Synopsis:

Sakura is a fashion-ista, one of the top designers in Japan.

Xiao Lang is a mobster, leader of the underground factions of the Japanese Yakuza.

She did it in memory of her best friend.

He did it as a form of revenge against his Chinese brethren.

The days of their running together in search of the Clow cards have been long forgotten.

A scary twist of fate brings the two back together into a now dangerous world of magic, and it is all they can do to stop it, and try to remember what was lost all those years ago, before it's too late…

A/N: Hello guys! Here is my first attempt at writing CCS fan fiction. I read the story a few days ago for the first time and loved the cute but simple story. I have read a couple fics myself now, and hope to be successful with mine. I am going to try to encompass as many of their childhood characteristics as possible, however they are adults now. Some characters are gone, so please don't shoot me. This is not going to be a cheerful fic anyway. Kenshin readers, I'm not stopping those fics I swear! I just needed to start this one because of inspiration, and I will work on those soon, hopefully. I hope you enjoy it and please give me all your thoughts!

Rating: M – For Violence, Language, and Sexual Content.

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or any of its characters. I am not basing this on the anime, but the manga.

oOoOo

Loud music pounded from the stage as Kinomoto Sakura ran around checking all of the clothes on her models, making sure the quick changes were smooth, the makeup perfect, the shoes a match. As the founder and designer of pInkblossoms, she wanted everything to be exactly as it should. She turned down the offer from her assistant to simply sit up front and watch. She had worked too hard to risk her creations being flawed.

"Irene, you're up!" The tall half-Filipino model moved to the spot she needed to be before she made her way out to the runway. Her couture clothing was flawless. The blue dress trailed behind her as she made her walk down the runway, sashaying her hips just so, before turning around and heading back for the start of the grand finish.

Sakura had the last set ready to go. The outfits on the girls, modified for an adult, were replicas of the remaining relics she had left from her childhood friend Daidouji Tomoyo. They were her special line: pInkblossomsDT. Every show she would have three of four of these special outfits created. These outfits were never remade, and sold for very high prices. Daidouji Tomoyo had died of leukemia when the girls had been eighteen, and Sakura had promised her friend that she would allow her memory to live on by creating clothes, Tomoyo's favorite thing to do in life. All proceeds from the special line went towards cancer research, as would the proceeds from this show.

Pulling out of her thoughts, Sakura heard the hiss of stage fog floating across the stage, and signaled the first of the models to head out. Sakura caught a glimpse of Daidouji Sonomi, Tomoyo's mother, out in the crowd. The woman never missed a single show. After the last model had made her run, there was a round of applause as the music came to an end. The show had been perfect.

Sakura sighed in relief, 'I hope you are smiling above, Tomoyo-chan.' She silently thought before heading out to the runway for her own bow of thanks.

The lights shined upon her lightly tanned figure, as Sakura walked to the end of the runway, and set a perfect smile on her face, "Thank you, everyone, for coming to the third annual DT show. I would like to thank everyone who helped to make it happen. The pInkblossomDT line will be up for auction shortly. Again, all proceeds from today go towards the research of cancer, and are much appreciated. If you would like to make a donation, you may at the booth on your way out, or online at our website. Again, thank you, and goodnight!"

Bowing a final time, Sakura walked off the runway, and immediately went to Sonomi. The older woman wrapped Sakura in a hug, a few tears in her eyes, "Thank you so much Sakura. I know Tomoyo would be so happy right now."

"Sonomi-san, I love doing what I do, and it's all thanks to her. It's all I can do to try and have her memory live on." Giving her another hug, she said, "But I need to go backstage now and make sure everything is getting cleaned up, I'll see you at the after party tonight alright?"

"Sure no problem honey, see you there!" With a cheerful smile and a wave, Sonomi made her way to the exit. Despite the somber topic of Tomoyo, they always made it a happy one. She knew her best friend would be very upset if they were sad forever. Only a few weeks after the funeral, Sakura had brought out the clothes that Tomoyo had made for her since their elementary school days, and started pInkblossoms. Sakura soon discovered that she loved designing some of her own clothes herself, and it didn't take long for someone to notice. Instead of pursuing university, at the age of eighteen, she moved to Tokyo's Harajuku district and began her work.

