River Flows In You
What happens when pampered Sakura's father falls into a coma - never waking up - and she is kidnapped by the Triads? Simple - she'll work from within to group, marry the leader, and take out the Triads, in the name of the Yakuza. And not fall in love.
-xx-
I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura, it's characters and any of its affiliates. I don't own any of the designers I mention in this book. I don't own any songs or bands or musicians I mention. Got it?
Ages: Sakura, Tomoyo - 17. Syaoran, Hiro, Rain, Eriol - 21. Takashi, Meiling, Jae - 20. Toya, Yukito - 25. Yuri - 20.
Hopefully this story will be more successful that Honey Melon! Oh, goodness, that would be so great. But I'm not sure. I guess I'll just aim for a more modest review number for each chapter. My chapters are usually around 5 000 + words.
But seriously, I really really hate it when people alert or even favourite it but don't bother to drop a review. It seriously peeves me! So badly! So I ask you very kindly to please not do that. I will update this story only when chapter one gets at least 10 reviews.
On with the chapter!
-xx-
River Flows In You - Chapter 1: Princess
Kinomoto Sakura had always been a little different from the other kids. When she was four, the others ran around in their new clothes, dirtying them in the playground then going for ice cream with their parents. Sakura ran around her house in her new, expensive, clothes, her nanny running after her. When she was five, she watched the other kids all scurry to their new schools, excited and scared. Sakura stayed at home and played with her tutor. When she was 14, all the girls her age were getting boyfriends and going on dates. Sakura stayed home and played with her dog, Kero. And now, at seventeen, things hadn't changed much. She never saw her father, her mother had died three years before, and she didn't know how. She wasn't allowed out with friends, instead getting everything and anything she wanted to keep herself company in her gigantic, beautiful mansion. Her only friend was her cousin, Tomoyo, who came over frequently to give Sakura company and take private lessons together. Tomoyo was the only person she was allowed out with - as well as the accompaniment of a bodyguard.
Today was no different than the others. She awoke to the sun fiercely shining through the window. Groggily, she turned over to look at her clock, which read ten o'clock am. Her small, cute dog was treading all over her blanket, looking for a comfortable spot. Kero collapsed right next to the curve of her waist in a pile of orange-beige fur. With a yawn, Sakura moved the blanket off her body gently, then got off the bed, her long auburn hair cascading to the small of her back. Sakura reached over to a small hair tie, almost unnoticeable, and tied her hair in a messy ponytail.
Her room probably the only really coloured room in their mansion. All of the other rooms were white or black. As in, all white, or all black. It had a very classic feel to it, but it almost held no comfort in Sakura's heart. Her room, however, was painted a light, pretty yellow. Her room had large, floor to roof windows that overlooked the man-made lake behind their house. Her drapes were drawn, at the moment, however. Her large, king-sized bed sat against the close wall, and a desk with an apple computer on it on the right wall. A flat-screened tv was parallel to her bed, equipped with a blu-ray player and a stereo system. In her silk tank top and cotton shorts, she did her morning stretches, which took a good five minutes. A knock came at her door.
"Who is it?" she asked, her deep emerald eyes flickering over towards the door, however made no movement to go and open it.
"It's Sachiko, Miss." a womanly voice came from outside the door.
Sakura nodded. "Come in."
The door opened and in walked a very short woman, about twenty years of age. Her hair was long and blonde, pulled back from her hair in a bun, wearing an old style maid's outfit. Her long black skirt whished around her legs and she walked towards Sakura.
"I'll be cleaning your room, now, but Ito-sensei requests that you go down for breakfast and your lessons as soon as you're done getting ready. She also said something about going out, so wear casual clothes." Sachiko told her with a smile.
"Okay, thanks, Sachiko." Sakura smiled lightly back, then walked over to the washroom. She nearly jumped into the shower - she was actually going out! She came out quickly, washing her hair and her body, and took a quick look at her face in the mirror. Sakura had a small, creamy-beige oval head, her cheekbones high and nose small. Her green eyes were big and cute, her mouth was small but her lips plump and pink. Her auburn hair stuck to her face, and even though she was beautiful, Sakura never thought about things like that, as so, looked away from the mirror and went into her room.
Sachiko had left her room spotless as usual, so Sakura tried not to messy it up. She picked out a form-fitting long-sleeved blue striped shirt under a loose bright orange t-shirt than had a picture of an orange, the fruit, on it. A flowy white skirt with long, striped socks that extended to the top of her calves with loose, flat white boots, long, thin striped scarf and she was almost done. She dried her naturally pin-stripe straight hair, then grabbed her bag with her wallet and cell phone inside, and went downstairs to meet her tutor, Ito-sensei.
