Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Locked Wings ❯ Abrupt Arrival ( Chapter 2 )

Locked Wings

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura (CCS).

 

Chapter 2: Abrupt Arrival

 

“Wow!” shrilled Sakura excitedly. Her flight to Japan was coming to an end. From high up in the air, Tokyo was basically a city of lights. The entire city was lit up with bright and different colors. Tall towers stuck out from the ground just like in Hong Kong, but much more crowded. This was Sakura's first time in Japan and if her ticket had been paid and everything had been set up, why not just take her assignment as some kind of vacation? It was a good thing that before her mother had died, Sakura had taken up Japanese as a second language after Mandarin otherwise she couldn't even imagine communicating with the students at her new school nonetheless take Syaoran back.

 

Slowly but gradually, the plane slid into the runway. Nervously, Sakura unfastened her seat belt and made her way out. She hadn't expected anyone to pick her up but there he was, standing right in front her the moment she exited the off ramp.

 

Wei.

 

“Greetings Kinomoto-san. I'm Wei and I will be your butler during your time here in Japan.” Wei bowed low. He was an old man dressed in a black suit. Unlike most men his age, he still had the ability to stand up tall and straight and pull off a confident appearance.

 

“Oh, please!” stuttered Sakura, “Sakura's fine. No need for Kinomoto-san. It's a pleasure to meet you Wei-san.”

 

Wei chuckled as he stood up straight again, “You tell me not to call you Kinomoto-san and yet you call me Wei-san? It's alright. Wei's fine.”

 

Sakura gave him a small smile and acknowledged him. “Wei then. Alright, so… where will I be staying?”

 

Wei switched back to butler mode and stretched out his right arm directing her away from the airport, “Your ride is waiting, Sakura.” He smiled mysteriously as if holding onto a secret.

 

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion but nodded and proceeded out Tokyo's airport. With no baggage, no luggage, or suitcase in hand, Sakura had arrived in Tokyo at last.

 

In the car, Sakura remained quiet all the way, preferring to keep her thoughts to herself. Although Wei had been kind to her, she still couldn't bring herself to converse with him like ordinary friends. Reality had hit her when she was at a young age and ever since her father's betrayal, she hardly trusted anyone but herself. If she couldn't rely on the one and only person she thought she could trust, then who else can she trust? That's right. No one.

 

Doubt in her heart nagged at her constantly. Wei could be replaying everything she tells him back to the Elders. If she revealed even one more weakness, she knew that the Elders would pounce on it. Wei had made several attempts at starting a casual conversation with Sakura, but all Sakura did was either give a nod and a smile or just a small laugh. After her father's betrayal, she had vowed to never again open up to anyone. It was just a pact she made with herself.

 

It was still early by the time she got to Japan. The sun was high up in the sky and people were scurrying around doing whatever they were doing in the streets. Everywhere was a definition for a sea of people and many were either on their phones or holding shopping bags. Unless Sakura gets money, it was clear that she wouldn't fit into her environment.

 

All of a sudden, the car made a sharp turn into a street that was nearly invisible. Not many would notice it since it just blended itself into the busy life of Japan. As urban and dirty the major road was, this barely noticeable alley led into a beautiful picture of green. Sakura stared slack-jawed at the grass and flowers that grew on the front lawn of the towering two-story house in front of her. She had thought that she'd have to live out in the streets and pay for her living the entire time she was at Tokyo but apparently, she was wrong. She had a butler to call upon, a two-story house to live in, and three servants, who were lined in a row on the lawn.

 

The car skidded to a stop. Before Sakura could hit back to reality, the car door had already been open for her by Wei. Feeling like royalty, she stepped out of the backseat and stood there dazed.

 

Wei felt her awe and chuckled softly, “Come, Sakura. There is much to do.”

 

Sakura snapped back into reality and stuttered, “O-Oh… right.” The row of servants stepped back in sync to reveal a stone paved road. With Sakura leading the way and Wei in the back, Sakura couldn't help but feel like royalty.

