Disclaimer: Me? Own Card Captor Sakura! Naah!

Chapter 1: The Mission

"How beautiful," the emerald eyed girl murmured. As she looked at the magnificent cherry blossoms trees, she smiled to herself. The cool breeze blew through her shoulder length hair and wrapped itself around her body. The blue jays were singing their anthem above her and the small critters of the forest bounded along the ground. Nature was creating their own orchestra. It was the beginning of spring and the cherry blossoms had finally bloomed. The seventeen year old teenager, finally seeing her own flower in full bloom, wanted to take in the scenery as much as she could. After all, this was her favorite season, since her own flower bloomed during this time. As she sat on the soft luscious grass and gazed at the scenery beholding her, the sun shone brightly on the nearby lake making it sparkle like a newly polished jewel. She played with her auburn, honey colored hair and fiddled with the grass sighing softly,

"Nothing can take or ruin this moment now..," She smiled to herself, making her emerald eyes sparkle with delight. Just as she was about to lie down to bask in the sun, she heard a soft rustling behind her,

"Sakura-sama." The girl jumped at the call of her name and turned around. She then frowned and instantly saw the message on her servants face. I guess it was inevitable...Sakura thought as she lowered her eyes to the ground and got up from her position. She turned her back from the servant and nodded,

"Yes, I'm coming. Please tell Otoe-sama(father) and Oka-sama(mother) that I will be there shortly." The servant bowed to the princess and hastily went back inside the castle to inform her King and Queen. Sakura shook her head. She can almost guess too well what her father and mother wanted. It seems like a warrior can't have any breaks..., she thought to herself. Sakura looked up at the world in front of her. Nothing has changed since her last return from her mission, but only this time the Sakura trees were in full bloom. She heard two loud chirps down below her and looked down to the ground. There were two robins. She smiled once again and slowly bent down. She stretched her hand, her palm opened and waiting patiently. The two birds twisted their heads in curiosity, waited a few seconds, and then jumped onto the Princess' soft delicate hand. She laughed softly to herself and got up. She softly stroked the robin's smooth head while walking towards the lake. Stopping at the shore and lifting her hand to the air, the robins jumped and caught the oncoming breeze. Their magnificent, strong wings released into the air and they soared away away from the lake to who knows where. As Sakura gazed at the birds in awe she whispered softly,

"If only I could find my own kind of freedom..." Sakura said as she turned and walked to the back door of the kitchen. She stopped and glanced at the delicate scenery one last time before opening the door. It will surely be awhile before she can look at this again. She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened out her kimono. After one last fix-up, the girl exhaled softly and went inside, closing it all behind her.

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The throne room of Kinomoto Castle was as magnificent as can be. Passed down by generation to generation, the castle had a certain allure of a classic structure. The room was painted with ribbons of red, white and gold. Tapestries of old hung on the wall, telling the story of how the Kinomoto Kingdom came to be. Its classical white pillars and blood red carpet gave the maroon walls something to accent with. On either side were two stairwells; one leading to the King and Queen's room, and the other to the Princess' room and balcony. Within the throne room itself, there was a total of 10 soldiers. One at each stairwell, two at the entrance door, and six lined up behind the King. And at the end of the magnificent room, was three chairs. The center throne was the tallest and made with the oldest oak ever living in the Kinomoto Kingdom. It had maroon red cushions and at the top it was decorated with three rubies along the arches. It is said that those three rubies were from previous King's in power. On the right was a slightly smaller throne, that was equally constructed, but on the top were three amethyst stones. Finally, on the King's left was even a smaller throne but was decorated with pearl white stones.

In the center of all this, King Fujitaka sat on his chair tapping his fingers impatiently on his arm rest. His brown eyes frowned as he waited for his daughter...his day-dreaming daughter. Time seemed to slow down to the King's eyes. Minutes seemed like hours to him. As time ticked away he waited, making his tapping harder. This was an important mission that he would reveal to his daughter. Something that is far beyond her normal caliber. But he knew she would take the challenge. Even through constant warning she would always say her invincible phrase, "Father. everything will surely be alright," and she would look straight at him with her stunning emerald eyes. It makes the King wonder where his daughter got her strength from. However, this is getting ridiculous even for him. A daughter should come right away when summoned. He even reminded her at breakfast to come meet with him in the afternoon after his meeting.

