Sealed in our Fate…

Chapter 1 - The Heart-Breaking News

Sakura Kinomoto was a very poor young woman who lived in Ancient Japan. Everyday with little to eat and rags to wear, she would walk down to the market and sell flowers she picked every morning in order to make enough money to support her family. Even in her current state, she's still a bright and cheerful girl full of spirits, and often views life full of hope. Her dreams are to be just ordinary and stay together with her family.

This morning, the mild chirps of birds and the sweet scent of honey-dipped flowers awakened her. Without a minute to hesitate, she immediately washed herself at the nearby lake and ran her fingers through her auburn hair to smoothen it. On her way back to her cottage, she passes by a garden of peony flowers, which happens to catch her attention every time. Since peonies are always sold out, today she managed to pick more that two hands full and lugged the pile back home.

"I'm back!!" She shouts as the echo of her voice brightens her family.

"Whoa, what a pile of flowers you've got there!" Her father, Fujitaka replies while he wipes his hands on his shirt and helped Sakura to mount the flowers at the corner of the house.

"Hey Kaijuu (monster)!! Breakfast is ready!!" Touya makes the entrance with a dish full of left over onigiri (rice balls) from yesterday's dinner.

Sakura narrows her eyes and glares at Touya, "Stop calling me that!!" She helped herself to a small piece of onigiri.

Fujitaka sighed, "You two are never bored of it. Anyway, I'm going upstairs to give your mother the breakfast."

Suddenly, both Sakura and Touya displayed a saddened expression, "Is she still very ill?" They both asked at the same time.

"I'm afraid so," Fujitaka replied. "If only I could make more money with that job…"

"Father, it's not your fault that the stupid boss of yours is so cheap!!" Touya released his anger by punching the wall.

"Don't worry, Mother will be fine! I know she'll be healthy very soon!" Sakura consoled, which made everyone feel lighter and happier. "Anyway, I have to go the market now before other florists gets there before me!!"

Sakura dumped the pile of lowers in a large basket before waving goodbye to her family, and then dashed out to the market.

The market is still pretty quiet with only a few people walking around, so she settled herself at the usual corner and displayed her flowers for sale. While there were few people around, she decided to pick up one of the peonies and started admiring its beauty. Sakura didn't know why, but she could feel a warm sensation every time she holds a peony flower. Her heart feels bliss when she sniffs the sweet scent of the flower, as if the flower itself was a person.

After a while, the market started to flood with people walking around. Sakura already sold more than half of her pile of flowers, so decided to head home with the small bag of gold she managed to make. On her way through the alley, she passed by a group of people surrounding an important document posted on the wall.

Unable to conquer her curiosity, she joined the crowd to find out what's happening. Standing in the middle was a soldier, wearing a Chinese uniform. Beside him was a document signed by the Chinese Empress that's posted on the wall. It reads:

Labor Needed! Any young woman aging 13-20 may apply to serve as a servant in the Chinese Palace. Minimum wage - 2 bags of gold for 1 days or labor. Limit 200 applicants.

Sakura found this to be the golden chance of her life in order to make enough money to find a doctor for her mother. Immediately, she pushed through the heavy crowd and confronted the soldier.

"Sir, I would like to apply for this job!!" She blurted to the soldier.

The soldier looked at her ragged clothes and dust covered face, judging her immediately.

"Name?" he asked.

"Kinomoto. Sakura Kinomoto."

"Age?"

"16."

"Reason for application?"

"To make enough money for a doctor."

The soldier judged Sakura for another minute, then announced, "You matched qualifications for the job. Report to the local deck tomorrow and be ready to depart."

What? Depart…? What is this all about…?

Sakura hesitated, "Depart to where?" She was so clueless on what she had just applied for.

"To China of course!" The soldier rolled his eyes. "You won't be returning to Japan for the rest of your life. Be ready to leave tomorrow. Now go away, there are other's who are behind you!!" The soldier meanly grunted.

Sakura was pushed away from the crowd. Her mind was mixed up, and regretting on her decision. But now there's nothing else she could do, but eat the final dinner with her family.

The sky darkened very quickly as Sakura finally returned home after wandering around the market. The minute she returned home, Fujitaka announced dinner.

Fujitaka caught a glimpse at Sakura at the door then immediately approached her. "Where have you been, Sakura? I was about to get Touya to look for you!"

Sakura didn't answer. She didn't even look at Fujitaka and just nodded slightly as an answer.

He gave her a weird look, decided not to question her any further. "Anyway, dinner is ready!"

Sakura tried to force a smile to hide the truth from the family, but her heart is aching to tell them. How will I explain to them about tomorrow's departure? Her mind kept on arguing with herself.

During dinner, everyone was busy eating while Sakura kept staring at her family, for it may be the last time she will ever see them again. It didn't take long for Touya to notice that Sakura wasn't eating.

"Kaijuu, why aren't you eating? And why are you staring at me like there's not tomorrow??" He asks while chewing his food.

"Oh, it's nothing really…" Sakura quietly replied. Right away, she blamed herself, 'Why couldn't I get myself to I tell them?? Sakura, you are so useless!! You'll never break the news at this rate…'

Everyone else seems to be acting normal and eating dinner pretty quickly, but Sakura hasn't even started her's. Her mind aches whenever she thinks about her departure the next morning, and before she knew it, she had tears rolling down her cheeks.

Fujitaka and Nadeshiko immediately dropped their bowls and asked worriedly, "Sakura, what's wrong?"

"You've been acting weird for the entire day. Come on, spit out the news!!" Touya ordered impatiently.

