Whoo…I must be the slowest writer in the world!! ^^

But then again…I was in Costa Rica and was also caught up with watching lots of anime as well as reading many books so I'm very sorry!! How long has it been…? ^^;; Must be like three months…Thanks for all the support after all this time though…I really do try to make this story the best that I can make it.

Now this chapter might seem familiar at some parts but I hope that it becomes somewhat interesting later…^o^

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…except for my ideas so don't steal them.

Key:

Narration

Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, Chinese/Jap words.

E_m_p_h_a_s_i_z_e_d W_o_r_d_s

Japanese//

arra arra… = that's enough…

ai = love (bet you never saw that one coming…^^)

Spirited Away

Chapter Four: Mistress of the Cards

Sakura sunk down lower in her seat, giving up in even trying to understand the lesson. No matter where she was; in Japan or China, physics would always be physics. And Sakura was horrible at physics. The formulas just didn't stick and she could never make any sense out of those laws. To top it off, Hong, whose first name Sakura later found out to be Shenghua (A/N: Say it with me now: Srun…hua…) was acting meaner than ever to Sakura.

And they had only met for a few hours.

Sakura shuddered, as Shenghua suddenly glared at her, fire burning out her eye sockets in an attempt to harm Sakura without touching her since they did sit a few rows apart. Sakura edged away and wondered again, for the umpteenth time, why that girl hated her so. It wasn't like she had done anything wrong. The jade-eyed girl turned her attention from Miss Ling at front, lecturing them about Newton, and to the outside. The sky was a wonderful, light blue and the sun shone brightly, the clouds floating around in small wisps. Peony blossoms scattered in the breeze, littering the central courtyard with small white petals.

Sakura longed to be out there…running in the warm sunlight and lying among the soft petals. There, no one could intimidate her or scare her and she could enjoy herself as she pleased. Perhaps she would find someone to share all this with. Someone who could understand her dreams and her doubts. Someone who could tell her exactly what was going on with the—

"Miss Kinomoto!!"

"Hoe!!" Sakura twisted around as fast as she could, only to topple over on to the ground and receive more raucous laughter. She gingerly rubbed her elbow where it had hit the edge of Eriol's desk but quickly sprang up, trying to ignore all the jeering faces around her.

"Pay attention, please. I would send you to stand in the hallway…but you are new so this time, you only get a warning," Miss Ling informed sternly, her blonde hair strikingly golden in the sunlight from the window. She had crossed her slender arms over her chest.

Sakura bowed her head, "Yes, ma'am."

Miss Ling's violet eyes suddenly softened and she tousled Sakura's short cinnamon hair playfully before returning to the front. Sakura stayed still for a few moments, turning several shades of red before finally sitting down. This didn't improve her relationship with Shenghua one bit; as with the entire class.

"It seems that Miss Ling has taken a liking to you, Kinomoto-san," Eriol whispered to her, leaning towards her.

"Hoe…but I didn't do anything…" Sakura replied, perplexed.

"Maybe you remind her of someone," Eriol said, in a tone that showed that he knew more than he should. His deep eyes seemed to imply something but Sakura, being Sakura, didn't get the message.

"Like who?"

"Who knows," and Eriol smiled that heavenly, innocent smile. He turned back towards the front where Miss Ling was now quizzing a few of the students.

Shenghua tried not to look.

"Are you lying to me?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"No."

"Sakura-chan. Stop lying."

Sakura sighed, exasperated. Tomoyo never ceased to amaze her; she seemed to cut through all her lies, to read her like an open book, every page easier to decode than the one before.

"To_mo_yo_chan…"

She could hear the self-satisfied grin in her best friend's voice, "I see that I'm right. Again."

"But it's not like they were that bad…"

"Come_on, Sakura-chan…if someone killed you then you wouldn't even care," Tomoyo retorted, exasperated.

"But they must have some kind of reason for killing me…perhaps I was cruel to them…or maybe I teased them."

"Sakura-chan!! Cruel is not even part of your vocabulary…you couldn't act cruel if your life was on the line. And you don't know a single insult."

"Still…" Sakura blushed, embarrassed.

