Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Through A Looking Glass ƽ°²¾©¤Î™ÑÎïÕZ ❯ part 2 of chap 9 ( Chapter 10 )

PART TWO of CHAPTER 9!!

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Through A Looking Glass

By: Aisaki Sumi

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Chapter Nine (Part Two)

Secret rendezvous, outside the trappings of time

The meaningless plungings of water and the wind,
Theatrical distances, bronze shadows heaped

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Heian Jidai (Heian Period), 1179, mid-winter, Heian-Kyou

Syaoran meandered down the zigzagging stone-laiden path idly, breathing in (almost greedily) the soul-calming scent plum blossom that pervaded the lung-freezing wintry air. Halting into a stop, he titled his head slightly upward to watch the almost fragile branches of the plum blossoms sway back and forth.

Feeling a sudden invasion of vacuity in his heart, Syaoran reminisced with a lingering look of nostalgia in his eyes. He promised Tomoyo that he would build her a garden full of plum blossoms and let it be their sanctuary - no one except them could set foot into such a heavenly place. And in that secret garden of theirs, he would propose to her and marry her.

He let out a bitter laugh, full of self-mockery. Life really had a twisted and nasty sense of humour. It enjoys prompting people into having unrealistic dreams, and just when their hope was at its highest peak, life crushes it and snickers as it watches one fall apart in despair.

He always thought Tomoyo was a part of him - someone he couldn't live without. But he was wrong, time proved him wrong. Without her, he was still standing, making through the days. Life was like this, when you think you've bumped into a dead end, or your world just fell apart. In actuality, however, there was no dead end, and nor had your world fall apart.

Everything is just a state of mind, and nothing is ever absolute.

Like he had told himself so many times before, from now on, Tomoyo will be a memory that he would treasure in the deepest part of his heart - a dream from the distant past that he would never forget - and nothing more than that.

But he still unconsciously wandered to this place. Every now and then, he would come here -- to the place where most of these memories where buried under - where he would indulge himself and take off his masque, and let his true feelings show, even if it was only temporary.

Shaking his head slightly to drive away the trains of thoughts that were rushing into his mind, Syaoran turned to gaze at the plum blossoms again. His eyes softened as he remembered the first time he showed her this place and how she danced through the falling petals in joy…

For a moment there, he almost thought he saw her again. Standing in the rain of plum blossom petals, elegantly poised as always, but she looked different somehow. She wasn't the same Tomoyo from his most treasured memories.

Suddenly, his eyes widened with shock and disbelief. Could it be…could it be her?

Tomoyo brushed aside the stand of hair that fell into her eyes, and smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Syaoran-sama. How have you been?”

……

Meiling had been holding a hamper with bentos sacked neatly together, meandering down a singularly dreary alley alone, and at length found herself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy yet sumptuous mansion of the eminent Taira family. But with the first glimpse of the luxurious building, full of pageantries, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded her spirit.

She inhaled deeply, and tilted her head to look upon the scene before her, with an utter depression of soul which she could compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon optium, like the bitter lapse into everyday life, like the hideous dropping off the veil.

There was an iciness, a sinking and a sickening of the heart -- an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime.

This was the Taira household, and her chance to remodel her life and her supposed destiny. Though she could not restrain herself from contemplation what unnerved her when she first set her eyes upon this building.

It was a mystery, so insoluble that she could not grapple with the shadowy fancies that crowded upon her as she pondered, and she was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion that, while beyond doubt, there are combinations of unspeakable objects which have the power of affecting us. And incontestably, the analysis of such power lies among considerations beyond our depths.

Approaching the soldiers who were guarding the side entrance which serves the singular purpose of permitting the movements of servants entering and leaving the compound, without disturbing its proprietors. Meiling pulled out the previously prepared wooden identification card which conceded her the freedom to leave and enter the household with loosened security checks, whenever she was running errands for the masters of this mansion.

The soldier wearing the easily recognizable uniform, which identified him as a private soldier serving the Taira Clan, took a quick glance at Meiling's identification card and sent her a small nod of approval, stating “You may enter.”

“Thank you, sir.” Meiling uttered her barely audible gratitude, and kept her head lowered the entire time, showing her obedience and humbleness. The soldier then ushered her into the presence of the interior of the household which resided the most powerful and Junoesque people in Heian-kyo.

What needs to be done, must be done. She imparted the words of wisdom to herself, as she felt the gates closing heavily behind her. With ruby-coloured eyes fixed on what was presented before her, on the whole mansion and domain, hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity -- an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven.

