Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Night's Heart ❯ The Arrival of Syaoran ( Chapter 1 )

ForeverDestiny: Welcome to Chapter 1! Aren't you excited? No? Well you should be! I would like to apologize for the `mutant bird' part of the last chapter. Um, I was a bit tired when I typed that and I just wanted to get to the part when she learned about Syaoran so I just typed fast. I realize it was a bit rushed and I am very mad at myself. I'll give ya a quick description of them (hope you've seen digimon): They're orange and look kind of like a mix of Birdramon and that digimon that (in season 1) guarded Myotismon's castle and (in season 2) Ken flew on a lot as the digimon emperor, those big black guys. Quick, eh? So, now that I've got that out of the way, disclaimer time! I don't own CCS, although I would like to. It belongs to CLAMP. * sigh * On with Chapter 1!

Night's Heart

Chapter 1

The Arrival of Syaoran

Syaoran sighed. He had been riding in this carriage for a day and it wasn't like it got more comfortable the more you rode. Across from him, Eriol, or as Syaoran called him, `the Devil', slept peacefully. Syaoran shook his head. How anything that evil could look so serene while sleeping was beyond him. How anyone could sleep in this thing was unimaginable. He was looking forward to getting to the Kinomoto castle just for a nap.

His mother had told him the reason he was coming. He was to marry the princess of this kingdom. If he were lucky, she wouldn't be like the princesses of other kingdoms. The only princesses he knew, his own sisters included, were ditzy, flirty, flashy, and dumb as a post. He cringed, knowing that was probably what awaited him in a few hours. He was going to meet this `Kinomoto' today and he was not looking forward to it.

Eriol, of course, knew none of this. Syaoran would never hear the end of it, if he did. All Eriol knew was that they were headed for the Kinomoto kingdom. Syaoran would make sure Eriol didn't know until absolutely necessary i.e. when they met with the princess and king. He might as well get used to the idea, it wasn't like there was a way to get out of this marriage deal. He was stuck.

Syaoran leaned his head against the wall of the carriage. He had tired himself out. He closed his eyes and, much to his disbelief later, fell asleep, sleeping the rest of the way to the castle.

~***~

"Aw, come on, Sakura! It isn't that bad!"

"I guess you're right, Tomoyo. He can't be all bad."

"That's the spirit! Now, why don't we go for a walk in the garden to calm your nerves, ne? We can come back later and get you ready to meet this Li Syaoran but for now, let's just take a break." Tomoyo smiled at her best friend. Sakura smiled back, a little uneasily. It was unlike Tomoyo to suggest not taking all time possible getting Sakura ready for something. Still, it sounded like a good idea and Sakura always did like the gardens. So she nodded. Tomoyo smiled.

"Good choice. Are you ready?" Tomoyo eyed her outfit. Sakura was wearing a pale pink sundress. Not really what a princess should be wearing out and about the castle.

"Are you ready?" Sakura countered. Tomoyo was wearing a lavender sundress. Tomoyo blushed, not expecting that. She sighed.

"All right, you win. Let's go!" She smiled as her and Sakura headed for the gardens.

~***~

"Sir? Sir? We're here, sir."

Syaoran shook his head, losing the last traces of fatigue. He nodded to the carriage driver and looked across to Eriol. Eriol grinned back at him.

"Sleepy still, my cute little cousin?" Syaoran shot him a glare. (FD: If ya didn't figure it out, they're cousins, not ancestor and descendent)

"Shut up, Eriol," he growled. Eriol just laughed.

The carriage door opened and Prince Syaoran and Lord Eriol descended into the castle. Eriol shot Syaoran a questioning glance but Syaoran shrugged it off. A servant was waiting for them by a set of double doors. He smiled at them and bowed.

"Hello, sirs. You're earlier than we expected. You're not expected in the throne room until mid-afternoon and it's still fairly early in the day. I would suggest resting in your rooms until your summoned to the throne room. I could take you there if you want."

Syaoran was about to accept the man's offer but Eriol shook his head.

"No, I think we might look for our rooms ourselves. It will let us get a little look around the castle. What part of the castle are our rooms in?"

"They're on the third floor, overlooking the forest, as you requested, sirs. Have a good time looking. If you need any help, just ask one of the servants or maids." He bowed and walked away. Syaoran grumbled.

"At least we're overlooking the forest." Eriol looked at him, confused.

