A/N: Thanks for all your reviews. This is for you guys.

Disclaimer: I claim no legal rights to CCS. I repeat, I claim no rights to CCS. I claim no lefts either. In fact, the name SpringbloomOpal (or my real name, for that matter) and the words 'ownership of Card Captor Sakura' do not go in the same sentence. Ever.

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By the Lake

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Chapter 1: The Hidden Message

6 Years Later

His brow glistened like a lush, dew-coated field. Syaoran wiped at it impatiently and collapsed enthusiastically into the moist grass below, shaking the prickly remains of crumpled leaves from his unkempt hair. Taking a long, blissful swig from the flask that usually hung precariously at his hip, he let the cool, refreshing water dribble languorously down his chin, soaking his face, neck and shirt.

His entire body ached and the sharp sting of sunburn that stretched across his exposed flesh wasn't doing much for him either.

Yukito flopped down beside him, his usually pale skin looking just as bad – if not worse for the burning rays they had endured throughout the day. Curse Ichiro! The foreman had been working them tirelessly all day. The man didn't know the meaning of mercy, let alone how to use it properly.

"Get up, you lazy lumps of flesh." Ah. Speak of the devil. "We're not even halfway done yet." He loomed over them from his great height and frowned at the incompetent fools he'd been given to work with. The kids thought they were sons of the bloody high-class, for the sake of Kami! Not the good-for-nothing street beggars that they were.

"But the pile's humungous," Syaoran protested, although he knew by know that his objections were futile. He pointed towards the direction of the clearing where the rest of his companions were hauling the first batch of logs into carts. At least, they would be when their foreman went to check up on them a few minutes later. Right now they were probably lazing around in a drunken stupor.

Ichiro hated it when they smuggled ale and beer from the nearby taverns and it seemed they only did it more just to spite him. As if remembering what had happened the last time he'd left his employees to their own devices, he gave the pair one last glare before scurrying off towards the clearing.

Sighing, Syaoran reluctantly helped himself up, though he made sure to take his time. "Come on, Yukito. We'd best get a move on before Ichiro decides we're not worth keeping." Without the woodcutter's lodging he would have no shelter from the cold nights and fierce winds, and despite the hard mattresses and insufficient covering he still had to admit that the dilapidated cabin they all shared was better than nothing.

"You go on ahead," the older man mumbled tiredly, giving a small half-hearted wave as if to shoo him away.

Syaoran didn't complain. Everybody regarded Yukito like a child; perhaps it was the pale, white skin, or the fragility and gracefulness the silver-haired youth seemed to emanate – maybe even both.

He set off, without a destination in mind, disappearing into the thicket of towering trunks and crooked branches. Somewhere and nowhere and everywhere else in between. Anywhere but home.

^~^~^~^~^~^

One would need only a quick glance to be reduced to a quaking mass of nerves. It wasn't the fine clothing, though they were certainly rich and embroidered with the tiniest intricate details. And it wasn't the eyes, although they were truly something else; intense and deep, the colour of ruby and blood and passion.

It was the way she held herself, with such superiority and confidence that the villagers knew at once that this woman must be treated with complete and utter respect.

The dust rose and fell, momentarily clouding her vision, but she didn't bother nor care. For many months now she had trekked through wild terrain, endless valleys, uncouth drunkards, and she would continue to do so for many more. She was a woman. A woman of high-class standing, but a woman nonetheless. A woman on a mission…

^~^~^~^~^~^

The first thing Syaoran noticed as soon as he woke from his slumber was how quickly time seemed to have passed. The sky no longer bore even the tiniest hint of the blazing fireball that had encompassed it during his last waking period.

The second thing he noticed was that he was alone - and the words 'alone' and 'dark' was never a good combination. Even the most foolish knew never to set foot in the woods when dusk had set in. There had been many a tale of curious travelers who were never seen again. Of course, Syaoran supposed there was more fiction than fact in these stories – perhaps, in their own intoxicated daftness these travelers had merely lost their virginity to a poor, defenseless deer and in their humiliation had taken a different name at their return to the civilized world – but years of countless horrific tales would leave even the most perfected skeptics at least a little wary.

Where were Yukito and the others?

Syaoran growled. The idiot had probably fallen asleep under the sun and had forgotten about him as soon the words 'dinner' and 'rest' had been uttered. A night of boozing and ladies would ensue at the local tavern, followed by a late night if they were lucky. At this rate nobody would find him until he was sopping wet and wild eyed the next morning.

