The River

"Wahh! My ribbon!"

A little Sakura ran as the strong evening wind blew her hairpiece away. It danced and toyed with the child until it eventually landed in the river. Sakura covered her mouth as tears began to form.

"My ribbon! My special ribbon!"

Suddenly, she heard a splash from across the river. She saw a dark figure pop up from under the water. It was a boy. She watched as he swam his way over to her side effortlessly, reaching the bank.

The boy ran his fingers through his long brown hair, wiped his face clean, and blinked a couple of times.

Sakura stared, dazed. She had never seen him before. He started walking towards her. She suddenly felt scared, but she couldn't move.

"Here," he said, handing her a soaked piece of cloth, her ribbon.

Her tears fell, relieved. "Thank you!" she cried. "Mama gave this to me, it's my precious ribbon!"

The boy looked at her and frowned. "If it's so precious, why did you lose it?"

"It's not my fault." Sakura rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I can't swim..."

The boy proceeded to ring his clothes dry. "How are you supposed to protect it if you cry so easily? Stop crying, crybaby."

"I'm not crying."

The boy looked at her, with her red nose and her green eyes. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Sakura." She sniffled. "What's your name?"

"Syaoran," he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm always here. What are you doing here?"

"I'm running away." He pointed a bag that was left across the river. "Do you wanna come?"

Sakura shook her head. "No way. Mama would worry. Don't you think your mama is worried?"

"I don't have one."

"What do you mean you don't have one, everyone has a mama." Sakura sniffled again.

Syaoran shrugged. "Then everyone isn't me." He looked around. "Are you here alone? You're kind of stupid to be alone."

Sakura took a step forward. "I'm 8 years old now, mama trusts me!"

Syaoran scoffed. "I mean you're kind of stupid to be left alone."

Sakura gasped. She picked up some dirt and threw it in his face.

"HEY! Is that some way to thank your savior?"

"I hate you!"

"Hmph!" Syaoran turned around and headed back to the river. He paused before getting in. "You know," he said to her. "If that ribbon were truly precious to you, you would protect it with all your strength, regardless if you can swim or not."

Sakura folded her arms. "What would you know? You're running away. You have nothing precious to protect."

Syaoran jumped into the water. He paused again as her reached the middle and turned around to face Sakura. "You know," he yelled. "You shouldn't cry so easily. Crying is a sign of weakness. You're a big crybaby." Syaoran continued swimming before he could hear her reply.

"Syaoran," Sakura said under her breath. "I hope you get eaten by a wolf."

Present Day Tomoeda

"Come at me like you want to kill me!" Touya shouted.

"HAAA!" Sakura lunged at him with her sword. The two parried, back and forth, circling each other with agile footsteps.

"You've no intent to kill, Sakura, you're still no match for me."

"You're my brother," Sakura huffed, trying to catch her breath in between blows.

"And that is why you're weak." Touya blocked her sword then kicked her down. She screamed.

"She's only 16, Touya, why are you being so hard on her?" Yukito shouted from the sidelines.

"If I die in battle, she will be the one to lead the kingdom. If she isn't strong, then our lineage will cease to be the royal rulers." Touya explained without taking his stare off of his defeated sister. "Do you want to be the reason our kin live in shame?"

Sakura glared at her older brother. He was only 4 years older than her but he had the wisdom and strength of an experienced soldier.

"We are at war, Sakura. I don't need to explain this to you."

"I'm not like you." Sakura got up and brushed off her pants. "I'm not heartless."

"That's why you're weak."

"Let it go for today, Touya!" Yukito called again, running towards them. "She's had enough."

Touya sheathed his sword, gave her a once over, and then turned away. Yukito gave a small smile to Sakura before brushing the dirt off her face. "He's doing it to protect you."

"I'm not a fighter, Yukito, I'm not my brother."

"I know. And I'm sorry. The war has made him the way he is. Please try to understand."

Sakura recognized the boy across the river. She waved to him. "Hey! Syaoran! What are you doing here?"

Syaoran waved back, holding up his bag. "I'm running away. I told you, remember?"

"So what are you doing back here?"

"They found me last time! I'm running away again!"

"You're stupid, they're only going to find you and bring you back! Why are you running away?"

