Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is strictly property of CLAMP. All other normal disclaimers apply.

Heyy everyone! Guess who's back? This is my new story, one which I've actually thought about for some time now, and I hope that this will be my best one yet, so please support me:D

I want to drop a word of thanks to everyone who reviewed to my last fiction, Hidden Secrets. I really loved how it turned out, and I really appreciate all the reviews you guys sent my way!

I won't spend too much time rambling on now, I'm sure you're here to read the story, not my musings so without further ado… enjoy!

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To Pursue Our Destinies

Chapter One

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Sakura gasped, wide awake as a palmful of cold water splashed her face. Her cheeks tingled as a cool, morning breeze slid over them.

"Sakura! There you are. I know it's a little early, but could you go fetch some water? Your father says he needs to clean up a bit today since an old friend of is visiting so the water in the pan won't be enough," Kinomoto Nadeshiko was smiling as she spoke and Sakura agreed wholeheartedly. Kinomoto Fujitaka worked so hard everyday; it would be nice for him to spend some time with a friend. Luckily for her, the chore was already done.

"I already went to the well earlier," she motioned to the wooden pail next to her. "Do you want me to start breakfast?"

"No…" Nadeshiko put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I think I can handle it, we still have some rice left over from last night… why don't you take a walk and buy us some more rice from the marketplace while you're out? It'll rain this afternoon so we need at least half a bushel. More likely than no the downpour won't stop for a while and we may end up housing your father's friend overnight."

Sakura watched her beautiful mother hum a happy tune as she went back into their modest home. She fingered the small cloth bag tied to the waistband of her yukata. It held what little money she had saved over the years. She had figured as much. The Kinomotos were farmers and she too had inherited their ability to predict the weather.

She looked over at the empty streets. It was still very early and there was plenty of time for her to do whatever she wanted before the market opened. Grinning, Sakura set off at a brisk pace towards their fields. The year she had turned ten, her father had asked her to pick a plot of land in his field, and he would give it to her for her to cultivate.

"It's going to rain today," she whispered as she lifted her small hand and felt the firm bark of her Sakura tree. Slipping her sandaled foot into a small niche in the wood, she used it as a brace and pushed herself up until she grabbed the lowest branch of the tree. In the same way she climbed the tree almost everyday, Sakura pulled herself up and sat on its thick branch.

When her parents had asked her why she had chosen the cherry tree, Sakura had responded, "Because it has the same name as me!" Six years had passed since that day, and she still loved it dearly. It had become her favorite place, her own little haven she could run to when she was sad or angry. Sakuras were a rarity on their side of town and it wasn't often Sakura left the poor district so her cherry blossom tree seemed magical to her.

Fujitaka had always said that it was a miracle a cherry blossom tree could survive in their field. He said it was magic, and Sakura believed him.

The sound of footsteps stirred her from her thoughts and she looked down in surprise as a young man dressed in a heavy, green cloak walked up to the tree and placed his hand on it. "What's a beauty like you doing in such a run-down neighborhood?" he murmured.

Sakura frowned. "Sorry this neighborhood is worn down, but I rather like it," she called down to him. "This is my cherry blossom tree, or didn't you notice that you were trespassing?" His presence didn't actually bother her, and she didn't mention the tomato in his hands, which belonged to her father's fields, but it bothered her that he would speak like that about their farm. It was nothing impressive to be sure, but her family worked hard on it every day. They had nothing else.

The man's amber eyes stared coldly up at hers, and he whistled for his horse standing some twenty feet away. "These fields are yours?" he asked incredulously.

"The fields are my fathers, but the tree is mine," she retorted, her eyes never leaving his. They held such an intense, hard look, but it was so mystifying. She tore her gaze from him and looked up at the sky. The sun was rising higher now; it was almost time for the market to open. Latching her arm onto the tree once again, Sakura shifted her weight carefully before dropping lightly onto the ground. She dusted her yukata off and looked up at the stranger, waiting for him to say something.

His only response was to pull back the hood of his cloak and reveal his dark brown hair and a rather handsome face.

Sakura sighed. He was obviously a man of few words. "I've never seen you before so I assume your must be a traveler." She waited to see if you would confirm her statement, but he said nothing so she continued. "Okay then, Stranger. It'd be wise for you to find a place to stay by this afternoon. It's going to start raining. If you really can't find an inn, head over to that little house over there. It may be small, but my family will take you in for the night if you really need it."

There was still no reply from the traveler so Sakura sighed and began walking away in the direction of the town. "Bye bye, Stranger."

About fifty paces away from the tree, she turned around to see if the man was still there, but the fields looked empty. "What an odd man," she whispered, wondering if she should have told him to get off their fields… but he hadn't seemed intent on ruining their crops for no reason.

The busy sounds of the marketplace filled her ears and she nearly jumped. She had to go bargain prices!

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Sakura thanked the old man and paid him as he handed her the sack of rice. It was a little heavy, but Sakura didn't mind. The heavier it was, the more rice was in the bag. She had used some of her own money to buy an extra quarter bushel… just in case the stranger couldn't find a place to stay. She walked past a group of girls sighing over a jewelry stand. Unable to resist, Sakura peeked over their shoulders to see what they were looking at. What caught her eye, however, wasn't the large, ruby necklace the merchant girls were obviously staring at but a small green orb not bigger than her thumb nail resting in a velvet box.

