Title: With An Angel's Guidance
Author: damson rhee
Rating: PG
Summary: AU fic - Sakura is a princess in the Kinomoto castle being forced to give up everything she has ever known. How will she cope? Pairings: SxS, ExT
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or any of its characters. CLAMP does. Leave me alone. Do not sue.
"blah" -speaking
blah' -thoughts
blah -flashbacks
The big spaces are the scene change/ POV change (It should be pretty obvious).
A/N: Welcome to my first fic. However, please don't go easy on me. I want all of your harsh criticisms, flames, and/or good comments. :D
I must thank my reviewers. They are my inspiration.
berden: Thanks for the compliments! You're my first reviewer! Don't you feel special? wink wink Keep reading!
Spinelli Woods, Esquire: Thank you SO MUCH for reading and reviewing my fic even though you've never seen the show. That means so much! Please stay tuned! :D
Well, that's it, please R&R!
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Tomoyo fairly flew to Eriol's room. Anxious to find help for her precious Sakura as soon as possible, she glided through the long corridors of the Kinomoto castle. She finally came to his room. Slightly out of breath, she knocked politely on his door. Nothing showed itself, so she curiously put an ear to the door. She heard nothing. 'Baka,' she chided herself after a moment of waiting, 'Of course he's not there. He's a servant just like me and must be up early to work. How foolish of me!'
Now in an even greater hurry, she sped around the corner in search of Hiiragizawa Eriol. However, she found her way blocked by a certain blue-haired, blue-eyed boy. Tomoyo crashed into him with all of her might and they both tumbled ungracefully to the ground in a tangled ball of arms and legs. A silver platter, brimming of food, which Eriol had been carrying, flew up into the air. Then, as gravity worked its magic, the silver platter clamored to the floor unceremoniously and the food was flung all over the corridor.
Flushing slightly, Tomoyo cried out in embarrassment, "Oh, gomen nasai, Hiiragizawa-san. I am so, so sorry! Gomen!"
Chuckling inwardly, Eriol removed himself from their awkward position by standing up gently. He gentlemanly offered his had to Tomoyo to help her up. "Don't worry about it, Daidouji-san. I'll clean this up," he offered after seeing the food that had spilled.
"Iie, let me help," Tomoyo protested insistently. She already felt guilty for running into him, and she knew that e could get in trouble for being late with his delivery.
"As long as it's not too much trouble," Eriol acceded, knowing that Tomoyo would not back down. And so they proceeded to pick up the food and wipe up the mess.
"So where were you going that you were in suck a hurry?" Eriol asked, breaking the amiable silence.
"Actually, I was going to see you, Hiiragizawa-san. I wanted to ask you about something," Tomoyo replied ardently.
"Nani?" Eriol inquired courteously, as he focused his attention on Tomoyo and stopped picking up the food.
"Ano…" Tomoyo hesitated as she too stopped cleaning, "Sakura-chan has been having these dreams and they've been getting worse lately. Actually, they're not really dreams, they're more like nightmares and they're really starting to scare her. I was hoping that you might know what to do to help her."
Tomoyo looked up at him with big, pleading eyes that mirrored the sorrow, anguish, and concern for her friend. Eriol regretfully swallowed back his emotions as he answered, "Iie, Daidouji-san, I don't know what Kinomoto-san could do to stop the dreams. But maybe her dreams mean something. They might be trying to tell her something on a subconscious level."
A look of disappointment crossed Tomoyo's face momentarily, but she tactfully put on a grateful face so as not to harm the other's feelings. It wasn't that she was not thankful for his help, and she knew he had done his best, but she couldn't help but feel just a little let down. She spoke quietly, "Arigato, Hiiragizawa-san, for your generous assistance. I will try to help Sakura-chan as best I can."
Eriol saw the dismayed look flash across her face and chided himself inwardly. 'Couldn't you have done any better than that, baka?' he thought to himself bitterly. But he shoved his bitterness aside as he responded benignly, "You're welcome Daidouji-san. I only wish I could help to further alleviate your burden… and Kinomoto-san's as well, of course."
"You have already. More than you know…" she mused, momentarily lost in her own thoughts so that her voice was almost inaudible. "Anyway, I must get going. My job awaits me with Sakura-chan, as I am sure you should be going as well. Whoever the recipient of this food is, he or she must be getting very hungry!"
Eriol laughed along with her at her feeble joke.
"Sayonara, Hiiragazawa-san!" Tomoyo yelled as she turned around to leave.
"Wait," he cried out, not overly loud.
Tomoyo turned around and looked at him inquisitively. "Nani?" she asked.
"Daidouji-san," he started, looking uncomfortable for possibly the first time in his life, or at least that Tomoyo had ever seen. "M…May I call you Tomoyo-chan?"
She smiled softly. "Hai, as long as I can call you Eriol-kun."
He grinned boyishly. "Deal."
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Sakura groaned as she sat up, and rubbed her head. Sitting up straight, she yawned. Realization dawned upon her as she became aware of her surroundings. She was in her room. 'Did I fall asleep?' she thought.
She took a moment to glance outside her bedroom window and realized that it must be the middle of the night. The moon was hanging in the sky luminously, casting its unearthly glow onto the lands of her father's kingdom and his lands. 'Funny,' she thought, 'I don't even refer to this place as my own home anymore.'
