Saturday, April 30, 2005 Fanfiction Story Grace Kim
Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.Incapable of Falling
'Wow… this, this is unbelievable. I never thought that I would be ditching work and visiting Eriol of all people! …Time sure changes people…' Sakura was pondering over her life and her past experiences as she gazed pensively out the window in the First Class section of the Japanese Airlines plane. Then, she felt it. Not turning around, she used the card she had created a while ago: The Reveal. Even though she had duties and work to do, Sakura had not stopped practicing her magic. She became the most powerful sorceress in the world at the age of 14; who knew what she could accomplish now? There was a man staring intensely at her, two seats back diagonally. Even though he was quite handsome with his cute dimples, angelic blond hair, and his sky blue eyes, he reminded her too much of Futamiya Ryuchi. She groaned inwardly and rolled her emerald eyes. 'Not another idiot! …Oh wait, he could be staring at the woman next to me, yes… that's probably it…' The woman next to her looked to be in her late 20s and was quite pretty; chestnut brown hair and light brown eyes.
The rest of the plane ride seemed fairly normal, minus a few men in business suits attempting to strike up a conversation with her. 'Shouldn't they be in the Business Class section with the way they're dressed? Sheesh! I'm not even a businesswoman! Can't they tell!' Sakura was wearing a casual yet sophisticated ivory shirt that hugged her upper body gracefully and a flowing skirt with a delicate nature-styled print that revealed her slender legs. She had acquired a cherry blossom tattoo in her 18th year on her right ankle. She had decided to grow her auburn hair down to the small of her back; Tomoyo had pulled her hair back into an intentionally messy ponytail with a custom-made T.D. hair clip, designed with crystals and stylishly cut gems. Sakura hated gold and would never wear gold for the life of her. So she didn't protest when Tomoyo made her wear an adorable matching jewelry set made of platinum; a pair of simple diamond earrings, necklace, and anklet. To sum it up, Sakura looked beautiful.
'I wonder how much longer the plane ride's going to be…' With that very thought, the pilot announced that they would be landing within 15 minutes and that everyone should be buckled down in their seats. Sakura was reminded why she hated plane rides; the lifting off and the landing. Her ears had never ceased to pop in each and every one of the planes that she had been on. As the plane was landing, she was forced to put her head in between her knees for the pressure was greatly hurting her ears. Finally, they had landed. Sakura opened her eyes as everyone was lining up to leave. Quickly grabbing her purse, she put her sandals back on. The man that reminded her of Futamiya was right behind her. She thought nothing of it until his hand tapped her on the shoulder. 'Aiieee… EVERY single plane ride this happens…' Smiling pleasantly, she turned around. "Yes? May I help you?"
The man smiled back, thinking that he had a chance with her. "I couldn't help but notice your ravishing beauty and I've been of thinking nothing but your beauty ever since I first laid eyes on you. Haven't I seen you someplace before? (1)"
Was this all that men cared about? Beauty, appearance, looks? Sakura scoffed at the man's attempt of a pickup line. Even SHE could come up with a better one. "Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore. (1) Now if you'll excuse me…" She had turned away and headed into the airport. The man followed her.
The man just did not get the message! She turned around furiously at his sixth pathetic attempt to score points with her. She had just about enough of his idiotic mentality and was prepared to get his hand of her arm when a masculine voice interrupted her. Groaning inwardly again, she turned around to face the man and gasped. "Eriol!" The man supposedly named Eriol gave her a small grin before turning his gaze sharply back on the man that held her arm in his grip.
"Excuse me… I do believe that the lady does not appreciate you grabbing onto her like that."
"And who do you think you are telling me what do to?" The man spoke back in reply.
"I am nothing to her, merely her fiancé. But I suppose that is not enough, is it?" At this remark, Sakura turned to Eriol in disbelief and a measure of excitement. 'Oh wait, he's only saying that to get me out of this sticky situation… he doesn't really love me in that way.'
"And that has to do with anything because…" The man once again replied snidely.
Sakura had really had enough and interrupted. "Now see here, you, you, you… womanizer! What makes you think that I WOULD EVER LIKE YOU! You've done NOTHING but hit on me ever since you saw me! Now, if you would excuse my fiancé and me…" Sakura grabbed Eriol's hand and pulled him away, leaving the blond in embarrassment.
"Wow Kura, I never knew you had that in you! Congrats!" Eriol laughed as Sakura pouted and glared at him.
"That buffoon has made me miserable since the second I saw him! The idiot made seven pathetic attempts with his pathetic pickup lines! Sheesh! Anyways, I haven't seen you in such a long time! I've missed you." She was still holding onto his hand and when he squeezed it tenderly, she finally realized that she had yet to let go. Embarrassed, she tried to pull away when he held on. She looked up into his eyes and saw warmth, longing, hurt, passion, and another emotion that she could not place. She finally pulled her hand away and hugged him with all her strength, not wanting to let him go. He put his arms around her comfortable, breathing in the scent of the woman he had loved for so long. "You've grown so much! Why in the world are you so tall!… And I thought I was tall!" Sakura stuck out her tongue as he poked her right cheek. He stood 6'2, seeming like a giant over her pretty tall 5'7.
