Sealed In Our Fate...

Chapter 8 - Prepared to Leave
During the next five days, Sakura's heart has been eased greatly ever since that night that she spent with the prince. She felt no more pressure from getting in trouble anymore, and the palace seems more and more like a home to her each day. But the thing that bothered Sakura the most was the presence of the prince. Every time he visits the garden, Sakura feels her heart racing out of her body. She would occasionally take several glances at the prince, each time resulting a blush on her face. He was very handsome. . .almost too handsome to be real, but Sakura just blindly stares at him everyday. Why does she feel this way every time the prince was here? Sakura would ask herself every time, but the answer seems to be buried deep inside herself. The prince, however, didn't show any more attention to Sakura than any other servants in the palace. Every time he visits the garden, he would just sit himself at the gazebo, waiting for Sakura's daily lunch routine. How Sakura wished the prince would pay more attention to her.

Time flew rapidly, and before anyone knew it, the big day has arrived. It was so early in the morning that the sun hasn't been welcomed into the day yet. Sakura, excited and nervous, couldn't sleep any longer, so she decided that she might as well wake up. Quickly cleaning and dressing herself up, Sakura packed up all her clothing in a small and compacted bag, along with some other accessories. While searching through her own closet, she came upon a small money bag dyed with the color of the sky, and in the center laced with a golden-red phoenix. Her attention was immediately caught at this bag, reminiscing the time before she came to China, when her mother handed her this beautifully laced moneybag. "Mother." Sakura whispered, as tiny droplets of tears trickled down her cheeks.

'Be strong, don't cry.' Sakura remembered her mother telling her. She slowly wiped the tears away with her sleeves then packed the money bag nicely inside her luggage. "I'll promise, mother, that I'll make you proud when I come home one day!" Sakura said, trying as hard as she can to be strong, without her family at her side.

After a final check around her room, Sakura closed her door tightly then headed towards the main room. The place was completely empty when Sakura walked in, and the room was very poorly lit since morning was still far from approaching. 'I guess I must've woke up too early,' Sakura thought. She glanced around the room, trying to find something to do before the sun rises. 'Well, I guess there isn't much for me to do. Might as well take a walk or something to kill time.' Sakura sighed then approached the door.

She started following the sidewalk, not knowing where she wanted to head to. It was quite an unusual scene to see the whole palace so empty before sunrise. She continued walking, and in no time, she was lead towards the peony garden. As she had thought, the garden was also spotless from people, but the peonies are still blooming beautifully. She walked through the main sidewalk down the garden, where it is aligned with rows of peonies at both sides. It was like walking through heaven, a road that leads to eternal happiness. Sakura closed her eyes, trying to feel the morning breeze brushing against her face, along with the strong essence of peonies. How she wished this walk to last forever.

As Sakura continues passing through the sidewalk, she suddenly saw a figure approaching towards her direction. The morning fog makes it hard to identify the person, but Sakura could recognize him in just a glance; Prince Syaoran. Sakura was so shocked, that she almost fell off her feet. 'Why is he wandering around the garden so early in the morning? Did he not sleep well last night, just like me?' Sakura just stood in the middle of the road, not knowing to whether hide or greet him. The prince didn't seem to notice Sakura's presence, as he just kept walking down the sidewalk, approaching closer and closer towards Sakura. Her heart beating faster every step he takes, Sakura starts to shake. 'Why am I acting like this every time I see him? Why can't I face him bravely?'

Before Sakura could figure out what to do, the prince has already walked close enough to figure out Sakura's presence. Sakura took a deep breath, since there's nothing else she could do, then greeted, "Good morning, your highness."

The prince looked at Sakura as if she had interrupted his train of thoughts. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" He asked.

"Well. . . . . . uh. . . . . I just couldn't sleep. . . .so I just came to . . . uh . . . take a walk." Sakura replied, shaking harder and her heart beating faster.

"Oh. . ." The prince said then continued walking. As he walked pass Sakura, she could clearly see his face. It was the most depressing face Sakura had ever seen, and couldn't help but feel her heart aching as well. She wondered what could make him so sad, and before she knew it, she just did something that she had no idea why she did.

"Wait!!" Sakura called out.

The prince stopped and looked back at Sakura, waiting to hear what she wanted to say.

Now sweat broke all over Sakura's face, as she tries to think of something to say. 'Why did I call him? Now what should I say to him? God, Sakura, how did I get myself into this?'

"Yes?" The prince said impatiently, but his voice was very soft.

"Umm. . . . . uhhh. . . ." Sakura stammered. This time, her heart beat was definitely audible. 'Say it, Sakura! Say it!' Sakura shouted in her mind. 'Say it before he walks away!' But, Sakura can't seem to gather enough courage.

