CHAPTER I
       SICKNESS AND CONFUSION



     Li Ran. He ran with the icy chill of “the wind” blowing in his face.  Mocking him every step of the way.  He had to get to Sakura.  He was positive that he and Sakura could figure this out.  They were the Cardcaptors after all.  Li finely saw Sakura’s house rising over the horizon in the distance.  A wave of relief washed over him, like he knew that having Sakura by his side would make it right.  He arrived at Sakura’s home running faster than his legs should have been able to carry him. He knocked.

      “H...h...Hello.  Is Sakura there?”  Li said, out of breath and having trouble speaking.  “Yeah Li, she’s upstairs.  She isn’t feeling very good today so don’t mess with my sister or we will have some problems.  You understand?”  “Yeah Tori I understand you.  Do you know y she isn’t feeling well?”  “No not really she said about something having to do with the weather or the wind or something crazy like that.”  “Thanks Tori.  I am going up there now, bye.”

     And so Li went up the stairs and into Sakura’s room.  Not bothering to knock on her door anymore.  They had been dating for close to 1 year now.  In fact it would be a year in about three days.  They both loved each other and was very happy about the anniversary coming up. 

    As Li walked into the room he saw Sakura sitting on top of her bed in a dream like state.  He looked and stared at her in wondering.  He came to the conclusion she must be meditating on the wind and about the possibilities of the events that could unfold.  He didn’t want to disturb her so he sat in a near by chair and stared at her in wonder. Just taking her in, her beauty.  Li was totally, undoubtedly in love with Sakura.

   Li sat and waited for her to be done.  It didn’t take that long but he sat there for a good 45 minutes.  He was starting to get impatient because this need immediate attention this was important the fate of the world may even rest on this wind.  This wind of death.  The black wind.  It came to him right then.  “It is called the black wind now he said to Sakura startling her she had just came out of her trance and did not yet know that Li was waiting for her.

   “Li!!!!”  Sakura jumped up with the site of her boy friend “I am so happy to see you I missed you so much, Li.” She ran over and gave Li a hug “Li you already know we have an emergency on our hands don’t you.  What did you call this?  Wasn’t it the black wind?  Some how it seems as though it fits this evil wind.  You could feel it couldn’t you?”

   “Yes, Sakura I could feel the wind.  Its icy chill was mocking me the entire way to your house.  A wind so cold it chilled my very bones.  It felt as though the very hand of death was touching me through that wind.  We have to do something about that wind Sakura.  It is evil and something is going to happen.  Something bad.  WHAT THE HELL?”

   Just at that moment a letter was shot through Sakura’s window and it stuck in the door of her closet.  There was a note attached to the arrow with a very expensive looking seal on it.  Li went to pull the letter off the shaft of the arrow, and then he broke the seal on the letter.  He then took out the plain piece of paper and began to read it aloud so that Sakura may here.

   “Cardcaptors,

           Who I am is not relevant, what is about to happen is more to the point.  As you already know there is a wind blowing.  An evil wind.  This wind contains the very essence of death.  This wind is not of this world.  You will find out where this wind is from.  Not now but soon.  Oh and Li, you were right to call this wind the black wind.

                                              And so says,
                                      The Wandering Prophet”

   “Sakura, have you ever heard of the wandering prophet?”  “No Li.  I wonder what he knows about the black wind.  How does he know so much?  Shouldn’t we be the only ones who could sense such magic like this?” 

  “Yes Sakura we should be the only people who could sense such things.  Him sensing the wind is not what I am worried about.  The last line of the note is what I am worried about.”  Li starts to recite the line aloud so that Sakura may here it “Oh and Li, you were right to call this wind the black wind.”  “Sakura do you know what this means”  Sakura just shook her head no.

    “It means that this ‘Wandering Prophet’ not only has been watching us but has been listening to our conversation.  He knows everything we have said to day and maybe more.  No one could possibly know how long he has been watching us and listening to us.”

   “Li, I’m scared.  I don’t know what we should do.  We don’t have any leads, and we don’t know anything about this wind.  We don’t know who this ‘Wandering Prophet’ is, or if he is an alley or an enemy.”

   “I know, Sakura.  Please don’t take this in the wrong way or anything, but I am going to go home now, ok. I’m really sorry to leave you so soon, but I really need time to think about this.”

   “It’s ok Li, I really want some time to think about this too.  I really don’t want you to leave me but I understand.  Keep your guard up on the way home.  Someone shot in arrow in my house.  If this guy is after you I don’t think that he would hesitate to put an arrow throw your heart, Li.”

