Daphne: "Hi! I just had to put the first two chapters up together, so my
reviewers wouldn't bale on me when they got confused about the first
chapter. That 'letter' in the prologue will play a big if not huge role
later in the story, so don't kill me yet! I really hope that you enjoy this
chapter, and please, please, PLEASE review!!!!!!!!!
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World Beyond the Mist
by: Daphne Li
Chapter one.
*BRING!!!*
"Finally! I thought that this day would never end!" Sixteen year old Kinomoto Sakura crowed out, running over to her three friends who were huddled together in the back of the room.
"Honestly, Sakura! It was only a half day!" Her friend Naoko giggled out, her eyes brimming with suppressed excitement.
"Hey, I agree with Sakura! We finally get to leave this hell house!" Chiharu added, throwing her arms out for good measure, as the other three girls giggled at her words.
"I can't help it! I mean, we are leaving for Europe tomorrow! How can you stay so calm?" Chiharu asked, looking at Rika, who was suppressing her laughter.
"Well, for one thing, we are not exactly going to Europe you know. We are taking my yacht and traveling around the islands for a full month!" Rika pointed out, her voice dripping with excitement. The other girls squealed with excitement and then Rika and Sakura crossed the street to their houses.
"Be at the airport at six 'o' clock, sharp tomorrow morning. We don't want to leave you behind!" Rika laughed, reminding Sakura of her reputation for being late. Sakura groaned and parted from her friend with a grin. Rika's parents were rich, and as a Summer Brake surprise for the four friends, they had invited them to take a month-long cruise on the huge boat, which the girls eagerly agreed to. They were traveling alone, save for the few bodyguards that Rika's parents insisted that she take along, just in case.
"Mom, I'm home!" Sakura yelled, as she entered the house. "Kero? Are you here?" As she said this, Sakura's mother, Kinomoto Nadeishiko entered the room and hugged her daughter.
"How was your day?" She asked. Sakura groaned and hugged her mother, who laughed. Sakura, eyed her mother with pride. At thirty-nine, Nadeishiko was a beautiful older version of Sakura. They had the same wavy auburn hair, and the same emerald green eyes. In fact, as Sakura got older, it became quite hard to tell the difference between the two, save the fact that Sakura kept her hair cut just higher than her shoulder blades, and Nadeishiko's hair reached to her waist.
"Sakura, when are we leaving?!" A small, yellow stuffed-animal creature flew into the room and hovered above Sakura's head.
"Tomorrow, Kero." She answered, flinging herself down onto the couch and putting her head in her mother's lap.
"Now remember. You can contact me on my cell-phone, but I won't be home for most of your vacation, and I may not even answer the phone. Take the Sakura Cards with you, just in case, and remember that I will ALWAYS love you." Nadeishiko said, gently running her fingers through her daughter's hair. Sakura nodded and winked at her mother.
"The girls and I will have fun with the cards!" She said wickedly. Long ago, when Sakura was only ten and new to the area of Tomeda, Rika had caught her capturing the Fly Card, and had not hesitated to tell her friends, Chiharu and Naoko. They confronted their new classmate, and Sakura had admitted everything to them. After that, the four girls became inseparable. They had helped Sakura capture the cards, and they had been there when Nadeishiko showed Sakura how to personalize the card and transform them into Sakura Cards. Where her mother had gotten the Clow book in the first place, Sakura never knew; she had never seen any reason to ask.
"Be careful, then, and don't draw attention to yourself. Oh, and hid your aura. I don't want any danger to come of you!" Nadeishiko added, slipping into her 'If-I-talk-like-a-royal-you-must-do-what-I-say' lingo. Sakura grinned at her and toyed with the necklace about her neck. It was a fake pink diamond, strung on a strange gold chain that sometimes seemed to be made out of nothing but air, it was so light. It was the only thing that she had that had belonged to her late father, Kinomoto Fujitaka. He and Sakura's older brother had died from a mysterious illness, and Nadeishiko never talked about it. Sakura could understand why. Her mother had been so incredibly in love with her father, and when he had died, she had spent days locked up in her room, leaving Sakura in the care of a friendly lady named Kaho. After she had recovered, Nadeishiko had been offered a job as a model and had immediately taken the job. After ten years of living in Tokyo, Japan, her mother had decided that a change of scenery was an issue, and she had moved Sakura and herself to the small town of Tomeda. Ever since then, Sakura had been so busy with the cards and school, that she had never really thought to ask her mother much about her father.
Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Nadeishiko's loving, but mysteriously sad smile just above her.
"I will always love you, no matter what happens." She repeated, stroking her daughter's hair. Sakura smiled lovingly back at her.
