Pretty Baby, Why Can't You See?
By SwEeT AnGeL 1004
Chapter 1: Prologue
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"C'mon, Sakura!" Touya yelled up the stairs.
"What?" Sakura skipped down the landing, looking sweet in her pigtails and pink dress.
"We're going with dad to work today, remember? It's 'Take your children to work day'," Touya patiently explained while he adjusted the pink bows on Sakura's hair.
"Boy, that's a long name," Sakura said, and looked up and smiled at Touya.
Touya chuckled and patted her head.
"Don't do that! I'm not that short anymore!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Oh, yes you are. You're only 9! You think you're not short compared to me, eh, monster?" Touya teased.
"Oh, shut up," Sakura pouted.
"Don't say shut up to me! I'm seven years older than you!" Touya said.
"Touya! Sakura!" Fujitaka's voice rang out through the empty hall.
"Come on. Let's go," Touya picked up Sakura and easily swung her over his shoulder.
Sakura squealed and giggled all the way to the waiting car outside.
Fujitaka's normally cheerful face was clouded up in worry today.
Touya securely strapped Sakura in the back seat, and took his place in the front passenger seat.
They started off, with Sakura distracted, singing along to the radio, an song called, 'Pretty Baby' (by Vanessa Carlton)
"You light me up and then I fall for you.
You lay me down and then I call for you.
Stumbling on reasons that are far and few
I let it all come down and then sung for you.
Pretty baby, don't you leave me
I have been saving smiles for you.
Pretty baby, why can't you see?
You're the one that I belong to.
I'll be the embrace that keeps you warm
You're the sun that breaks the storm
I'll be all right and I'll sleep sound
As long as you keep coming 'round.
Oh pretty baby."
"Dad, is anything wrong? You look…worried," Touya asked.
"No, sweetie. Everything's fine. But one favor. I'm doing a special task today for the university, and its sort of dangerous. You need to stay in the car with Sakura, okay? And stay low. If you see anyone, hide," Fujitaka warned.
"Um…okay. Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do for you?" Touya asked.
"No. You're only 16. You have a whole life ahead of you," Fujitaka said, and focused on the road.
Touya's brow creased at his father's words, but he brushed them aside.
Their mother's birthday was coming up soon, and neither of them forgot it.
Sakura and Touya soon dozed off from the long car ride to the city of Tokyo, the music still playing in the background.
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"No! Don't do this---" the man's words were suddenly cut off as a twelve inch knife was cleanly inserted in his stomach.
"Too short. Not painful enough," a man sitting in a large executive chair observed, dangling his cigar from his fingers.
"I'm sorry, sir," five men bowed.
"Leave," the man ordered.
The five muscular men exited the large carpeted room.
The man stood up and lazily walked around, watching the man in agony, quickly dying of blood loss that was surely staining the carpet.
"Tsk, tsk. The Li clan leader, dying on his knees, begging for his life in front of me? Tsukiro Akatchi? Nobody would believe," the man said.
The man on the floor grunted and managed to pull out the knife from his stomach.
He hurled it at the standing man, who caught it with one hand.
"Dare to try and strike me, did you? You're going to suffer much pain, Li. Nobody, I repeat, nobody betrays the Akatchi circle. And you, my heir to the throne. Did it pain you much to hide this from your family? Your young son and four daughters? Your wife? Your family?' Tsukiro Akatchi asked.
"I was deceived," Li grunted from the floor.
He was feeling light headed and woozy, and he could barely make out Tsukiro's image through his blurry vision.
"No, no. You made your own choices. We may have influenced you, but your choices were all your own," Tsukiro said.
He took another long drag from his cigar and threw it in Li's face.
Li winced from the burn, but his pain from his stomach was much greater.
"You…will…never succeed," Li could barely make out the words.
"Traitor," Akatchi sneered.
He flung the knife back at the man, and it hit its target cleanly.
Li was dead before he could realize he had a knife lodged in his skull.
"Come back in here and clear this filthy body out of my sight!" Tsukiro ordered.
The five men that had been waiting outside came back inside.
"Where do you want this body disposed?" a man asked.
"Oh, wherever. Somewhere public. Somewhere which someone will discover the rotting flesh," Tsukiro said.
"Yes, sir," the men bowed and heaved the body out of there.
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The night before…
"Mommy? Will you read this book to me?" a wide eyed girl looked up at her mother.
"Stop, honey. Read the book to yourself and go to sleep. Or I'll have Maria to read it to you. You're nine years old, Tomoyo," Sonomi didn't bother to look up from her papers.
"But I want you to read it to me," Tomoyo asked.
"Honey, we don't get everything we want in life. These things are trivial compared to the important things--money, power, and fame. Don't you want that, darling? Money so you can buy whatever you want? More than enough friends?" Tomoyo's mother asked.
"No. I want love," Tomoyo insisted.
"And you have enough of it from me. Too much and you'll be spoiled. Maria!! Come here! Take Tomoyo to bed!" Sonomi shouted.
Tomoyo tried to stare her mother down, but, as usual, it didn't work.
Her mother didn't pay attention to her and continued filling out forms for a new business agreement.
"Maria? Where's my daddy?" Tomoyo asked, walking upstairs hand in hand with her maid.
Maria, an old maid who had worked for the Daidouji's since before Tomoyo's birth, pursed her lips and said, "You better ask your mother that, honey."
"Stop calling me honey," Tomoyo said angrily.
"Well, what do you want me to call you, sweetie?" Maria asked.
She tucked Tomoyo into her bed, while the young girl answered.
"Call me Tomoyo! I'm a person! Now, go away," Tomoyo said, and buried her head underneath her pillow.
"Don't you want me to read this story to you? Sleeping Beauty?" Maria asked persistently.
"No. Go away or I'll have mommy fire you," Tomoyo threatened.
Maria walked out of the room, not bothering to look back as she turned off the lights and closed the door.
Tears were streaming from her amethyst eyes as Tomoyo cried herself to sleep.
Like always.
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Touya and Sakura's eyes opened as the car lurched to a stop in front of an old, crumbling warehouse.
"Dad, are you sure this is the right place? It doesn't really look like the place where you would work. Or that you should take Sakura here, either," Touya said.
"I know. I wasn't going to take you guys here, but Sakura just begged me to take her to work. And this is work. Be cautious, okay? Also, I'm going in. I'll be out in about ten or so minutes. Wait for me, and don't leave the car," Fujitaka warned again, practically whispering.
"Okay," Touya felt himself answered automatically.
Touya had learned from past experience to agree with whatever his father said when the time came around his mother's birthday.
Fujitaka got out and walked away, soon out of sight.
Once he was gone, Touya immediately got up and went outside.
"Touya! Where are you going?" Sakura asked.
"You stay here---no. Wait. Come here with me. We're going to follow dad, okay? I have a hunch that there's more to work than he tells us," Touya said.
He opened the back door and let Sakura crawl out, and he immediately locked the car and took the keys.
Together they followed the direction in which they had last seen their father, and carefully tiptoed in his tracks.
They entered the warehouse through a concealed door, and quietly followed their father to an office.
