Chapter 1
Archaeologist
This fanfic is one of the first Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLe fanfics on ff.net. I hope you'll like it. This story is in Sakura's point of view. I promise I'll reply to your reviews! Before I forget to tell you, you can call me Himitsu or Fylleth! :P
-- Himitsu
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"Syaoran …" I stared at the high ceiling of my chamber, feeling so imprisoned. Touya would rarely ever let me go out. I know he would decline even if I begged him on hands and knees. There were times I couldn't take it anymore and crept outside without permission. The last time I did that was around two months ago.
"I miss you," I muttered to myself. I had grown used to talking to myself when I was alone, especially in this room. I had no one else to talk to. When I was a little girl I would always talk to Syaoran. "I miss you … so much …"
I haven't seen him for a long time. For the past weeks, I remained in the castle. I know Syaoran would be too tired to see me. I know how hard he worked, from early in the morning until close to sunset. His assistants delivered reports to the King, Touya, nearly everyday. Each time I hear the doors of the castle open, I would rush down to see who it was. But it was never him.
I could hear Touya and Yukito-san talking to the excavation assistants indistinctly. They were delivering a report to Touya.
I put on my cloak and slipped out of my room. I managed to sneak outside without getting noticed. Hopefully, I could return without being seen too. I know Touya would be mad at me for going out and not telling him, but it was worth the risk.
As I ran through the city, people waved at me and I waved back. It was a while since I had last walked here. Everybody was so friendly, I regretted not being able to come here more frequently. Syaoran lived in such an open atmosphere; all his neighbours were kind.
A familiar sensation of joy rushed through me as I approached Syaoran's house. It was still the same as ever, without anything particular to make it stand out from the other houses. But I still know which one it was.
I clenched my fists, unable to hold the longing in me to any further extent and knocked the door. Within a few seconds the door swung open slowly.
"Yes?" came the familiar voice I've known nearly all my life.
"Syaoran!" I gave him a big hug and both of us fell to the floor.
"Welcome back!" I greeted him happily. "How are the excavations of the ruins going? How's your injury? Has your fever gone yet? Have you eaten yet?" I asked, peering at him closely.
"Uh, yes," Syaoran replied, still perplexed. "Everything has been fine."
"You're speaking so politely!" I moved even closer to him.
"But … Hime-sama …"
"You used to call me Sakura!" I pouted, pretending to be offended. I was slightly upset. He always called me Sakura all the time.
"Yes," he said. "Er, no, I mean, yeah."
"Sakura," I said, as though I was teaching him how to pronounce my name properly.
"Sa … Sakura," Syaoran said finally.
I let out a little chuckle and realised I was still on him. "Ah! I'm sorry, I must be heavy!" I apologised quickly and got off him. There was silence for a moment.
"But really, welcome home, Syaoran," I said.
"Yep, I'm home," Syaoran answered.
At least he had dropped his politeness. For a while.
"Your highne …" Syaoran paused. "You knew pretty quickly. That I'm back, that is."
"Today some people came to the castle to deliver a report about the excavation," I explained.
"Is it all right for you to be here then?" Syaoran questioned.
"Yeah, listening to all those kind of reports is my brother's job," I said. "But since those people came to deliver those report," – I beamed mischievously "– I thought I'd come here to visit you!"
"What!?" Syaoran exclaimed, sweat dropping. "No way … You mean you came here all by yourself?"
"Yup!"
Syaoran shook his head disapprovingly.
"As usual, my brother wasn't exactly thrilled about me coming to your house, Syaoran," I said. "But still, we've been friends for ever and ever, even since we were kids. Right?"
I picked up the picture of Syaoran and his father, Fujitaka smiling back at the two people in the picture. It brought back a lot of memories. "It has been seven years, isn't it?" I said, calculating the years in an instance. "Since you and your father came to this country."
I remembered it clearly. Both of us were just little kids, seven years ago.
"You and your father came hear from a foreign because he had interest in the ruins here … because he was an archaeologist. He thought that probably the desert had ruins buried underneath. If he could carry out the excavations he had first to understand the country's history, and he had to convince the King.
"He accompanied all these important people to the site to promote the excavation … It seemed like the preparations would continue forever. But the proposal was finally accepted, and the excavations began," I finished.
"I lost him while excavating those ruins …" said Syaoran, smiling sadly. "What I thought was my 'happy life' had ended, when he laughed for the last time."
I couldn't stand it when Syaoran was sad. It seemed to affect me too, making me feel his grief. "When you lost your father I said you could come and live with me!"
"Yeah, but living in a castle would be really weird, you know."
"It is not weird!" I retorted. "We're childhood friends!"
"Someone who isn't royalty cannot live in a castle," said Syaoran simply. "Besides, I'm an assistant in this excavation, it's fine for me to live here."
"But …" I mumbled, looking down to the floor. "Because of your world we haven't been able to see each other these days. It's lonely." I recalled being alone in my chamber feeling like caged bird, wishing I could fly away. "Aren't you lonely to Syaoran?"
"Yeah … I'm lonely," Syaoran admitted glumly. "But this excavation is my dad's …"
"It's ok, I know. It's an important dream for you, isn't it?" I said quickly. "I understand … but I still want to see you more. Back at the castle, in my room at night, I'm always thinking of you. 'What is Syaoran doing now?' 'I wonder if he's thinking of me a little too?' "
"I'm thinking of you," said Syaoran, smiling. "Why do you wonder about it? Or course I'm thinking of you."
I blushed. "Uh … I …" I had wanted to tell him for years, that I ... Now I couldn't even look in his eyes. I tried not to blush any further. "Um, Syaoran … there's something … I want to … say."
"What is it?" Syaoran said.
"Um … well, um …" I looked up to his face. My heart was racing fast. Should I just change the subject and forget this? "I … Syaoran, I …"
I was on the verge of saying it when the castle bell rang deafeningly.
DONG!
Both of us fell over again, in alarm. I was totally speechless. I never had the courage to say it, but now …
"It's the castle bell," said Syaoran, gazing out of the window. "It's sunset already."
I clutched my chest, breathing heavily. "Ah … I was just a little surprised," I assured him. "My brother was trying to interfere by ringing that bell …" I muttered quietly, wiping my sweaty forehead.
"Eh? Interfere?" asked Syaoran curiously.
I shook my head at once. "When the bell rings, I have to return to the castle," I said.
"Well, you're late."
"Yeah, um, you must be tired from working. I'll go back by myself. There's no problem, this country is full of wonderful people," I added as an afterthought.
"Well, that's true. I've been to many countries with my father; this country is very peaceful," said Syaoran.
"Um, well, about the thing I was going to tell you … I'll tell you the next time we meet, ok?" I said, reddening.
"Ah, ok."
"I'm going to say it for sure!" I said. "So wait for it, ok?" I strode away before he could reply.
"My, konnichi wa, Hime-sama!" greeted a woman.
"Konnichi wa!" I called back.
"Hey, it's the princess!"
"Your face looks a little flushed," said the woman as I came near her stall.
"Ahh, it's nothing!" I couldn't believe I was still blushing.
"Would you like an apple, Hime-sama?" she offered me a pale golden-yellow fruit.
"Arigatou! It looks delicious!" I thanked the woman and headed for the castle.
On my way to the castle, the sky shone with yellow and orange streaks. I paused to watch the sunset, chewing on the apple I received. The sun was a red semicircle, barely visible as it was sinking over the horizon of sand dunes. I paused to watch the sunset, thinking of what might happen tomorrow.
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Ok, so how's that? Reviews please? If you review I will definitely write more! :) I'll try not to expect that many reviews though. n_n