"Maybe it's because you're a shorty!" He joked as she linked her right arm to his left.
"By the way, where is your luggage? Shouldn't we go and fetch it?"
"Oh, Tomoyo said that she already sent it. She said that it should be at your house by today… I tried to argue with her that there is no point when I could just take it on the plane with me… but you know how she gets…"
"Ohhh… the Daidouji Tomoyo look, the one that has everyone running for cover?" He teased, making her blush. He lead in outside where it was bright and sunny. Many turned to stare at the two, dressed immaculately and looking stunning. When Sakura noticed this, she blushed a light pink while Eriol merely gave a shrug. However, she noticed that more than half of these people kept bowing to them. She asked Eriol this and he gave an innocent smile. Sakura shook her head and laughed exasperatedly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get a straight answer from him.
"Eri, where are we going? Are we going to take a taxi?"
"Kura, how would you like to ride in a carriage?" Eriol spoke softly, leading her to the single carriage that had lined up on the road. Sakura gaped, amazed, for she had never ridden in a carriage before.
"Wow! This is so pretty! Look at the beautiful horses! Aww… they're so adorable!" She gushed, petting the horses' heads. The driver looked at her in wonderment. 'I wonder where His Grace found a lady such as her…'
"Yes, they are quite the beauties aren't they? The one on the left is named Midnight and the other is named Twilight. Yes, quite ironic, isn't it?" Eriol helped her get into the carriage and off the carriage went. Sakura enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the countryside that they had entered. She "oohed" and "ahhed" everything, even the simple pattern of the sky. Eriol gave many admiring glances toward her, all of them unnoticed by Sakura.
The carriage was slowing to a stop and in front of them, was an estate so magnificent that she could not tear her eyes off it. It was surrounded with beautiful statues, sculptures, and fountains. Even though Sakura was extremely wealthy, she had no time to truly spend time on decorating. Her estate was exquisite as well, but less decorative. 'I'll get some ideas on how to decorate my home from him.' Eriol held out his hand for Sakura to get off. Then he changed his mind about it as he lifted her as if she were nothing but a feather out of the carriage with his powerful two hands and twirled her around. Sakura shrieked and laughed with pleasure as he finally set her down. He held out his arm as a gentleman would and she linked her arm around his like a lady of title would. The doors opened and the two walked in. However, a manservant quickly whispered something into Eriol's ear that made him laugh. Turning to Sakura, he spoke, "Apparently, a few of my friends are more than eager to find out where I whisked away to today. How would you like meeting some of them?" Sakura pondered for a moment and quickly said yes. "Winston, could you please get Mia to prepare the room next to mine? Thank you."
Eriol lead Sakura into a large room with their arms still linked. In the room sat two men and one woman. They all stared in surprise as Eriol brought Sakura into the room, smiling. They all stood as Eriol told them to introduce themselves. The man with fiery red hair and green-blue eyes started, "The name's Wiles. Ian Jonathan Christoph Wiles the Fourth, Duke of the Edenrose Estate who is looking for an emerald-eyed princess to bear his child." Sakura laughed at his James Bond impersonation and giggled at his attempt to wow her, while Eriol just laughed at shook his head at his friend's Casanova attempt. The man with brown hair was next.
"Hello, I am William Gregory Charles Lodge the Third, Count of the Lodge Family. Please excuse this idiot's manners. I'm afraid he's had too much alcohol than he is able to handle." He grinned and winked at Sakura who was surprised at his laid-back temperament. She had thought that he would be cold and more serious. The blonde-haired woman had a sharp gaze directed at Sakura, reluctant to introduce herself but with a look from Eriol, introduced herself.
"I am Countess Catherine Anita Moonstone of the Moonstone Foundation. Now, who are you?" Her tone was pleasant, but underlined with a cool indication towards Sakura. Ian and William winced at her tone, while Sakura had a smile plastered on her face. Eriol's heart beat accelerated as he felt Sakura's heart twist at Sapphire's words. However, he waited for Sakura's introduction before he did anything rash.
"Thank you for your warm welcome. I am Kinomoto Sakura, or as you would say here Sakura Kinomoto. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Eriol put his right arm around Sakura's waist, leading her upstairs to her room so she could retire. The three figures in the room sat in silence as they awaited Eriol's return. Eriol re-entered the room and sat down. His friends were quite curious as to what the stunning lady's connetion with Eriol was.
"Who does that woman think she is, throwing herself all over you, Eriol-honey!" The blonde woman yelled impatiently. Eriol stared at her in disbelief.
"That woman is my best friend and you have NO right to speak to her in that manner. If I ever hear you speaking badly towards her, mark my words, Catherine… I will do something rash." Eriol replied harshly. The other men were quite shocked with Eriol's mannerisms towards Catherine.
"Am I right to presume that the woman is Kinomoto Fujitaka's daughter?" Inquired William. Catherine was angry and did not understand why this blasted woman was so important. Eriol smiled and laughed.
