A/N: Well hey everybody! Hehe…this is a new fic as you can already tell. Things in this story are painfully obvious (you'll understand once you start to read it), but I tried my best. I'm a REALLY big S/S fan (Syaoran *drools*) and E/T (they can be so evil! I LOVE it! Hehe!). And I like CCS, but the thought of Eriol and Kaho being engaged (sorry E/K lovers) just creeps me out.
Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing this fic! …and still writing…but anyways! I warn you though, it is going to take a while for me to write all of the chapters, so I'm really sorry if I don't get them out soon enough for your liking but this is really difficult for me to write with all of the character personalities and ideas rolling around in my head. This story is based on an idea for a series I'm writing at the moment, which I haven't worked on since forever, that I wanted to try out to see if people would like it. So I hope you like!
*~~*lil*~*rocky*~*viz*~~*
Title: Things a Person Can Find
Summary: AU: Xiăo Láng is the most promising graduate from the Masters' School of Magic and Martial Arts and soon to be Leader of the Li Clan, but he is tormented by the loss of his only friend when he had vowed to his father to protect her for the rest of his life. Eleven years since that day, he finds a girl with powerful magic that reminds him of his lost friend, brings her to the School, and goes through an adventure to save his Clan along with the rest of the Eastern World. Sometimes, you just have to let things go the way they were meant to be. There's a reason for it.
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance (duh)…um and some other stuff thrown in here and there
Disclaimer: *mumbling* I do not own CCS, but everything else (extra characters, plot, etc.) is MINE!! Hehe! ^__^
Syaoran is definitely drool-worthy, though…why does he have to be so kawaii!? Not fair! Umm…yeah…anyways…
^KEY^
"…word…" à speaking
'…word…' à quoting
…word… à emphasizing and when Xiăo Láng talks, her is his lost friend
…word… à thoughts; can change between word and word when there are two characters thinking or one character is split between two views (conscience, etc.)
*…word…* à action
BCAN (before chapter author notes): The first part of this chapter is the reflections of one person, if you don't figure that out while reading it but the second part is somebody totally different and definitely not reflections. Anyways, ENJOY!
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Things a Person Can Find
By: lil rocky viz AKA Blaque
Prologue: I promise to find you…
It's been so long. So very, very long since I have seen her. I miss her smile and her laugh and the way she could run around like nothing mattered except for us. Whenever I close my eyes, I see her face. As I walk down the halls, I expect to hear her footsteps gaining speed to catch up with me. But she's never there when I think she is.
Everything was my fault: father's death and her disappearance. If only I had gone with them into the forest. My instincts told me that something was wrong but I didn't listen. I wanted to keep on training to protect her. Lot of good that did. By ignoring my father's wishes, I failed her and Father.
Father. I even miss him, though we were not close. The only person Father was close to was her. She held all of his love and didn't even know it. He found her and raised her, as it was a dead man's wish. I only heard the story once but remember it well.
Father had been riding through one of the towns near the capital when he came across an alley heavy with the scent of blood. He went inside to see if anyone was still alive and found a dead woman from the North I think they said. After taking a few more steps, something grabbed his ankle. Father was about to attack when he heard the thing speak. It was a man, a foreign Northern Man, who held a bundle close to him. The man gestured to the bundle saying, "Help her." Father bent down and took the bundle, which was a child, asking what the baby's name was. The man pointed to the design on the blanket, for he could not utter another word, and died. On the blanket that the child was wrapped in was a cherry blossom tree, so Father named the child 'Ying Fa,' seeing that it was a girl, and brought her with him back home.
From that day forth, all of Father's extra attention went to her. He could not show any emotion to my sisters, or me, he loved her instead. I don't even have emotional relationships with my family since I am to be the next Leader as Father was before me. But anyhow, Father raised her as his own child and taught her everything of the Northern Lands since those two people were from there.
The Clan Elders didn't mind at all surprisingly, but it was hard not to smile back whenever she smiled. My Clan, the Li Clan, doesn't like its leaders to show emotions. It is considered weak and the Leader cannot be weak for then the Clan becomes weak. One cannot become attached to anything that could cause downfall. This rule very much included family members. I think Father was allowed to show such emotion around her was because she wasn't like any other child. She was too happy and innocent to be corrupted with the ways of the Clan. She was the light to a new path.
