Disclaimer: I do not down CCS or any of its characters much to my dismay! They belong to CLAMP.

" Speech
* Thinking
~ Sound affects
() Translation

Unwinding Destiny
By ~Xiaoling~


Chapter 10:
One April Day

Syaoran was still standing in that silent hallway. Yet all of a sudden he felt a part of him go empty, and he had a bad feeling in his stomach. His feet quickly started dashing towards the hallway where he had last saw Sakura.

*Sakura...Sakura...* Her name was the only thing in his mind right now as he ran into Touya's former room. He nearly fell over, but he had to stay calm when some soldiers were still in the room.

"Your highness, we have finished the job," One soldier said proudly.

Syaoran growled and ordered him to get out of the room. He saw Sakura's body on the ground, a few feet away from her brother's, and she was lying there in a pool of fresh crimson blood. Syaoran's fists were clenched tightly as he fell on his knees beside her.

"S...Sakura??" He said, his voice shaking. "Why...why are you sleeping...? Wake up..." He shook her helplessly. "It's all my fault...I should have stopped them...but..but this was all of father's plan...I was the spy for father...I shouldn't have...Sakura...I'm so sorry..." He felt a tear roll down his cheek.

He raised one had slowly to wipe it away. He had never cried before, now at all since he was a baby. Syaoran was taught to never cry, it only showed they you were weak.

"Sakura..I'm sorry for lieing to you...for betraying you...I'm sorry for everything...ongeai, wake up!" Syaoran yelled while shaking Sakura's limp body.

"Your highness, we have found the Clow Book!" A soldier walked into the room carrying the book.

Syaoran's eyes widened. He had thought that Sakura had changed the book to the Sakura Book...

"Is anything wrong prince?"

"N..Nothing...that's good that you found it..." Syaoran slowly stood back up. *The Sakura Book...it must have changed back to the Clow Book when..when Sakura...*

"We better head back to the palace. It will take a few days your highness."

"What about the bodies...?" Syaoran uttered softly.

The soldier laughed a bit. "These filthy things? Your majesty has ordered us to burn them."

"NO!"

The soldier stepped back, startled. "...Y..Yes sir..."

"They will all have a proper burial got that?!" Syaoran said through clenched teeth.

The soldier nodded quickly. "Y...Yes..."

Syaoran gazed at the graves lined up in a perfect line. He was standing in front of Sakura's grave, where he had placed fresh cherry blossoms in front. He felt a aching pain in his heart as he turned his back to leave.

"I'm sorry Sakura...I will forever remember you...and we can go butterfly catching oneday when we meet again..." Syaoran said softly and stepped into the carriage that was waiting for him.

If Syaoran had decided to look over his shoulder, or turn back, he would have saw the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Sakura's grave started shining brightly with a strong pink aura. And suddenly, the dirt covering the coffin blew away...

Three Years Later

Princess Tomoyo sighed heavily as she looked out her window on one sunny April day. April, the month of cherry blossoms, and the month for her to remember her dearest friend, Sakura Kinomoto. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to gaze into the dark eyes of her boyfriend.

"Eriol....I miss Sakura so much..." Tomoyo said, blinking her tears away, but failed.

Eriol hugged her tightly, "I do miss her too...she was a wonderful gift to the world...to us..."

"And she was the one who brough you to me..." Tomoyo said softly. Three years ago when Tomoyo was going to leave from her two week vacation at the Kinomoto Kingdom, Sakura had told Eriol to leave with Tomoyo, so they could be together.

Eriol smiled, "But don't give up Tomoyo..."

"What do you mean?"

"You know that I am half the reincarnation of Clow Reed, and I can sense that Sakura is alright..." Eriol said assuringly.

Eriol had told Tomoyo two years ago that he was half of Clow Reed. She was shocked, but she loved in none the less.

"What do you mean Eriol?" Tomoyo said, nuzzling into his chest.

"...We will see...just let destiny lead the way without any changes..."

"King Syaoran! The girl has failed to open the book!" A guard of the Li Kingdom said while bowing in front of the king of the Li Kingdom.

Syaoran growled unpleasingly. "Behead her!" He stood up from his throne and retreated back to his room in frustration. He glanced at the a painting of Sakura blossoms hanging on the wall.