"I know you will. And I will too." She whispered, sensing that something was saddening her mother, but not really worrying about it; who could, when they were about to embark on their first trip without parents?!
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
World Beyond the Mist
by: Daphne Li
Chapter one.
*BRING!!!*
"Finally! I thought that this day would never end!" Sixteen year old Kinomoto Sakura crowed out, running over to her three friends who were huddled together in the back of the room.
"Honestly, Sakura! It was only a half day!" Her friend Naoko giggled out, her eyes brimming with suppressed excitement.
"Hey, I agree with Sakura! We finally get to leave this hell house!" Chiharu added, throwing her arms out for good measure, as the other three girls giggled at her words.
"I can't help it! I mean, we are leaving for Europe tomorrow! How can you stay so calm?" Chiharu asked, looking at Rika, who was suppressing her laughter.
"Well, for one thing, we are not exactly going to Europe you know. We are taking my yacht and traveling around the islands for a full month!" Rika pointed out, her voice dripping with excitement. The other girls squealed with excitement and then Rika and Sakura crossed the street to their houses.
"Be at the airport at six 'o' clock, sharp tomorrow morning. We don't want to leave you behind!" Rika laughed, reminding Sakura of her reputation for being late. Sakura groaned and parted from her friend with a grin. Rika's parents were rich, and as a Summer Brake surprise for the four friends, they had invited them to take a month-long cruise on the huge boat, which the girls eagerly agreed to. They were traveling alone, save for the few bodyguards that Rika's parents insisted that she take along, just in case.
"Mom, I'm home!" Sakura yelled, as she entered the house. "Kero? Are you here?" As she said this, Sakura's mother, Kinomoto Nadeishiko entered the room and hugged her daughter.
"How was your day?" She asked. Sakura groaned and hugged her mother, who laughed. Sakura, eyed her mother with pride. At thirty-nine, Nadeishiko was a beautiful older version of Sakura. They had the same wavy auburn hair, and the same emerald green eyes. In fact, as Sakura got older, it became quite hard to tell the difference between the two, save the fact that Sakura kept her hair cut just higher than her shoulder blades, and Nadeishiko's hair reached to her waist.
"Sakura, when are we leaving?!" A small, yellow stuffed-animal creature flew into the room and hovered above Sakura's head.
"Tomorrow, Kero." She answered, flinging herself down onto the couch and putting her head in her mother's lap.
"Now remember. You can contact me on my cell-phone, but I won't be home for most of your vacation, and I may not even answer the phone. Take the Sakura Cards with you, just in case, and remember that I will ALWAYS love you." Nadeishiko said, gently running her fingers through her daughter's hair. Sakura nodded and winked at her mother.
"The girls and I will have fun with the cards!" She said wickedly. Long ago, when Sakura was only ten and new to the area of Tomeda, Rika had caught her capturing the Fly Card, and had not hesitated to tell her friends, Chiharu and Naoko. They confronted their new classmate, and Sakura had admitted everything to them. After that, the four girls became inseparable. They had helped Sakura capture the cards, and they had been there when Nadeishiko showed Sakura how to personalize the card and transform them into Sakura Cards. Where her mother had gotten the Clow book in the first place, Sakura never knew; she had never seen any reason to ask.
"Be careful, then, and don't draw attention to yourself. Oh, and hid your aura. I don't want any danger to come of you!" Nadeishiko added, slipping into her 'If-I-talk-like-a-royal-you-must-do-what-I-say' lingo. Sakura grinned at her and toyed with the necklace about her neck. It was a fake pink diamond, strung on a strange gold chain that sometimes seemed to be made out of nothing but air, it was so light. It was the only thing that she had that had belonged to her late father, Kinomoto Fujitaka. He and Sakura's older brother had died from a mysterious illness, and Nadeishiko never talked about it. Sakura could understand why. Her mother had been so incredibly in love with her father, and when he had died, she had spent days locked up in her room, leaving Sakura in the care of a friendly lady named Kaho. After she had recovered, Nadeishiko had been offered a job as a model and had immediately taken the job. After ten years of living in Tokyo, Japan, her mother had decided that a change of scenery was an issue, and she had moved Sakura and herself to the small town of Tomeda. Ever since then, Sakura had been so busy with the cards and school, that she had never really thought to ask her mother much about her father.
Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Nadeishiko's loving, but mysteriously sad smile just above her.
"I will always love you, no matter what happens." She repeated, stroking her daughter's hair. Sakura smiled lovingly back at her.
"I know you will. And I will too." She whispered, sensing that something was saddening her mother, but not really worrying about it; who could, when they were about to embark on their first trip without parents?!
~*~*~*~