Fujitaka knocked on the office and entered.
"Quick!" Touya grabbed Sakura and shoved her and him into a broom closet right next to the office when he saw people coming.
"Shh…" Touya shushed Sakura and pressed his ear against the wall.
"Who are you and what do you want?" an unfamiliar voice asked harshly.
"I've had some information that you've acquired a package from Egypt that was found in the pyramids of Cairo?"
Touya recognized his father's voice, trembling slightly from fear.
"So what?" the voice asked.
"With your permission, I'd like to take that package. I'm a representative from Tomoeda University, and I'm a professor of archaeology. My colleagues and I are doing some extra work and would like to study the material. It would be vital to our research, you see. We'll do this all top secret. We'll return the contents of the package, and not report you in," Fujitaka said.
"How do I know you're not some undercover cop trying to bust my drug ring?" the voice asked then laughed.
"I can assure you, I'm not part of the government in any way," Fujitaka replied.
"Hah. My answer is no. I don't trust anyone. You see that stain on the carpet? That's from twenty minutes ago. That's the blood of one of my closest friends who betrayed me. And you know who killed him? Me. With my bare hands. I did it," the man said.
Sakura whimpered from the closet, but Touya tightened his grip on her.
He furiously tried to send his father thought messages, though he had no telepathic powers.
"Get out of there, dad. Hurry," Touya mumbled under his breath.
Sakura looked up at him curiously and copied him, "Get out of there, Daddy. Hurry!"
"Well, then. I'll get out now," Fujitaka said curtly, and turned to leave.
He was on his way out, one foot out the door when a bullet struck him from the back.
He doubled over, and Touya and Sakura burst out from the closet, "NO!!!"
Blood spilled from Fujitaka's back, and Sakura gasped at the sight of her dead father.
The people who Touya had seen coming immediately made for him and Sakura, and one of them shot for Sakura.
Blood spurted from Sakura's arm, and she fell on the floor, unconscious…or dead?
Touya, who had taken karate lessons, tried to fend off the five men, but he was struck on the back of his head with a baton and knocked out cold.
"What should we do with them?" the men once again asked.
"Ah. Take the man and throw him in the garbage. Throw the girl in there with him. The dogs will eat them before anyone finds them," Tsukiro said.
"And the boy?"
"Keep him. I have a feeling he could be useful for our service. He's strong. And proud. We could use some of that. Now hurry up. I don't want any more blood stains on the carpet," Tsukiro ordered.
"Hai, sir."
The five exited the office, two of them carting Touya away to a cell in the warehouse, two of them carrying Fujitaka and one of them with Sakura.
"Three kills in one day. Good job, Akatchi," Tsukiro congratulated himself.
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Two days later…
"That's it. I'm running away!" Tomoyo declared to herself.
Maria didn't look up from mending one of Sonomi's suits, and said, "All right, dear. Do whatever you'd like."
Tomoyo stomped over to her closet where she dragged out a pink suitcase.
She started stuffing clothes in there, then ran downstairs.
Maria continued humming a tune to herself as she threaded a needle and continuing to sew.
Tomoyo soon returned with as much food supplies she could find, put it in the suitcase and added her favorite stuffed animal, shut it closed and said, "I'm leaving!"
"Okay, sweetie. Be back for dinner," Maria said.
"No! I'm really leaving! Damn, no one takes me seriously around here!" Tomoyo swore.
"Tomoyo!" Maria barked.
"Sorry," Tomoyo whimpered, and slinked out of the room with her suitcase.
Maria looked up from her sewing and made her way downstairs, trailing the young girl.
Sonomi was drinking coffee and reading the morning newspaper when her daughter marched out of the double doors to outside.
"Ma'am, do you want me to follow her?" Maria asked.
"No, it's okay. She'll come back," Sonomi answered, reading the story on the murder of the leader of the Li clan.
"Are you sure, ma'am? She sounds serious this time," Maria said.
"No. It's fine. She'll come back once she runs out of food or if it gets cold. She'll come back," Sonomi answered, now reading the latest news on the stock exchange.
Maria looked out of the windows next to the doors and saw Tomoyo's back, not once turning back.
"Maria, it's fine!!" Sonomi nearly exclaimed, running out of patience, "She's my daughter, for goodness sakes. I raised her. I should know her by now. She'll come back."
But Tomoyo never came back.
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Syaoran stood staring at the coffin being lowered into the ground.
Eriol sympathetically patted him on the back, while Syaoran's four sisters and his mother were sobbing their hearts out.
Syaoran had a hard look in his eyes, with his hands jammed into the pockets of his suit.
After the coffin was stationed in the ground, six feet under, the family came out and threw long stemmed roses onto the wooden casket.
Afterwards, Meiling and the rest of the Li clan sprinkled rose petals onto the coffin until it was buried under hundreds of red flower petals.
"Let's go home," Eriol said, and started nudging Syaoran towards the direction of the parked limos.
"No. I've got to go find him," Syaoran said.
"What? Find who?" Eriol asked.
"My father told me that if something ever happened to him, I'd have to take his place and go find a guy."
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Flashback-
"Son, come over here," Syaoran father said.
"What, father?" Syaoran asked, pausing for a moment from his sword movements.
"Come over here. I need to talk to you. You're growing up and you're my only son; my heir."
"All right," Syaoran put down his sword and walked over to his father.
His father squatted down to be level in height with Syaoran, and said, "If anything ever happens to me, you must take my place."
"I know that. You've told me a million times that I'm the heir to being the master of the Li clan," Syaoran said.
"No. Something else. If something ever happens to me, you must go to a man named Tsukiro Akatchi. The man is my best friend, and I promised him that if something ever happens me that I would grant my son to him. Understand?"
"Of course," Syaoran said, feeling grownup.
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That had been only a year ago.
"You're ranting. We can't do that!" Eriol said.
"No. I've thought about this since the news that father died. I made a promise to my father and I can't break it. We're going to take a subway there."
"You know, there's sort of that sea separating Japan from everything else?" Eriol said lightly.
"Then I'll ride a boat. I'm going. I made this decision already. You can either come or leave me," Syaoran said.
"I'll come. But I'm warning you, this is the wrong choice! I'll just go with you until you realize what a big mistake you've made, and then I'll come home with you. If we're going to go, let's go tomorrow at daybreak," Eriol said.
"No. We're going NOW," Syaoran said.
"What? It's only noon!" Eriol raised his voice slightly, acquiring stares from some of the elders.
"We're going now. I have enough money in my wallet to last us about a month living in downtown Tokyo," Syaoran said.
Eriol sighed. Syaoran had been his best friend since they were young, and he wasn't going to let some crazy adventure separate them.
"Fine. Let's go right now. We'll walk to the subway station, buy a ticket there, and ride to as far as we can. Then we'll take a boat trip to Tokyo then make our way downtown," Eriol stated flatly.
For the first time since the news of his father's death, Syaoran gave Eriol a tight smile--more like a grimace, however, and said, "Good. I knew'd you be with me. Besides, you must have connections to- Tsukiro Akatchi , don't you?"
"Yes. Let me get my laptop from the limo. Also, are we going to enter the county illegally?" Eriol asked.
