Title: With An Angel's Guidance
Author: damson rhee
Rating: PG
Summary: AU fic - Sakura is a princess in the Kinomoto castle being forced to give up everything she has ever known. How will she cope? Pairings: SxS, ExT
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or any of it's characters. CLAMP does. Leave me alone.
"blah" -speaking
i`blah'i -thoughts
iblahi -flashbacks
*~*~* -scene change/ POV change (It should be pretty obvious).
A/N: Welcome to my first fic. However, please don't go easy on me. I want all of your harsh criticisms, flames, and/or good comments. :D
For the sake of the fic, Fujitaka is very OOC. Please don't flame only for that reason. There are no Clow Cards in this fic. Yukito is here, but Yue is not. However, our favourite guardian beast is still here as Sakura's guardian. Syaoran will be here soon, don't worry! And if you want the japanese translations, just email me or tell me in a review. I think that's it, so enjoy!
*~*~*
Something had changed.
It was not immediately recognizable, certainly neither visible nor tangible; it was more of a feeling than a veracity. For something so important, so life changing, it came in a surprisingly gentle manner. It came in the leaves that fell off the trees, the slight chill in the breeze, and the soft pitter-patter of the rain as it fell to the ground. It's calmness was unexpected, yet intriguing. It was so subtle in fact, that even she did not sense it at first. But it remained, regardless, and it would not go away.
i`Hai,'i she thought, ever pensive and full of insight, i`something has changed. And it will leave an impact so great on those below that their lives will be altered irrevocably. Be careful, my little one. You must have faith in me...'i
*~*~*
The sun was just peeking over the hills as Princess Kinomoto Sakura was tossing and turning in her bed in the Kinomoto Castle. She was moving jerkily and crying out in her sleep, obviously having a nightmare of some sort. Kero, who was sleeping beside her for warmth as well as personal assurance, awoke to hear Sakura scream out loudly, "Iie!"
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, ,wake up! You're dreaming," Kero exclaimed, shaking her frantically. He knew that she had been having nightmares as of late, but she had never screamed out or shaken so violently.
Sakura awoke in a cold sweat to Kero's voice. Realizing that she was awake, she sat up abruptly, her breathing staggered. She took a few deep breaths and attempted to calm herself down.
"Sakura-chan, are you all right?" Kero asked.
"Gomen, Kero-chan. I... I guess I must have scared you, ne?" she managed to choke out sheepishly, but shakily. "I guess I was just having a bad dream. Nothing serious."
"I think it is something serious, Sakura-chan.. You've been having these nightmares for some time now, haven't you?"
It was clearly stated as a rhetorical question, but Sakura tried to deny what she already knew was all too true.
"Kero-chan, I..."
"Iie. Don't bother to deny it. You know you can tell me anything. Onegai, tell me what is bothering you," Kero begged.
"Well," she started, "I've been having these dreams..."
Like a great tidal wave, the things she would've rather forgotten came rushing over her again with deadly accuracy; pinpointing her greatest fears and weakest moments and leaving them bare and vulnerable. And so the would was re-opened...
*~*~*
iShe was running.
From what? She didn't know.
To what point and purpose? She didn't know.
All she knew was the running; the sound of her feet on the ground and the feel of her heart beating harder and faster than she had even thought possible. She had the feeling that the darkness would eventually swallow her whole, the worst part being that she had absolutely no control over this situation. The urgency of it all surrounded her, overwhelmed, her and consumed her until she knew nothing else.
Then, suddenly, she was in a long, narrow, tunnel. It was maddeningly dark for where she had come from, but she seemed to be running towards a bright white light.
She wanted to derive a sense of hope from that light, to take its comfort and use it as strength. But she had learned never to have too much hope, to believe too fervently, or to trust completely, for it would inevitable be crushed. So she continued to run to the light, never quite getting her hopes up, but never letting them die either.
And as quickly as that fleeting moment of faith had come, it was gone again. For at the end of the tunnel was her father Fujitaka the king, who wore a stern expression on his face, and was sitting on his throne. It was unmistakably her father, but he was different somehow, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. There was a madness in his eyes, and his normally calm face was twisted into a malicious grin. But when he spoke, his voice induced a greater sense of fear than she had ever felt before. For his voice was his, but not his. It was the same, yet different at the same time. It was warped, and twisted, ,and distorted and it scared her unimaginably that this person she had know for her whole life could be like a complete stranger to her.
