Daphne: "Hey! Since I have already finished 'Forced to Love', and have
started it's sequel, I have decided to take a short break from that and
write a story that has been running through my head for the past few days.
I know some of you will be angry with me for not finishing my other stories
first, but hey! Writer's block is writer's block! Anyway, some of the
characters in this story will be pretty OC, such as Syaoran's sisters and
mother, and king Fujitaka. (Don't ask, just read!). This story is
about Princess Kinomoto Sakura, who has never even heard of slavery, and is
quite horrified and disgusted when her father agrees to buy a group of war-
slaves that were 'salvaged' from the Kinomoto-Li War, that the Kinomoto's
just won. One of the prisoners, a boy known as Xiao-lang or Li, to the
Kinomoto's, secretly swears revenge on the Kinomoto kingdom, only to
realize that there is much more to the Kinomoto family than meets the eye.
Sakura's best friend, Princess Daidouji Tomoyo, also shares Sakura's hate for slavery, though in different ways. She is quite unsure of whether to loath the Li kingdom-slaves or take pity on them. She becomes even more confused when the flirty, dashing, and dangerously handsome Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol comes to town, and insists on pestering her endlessly, not to mention offending her, teasing her, flirting with her, and so much more. But when Sakura and Tomoyo discover a secret that links themselves, Eriol, Touya, Yukito, several young soldiers, and the supposedly 'all dead' Li family together, will the girls tell their discovery? Or will they help with a very dangerous recovery mission.one that could get them all sentenced to death for betraying the Kinomoto kingdom?! Read to find out!
All right.now I am freaking myself out! I just sounded like a narrator for some big movie or something! Looks up at the sky Please, just shoot me now!"
Warning: This story starts out with a chapter of a book that Sakura is reading, so no, I did not make a mistake with the characters!
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS.and that is that! ~*~*~*~
Refuge by: Daphne Li Chapter 1.
A petite girl with shoulder-length, light brown hair, walked down a long, dim hallway, headed towards two immense doors that stood forbiddingly at the far end of it. Bright blue eyes flashed with half-loathing, half-fear, as the girl neared the doors; the doors that would seal her fate and make this all real. The doors which behind them reigned an evil and half-crazed man, who just happened to be her knew master.
Yes. That was all Samirah was now, a slave. She had been bought by the evil King Ramah, who, she had no doubt, would not hesitate to kill her on the spot if she did not please him. It was quite a shame for the King's family, to have such a horrible man as a husband, father and brother. The rest of Ramah's family, who consisted of his wife, Shirah, his four daughters Millian, Meagan, Mira, and Melissa, his son Carlondon, his brothers, Hyphen and Collin, Hyphen's daughter Callista, and son, Ellisar, were said to be quite decent people; well, except Carlondon. He was said to take after his father, although this came as no surprise to anyone, because the whole royal family was labeled as horrid and evil, even when it was not usually true.
With a deep, calming breath, Samirah reached for the doors huge, fancy handle, which was shaped like a lion's head, and slowly opened the door. It was even dimmer in the room, save for one small beam of light, that fell in the middle of the room. Samirah worked frantically to get her eyes to focus, but an evil chuckle broke her concentration. She looked up, still blinking, to see a middle-aged man sitting on a rather metallic-looking throne.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Came a sickly smooth voice. Samirah shivered slightly and curtsied.
"Sam..Samirah, your gracious Majesty." She stammered, nearly puking on the distasteful words that left her mouth. The king, however, seemed pleased.
"There now. Why don't you come into the light, so I can see you better?" He slithered, his voice dripping with what he must have thought sounded kind. She shivered again and stepped into the light.
What she didn't know, was that when she did, the light threw beams of red out from her hair, that had been hidden in the dim light. It also accented her lovely countenance, making her glow in an almost angelic way. In reality, Samirah was quite a beautiful girl, even without the light, and the King's steely eyes roved up and down her greedily, making him seem almost like a predator stalking it's prey.
