[Author's notes]

Hey everybody!! It's my first fan fic ... now that I've started this one I have so many ideas... aiya I think I need to write them down b4 I forget!! .

Enjoy!!

Southern x

[End of Author's notes]

Princess Sakura-Tenshi watched the sky turn pink. She sighed at the prospected of another day going by. She glanced down at the bracelet around her thin fair wrist. It was the traditional bracelet of maturity, one sign to others that she was the legal age to be coupled and married. Sakura fought back tears, knowing that she would have to leave her childhood away. Her heart cried out for that door to be opened once more, but the door would never open, it would have to remain shut. Sakura despised all the events and pressure on her to chose her husband. Growing up to Sakura was not the best thing in life.

[Flashback]

Sakura scanned the room, sighting out all the childhood friends. The good times they had, gathering flowers and playing hide-and-seek in the royal gardens. Sakura held back fresh tears and watched the glamorous procession taking place in front of her. Seated at the right hand side of her father with her tiara sparkling in the setting sun of her fourteenth birthday the fine diamond studded bracelet came closer and closer. All the dreams that Sakura made up when she was young, dissipated slowly in her mind's eyes.

[End of flashback]

"Sakura!! Please just listen to me, I am doing this for your own good!" her father cried as Sakura stormed out of her private make up room. King Fujitaka threw up his hands in despair. He had already tried to sit through countless attempts to try to get his daughter to get dressed for the party.

Tears fell from Sakura's face each one daring to kill the day's happiness away. {Why did the world have to go so against me?}Sakura's line of thought broke her consciousness. Sakura knew that she could not just leave her life in the cold hands of death, knowing that she had not done anything influential. Sakura sighed. Life was tough and Sakura knew it. But surely her father couldn't force her to do something that she didn't want to do.

[A Couple of hours later]

Sakura, stormed in to her father's bedroom glistening in her marble silk gown.

"Are you happy yet... now that I'm dressed?" Sakura questioned her father.

King Fujitaka sighed. It had taken Sakura that long to get dressed and still hadn't done up her hair.

"Honey, are you going to leave your hair out for tonight?" Sakura's father asked.

"Yes! If you don't mind, since it is my own hair!" Sakura cried.

"Fine, have it your way." Replied King Fujitaka as he watched his beautiful daughter rush out of the room. {When would she ever calm down?}He asked himself while shaking his head in concern.

[Sakura's bedroom overlooking the royal gardens]

Sakura looked over the royal gardens, watching the gardener and his apprentice pruned the trees and tidied up the gardens for the huge party that night. Sakura glanced at the servants rushing to get Hikami, the royal cook, all that she wanted. Sakura giggled, remembering when she was little and enjoyed taking fresh pastries and cupcakes from under Hikami's nose. Sakura breathed in the sweet smell of the cherry blossoms that wafted in the breeze.

"Princess Sakura-san, we need to get your hair done, mistress." Sakura's servant addressed her while curtsying.

"Lai-san, you are more than my servant. You are my closest friend. Lai I really don't want to go to this ball." Sakura said to Lai.

"But....." Lai stuttered.

"I'm not ready to leave my childhood. Childhood has been my life since I was born. I know I should have matured and started to know that you can't stay a child, that you must grow up... but... I can't... I just really can't." Sakura whispered, trying hard to keep back the hot tears gathering in front of her eyes. "Lai, I would like to leave my hair straight but all I would like in my hair is my tiara. I will call you when I am prepared to go. Only then you can help me with my tiara.

Lai curtsied and left the Princess alone.

Lai rushed off to do her other duties. Her heart rang with those words of her childhood friend. She rushed off to help Hikami in the kitchen, since she was always "out of hands".

[45 minutes before the ball]

Lai felt a tap on her shoulder. Lai turned around. The person behind her was a young boy of the age of 9. He beckoned her to come nearer as he had a message to tell her. Lai nodded as she received the message and quickly hurried to the King's fountain. Lai sat on the edge of the fountain waiting for King Fujitaka. She felt a tap on her shoulder {ouch! That hurt!! All this work is killing my arms and haven't' enough people tapped my arm enough?"}

"Lai, since you are my daughter's chambermaid, I would like to know how she is." King Fujitaka enquired.

"Your majesty, I know she is extremely upset but I know she is trying very hard to keep that feeling at bay." Lai replied.

"Lai, I want you to ensure that Sakura will not try anything desperate. That is all. Go back to your duties." King Fujitaka said as he was deep in thought.

[The opening of the ball]

King Fujitaka raised his arms in greeting. He scanned the room; surely he did not invite that many guests! It was like Princes from all over the world came to celebrate Sakura's birthday. Surely, one of these could be the next King.

"We are here today to celebrate the birthday of Princess Sakura- Tenshi's of King Fujitaka Kinimoto. King wishes to say that he extremely pleased with everybody here tonight and would like everybody to enjoy. Let the ball begin..." The announcer boomed out.

The music started and the light dimmed and hours of dancing began.