"I'll tell you if I get caught again, but hopefully this is the last time I ever see you!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue. "You're stupid!"

Li Estate, Outskirts of Tomoeda

The sun was setting. Eriol ran to the cliff overlooking the river where the trees grew. He scanned the treetops until he found what he was looking for.

"Syaoran."

The man in sitting on the tree branch looked down. "Is it time already?" Syaoran ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. He lifted himself up with his palms and gracefully jumped down. He looked at his friend with his worried expression.

"You're here every night. You never tell me what you're waiting for."

"Who said I was waiting for something?" Syaoran jokingly punched Eriol in the shoulder.

"Laolang has become increasingly suspicious, he sent me to spy on you. "

"What do you tell him?"

"I tell him that you're stupid,"

The two childhood friends smiled. Without a word, they headed back to the main house.

Upon reaching the house, Syaoran let out a loud and long sigh. "I don't want to go."

"We can't disobey."

The main house mansion was situated on a steep hill, with only one entrance to the south. The trees swayed eerily with the night wind. "Do you ever think the things we're doing are wrong? Do you ever think that this feud is our fault?"

"That's not for us to decide, Syaoran. Don't say these things to your brother."

The pair entered the dimly lit hallway, nodding to the guards before opening the west wing doors. They walked down the long dark hallway, lit only by moonlight. A tall slim figure waited at the end, greeting them with a bow.

"You're late," Meiling said. "Your brother isn't very happy."

Syaoran shrugged indifferently as he opened the doors to the meeting hall. The elders and heads of the families were all gathered around a long wooden table. At its end stood Laolang Li, head of the Li Estate and Syaoran's older and only brother.

Everyone looked at him and returned to what they were discussing, as if Syaoran's tardiness wasn't anything new.

"My sources tell me there's to be a celebration, Tomoeda castle is planning something. It'll be easy to slip in the next coming weeks."

"But what is happening exactly?"

"We need more information. A date."

"Can we trust this source? It might be a trap planted by Kinomoto to capture us once and for all."

The men all looked to Laolang for answers. "We will gather more intel." Laolang's cold brown eyes fell upon his younger brother who was staring out the window to the left. "Syaoran." Syaoran snapped out of his daze to meet eyes with his brother. "You and Eriol will go to Tomoeda tomorrow and gather more information. You know what's expected of you."

Eriol looked at Syaoran who was still staring at his brother. Eriol knew of the tension between the two brothers with their differing views. Afterall, they were raised amidst the war with the Kinomoto's, the rulers of Tomoeda.

He didn't know when it started, or what had happened, but he knew that the Kinomoto's were always hostile towards them. Eriol was not a Li, but his family, the Hiiragazawa's, sided with the Li's.

From the time they were born, Syaoran had always been there. They trained together, fought together, ate together, stayed up together. Syaoran became a brother he never had.

Then this one summer, Eriol had to leave with his Father on a trip to his ancestor's grave. They were both 10. It was a tradition to train for a month at his ancestor's monastery before becoming a man.

When Eriol returned, Syaoran had changed. He was cold, he was quiet, and he was indifferent to everything around him. He thought maybe it was Laolang who caused this change in him. At 18 years, Syaoran till hadn't changed from his heartless self. Although Eriol worried, he'd see a smile from time to time, reminding him of the old Syaoran.

He knew Syaoran's feelings about this war. He, too, shared the same feelings. He hated it. What was all this bloodshed for? Every night, living in fear that someone close to him will die the next day. Syaoran didn't want to be involved. But he was linked to an escapable fate as the second son of the prestigious and proud Li family. If Laolang fell, Syaoran would need to take up that seat.

This mission was just another thing he and Syaoran didn't want to do, which was probably why Laolang chose them.

"Don't fail me." Laolang warned.

"Mama! Mama! Come here quickly!"

Nadeshiko looked up from the dishes and walked towards the front garden where her 8-year-old daughter was calling.

"Mama! Mama! Syaoran's hurt! Quickly, please help him!"

Nadeshiko looked out the door to see Sakura helping a boy walk to their house. He was drenched with water. She could see a large gash on his leg, made by a rock or maybe some animal. "Bring him inside!" Nadeshiko shouted as she ran to get the emergency supplies.

