help it; they are in the end magical constructs, and ones not as independent in nature as mahself which means they are bound by their natures. They need a master. Whatever it is that caused you to stumble across the book and unleash the Cards does not matter, what matters now is that you are the one who is not only responsible for this mess...” Kero stares resolutely into Rin's blue eyes. “But are also the only one capable of fixin' it.”
There is a long, quiet moment as this sinks into Rin. He is only twelve years old for crying out loud! He is in no way ready to do anything like be some kind of magical hero or even do something as big as “save the world”! But...can he really just stand by when something dangerous like that is going on?
Another glow attracts his attention. Kero is glowing brightly, a rich gold colour. A circle made of the same glow suddenly appears under him, before shifting in front of him and growing in size slightly. Something twists in the air above the circle before, with a loud “popping” sound, a key is suddenly there. It doesn't look like anything special but there is a loud humming sound ringing in Rin's ears nonetheless.
Kero focuses on the key and the circle begins to spin, the key growing and changing shape until it looks like a wand of a sort. A strange fierce wind is suddenly there and the circle begins to glow brighter, giving off trails of energy. Rin flinches back from the force of it. And then Kero speaks, dropping the Osaka dialect briefly as he does so.
“Key of the seal,” He begins, “this boy will carry out the sacred promise. His name is Okumura Rin. I command you to bestow him with the rights and duties carried out by your contract.” He suddenly switches to shouting. “Rin take the staff!”
The voice of command in there makes Rin approach the circle, fighting against the force pushing back against him. His hand lands on the handle of the staff, which begins to glow.
“I, Keroberos, name Rin Cardcaptor!” Kero proclaims and the glow turns into bright light, causing Rin to reflectively shut his eyes.
When the light died down, Rin cautiously opens his eyes. And is surprised. Before hand, the staff was plain and boring in appearance. But now, it is a deep blue, capped with a red crystal star surrounded by a pair of curved white wings that jut above it.
“Congratulations.” Kero says, grinning proudly at Rin. “You are now a Cardcaptor.”
“Yes!” Rin pumps his fist in the air. Then he pauses. “...wait a minute...YOU TRICKED ME YOU BLASTED STUFFED ANIMAL!!”
Kero laughs despite the glare Rin is blasting him with, rolling in the air from the strength of his mirth. “Ahh kids...so easy...you are as gullible as Sakura was!”
Rin fumes silently, but unfortunately he knows enough that he has been fully caught. The entire thing reeks of a “magical contract” and if manga has taught him anything, those kinds of things shouldn't be messed with.
He is a “Cardcaptor” which means his job is to catch all those Cards that went missing.
Joy.
Ultimately, Rin isn't going card hunting immediately. Instead, he has to sneak the chest and its contents upstairs to his room without getting caught.
He manages well enough, until he gets to his room. The room that he shares with his younger brother; who, of course, is there just when Rin doesn't want him to be there.
“Nii-san...what is that?” Yukio blinks at his elder brother who just entered the room. He isn't surprised that Rin is capable of carrying such a heavy chest – his brother has been super strong since they are little kids – however, he is surprised he has one.
“Oh...this?” Rin hesitates for a bit. “It's a nice chest I found in the basement. It's still in pretty good condition and I thought I could fix it up and put things in it.”
“Why in the chest?” Yukio narrows his eyes. “Aren't you supposed to be cleaning the basement Nii-san, not taking stuff from it?”
Rin gives a nervous grin. “Ah, come on Yukio. It's just an old chest. I just like it...you aren't going to tell Tou-san that I've abandoned my punishment, are you?” He puts on his best pleading face and widens his big blue eyes.
Yukio, as usual, falls for it. 'One day I'm going to have to build an immunity to that face...' “Alright Nii-san. I won't tell Tou-san. But you can only keep the chest if you can find a spot for it on your side of our room.”
Rin beams despite the conditions Yukio attached. “Thanks! You're the greatest little brother Yukio!” Rin then begins looking around the room, mentally reorganizing his side for the chest to fit.
Yukio shakes his head and adjusts his glasses. “I'm your only little brother...” He mutters to himself softly. Despite that, he is smiling.
