Author's Note: This is different for me. So totally different. I've never tried anything like this and I can only hope it'll be successful. This idea just popped into my head one day and when it did, I got very excited about it. I can only hope I can follow through and do this right. But first…


Disclaimer: I do not own Street Fighter, Capcom does. I do not own Card Captor Sakura, CLAMP does. (But for my own sanity, I'm using the American names of both series. It just works better for me.)


2nd Disclaimer: If the story isn't consistent with the end of the Street Fighter Movie…sorry. It's been too long since I've seen it and I can hardly remember it. Also, CCS fans...I'm just NOW discovering what the Sakura Card series is about. I feel so stupid for not knowing beforehand. Anyway, go through this series with the knowledge that these are still Clow Cards. (Damn, but I feel like such a goof for not knowing before.)


Key:

"~* Thoughts *~" = Thoughts


Plucking a Cherry Blossom: Part 1


Scene: The Remnants of Shadaloo

Perspective: Sagat

The entire place was a mess. There was garbage lying around everywhere and the place looked like it had been abandoned for years. He knew why, though. The place HAD been abandoned for several years…or so people thought. This abandoned area had been condemned after a brutal battle had taken place. A battle in which in the so-called heroes were victorious. They thought the organization known as Shadaloo was dead, but they were only dead wrong. Sagat realized that as he made his way through the rubble of what was once the Shadaloo stronghold. As he continued forward, he was stopped in front of a chamber by a huge, hulking individual.

"What business have you here?"

"You don't recognize me, Balrog?" Sagat asked. "Please move. He wants to see me."

"Ah, my apologies, Sagat," Balrog the rogue boxer said. "I have not seen you since our last defeat and no one has come since then. But if you have been called here, then that means…" Silence.

"I know," Sagat nodded. "So let me through."

Balrog stepped aside and Sagat continued forward. He looked at what was once the main chamber of the Shadaloo stronghold. It was in shambles, but Sagat saw a clear path through the rubble. He saw a path leading to a secret underground area. When the American and British soldiers searched the place, they found nothing, but the path was opened and cleared once they had left. Sagat walked in and walked with a flashlight. He knew this place existed. It was the final insurance policy. The head could never say he wasn't prepared. He had a special chamber constructed in case the stronghold was destroyed and he would remain in there until the day Shadaloo could rise again. That day was apparently today.

~* They thought he was dead. I even started to think he was dead. But he's obviously very much alive. *~

And there he was. In a chair, with a bandage on his forehead, but looking as fearsome as ever, was the head of the evil organization of Shadaloo. There sat the one and only Bison.

"It's been a long time, Sagat," he said.

"I agree," Sagat said. "I hadn't heard from you in so long that I was beginning to believe the rumors of your demise to be true."

"The rumors of my demise have been premature," Bison said calmly. "The warrior, Ryu, is very powerful. I found that out firsthand in our battle. But he could never kill me. All he could do was temporarily defeat me, while the Americans and the British attempted to destroy Shadaloo."

"They did a pretty good job," Sagat snickered.

"They could never destroy Shadaloo completely," Bison continued. "It cannot be destroyed until I, myself, am destroyed. But for as long as I have my Psycho Power, I can never be truly beaten and Shadaloo can never truly be destroyed."

"But Shadaloo has yet to rise from the ashes," Sagat pointed out. "There is not much you can do to resurrect it at this point, despite your Psycho Power."

"Oh, but there can be a way, Sagat," the cocky Bison said. "I have not wasted my time down here gnashing my teeth over my 'defeat'. I have been down here searching for ways to become stronger. There is more to life than Psycho Power. But I also found I can use it to bring me more power."

"More power? What other power is there?"

Bison chuckled. "A power greater than any of us could have ever imagined. Sagat…have you ever heard of a form of magic called…Clow Cards?"

The term didn't ring a bell. "I've never heard of them."

"Fool," Bison sneered. "The Clow Cards hold more power than we've ever dreamed of holding. Legend has it that the Clow Cards were created by an ancient sorcerer named Clow Reed. Although they can bring about such useless things such as Move, Glow, and…ugh…Song, the Clow Cards also have the ability to harness such awesome powers like Wind, Fire, Power, Time, the list goes on and on."

