Angelic Assignment


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Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura's characters, unfortunately. *tear*

Authoress Ramble: Well, hurray for chapter two. I think it's getting interesting ... well, anyways. Thank you for reading this new story of mine. ^^ I really hope you enjoy it!

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Show him with love,' Sakura thought in awe, the words echoing in her mind. She was trying her best to memorize them, and in doing so she felt more like a schoolgirl preparing for an exam than an angel out to save a life.

I don't think I'll make a good angel,' she thought idly as she walked. Aren't they graceful? I'm more clumsy than anything ... not very elegant at all ...'

She peered around the hallway curiously, finding nothing to hold her eye. The walls were bare and pure white, predictably. She smiled suddenly; it was nice that it was so simple. Boring, yes, but nice.

She reached the end of the hallway and saw a wide white door in front of her. After he had finished his talk with her, Eriol had directed her down this hallway and told her to go through the door at the end of it. Beyond it was her room, where she would sleep. Her mission would begin first thing in the morning.

She opened the white door cautiously and stepped inside. A moment later, she smiled.

It was a pleasant room, one that seemed filled with sunlight despite its lack of windows. A generously-sized bed with a fluffy white comforter and two large white pillows took up a good portion of it, a dresser made with light wood across from this. The walls were painted, much to Sakura's surprise, a pale blue that matched the blue of the sky on a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Everything in this place seemed welcoming. It comforted her in the same way that coming home after a long vacation had always comforted her; its familiarity had a soothing effect. She swore she'd been here before, though she couldn't remember ever having been.

Sakura blinked lazily, suddenly feeling tired.

I suppose I'd best go to sleep, she said quietly to herself. I have a long day tomorrow ...

Deciding to avoid contemplating the fact that she was dead, Sakura climbed into the bed, sinking into the soft sheets and falling into a deep sleep.

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Sakura opened her eyes lazily, blinking at the sunlight. She groaned and rolled over, burying herself further in her thick, fluffy sheets. She closed her eyes tightly, willing away the sun, unwilling to wake up and dress and trudge off to school.

Then, in that moment, she remembered. There was no sun, no school, no dressing in her familiar uniform. She was dead. That old life was dead and gone.

She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, staring at the white ceiling blankly. She frowned, blinking away tears that were threatening to fall.

I don't want to be dead,' she thought mournfully. I want to wake up now so that I can walk downstairs and see my father making breakfast and Toya waiting at the table. I want to go to school and see all my friends, tell them how much I care. I want my Kenji ..'

At this final thought, the tears began to fall. She pulled the pink comforter over her face in shame, praying that Eriol would not walk in to rouse her while she was crying.

She blinked in confusion.

Slowly, she pulled the pink comforter back down to her chest and stared at it.

Wasn't this white last night?,' she thought, startled. She kept staring at it; yes, it was indeed pink.

She slowly raised her eyes to the ceiling. It was white.

It was pale blue last night, I'm sure of it,' Sakura thought. She swallowed hard, suddenly fearful. Did Heaven change colours or something? It was possible .. it was Heaven, after all. She imagined anything could happen here.

Cautiously, she rolled out of bed and looked down at herself. She gasped when she saw that she was wearing pink pajamas with cute little white bunnies. She had definitely not been wearing these last night. In fact, she had never seen them before.

She looked around the room, slightly afraid.

It was definitely not the room she had fallen asleep in. The walls were white, as she had already noticed, and not the perfect pale blue. The bed was pink and not white. There was a closet in this room whereas there had not been one in the other room. There was a dresser, but it was no longer bare .. in fact, it had a pink alarm clock on it and several picture frames.

Sakura approached the dresser, glancing at the clock to note the time. Ten in the morning. She also looked at the picture frames, though as she did, she frowned.

All three of them were blank.

How morbid, she said out loud, though quietly. Is that meant to reflect my life?

She turned around and saw a white door that was slightly ajar. Slowly, Sakura walked toward it and cautiously opened it further, leaning out into a hallway. Its walls were white also, though it was not the hallway of the night before.

she called out, nervous. When she had no reply, she cautiously stepped into the hallway and walked down it, peering around her. The hallway was short, and at the end of it was a living room complete with an overstuffed green sofa and a television, and to the left of that a small kitchen with a moderately-sized wood table for dining.

Sakura guessed that she was in an apartment of some sort. She was about to call out for someone again when a piece of paper on the table caught her eye.

She walked to the table and picked it up, reading the elegant handwriting feeling confused and alone.

It was a letter of some sort. Sakura gasped when she realized that it was addressed to her.

Dear Sakura,

Welcome to Earth! I'm glad to know that you got here safely and are ready for your assignment. You may be wondering about your surroundings. Well .. for the next two weeks, you'll be living here, so make yourself at home! If anyone inquires, you live here with your family, and not alone.

Sakura winced at the mention of her family, feeling a stab in her heart as she realized how much she did and would miss them.

The town you are in is called Obaiba. I'm sure you've heard of it. You attend the local high school. You also have a part-time job at a local coffee shop which is cleverly named Back to the Grind. You work there today (Sunday) from eleven o'clock until five o'clock. Don't be late! And don't worry, everyone has false memories as to who you are and that you work there.