“So, why do I need the chest as well?” Rin asks Kero, his arms crossed over the backboard of his bed and looking down at said chest which Kero is currently going through. True to Rin's prediction, he is forbidden from supper though Yukio was nice enough to sneak him a small snack.
Rin picks up the apple that is part of his small “meal” and bites into it as Kero begins to explain.
“The devices in here are special magical devices created by the previous master. See, Sakura worked on combinin' magic and technology. The results are pretty effective as well. Might come in handy thus.” Kero then dusts off his paws and flies out of the chest. “Good, everythin' is in order. Just one more thang to do...”
He shuts the chest and goes over to the broken lock. The small lion-like being produces a spark on one of his paws and it drifts over to touch the lock. A flash of light and suddenly it is in brand new condition. That, combined with the cleaning Rin did previously, makes the chest look like he recently bought it, instead of dragging it up from the basement after who knows how long it has been there. Not to mention shows the stunned young boy that it is rather fancy and expensive looking. That can't be real gold...right?
“Woah.” Then Rin realizes something. “Hey, how am I supposed to unlock it now?”
Kero smiles at that. “You already have the key, silly!”
Rin pauses and fishes out the chain that is now around his neck. The Key the staff turned into is attached to it. It hadn't taken long for Rin's clever hands to fashion a simple necklace out of it. The Key looks rather pretty even; what with it looking much the same as the full sized staff except for the “key” part which is silver in colour. “Oh. Sorry.”
“That's okay.” Kero flies up and sits down on the backboard. He glances at the small collection of (healthy) snack food. “...can Ah have some?”
Rin smiles at the rather cute pleading and hungry face Kero has on. As a cook himself, Rin can't resist making sure Kero got some food; especially since the onigiri on the plate was made by him. “Sure, just leave some for me.”
“Yay!” Kero dives and snatches up an onigiri, chowing down on it almost immediately. Swallowing, he fills the space of their meal with more talk. “Okay, first thangs first. Ah need you to write yer name on Windy.”
Rin blinks, and picks up the card from where it lay beside him. “I do?”
“Yup!” Kero pauses to swallow a slice of orange whole. “You need to lay claim to that Card. In fact, if you by chance come across any Card that is still in Card form, immediately put yer name on it. Even if the Card hasn't activated by then, there's still a chance it might. And you wouldn't like the consequences of such.”
“I wouldn't?” Rin asks him, as he searches for a good pen in his desk; which is, by nature, a difficult task as Rin's desk is a total mess.
“Let's just say the one time the previous Cardcaptor forgot that, her entire house was nearly destroyed.” Is Kero's response after a pause.
Rin shudders at the thought of his home being torn apart. “Got it.” Rin finally finds an useable pen and returns back to Windy. “Um...where do I put it?” He stares at the card.
Kero paused in his meal and flies over to Rin. “At the bottom. Has to be in English too.”
“English?!” Rin exclaims, turning to stare with horror at the magical being. Kero laughs and flies over to one of the desks, ripping a paper for a small piece before returning. Rin winces a bit at that, since it came from Yukio's desk. 'Hope he doesn't get angry...'
“Hand me the pen, will you?” Rin does so and watches as Kero carefully shows him how to write his name. “It's easy as you can tell. Only three letters. Like romaji really.”
Rin peers at the paper for a bit, then nods and turns to Windy, getting the pen back from Kero along the way. It isn't long before RIN is scrawled on the bottom in neat print. “Why does it have to be English?” Rin asks when he is done.
“It can be in Chinese as well.” Kero acknowledges. “Ah figured English would be easier for you; Chinese and Japanese script is very similar after all and you have to think of it as Chinese when you write it. And it's because of the original creator of the Cards, Clow Reed. He was half British and half Chinese. Clow created these Cards by combinin' Western Magic with Eastern Magic.”
“There's a difference between them?” Rin asks, setting aside the card with the pen for now.
“Yeah. Has to do with beliefs and such. Not really important to know the difference right now, but you should know that the difference is great enough that Clow Reed's achievement is truly a feat of great magic.” Kero explains. “That's why the Cards are so dangerous. Only those chosen or with the proper knowledge can have any hope of containin' them much less masterin' them.”
