White Houses

By: Callista Miralni

Hey! I know I haven't finished Double Identity yet, but I just had to write this fic while it was in my mind. My brother's a bit mad at me for playing this song over and over but what can I say? It gives an author inspiration. Anyway, this fic is based on Vanessa Carlton's White Houses, one of my favorite songs. There isn't much mention or use of magic, but Sakura, Syaoran, and Eriol do have it. For all you Kero fans, sorry! Kero doesn't play a big role in this story.

Oh yeah, I don't own CardCaptor Sakura or the song White Houses. Clamp and Vanessa Carlton do.

Prolouge

Fujitaka Kinomoto was given custody over a small house in the seaside town of Shiro. On the condition of working on his archaeological research, Fujitaka was allowed to take his son and daughter out of school for a well deserved break. He also took his favorite niece, Tomoyo Daidouji, along as well. The foursome would be gone from late spring to early winter. Sakura and Tomoyo, being excellent students in school, were allowed to leave school for about eight months on the condition of working on schoolwork every Tuesday and Thursday and sending it to Tomoeda Private High School when it was due. Touya, whose college courses wouldn't start until next spring, would be working part-time at an ice cream parlor. It was perfect; Sakura and Tomoyo had the freedom that comes along with every vacation. Little did they know how those eight months away from Tomoeda would affect them in the future.

Chapter One: We Meet at Fourteen

Rinding in her family's 2004 Toyota Avalon, Sakura Kinomoto stared ou the window, admiring the scenic ocean scenery. Beside her, two seats away, sat her best friend and cousin, Tomoyo Daidouji, deeply engrossed in Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce. In the front seats, Fujikata and Touya Kinomoto drove and navigated their way to the small seaside town of Shiro. All four occupants sat in silence, deeply engrossed in ther set tasks. At last, they pulled up to a small quaint white house. The pastel blue-green shutters on the two story home were open, giving the summer home a comfortable and relaxed feel.

"We're here! Oh my gosh, Dad, are we actually staying here 'till winter break?" Sakura cried out joyfully.

Tomoyo stepped out of the car and shut the door behind her. "Look at all the flowers in the window sills and at the landscape of the house Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo squealed. What she said was true; the window sills held an arrangement of sweet smelling blooming flowers. The spacious front forch held a couple of green rocking chairs, 2 small tables and a blue porch swing. Overall, the whole house was beautiful, light, and airy.

Both fourteen year olds dashed up the stairway in the front hall upstairs, to where all the bedrooms were located. At the top of the stairwell, both girls turned left, down the hallway, to two doors located on the front side of the house. Tomoyo went into the door on the left while Sakura entered the door on the right. When Sakura opened the door, she gasped in surprise. The walls were a pale pink and the ceiling was painted white. There was a large spacious bed, covered with a lavender down blanket and some lavender and white down pillows. At the foot of the bed lay a multicolored merino wool blanket, neatly folded, and was perfect for wrapping oneself in on cool summer nights. There was a large glass window that opened like French double doors and was covered with a transparent pink curtain. The blue-green shutters outside protected the window from stormy nights filled with the promise of a typhoon. Checking the flower box outside her window, Sakura discovered blooming Nadeshiko flowers, moonflowers twining themselves around the box, and fragrant balloon flowers and hibiscus flowers in full bloom. All of the furniture inside the room was white and fushia, a shade of pink with light purple mixed in. The closet was big enough to hold eight months need of clothes, with plenty enough room to add more clothes and accessories. Then, Sakura noticed a large white curtain covering a part of the wall in the square room. Pulling the curtain back, Sakura discovered a set of glass French double doors that led to a small balcony with a fushia chair and a small white table. The small balcony was the perfect reading spot and a place to get away from the cares of the world. Sakura smiled and set to work unpacking her clothes and putting them in the dresser beside her bed and inside the closet. She set her laptop down on a medium sized rectangular table that had a chair in front of it. On that same table, she placed her cell phone, CDs and DVDs, all the books that she brought with her, and her school supplies. Once she was done packing, Sakura met Tomoyo out in the hallway. Tomoyo's room was the exact same as Sakura's except her room's colors were lavender and periwrinkle.

The two girls found Kero in a small room downstairs. Sakura's father had set up a small TV, a PS2, a squishy yellow bean bag, and a mini refrigerator stocked with all of Kero's favorite foods. Kero was deeply engrossed in his videogames, intent on beating the game called Eve (a/n: there is a game for PS1 that's called Eve. Its one of the coolest games ever. Its a game where you kill aliens and monsters. All PS1 games can run on a PS2).

"Come on Sakura, let''s go to town to see what kind of shops they have there." Tomoyo urged her cousin.

"Okay. Just let me get my purse." Sakura replied. She disappeared upstairs and came back downstairs three minutes later with a sky blue jelly purse in her hand. Tomoyo opened the door and walked through the door. Sakura followed behind her, but she didn't see the raised kickplate and tripped over it.

"Hoeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sakura cried as she fell to the porch floor. Tomoyo spun around and helped her cousin up from the ground. Sakura's scream had attracted three nearby passerbys. They ran over to the porch where the girls were.

"Are you okay Sakura?" Tomoyo inquired, checking to see if she had any bruises or cuts from her fall.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Silly me, I wasn't watching where I was going, that's all." Sakura replied with a smile. Then Sakura noticed them, two boys and one girl walking over towards them. The girl looked like she was Chinese, with her straight black hair pulled up in pigtails with little buns at the top and sparkiling ruby orbs.

"Hi, my name is Meiling. You guys must be new around here because I have never seen you here before." she said, her tone and manner friendly.

Tomoyo smiled and said,"My name is Tomoyo. It's a pleasure to meet you. Behind me is my cousin, Sakura. And you're right about us being new here, we just moved in today."

"Who's that behind you Meiling?" Sakura asked. Meiling turned her head in the direction Sakura was pointing.

She faced them again and replied, "Oh that. That's my cousins Syaoran Li and Eriol Hiragizawa. Syaoran! Eriol! Come over here please!"

Tomoyo studied the two boys with interest. One had messy chestnut hair and sparkling amber eyes. The other had black hair with subtle blue highlights and calm sapphire eyes.

"These are my cousins. Syaoran Li is the one with messy brown hair and Eriol Hiragizawa is the other kid." Meiling introduced.

Eriol smiled and invited the girls to come with them on a trip to Midori Square, the town's shopping district. Tomoyo and Sakura accepted, and followed Meiling, Syaoran and Eriol to Midori Square. During their shopping trip, the five teens became fast friends and learned a lot about each other. Tomoyo and Sakura learned that Eriol lived in the blue house next door and Meiling and Syaoran lived in the green house with red shutters next door to them on their left side. They would be friends till the end.

Early summer, three months after Sakura and Tomoyo's arrival in Shiro

"Meiling! I'm going out for a while!" Syaoran called to his cousin upstairs. He disappeared through the door and made his way next door to Sakura's house. Ringing the doorbell, Syaoran waited patiently until someone answered the door.

Tomoyo opened the door and looked a Syaoran in confusion. "Syaoran? What are you doing out at 8 in the evening?"

"Can I talk to Sakura?" he asked impatiently.

"Sure. Just let me get her. Why don't you come inside?" Tomoyo replied. Syaoran followed her inside the summer home and waited in the living room while Tomoyo ran upstairs to fetch Sakura. She came back three minutes later with Sakura behind her.

"I'm going upstairs Sakura." Tomoyo said as she walked up the stairs.

"What's up Syaoran?" Sakura asked her friend.

"Oh, nothing much. Wanna go for a walk?" he replied.

"Sure! Tomoyo! I'm going out for a walk!" Sakura called up the stairs.

Somewhere upstairs they heard a faint "Okay." Sakura turned around to face Syaoran and said, "Let's go."

The two teens roamed around the quiet streets of Shiro until they came to the empty beach. The ocean waves crashing along the shore and the pale moonlight shining down upon them gave the scene a quiet and peaceful aura. They walked in silence along the beach until Syaoran broke the silence.

"Hey Sakura."

"Yes?"

"What am I to you?"

Sakura thought about it for a while and said, "I don't know. You're one of my best friends in the whole wide world but there's something else."

"Like what?" Syaoran prodded.

"I don't know. It's just that everytime I'm around you, I feel safe, secure, and protected. You're always there for me. Why?"

"Why what?" Syaoran asked confused.

"Why did you ask me that question?" Sakura prompted impatiently.

"I just wanted to know."

"Yeah right! Don't lie to me Syaoran Li! I can always tell when you're lying to me!" Sakura cried out in disbelief.

"You're right. There is something else." he admitted guiltly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked curious.

"Like I would tell you!" Syaoran said sarcastically.

They walked in silence a little farther down the beach. As they were walking, Sakura stared off into space and became really quiet. Noticing this, Syaoran asked her in concern, "What's wrong?"

Sakura jerked herself out of her reverie and replied, "Hmm... nothing." In truth, Sakura was thinking about all the things Tomoyo and Meiling had said to her about Syaoran. It bothered her, really, knowing that her friends knew something about her that she didn't. It would bother her until Sakura Kinomoto squeezed the truth out of somebody. And she could care less if the truth came out of the one who bothered her the most; Syaoran Li.

Hey! Well, that's chapter one. I know it didn't have much SS in it, but later chapter will. Sorry about the lazy writing skills; I tried but I was half asleep at the computer. I would have posted this fice earlier but........... due to techincal problems at , it erased some of my work and I had to think of a new ending because I couldn't remember the ending. Please, please, PLEASE review this fic, because I won't continue it until I have five reviews. Also, please read and review my other fic, Double Identity. I'm feeling a bit sad because no one will read my fics or bothers to review it. I need to know how I'm doing so I can improve. Oh well. Please review!

Callista Miralni