"Well, now! Aren't we a pretty thing? You know, if I hadn't intended you as a present for my son, I would be more than happy to keep you for myself!" He commented still eyeing her. Samirah looked down and refused to meet his gaze. How could he say such vulgar things to her?! That buffoon! That lout! How dare he?!
"I suppose you wish to get re-dressed in more appropriate attire. I will have Cornea, my lady-slave take you back to your chambers, which are next to the prince's and there she will attire you in more suitable clothing. You may go." He said, waving his hand in a lazy way, but his eyes were still undressing her. As she turned away, she wrinkled her nose and worked hard not to vomit. So this was the life she was facing. Simply to be a.a.courtesan for some baneful prince? How could life be so cruel? How could anyone--
"Sakura!!!"
~*~*~*~
"Sakura!!!"
"HOE?! What did you say?" A girl with waist-length auburn hair and emerald green eyes looked up from the book she had been reading and met the anxious amethyst eyes of her best-friend and cousin, Princess Daidouji Tomoyo. The other girl's raven-violet hair was pulled up into braids and then twined around her head. Both girls were eighteen, although Sakura had only been eighteen for three weeks.
"I said, your father wishes to see you, now. I don't know what it is about.." Tomoyo trailed off, looking worried. Sakura frowned. Her father rarely asked to see her. Usually, Sakura came and went from his presence on her own free will.
"All right..but what could he possibly want?" Sakura wondered aloud. Tomoyo shrugged. Ever since the war between the infamous Li kingdom and the usually peaceful Kinomoto kingdom had started, the girls had rarely seen the king. He and Sakura's older brother, Touya, were usually off on the battle ground, conversing with the soldiers about the best attacking methods.
"Well..I suppose we should go down.." Sakura said, still hesitant. She had a very bad feeling about this. Her feelings were confirmed when a huge beast, that looked like a decorated lion flew through her balcony doors and landed on her bed.
"Sakura, your father wants you..now!" The yellow beast said in a hollow voice. "He said it was something about the war.." He trailed off, unable to say more, because the girl had let out a shriek.
"OH, NO! Please tell me it isn't Touya! Touya isn't dead, is he?" Sakura panicked, running from the room with Tomoyo hot on her heals. That yellow beast was Sakura's guardian, and also the guardian of the famous Clow Cards, which were now Sakura Cards. He was called Cerberus, also knows as Kero, to Sakura. The two panicked girls raced down the staircases and through the halls, and pounded into the large throne-room, where King Kinomoto Fujitaka sat waiting.
"Father! Father, what.." Sakura trailed off, as another man burst into view, his face clouded with worry.
"Father, why on earth..oh, hello kaijuu." The man said, halting and looking at the pale young woman. Instead of yelling at him, as she usually did, Sakura raced forward and captured her brother's waist in a iron grip.
"Touya! I thought you had been hurt or something, the way Kero was acting!" She moaned in a relieved voice. Touya frowned.
"Yes, father! Why on earth did you alarm us so? What is so important?" Touya asked, pulling away from his sister and bowing to his chuckling father. The king grinned and then put his hand out to Sakura, who took it and held it against her cheek comfortingly. The king gazed down at her affectionately, though his eyes seemed colder than usual, and then looked over at Tomoyo, who still looked quite pale. He held his other hand out to her, and she willingly took it, smiling shakily up at him. Ever since her parents had been killed when she was a baby, Tomoyo had looked up to Fujitaka as both a father and a mentor. He had kindly taken her in when her parents had been murdered by another kingdom, and raised her along with his own children. For this, Tomoyo was eternally grateful.
"No need to panic, my children! I have wonderful news! The war is over! We have won, and not only that, we have gained from it!" He crowed. Touya's face lit up, and he grinned. Sakura was not so sure of herself, but she too, was glad that the war was over, and the casualty rate, on their side at least, was low. Tomoyo was happy that there was no longer any need to fight.