~* Cards? The power is in mere cards? It can't be true. Obviously, Bison survived, but at the cost of his sanity. *~

Sagat smirked at the thought of Shadaloo holding such power. "But is this power real, Bison?"

"Oh, it is VERY real," he grinned. "There is only one downside. Only those chosen by Clow Reed himself may use the powerful Clow Cards."

"I take it that doesn't include you?" Sagat guessed.

"Very observant," Bison muttered. "But there's more than one way to use these Clow Cards to my advantage. I have used the remnants of my mini-cyborgs to travel across the world to find any sign of the one destined to use the Clow Cards. Months, even years, passed without a trace, but now…I have finally found the one I'm looking for. Vega!"

Vega, Bison's masked assassin, came in with a videotape and handed it to Bison. Sagat was trying to think about this. Cards were the source of power? It didn't sound right to him. He would believe it when he saw it. Vega popped the videotape in. Sagat looked on the video screen to see the spy camera zooming in inside someone's window. He could see a teenage girl and boy and what looked like…a flying stuffed animal.*

"The life I have now is…pretty normal…more or less," the girl said. "But I remember the day my life turned completely upside-down."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that," the stuffed animal said, shocking Sagat. "Both of our lives changed from that, Sakura."

"That's right," the girl continued. "Life took a completely different turn when I first discovered the Clow Book."

"Stop the tape, Vega," Bison said. The Spanish assassin stopped the tape. "After seeing this tape, I had more of the mini-cyborgs follow the girl around so that I may find out more about her. Foolish girl…looking back at her glory days. This is Sakura Avalon, the chosen Cardcaptor. She first learned she contained magical powers back when she stumbled upon the Clow Book and accidentally broke the seal. Can you believe it, Sagat? The greatest and most powerful form of magic in the entire world…is controlled by a little girl."

~* That DOES sound unbelievable. Warriors like myself have always held so much of our own...lesser power...physical power. It sounds so odd that more power, magic power, would fall into the hands of…a little girl. *~

"Sounds farfetched," Sagat said cynically. "But even if she does control this magic, how can we take advantage of it? You said yourself that only those chosen can control the Clow magic."

Bison chuckled. "You don't know me well, do you, Sagat? The answer is very simple. For you see, *I* cannot use the Clow magic. But what if the Sakura Avalon lived only to serve me?"

Sagat knew where he was going with this. "You want to brainwash her, don't you?"

"My brainwashing tactics have always worked well," Bison grinned. "I'm the same man who took a British agent, loyal to her country, and bent her to my will. Cammy hasn't been the same since then, has she? And if I can wipe her memory out, then I can wipe out the memory of a simple Clow mistress."

Sagat smirked. "And how do you propose to go about finding her?"

Bison looked confident as he rose from his chair. "There's one way. I know a lot more about Sakura Avalon than anyone thinks…"

Scene: Sakura Avalon's Room (A Few Weeks Later)

Perspective: Sakura Avalon

~* Why? *~

The 18-year-old Sakura Avalon just sat in the corner of her room. Her boyfriend, Li Shoran, was standing right in front of her and he was ready for a fight. These last few weeks hadn't been easy for Sakura and they weren't getting any easier. They had been one of the scariest times of her life. Sakura tried to move.

"Don't move, Sakura!" Li snapped. "I can't risk you getting hurt!"

~* Why is this happening? *~

Kero flew in front of Li's face. "Kid, I know we're worried, but this isn't making things better. Sakura can't just be a statue! She'll have to move sooner or later!"

"I'm not letting anyone get to her!" Li growled. "I'll die before I let anyone get to her!"

Sakura admired Li's bravery and how far he was willing to go to protect her. She just couldn't believe it was coming to this. But so much had happened in the last few weeks. It frightened Sakura when she thought of the painful truth.

~* Why would anyone want to do this? Why would anyone do this…to me? *~

Someone was trying to assassinate her.

