Disclaimer: Is it really necessary for me to always write this out? All normal disclaimers apply.
Hey… it's AnimeObsession260 again. x Hehehe… um… I'm too lazy to come up with an excuse this time for my late update, but… summer is coming! Hehehe…. I hope I'll be able to write more when there's no school.
So… so far in Ice Queen, Sakura's already seen Syaoran again and vice versa… since I didn't want the chapters to lag on, I'm going to skip straight to the action! This chapter is a bit happier than the last one… I felt that Sakura needed a break from all the doom and gloom in her life. D Hope you like it!
Ice Queen
Chapter Thirty-One
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Numbly, Sakura walked over towards her door, opening it quietly and slipping into the dark halls of the mansion.
Her bare feet padded softly on the cold, marble floor, but she paid no attention to it, already too used to icy feelings to notice. She went down the stairs, her body mechanically taking her towards her destination. Relying on her instincts and memory instead of her vision to guide her to the front door, Sakura didn't let the pitch black eeriness of her house bother her, but concentrated on merely moving forward. Her slender, white fingers clasped around the smooth, metal knob of the door, and she quickly pushed it open.
Eyeing the sleeping security guards warily, she strode calmly out onto the cement path. The sleeping pills she had put into their drinks had begun to take effect, and upon reaching the gate, Sakura nodded to herself, seeing that the guards at the entrance were fast asleep as well.
She clicked the metal gate softly open and stole into the night before breaking into a fast run, disappearing into the dimly lit streets.
"Free…" Sakura whispered to herself, as she stopped to rest at a late-night coffee shop. The weight of being the Ice Queen… the mistress of a large estate… began slipping away, off her shoulders. "I need to be Kinomoto Sakura… just once. Just for one moment…"
"Tsukishiro-sama!"
Yukito sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Hm… what is it? Did I oversleep… that's right! I have to go check on Sakura to see if she's ok for tonight." He got up and stretched, waving a hand at the maid who was currently panting heavily, she had evidently run for quite a distance… or at least very quickly.
"It's not that late… you can take a break Yoshida-san. There was no need for such a rush." He smiled at her, but the upward turn of his lips immediately dipped down into a worried frown as the woman didn't leave. "What is it?"
"It… It's Kinomoto… sama… she… isn't in… her room…" the maid fought to catch her breath. "She's gone!"
Instantly awake, the young master of the Kinomoto Estate paced swiftly out into the hall, ordering his servants to search for Sakura immediately. First in the house… then all the gardens… and to send as many people into the city as possible. "She must be found immediately! Tell me, Yoshida-san, did she take any money with her… or any belongings or anything?"
"No, sir… It's impossible to be sure… but she even left her shoes here! The guards outside… all of them had fallen asleep! None of them remember a thing."
Rubbing his eyes for a moment, Yukito tried to think. "She might be in the Sakura garden… be sure to check that place very carefully. Replace the guards at the front entrance for now, and ask them if they can recall anything later. I'm going out into the city."
"Sir!" the woman bowed and hurried off to carry out her master's orders.
"Sakura… did you have to pick today of all days to go out on vacation?" turning on his heel, the snow bunny grabbed only a coat before leaving the building in his limousine. "Dang it…"
Sakura blinked a few times, her vision slowly focusing. She looked directly ahead of her… and all that was there was a white ceiling of a building she wasn't so sure she had been to before.
"W-Where…?"
"You're in my house, dear."
Sakura's head turned in the direction of the voice and her emerald eyes fell onto an elderly woman who was smiling kindly at her. Trying to rack her brain for memories of what happened the night before, she came up blank as to what happened after the coffee shop.
"How did I…"
"You had passed out… You weren't drinking, so I figured it must have been from sheer exhaustion… or perhaps emotional trauma… you were crying in your sleep dear… I hope you are feeling better now. I brought you here after I found you unconscious at your table, since it looked as if you had nowhere else to go for the time being. I'm the owner of the coffee shop you were at. My name is Yamagoto Okina, nice to meet you." The woman got off the chair she had been sitting on and went to get a glass of water.
Sakura's eyes followed the small woman. She was fairly old… but still looked rather pretty. Her gray hair was up in a bun, and she wore an old-fashioned purple kimono tied with a light yellow obi.
Smiling, Sakura sat up in bed. "Thank you… Yamagoto-san… I'm Kino… I'm Sakura. Thank you very much for helping me out."
"No problem dear." Okina returned with a glass of water and a plate with a slice of toast and some egg on it. "Call me Okina, please. I'm sorry that it's not much, but it's a healthy breakfast!"