The almost poisonous air, whispering the nameless fears and mysteries surrounding the mansion, was full of pestilent and mystic vapour, dull, sluggish, and faintly discernible.

……

The wintry days within the household of the highly-respected and aristocratic Taira family were dull, dark and soundless. The clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, as if prognostic of the series of unfortunate events laying ahead in the mortals' destinies. Sakura sat by the black oaken table, her eyes were hazy of cadaverousness.

The trellised panes of traditional Japanese paper sliding doors were slightly open, permitting the feeble gleams of obscure lights to make their way through the gap, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around the eye, however, struggled in vain to reach the remoter angles of the chamber.

It was then, the paper sliding door swung open, forcing Sakura to squint her eyes in order to adjust them to the pervasive white rays of lights that invaded her dark, sullen territories. There, Sakura saw the forever exuberant Miyuki standing before her, with a vivacious warm smile tugging on those bright pink lips.

“Miss Sakura, I've got the good luck charm you wanted from the Temple!” Miyuki exclaimed excitedly, and rushed to Sakura to show her most treasured possession, like a child eagerly presenting her treasure to the grown ups. Sakura smiled gently, before taking the good luck charm into her hands.

“I thought I had to wait for hours to get it, but once I told them I was from the Taira household, they immediately moved my placement up so I could see the priest as soon as possible.” Miyuki rattled on, unaware of the waning smile on Sakura's now solemn countenance.

“Miyuki,” a soft yet stringent whisper escaped Sakura's parted pallid lips, which grappled Miyuki's undivided attention almost instantly. “Never speak of your status as the Taira household's maid ever again. If it wasn't for my father's wealth, the Taira family would never have consented for a girl with such interior birth as myself, to marry into the family. And let alone, become the wife of Taira no Syaoran.”

Sakura paused for a brief moment, bitterness and an unspeakable resentment polled in her eyes, yet her voice remained soothing and soul-calming, as if the story she was narrating was extraneous to her. “My inferior foreordained me, a long life of a concubine of any man with power. Yet fate believed that I could become something much greater, and thus, it brought us here, to the Taira clan. Thus, we shall be unpretentious as always, and never take advantage of the Taira family's viscounty ever again. Do you understand that, Miyuki?”

Miyuki nodded unobtrusively, while lowering her head like a child that just had done something wrong to displease her parents. “Yes, your ladyship.”

Sakura smiled and slowly got up; her graceful and elegant actions suggested the exalted position she held. “I'm going to visit Syaoran-sama to deliver this good luck charm to him, for he is departing Heian-Kyo tomorrow morning with the troops, and as the dutiful wife of Taira No Syaoran, I must bid him a formal goodbye and wish him the best of luck, and a safe return to home once the rebellion is resolved.”

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Walking down the dreary, yet resplendent stone-laden trail in the Taira gardens, Meiling let out a sigh. She could not help but disrelish her lack of sense of direction, for she was absolutely lost again. Oppressing the urge of wanting to curse her self and the large compound, hitherto only reminded her of an antiquity full of mysteries rather than a residence for living.

To worsen her predicament, she could not as for directions, for the strict rules of the Taira house does not allow incompetent servants to serve the masters of this mansion. If anyone discovered that she skipped the first stages of servant training, she would be put to death immediately.

Thus, at this point, all she could do was to pretend she knew exactly where she was going, and hopefully during her trip to the middle of no where, she could find her destination.

Suddenly, her nose picked up a strong scent of plum blossom. It was her mother's favourite fragrance, or so Shang Guan Yun had claimed. Though she was deprived of the chance of meeting the women whose womb she came out of, she really wanted to know who she was, the kinds of things she liked and disliked.

Following the scent on adrift, Meiling hurried down the path which was leading her to the center of the plum blossom source. Eventually, the passage she followed conducted her to a fantasy world, with plum blossom petals drifting weightlessly through the air, like millions of butterflies flying over a field of dreams.

Enchanted by the picturesque scenery she had beheld, Meiling carefully entered the land of ecstasy and mystique, and her eyes widened as she saw two lovers holding each other, through the rain of blossom petals. No wonder this place had no guards nor servants, it was a secret rendezvous for cross-stared lovers.

Meiling fancied upon witnessing such scandalous yet forlorn love, however she could not help but let out the gasp that was forced to stay in her throat.