 

All along the way up to the house, shrubs that were cut into many different shapes lined the road, all trimmed and cut perfectly. But the road had to have an end sooner or later. It led up to a massive two piece front door, painted white just like the house. Wei suddenly sped up and opened the door for Sakura, leaving her to let loose an awe-struck expression. The inside of the house matched the exterior's beauty. Pottery and statues were placed around the house and next to the spiraling stairway. Portraits of sceneries were hung along the walls.

 

“Here we are, your new home. Well, for the time being I suppose.” Wei corrected himself, embarrassed.

 

Sakura beamed at Wei, “It's beautiful.”

 

“Yes,” laughed the butler, “it is. Now, let's get started on your appearance.” Wei gave a resounding snap of his fingers and designers swooped in from the sides. Sakura looked left and right, shocked at the sudden emergence of the new people. Each and every one of them held some kind of tool, all strange and weird looking. Deadly to Sakura.

 

“Begin.”

 

A chair swooped in from the left and knocked Sakura off her feet. Quickly, she was wheeled to a full-body mirror. Baffled, Sakura looked left and right, anxious at what is to come.

 

Wei held up a picture of Sakura when she was ten. “I want her,” he pointed at Sakura, “to look like her again when you guys are done, but more mature and elegant.”

 

“Wait, what?” Sakura started to protest, “What's wrong with my look now? C'mon, it's not that bad is it?”

 

Wei chuckled and leaned down next to Sakura and placed his arm around her shoulder, “Absolutely not, but the whole point of this is to get Syaoran-sama to fall for you again, that is, if he had forgotten about you at all.”

 

“Oh...” Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and twirled a strand of long hair. She had grown out her hair after her mother's death and it seemed strange that she'd have to cut it so sudden. She'd miss the feel of the weight on her head but the cut was something that must be done. She sighed, “Fine.”

 

“Alright then.” Wei took a step back to let the hair designers get prepared, “Let's get started.”

 

--

 

Sakura frowned as she played with the tips of her hair. She groaned and ran her fingers through her hair but stopped short. Literally. She sat back against her armchair and exhaled deeply. For this task, she had risked everything she had. Not only her apartment and job, but also her appearance. Now, Sakura was back to short auburn. She blew at her new bangs and slumped further down her chair. Squinting her eyes, she started kicking her feet to let out her frustration. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a pillow. Snatching it, she stared at it for a second and slammed it into her face and let loose an ear-splitting scream, but muffled.

 

She repeated her scream three times until she was panting and shaking. She threw the pillow across the room in the general direction of the door and coincidentally, it hit Wei's feet. Holding a plate of fruit, he looked down onto the pillow and traced it back to where it came from. An eyebrow was raised in puzzlement and amusement when he saw Sakura's melted-like form.

 

“So Sakura,” Wei said, as he put down the plate next to Sakura, “what's with the fire?”

 

Sakura mumbled something after turning her head away from Wei.

 

“Come on. It's my job to allow your stay here to be as pleasant as possible and judging from that pillow, I would say that you're not pleasant at all.” Wei waited for Sakura to answer him. Finally, she sighed dejectedly and looked at Wei.

 

“I want my hair.”

 

Wei stared at her with wide eyes, “Is that it?”

 

Now it was Sakura's turn to raise her eyebrow, “Yeah… what did you expect?”

 

The butler stared at her with eyes as big as saucers and his mouth open. He had expected something. He had expected from her a demand to go back to Hong Kong. He had expected something close to “I quit.” But her hair? Wei started laughing and ended up sighing in relief. “Nothing, nothing. Don't worry Sakura, your hair will grow back. This is just temporary. Once we have Syaoran-sama safe and secure in the Li mansion, you're free to do whatever you want again.”

 

“So I'm basically in a bind now huh…” Sakura stared down at her feet in silence.