Thanking the old woman again, Sakura took the food and began eating. "You know…" she spoke suddenly, and Okina perked up, leaning forward to hear what she had to say. "I don't know why… but I'm very happy that I was able to spend the night here… I may not remember anything… but for some reason, I feel very calm and reassured. Normally, I'm the type of person who distrusts others… prefers solitude… yet here I am, willingly accepting your help… I really don't know how I could ever repay you, Okina-san. Words wouldn't do the emotions I'm feeling justice."
"I'm glad that you feel that way. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need. I know that this is odd, me offering you something like this, but the truth is, only me and my husband live here… and we run this little store by ourselves… it gets quite lonely. And it appears as if you need a place to stay."
As if on impulse, Sakura's body moved forward… all on its own, her mind screaming in protest, but she did it. She hugged the old woman, giving her a tiny squeeze before returning to her original position on the bed.
"Thank you. But I'm not really homeless… I just needed a way to escape for last night… I'll be returning tonight. There's an event I can't miss… but if it's all right with you, please… may I stay here until after lunch?" Sakura bit her lip, waiting for a response. She let out a sigh of relief when Okina nodded, but paused as she began wonder exactly how long ago it had been since she had been so loose and relaxed.
Even with Syaoran, she had always kept her guard up… probably because she still needed to play her role as the Ice Queen… and with Yukito as well… since she was the heiress to a large estate. But now…
"Come along then, let's find you some clothes… though that silk dress looks lovely on you, it is still your nightwear…"
… now she could just be herself.
Sakura found herself sitting at the cashier of the shop she had been in the night before. She was now wearing a light pink kimono Okina had worn when she was younger, and she had been able to meet Okino, the aged woman's husband.
There were quite a few customers, although it was a weekend, and after seeing how expensive some of the things those customers carried with them, Sakura suspected that they had come from out of the area… to attend her "celebration." With that train of thought, Sakura began feeling a bit guilty, imagining exactly how worried Yukito must be. But as men in suits rushed forward to get their coffee, she wasn't given much time to think, and instead was trying to take orders as fast she could.
As time began to wear on, however, the number of people in the shop began to diminish, since the need for caffeine was mostly early in the day, while no one really felt like drinking something quite so hot in the afternoon.
Taking an order for a chocolate cake, Sakura went into the back room to grab a small plate and returned with the pretty, young girl's dessert. Going over to the small table the woman was sitting at, she tried to take a good look at her face, but was unable to, since the latter was wearing a hat.
"Here's your order, ma'am…" she stared at the customer, until she spoke.
"Well, thank you… but I wouldn't have expected to find you here, Sakura-chan."
"Tomoyo-chan!" her eyes widened. "What are you-"
Amethyst eyes greeted her happily, as her best friend dove into her arms, successfully choking the air from her lungs. "I should ask you the same thing! Sakura-chan you… what… air…? Oh!"
She let go, and Sakura began breathing again. Almost immediately though, a barrier went up. "Why are you here, Tomoyo?"
Sensing the sudden change in her auburn-haired friend, Tomoyo crossed her arms. "Don't you take that tone with me, Sakura-chan. I came for coffee. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your ball tonight? But this is good timing! I found you… Yukito must be worried sick… and I was just on my way there, anyway."
"On your way there?" Sakura felt a shiver go down her spine. "For what reason?"
"To deliver your super KAWAII dress, of course!"
Feeling a sweatdrop grow on the back of her head, Sakura quickly caught herself and speedily began erasing all visible emotions on her face… she just didn't have the heart to put a complete end to the good feelings she had inside.
"Is this your friend, Sakura-chan?" Okina came over, giving a small bow to Tomoyo. "What a lovely young lady."
Tomoyo blushed and bowed back, "I'm sorry… My name is Daidouji Tomoyo, I'm Sakura-chan's friend…"
"Okina-san." Tomoyo stopped talking as Sakura turned towards the owner of the coffee shop. "It's time for me to leave, but I'd be honored if you'd be able to come to my party later on tonight… it begins at six, but you can come whenever you'd like… it's the least I can do to repay you for all you've done for me."
"Of course, dear. Now you better run along, I'm sure some people are wondering where you are." Okina waved goodbye as Sakura left with Tomoyo.
Sitting in Tomoyo's limousine, Sakura sighed, "Well… it was a nice vacation… but now I have to go back there. Yukito will probably be furious."
"He won't have time to. The ball is going to start soon. It's a good thing I found you, we've got just enough time to get you ready," Tomoyo smiled, a wicked gleam forming in her eyes. "Oh yes… You have to be perfect for tonight's little event…"
Sakura gulped.
To be Continued…
That's it for now… I'm sorry it's so short. . But I've already got the idea for the next chapter all worked out, so updates should come faster this time.
And… don't forget to REVIEW!
kawaii – cute… (not that I think you guys didn't know that already…)