Her mind was numb, a dull ache in the back her head. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to remember. She didn't want this nightmare that was becoming her life. Then, it all came back to her; all of the memories of the day; the ones she would rather forget. The nightmare, the conversation with her father at the breakfast table…
Why? It all came back to that question, and it bothered her so that she couldn't get it out of her head. Why her? Why did she have to be the one born into a royal family? And why did her father want to get rid of her so quickly? It was unreasonable. 'Actually,' she decided bitterly, 'it's not so unreasonable for him. He gets rich, and gets rid of me. Two birds in one stone.'
She contemplated the situation over and over again, trying in vain to come up with a solution. But nothing showed itself, and she found herself back at square one without having really started in the first place.
Then suddenly, unexpectedly, a thought crossed her mind. And she found that the more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. 'Hai, it will be the perfect way out. Well, almost perfect.'
She proceeded to collect various items from her room. She found an old, unused bag, and shoved in a dress and a pants and shirt outfit. She gathered other essential items, and then she ran to the kitchen and gathered enough food for three days. Beyond those days, she did not know. 'I'll make sure that I reach a town before I run out of food,' she concluded. 'The closest town is Godashime, which is two days away from here. I'll be able to buy food and lodging there.'
She went back to her room discreetly, avoiding being seen by anyone and everyone. Once in her room, she collected all the money she possessed, which was a significant sum, considering that she was a princess. She shoved the money into her bag, and thought for a moment. 'Should I tell Tomoyo-chan?' she asked herself. 'Tomoyo-chan has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She deserves to know, at least so that she doesn't have to worry about me. On the other hand, I don't really want anyone knowing, in case otou-san finds out. I know that Tomoyo-chan would never betray me, but…'
Sakura eventually decided to confide in her best friend, if only for the basic, fundamental need to not feel so utterly alone in the world. She would be stronger with Tomoyo helping carry her heavy burden. After all, wasn't that what friends were for?
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Tomoyo awoke from her sleep to a soft knocking on her door. Slipping silently out of her bed, she made her way towards the door, wondering who would call on her a such a late hour. Her question was answered when she opened the door to see Sakura, carrying a bag and looking very anxious and troubled. Tomoyo knew instantly that something was wrong, and she leaned forward to embrace her friend in a gesture of comfort and acceptance. Sakura sobbed into Tomoyo's shoulder and mumble, "Oh Tomoyo-chan, it's all so awful. I…I just have to get away…"
"Shh. It's all right. Come inside and tell me all about it."
And so she did. She told her about what had happened at breakfast, about the arranged marriage, and about her plan to run away.
"Are you sure that you're making the right choice, Sakura-chan? Kinomoto-sama isn't that bad, and I'm sure that he truly does love you deep down in his heart."
"Maybe, but does that alone justify what he has done and is trying to do? Love doesn't solve everything, if he does even still love me, and if I don't stand up for myself now, I will end up married to some baka I don't even know."
Tomoyo knew that it was no use arguing with Sakura now. Once she made up her mind, there was no stopping her. So she simply acquiesced, "Where will you go?"
"I will travel to Godashime. I have some relatives there that I may be able to stay with, and I can buy whatever I may need. I will miss you, Tomoyo-chan."
Tomoyo breathed deeply. She had come to a decision of her own. "I won't allow you to go until you promise me something."
"Nani?" Sakura asked.
"You must promise to come back every two weeks. You don't have to talk to anyone when you come, but I must see you at least twice each month. Otherwise, I will tell Kinomoto-sama where you are going." Tomoyo demanded. She could be just as stubborn as Sakura.
Sakura could tell by the determined look in Tomoyo's eyes that she wasn't going to budge. "Hai, Tomoyo-chan, I will come back to visit you. But in return, you mustn't tell a soul."
"May I tell Eriol-kun?"
Sakura blinked, unaccustomed to Tomoyo calling him Eriol-kun. In other circumstances, she would have teased Tomoyo good-naturedly about that. But now she simply replied, "Hai, if you wish. But I must be going now. I want to leave with the cover of darkness. I meant what I said earlier. I will miss you. I'll miss you the most."
Tomoyo held back her tears as she embraced her best friend for the last time until two weeks. "Onegai, don't forget to come back," she shouted at Sakura as she was leaving.
"I could never forget." And then the door was closed, and she was gone. Tomoyo cried openly, not for her loss, but for her friend's. She said gently, just loud enough for Sakura to hear, "I hope you find what you're looking for."
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Sakura ran blindly to the front gates. She wasn't thinking about where she was going anymore, she was just letting her feet carry her away. She stopped right in front of the gates, hesitating.
"I hope you find what you're looking for."
Tomoyo's last words to her were ringing over and over in her head, haunting her. She was experiencing the indecision that everyone feels when making a life altering decision. What was she looking for? Why was she doing this? Who was she?
It was the last question that bothered her the most. She didn't even know who she was, so how could she be doing this? She perspicaciously came to the conclusion that she was looking for herself on this journey. And if she didn't start it, it would never begin. She remembered what her okaa-san used to say. She said that the first steps were always the hardest, but also the most rewarding. She had never really understood that until now. She let go of the breath that she didn't know she was holding, and with a newfound air of confidence, she took the first step out of the Kinomoto castle. With each step, she felt more liberated. 'Hai,' she thought, 'I can do this. I can!'
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Well, that's all folks! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Please leave your comments! Ja ne!