Moonlit Rose

Summary: A prince, cold and dark, ruling a country happier than light. An orphan, cautious and feisty with a secret she doesn't even know herself. These two paths destined not to meet, but a rose changes it all.

Disclaimer: Card Captor does not belong to thy.

Author's note: I hope you all like this story.

Chapter 1

As the boy made his way to the queen's study room where she acknowledges everyone she speaks to, he thought of how the castle seemed so empty and silent without his father's ridiculous jokes and his mother's fake laughter. Thought there were sounds of water dripping and falling, birds chirping, and occasionally the chief's knife cutting its way through meat or vegetables, there was no happiness sounds. Now his mother had turned into some kind of cricket, always blabbering about nothing to no one. He had become a stone, invisible and silent to the world. No one understood, no one tried to help, no one even dared to approach him. Because of what? Because he was a prince, is that why he shouldn't be treated like a human? His father did before he was killed. Thinking back to that night when unsuspected visitors paid a visit to the castle and left an unbearable pain, the boy's fists clenched and was about to punch the door in front of him, when it opened, revealing the queen's personal maid.

"Prince Xiao Lang! You're finally here, I was about to get worried that you wouldn't find your way here, seeing the fact that you never leave your room!" Queen Yelan exclaimed, her back to him.

Syaoran stared daggers at his mother's back, wondering why she needed him enough for him to leave his room and daring her to speak with his brutal glare.

"I suppose you wonder why I called for you, you see, you're fiancé will be here in a month, that is when you will get married, as you already know...am I not correct?" Queen Yelan paused for a moment, getting no answer but a cold stare and continued, " and I want you to start acting cheerful again. What happened to you, son? I remember you used to be so happy, playing with your sister; who, by the way, are coming to visit and watch you get married with their husbands, laughing and being a boy who loved nature and martial arts. Ever since that terrifying night, you've become a stranger to everyone. To your pets, to your servants, to me," Queen Yelan turned her chair around with a hand at her heart.

But Syaoran's ears had shut when they heard the word son. For the longest time had they not heard that word. Syaoran froze on the spot, rooted the Earth's core. Images flashed through his brain, pictures of when he played with his sister, one where they forced a dress on him and he was enjoyably splashing mud on it, another where he was petting his first bird, and finally a picture of him riding his father like a horse.

"Understand Syaoran?" his mother's voice broke through his thick fog of thoughts, bringing him to Earth once more. Silence. Then a look from Syaoran to his mother was all that Queen Yelan needed to know that her son heard her and understood. "Dismissed." And with that Syaoran swept out of the room heading toward his garden that he and his father gardened together. He wondered when he suddenly missed his father, he had been hit with a shock tidal wave when his father was killed and didn't accept the fact. A month later, now, the news had finally sunk in.

Coming to his favorite cherry blossom tree, he climbs it until he cant climb anymore branches, for it seemed the tree spread its arms out towards the heavens above forever and eternally. He sits at a really high branch and stares at the sunset.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Stretching out her arms, the girl's emerald eyes slowly opened revealing her to a beautiful sunset. The sky was light blue above her head, which slowly blended into a light purple, then pink. The sun was bloody red with, or so what it seemed, an orange glow around it, causing the lake's water to look like blood. Thin yellow and gray streaks dragged through the sky indicating clouds. The girl watched the sun literally start hiding behind the mountains and for some reason tears sprang to her eyes. Why are my eyes stinging? I do not cry. The girl wondered. Then somehow she thought she knew, without knowing, it is the death of another day passing by. The sunset was the beautiful death of that day.

Cherry blossoms softly floated upon this girl's head. She looked up, cherry blossoms. My name, my mother's favorite flower. Mother. That word thumped in her head causing her to look up, gasping. What was that? That's never happened before! "Mom, dad, and even big bro, I miss you all. What happened that day? I don't know anything! Why can't I get any answers?" She threw her head up looking at the sky as if searching for answers she could read.

Why… that little three-lettered words haunted her the moment her parents were murdered. Her parents always said there was a secret within their ancestry, but what? No one would tell her, they always said she was too little. But she was now 14; she thought she was mature enough to understand some things. Suddenly something triggered in the most forbidden memory bank in her mind. It is destined for us to die. A voice said. The girl had tried to tell whose voice that was, but it was soon gone, never to be found again.

"You." A low voice startled her. She turned around to meet a chestnut boy standing on a cherry blossoms' tree branch. Just one word was enough to let the girl know she was in a territory she was not supposed to be, but she couldn't help staring at the magnificent sight in front of her. The boy's chestnut hair blowing in the wind as the soft looking cherry blossoms swirled around him as if dancing in a circle around him, praising him. The tall tree shadowed half of the boy's face, but the other half was shown clearly. The thing that startled the girl the most was his eyes. Cold and penetrating; yet swirling with other emotions one could not lay a finger on. Who was he? Suddenly she saw the Clow symbol flashing on his robe, a symbol of high royalty. She quickly bowed and murmured, "You're majesty."

Syaoran wondered how he knew he was the prince, so he followed the girl's enchanting emerald eyes to his chest. He blinked, thinking he had ripped that stupid symbol off earlier. Once again, he had mistaken. She was not the most beautiful creature on Earth, with all that mud caked on her body, but yet there was something drawing about her. It seemed to him that she was a strong girl with a fragile frame. Noticing how the girl was still bowing, he growled a "Get up." And a "Who are you?"

The girl quickly stood up and said, "Sakura, you're highness. Sakura Kinomoto."

Syaoran growled at being called highness, but decided to let it go. "Why are you in MY garden?" emphasizing my.

Sakura's emerald eyes flashed quickly of fear, but was rapidly replaced by courage, "I got lost." She decided to make her answers as brief as possible, not wanting to give out any more information that she already did.

"How did you come across this garden?"

"I…" How was Sakura supposed to explain she had stolen pastry and ran here to take cover? "I…"

"Syaoran!" A voice drifted into the air. Syaoran quickly recognized it as his mother's. Queen Yelan came into view and gasped when she saw Sakura. That emerald-eyed girl looked very familiar, yet somehow very distant. She represented courage and perseverance, her eyes said it all. "And might I ask, who is this young lady… covered in mud?" she added with a quick glance at Sakura.

Syaoran made no move to respond, so Sakura quickly dropped into a curtsy, "Sakura Kinomoto, ma'm." Queen Yelan was surprised at her politeness, compared to her own son's. Wait a second, Kinomoto? Kinomoto, Kinomoto... Kinomoto! No it couldn't be, they are all dead! But how? She fainted, falling on to her back.

Syaoran stood there, staring at his mother's fallen form. Slowly he went into the castle to call for paramedics. Sakura stared at the woman before her. What had just happened? Her eyes were clouded with confusion, then freight, then confusion once more before she had fainted.