"No. You can make us false visas," Syaoran replied.
Meiling, who had been skulking around her two idols, had perked up when she had heard them talking about taking a trip.
"Can I come?" Meiling suddenly asked.
"What? To where?" Eriol asked.
"To where you're going," Meiling replied.
"No. You stay at home. And don't ever tell anyone about what you've heard," Syaoran ordered.
Meiling pouted, then her eyes narrowed.
Then she thought, 'If they won't let me go…I'll follow them.'
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Meiling was lost.
She had followed her cousin and his best friend all throughout the train ride, sneaking aboard and hiding in the cargo space.
And she followed them to the ports, where she boarded a boat closely behind Eriol and Syaoran.
And here she was, lost.
She had lost them right after getting off the boat.
There was a much larger crowd than she had expected, and had easily lost Syaoran and Eriol through the throngs of people.
Meiling sighed in despair, and decided to follow the crowd to the inner streets of Tokyo.
She slowly walked up and down the streets, hoping to catch sight of Syaoran and Eriol, but there was no trace of the two boys.
Meiling sat down on the concrete sidewalk, not minding the people who were walking around her.
She scooted over to the edge of the curb and perched there, playing with a stick that was on the ground.
Meiling felt someone tap her shoulder, and looked up at a girl her age with long purplish hair.
"Who are you?" Meiling asked.
"I should ask you the same thing. My name's Tomoyo. You look hungry. Want to come to my house?" Tomoyo asked.
"Um…sure," Meiling said, putting aside the warnings her mother had always told her about strangers.
"Follow me," Tomoyo said.
On the walk through the alley, Meiling scrutinized Tomoyo.
She was wearing a beautiful purple skirt with a white peasant top that were obviously high quality, but the velvet on the dress was matted with dirt and the shirt had stains on it.
"What's your name?" Tomoyo asked while they were climbing over a fence.
"Meiling. I'm from Hong Kong," Meiling replied.
"Cool. Isn't that far away?" Tomoyo inquired.
"Yeah. I rode a subway and a boat," Meiling told her new friend.
"Wow. Well, we're here. Follow me," Tomoyo was standing at the entrance of an apartment building, and she went inside.
The apartment's inside was run down, but it looked like many people lived there.
It wasn't too bad, but definitely different from what Meiling was used to.
Tomoyo climbed up the stairs and up and up to the twenty second floor, and both girls were panting in unison once they reached the door.
Tomoyo knocked on the door and yelled, "It's me! I brought a friend home for dinner!"
The door was slowly opened by a boy not much older than them; maybe 15 or 16 at the most.
Meiling nearly shrieked at the sight of him, however.
The boy had deathly white skin, and was so thin he seemed like a ghost.
His head was entirely bald, and he had piercing silver eyes that matched his pale skin. (think the guy from the 1995 movie Powder. or a really skinny, white Lex Luthor from Smallville)
No, not pale--translucent skin.
His sickly white body clashed loudly with the black clothes he was wearing, and his silver eyes were so pale that he could pass as blind.
Tomoyo said to Meiling, "Don't be scared. He's really nice. But he doesn't talk. Isn't his head cool? It's so shiny!"
"What's his name?" Meiling asked as they walked into the strange apartment.
"I dunno. Like I said, he doesn't talk. He took me in and feeds me. And this other girl, but she's always asleep," Tomoyo answered.
The girls took off their shoes and stepped into the quiet apartment.
It wasn't too big or too small, just right.
It had one bedroom, a kitchen and living room, and a full bathroom.
The one thing that made it seem so strange was that everything was white--white walls, ceiling, carpet, even the furniture was white. Even the curtains were white, letting sunlight stream into the apartment.
"We're just about to have dinner. You like pasketti?" Tomoyo asked.
"I guess. What is it?" Meiling asked.
"Noodles and tomato sauce. Here, this is Sakura. I named her. She had a necklace on that read it in Japanese," Tomoyo introduced Meiling to a still girl on the sofa.
"Is she asleep?" Meiling gently prodded Sakura's toe.
The boy shot her a glance, and Meiling immediately withdrew her hand.
"He's weird," Meiling whispered to Tomoyo.
Tomoyo heartily agreed, but said, "Dinner's all ready. Sit down."
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The girls had a nice dinner, with the two girls chatting away.
Throughout the whole meal, the white, bald boy sat silent, not eating.
"Isn't he going to eat?" Meiling asked through a mouthful of noodles.
"I don't think so. He never eats. Maybe that's why he's so skinny. But he doesn't starve. But doesn't he make good pasketti?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yup. Where's he going?" Meiling asked.
"To check on Sakura. You gonna eat that bread?"
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The teen walked over to the sofa, and gently wiped away beads of sweat from the young girl's face.
He stared at her, not blinking, and in return, Sakura's eyes slowly opened.
"Who am I?" were the first words out of her mouth.
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"She's awake!" Tomoyo gleefully shouted to Meiling.
They quickly finished the remains of their dinner and put it in the sink, and ran over to the sofa.
Sakura was still lying on there, eyes wide open and taking in her surroundings.
"Hi! My name's Tomoyo! And this is Meiling!" Tomoyo introduced herself.
"Tomoyo said you've been asleep for a long time," Meiling added.
"I know. Who's he?" Sakura asked quietly.
"We dunno," Meiling answered.
Sakura slowly scrutinized the boy, and said, "Yue."
"Moon," Tomoyo translated.
"Yukito…" Sakura's eyes narrowed in recognition, and something flashed quickly in her eyes but soon disappeared.
"Snow bunny," Tomoyo translated again.
The boy shot Tomoyo a look and Tomoyo said, "He wants to know if you remember anything."
"I don't know…no, I don't. What's this?" Sakura pointed at a bandage on her arm.
"It's a scrape you got when Yuki found you," Tomoyo said, and winked.
"Yuki?" Meiling asked.
"We now appoint our guardian as Yuki!" Tomoyo exclaimed.
"It fits," Sakura agreed, and said, "Moon bunny?"
"Perhaps," Meiling said.
"You want to get up? We just had dinner," Tomoyo said.
Sakura slowly struggled to get up, then tried to stand up, succeeding after five tries.
"I think some chicken soup would do me good," Sakura said.
Yuki rose and headed to the kitchen, pausing to collect the cups Meiling and Tomoyo had left behind.
"Does he cook, too?" Sakura whispered to the other two girls.
"Yeah," Meiling said
"He's nice. So what are you guys doing here?" Sakura asked.
"I ran away from home. I stumbled into Yuki and he took me home," Tomoyo said.
"Why'd you run away from home?" Sakura asked.
"My mommy didn't like me and I don't have a daddy," Tomoyo replied casually.
"Oh," Sakura thought about that for a second and said, "What about you Meiling?"
"I was feeling like adventure so I followed my cousin and his friend from Hong Kong all the way here," Meiling explained.
"Uh oh. Are you going to try and find them?" Sakura inquired.
"Pshaw."
"Psh-what?"
"Pshaw! That means, as if. I'm happy here. For the time being," Meiling said.
