Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura isn't mine…unfortunately…one day I'll go to CLAMP's studio and buy it off them… (Sweat drop)

Enjoy.

Shady Protector

The house was painted black, and the windows seemed cracked. The stained red glass appeared to have been either painted on, or was it blood? The cold winds seemed to be welcomed by the house itself while the gentle, singing breezes were slashed out. The eerie feeling the house gave off became a stain upon a piece of silk.

Li Syaoran watched the girl with her father shiver considerably. He paused in his actions of trying to slam the door without moving his transparent body as he saw the girl's face. Syaoran Li felt a slight crash in his mind as the girl turned around and smiled at her father. And then he watched the father react to his daughter… Impossible, Syaoran thought. Absolutely impossible…

And then the girl's father turned around, and smiled at whatever the girl had told him about. Syaoran felt his heart freezing up. Oh hell…save me now, he thought. That was no other than Fujitaka Kinomoto.

Now it all made sense. Why the girl appeared so like…Nadeshiko. Li Syaoran jerkily twisted his head around so he could see what the auburn haired girl was doing now. That girl was Nadeshiko's daughter; he thought, and looked at the girl again. The girl had distinctively inherited her mother's grace and warmth, but leaned towards her father's appearance. Syaoran Li took a deep breathe (well, it was out of habit) in, and he continued staring at the girl. "Sakura" he heard her father call her. Syaoran could only simply stare. Suddenly, he came to a blinding realization.

"Her name…must be Kinomoto Sakura then." The amber eyed boy came to a conclusion, "If that is the Kinomoto Fujitaka I remember…" he stared even more intently at the man this time, and suddenly, he stumbled back two steps, "Gosh humans age quickly. If that is indeed Fujitaka…" Syaoran started counting his fingers, and looked at Sakura, "And if that is indeed his daughter…"

Literally, he could not maintain the shock that burst through his body, so he jumped "What year is this anyway!"

And then he saw it. He saw the girl – Kinomoto Sakura was she called – put a picture that was framed on the table that just got moved in. It was a picture of no other than…Nadeshiko. Syaoran felt all time freeze as he slowly, his face deadly pale (not that it wasn't already pale), approached the photograph of Sakura's mother.

Then he felt rage take over as the girl spoke to the photograph. "Mother, isn't this house nice? I'm going to start in the new school in a week! I'm excited, are you?" he heard Sakura say. Syaoran then stared, yet again, and he questioned himself, why was she speaking to a photograph…when…Nadeshiko should be coming soon…along with Fujitaka and herself?

And then he came to a crashing realisation, yet again. He saw the renovation trucks wave goodbye to Fujitaka and Sakura, and realised there was no one else coming. Syaoran sat down, shaking his head. Impossible.

Suddenly, footsteps coming along the hallway made his attention focus on reality again. But once again, his hopes came crashing down. It was just another boy, taller than Fujitaka, inheriting that damn guy's looks and also Nadeshiko's attitude at the same time.

"The truck just left?" the boy questioned.

Fujitaka looked up, and he smiled at the boy, "Touya, you really need to pay more attention. When does your high school here start?"

Touya ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, "I suppose in a week, same as the little kaijuu over here!"

Syaoran smirked as the girl said in a rather dignified voice, "Who's the monster!"

Diverting his attention from the girl again, Syaoran Li was on the edge of his seat, waiting for Fujitaka to say something as the father of the girl and the teenage boy picked up Nadeshiko's photograph, and smiled to it.

Fujitaka said softly, "So how do you like the new house, Nadeshiko? We came back to Tomoeda, where we both grew up. I thought you'll like it here, with all the memories…"

Sakura then frowned, and looked at her otou-san, "Father, don't look so sad…whenever you talk about mum, you always seem like you will break down… I know she's up there, looking after us, caring for us…father…" ignoring the glazed look on Fujitaka's face, Sakura carried on, "Mum will like it here, trust me, father."

Unknown to Sakura, Li Syaoran stumbled down, and knelt on his knees. He looked at his hands, and he murmured, "This can't be happening…"

He lifted his almost-transparent hand upwards, and he looked at it slowly. "She's dead." He said simply. I can't believe she's dead, after all the talk she said about how she's strong. She said she was strong…she said she wouldn't… He felt invisible tears slide down as the truth surfaced.

Nadeshiko and Fujitaka… Li Syaoran thought with slight envy. As if it was yesterday, he looked at Fujitaka with admiration but also resentment.

The year nineteen eighty four – a year of happiness and sadness towards the finale of it. Nineteen eight four, the year in which Syaoran understood his reason to live…and ended it with his own hands.

1984

"So it's the New Year isn't it, nineteen eighty four!" Syaoran Li declared as he matched through the school gates. Fujitaka sighed as he watched his best mate charge through the school, his eyes sparkling with confidence.