"We have gained what, father?" Sakura questioned softly, letting go of her father's hand and clasping her hands in front of her. He smiled down at his daughter, and then allowed his gaze to drift over Touya and Tomoyo, before coming to rest on Sakura once more.
"Well, I must admit that because of our policy on little-to-no killing, we have acquired quite a number of unwanted prisoners of war. Therefore, I have agreed with King Hiiragizawa, that it would be best if we take our share of slaves and give them something useful to do." The King smiled and waited to see the reaction he would get from his children. It most certainly wasn't the one he had expected. Touya mouthed wordlessly to his father, his eyes wide. Tomoyo gasped in horror, and pressed her fist to her mouth, so no other sound could escape. Sakura frowned.
"Slaves..aren't those people who are whipped, worked like cows and.used as pleasure-toys?" She asked hesitantly. Tomoyo stifled a tiny, horrified giggle, and Touya managed to smile at his sister's words, though only for a moment.
"Yes, kaijuu, that is exactly what they are." He murmured, his face straightening. Sakura stumbled back a few steps and nearly choked on her breath.
"NO! No, father, no!" She whimpered. "No human deserves that! Servants, perhaps, but not slaves!" She pleaded. He shook his head decidedly.
"No, Sakura. Slaves. You have no mind of what these people are capable of doing. They can kill without a sound, and they are dangerous. This is the only way to break them out of that." Fujitaka said firmly. Touya glared at his father.
"We are a peaceful kingdom! We do not..*own* people! This will completely wipe-out any and all of our present morals and statutes! We cannot risk introducing our people to this sort of..tyranny." Touya argued.
"I have to agree, Uncle. How could you possibly agree to this?! This awful thing.." Tomoyo searched for the words to describe her horror, but non could measure to it.
"Enough! I have decided, and that is that. They will be arriving tomorrow!" Fujitaka yelled, banging his hand against his throne's arm. Tomoyo backed up and Touya's frown turned into a defeated look. Sakura, however, stepped forward and glared at her father for the first time in her life.
"No, papa, no! I refuse to believe that you would do such a thing." Sakura whispered in a betrayed voice, turning on her heal and leaving the room without another word. Tomoyo and Touya followed her without comment, giving the king the 'cold-shoulder'. Fujitaka stared after his children in silence, and then shrugged. He was sure that eventually, they would see it his way. The Li kingdom was a dangerous kingdom that needed to be stomped out and torn to shreds before it was completely safe for anyone. Luckily, he had seen to it that every member of the royal Li family had been properly executed and disposed of, before he had declared victory over the enemy.
~*~*~*~
"He wouldn't dare! He wouldn't." Sakura kept repeating, trying to assure herself that her father would eventually change his mind. Tomoyo, who was sitting listlessly on Sakura's bed, simply stared blankly at the wall, trying to absorb all that had just happened. Within five minutes, their lives had gone from content and happy, to horrible and terrifying. If the mood of a day could be measured by color alone, their day had started out with pinks, blues, purples, and greens, but now, it was black, brown and gray.
"What are we going to do? I know that the Hiiragizawa kingdom has had slaves for its entire existence, but us..we have never had to deal with them.what will happen to us?" Tomoyo mussed, hardly registering that she had spoken aloud, or that Sakura had heard her.
"You don't think that father will bring any of the slaves here, do you?" Sakura whispered, sitting next to her friend. Tomoyo shrugged.
"If he does, I refuse to go near them. It doesn't matter who they are, the fact is, they belong to the Li kingdom, and they deserve what they get!" She said stonily, much to Sakura's shock.
"Tomoyo, how dare you say that? They are humans, just like us. If we were part of the Li kingdom, how would you feel?" Sakura flared back. Tomoyo winced.
"Well, I am not, and neither are you, so you had best forget about it, and get some sleep. I am sure that tomorrow will be busier than today." The raven-violet haired girl returned, turning on her heal, and leaving the room. Sakura sighed and turned to face Kero, who had changed back into his borrowed form and was now fast asleep on her pillow.