"Arra arra…" Tomoyo sighed, "Just tell me about your day. We can have our therapist session later."

"Yes, ma'am," Sakura beamed and began to recap the events of the day, trying hard to leave out things that would prove Tomoyo's point further and trying to sound like she enjoyed her day.

She failed miserably.

"Miss Ling, the teacher, is really nice to me…but a girl named Shenghua Hong kind of tripped me and everyone was laughing…but it was pretty funny anyway…" Sakura laughed nervously, hoping that her little lie had passed its inspection.

"Sakura-chan…white lies are only good when I use them," Tomoyo commented sardonically.

"Tomoyo-chan!! You worry too much…"

"Shenghua Hong, I think you said? Hmm…I think she's the niece of one of my mother's colleagues. Not the nicest thing on two legs," Tomoyo pondered, "And she either tripped you or she didn't; not "kind of" tripped you. Judging by her character, I'd say she did."

"I wonder why she hates me so much…" Sakura muttered.

"I could hear that, you know," Tomoyo suppressed her giggles to continue soberly, "But it's only natural for her to behave this way. Her father ran off with her best friend and her mother died from drug overdose. She's never really had anything worth loving besides her parents and her aunt is going senile. But Shenghua-san…she seriously respected her aunt. I could see that she held her aunt with the highest regards and did anything to please her."

"That's so sad…" Sakura felt tears in her eyes, "and I was being so selfish…wondering why she would dislike people. I feel so bad for her."

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo's voice came through, sweet and clear, "It's not your fault. Everyone has rough places in their family. It's a way of life." Her amethyst eyes darkened at the thought.

"But then, there was the nicest guy named Hiiragizawa Eriol…" Sakura suddenly remembered, this time feeling more at ease since it wasn't a lie, "He helped me up and even stood up for me! He kind of reminds me of—"

"Does he have blue hair…? And blue eyes? And glasses…silver-rimmed glasses?" Tomoyo's voice was hushed and almost hurried as probably for the first time in her life, she interrupted Sakura.

"Yes…yes he does," Sakura blinked a couple of times before answering, somewhat bewildered, "Do you know him, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yes…no…maybe…I think so…" Tomoyo trailed off but began once again, "Is his handkerchief blue? With a small white rose embroidered on the top right corner…"

"It was blue…but I don't think I saw a rose…Tomoyo-chan? What's wrong?" Sakura was becoming concerned. How did she know that he had a handkerchief?

"Sakura-chan…I need to tell you something," Tomoyo sounded nervous and scared. Never before in Sakura's life had she ever heard Tomoyo sounding so scared.

"Tomoyo-chan…?"

"I've been…uh…um…nevermind," Tomoyo said quietly but with an abrupt tone, "I have to go. Bye."

Tomoyo hung up and Sakura was left listening to the dial tone.

"Tomo…yo…chan?" Sakura said uncertainly as the tone rang on. She slowly put the phone back in its hook, thoroughly confused and sat in the aged wooden chair. Everything had suddenly become strange. First, there were the ghosts that might not even exist, then the mysterious Eriol, and now…Tomoyo was acting peculiar. Was all of this somehow connected? It didn't make sense at all. Sitting there lost in her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice when the steps of the grand staircase began to creak softly.

Sa…kura…

Sakura bolted straight out of her chair so fast that it clattered as it hit the floor. She quickly surveyed her surroundings but nothing struck her as out of ordinary. The dusky sunlight filtering in through the golden curtains and some dishes piled in the sink. But she knew in her heart that she had heard the voice. That slimy, slithery voice that made her feel uneasy and scared. Fear stabbed at her heart just thinking about who or what the voice belonged to.

But Sakura suddenly realized that she had never heard the voice in her life. Why would she be scared of it? However, for some reason, her heart clenched and she just began quaking whenever she thought of that voice. Sakura sneaked a glance at the main hall and that was when she saw it. There was a flash of movement as a dark object streaked up the stairs.

Feeling oddly compelled to follow it, Sakura bounded up the stairs after it, so numbed with fear that she couldn't feel her legs. At the top, the specter flew away once again down the center hall. It almost seemed to be waiting for her…daring her to follow it.

