Identity's Past
by AlterEthereal
Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years. Now a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?
Good morning/afternoon/evening. You have (either accidentally or intentionally) stumbled into my dream fic! 'What is a dream fic?' you might ask. Well, this entire story was written from a dream I recently had. It kinda haunted me around school ("let's see... 2 sin x plus... Syaoran... .5 minus the square root of... Sakura... aw damnit..." until I finally decided to write it down. It came out surprisingly well (as I hope you will agree when you are finished reading)!!
Also, about Li's name. I have changed it!!! Some say that his first name is "Syaoran" and his last name is "Li," while others insist on it being the reverse. After much deliberation, I have decided upon the former (Bob Smith - Syaoran Li), therefore, that is the way I will refer to him. So, for all whom have read this once over and find it different, this is the way it was meant to be. ^_^
Alter-chan: so, how 'bout we get this disclaimer over with?
So: don't look at me...
Anaru: *hides behind So* ...
Alter-chan: -_-; *looks at Zuri pleadingly*
Zuri: well... *Alter-chan bats eyelashes* alright then.
Alter-chan: yay!
Zuri: Card Captor Sakura is in every way the property of Kaya Hoshiak-- *is stopped abruptly by Alter-chan, who claps a hand over Zuri's mouth*
Alter-chan: if you want something done right, guess you have to do it yourself. *sighs* DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own CCS or any characters thereforth related. thank you.
~~~~~
Chapter One: Prologue
~~~~
"That's it!" She yelled from a distance, her face becoming even more stern.
The battlefield was neatly laid out, or at least it warped to such after their mighty forces had collided. Between them was a barren wasteland. Almost nothing had survived the blow dealt by her Star Cards, yet her enemy still seemed unfazed.
She grinned with unusual malice, and with a voice so calm it was almost a whisper, added, "Now I'll tell you how much power you can handle."
She thrust an arm toward the sky, her hand grasping a thin deck of pink cards. In less than a moment, wind blew from every direction, lightning struck invisible clouds, and thunder sounded directly overhead. The cards she held suddenly materialized into creatures of every nature and element, rushing and surrounding the enemy with supernatural speed. In but five seconds, a massive explosion raged, engulfing both parties in billows of dust and light. The prism dazzled each color what must've been a million times before the light faded, and in it's wake lay an abyss, wide and crimson, sinking, yet enveloping; closing as quickly as it appeared. In the waste around the former pit, nothing is seen to have survived. One lonely card lay on the smoky dirt; the only one the attacker had not summoned against her opponent: The Hope.
~*~
In all the years it had so far existed, Sakura hadn't once used that card. Now she may never use it at all. Out of all the cards she had, and all the cards she had created, that one was most special to her. In Syaoran's absence, she had become as strong and skilled as she could, hoping to one day see him again and match his dexterity. That card was her driving force, a reminder of the day he left for Hong Kong.
That place seemed so far away.
Within the first few days, she had tried everything she knew to free herself from her dark prison, a mass of earthy caves and endless corridors which she could swear ran forever. She had given up uncharacteristically early; it seemed that without the Hope Card, she had no motivation.
Alone as she was, the place was not lifeless. Small creatures vaguely resembling dinosaurs roamed around the caves where there was water, seldom paying any heed to her. She too had become quite tame, the only really big shock coming when she learned of human life in the tunnels. That was about half a year after she had fallen, into the abyss and a depression that seemed to hang over her head like rain clouds she hadn't glimpsed in years. She kept a tally of the days in her mind, using her sorcery to aid her as possibilities arose.
In reality, it was her Star Cards that kept her alive. Without them, she wouldn't have lasted a week in the caves before succumbing to the loneliness of her situation. In merely a month, her emotions had generated a new card: The Lonely. She cherished the new card as her child, just as she did all her others, though secretly she found it pathetic that her heart was so fragile and weak. She was close to ending it all for herself, but her responsibility to the cards kept her going, however painfully.
An old tendency of the city led to her eventual discovery. Every so often, she would stop her continuous exploration of the corridors to bathe. The lakes were cool and clean, which she preferred to see as "empty." She carried that feeling through every cave in which she traveled, and to keep it from overwhelming her, she took up a habit of singing and humming.
Her songs journeyed through the light air, picking up listeners as she went. These listeners usually consisted of the dinosaur- and crab-like animals whose hearing skills had become acute from possibly eons of sounds perceived only by Sakura as silence.
As time passed, however, she obtained another listener: a human boy. At first he barely heard it, but each time she sang, it grew louder until he could no longer dismiss it as a hallucination. So, in the absence of an explanation, he undertook a journey of his own to find the sound he seeked.
He found his answer waist deep in a small lake, not far from his typical grounds. Her hair was a lustrous auburn, not quite long enough to brush the surface of the water, where her fair and pallid skin made ripples in the lake. Eyes transfixed on the stranger, he leaned against the wall of the cave, folding his arms and making as little noise as possible so as not to disturb her.
The tune was lark and simple, but the clarity of her voice and the echoes of the cave walls were a symphony to his ears. Suddenly his cold cheeks blushed and he turned away, realizing his stares would probably be unwelcome if she were aware of his presence. He began to leave, taking in one last, side-long glance at the figure in the water. The stern expression which seemed to accompany him wherever he went faded into a smile for a moment, and then he was gone.
Sakura ascended to the land after a little while, being satisfied with her hygiene. She retrieved her clothes from their place on the ground and began dressing: a white, halter-necked bodysuit tied in bows, covered by an azure cape reaching near to the ground. Clean-looking, white socks followed, as did thigh-high boots of the same hue as the cape. She always had worn cool costumes. She sighed as the realization came to her that they weren't necessary any longer, as there was no one in the caves whom she cared to impress. Tightening her waist strap, she neatly tucked the deck of pink cards to her side, then let the cape fall loose. A small, key-like pendant hung around her neck, never having been taken off. She took a quick look around the cave, and made her exit.
"Aaaahh!" She cried, upon finding the limp figure sitting just outside. It was no dinosaur or crab--but a boy, looking about her age. He seemed to be sleeping.
Or he had been.
His eyes fluttered slightly, and they gradually opened, revealing bright sapphire eyes. They turned toward her abruptly, and what color had been present in his complexion immediately disappeared.
The two were petrified for a few moments, Sakura wondering how long he had been there and whether or not he had peeked into the cave, and the boy wondering how he could've fallen asleep when he only intended to sit and listen for a few minutes. Eventually, Sakura got up the nerve to communicate.
"Um… would you mind telling me who you are and where you come from?"
Her voice seemed to snap him out of a delusion, but still he said nothing. Instead he rose slowly, his normal expression darkening his face once again. Motioning with his hand for her to follow him, he turned his back to her and began walking.
"Aren't you going to answer me?" She yelled, not moving.
Once again, there was no response, or even an acknowledgment. Sakura sighed, and almost unconsciously began taking steps in his direction. The corridors were maze-like; if she lost track of him, she may never find him again. And silent company was better than no company.
~~~~~
Alter-chan: well there you have it folks. Sakura is stranded in some weird underground cave place and has no way out, with her only company being her cards and some mysterious blue-eyed boy who refuses to speak for some *unknown* reason.
So, Anaru, and Zuri: *snore*
Alter-chan: *sweatdrops* um... anyway, please review. and in case anyone was wondering, Syaoran makes his grand entrance next chapter.
~AlterEthereal