Summary: Sakura, a girl born from two Japanese parents but grew up in China is in for a surprise when she finds out that she's been engaged to Li Syaoran of the Li Clan. And without being INFORMED! Will this relationship go down the toilet without a second thought? Or will they get married without a hitch??
I've Been Engaged to My Worst Nightmare!
The days were peaceful, now days, but it had been like this always. Peaceful... calm... boring.
Life on the edge of town was a boring one. Nothing to do. Nothing to see. Everything exciting was located deep in the heart of Town.
Too far for Sakura to travel. Especially with her father's sharp eye on her day in and day out.
"Hmp.... hmp........hmp..............................YA!"
Graceful movement after graceful movement. Punch after kick after block and after jump and another kick.
Sakura's graceful skill in the martial arts was strong. Stronger than anybody's in town. She had mastered the arts of Karate long ago. Along with a little Kung Fu. By the time she was 12, every teacher in town had nothing left to teach her, or could best her.
Strong, petite, pretty. She had everything. Everything in the looks department and strength that is. She was magnificent. Plus, she was smart.
She had deep emerald eyes that held a warm glow to them, and long, shining auburn hair that reached her tail bone.
"HY YA!"
Sakura's well built legs swung up, over her own head, then came down in a powerful downward inside-outside kick. Then came to a quick stop, almost as if she hit an invisible metal wall a foot thick.
Meet Sakura.
A cheerful, strong, 16 year old girl. The only problem was though....
"Sakura...."
It was her father. His cheerful face appeared from the dojos doorway. A smile on his face.
"Yeah?" Sakura asked, as she stopped her training and stood calmly, her body facing the wall east and her head bent at an 90 degree angle towards her dad.
Something wasn't right... her father... happy? No. Not happy. He was usually happy... more like... overjoyed. Uh oh. Something was DEFINENTLY wrong here.
She quirked an eyebrow at him. small droplets of sweat running down her face.
"Sakura... I think you've been practicing for too long. Why not take a rest???"
Okay, something WAS wrong. He had something planned. Something he knew she WOULDN'T like, because he knew she practiced like this everyday during the summers... and she had a couple of hours to go to boot!
"Uh... Im fine, dad. I do this every morning, in case you haven't noticed."
She the saw a droplet of sweat run down the side of his face. Nervousness. What was this all about?!
"No, dear. I INSIST. Come and join me for a cup of TEA, won't you?"
"But im perfectly fine..."
"OH, but you really MUST come and try this new blend of tea I bought yesterday on my way back from work."
"Sorry pops. Not interested." She stubbornly declined, before she return to what she was doing. Trying to ignore him.
Fujitaka sighed. She was always such a stubborn child... and what he had to announce wasn't going to help. Nope. Not at all...
"Daughter.... dear.... I have something important to tell you. And I need you to be calm when I announce this. So please. Join me for some afternoon tea." he finished quietly, before turning from the doorway and disappearing down the hall.
Sakura watched as he faded from eyesight. "I just know it's gonna be something I'm not going to like. Man, screw tea. Im not goin." she mumbled as she returned to her fighting stance, before a voice boomed,
"SAKURA. I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO COME OR NOT. YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES." Fujitaka's voice echoed down the hall.
A shiver ran down Sakura's spine. She just knew it. She just HAD to know! Didn't she?!
She sighed in frustration and growled as she straightened and adjusted her sea green colored pants that were baggy till they reached her ankles where they look as if they were forced into another sea green ring around her ankle. Her shirt was a short sleeved cotton Chinese shirt with a row of evenly spaced frog buttons going down from the neck. The shirt was a light pink with a black sash around her waist.
"In the name of the gods.... please don't let it be something of real importance." she pleaded.
Slowly, she calmly made her way out of the training room.
*
"WHAT?!"
A loud screeching Sakura yelled. Her eyes alight as she held a threatening fist out as she had her left foot atop of the two foot tall table. Her fangs showing.
Her father began to sweat harder and harder than before. What had he done?! All he did was....
"HOW DARE YOU PICK A FIANCE FOR ME!? AND WITHOUT EVEN ASKING!" she screeched louder.
"I-I'm sorry!" he stuttered as he placed his hands up in defense.
"But I thought it was for the best!" He exclaimed.
"BEST?! BEST FOR WHAT?!?! TO RUIN MY LIFE?! MAKE ME MISERABLE AS HELL?! IS THAT IT?!"
Her fathers face twisted in thought, trying to remember WHY he even DID this in the FIRST place! Finally, after a few seconds, it came to him.
He cleared his throat and straightened, causing a look of confusion to appear on Sakura's face.
"My dear. Please understand the position im in. I had no choice in the matter!"
"YES YOU DID!!!"
"Ahem. Let me fill you in."
"YES! IM WAITING FOR A GOOD EXPLANATION HERE!" Her temper soaring.
"Well. You see, during the past hundreds of years, we Kinomoto's have bred fine strong warriors and--"
he was quickly cut off by the enraged Sakura.
"ARE YOU SAYING IM WEAK?!"
"No no!" he said quickly in defense as his hands shot up once again, this time in a block in front of his face. When nothing came, he slowly, hesitantly, lowered them.
"I... Well... the thing is.... they were all men... you see... and your, well, your a... a..."
"A GIRL?! IS THAT IT?!"
"Uh. Yes.... actually, that's the reason why. And for hundreds of years, the Kinomoto family has made arrangements for marriage for their children from the day they were born. And all were engaged to someone of high stature. And for me, it was your mother."
Sakura's face twisted with anger as she slowly loosened her fist before lowering them to her side and taking her foot off of the table.