 

Unable to take the awkward moment, Wei attempted to switch the subject. “Guess what high school you'll be attending?”

 

Sakura lifted her head up a tad bit, a gesture of questioning.

 

“Toki High.”

 

Sakura suddenly jerked alert. “Did you just say… Toki High?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sakura gasped and started shrilling in excitement, “Tomoyo-chan goes there too! I can't wait to surprise her! Oh no. I need to get my clothes ready for tomorrow. I'll talk to you later, bye Wei!” With that, Sakura was out the door in a flash, leaving Wei in her wake.

 

“Well that worked well.”

 

--

 

“Psst! Syaoran!”

 

“What?” Syaoran lifted his head from his work to look at Eriol.

 

Eriol bounced up and down in his seat and whispered louder, “I heard there's a new girl in our class!”

 

“Whatever. I don't care. Now shut up. I forgot to do homework last night.” Syaoran rolled his eyes and brushed off Eriol. Eriol crossed his arms, insulted, and pouted at Syaoran's lack of enthusiasm. Why couldn't he see the happy side of anything? Why isn't he interested in anyone? If he did, surely life would be much more pleasant and fun for Eriol. Since the option of teasing Syaoran was gone, all that was left was poking him. And so, Eriol spent the next five minutes poking Syaoran. If Tomoyo hadn't entered the classroom, Eriol would've continued poking Syaoran. But she did and so he stopped.

 

A couple minutes later, Terada-sensei walked into the classroom and the volume lowered itself automatically until it was a hush. “Class! We have a new student today.”

 

Act natural Sakura! Natural! Wait, no! Not natural. Aim for happy-go-lucky.

 

“I want you all to help her settle into Toki High. She's fresh from Hong Kong…”

 

You can do this. You can recognize Syaoran or whatever his face is.

 

“… but she's still able to speak Japanese!”

 

Smile… smile… no that's too big! Yes… smaller, more timid and a bit on the cheery side…

 

“If she ever asks for anything, I expect you all, as her home-room classmates, to help her out…”

 

Where's that darn room again? Oh right, there it is.

 

“…if she ever needs it.”

 

This is it! Breathe Sakura. You can do this. Think about father. Think about… money I guess.

 

“I present to you…”

 

Is my hair ok?

 

“Kinomoto Sakura.”

 

Syaoran's head popped up and his pencil stopped scribbling. His eyes widened as he stared at the girl standing at the front of the class smiling. He whispered, “Sakura?”

 

“Hi! My name's Kinomoto Sakura. You can just call me Sakura.” Sakura smiled at the whole class and chirped cheerfully as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.”

 

“As a new student, why don't you tell us two of your hobbies?” said Terada sensei clapping his hands together once.

 

Crap. What did I like to do before again?

 

“Well…” Sakura said thoughtfully, “I don't have any specific hobbies but I absolutely love the color pink!”

 

Syaoran stared at Sakura thinking, “That's the color she liked too!”

 

Sakura continued after a short pause, “Oh, and I have a cat named Kero. He's really sweet.” She gave a short laugh, attempting to mask her scanning eyes. She tried to find Syaoran but couldn't.

 

“No way!” thought Syaoran, “She had a cat named Kero too! Could it be…?”

 

“Alrighty then! Now as for your seat… since you're coming to Toki High in the middle of the school year, you'll just have to make do with a seat in the back. Do you have any eyesight issues?” asked Terada sensei.

 

“Not at all!”

 

“Ok then, your seat is right behind Syaoran…”

 

Aha!

 

“who's right there on the far right hand corner of the room in the last seat of the row. Syaoran, it'll be your job to show her around.” Terada sensei pointed at Syaoran.

 

Sakura bowed once before exiting the front of the class and walked over to Syaoran's row. On the way, she spotted Tomoyo's face. She flashed Tomoyo a smile, but was returned with Tomoyo's worried look. It seemed that her mother had told her everything that had happened to Sakura. As determined as Sakura was to keep her face straight, she couldn't help but feel her heart being gnawed with anxiousness.