Sakura put Syaoran down on the porch. He winced with pain but said nothing. Nadeshiko came back and knealed beside the boy. She ripped the fabric of his pant leg apart to reveal a huge slice down from his thigh to his knee. "What happened?"

"It was a wolf, mama! I was picking flowers and I saw Syaoran jump into the river. Two wolves were chasing him and he swam over to our side of the river. He's hurt mama!" There were tears on Sakura's face, and streams down the sides of her cheek.

She turned her attention again towards the boy. "Syaoran, was it? This is going to hurt."

"It'll be fine." Syaoran managed to say before holding his breath. Nadeshiko applied the disinfectant and much to her surprise, the boy kept in his cries of pain. She quickly cleaned the wound and started to stitch it up.

"Where do you live, Syaoran?"

"Just over the hill, behind the forest."

A sudden realization came to her. Nadeshiko knew who he was.

"Oh stop crying, crybaby." Syaoran said to a whimpering Sakura.

"I was so scared! You could have died!"

Nadeshiko couldn't help but let out a chuckle. So their fates were intertwined in more ways than one now. What a coincidence that even now, remnants of her past still lingered. "We will need to get you home."

"NO!" Syaoran shouted as he sat up. "I absolutely cannot go home! I'm running away!"

"Why are you doing such a silly thing?"

"I need to find Eriol!"

Nadeshiko sighed. She looked at her daughter and then once again turned her attention to Syaoran. "Well then at least stay for dinner. You need time to heal that leg of yours, then you can be on your way."

Syaoran didn't look pleased, but he agreed anyway. He couldn't walk at all without help. Nadeshiko and Sakura helped him inside.

A little bit after nightfall, Nadeshiko put Sakura to sleep. She lightly closed the door and walked into the kitchen. The front door was open. Nadeshiko went to close it and found Syaoran sitting on the porch floor. He had somehow managed to pull himself there. He sat, staring at the sky.

"What are you thinking?"

Syaoran scratched his head. "If I were stronger, I could have outsmarted those wolves and I wouldn't be here right now."

Nadeshiko took a seat beside him. "But if that happened, I would have never met you."

Syaoran blushed. To be honest, Syaoran had never met such a beautiful lady. She had long wavy gray hair and a kind face.

"Sakura talks a lot about you, you know. She tells me every time you meet, but I don't even have to ask her. She comes home with a smile on her face. She calls you her stupid savior." Nadeshiko laughed and Syaoran turned an even brighter red. "Thank you for always protecting her."

"I don't do that much, I just seem to run into her every time I run away. She's always at the river picking flowers, singing, or trying to get the apples off the tree. I just help her sometimes."

"I hope you two become really good friends, and I hope that you stay friends for a lifetime."

Syaoran caught sight of a falling star. He'd seen many back when he was younger, when him and Eriol snuck out of the compound to fight demons or play protectors. But this one seemed especially beautiful.

"Do you live here alone? Why do you live so far from Tomoeda? The only people that live out here are the Li clansmen. I don't think I've seen you before. You can't be a Li."

Nadeshiko smiled at his curiosity and his perceptiveness. "I, like you, ran away from home. But they haven't found me yet. I'm really good at hiding."

"What happened? Are some bad people after you?"

"I wouldn't say bad people, just some misguided people. I want to protect Sakura, that's all."

"Ahh, I see. No wonder why she's so carefree." Syaoran looked at Nadeshiko.

"You may be too young to understand, but I want to protect that cute little smile on her face. There is so much more to the world than fighting and power. There's beauty in love and trust, in friendship and family, and I want to protect her from all the bad things."

"No, I understand. There are things I want to protect too, like my little brother Eriol. I mean, he's not really my brother but I think of him as one. I want to protect my cousin, Meiling. She was just born 2 years ago, you know. She has the biggest eyes I've ever seen! Well, before I met Sakura…" His voice trailed off and a moment of silence proceeded. "You know what, mama, I'll make you a promise." Syaoran shifted over to where Nadeshiko sat. He took her hand in his and looked her in the eyes. "I promise I will protect Sakura, too. I will protect her smile."

It was the most touching thing Nadeshiko had heard in a long time.

"You remind me of my best friend," Yelan Li. "We promised to protect each other."