Returning to the back, her assistant, Kasumi, ran up to her, "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"I was talking to Sonomi-san," Sakura replied.

"I should've known! You always do! Anyway, things are going smoothly back here. We have the DT dresses already packaged and ready to go, and all of the other outfits are on their way back to the office. They should be on sale in our stores tomorrow so you have nothing to worry about.

Smiling, Sakura said, "Thank you Kasumi-san! I can't believe how lucky I am to have an assistant like you! I'm going to head upstairs to get ready for the party tonight. I'll see you there alright?" Cheerfully, Sakura left the ballroom her show had taken place in, and walked to the elevators. Punching the 'up' button, she waited for the elevator to arrive.

The sliding doors opened and Sakura stepped aside to let a tall, dark haired man exit the elevator. His amber eyes glanced at her, as people tend to do, and then he continued on his way. Sakura stared at his back a moment, before entering the elevator. She had never seen eyes as colorful as his, aside from her own bright green. Shrugging it off, she made sure the twentieth floor was selected and the elevator made its way up.

oOoOo

Leaving the hotel, Li Xiao Lang entered a waiting black car. As he slid into his sit, he saw the person he was meeting sitting across from him, "Hello, Tanaka-san. For what business do I owe the pleasure of your call?" The man had dark glasses on and a hat, so his features were not quite clear.

"Dirt," Were the only words the guest said.

The car was shifted into gear, and began to drive through the congested streets of Osaka. Xiao Lang knew the driver was not driving them anywhere in particular, but driving around made the meeting much easier.

"I need someone taken care of. Discreetly," Tanaka said, "I want it to seem as if he just disappeared."

"And payment?" Xiao Lang asked. He never took care of dirty work like that without high payment.

Smiling a crooked smile, the guest replied, "I have some information for you… for that special project."

Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward, "And how would you know anything of my special project?"

"Everyone knows that a Chinese man would never join the Yakuza, let alone become a head figure in it, without just cause. All I will say is that I overheard some Chinese people talking and the things they were saying… concerned you. I figured I would do a little digging and I learned quite a bit of information regarding your past."

"And how could you possibly find information about my past that I would not already have access to? I have unlimited resources."

"Because, this information I found was in a place that no computer or intelligence could ever find it in. I highly doubt you would like to pass up this opportunity."

Xiao Lang crossed his arms across his chest, feeling the shape of his firearm under his coat, "And what if I don't find the information satisfactory?"

"If you don't like the information, I'm willing to give you a cash payment, just name your terms. I'll give you a little incentive for now, and when the job is complete, you'll get your payment." The man smiled again, "Driver, stop the car!"

The vehicle came to a stop, and Xiao Lang opened the door, "Have a nice day, Li-san, the name of your target is at the end of the tape." The man named Tanaka said, and tossed him a little tape as he left the vehicle.

Xiao Lang stared at the tiny object in his large hand. Shoving it into his pocket, he realized he was a good couple of blocks away from his hotel now, "Damn bastard didn't even have the sensibility to drop me off at the damn hotel!"

He began walking and silently observed the many people walking by. The city streets were full of pedestrians and he always made it a priority to observe everything he could. A flash of a bright green dress made him think of the shade of green he'd seen earlier; the green of elevator girl's eyes. The girl had been petite, but her pumps made her taller than she was. Her clothes were high quality, most likely name brand, and her bob cut had been styled without a hair out of place. He had not thought anything other than, 'Another rich guest,' but something about her eyes had been familiar. Trying to think just gave him a headache and he resumed his observing people.

Arriving back at the hotel, he noticed a crowd of people in the lobby; many were filling out checks, and handing them to a person sitting at a table. He spotted a sign: pInkblossomsDT Cancer Fund.