Well, he had two options: stay where he was and try to catch some sleep, especially since he had a big day ahead of him tomorrow – yelling himself hoarse and whatnot. The other option was to wander blindly in the dark in an attempt to stumble his way toward the entrance. 

What to do, what to do?

Never one to idle away good time, Syaoran opted for the latter. He sure as hell wasn't going to stay around waiting for some possessed deer to molest him. That thought made him hasten his steps. Was madness creeping in already? If so, then good lord - he was a dead man.

Hours later, he froze. He'd sensed it before he'd seen it. His eyes scanned this way and that as he tried to see past dark, ominous shapes, quelling the panic that was rapidly rising in his chest. Crazy, irrational thought after another entered his mind, the next more gruesome than the last.

Breathe, Syaoran. In, out, in, out, in –  "Sacred shit!"

"It's not wise to be out here at this time." The voice was gentle and kindly, nothing like the deep, malevolent laughter he'd imagined. He eyed the owner of the voice warily. It was all so surreal – what in the world was a young woman such as she doing here, with her little woven basket slung over her slender golden arm. She wore a heavily stained smock and her skin was smudged with dirt, as if she had been digging around in the earth all night. But it was her eyes, that mesmerizing rich green, which captivated him most. An emerald shimmering like a guiding star in the dark.

"Who are you?"  He was shocked, to say the least. Never in his right mind would he expect to find somebody else roaming the woods right now.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, then shut it again, looking almost…pained. A second later her eyes were bright again and she smiled. "Come. You shouldn't be wandering around at this hour. I'll take you somewhere you can stay 'til the morning."

He looked her up and down suspiciously. She looked harmless enough, but looks could be deceiving and Syaoran did not want to meet his death because of a stupid little slip-up.

She had been delicately weaving her way between closely packed trees and now paused, turning to acknowledge his reluctance.

"Oh, I won't hurt you. I promise."

He didn't know whether it was her eyes that made him trust her so infinitely, or perhaps her gentle nature, but nevertheless he found himself trailing her footsteps, occasionally ducking beneath slender branches. She was so fast and sure, it made him wonder if she had lived in these woods her whole life.

They halted suddenly and Syaoran found himself at a clearing and was relieved to find that at least here he was able to see more clearly. He was surprised to see that the moon had been full all this time, but he supposed that the great horde of trees had blocked the light beforehand. A lake shimmered invitingly a few steps away and he sighed, feeling his muscles relax.

He couldn't explain it but this place… - it drew him in. Just like the girl. It was crazy, illogical, unexplainable and yet to Syaoran it just seemed so simple, so easy.

"So, you must live close by." It was more of a question than a statement. He had gotten over his initial shock and now curiosity had won him over.

She paused, playing with her hair, which was an interesting shade of brown and hung down to below her waist, and chewed on her bottom lip. "You could say so," she answered carefully, averting her gaze. Syaoran couldn't work her out. One minute she was friendly and open, the next she was withdrawn and secretive. Never trust something that bleeds for five days and still doesn't die, he reminded himself with a little laugh. It had been the one thing Ichiro had said in the whole time that Syaoran had known him that had tickled his funny bone. There was hope for the guy after all.

He tried a different approach. If he was going to be stuck with the girl for a whole night he might as well get to know her better. "I haven't seen you around and I'm sure I know all the girls in the village." He hadn't meant to make it sound the way it had and he mentally cursed himself.

"I'm sure you do," she murmured with a polite smile.

Oooh. Shot down.

"What I meant was," Syaoran cleared his throat as he tried to redeem himself, "well, there are so many questions – who are you and what are you doing here? I mean, I know I'm here because my friends are stupid morons, but I don't think that's your case."

"No." The girl shook her head and smiled wistfully. "That's not the case. I have a true friend – A…a friend for life."

Syaoran frowned. Strange. He was sure she had put an extra emphasis on the last part. But why would she do something like that? And he was tired after all, though he tried to hide it. He stifled a yawn and tried to find a comfortable position on the ground. To his surprise the earth was soft and yielding beneath his weight. Now it would be harder to keep awake and he wanted to keep on talking to the girl.

She intrigued him, perhaps even owed her his life – who knew what would have happened to him if she hadn't chanced upon him like that? – and a little voice inside his head was still a little wary.