The three girls spent the rest of the evening talking, about what their lives had been.
Only Sakura remained quiet, taking everything in.
Once she glanced at Yuki and found him staring at her, sympathizing.
She slowly nodded at him, then resumed her conversation.
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"SAKURA!!!!!!" Touya bolted up from his bed, sweating.
"Ah, awake are we?" the guard at the gate commented.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Touya asked, panicking.
"Don't you remember?" asked a new voice from the shadows of the dark cell.
"Who are you?" Touya demanded.
"Tsukiro Akatchi. Yes, yes, the famed ring leader. Don't you remember? Bursting out from the closet with your little sister, only to have her shot?"
Touya gasped, and the events from couple days ago came flooding back at him.
"My father's dead, right?" Touya said, more like a statement than a question.
"Indeed. Shot in the stomach with a bullet," Tsukiro answered.
"You're sick," Touya stated, "What do you want with me?"
"I needed a new recruit for the club. You see, Mr. Li died when he betrayed us. And I need a replacement. And then you appeared. You're strong. And will be loyal, once you're broken in," Akatchi said.
"Broken in? I'm not a horse nor dog," Touya said.
"Ah, no. But you are my slave."
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"No such luck," Eriol said, still typing away at his computer.
"Are you sure? Any knowledge where the Tsukiro might be?" Syaoran asked, pacing around in the tiny motel room.
"None. And believe me, I have all the connections," Eriol said.
"Then what are we going to do?" Syaoran asked.
"Wait."
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Three years later…
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"Ha! They finally stopped printing my name in the Missing Children's section," Tomoyo laughed through her Fruit Loops.
"Seriously?" Sakura asked, and grabbed the newspaper from her hands.
"Yeah. I'm now officially declared dead. And the newspaper also says my mother didn't even come to my funeral," Tomoyo said.
"I don't see how you could laugh about that," Sakura said thoughtfully.
Tomoyo shrugged, "You get used to it."
"C'mon, you guys! We're going to be late for school!" Meiling came out from the bathroom
"I'm almost done," Sakura said, and finished the remains of her toast.
She grabbed her backpack and planted a kiss on Yuki's bald head, who was reading a book in the living room.
The four of them had lived the past three years in harmony
The girls went to school, while Yuki disappeared every night from 11 and reappeared at 6 in the morning, always in time to make the girls breakfast.
The girls never questioned what he did, but they knew that he was working and had enough money to support the four of them.
The three girls took on the surname Yuki, and they were Sakura Yuki, Meiling Yuki and Tomoyo Yuki--three sisters living with their guardian.
No one ever questioned their life at home, and everyone at school believed their images and never wondered about the distinct resemblance between the missing Tomoyo Daidouji and Tomoyo Yuki.
However, Yuki himself was still a mystery.
The girls had never seen him take a shower, eat or have any signs of growing hair.
They had never seen him outside the apartment, but they knew he left occasionally to buy groceries and such.
"We're getting our math tests back today. Wish us luck!" Tomoyo followed Sakura out the door and gave Yuki another big kiss.
Meiling got her book bag and slung it over her shoulder, and kissed Yuki in the same spot Sakura had, and they left the apartment building to set out for school.
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"Did you deliver the goods?" Tsukiro asked.
"Yes," Touya answered bitterly, staring at the floor.
"No discrepancies?"
Touya shook his head.
"Good. You may leave."
Touya turned to leave, but first he had to bow respectfully then exit.
On his way out, as usual, he stared at a spot on the floor, where his father had been shot.
"Oh, Kinomoto," Tsukiro said.
"Yes?" Touya turned around.
"I need you to train some new recruits. I've tested your loyalty and I know that you won't be leaving anytime soon," Akatchi smiled evilly at the sight of a tattoo on Touya's shoulder.
It was the sign of loyalty to the Akatchi gang, and Touya was bound to it. Even if he did manage to escape the clutches of the gang, the police would shoot him down once they saw the tattoo.
Touya was stuck.
"Anyways, two young men have petitioned to join our team. One of them's the son of Li. Apparently his father had told him to come to me if something ever happened. They're worthless for me to train, so as a mission, I'd like to you train them. They're quite young, but my men report that they're quite spunky. I've decided to let you go for the time being. I've rented an apartment close to here, where you will be housing the boys. Just live with them. Find things about them. And remember," Tsukiro paused.
"I'm always watching you."
Tsukiro Akatchi threw a set of keys at Touya, where he instantly caught them.
"Thank you," Touya bowed again, and set off to leave.
On the exit, he met up with two little boys.
"What do you want? Get away from here. This a dangerous place," Touya warned.
The brown haired one rolled his eyes and said, "We're supposed to meet up with a Touya Kinomoto."
"You mean you're the two guys I'm supposed to train?" Touya asked in disgust.
"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" the one who had spoken asked.
"Not right now. I've got other things on my mind. I'm supposed to take you to this apartment."
Touya strode to the back of the warehouse where his car was parked.
One bittersweet benefit to being part of the chain was having a lot of money--therefore, expensive cars, clothes and houses.
Touya got in the front seat of his black BMW, his personal favorite car.
The brown-haired one got in the front and the blue haired one got in the back with his laptop.
"So, what's your names?" Touya asked.
"Eriol," the one in the back stated.
The front one scowled and said, "Syaoran. Li."
Touya was surprised, "You mean you're part of the Li clan?"
"Yeah. My dad had told me before his death that if anything happened to him, I was to take his place," Syaoran said.
The past three years Eriol and Syaoran had spent all their energy into finding where this Tsukiro Akatchi might be. They found him, and they weren't that surprised to find out that he was a famed gang leader who mastered in drugs.
"Interesting," Touya said, his mind lolling over the fact that the last Li had betrayed the gang.
They were stuck in the morning traffic of downtown Tokyo, and Touya looked out the window.
There was a girl around 12 or 13 with brown hair and emerald eyes, carrying a backpack and trotting along the sidewalk.
"Sakura…" Touya breathed the word out, but blinked.
When his eyes opened back up, the girl was gone, lost in the swirling crowds in the sidewalk.
Couldn't be. She was dead, after all.
"I'm imagining things," Touya muttered to himself.
"What?" Eriol piped up.
"Shut up," Touya retorted.
The cars behind them beeped at them when the traffic cleared up, and Touya slammed his foot on the gas pedal.
Touya found his way to an apartment building, where he rode the elevator up to the 68th floor, Syaoran and Eriol tagging along.
"How old are you two?" Touya asked, jingling his keys in his pockets.
"Twelve."
"Mm."
"You?"
"Nineteen. Almost twenty."
"Ah."
They got off the elevator and Touya tried the key to one of the doors.
It fit perfectly, and he turned the doorknob open.
Not to his surprise, his things were already there, along with Syaoran's and Eriol's.
"Well. Let's get settled in."
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End of Chapter 1. Next Chapter: 'Ten Years Later'.
A/N: This is the first chapter! I'm posting this up earlier than I planned. My plan was to write all of these, then post them up one by one, but I got ahead of myself. So, here's chapter 1. Right now, I'm up to chapter 10. These are all *plot development*. But read, and mainly review.
