Shouyou screams, and then promptly slaps a hand over his own mouth. He scrambles back furiously until his back hits the side of a bookshelf, staring at the creature with wide eyes.

It holds its hands up, almost placatingly. "Woah, hey, hey," it says slowly. "Calm down, kid, I'm not gonna hurt ya."

Shouyou stares. A plushie? He thinks, eyeing the cute lion-like character. But it's talking. And moving. It's alive?! "Wha— what the hell are you?!" Shouyou blurts out in panic.

The plushie(?) twitches. "Hey, no need to be rude!" It shouts, before puffing its chest out. "I am Keroberos, guardian beast of the seal!"

Shouyou was completely lost. "Guardian? Seal?"

It, or rather, Keroberos sighs, and with a wave of his tiny paw, the pink book floats upright beside him. The winged lion from the cover is missing. "Yup," he chirps, patting the cover of the book with a paw, letting it drift open. "It's my duty to look after these here cards to make sure they don't get loose and—" Keroberos turns to look at the cards.

The book is empty.

Keroberos lets out a wail of despair.

"Gone! They're all gone!" He panics. "This is just like last time!" He cries. Keroberos swivels around and turns on Shouyou. "You!"

Shouyou flinches. "Yes?!"

"You didn't summon Windy, did you?!"

Shouyou blinks. "Win... You mean," he holds up the pink card. "This?"

Keroberos suddenly bolts towards him, swiping the card from his hand. "Noo!" He cries. "You scattered them!"

"The—" Shouyou starts. "I scattered them?! The cards?! How?!"

Keroberos holds up Windy. "With this! You summoned her and she scattered them all with a burst of wind, right?!"

"I summoned— what do you mean I summoned her?" Shouyou points at the card. "Do you mean... Do you mean magic?" He asks incredulously.

Keroberos nods, slowly floating to the ground. "That's right. You summoned Windy with your magic and scattered all of the cards!" He explains.

"Magic?! Are you kidding me?!" Shouyou laughs almost hysterically. "No, I must still be asleep— no, I fell asleep while studying with Koji, yeah," he tries to convince himself.

"You're not dreamin', kid!" Keroberos tells him firmly. "You're wide awake and responsible for unleashing powerful magical cards into the world,"

"Me?!" Shouyou exclaims. "Aren't you like, the guardian beast or whatever?! Isn't it your job to guard the cards?!"

Keroberos sputters. "I mean, I— I just happen to close my eyes for a few moments!"

"How long is a few moments?!"

"... Fifty years, give or take." Keroberos mutters.

Shouyou groans and lets his head fall back against the bookshelf with a thump.

And, in the brief moment of quiet, the sound of footsteps reach their ears.

Shouyou jolts, head snapping towards the door. "Someone's coming!" He whispers harshly, snatching Keroberos, who lets out a tiny shout, and swiping the book and card up, Shouyou dives into one of the cluttered aisles in the back and curls up behind some boxes.

Keroberos struggles in Shouyou's grip, but remains quiet. Shouyou himself holds his breath as he listens to the sound of the door opening. There's some footsteps into the room, along with the sound of shuffling boxes, before the footsteps lead out and the door closes again.

Shouyou sighs in relief, shoulders drooping. Keroberos smacks against his hand, and he jolts, letting the guardian beast go. "Sorry," he whispers.

Keroberos floats away from him. "Let's take this somewhere else before we get caught, yeah?" He suggests.

Shouyou nods frantically, before swinging his backpack off his shoulders and, tucking the card into the book, he slides it into his bag. Keroberos takes the opportunity to fly inside as well, and Shouyou zips it closed— well, almost closed. He leaves it open a crack for Keroberos.

Gently, he swings his bag back onto his back and tip toes out of the storage room, looking down the hall and back. With the coast clear, he sprints out of the hallway and back into the main library, headed straight for the doors.

"Sho-chan?" He hears Koji call.

"Sorry, Koji, I gotta go!" Shouyou frantically explains. "Um, my mom needs me home to watch Natsu!"

"Oh, alright?" Koji blinks. "Bye?"

Shouyou nods. "Bye, see you later Koji, thanks for studying with me!"

And with that, he takes off.

"Where is this?" Keroberos asks as he floats out of Shouyou's bag.

"The park near my house," Shouyou answers. "Nobody comes here 'cause there's a better one down that way." He explains, waving off in a random direction.

Keroberos looks around the park. "Wouldn't it be better to talk in your room?"

"I can't do that," Shouyou denies. "What if Natsu walks in? She'd go nuts over you."

"Little sister?" Keroberos guesses.

Shouyou nods.

