A/N: Sorry for the slow updates! Right now, I've been granted Internet access, so I can type up this chapter and then post it up. SORRY! I'll make this as long as possible before my time is up.

Cherry Blossom: Remember? Mr. Kinomoto is the owner of Kinomoto Inc. as well as Sakura and Touya's grandfather and Korin works for him.

Lost Taijiya: Your review is very appreciated! I'm thankful you took the time.

SamSam-aka-Sam: Thanks for your support! At least someone's not rushing me.

Mariko: Yup, Matsuo is a good guy deep down.

LadyAkina: Manami had the ring, and besides, Touya was so overwhelmed he wasn't thinking straight. Aw come on, if he DID take a blood test, would it be as interesting? ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or Glass Shoes/Slippers.

CinderSakura

By: Lotus Dreams

Chapter 18: Sakura Known And Not Known

Korin set down his glass of wine. He normally did not drink wine, but Matsuo insisted that he drank a little before he told his story. And so, Korin had complied.

Matsuo took a deep breath. "Ten years ago, we found a little girl on the street, who seemed to have been hit by a car. She was bleeding really badly, so then me and my wife took her to our home to tend to her injuries." He did not mention that it was HIS car that had hit her. "We - "

"Why didn't you go to a hospital?" interrupted Korin. "Wouldn't that have been better?"

"Um...well...the hospital was far away...and we didn't have a cell phone...or a car..." Matsuo gulped. "Well anyway, she was knocked out when we found her. And when she woke up, we didn't know what to do with her...she seemed to have lost her memory...we asked for her name, and she took a ring out and looked at it. Then she told us that her name was Nadeshiko. And out of the goodness of our hearts, we raised her like our own daughter for ten years."

"Out of my understanding, isn't Manami your daughter?"

"Hai."

"Then if you know that 'Nadeshiko' is really Kinomoto, why didn't you stop Manami from lying to Mr. Kinomoto?"

"I - I - I don't think I was there when Manami left."

"Right." Korin sighed. "Still, thank you very much for your information. It has helped us considerably. Mr. Kinomoto and Touya have been looking for Sakura for ten long years." Then, he suddenly thought of something. "Wait, you said the girl said her name was Nadeshiko?"

"Yes. She said her name was Nadeshiko, so that was what we called her. Although right now, we should be calling her Sakura."

"Did she say what her last name was?"

"Funny thing, it was also Kinomoto. We actually thought that she was related to Mr. Kinomoto - well, now we know she's his long-lost granddaughter - but then we waved that idea away."

"Kinomoto Nadeshiko..." murmured Korin. Then it dawned on him. Kinomoto Sakura is right there! I must get back to the company and tell Mr. Kinomoto as soon as possible! "Arigatou gozaimasu, Harada-san," said Korin politely. "But I am in a bit of a hurry."

"No problem," answered Matsuo. Then, Korin took out his briefcase and extracted an envelope full of money.

"This is for you," said Korin tonelessly. "Take it and get yourself some decent clothes and a meal, okay? Take care." Korin clapped Matsuo on the shoulder, and with that, he turned to leave.

"Chotto matte!" Korin turned back. Matsuo handed him a piece of paper.

"I always stay at this hotel," he said. "This is its number. Just ask for Harada, and you can ask me for more information if you need it." Korin nodded, taking the slip of paper. "Arigatou gozaimasu." Then he left.


Again in one of her little outfits, Manami walked down the halls of Kinomoto Inc. She had a plan in mind; it involved Nadeshiko aka Sakura and a little accident...she had a bad feeling that her ingeniously crafted plot to be Kinomoto Sakura was falling apart, and so she was determined to make sure the real Sakura was out of the picture so she could rest in peace.

Then she saw her. Walking down the hall dressed in a red blazer, white blouse, and red skirt. So plainly dressed it was hard to miss. "Sa - Nadeshiko-chan!" Manami called. "Over here!" She waved her hand, the bracelets on her wrist jingling in the process.

