DISCLAIMER: As everyone before me has stated, Sakura and Syaoran belong to
CLAMP, and not me. All other characters, however, are of my own creation
and belong to me, the all-knowing ruler of the universe. ^-^
Author's note: Hiya! Well . . . wow. . . I just got home from school and found a couple minutes free time . . . so I checked on here . . . and I found 12 reviews waiting for me! ^_^ Yay! LoL, it definitely made my day. ^-^. Thanks meinien for the advice on how to get it to italicize. I think I tried it before and it didn't work, but I'm trying it again this time. If it doesn't work again, I'm sorry guys, but you'll just have to recognize '' as meaning either a dream or a thought. ^-^;;
Okay, well, enough blab. . . On to the story. . . ^-^ No one really reads the author's note anyway! ^_^
****
The next few days passed by in a blur. Tomoyo took Sakura throughout the castle, teaching her the hallways. Slowly but surely, Sakura was learning the castle.
The two girls grew closer everyday. As soon as Tomoyo was finished with her duties, she would race to her lady's room and the two spent the rest of the day together, talking like they had known each other forever.
****
Sakura's foot began tapping on the wooden floor, emitting a steady sound. Her eyes were trained on the door in front of her, waiting for a familiar purple head to appear. She let out a soft sigh just as the door opened, admitting a tired face.
Sakura's eyes went immediately to Tomoyo's face. Her eyes were glossy and drawn out, framed by sacs underneath. Her forehead had frozen into one permanent wrinkle and her mouth formed a single sound before she collapsed.
Sakura ran forward, lunging for Tomoyo before she could reach the floor. Struggling under her friend's weight, she stumbled to her bed, laying her friend delicately atop the mattress. Tomoyo let out a small cry of pain when her back came in contact with the mattress.
Worried, Sakura rolled Tomoyo onto her stomach. She frowned when she saw the back of the dress. It was covered in blood. Hurriedly, she pulled the gown down to reveal her back. She gasped.
Her eyes didn't know what to focus on first, for her back was so overcome with red welts. Some of the welts were still open and the blood still oozed freely from them. She jumped up and ripped one of her borrowed dresses, using the expensive cloth to stop the bleeding.
She ran outside, yelling for a child servant. One obediently appeared.
"I need water. Hurry."
The little boy ran off to retrieve the water, returning very shortly. She thanked the servant, promising him a portion of her dinner that night, and set about nursing Tomoyo.
****
The king looked up when he heard his door slammed open. With difficulty, he stifled a laugh. There was Sakura Kinomoto, trailed by three man servants and the court crier, her eyes glowing.
She halted in front of the king, ignoring the four men crowded around her, staring only at him. He almost took a step back, surprised by the passion in her eyes. He raised a hand, motioning for them to leave.
"Yes?" he asked, chocolate eyes twinkling, still amused at her entrance.
His amusement was shortly thrown from his mind when her eyes doubled in anger. "Who beat her?!"
Confusion embedded itself into his stance. His eyes questioned her own angered ones, but he found no answer.
"How dare you beat her? Nothing she could have done would be worthy of that kind of pain. No one deserves that kind of pain. Is this the way you run your kingdom? And then you expect no one to rebel? What a foolish king if I've ever seen one!"
His eyebrows neatly arched, listening to her speech. Her breathing was heavy. His silence fueled her anger.
"You will do nothing? You have no response? Well. . . that's not surprising. Why did I even bother coming? You're no help. You're never any help. You're too busy kidnapping people." She seemed to be talking to herself now. Making up her mind, she spun and headed towards the door.
He reached out and caught her by the elbow, spinning her around so she would have to face him.
****
His face was only inches from her own, and through her anger, she was overcome by the closeness of the two. Her eyes were locked intently on his own. She almost forgot herself until a vivid picture of her friend's back fought its way back to the top.
She jerked her arm from the king's grasp, almost causing herself to fall backwards.