Keroberos sighs. "It can't be helped, for now, I guess," he says, crossing his legs in the air.

"So, umm..." Shouyou fidgets. "Keroberos... -san?"

Keroberos laughs. "No need to be so stiff! Just call me Kero, kid!"

"Then, Kero-kun," Shouyou corrects. "Can you tell me what... what those cards are? Are they really magic?"

Keroberos— rather, Kero nods. "That's right. Originally known as the Clow Cards created by the magician Clow Reed, then mastered and transformed into Sakura Cards by Kinomoto Sakura. Each card has a life of it's own and possesses incredible powers, but they're all very willful and independent." He explains. "And now that they've been launched into the world, they'll run wild and cause chaos until they're sealed again."

Shouyou winces. "That's terrible!" He cries.

Kero nods. "It is," he agrees. "That's why you're gonna help me capture them."

A beat passes.

"Me?!" Shouyou shouts suddenly, pointing at himself. "No way, no way! I'm way too busy! I'm entering high school soon, and then I'll be joining the volleyball club— There's no way I'd have time to run around capturing magical cards! And anyway, how even could I? I'm just a normal guy! I can't stand up to something so powerful!"

"Well, calm down, first, okay?" Kero raises his paws placatingly. "Even Sakura was able to capture all the cards while attending school and her club."

Shouyou purses his lips, then blinks as the words process. "She had to capture the cards?"

Kero laughs sheepishly. "Actually," he turns away slightly, scratching his chin. "She did the exact same thing; scattered the cards with the wind spell." He admits, earning a surprised noise from Shouyou. "In any case, the fact that you were able to open the book and use Windy proves you have magical abilities!" Kero points at him.

Shouyou gapes. "I have magic?!"

"That's right." Kero nods. "Then— Ah, I almost forgot! What's your name, kid?"

"Ah, it's Hinata Shouyou,"

Kero hums. "Okay, bring me the Sakura book," he orders.

Albeit confused, Shouyou crouches down by his bag and pulls out the pink book and offers it to Kero. He grabs it with both paws and gently lays it down on the grass, before standing on its cover.

"Now then, stand before me." Kero commands, and Shouyou follows. As soon as Shouyou stands in front of him, the air around them shifts, and the rest of the world seems to fade away. A bright intricate circle begins to shine beneath them. "Key of the seal," Kero begins slowly, and a small glowing ball raises from the keyhole of the book's clasp, and floats towards the center of the circle, just before Shouyou. "There is one here who wishes to form a contract with you; it's a boy named Hinata Shouyou." Kero continues, and the small ball begins to shine brilliantly, wind flickering around wildly.

Shouyou squints against the light, but vaguely, he swears he can see a small key in the center of the light.

"RELEASE!" Kero shouts, and the key begins to grow until there's a long pink staff before him in the light. It has a star on one end, surrounded by a pink circle, with small white wings decorating the sides of said circle. "Shouyou! Take the staff!"

Pushing against the wind, Shouyou steps forward with an arm raise in an attempt to block out the light, while his other reaches for the staff. His fingers brush the cool staff before grasping it firmly. In an instant, it changes— the light pink that makes up the base of the staff turns a pretty gold color, shining by the light of magic, the pearly white wings that decorate the wand turn a raven black, and the golden star that makes up the center of it's decoration darkens to a beautiful bronze color.

And all at once; it stops. The light fades and the whole world returns to focus.

"I, Keroberos, now pronounce you the new cardcaptor!" Kero cheers.

Shouyou blinks, staring at the golden staff in his hands, then looks up at Kero.

"EH?!" Shouyou shouts, fluttering back and forth from the staff to Kero. "Cardcaptor?! Me?! No wait— I just told you— I mean, I guess, but— No way! Seriously?!" He stutters all over the place.

Kero laughs loudly. "Ah, it's fine! You're responsible for releasing them anyways, so it's your responsibility to catch them!" He says. "But for now, why don't you put the key away and let's get something to eat! I'm starving!"

"Ehhhhh?" Shouyou whines. "Seriously? I'm really—" He sighs. "Where am I gonna put this thing?" He waves the staff around.

"Just return it to it's concealed form!"

"It's— Huh?" Shouyou tilts his head, eyebrows knit in confusion.

"You know, the key," Kero adds, less than helpfully.

Shouyou's face scrunches up. "How do I do that?" He asks, looking from Kero to the staff. "Do I just—?" Before he can finish his sentence, the staff begins to glow, shrinking into its previous form as a key, startling Shouyou. "Oh." He blinks, staring at the key in his hand. It's attached to a long chain, so he simply pulls it over his head and lets it hang around his neck.