Sakura…

Sakura hated that voice. She didn't know why…it just made her feel dirty hearing it. But, Sakura uncertainly trailed behind, completely unaware that the odd shadow of an animal was leading her straight to "her" room.

Sakura suddenly felt different stepping into her room. All the objects there seemed to be crackling with some kind of energy. They almost registered as "alive" in Sakura's mind. She could somehow "sense" where everything was. Sakura realized with a jump that this was the same feeling she felt when she first saw Eriol. This feeling was familiar but strange…calming but terrifying. As if led by invisible hands, Sakura walked towards the wardrobe and opened it. The small, mock-up door was still there but there was no ghost to force her through this time. Sakura heard the voice again.

Sakura…use your magic…

Sakura didn't want to listen to the voice…she didn't want to be controlled by it. However, her trembling hands worked by themselves, pressing against the door. A feeling of such power suddenly surged through her body, as Sakura had never felt before. Or had she…? The question disappeared from Sakura's mind as she began to emit a warm, pink light. This time, as she pressed against the fake door, it cleared away, like mist. Sakura couldn't even gasp in surprise as she suddenly submerged herself into the thick cloud and found herself on the other side in a manner of seconds. She reached back with her hand but the wall had already reverted back to solid. Sakura wondered vaguely if that had been her magic before starting up the stairs.

She felt as if she were traveling through a dream…all her thoughts seemed to be sealed behind a veil that she couldn't reach. Had she possibly been here before? Sakura scoured her memory but never had she remembered coming to China before.

Suddenly realizing that she was in the small library once again, Sakura observed the unusually dust-free room more closely and saw that all the walls were covered in ancient Chinese characters. She walked close to one wall and tried to study what they said. However, these were ancient and Sakura had only learned the modern way in her school. She squinted and tried to see the words and she saw that she recognized one of them. Smiling a little triumphantly, Sakura recited:

"Ai."

She immediately regretted it as her head began its throbbing once again and an unfamiliar but strangely nostalgic scene entered her head again.

"My cards…" Sakura heard a voice say in a sad tone, "I think that I won't be coming back this time. I need to seal you now but please take care of yourselves…" Sakura noticed that this person was sitting in the exact same small library except everything looked much newer.

Sakura watched in awe as a large number of golden, shining rectangular shapes floated in the air. The objects seemed to be slowly rotating around the girl, as if comforting her. Then, almost reluctantly, the shapes glided into the book. The person closed the book and Sakura saw a tear fall on to the gilded cover. She felt so sorry for the girl…

A yell suddenly traveled up to the room. It was deep, demanding…calling for the girl. The girl looked up, frightened, and hurriedly ran down the stairs, past Sakura. She passed through the magical door without hesitation and Sakura was left there with the book. Sakura looked down and saw that on the cover was a large pink star in an intriguing design. She reached down to touch it…

Just as Sakura's fingers were about to graze the spine, her mind was rudely tugged back to the present. The girl stood there, blinking and dazed before looking down at the location where the book had been. Now, there only stood a dark, wooden table with nothing on it but a cracked flower vase. Sakura turned back to the wall where the Chinese character had been.

And was surprised to find that it was gone.

She observed the spot more carefully, thinking that she may have made a mistake. But after a few minutes of searching, the result was clear: the character had seemingly disappeared, leaving a small blank spot. She touched the wall with her fingers but met only smooth oak wood. Sakura's eyes widened and she collapsed on the ground. This was entirely too much for her…first ghosts, strange classmates, and an even stranger best friend. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to forget all that had happened in the past few days but it was to no avail.

Maybe I should tell Otou-san…Sakura opened that option in her mind. Her father would be concerned and quickly ship her and Touya back to Japan, interrupting his own studies to stay with them. No…no!! She chided herself, Otou-san deserves this opportunity! I can't ruin it for him. Come what ghosts or mysteries…I won't tell him.