Sakura passed by paintings of her father, her mother, herself and her brother, Toya, who had moved out. She passed by photographs of the families' early years, and family paintings. An original Van Gogh painting adorned the wall above their fire place, which she passed, and walked into the elite kitchen, where a young, pretty teacher and a teenager sat.
Ito-sensei was a thirty-four year old with no kids, but a husband and their dog. She had black hair cut asymmetrically, a piercing brown eyes on a tanned face. "Good morning, Sakura!" she exclaimed happily. "Are you hungry?"
The other girl was Tomoyo. Her long, waist-length violet-black hair today was waving around her small, pale face, her amethyst eyes closed in a happy way. "Morning, Sakura-chan."
Sakura shook her head. "I'm not really hungry, but where are we going today?"
"We're skipping classes, today," Ito-sensei replied with a huge smile. "And going shopping. Just us three!"
"For real?!" Sakura gasped. "Shopping!? Just us three?! But, what does Dad think?"
Tomoyo shrugged. "He's going to meet us in Shibuya at five, at the Meiji Shrine." Then she smiled. "So let's go, if you're not hungry."
Tomoyo stood up, revealing her form-fitting black shirt, which complimented her board like stomach, dark jeans and Lacoste shoes. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder and proceeded through the large, long hallways, under huge, stone aches, and to the door, where a black limousine waited for them in the front of the house. Together they all piled in and shut the door.
"Good morning, Jeeves." Sakura greeted their driver. (Great name, huh?) "To Shibuya, please."
The pasty, white haired driver nodded. "Good morning, Kinomoto-sama," Jeeves replied. He reached up a black gloved hand to straighten his black hat. "Will do, it'll take about ten minutes to get there, so please be patient."
The three nodded, and eased back into their seats.
-x-
Sitting idly in a black leather couch, Syaoran Li leaned back and rested. He was growing impatient, he thirsted for blood right then and there. Running a gloved black hair through his straight, chocolate brown hair, the messy locks fell across his forehead and dusted his eyelashes. Flicking his amber, gold-specked eyes towards the stairs, he awaited the others to come down.
For minutes they didn't. Syaoran stood up - all 5"11 of him - and crossed his arms. He was clad in a dark-gray Armani shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbow, which, showed his perfect chest, stomach, and arms. He also wore dark jeans, and black leather gloves. He checked himself out for a moment in a mirror that was across the room from him. Clapping of feet from the grand stairway made him turn his head to look.
Li Meiling, Hirigizawa Eriol, Yamazaki Takashi, Kim Jae Young, Tan Hiro Jin, and Kim-Lee Rain all descended down the stairs to meet him. Meiling and Eriol were his cousins, while Jae, Takashi, Hiro, and Rain were just friends. They were all, however, closer than siblings, closer than blood could ever have bonded them. The Li Clan - themselves, were the ones who were in charge of the Kanto Region of Japan for the Triads.
"Yes?" Rain asked stoically. Meiling frowned at his stoic-ness, but remembered he had a reason to, with his parents being deceased. Rain stood at 5"10, shorter than everyone, with black hair in a straight, long-ish style, and odd, natural gray-blue eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Syaoran replied, walking over to the couch to sit down again. "And take the gun out of your hand, it's making me nervous."
Takashi laughed.
Rain, who, with his black-gloved hand, slid a black gun onto the coffee table the took a seat on the leather couch adjacent to Syaoran.
"We heard you tapping your foot from upstairs." Jae told him, sitting next to Syaoran. He rubbed his right temple with one hand. "It was getting annoying." Jae was a full blood Korean, with blonde and brown hair that stuck up in different directions, made to flow in the perfect, pretty-boy style. He stood at 5"11, slim and muscular.
"Oh," Syaoran said. He didn't even realize. "Sorry."
"No problem." Meiling sighed. She took a seat next to Rain. "So, what are we gonna do?"
Hiro nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. Think about it. We just put the leader of the Yakuza in a coma. The boys back in China have one of their crooked nurses making sure he won't get out of it anytime soon." For such a scary looking guy, Hiro was very smart and knew how to cover his tracks as well. His black and blonde hair was long-ish, made to look messy. He had piercing onyx eyes and clear, tanned skin. He then turned his head so that his hair fluttered.
Syaoran crossed his arms again. "I guess… we'll just have to go. We know what time to get her."