Your name is Sakura Koikomoru .. we can't risk your former last name, I'm sure you understand. Your uniforms for school and for work are in the closet, along with some casual outfits. There is money in the drawer in the kitchen nearest to the refrigerator for food and other expenses.

Please remember not to tell anyone who you are or that you are not .. well, you know. It may be tempting at first. Also remember that you only have fourteen days to complete your assignment, who is named, as you remember, Syaoran Li.

Don't worry, you'll meet him soon enough.

Oh yes, and the phone. As you're new I'll need to check up on you and your progress often. I'll call you on the phone there from time to time to do this. I'm sorry to say that you can't call me, but don't worry, you'll be fine!

Good luck, Eriol

Sakura lowered the letter and gasped. On the table was a white cellphone that had not been next to the letter a few moments ago. Hesitantly, she reached across the table and picked it up. She smiled slightly; it was cute. It had little white wings on the part where you put your ear, the way that a cell phone cover designed for a girl might.

She set the cellphone down on the table again, sighing.

I have to do this, she said aloud, attempting to swallow her fears. I have a life to save! That and I need to do this until I can see Kenji again ..

She sighed deeply a second time at his memory, her heart tightening with sadness. Shaking her head slightly to dispel her sadness, she walked back down the hallway and into the bedroom, opening the closet.

She shifted through a few outfits, deciding to look them over later. Within a moment, she had found what she had been looking for. She pulled out what she guessed was the uniform for the coffee shop; a dark green shirt with the shop's logo, a khaki skirt and a black apron with two large pockets.

She put on the uniform, staring at herself for a moment. She didn't look like herself, like the girl she once was ...

But then again, I'm not, she said out loud to herself. I'm dead now. I don't have that life any longer.

She sighed deeply, and then, she suddenly realized something.

Eriol had never wrote down where exactly the coffee shop was. She glanced toward the dresser where the alarm clock sat.

It was now ten thirty-seven. Sakura gulped. She had twenty-seven minutes to find a coffee shop she had never so much as see so that she could work there for the next six hours.

She cringed, rushing out of the bedroom, down the hall and through the main door to the apartment. Noting the number on its door, she ran down the stairs until she reached the lobby, then ran out of apartment building altogether, finding herself on the sidewalk of a quiet street.

She looked to her left and then to her right, completely unsure of where she needed to go. She stood there for a moment, utterly confused and helpless.

She then noticed a woman approaching her on the sidewalk. Sakura waited until the woman reached her, then politely spoke.

Excuse me, ma'am, she said, nearly blushing. Could you please direct me to a coffee shop called Back to the Grind'?

the woman said, surprised. Of course, dear. It's down two blocks to your right, take a left and you can't miss it .. ah .. oh.

Sakura blinked, confused, and then realized that the woman was staring at the logo on her green uniform shirt. She laughed nervously, and the woman stared at Sakura as though she were insane.

Ahh, well thank you very much, Sakura replied hurriedly. Have a wonderful day!

At this, Sakura took off running to her right, remembering the woman's directions. The woman stared after her, shaking her head in disbelief.

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a cheery voice called from the counter as she walked in. You're a bit late today. It's unlike you.

Oh, ahh, I'm so sorry, Sakura replied hesitantly. The woman behind the counter was wearing a uniform similar to hers, but was in addition wearing a cheerful smile. She had long dark violet hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail and expressive amethyst eyes.

I was, umm, stuck in traffic, Sakura finished with a blush. Tomoyo stared at her curiously where she stood in the doorway of the coffee shop.

I thought you walked, she said, blinking in confusion. Sakura laughed nervously.

Ahh, damn those Don't Walk' and Walk' signs, always so slow, heh, she said, smiling widely as though it would help to persuade the girl at the counter.

She frowned and then laughed shortly at her, and it was obvious to Sakura that in her mind she was thinking how her co-worker must have had a very, very long morning to be so .. disoriented.

Well, don't be shy, come inside, the girl with violet hair said good-naturedly. She patted the counter invitingly, and Sakura, realizing that she had been standing shyly in the doorway the entire time, blushing deeply and made her way across the coffee shop and behind the counter.

As she walked, she looked around at the shop. It was quaint and modern, with interesting art and black and white photographs framed on the walls, which were clean red brick. The tables and chairs were made of dark wood and appeared casual, but were not cheap-looking like the tables in a fast-food restaurant. In one corner of the shop, there was an overstuffed couch and two large, comfortable-looking chairs. The smell of fresh coffee was thick in the air.

Sakura smiled to herself. This seemed like it would be a nice place to work, if only for two weeks.

She reached the girl at the counter and smiled at her.

Well, umm, hello, she said hesitantly, spying the girl's name tag, which was pinned to her apron,

Hello Sakura, Tomoyo said with a laugh. If you would, please go wait on table four.

Sakura smiled nervously and turned back to the tables, then swallowed in fear. There were twelve tables in the room, and she had no idea which was table four'.

She spun back toward Tomoyo with a sweatdrop.

Ahh, which is table four?, she asked shyly. Tomoyo blinked and then laughed.