"Leave me alone if you're not going to help." At his silence, she started to leave, but he answered this time.
"I can't help if you don't explain what has happened first," he said cautiously.
She spun and planted her hands on her hips, "You mean to tell me you don't even know when your servant is beaten so badly she's passed out?"
His eyes were guarded. "I received no word of a punishment."
Sakura snorted. "You received no word. . . of course you didn't."
He ignored her sarcastic comment. "Where is she?"
****
Sakura led the way quickly to her room. The king stopped to order the palace healer to follow along the way. When they reached the bedroom, Sakura opened, finding Tomoyo struggling weakly to raise herself from the mattress.
She rushed forward, pushing her friend back down.
"Don't worry, Tomoyo. I've brought the healer. You'll be better in no time," she said, softly.
Tomoyo smiled at her friend, then caught a glimpse of the person behind Sakura.
"Your h-highness?"
He smiled back at her and stepped forward. "The healer should be here shortly. If you might be so kind, could you tell me who. . . who did this?" He lowered his voice towards the end, trying to be kind.
Tomoyo's smile faded slightly and her eyes switched from the king to Sakura. Sakura did not see the glance, for she was too busy glaring at the king for asking the question so quickly.
"I don't know, your highness," answered Tomoyo quietly.
Sakura caught her gaze as it shifted over the king. She saw a piece of brown cloth on a fleeting figure. Without thinking, she took off after the figure.
She was just in time to see the brown disappearing down the stairs. Ignoring the glares of the scattered nobles, she pushed her way through the staircase, trying not to lose the figure.
His head was just about lost in the crowd when his luck ran out- he collided with a very large soldier. Sakura yelled to the soldier, "Grab him, sir!!"
But the soldier reacted far too slowly. The man was up and out of sight within moments. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, then saw something on the floor. She made her way towards the object, and bent down to pick it up. What she saw made her heart fall. It was a horse whip, stained with blood.
****
When the king caught sight of that familiar amber hair, he excused himself politely from Hideaki and ran over to Sakura.
"Why did you run off so suddenly? Your servant was scared to death," he yelled as soon as she joined him.
She made no move to answer, just opened her hand. Confused, he looked down and gasped at the sight. The king heard footsteps behind him, and he turned to find Hideaki's inquiring face. When he turned back, the horse whip was hidden again.
Sakura looked up at Hideaki. "May I see her now?"
He nodded solemnly and moved aside, allowing her passage.
"Does the young lady have any idea who might be responsible for this?" asked Hideaki as soon as Sakura was out of earshot.
The king rubbed his forehead tiredly. "No. It was not reported and the servant claims she does not know."
Hideaki sighed. "She will not report it to you?"
The king didn't even look up. The two stood in silence for a few moments before Hideaki broke the silence finally.
"Sakura seems to be adjusting."
The king nodded.
"Did she really find her way back by herself?"
The king shuddered, remembering the night in the garden when he had spoken to her. "Yes, I think so."
Hideaki looked over his shoulder, staring blankly at the closed door to the lady's room. He chose his words carefully."You know she is of fairly high rank."
"Her father is the earl of Dubghlas, and in charge of more than half of my kingdom. I'm aware she is of high rank."
"She is of good breeding," spoke Hideaki, his eyes glinting mysteriously.
The king raised an eyebrow. "Her manners could use work."
Hideaki laughed loudly. "So far, I think it's true to say you've seen her in her war-like mode. No one can expect one's manners to be at their best when in that mode."
He looked thoughtful before continuing. "Put her in a courtly setting and perhaps those manners will surprise you. . . "
He walked away, thinking his own private thoughts and leaving the king clueless.
****
'So you are planning to have a ball, are you, Hideaki? Are you still playing matchmaker in your old age? Foolish man. Sakura must not attend until I am sure of her hatred. . . you shall have to be stopped, Hideaki. A pity. I do so hate making people's lives miserable. . . '
Laughter filled the air.
