Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Scent of a Kunoichi ❯ Chap 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Scent of a Kunoichi

Disclaimer: I wish I owned CCS. Too bad I didn't come up with the idea before CLAMP did. sigh!

A/N: Please be kind with me. This is my first CCS fic. If I've gotten the names wrong please tell me because I write the story by memories of the cartoon. I wish I had the comic books so that it would be easier.

"…." = someone is talking

//…// = thoughts

{…}= I'm talking.

I hope I'm not plagiarizing those on top. I just find it pretty convenient. The person who created is very smart.

Summary: The story is set in the medieval Japan. Sakura is a female ninja, trained in the ways of a male ninja. Bound for life to a lady she hates, she plans to escape with her cousin Tomoyo. Will it work? Or would a powerful prince and his companion just spoil it for them? S&S, E&T.

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CHAPTER 1: Erm…Chapter 1?

The sky was still dark since the sun hasn't risen yet. A wave of singing and calling of the birds meant one thing: time to rise and shine. A young girl in her mid-teens groaned as she turned in her bed.

// This is not happening! Not now! I want to sleep!//, she groaned. // Five, four, three, two and one// she did a countdown as an annoying brass bell rang in every room. A second larger bell rang next to the smaller one making her mood even darker. "I'm up, I'm up," she muttered as she rolled off her futon. Her plain gray-blue yutaka was creased and her long waist-long hair messy.

"Good morning Sakura," a very pretty girl greeted her cheerfully when she opened the sliding door. She was dressed in an undyed full-length kimono and a gray hakama for the morning lessons. Her long chestnut brown hair was tied up in a bun with three ornamental hairpins sticking through it.

"How can you be so cheerful all the time?" Sakura grumbled pinning up her hair.

The other girl shrugged as she helped her friend change quickly. There was a sad look in her eyes yet a little happiness peeking through a tiny hole. "Maybe because you helped save me from bondage to Madame Chiyome," she said.

"Hoe… Tomoyo, I regret every minute of it," Sakura said with a trained blank expression.

Tomoyo giggled at her friend's attempt to joke. "I'm sure you do Sakura," she laughed admiring her work. Sakura looked beautiful in her uniform, which was the same as Tomoyo's. Her brown honey-coloured hair gave her surprising emerald green eyes a little luster to it, attracting attention to it. She was a classic beauty and therefore high in demand for spying jobs. "Hurry up, you're going to be late. Madame Chiyome doesn't like late students even though you're the best," Tomoyo shooed her friend out of the room. Sakura quickly left with an undignified yelp and ran ungracefully to her morning class. Tomoyo smiled a little as she picked up Sakura's torn clothes with a little sigh and began sewing.

~*~

"Sakura! You are late again!" the Sensei glared at her. He was an old retired ninja that came under the services of Lady Chiyome out of debt. Although cranky and moody, he always had a soft spot for the girls.

"I'm sorry sensei," Sakura said apologetically with a deep bow of respect. Her posture and body showed her apology, but her eyes twinkled with amusement at her old friend and mentor.

"You better be," he grumbled. He clapped his hands twice and the fifteen girls in the classroom began their first fighting stance.

The girls had been all orphans picked up from the roadside by a pretty looking lady and adopted by her. Soon, they were trained in the ancient art of war and combat. The girls were thought every skill a ninja would need, including using manipulation, impromptu weapons like a poisoned hairpin and dislocating their joints to escape from a tight hole. They were also known as the kunoichi, or `deadly flowers'. To be named after a flower was a great honour to any girl.

The girls flowed through their stances gracefully like water under the sharp eye of the sensei, if one of them were to stumble, it would mean that they would have to do it twice over again. To Sakura, it was like a dance, a deadly dance with its charms. Time flew by and by that time; it was time for the next class, arts class; a class that combined dance, calligraphy, singing and music.

"Good morning sensei," the girls bowed deeply to their teacher, a beautiful lady in her late twenties and wife to Samurai Touya, a high-ranking official and son of the Head Advisor to the Emperor. All the girls liked her for her patience and kindness although she used to be a kunoichi before she married Samurai Touya.