Slowly, a smirk spread across her face. Not just any smirk. More like a sneer/smirk.
"Oh, I get it. You arranged for me to marry some rich fat bastard. Oh. I understand. Just so you can gain access to his money just like the past Kinomoto's had. Oh. I see what you're doing."
This time, it was her fathers turn to blow his top. "Sakura! How dare you accuse your father of such things! I would never stoop as low as that!" Suddenly, two rivers ran down his face as he clenched his fist. As if deeply hurt. ....Pathetic.
"Oh, is that what it's called?" she mumbled, as she placed her arms and hands behind her head. Her facial expressions changing from one of anger to one of boredom. She slowly began to make her way out of the small, nearly empty room.
"Sakura! Where do you think your going!?" Fujitaka hastily asked in confusion. Tears gone as if they've never existed.
"Like it matters." she mumbled as she exited the room and rounded the corner. Ignoring her father's pleas to come back at once. Oh well. Like it really DID matter. Besides. She had as much as she could take from him. She was leaving. Literally.
"Sakura!"
Her father shouted as he ran out of the room, slipping across the wooden floor as he tried to make a sharp turn.
She stopped, but didn't turn around to look at him. Her hands still behind her head.
"You do understand... don't you?" he asked hesitantly.
"Oh. Perfectly." she said, tiredly.
A smile spread across Fujitaka's face, not catching the sarcasm in her voice, he continued.
"Thank heavens. Oh. And I need you to get ready. Your fiancee is coming over with his mother sometime today."
Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine and up it again all the way to the top of her head. Her hair standing on end. She felt her heart sink and her head drop. WHY NOW?! AND OF ALL THE DAYS, WHY THIS ONE?!
She hurriedly walked out of Fujitaka's sight. She had to do something. And quick!
Fujitaka smiled in sheer joy. A feeling of happiness flooding his senses as he watched his daughter hurriedly walk off just to get ready for the guests! Oh, how it brought joy to his wearisome heart!
But if only he knew...
*
"I'll show him what I think of this whole mess he's gotten me into. I'll make him regret it." Sakura mumbled with anger, as she shoved clothing after clothing into her hiking back pack. Food? No problem. She'll just forage for her own food. Not like she's never done it before.
After shoving most of her clothes into the backpack (which weren't many) She slipped out of the current clothes she was wearing and into a pair of pants designed the same as the ones she was just wearing but instead of green, they were black. Then, she slipped her pink top off and into a dark navy blue one with black frog buttons and cuffs. A Kung Fu jacket. Then quickly tossing her green pants and pink top into the bag.
Hm... something was missing.... she looked around her room quickly, searching for whatever it was. Then her eyes landed on it. On her piggy bank.
She quickly made her way to the small clay pink pig and began to shake it. After hearing some jingling coming from within, she turned it upside down and began to shake it furiously. But nothing came out. She grit her teeth in frustration before deciding to just take the damned thing with her. She'd break it to pieces later. When she was out of the house, so the crashing noise wouldn't alert her naive father.
After looking around the room a few times over, and deciding there was nothing else to salvage from her 'former' room, she closed the flap on the back pack and slung it over her shoulders then made her way to her window.
'Heh heh. Piece of cake.' She thought with triumph. But that was right before she looked out of her window. She felt heart stop. She had forgotten that her room was on the 2nd floor of the house.
She gulped. What to do what to do??
She looked to her bed, then to the ground outside her window.
Deciding it would take too long to tie knots in the blanket on her bed, she pulled her right leg out of the window, then her left. Dangling by her window was not how she pictured her escape. But she decided it was for the best.
Then, she felt her hands begin to sweat. No! Not now! And of all times to start sweating! WHY NOW?!
Then, with a gulp, she felt her hands finally lose their grip on the window sill, and instead of falling straight to the hard dirt ground, she fell to a small part of the roof sticking out about 6 feet below her window, sticking out about three feet from the wall.
But instead of just landing there, the slant of it caused her to slip and lose her balance and fall backwards. Down and down she went. Till she landed on her back on the hard earth.
But thankfully, she wasn't hurt. Her backpack stuffed with all of her clothes had broken her fall. And she was grateful for that.
She sighed as she got to her feet. That was a CLOSE one. Then, as she remembered that she was trying to escape from this nightmare, her eyes darted back and forth, scanning the long back yard that stretched to match the length of the house/dojo thing and then some.
Good. Nobody in sight. Now, time for her get away!
Then, she felt her legs beneath her begin to move, faster and faster! She was almost to the wall! Now... JUMP!
Her powerful legs thrusted forward and sprang up, helping her to jump to the top of the 12 foot concrete wall with bluish grey clay shingles that surrounded her house. Then, with a huff, she hopped down from there.
FREEDOM!
Never had she been so happy in her entire life!
She lept forward, towards the VERY VERY edge of town. Bounding, leaping, skipping! And even dancing down the street! Finally! So this was how freedom tasted! And it was a wonderful sensation! Oh! How she had longed to leave her troubles and worries behind someday! And it was finally coming true! Heh. She should of done this a long time ago!
A grin of satisfaction spread over her face. Her fiancé forgotten. Along with her father. And it was all so simple to boot!
She chuckled.
"Goodbye! Hong Kong!"
Continued....
Authors Notes: Ah! What a wonderful sensation to start writing again! And I actually had fun! LOL. I felt as If I was Sakura herself, enjoying her freedom. That was, till I was snapped back by reality. *Cry* oh well. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Shouldn't be too long before the next is out! Till then, Ja! And don't for get to R&R!