By SwEeT AnGeL 1004
Chapter 1: Prologue
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"C'mon, Sakura!" Touya yelled up the stairs.
"What?" Sakura skipped down the landing, looking sweet in her pigtails and pink dress.
"We're going with dad to work today, remember? It's 'Take your children to work day'," Touya patiently explained while he adjusted the pink bows on Sakura's hair.
"Boy, that's a long name," Sakura said, and looked up and smiled at Touya.
Touya chuckled and patted her head.
"Don't do that! I'm not that short anymore!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Oh, yes you are. You're only 9! You think you're not short compared to me, eh, monster?" Touya teased.
"Oh, shut up," Sakura pouted.
"Don't say shut up to me! I'm seven years older than you!" Touya said.
"Touya! Sakura!" Fujitaka's voice rang out through the empty hall.
"Come on. Let's go," Touya picked up Sakura and easily swung her over his shoulder.
Sakura squealed and giggled all the way to the waiting car outside.
Fujitaka's normally cheerful face was clouded up in worry today.
Touya securely strapped Sakura in the back seat, and took his place in the front passenger seat.
They started off, with Sakura distracted, singing along to the radio, an song called, 'Pretty Baby' (by Vanessa Carlton)
"You light me up and then I fall for you.
You lay me down and then I call for you.
Stumbling on reasons that are far and few
I let it all come down and then sung for you.
Pretty baby, don't you leave me
I have been saving smiles for you.
Pretty baby, why can't you see?
You're the one that I belong to.
I'll be the embrace that keeps you warm
You're the sun that breaks the storm
I'll be all right and I'll sleep sound
As long as you keep coming 'round.
Oh pretty baby."
"Dad, is anything wrong? You look…worried," Touya asked.
"No, sweetie. Everything's fine. But one favor. I'm doing a special task today for the university, and its sort of dangerous. You need to stay in the car with Sakura, okay? And stay low. If you see anyone, hide," Fujitaka warned.
"Um…okay. Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do for you?" Touya asked.
"No. You're only 16. You have a whole life ahead of you," Fujitaka said, and focused on the road.
Touya's brow creased at his father's words, but he brushed them aside.
Their mother's birthday was coming up soon, and neither of them forgot it.
Sakura and Touya soon dozed off from the long car ride to the city of Tokyo, the music still playing in the background.
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"No! Don't do this---" the man's words were suddenly cut off as a twelve inch knife was cleanly inserted in his stomach.
"Too short. Not painful enough," a man sitting in a large executive chair observed, dangling his cigar from his fingers.
"I'm sorry, sir," five men bowed.
"Leave," the man ordered.
The five muscular men exited the large carpeted room.
The man stood up and lazily walked around, watching the man in agony, quickly dying of blood loss that was surely staining the carpet.
"Tsk, tsk. The Li clan leader, dying on his knees, begging for his life in front of me? Tsukiro Akatchi? Nobody would believe," the man said.
The man on the floor grunted and managed to pull out the knife from his stomach.
He hurled it at the standing man, who caught it with one hand.
"Dare to try and strike me, did you? You're going to suffer much pain, Li. Nobody, I repeat, nobody betrays the Akatchi circle. And you, my heir to the throne. Did it pain you much to hide this from your family? Your young son and four daughters? Your wife? Your family?' Tsukiro Akatchi asked.
"I was deceived," Li grunted from the floor.
He was feeling light headed and woozy, and he could barely make out Tsukiro's image through his blurry vision.
"No, no. You made your own choices. We may have influenced you, but your choices were all your own," Tsukiro said.
He took another long drag from his cigar and threw it in Li's face.
Li winced from the burn, but his pain from his stomach was much greater.
"You…will…never succeed," Li could barely make out the words.
"Traitor," Akatchi sneered.
He flung the knife back at the man, and it hit its target cleanly.
Li was dead before he could realize he had a knife lodged in his skull.
"Come back in here and clear this filthy body out of my sight!" Tsukiro ordered.
The five men that had been waiting outside came back inside.
"Where do you want this body disposed?" a man asked.
"Oh, wherever. Somewhere public. Somewhere which someone will discover the rotting flesh," Tsukiro said.
"Yes, sir," the men bowed and heaved the body out of there.
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The night before…
"Mommy? Will you read this book to me?" a wide eyed girl looked up at her mother.
"Stop, honey. Read the book to yourself and go to sleep. Or I'll have Maria to read it to you. You're nine years old, Tomoyo," Sonomi didn't bother to look up from her papers.
"But I want you to read it to me," Tomoyo asked.
"Honey, we don't get everything we want in life. These things are trivial compared to the important things--money, power, and fame. Don't you want that, darling? Money so you can buy whatever you want? More than enough friends?" Tomoyo's mother asked.
"No. I want love," Tomoyo insisted.
"And you have enough of it from me. Too much and you'll be spoiled. Maria!! Come here! Take Tomoyo to bed!" Sonomi shouted.
Tomoyo tried to stare her mother down, but, as usual, it didn't work.
Her mother didn't pay attention to her and continued filling out forms for a new business agreement.
"Maria? Where's my daddy?" Tomoyo asked, walking upstairs hand in hand with her maid.
Maria, an old maid who had worked for the Daidouji's since before Tomoyo's birth, pursed her lips and said, "You better ask your mother that, honey."
"Stop calling me honey," Tomoyo said angrily.
"Well, what do you want me to call you, sweetie?" Maria asked.
She tucked Tomoyo into her bed, while the young girl answered.
"Call me Tomoyo! I'm a person! Now, go away," Tomoyo said, and buried her head underneath her pillow.
"Don't you want me to read this story to you? Sleeping Beauty?" Maria asked persistently.
"No. Go away or I'll have mommy fire you," Tomoyo threatened.
Maria walked out of the room, not bothering to look back as she turned off the lights and closed the door.
Tears were streaming from her amethyst eyes as Tomoyo cried herself to sleep.
Like always.
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Touya and Sakura's eyes opened as the car lurched to a stop in front of an old, crumbling warehouse.
"Dad, are you sure this is the right place? It doesn't really look like the place where you would work. Or that you should take Sakura here, either," Touya said.
"I know. I wasn't going to take you guys here, but Sakura just begged me to take her to work. And this is work. Be cautious, okay? Also, I'm going in. I'll be out in about ten or so minutes. Wait for me, and don't leave the car," Fujitaka warned again, practically whispering.
"Okay," Touya felt himself answered automatically.
Touya had learned from past experience to agree with whatever his father said when the time came around his mother's birthday.
Fujitaka got out and walked away, soon out of sight.
Once he was gone, Touya immediately got up and went outside.
"Touya! Where are you going?" Sakura asked.
"You stay here---no. Wait. Come here with me. We're going to follow dad, okay? I have a hunch that there's more to work than he tells us," Touya said.
He opened the back door and let Sakura crawl out, and he immediately locked the car and took the keys.
Together they followed the direction in which they had last seen their father, and carefully tiptoed in his tracks.
They entered the warehouse through a concealed door, and quietly followed their father to an office.
Fujitaka knocked on the office and entered.