"Papa wouldn't do that to us. He won't bring any slaves here..will he?" Was her final thought, before she fell fast asleep.
~*~*~*~
A/N:
Daphne: "Sooooo..what did you think? King Fujitaka is sure acting strange..or is there some other reason for his sudden change of attitude? (hint-hint!!!) I really hope that you liked it, and I hope that you will review, or E-mail, or whatever you do! Anyway, please tell me what you think!!!!!!!!!!
~*~*~*~
Sakura's best friend, Princess Daidouji Tomoyo, also shares Sakura's hate for slavery, though in different ways. She is quite unsure of whether to loath the Li kingdom-slaves or take pity on them. She becomes even more confused when the flirty, dashing, and dangerously handsome Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol comes to town, and insists on pestering her endlessly, not to mention offending her, teasing her, flirting with her, and so much more. But when Sakura and Tomoyo discover a secret that links themselves, Eriol, Touya, Yukito, several young soldiers, and the supposedly 'all dead' Li family together, will the girls tell their discovery? Or will they help with a very dangerous recovery mission.one that could get them all sentenced to death for betraying the Kinomoto kingdom?! Read to find out!
All right.now I am freaking myself out! I just sounded like a narrator for some big movie or something! Looks up at the sky Please, just shoot me now!"
Warning: This story starts out with a chapter of a book that Sakura is reading, so no, I did not make a mistake with the characters!
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS.and that is that! ~*~*~*~
Refuge by: Daphne Li Chapter 1.
A petite girl with shoulder-length, light brown hair, walked down a long, dim hallway, headed towards two immense doors that stood forbiddingly at the far end of it. Bright blue eyes flashed with half-loathing, half-fear, as the girl neared the doors; the doors that would seal her fate and make this all real. The doors which behind them reigned an evil and half-crazed man, who just happened to be her knew master.
Yes. That was all Samirah was now, a slave. She had been bought by the evil King Ramah, who, she had no doubt, would not hesitate to kill her on the spot if she did not please him. It was quite a shame for the King's family, to have such a horrible man as a husband, father and brother. The rest of Ramah's family, who consisted of his wife, Shirah, his four daughters Millian, Meagan, Mira, and Melissa, his son Carlondon, his brothers, Hyphen and Collin, Hyphen's daughter Callista, and son, Ellisar, were said to be quite decent people; well, except Carlondon. He was said to take after his father, although this came as no surprise to anyone, because the whole royal family was labeled as horrid and evil, even when it was not usually true.
With a deep, calming breath, Samirah reached for the doors huge, fancy handle, which was shaped like a lion's head, and slowly opened the door. It was even dimmer in the room, save for one small beam of light, that fell in the middle of the room. Samirah worked frantically to get her eyes to focus, but an evil chuckle broke her concentration. She looked up, still blinking, to see a middle-aged man sitting on a rather metallic-looking throne.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Came a sickly smooth voice. Samirah shivered slightly and curtsied.
"Sam..Samirah, your gracious Majesty." She stammered, nearly puking on the distasteful words that left her mouth. The king, however, seemed pleased.
"There now. Why don't you come into the light, so I can see you better?" He slithered, his voice dripping with what he must have thought sounded kind. She shivered again and stepped into the light.
What she didn't know, was that when she did, the light threw beams of red out from her hair, that had been hidden in the dim light. It also accented her lovely countenance, making her glow in an almost angelic way. In reality, Samirah was quite a beautiful girl, even without the light, and the King's steely eyes roved up and down her greedily, making him seem almost like a predator stalking it's prey.
"Well, now! Aren't we a pretty thing? You know, if I hadn't intended you as a present for my son, I would be more than happy to keep you for myself!" He commented still eyeing her. Samirah looked down and refused to meet his gaze. How could he say such vulgar things to her?! That buffoon! That lout! How dare he?!