He walked past them and went to the elevators, where he had been not a half hour earlier. Arriving at his floor, Xiao Lang went to his room and threw his jacket on his bed. Checking his gun, making sure it was ready to go, he placed it on his desk and pulled out some equipment, a tape recorder.

'Who records things on tapes anymore these days??'

However, his training had taught him to be ready for anything, so he carried old fashioned equipment with him too. Placing it in the tray, he hit play.

"Do you know how he's doing these days?"

"Who?"

"Xiao Lang you ditz."

"Oooh, last I heard my brother was just prancing around on a high horse trying to get back at mom's people for what they did to him."

"Look, it's not his fault that the things him and that Kinomoto girl did ten years ago shouldn't have happened. It was right that the clan took care of the results."

"It honestly seemed kind of harsh to me. They could have at least given him a false memory or something. Those that got involved in Tomoeda probably have no clue what happened."

"Well the clan could not have left them without a year in their head, Xiao Lang was one person."

"Regardless, I think they should have just given him a fake memory, instead of dropping it. He suddenly spoke Japanese, he had a plane ticket stub in his trash, which we should have found, and a strange teddy bear."

"Look, we need to drop the subject. We're not in Japan to find your brother. He left us of his own free will. Let's just enjoy our vacation okay?"

"Hey, you brought him up!"

The client's voice broke in, "Komatsu Ryuutarou."

The tape came to an end. Xiao Lang was shaking in anger. His own sister had come to the country without him knowing. The Li clan was at the top of the list for observation and they had come in without him knowing. How had that happened? Several things stood out to him though. They had mentioned a place called Tomoeda, a girl, and a teddy bear.

He reached for his cell phone, and made a call to his top assassin and gave him his job.

oOoOo

Staring at herself in the mirror, Sakura was satisfied with her appearance. She was wearing one of her own creations for the party, a light pink dress with a touch of Japanese tradition, an obi. The simple obi had little cherry blossoms along the border, and Sakura nodded. Her sandal-style pumps had little rhinestones creating a sparkle, and her hair was left down just brushing her shoulders. Her make-up was fixed to accentuate her features and bring them out.

Reaching for her purse, she slipped her cell phone in and grabbed her room key. As she made her way to the elevator, she saw the same man from this afternoon. Glancing at his dark looks, she smiled shyly, and then stared back at the doors. A soft 'ping' sounded as the elevator arrived and the two of them entered. Her phone went off as the doors shut, and Sakura pulled out the device, "This is Kinomoto," She said softly, not wanting to disturb her elevator friend, "Yes, I'm on my way down now. I had no intention of being late; I'll see you in a minute Kasumi-san."

Sakura got the distinct feeling that she was being stared at and caught the man staring her down with a fixed gaze, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you sir," She apologized and gave a small bow.

"No, you did nothing of the sort." Xiao Lang said, "Kinomoto-san."

Sakura blushed fiercely when he used your name, and was about to ask how he knew her name, but he stopped her, "You said your name on the phone. Sorry." He flashed a small smile.

At the moment, he was doing a perfect job of hiding a swirl of thoughts in his head. The tape had mentioned a girl by the name of Kinomoto. And he couldn't help but feel that her eyes were familiar, "My name is Li Xiao Lang." He secretly hoped for some recognition to come to her eyes, but he knew it would not come. When his family did memory swipes, they were good.

"Sorry! Kinomoto Saku-!" She was cut off as the lights in the elevator flickered and with a loud bang the box came to a sudden halt. That only light was a dim red light from the buttons, "What!? What's going on!?" She cried out. Pulling out her cell phone, she immediately dialed her assistant, "Kasumi-san! The elevator broke! I don't know what to do it's all dark and scary in here!" Despite the fact that Sakura was a full grown adult of 20 years, she was still easily scared, even by something small.

Xiao Lang, meanwhile, had remained calm, and was pleasantly amused by the woman's fear. She continued to babble on the phone, "Well… there's someone in here with me so I'm not by myself but I'm still scared Kasumi-san!!"

Sakura heard Kasumi say that she was going to get someone from the hotel to get it fixed, and that she would be out of there in no time, "Okay… Kasumi-san… but hurry!"

