The Handkerchief

Disclaimer: I love CCS... but I don't own it. There is an original char in here though. ;)

Key:

- Dream State - , Flashback , ' thoughts ', " Dialogue "

- A change in writing style/time/place/whatever (will notate in () which one if necessary)

Rating: T - (May change rating later)

Summary: Once upon a time there was a young prince who was lonely. One night he met a young princess, who danced with him and cured his loneliness for a while. However, before he could get her name she was gone, and the only clue she left behind was a monogrammed handkerchief with the initials S.K.

Pairings: Sakura/Eriol, Syaoran/Meilin, Eriol/OC, Syaoran/Sakura, possibly more

Author's Note: Just so you know, the "Eriol/OC" in the pairings list does NOT mean that this is going to another one of those stories where the OC is the most awesome person, like, evah, and sweeps the unsuspecting FC off their feet while the rest of the cannon is left gaping with their mouths open like fish in a bowl. You have my word. ;)

(Prologue)

The party was a lively function. Just about anyone who was anyone had turned out for it. Even those who were not necessarily royalty of any kind but simply had a lot of money thanks to their entreprenurial endeavors. The place was packed... which meant there were a lot of people. This was a mansion after all (and one of the largest in this part of England). The owner of this modest castle was not a king, but he was the most powerful sorcerer in England and therefore the King's most trusted advisor. (Better to have a powerful sorcerer as your ally rather than your enemy)

This afforded him certain perks, and plenty of money to throw around. As it were, the current queen was unable to bear children, and since the King loved her so and wouldn't budge when council suggested getting rid of her, it was decided that the sorcerer's own young son would be the next heir to the throne.

This party was actually a celebration of this most recent royal decree. The sorcerer wanted everyone to know that the King had chosen his son out of the few young boys that might have been in the running. There was, of course, another reason for the party. As heir, the sorcerer had learned his son was required to have a bride. He had not been happy about this, what father would want their own son to be forcibly wed to someone he'd never met? Apparently, however, the council had tried to let the heirs do whatever they wanted, but history showed that it had only led to bad choices or no choice at all. Since young men therefore could not be trusted to pick their own wives properly (or in a timely fashion) it was decided that the women had to be chosen for them ahead of time. Thankfully there was a loophole the sorcerer had found. If his son found someone he truly loved (and therefore preferred to marry) before his official coronation (which would be the day after the king passed away), or before he was 18 (whichever happened latter); then the arranged marriage could be called off in favor of this new bride-to-be, assuming she passed council's test of character.

So the sorcerer was keeping an eye on the little girls who had come to the party and how his young son interacted with them. He mingled with their mother's and father's, looking to weed out the ones that he believed were unacceptible options for the arranged marriage. Of course, if his son happened to fall in love with one of the little girls he'd already taken off the list then he would let his son be happy. However, his son was five. It was highly unlikely that a boy of that age would have any kind of interest in girls at all, and practically impossible to expect him to truly fall in love at such an age. That was ok though, the sorcerer planned to hold a party like this each year until his son was old enough to make the choice for himself. In the meantime... he needed to have a name to please the council...

"Hehehe~" A little girl ran alone through the gardens that surrounded the mansions. Her hair was a very light brown in color and was short, falling just underneath her chin. A couple of slightly longer strands hung down past her bangs and curled around her small cheeks. She wore a white dress with a pink flower petal design and white shoes. Across her bright green eyes hung a white feathered mask.

She dived in between collumns of green vines that seperated one section of the garden from another, giggling merrily as she went. She had just escaped the stuffy party in favor of the pretty flowers that she had spied lurking on the other side of the windows and found the whole situation highly amusing. Would her mother give her a stern talking to after she was found? Would she wave her finger and complain about the green stains she would get from rolling in the grass? Probably... but she found it funny anyway.

Around a large waterfountain she danced, singing about the flowers and the trees. She eventually found her way to a little picnic area, complete with flowering cherry trees and an ornate bridge that crossed a large koi pond. Surprized, she spotted a young boy standing on the bridge, throwing small bits of bread into the water for the variety of birds that had gathered there.

Curious, she skipped over to the bridge and peeked out at him from behind one of the trees. He was no older than she... short midnight blue hair framed his small face as he stared at the pond below. He wore thin wire-framed glasses rather than a mask, which led her to believe he actually lived here unlike her. He was dressed in a dark blue jacket decorated in a black pattern that was popular with royalty. He wore black slacks and black shoes. In one hand he held half a loaf of bread, with the other he was picking at it lazily and tossing it down below to the birds.

"Hey... why aren't you at the party?"

He jumped in surprise as he heard her voice, dropping the rest of the bread he was holding. She blushed and giggled with embarrassment, "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Recovering, he shook his head, "No... it's ok. I just wasn't expecting anyone to find me here."

She walked up to him and tilted her head. "Hiding?"

He sighed and nodded, turning to look back down at the birds that were fighting to keep the half-loaf of bread afloat while simultaneously eating it.

