Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura is owned by CLAMP, and all of the characters
except my original characters and my story line is also owned by CLAMP. The
content in the other chapters linked to this site is owned by CLAMP except
my original characters and story line.
The Start of Something New
Princess Sakura sat on a chair in her dressing room. One of her servants, Tomoyo, was helping her into a new gown. As she buttoned up the back, Princess Sakura looked herself up and down in the mirror. She gave a small twirl and frowned. "It is too difficult to move in," criticized the princess, "I shall wear it today, but I expect a new one by tomorrow morning." Tomoyo nodded and curtseyed, pulling her own servant's gown away at her sides. "That will do, Tomoyo." She left the room, leaving the princess still looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Sakura was beautiful, her short, brown hair hung loosely down to her shoulders and her emerald eyes stared woefully back at her from the mirror. Her body was shaped, her legs thin and strong, her hands small and graceful. She had wonderful etiquette and spoke three languages. Every prince and pauper watched in stunned silence when she brushed by, every worthy man in the world wanted to be her future prince. Sakura sighed and turned away from the mirror. "I need only freedom and love," she said, "I'd give my beauty, and everything for that."
She walked silently through the hallway, the back of her dress trailing in lovely yellow creases behind her. Suddenly, about seven feet away, a door opened to her right. Out walked a boy, dressed in a suit and tie, handsome enough to be a prince. He walked slowly with his head down, concealing his deep amber eyes, which the princess knew were there, watching, waiting, and hoping. His dark brown hair was all that could be distinguished against his dark suit; in the dim light, its highlights were unmistakable.
Sakura cleared her throat to make her presence known, and when she did, Syaoran stood up straight and turned to see her. He gave a low bow and stood again at the princess's "Thank you."
A smile crept across Sakura's face. One of her favorite things to do was to boss this servant; he was her age and despised doing what he was told, though that is what he must always do. Sakura liked him, it was only that it was more fun to annoy him and bother him than to be kind. He had received many a punishment from her, though none cruel or especially uncomfortable, and many a small, unneeded task was asked of him from her.
Many thoughts of despise ran through Syaoran's head as he waited for Sakura to give him an order, though none of these showed on his face, for fear of what would happen. "Servant boy," Sakura said, she knew that he hated being called by that name. At hearing this, a definite frown appeared on Syaoran's face. Sakura provoked him even more, she looking forward to punishing him. "Do you have my tea yet?"
A look of confusion appeared on Syaoran's thin face. "No, Your Majesty, Princess Sakura." He said grudgingly, hating the demand of calling her by such a ridiculous name.
"Why not?" said Sakura, hardly hiding the pleasure in her voice.
"Forgive me, Princess Sakura, but I do not remember being asked to bring tea."
Sakura added fake anger to her tone, "I do not ask, I order, or demand if you'd rather, and are you questioning my word? If I think that I asked you to bring tea, than it is so!"
Syaoran's cheeks burned red with rage. He knew the game that Sakura was playing, and mumbled, clearly mockingly, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, Princess Sakura."
"Dare you use that tone with you princess?" Sakura said, advancing a few steps forward, "You will receive no food rations for today, and half the water rations. You shall bring tea to me in my room, and wait there for me. I will keep you busy today."
Syaoran regretted greatly what he had said and done, though he was proud of himself for giving the stuck-up princess a little bit of what she needed. He bit his lip to keep from saying anything stupid. "Yes, Princess Sakura," he said. Then he turned and began walking towards the kitchen to fetch her tea, cursing under his breath, and Sakura made her way to the Servant's Quarters to inform them of Syaoran's punishment, smiling inwardly to herself.
~ ~ ~
"Augh!!!" Syaoran banged his fist on the wall of his room. He closed his eyes and cradled his hand, "Ow." He was almost in tears; he was tired, hungry, thirsty, and now his hand was bleeding. He had spent all evening doing stupid things for the stupid princess that she didn't even need done, it was all he could do to keep from ruining his other hand against wall, too.
