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The characters of Tsubasa- Reservoir Chronicle legally belong to CLAMP and Shonen Magazine. I lay no claim to them whatsoever. This story was written for my own entertainment as well as that of my readers. No profit is being made from it.

Note: This is a memoir, mostly from Sakura's point of view. It's written like a memoir novel (or any other novel, for that matter of fact), with usually short chapters. However, each chapter isn't really quite substantial enough to be published as a whole on the Internet. Therefore, here I have named each chapter with a Roman numeral followed by a name, all in italics. Chapter one, for example, is called I. The Princess. Hope that clears things up a bit. Oh yeah, this part (part 1) will include the entire first chapter (oh dear me God... what was I thinking when I said I was going to write this?), and part two will include the second chapter of the manga, etc.

Also, as this was written shortly after the first chapter of Tsubasa came out, for those who do not know what Tsubasa is, this is a novelized version from Sakura's point of view of CLAMP's newest work, which is an alternate universe story with so far Sakura, Syaoran, Touya, and Yukito in the first chapter. We don't know if it ties in to the original Cardcaptor Sakura, but so far it looks like CCS never happened. Go figure. It's just like CLAMP to come up with something like this.

The Memoirs of the Reservoir Chronicles
A retelling of Tsubasa- Reservoir Chronicle
Part I
by Amy Pan

I. The Princess

I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I? After all, it's not a common thing for a girl who thought she was just like everyone else-albeit a girl of the royal family-to suddenly be dropped into a mass of chaos and confusion. It's also not very common for a girl to inexplicably lose her soul and all consciousness after seeing a premonition of odd symbols. So I suppose not many would understand my story, if I did not tell it from the beginning. So of course, I should start at the very beginning of my tale, to help you understand.

Suppose you were a princess, with no father and no mother. They had died some years ago, and your brother was your only family now. Suppose he was the king of an entire country-mine, for instance, a desert country called Clow-and you were the only heir to the throne. It gave you quite a lot of restrictions, but you didn't mind so much, because being part of the royal family always meant restrictions. Suppose you thought you were just like any other princess. Not quite like a normal person in the realm, no, but just another person in this world.

Suppose you thought wrong.

The story really sort of began seven years before I found that I was no ordinary princess. An archaeologist had come to Clow on an expedition to uncover the ruins of our country. My brother granted him audience, of course, and allowed his work in these excavations. He said his goal was to find out the past of Clow from these ruins, and I suppose it was a good enough goal. It was his life, and his dream, to uncover the secrets of this world. And it was his son's dream as well.

His son was a strange little boy. Quiet, really, with big brown eyes and messy brown hair. But in those eyes I saw the same desire for the past, and for those old secrets, that his father had. He was a bit intimidated by me at first, I think. I was no more than a little girl, even smaller than he was. But everyone in the realm other than my brother treated me with such utmost respect. He did not quite understand why, and to tell the truth, I did not either. Even so, I had long since gotten used to be treated like royalty. The little boy, Syaoran, tried his best to treat me like he treated everyone else, with respect, but not with fear. I liked that. And we grew to be very good friends.

Over time I found that he was the only one who truly understood me. I grew to have other feelings for him-ones that had nothing to do with friendship. But it was not seemly for a princess to love a commoner, even a commoner so extraordinary like Syaoran was.

To other people, there might have been nothing extraordinary about him. But he was very special to me. He always tried to listen to me as best as he could, although archaeology often distracted him. And he was always very straightforward and truthful to me, which I liked. He was quite extraordinary in that way, that he did not think me different from any other person. Of course, he was a bit uncomfortable when everyone else treated me differently, and often looked at him reprovingly when we were out playing together.

By and by we grew up, and I was brought up as a proper princess. I was taught many of the arts-literature, music, philosophy, arithmetic, and many other things fit for a princess to learn. There were some things I thought was completely useless for a princess to learn, like dance and sewing. I enjoyed those lessons sometimes, but I did not see the point in them.

To tell the truth, I felt no pleasure in being the pretty and delicate princess I was. Of course, there was nothing wrong with being pretty and delicate, as every princess was supposed to be. But I could never play in the mud with other children, save with Syaoran, perhaps, when there was no one else nearby. But I felt trapped sometimes.

I grew used to it, and the life of royalty became as much a part of me as I became it. And everything went smoothly, save for the occasional fight with my brother Touya about going out to see Syaoran, and occasional feelings of being trapped inside the castle.

And then, Syaoran's father died in an accident during an excavation. Syaoran pressed on in his work, refusing to give up. He was determined to continue his father's work and pursue that dream, not only for his father's sake, but for his as well, because he loved the work as well.

As the years flew by and we grew up, we remained steadfast friends, although I often wished for more. Nothing changed between us, for better or for worse, and I was vaguely content with it.

He was away more and more, for his work, and I missed him sorely. I would sit in my large chamber in the castle, and wonder what he was doing. What adventures were he upon? What secrets did he uncover? Was he thinking of me..?

The first two questions he always answered, but I never found the courage to ask the last.

II. Magic of the Moment

He was away at an excavation when I made up my mind to tell him about my feelings. Before I lost my nerve, I practically ran to his home as soon as the workers from his team reported to the castle and I knew that he was home. He was there, tired, but the same as ever.

I hugged him tightly and welcomed him home. Oh, I sorely missed him, and it was good to have him back near me to just talk about different things as we liked. And then he called me Princess. "Don't call me princess! You of all people can call me 'Sakura,'" I told him. But he seemed very uncomfortable with that. I insisted, and triumphed, and he called me by my name.