"The servant said she was going to arrive shortly!" he stared at the door in front of him. But heard no sound of footsteps or an opening of the door. His frown increased, "Well……where is she?!" Fujitaka screamed in his head. His wife, Queen Nadeshiko the beautifully blue eyed women with violet hair tumbling down to her waist, noticed her husband's actions. She shook her head and sighed. Nadeshiko reached out to her husband and placed a loving hand over his and squeezed it gently.

"Don't worry Fujitaka, Sakura will come. You know how she always likes that special place of hers, give her time." Fujitaka sighed tiredly and squeezed her hand back. Of course he knew his daughter's favorite spot. But this mission couldn't be kept put any longer! He bit his bottom lip and continued to stare at the door. Waiting.

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Sakura swiftly moved around the hallways of the palance and made a stop at an amber red door. She took a breath and glanced at the guards in front of her, "My father is expecting me." The soldiers bowed in acknowledgment and opened the doors. As she stepped into the throne room, a tumble of sunshine fell upon the room and she stared straight ahead at the brightened people in front of her. Her parents were staring at her with serious eyes and she stared back with the same intensity. She wasn't a scared child anymore, she can stand her ground. Judging by the look of their faces, the mission they had for her wouldn't be easy. But Sakura smiled to herself as she neared her parents. She always enjoyed taking on new challenges. In that way, she can polish her skills of warfare. Fights exhilarate her, it made her feel more alive. She stopped in front of her parents and bowed,

"Gomen na sai (I'm very sorry) Otoe-sama, Oka-sama for being late." Sakura lifted her head and saw her parents give a small smile. Sakura grinned back, she knew that they have forgiven her. The relationship between her parents and herself were special. They could never be angry at each other for long. However, their smiles quickly vanished and their eyes were once again sharp. The Queen looked at her daughter before her. She has grown so much...she thought. Indeed she has. Sakura has filled out her body and has grown up to a reasonable height. Her face was longer, and her eyes were sharper from past battle experiences. She has grown muscle around her arms and legs, but still kept a lean profile. The only thing that hasn't changed was her smile and her hair. It was still the same hairstyle she kept as a child. Short and layered. Nadeshiko suggested to grow out her hair, but Sakura would only shake her head,

"It's easier to keep it out of my eyes," she would say with an added wink, "And this way, no enemy of mine could grab my hair during a battle." Nadeshiko smiled at the memory but then reverted back to her seriousness,

"Do you know why we called you here Sakura?" Her daughter rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her,

"But of course I do," she said rather harshly, "You've been saying it to me since I was ten." She then outstretched her arms and made a scolding position, "You are now getting close to the age to get married," Sakura imitated, "We do not understand why you do not approve of any of the possible suitors. Now you leave us no choice but to choose your husband in order to benefit the Kingdom." Sakura stopped her act and huffed. It was always the same. Day in and day out, both of them would constantly remind her that she needs to get married soon. In order to gain new alliances, this was the best way. Best way my foot, thought Sakura. She turned her head away. How she hated to be married to a snot-nose and stupid money-making prince. She hated all the princes because they were always the same: a man who only cared about his riches and himself. For them, to marry was only for the dire need of an heir. She glared at the floor and open and closed her fists. Oh how she would love to be in the training room right now with Tomoyo. She needed to relieve her arisen stress. Both parents exchanged glances and then chuckled. Nadeshiko smiled and replied,

"Well you got half of it right, except the punishment part is a bit too harsh…," Sakura shifted her eyes towards her parents,

"You mean you won't force me to marry a man whom I've never met before?"

King Fujitaka laughed heartily and spoke up, "What made you think that? Am I really that evil of a father? We may be strict but only to stress certain things." When Sakura heard this, she smiled and turned her head towards them,

"So I'm not going to be forced?" Her parents smiled and nodded at her. Sakura clapped her hands with delight and screamed softly. She was full of excitement now that her parents wasn't waiting for her to get married. She had her freedom, and she wanted to keep it as much as possible. Its not like she never thought of falling in love, but she concluded that if it happens, she'll let it happen. As the Queen looked at her daughter thinking to herself in excitement she looked at Fujitaka and smiled, she understood why her husband did this. When both of them were at least Sakura's age they met at a ball and married each other because they loved each other. Nadeshiko got the idea that her husband wants his daughter to be equally happy and loved like they were.

She then turned back to her daughter and laughed, "Sakura…it's time to stop now. We still need to discuss the real reason why you were summoned."

Sakura flicked her eyes towards her parents, she replied, "Is it another mission for me?" The King nodded and snapped his fingers. At once a servant came and walked towards Sakura. The servant was carrying a silver platter and on top of it was a piece of paper. Sakura took it and noticed it was a piece of a newspaper article. She started reading it and her eyes shot open at once.