He sat down on his cot and looked around. His room was about twice a big as a walk-in closet (except it was square-shaped, of course), and its walls were made of jagged stone. Stupid jagged stone!!! He looked carefully at the gash on the side of his hand and winced. He ripped some of the lining off of the sheet that covered his cot, which was the only other thing in the room. He wrapped it tightly, but gently, around his wound, and tied it. Then he fell backwards on his cot with a sigh, Sakura would probably make the day harder for him tomorrow, so, thankfully, he instantly fell into a deep, resting slumber.
~ ~ ~
"Servant boy!" Sakura clapped twice. Syaoran appeared around the corner a few moments later, an expression of loathing written clear on his face. "Run and fetch my morning tea." Syaoran glared at her and clenched his fists.
"Eriol has been sent for it, Princess Sakura."
"I want you to do it."
"May I ask for your reason?" Said Syaoran through clenched teeth, his face turning red.
"Do you dare ask?" Sakura said, in a warning voice. Syaoran lowered his head and glared at the floor.
"No, Your Majesty." He was biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding. It was all he could do, especially after the ordeal the day before, to keep himself from screaming a million words at her, and none of them would be "Your Majesty" or "Princess".
"Good," Sakura said in her most proper tone, "Get along with it then." Syaoran turned and left her room, muttering under his breath. He was glad that he hadn't gotten himself in trouble; he was starving and looked forward to today's meal.
Sakura turned and sat down on her bed. Somehow, she had a feeling that something wasn't normal today. Something wasn't right, either that, or something was going to happen. She had earlier tried to brush the feeling away, but it always came back. She sighed and opened up her book. It was called Princesses Past. She was supposed to read it and write a five-page report on it for her history lessons.
"Your Majesty," Sakura shut her book and turned around. Syaoran was standing at the doorway with her tea. "Your tea."
"Come in." Syaoran trudged in and set the tray down roughly on her desk. "Don't drag your feet so," Sakura scolded, "You'll ruin the carpet. Besides, it's not polite to do that in the presence of a Princess." Syaoran began walking towards the door, giving an over exaggerated demonstration of picking up his feet and walking properly. Sakura was having trouble suppressing an all-out laugh. In her boring life, even something as small as a servant boy could be exciting.
Her expression turned grave again, though, when the strange feeling came back in a rush, stronger than before. She felt a strong aura (or color, since she had no idea what auras were); it was coming from outside the castle. It was a deep gray. She was puzzled, because she had never felt a "color" unless its source was very near.
Syaoran paused outside Sakura's door while leaving. He felt something in Sakura's aura. She was confused, worried about something, something new.
Unlike Sakura, Syaoran knew about magic. The only people that Syaoran knew had magic were he, Eriol, Sakura, and the king. Of these, he, Eriol, and the King were aware of their magic. Sakura was unaware of her powers, Syaoran knew this, but she could feel things happening. She could feel auras, though she knew not what they were, she knew only that they were colors that she felt when certain people were near.
He, like Sakura, shrugged the feeling off and continued down the dim hallway. He had an uneasy feeling, though, he knew that something must be wrong. After feeling the dark aura in Sakura's, he began also feeling it himself. Another thing that bothered him was why she had felt the presence of the new aura first. His magic was much stronger than hers. Had he underestimated Sakura's level of power? Of course he knew that her magic was more abundant, but he, unlike Sakura, had control and knowledge of his, making his magic the stronger.
As he made his way down the hallway, the dark aura suddenly became very strong. It became so vivid that Syaoran fell to the ground out of dizziness. Sakura, hearing the "thump" as he hit the floor, scurried into the hallway.
Sakura saw Syaoran sitting in the middle of the hallway. He was staring straight ahead of him, at the wall, with a confused, worried look on his face, somewhat in a trance. She was about to ask if he was okay, but didn't say anything because of a dark gray color that had entered her mind.
