Deceiving Appearances

A Cardcaptor Sakura fan fic by *blinkblink*

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura, or the characters, and I'm not making any money from this, so please don't sue me.

Well, here I am, yet another CCS fic. There are so many plots jumping to my mind, I don't know which ones to use. This has the potential to be a many chaptered story, it depends on my patience. Well, enjoy, and please review! Thanks!

This takes place about a year after the series.



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"Syaoran, how could you?" Sakura was in tears, sniffling as she accused the boy standing next to her.

"But, it wasn't me, Sakura. Honestly." Sakura glared at him.

"Don't deny it, Syaoran, I know you kissed her!" Syaoran sighed.

"Please, Sakura, can't you believe me?" She turned her back on him.

"I saw you, Syaoran, how can that be wrong! No, I don't believe you, how could I? You said you loved me, but you kissed another girl! I hope I never see you again!" She stomped off, leaving Syaoran standing alone in the park. Thunder clapped, and rain started to pour down on his head, soaking him instantly. He moved to stand under a tree, reciting a simple spell so the lightning wouldn't strike him, and hopped up, watching the rain soak and wash away everything in its path.

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"You're sure it was him, Sakura?" Tomoyo had gone over to her best friends house as soon as the rain had ceased, to inquire about the unbelievable event Sakura claimed to have witnessed.

"It couldn't have been anyone else. He doesn't care about me at all Tomoyo! It was a lie! How could he!" She struck her pillow violently. Tomoyo murmured something soothingly.

"Maybe you should get away for a while, after all, it is winter holiday, no one ever said you had to stay in town for all of it." Sakura nodded slowly.

"We, Kero and I, have been sensing something from nearby the camp up there," she pointed out the window, "there must be some magic up there, and I really should check it out. We could go to camp there!" Tomoyo clapped excitedly.

"Sure! I'll get it all arranged! There'll be so much for me to video tape you doing!" Sakura sweatdropped.

"Suuure, Tomoyo, whatever you say." Tomoyo bounded off to start arranging things, leaving Sakura to cajole her father into it. He was surprisingly willing, saying it would be good for her to get some fresh air. So, it was arranged that she and Tomoyo would go to a week-long camp, starting Monday. Sakura started packing, it was already Sunday.

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Her father dropped both her and Tomoyo off at the gates to the camp, where they met the rest of the children who would be there with them. As it was a fairly small camp, they were separated into four cabins, two for girls and two for guys. Tomoyo and Sakura shared theirs with six other girls, three of whom were Chiharu, Rika and Naoko. Tomoyo had called them and arranged for them to come as well. Sakura was delighted, as it meant there were more people there she knew and she hadn't seen them since school let out.

Sakura and Tomoyo walked together towards their cabin. Sakura was humming absentmindedly to herself, when she heard something snap in the woods to her right. She swivelled around just in time to see an arrow headed right for her. She threw herself to the ground, dragging Tomoyo along with her. The arrow passed over their heads and embedded itself deep in a tree. Sakura ran over to where it had been shot from, but there was nothing there, nor were there any signs in the snow that anyone had ever been. She ran back to find Tomoyo staring at the tree which the arrow had hit. There was no arrow, and Tomoyo was empty handed.

"Where's the arrow?" Tomoyo shook her head.

"I don't know. I watched you run off, and when I turned back, it was gone, and there's no marks that it was ever there, either. Creepy." Sakura shivered.

"Maybe we just have over active imaginations. Yeah, that's it. Too much time capturing cards! Common!" She ran towards the cabin, dragging Tomoyo with her. Neither of them saw a boy wearing a long cloak sitting in a tree near where the sound had come from, with a large broken stick in his hands.

After getting their stuff unpacked, they were given the rest of the day for free time. Tomoyo wanted to set up her equipment, to get it ready for anything exciting that she could film, so Sakura, who had no interest in photography, decided to go for a hike.

The camp was set on a small mountain, and as it was winter anyways, had a fair deal of snow. The camp offered skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports. There was a lake which was frozen in the winter, but in the summer was excellent for swimming in. Sakura had a thick coat on, and was trudging determinedly through the snow to get to somewhere where she could sit down. Finally she found a large boulder which stuck up out of the snow. She brushed snow off and sat down. All the mountain side was covered with snow, and it ran into the town below, although it got thinner towards the foot of the mountain. Sakura smiled. It was snowing lightly, the snowflakes dancing in the breeze. 'I wish Syaoran was with me.' Then she remembered. 'But he's probably too busy with other girls.' Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill, when a noise from behind distracted her.

Sakura turned around, and found another arrow flying at her. She threw herself to the ground again, but now she was on an icy rock, and she slipped and slid down. She looked past her feet. There was a sheer drop of about forty feet. Sakura whimpered, and clutched for a hold, but the snowy rock was flat and slippery. She felt herself falling, and closed her eyes, when a hand grabbed her wrist. She opened her eyes and found that she was dangling in front of the rock face. She looked up to see someone in a hooded cloak holding her arm with both his hands. He, she was nearly certain it was a male, was held up by a rope tied between his legs and an overhanging tree branch. He began to pull his body up, grunting slightly with the effort. She whimpered again.

"Grab the rope" The voice was cold and harsh. Sakura found that he had pulled himself up to about a forty-five degree angle from the rope, and pulled her with him. Her eyes widened. 'He must be incredibly strong!' She did as she was told, reaching out her free hand and grabbing onto the rope. He let go of her other hand, and she inched her way up the rope, finally getting to the branch it was attached to, and climbed down onto firm ground. He flipped himself up easily and perched on the branch, coiling the rope.

"Who are you? Did you fire the arrows?" The man in the cloak shook his head. She walked over to the tree, but he stood up as she approached, and when she didn't stop, he ran along one of the branches and leapt to another tree, and another, moving through them like a squirrel.


'Who is he? And why did he save me?'

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Chapter 2