LiL DreameR: Hey, you guys! Chapter eight up and running! Go on and read-! Oi, Kero-chan no doko?

Kero: Hai! I'm packing!

LiL DreameR: *Sweatdrop* This early?

Kero: Of course! You can't be to early to pack for these things! Bwahaha!!

LiL DreameR: Ugh.. You better not take all the space out of my suitcase like you did last year, you little rat! *Blinks at audience* Ehehehe... Ahem... Vacation...... SHOUTOUTS AND THANK YOUS!:

Book worm: Yes, yes... Just Ella! Pretty good book! Ideas from books are kinda cheating... *Looks down*.. But you know, mine isn't following the plot word-from-word!!! Arigatou gozaimasu!!

lil dudette: Really? When I read the book, I automatically thought of S+S... Well, that's 'cause I do that always with any book I read... ^^;; Thank you and stay tooned!

Strawberry: *Bows* Arigatou gozaimau! Chapter eight up and of course... Syaoran'll be back soon!

alajandra: Story update! Chapter eight! Wahoo! Thanks for the review!

kelly: Arigatou!! And chappy update! Wow... Two chapter in one month.. I'm on a roll!

AnimeAngel: *Blushes* Ehehe... Of course it's not as good as the book! But I'm flattered that you think it is!! Thank you!!!

midnightoasis: Midnight Oasis-chan! *Hugglez* And yes, the Prince is really stupid.. which gives a bad name for CHINA! (I'm a teeny weeny bit Chinese.. dat why.) *Bows* Domo arigatou! I'm hoping that my writing gets better as I get older.. Maybe it's working? THX!

LiL DreameR: Arigatou! Most likely a short chap, I don't know. Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: *Sings* Vacation's all I ever wanted!... *Blushes* Sorry, it's just that I'm finally going to be able to get out of my crappy house for the first time this summer! Yay! I'm happy so I'm not going to hold a grudge over the disclaimer! Me no owny CCS or over-all plot!

Just Sakura

By: LiL DreameR

Chapter Eight: A Princess In Prison

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~*~Sakura's POV~*~

"A pretty meal for the pretty princess," snarled my guard. Through the slit of my dingy cell, he threw a bowl full of stale old meat soaked in sloshing green liquid. The gruel turned upside down on the floor much to my dismay. But in my mind there was hope! He didn't throw the moldy bread yet, and I might be able to catch it. When he did, I lunged forward eagerly. Maybe a bit too eagerly because I tripped clumsily on a jagged rock protruding out of my dirt floor.

The bread landed in a pile of rat dung.

I bit my tongue so I wouldn't yell in anguish. But, oh! That was the third time this week! All because of that stupid huge RAT that oh-so despises me so much. And you can't forget the nasty guard.

"Aww, poor Princess, that was her only meal for the day." I heard him cackle all the way down the dungeon, his horrid laugh bouncing off the stone walls. The dungeon entrance slammed shut and I knew, once again I was left alone in the dark.

Six days have past since Syaoran's departure. Throughout my lonely time here, I thought of him and how's he doing. Is he happy with his position of Li Clan Leader? Is he looking for a wife to share his spot? Does he even know I was thrown in prison? Does he hate me now that I haven't answered his 'I love you'?

I'm sorry to say, Sakura, but I think I've fallen in love with someone way out of my league.

It felt like years and years ago since I held that letter Syaoran wrote to me before he left. And now, I lost it forever. I sighed...

It's also been five days since the Prince and his snotty advisor threw me into my comfy new living quarters. I could just see that damn advisor's sneery smile when the both of them came down to "visit" me a few days ago. Oh, it's so unlike me, but I had the biggest urge to wring his large, thick, and hairy neck...

~*~Flashback~*~

It was my first night in my dirty cell. I still had on that beautiful dress Tomoyo made me. It may have not been so pretty now that it was dirt-covered and ripped.

The fat rat scurried by me, squeaking. I've seen tons of rats in my lifetime while doing chores for Kumasi back home. But my goodness, was this thing fat! I couldn't help but scream and back away. That wasn't a good idea because I tripped on that stupid rock that jutted out from the floor. I fell backwards and hit my head on the wooden bench that was in the middle of my cell, the thing I was made to sleep on. Hey, it wasn't helping my aching back, but it was either that, the rat and dung infested dirt floor, or the little concrete corner near a hole in in the ground/wall that smelled strongly of piss. Let me examine my choices again...