"Why are we overlooking the forest?" Syaoran glared at Eriol and pointed at his neck. Eriol smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh yeah! Sorry." Syaoran just shook his head and walked down the corridors.

They walked for a while, staying mainly on the first floor as they couldn't find any stairs. They tried asking a servant but he gave them a dirty look and kept walking. They were confused until they realized that they were still wearing their old clothes and traveling cloaks. They may be more comfortable for carriage riding but they didn't help one look very important. They finally ended up near the gardens. (FD: DUN DUN DUN!)

Eriol was gazing around the gardens as they passed, Syaoran just staring straight ahead. All of the sudden, Eriol stopped and Syaoran ran into him. He picked himself off of the floor, rubbing his head, just waiting for a bump to appear.

"What was that for?" Eriol didn't reply, just pointed straight ahead. Syaoran followed his gaze and stared too. In the garden were two ladies. They were dancing about, laughing. Eriol couldn't stop staring at the `amethyst-eyed goddess'. Indeed, she was very lovely. Dark purple hair that fell down to the small of her back and purple eyes that shone. She was wearing a simple lavender sundress but she made it look more sophisticated. He smiled.

Syaoran, meanwhile, had noticed the girl all in purple but was more captivated by the `auburn-haired beauty', dancing and twirling about. She had light-brown hair that went down to her shoulders and was wearing a lovely pale pink sundress but what amazed Syaoran were her eyes. Syaoran fancied himself a devotee of the color green; it was his favorite. But there wasn't a shade that he could think of that matched this girl's eyes. They were a beautiful emerald hue. He felt himself blushing. In the back of his mind, his conscience yelled at him. It told him he was getting married to the princess of the Kinomoto Kingdom in two weeks. It told him that he was the crown prince of the Li Kingdom. It told him he couldn't fall in love. But he ignored his conscience.

The girls didn't even notice them, much to their amazement. Finally, they stopped dancing and sat down among the cherry blossom trees. The lavender girl turned around and apparently saw them. She got her friend's attention. They both looked back at the boys. Syaoran looked at Eriol. Eriol smiled.

"See what being around me does for you, Li-kun?"

~***~

Tired, Tomoyo and Sakura sat down in Sakura's favorite part of the garden, the cherry blossom tree grove. Tomoyo was saying that she would never imagine going without a corset could be so freeing when she glanced up and saw the two men watching them. She tapped Sakura on the shoulder and she spun around. One turned and said something to the other and Sakura and Tomoyo used that distraction to look at each other and smile. Then they turned around and got a better look at the boys. Their eyes grew wide as they got a good look at them. They were very handsome.

Tomoyo had her eyes on the gentleman with the glasses. He had dark blue hair and grayish-blue eyes. He looked mature but couldn't be older than them. He wore but an old set of trousers and a tunic, both dark blue, and a black traveling cloak over it. He could even make those, old, worn, out-of-style clothes look good. She felt herself blush. He had to be one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.

Sakura had seen this man, but she was looking more at the other one. He had chestnut colored hair that looked very messy, like he had never laid eyes on a brush. She got the sudden urge to run her fingers through it. She resisted the temptation, embarrassed that she felt that way about a stranger. He had intense amber eyes that looked like they had seen everything and were constantly searching for trouble. He was wearing old green trousers and a dirty white tunic with a dark green traveling cloak over it. He didn't look poor, though. He looked sort of dignified. Her mind was yelling at her. It reminded her that she was getting married to Li Syaoran in two weeks. She continued looking at that man though.

So there they were, the four of them standing there, staring at each other. A servant noticed this whole five second ordeal and walked up to the men, as Sakura and Tomoyo watched. He said something to them. The brown haired man nodded. The servant said something else and the blue haired man said something. The servant bowed and walked away. Blue hair turned back to Sakura and Tomoyo. He smiled and waved goodbye. Brown hair didn't do anything. Blue hair elbowed him. The corners of Brown hair's mouth slightly raised and he gave a meek little wave. Blue hair then dragged Brown hair into the next corridor. As the sounds of their footsteps grew distant, Tomoyo and Sakura turned and looked at each other. Then, from far down the corridor they heard the end of a shout.

"---YOU SMILED!" Then something hitting something soft. Followed by, "OW! WHY YOU!" in the same voice as before. Tomoyo and Sakura caught each other's eye and at the same time, broke out into a giggle fit.

~***~ (Time lapse_The four have been summoned to the Throne Room)

"For the last time Tomoyo, I think I look fine! We have to be in the throne room right now!" Sakura snapped at her best friend. Tomoyo looked a bit hurt but smiled.