It was then, a small delicate hand, soft yet icily cold, covered her mouth. Terror flashed in Meiling's widened eyes as she struggled in vain, but her pointless endeavours were quickly diminished as the gentle words of her captor were murmured into her ears. “Stay still if you want to live again.”

Meling gulped painfully, and did as she was told by staying still, while fighting off the fears arising in her which were disheartening her. She was able to tell that her captor is a young woman, perhaps even of her age, yet a part of her questioned the credibility of this observation, for a girl of her age could never have such an oppressive and imperatorial aura.

“Who are you?” Meiling whispered, after gathering up the remaining courage in her heart. If she were to die, at least she needed to know who it was that brought her such fate.

The young woman chuckled, letting out a light-hearted quiet laughter, as if she found a sense of hilariousness in the precipitous situation. “You're a quite brave young one.” The young woman mused, and Meiling wasn't certain if it was meant to be a compliment or satiric comment, mocking her miserable predicament.

Not giving Meiling a chance to reply, the young woman proceeded on “Most people in your predicament, would beg me to spare their lives, which I shall ignore and take their lives without giving my action a second thought. However, you're different, and you've successfully captured my attention. My name is Fujikata Sakuno, the wife of Taira no Syaoran, your new patroness.” As soon as the words rolled off Sakura's tongue, Meiling found herself dumbfounded and caught in a web created by bewilderment.

“I do not see the reason for you to decline this offer, unless, you prefer to die.” Meiling's breathe hitched as her mind dwelled upon the word death. She knew succumbing to Lady Sakuno's ascendence would be dishonouring her royal blood as the last princess of the fallen Tang Dynasty, but would be the meaning of honour and pride, when one already lost the ability to live?

“Meiling at your service, my ladyship.” Meiling bit her lips and announced her decision. Either way, she just wanted to leave the Tavern and Shang Guan Yun's control, and her supposed fate of reviving the Tang Dynasty. This was good enough for her. She tried to be hopeful.

Sakura didn't seem to respond to her declaration of loyalism, but rather, directed the intense conversation to a whole different path. “You must be wondering who those people are.” She began, as if speaking to herself rather than speaking to Meiling. “That man is my husband, and the lady in his arms is my sister-in-law.”

The news struck Meiling like a thunderbolt, leaving her practically cataleptical. How could she watch her husband having an affair with another woman so calmly as this, especially when the woman involved is her sister in law?

“Saa, I know what you're thinking, but I have no plans of apprising you the reason of my nonchalant reaction. Now tell me Meiling, what is a servant girl like you doing in the well-known forbidden grounds of the Taira household? Correct me if I am wrong, for I've been horridly ill ever since I stepped foot into this house, that the servant girls all have been trained and well-informed of the rules of this family. So why are you not informed of this well-known unwritten rule?”

The sudden turn of the already intense conversation left Meiling holding onto her breath with trepidation, as if breathing any more of this poisonous air produced by this household would perish her soul entirely.

“I…”

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A/N: I apologize for the delayed updates, but don't worry, I will definitely finish my story, and that is my promise to you all. I will try to use the last few days of my summer holidays to update as much as I can. Once again, I thank all of the readers that took the time to add me on facebook, if it wasn't for your comments on my wall, I would never have gained back the inspiration that has forsaken me. I owe this to you all.

To those that haven't added me on facebook yet, please do so, I'd like to be able to have one-on-one correspondence with my readers, if time permits. My user name is Aisaki Sumi, from the network University of Toronto 2010.

As for the concern brought up by one of my faithful readers, regarding the entire cross-dressing thing, well, some Asian young men have very feminine features and frail figure. Some current good examples are Kim Jaejoong (Hero from DBSK), Li Junki, Wu Zun, Yamashita Tomohisa, and Super Junior members. There is a DBSK video, which shows Kim Jaejoong cross-dressing as a girl, and it was very hard to tell if it was a boy or girl, most of my guy friends were exclaiming he had to be a girl (but we all know he's a guy from head to toes). There are also a lot of Asian tomboys that are exactly like pretty boys, there was one Taiwanese tomboy named YangYang. She is pretty popular over the Chinese internet, and most girls firmly believed YangYang is a guy, despite the facts thrown at their way that YangYang is indeed a girl. So, it is very possible for Sakura to cross-dress as a guy, and no one is able to tell unless she admits so herself. Whereas in the western culture, guys could not cross-dress as a girl and it is hard for a girl to cross-dress as a guy.