I groaned, rubbing the back of my head. =What's the use,= I thought. I didn't understand what's what's the use but I let myself slowly seep into unconsciousness.

Then I heard the dungeon entrance open and two pairs of footsteps heading my way. The swoosh of a cloak reached my ears. The Prince! Maybe he was here to stop this nonsense and let me go.

I pushed my sleepiness away and hurriedly stood up.

"Ahh, Princess." The voice belonged to the advisor. His popped into view of my little door window. And soon after the Prince did also.

"Have you come to release me?" I asked hopefully.

The advisor laughed. "Unless you changed your mind about not marrying the Prince!"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. But like I said before, I will not and do not have to marry the Prince. If I wanted to marry the Prince, yet the Prince did not want to marry me, I wouldn't force him to." I tried to see what Fei Hung's reaction was, and clearly he was puzzled by my oh-so complicated statement. He looked at the man next to him for help.

He laughed again and spat in my face. Ugh, it was disgusting. "You wouldn't have power to force the Prince Fei Hung, anyway, you filthy little peasant."

"That's the damn point!" I yelled. I wasn't one to lose my temper, but this was going too far. "Why the hell would you want to marry a peasant?!"

This time, before the advisor could open his slimy, double-chinned mouth, Prince Fei Hung chimed, "Because your beautiful!" I hung my head in embarrassment. And this man... was supposed to be the one I.. loved?!

The Prince looked proud of his answer, while his advisor rolled his fat eyes.

"As you may already know, you have all... your needed amenities." He smirked cruelly. "The bench for your beauty sleep; a hole in the corner to relieve yourself..." He nodded to the putrid hole surrounded by concrete.

"... Your daily meal.." He thrust a bowl of strong-smelling liquid with swimming chunks. It sloshed about when I took a hold of it. He also threw some moldy bread, which soared above my head into the piss hole.

"... And..." The advisor moved out of the way until I couldn't see his fat head in the door window. He pointed his finger to the cell across from me. A decayed skeleton was trapped inside. I gasped and dropped my gruel. The advisor seemed pleased with my reaction. "... Your friendly company."

He sneered and beckoned the Prince to follow him. "Good day, Princess Ying Fa," the Prince bid before following his advisor like a trained puppy dog.

"Yeah, good day," I mumbled back. I watched the fat rat scurry into my piss hole as the dungeon entrance slammed shut.

~*~Flashback Ends~*~

Evidently, the Wongs weren't as friendly as everybody says, leaving their subjects to rot in their dungeon. And to think, if my door window was open all the time, that disgusting greenish skeleton would be looking at me all the time. I shivered thinking about all those times paranoia got the best of me when I thought that skeleton would be leering at me through my door window, rapping steadily at my wooden cell entrance.

Rumble, rumble.

I lifted my teary, dirt-stained face in horror. Hoeee! Sk-Skeleton?!

Rumble, rumble.

I looked down at my belly... where the rumbling came from. I had a hard time swallowing the saliva that was building up in my mouth. When I did, it ran down my throat in a very unpleasant manner, making my stomach ache even more. I haven't eaten a proper meal in five days. Even Kumasi didn't starve me all this much.

I glanced at my loaf of bread sodden in rat droppings. I was so hungry, a vision of a just-out-of-the-oven loaf of bread dunked in brown chunky gravy came into mind when I kept staring at it. My mouth watered and the grumbling kept on insisting.

I crawled slowly to the moldy bread and gulped some air. My nostrils widened, taking in the smell of the rancid dung. It was just as bad as my piss hole. But, oh, was I hungry...

Maybe if I just take a little from the top where the crap didn't touch the bread, I could...

"Sakura-chan?"

Hoe? Did someone just say my name? I froze in my position of pinching the top of the stale bread and looked over to my door window. There stood Tomoyo-chan and Meiling-chan, staring at me wide-eyed through the bars. I quickly dropped my hands to my sides and stood up, wiping the dirt of my gown and blushing furiously.

"Hello, you guys..."