Nadeshiko saw her, and checked her watch. 12:30 pm. She was on her lunch break, and could spare a few minutes, so she made her way towards Manami. Putting on a warm smile, she said, "Ohayou, Manami. What brings you here?"

"I want to talk to you," said Manami, putting on a 100 percent fake smile. "But I don't want to talk you to here. It's not very comfortable. Could you come with me?"

"Sure," replied Nadeshiko aka Sakura, oblivious to Manami's smirk. She followed Manami down a series of hallways and into the supply room. She was confused. "Okay...you brought me to the supply room to talk? There's barely any space to breathe here! It's all covered in boxes."

"Oh that's alright," said Manami slyly, standing near a particularly tall and heavy pile of boxes. "Hey Nadeshiko-chan, could you move that box over there for more space?"

"Where?"

"Over there." Manami pointed at a box at the bottom of the pile of boxes she was standing. "Just push a little."

"...Naze?" inquired Nadeshiko.

"Just push it," insisted Manami. Nadeshiko then got onto her hands and knees, put her palms on the box, and pushed. "Use a little more strength," urged Manami, as Nadeshiko struggled below her. "A bit more..."

And then, just as Nadeshiko used as much strength as she could to push to box, the pile of boxes suddenly buckled, and all of the boxes, full of cell phones toppled onto...

...Manami. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, a little too loudly, and made quite of show of collapsing to the ground under the massive weight of the boxes. "HELP!" she screeched. "KAMI-SAMA I'M DYING! AAAAAAAUGH THESE BOXES ARE CRUSHING ME! MY BONES ARE BREAKING! I CAN'T BREATHE! I THINK MY LUNGS HAVE COLLAPSED! I CAN'T SEE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HELP ME SOMEBODY HELP ME HELLLLLLLLLLP!"

"Oh no!" cried Nadeshiko. "Manami, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to - "

"GET ONII-CHAN AND OJII-CHAN!" she screamed. "HURRY! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I WANT MY GRANDPA AND BROTHER! HELP ME! I CAN FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE BOXES CRUSHING ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I THINK MY LUNG IS PUNCTURED! GAAAAAAAAAAAAH HURRY SAKU - NADESHIKO, I NEED HELP! CALL AN AMBULANCE! I'M DYING! I'M DYING! I CAN'T BREATHE! MY HEAD HURTS! AAAAAAAAAAAH! BLOOD! THERE'S BLOOD ON MY HEAD!"

"H-Hold on, Manami," said Nadeshiko fearfully. "I'll go get Mr. Kinomoto and your brother, don't worry!"

Running as fast as she could, Nadeshiko dashed up the stairs instead of taking the elevator all the way up to Touya's office. Bursting in without knocking at first, she was gasping and panting when she reached the two Kinomotos.

Mr. Kinomoto was livid. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Don't you know you have to knock and swipe your card before bursting in so we can identify you?"

"Gomen...Manami...Kinomoto Sakura...crushed...boxes...supply room..."

Both of the two men took the information differently. Mr. Kinomoto did not react, but Touya's eyes widened, and he burst out, "She's crushed under boxes?" Nadeshiko nodded, not enough breath to speak. Instantly, Touya bolted from his seat, hurled himself out the door, down the stairs, and into the supply room.

"Sakura!" he shouted, bursting into the supply room. "Are you okay?"

Manami instantly cried out in pain. "It hurts," she moaned. "It hurts..."

"What happened?" asked Touya gently, prying the boxes apart and pulling Manami out.

Nadeshiko had followed Touya down, and bent down, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath back. Manami started weeping, and pointed a finger at Nadeshiko. "It was HER!" she bawled. "She pushed the boxes and made it fall onto me!"

Touya turned to look at Nadeshiko, and the fury in his eyes was unbelievable. "Kinomoto Nadeshiko," he said in a surprising calm but cold voice, "Come with me." Then he flipped open his cell phone, called an ambulance, reassured Manami, and then Nadeshiko followed him up to his office.

