Princess's Prayers
For the first time in that desert land, it wasn't hot.
The bustling sounds of the streets market could be heard all the way from the castle that morning. The shouts, the squeals, the laughter, yup, all was heard. The residents of the castle of Clow country found the sounds rather interesting to listen. The king and queen of Clow; Fujitaka and Nadeshiko, sat at the dining table, idly having breakfast. Their light chatter drifted across the whole room.
The young Prince Touya and the first heir to the throne was flipping through pages of a thick book. He was studying about the country in hopes of understanding it more. Understanding your country better was one of the basic steps of becoming a good ruler, you see. He was accompanied by the priest of the castle; Yukito. He placed a steaming cup of tea on the table, offered him to take a break. This earned a smile from the prince who eagerly accepted the tea and the offer.
Now, where was the princess, you ask?
Why, the gentle Princess Sakura was actually not in the castle. Instead, she snuck off to the market right after breakfast. Hastily grabbing her white and pink coat, she tiptoed across the dining room and went out without being seen by the guards or her overprotective older brother. For royalties to go out without a chaperon, it was frowned upon. But Sakura couldn't care less.
She covered her face with the hood and strolled around the market. Truth to be told, the market was not her main destination. But she decided not to rush and took a little detour. Her emerald eyes scanned the area. So many things were sold there. From a variety of fruits to clothes and toys. Even puppet shows were held occasionally. Yes, from the last 16 years of her life, she never had seen such a nice atmosphere other than at Clow country.
She sighed contently. Yes, if only she could share this with someone. A certain someone with brown hair and those kind, gentle amber eyes. The one who she hasn't seen in two years.
"Syaoran…" she breathed.
Sakura smiled as she walked past the market and towards a quieter place. It was located at the south of Clow country and it's only visited by the townsfolk a few times a year. Up ahead, a clear blue oasis could be seen. The light bounced off the water surface, making it look all glittery. It was as if the water was made up of jewels. It was surrounded by palm trees and the wind always blew ever so gently here. It was a spectacular sight to behold.
But Sakura wasn't here for the view, oh no she wasn't. She continued walking until she approached an old tree. This tree was dead and leaves no longer grew on its long branches. But this tree held an ancient power. It was believed to be the resting place for spirits of many generations. The spirits of loved ones rest here before they continue their journey to the afterlife. They were gentle ones, causing no harm to the others. This was confirmed by Sakura herself, thanks to her ability to see spirits.
Princess Sakura placed a gentle hand on the trunk of the tree. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly. She then gradually filled her thoughts with the faces and memories she shared with her most precious person. Syaoran.
She remembered their first meeting. It was during the purification ceremony. They were only 7 years old back then. He had appeared out of nowhere. She remembered how she tripped and fell into the shallow water, making all her clothes wet. Syaoran tried to help her but she stopped him, telling him not to touch her. Her mother came in and brought both of them back to the castle. They became instant friends.
Sakura soon came to know that he was from another world and he would only be there for 7 days. On the last day, however, something happened and she blacked out. When she woke up, he was no longer there. She was sad that he left without her saying goodbye but became overjoyed when he returned a few days later.
For 7 years they were together. On her 14th birthday, a tragedy happened. It turned out that a deadly seal was placed on her on the night of her 7th birthday. It was a mark of death and her life would end on her 14th birthday. That explained those pained looks that Syaoran and her mother occasionally flashed at her.
Sakura shuddered as she remembered. Many things were sacrificed. Her mother stopped the flow of time to prevent her death and Syaoran managed to turn back time with a simple careless wish. Both of them were captured and cloned. A new time flow was created and their other selves met.
Again, on her 14th birthday, the other Syaoran; who held no knowledge of his origin, had to embark on a journey to save her other self's life. New friends were made, sacrifices were done. After a painful journey, their original selves managed to reunite and the memories of their other selves were absorbed by both of them.
Syaoran had to continue his journey together with Fai, Kurogane and Mokona as he cannot stay in one country for long. It was a price for freeing the both of them. And Sakura hasn't seen him for two years.
How she missed him…
"Syaoran… everyone… how are you?" she murmured to herself as she concentrated on her prayer. She prayed for many things upon the tree.
Please spirits… ensure their safety while they embark on their never-ending journey…
Pray for their good luck…
Please don't let them get hurt because of reckless actions…
Pray for their safe return…
The young princess continued to pray when a gentle breeze blew. It fluttered her auburn hair. Then, a sound of water splashing could be heard. Sakura opened her eyes and turned around. What she saw brought sudden tears to her eyes.
There in the water, sat a group of travelers. They were wearing odd clothes, even the white creature that was with them. One of them had spiky black hair and piercing red eyes. He was on the muscular side and his hands clutched the sheath of a sword. The other one was lankier, with messy blond hair and beautiful sapphire eyes. Both of them turned to her and smiled gently. The fluffy white creature with rabbit-like ears caught sight of her and grinned as it waved happily.
However, Princess Sakura was more focused on the boy next to the trio. He was shorter than the rest with brown hair and gentle amber eyes. Strands of hair stuck to his forehead and water ran down his cheeks. The blond-haired one nudged him and his amber eyes caught sight of her emerald ones. His eyes widened in surprised.
Before long, he smiled.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she covered her mouth. As fast as lightning, she ran into the water, not caring about her clothes and jumped into his arms. Startled, he stumbled and both of them fell into the water with a splash. The other three chuckled.
The boy sputtered and got into a sitting position. He gazed into Sakura's eyes and smiled gently.
"I'm home… Sakura,"
"Syaoran… welcome home…"
And on that day, which was not hot at all, two beings were reunited. With the help of the princess's prayers.
Author: Yo! This story is actually a rewritten and revised version of my old one-shot 'I'm waiting for you' which unfortunately, I have to delete. The story consisted of a wrong file and I just noticed it several days ago. I was panicking like crazy when I couldn't find the correct file and went "Oh no! Where is it? Where is it?" And so, with a heavy heart, I deleted the story and decided to rewrite a better version of it. So… tell me what you think! Please review!