"Oh, Sakura-chan! We're so sorry we couldn't make it down before!" Tomoyo cried, throwing her arms around my neck through the bars. I patted her hand comfortingly.

"It's okay, Tomoyo-chan. I'm just happy the both of you are here."

"Are they treating you well? Are you okay? How are they feeding you? Oh, you look so thin and pale!" Tomoyo raved on. I could tell she was really worried, and for that I was grateful. Not a lot of people worried about me in my lifetime.

"Well.." I laughed. As on cue, my stomach growled, making all three of us sweatdrop.

"Not to worry, Sakura!" Meiling started. I looked up at my raven-haired friend. "I snuck into the kitchen and brought you food!"

Through the bars, handed me an empty bag and food to store in it. My lip quivered. Tears of happiness blinded my vision. I threw my arms around Meiling's neck, crying hysterically. "Thank you, thank you, thank you soooo much, Meiling-chan!!! Oh my, you don't know how happy I am!"

I wiped away my tears and smiled graciously at Meiling. She smiled back, and I started to dig through the bag. I finished almost half of the food she brought down, and then I remembered that I should save the rest. "Do you have anymore?" I asked hopefully.

Meiling and Tomoyo laughed. "Cook's off tonight! I could stash as much as we want!" Meiling boasted, giving me relief.

Tomoyo jerked. "Oh, yeah. And I brought this for you, Sakura-chan!" She handed me a shovel and I looked at her curiously. "I just that maybe-"

Bang!

The dungeon door entrance!

"Quick, you guys, hide! Someone's coming!" I whispered panicking. They appeared alarmed and looked around for a place to hide. They chose the cell across from me, the one with the skeleton. But no time to worry about that now! They were safe.

I heard sharp footsteps coming in my direction. The bag! The shovel! Oh, the bag and the shovel, I need to hide them! I shoved the both of the items into my piss hole without thinking just in time to see that oh-so familiar fat face of the Prince's advisor.

"Good morrow to you, Princess," he said, making his double chin wiggle. "Are you ready to get out of this dungeon and back into the arms of your Prince?"

I looked beyond his large head into the cell window across from me, the one my friends ran into. Through the window I saw Meiling-chan holding the skeleton's decayed form and forcing it upon Tomoyo-chan. Meiling was laughing silently while Tomoyo was trying in vain to keep in her shrieks and pushing the skeleton away in terror. Obviously, Meiling was unmoved by the skeleton's ugly appearance, though Tomoyo, like me, was.

I bit my lip to keep in my laughter, but a smile played on my lips.

"What are you laughing at?!" he roared. I had forgotten all about the advisor. "Hmm?!"

I couldn't tell him the two girls were in the cell across from mine, so I blurted the very first thing that came to mind. "Your face...?" Oh, baka Sakura, baka baka Sakura.

The advisor breathed deeply. "You," he spat, "are a fool... And a whore. Nothing but a fool and a whore." My face tightened. "Since you obviously will not make any effort to accept you future, you will stay in here until the day of the wedding, you little whore."

I kept silent.

"Ahh, won't you look ravishing? So pale, so thin," he sneered. There goes that beauty thing again.

"And if I still refuse?" I asked.

His face reddened.. No, purpled. "Then you will stay in this hell hole for the rest of you damn life!!" he barked. Ah, I see, they're going to let me rot here, like my skele-friend that was molesting Tomoyo-chan at the moment.

He tried to calm down, but I could see his veins one by one popping out. "That's not all, my Princess."

I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Not sharp footsteps, but stomping ones. They were slow and powerful and shook the ground when they hit the floor. I could hear grunting. Automatically I thought of the European fairy tale my father used to tell me before he died. It was called "Jack and the Beanstalk." Whoever... Whatever... was coming reminded me of the giant. It might as well been chanting, "Fee-fi-fo-fum!"

And he even looked like the giant! Appearing at my window, I could tell he was well over six and a half feet. His clothes were dirty and torn, and his hair and beard wild and tangled. I shrank back into the cell, for once glad that there was a door guarding my chamber.

The advisor was delighted with my terrified reaction. "Princess Ying Fa, this is Quog, your new jailer. He will be looking after you until the wedding. If you refuse to attend the wedding, Quog is allowed to do whatever he wants with you." He turned to this Quog and said kindly, "Quog, this is the Princess Ying Fa."