"Good morning. I hope that you have all been practicing your calligraphy in your spare time. It is important for women to learn how to write and enjoy our wonderful language because one day, when the men of the country are lost, we can teach the future generation how to write… wait that was the wrong speech. Hehe sorry I keep on thinking that I am at the palace," she said apologetically. The girls' sweat dropped.

"Alright then, lets skip the fancy speech and start writing. Remember girls swift yet gliding motions," she said as she handed out the parchment paper in rolls. The girls rolled them out, putting paperweights of smooth stones to weigh down the paper. Writing tools were handed out as each girl began to open their inkbottle carefully not wanting to be punished for spilling ink onto the mats. Holding their long sleeve with one hand, they took a calligraphy brush and began writing down a poem. The best poem with the prettiest picture was sent to Lady Chiyome who then sold it to support the school for orphaned girls.

Sakura sat on the mat appropriately and thought carefully. She often wrote about nature since it attracted poet's attentions. So today she wrote about the river and the willow tree on how they met each other (A/n: think of one. I'm bad at writing those). Slowly yet swiftly, her brush glided across the paper's surface. She closed her eyes and thought about the meeting knowing when the parchment ended and when it began. Satisfied with her work, she drew a little willow tree bending over a river.

"Ah Sakura, your work never changes," Rika commented as she peeked over her friends shoulder. Like Sakura, she preferred writing about nature.

"Nature is a wonder that cannot be changed but just admired. I'm trying to help people understand that," Sakura told her friend who nodded in agreement. Their attention was drawn to Tomoyo who knelt at the sliding door's opening. A few girls in the classroom hid their throwing stars in which they held in their hand. They nodded in acknowledgement at Tomoyo who gave them a small smile in greeting. Their Sensei walked up to her as she whispered something in the elder women's ear. The warm expression of their teacher grew a little as she heard the news.

"Sakura, the Lady asks for you. Leave your things to dry and follow Tomoyo," the Sensei said in her warm voice.

"Hai," Sakura answered and bowed to the teacher when she left the room. "Do you know what's going on Tomoyo?" she asked her friend quickly.

"I don't know Sakura, I'm just a servant here," Tomoyo said.

"I'm sure the servants gossip. They usually know what's happening before all the sensei's do," Sakura said with a tinge of pleading in her voice. Tomoyo giggled.

"Well, it's been a well-kept secret and we certainly don't know about it," Tomoyo said. By that time, they had reached the door Lady's room. Tomoyo rang a small brass bell that hung on the wall. It gave off a cheerful ring. The door slid open, revealing an old lady in her late 80's. This was the Lady's old faithful servant.

"Good afternoon, Haimatsu," the girls chorused together earning small smile from the lady.

"My Lady awaits you behind the curtain," Haimatsu said with a happy smile. She knew about the news already. The girls walked through the entrance and saw Lady Chiyome sitting across a table with a handsome young man with black hair. Sakura saw a samurai sword sitting across his lap.

"Good afternoon," the girls greeted again before kneeling down on the floor. Tomoyo knelt a little bit behind Sakura showing her status.

"I will not beat around the bush since this is important news," Lady Chiyome said calmly. "Master Touya is here concerning family business. It has seemed that 10 years ago, bandits attacked his family carriage and his sister and cousin was kidnapped. It was the same year I found you girls together. Do you remember who he is?" she asked them with her piercing honey eyes.

Sakura and Tomoyo shook their heads slowly in apology. Touya was studying them.

"Can I see both your left arms?" he asked startling them. They looked at Chiyome. She nodded at them as the bared their left arms. There was nothing there. With an unnoticeable tiny wave of his hand, black lines began to appear, wiggling into a small pattern. When the picture was completed, it was an ornate fan with a tassel hanging down. More fine little lines started to appear inside the fan, they were flowers, cherry blossom flowers for Sakura and violets for Tomoyo.

//Do not say anything, pretend there was nothing and act sad. It would be better for all of us if you were still kunoichi. Remember not a word to any one. If you ever need help just call on my name, // Touya said peering at them with sharp eyes. He nodded slightly cautiously glancing at Chiyome who watched the two girls with hawk eyes.