When they arrived, and Touya was seated, he said only two words: "You're fired."

"N-Nani?" stammered Nadeshiko.

"You heard me," said Touya angrily. "You're. FIRED. You could have caused Manami permanent damage for all I know, and plus, those boxes contained our newest models ready to be shipped to France. There were probably at least 100,000 of them in the supply room, and they were also very delicate. I am not going to make you pay for them, as I know it will take a lifetime to gather enough money for those phones with your present salary. So, I am only firing you. I don't ever want to see you again, do you hear me?"

"Kinomoto-sama - " protested Nadeshiko.

"Get out."

Bowing her head, tears threatening to spill, she said quietly, "H-Hai." And she left.

When Manami received the news at the hospital that Nadeshiko aka Sakura had been fired, she smiled evilly through her many bandages on her face. She had gotten a lot of bruises and her whole body felt weak, but it was worth it.


Korin swiped his identification card and knocked on Mr. Kinomoto's door.

"Come in," rumbled Mr. Kinomoto.

Korin pushed open the door and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Kinomoto-sama, the real Kinomoto Sakura has been found."

"Nani? You're not joking?" Mr. Kinomoto rose slowly from his seat. "Who is it?"

"You won't believe this, but she works for us. And I think you may have met her. Or perhaps even Touya."

"Who?" demanded Mr. Kinomoto.

Korin took a breath. "Kinomoto Nadeshiko."

"You mean that girl with the reddish-brownish hair?"

"Hai, that's her."

At that moment, a screen on Mr. Kinomoto's desk flashed, and Touya's name and identification number appeared. Touya then entered, looking grave.

"Touya," said Mr. Kinomoto worriedly. "What's wrong? How's Manami?"

Touya looked at his grandfather strangely. "Who's Manami, ojii-chan?"

"Sakura," Mr. Kinomoto corrected himself hurriedly. "I meant Sakura. How is she? She's definitely going to survive right? Her injuries aren't THAT bad, are they, Touya?" Touya shrugged.

"She'll live, but she's making a big deal out of it. Truth be told, I'm a little annoyed at it. True, those boxes fell on her, and it must have been pretty heavy, but still, she keeps screaming and screeching and my ears are still ringing."

"Touya, I have to tell you something," Mr. Kinomoto said. "But first - do you know a worker named Kinomoto Nadeshiko?"

Touya's eyes instantly hardened. "She was the main cause for Sakura's injuries. Plus, she cost us a lot of cell phones ready to be shipped off. I fired her."

Mr. Kinomoto instantly paled, and slammed his fist onto the table. "NANI?" he roared. "Did you just say you FIRED her? You FIRED her?"

"Hai. I'm not risking any more accidents," said Touya fiercely. "Plus, Sakura could have DIED."

"Well - do you know where she lives?" demanded Korin. Touya shook his head.

"Why?" he asked. "Do you need her to do a favour or something? She already left the company, and I told her that I never wanted to see her again."

Damn, thought Korin, DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN. "Stay here," advised Korin. "Mr. Kinomoto and I are going to go for a drive. If Nadeshiko happens to come back, please phone us."

"What's so important about her?" asked Touya urgently. "What do you want with her?"

"It's very important," said Korin firmly. "Remember, if she happens to come back, give us a call."

Then, Korin and Mr. Kinomoto left, Touya still confused.


As Korin drove, he flipped open his cell phone and phoned Syaoran.

"Moshi moshi? Syaoran speaking."

"Li Syaoran," said Korin in a desperate voice. "Do you know where Kinomoto Nadeshiko happens to live?"

"Oh yeah - she lives at her friend Tomoyo's house."

"Can you tell me how to get there?"

Syaoran gave him the directions, and Korin sped away.


"NANI?" yelled Tomoyo.

"I got fired from my job."