"Always the first one on your feet, aren't you, William?" Ian looked surprised at this revelation and then put two and two together. Catherine was still puzzled.
"What! It's not like the girl has a title or anything. Why are you regarding her as if she's important!" Catherine fumed. Ian rolled his eyes.
"She's the heiress to the Kinomoto Corporations. Kinomoto Fujitaka is the son of Kinomoto Amano, the multi-billionaire. However, he did not want to be a businessman and became an archaeologist. After his many expeditions, he became a world-renowned archaeologist. After becoming even wealthier on his own, he finally decided to please his father and invested heavily in stocks, changing professions and becoming a businessman. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world. Her late mother, previously known as Amamiya Nadeshiko, was the model and granddaughter of the powerful Amamiya Masaki, the former ruler of the Business world. Sakura's older brother is Kinomoto Touya, world-famous soccer captain of the Japanese soccer team; her aunt is Daidouji Sonomi, owner of the Daidouji Toys Inc.; and her second cousin and best friend is Daidouji Tomoyo, famous fashion designer of the twenty-first century. She has quite the connections." William spoke with conviction. Eriol smiled as Ian and Catherine gaped at this information.
"Well, you sure know your stuff… Wait a second, how did you know all this!" Ian asked his friend in amazement. William shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"It helps if you keep in touch with the world once in a while, Ian." Smugly, Catherine spoke again.
"Well, who cares if she has connections? She probably does nothing for a living! I bet that she is nothing but a money-moocher and a cheap whore, right Eriol-honey!" Eriol's royal blue eyes turned ice cold as he spoke coldy.
"I suggest you not to put words into my mouth and refrain yourself from calling me anything but Eriol. Sakura is an amazing person and does not "mooch" money off her family. She is a world famous cardio-vascular surgeon and owns many international Kinomoto Hospitals, all funded by herself. Don't you EVER call Sakura a whore or cheap at all. Do I make myself clear?" Eriol glared at Catherine, who merely huffed and turned away. 'Catherine is my friend, but if she continues to act this way towards Sakura and me, she will not only lose a friendship: she will lose an alliance.' He turned to Ian and William who were amazed by this new bit of information.
"What is your relationship with her Eriol? For almost ten years, I thought that you were homosexual! But this new turn of events has rendered me wrong. Go on with it. And please, try not to be too vague." Ian asked eagerly. William and Catherine turned to face Eriol in interest as well.
"My, my… what happened to the friends I knew? Cornering someone like that. Tsk, tsk, tsk…Well, I met her when I was 10 years old in school in Japan. My mother sent me over there to meet my cute little des- cousin from Hong Kong." Eriol spoke as he glanced at all of his friends, amused by their behaviour.
"That's it? That's all the information you're giving us?" William asked exasperatedly. The three looked disappointed at the little information Eriol had given them.
"What more could there be? Oh, look at the time… it's getting late. Why don't you leave and we'll plan another meeting sometime." Eriol said, heading them to the door. Ian and William laughed as they were pushed by Eriol. Catherine was reluctant to leave as she stared at Eriol.
"Are you sure you want me to leave? I think I should stay to keep you company or-"
"No, everything's fine. You should get going. It is not safe for a lady of your status to stay at a man's house alone and unaccompanied. I will be seeing you all another time. Thank you for coming over. Bye! Have a pleasant trip home!" Eirol shouted as his three friends left on their own beautiful carriages. He sighed in relief as he thought of Sakura. He smiled as he headed up the winding marble staircase. The chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling glistened as sunlight poured through the windows and struck them. He was about to head into his own room when he thought of Sakura. He hesitantly opened the door leading to her room. Sakura was laid out on the structure of the bay window. She was sleeping peacefully with a serene smile on her face. The large windows in her room shone brightly on her, creating the image of an angel. Eriol lifted her carefully not to wake her and lay her on top of the king-sized bed that seemed to swallow her slender figure.
He figured that she would be uncomfortable in her clothes, and saw her luggage on the floor. There were three cases. He groaned; all the work of the vicious Daidouji Tomoyo, no doubt. He quickly opened the cases, looking for her pajamas. He closed one case full of outfits; the other one was full of shoes; and the last one was left to open. He opened it up and blushed scarlet red. This case was full of her undergarments. He quickly rifled through her underwear and bras, looking for her pajamas. The closest piece of clothing that would resemble nightwear was a slinky black silk lingerie piece. Eriol gulped as he tried to remove thoughts of Sakura in this. 'Tomoyo! Arghh! You did this on purpose, didn't you! To torture me!' He closed the case and thought. He stood on his feet and went into his room. He pulled out a comfortable white shirt that he wore often. He called for Mia and told her to put the shirt on Sakura carefully, to not disturb her. Mia laughed inwardly as she saw His Grace's face redden as he gave her instructions.
Eriol's face finally cooled down as he lay down on his bed, pondering over Sakura and what would happen during her trip.
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Platinumwish: Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't update in quite a while! I was kind of busy with schoolwork and extra-curriculars… Actually, I have four major projects right now that I should have started on… considering how they're all due on Monday. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!