Kero laughs. "See? It's easy," he says, picking up the book and flying over to Shouyou. "Here, put this back in your bag for now." He hands the book to Shouyou, who promptly tucks it away in his backpack. Kero smiles approvingly and flies over to lay over Shouyou's shoulder. "Now, let's get some snacks! I haven't eaten in fifty years!"

Shouyou turns to look at him with wide eyes. "Eh? Are you okay?!"

"Ah, don't worry, don't worry," Kero quickly hushes. "I don't actually need to eat," he laughs. "But hey, there's this super delicious snack Sakura used to buy for me; do you think we can get some?"

Shouyou sighs, kicking up the kickstand on his bike and climbing on. "Geez..." Just what have I gotten myself into? He wonders, riding off down the path while Kero chatters happily in his ear.

"If we're gonna get something to eat, we might as well get an actual lunch."

"Eh? But what about my sweets?!"

"I'm home!" Shouyou calls as he steps inside, Kero tucked carefully into his bag to hide from Natsu.

"Welcome home, Shouyou," his mother greets him as he passes the living room, which he returns with a short 'Hi mom.' "How did studying go?" She asks.

Shouyou blinks at her, confused, before he remembers with a jolt. "Oh! Um! It was good! It was good!" He says quickly.

She raises an eyebrow. "Are you using your time properly?" She asks. "You've got to take studying seriously if you want to get into a school like Karasuno, you know."

"I know, I know, I am!" Shouyou quickly assures her. "Anyway, I'm gonna study some more in my room!" He tells her, before dashing off down the hall and into his room.

He puts his bag on his bed, unzipping it and letting Kero fly out. Shouyou takes the Sakura book and tucks it into the bottom drawer of his desk while Kero floats around his room in curiosity. "Hmmm, it's a lot different than Sakura's room," he notes absently, a tinge of nostalgic fondness seeping into his voice as he examines Shouyou's posters.

"Shhhh," Shouyou quickly shushes him. "Quiet, Kero-kun!" He whispers.

"Ah, sorry," Kero lowers his voice a little.

Shouyou sighs, dropping onto his bed. "So? How am I supposed to find these cards anyway?"

Kero hums, floating down to sit cross legged in the air before Shouyou. "Sometimes they'll make themselves known," he says. "But as you grow as a magician, you'll be able to sense the magic of the cards and find them before they make a scene."

"Cause a scene?" Shouyou echoes worriedly.

Kero nods. "It's not usually so bad," he laughs, trying to reassure Shouyou. "Don't worry, kid, you'll do great!" He affirms, giving him a thumbs up.

Shouyou sighs again, and leans back, flopping down onto his bed.

The wind outside picks up, rattling his windows and rustling the trees. At first, Shouyou ignores it, but then he hears it; a steady and heavy beating sound, in perfect sync with the wind. Something akin to a low hum buzzes on Shouyou's skin, and he scrunches his brows in confusion. Dread crawling up his spine, he sits up and looks outside.

"Shouyou!" Kero cries, pointing up into the sky.

Shouyou's eyes go wide, and he can physically feel himself pale as his stomach drops.

A large white bird— larger than any bird he's ever seen; rivaling the size of a building— just peeking over the treeline, flapping it's incredible wings, creating the gusts of wind that slam against his window. It takes off into the sky, and Shouyou all but throws his window open to lean out and look up as it flies overhead.

"It's a Sakura card!" Kero calls.

Shouyou whips back to look at Kero. "That's a Sakura card?!" He practically shouts. "There's no way I can go up against that thing!"

"Someone has to capture it before somebody gets hurt!" Kero shouts back.

Shouyou freezes, eyes blown wide. Someone could get hurt. That thing can injure someone. Even the beat of its wings could blow someone away and hurt them, let alone what could happen if it targeted someone and chased them down. Shouyou shivers, then squeezes his eyes shut as his brain automatically conjures up the worst possible scenarios. "But— But I... I'm just— I couldn't..." He mumbles helplessly, turning away from Kero.

Kero sighs, putting a paw on Shouyou's arm. "Kid, you can do this. You have the power to do this; you have the key, you have Windy, and you have me." He tells him seriously. "I'll be right by your side to help you. Come on, Shouyou, you've got to do it."

Shouyou looks back to Kero with a weak expression. His hands grip the window sill so hard his knuckles turn white, and he can feel himself shaking. "I..." He bites his lip. That card is going to run wild until someone, until I catch it... It could... It could hurt someone. He thinks of his little sister— she wouldn't even be able to stand in the wind the card created; she'd be completely blown away. I have to... With a deep breath, he tries to put on a strong face. Even though he can feel his lips quivering and his palms sweating, he looks at Kero and nods.

