And now, on with the fic! R+R, dozo. Ee, arigato!
Disclaimer: *cries* I don't own CCS *sobs*! If I did, well, lets just say things would be slightly different. All characters related to CCS belong to Clamp. All unknown characters are my own! *smiles* Hope you like my fic!
A/N: This fic takes place in the Middle Ages (you know, the medieval era). Sakura and Syaoran haven't met, and all the cards have been changed to Sakura Cards. All of the original cast are 18 years old. Other pieces of information are in the story, you'll find out when you read!
"Oh, Tomoyo-chan, I don't know what to do!" cried Sakura.
"It's okay," comforted her best friend, who was the daughter of a duchess
who was important and well respected in the royal court.
"I can't believe our neighbouring kingdom, China, is at war with us!
I hate all this fighting. Can't it stop?" Sakura sighed.
"I wish it could, Sakura-chan," replied Tomoyo, even though they both
already knew the answer, "but until you assume your position in power,
you can't do anything about it. Even as Queen, it would still be the King's
final decision."
"Tomoyo-chan... I can't believe I'm being forced to marry that snobby
prince from... where was it again? Oh, what does it matter! I wish I weren't
the princess of Japan, then I wouldn't be under such pressure." she whined.
"You know," said Tomoyo thoughtfully after a moment of silence, "there
may be another solution."
"What?" asked Sakura desperately, "I'll do anything!"
"Well, why don't you ask your father if you could chose who you were
to marry. Then you'd be a little happier, at least."
"I don't want to marry, but..." trailed off Sakura.
"There's a chance you might find someone you love." concluded Tomoyo
for her.
Sakura took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll do it. Let's hope it works!"
***********
"Konnichiwa Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan. What may I do for you two ladies
today?" asked a young man.
"My, Eriol-kun! So proper! Anyways, we're here to see Sakura-chan's
father."
"But I insist, fair damsels, its only polite."
Sakura giggled as she saw Eriol and Tomoyo look at each other and blush,
immediately averting their gaze. She knew they liked each other, but they
rarely had the time to talk, even though the two of them shared a silent
understanding of each other's feelings.
"Right this way, Tomoyo-chan, and princess." Eriol said with a slight
bow and twirl of his hand, leading them in the direction of the throne
room.
Tomoyo blushed a little more as she gave him a small curtsy. They followed
him through the long hallway and soon reached the large oak doors that
led to their destination. Pushing them open, they walked inside as Eriol
bowed towards the throne where the king sat.
"Your highness, princess Sakura and her Ladyship Tomoyo are here to
see you." he said while stepping aside as Sakura and Tomoyo both stepped
in and curtsied with grace.
As Tomoyo passed Eriol, she whispered to him in a barely audible voice,
"Tonight at 10, same place. See you there!"
This, of course, made Eriol turn beet red as he bowed once more and
stepped out of the room, closing the doors behind him. Sakura stifled a
giggle at the sight.
"Konnichiwa, otousan" she said, regaining her composure, standing up
from her curtsy.
"Yoroshii hi, heika" said Tomoyo politely, also stepping out of her
curtsy.
"Konnichiwa, Sakura-san and Tomoyo-san. What brings you two ladies
here, on a fine day like today? I'm surprised you're both not outside enjoying
the weather."greeted King Fujitaka cordially.
"Iie, otousan." replied Sakura.
"Actually, Sakura-chan wanted to ask you something." said Tomoyo encouraging
her friend to speak up.
"What is it? I'll see what I can do." questioned Fujitaka.
"Well... you see..." stumbled Sakura, "I, uhh..." she cleared her throat,
gathering up her courage, "I would like it if I could chose my own suitor,
instead of having an arranged marriage." blurted out Sakura finally.
She heard Tomoyo let out a sigh of relief, as she let out her own breath
which she had been holding. Finally she had said it.
"Hmmm..." said the king thoughtfully, his brows knitted together. A
few moments later, he said, "Sakura-san, I know you hate being rushed into
marriage, but I won't be around forever, so I want to be able to make sure
that you have an appropriate husband soon, so that I know you can take
over when you're older. You're already at that age, so there isn't much
time I can give you. However, I will strike you a deal. In two months time,
I will hold a royal ball here at the palace. That is when you must announce
who you will marry. Of course, he must have an important stature, preferably
a prince. However, if you have not found anyone suitable to wed by then,
you will have to marry the prince of Mongolia as currently planned."
Sakura's face brightened with hope as she heard this. Two months may
not have been a lot of time, but it was better than nothing. Maybe there
was a chance for her to find someone she loved.
