I would like to thank Andréa Meiouh for letting me translate this. She's a very good writer and I hope you'll like her story.

Also, it's the first time I'm translating a story, so forgive all of my errors and don't flame! Give constructive criticism.

Light of My Life

by Andréa Meiouh

Translator: JaneTristanDoe

Chapter 1

A long time ago…

The prairie was covered in snow. With the morning sun, the white vastness hurt the eyes. But the young warrior was alert. The enemy was approaching, he could feel it. His eyes, vigilant, observed everything, tireless, like a predator waiting for his pray. His heart was beating fast. This was the day, his chance to prove to the clan his true value. He was Li Xiaolang and he would show to everyone he was capable of walking his own path.

Suddenly, a strident scream was heard. Xiaolang drew his sword and together with his companions, initiated a wild gallop, bound for the struggle of his life.

Five years later…

Sakura, her brother, Touya, and her father, Fujitaka Kinomoto, were riding in a calm wood.

"The plants here are wonderful," said the older man, excited with the beauty and the variety of the vegetable sorts of the place. "Can we stop for a while?" He asked to the guide that was accompanying them. "I want to draw some of the specimens…"

"I'm very sorry, professor. Were in a dangerous region… There are thieves around and, besides, it's getting dark," the man answered, with a worried expression. "It's better if we hurry our pace."

"Let's make a short stop," Touya ordered. "We'll drink some water, take care of the horses, my dad will do his drawing and then we continue."

They lifted a small camp. Sakura was happy. It was her first time in participating in an expedition with her father, who was an illustrious professor at Tokyo University. She used the resting moment to move away a little, in order to do her necessities. When she was returning, she heard noises of hooves. Her brother was probably looking for her. She walked faster. She stopped upon hearing screams. She ran and, while getting closer, the scene that was graced upon her left her horrified: a group of hooligans were attacking the caravan used for research. She saw her father being stabbed. Her brother was fighting desperately. He turned and stared at her.

"SAKURA! RUN!" he yelled. That moment of distraction was fatal to him. His opponent hit him with an accurate and lethal blow.

The young girl ran the fastest she could. Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision. She couldn't believe it. Her father and brother were killed by assailants. She was all alone in the world. There was no-one left. She tripped on a root, but didn't have the strength to get up. She wanted to die along with her family.

"Now, now… What do we have here?" A masculine voice, a bit slurred, spoke behind her. She didn't realize she was followed. She turned and saw a terrifying man. Disheveled hair, bulging eyes, rotten teeth and a foul odor. Sakura trembled. "Wanna have fun, beauty?" the man suggested, getting closer.

The poor girl started crawling, trying to escape from that nightmare, however not successfully. The attacker pulled her legs and tried to kiss her. Shouting and kicking the maximum she could master, Sakura managed to put some blows on her aggressor, but that only left him more irritated.

"Stay quiet!" He grunted, while punching her face. Sakura's world spun and started to fade. Her last coherent thought was only one wish: for everything to end as soon as possible.

--

Two people observed a young girl who lied on a bed.

"How is she?" The man asked.

His companion answered in a low voice. "Well… She suffered lots of aggressions, but they will heal quickly. Mu Bai arrived just in time, managing to avoid happening something more serious."

The stranger agreed. "Take care of her, Lau Ma. Warn me when she wakes up."

"Yes, master."

--

They were all joined in a beautiful flowered field: Sakura, her father, her mother and her brother.

"I'm so happy!" she exclaimed. "We're together again, just like in the old days!"

"You shouldn't be here, Sakura," said Nadeshiko Kinomoto, lightly caressing her daughter's face. "This is not your place, honey."

Sakura's eyes filled with tears. "But, mommy… Why can't I be with you? I want it so much…"

The beautiful woman with an angelic figure smiled. Fujitaka answered in her place. "We know that, honey…. And we also wish you to stay with us… However, you have a destiny to fulfill… You need to walk your own path."

"Take care, monster," her brother said before disappearing.

"NO! TOUYA! DADDY! MOMMY! DON'T LEAVE ME!" she desperately yelled.

"Bye, honey. We'll soon see each other again," it was Nadeshiko's turn to disappear.

"MOMMY! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!"

"You will never be alone, my love," said Fujitaka with his sweet smile. "We will always be with you." He started to fade away. "Don't forget that, honey. Goodbye!"

"NOOOOO!"

Sakura's yells were heard by everyone in the house. Lau Ma quickly ran to the bedroom where the unexpected guest was installed, to find her seated on the bed, hugging her knees and crying desperately. She approached slowly. "Young lady…" she called. "Is everything alright?"

Sakura raised her head and saw an unknown woman. The fit of hysterical crying began to lessen. "Where am I?" she wanted to know.

"Don't worry…" Lau Ma answered. "You're in a safe place now. No-one is going to hurt you here." While she was talking, the woman served a mug of water. She spread it out to Sakura. "Here. Drink some and try to calm down."

The young girl accepted the water. While she was drinking, she remembered the facts that occurred before. Her father and her brother were killed. And she… She couldn't remember. "What happened to me?" she asked, still sniffing.

Lau Ma sat on the edge of the bed. "You were very hurt, but I took care of your injuries and you'll soon be well. Now, lay down. You have to rest a lot."