 

I hope she doesn't blow my cover… I better find her after class and tell her everything. Tomoyo's nice… she'll help me out. I think.

 

As Sakura passed by Syaoran, who was trying to look casual, she stopped at his desk and said, “It's been a long time since we've met again, Syaoran.”

 

Syaoran whipped his head up to look at Sakura, shock written all across his face. Sakura flashed him another smile and continued on to her seat.

Syaoran tousled his chocolate brown hair and groaned, “What's going on?”

 

--

 

“Sakura!” called Tomoyo, as she ran forward to greet her friend with a warm hug, “You're here!”

 

Sakura chucked and returned Tomoyo's hug with a squeeze, “Yea, it's nice to see you again. How have things been going with my favorite cousin hmm?”

 

“Eh,” Tomoyo's face scrunched together, “it's ok I guess, but forget about me! What about you?!”

 

“What about me?” Sakura feinted confusion but she knew the meaning behind Tomoyo's words.

 

Tomoyo looked around before whispering hotly to Sakura, “Your father! He just got into an accident and now you're leaving him? And what's with the it's been a long time since we've met, Syaoran deal? You know him?”

 

“Shh, shh, shh!” Sakura pulled Tomoyo away, “Let's talk about this somewhere else.” Tomoyo glared at her friend suspiciously but submitted to Sakura's pull. They didn't stop walking in silence until they reached the school's rooftop.

 

Tomoyo tugged her arm away from Sakura's grip and demanded to know what was going on. Sakura started, “I've made a contract.”

 

“With who?” hissed Tomoyo.

 

“The Elders.”

 

“The what?” exclaimed Tomoyo.

 

Sakura sighed and turned away. “They are the people who run the Li clan.” Tomoyo put two and two together. Hong Kong. Li Clan. Syaoran Li. She gave a loud gasp and ran in front of Sakura.

 

“But the Li Clan is in charge of Hong Kong! You're just a normal citizen. What did you do to make a contract with them?” asked Tomoyo, worried.

 

“If I didn't make the contract with them, I wouldn't have enough money to save father!” yelled Sakura. Tomoyo inhaled deeply and looked at the ground.

 

“What is this contract. Tell me that first.”

 

Sakura locked onto Tomoyo's amethyst eyes and answered seriously, “I have to bring Syaoran Li, heir to the Li Clan, back to Hong Kong.”

 

“Are you telling me this because we're friends or is there another reason?” Tomoyo walked up to Sakura, their faces inches apart.

 

Sakura turned away and backed up, unable to meet her gaze. “The latter… I need you to help me. Help me take Syaoran back. Please Tomoyo? Please?”

 

Tomoyo stood up straight and played with the tips of her hair thoughtfully. She was torn between friendship and morale. She knew that if she didn't help Sakura, Sakura's father wouldn't have enough money to live on in the hospital. Sure her family had money, but what are the chances that Sakura Kinomoto, an overly proud person, would accept money from her for free? On the other hand, if she did help Sakura, she wouldn't be able to live with her choice, knowing she took part in forcing Syaoran back Hong Kong. She wasn't close to him but still! It just wasn't right.

 

If she had a choice, she would have chosen to not question about this ordeal at all but no. She had asked. She had chosen to get herself into this and now there was no way out. In a way, the future of Hong Kong rest in her hands. She was the one and only person who had the right and was able to poke Sakura out. All she had to do was tell Syaoran her real purpose here and it's a done deal. But then again, if Syaoran doesn't go back… Tomoyo groaned in frustration, but she had finally made up her mind.

 

“Sakura”

 

Sakura turned around and looked expectantly at her friend. The success of her mission depended on this. There was no way around telling Tomoyo and now all that was left to seal the stability of the mission was her friend's answer.

 

“I…”

 

--

 

That's it! My thanks to the people who continued reading this! R&R please.