"But why? Why would anyone fire you? You're so hardworking and honest, it's really hard to find an employee with your skills!"

"That's not the reason. I injured my boss's granddaughter and also ruined a ton of cell phones that were supposed to be shipped to France. I'm lucky they didn't charge me for the cell phones." Tomoyo winced.

"Ouch. That IS bad. How did you injure your boss's granddaughter?"

"I pushed a large pile of boxes onto her by accident."

Tomoyo winced. "Damn. That IS bad." Then she patted her friend's back. "Don't worry, I'll help you find a new job, no matter what it takes." Nadeshiko smiled sadly.

"Forget it."

"Listen, Nadeshiko-chan," said Tomoyo gently, "I know that working at Kinomoto Inc. was your dream (A/N: Chapter 3: Li Syaoran), but that doesn't mean everything's collapsed around you. You might even find a job that will pay you better and get you away from that awful Manami girl."

"Tomoyo-chan, I'M awful. Manami's just awfully injured."

"I don't care," said Tomoyo fiercely. "Somehow I don't think this Manami girl is a good person."

"That doesn't matter now," Nadeshiko replied tiredly, "I still need to find a new job."

"That's the spirit!" Tomoyo tried to sound cheerful. She took out a phonebook. "Well, let's start."

"Iie...I...I want to take a walk." Nadeshiko got her bag, and slowly made her way towards the front door. "Call me if I'm out too late. I might not keep track of time passing."

"Nadeshiko..." pleaded Tomoyo. "Don't be like this. I'm telling you, it's not the end of the world."

"You've got it the wrong way, Tomoyo, I just want some fresh air." Trying not to cry, Nadeshiko left.

Tomoyo watched Nadeshiko go. Then, she picked up the phone and called Syaoran twice. The first time, the line was busy, and then she got through the second time.

"Moshi moshi, Li Syaoran speaking."

"This is Tomoyo," she said, speaking hurriedly. "Nadeshiko-chan just got fired from her job."

"NANI?" yelled Syaoran. "You're not kidding?"

"She's really upset," Tomoyo said fearfully, "And she seems to feel really bad for injuring her boss's granddaughter."

"You mean she injured Kinomoto Sakura? How?"

"Apparently she pushed a pile of boxes onto her, and those boxes contained many cell phones ready to be shipped to France."

"That's ridiculous - Nadeshiko wouldn't do that!"

"It was an accident."

"Well where is she now?"

"She's taking a walk. She just left."

"Alright, she couldn't have gone far, I'll find her," replied Syaoran hurriedly, and hung up. Aside from worrying about Nadeshiko, another thought was circling his head: Why were Mr. Kinomoto and Korin looking for Nadeshiko if she was already fired?


"Faster, Korin!" commanded Mr. Kinomoto. "We have to hurry!"

"I'm driving as fast as I can!" replied Korin. He ran a hand through his black hair, his brown eyes focused intensely on the road before him. "And...I think this is it!"

He pulled into the driveway with a screech, and helped Mr. Kinomoto out of the car. Then, he ran up to the front door and banged his fist against it repeatedly. "Hey! HEY! IS ANYBODY IN THERE! I'M LOOKING FOR SOMEONE! HEY! THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!" Then, just as he was about to kick the door open, a girl yanked the door open, looking cross. She had long, dark hair that fell to her waist, as well as dark, beautiful eyes, that were looking quite angry at the moment.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Tomoyo said crossly. "You don't have to bang so loudly. My okaa-san's taking a nap."

"Does Kinomoto Nadeshiko - Sakura - Nadeshiko - Sakura - Nadeshiko live here?" Mr. Kinomoto blurted out.

"Yes," answered Tomoyo, "But she's not home at the moment."

"NANI?" bellowed both Mr. Kinomoto and Korin. "Then where can we find her?" Tomoyo shrugged.

"I have no idea, she went out for a walk." Before she had even finished her sentence, however, Korin and Mr. Kinomoto had already driven away.