As quickly as it came, the aura went, and Syaoran's gaze slowly moved to the velvet floor. He took a deep breath and stood up. He was so troubled about what had just happened that he didn't even notice the Princess watching him turn the corner.
"What was that?" Sakura thought, brushing off her dress. She was very confused and for some reason an unshakable feeling of terror seized her heart. She quickly ran back into her room and shut the door. She walked slowly to her bed and sat so that she had the wall behind her back and she had a view of the whole room in front of her. She let out a shaky breath that she had been holding and set her trembling hands in her lap. She couldn't feel the color anymore, but that only made things worse.
~ ~ ~
Syaoran was in his tiny little room once more, but this time not minding its musty smell or hostile air. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at his hands, which were clasped and sweaty on his knees. He was breathing harder than he noticed, but the gray aura, which was fresh in his mind, made it hard for him to do something even so simple.
He gasped and stood up, terrified, at a knock on his door. Once he realized the knock for what it was, he sat back down and said nothing. The door was locked, it wasn't like he could say 'come in' or anything.
Eriol gently opened the door and peeked inside before opening it all the way. Like Sakura, Tomoyo, and he, Eriol was fifteen and had known all three of them since he was a toddler. Eriol was a much stronger magician that Syaoran, and Syaoran was well aware of that. Eriol was Syaoran's only friend, though Tomoyo tried to be, and they often talked at night, since it was easy for Eriol to break the lock to Syaoran's room with his magic.
Syaoran noticed that Eriol's face was very serious tonight, but he wasn't surprised. Eriol stood in front of him and studied him for a few moments before saying anything; Syaoran just stared at the floor.
"A gray aura is present outside the castle gates," he said grimly.
"Really?" Syaoran said sarcastically, still not taking his eyes off the floor.
"I see you have sensed it." Eriol sighed, "Syaoran, I need you to take me seriously." Syaoran looked up. Eriol hardly ever directly addressed him, and when he did, it was always serious. "You aren't safe tonight."
Syaoran sighed. "Why? What does he want? Do I have a reason to care?"
Eriol looked sympathetically at Syaoran. He waited until Syaoran looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "He wants only your life and the cards."
The Start of Something New
Princess Sakura sat on a chair in her dressing room. One of her servants, Tomoyo, was helping her into a new gown. As she buttoned up the back, Princess Sakura looked herself up and down in the mirror. She gave a small twirl and frowned. "It is too difficult to move in," criticized the princess, "I shall wear it today, but I expect a new one by tomorrow morning." Tomoyo nodded and curtseyed, pulling her own servant's gown away at her sides. "That will do, Tomoyo." She left the room, leaving the princess still looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Sakura was beautiful, her short, brown hair hung loosely down to her shoulders and her emerald eyes stared woefully back at her from the mirror. Her body was shaped, her legs thin and strong, her hands small and graceful. She had wonderful etiquette and spoke three languages. Every prince and pauper watched in stunned silence when she brushed by, every worthy man in the world wanted to be her future prince. Sakura sighed and turned away from the mirror. "I need only freedom and love," she said, "I'd give my beauty, and everything for that."
She walked silently through the hallway, the back of her dress trailing in lovely yellow creases behind her. Suddenly, about seven feet away, a door opened to her right. Out walked a boy, dressed in a suit and tie, handsome enough to be a prince. He walked slowly with his head down, concealing his deep amber eyes, which the princess knew were there, watching, waiting, and hoping. His dark brown hair was all that could be distinguished against his dark suit; in the dim light, its highlights were unmistakable.
Sakura cleared her throat to make her presence known, and when she did, Syaoran stood up straight and turned to see her. He gave a low bow and stood again at the princess's "Thank you."
A smile crept across Sakura's face. One of her favorite things to do was to boss this servant; he was her age and despised doing what he was told, though that is what he must always do. Sakura liked him, it was only that it was more fun to annoy him and bother him than to be kind. He had received many a punishment from her, though none cruel or especially uncomfortable, and many a small, unneeded task was asked of him from her.
