Author's Note: Okay folks, I've been lying low for a while, but I'm back. This fic is dedicated to my good friend, Vivi ;) who is a dedicated Cardcaptors fan. To all who love and treasure the series used, I apologize for any corruption of the characters or storyline, which I butchered in writing this YYHakusho/Cardcaptors crossover.
July 9, 2036
Dear Diary,
I've never written in a diary before, this is my birthday present from my new guardians, the Kanzaki family. Where should I start? Probably at the beginning.
"A war is brewing, a fight to the death for those who seek it, a fight to hope for those who survive." Those were the last words my mother said to me. She had had on her special clothes, the ones I was always curious about when I was little. The colors had been perfect for her, pink and white with gold. She'd taken out the one book I was never allowed to touch, kissed me on the head, and left. She never returned.
The next morning was my fifth birthday. I got up on my own, got dressed, and went downstairs to see if my mother was up yet. I searched the whole house. Then I guess I dragged a chair over to the phone to call someone, but I fell off and hit my head. I woke up in a hospital with my head wrapped up and a strange woman leaning over me. She smiled and said, "It's alright, everything's going to be okay, Neko…"
I looked around. "Where's Mommy?"
The woman shook her head and said, "Go back to sleep, Neko." Of course I didn't sleep until the woman, a nurse, quietly told me my mommy and daddy wouldn't be coming for me. Then I cried myself to sleep. What came when I next woke up, was a social worker. She told me that they had found no relatives to take me in, and that my parents' will left me in the care of an uncle they couldn't locate. I was taken to a temporary foster home with an elderly couple who fussed over me and let me cry and scream about my parents until I wore myself out. It took me three months to talk again, and then I went to live with another family. They explained they were my new parents and the couple introduced me to their children and the rest of the extended family and I didn't feel quite so lonely.
As fate would have it, I only stayed with them for a year. I had become a rather quiet child, and didn't play with the other children. They sent me away to another home. I stayed there a year and a half. With each home I went to, it always went the same way. The family would take my quiet behavior as that of a nervous child in a new home, at least for a few months. Then they would try to make me happy. Depending on the amount of patience they had, this could last for a few more months or over a year. At the age of ten, I arrived at my last foster home.
That was when it all changed, and what was once reality, became fantasy…
Neko set down her pen and closed the diary. She looked at the cover. It was white, and had a charm on front of a heart with wings. Looking around herself, one couldn't guess she had only just arrived a month earlier. There was stuff everywhere. Books, manga, clothes, pencils and pens…and cards. When Neko had asked to look through the things of her parents' that had been put in storage, Mr. Kanzaki had agreed. Of the things there, the antique book had caught her eye. It was pink, and had weird pictures on it. Opening it had taken some effort, but inside had been a deck of some of the strangest cards Neko had ever seen. They didn't have any similarities to tarot cards or regular playing cards, and a web search had found no sign of a game using cards with names like, 'The Sand' or 'The Earthy.'
When she'd scanned in the cards to post a question on one of her favorite message boards, the images in the center didn't show. Feeling a little defeated, she left a note that the pictures didn't scan well and posted one picture, 'The Little' card. So far she'd gotten no response.
Her new home had a lot going for it that none of the others did, one was the absence of any foster siblings. This couple had one son in college, who was never around. Typically it was the kids who finally convinced the parents to get rid of her. Another thing was they let her use their abandoned tree house. It was from their son's youth, and quite small, but she was fairly short for her age. The tree house offered a refuge from the world, and Neko felt comfortable in it. There was something about the house, something that moved her in a way she hadn't been before. It was like it really was her home. These things had all caught her off guard, and then there was school.
Her peers didn't seem to care that she never volunteered to join a conversation, but didn't shut her out. It was the first time she had encountered anything like this. They let her sit with them at lunch or in the library without asking too many questions. She did think one girl in particular could become a friend, Aki. Aki Kelly got great grades and was cheerful, but was pretty distant from the other students. Her parents had a ton of money, and she planned to go into the family business, despite her obvious love for painting.
Neko closed the diary with her key and put it under the mattress. She'd find a better hiding spot later. For now, bed.
At school the next morning, Neko got a surprise. Aki came running up to her in the hall. "Neko! Wait!" Neko stopped and turned around. Aki's short, black hair bobbed up and down as she ran. She slid to a stop in front of Neko and panted, "I was wondering if you'd—like to come with me and my mom to the fair." Big breath. " This is the last day it's here, and I haven't had a chance to go yet."
Neko blinked. "Um, I'd have to call Mrs. Kanzaki…"
Aki grinned and her exhaustion seemed to vanish. "Great! See you after school!" Neko shook her head and went into class. Maybe Aki had too much energy to become a good friend. Neko sat down and prepared herself for math. She was a whopping 0 on the social scale, but in school work she was a 10. Information was what she craved, and school was always there. Her dedication to school work was noted on her record, because it seemed to be her one positive trait. Even when she was polite, it was always painfully so.
After school, Neko entered the school yard ready to walk home, her mind lingering on history and not her plans with Aki. She was only halfway to the sidewalk when Aki came up behind her. "Hello! Are you ready to go? My mom's right over there." Neko followed Aki's pointing finger to a woman with long, black hair and bright, blue eyes. She wore an outfit that sort of stunned Neko. The way it was designed made Neko think of her mother. Shaking it off, she followed Aki to the curb.
Aki did the introductions. "Mom, this is my new friend, Neko. She just moved here." Then she smiled at me. "This is my mom! Madison Kelly."
Mrs. Kelly was looking at me sadly. "Neko… you look just like one of my childhood friends. What's your last name?"
I bowed slightly, "Li, Ma'am." She blinked.
"Please, just call me Mrs. Kelly. But tell me, was your mother's name Sakura?"
A little uneasy, I nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Kelly. She was Sakura Avalon Li."
Aki's mother shed a tear, then abruptly dropped to a knee and gave me a hug. I stared at Aki over her mother's shoulder. "You look just like her," Mrs. Kelly said quietly. With a final squeeze she stepped back and wiped her face. "I was crushed when I heard you're parents were dead, and never found out what happened to you. I always assumed you went to your father's family."
"My father's family? What family?" I asked.
Mrs. Kelly looked around and opened the car door. "Come on, Girls, get in so we can get going. We'll talk more about this at a more suitable time. For now, let's enjoy ourselves." With that, we were off to the fair, and Aki chatted the whole way to a silent audience.
PS Author's Note: Err, if anybody out there knows the names of Li's (Shaoran's) sisters, I COULD SURE USE ONE OR TWO! At least one makes an appearance later, and I can't find their names anywhere! ::takes a deep breath and bows:: Thank-you.