"And what happened?"

"I couldn't protect her. I didn't have the strength." Nadeshiko turned her face to the sky to stop her tears from falling.

"But I promise you, I will protect Sakura. And Eriol. And everyone. I'm Syaoran Li."

Nadeshiko turned to him, only to be caught by surprise. He had a thumbs up and a big box smile on his face.

"Then I pray God give you the strength, Syaoran, little wolf."

Tomoeda City

Sakura pulled the hood of her cloak over her head as she left the castle gates and into the evening city crowd. She welcomed the brisk air and the smells of the city. The castle air reminded her of a cage. It wasn't very often that she was allowed outside the castle walls. After all, she was the princess.

Sakura thought back to 8 years ago. She didn't grow up at the castle. She had lived on the outskirts of the country. After her mother's death, she was taken to Tomoeda and was brought up by her father.

At the age of 10, two years after moving, Sakura learned that they were at war. Once upon a time, all the clans in the country were at peace. Clow Reed had ruled at that time, alotting each clan their own territory in proportion to their size. But because Clow Reed had no family, no heir was designated. He died suddenly without warning from a plague that had ravaged the country. The Li's, being the country's military force, thought that they should be the rulers. The Kinomoto's thought they deserved the title, as their clan boasted of healers and through the plague lost the least amount of members.

In the end, the Kinomoto's took over the throne and ever since held hostility to the Li clan. The two clans fought and fought until one day, The Li's moved out of the country, just across the river that separated the land. There the Kinomoto's had no jurisdiction. But war still ensued. The Li's thought the throne was rightfully theirs and the Kinomoto's fought desperately to keep the power.

Sakura was never told why she was raised on the outskirts of the country. When she first got to the castle, she cried every night. Her mother was gone. And in her new home, only the cold castle walls ever greeted her. The maids never talked. She was schooled every day from dawn until dusk. Her free time consisted of reading history books, learning foreign languages, and meals alone at a long empty table.

Crying is a sign of weakness. You're a crybaby.

Her thoughts filled with the sight of a small round faced, brown haired boy in dark clothes. She bit her lip. Her first friend. Syaoran. Where was he now? Did he miss her? How did he feel when one day, he found that she wasn't there waiting for him at the river?

"Excuse me, miss," a stranger suddenly released her from her daze. It was an old women with two children and a cart. Sakura had unknowingly stopped walking and was blocking the road.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, embarrassed as she stepped out of the way.

Two streets down, Syaoran and Eriol looked around cautiously, trying to avoid catching attention. They'd gone to 2 bars so far and not one piece of information seemed relevant. It seems the town didn't talk about their affairs so easily with strangers.

"Syao! That's it!" Eriol pointed to the highest building on top of the hill. "That's the castle!"

"You act like you've never seen it before." Syaoran scoffed and continued walking. He scoured the area looking for another bar. Maybe, they could find a villager drunk enough to spill the beans. A woman with two children and a cart passed by. He was amazed at how carefree this city was. Further from Tomoeda City, the war had left its mark. Villages were left in pieces. What once was farm land was reduced to nothing.

"Watch where you're going!" he heard Eriol cry before colliding with something and falling to the ground. He had bumped into a stranger who was now also on the floor.

Sakura's hood fell off as she slowly stood up, rubbing the leg that she'd fallen on. Who on Earth..

And then their eyes met. Immediately, Syaoran knew who she was. He'd met a lot of people these past 18 years and none of them bore those big emerald eyes like she did.

"I'm sorry, I must not have been watching where I was going. Are you okay?"

Syaoran sat there, confused and dazed, trying to figure out if this was his imagination. Eriol came up from behind and helped him to his feet.

"I told you to watch where you're going,"

She had definitely grown taller and more slender. She'd lost all the baby fat in her cheeks from when she was younger. But even dressed in a long concealing cloak, she exuberated in beauty. Her long auburn hair was braided from her side bangs down.

"Sakura..." Syaoran whispered under his breath.

"Hmm? Do I know you?"

-Chapter 1 End-

Hello again! Hope you liked the first chapter. It feels good to be writing again after a 3 year hiatus. I will try my best to update my other stories, but in the meantime, enjoy this one (:

Mae