Drool slipped out of his mouth. "Heh," he grunted.

I gulped and walked forward. "Hello, Quog. Nice to meet you," I greeted, in an attempt to be nice. Everyone needed a chance, even people who looked as revolting as Quog. But you never know, he might be good deep down. (A/n: I do not own Quog nor his name. Oh, yea, in chapter 2 I mentioned this place called Suala, I dun own that either... Maybe I said that already or not, I forgot.)

I held my hand out of the bars for a shake. But once Quog grabbed my hand, he pulled, making my body and face have contact with the wooden door and the bar window. "I want that," he grunted again. He tugged again and again on my arm painfully, his leathery hand not soothing at all.

"Not now, Quog," the advisor answered. Quog groaned and dropped my hand. I wiped it on my dress.

The advisor leaned into my window and whispered harshly, "Quog doesn't have a key to your cell... Yet." I shivered. "Quog!" he called. "Say good bye to the Princess."

"Heh-heh."

With a sweep of a cloak, Quog and the advisor disappeared. I heard the entrance slam shut.

I shivered involuntarily again, either from the dungeon's coldness or the thought of Quog having a key to my cell. "Okay, you guys. Coast is clear!"

Tomoyo came flying out and wrapped her arms around my neck again. "Oh, Sakura-chan! He seems absolutely revolting!" she cried.

"I'll be alright, Tomoyo-chan." Images flashed in my mind. Syaoran-kun. That shovel. The piss hole. A great idea hatched. "I'll definitely be alright," I muttered.

I let go and warned, "You two better get out of here. If someone catches you gone... And if Quog comes back..."

They nodded in understanding.

"Look after yourself, Sakura." Meiling gave me another hug.

"I will."

"And be careful." Tomoyo smiled warily.

"Of course."

We bid our good-byes, and they also disappeared down the hall. The dungeon entrance shut. I was alone again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Clank! Whoosh! Plat! Clank! Whoosh! Plat!

"Whew!" My breath was fast and my forehead sticky. I reached for some water, but then I remembered there was none to soothe my searing throat. Coughing, I continued my digging.

Another six days have passed since Tomoyo and Meiling first visited me. Ever since then, they continued to sneak down when Quog wasn't present. They'd keep me company and would refill my food bag.

Hoe? The digging?

Oh, yes! When my friends were not down to visit me, I used my time to dig. Dig. Dig. And dig. That "great idea" I had the first time they were here was to dig through my piss hole and break through the surface.

I estimated that it would take me about two more days or so. Okay, Tomoyo-chan estimated that for me but anyway...

The smell of urine wasn't that strong anymore since I had covered most of it with new dirt. I kicked the rat out, pushed its large body out my door window when I had the chance. And the skeleton, he wasn't at the window anymore. When Meiling was playing with him, he must have changed positions.

And Quog... Oh! Scratch that "good deep down" thing I said. He's awful! Whenever he was down here to guard, he paces in front of my door, grunting and "Heh"ing and "I want"ing. Now and then, he'd open my window and peer at me with a crazy smile. His look gave me goosebumps.

I set my shovel down for a rest. My muscles ached very badly from my constant digging, and I was getting hungry again. Searching through my bag, I found a wheel of cheese.

Bang!

I was quite used to the sound of the entrance slamming open. I've learned who could possibly be visiting by listening to how they open it. Tomoyo and Meiling opened the door with a squeak. The advisor and Quog slammed open the door. So it's either that snotty advisor or Quog.

I listened for the footsteps. They tread heavily but slowly. The pace was very uneven.

Quog.

Immediately, I stuffed the wheel of cheese I was about to eat back into the bag and down the piss hole.

The footsteps were coming closer. And much faster as if hurrying. Quog was grunting like usual. But his "heh-heh"s were oddly more that than I was accustomed to. For some strange, reason I felt today's visit would be different... And that feeling was not for the better.

The lopsided striding stopped, and I could hear Quog's breath through my door and his grunts. The window opened, and Quog leered in. His smile was not his typical Quog-y smile but a more malicious one. A shiver crawled up my spine like a spider.

"Good day, Quog," I gulped. I turned my back to him, hoping to not see the horrible way he looked at me.