Her breath caught. The green seemed to sparkle almost like an emerald, and the color appeared to swim around inside the sphere. It was beautiful. Sakura heard herself asking the shopkeeper the price of the orb and she mentally chastised herself. Even if she did have the money to pay for such a lovely trinket, what would she do with it? It would simply be a waste of her savings. Just as she suspected, the price was too high for her to even consider.

A deep, warm voice spoke from behind her, "I would like to purchase that."

Sakura looked up into a pair of deep, sapphire eyes. They smiled at her and the man said kindly, "Unless you would like to buy it of course."

"N-No, it's quite alright." Sakura moved over quickly, but she couldn't help staring wistfully at the jewel as the shopkeeper showed his latest customer the tiny hole at the top of the sphere through which a tiny chain could be threaded… she forced herself to look away. It wasn't like her to vie after jewelry.

She began walking in the direction of her home, but when the man finished paying for the emerald orb, he turned and followed her. Sakura wondered why. By the man's air and quality of clothing, he had to be very rich, if not a noble. If he kept following her, they would soon enter the lower section of the village, where people like her lived.

They came to the edge of the marketplace, which seemed much more crowded than usual. To her surprise, the man turned north and began walking towards the royal palace.

I've met two strange people today… Sakura mused as she turned to the crowd to see what event was taking place.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" A pair of bright, amethyst eyes greeted her. "Have you heard? The prince is going to be married!"

A smile touched Sakura's pink lips. "The same prince you've swooned and sighed over for the past year?"

"I have not swooned over anyone!" her friend protested, a blush coming to her face. "I've simply mentioned that he's good looking… that's all."

"Of course I won't mention that you've kept that handkerchief he dropped under your pillow every night because you like having dreams about him," Sakura teased.

"Yes, and I won't tell anyone about how handsome you think that young merchant in the next town is," Tomoyo smiled sweetly as a frown appeared on Sakura's face. "Anyhow, what I really wanted to tell you is that he might be married to a princess… but there's a chance he might not!"

Sakura listened quietly. The tone Tomoyo was using hinted that this news was big… she could barely contain her excitement. She felt the heavy bag of rice in her hands, the sack was rough against her fingers so she lowered it to the ground carefully. "Go on," she said.

"There's going to be a contest. You see, the king's ministers wish the prince to be married to a princess…"

"But?" Sakura prompted.

"But the king seems to support marrying one of our own people! To promote national identity or something. Any eligible female within his age range may enter, meaning nobles, royalty, and commoners! That's why I-"

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cut her off. "I know you like the prince but this is too mu-"

"I can tell the difference between a crush and love, Sakura-chan. "Tomoyo interjected. "This isn't about me having a fairytale romance." She stopped and took a breath. "This is about helping my family's opportunities… I'm sure that is something you can understand."

Sighing, Sakura nodded. It was indeed something they all understood far too well. "A contest for the Prince, huh? That's something girls like us dream about, and our families can only hope for," she laughed. "Maybe I should join you too! We can both enter together!"

"You can't."

Sakura looked up, surprised. "I can't?" she asked.

"You can't," Tomoyo answered slowly. "Don't misunderstand Sakura-chan. There isn't anything else I would like more than for us to enter together but…" Her friend stared at the sack of rice in Sakura's hands. "There is one requirement, and that is that all the families must be able to support their daughters during their first month in the palace. Just the first month. After they weed out all the hopeless girls, then the king will pay for those left over." She trailed off, not wanting to finish.

"Your father is a merchant, he'll be able to keep you there the first month somehow," Sakura said quietly. "This is the change of a life time. Even if you don't win over the prince, all the things you'll learn at court… you could do so much with that! You might even get to know some nice, young noble to fall in with."

There was no need to further delve into Sakura's financial circumstances. She would never complain, her family worked hard and made enough to get by, but there was only so much they could produce from such old land. Those fields were the only ones they could afford, but still she didn't mind. Her magical Sakura tree grew there and that was enough for her.

"When will you be leaving?" Sakura suddenly felt lonely, her best friend would be gone for who knew how long.

"In two days," Tomoyo grinned sheepishly. "I know it's sudden, but that's what they've decreed."

"Two days?" Sakura looked long and hard at her companion's face. There was nothing but determination written clearly across her pretty features. It made Sakura feel proud of her friend. "I will be cheering for you all the way, Tomoyo-chan," she said with a smile. "Only promise that you'll come visit me if you ever get the chance, though I'm sure you'll be too busy learning what it takes to be his highness' princess." Sakura winked.

"Tomoyo!!!" a loud screech made the both of them jump. "Where are you?? You have to go get ready right now!!"

"I'll se you off when you go," Sakura whispered as she pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Sonomi-baachan will throw a fit if you don't hurry."

"TOMOYO!!"

"Coming Mother!" Tomoyo squeezed Sakura's hand tightly before running in the direction of Sakura's aunt. The two of them were second cousins… technically, but they seemed more like sisters. Sakura felt a lump in her throat. It would be a month at least before she would see Tomoyo again, and with her mature beauty and grace, Sakura was certain it would be much longer.

"There's no helping it. I'm happy for her so I'll just have to get over my loneliness," she chided herself. Half-heatedly, she picked up the bag of rice once again. It would be noon soon she ought to…

"Oh no!" Sakura looked up at the sky frantically. TH sun was almost directly overhead – she had wasted too much time. The petite Japanese girl threw the rice sack over her shoulder, held it firmly, and jogged quickly towards her home.

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To be continued…

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So that was the first chapter. What do you think? Does this story sound good to you? Hopeless? I should just forget about it now? Drop me a review please, and let me know what you think. I await them eagerly!

:D