Everyone agreed, getting up to slip on their shoes. The white Lacoste and expensive Pravda cluttered the front, but they slipped on their shoes and left. She had to be dealt with.
-x-
"Aaah! Look at that white and black Dolce bag!" Sakura squealed, pointing at the bag through the window of a shop. They were in Shibuya, the fashion district. People all over walked, girls with their hair asymmetrical and colourful, boys' long and spiky. A lot of the girls dressed in gothic Lolita - a style that scared Sakura - and no one wore just jeans and a tee-shirt. Other than tv, Sakura had also never seen so many cute boys in one place. Her head was going to fall off.
"Oooh, great catch, Sakura!" Tomoyo exclaimed, making a run for the door to the shop.
"No no no, guys, stop," Ito-sensei started, her eye catching the number on the price tag. "Even I know Mr. Kinomoto won't want you getting that."
"Whaaaat…" Sakura pouted. "How much is it, then?" she asked, tugging at her striped sock. Sakura walked over to the window and looked over, falling as she saw the price. "434 000 yen? Are you joking me?" (Roughly 4199 US Dollars.)
Ito-sensei shook her head as Tomoyo helped Sakura up. "Are you alright, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked. "Don't worry, we'll find another - oh wait, my cell phone is ringing." Tomoyo fished out a small cell phone, slid it open, and turned around to talk. A few moments later, she turned back, her face paler than usual, a shocked look on her face.
"What's wrong, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked with worry, taking a step towards her cousin. Ito stopped and looked as well.
"Y-your dad… he…" she stammered. She looked down at her hands.
"What? What about my dad?" Sakura asked calmly, placing a hand on Tomoyo's shoulder.
"He's in the hospital… he's in a c-"
The squealing of tires cut Tomoyo off. At the same time, all three girls whipped their heads towards the end of the street, where three motorcycles revved their engines. All three were boys, wearing expensive clothing and a helmet that made it impossible to see who it was. But one in the middle - the eye protector was up. She saw his shock of brown hair, and startling amber eyes.
Amber eyes that instantly melted her, froze her in her spot, making her feel warm and cold at the same time, like the moment before a tornado hit. Suddenly, those piercing amber eyes narrowed. With a gloved hand, the owner snapped down the protector, rose his foot, and stepped down on the pedal, speeding down the street. Straight at Sakura.
"SAKURA, WATCH OUT!"
It took all of four seconds for the motorcycles to speed down the street. The other kept a good distance away on either side of the middle - trapping Sakura between the middle driver and far right from Tomoyo and Ito-sensei - and in those four seconds, time went still.
Sakura's gaze flickered to the middle driver. His motorcycle was black, something out of a crazy anime… and then, he grabbed her. Straight off the ground. Sakura was like a rag doll. He reached out one black Diesel jacketed arm and grabbed her by her torso, placed her in front of him, and sped off with the other two, leaving Tomoyo and Ito screaming in the dust.
-x-
Sakura's head ached in about a thousand different spots. She lifted herself off the bed and looked around. There were no windows in the room, and it was dark. But she could make out the lamp on a stand next to her, so she reached out and flicked it on.
She struggled to remember what happened. Shopping. D&G bag. Ugh - 434, 000 yen. Tomoyo screaming. Her father - what happened to her father? Motorcycle. Oh yeah.
She was kidnapped.
Sakura was in a room, with no windows. She was sleeping on a huge bed, covered in white sheets, with a nightstand next to her which had a lamp and a clock that read 9:45pm. Her shoes had been taken off, and so had her scarf. Her boots were laying neatly next to the door, and someone had covered her with a white blanket.
Whoever kidnapped her wanted her to be really comfortable.
Quickly, Sakura put on her boots and her scarf and opened the door, which was surprisingly unlocked. She looked around, and bit back a gasp. This place was bigger then her own mansion. Which was saying a lot. The room she had been put in over looked the main floor. To her right was a hallway filled with rooms, and it curved to the left at the end. There was a stairway about ten feet in front of her.
There was no one around, she saw. Except one, old man.
She almost screamed. He was a very pale, old man, with white hair and a black butlers uniform. He wore a gentle smile on his face as he approached her. "Ah, you're awake." he said by greeting.
"…"
"Come with me." he said, starting towards the stairs.
"…no." Sakura refused, shaking her auburn head.
He raised an eyebrow. "You must be hungry, though. The Young Master wants to see you, as well."
She ignored the grumbling of her stomach. "Who's the Young Master and is the food poisoned?"