"Heh-heh. I want," was his intelligent reply.

Jingle, jingle.

What's this? A jingling of... what? It sounded vaguely like keys. Curious, I turned to see what Quog was doing.

He was still staring and still grinning. Nothing seemed out of place... Until Quog held up...

My face paled to a ghostly white, gaping at the keys Quog was jingling through the bars. Su... Surely they weren't actually that desperate to get me to marry the Prince that they'd set dreadful Quog on me... And this soon! But... he did have the keys...

"Quog want. Quog get. Heh," he said. I watched in pure terror as Quog lowered the keys into my cell lock.

I back away until my back hit the wall. "N-no. Qu-Quog. Please... Please don't," I stuttered. My heart raced. What will he do to me?! Hoeeee, somebody help!

I sank to the floor in dismay. Was my end already here?

Quog managed to unlock the door. My heart sank. He pushed it open. The first time since I was banished here, the door opened. But right now, I'd love it to be tightly sealed.

I put my head in my knees and sobbed, ready for Quog's assault. But it never came. Instead I heard a familiar deep voice yell, "Begone!"

Quog roared. "She mine!"

The voice belonged to the Prince, and to my surprise he came down alone. Timidly, I went to watch what was going on. Instead of peeping out my window, I watched from the open cell door.

Quog came charging at Fei Hung, his wild hair flying. The Prince drew his sword. And with a sickening Shick!, he ran sword straight through the giant's heart. Quog howled in agony and fell limply to the ground with a thump. He didn't move afterwards.

A scream caught in my throat, and I coughed. The Prince, still in the position of slaying Quog... as if giving me time to swoon over his heroic doings, heard my choking and rushed to my side. He pushed the door wider to give my little cell some air and light.

"Ying Fa, oh my beloved Ying Fa! I finally obtained the opportunity to escape my advisor and to take you away from this horrendous place!" Obtain? Opportunity? Horrendous? Somebody's vocabulary is getting sophisticated!

"That new advisor of mine, he was just so angry at you! The first time I came down to see you, my heart just broke at your living conditions! Oh, Ying Fa, I've missed you so much! I love you..." He reached out his hands for a hug, but I back away.

Something is definitely odd here. What's with all "fancy-smancy" words he's using? My green eyes squinted in suspicion, letting the tears I had from watching Quog die run down my cheek.

"Please don't cry, my precious Ying Fa. I slew that monster for the love of you." At that moment, I decided that the Prince of China was certainly in need of acting lessons. It was as if he was reading words that were flashing on my forehead, telling him what to say. If he can read. But anyway, if this was all a getup, then Quog having a key and the Prince slaying him was part of it. So the Wongs were filthy enough to kill a man just so the Prince could play hero once again and sweep me off my feet. Oh, I'm impressed.

Fei Hung grabbed for my hand.. and not very gently at that. I didn't struggle though. "Please, Ying Fa, come back with me. I'm here to rescue you."

Not now! Not when my digging was almost done! I had to think fast. Throwing myself next to his feet, I cried, "But you Highness! I wronged you! I'm not worthy!"

The Prince stopped what he was going to say and stood there looking confused.

I saw Quog's blood seeping into my cell and cringed. "I... I have witnessed a death. Return in two days," I whispered weakly. Now he looked even more confused. Maybe this wasn't part of the script.

The Prince pouted, like a little boy who's mother wouldn't buy him the latest new toy. He groaned and let go of me hand. "Oh, alright. I'll come back in two days. Good day, my Princess," he bid. The Prince locked my cell and kicked Quog's dead body out of the way. Giving me one last glare through my window, he stalked off, pouting all the way. The dungeon entrance banged shut.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh, Sakura-chan, promise us that you'll be alright," Tomoyo pleaded. She held my hands tightly in hers, not wanting to let go.

"I promise," I replied. Two days after the Prince's poorly acted out visit, my tunnel was ready. I just needed one more hour to dig up, but that shouldn't take long on account of the gravity bringing the dirt down. Soon, I'll be free.

"Good." That was Meiling. "Everything set?"

I nodded with a smile.

"It's about eleven at night now so you'll have a subtle getaway." Meiling pushed me a bag filled with food through my bars. "Here's more food for your trip."