"Okay," He says. "Okay." Shouyou repeats, then lets go of the window sill and roughly opens his desk drawer to pull out the Sakura book. He takes the Windy card from the book and stuffs it into his pocket as gently as he can in his panic, then dashes out the door.

Shouyou slides into the living room. "Mom, I forgot something with Koji, so I'll be right back!" He tells her, hardly waiting for a reply before he slips his shoes on and runs out the door.

Kero flies down beside him once he's outside, having exited from Shouyou's bedroom window. "That way!" He says, pointing off down the path.

Shouyou darts down the path with surprising speed, Kero leading him down the road through the evening light, until they turn down a street at the river bank. Shouyou stops dead in his tracks.

There, atop the bridge over the river, the bird stands perched, flapping it's wings chaotically.

"Shouyou! The key!" Kero cries. "Summon the key, just like I told you!"

Shouyou jolts, tearing his gaze from the bird and looking to Kero, then down at the key around his neck, fluttering about in the wind. With shivering hands, Shouyou pulls the key from his neck and holds it out before him, letting the glow of the magic circle grow beneath his feet.

With a deep breath to steady himself, he begins. "Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! I, Shouyou, command you under our contract," He chants. "Release!" And with a bright light, the key grows under his hand, until the golden staff from before floats before him. Shouyou grabs it from the air, gripping the cool length of the staff tight in his hand. Somehow, it's comforting.

Kero nods approvingly, floating beside him. He looks over to the bird on the bridge. "That's the Fly card," he says. "It's connected to the wind attribute, so you should be able to use Windy to help you!"

"Use Windy to help... ?" Shouyou mumbles, thinking it over. Use Windy... He purses his lips in thought, before running out onto the bridge.

The Fly card spots him, and shrieks loudly. With a few powerful beats of it's wings, it lifts off into the sky, nearly blowing Shouyou away. He grunts as he struggles to stay standing— Kero grasping onto his hoodie so he's not blown away. The Fly never gives him a moment to rest though, as it soars high up into the sky before diving at him with terrifying speed.

Shouyou shrieks, and jumps out of the way as the Fly passes right through where he had been standing, narrowly missing him.

"Be careful!" Kero shouts over the wind.

The Fly flies up into the sky and turns around, preparing another attack. Shouyou tenses, and starts running down the length of the bridge. The Fly lets out another cry before giving chase, and Shouyou is only barely able to stay ahead of the card as it flies after him, but it's quickly gaining on him.

Use Windy... He racks his brain for an idea, before his eyes widen. I've got it! Shouyou thinks triumphantly, and slows his pace, allowing for the Fly to catch up.

Shouyou ducks as it tries to snap at him, and thus it misses. With another few heavy beats of it's wings, it begins to fly over and ahead of Shouyou; an attempt to turn around and cut him off.

Kero opens his mouth to shout for Shouyou to stop running, but his words catch in his throat as he watches with amazement as Shouyou jumps up an astonishing height and latches onto the Fly's leg. Kero, with his mouth open, lets out a surprised shriek, watching as the Fly cries out in frustration and flies higher into the sky.

"Shouyou!" Kero cries, speeding after them.

Shouyou, meanwhile, clings onto the Fly's leg for dear life as the ground grows further and further from him. Fear grips his heart with it's icy claws, bringing tears to his eyes and churning his stomach. He tries not to look down and instead shifts to cling to the Fly's leg with his left arm, while his right holds his staff and reaches for the card in his pocket.

He pulls it out and throws the card before him. "Wind, surround the Fly and bring it down!" Shouyou commands, then swings his staff back and slams it down onto the card when it returns. "Windy!" He cries. Then, he lets go of the Fly, free falling only for a few seconds until Kero snatches him by the back of his hoodie.

The card unravels in light and seeps into the form of a beautiful woman, who glides through the air and slinks around the Fly, completely surrounding it. Then, the wind begins to spin around the bird, forcefully twirling it in the air, disrupting it's flight and sending it sailing to the ground.

Kero drops Shouyou onto the ground, but before he can get a word out, Shouyou is already running off.

He stops before the Fly and raises his staff over head. "Fly, I command you to return to your true form," He chants. "Sakura card!" With a shout, he slams the staff down.

Instantly, the Fly's form begins to dissipate and unravel as it's dragged in in streams and ribbons of magic, slowly forming the card under his staff.

And then, it's gone.