"Quick!" Touya grabbed Sakura and shoved her and him into a broom closet right next to the office when he saw people coming.
"Shh…" Touya shushed Sakura and pressed his ear against the wall.
"Who are you and what do you want?" an unfamiliar voice asked harshly.
"I've had some information that you've acquired a package from Egypt that was found in the pyramids of Cairo?"
Touya recognized his father's voice, trembling slightly from fear.
"So what?" the voice asked.
"With your permission, I'd like to take that package. I'm a representative from Tomoeda University, and I'm a professor of archaeology. My colleagues and I are doing some extra work and would like to study the material. It would be vital to our research, you see. We'll do this all top secret. We'll return the contents of the package, and not report you in," Fujitaka said.
"How do I know you're not some undercover cop trying to bust my drug ring?" the voice asked then laughed.
"I can assure you, I'm not part of the government in any way," Fujitaka replied.
"Hah. My answer is no. I don't trust anyone. You see that stain on the carpet? That's from twenty minutes ago. That's the blood of one of my closest friends who betrayed me. And you know who killed him? Me. With my bare hands. I did it," the man said.
Sakura whimpered from the closet, but Touya tightened his grip on her.
He furiously tried to send his father thought messages, though he had no telepathic powers.
"Get out of there, dad. Hurry," Touya mumbled under his breath.
Sakura looked up at him curiously and copied him, "Get out of there, Daddy. Hurry!"
"Well, then. I'll get out now," Fujitaka said curtly, and turned to leave.
He was on his way out, one foot out the door when a bullet struck him from the back.
He doubled over, and Touya and Sakura burst out from the closet, "NO!!!"
Blood spilled from Fujitaka's back, and Sakura gasped at the sight of her dead father.
The people who Touya had seen coming immediately made for him and Sakura, and one of them shot for Sakura.
Blood spurted from Sakura's arm, and she fell on the floor, unconscious…or dead?
Touya, who had taken karate lessons, tried to fend off the five men, but he was struck on the back of his head with a baton and knocked out cold.
"What should we do with them?" the men once again asked.
"Ah. Take the man and throw him in the garbage. Throw the girl in there with him. The dogs will eat them before anyone finds them," Tsukiro said.
"And the boy?"
"Keep him. I have a feeling he could be useful for our service. He's strong. And proud. We could use some of that. Now hurry up. I don't want any more blood stains on the carpet," Tsukiro ordered.
"Hai, sir."
The five exited the office, two of them carting Touya away to a cell in the warehouse, two of them carrying Fujitaka and one of them with Sakura.
"Three kills in one day. Good job, Akatchi," Tsukiro congratulated himself.
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Two days later…
"That's it. I'm running away!" Tomoyo declared to herself.
Maria didn't look up from mending one of Sonomi's suits, and said, "All right, dear. Do whatever you'd like."
Tomoyo stomped over to her closet where she dragged out a pink suitcase.
She started stuffing clothes in there, then ran downstairs.
Maria continued humming a tune to herself as she threaded a needle and continuing to sew.
Tomoyo soon returned with as much food supplies she could find, put it in the suitcase and added her favorite stuffed animal, shut it closed and said, "I'm leaving!"
"Okay, sweetie. Be back for dinner," Maria said.
"No! I'm really leaving! Damn, no one takes me seriously around here!" Tomoyo swore.
"Tomoyo!" Maria barked.
"Sorry," Tomoyo whimpered, and slinked out of the room with her suitcase.
Maria looked up from her sewing and made her way downstairs, trailing the young girl.
Sonomi was drinking coffee and reading the morning newspaper when her daughter marched out of the double doors to outside.
"Ma'am, do you want me to follow her?" Maria asked.
"No, it's okay. She'll come back," Sonomi answered, reading the story on the murder of the leader of the Li clan.
"Are you sure, ma'am? She sounds serious this time," Maria said.
"No. It's fine. She'll come back once she runs out of food or if it gets cold. She'll come back," Sonomi answered, now reading the latest news on the stock exchange.
Maria looked out of the windows next to the doors and saw Tomoyo's back, not once turning back.
"Maria, it's fine!!" Sonomi nearly exclaimed, running out of patience, "She's my daughter, for goodness sakes. I raised her. I should know her by now. She'll come back."
But Tomoyo never came back.
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Syaoran stood staring at the coffin being lowered into the ground.
Eriol sympathetically patted him on the back, while Syaoran's four sisters and his mother were sobbing their hearts out.
Syaoran had a hard look in his eyes, with his hands jammed into the pockets of his suit.
After the coffin was stationed in the ground, six feet under, the family came out and threw long stemmed roses onto the wooden casket.
Afterwards, Meiling and the rest of the Li clan sprinkled rose petals onto the coffin until it was buried under hundreds of red flower petals.
"Let's go home," Eriol said, and started nudging Syaoran towards the direction of the parked limos.
"No. I've got to go find him," Syaoran said.
"What? Find who?" Eriol asked.
"My father told me that if something ever happened to him, I'd have to take his place and go find a guy."
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Flashback-
"Son, come over here," Syaoran father said.
"What, father?" Syaoran asked, pausing for a moment from his sword movements.
"Come over here. I need to talk to you. You're growing up and you're my only son; my heir."
"All right," Syaoran put down his sword and walked over to his father.
His father squatted down to be level in height with Syaoran, and said, "If anything ever happens to me, you must take my place."
"I know that. You've told me a million times that I'm the heir to being the master of the Li clan," Syaoran said.
"No. Something else. If something ever happens to me, you must go to a man named Tsukiro Akatchi. The man is my best friend, and I promised him that if something ever happens me that I would grant my son to him. Understand?"
"Of course," Syaoran said, feeling grownup.
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That had been only a year ago.
"You're ranting. We can't do that!" Eriol said.
"No. I've thought about this since the news that father died. I made a promise to my father and I can't break it. We're going to take a subway there."
"You know, there's sort of that sea separating Japan from everything else?" Eriol said lightly.
"Then I'll ride a boat. I'm going. I made this decision already. You can either come or leave me," Syaoran said.
"I'll come. But I'm warning you, this is the wrong choice! I'll just go with you until you realize what a big mistake you've made, and then I'll come home with you. If we're going to go, let's go tomorrow at daybreak," Eriol said.
"No. We're going NOW," Syaoran said.
"What? It's only noon!" Eriol raised his voice slightly, acquiring stares from some of the elders.
"We're going now. I have enough money in my wallet to last us about a month living in downtown Tokyo," Syaoran said.
Eriol sighed. Syaoran had been his best friend since they were young, and he wasn't going to let some crazy adventure separate them.
"Fine. Let's go right now. We'll walk to the subway station, buy a ticket there, and ride to as far as we can. Then we'll take a boat trip to Tokyo then make our way downtown," Eriol stated flatly.
For the first time since the news of his father's death, Syaoran gave Eriol a tight smile--more like a grimace, however, and said, "Good. I knew'd you be with me. Besides, you must have connections to- Tsukiro Akatchi , don't you?"
"Yes. Let me get my laptop from the limo. Also, are we going to enter the county illegally?" Eriol asked.