He walked over to the painting, and tap it three times, and it turned around, revealing a hole in the wall where the Clow Book sat undisturbed. He lifted it out, and stuck the Clow Key in, but it would not open.

"Why won't it open?! I have tried to get every person with magic to open the book, and no one has suceeded!" Syaoran thought furiously. *If only she was here...* He thought, but he shook his thought away of her. He had turned rather cold and bitter to everyone around him after the death of his father, which meant that he had to be king.

He didn't want the responsibility of a whole kingdom, or the riches, and the frustration. All he wanted was his ying fa.

"Syaoran honey...please..."

Syaoran scowled and turned around and met the ruby eyes of a worried Queen Meiling. "Meiling! Can't I have some privacy?!"

"But...but you shouldn't always think about opening that Clow Book! Just let it rest for a day at least! You need to take a break of this thing...and why do you want to open the book so badly?!" Meiling asked, her eyebrows arched down in worry.

"It's none of your business..." Syaoran replied bitterly. *Because...because maybe a card can bring Sakura back...*

Meiling sighed sadly and left the room, her black hair disappearing around the corner of the doorway. Syaoran frowned soon after her departure.

*I'm sorry Meiling...for being so cruel to you...you deserve a better husband..* Syaoran thought while placing the Clow Book back into its hiding place.

He glanced out the window, and noticed that the first cherry blossoms were blooming. He smiled inwardly to himself.

A figure walked slowly through the busy streets of a tiny market in Hong Kong. A hood was covering his/her's face, but black silky hair was visible.

The figure pulled down the hood, revealing that she was female. She had long black shiny hair that reached her waist, and she had a few flower pins in her hair.

"Excuse me sir?" The girl asked softly at a man who was walking by.

He stopped and smiled at the girl. "She me shi (what is it)?"

"Er..I don't understand..."

"Oh I'm very sorry..." The man said. "I meant, what is it?"

The girl smiled back at the man. "I was wondering...which way it is to the Li Castle?"

The man seemed frightened at the mention of the Li family. "Why would you want to go there young lady?! You could get easily beheaded by King Syaoran!"

"Oh...I just want to know..." The girl replied simply, some of her black hair tumbling over the side of her shoulder.

"It's right across this market and through the forest. It is quite easy to find since the towers are pretty high." And then the man left quickly.

The girl blinked and called after the man. "Thank you!"

"You welcome!" He called back and disappeared down an alley.

The girl walked down the busy streets towards the forest when an old lady grasped her hand.

She was shocked and quickly pulled her hand free. The old lady smiled a toothless smile. "I'm sorry if I scared you..." She said in a hoarse voice.

The girl smiled back at the old lady. "It's alright...I was just startled."

"What is your name?"

"...My name?" The girl knew it was not right to tell a stranger your name, but she felt it was alright to tell this old lady. "My name...my name is...is Hu Die..."

The old lady smiled bigger at her, and took both her hands. "Little girl, remember something, hiding in the shadows will not help."

The girl stayed silent.

"Shadow, is something you do not want to stay in." The old lady said. "Hope, have hope young one. Sword, something that has pierced your heart, and it is painful, but let hope fill your heart. And Love, you will find your destined one, just let destiny unwind."

The girl blinked, but when her eyes opened again the old lady was not there anymore. Vanished.

The girl shook in fright and quickly hurried her way through the streets.

Shadow...

Hope...

Sword...

Love...

Hu Die repeated through her mind. She frowned at the four meaningful words.

What is so bad about hiding in the shadows?

Is hope any use for me? There is no hope left...

A sword has pierced my heart, yes, but how can I find hope when the sword was placed in my heart by the only one I loved?

Yet love, such a delicate word, is just a emotion of betrayal...

What has those four things got for me.... Hu Die thought sadly and disappeared into the forest.

Shadow

Hope

Sword

Love







AN: Ok, just a reminder that Syaoran and everyone is now 19! Yes, Syaoran is at a very young age to be a king. Anyways, who is this mysterious Hu Die girl? What does the old lady mean?! Here's a hint: Hu Die means butterfly...does that ring a bell?