Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Through A Looking Glass ƽ°²¾©¤Î™ÑÎïÕZ ❯ Forgiven, but never forgotten ( Chapter 2 )

Through A Looking Glass

By: Aisaki Sumi

 

Chapter Two

Forgive, but never forgotten

 

We think of the key, each in his prison
Thinking of the key, each confirms a prison

 

(Heian Jidai - Heian Period) 1179, Heian-Kyo, Autumn

 

A slender long finger slid carelessly across the black silken material of his wedding kimono. Unbothered by the fact that he might be scratching the refined ink colored fabric.

 

Cold amber eyes stared into the pale blue sky that stretched over his head from the ends of the horizons like the finest silk ever. A few fleecy white clouds floated southward, carried by the gentle wind.

 

He ran a hand through his messy chestnut hair, reflected golden under the brilliant sun like threads weaved by divine hands. Those silken locks were tossed relentlessly into the air by the careless autumn breeze that whirled by.

 

Another year was about to end and he was already in his early twenties, twenty-one to be exact. He was no longer a carefree young boy practicing his wooden sword fighting techniques under a large cherry blossom tree with her watching him silently in the rain of drifting cherry blossom petals.

 

The gentle smile on her face still managed to tug at his heart even up to this day. Fujiwara Tomoyo. The name was carved into his heart, leaving its mark there forever and ever. She was the daughter of Fujiwara Sesshou. (sesshou: a title given to a regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his coming of age, or an empress).

 

But they grew up together, and she often came to visit them because her mother was his mother's cousin. She was always around, and her ever-present unwavering smile always managed to melt away the snow and bring spring to his world. She was always there to encourage him, no matter what.

 

At a very young age, Syaoran vowed to marry her someday, despite the fact that she was three years older than him. He got so used to her presence, and with her he was always happy, as if the world couldn't get any better than this.

 

But eight years ago, his dreams of them having a family together was shattered into pieces. Eight years ago, she married his brother, Taira no Tomomori. It was almost ironic, as if the world was mocking him. Her status changed from the girl of his dreams to his sister in law.

 

His grip tightened around the jade stone around his neck. She had given it to him for his tenth birthday, and said it brought her good luck when she was little. Closing his eyes, ephemeral moments of happiness of them chasing after each other in the garden flashed in his mind.

 

He remembered their first meeting. At that time, he was only five years old and she was eight.

 

She was standing on the top of the wooden arched bridge inside the Taira compound, suffering the wind whipping her loose long kimono sleeves around her, tossing her hair about restlessly. Her delicate profile, together with the thin wrist and slender hand that pushed against her disobedient hair patiently, looked like something out of a picture book.

 

Her hair, as dark as the ashes, were adrift in the mid air. Her eyes -- the rarest and most brilliant shade of purple -- like amethysts held all the lights in the world. Her skin was pale white, reminding him of a porcelain doll.

 

Every single feature of hers was delicate and beautiful and divine. She was the ultimate image of perfection, graceful, dazzling, eye-catching, blindingly bright like the sun.

 

But things changed, people changed, their paths changed over time. Like a summer breeze threading through the field, the years were gone almost too quickly, carrying with it faint traces of nostalgia. Sixteen years might seem like a short period of time, but when he recollected every single event which occurred…

 

Nowadays, she was his brother's wife, the mother of two children. Their time had already passed. Like a gentle brush of shoulders, he could only grasp onto a faint amount of warmth that was rapidly dissipating into the air. Forget about me, Syaoran, and move on. Her soft words rang loudly in his ears, producing endless echoes that almost deafened him.

 

He knew they had no control over who they should marry. Marriage itself was used for political reasons, for gaining more power and a stronger back up. It wasn't fair. But it was something he had to deal with. Living under the same roof with her and seeing her as someone else's wife were almost unbearable.

 

But he dealt with it, and accepted it as a fact. Syaoran wasn't someone who would lose himself to unrealistic fantasies of denial. Pointless struggles could only prolong the agony.

 

He would never allow himself to break down because of this. He was stronger than that. He could tolerate it. He could conceal away his feelings and thoughts and smile at her even though it hurt his heart to do so.

 

But this was life, and in a world as harsh and as competitive as this one, love could never be everything for a man.

 

A man was made for something greater.

 

Ever since then, he had occupied himself with more work from the imperial court. Under his father's guidance, he slowly learned his way of survival in the political world where power was everything. It was a battle of life and death, and any mistake he make could potentially cost him everything.

 

Patience, sharp eyes, intelligence, the ability to think ahead and a charming smile are the basic qualities a politician should have. His father, the great Taira No Kiyomori once told him.

 

He could always smile charmingly to people and control his emotions well. But behind that smile, he bore his fangs.

 

He wasn't someone who couldn't live without love. He wasn't someone who would dwell on the past and succumb himself to alcohol in his desperate attempt to forget about her.

 

He would continue down the road of life, put his ingeniousness as a politician to his full advantage and surpass all his brothers and perhaps even his father some day.

 

He would still have these moments when thoughts of her trail into his mind unconciously, but he wouldn't dwell on them for long. Fujiwara Tomoyo, the name would be locked away in the deepest part of his heart, and never to be mentioned again.

 

He picked up the black kimono on the floor and headed for the folding paper screen where he would normally get changed. Within a few minutes, he was done, looking as handsome as ever. “Miyamoto.” He called out, and the paper screened door suddenly slid open, revealing a short man in his late thirties.

 

“Hai, Master Syaoran.”

 

“Let father know that I am ready to go to the Shinto for the wedding ceremonies.” Syaoran informed, his voice slightly dull and expressionless and dismissed Miyamoto after receiving the obedient nod from Miyamoto.

 

Taking one last look at the jade stone around his neck, he took it off and placed it inside the delicately made wooden box lying on his studying desk.

 

Even though he had already moved on, his heart was still with Fujiwara Tomoyo and could never love another woman again. No matter how beautiful or how wealthy and powerful her family was.

 

He could never love his bride, his soon to be wedded wife, Kinomoto Sakura.

 

But his vow would someday fall apart.

 

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a.n: my chapters vary in length, so you might have to excuse the shortness of some of them. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow.

 

A little background history:

 

Fujiwara family is one of the most powerful families in the Heian Period. Tomoyo is a fictitious character and her marriage to Taira No Tomomori is fictitious too, but her father's position in the Heian Imperial Court, during Emperor Takakura's reign (Takakura Tenno in Japanese) is true.

 

Syaoran plays the role of Taira no Shigehira in this story. I don't think he was ever married during his short life span (but I'll do some research on that when I have time to XD), but let's see how he and Sakura will fall in love slowly XD hehe.

 

Emperor Takakura (September 23, 1161 - January 30, 1181) was the 80th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of the succession. He reigned from March 30, 1168 to March 18, 1180. His personal name was Norihito.

 

Usually, the year is indicated as the Emperor's name and the number of years they've been in power. But for simplicity sake, I'll use the English system of expressing the time and dates to accommodate those who didn't get the chance of learning the Japanese history before reading this story.