Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or its characters.
A/N: Time to get started on chapter 1 of this story. Wish me luck…
Shards of Time – Past by RZX
Chapter 1: Beginnings
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Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
The slow and steady beat of water dripped from the stalactites.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind blew from an opening in the roof of the cave. The water came down faster. It wetted the golden-brown hair of a girl standing underneath.
Where am I? the girl thought.
She was standing in a tunnel…or was it a cave? The only source of light was at the end of the tunnel. She slowly walked toward it. She gasped. The tunnel suddenly opened into a vast chamber of granite and hard rock. Numerous stalactites came down from the roof. A hole in the ceiling allowed sunlight and air to pour in. The single ray of light shined on a wide chasm that split the chamber in half.
The emptiness and darkness of it bothered her. But she was somehow pulled toward it by some unseen force. She walked to the edge of the abyss and stared down into its depths. It looked like it went on forever. She took a step back but was stopped as she bumped into something…or someone.
A young man stood near the edge of the chasm. He faced the abyss so that she could only see his back. His dark brown hair moved gently in the breeze. He was wearing a dark green vest on top of a white undershirt.
"Excuse me…could you tell me where we are?" she asked.
Silence.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" She took a step closer to him.
"I said I was wondering where we are. This place looks kind of creepy. And what's with that big crack in the ground?"
Another gentle breeze rustled a few strands of the young man's hair.
"Helloooooo?" She put her hand on his shoulder.
She gasped and pulled back.
"Kami-sama! Is that blood on your shirt!"
All of a sudden she noticed the long red stains that reached from his vest down to his white pants.
"Are you hurt? Here let me help you." She reached for him.
But without warning he leaned forward… and slowly fell into the darkness.
"SYAORAN!"
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Sakura Kinomoto woke up with a start. (A/N: Did you guys think that was real? Hehe…)
Her normally smooth and soft auburn hair was now soaked with sweat. Her emerald eyes showed fear and confusion.
What was that all about?
She got off her bed and tried to remember what her dream was about. She remembered a cave, darkness, a large abyss, and that boy…what was his name? She remembered calling out his name, but now it was like she had never even said it.
Sakura shook her head and tried to put it out of her mind. She looked around her room and at her belongings. The room itself was colored pink that matched the cherry blossom decoration of her bed. A drawer sat in the corner of her room. On it were various items that ranged from her stuffed animals to her diary. Her wardrobe was packed with all the clothing that came with being the governor's younger sixteen year old sister. She felt she was often spoiled because her onii-chan was the governor. But those were the highlights of living in the Imperial Palace.
The screen door of her room unexpectedly slid opened and revealed a girl about her own age. The girl's long raven-like hair and amethyst eyes shone clearly in the light from Sakura's bedroom window. She was dressed neatly in a white kimono.
"Ohayo Sakura-chan!" the girl greeted.
"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!" replied Sakura.
Tomoyo noticed Sakura's disheveled looks.
"Sakura? Are you okay? You look a bit pale." Tomoyo frowned with concern.
"Yes I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. That's all."
"Okay." Tomoyo's eyes still showed worry for her.
"By the way, Touya wants you down for breakfast soon. So you don't want to be late." Tomoyo smiled. "Remember the last time you came in late?"
Sakura sweat dropped. "Hai…"
"Well let's get you dressed up!" Tomoyo said cheerfully.
As Tomoyo was picking out which outfit for Sakura to wear, Sakura remembered the first time she met Tomoyo.
-&-&-&-&-&- Begin Flashback -&-&-&-&-&-&-
It was raining outside. A six year old Sakura was standing near her bedroom window looking over the palace courtyard. She sighed as she stared at the endless downpour. From her window she could see almost all of Tomoeda. The clouds seemed to swallow up the sky as it covered the entire city in gray. There would be no playing outside in the courtyard for Sakura today. Her father had strictly said she could not go and play out in the rain.
She was about to go and find out what her brother was doing when she noticed a small girl standing next to the palace entrance. The girl was just standing there holding a small doll in her hands. Sakura grew curious and decided to find out what that girl was doing. She knew she was disobeying her father's orders, but she felt that she had to go for some reason.
She ran across the courtyard, sneaked past the palace guards, and toward the giant oak doors of the main entrance. She opened the door slightly and peeked through.
There was the girl that Sakura saw earlier. Now that Sakura could see her up close, she noticed that the girl was crying; her doll and clothes soaked. Her tears mingled with the rain as it washed down her cheeks.
"Hello. Why are you crying?" Sakura asked.
The girl turned around startled by the sudden surprise. "Oh! It's nothing, I'm fine. Arigatou." The girl hastily wiped her tears.