"It seems that they do not have the Family tattoo. Thank you for humoring me milady," Touya said with a slight bow. "If you would excuse me, it is time for my wife and I to return home."

"Why, you're welcome, Touya, after all, we are close friends," Chiyome purred. "Girls, take Samurai Touya to Sensei Mirgatstu," she said with a wave of her hand dismissing them.

"Hai," they bowed and walked out of the room. To anyone looking at the three people, they looked like they were walking silently, but if you could read their minds, they are actually talking telepathically.

//You can speak telepathically too?// Tomoyo asked Touya after he told them about the bandit's attack.

//It runs in the family. Are you sure you do not remember anything at all?// he asked.

The girls mentally shook their heads regretfully. Sakura sighed.

//At least we know we have some relatives living, just in case we get into trouble// Sakura said.

//Why didn't you want Chiyome to know that we're related to you?// Tomoyo asked.

//I will tell some other day. Remember, not a word to anyone without my permission.//

//Hai.// the girls chorused together as the reached the classroom. They could her Sensei Mirgatstu's musical voice ringing in the room. Sakura could sense her brother smiling at the back of her. The door slid open to reveal a group of girls with Mirgatstu in the lead. She bowed politely to her husband followed by the girls behind her.

"Touya, is it time to go?" she asked in a low voice only Sakura and Tomoyo could hear. Touya nodded and their Sensei left with a wave to her students walking beside him to the outside courtyard.

"He is so handsome," one of the girls sighed wistfully.

"Control your emotions. That's rule number one," another girl said. From afar a big bell rung, it was the breakfast bell. All the girls quickly walked to their rooms to fill their empty stomachs.

~*~

Sakura sat in her room, looking curiously at a parcel in the middle of the room. Tomoyo was sitting by the candle, patching up her cousin's clothing. Nothing could separate Tomoyo and a needle unless she was thinking of a new design for Sakura to wear.

//Who sends a parcel to a kunoichi?// Sakura wondered to herself. Chanting a small spell she thought herself, she set up magical wards up in her room. The parcel began to glow a red colour. She spoke a small word of command. The parcel unwrapped itself to reveal a beautiful designed book. It flew to her out stretched arm.

//Clow book?// When she opened it she saw a beautiful woman a card. Picking it up, she was about to say the name of the card when a yellow stuffed animal appeared in front of her face. She stifled a yell and threw sharp metal pointed stars at it. Tomoyo, whom was in the way, lifted up her barrier shield without looking at the weapons with a cool air.

"Do you always throw those stars at people you don't know?" the stuffed animal shouted at her. She could see a vein popping out of his head. It was so comical, that she was forced to apply all her kunoichi training to keep her face emotionless.

"Who are you?" she asked. Tomoyo too, crawled closer to admire this funny thing.

"I am Kero, Guardian of the Clow cards. You, now Mistress of the Clow Cards, would have freed all the cards, if you just said the name of the first card," Kero said floating up to eye level with Sakura. He gave her glare from the earlier incident. The cards from the Clow book, began to fly out of the book and floated in a perfect circle around them.

"I'm Sakura and that is my cousin, Tomoyo," Sakura slowly introduced the both of them. They sat there studying each other.

"I'm hungry, do you have any food?" Kero asked suddenly making the two girls faint. "Hehe, I'm really hungry," he said apologetically.

Tomoyo smiled kindly and left the room to get some food from the kitchen, leaving Sakura and Kero alone.

"I'm sorry about the stars. I did it out of instinct," Sakura said blushing heavily. She held out a hand to him. "Friends?"

Kero glanced at the hand that she held out. "Friends. It's good, since you know a bit of magic. You don't have to learn a lot. I have to warn you though, being the Card Mistress isn't going to be easy. There is going to be quite a few people who would want to take the cards away. Trouble often comes knocking on your door," he warned.

The door slid open revealing a tired Tomoyo. "The lady wishes to see you. Sakura, I think you've gotten another assignment!" she squealed worriedly.

A/N: Was it good? If it isn't I won't continue anymore. Please review!!!!!!!!!!

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