"Hai, otousan! Domo arigato gozaimasu! I promise I will find someone
in two month's time!"
Fujitaka laughed at her sudden show of enthusiasm. "Alright then. But
now, I am busy, so please find something to occupy your time. If there
is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Hai! Sayonara!"
With that, Sakura and Tomoyo both curtsied once more and exited the
throne room, while the door was being held open for them by a still blushing
Eriol.
**********
"Oh, Sakura-chan!" sang the melodious voice of Tomoyo. "Where are you
going?" She questioned, noticing her friend halfway out her bedroom window.
"Uh, I'm..." began Sakura at a loss for words.
"Sneaking out at sunset to take a walk conspicuously in the town?"
finished Tomoyo.
"Ummm, something like that." Sakura said while sweat dropping.
"Not dressed like that, you won't!"
Sakura looked down at what she was wearing: a long sleeved silky pink
dress that had triangular ended sleeves and was long and puffed out at
the skirt area. Little pieces of lace trailed out at the tip of her sleeves
elegantly, just showing beneath her emerald green short jacket lined with
gold. It matched her eyes perfectly. Little sakura blossoms were embroidered
along the edges of the jacket for decoration.
"I guess you're right," she admitted with a sigh, "and it was my least
fancy outfit I have!"
"Not to worry, Sakura-chan! This is where I come in!" said Tomoyo happily,
"I made you a costume that will blend in perfectly with the shadows, and
the crowds. Here you go, change into it!" she said while handing her a
couple of medium sized packages.
"Domo arigato, Tomoyo-chan! You're the best!" Sakura exclaimed with
glee as she grabbed the parcels of clothing and went to change.
A couple minutes later, Sakura stepped out of her change room, admiring
her friend's handy work. Looking at the beautiful yet casual outfit she
was wearing, she gasped in admiration. It was a very soft pink of a nice
material. Short sleeves and a tight upper-torso area with a loosely hanging
skirt attached to it. A see-through pink 3/4 length sleeve sweater was
adorned by a simple button that held it together over her dress. She then
pulled on a dark green cloak over it with a hood that covered everything.
"Tomoyo-chan! This is amazing!" she cried, while pulling the hood over
her short, loose auburn hair.
"Sakura-chan! You look so kawaii in it! How elegantly casual!" Tomoyo
cried, hands clasped together in front of her chest.
"Arigato, Tomoyo-chan, for everything! I owe you!" She said while smiling.
"No problem! Just stand there for a second longer, and your debt will
be repaid! Ah, there we go! Finished!" she cried after a moment.
"Finished what?" asked Sakura curiously.
"Why, this painting I just drew of you in that kawaii outfit, of course!"
Tomoyo replied, ignoring Sakura's face vault.
"Oyasumi, Tomoyo-chan!" said Sakura as she once more approached the
window. Just before she used the jump card to hop out, she added, "and
have a good time on your date with Eriol-kun tonight!"
With that, Sakura jumped out of the window and landed with a soft thud
outside, leaving a crimson Tomoyo alone to think about her upcoming date.
**********
It was 7:30 PM, and Sakura had successfully snuck past the palace guards
and into the village market place. She had left after dinner so her otousan
wouldn't be suspicious about her sudden disappearance. She walked around
for a while, looking at the many different shops and traders that were
all over the streets. Few caught her interest, and she could find nothing
worth buying. Beginning to give up and go back to the palace, a corner
store caught her attention. Entering the small house it was situated in,
she began to look around. No one was in sight in the store, but Sakura
hardly noticed. The items on display were things which she had never noticed
before.
"Welcome, my child," said a quiet, raspy voice behind her.
Startled, Sakura turned around to come face to face with an old man
in interesting purple robes with a gold amulet around his neck. He had
a long, white beard and an oval face with creases that radiated many years
of knowledge. Sakura gasped in alarm.
"Konnichiwa," said Sakura politely, unsure of what to do.
"Welcome to this shop of many wonders, "Shinpishugisha no Irie". I
am the owner of this haven of many intriguing objects with magical properties.
It has been a while since someone of such beauty has entered our shop.
Here is a little gift." with that, he twisted his wrist, and magically
produced a cherry blossom. "For you," he said, handing her the small, perfect
bunch of blossoms.
"Domo arigato! They're beautiful!" she exclaimed, happily accepting
the small gift, taking the blossoms delicately in her slender hand, placing
it in her auburn hair after replacing her hood.
"Now, is there anything that has caught your interest? Say, this charm
bracelet?" he asked, pointing to a magical silver bracelet.