"My papa always said that if you feel sad, you should talk to someone." Sakura stepped out from behind the door and walked up to the girl.
With this comment, another fresh burst of tears came from the black-haired girl. Sakura patted the back of the girl just like Touya did when Sakura was sad. "It's okay. Everything will be alright."
The two of them sat down on the stone steps. The girl sniffed and began to tell her story.
"My family has always been strong. My mother would take care of me and read me bedtime stories. My father would come home with a smile on his face and give me a hug. But after my mother died…." There was a long silence for a while as the girl shed more tears.
"My father tried really hard to take care of us when mama died. But he wasn't the same. He kept going to that place to drink… and he wouldn't come home till late at night. He always yells when he comes home now… Then today, my papa brought me here, and said that the people inside the palace would take better care of me then he could and now's he's gone… My papa's gone! He left me!" More tears came down as the girl sobbed uncontrollably.
Sakura didn't know exactly what to do, so she decided to just give the sad girl a hug. Seconds seemed like hours as they two girls sat there. The rain slowly stopped, and the sun peeked through from behind the clouds. The girls were shivering now, but not because of sadness, but because of being entirely drenched. (A/N: I'm surprised they haven't died of hypothermia or something yet.)
"You can come inside the palace! I'm sure my father and brother will take care of you. My brother can be a big meanie sometimes, but he's actually really sweet."
The lilac eyes of the girl opened and a small smile lit up upon her face. "Arigatou… for listening…"
"By the way, my name's Sakura Kinomoto. What's your name?"
"My…my name's Tomoyo Daidouji."
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After being yelled at by Touya and her father, for being in the rain and leaving the palace grounds, and more yelling by Touya, they had finally calmed down enough to listen to Tomoyo's story. In the end, her father decided to let Tomoyo live in the palace as Sakura's personal attendant. But Sakura never thought of Tomoyo that way…
"Helloooo…Earth to Sakura!" Tomoyo waved a hand in front Sakura.
"Oh! Gomen…I was just thinking…" Sakura smiled warmly and stared at the mirror. She was now dressed in a flowing pink kimono adorned with cherry blossoms. Her hair that normally went down to her shoulders was now tied up into a bun with a needle through it.
"Come over to the window; let's see how you look in the sunlight!" Sakura stepped over to the window and looked out upon Tomoeda.
"Ohohoho! You look SO kawaii!" Sakura turned a slight shade of pink and pretended to look at a man standing next to the palace wall.
"What are you looking at Sakura?"
"Oh nothing…"
"Oooooh…is it that cute man with glasses in that blue jacket?" Tomoyo teased.
Sakura hastily took off her view off the window. "No it's not!"
"Heehee…" Tomoyo looked more carefully at the blue-haired man standing just outside the wall. He was looking at wall very closely. His hair was blowing gently in the breeze. Wow…he is cute.
The man suddenly turned his gaze from the wall and looked straight at Tomoyo with a smile on his face. Tomoyo yelped and ducked under the window.
"Tomoyo? What's wrong?" Sakura looked at Tomoyo oddly.
"Uh…it was noth-"
"HOOOOOOOEEEE! I'm late for breakfast! Touya's gonna kill me!" Sakura ran full speed toward the door and down the stairs.
Tomoyo sighed. She slowly stood up and sneaked one last glance through the window before heading downstairs herself. The man was gone…
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Breakfast at the Imperial Palace was always a big ordeal. The servants would come running in and out of the kitchens delivering all sorts of scrumptious foods. The smells and aroma of the morning meal would cause any mouth to water. Breakfast would also be the time for the governor to receive the news on the daily activities of his city. Today was no different.
"You're late…kaijuu."
A vein popped on Sakura's head, "I'm NOT a kaijuu!"
Sakura sat down in a chair at the end of a long rectangular table. At the other side of the table was the governor of Tomoeda. He was dressed simply in a black robe with a red cape hung loosely around his shoulders. His eyes flashed amusement beneath dark brown hair.
"I think I'll have to tell your tutor to give you more assignments as a punishment."
"Please…please, don't Touya!" Sakura begged, "Pleeeeaaassse!" Sakura decided to give him the puppy dog look.
Touya turned away and smirked, "Hmph…alright…I'll let it go this time."
Sakura gave Touya her biggest smile, "Arigatou onii-chan!"
With those words, the servants arrived and filled the table to the brink with all sorts of mouth-watering dishes. On the table there was steamed rice, miso soup, dried seaweed, rolled omelets, grilled fish, soybeans, pickles, and sashimi that was accompanied with green tea. (A/N: Your author was hungry when writing this.)
"Itadakimasu!"