The butler chuckled. "We would never do that to the Princess. Come, now."
Princess?
Hesitantly, Sakura followed the old man down the stairs. The mansion she was in was more like a castle. She passed by more artwork than her own house had; this place had a both a classical and technological feel. It was very modern. The walls were painted a slate-gray colour, and most of the furniture was either back, gray or white. She passed by sitting rooms and a huge living room, and into a very modern kitchen. He sat her down at a small, glass table, and Sakura could tell that there was a bigger dining room somewhere in this house. On the table was a steaming hot bowl of noodles, with a pair of chopsticks next to it.
Sakura sat down, eyeing it hungrily.
"The Young Master will be down soon." the butler said, then left the room.
She wanted to eat it. She really did. But she couldn't. Not when she was in a place she didn't know and she'd just been kidnapped.
"You know, it's not poisoned."
Sakura's concentration on the food shattered. Looking up, she saw the same amber eyes she'd seen before.
Her kidnapper.
She got up to scream, but held it in. "W-who are you?" she asked. He was awfully handsome. Brown, straight, messy locks. Eyes that looked right through her. He was wearing the same clothes he'd kidnapped her in, an easy smirk on his face.
"Li Syaoran. Nice to meet you, Princess."
"Don't call me that."
Syaoran rose his eyebrows. "Why not?" he asked her, his smirk widening.
"Come on, Princess. Come to the living room. We have some things to discuss."
The tone he held meant no arguments. He turned around, and started to walk to the living room. Sakura took this as her opportune moment.
She grabbed the chopsticks and started to choke down the noodles.
Syaoran turned back and rose just one eyebrow in a perplexed look. Then he belted out a laugh. "Okay, okay, eat first."
-x-
Sitting nervously, she inched herself to the corner of the very comfortable, soft, black leather couch. There were six people eyeing her, all of which she didn't know. They were beautiful people, however. Together - minus the girl - they looked like some Asian Boy Band. Her gaze fell on a guy with black and blonde hair, with black eyes. He was scary.
"…what do you want?" Sakura asked boldly.
"Don't be so bold, Princess. If we were another group you'd probably be very injured right now." A guy said, one with brown and blonde hair. His honey brown eyes analyzed her.
"So you're saying you won't hurt me?" she replied, inching away.
"We won't, because you're one of us." The girl of the six told her - one with red eyes and black hair in two buns.
Sakura gulped. "What is… one of you?"
The guy with the black hair grinned. "The Li Clan. The highest branch of the Triads."
Sakura willed herself to breathe after a sharp gasp. Triads had kidnapped her. Quickly, she reached behind her back and pulled out a black gun, placing it on it's side on her lap.
"What the fuck, where did you get a gun?" A guy with black hair and blue eyes asked. "What the fuck? Syaoran, I thought you said she didn't know about her dad's business…"
"She doesn't," Syaoran replied. "That's your gun from earlier, Rain." he rolled his eyes.
The one named rain - the boy with straight, black hair and blue eyes - gaped at her. "What the hell? How did you get it without Syaoran noticing…" he held his hand out, palm open, but Sakura made no movement to give it back.
"You're just too stupid," said a guy with blue hair and eyes. Behind his glasses, he smiled. "Princess, please give it back. We're not going to hurt you just because we're the Triads."
Sakura still made no movement to give it back to Rain. "Um. What am I doing here, how am I apart of the triads?" she asked numbly, standing.
"Sit, Princess," a guy with black hair and closed eyes told her. He held out his hand, his palm up. "And give back the gun. WE'RE not going to hurt you."
She reached to grab the gun by the handle and placed it in his hands.
"My name is Li Meiling," the girl introduced. "The guy with the blue hair is Eriol Hirigizawa, the guy with the blonde and brown hair is Jae Young Kim, the guy with blue eyes is Rain Kim-Lee, the guy with black hair and eyes is Hiro Jin Tan, the one with closed eyes is Takashi Yamazaki and of course you know … him." she ended her introduction at Syaoran. Sakura nodded slowly.
"You're here because you're what we get when your father doesn't give us what he was supposed to."
It took Sakura a full minute to register that. "W-what? Do you know about my father being in the hospital?"
Hiro chuckled. "No, but we wish him the best."
Sakura wanted to punch him. "…why am I here?"
"Your father is the Yakuza Boss, Princess. I though you knew that." Rain smiled sadistically. "Seventeen years ago, he promised his second born child to us, for that was what the Boss demanded of him after he couldn't pay his debt."