Sakura couldn't think of anyone who would want to assassinate her. Why would anyone want to have her killed? She couldn't understand it. But she remembered the recent attempts on her life. They began two weeks ago…

Scene: Penguin Park (Flashback)

Perspective: Sakura Avalon

Sakura giggled gleefully. "Catch me, Li!"

She ran through Penguin Park, letting Li chase her around. Then again, he didn't really like having mustard spilled on his head.

"Sakura! Come back with my hat!" Li called out.

"I can't let you wear this!" Sakura grinned. "Not with all that mustard!" She kept running.

Li was fast, but Sakura was no slowpoke. She just deliberately slowed down and let Li catch up to her. He caught her and playfully tackled her on the ground. Sakura giggled and Li came right back…with a kiss.

"Li, not here," the giddy Sakura said. "There are people watching."

"All right," Li smiled. "I can wait…I guess."

Li took Sakura's hand and helped her up. She suddenly had the urge to leave the park. She saw Li had started to walk out and Sakura stopped to pick up a hairband she dropped. But when she picked it up, Li suddenly got panicked.

"Sakura! Look out!"

Li took Sakura down, just as something flew by. A poison dart had just missed its mark. It nailed a nearby tree. As soon as Li and Sakura hit the ground, the dart hit the tree Sakura was standing in front of. Then an arrow flew by with a note wrapped around it and hit the tree as well. Sakura looked over to see where the dart had come from. It came from a nearby bush.

Li got to his feet and walked over to the tree. He ripped the arrow off the tree and pulled the note open. Sakura nervously walked over and became very frightened at the note's message.

Prepare to DIE, Sakura!

Scene: Sakura's Room (Present time)

Perspective: Li Shoran

~* I'll never let anyone hurt her. *~

Li looked back to see Sakura still crouching down, trembling in fear. He couldn't blame her. He never forgot what happened at Penguin Park; it was traumatizing. And that wasn't all that happened. Sakura went home, shaken up by the incident.

~* I'll die before I let anyone get to her. *~

But if only she knew what would happen next.

Scene: The Walk Home (Flashback)

Perspective: Li Shoran

Li looked around and tried to find that shadowy figure he saw earlier. But he wouldn't let that person get to Sakura. He held his arm around her and clutched her tight. Poor Sakura was trembling; she was scared out of her wits. Li swore he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"You'll be all right, Sakura," he said gently. "I promise."

"Just hold me," Sakura stammered.

Li never let go. He kept his arm around his cherry blossom as they walked towards Sakura's house. He knew Sakura's brother would frown on seeing Li with an arm around his sister, but he didn't care. He didn't want to let her go.

Then they finally made it. Li walked Sakura up to her doorstep, but didn't want to let her go.

"Li…I have to open the door," Sakura pointed out.

Li felt reluctant, but he knew Sakura had to get her key out. So he let her go for a moment. Sakura took a step to her right and reached into her purse. But Li saw a shadowy figure coming out of a nearby bush…aiming a blowgun right at Sakura.

"Sakura! Get down!!"

Li tackled Sakura again and took her down. Another poison dart narrowly missed Sakura's neck and hit the wall. Just as last time, another arrow hit the wall right after the dart. Li looked over to see that the shadowy figure had disappeared. Sakura was sweating profusely and it made Li sad to see her like that. He got up and pulled the arrow out of the wall and looked at the note.

Sakura Avalon, your time is up. It's time for you to DIE!!

Scene: Sakura's Room

Perspective: Sakura Avalon

Sakura felt so scared. She couldn't bring herself to move, no matter how hard Kero coaxed her. She was too frightened. Weeks went on and the assassination attempts continued. Each time, Li was there to save her, but how long could Sakura's luck last? She just couldn't believe somebody was trying to kill her. She just crouched down while Li valiantly stood in front of her.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Sakura," Li said softly.

But just as he said that, the window began to slide open. Sakura couldn't believe herself. For the first time in years, she forgot to lock her window…and someone was coming in.