“Uh...” Rin finishes his apple and sets the core on the plate, grabbing an onigiri as he does so. “So this Clow Reed guy was impressive...what about Sakura?”
“She was the second master of the Cards and Clow Reed's chosen heir.” Kero tells Rin, a fond smile crossing his face. “Her achievements lied in being a worthy successor, and combining Magic and Technology, as those devices she left behind prove.”
“Her being the previous master is why the Cards look as they do now. Previously, they were known as the Clow Cards. Currently though, they are the Sakura Cards.”
“Is that why they are pink?” Rin wonders.
“Well...pink was one of her favourite colours after all...” Kero sweats a bit, recalling certain actions and phrases of his previous master. “Anyways, right now Ah need to teach you the two chants you need.”
“Chants?” Rin blinks.
“Magic chants. The first is for releasin' the wand, which you will need, and the second is for sealin' the Cards, which you will also need.”
Rin sits up at that. Sounds important. “Alright. Tell me.”
Rin's eyes snap open despite the late hour. He wonders why he is awake and why he feels like something is humming around him, then his eyes focus on what is above.
Kero's face. Really, really close to his.
“Gah!” Rin sits up, knocking back Kero as he does so. That was a freaky sight to wake up to. He shakes his head and glances warily over at Yukio; but it seems like his little brother hadn't been woken up. Lucky him.
“Wah...that hurt...” Kero complains quietly, then flutters over to Rin. “Oh good, you're up. That makes thangs easier; you have to get out of bed, now!”
“Uh? But it's...” Rin glances at the clock and yawns. “It's one in the morning.”
“Sh.” Kero puts his paw to his lips then gestures to his ears. Rin pauses and listens.
There is something heavy thumping outside. No, not thumping; it is like a giant sheet being shook. The window is rattling, and Rin jumps out of bed and pads over to the window. There is something like a great wind stirring up the night, and Rin flinches back as the wind increased, the window making even more sound.
“What is it?” Rin asks Kero quietly, Kero going to respond but is quickly interrupted.
Rin yelps as something big and white whisked by the window, making the entire monastery shudder and groan. “What is that?!”
“A Sakura Card. It's the Fly Card.” Kero tells him. “We have to catch it!”
Stopping only to grab a jacket, a pen, the Windy card, and check that the Key is still around his neck, Rin carefully works open the window. A great gust of wind blows into the room, but Rin fights through it and gets outside, managing to work the window close as well. It is difficult to make his way down to the ground with the great wind battering him, but Rin grits his teeth and digs his feet and fingers in.
Making it to the ground in one piece, Rin takes off running, ignoring the pavement and grit on his bare feet. Kero somehow manages to keep pace beside him in flight, despite the great wind. “Why hasn't anyone woken up at the racket?!”
“Ah don't know!” Kero admits. “But if you don't hurry...look out!”
Fly turns around and Rin is stunned at the sight of it. It looks like a great big white bird, with a long neck and a short beak. And it is charging straight at him.
“Oh shit!” Rin turns and bursts into a run, doing his best to get away from the suddenly aggressive card. Claws rake the ground where he had been and Rin jumps away from its beak, the wind from Fly's beating wings pushing him up into the air.
Screaming, Rin manages to grab hold of a nearby tree branch and clings to it monkey style. “Oh man...” Fly turns away, leaving Rin in the clear for now. Then he remembers, “Kero!”
Rin looks around, worried for the little guy.
“Ah'm here.” Kero pops out from under Rin's shirt, looking rather ruffled. “Yikes. Looks like bein' woken from its nap made it grumpy.”
“If this keeps up, it'll tear apart the neighbourhood.” Rin gulps at that thought. “How do I stop it?”
“Use Windy.” Kero advises. “She's a gentle Card, but she is one of the four high elemental Cards as well. She's strong and is capable of bindin' most Cards. You just have to tell her what you want and she'll do it.”
Rin stares at Kero for a long moment, Kero noticing the fear in the young boy's gaze. His features soften. “You can do it kid. Don't worry; like Ah said, Windy is a gentle one.”
Rin swallows again, but slowly nods. He turns and pales a bit at the sight that greets him. The great white bird form of Fly, charging straight at him with a mean look in its eyes.
