Misunderstandings

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to Clamp, not to me.

Konnichiwa everyone! Thank you so much for reviewing; it really brightened up my day!

On with the story!

^repost^ After people declared it confusing, I decided to go back & check for clarity.

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Chapter 2

By: cherrysakuragirl

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Sakura…Sakura…

Gasping, the princess swam upwards, towards the world of light…Soon, the darkness behind her eyelids was replaced by the early light of dawn.

She was in a tent. Creeping slowly out, Sakura smelled the acridity of rum. Biting back tears, Sakura forced herself to search the tent. She discovered a sharp sword and a few scraps of food.

The soft trickle of the stream met her tired eyes. Tears flowing freely, Sakura bent down to wash her face. The reflection in the water swam before her; a girl with puffy eyes and a sad face. Reaching across, Sakura picked two lotuses. Gently, she laid them down, and soon the flowers were drifting gracefully down the river.

So final…the sight of the scattered petals, floating away like autumn leaves on a windy day. Soon, they were gone, far from her line of sight.

Goodbye otou-san, onii-chan…

Quickly, before the sky grew to a bright orange, the princess stole a horse, praying for silence. With the rising sun on her left, Sakura rode away from the camp, the last strand of her life gone, forever.

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"Get her!" screamed the leader.

12 shadowy figures trailed Sakura, unseen. In an instance of hesitation, they overtook her.

One armed-rider grabbed the princess, yanking her off the saddle.

Screaming, Sakura descended upon the ground, a drop of at least ten feet. "Ahhh! Let me go!"

Crashing underneath her leg, Sakura groaned in pain. The leg was twisted.

"Get up!" demanded a cold, unrelenting voice.

Gasping, Sakura breathed in hard. "My leg…"

"Get up!" he repeated. A large boot hit her in the back, and Sakura shrieked. "I can't move…

"Kuso na…get up!"

"She said she can't," asserted a cold voice.

Whirling around, the man came face to face with a young man on a horse, with amber eyes and mahogany hair.

"Says who?," demanded the vagrant.

Glaring, the amber eyes seemed to penetrate through. "Let her go," he ordered, his voice smooth but carrying great authority.

"And if I don't?" the brute smirked.

Glaring with the intensity to freeze water, the young man said nothing.

Quickly, Sakura grabbed her sword, using it as springboard to get up. Wincing in pain, she used the flat edge to knock the man off his horse.

She leaped on the horse, grateful of her years in gymnastics. "Go, go!" she hissed. The horse sprang on his haunches.

"Hey, come back!" called the amber-eyed boy. "I won't hurt you."

Sakura ignored him. "Faster, faster," she prayed. The horse responded. My kingdom…it lies in ruins. I cannot trust anyone.

But soon, he was behind her. His horse barely made any noise, while Sakura struggled against the pain in her leg. "Please, stop. I promise, you'll be safe," soothed the young man.

Safety…Sakura hardened. No, he's just tricking you! "Leave me alone!" she screamed. "I don't want your help!" Turning around, she launched the sword at him with all of her strength.

He ducked. Damn.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"None of your business."

"You don't know, do you?" he mocked. Pause. "Who are you?"

"Someone that you'll never see again." She faced forward, urging her horse to run faster.

"You know, my horse is a long distance runner," he commented conversationally.

"I don't care!" she shouted. "Go away!"

"Fine. It's no time for games." In one smooth gallop, he was beside her. "I'll give you one more chance to stop."

"Well, it's wasted. I won't," Sakura declared stubbornly.

He was in front of her. Dark brown hair hid his eyes, but she knew he was laughing at her.

"Move!" she commanded. She had stopped now, head high in the air. Her emerald eyes challenged his amber, and they refused to lose. Yet, his eyes were so deep, and warm…she felt like a little girl again, lost in a world of monsters and fright. His eyes were the only light.

"You okay?"he asked, the mocking tone gone.

She shook her head, clearing it of her thoughts. Her eyes focused again, and she realized tears were flowing down her cheek.

"Yes….you tricked me. You could've caught me the whole time."

She was scared. Scared of her enemies, and no words could describe the pain she felt from the fall of her kingdom. The death of her family…It all came crashing down, the harsh reality she could not escape from. And she was distrustful of everyone. Trust in others had brought her kingdom down, and killed her family.

Defiance blazed in the emerald orbs, and Sakura glared at the boy in front of her. "Please, sir, leave me alone." she demanded, her eyes hard.

He backed away, his hands out to show surrender. "I'm sorry, whatever I did to make you cry."

"It wasn't you," she said quickly. Her leg ached, like it had been thrown in a fire. She leaned heavily against the saddle, her grip on reality slipping. Her head…so heavy…she was falling…

"Hey!" he called. He caught her.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. He ignored her.

"You should be more careful. Don't ride if you don't have the strength to," he scolded.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Just stay there and be captured?" Sakura yelled.

"I was there," he said softly.

"I'm sorry. Maybe you shouldn't have been. I can take care of myself," she defended.

"If you say so. Let's pretend that you trust me. Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"I guess."

"What were you doing, with those guys? "

She looked down at the ground. "They…did something to my family, and now everyone is gone. I cannot go back home, because I have no home to go to."

"I'm sorry. Where will you go?"he asked sincerely, eyes kind.

She smiled at him sadly. "I don't know."

"Come with me. You can stay at my place," he offered.

But she shook her head. "I have to go, to find someone who will help me."

"Why don't you ask me to help you?" he asked.

"Because I don't trust you," she answered simply. She turned her horse around, and said, "Goodbye-

"It's Syaoran."

Sharply, she turned to face him again. "Prince Syaoran Li?" she breathed.

"Yes. How did you know?" Sakura searched her mind. Where had she heard that name before? Her fingers flew to the ring she always wore…he had given it to her, as a child! It was getting dark, so he couldn't see her face. A mixture of astonishment and hope. She could trust him! Be careful Sakura her mind warned you don't know if he's changed…

She looked up, but didn't meet his eyes. "If I come with you…do you realize you could be in danger? They're…these people after me."

He met her eyes. "Yes."

"B-but you don't even know me!" Sakura protested. "How can you be willing to help a stranger?"

"Because you remind me of someone I used to know," he answered pensively, "someone who was kind to me a long time ago. Plus, would you help someone who needed it?"

"Yes," Sakura replied instantly. "Eh…Syaoran?"

"Eh?" he said, looking in her brilliant emerald eyes.

"The person you were talking about…" she began hesitantly. Then she stopped. If I tell him, then what if he's kind to me only because I helped him in the past? I don't want to make him feel that he owes me something…

"I know her," she finished," but she's no longer the girl that she was before."

"In what way?" he asked eagerly.

She took a deep breath, and fell into the amber pools. "She grew up, and learned that not all people are good. She changed."

Syaoran looked sad. "I always thought…that she'd be the one to smile while others frowned. She was one of my friends, a long time ago."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm sure she misses you," she croaked. Syaoran returned the smile. "What's your name? I gave you mine," he asked.

"It's…Cherry," she fibbed.

Syaoran took her hand, kissing it gently. "It was nice meeting you, Cherry.''

Sakura glanced behind. She could not go back; there was nothing left. For now, she had to look to the future. Someday, she would return, and claim what was hers. That would be later.

Tears rolling down her face, Sakura turned from the past. "I'm ready to go now," she said hoarsely.

Together, they rode to the Li kingdom.

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Hi guys! I gotta go now, but I'll be back next week. I hope you enjoyed this!

Please review! Good, bad, ghastly, terrible? Please tell me! I don't get what's confusing

about it.

P.S.- I wanna go to sleep!