****
Author's Note2: Hey, well this is the second edition of this chapter too. I'm making my way though the awful task of editing what I've already written, lol. I'm just proofreading.
Author's note: Hiya! Well . . . wow. . . I just got home from school and found a couple minutes free time . . . so I checked on here . . . and I found 12 reviews waiting for me! ^_^ Yay! LoL, it definitely made my day. ^-^. Thanks meinien for the advice on how to get it to italicize. I think I tried it before and it didn't work, but I'm trying it again this time. If it doesn't work again, I'm sorry guys, but you'll just have to recognize '' as meaning either a dream or a thought. ^-^;;
Okay, well, enough blab. . . On to the story. . . ^-^ No one really reads the author's note anyway! ^_^
****
The next few days passed by in a blur. Tomoyo took Sakura throughout the castle, teaching her the hallways. Slowly but surely, Sakura was learning the castle.
The two girls grew closer everyday. As soon as Tomoyo was finished with her duties, she would race to her lady's room and the two spent the rest of the day together, talking like they had known each other forever.
****
Sakura's foot began tapping on the wooden floor, emitting a steady sound. Her eyes were trained on the door in front of her, waiting for a familiar purple head to appear. She let out a soft sigh just as the door opened, admitting a tired face.
Sakura's eyes went immediately to Tomoyo's face. Her eyes were glossy and drawn out, framed by sacs underneath. Her forehead had frozen into one permanent wrinkle and her mouth formed a single sound before she collapsed.
Sakura ran forward, lunging for Tomoyo before she could reach the floor. Struggling under her friend's weight, she stumbled to her bed, laying her friend delicately atop the mattress. Tomoyo let out a small cry of pain when her back came in contact with the mattress.
Worried, Sakura rolled Tomoyo onto her stomach. She frowned when she saw the back of the dress. It was covered in blood. Hurriedly, she pulled the gown down to reveal her back. She gasped.
Her eyes didn't know what to focus on first, for her back was so overcome with red welts. Some of the welts were still open and the blood still oozed freely from them. She jumped up and ripped one of her borrowed dresses, using the expensive cloth to stop the bleeding.
She ran outside, yelling for a child servant. One obediently appeared.
"I need water. Hurry."
The little boy ran off to retrieve the water, returning very shortly. She thanked the servant, promising him a portion of her dinner that night, and set about nursing Tomoyo.
****
The king looked up when he heard his door slammed open. With difficulty, he stifled a laugh. There was Sakura Kinomoto, trailed by three man servants and the court crier, her eyes glowing.
She halted in front of the king, ignoring the four men crowded around her, staring only at him. He almost took a step back, surprised by the passion in her eyes. He raised a hand, motioning for them to leave.
"Yes?" he asked, chocolate eyes twinkling, still amused at her entrance.
His amusement was shortly thrown from his mind when her eyes doubled in anger. "Who beat her?!"
Confusion embedded itself into his stance. His eyes questioned her own angered ones, but he found no answer.
"How dare you beat her? Nothing she could have done would be worthy of that kind of pain. No one deserves that kind of pain. Is this the way you run your kingdom? And then you expect no one to rebel? What a foolish king if I've ever seen one!"
His eyebrows neatly arched, listening to her speech. Her breathing was heavy. His silence fueled her anger.
"You will do nothing? You have no response? Well. . . that's not surprising. Why did I even bother coming? You're no help. You're never any help. You're too busy kidnapping people." She seemed to be talking to herself now. Making up her mind, she spun and headed towards the door.
He reached out and caught her by the elbow, spinning her around so she would have to face him.
****
His face was only inches from her own, and through her anger, she was overcome by the closeness of the two. Her eyes were locked intently on his own. She almost forgot herself until a vivid picture of her friend's back fought its way back to the top.
She jerked her arm from the king's grasp, almost causing herself to fall backwards.
"Leave me alone if you're not going to help." At his silence, she started to leave, but he answered this time.
"I can't help if you don't explain what has happened first," he said cautiously.