"No. You can make us false visas," Syaoran replied.
Meiling, who had been skulking around her two idols, had perked up when she had heard them talking about taking a trip.
"Can I come?" Meiling suddenly asked.
"What? To where?" Eriol asked.
"To where you're going," Meiling replied.
"No. You stay at home. And don't ever tell anyone about what you've heard," Syaoran ordered.
Meiling pouted, then her eyes narrowed.
Then she thought, 'If they won't let me go…I'll follow them.'
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Meiling was lost.
She had followed her cousin and his best friend all throughout the train ride, sneaking aboard and hiding in the cargo space.
And she followed them to the ports, where she boarded a boat closely behind Eriol and Syaoran.
And here she was, lost.
She had lost them right after getting off the boat.
There was a much larger crowd than she had expected, and had easily lost Syaoran and Eriol through the throngs of people.
Meiling sighed in despair, and decided to follow the crowd to the inner streets of Tokyo.
She slowly walked up and down the streets, hoping to catch sight of Syaoran and Eriol, but there was no trace of the two boys.
Meiling sat down on the concrete sidewalk, not minding the people who were walking around her.
She scooted over to the edge of the curb and perched there, playing with a stick that was on the ground.
Meiling felt someone tap her shoulder, and looked up at a girl her age with long purplish hair.
"Who are you?" Meiling asked.
"I should ask you the same thing. My name's Tomoyo. You look hungry. Want to come to my house?" Tomoyo asked.
"Um…sure," Meiling said, putting aside the warnings her mother had always told her about strangers.
"Follow me," Tomoyo said.
On the walk through the alley, Meiling scrutinized Tomoyo.
She was wearing a beautiful purple skirt with a white peasant top that were obviously high quality, but the velvet on the dress was matted with dirt and the shirt had stains on it.
"What's your name?" Tomoyo asked while they were climbing over a fence.
"Meiling. I'm from Hong Kong," Meiling replied.
"Cool. Isn't that far away?" Tomoyo inquired.
"Yeah. I rode a subway and a boat," Meiling told her new friend.
"Wow. Well, we're here. Follow me," Tomoyo was standing at the entrance of an apartment building, and she went inside.
The apartment's inside was run down, but it looked like many people lived there.
It wasn't too bad, but definitely different from what Meiling was used to.
Tomoyo climbed up the stairs and up and up to the twenty second floor, and both girls were panting in unison once they reached the door.
Tomoyo knocked on the door and yelled, "It's me! I brought a friend home for dinner!"
The door was slowly opened by a boy not much older than them; maybe 15 or 16 at the most.
Meiling nearly shrieked at the sight of him, however.
The boy had deathly white skin, and was so thin he seemed like a ghost.
His head was entirely bald, and he had piercing silver eyes that matched his pale skin. (think the guy from the 1995 movie Powder. or a really skinny, white Lex Luthor from Smallville)
No, not pale--translucent skin.
His sickly white body clashed loudly with the black clothes he was wearing, and his silver eyes were so pale that he could pass as blind.
Tomoyo said to Meiling, "Don't be scared. He's really nice. But he doesn't talk. Isn't his head cool? It's so shiny!"
"What's his name?" Meiling asked as they walked into the strange apartment.
"I dunno. Like I said, he doesn't talk. He took me in and feeds me. And this other girl, but she's always asleep," Tomoyo answered.
The girls took off their shoes and stepped into the quiet apartment.
It wasn't too big or too small, just right.
It had one bedroom, a kitchen and living room, and a full bathroom.
The one thing that made it seem so strange was that everything was white--white walls, ceiling, carpet, even the furniture was white. Even the curtains were white, letting sunlight stream into the apartment.
"We're just about to have dinner. You like pasketti?" Tomoyo asked.
"I guess. What is it?" Meiling asked.
"Noodles and tomato sauce. Here, this is Sakura. I named her. She had a necklace on that read it in Japanese," Tomoyo introduced Meiling to a still girl on the sofa.
"Is she asleep?" Meiling gently prodded Sakura's toe.
The boy shot her a glance, and Meiling immediately withdrew her hand.
"He's weird," Meiling whispered to Tomoyo.
Tomoyo heartily agreed, but said, "Dinner's all ready. Sit down."
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The girls had a nice dinner, with the two girls chatting away.
Throughout the whole meal, the white, bald boy sat silent, not eating.
"Isn't he going to eat?" Meiling asked through a mouthful of noodles.
"I don't think so. He never eats. Maybe that's why he's so skinny. But he doesn't starve. But doesn't he make good pasketti?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yup. Where's he going?" Meiling asked.
"To check on Sakura. You gonna eat that bread?"
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The teen walked over to the sofa, and gently wiped away beads of sweat from the young girl's face.
He stared at her, not blinking, and in return, Sakura's eyes slowly opened.
"Who am I?" were the first words out of her mouth.
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"She's awake!" Tomoyo gleefully shouted to Meiling.
They quickly finished the remains of their dinner and put it in the sink, and ran over to the sofa.
Sakura was still lying on there, eyes wide open and taking in her surroundings.
"Hi! My name's Tomoyo! And this is Meiling!" Tomoyo introduced herself.
"Tomoyo said you've been asleep for a long time," Meiling added.
"I know. Who's he?" Sakura asked quietly.
"We dunno," Meiling answered.
Sakura slowly scrutinized the boy, and said, "Yue."
"Moon," Tomoyo translated.
"Yukito…" Sakura's eyes narrowed in recognition, and something flashed quickly in her eyes but soon disappeared.
"Snow bunny," Tomoyo translated again.
The boy shot Tomoyo a look and Tomoyo said, "He wants to know if you remember anything."
"I don't know…no, I don't. What's this?" Sakura pointed at a bandage on her arm.
"It's a scrape you got when Yuki found you," Tomoyo said, and winked.
"Yuki?" Meiling asked.
"We now appoint our guardian as Yuki!" Tomoyo exclaimed.
"It fits," Sakura agreed, and said, "Moon bunny?"
"Perhaps," Meiling said.
"You want to get up? We just had dinner," Tomoyo said.
Sakura slowly struggled to get up, then tried to stand up, succeeding after five tries.
"I think some chicken soup would do me good," Sakura said.
Yuki rose and headed to the kitchen, pausing to collect the cups Meiling and Tomoyo had left behind.
"Does he cook, too?" Sakura whispered to the other two girls.
"Yeah," Meiling said
"He's nice. So what are you guys doing here?" Sakura asked.
"I ran away from home. I stumbled into Yuki and he took me home," Tomoyo said.
"Why'd you run away from home?" Sakura asked.
"My mommy didn't like me and I don't have a daddy," Tomoyo replied casually.
"Oh," Sakura thought about that for a second and said, "What about you Meiling?"
"I was feeling like adventure so I followed my cousin and his friend from Hong Kong all the way here," Meiling explained.
"Uh oh. Are you going to try and find them?" Sakura inquired.
"Pshaw."
"Psh-what?"
"Pshaw! That means, as if. I'm happy here. For the time being," Meiling said.
The three girls spent the rest of the evening talking, about what their lives had been.