Many thoughts of despise ran through Syaoran's head as he waited for Sakura to give him an order, though none of these showed on his face, for fear of what would happen. "Servant boy," Sakura said, she knew that he hated being called by that name. At hearing this, a definite frown appeared on Syaoran's face. Sakura provoked him even more, she looking forward to punishing him. "Do you have my tea yet?"
A look of confusion appeared on Syaoran's thin face. "No, Your Majesty, Princess Sakura." He said grudgingly, hating the demand of calling her by such a ridiculous name.
"Why not?" said Sakura, hardly hiding the pleasure in her voice.
"Forgive me, Princess Sakura, but I do not remember being asked to bring tea."
Sakura added fake anger to her tone, "I do not ask, I order, or demand if you'd rather, and are you questioning my word? If I think that I asked you to bring tea, than it is so!"
Syaoran's cheeks burned red with rage. He knew the game that Sakura was playing, and mumbled, clearly mockingly, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, Princess Sakura."
"Dare you use that tone with you princess?" Sakura said, advancing a few steps forward, "You will receive no food rations for today, and half the water rations. You shall bring tea to me in my room, and wait there for me. I will keep you busy today."
Syaoran regretted greatly what he had said and done, though he was proud of himself for giving the stuck-up princess a little bit of what she needed. He bit his lip to keep from saying anything stupid. "Yes, Princess Sakura," he said. Then he turned and began walking towards the kitchen to fetch her tea, cursing under his breath, and Sakura made her way to the Servant's Quarters to inform them of Syaoran's punishment, smiling inwardly to herself.
~ ~ ~
"Augh!!!" Syaoran banged his fist on the wall of his room. He closed his eyes and cradled his hand, "Ow." He was almost in tears; he was tired, hungry, thirsty, and now his hand was bleeding. He had spent all evening doing stupid things for the stupid princess that she didn't even need done, it was all he could do to keep from ruining his other hand against wall, too.
He sat down on his cot and looked around. His room was about twice a big as a walk-in closet (except it was square-shaped, of course), and its walls were made of jagged stone. Stupid jagged stone!!! He looked carefully at the gash on the side of his hand and winced. He ripped some of the lining off of the sheet that covered his cot, which was the only other thing in the room. He wrapped it tightly, but gently, around his wound, and tied it. Then he fell backwards on his cot with a sigh, Sakura would probably make the day harder for him tomorrow, so, thankfully, he instantly fell into a deep, resting slumber.
~ ~ ~
"Servant boy!" Sakura clapped twice. Syaoran appeared around the corner a few moments later, an expression of loathing written clear on his face. "Run and fetch my morning tea." Syaoran glared at her and clenched his fists.
"Eriol has been sent for it, Princess Sakura."
"I want you to do it."
"May I ask for your reason?" Said Syaoran through clenched teeth, his face turning red.
"Do you dare ask?" Sakura said, in a warning voice. Syaoran lowered his head and glared at the floor.
"No, Your Majesty." He was biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding. It was all he could do, especially after the ordeal the day before, to keep himself from screaming a million words at her, and none of them would be "Your Majesty" or "Princess".
"Good," Sakura said in her most proper tone, "Get along with it then." Syaoran turned and left her room, muttering under his breath. He was glad that he hadn't gotten himself in trouble; he was starving and looked forward to today's meal.
Sakura turned and sat down on her bed. Somehow, she had a feeling that something wasn't normal today. Something wasn't right, either that, or something was going to happen. She had earlier tried to brush the feeling away, but it always came back. She sighed and opened up her book. It was called Princesses Past. She was supposed to read it and write a five-page report on it for her history lessons.
"Your Majesty," Sakura shut her book and turned around. Syaoran was standing at the doorway with her tea. "Your tea."
"Come in." Syaoran trudged in and set the tray down roughly on her desk. "Don't drag your feet so," Sakura scolded, "You'll ruin the carpet. Besides, it's not polite to do that in the presence of a Princess." Syaoran began walking towards the door, giving an over exaggerated demonstration of picking up his feet and walking properly. Sakura was having trouble suppressing an all-out laugh. In her boring life, even something as small as a servant boy could be exciting.