She looked around the room until she noticed what he was pointing at.
"Oh my!" Sakura cried after seeing it. It happened to be the only thing
in the room that caught her eye in particular. She was slightly shocked
at the magician's guess. "What is it?"
"Why, it's a powerful Riyu Charm. In fact, it's the only one like it
in the world! It is a power bracelet that can grant a certain amount of
luck or strength at times it sees fit, so you never know when its going
to work. However, it always has a knack of working at the right time, even
though it may not seem like it. Often something bad that will happen while
you're wearing it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. In other words,
it protects you against bad things, giving you support and power when necessary,
but will let some things happen that it thinks will turn out to be good
in the future."
"That's amazing!" she whispered, admiring the magical piece of jewellery.
"How much is it?"
"Well, because it is so rare and powerful, its original price is 6,000
yen. However, I will let you have it for only 5,000 yen, along with a free
session with this village's mystic."
"That seems fair,"said Sakura thoughtfully, "Okay, I'll take it!"
She paid the money and placed the charm on her wrist. Then, she followed
the man's hand to a small doorway covered with beads on string as a door.
Walking in, she noticed that it was pitch black, not being lit with candles
or torches like the rest of the shop was. A faint glow of light came from
a ball made of crystal placed in the centre of some pillows. Across from
it sat an old lady in marine blue robes, face also creased with knowledge.
A faint aura of an ancient magic radiated from her soul, just like the
man's did.
"Child, don't be afraid of me. Come here and sit by me on the pillows.
I shall tell you what you wish to see. Open up your heart and soul to me,
let down any barriers you may have. Relax, and I shall tell you what will
happen in your future. However, your future is yours to mould. What will
happen, however, is inevitable, but what will happen afterwards and how
is still undecided. Your actions will affect it."
Hearing her calm, gentle words, Sakura was immediately baffled by how
calm she suddenly felt. Following the woman's instructions, she sat down
on the pillows around the crystal balls, and relaxed. Soon, she heard the
lady chanting in some ancient, incomprehensible language in a sad, soft
tune. Occasionally raising and lowering her voice, she waited for a vision
to come to her telepathically through the crystal ball. Soon the ball clouded
over.
"You live a life of luxury, princess. Always getting what you please,
yet never becoming spoilt or conceited. You value your friends over your
own life. But you are unhappy." her soft, mystical voice rang through Sakura's
heart and warmed her soul, as she gave off a light shiver at the title
princess. She had never told her of her status, and her description of
her life was true. Only her friends knew her that well, in addition.
"Card mistress, you are unsure of your path in life, but you follow
your soul, mind, and especially your heart. There is something in the world
still left for you to discover. Accept it into your life. Don't be afraid.
It needs you, and you need it. Embrace it. It will become clear to you
in time what it is that you search for. Your other half. What will make
you complete. But what is it? I will not tell you. Let fate and human will
along with those in the spirit world take their course. But now, it is
waiting for you, no matter how unaware. Go, Sakura, your future is waiting
for you."
The mystic knew so much about her life. She couldn't help but believe
that she was right. Standing up, she left the room as her eyes readjusted
to the light.
"Arigato, sir. I must be going now." she said to the man before leaving
the vicinity.
"Doitashimashte, Sakura. I understand. May your fate and will be on
your side." He bowed to her in return of her farewell curtsy. 'I'll see
you again soon,' he thought as she left. 'And so will he.'
**********
A/N: Okay, my first chapter is complete! Yay! I do think its long enough, don't you? Hope you liked it! I know it started off kind of bad, but I hope you all liked the ending, minna! Domo arigato for reading my fic. I also hope you enjoyed my attempt of a... well... small cliffhanger. Oh well. I was planning to add a glossary, but a lot of these words are well known, so I will only list a few of the words which not many know, in my opinion. If you have any questions, R+R! If you have any comments or flames, R+R! If you're just plain bored, R+R too! You get the point. One final note: for all S+S fans, although there may not be any S+S stuff just yet, its coming up, so don't give up on me now! Sayonara! Ja ne!
Glossary of Uncommon Words:
dozo. Ee, arigato!: there is no proper way of saying please,
so this is how you say "please do"
Yoroshii hi, heika: Good day, your majesty (this might not be
grammatically correct, sorry)
iie: no
hai: yes
oyasumi: goodnight
Shinpishugisha no Irie: Mystic's Cove
Riyu: Force
doitashimashte: your welcome
*All the other words like hello, everyone, father, goodbye, thank you, and some others are pretty obvious in my opinion.