Sakura nearly fainted clean away. Her father had promised her to the Triads?
"No way…" she whispered. Then she inched back so hard the entire couch moved. "No way!"
Meiling crossed over and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Go sleep, Sakura. Think about it, sleep on it. Honestly, Princess … you don't really have a choice. But life could be very enjoyable for you if you cooperate. If you don't, then we have to - and I mean have to - treat you like shit. They're orders." Meiling frowned. "Don't sleep in that shit room anymore. Mine is next to it. Go into there, change into pyjamas, and I'll talk to you in the morning."
Without a word, Sakura stood up and walked through the elegant house to the room next her own. It was as elegant as the rest of the house, but Sakura didn't stop to think about it. All she could think about were gangs. The Triads, the Yakuza. Her father was the Boss? No wonder she was so rich.
And now she was to become a Triad. Even worse, she was being called 'Princess'. Sakura didn't know anything anymore. All she knew was that her entire life was a lie.
It was time for her to do things by herself. Starting with the Triads. For her father.
Lala, and there is chapter one! I hope it pleased you! I will most likely keep this up, but I NEED YOU TO REVIEW! That's how I update. I have no motivation otherwise! Obviously, this story is much more serious that Honey Melon, but it will have it's funny moments. Sorry it's so short, it's more of a prologue. Since there's so much snow outside (that's right, in mid-april..) I'll be able to update both stories more often. I'm in Canada. -shrugs-. But I don't live in an igloo, okay? No one around here does. XD
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. I rather like it, the plan for the plot is very interesting right now. Betrayal, Lies, Love, Deception, Violence... :)
Things you'll need to know - recap:
In real life, the Yakuza are split into 4 principal families. In exchange for the most powerful one currently, the Yamaguchi-gumi, in this story, it is the Kinomoto. The second is the Sumiyoshi-rengo, the third is Inagawa-kaï, the fourth one is Toua Yuai Jigyo Kummiai. Each family has several thousand clans, with the head of the 'family', aka the 'father' which is called the OYABUN. Fujitaka Kinomoto is both the Oyabun of the Kinomoto family but he is also KUMICHO which is the Supreme Godfather. Meaning Fujitaka controls all of the Yakuza. Example: Fujitaka is the Oyabun of the Kinomoto family. Every clan in the Kinomoto Family is at his beck and call not only because he is their ' father ' but because he rules all of the Yakuza. (he's the boss). Each of the four families are also at his beck and call.
As for the Triads, the structure in real life was hard for me to adapt to this story so I made my own. The Triads are severed in Branches, each of these Branches called Clans. They rule over a specific territory. For example, the Li Clan rules over all of Japan, and China. The Li Clan is also the highest branch of the Triads. There are five branches, they are in the thousands each and rule over different parts of Asia. However, they are all at the beck and call of the Li Clan. The five branches, in order of power, are: Li Clan, Chiu Clan, Feng Clan, Luen Clan, and the Kwong Clan. Syaoran rules the Li Clan units in Japan and China, however, his father, Xiu Li, is the equivelant of a Kumicho for the Triads. Syaoran's father is the Supreme Godfather, meaning he controls all of the Triads. SO BASICALLY: Each clan has ONE leader that controls EVERYONE in that clan. HOWEVER, each leader deals mostly in his OWN UNIT. The SUPREME GODFATHER is the BIG BOSS of the entire Triads. The LI CLAN is the MOST powerful of ALL the clans, so if Syaoran called for help from the Chiu Clan, THEY WOULD COME, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. The, say, Kwong Clan, cannot call the Luen Clan, and be like. Come here now I need you. They can, however, work together, but NOT HAVE AN ALLIANCE, so they cannot and will not over throw the Li Clan.
The Li Clan, is, several thousands in number, but Syaoran controls them all, while his father controls HIM and ALL the branches. Syaoran's particular unit - ie, Rain, Meiling, Takashi, Eriol, Hiro, and Jae, are a unit that disposes of rival gang units. These units they dispose of are any ethnic, as long as they threaten or rival the Triads. Remember, they dispose of UNITS, not the whole damn group. These units are usually the stronger units, ie, equivalent to Rain, Meiling, Takashi, Eriol, Hiro, and Jae.
Sakura is the daughter of the Kumicho of the Yakuza, however, Fujitaka gave her up to the Triads. So now, she it to become a triad, in Syaoran's unit. Hmm, but for what purpose...?
As for Toya, he doesn't know a thing. Yet. (:
- Yukiie Jun