"I suppose you wish to get re-dressed in more appropriate attire. I will have Cornea, my lady-slave take you back to your chambers, which are next to the prince's and there she will attire you in more suitable clothing. You may go." He said, waving his hand in a lazy way, but his eyes were still undressing her. As she turned away, she wrinkled her nose and worked hard not to vomit. So this was the life she was facing. Simply to be a.a.courtesan for some baneful prince? How could life be so cruel? How could anyone--
"Sakura!!!"
~*~*~*~
"Sakura!!!"
"HOE?! What did you say?" A girl with waist-length auburn hair and emerald green eyes looked up from the book she had been reading and met the anxious amethyst eyes of her best-friend and cousin, Princess Daidouji Tomoyo. The other girl's raven-violet hair was pulled up into braids and then twined around her head. Both girls were eighteen, although Sakura had only been eighteen for three weeks.
"I said, your father wishes to see you, now. I don't know what it is about.." Tomoyo trailed off, looking worried. Sakura frowned. Her father rarely asked to see her. Usually, Sakura came and went from his presence on her own free will.
"All right..but what could he possibly want?" Sakura wondered aloud. Tomoyo shrugged. Ever since the war between the infamous Li kingdom and the usually peaceful Kinomoto kingdom had started, the girls had rarely seen the king. He and Sakura's older brother, Touya, were usually off on the battle ground, conversing with the soldiers about the best attacking methods.
"Well..I suppose we should go down.." Sakura said, still hesitant. She had a very bad feeling about this. Her feelings were confirmed when a huge beast, that looked like a decorated lion flew through her balcony doors and landed on her bed.
"Sakura, your father wants you..now!" The yellow beast said in a hollow voice. "He said it was something about the war.." He trailed off, unable to say more, because the girl had let out a shriek.
"OH, NO! Please tell me it isn't Touya! Touya isn't dead, is he?" Sakura panicked, running from the room with Tomoyo hot on her heals. That yellow beast was Sakura's guardian, and also the guardian of the famous Clow Cards, which were now Sakura Cards. He was called Cerberus, also knows as Kero, to Sakura. The two panicked girls raced down the staircases and through the halls, and pounded into the large throne-room, where King Kinomoto Fujitaka sat waiting.
"Father! Father, what.." Sakura trailed off, as another man burst into view, his face clouded with worry.
"Father, why on earth..oh, hello kaijuu." The man said, halting and looking at the pale young woman. Instead of yelling at him, as she usually did, Sakura raced forward and captured her brother's waist in a iron grip.
"Touya! I thought you had been hurt or something, the way Kero was acting!" She moaned in a relieved voice. Touya frowned.
"Yes, father! Why on earth did you alarm us so? What is so important?" Touya asked, pulling away from his sister and bowing to his chuckling father. The king grinned and then put his hand out to Sakura, who took it and held it against her cheek comfortingly. The king gazed down at her affectionately, though his eyes seemed colder than usual, and then looked over at Tomoyo, who still looked quite pale. He held his other hand out to her, and she willingly took it, smiling shakily up at him. Ever since her parents had been killed when she was a baby, Tomoyo had looked up to Fujitaka as both a father and a mentor. He had kindly taken her in when her parents had been murdered by another kingdom, and raised her along with his own children. For this, Tomoyo was eternally grateful.
"No need to panic, my children! I have wonderful news! The war is over! We have won, and not only that, we have gained from it!" He crowed. Touya's face lit up, and he grinned. Sakura was not so sure of herself, but she too, was glad that the war was over, and the casualty rate, on their side at least, was low. Tomoyo was happy that there was no longer any need to fight.
"We have gained what, father?" Sakura questioned softly, letting go of her father's hand and clasping her hands in front of her. He smiled down at his daughter, and then allowed his gaze to drift over Touya and Tomoyo, before coming to rest on Sakura once more.
"Well, I must admit that because of our policy on little-to-no killing, we have acquired quite a number of unwanted prisoners of war. Therefore, I have agreed with King Hiiragizawa, that it would be best if we take our share of slaves and give them something useful to do." The King smiled and waited to see the reaction he would get from his children. It most certainly wasn't the one he had expected. Touya mouthed wordlessly to his father, his eyes wide. Tomoyo gasped in horror, and pressed her fist to her mouth, so no other sound could escape. Sakura frowned.