"Why?"

He shrugged, "My dad threw this party to find me a bride."

Her green eyes sparkled with amusement as she joined him at the railing, looking down at the birds as well. "What's a bride?" she asked curiously.

He looked thoughtful a moment, "I'm not sure... but I think that you could be one."

"Me?" She asked.

"Well... my dad was making a list of all the little girls coming to the party. He said that I was going to have to choose one of the names on the list to be my bride."

"What happens then?" She turned to look at him, fascinated by his predicament (which neither of them really understood).

His little brow furrowed some more then he shrugged, "I don't know, but all the little girls at this party have been... I don't know. They've all been really nice to me. Super sweet, like they're faking it. I think that they know about this whole bride thing. I think they're all trying to get me to choose them."

She blinked and looked thoughtful, "My mommy didn't say anything about it... so I guess not all the girls know."

He tilted his head back to glance at her, taking in her bright smile and carefree aura. Her smile was so infectious... he couldn't help but smile back. "I guess not."

"Do you not want a bride?" She asked.

He sighed and shrugged again, "I don't really know what they are... but if I have to put up with girls... and girl cooties... then I don't think I want one."

She laughed at his comment and once again he found himself smiling in spite of himself.

"Girls don't have cooties, silly." She corrected him, looking superior. "Boys are the ones with cooties."

He stared at her, trying to figure out if she was really serious. In spite of the fact she was smiling he could tell that she was.

"Hmph, I don't think that's true!" He argued.

"Well, if girls don't have cooties, which we don't, and boys don't have cooties..."

"Which we don't!" He interjected.

"... then prove it!" She teased in a sing-song voice.

"How?" He asked in surprise.

She held her arms out, "Dance with me!"

"What? No way!" He laughed.

"Cootie boy, cootie boy!" She sang.

"I do not have cooties!" He insisted, turning red.

She waved her arms at him in welcome. "Dance with me!" she repeated.

"W-we... I mean... there isn't even any music!" He managed.

"If there were music, would you dance with me?" She asked.

"Y-yes..." He replied uncertainly.

She beamed at him brightly then, without warning, grabbed him and started whisking him around the bridge humming a lullaby that her mother always sang for her.

"Hey!" He tore himself away from her. She stopped and stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, wait! Don't cry..."

"Why won't you dance with me?" She demanded.

He shook his head and took her hands in his, quieting her tears as suddenly as they'd come. "The boy is supposed to lead, silly."

"Oh yeah..." she trailed as she stared up at him.

He smiled, "Sing that song again?"

She smiled and nodded.

~Everybody's looking for that something, one thing that makes it all complete.

You'll find it in the strangest places... places you never thought it could be.

Some find it in the face of their children, some find it in their lover's eyes.

Who can deny the joy it brings, when you've found that special thing?

You're flying without wings~(Flying without wings, Westlife)

They danced as she hummed, it wasn't particularly special (neither of them were very good), but something clicked between the youngsters as they walked in their slow circle. They both felt warm and happy, safe and complete in each other's arms. It was a feeling beyond their comprehension, nevertheless neither of them ever wanted it to go away...

"Eriol?"

They paused as an older man's voice broke the mood.

The little girl blinked at the boy as he stared off towards the sound of the voice. "You have to go?"

He nodded, "My dad is looking for me..."

She nodded, "I guess this is goodbye then."

He blinked, "Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

She grinned and waggled a finger at him, "So you can tell your dad that you want me to be your bride? No way" she stuck out her tongue.

"Of course not! I just want to know it so that I can find you again after the party is over!" The boy insisted.

She reached down and stuffed one hand into a pocket that had been hidden in the folds of the dress. From it she pulled a handkerchief that matched the design of her dress. She handed it to him. "There, those are my initials..." She said pointing to the black S.K. sewn into the fabric.

"So?" He asked, wondering what was going through her head.

"Eriol, are you out here?"

"Coming!" He called back, turning to the girl to find out why she had given him the handkercheif...

But she was gone.

He stared at the surrounding wall-vines in disbelief... wow, she was fast! He stood there in the clearing clutching the handkerchief until the sorcerer rounded the corner and spotted him standing there.

"There you are Eriol! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Oh... yeah... sorry dad." The young prince managed, pocketing the bit of cloth before his father could see it.

"Did you meet any nice little girls yet?" The sorcerer asked as they walked towards the mansion. The boy was surprised to find the place completely empty of guests when they returned. Had he imagined the whole thing?

"I guess so..." Eriol trailed, sounding disappointed.

The sorcerer took the boy's tone of voice to mean that he had been correct to assume that the boy simply wasn't ready to make his own decision as to the woman he would someday marry. "Well don't worry, there's plenty of time for meeting girls... "

'In the meantime though, I picked out a bride for you while you were hiding in the garden, just in case.' The sorcerer thought as he looked at his son's glum expression.

~Rozu