Her expression turned grave again, though, when the strange feeling came back in a rush, stronger than before. She felt a strong aura (or color, since she had no idea what auras were); it was coming from outside the castle. It was a deep gray. She was puzzled, because she had never felt a "color" unless its source was very near.
Syaoran paused outside Sakura's door while leaving. He felt something in Sakura's aura. She was confused, worried about something, something new.
Unlike Sakura, Syaoran knew about magic. The only people that Syaoran knew had magic were he, Eriol, Sakura, and the king. Of these, he, Eriol, and the King were aware of their magic. Sakura was unaware of her powers, Syaoran knew this, but she could feel things happening. She could feel auras, though she knew not what they were, she knew only that they were colors that she felt when certain people were near.
He, like Sakura, shrugged the feeling off and continued down the dim hallway. He had an uneasy feeling, though, he knew that something must be wrong. After feeling the dark aura in Sakura's, he began also feeling it himself. Another thing that bothered him was why she had felt the presence of the new aura first. His magic was much stronger than hers. Had he underestimated Sakura's level of power? Of course he knew that her magic was more abundant, but he, unlike Sakura, had control and knowledge of his, making his magic the stronger.
As he made his way down the hallway, the dark aura suddenly became very strong. It became so vivid that Syaoran fell to the ground out of dizziness. Sakura, hearing the "thump" as he hit the floor, scurried into the hallway.
Sakura saw Syaoran sitting in the middle of the hallway. He was staring straight ahead of him, at the wall, with a confused, worried look on his face, somewhat in a trance. She was about to ask if he was okay, but didn't say anything because of a dark gray color that had entered her mind.
As quickly as it came, the aura went, and Syaoran's gaze slowly moved to the velvet floor. He took a deep breath and stood up. He was so troubled about what had just happened that he didn't even notice the Princess watching him turn the corner.
"What was that?" Sakura thought, brushing off her dress. She was very confused and for some reason an unshakable feeling of terror seized her heart. She quickly ran back into her room and shut the door. She walked slowly to her bed and sat so that she had the wall behind her back and she had a view of the whole room in front of her. She let out a shaky breath that she had been holding and set her trembling hands in her lap. She couldn't feel the color anymore, but that only made things worse.
~ ~ ~
Syaoran was in his tiny little room once more, but this time not minding its musty smell or hostile air. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at his hands, which were clasped and sweaty on his knees. He was breathing harder than he noticed, but the gray aura, which was fresh in his mind, made it hard for him to do something even so simple.
He gasped and stood up, terrified, at a knock on his door. Once he realized the knock for what it was, he sat back down and said nothing. The door was locked, it wasn't like he could say 'come in' or anything.
Eriol gently opened the door and peeked inside before opening it all the way. Like Sakura, Tomoyo, and he, Eriol was fifteen and had known all three of them since he was a toddler. Eriol was a much stronger magician that Syaoran, and Syaoran was well aware of that. Eriol was Syaoran's only friend, though Tomoyo tried to be, and they often talked at night, since it was easy for Eriol to break the lock to Syaoran's room with his magic.
Syaoran noticed that Eriol's face was very serious tonight, but he wasn't surprised. Eriol stood in front of him and studied him for a few moments before saying anything; Syaoran just stared at the floor.
"A gray aura is present outside the castle gates," he said grimly.
"Really?" Syaoran said sarcastically, still not taking his eyes off the floor.
"I see you have sensed it." Eriol sighed, "Syaoran, I need you to take me seriously." Syaoran looked up. Eriol hardly ever directly addressed him, and when he did, it was always serious. "You aren't safe tonight."
Syaoran sighed. "Why? What does he want? Do I have a reason to care?"
Eriol looked sympathetically at Syaoran. He waited until Syaoran looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "He wants only your life and the cards."