I remember everything about her; from the way she laughed to the way she played games with me. Her auburn hair was always short with two pigtails on either side of her head. She had the most beautiful green eyes that sparkled whenever she was happy, which was all the time. I remember the first time I ever trained with her, me four and she three, they told me that she had great magical and physical potential and I got jealous. Throughout the whole session, I was cold and mean to her, telling her that she couldn't do anything right even if she tried her best, but she never gave up and she kept on smiling at me. After that, I stopped because I was confused as to why she didn't cry. Not only was she supposed to be the most powerful being on the face of the planet, but also the most cheerful! I didn't get it. All my four years of life, I was told to never get close to anyone and to be cold to everyone I meet, and here was a little girl that was the exact opposite.
She made me respond and open up to her. Her endless happiness was addictive and before I knew it, she was asking me if she could call me "Syaoran" because I was her new friend. I never had a "friend" before so I agreed and asked her what my new name meant. She told me that it was my name in Kotoba, the language of the Northern Lands, which Father had been teaching her.
The rest of my family loved her as much as Father and I. She would make them smile and laugh doing cartwheels and things like that. In winter, she would ask them and Father and I to play outside in the snow and skate on the ice. My sisters would fuss over how "kawaii," a word they picked up from her, she looked and acted. They always said what a perfect wife she would make for their yíge dìdi. I thought they were crazy; the Elders didn't.
When I was six, I was walking the halls trying to find her when I overheard a conversation. It was my parents speaking to the Elders about my marriage in twelve years on my eighteenth birthday. They had finally selected a girl from their list of eligible females from other Clans to the west and south and Northern Lands Clans. They had chosen her of all people. Father agreed with them, saying that I was the closest to her and we would probably fall in love with each other in the future. Mother agreed saying that she would be loyal to me because we would have known each other for so long thus she would be obedient to the Clan. The Elders said that she had the most powerful magic than all of the other choices, so our children would be very powerful also.
I couldn't believe it and ran as fast and far as I possibly could. My mind raced with a thousand different thoughts like "What if she doesn't love me?" "What if she didn't want to marry me?" "What if she fell in love with somebody else?" I didn't want her to be unhappy. Sure, I love her, but I didn't know anything about romantic love. I was only six for kami-sama's sake! Finally, I stopped and reste4d until my father found me an hour later. It was the first time he and I ever spoke to each other without somebody there with us. He told me that he knew that I had heard them earlier and I awaited punishment. But it never came. Instead, Father knelt before me and asked me to take an oath to always care and protect her even if we never married. So I did. I would always care and protect her even if he hadn't asked me to.
A few days later, I broke this oath.
It was early in the morning before my usual training session with her, and I was practicing as usual. Since the day of my oath, I had decided to double my training in order to grow stronger. Wei came in to tell me that Father wanted to go into the forest and wished me to go with him, but I refused instructing him to inform my father that I wished to continue my training. He nodded and left, just as Meiling, my cousin, came in wanting to practice with me. I allowed her and shook off the bad feeling that had set in my gut. After an hour, the feeling tripled in force and I ran out to the stables with Meiling trailing behind me. I mounted a horse and ordered some of the guards to come with Meiling and I. Not a second later had I brought the horse to a gallop and rode as fast as possible to reach her and Father. Five minutes later, I came upon a clearing filled with arrows and other weapons and blood with my father in the center of it all. He was on his knees hunched over with two arrows in his back and one in his though. I raced over to him and knelt in front of him.
*Begin Flashback*
"Father! What happened?!"
The man in front of the six-year-old boy said nothing and stared into space trying to regain his breath.
"Father!" the boy persisted. "Who did this?"
"I'm dying," came the shallow reply.
"No, Father! Please! Don't say that!"
"But I am. I am dying an honorable death. They failed in their mission."
"Who, Father?"
"They failed."
"Who?" The boy, Xiăo Láng, looked around him. "Father, where is she? Where is Ying Fa?"
"Ying Fa." A tear trailed down his dirty cheek. "I am so sorry, wôde xiăo Ying Fa."
"Forget that, Father! Tell me! Where is she?!"
"She is…" Xi-Wang, the boy's father whispered.
"Yes, where?"