~* The killer…coming for Sakura. I can't let anyone come near her. I have to do something. *~

Li slowly walked towards the window, holding a vase. "Stay still, Sakura. Don't make a sound."

Sakura stood by as Li held the vase over his head. The mysterious person stuck their head in and Li came down with the vase.

**CRASH**

The vase shattered and the person fell over. Li had knocked the person unconscious. Sakura ran over to see who it was and she gasped in horror.

"Li, what have you done?! Get a bandage!!"

Scene: Sakura's Room (A few minutes later)

Perspective: Sakura Avalon

Sakura desperately wrapped the bandage around. She couldn't believe Li had done it, but she couldn't blame him. He was just so determined to protect her, but he couldn't have possibly seen this coming. He didn't think he'd bring a vase down upon the head of…

…Madison.

Sakura continued wrapping the bandage around the head of her unconscious best friend, trying to make sure no more blood came down. She could only hope she was all right, but it looked like Madison would be just fine. The only thing she had to worry about was…would she be angry?

"You see? You're getting paranoid, kid," Kero told Li. "This isn't helping."

"I didn't mean to do it," Li said somberly. "How was I supposed to know it was her?"

"You couldn't look before you swung?" Kero demanded.

"I'm trying to protect Sakura!" Li snapped. "It's more than you're doing!"

Someone knocked on Sakura's door. "Sakura? I hear the brat!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Um…Tori…uh…Li was just leaving!"

"He'd better!" Tori growled from behind the door.

Li glared at Sakura. "I'm not leaving you. Not now!"

Sakura started to push Li towards the window. "No one said 'leave', just HIDE!" She pushed him out the open window, to which Li fell out screaming.

The doorknob started to turn and Sakura moved like a flash. She grabbed a blanket and draped it over Madison. Then she sat in front of the blanket and smiled sheepishly.

Tori stuck his head in. "Is he gone?"

"He's gone," Sakura stammered.

"What have I told you about having the brat alone in your room, Sakura?" Tori demanded.

"We weren't doing anything, Tori," Sakura said defensively. "Besides, how many times have I caught you alone with a girl in your room?"

"Quite a few times," Tori said casually. He slowly made his way in. "That's how I've learned to tell when…you're trying to hide someone! I know that's you, brat!"

Tori rushed behind Sakura and pulled the blanket off. Sakura whimpered as Tori made the discovery. He saw the unconscious Madison lying on the bed with the bandage wrapped around her head.

"What happened to her?" Tori asked.

"She's…sleeping!" Sakura tried saying. "She hit her head really hard trying to come in through the window."

"So hard she needed a bandage?" Tori asked cynically.

Sakura…nodded. "Yeah. Really bad. But she needs to rest. So get out of here, Tori!"

Sakura pushed the skeptical Tori out of her room and slammed the door. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, but then someone else was calling out.

"Sakura! I'm losing my grip!"

Sakura rushed over to the window and saw Li hanging on by the windowsill. Before he lost his grip, Sakura pulled him up into her room. Li fell onto his back and breathed a sigh of relief. Then something else happened.

"Oh…my head."

Sakura looked over to see that Madison was finally coming to. She slowly walked over and kneeled beside her best friend, who moaned as she sat up.

Madison held her head. "Sakura…what happened? What hit me?"

Li sweatdropped. "Madison…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to do it."

Madison moaned. "Li…was that you who hit me? Why did you do that?"

Li glanced at Sakura and nodded knowingly. Sakura nodded back. She had to tell someone else about this sooner or later, and it might as well be her best friend.

"Madison…how do I start…?"


Next time: So who's trying to kill Sakura? Does it have anything to do with the evil Bison? And what does Bison have in store for the Clow mistress? The adventure's just begun, so come back tomorrow to see more.


*- Readers of my CCS works should recognize this from Part 2 of 'A Look Back at Days Gone By'. For everyone else, just be aware of it so there's no confusion.


Any comments? This is something new I've tried and I hope I get a response out of it, either from the loyal readers I have in the CCS section or the readers of the Anime Crossover section. Please tell me what you think by reviewing below.