Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.

Wahh...craziness.

From Heaven to Hell - Chapter 7

"I am going to go help Eriol settle Meiling and her people down," said Tomoyo, smoothing her hair in front of the mirror. "Is that alright with you, Sakura-chan?"

"Et tu, Tomoyo?" asked Sakura as she watched her best friend scurry towards the exit of her room. They had the intention of going to bed after Syaoran left. "My fiancé just abandoned me."

"Sa-ku-ra-chan!"

"Only joking," Sakura put her hands up in the air when Tomoyo crossed her arms. "Don't take too long though."

"I won't," assured Tomoyo. She walked out the room and the door shut with a soft click.

And then there was one. Sakura let her legs dangle from the bed; her eyes at stared at the peach-colored carpet. Totally…alone… she though, sighing and resting her chin in her palm. She began wondering about Syaoran. She didn't even say goodbye – would he have replied even if she did? Is he back home yet? Maybe if he finished the business ahead of time, he could return sooner! But what was the business? Could it –

The door opened, snapping Sakura out of her curious alternate universe. It was one of Meiling's followers.

"Um, Meiling's not here," Sakura said. The casual mood changed when the hooded figure closed the door. "Are you lost?"

"No," the person replied, her voice more confident and more powerful than Sakura had expected. It sounded familiar as well. "I am simply returning to my nest."

"Your –?"

"Cradle, haven, whatever you want to call it," said the stranger. She sat down in a chair as if she owned the place. Hold on, Sakura narrowed her eyes; the now unwanted guest pulled off the black hood. "I'm back."

A horrified gasp hissed from her mouth. "Aishi!"

--

Without much warning, Tomoyo stepped into a chaotic world: Meiling was screaming and running, grabbing every single follower of hers that crossed her path; the followers who weren't being examined by their freaked out boss were going all over the place. Eriol was the only person that was calm.

"Is there a snake on the loose in this room or something?" she asked, tugging his sleeve.

"It wouldn't be this crazy if there were," said Eriol, turning to Tomoyo. "From what I can gather, one of her maids is missing."

"I brought twelve with me! And now," Meiling shouted, jumping onto the top of a table, "there are merely – STOP MOVING – one, two, three…seven, eight… ten… eleven… twelve left? What? I swear –"

"Miss, I think someone mixed in with us," said one of the followers, nodding to the person next to her. "I told Ah Xin so during our dinner break, but she said I was imagining things."

"No!" said Ah Xin as she removed her hood." I counted, and there were thirteen people, including Lady Meiling!"

"Well, you were wrong, I mean we didn't all sit around the fire and eat," said the first maid. "We were spread out. How would you know if some psycho didn't just tag along?"

"Enough," Meiling stomped her foot. "Ya Lian is right. There is an unfriendly spirit about, but she is no longer in this room."

Frowning, Tomoyo shifted with unease. "She is most likely still in this side of the castle," continued the Li princess. "I want you to find this intruder; she may be dangerous."

Sakura-chan, Tomoyo panicked. "Eriol, I'm going back to Sakura's room!" she said and rushed out behind Meiling and her wave of maids, who also happened to be skilled female warriors.

"Wish you hadn't left so quickly, cousin," Eriol whispered, a grin of interest appeared.

--

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I thought that this 'while' was supposed to be longer," said Sakura. She felt a tightening knot form in her throat. It was the person who had betrayed her like no other. "Did you have a little fight with dear Robert?"

"Sakura, I know you're mad at me," Aishi said and got up. "And it's true that I was planning on leaving you in this…this hell, but –"

"Hell?" Sakura scoffed, backing up when Aishi tried to get near her. "You're wrong. It's like heaven here; you never bothered to notice that. You have wonderful clothes, sweet, helping maids, a gorgeous home, and you have a dad. Even the fiancé you tried so hard to avoid is great. Just because you look like me doesn't mean that you should be ignorant like me, Aishi."

"You are not ignorant, Sakura," Aishi lowered her eyes. We envy each other, she thought with a pained smile. "I didn't come back to switch with you."

"You didn't?" asked Sakura; her voice was weak.

"There is something more important."

"That can hardly be possible, Your Highness."

"No one has called me that in some time. I'm not that used to it anymore…and I think there is," Aishi said and took Sakura by the hand. To her surprise, Sakura did not protest; her stomach wiggled with warmth – strange, it was, what trust could do. "You're willing to listen?"

"Curiosity killed the cat, didn't it?" Sakura replied as they sat down. "Although I'd like to know how you got in."

"Princess Meiling and her girls stopped at the market," explained Aishi." I took a cape from the clothing stall –"

"You stole?"

"No, the owner gave it to me," Aishi said. "After I put on the hood I snuck in their crowd; I'd heard that they were going to the castle from the conversation they had with Touya."