"Sorry, Sakura. I'm just so excited to meet your future husband." As they came to a turn, Sakura stole a look at Tomoyo. Yep, she had stars in her eyes. Sakura sweat dropped.

"I want to meet him, too, you know." Tomoyo looked at Sakura.

"I'm sure he's handsome. I bet he's really nice, too."

"Thanks for trying to reassure me, Tomoyo."

"Anytime, Sakura."

They arrived at the big oak doors of the throne room. They stopped for a second to catch their breaths. Sakura looked at herself.

"How do I look?" Tomoyo looked at Sakura. She was wearing a deep green dress. It had a square neckline with lace around it, covering like fabric. It had long sleeves that flared out. Tomoyo had laced cherry blossoms through her hair as it hung down. Tomoyo smiled.

"You look beautiful. Me?" Sakura looked at Tomoyo. She was wearing a dark purple dress. It had a V-neck and short sleeves. Her hair was down and wavy. Sakura grinned.

"You look great. Ready?" Tomoyo nodded. Sakura pushed open the oak doors and walked in. She couldn't see anyone but her father sitting in the throne. She realized the prince must be standing next to him, in the shadows. She walked up until she reached her father. King Kinomoto smiled at her and glanced down at his side.

"Prince Li Syaoran, this is my daughter, Princess Kinomoto Sakura." Sakura automatically curtsied. As she raised her head up to get a look at her future husband, she felt her breath catch in her throat. He was dressed in a deep green suit; it matched her dress. But that wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was that he was Brown Hair, the man she had been staring at this afternoon.

Brown Hai-Prince Li Syaoran bowed, then gave her the same weak smile and wave. She smiled. The King watched this and smiled at the two of them.

"Prince Syaoran is going to be your protector until the wedding in two weeks. His room is across from yours in case the enemy decides to attack in the night. You two are to spend as much time as possible together until we are sure that Sakura is out of danger." A small `ahem' was heard from the shadows. The King laughed. "Ah, how could I forget? This is Lady Tomoyo, the princess's best friend." Tomoyo curtsied and Syaoran bowed. Then Syaoran spoke up.

"I'm pleased to meet both of you ladies. May I introduce my friend, Lord Eriol." A confused looking Eriol stepped forwarded and bowed to the ladies. He sent a confused and angry look at Syaoran but Syaoran smirked. Syaoran continued. "As I have been sent to protect the princess, Lord Eriol was sent to protect Lady Tomoyo." Eriol forced a smile. Then he sent a look back at Syaoran and mouthed `why didn't you tell me?' Syaoran shrugged. The King smiled.

"That was very thoughtful. Thank you very much, sirs. I'm sure you will be able to make friends with the ladies tomorrow but the hour grows late. I will have the servants escort you to your rooms." The four of them bowed.

"Yes, sir." They turned and walked out the door. Eriol and Tomoyo walked together as did Sakura and Syaoran. They did not talk, just enjoying each others company and knowing they would learn much tomorrow. Finally, they reached the doors of their rooms. They turned to each other and said their goodnight's. Tomoyo and Sakura went into Sakura's room. Syaoran and Eriol went in Syaoran's room.

~***~

"Is it time yet, Syaoran?" Syaoran looked out into the night. He looked down at the base of his neck and saw the green glow.

"Yes, Eriol. I'll be back in the morning. Keep an eye on Tomoyo and Sakura for me." Eriol nodded and watched sadly as his friend went off into the night. He climbed his way down to the ground, glad to be agile. He then ran into the forest.

Eriol sighed. "Soon, my friend. I've seen the way Sakura looks at you. Soon, your pain will be ended."

To Be Continued

ForeverDestiny: So, whatcha think?

Syaoran: What did you do to me?

FD: You'll have to read on and find out.

Syaoran: Stupid author.

FD: Shut up, bishie. * glares at Syaoran * So, faithful readers, continue reading. What is the secret pain Syaoran endures? Who is Sakura's enemy? Do you really think mutant birds are behind it all? Will you R+R? The answers? Find out later, Find out later, what do you think?, and PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! I really would like some comments and criticisms that showed you read, cause I'm getting stuff I can't use. (but I'm happy you reviewed! ^_^0 I'm not complaining!) Tell me what you liked or didn't like. Thanks! This is your authoress ForeverDestiny saying Goodbye and have a pleasant tomorrow!