  “Don’t worry, Sakura.  I will be careful.  Don’t forget that I am a highly skilled and trained warrior and magician.  I can take pretty good care of myself.  I will be leaving now.  Good bye, Sakura.”

  “Good bye, Li.  Take care.”  Li and Sakura hugged and then Li went down the stairs to exit Sakura’s house.

   “Leaving so soon Li?  You just got here about an hour and a half ago.  We would love to have you for dinner.  Why don’t you stay.” Said Aiden Avalon. 

    “I’m sorry, but I have some really important things to take care.  I’m sure that I am missing out on some great cooking. (Li tried to score some brownie points) But I have to leave.  Goodnight Mr. Avalon.” 

   “OK Li, goodnight.  You be careful on your way home, ok?”

     “Yeah, sure MR. Avalon I will be careful.”

     And with that said Li exited the Avalon home.  Sakura stared at him from the window missing him already.  Li turned to see Sakura staring at him from her window.  He gave her a wave and a wink of his eye and started walking again.

(these little ~ things mean a change of setting or of time so when there is a line of them you know what it means you will see an example below.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Sakura started talking.  to know one in particular.  Just aloud, maybe to just here her voice.

   “Oh my little wolf, you had better be careful out there.  This wind is dangerous.  Please be careful and come back to me Li.”

   With that said Sakura sat down on her bed and went back to a state of meditation again.  Trying to clear her mind of all thought so that she might focus on the problem.  But the only thing that she could think of was Li.  Her little wolf

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Li was walking this time.  Not bothering to run anywhere.  It was impossible to run from this wind.  The faster you went to get away the more closely it stayed to you.  This wind was filthy.  It made Li’s skin crawl.  He couldn’t stand the feel of it.  It made him want to rip off his skin to cleanse himself.

    He knew that he had to do something about this wind and soon.  It would drive him insane if he had to stand this for too much longer.

   Then it started to rain.  It rained hard, poured.  It was a heavy rain that came straight down.  Li thought about this for a moment.  Then it hit him.

“What!?!?  Why is the rain coming straight down?  With this wind it should be blowing right in my face, but, but it’s coming straight down what is going on here.  I knew that this couldn’t possibly be any normal wind.”

      “Right you are my friend.  Right you are Li.  Li Showron. ha ha ha.”

      A dark ominous laugh came from a dark and forbidding figure.  He stood tall near to 7 feet tall with long black robes on.  Wielding a wicked looking scythe.  It made you think that you were staring death itself in the face.

“who Are you, and what do you know of me and the black wind?”

     “Well Li, I know everything about everything.  Some call me the Wandering Prophet.  Most just call me death for I am the last thing that most men see before the die.”

     With that said the Wandering Prophet lunged at Li nearly missing cutting him with that huge scythe.  Li was startled by the man attacking and still off balance.  He caught it just in time for the man’s next attack.  Li easily dodged to the left he was ready with a counter-attack too.  “LIGHTNING”.  Yelled Li.  And lightning shot from the dark clouds in the sky and struck the man.  The spell was ineffective on the wandering prophet.  It didn’t even seem to faze him.

    “What!  It didn’t even slow him down.  That’s impossible!”

    “Wow little wolf, I’m impressed.  He certainly did teach you well.  I didn’t expect such a powerful magic attack from you. Ha Ha Ha.”

    The ominous laugh again.  Li couldn’t stand that laugh.  It made him want to puke.  He hated this man.

    With that much said the wandering prophet lifted his huge scythe into the air and started whispering chants.  The suddenly he yelled “Hurricane!”  And a huge gust of wind with power of a hurricane went after Li.

    Li was in aw of the spell and didn’t have time to react.  The spell connected.  The Huge wind force threw Li at least 30 feet and slammed him into a building.  Li lay there close to unconsciousness. 

    “Well i guess i will let you live for now, little wolf.  I have big plans for you.  I hope that you have fun while you can.  because in three days, little one.  You are mine.  Ha Ha Ha.”

   The man started walking and after about three steps he disappeared from site.  Li became unconscious.  Before he blacked out completely all he could remember was that man’s laugh.  That evil ominous laugh.  It was so disgusting and repulsive.  It played over and over in his head.  Soon he lost consciousness completely.



    Wow that took a while. sorry that was so boring but the first chapters always are well send me your comments please  my email address is neomagus15@aol.com.  Please criticize me Comments don’t have to be positive.  I need criticism so that I know what I have to improve.  Well thanks for reading.