After all, you couldn't completely trust a person in the space of an hour or so, and Syaoran had always found it harder than most to completely trust a person. His entire life had not been built on complete trust and he'd learnt not to take anything on face value.

"What do you like to do?" he found himself asking, more so to keep him occupied. He could feel his eyelids drawing closed of their own accord, no matter how hard he willed them open.

He didn't hear her answer. Her voice seemed to come from far away and all he heard were jumbled, incoherent murmurs and soft whispers before he lost himself completely in the blackness…

  The birds cawed him awake and for the second time in the span of a day he found himself alone in the woods. For a moment everything was like a jumbled jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces all over the place, but slowly everything clicked just right and the fog lifted from his muddled brain. The girl…

He bolted upright, scanning his surroundings. Strange how everything looked so different now that it was morning and the sun was out. He frowned and looked up as a cherry blossom landed gracefully on the tip of his nose.

A supple, willowy cherry blossom tree towered over him with slender branches waving lightly to him as the wind rippled through its blossoms.  It seemed to cradle him gently, like a mother would its child. Why hadn't he noticed it last night?

"Syaoran!"

The call was faint but he recognised the voice almost instantly.

"Yukito, I'm over here!"

A few moments later a silvery-haired youth peered at him from behind the protection of a tree. Syaoran didn't show emotion very often, but when he got angry, he got really angry and Yukito sure as hell didn't want to be caught in it. "Please don't hurt me."

Syaoran let his shoulders sag. Last night he'd wanted to throttle them all. Today he just didn't have the energy.

"Come on, Yukito," he sighed. "Lead us back to town."

He cast one last searching look at the clearing, before he turned his back and followed his friend out.

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Hope you liked it. It's a little short, but I'm still sorta working on the characters. The interesting stuff comes soon, I promise. Clow Reed fits into the picture more than you think. The title of this chapter is a bit ambiguous, but see if you can figure out what the hidden message was. And I'll love you forever. :)

Eh, I don't know about you guys, but the part where Syaoran meets Sakura for the first time seems a little…I dunno. It doesn't flow really well, but I rewrote it over and over again and that was the best I could get without dragging on. Oh, and the quote about never trusting a girl is not mine, though I'm not exactly sure whose it is. If anybody knows, please tell me.

The poor defenseless deer thing. Looking back, that's really gross. Ooooh, yuk.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SUPPORT! 3

Responses to Reviews

 Summer Rain: Yes, I remember you. Of course I do. ^^ I guess since it's supposed to be a bit mysterious it'll also be a bit confusing. Hopefully everything will be cleared up soon. The thing is that Sakura is what the story revolves around but she rarely gets an actual speaking part unless she's with Syaoran so you'll never actually get what happened to her. Just various accounts on what other people say have happened to her. Ehhhh….now I'm confused. -_-;;

Miss Qui Chen: Yes. I owe AngelSweetie a lot for this one. She thought of the Sakura turning into a cherry blossom tree thing. I just elaborated with a surrounding plot and setting.  ^^; It's true. My writing is a bit rough around the edges. It's been ages since I've written anything besides a persuasive essay. ::sigh::

Sakura: Glad you liked it! Thanks for your review. :)

AngelSweetie: Huggles you! 'Big sis' I couldn't do this without you, you know. Anyway, well you must have been going crazy or something 'coz I didn't delete it. It's called changing your name, dahhhhhhling. :P I wanted to see how often you checked it and how long it would take you to realise. But it's all good now, isn't it? Anyway, what about you, you hypocrite? It's not like you're updating or anything!

Jaina: Thank you very much. Thanks for your review! I appreciate it a lot. :)

Dragonstar03: Glad you think so. Thanks for your review.

SweetCherryBlossom: Well, I didn't update soon, but it's all good right? I mean, it beats my record of my other stories in which I didn't update for six months I think. -_-;; Anyway, thanks for your review.

Umi: Thank you, thank you, thank you. ::huggles you::

DrEaMgAzEr: Well, the plot idea goes to AngelSweetie. The Sakura turning into a cherry blossom tree was mainly her idea. I just elaborated with the setting and time period. Thanks a bunch!

Evil Emzo-chan: ::glomp:: Ahhhh! I'm not dead! ::pinches herself:: See?! But I don't see you updating. No sirr-eeee. Nope. Okay, well now you owe me lollipops! AHAHAHHA!