Has it truly been seven years since we met? Back then he was unabashed with my royalty, most of the time. But as we grew older things were more tense. Touya grew more strict with me, and there was nothing I could do about it, but sneak out of the castle as often as I possibly could to see Syaoran.

I couldn't help but blurt out how I missed him when he's always out at work, and how I would sit in the castle lonely and thinking of him. I didn't think before I said "And I would say to myself, what is he doing? Is he thinking of me?"

Such a cliché, I know. I swore I'd never fall prey to the princess clichés, and yet I did. He held me an arm length away from him by the shoulders, and said, "I do think of you while I am away." And I couldn't help but stare into his dark serious eyes and believe him. And I knew that if I didn't tell him at that moment, I might never tell him.

"I have something to tell you, Syaoran," I began, and began to smack myself mentally. How stupid that sounded!

But he failed to notice my beet-red face. He's so oblivious it's cute sometimes. "I... Syaoran..."

Right on cue, the cursed castle bells rung to announce the evening, and I knew the magic of the moment was ruined. I was vaguely surprised that the whole country didn't hear my heart beating, struggling to jump out of my throat. Cutely, he asked me obliviously if I was all right, and I couldn't possibly muster the courage to tell him then. I made some sort of stupid excuse-I don't quite remember what I said. But I do know that I was horribly irritated that I knew that if I did not return home soon, Touya would be out looking for me. And I told Syaoran as much.

Of course he offered courteously to escort me home, as befits a gentleman. But I couldn't, even though I wanted to. I was so flustered I couldn't possibly spend another minute near him without bursting. The moment I walked out his door, a woman commented that my face was red, and another offered me an apple. Was I so obvious? I was. I smacked myself over and over again mentally on the way home.

Once I got to the castle, I realized that I had to get in unnoticed somehow. But of course, His Majesty found me trying to sneak in, as always. And then he called Syaoran an apprentice, and a brat. Syaoran was not an apprentice, and I told Touya so. Of course, Touya yells right back in my face. Yukito came to my rescue (or Touya's-who knows?), and intervened. But Touya wouldn't shut up, and continued to talk about how Syaoran will be busy forever forever forever with work, because they had found an underground path under the ruins.

I replied hotly that it meant that Syaoran would be happy to see new ruins, and that I didn't mind. I resented my brother for trying to make me disappointed that Syaoran would be away more. The worst of it was that it worked. . I didn't care or want to stay in his presence, so I left without bothering to excuse myself.

I could never be with Syaoran, because I am a part of the royal family, and he is not. I would probably be married off to some dashing and handsome prince from some far-off country, or to some noble boy from Clow who was scared to death of me. And I would be miserable all my life. I would be queen one day, with a consort of my own. But I would not be with Syaoran.

I could run away with him, if he'd let me. He wouldn't want to take me away from my people. But I could make him, somehow. But then I'd leave Clow heirless, and I couldn't possibly do that.

III. The Vision

The stars out that night were very pretty, and I couldn't help but look up at them wonderingly. I walked out to the balcony and looked out. Across the distance were the ruins Syaoran so loved. And I knew that he would be excited at the new discovery of underground ruins. It occurred to me that I could make lunch for him and bring it to his excavation. And then, surely, surely, I could muster the courage to tell him how I feel.

That is when I heard the sound. It was a beautiful sound. Like a bell, almost. Except it was infinitely more extraordinary, beautiful, and clear than a bell. This was the first sign of what was to come, but I did not know. The sound called out to me, and I couldn't help but respond. I did not know then what was happening, but I know now.

The premonition caused my physical body to float up in the air, and I saw images of what was to come. I saw strange symbols, the ruins, buildings I had never seen before. I also saw a flash of Syaoran and me, separated by a glass wall.

And then it ended. I found myself standing on the balcony once more, and could not understand what happened.

Little did I know that this vision was to be the first of many, the beginning of a story that would change my life, and other lives, forever.

VI. Syaoran Speaks (Wings of White)

I was very happy to be home, and glad that there were new ruins nearer to the castle to work in. I did not like being away from Sakura. However, finding those ruins might as well have been the best or worst thing to happen to the two of us. The underground passage led to a giant wing shaped image on the ground. I thought then that it must have had some sort of significance to be drawn in a secret underground passage like this.

However, I knew that we could dig no further there. The rock at the end of the passage was steel solid, and we did not have the equipment to dig through it.

That was when Sakura showed up. She had followed King Touya when he came to inspect the excavation, and she had brought me lunch. Both of us knew, of course, that nothing could ever happen. I was determined not to fall in love with her, even if she might love me back one day, because she was royalty and I was not. There was no use in ruining a friendship over it, however.

This was when she saw it. The giant wing in the ground. She fell into some sort of a trance, and I thought I was going to stop breathing. She knelt over the symbol, and a great power burst from the mark and I was thrown back hard by it.

Sakura didn't seem to be bothered at all by it, however. In fact, she was encircled in some sort of light, like an angel.

And then, she floated away.

I reached for her, but she was floating through the ruins towards the surface too fast. I had to run fast to catch up. She flew up through the ruins faster and faster.

Then the hand came, the huge hand from an invisible person who came to swallow her.

I made a desperate grab for her, but when I looked at her eyes they were empty and blank. She was still there, and yet she was not there at all.

To be continued.

A/N: Feedback? Comments? Like? Not like? All would be appreciated. Comments can be sent to at kurisutarusakura .