Cinderella Sakura
Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura. All the characters from Cardcaptor Sakura that I used belong to the awesome mangaka group CLAMP. I do own the plot and any characters that I've added though. :)
Summary: Sakura, 13 years old, is sick of her new step mom, but it gets worse when her dad, Fujitaka, dies. She longs for anything to tear her away from this new life. Maybe even...love?
"Sakura!"
"Hoe??"
Sakura woke up to find her very displeased stepmother, Koyumi, glaring at her, broom in hand. Koyumi thrust the broom at her and shouted, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and sweep the house! And when you're done, the mop-"
Sakura yawned and rubbed her big, emerald eyes. "-is in the closet underneath the stairs, and the bucket is under the kitchen sink," she completed.
Her stepmother's violently purple eyes snapped. "Don't you dare use that tone of voice with me again, do you hear me? Your dead father may have treated you with respect, but I, on the other hand, will not tolerate such rude behavior!"
Sakura stared at her, shocked. Rude? I already know what she's going to say. Is that so wrong?
Koyumi's eyes glittered. "Since you obviously think that I have not given you enough to do, you will take over Sayu's work as well." Satisfied with her punishment, Koyumi strode away, leaving Sakura alone in her bedroom, dumbstruck. Then her stepsister, Sayu, stuck her head in.
"Thanks for doing my chores for me, Sakura. Well, I'd absolutely love to stay and chat, but you've got work to do, and I've got a date with Takuto-kun, so later!"
Sakura stuck her tongue out at her older stepsister. "I'd just hate to put off your date with Kobayashi-kun any longer." she said sarcastically, then added,"or the ones with Junpei-kun, Mashitori-san, Issei-kun…" Sakura paused, relishing the horrified look on Sayu's face at the unexpected display of knowledge Sakura possessed of her various boyfriends. "Does dear Takuto-kun know you're cheating on him, by any chance?"
Sayu started. "For your information, no. And I'd like it to stay that way. As a matter of fact, unless you want to go around with the nickname Flatface for the rest of your life, keep your mouth shut. Understand?"
Sakura smiled. "As you wish." It'll get out soon enough anyway.
Clearly unnerved by Sakura's unusual obedience, Sayu staggered out, then ran for the front door, slamming the door behind her. Sakura smiled. Good.
Another head poked into the bedroom. Unlike the first two pairs of eyes that had pierced Sakura with hatred, these purple eyes were filled with extreme concern for Sakura.
"Tomoyo-chan." Sakura heaved a sigh of relief as she swung out of bed and began to pull off her pajamas.
"You shouldn't have provoked Mom and Sayu like that. They'll just make your life worse."
"I only got a handful of extra chores. What's the big deal?" asked Sakura as she pulled on a worn pink dress, followed by a white apron. No need to wear her good clothes, which would only get dirty from the grime and sweat that came from the work she was about to do. It so happened that Sayu's "chores", which Sayu had never done before, were the most disgusting jobs anyone could possibly imagine. Sakura thought this title rather fit, since Sayu was no angel.
"You know what I mean, Sakura-chan! And you know that Sayu's so called chores are given to you every day! It's just an excuse for you to have extra work!"
"When you were talking about provoking stepmother and Sayu, were you talking about letting out about Sayu dating, like what, half of the entire male population? You should have seen her face when I started listing all her boyfriends-" Sakura was shaking with laughter at the memory.
"I did. And while that was very funny, that isn't the point I was trying to make-"
"Besides, what's the worst she can do? No guy will be on her side when they hear about what a slut she is, and her gang of friends is nothing more than a bunch of prissy girls who won't even throw a ball if it means their pretty little nails will break, while I can hold off my own with the boys in just about every sport imaginable! What chance does Sayu have of hurting me-?"
"Listen to me, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura was shocked at the anger in Tomoyo's voice, and even more so when she saw the tears glimmering in her eyes. She hadn't meant to provoke her…
"I-I'm really sorry, Tomoyo-chan."
"That's alright, Sakura-chan. But I'm really worried about you…"
"Worried?"
"It's just that…how do I put this…I think Mom and Sayu are provoking you deliberately. They're jealous of you, I guess, since you get along so well with everyone, so they're hoping to make you into someone like them…"
"WHAT?!"
"I-no offense, but, you're, well, seeming to enjoy seeing others in discomfort, and I don't want you to become that kind of person!" Tomoyo blurted, her voice steadily rising.
Sakura was quiet for several minutes. Then:
"Tomoyo-chan, I really appreciate your concern. But-"
"But what?" wailed Tomoyo, before she caught herself and mouthed, "Sorry."
Sakura smiled. "It's okay," she assured Tomoyo, then continued, "I don't enjoy seeing others in pain or discomfort, though. It really bugs me, and making them even more uncomfortable is too much for me to handle. With" she added as Tomoyo opened her mouth to object, "the exception of stepmother-well, your mom, my step mom- and Sayu. Satisfied?"
Tomoyo grinned. "More than that, Sakura. You have no idea how much that relieves me."
At that moment, a yell sounded throughout the house and everywhere within ten miles.
"SAKURA! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE! THE FLOOR WON'T CLEAN ITSELF, YOU KNOW!!"
Sakura and Tomoyo looked at each other, then collapsed to the ground, giggling. "Well," said Sakura, still heaving and clutching her stomach, "guess I'd better head downstairs now."
"Have fun with the devil!" Tomoyo sang, which caused Sakura's smile to fade, and Tomoyo's to grow even wider.
"SAKURA! DOWN! NOW!"
Sorry that Syaoran isn't in this chapter, but I promise that I'll put him in the next chapter! Please review!
