Still Needing You

By Riyukku Sayuri

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Cardcaptor Sakura: Romance/Drama

Disclaimer: I, in no way, own or am affiliated with Cardcaptor Sakura or any of its characters. However, all of the OC characters belong to me. I have created them and so therefore belong to me. Thank you. Now, let's hope there are no misunderstandings.

Reference:
Konnichiwa: Hello
Ja ne: Goodbye (informal)
Sayonara: Goodbye (formal)
Ohayo: Good morning
Arigato: Thank you
Domo arigato: Thank you very much
Gomen: I'm sorry
Gomen nasai: I'm very sorry
Kawaii: Cute
Kaijuu: Monster
Gaki: Brat
Baka: Idiot/Fool
Otou-san: Father
Oka-san: Mother
Hai: Yes
Iie: No
Nani: What
-...-...-...-: Scene change
.---.---.---.: Flashback or memory

Author's Note: Read and review. Arigato.

Chapter Six
Rose Girl

"Shame on you, Iku!" Ikuyo Imoo scolded scornfully at her thirteen-year-old daughter.

The Imoo clan had been enslaved to their master "Lord Li." He ruled over them as the mistresses lived below him. He ruled over all of his "servants" and showed no mercy, but deep inside, his heart's ice was crumbling away.

"Iku, what do you have to say? You know Lord Li does not want to see your face! What will Mistress Asahi think? You know that she is the only one to reveal her face before Lord Li," Ikuyo growled.

"Gomen Oka-san. I did not mean to reveal the back of my head. My hood had flown off my head as I ran to accomplish Lord Li's task," Iku muttered sorrowfully.

She hung her head in shame as tears threatened themselves to pour from her hazel eyes.

Her eyes drew large drops of tears as her mother and the Imoo elders continued to scold her until finally, finally her father, Ikemoto Imoo, said, "It was not her fault. She had to send Lord Li's gift with haste. Blame me if you must, for I helped bring this girl to the earth."

"No Ikemoto, you cannot blame yourself. This was Iku's doing, not yours," Ikuyo dared to say.

She begged her husband to think differently, but he did not. He only shook his head and said, "Look here, Ikuyo and all of you of the Imoo clan, this girl did not do anything. Gomen for going against our sacred law of serving decently to the Li clan or any clan that we may be ruled over by, but Iku has done nothing wrong. To you all you see her as just another member of our enslaved clan, but to me, I see an honest girl who is taking in the faults she had not committed. Give mercy, isn't that what we Imoo are about? We have always been full of mercy otherwise the Li would be enslaved to us under our feet. Can you not see that this girl went with haste and by accidenthad her hood off? For even a second, can you not see what fear she might have felt being in Lord Li's presence while the hood was off?"

"Ikemoto-kun, please stop. Do not harass the law of the Imoo, Ikemoto. Please, I beg you," Ikuyo pleaded

"Iie, Ikuyo. I must say, the law of the Imoo must change here. How can you be so coldhearted as to blame your own daughter of a fault not her own? You originally are not even an Imoo. You originally belong to another clan, Ikuyo. What business do you have with the laws of the Imoo? But using the laws against your own daughter? Ikuyo, stop trying to fit in. I loved you because you stood out," Ikemoto replied.

"Otou-san, no. It was my fault entirely. Do not try to put the Imoo clan into this. I must be punished and blamed – I am the rose girl after all. The rose always has prickly thorns to protect itself. I will not wither away – I am your daughter," Iku replied, smiling broadly at Ikemoto.

"See Ikemoto? Even your own daughter says it is her fault. Then we must punish the rose girl! Bah, Lord Li's rose girl will soon wither away and my own daughter will take her place!" Ikemoto's brother laughed.

"Ichizo, my daughter will not wither away. A rose girl always needs an unselfish heart of gold and Iku holds that quality. You, however, spoil your daughter with unneeded necessities. Have you not noticed her selfishness? Young Ichi is a selfish Imoo. One who does not deserve to belong within our clan because you spoiled her," Ikemoto growled under a dark face.

"Please Ikemoto, he did not mean anything. It's true that Ichi is a selfish one, but that is our fault," Joruri sighed sadly.

Joruri was wed to Ichizo as a member of the Jukodo clan. Mother of the selfish Ichi, she always took her husband's bad parenting skills as her own fault.

"God damn it, Joruri, shut up. None of this is your fault," Ichizo growled. His eyes were full of concern as he eyed his miserable wife. She should never have married him… he should've given her up to another man… so that she could be happier. Live a happier life.

"Well, are the Imoo fighting once again?" they heard a deep voice question.

The voice sent shivers down most of the Imoo, but mainly toward Iku. They all heard stomping as the shadowy figure towered over them.

"So, are the Imoo punishing this young one for showing her face upon my eyes?" Lord Li questioned.

"H-Hai Lord Li-sama," Ichizo replied shakily. He bowed his heads down as the others did and kept it down as he waited for Li's reply.

"I did not cast my eyes upon her face but upon the back of her head. I spared her life. If I did not summon her back, she would be dead by now. All of you should know that and my rose girl takes upon these faults? Why? Shameful Ichizo. Shameful. You all should know that before Iku, Ichi was my rose girl. The selfish bitch was nothing compared to Iku. You and your wife and your child must now bear your heads shamefully before all Imoo until you can repay such debts. I can remember very vividly how you tried to get me to elope with your daughter behind the Imoo clan's back, am I correct? You old baka, you dumb ass. You of all people bring shame upon the Imoo, but I expected it with how you raised your child. Your selfish child. I will not even acknowledge her presence," Li growled.

"G-Gomen nasai Lord Li," Joruri said softly. "You should bring this shame upon me. Please. I am the mother of this selfish child, I am the one to be blamed. Do not blame my husband, child, or the Imoo clan. All you have to do is bring the shame upon my own head. I will live with the burden of the shame so long as you spare my child and husband," she begged.

"What a loving wife. I will give you one day to think this through Ichizo. Choose who shall be brought with shame and carry it the rest of their lives – or at least until it can be lifted," he snarled again.

He then left their little gathering place and all the Imoo sighed with relief. Ikemoto couldn't help but smile. Of course Ichizo's daughter was a selfish brat. She was tainted with material desires and was never given the answer of no.

Iku was Li's perfect rose girl… that was that.

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a/n: Heh, a little difficult to interpret, huh? Sorry, really if it's hard to follow but I have big twists in mind. You'll never know when they're coming, but they're coming all right. .- Now, let's see… how should we say it? This "Lord Li" isn't exactly who you think it is, all right? Just note that. I'm definitely not lying. Now read and review! Thanks!!