Shouyou stares at the empty space where the Fly just was, before his legs turn to jelly and he falls to his knees. Fluttering down to the ground in front of him are two cards; Windy, who he'd just used, and the Fly.

"Shooouuuyoouuu!" Kero cries, flying after him. He speeds around the boy and flies in front of him. "Are you okay?!"

Shouyou swallows. "I..." He looks down at his hands. "I'm alive?!"

"Of course you're alive!" Kero shouts.

Shouyou cries. "Uuuwwooh! I seriously thought I was gonna die!"

Kero pats his head. "You did great, kid!" He praises. "Just what I'd expect from the cardcaptor I chose!" He sings.

Shouyou clamps his hand over his chest. "My heart is going crazy!" He says. "I was soooo high up, did you see that, Kero-kun?!"

"I saw, I saw!" Kero confirms. "But man did you ever give me a heart attack when you got blown off!"

Shouyou blinks. "No, I let go."

"Yeah, when you got blown off..." Kero closes his eyes and nods seriously, before his eyes snap open and shoot to look at Shouyou. "You let go?! On purpose?!"

Shouyou leans back as Kero flies up in his face. "Y-Yeah,"

"Why?!"

"Because!" Shouyou whines defensively. "I didn't wanna get caught up in that tornado-thing I sent Windy to do!" He says. "It's fine, isn't it? I knew you'd catch me!"

Kero stutters. "I— I mean," He gestures about wildly. "Yeah, of course I would! But, like?!" Kero struggles, at complete loss for words. "You would've died if I didn't catch you!"

"But... You did catch me." Shouyou says, matter of factly.

"Yeah, but that's not the point!" Kero throws his hands up. "How could you— How could you trust me 100% like that?!"

"You said you were gonna be by my side!"

"I was!"

"Then what's the problem?!" Shouyou throws his arms out.

"I don't—?" Kero makes a confused noise. "Ah— Geez, just forget it, kid." He sighs. "Anyway, congrats on your first card capture!" Kero turns up a big grin. "You've really got guts, Shouyou!"

Shouyou's shoulders slump. "Oh, god, I'm really doing this, aren't I?"

"Chin, up, kid!" Kero encourages. "You're gonna be great! Hey, you've got some amazing natural abilities, you know? Just what the heck was that jump?! I almost thought you were gonna start flying!"

Shouyou blushes and chuckles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Well," he grins proudly. "I've always been able to jump high like that."

"See? You've got some incredible skills!" Kero praises. "Now, come on, why don't we head back? You've gotta be tired, huh?"

Shouyou blinks, then pushes himself up, only to stumble and fall back to the ground. "Aha," He laughs awkwardly. "I don't know if I can stand— My legs are total jelly."

"Ah, geez, come on, kid!" Kero sighs, grabbing Shouyou's hand and pulling him to his feet. Once up, Shouyou stumbles and sways, but remains standing with Kero's help. When Kero was sure the kid wouldn't fall over again, he quickly swipes the cards up and holds em up to Shouyou. "Here you go! Hey, why don't you try out your new card?" He suggests.

Shouyou takes the cards from Kero and looks down at them. "Try it out?"

Kero nods furiously. "Yeah, go on!" He encourages.

Shouyou raises an eyebrow, but nods. Tossing the Fly out before him, he swings his staff down. "Fly!" He summons.

Soaring high above the sky, Shouyou lets out an amazed squeal, staring down at the small town beneath him. "Kero-kun! I'm flying! I'm flying! You see?!" He swivels to look at his friend.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Kero laughs.

"This is amazing!" Shouyou shouts, spinning upside down on his staff, before righting himself again, then speeding off through the sky, laughing wildly.

"Careful, Shouyou," Kero laughs.

As if he hadn't even heard him, Shouyou lets go of the staff and throws his hands up with a cheer.

Kero, narrowly avoiding a heart attack, quickly grips onto his hoodie in case he falls. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening!"

Kero sighs, but can't help the fondness that creeps into his voice.

"Well, I look forward to working with you, Cardcaptor Shouyou!"

Shouyou grins. "Yeah!"

A/N:

It's TRADITION to capture fly first, and I stand by this.

Anyway I totally forgot to add an author's note to the first chapter so ummm I went back an edited it in lmao.

If you're curious, you can find an edit of what Shouyou's staff looks like imgur dot com slash FG0JizE (dear fanfiction dot net please let me add links to my fics I'm BEGGING you. Honestly I just recommend you read this on ao3 so I can just link things like a NORMAL HUMAN BEING. Anywho just go right click + inspect to copy it lol. Or type it out like a heathen.)

Anywho! Please leave a review if you'd like! I live off of validation so, please.