Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ For Life or Death ❯ Chapter One : Todd Bruggeman ( Chapter 1 )

For Life or Death

Chapter One : Todd Bruggeman

. . : : dream : : . .

She gulped as she looked down; the ground seemed so very, very far away. She felt so small, and yet at the same time she felt as if she were soaring. She knew this place; this was her roof. Beyond the city gap stood Tokyo Tower, tall and proud. The guiding red lights blinked in and out of existence, showing the planes where they should stay away from. The dark sky covered the earth in its velvet blackness; it wrapped around the buildings and people like a protective blanket. Street lights caused a bright glow to emerge from the cracks where sidewalks and streets were found; cars honked their horns, trying to get to wherever they were needed; people raced about far below, each seeming to hold the same agenda as the busy cars.

But this was her place, and those things didn't matter. This was where she had first seen Kaho-sensei and Yue; this was where she had been tested for the right to be called the Card Mistress. This was where Syaoran had truly become her friend.

She shivered as the cold winds whipped about her. She looked down and saw herself in her pajamas; white, fleece pants with a pink tank top. She clutched at her arms and wished for warmth. She soon found her reprieve as a large, warm bundle of cloth was placed over her shoulders; she pulled it closer to find it to be a heavy coat with fleece lining, and upon further inspection she found it to be a forest green color. Arms wrapped themselves about her shoulders and pulled her back against a strong, muscled chest. She knew she should be worried, but she couldn't bring herself to think; this was right. She knew this person, obviously a man, holding her, and she knew she was supposed to be there. He placed his head between her neck and shoulder and kissed her neck. His wild hair tickled her face and she giggled.

"Wait for me, Ying Fa," the man said. Sakura's eyes widened. She'd know that voice anywhere - it was Syaoran holding her. She suddenly felt the warmth of his strong, green aura wrap itself about her in a protective manner; yes, this was Syaoran.

"Always," she heard herself whisper, though she didn't remember formulating the words. It was as if she was there, but at the same time just an observer. She didn't mind that much, though, because she knew that would have been her reply no matter what. She would wait for Syaoran forever if she had to; she would wait until she was old and wrinkly and confined to a wheelchair, and still she would leap for joy and the sight of her beloved little wolf returning to her.

He turned her about and smiled down at her. He leaned forward and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. He had never kissed her before, and these dreams were the closest she had to the real thing; she cherished these moments in her subconscious, when she could cling to her little wolf and feel him against her. He pulled away and gently stroked the side of her face; she didn't want him to let her go.

"Soon, koi," he said. "Very soon."

"You'll come back to me?" she asked in a quiet whisper. He nodded and placed another lingering kiss atop her rosy lips.

"Wait for me," he said. "Wo ai ne."

"Matsu, Syao-kun!" she called as he moved away from her. She ran after him. "Syao-kun, come back! Syao-" Her shouts were cut off as she felt herself run off the edge of the building and begin to fall. Her breath hitched in her throat as she forced out a scream; before she knew what was going on, she felt those same arms wrap about her. She looked up to see Syaoran smiling down at her.

"Syao-kun! Why were you leaving me?" she asked. He kissed her forehead and laughed.

"I wasn't leaving you, Ying Fa," he said. "I'll return soon, I promise. Now wake up."

"Hoe? What're you talking about, Syao-kun?" she asked.

"Wake up!" he said again. "Sakura-chan, wake up!"

"Hoe?!" she asked again. "What're you talking about?!"

"Sakura-chan, wake up! You're gonna be late!!!"

There was a little voice screaming in her ear. She swatted the space beside it an desperate attempt to make it go away, but it wouldn't leave her be. She batted at it again, but this time sharp fangs bit into her skin. She let out a loud howl before jumping up. She held her hand before her to find Kero hanging off her right pointer finger.

"Yer nah up," he said in a muffled voice. She shook her finger and he flew off into the wall. He rubbed his head and glared. "You'll be late."

"What're you talking about, Kero-chan?!" she asked. "My alarm's going off at 7:45, and why did you bite me?! That hurt, you know!"

Kero pointed to the clock, which read 9:40 AM. She screamed and jumped out of bed; she didn't have time to change (for a moment she was very glad she had just gone to bed in her clothes), shower, or anything. She merely grabbed her backpack and ran out the door.

Kero sweatdropped and sighed.

"Y'know, even in a new school and at a new education level, she's still the same old Sakura-chan," he said with a lopsided grin.

o

ooo

o

Sakura looked at her watch and cursed her alarm clock; she was going to be so late. Her only solace was that Fujitaka was the teacher, and hopefully he'd let her off the hook. After all, it was the first day, and he was her father, right? She glanced at her watch again and cursed before picking up speed.