Sakura slowly opened her jade eyes and was quickly overcome with a need for the book in her "vision". That pink and gold book was very important to her, although the reason still eluded her. She wandered around the small library for what seemed like a very long time and was about to give up when such a wave of sadness hit her that she had to keep searching. Sakura checked each bookcase and every piece of furniture in the room but still could not find the book. She finally plopped down at the table in front of the painting and sighed, feeling utterly exhausted. Sakura felt so frustrated and angry that tears welled up in her eyes; why couldn't she just find the book? She wiped her eyes, surprised at the emotion that she was feeling. Why did she need that book so badly? Did this have anything to do with the gh—

A strong presence suddenly pierced her thoughts and she stood up hastily, the chair she was sitting on teetering dangerously. This presence…could it be the book? Sakura closed her eyes to get a better sense of where exactly the book was. Like a compass, she turned around to face where she believed that the book was. Her emerald eyes opened and with a start, she realized that she was facing the dust-caked painting. Sakura reached up to touch the painting and it suddenly swung open, as if on a hinge. Behind it was a small shelf filled with books that, unlike the other books in the library, were utterly slathered with dust.

Sakura reached forward and as if a magnetic force was attracting her slim fingers, they touched the book that was sandwiched smack dab in the middle of all the books. She felt a sudden warmth flood through her entire being and pulled the book out from in between the other books. Sakura looked down and saw that the book she was holding was exactly what she had envisioned. On the front was a complex design containing a star that was gilded in what was apparently pure gold. Behind the gilded design was a blushing pink background. But what was most surprising was that right there on the bottom middle part of the cover was inscribed the name "SAKURA".

Sakura, feeling more secure that the book had her name on it, reached over to the clasp and gently opened the book. Looking down, she saw that this was no ordinary book. Where pages normally were was a hole containing a deck of odd, narrow cards. The design on their backs seemed to be the same design as seen on the cover. Sakura lifted a card and turned it around to see a finely illustrated picture of a strange being that was wearing a cape and had unusually styled hair. She averted her eyes down to the bottom of the card and read the English letters…

"Win…dy."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind from seemingly nowhere whirled in and before Sakura could stop it, began scattering the cards out of the book. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut to keep the cards from paper-cutting her eyeballs. But if she had kept her eyes open, she would have seen that the cards were not just flying around her…they were glowing and disappearing.

She also would have seen the circular symbol glowing gold under her feet.

Sakura gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. Everything was just so confusing…where did this wind come from? What in the world was happening?

BAM.

It was a while before Sakura realized that the wind had stopped and everything was still. She opened her eyes a crack and saw that the book had somehow closed. She let out a sigh of relief, opening her eyes fully.

Only to see Syaoran Li standing in front of her.

The past young master of the house had an especially ugly scowl on his face and even though he was translucent, Sakura could see that he was trembling. With rage, perhaps.

"I-I…I…"

"W-What are you doing here?!" His voice was so loud and tense even as hollow as it was. His famous piercing amber eyes stabbed through her heart, deeper with every second.

Sakura tried again to say something, "I…"

"Look what you've done!" Syaoran went on furiously, "I told you to stay away! But you had to come and mess everything up again, did you?! You almost lost half the cards!"

Sakura looked down mutely, her fingers bone-white against the warm pink and gold of the mystical book.

"I can't stand having you here! Just…just LEAVE!!" He finally burst out, his eyes blazing hell at her.

Sakura quickly obliged, clutching the book tightly, and disappeared down the stairs. Her soft, light footsteps pattered daintily before gradually disappearing.

Meiling suddenly materialized, her expression sad and wistful.

"Syaoran, why do you have to be like this?" She asked, her scarlet eyes directed at him critically.

Syaoran clenched his fists and looked down, a drastic contrast from a few moments ago, saying quietly, "It has to be this way…it's the only way…I don't want…" He began to tremble, "I don't want her to…"

"I don't think that this is the best way," Meiling said curtly, looking pointedly at a spot on the floor. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Syaoran suddenly noticed a damp spot in the wooden floor where Sakura had been standing. Realization dawned on him.

"Damn…" The glare on his face melted away and his amber eyes became pained and torn with shame.

"I made her cry".

Ergh…I am disgusted with this chapter…- . -

But…

What can you do? ^_^

Please only review for this if you have time or desperately want to tell me something; I really don't want to cause trouble for all you nice people. Well then…see you next time I update! ^-^

DreamerDust