"She is…Mistress…of the…C…"
"Never mind that! Please tell me! Where is she?!" Xiăo Láng was desperate but restrained himself from shaking the injured man.
"She…is…" He took a deep breath and toppled over onto his son.
"Father!"
"Syao-chan…I-I lo-love…"
Silence.
"Father! Father! Please wake up, Father!" Xiăo Láng shook his father and sobbed. Blood covered his clothes, hands, and face and tears streamed down his face. "Father, you must tell me where Ying Fa is! Where is she?!"
"Xiăo Láng?" Meiling whispered and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Xiăo Láng, I think he's dead."
"No! He can't be dead! He hasn't told me where to find Ying Fa! I have to find her! I promised! I have to find her and he won't tell me! Why won't he tell me where to find her?!"
Meiling stopped him from damaging the body of his father any more than it already was and tried to pull him into a hug.
"Don't touch me! I have to find her!" Xiăo Láng violently pulled away, dropping Meiling to the ground, and ran into the trees.
*End Flashback*
I never found her. I searched for two days in that forest until Meiling located me and dragged me back home. Everyone, my cousins, the Elders, mother, my sisters, told me that she was dead and the reason why we hadn't her body hadn't shown up was because the attackers took her, but I never believed it. She was smart enough to escape and I will find her. I still am searching for her. Nobody can deep me from finding her. She always told me that I could do anything if I worked hard enough at it, so I continued to search as I do today.
For the past eleven years, I have trained to become the strongest both magically and physically so that if she is ever attacked again, I could save her. I have accomplished just that. In school, I am the smartest, strongest, fastest, and most powerful. I am even better than some of my teachers. But I still train. I must remain ahead of everyone. If only she could be here now, she'd be so proud and happy for me. And she will be once I've found her.
Everyone worries for me though, especially Meiling. I haven't let anyone inside my heart again since I lost her. All of my focus is on training so that I can graduate from the Masters' School of Magic and Martial Arts and find her. I've become cold and emotionless to my classmates. I do not live in happiness for I cannot without her. She was my first friend and now I am lost without her. I promised my father that I would always care for her and protect her.
Father was right about me, Ying Fa. I wonder if he was right about you.
**********************************************************************
*Begin Dream*
Trees, grass, flowers, and a magical barrier to protect them from the constant rain of arrows that threatened to kill its targets surrounded her. A book, red with a gold lion and gold symbols, was clutched tightly to her chest and a small golden bear with white wings hovered next to her. Her guardian and father figure stood in front of her, finishing another power boost to maintain the magic shield.
He turned around and knelt before her saying, "Ying Fa, you must get out of here. You must take the Clow Book and escape with Keroberos. I will stay to hold off these cowards."
"But otoo-chan! You'll get hurt!" the little girl protested.
"Don't worry about me, chibi-chan. Just worry about yourself. You have to get to safety. Syao-chan would be very sad if you get hurt. You don't want Syao-chan to be sad, do you?"
Ying Fa shook her head vigorously in response.
"Good. Now be ready to climb onto Keroberos. Remember, don't let Syao-chan be sad."
"Otoo-chan, that's the first time you called Syaoran-chan that. Why?"
"It doesn't matter now."
"Syaoran-chan would really like it if you called him that."
Xi-Wang smiled sadly. "Well, next time I see him, I must call him that. Now hurry, chibi-chan." Kero floated in front of the man and both closed their eyes. A bright light shown, causing Ying Fa to close her eyes, and a dark green thread, almost black, shot out of Xi-Wang and around Kero. Once Kero absorbed the thread, the bright light disappeared. Kero's wings grew out and folded together, blocking his view of the clearing. The wings opened to reveal a golden lion with armor on its chest and head. "Now, chibi-chan, climb onto Keroberos."
"Hai!" Ying Fa jumped onto Keroberos, being mindful of his wings, and awaited further instruction.
"Be careful, chibi-chan, and don't drop the book," Xi-Wang said.
"Hai, otoo-chan."
"Protect her, Keroberos."
"Hai," the lion nodded.
The tall brown-haired man bent down and kissed Ying Fa's head. "I love you, wôde xiăo Ying Fa."
"I love you too, otoo-chan. Don't get hurt too much!"
"I'll try, chibi-chan. Go on now."