You forgot already?, Tomoyo asked with a disbelieving smile. She explained to Sakura how the tables were all numbered, and Sakura, feeling embarrassed and eager to be away from Tomoyo despite her kindness, quickly dismissed herself and made her way over to table four.

Good morning, Sakura said cheerfully to a young man and woman. She pulled out a pad of paper that Tomoyo had given to her. What would you like today?

I'll have a hot chocolate, said the young woman. The young man smiled at her, slightly amused.

I'll have an expresso, he said with an encouraging nod in Sakura's direction. She smiled at him and nodded back.

I'll be right back with your order, she said genially. She made her way back to behind the counter where she, surprisingly, managed to make the order without much trouble. Luckily, she had been a frequent at her own town's coffee shop, and having tried almost everything they offered and having had watched them make it for her, she knew how to make a lot of the shop's selections.

I wonder if that's why he chose a coffee shop for my place to work at,' Sakura thought. She dismissed the thought quickly, however, as she stirred the young woman's hot chocolate. Putting the expresso and the hot chocolate on a small tray, she made her way back to table four and served the couple their drinks.

She returned to the counter shyly, standing in front of Tomoyo to await further instructions.

said Tomoyo when she saw this. You can wait on tables one through six now. You remember which they are, right? She laughed good-naturedly.

Sakura replied quickly, blushing. She turned to her set of tables and smile nervously, making her way over to table two, which she saw was being occupied by a lone teenage boy.

she said brightly, smiling for him. How can I help you today?

Coffee, black, the boy responded numbly, not even looking up at Sakura's smiling face. She frowned and wrote this down on her pad of paper despite knowing that she could easily remember it.

What a dull choice,' she thought with a confused expression, For such a young, attractive person.'

Indeed, her newest customer looked as though he should be ordering a selection that was eight words long instead of two. He had deep amber eyes that he kept half-hidden with his chestnut-coloured hair; his head was bent down so that his hair fell over his eyes halfway.

Sakura shrugged it off, however. Some people were not as they seemed.

I'll be right back with your order, she said cheerfully. She went back behind the counter and made the black coffee easily, setting it on a tray and carrying it back out toward table two.

She was just about to open her mouth and speak to the table's inhabitant when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a strange-looking man at table five. She looked toward him, his clothes unusual; young men never wore pure white and nothing else.

He had dark blue hair and dark eyes, and when he saw Sakura staring at him, he smiled knowingly. She choked, blinking in shock and disbelief.

Eriol!!,' her thoughts screamed. But he can't be here! He's .. he's dead!'

Eriol raised a hand and waved at her cheerfully, his smile and eyes still all-knowing. Startled, her shaking hands suddenly shifted, and to her complete shock, her tray clattered to the floor.

The cup of black coffee, however, did not.

The boy with chestnut hair screamed shortly and then began to curse loudly, looking up to stare daggers at Sakura. His amber eyes were furious, and she was sure that was it not incredibly impolite, he would growl at her then and there.

I'm so sorry!, Sakura cried out, I was startled! I'm so sorry!

the boy growled, pulling his wet, steaming shirt away from his body. You're lucky I wasn't burned.

Oh my god!, Sakura cried out again. Are you okay?!

the boy replied shortly.

I'll be right back, Sakura said franticly. She ran back to the counter, grabbed a thick stack of paper napkins, and ran back to table two.

She handed most of them quickly to the boy, keeping a few in her hand. She dabbed the napkins she had kept for herself on his chest, trying her best to help, but the boy pulled away.

Don't bother, he said shortly. He reached into his pants and pulled out his wallet, slapping it down on the table. He opened it and pulled out the equivalent to a twenty dollar bill, shoving it into Sakura's hand.

Keep the change, he growled. For the great service.

As Sakura stared at him, nearly in tears, the boy stood and stormed out of the coffee shop, nearly slamming the heavy door. The bells hanging on it jingled like wind chimes in a hurricane.

Sakura frowned, blinking away her tears. She felt horrible about what she'd accidentally done to her poor third customer. Taking the napkins that were still in her hand, she reached down to clean up the spilled coffee on the table.

As she did so, her eyes widened in surprise. The boy had left his wallet on the table. She picked it up, running her fingers over the worn black leather.

She turned to her right, her eyes widening further. Eriol was still sitting at the table, watching her with an unwavering smile. When she turned to him, his eyes flashed playfully, and he winked at her with an encouraging grin.

Sakura turned back to the wallet, slowly opening it. She pulled out a driver's license, her eyes widening in shock.

The picture on it was none other than the boy she had just spilled hot coffee on. The black type to the right of the picture made it unmistakable:

Name: Li Syaoran.

Sakura gasped, staring at this for a minute. She had just poured scalding hot coffee onto the suicidal boy she was supposed to be saving.

She bit her bottom lip, feeling ashamed. She turned back to the table where Eriol had been sitting, about to ask him what she was to do.

She blinked, and then blinked again. The table was empty.

Eriol was gone.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! =3 I know it probably kind of sucked, but I can't seem to give up on this story no matter how hard I try ...

If you liked it, please review. I love reviews. =)

Thanks for reading!