"I-I…… I'm just……just so scared……" Sakura cried harder on her dusty sleeves.

Nadeshiko walked over to Sakura and gently gave her a motherly hug. "It's ok, dear, just tell us everything. We're your family right?"

The sound of her mother's voice eased her heart a little, but she still refused to speak. Then Fujitaka added, "Sakura, you've always been a strong and optimistic person. Let us share your worries with you."

Sakura sniffled and wiped away the tears on her face. Trying hard to stop crying, she explained, "I've just applied for a job to be a servant…"

" – Whoa, that little thing made you cry so hard??" Touya teased. Fujitaka gave Touya a stern look as a cue for him to stop because Sakura's tears appeared on her eyes again.

"What's is bothering my little girl?" Nadeshiko held Sakura like a small child.

Sakura took a deep breath, "Before dawn tomorrow, I'll be departing to China……and maybe never returning again. . . . . ."

Silence hung in the air.

Fujitaka's face was expressionless, but he smiled warmly anyway, "It's your decision, Sakura. You're old enough to make choices for your life…"

"You… you're not mad?" Sakura asked surprisingly.

"Of course not," Fujitaka replied. "Whatever you do, we will always be there to cheer you up."

Sakura was speechless, and she realized that she would never under estimate her family anymore. Touya, on the other hand continued eating, but there was occasionally grunts coming out of him. "Stupid Kaijuu, always never think before she does anything…" Sakura heard him mumbling, but she didn't say anything else for the rest of dinner.

Sitting in her own bed, Sakura curls herself up and treasure her last night she'll stay in her own room. She doesn't know what to do, but she's dying to spend more time with her family. On the other hand, she wondered what China would be like, and what kind of people would be in the Palace. But no matter what she thinks, she still can't hide the way she'll miss her family.

There were a few gentle knocks on the door, and Nadeshiko allowed herself in the room.

Sakura was surprised. "Mother! You're still very ill and weak! Why didn't you tell me to come to your room instead? You could've been really tired………oh, I feel so bad now………"

"I needed to talk……… maybe for the last time……" Her mother interrupted.

Sakura fixed her bed and moved over so there's enough room for her mother to sit beside her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to give you some things before you leave tomorrow," She said, then handed Sakura a pocket-sized moneybag. It was dyed with light sky blue colors with a golden-red phoenix sewed perfectly in the middle, each thread sophisticatedly laced on. It was stunningly beautiful, and Sakura was speechless.

"Mother……I…… I…… I don't know what to say…… but this is beautiful!"

"This was left to me from my grandmother, and it has been with me ever since. I want you to have it, so you could remember your family every time you use it." Nadeshiko explained.

Tears formed on Sakura's eyelids again, this time it's tears of gratitude. Nadeshiko shook her head and wiped the tears off her face. "Be strong, don't cry." Her mother ordered.

Sakura immediately obeyed. Before she starts talking again, her mother interrupts, "And I want you to remember every word I tell you right now. China is very different than Japan, and you must not try to get into any situations, especially in the palace. Give everyone a good impression, and whatever you do, refer yourself as a lower class in order to avoid troubles. . ."

Sakura nodded and tried to remember every single word she said.

"One more thing," her mother added, "I've heard there was a young prince about your age named Syaoran Li. It's rumored that he's cold and heartless to other people, so be careful of him while you're in the Palace."

Sakura wonders about this prince for a minute, and she felt chills running down her spine. But she returned talking to her mother, "Thanks for the advice… you're the greatest!"

Nadeshiko nodded. "It's getting late, you should sleep now." After she finished, she exited the doors and Sakura fell into a deep sleep.

The deck was exceptionally busy today, especially at the departure station where there were many young girls and their families waving goodbye to each other. Sakura and her family just arrived, and it's only minutes till the small boat departs. Sakura turned around and started saying her last words.

"Father, remember to open the windows every morning before mother wakes up so she could get some fresh air. Touya, I won't be around anymore to help you with the firewoods, so take care. Oh, and mother, don't forget where the herbs and apricots are located in the forests, because I won't be able to pick them for you anymore…" Her tears cannot be controlled again.

"God, you didn't have to say that to make us all sad. . ." Touya teased, but he was also very sad.

Nadeshiko and Fujitaka both hugged Sakura tightly. "Take care, Sakura," They both advised.

"Job applicants!! Last call!! Boat departs soon!! Last call, job applicants!!" The same guard called audible enough for everyone in the deck to hear.

Sakura waved her final goodbye, then walked over to the entrance of the boat. She was carrying a small bag that was wrapped with old rags. Right when she entered the small boat, all the spaces were already occupied, so she had to stand.

A girl across from Sakura immediately caught her attention. She had her hair tied neatly in buns on both sides, and the remaining hung below her shoulders. She was wearing Chinese style clothing, and she looked very pretty too. Sakura suddenly had the courage to approach this girl, since she didn't want to be alone during the voyage.

"Hello! My name is Sakura. What's your name?"

The girl glared at Sakura, and immediately judged her as a filthily poor girl. She didn't look interested at Sakura, but answered anyway.

"I'm Meiling…"

Chibiwinwin: So, how was it?? It is the first chap, but it's exceptionally long!! I don't usually write chaps so long… so this is sorta weird… anyway, a reminder to everyone that this is an SS fic, and the SS part isn't coming up until the later chapters, so please come back and read when I update!! THANKS!! Oh, and don't forget to REVIEW!

Also while you're at it, please read and review my other stories…(no one minds a little advertisement…)