Sakura dug in hungrily, she got a little bit of everything. Touya ate slowly while waiting for the courier to deliver the morning news.
"Hmm…the courier is running late today…"
Sakura suddenly stopped eating and stared at her food.
"What's wrong Sakura?" Touya asked with a frown.
Sakura put down her chopsticks, "…the flower festival is going to be held in town tomorrow. There's going to be people showcasing flowers from around the world. There are already decorations being set up around town. There's even going to be people from other countries. Everyone's going to be there……I was wondering if I coul-"
Touya shook his head, "No Sakura. You know your place is here."
"But Touya…I'd be really safe…and Tomoyo could come with me. I wouldn't go anywhere else but the festival."
Touya stood up and walked over to the large windows overlooking the gardens. "Sakura…you don't know what the world is like outside those walls. The world is a cruel place. It is full of thieves, murderers, and people who would like nothing more than to hur-"
"Your highness, this just arrived." The courier handed Touya a small piece of parchment.
"Arigatou." Touya replied. The courier bowed and left. Touya read the words on the paper.
I'm coming for the book soon... You've been warned governor.
- Little Wolf
Touya crumpled the paper in his hand.
"What is it?" Sakura asked.
"This…" Touya indicated the paper, "is the exact thing I've been talking about. It's another threat by a thief apparently. Can't you see Sakura? It's thieves like this baka that are out there."
"But Touya…I'd take really good of myself. You know I can. And if Tomoyo and even a palace guard came, then there'd be nothing to worry about." Tears began to form on her eyes, "I promise I'll come back safe, I promise…"
"I said no Sakura. I forbid you to go to the festival."
"You never let me go anywhere…" Sakura said quietly, her bangs covering her eyes. "I always have to stay inside this palace."
"You have to understand Sakura. I'm only doing this to protect you. The thieves know you're my sister, they know they could use you to get the Clow Book."
"No Touya…"
"Listen Sakura, it's what our father would have wanted. Don't you remember what father-"
"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT FATHER!"
Tears splashed down Sakura's face as she ran out of the dining room. She rushed past a bewildered Tomoyo as she made her way toward the palace courtyard.
Tomoyo slid the screen door of the dining open slightly to see what happened. Touya was standing next to the large windows of the grand dining room, his back facing Tomoyo. Sunlight streamed through the windows and played sad shadows across the room.
"I wish you were here father." Touya said, "I don't know what to do. Sakura's growing up. She's no longer that small child we once had. She's turning into a young woman. I don't think I'll be able to watch her like I use to."
Silence filled the room for a while.
"Father…don't worry…I'll protect Sakura…I'll keep my promise."
Touya exited out through another screen door. Tomoyo slowly closed the door she was standing next to and left.
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The sun was setting now. Sakura had spent most of her time in the courtyard admiring the cherry blossom trees that grew along the palace walls. Her favorite one was the smallest one. It stood all by itself in a corner. Even though it was the smallest and loneliest one, it had the brightest pink blossoms out of all the trees. Underneath it was a small stone statue of a wolf and a marble bench.
Sakura went over and sat down on it. She took off her sandals and dipped her feet in the small pond next to the bench.
I wonder what it's like on the other side of those walls. I wonder what it's like to see the sunset from the outside, instead of inside this….cage.
Sakura didn't mind the palace life. But a small piece of her heart always wanted to explore the world and see new things.
A full moon came out from behind the clouds. Nighttime had fallen once again for the people of Tomoeda. Sakura decided to go back inside. It was time to go to bed and wait for whatever tomorrow might bring…
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At a local bar of Tomoeda, two men sat on chairs besides a diminishing fire. One had azure colored hair, while the other had a messy brown. A map was unfurled on a table.
"Okay…we have our men positioned here…here….here…and here." One of the men pointed to various places on the map. "They'll be able to cover your escape once you have the book."
The other man stared at the map for a while. "Alright…let's move out."
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Finally finished chapter one! So many unanswered questions like...What's with Sakura's dream? What's up with Tomoyo's past? Will Sakura ever get to leave the palace grounds? What was Touya's promise to his father? And who in the world are those two guys and what are they planning? (Seriously….I have no clue). -wink-
Stay tuned for Chapter 2!
Japanese Translations:
Ohayo - Good Morning
Kami-sama - God
Hai - Yes
Arigatou - Thank You
Gomen - Sorry
Kawaii - Cute/Pretty
Onii-chan - Big Brother
Kaijuu - Monster
Miso Soup - Soup that usually has tofu, green onion, seaweed and mushrooms in it
Sashimi - Raw Fish
Itadakimasu - Something japanese people usually say before eating.
Baka – Idiot/Fool
(Note: My Japanese sucks...so I could be wrong with some of the words)