Only Sakura remained quiet, taking everything in.
Once she glanced at Yuki and found him staring at her, sympathizing.
She slowly nodded at him, then resumed her conversation.
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"SAKURA!!!!!!" Touya bolted up from his bed, sweating.
"Ah, awake are we?" the guard at the gate commented.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Touya asked, panicking.
"Don't you remember?" asked a new voice from the shadows of the dark cell.
"Who are you?" Touya demanded.
"Tsukiro Akatchi. Yes, yes, the famed ring leader. Don't you remember? Bursting out from the closet with your little sister, only to have her shot?"
Touya gasped, and the events from couple days ago came flooding back at him.
"My father's dead, right?" Touya said, more like a statement than a question.
"Indeed. Shot in the stomach with a bullet," Tsukiro answered.
"You're sick," Touya stated, "What do you want with me?"
"I needed a new recruit for the club. You see, Mr. Li died when he betrayed us. And I need a replacement. And then you appeared. You're strong. And will be loyal, once you're broken in," Akatchi said.
"Broken in? I'm not a horse nor dog," Touya said.
"Ah, no. But you are my slave."
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"No such luck," Eriol said, still typing away at his computer.
"Are you sure? Any knowledge where the Tsukiro might be?" Syaoran asked, pacing around in the tiny motel room.
"None. And believe me, I have all the connections," Eriol said.
"Then what are we going to do?" Syaoran asked.
"Wait."
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Three years later…
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"Ha! They finally stopped printing my name in the Missing Children's section," Tomoyo laughed through her Fruit Loops.
"Seriously?" Sakura asked, and grabbed the newspaper from her hands.
"Yeah. I'm now officially declared dead. And the newspaper also says my mother didn't even come to my funeral," Tomoyo said.
"I don't see how you could laugh about that," Sakura said thoughtfully.
Tomoyo shrugged, "You get used to it."
"C'mon, you guys! We're going to be late for school!" Meiling came out from the bathroom
"I'm almost done," Sakura said, and finished the remains of her toast.
She grabbed her backpack and planted a kiss on Yuki's bald head, who was reading a book in the living room.
The four of them had lived the past three years in harmony
The girls went to school, while Yuki disappeared every night from 11 and reappeared at 6 in the morning, always in time to make the girls breakfast.
The girls never questioned what he did, but they knew that he was working and had enough money to support the four of them.
The three girls took on the surname Yuki, and they were Sakura Yuki, Meiling Yuki and Tomoyo Yuki--three sisters living with their guardian.
No one ever questioned their life at home, and everyone at school believed their images and never wondered about the distinct resemblance between the missing Tomoyo Daidouji and Tomoyo Yuki.
However, Yuki himself was still a mystery.
The girls had never seen him take a shower, eat or have any signs of growing hair.
They had never seen him outside the apartment, but they knew he left occasionally to buy groceries and such.
"We're getting our math tests back today. Wish us luck!" Tomoyo followed Sakura out the door and gave Yuki another big kiss.
Meiling got her book bag and slung it over her shoulder, and kissed Yuki in the same spot Sakura had, and they left the apartment building to set out for school.
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"Did you deliver the goods?" Tsukiro asked.
"Yes," Touya answered bitterly, staring at the floor.
"No discrepancies?"
Touya shook his head.
"Good. You may leave."
Touya turned to leave, but first he had to bow respectfully then exit.
On his way out, as usual, he stared at a spot on the floor, where his father had been shot.
"Oh, Kinomoto," Tsukiro said.
"Yes?" Touya turned around.
"I need you to train some new recruits. I've tested your loyalty and I know that you won't be leaving anytime soon," Akatchi smiled evilly at the sight of a tattoo on Touya's shoulder.
It was the sign of loyalty to the Akatchi gang, and Touya was bound to it. Even if he did manage to escape the clutches of the gang, the police would shoot him down once they saw the tattoo.
Touya was stuck.
"Anyways, two young men have petitioned to join our team. One of them's the son of Li. Apparently his father had told him to come to me if something ever happened. They're worthless for me to train, so as a mission, I'd like to you train them. They're quite young, but my men report that they're quite spunky. I've decided to let you go for the time being. I've rented an apartment close to here, where you will be housing the boys. Just live with them. Find things about them. And remember," Tsukiro paused.
"I'm always watching you."
Tsukiro Akatchi threw a set of keys at Touya, where he instantly caught them.
"Thank you," Touya bowed again, and set off to leave.
On the exit, he met up with two little boys.
"What do you want? Get away from here. This a dangerous place," Touya warned.
The brown haired one rolled his eyes and said, "We're supposed to meet up with a Touya Kinomoto."
"You mean you're the two guys I'm supposed to train?" Touya asked in disgust.
"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" the one who had spoken asked.
"Not right now. I've got other things on my mind. I'm supposed to take you to this apartment."
Touya strode to the back of the warehouse where his car was parked.
One bittersweet benefit to being part of the chain was having a lot of money--therefore, expensive cars, clothes and houses.
Touya got in the front seat of his black BMW, his personal favorite car.
The brown-haired one got in the front and the blue haired one got in the back with his laptop.
"So, what's your names?" Touya asked.
"Eriol," the one in the back stated.
The front one scowled and said, "Syaoran. Li."
Touya was surprised, "You mean you're part of the Li clan?"
"Yeah. My dad had told me before his death that if anything happened to him, I was to take his place," Syaoran said.
The past three years Eriol and Syaoran had spent all their energy into finding where this Tsukiro Akatchi might be. They found him, and they weren't that surprised to find out that he was a famed gang leader who mastered in drugs.
"Interesting," Touya said, his mind lolling over the fact that the last Li had betrayed the gang.
They were stuck in the morning traffic of downtown Tokyo, and Touya looked out the window.
There was a girl around 12 or 13 with brown hair and emerald eyes, carrying a backpack and trotting along the sidewalk.
"Sakura…" Touya breathed the word out, but blinked.
When his eyes opened back up, the girl was gone, lost in the swirling crowds in the sidewalk.
Couldn't be. She was dead, after all.
"I'm imagining things," Touya muttered to himself.
"What?" Eriol piped up.
"Shut up," Touya retorted.
The cars behind them beeped at them when the traffic cleared up, and Touya slammed his foot on the gas pedal.
Touya found his way to an apartment building, where he rode the elevator up to the 68th floor, Syaoran and Eriol tagging along.
"How old are you two?" Touya asked, jingling his keys in his pockets.
"Twelve."
"Mm."
"You?"
"Nineteen. Almost twenty."
"Ah."
They got off the elevator and Touya tried the key to one of the doors.
It fit perfectly, and he turned the doorknob open.
Not to his surprise, his things were already there, along with Syaoran's and Eriol's.
"Well. Let's get settled in."
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End of Chapter 1. Next Chapter: 'Ten Years Later'.
A/N: This is the first chapter! I'm posting this up earlier than I planned. My plan was to write all of these, then post them up one by one, but I got ahead of myself. So, here's chapter 1. Right now, I'm up to chapter 10. These are all *plot development*. But read, and mainly review.