[The opening of the ball- Sakura's bedroom]

Sakura could hear the sounds from the excited guests, as their noise carried through the empty halls; she could hear the announcer opening the ball and the music that drifted up from the ballroom. She rolled her eyes, which was definitely not a princess-like thing to do, she placed on her tiara and adjusted her hair slightly and began to proceed down the hallway to the ballroom.

{Sayonara, childhood, sweet memories stay with me. It's time to start a new beginning, time to turn over a new lea and time to choose a new path in life.} Sakura told herself as she walked to Lai, who was waiting at the column near the doorway. Lai smiled at her friend and quickly spread the message. Sakura could only manage a nervous smile.

Suddenly, the ballroom darkened, and the music stopped and trumpets blared.

"Princess Sakura –Tenshi arrives!" The announcer says when the introduction stops.

Sakura sighed. {Another tiresome ball...} She walked into the ballroom and she felt small since hundreds of eyes were directed to her. She smiled softly as the spotlight covered her in white light. She moved towards her father and the space she created was filled. She looked at the people around her. Through the darkness the faces of the people could be barely seen. As Sakura reached the stage, she hugged her father.

"Did you invite this many people?" She whispered into her father's ear as they embraced.

"No definitely not to my memory." Her father replied with a chuckle.

"Yes, I know that I should not rely on YOUR memory." Sakura said sarcastically.

King Fujitaka smiled and led her to the waiting visitors. Sakura was taken into her loving father's arms and traditionally, Sakura and her father lead the first dance of the night.

[Afterwards]

Sakura's feet were stinging after a couple of hours of non-stop dancing. She slipped herself from the arms of the 100th dancer.

"Gomen." Sakura said as she rushed off the dance floor, leaving the unknown stranger stranded under a sea of moving people.

[Opening of the ball]

"Sir, I'm sorry that we are late." Syaoran's driver said as he bowed in apologises.

"Don't' worry about it, as long as we are here" Syaoran said with a small smile

{...my business goes to you}

Syaoran took in a breath to release his nerves. He was finally here to do what his father requested. It had taken Yelan three months to get everything going smoothly and only then did she realise that Li had grown into age.

[ Syaoran's Flashback]

Syaoran watched as his father was slipping in and out of consciousness. Syaoran gripped his father's pale hand and watched as his father fought for every breath. He was to be a man, just like his father said when he wasn't as ill. {Father, won't die! He won't die.... He will be there to protect me....} Syaoran tried to fight the facts, there was nothing he could do but watch his father die in front of him. He could believe that the strongest person of his family could just be weak and frail, lying on the white sheets. Syaoran felt Yelan's eye's drift over to him, Yelan was torn into two. He could see that, the Li family would lose a family member and Yelan would lose her hopes and her husband.

"He is darkening." Yelan said as she empathed into her husband's soul.

Syaoran glance her way as Yelan strided to his father's bedside and watched as his dried eyed mother broke down into river of tears. They brought on a flow of emotion that gushed through to Syaoran's heart. Syaoran studied his father's face ... he gasped when he saw the pale eyelids flutter.

{He's coming around! He's going to be fine!} Syaoran's spirits soared at that prospect.

"Mother!! Father is coming around!" Syaoran whispered and he gripped his father's hand further.

Syaoran's father licked his dry lips and coughed at his first attempts to speak. He sighed and smiled weakly.

"Yelan, my business is my dreams keep it for me, please ... send my best wishes to my.... Daughters..." Syaoran's father whispered.

He groaned as he shifted slightly to face Syaoran.

"Li, my boy, my business goes to you. A lot will shroud your heart but always look in your heart because.... cough cough.... because.... gasp.... cause it will always tell you the truth. ....learn.... to... clear.....sigh.... it"

Syaoran then felt his father's hand droop and slowly slip from his grip.

"NOOOOO!!! Father you can't go! I'm not ready... I'm not ready" Syaoran's vision blurred as the held back tears started to stream down his face.

Yelan gently moved her son from his grip on his father.

"Son, he's gone, there's nothing we can do about it but only do what he requested." Yelan said as grief's cold hand strangled her heart further.

[End of Syaoran's Flashback]

{Stupid marriage!!! Stupid age!!}

Syaoran clenched his fists as he remembered how his mother learnt that any mention of his father would weaken her son's knees. Syaoran's anger burned in him as he proceeded up the stairs into the elaborate castle before him.

Syaoran strided into the dance hall of the King Kinimoto. He slipped between the people and found a seat near the stage. He glanced at King Fujitaka sitting honourably on his throne.

[Sakura]

Sakura's conscious screamed at her for being so stupid. That was not the way for princesses to leave a partner. Sakura gripped her forehead and tried to keep upright. Her feet were killing her and she was not feeling her best. {What is wrong with me, why is the world going around?} Sakura asked herself. Sakura watched as everything was in slow motion, as if she was looking a flowing river, all the time wishing that she was also caught up in it. Sakura reached out to steady herself but she never got to see where she fell, as blackness surrounded her.

[End of chapter 1]

[Author's notes . ]

Hee hee . Suspense!! It' great!! Next Chapter will be up soon... I hope . . Depends on how much h/w I have . . Cya around!! .

Signing off,

Southern x

[End of Author's notes]