She hung up the phone, and started to pace around nervously. Looking up, she saw Xiao Lang staring at her with something like amusement, "You think this is funny!? We're trapped in the elevator!"

"Are you afraid of the dark or something? It's gonna be fixed soon." He said.

Anger flashed, "Don't make fun of me! It's not my fault I get scared so easily. This stuff is just creepy!"

"Think about it Kinomoto-san, this is an elevator. They get stuck all the time in the world, and people get out just fine. It's not something terrible." Xiao Lang's senses were on high alert, he felt like he was being watched. He glanced up to the ceiling to see a small wire running along the edge, 'What the hell?'

He reached up and ran his finger along it until it ended at a small black dot, about the size of a one-yen coin. He yanked it out of the corner and studied it a moment, then threw it to the floor and crushed it. This was not a simple elevator camera. It was high quality and meant to be hidden, "We need to get out of here."

"What!? Of course we need to get out of here! I have a fashion line to worry about and a party to attend!"

'Great… I'm stuck with one of them.'

"Now. Right now. We're being watched and I wouldn't be surprised if this was set up." He grabbed his own cell phone and pulled the back of it apart, seeing what he was hoping wouldn't be there. A tap. He pulled it out and put the phone back together.

Sakura watched as the man somehow managed to lift himself up to the ceiling and kick out the panel. He stuck his head out and noticed someone trying to pry open the elevator doors a floor above, "Crap," He mumbled. The way things were going, it looked like someone was trying to get him killed, and if that were the case, any witnesses would be to, 'The girl.'

He pulled himself completely out of the elevator as Sakura cried, "What are you doing?!"

"Getting you out of here," Was all he said as he reached his arms down to grab her, "Jump up and grab onto me." Sakura hesitated, "Just do it Damnit!"

"Okay!" She finally said, and grabbed onto his arms. As if the weight were nothing, Xiao Lang pulled her up and onto the top of the elevator.

"Trust me," Was all Xiao Lang said as he wrapped his hand up in his jacket and grabbed onto one of the wire cables for the next elevator, and jumped down. Sakura screamed, a gun went off, and Xiao Lang was sliding down.

He landed on the top of an elevator as it was making its way up to its destination. Sakura's eyes were clamped shut and she refused to watch what was going on. She was trembling in fear and all she wanted to do was go back to her one room apartment and Tokyo and hide under the covers.

Xiao Lang kicked in the panel to the elevator, and heard a shocked scream as the panel landed on the ground. He jumped in, Sakura in tow, and looked at what floor they were on. He hit the button for the next one, and without a second glance at the people inside, exited when it stopped. He ran down the hall, Sakura running as fast as she could since he would not let go of her hand. Her shoes made it difficult. Xiao Lang saw a sign for the stairs and sighed when he saw they were only on the tenth floor. Sakura was slowing him down. He swung her over his shoulders, "What are you doing!? Why are we running!?"

"Shut up girl, I'm going to keep you alive so just do what I say."

"Who are you?!" Instead, he paused long enough to hit a pressure point in her neck, and knocked her out. He made a phone call while running down the steps, "Hey, I've got people on me. Get a car now. Back stairs." He hung up and threw the phone down the rest of the stairs, hearing it break apart. They were about three flights away from the bottom when he heard the gunshots above. One flew past his ear, "Damnit." Xiao Lang knew he should have left the girl somewhere, but the camera had seen her with him, so she would just get killed anyway. He could not risk her if she was the girl that his sister had mentioned. Gunshots kept ricocheting of the walls and stairs, and it was all he could do to try and avoid them. Finally at the exit, Xiao Lang pushed the door open and hopped into a waiting car. As they were driving away, Xiao Lang saw three men exit and attempt to shoot up the car. They rounded the corner just in time.

--

Alright guys! What do you think? I hope you enjoy it. Do you like how Sakura is still a scaredy cat? I hope you guys are intrigued by my story. Please let me know what you think I will greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

-Hotaru