She spun and planted her hands on her hips, "You mean to tell me you don't even know when your servant is beaten so badly she's passed out?"
His eyes were guarded. "I received no word of a punishment."
Sakura snorted. "You received no word. . . of course you didn't."
He ignored her sarcastic comment. "Where is she?"
****
Sakura led the way quickly to her room. The king stopped to order the palace healer to follow along the way. When they reached the bedroom, Sakura opened, finding Tomoyo struggling weakly to raise herself from the mattress.
She rushed forward, pushing her friend back down.
"Don't worry, Tomoyo. I've brought the healer. You'll be better in no time," she said, softly.
Tomoyo smiled at her friend, then caught a glimpse of the person behind Sakura.
"Your h-highness?"
He smiled back at her and stepped forward. "The healer should be here shortly. If you might be so kind, could you tell me who. . . who did this?" He lowered his voice towards the end, trying to be kind.
Tomoyo's smile faded slightly and her eyes switched from the king to Sakura. Sakura did not see the glance, for she was too busy glaring at the king for asking the question so quickly.
"I don't know, your highness," answered Tomoyo quietly.
Sakura caught her gaze as it shifted over the king. She saw a piece of brown cloth on a fleeting figure. Without thinking, she took off after the figure.
She was just in time to see the brown disappearing down the stairs. Ignoring the glares of the scattered nobles, she pushed her way through the staircase, trying not to lose the figure.
His head was just about lost in the crowd when his luck ran out- he collided with a very large soldier. Sakura yelled to the soldier, "Grab him, sir!!"
But the soldier reacted far too slowly. The man was up and out of sight within moments. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, then saw something on the floor. She made her way towards the object, and bent down to pick it up. What she saw made her heart fall. It was a horse whip, stained with blood.
****
When the king caught sight of that familiar amber hair, he excused himself politely from Hideaki and ran over to Sakura.
"Why did you run off so suddenly? Your servant was scared to death," he yelled as soon as she joined him.
She made no move to answer, just opened her hand. Confused, he looked down and gasped at the sight. The king heard footsteps behind him, and he turned to find Hideaki's inquiring face. When he turned back, the horse whip was hidden again.
Sakura looked up at Hideaki. "May I see her now?"
He nodded solemnly and moved aside, allowing her passage.
"Does the young lady have any idea who might be responsible for this?" asked Hideaki as soon as Sakura was out of earshot.
The king rubbed his forehead tiredly. "No. It was not reported and the servant claims she does not know."
Hideaki sighed. "She will not report it to you?"
The king didn't even look up. The two stood in silence for a few moments before Hideaki broke the silence finally.
"Sakura seems to be adjusting."
The king nodded.
"Did she really find her way back by herself?"
The king shuddered, remembering the night in the garden when he had spoken to her. "Yes, I think so."
Hideaki looked over his shoulder, staring blankly at the closed door to the lady's room. He chose his words carefully."You know she is of fairly high rank."
"Her father is the earl of Dubghlas, and in charge of more than half of my kingdom. I'm aware she is of high rank."
"She is of good breeding," spoke Hideaki, his eyes glinting mysteriously.
The king raised an eyebrow. "Her manners could use work."
Hideaki laughed loudly. "So far, I think it's true to say you've seen her in her war-like mode. No one can expect one's manners to be at their best when in that mode."
He looked thoughtful before continuing. "Put her in a courtly setting and perhaps those manners will surprise you. . . "
He walked away, thinking his own private thoughts and leaving the king clueless.
****
'So you are planning to have a ball, are you, Hideaki? Are you still playing matchmaker in your old age? Foolish man. Sakura must not attend until I am sure of her hatred. . . you shall have to be stopped, Hideaki. A pity. I do so hate making people's lives miserable. . . '
Laughter filled the air.
****
Author's Note2: Hey, well this is the second edition of this chapter too. I'm making my way though the awful task of editing what I've already written, lol. I'm just proofreading.