"Quickly, Korin, quickly!" ordered Mr. Kinomoto, frantic. "We have to find Sakura! Drive around the city, look and tell me if you see her!"

"I'm trying to keep within the speed limits but drive fast at the same time, Mr. Kinomoto-sama!" replied Korin, trying not to sound frustrated. "It's quite hard, you know!"

"I can't stand to have Touya thinking that little imposter is Sakura! We have to find the real one!" Mr. Kinomoto began wringing his hands together. "I don't care how much over the speed limit you go, or how much we'll have to pay for going over the speed limit, but we have GOT to find Nadeshiko!"

"Hai, Mr. Kinomoto-sama!"

It was at this point that everything began to go horribly wrong. Since Korin and Mr. Kinomoto did not know where Sakura aka Nadeshiko was, they should have gone to the police and let them do a broadcast. However, Mr. Kinomoto was in a hurry, and he was desperate to meet his real granddaughter.

Because Korin was driving so fast, most of the road signs scattered along the side of the streets passed by in a blur, and when he turned, he failed to notice a sign that read: DEAD END UP AHEAD. And so, not having seen this sign, Korin wheeled the car into the street, and did not see the wall at the end of the street, and because Korin's speed was about 150 miles/hour, he could not step on the brakes in time, and crashed straight into it.

The last thing Mr. Kinomoto ever saw was a blur of gray. The last thing he ever heard was Korin's frantic yell, "IIIIIIIIIEEE! DEAD END! DEAD END! MR. KINOMOTO-SAMA, DUCK DOWN! DUCK DOWN! WE'VE REACHED A DEAD END! I - CAN'T - " The last thing he ever smelled was the smell of the car he was sitting in. The last thing he ever felt was the impact of the crash, being thrown forward violently and his whole body hurled at the windshield. And the last thing he ever tasted?

...His own blood.


At the same time the crash happened, Nadeshiko felt a searing pain go through her head. She clutched at her hair, her brain spinning, and she felt her legs grow weak.

Wha...

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony. Occasionally, after the crash, her head would undergo massive amounts of pain sometimes and headaches, but none as severe as this. She heard people whispering and saw people pointing at her. She cried out in pain.

Then, images began to flash through her brain. A man...with auburn hair of a hue exactly like hers, with kind eyes, and glasses...a teenager, with dark hair ...a glass slipper...dumplings...a little boy...that was the fuzziest image of all. Then she saw scenes...a ten-year-old replica of herself shouting something on a stage...hugging the dark-haired teenager...shouting at a gang of other teenagers...biting one of them...the dark-haired teenager giving her the ring she had on her finger...the dark-haired teenager holding her hand, sprinkling ashes...him and her at the subway...him running away, and her chasing after him, then after...black. (A/N: Consult the prologue and first chapter to know what I'm talking about)

"Nadeshiko...NADESHIKO!" someone yelled.

Nadeshiko's eyes snapped open. Then, she sat up straight and screamed.

"Nadeshiko! Nadeshiko!" Syaoran shook her shoulders. "It's me - Syaoran - calm down - stop screaming!"

Nadeshiko's large green eyes were fearful. "I see images," she whispered. "I saw...people I didn't know...I saw...I saw..." Syaoran enveloped her in a hug.

"Shh," he told her quietly. "It's okay now. I'm here."

But I saw...thought Nadeshiko, I saw...I think I saw...my...past. My real past. She clutched her head again. It still ached, and she felt dizzy and weak. "I...I can't...get up..."

"No?"

Nadeshiko shook her head. Syaoran sighed. "Well, I guess we have to improvise." He then picked her up, bridal style, and elbowed his way through the crowd that had gathered around her, put her in his car, and drove away.


When Syaoran arrived at the hospital, as soon as the paramedics took Nadeshiko away, Korin's son, Keitaro(chapter 2) hurried up to him. "Li Syaoran?" he said breathlessly.