"Shimatta!" she said. "Why didn't my alarm go off?! Why does this always happen to me?!" She rounded a corner and screeched as she bumped into someone; she fell back and landed hard on her rear. The books in her arms went flying as her opened backpack fell off. She looked up at the person she had run into and sighed.

"Gomen nasai," she said. "I wasn't paying attention."

The boy, who had also been knocked to his butt, looked up and smiled. He sat up and said, "No, it's my fault - I should've looked."

She looked up at him and froze. His voice had been kind, but what really caught her was his unbelievable looks. If his accent hadn't betrayed him, his features did - this boy was definitely American. His sandy blonde hair was cut to make slight waves about his face; it stretched in the back to form a low ponytail. His sparkling blue eyes were covered by half-moon, wire-rimmed glasses. He wore dark blue, denim jeans that were slightly baggy. A black belt held them in place, but the elastic waist line to a pair of green and blue plaid boxers could still be seen. He also wore a white, button-up, short-sleeved oxford shirt; the buttons were open, showing the black t-shirt underneath. Black skate shoes were on his feet, and a few chains and a wallet hung from his belt loops. He held out a hand and smiled.

"Hi, Todd Bruggeman," he said. She took his hand and shook it.

"K-Kinomoto Sakura," she said. He smiled and handed her some books.

"I think these are yours," he said. She blushed and took the books.

"Arigato gozaimasu," she said. She handed him some books and stood.

"Oi," he said as she started to walk away. She looked back at him. "See ya' around?" She nodded slightly.

"Hai, Bruggeman-san. Ja ne," she said before hurrying off. He smirked and continued walking down the hall.

"She digs me," he said. He reached into his book bag and pulled out a book. He opened it and froze as he saw the pictures and words of a maho-shoujo manga. "Aw shit..."

o

ooo

o

She heard her father's voice coming from behind the closed door. She gulped and quietly opened it before moving along the wall to an empty seat in the front. She was trying to be as invisible as possible, but apparently she was drawing more attention to herself than intended. She heard her father clear his throat when she was barely a meter away from the seat. She winced and froze.

"Kinomoto-san, so nice of you to join us," he said sternly, "twenty minutes after we had already started."

Sakura fought the urge to curse. Fujitaka had already explained to her that, though she was his daughter, at school she'd be treated like everyone else in his course. She turned around and gulped; she nodded before speaking.

"G-gomen nasai, Kinomoto-sensei," she said. "My alarm clock didn't go off this morning, and I would have made it, but I had an accident in the hall and -"

"Accident?" he asked; he raised a skeptical eye and smirked. She laughed nervously.

"I kind of ran into this guy and dropped my books. It was a big mess, and it took a while to clean," she said. He sighed and waved her to the seat.

"Because it's the first day, you're off the hook," he said. "But do not let it happen again, ok?"

She nodded and smiled brightly before bowing; she said, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Kinomoto-sensei!" He nodded and gave her a fleeting smile. He turned back to his other students as she took her seat.

"Now, as I was saying, this course is comprised of five main parts...."

tsuzuku...

. . : : dictionary : : . .

Quick note - words like '-chan', '-kun', 'hai', 'baka', etc. y'all should know, so they won't go in here, ok?

daijoubu desu? - are you ok?

doushite - why

Ying Fa - (Chinese; you should know this one too, but I figured some might not) Sakura

koi - love (sort of interchangeable with koishii, which is lover)

wo ai ne - (Chinese) I love you

matsu - wait

shimatta - dammit

gomen nasai - I'm sorry

arigato gozaimasu - thank you very much (arigato - thank you)

oi - hey (i.e.: Hey, Sakura-chan!, Hey! Watch where you're going!, etc.)

ja ne - goodbye (for when you'll see the person soon; don't confuse this with sayonara, which is for when you won't see the person for a long time, like a few months or years)

a.n.: Holy crud...this is possibly my shortest chapter ever (and that's after adding a part that wasn't in my outline!)! Do not get used to this. For those who know my fics..you know how much of a rarity this is. Anyway, next chapter gets more exciting. w00t w00t!!

Special thanks to:

Potato Maiden: Uh..thanks, chica. Demo - this is the last time I'mma tell you. It's Yamazaki-kun. Do you honestly think he cares if what he's saying is true or not as long as someone believes him? BTW...Chiharu-chan almost kills him during the 2nd movie for telling more tall tales! It's so kawaii!

peaches: Arigato gozaimasu! tN!! thanks you for your review, and is very glad you like it! (sorry `bout the third person thing - on-going joke with myself... ^^'` )

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed. Please, don't flame. If you can't say your cc without flaming, don't bother. Flames will be used to fuel Az's bonfire for the yummy s'mores.