"I'm not sure what you're so happy about, Syaoran…this is school, the reality of hell. This is hell on earth." Fujitaka said to Syaoran, to which Syaoran beamed.

"That's the point, you have to conquer hell, or else, everything will fail…" Syaoran said, repeating the words of his elder in the Li-Clan. Fujitaka could only nod and smile at Syaoran's antics. The two of them were known to be the strangest best mates in the whole school. Syaoran loved clowning around while Fujitaka was sensible and polite. Syaoran vibrated of confidence in the school while Fujitaka was portrayed as reserved. Li Syaoran was also hard to get close to, while Fujitaka was warm and welcoming. He loved to joke, while he was responsible. The other was interested in sports, while the other in archaeology.

They were one unique pair.

Whenever the two were seen dead with each other, it was no big surprise to other fellow students. The two argued as if one was an angel, the other a devil. And yet, other students, while they did get a shock at first, adapted to the two boy's way of saying, "I hate you, Fujitaka." And then "Thank you very much. I have to say, I return those feelings." Would be the reply, and then finally, the devil would smirk, "Love you too."

And then the whole class would burst out laughing, as Fujitaka replied sweetly, "Want to marry? Let's elope!"

And the episode will continue. Even though Fujitaka was not a problem in classes, teachers knew better than to provoke Li Syaoran into getting mad, to which Fujitaka would always defend his best friend.

It was reactions that were similar with both of them. Li Syaoran was a boy with an obsession to make teachers restless and pissed off. Around Fujitaka, his attempts to make the teacher annoyed seemed small, even at some points restrained.

Fujitaka on the other hand, when not around Syaoran, was quiet and polite. Once his best friend arrives, Fujitaka's face could almost brighten up, and he would talk more than average.

How they met was a much bigger confusion than the way they react towards each other. It was during autumn. Syaoran Li was just appointed the new position of Li-clan leader. The stress that Syaoran was bearing at the age of eleven was too much. That day, he took his rage out on three people that happened to be in his way. One of the three was Kinomoto Fujitaka.

On that day, Syaoran remembered he had punched Fujitaka Kinomoto hard on his stomach, and yelled, "Why do you people insist on standing in my way? Why do you insist on making me do so much?"

Syaoran then heard the glasses-wearing boy say quite calmly, "No one is forcing you to take this path. Someone might have chosen the path for you, but no one has put restrictions on how you should go on the path."

It was then, that Syaoran Li realised Fujitaka wasn't as weak as he appeared to be. And for some reason, when Fujitaka held out his hand and comforted him, after Syaoran had just beaten him up, Syaoran felt at ease. He felt as if, someone was indeed there for him, in the world.

But that was the year 1984, the year in which he also met Nadeshiko, who loved Fujitaka.

Year 2006

The amber haired teenager watched as Sakura Kinomoto ran around the garden. Singing a innocent, ballad. Syaoran grimaced as he watched the Nadeshiko-look-alike swirl around the garden, happily enjoying her afternoon. He sighed, and ran his hand through his air.

"Stupid replica…" he muttered while glaring at the girl who appeared to be feeding the pigeons in the garden.

"You really annoy me, you know." Li Syaoran yelled at Sakura, even though it was obvious Sakura was completely unaware of his presence.

Unbelievably, Sakura turned around, and she murmured, "Funny…I thought I heardsomeone saying they were annoyed at me…" she shook her head, and continued feeding the birds.

Li Syaoran narrowed his eyes, and he crossed his arms, "How can you hear me, human! I'm from the other side, duh! And you can hear me? As if."

Once again, the auburn haired girl turned around to face Li Syaoran, and this time, she pointed straight at him, "I know you're there."

Li Syaoran's hair stood on its end. No one had seen him for almost thirty years. How would this girl be able to…see him?

Sakura started walking towards Syaoran, and she said loudly, "You know…you should really stop monitoring me like I'm a test subject. I may not be able to see you, but when you talk, I can hear it almost as a whisper."

Li Syaoran took a step back as she got closer. This was bad…this girl…what was wrong with this girl? Why was she so abnormal! Why… was it because she was Nadeshiko's daughter?

"You're a ghost, aren't you? Why haven't you passed over?" Sakura questioned, her face filled with curiosity.

Syaoran took a deep breathe in, and he replied, "Because there's something I need to do."

And then, Li Syaoran ran away for the third time in his life on that day.

End of Chapter One

Author's note: I have a habit of liking the FIRST chapter in stories, and lack the motivation to continue onwards. Let's hope this story is different. I really love this story.

If you haven't spotted this…LI SYAORAN IS A GHOST. (Winks) Please review? They're a constant source of motivation. XD

EDIT: apparently there's a classic called Nineteen Eighty Four. Thanks to the reviewer who notified me of so. I tried searching the 1984 book up, and read a little of the summary, and well…let's just say I changed the title now. Shady Protector? I couldn't think of anything else…maybe I'll change it again later onwards.