The prince shook his head in an irritated manner, then ignored Sakura and kept on walking.

"Umm. . . .excuse me!" Sakura called out once again. This time, she really didn't know why she called out again.

The prince turned around again. "What is it?" His voice was showing signs of impatience.

"Uhhhh . . . . . ." Sakura still hesitated. She closed her eyes tightly, then blurted, "Please, tell me what's bothering you!" Sakura kept her eyes shut, waiting for the prince's answer.

The prince's expression stayed the same. There was a few minutes of silence in between, and as Sakura slowly slid her eyelids open, she can see a clear face of the prince right in from of her. His face was solemn, but then a tint of a smile can be detected. The prince calmly said, "Everything is fine. . .just pack up your stuff and be ready to go so you won't be late." After that said, he continued walking his direction, and Sakura watched until he disappeared from the sidewalk.

~*~

It was about a few moments after sunrise, but the main gate is already piled with servants and other noblemen who are also coming along to the trip. There were row among rows of horses lined up outside the front gate, and the ones in the center are the most beautiful horses, which attached to it is a fairly large and decorated carriage. The other horses have larger wagons attached to them for carrying luggage and other equipment.

Sakura has been standing with the other servants for quite a while already, but things look like it's going to take even longer before they really leave the palace. The Empress and the Prince still hasn't arrived yet, and probably are going to be the last one to arrive to the main gate. Sakura stood patiently and continued to wait, but she's really dying to find something to do.

"Sakura!!" Two voices from a distanced called out. Sakura looked into the direction of the call, and was so happy to see Meiling and Eriol approaching her way.

"Meiling! Eriol!" Sakura called back, and waved vigorously at them.

They were both running hard towards her, and by the time they caught up to Sakura, they were both gasping for air. "Sakura. . ." Meiling said while panting hard. She took out a small bag of food and pushed it to Sakura's hands. "These are your favorite buns that I've just made. If I remember correctly, I don't think you have eaten breakfast yet."

Sakura had just remembered how excited she was when she woke up, and she completely forgotten about eating. Almost right on cue, her stomach just made a loud and long 'growl'.

Meiling giggled. "Haha, I guess I've made it just in the right time! I don't think they'll stop for lunch until halfway through the afternoon, so you better eat up or else you won't have enough strength to last for even half a day."

Sakura immediately threw a hug at Meiling. "Oh. . . Thank you so much! I don't know what I'll do with you, Meiling!!" Meiling returned a hug to Sakura, smiling tenderly as if she was a mother. "Just take care when you're traveling," Meiling advised. "Be sure to stay with your group at all times, and don't let anyone bully you! If they do, give me their names and I'll fight them down to hell!"

The three of them laughed, as if they were all within a family. Sakura released her long hug with Meiling then turned to Eriol.

"Oh, and here's my gift to you, Sakura." Eriol held out a silky white cloak in front of her. "It's very windy these days and it might get very cold at night. This cloak might be able to give you some warmth while you're miles away from us."

The cloak was truly beautiful. The silky material gave the cloak the great shine to it, and the silvery white colors shone just like the winter snow. Sakura was speechless as she held onto the cloak tightly to feel it's softness. "Eriol. . .this is too beautiful. . . I can't take it. . ."

"It's yours, Sakura. I want you to be safe and warm while you're traveling, so please accept it." Eriol smiled warmly at her.

For a split second, Eriol sounded so much like an older brother to Sakura. She felt so happy to have such great friends to bid her farewell, as silent tears formed and trickled down her cheeks. "You guys are so great. . . I don't know how to thank you. . ." Sakura's tears cannot be controlled as it continuously streamed down her face.

Meiling took out her handkerchief and offered it to Sakura, while Eriol shuffled her hair like an older brother would do. "Just promise us, Sakura," Eriol said. "Come back safely, and that will be your thanks to us."

Meiling helped to dry off Sakura's tears with her sleeves. "And promise me that you won't be so air headed at important times. Also, don't go around crying so easily. It's not like we're going to separate forever or something"

Sakura took their advice and nodded like a child. Her tears just can't seem to stop, but she kept repeating to herself that they are only going to part for a few months, and half a year at most. But the thought of separation really aches her heart, especially when it reminds her most of the time when she had to separate from her family.

"The Empress has arrived! The Prince has arrived!" Sakura heard one of the male soldiers call out loudly. She immediately dropped onto her knees and bowed her head as low as possible, along with the rest of the people present.

Both the Empress and the Prince made a fine procession as everyone watched them enter the carriage. Final calls were made just a few minutes before the crowd leaves the palace. Sakura gave both Meiling and Eriol a final hug, and then bid them a final "Farewell".



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