"Slaves..aren't those people who are whipped, worked like cows and.used as pleasure-toys?" She asked hesitantly. Tomoyo stifled a tiny, horrified giggle, and Touya managed to smile at his sister's words, though only for a moment.
"Yes, kaijuu, that is exactly what they are." He murmured, his face straightening. Sakura stumbled back a few steps and nearly choked on her breath.
"NO! No, father, no!" She whimpered. "No human deserves that! Servants, perhaps, but not slaves!" She pleaded. He shook his head decidedly.
"No, Sakura. Slaves. You have no mind of what these people are capable of doing. They can kill without a sound, and they are dangerous. This is the only way to break them out of that." Fujitaka said firmly. Touya glared at his father.
"We are a peaceful kingdom! We do not..*own* people! This will completely wipe-out any and all of our present morals and statutes! We cannot risk introducing our people to this sort of..tyranny." Touya argued.
"I have to agree, Uncle. How could you possibly agree to this?! This awful thing.." Tomoyo searched for the words to describe her horror, but non could measure to it.
"Enough! I have decided, and that is that. They will be arriving tomorrow!" Fujitaka yelled, banging his hand against his throne's arm. Tomoyo backed up and Touya's frown turned into a defeated look. Sakura, however, stepped forward and glared at her father for the first time in her life.
"No, papa, no! I refuse to believe that you would do such a thing." Sakura whispered in a betrayed voice, turning on her heal and leaving the room without another word. Tomoyo and Touya followed her without comment, giving the king the 'cold-shoulder'. Fujitaka stared after his children in silence, and then shrugged. He was sure that eventually, they would see it his way. The Li kingdom was a dangerous kingdom that needed to be stomped out and torn to shreds before it was completely safe for anyone. Luckily, he had seen to it that every member of the royal Li family had been properly executed and disposed of, before he had declared victory over the enemy.
~*~*~*~
"He wouldn't dare! He wouldn't." Sakura kept repeating, trying to assure herself that her father would eventually change his mind. Tomoyo, who was sitting listlessly on Sakura's bed, simply stared blankly at the wall, trying to absorb all that had just happened. Within five minutes, their lives had gone from content and happy, to horrible and terrifying. If the mood of a day could be measured by color alone, their day had started out with pinks, blues, purples, and greens, but now, it was black, brown and gray.
"What are we going to do? I know that the Hiiragizawa kingdom has had slaves for its entire existence, but us..we have never had to deal with them.what will happen to us?" Tomoyo mussed, hardly registering that she had spoken aloud, or that Sakura had heard her.
"You don't think that father will bring any of the slaves here, do you?" Sakura whispered, sitting next to her friend. Tomoyo shrugged.
"If he does, I refuse to go near them. It doesn't matter who they are, the fact is, they belong to the Li kingdom, and they deserve what they get!" She said stonily, much to Sakura's shock.
"Tomoyo, how dare you say that? They are humans, just like us. If we were part of the Li kingdom, how would you feel?" Sakura flared back. Tomoyo winced.
"Well, I am not, and neither are you, so you had best forget about it, and get some sleep. I am sure that tomorrow will be busier than today." The raven-violet haired girl returned, turning on her heal, and leaving the room. Sakura sighed and turned to face Kero, who had changed back into his borrowed form and was now fast asleep on her pillow.
"Papa wouldn't do that to us. He won't bring any slaves here..will he?" Was her final thought, before she fell fast asleep.
~*~*~*~
A/N:
Daphne: "Sooooo..what did you think? King Fujitaka is sure acting strange..or is there some other reason for his sudden change of attitude? (hint-hint!!!) I really hope that you liked it, and I hope that you will review, or E-mail, or whatever you do! Anyway, please tell me what you think!!!!!!!!!!
~*~*~*~