Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or any of the charaters assosciated with it. I am simply playing and making havoc in their otherwise – whatever lives they lead – lives.

Synopsis: Set after the second movie, when Sakura is twelve years old. Sakura and Syaoran are almost together after before a certain magical tragedy occurs – again. Unfortunately for the little couple, this is all Sakura's doing, and she doesn't know what she did. Worse yet, she thinks Syaoran is the problem here. This leads to an enstranged relationship, where the couple are apart for three years. It'll be a rocky road to understanding each other again, and setting all the wrongs right.


Ignorance, Salvation, Redemption, Love

by lianneharmony

Prologue

I'd give you everything that I am
I'm handin over everything that I've got
Cause I wanna have a really true love
Don't ever wanna have to go and give you up
Stay up till four in the morning and the tears are pouring
And I wanna make it worth the fight
What have we been doing for all this time
Baby if we're gonna do it come and do it right
All I wanted was to know (I'm safe)
Don't wanna lose the love I found
------- 4 In The Morning (Gwen Stefani)

This story begins with a couple, who love each other very much. Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li have been together since they were very young, at the tender age of ten. Some might have called it puppy love, but to Sakura and Syaoran, they knew it was real. This was the real deal. They were each other's soulmate.

Don't ask them why, they wouldn't be able to tell you. Sakura would blush prettily if you asked her, and giggle, without providing a proper answer, whilst Syaoran would simply turn beet-red and stammer out a few incoherent words.

At any rate, since Sakura had encountered The Nothing, Syaoran had managed to hurry up his 'affairs' at Tomoeda. Being a member of the Li Clan and the heir to it too, it was pretty difficult to get out of it. Of course, he had his family, his four annoying sisters, his ex-fiance Meiling, and his mother, Yelan, who though widowed, managed to be a pretty good matriarch to the Li Clan until Syaoran became of age to lead the Clan. In fact it was primarily because of Yelan that Syaoran was able to leave Hong Kong so much faster than otherwise.

"I know you care very much for that girl, Syaoran. You both would be very happy," Yelan told him.

Syaoran would have started at this had he not remembered that the Li Clan, and his mother was a powerful seer, or at least could see shadows of the future. Still, to have this kind of conversation with your mother – !

"Be careful, though. You might be heartbroken if you're with her. There may be a strong force working against you. A pendant – a locket of love which may bring up a force so strong –"

Syaoran's eyes almost fell out of their sockets, which would have been gross, but still, he was prevented – and a little relieved – when his mother said:

"If you persevere, you will be happy for the rest of your life."

He sighed at the end of that speech. As he walked away from his mother, he was filled with anguish when he thought his mother whisper:

"Yet it'll be a terrible ordeal, Syaoran. You could be tortured by the pain alone, or you could live in regret for the rest of your life."

He never told Sakura what his mother said, so that she could be blissfully unaware. Ignorance is bliss, the old adage goes, but ignorance can also bring about destruction.


"Sakura! Phone call for you!" Fujitaka had answered the phone, and now beckoned to his young daughter to come to the phone.

"Hello, Sakura here," Sakura answered, knowing full well who'd it be.

"Sakura, Syaoran here. I was wondering – erm – I was –"

"What is it Syaoran?" she asked, wanting to giggle badly in excitement. It is a strange thing how she 'acquired' the giggle; perhaps this came along under the bloom of young love.

"Er – I'm going to come later than expected, probably on Sunday. Would you –?"

"Of course I would! I'll meet you at the airport."

"I mean at the house! Meiling will be there too. She wants to 'speak' to you."

"Oh, okay," Sakura giggled a little bit. "I'll see you at ten?"

"Yes. Bye then!"

"Bye, Syaoran," and she hung up, and turned around to see –

Touya eavesdropping on her.

"What is it now, Touya?" she sighed.

"You're – you're – you like that – brat?"

"I think we established my feelings upon that subject a long time ago," Sakura retorted.

"I knew I had a reason to hate him," Touya grunted. "What did I say to Yuki? That boy was going
to steal something very close to me. And look what's happened –"

"Aw, Touya, you really do care about me don't you?" Sakura's mouth twisted into a smile.

"Huh?" Touya seemed to just come into full realization of what he had said. "I – I –"

"I know why you rant about him. It's because you really love me. Your baby sister. You worry too much Touya. After all, we're only twelve –"

"All the more reason to be worried about you," Touya retorted.

Sakura gasped. "I had no idea you were –"

Touya turned to face her. "After all, we wouldn't want you to become Mrs. Brat. Especially when you're so young. But I suppose if you're already Monster, you'd have no problem adapting to that role. After all, Monster and Brat, Brat and Monster; sounds pretty catchy, eh?"

Touya could almost sense smoke coming from Sakura after he said that. "Hehe, don't take it so seriously –" he tried to pacify her.

Instead Sakura yelled, "Daddy, Touya's teasing me about – about – Touya's teasing me!"

"Why tell dad? Can't you stand up for yourself? And that Brat, should you care to defend him?"

Sakura turned around, filled with fury at her brother. "I don't need to defend myself against an idiot," and walked up to her room, still angry and furious at Touya.

"Hey, what did you call me?" Touya shouted after her. "Oh, hi, dad. I didn't do it!" He cried nervously when his father appeared.

Fujitaka Kinomoto stared at his son, who definitely wasn't acting himself at that moment.


"Hah! That serves him right!" Sakura smiled to herself as she entered her room.

"Serves who right, Sakura?"

"Touya, for teasing me about Syaoran," Sakura replied.

"That brat? Well he has a right to – I mean, that nice young boy? How dare he!" Kero cried, earning
himself a glare from Sakura.

"Anyway, I don't have time for this. I need to make the final adjustments to the locket. Maybe I
should put the Sakura Card that appeared the day Syaoran was leaving for Hong Kong and engrave it's pattern permanently there. I'm sure he'll like it. I mean, it's not –"

"Sakura, that's dangerous!"

"Dangerous? How can a simple thing like love be dangerous. And I don't see how –"

"Sakura, remember that Lady Love of Clow Reed that we encountered back in Hong Kong? C'mon, you can't say that was – not dangerous?"

"That was dangerous because she didn't reveal her true feelings, but –"

"Sakura, emotions are a very dangerous thing to play with. Even if it's not a true card –"

"Okay, you know what I'll try and release the power in the card."

"Sakura –" Kero began, but it was too late.

"Key that hides the power of the stars, show your true form before me.
I, Sakura, command you under our contract,
Release!"

"Sakura Card!" Sakura yelled.

Kero looked anxiously, as if expecting something to happen. Except, it seemed like everything's the same.

"I guess I can use it to engrave the locket," Sakura smiled happily.

Kero wasn't sure that would work well.

Ignorance is bliss, truly, and the power of destruction through ignorance is devastating and great. It is even greater when magnified by intense love. Sakura had thought that it'd be fine to rip apart the Sakura Card and engrave its beautiful pattern onto the locket she was making for Syaoran. Yet she was ignorant of the very fact that something had happened when she tested the Sakura Card, she had unleashed a force, and by ripping the card, she made the force unable to return to it's true form. She was also ignorant of what Yelan predicted, since Li decided he would not told her about it.

And this is where our story begins. Three years after this, ignorance still looms threateningly over the couple, with seemingly little hope of salvation, or redemption on eaither side.


Author's Note:

Hah! My first SS fanfic. Hope you guys like it. Personally I adore CCS and am now undergoing PTTVSTOAS (Post Traumatic TV Series Taken Off Air Syndrome). Oh dear.

Anyway, read and review if you like. I'll continue if you guys like the idea.

lianneharmony