Keroberos nodded again and took off. The barrier fell and a new one was constructed around the flying lion and his passenger. Ying Fa watched as the arrows were shot at Xi-Wang and her and Keroberos. Xi-Wang dodged most of them but one struck his leg.
"Otoo-chan!"
"Don't look, Ying Fa, don't look. Master Xi-Wang would not want you to watch," Keroberos advised.
"But…but he's hurt! We have to save him!" Ying Fa protested.
"He has chosen his fate. There is nothing to be done."
A tear fell on his golden fur. "He's not coming back, is he?"
"Iie."
Another. "Will I ever see otoo-chan again?"
"Hai. In your dreams and later when you too follow into the Eternity."
"Will he be lonely?"
"Iie. There are many in the Eternity."
"That's good. He always was lonely here."
Conversation ended until the pair landed at the Temple of the Forest Dragon. Keroberos shrank back into his borrowed form, having run out of magical energy, and the two explored.
"Food!" Kero drooled.
"Nani?" Ying Fa blinked.
"Food! Food! Food! Look at all of this delicious food!" Kero zipped around the tables.
Ying Fa sweatdropped. "Are you all right, Kero-chan?"
"All right?! Are you kidding?! I'm in heaven!"
"Hoe. Well, let's eat, Kero-chan!"
An hour later…
"That was really good," Kero stated as he patted his oversized belly.
"I can't believe you ate so much, Kero-chan!" Ying Fa exclaimed.
"You haven't seen anything yet"
"Hoe…"
"I'm tired," Kero said stretching.
Ying Fa yawned. "Yeah, me too. Let's sleep over there." The two walked/flew over to a tree and sat down. "'Night Kero-chan."
"'Night Ying Fa."
The following day…
A majestic green dragon flew down to his new temple home to see what offerings the people had brought him. Landing, he found the tables of food empty and the culprits sleeping under the cherry blossom tree, the only one in the whole of Li Clan Lands. He nudged the little girl holding a stuffed animal that seemed to be snoring.
"Huh?" the little auburn-haired child yawned.
"You ate all of my food, kodomo," the dragon growled.
"Hoe?" She seemed more awake and turned to find a giant green snout two feet away. "AHHHHHHHHH!"
"Shut up!" Ying Fa immediately stopped and trembled in fear. "Look at me, kodomo." She opened her eyes. The dragon's eyes widened in shock. "They are green!"
"Hoe?"
"I have never seen a human with green eyes, eyes as green as my forests."
*Blushes*
"Ying…Fa…it's too…early…" the stuffed animal mumbled in its sleep.
"It talks?!" the dragon cried out.
"Wha-?" Kero shot up and flew into a giant tooth two feet away. "AHHHHHHHHH! IT'S GONNA EAT ME! AHHHHHH!"
"Shut up!" Silence. "Better. Now, what *pointing* is that?"
Ying Fa held Kero tight against her body. "Kero-chan."
"Kero-chan, hm? All well. You do realize that you two have eaten all of my food, correct?" the dragon grumbled.
"Gomen nasai," Ying Fa answered. "We were very hungry."
"I could tell…Wait, 'Gomen nasai'?"
"Hai."
"Northern! Have not been there in awhile. It is my home."
"Mine too. At least, that's what otoo-chan told me."
"Where is your otoo-chan, kodomo?" the dragon asked.
"Gone," Ying Fa whispered, blinking away tears.
The dragons face darkened and continued, "I suppose you can stay with me then, since you have no where else to go, ne?"
"Arigatoo."
"What is your name, kodomo?"
"Ying Fa. And this is Kero-chan." Kero's eyes narrowed in doubt of the dragon's word.
"Yes, I know him. Well, since you are going to stay with me, I will change your name. I am Northern so you will have a Northern name also. Sakura. Yes, Sakura fits you perfectly. It is merely the translation of your name. 'Cherry blossom' fits you quite nicely."
Ying Fa now Sakura nodded long over her fear. "What's your name?"
"Lü Ryo."
*End Dream*
Sakura shot up in her make-shit bed taking deep breaths to calm her erratic heart.
That memory…Why did I dream of it now? It's been years since I have dreamt of that day. Is something going to happen?
"Sakura? Hey Sakura, you okay?" The winged-bear asked.