"Hai, that's me," replied Syaoran. Keitaro seemed extremely worried.

"Mr. Kinomoto and my father were in a crash," said Keitaro, his voice heavy. "Mr. Kinomoto...didn't make it. He was already old and had high blood pressure, so he died instantly. However, it was a miracle that my father did not die. He is still breathing, but in critical condition. He wants to speak to you."

"To me?" Syaoran said in disbelief. Keitaro nodded furiously.

"Hurry!" he shouted. "Obviously my father has important business to tell you, and he said that Mr. Kinomoto trusted you the most, so you'd better come right now!" He dragged Syaoran through the hospital, Syaoran flapping along at his side, until they reached Korin's room.

"Go in."

Syaoran entered hesitantly, and was horrified at what he saw. Korin's entire body was covered in bandages, which still had some blood seeping through it. Doctors parted to allow him access, as Korin had insistently said he needed to talk to Syaoran.

"Korin-sama?" Syaoran whispered.

"Li-san!" Korin rasped hoarsely. "You're...here."

"Hai, I'm here," replied Syaoran. "Are you alright?" Korin shook his head with great difficulty.

"Come here," he wheezed. "Quickly." Syaoran shuffled closer to him.

"Hai?"

"Listen...carefully...look...in my jacket...pocket..." Syaoran did so, only finding a slip of paper with a number on it. "Call...this...number..."

"Who do I ask for?"

"Ask for someone named...Harada...and tell him...you need information...about Kinomoto...Sakura..."

"O...Okay..."

With the last of his strength, Korin grasped Syaoran's hand. "Do...not...forget...to...ask...for...Kinomoto Sakura..."

"I won't," Syaoran promised. "I will make sure to carry out your last wishes, Korin-sama. You can rest in peace now."

"Yes...in...peace..." Korin leaned back to close his eyes, feeling sleepy. But, just as Syaoran put the piece of paper inside the pocket of his blazer, Korin suddenly opened his eyes and jerked up. "NADESHIKO IS THE REAL KINOMOTO SAKURA!" he screamed. "NADESHIKO IS SAKURA! NADESHIKO IS SAKURA! NADESHIKO - " The 56-year-old man froze. He gave a violent shudder, and then suddenly dropped backward onto his pillow, lifeless.

"OTOU-SAN!" shouted Keitaro, bursting into the room. The doctors and nurses held him back, however, and Syaoran was rooted to the spot, shocked at what he had just witnessed. Korin-sama...just...died.

A nurse pulled a white sheet over Korin's head, and along with other medical persons, she wheeled him out of the hospital room, Keitaro sobbing behind them.


A week later, after Korin and Mr. Kinomoto's funerals had been held, Syaoran took out the piece of paper with the number written on it.

"Call...this...number..."

"Who do I ask for?"

"Ask for someone named...Harada...and tell him...you need information...about Kinomoto...Sakura..."

"O...Okay..."

With the last of his strength, Korin grasped Syaoran's hand. "Do...not...forget...to...ask...for...Kinomoto Sakura..."

And what about what he had yelled before?

NADESHIKO IS THE REAL KINOMOTO SAKURA! NADESHIKO IS SAKURA! NADESHIKO IS SAKURA!

Syaoran fingered the small piece of paper. What has any of this have to do with Nadeshiko? he wondered. He looked at the number. Then, he flipped open his cell phone and began to dial.

Guess this call is going to explain everything.

"Moshi moshi, The Orchid Hotel, how may I help you?"

"I'm looking for one of your - ah - customers, he goes by the name of Harada?"

"One moment please."

After about five minutes, a raspy and hoarse voice filled the receiver. "Moshi moshi, this is Harada speaking."

"Harada-sama? My name is Li Syaoran. A certain man named Korin told me to call this number and ask for information about Kinomoto Sakura."


Another cliffhanger! Hopefully, next time I will update sooner. Was this chapter long enough? REVIEW and tell me! Ja! Until next time!