"Always the ladies' man," Sakura mumbled. "So if they hadn't stopped by, you wouldn't come here?"

"I still would."

"But why?"

"Sakura, you were saying that I'm lucky because I have a father," she stated. "But I think that is something we have in common."

"I know I have a father. I just don't know who he is."

"I do."

Aishi studied her twin; of course Sakura had no idea. She, herself, was still recovering from the shock. After all, it'd happened just that morning. How would Sakura react? If only there was an easier way. Then a tempting offer from the dark side tapped her on the shoulder. There certainly was an easier way – keep Sakura blinded from her true identity. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and there was no guarantee that Sakura would like the news.

"You know who my father is?" Sakura asked. It was not what she had expected. Her hands tightened around the handles of her chair. "Aishi was silent for a moment. The same queasy feeling she had the first time they talked returned. She was watching herself again. "Aishi?"

"I'm sorry, could you give me some time," she whispered; she sounded afraid and her eyes were flashing with confusion. Sakura nodded and rose for the tea set on the table next to her bed – or rather, Aishi's bed. It was funny how the bed that another person had slept in for almost two decades would seem so valuable and close to Sakura. When Aishi left it behind willingly, it had become like an abandoned kitten, an orphaned child, seeking for support; the bed had recognized Sakura as its new owner. Then it occurred to her as she was pouring the hot water. Aishi didn't care about the two worlds, at least not like Sakura did. Sakura was trying to kill two birds with one stone, but she knew that it wouldn't work. They would both fly away unless Sakura chose one over the other.

Sakura looked back at Aishi, who was tapping her chin and concentrating very hard. Is she trying to make something up or is she trying to decide whether or not she's going to tell me about my dad? Sakura wondered. She saw her reflection in the tea and groaned. She was seeing herself everywhere.

Sakura took the tray and set it on the table between them – it was sugarcoating the tension. "That's a nice bracelet," Aishi spoke up, eyeing the charm on Sakura's wrist.

"Yeah," she agreed softly. "Your fiancé gave it to me."

"Ouch," Aishi laughed. "I think he's your fiancé now."

"I'm not Princess Aishi."

"So he still doesn't know…"

The door burst open and Meiling strode in. Aishi gasped and put on the hood. "Lady Meiling!" she cried and stood up.

"Oh, don't you 'Lady Meiling' me," said Meiling. "I got all my twelve lovely side-kicks with me, so guess what? You're getting out of here!"

"Sakura-chan! I got lost but – oh my," a shocked Tomoyo stopped at the entrance. The twelve un-hooded followers let her through.

Aishi made a run for the window; she unhooked the lock and pushed it open. The crispy night wind gushed in. "Get her!" Meiling yelled and her warriors charged.

Standing at the brink, Aishi turned around and shouted at Sakura. "You might be a real princess!"

And then she jumped.

The pinging of glass and the clinging of silverware jingled in the dining hall. "Pass the sugar please," Tomoyo murmured to Eriol. It had been three days after Aishi escaped from the castle. King Fujitaka punished the soldiers for not guarding the gates properly, and urged for a heavier security.

"I still can't believe it," Meiling said and poured some syrup on her pancakes. "With the speed and agility, she would've made a fine addition to my squad."

Sakura choked on her milk and laughed nervously. "Meiling," she said. "What is Syaoran doing back in the Li Kingdom?"

"To be honest," Meiling said, dabbing the corner of her mouth with her napkin, "I don't know. My Aunt Yelan just asked me to come here and get Xiao Lang."

"Which means that something is up," said Eriol.

"Exactly," Meiling grinned.

--

"King Fujitaka and you did what?" Syaoran slammed his fist on the table.

"Xiao Lang, please," said Queen Yelan, putting down the calligraphy brush. She waved for the Er Hu player to stop playing the song. "It'll be good for you and Aishi."

"A week of separation won't bring us closer together, Mother," said Syaoran. "I was worried that someone was sick."

"That's sweet, my son," the queen said as she gazed at the beautiful garden in front of her. "Have you told Aishi that you love peonies?"

"How is that relevant to this conversation?"

"Talking back? Now that's something we don't teach here."

"I apologize, Mother."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, dear," said Yelan. "Remember that."

"I will keep that in mind," Syaoran nodded.

"Good," Yelan smiled and began to walk away. "By the way, do you know what Aishi's favorite flower is?"

"Cherry blossoms, I guess."

"You guess?" she asked and shook her head.

They should be, right? She's always hanging around the tree in the garden, he thought, gazing at the peonies.

"I suppose I'll just ask her when I get back," he whispered. And even though Syaoran wouldn't admit it, he looked forward to seeing his fiancée again.

Note: Sneaky parents Haha. Review please! :) Thanks Cheeseycraziness for pointing out a major mistake.