"Hoe? Oh, no, Kero-chan. Nothing's wrong. Not a single thing," the sixteen-year-old replied.
Kero's face darkened. "Are you sure, Sakura?"
"Of course!" Sakura smiled. "I'm going out for some fresh air."
"All right, Sakura. If you need to tell me anything just call me, okay?"
"Arigatoo, Kero-chan!"
"Yeah, yeah, kid. Hey, do you think you could get me some *drools* pudding while you're up?"
*Sweatdrops* "Kero-chan, I can't make any pudding until tomorrow remember? You ate all of the last batch when I went to the market last week."
"Awww…but Sakura! Can't you 'create' some pudding for me?"
"You're just going to have to be patient."
"Aw! Just great! Well, I'm going to bed since there's nothing else to eat."
Another sweatdrop. Probably because you ate it all... "Sure, Kero-chan. Goodnight."
"'Night Sakura…zzzzzz…"
The green-eyed girl sighed and walked outside onto the deck of her home for the past eleven years. She sat down on the steps and stared out into the night sky.
"What are you thinking of Sakura-chan?" a deep voice rumbled to her right.
She turned her head and answered, "A dream, Lü Ryo."
"What type of dream?" the dragon persisted as he moved his snout closer to allow the girl to scratch the top.
Sakura complied with the gesture and explained, "A past, my past. I dreamt of how I came to be here."
"You have not dreamt of that since you were a child. Why start now?"
"I don't know. Maybe…maybe I will see my otoo-chan again."
"You know that's not true however much it may hurt. You said it yourself that he was struck down."
"Yes, but only in the leg."
"Those arrows were meant to kill. They were probably poisoned. Besides your 'otoo-chan' gave his magic to Keroberos to allow him to transform. There were too many attackers. He could not have handled them all by himself."
Sakura sighed sadly. "You're right as always, Lü Ryo. But I can't help but hope."
"It is only natural. You are human. That is what humans do. But I do not understand. Why did you not dream of the boy as you do now?"
"I don't know. Do you think my dreams changing means to be a sign? A new beginning, maybe?"
"Perhaps. It is possible. I have had a feeling of late. Something big is coming. What it is remains to be seen."
"I hope it isn't something bad."
Lü Ryo chuckled. "There you go again. Hoping like the rest of humanity."
Sakura playfully slapped the dragon's muzzle. "You never told me why you kept me around. I'm human, yet you keep on claiming that the humans are stupid. Why did you let me live if you felt and still feel like that?"
"I am not really sure myself, onna-no-ko. I just remember looking into your eyes. Something about the green that shined in your eyes made me feel different. It made me want to smile."
TBC…
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ECAN (end chapter author notes): Well that's the end of the prologue! What do'ya think? Please R&R! Questions? Ask away! And yes, I know that it was long…but you had to know it all!
Zàijiàn!
*~~*lil*~*rocky*~*viz*~~*
^NAME MEANINGS and TRANSLATIONS^
Xiăo Láng ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ Little Wolf
Syaoran ~~ Japanese ~~ Little Wolf
Ying Fa ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ Cherry Blossom
Sakura ~~ Japanese ~~ Cherry Blossom
Xi-Wang ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ Desire
Kawaii ~~ Japanese ~~ Cute
Yíge dìdi ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ Younger Brother
Wôde xiăo ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ My Little
Otoo-chan ~~ Japanese ~~ Dad; used by children
Chibi-chan ~~ Japanese ~~ Little-Little (I think); used to address children
-chan ~~ Japanese ~~ suffix used at end of name; used by/to address children; child's name is usually shortened (ex. Syao-chan from Syaoran-chan)
Onna-no-ko ~~ Japanese ~~ Daughter/Girl
Hoe ~~ Sakura's made up word
Gomen nasai ~~ Japanese ~~ I am sorry
Hai ~~ Japanese ~~ Yes
Iie ~~ Japanese ~~ No
Ne ~~ Japanese ~~ Right/Okay; asking in agreement
Arigatoo ~~ Japanese ~~ Thank you
Lü ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ Green
Ryo ~~ Japanese ~~ Dragon
Kodomo ~~ Japanese ~~ Girl
Zàijiàn ~~ Mandarin Chinese ~~ Goodbye
NEXT: Chapter One: Meeting You Brings Memories…