In this new, terrifying voice, he uttered, "You must leave, Sakura. You have to go. We don't want you here. Go away!"
Then, almost everyone important to her was there, forming a circle around her. She saw her father's apathetic and impassive face, the malicious grin now gone. She saw her brother, Kinomoto Touya, and he seemed angry. But to her dismay, he seemed to direct his anger towards her. Hurt and confused, she turned to Tsukishiro Yukito, who was right beside Touya. His face was blank, his emotions unreadable. She shuttered. She had at least expected some sympathy from him. Couldn't they see that she didn't know what was happening? Turning quickly to Daidouji Tomoyo, she saw tears streaming down her cheeks as her best friend shook uncontrollably. She watched in awe as Hiiragizawa Eriol put an arm around his beloved Tomoyo and glared at Sakura as if she had been the one that had hurt Tomoyo so deeply.
`What have I done?' she asked herself despairingly as tears formed in her eyes. `What could have possibly been so awful?'
She found that she had no answers.
Suddenly, her father's voice that was not his own sliced through the silence like nails on a chalkboard. "Leave!" he shouted. Everyone made it a chant, as they muttered quietly but steadily growing louder, "Leave! Leave! LEAVE!"
She shrieked and looked somewhere, anywhere for help. And as she looked up to the sky, she saw an angel come down, arms side open. Recognizing this newfound beacon of hope as her mother, she reached up and allowed Nadeshiko to carry her away from the surreal, lurid world below.
They flew up from the ground to the clouds where the sun lit the sky on fire with magnificent hues of red, orange, and yellow and she could hear she birds singing their sweet song. Nadeshiko gestured to her right, and Sakura instinctively followed the gesture to see a boy of about her age. He was dressed in green shoes, white pants, and a green long sleeved shirt trimmed with yellow and orange. He also wore a hat that matched the outfit and had a sword with red tassels. He managed to look angry, intriguing, handsome, menacing, and cold and distant at the same time. But as she reached out to him, she found that the clouds would hold her no longer, and she fell into the nothingness, away from her mother and the mysterious boy. Crying out desperately, she let the darkness engulf her as she fell, spiralling down, down, down...i
*~*~*
"...And that's what happened," Sakura finished, still trembling slightly.
"Saku..." Kero started, but was interrupted by the door flying open and a girl with long dark, hair and deep, soft, violet eyes rushed in.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, what an awful dream. I heard all of it. Gomen nasai for spying, but I just couldn't resist. Onegai, forgive me?" Tomoyo exclaimed, her voice full of compassion and guilt.
Sakura looked over to her faithful servant and best friend, and knew she could never be mad. Tomoyo was the most caring, giving and kind person that she knew, and was truly a good friend.
"Tomoyo-chan, you know I could never be mad at you. Of course you are forgiven."
"Arigato, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo breathed contentedly.
"Iie, arigato Tomoyo-chan, for being such a good friend."
"Now, Kero-chan, get out. Sakura-chan must get dressed and ready for breakfast," Tomoyo ordered kindly, acknowledging Kero for the first time.
"Hai. Ja ne." Kero left the room quickly, not wanting to listen to their `girl talk'.
"So you're sure you're fine?" Tomoyo asked worriedly.
"Hai."
"Good. So did Hiiragizawa-san really put his arm around me in your dream?" Tomoyo asked, blushing slightly.
"Yep!" Sakura laughed good-naturedly. Even those as dense as Sakura could see that Tomoyo and Eriol had feelings for each other, even though they hadn't yet admitted it. She was beginning to cheer up and forget her nightmare.
"And who was this strange boy you saw?" Tomoyo inquired innocently as she picked out an outfit for Sakura out of her closet. The beautiful clothes were all, of course, custom-made by Tomoyo.
"I don't know. I've never seen him before," she replied.
"This would look nice," Tomoyo commented, holding up a bright neon pink costume.
"Hoe..." Sakura sweatdropped. "Let's try something a little less...noticeable."
Grumbling slightly, Tomoyo dove back into the closet in search of the `perfect' outfit for Sakura. She eventually chose a more casual outfit; one fit for a princess. As soon as Sakura had donned the clothing, Tomoyo squealed, "Kawaii!"
Sakura emphatically rolled her eyes and after quickly brushing her short, brown hair, started for the breakfast table where her family would be waiting, her servant and best friend following faithfully behind her.