"Thank you!"

"And some suitable clothes!" Tomoyo handed me a simple Chinese dress with pants. "Don't put it on until you break through the top. You don't want to get it dirty while digging. Oh! And here! A cloak for when your outside." I arranged the bag, the dress, and the cloak onto my bench.

"Oh, you guys are the best!" I cried, throwing my arms around their neck through the bars.

Meiling patted my arm. "Just be safe and don't get caught, 'kay?" I nodded. "Xiao Lang won't be expecting this!" Smiling, I thought of Syaoran.

"So... We'll meet you in Hong Kong, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yep," I answered. "But before that, I have... Some unfinished business in Japan. I'll settle that and come straight to Syaoran.. I mean Hong Kong." Tomoyo and Meiling looked over at each other confused. I smiled, "I'll tell you guys later."

"We better get going! We don't want to delay you any longer Sakura-chan."

I nodded.

"Be careful!"

"Good luck!"

"We'll see you soon, Sakura!"

"We'll miss you while you're away, Sakura-chan. Bye!"

With a long good-bye filled with hugs and kisses on the cheek, Tomoyo and Meiling quietly closed the door to the entrance. I started to dig up immediately.

Time was on my side. In just forty-five minutes, I felt something soft brush against my cheek. GRASS! I didn't think as I just jumped up and my head broke through the rest of my tunnel. Feeling the cool night air against my skin was almost as wondrous as my times with Syaoran... Okay, maybe not but you know what I mean. It felt great.

Bang!

My head was dizzy with happiness that I almost didn't hear the entrance slam open. Slam open. The advisor! Oh no, not now! I wasn't ready to stick my head back into the dingy, stuffy cell, but if I didn't sooner or later, I'd be as good as dead.

I made it back to hear those sharp footsteps... But there were more than one pair slapping onto the concrete flagstones. The voices... By listening, I estimated whoever was coming to be the Prince, his advisor, and a couple... say, three or four... guards approaching.

It wasn't a great time to panic, but I did anyway. The troop was about five or six cell's away, giving me not much time. I ripped off that soiled dress I had on for eleven days straight and slipped on Tomoyo's new ones consisting of... thank goodness, pants. Throwing the cloak on, I grabbed the bag full of food hastily.

The advisor's puggy face appeared at my window, his eyes and eyebrows raised in alarm. "She's escaping!" he roared.

My heart was racing now and I dived into my piss hole/escape tunnel. Crawling through the tight tunnel, I heard their anxious "Get her!"s and "Make sure she doesn't escape!"s and the fumblings with my jail lock get fainter and fainter.

I was halfway through. What if they did get me? Would they throw me back in jail.. Or would they kill on sight? No, I have to push such thoughts out of my head. Besides, that advisor's fat ass wouldn't stand a chance through my cleverly skinny tunnel. I laughed; if that reached the ears of my pursuers, they must think I'm a maniac.

I was getting closer to the top. I could just feel the cold air fanning my face! Squeezing myself out, I reached in for my food bag and ran. Just ran. I didn't have time to enjoy my freedom as much as I'd hope to, but there was a lot of time for that later. Right now I had to just get away from this place. I rushed into the forest behind the castle and disappeared into the many trees.

I didn't know exactly when I'd get back to Japan at that moment. Nor did I know how.

But I did know something.

I was free.

To be continued...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/n: Short, but not as short as I expected, ne? Well, I don't know when the next chapter will come out. Most likely after the 11th of August, but maybe I could squeeze another chapter before the 2nd.. After another chap of FML of course.

Kero: *Fold little Hawaiian shirt neatly* We're going on vacation! *Raspberry* Haha! You're not!

LiL DreameR: So inconsiderate, Kero-chan! So anyway, speaking of "For My Love," I'm begging you! Please go R+R! She's failing! I promise it's not as bad and boring as it sounds! The chapters get better as you go up! Please?

Well, I'm out. The basics... I hope you enjoyed this chappy! Stay tooned and R+R onegai (maybe we can reach over 40 reviews for this chappy? *Wink)! Leave you e-mail and a note if you want a chapter reminder. (I might change my penname.. I don't know. Maybe.... Err, just a little notification.) Ja ne!

~*~LiL DreameR~*~