Sakura obeyed without protesting. "Thank you for taking care of me" she thanked.

Lau Ma only smiled and caressed her hair. "You don't have to thank me… Now sleep," she softly ordered.

It was a cold and moonless night. Winter was coming. Xiaolang decided to leave his room to walk a little. Steps resonated behind him. "How is she?" he asked to his assistant and best friend, Mu Bai, who approached.

"She fell asleep again. Lau Ma thinks she had a nightmare," the man answered.

"That's normal after all she's been through," Xiaolang paused. "What's her group situation?"

Mu Bai breathed deeply. "All dead. I arrived in time to avoid her rape by one of the wrongdoers, but the rest I couldn't save."

The two men stopped walking. "Do you know who did it?" Xiaolang questioned.

"They were Ken's men," answered Mu Bai.

"Ken…" Xiaolang's face twisted with hate. "Reunite a group of men and do a patrol. See if you can find any more signals from Ken and his buddies around. Use that time to do a decent funeral to the murdered ones," he ordered.

"That has been already taken care of, master."

"Great. Then let's train." They walked to the training area. Xiaolang's mind boiled. 'Ken… What are you doing here? How did you manage to find me?' he thought, irritated.

In the next morning, Sakura woke up feeling better. She didn't have any more dreams that night. She stood up from the bed and walked to the sink to wash her face. She got scared with the image she saw in the mirror. A big bruise covered the right side of her face, from the right eye, which was bruised, to the chin. Images came to mind. A dirty and foul man grabbing her, ripping off her clothes. She started to cry again. She lost her family, her innocence and on top of all that, she got mutilated. Why would she go on living?

The bedroom door opened and a young woman, approximately her age, came in. She was carrying on her hand a clay jug and a clean towel. Her smile vanished in seeing Sakura crying. "What's the matter, young lady? Are you hurting?" she asked, preoccupied.

"Why didn't you tell me that I was rap—" the young girl with green eyes couldn't finish her phrase.

"Simply because you weren't," answered Lau Ma, putting the jug on top of the furniture.

Sakura was confused. "How so? I remember that man beating me…"

The other woman gave a kind and understanding smile. "Yes… Actually, he slammed you a lot, but he couldn't finish the service… My brother was passing by that area, heard your screams and saved you."

"So he saved my life," Sakura said with distant eyes. "Maybe it would have been better if he had left me there to die."

"Don't say that!" Lau Ma exclaimed. "A young and pretty woman like yourself has her whole life ahead of her. You shouldn't wish to die."

"I may be young, but I'm not pretty," Sakura answered, disheartened. "Look at me… I look like a monster… Who would be interested in someone like me…"

Lau Ma tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry about that," she said, grabbing her chin and raising her face to put the ointment. "Very soon the swollen will decrease, the purple color will disappear and you'll be good as new. Trust me."

Sakura gave her a weak smile. "Thank you," she said, while watching the other young woman clean her hand and picking a hairbrush. The delicate way in which she was treated made her more relaxed.

"You know what?" Lau Ma started, while brushing the brown hairs of the guest. "I still don't know your name."

"I'm Sakura Kinomoto," she answered. "And you?"

"You can call me Lau Ma, young lady Sakura. I will take care of you while you're staying here."

"Is this your house?"

"No," Lau Ma answered. "I just work here. This is my master's house, Li Xiaolang."

"Then I should be thanking him for everything you've done for me…" said Sakura. But she soon realized that Lau Ma got a bit bothered. "What is it, Lau Ma?"

The Chinese gave her a yellow smile. She knew her master wouldn't receiver her. He was explicitly strict in declaring he didn't want the guest near his rooms. Everyone should take good care of her, but they couldn't let her get near the west wing of the mansion, the wing reserved for him.

"It's nothing, miss," Lau Ma answered. "Are you hungry?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes! I'm starving," said Sakura, embarrassed, while her stomach grunted, in hopes of a morning coffee.

"Then let's go to the kitchen! I'm going to prepare you a marvelous breakfast!" The shadow that covered Lau Ma's eyes vanished. She was already taking a liking to the young lady who was directed to her cares.

"I prefer not to leave the room, Lau Ma…" Sakura lowered her head. "I don't the others to see me like this."

The other woman swung her head, categorically denying. "You can't lock yourself in this room the whole time. Besides, walking a little, sunbathing, breathe fresh air, won't do you wrong… On the contrary. Now, get up and let's go!"

Sakura was still hesitant. "But I don't have any clothes…" she tried to argue, but was interrupted.

"We've got lots of clothes for you to wear… You just need to choose!" answered Lau Ma, while opening a trunk, which was leaned on the wall of the bedside table.

The green eyed girl got closer and touched one piece of clothing. "What beautiful clothes! Who are they?" she asked, curious.

"My master's sisters. They got married a few years ago and left various personal items here. They're all cleaned and well preserved. You can take whatever you want," the employee said, smiling.

Sakura grabbed a clear-green kimono, caressing it, feeling the soft texture of the silk… There were various things inside the trunk. It would be wonderful to be able to use something so delicate… She gave her first genuine smile. "I think you're right, Lau Ma. It would do me some good to get out a little…"