*~*~*
As they made their way down to breakfast, Tomoyo stole a glance at her dearest friend. Though she had never actually said anything, she was really very worried about Sakura. It was not apparent at first glance, but it was there just the same. It took it's shape in the little things; like the barely perceptible dark circles under her eyes or the way she would yawn constantly then try to hide it. Tomoyo knew her companion was losing sleep, but up until now, she had not known the reason. She felt sympathetic toward Sakura, and she felt a strong need to help her friend. But truthfully, she had no idea what the solution might be, or how to stop the nightmares from coming. But she thought that maybe she knew someone who would. i`It's time for a visit with Hiiragizawa-san,'i she decided.
*~*~*
Sakura looked over to Tomoyo. She looked deep in thought and troubled by something, so Sakura asked, "Are you okay?"
Tomoyo nodded her head abruptly and jerkily, as if by doing so she could clarify the thoughts in her head. "H...Hai, Sakura-chan, but I must go see someone right away. Gomen. Ja ne!" she answered quickly before running off in the opposite direction with a wave of her hand.
i`Hmm...'i Sakura thought, i`It's not like Tomoyo to just run off like that.'i
She continued walking as she ruminated serenely. She smiled as she thought, i`She must have went to see Hiiragizawa-san.'i
She found herself in the dining room where her father, her brother and Yukito, her brother's best friend and guard-`Not that he needs one,' she thought ruefully-were already seated. Still feeling the aftershocks of her previous nightmare, she visually inspected each of them for any remnants of the nightmare. Finding them satisfactory, she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down across from Touya.
"Ohayo, otou-san, onii-chan, and Yukito-san," she greeted cheerfully.
Fujitaka nodded silently at her, Yukito managed a quick, muffled, "Konnichiwa," in between huge bites of the delicious looking muffin he was eating, and Touya provided her with a very smug, gleeful, "Ohayo, kaijuu!"
"I am not a kaijuu!" she screamed angrily and stomped on her dear brother's foot under the table.
"Of course you're not...KAIJUU!" Touya shot back.
"Argh!" she shrieked in exasperation.
"Children, calm down," Fujitaka ordered in a voice that clearly meant he would not tolerate anymore nonsense. "Besides, Sakura, I must talk to you about something."
"Hai, otou-san?"
"Since you have just turned 16, it has come to my attention that you are at the marrying age. So, I have already arranged for your marriage to a young king. He will be coming in a week to..."
"Nani?!? Sakura exploded. "How could you, otou-san? I am too young to be married, and ever if I weren't, I'm not ready and I'm not in love!"
"Nonsense. You will be ready when I say you are," Fujitaka declared.
"Iie! Onii-chan is much older than I, and he isn't being forced into marriage!" she shot back desperately.
"Touya is in no hurry. He will only need a wife when he becomes king, and I am not planning to five up my position for at least a few more years. Besides, this young king is very wealthy and is willing to pay a very handsome sum for your hand in marriage. You should be greatful."
"Nani!" she shouted furiously, the tears stinging her eyes. She could feel her heart being ripped out, but she did not want to give up so easily. She spat out dejectedly, "So that's it then. You're going to just sell me off to some baka I've never even met when it's most convenient for you just because he's willing to pay you lots of money?"
"Don't think of it like that, think of it as...helping out your family financially."
"Iie. I really don't want to hear it. You're trading my life for money..." she wailed. "I suppose you just want me to leave!"
With that word, all of the memories came flooding back, rushing over her, swallowing her whole and spitting her back out again as less of a person.
iSuddenly, her father's voice that was not his own sliced through the silence like nails on a chalkboard.i
She ran as fast as her feet would carry her out of the dining room, far away...
Away.
i"We don't want you here. Go away!"i
The voices in her head would not go away, persistently clinging to what little hope she had and tearing it away from her. Finding herself in her room, she collapsed onto the bed. Falling...
iCrying out desperately, she let the darkness engulf her.i
Sakura shuddered violently and broke into anguished sobs in her pillow.
iThey chanted quietly but growing louder, "Leave. Leave. LEAVE!"i
She murmured in between her sobs, "How could this have happened to me?" Then, it all went black.
*~*~*
A/N: Well that's it! Please leave your comments, be them positive or negative. Forgive me for any spelling or grammar errors. I am already working on the next chappie, so it should be up soon. Ja ne! :D