“It's comin' back! Rin, move!” Rin makes to follow Kero's order, but pauses. His expression becomes focused and he pulls himself up on the branch he is clinging to.
Bracing himself, as Fly returns with an angry screech he jumps, grabbing onto one of its legs as it dives down to attack him. Fly lets out an annoyed squawk at that and begins flying more aggressively, twisting and turning in the air. Rin keeps clinging to the leg though and once Fly has stopped the more dangerous moves, begins to work his way upwards.
Finally reaching the top, Rin claws his way forwards until he is near the head. Then he grabs hold of the key whirling around his neck, digging his free hand and feet deep into the feathers in a bid to not be knocked off, not only by the movements of the Card spirit, but by the strong wind that rushes over it as it moves.
'I hope I remember the chant right.' He briefly prays, then begins to speak, a magic circle appearing under him as he does so.
“Key that hides the power of the stars, show your true form before me. I, Rin, command you under our contract. Release!”
The key expands with a burst of light and Rin grabs it. Managing to pull out the Windy Card without being thrown off he readies himself, tossing the Card forward and hitting it with the staff as it returns.
“Wind! Be a binding rope! Windy, RELEASE!” The card bursts into light, turning into the form of a pale yellow fairy woman with green wing-like things on her forehead and surrounded by a cloak of wind in greens and yellows. Fly cries out as Windy wraps around it, binding it and dragging the spirit to the ground.
“Woah!” Rin cries, as the shaking and crash causes him to fall off as Fly hits the ground with a resounding bang. He skids across the ground for a good length before finally stopping. Shaking his head, he sits up and realized he landed in the nearby park, looking quite different at night. Turning his head, he sees Fly struggling against the wind bindings and scrambles to his feet. Rushing to the card, he readies the wand once more and recalls the second chant Kero taught him.
“Fly, I command you to return to your true form...Sakura Card!” Slamming the wand down on top of Fly, the wings on the wand expand and spread out, as Fly keens and dissolves into strands of light that slowly form into a card in front of him.
Soon it is done and Rin collapses, accepting the card as it floats gently to him. He stares at the card in his hand, which pictures the image of the card's spirit. “I...I did it.” He whispers, shock on his face. 'I...didn't mess up.'
Kero flies up to him, having been left behind during the capture. “Rin! You okay?”
Rin looks up, eyes shining and slightly wet. “I...I DID IT KERO!” He leaps to his feet and begins dancing around, even hugging Kero in his joy. “I actually did it!”
Kero laughs at the joy infecting Rin and the air around him. “Great job kiddo. Told you can do it.”
Rin wipes the back of his arm against his somewhat teary eyes. “Yeah.” He looks down at Fly. “Oh, I better put my name on it.”
Once that is done, an idea hit Kero. 'It worked in Sakura's case so...' “Hey, Rin you should use it!”
Rin snaps his head back at Kero. “R-really? That's okay?”
Kero grins. “You are the new master of this Card after all. Go on, try it.”
Rin hesitates for a moment, before a smile breaks across his face. “Sure!”
“WHOOHOOO!” Rin whoops, as he soars through the sky. The wand had grown in length, and the wings on the end have expanded and are flapping gently behind him, allowing him to ride it in the sky. “This. Is. So. COOL!”
Kero, flying beside him, laughs at the cheerful energy that practically illuminates Rin. “Yup. Not much beats flyin' by yer own power, right?”
Rin nods, a giddy grin on his face. “You know...this might not be so bad. Being a Cardcaptor.” He admits.
“Oh there will be trials ahead of you.” Kero tells him, though his voice is still light in tone. “But the rewards are worthwhile. Nothin' is better than usin' the power you are born with. It feels right, after all.”
“Definitely!” Rin laughs and swoops over to face where the monastery is. “Better head home though. Don't want Tou-san to yell at me for going out at night by myself. Can't really tell him the truth.”
“True. Come on, Ah'll race you!” Kero shoots off, Rin chasing after him with a cry of half complaint and half joy.
Kero smiles as Rin passes him by, taunting him the while; not knowing that Kero let him have the lead. 'So this is the new heir. What a great kid. Don't worry Sakura; Ah won't let you or him down.'
The newest Cardcaptor's trials have only just begun, after all.