The Five Dragon Stones Stolen from the Kinomoto Museum!

Just last night the Kingdom's most treasured stones was stolen from an unknown thief. While a guard was patrolling his part of the shift he walked past the Shrine of the Dragon Stones but noticed something unfamiliar. He then stopped and took a look at the shrine more closely. The soldier then noticed that someone broke in and stole the stones for he saw that glass balls were replaced as decoys! He immediately called over more guards and made them search everywhere in the village and the castle. No other evidence was found. The guards are still investigating on this matter and are questioning anyone suspicious who are leaving the village.

Sakura read it over. Once. Twice. Then she looked at her father with wide eyes, "Otoe-samahow could this happen?! These stones relate to the prophecy that still needs deciphering! If we don't get them back….our….k-kingdom...will-"

"Yes I know Sakura," interrupted her father holding up his hand. "That is why I am sending you, Tomoyo and two others that I chose from the neighboring kingdom to find this man." Sakura stared at her father with determination on her face. She placed her hand over a small trinket hanging from her neck. It was a pink key that had wings coming out of the ends of the key handle.

"Why two others? Tomoyo-chan and I can handle this. With my magic and Tomoyo's jutsu, catching the imposter would be quicker." Her father leaned forward on his chair,

"Do you know what kind of rank this mission is, Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes didn't falter, "Of course I do. These are the types you always send Onii-sama on."

"Then you should understand that we need as much help as possible." inquired the King. He noticed Sakura's frown, "And I'm fully aware of your skills Sakura," he said as he leaned back, "However, this will do us good since the neighboring kingdom is also involved with the prophecy."

Sakura sighed frustratingly, "...I understand, Otoe-sama."

The King nodded and then switched to his fatherly mode. "Sakura, you know how dangerous this can get it if you accept this mission. You will encounter monsters, wizards, dragons and anything else that is far beyond our comprehension. You will not get out of it unscathed as previous missions I've sent you," But that statement didn't falter Sakura's mind. She only scoffed and placed her hands on her hips,

"But of course I know that Otoe-sama. What do you take me for?" she shrugged her shoulders, "This is a whole new level from what I've done before. And...," she grinned, "I look forward to the challenge. There is nothing to worry about. On top of that, we mastered our Medical jutsu." Sakura winked at her parents and started at the door. The soldiers opened the door and bowed as she was making her way out. Sakura stopped and looked back at the King and Queen, "I'll be just fine. I'll start making preparations for our mission. No need to tell Tomoyo-chan…I will do it myself." she then turned her back and continued walking, "And don't worry, because you know what? Everything will surely be alright." and the doors closed behind her.

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As Sakura opened the doors to the dojo, she breathed in the heavy scent of wood. It was delightful, and she could feel her fingers twitching to grab a weapon. As she scanned the room, she saw a dark-haired girl standing in the middle of the room. Sakura smiled to herself, Ah, her favorite exercise... Sakura glanced at the many dummies around the room, all with targets at the most deadliest places to kill a person. Sakura leaned on the wall behind her and crossed her arms. She saw her standing perfectly still with her eyes closed. She was breathing softly. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Then at once she jumped high in the air. She made her body twist downwards, making her head face down to the floor. Her body was whirling with intense speed towards the earth. In a blink of an eye she took one kunai and threw it. She then took another and then another, flying towards the targets until they hit it. She then twisted around in the air and landed softly on the ground. The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. All the kunai's hit the places she marked. She then smiled to herself with self-satisfaction,

"Are you going to join me Sakura-chan?" she said without turning around. Sakura took herself off the wall and smiled. They knew each others presence too well. There was no way they could hide from one another.

"Maybe later, I have some things I need to do first." She watched Tomoyo grab her kunai's from the mannequins and sliding it back to her weapon hilt.

"Are these "things" something that involves me?" questioned Tomoyo as she twirled her last kunai and then threw it at Sakura.

Sakura caught it with ease and laughed, "How right you are Tomoyo-chan. You aren't a ninja for nothing," She then walked towards Tomoyo, her eyes sparkling, "Wait until you hear this..."

Authors corner: Oooh…I hope that chapter was good. I actually just started late last night because I was inspired to write. So that's the end of this chapter! I hope you people thought it was good too...Please write me a review at how it was. I can take your opinions to make the story better! So just to tell you I just started writing so don't be so hard on me! I'll update soon...since I don't do anything.