A/N: Hi this is Rainy. I'm very happy to be taking over this story for my sister, who lost interest. Hope you like what I write. JazzyCat wrote chapters 1-6 and everything after that is mine. :)

She came home that day and rushed straight to her room.

Her parents were fighting. She didn't want to be around when he started hitting her. She tried to be quiet as she climbed the stairs, and locked her door. She could still hear them, but tried to focus on homework.

"You're so irresponsible! You have to be more careful with that sort of thing! We have a daughter!"

"I don't care; I'll do what I want! I'm the man of this household, and what I say goes. If you try to go up against me on that, then I'll—" Sakura covered her ears, unwilling to hear that last bit. Rummaging around in one of her desk drawers, she found a pair of headphones and in the back of her closet was her old CD player. She dug up some new batteries and a CD that someone had given to her and tried to block out all the noise.

She skipped around until she found a song that had a good enough melody not to distract her.

She was so young
with such innocent eyes.
She always dreamed
of a fairytale life.
And all the things
that your money can't buy.
She thought that
he was a wonderful guy.
Then suddenly
things seemed to change.
It was the moment
she took on his name.
He took his anger
out on her face.
She kept all of her pain
locked away.

Sakura ripped the headphones off her head and threw them across the room, unwilling to hear anymore. It was too familiar. The CD still played, but she couldn't hear what else it said. Had she been paying attention, she would have known what would have happened next, as that song was similar to her own life.

It was the day
that he turned on the kids.
That she knew
she just had to leave him.
So many voices
inside of her head
saying over and over and over;
you deserve much more than this.

Instead of listening, she finished her homework and went to bed. She wasn't hungry. She didn't want to go downstairs. She always kept her door locked, and she always prayed that her mother was alright the next day.

Morning rolled around, and Sakura got ready for school. Her father was gone; he worked very early and that gave her some free time in the morning if she woke up early enough. She took her time in the shower and carefully picked out her outfit for the day. She made sure she looked perfect before ritualistically brushing her hair one hundred times. It hung strait and perfect down her back, and fell past her waist, to her hips. She was proud of her hair. It was one of the things that made her popular and pretty. After taking painstaking care of her hair for this long, she wasn't planning on cutting it.

She packed her books and headed downstairs, where she found her mother sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper. There was a plate in front of her, now empty, and one next to her, still full, for Sakura. The pink haired girl took her place at the table, thanked her mother, and ate her food.

"Thanks again Mom," she said, and leaned in to kiss her mother's cheek. "I'm off." She checked her skirt wasn't riding up and slung her backpack on one shoulder. "See you later!" She smiled as she walked out the door, completely missing the sad look on her mother's face.

She hummed a little tune as she biked to school, going over her math homework in her head, trying to make sure she got them all right. Before she knew it, she'd arrived, and almost crashed into the bike rack from not paying attention.

"Hey, watch out," said one kid she'd nearly run over. She apologized before hurrying inside, already almost late. She took her place in homeroom just as the teacher walked in.

"Okay, nothing special going on today, so...go out into the world." He wasn't serious; he just wasn't a morning person. He preferred silence until noon, or so, and then was fully awake. Any students who had him after lunch were the ones who actually learned form him.

And so, they sat for the next ten minutes of homeroom while their teacher put his head down on his desk. Someone tapped Sakura on the shoulder, and she turned to face them. It was a girl named Mikya, who Sakura was sort of friends with. She wasn't completely friends with anyone, because she never knew when she'd be moving. Her father's work required him to move around quite a bit, and so she was always uprooted. She found it easier to just...not have close friends.

"Um, Sakura...I figured you should know...there's a rumor going around about you." She blinked. What kind of rumor?

"Really? What is the rumor?"

"Well, some of the guys you turned down...they all got together and decided to tell everyone you turned them all down because you had an older guy you were whoring out to..." She looked down at her hands, embarrassed to have said that. Sakura blinked. People were really that petty? She sighed and brushed a lock of pink hair from her eyes.

"Thanks for telling me, Mikya. I'll deal with it." How, she didn't know, but she'd figure something out. The bell rang and everyone got up, heading for their next class. Sakura was the last to leave. She wanted to tell a teacher, but she didn't at the same time. She decided against it at the last minute and ran after everyone else.

School was over. Sakura packed her bags and biked home. She put the bike in the garage and walked slowly, quietly, hesitantly, to the front door. Inside, she could hear raised voices. The fighting had already begun. She eased the door open and peeked in. There was her mother, in the kitchen, and her father, too, but he was hidden by the wall. All she could see was his arm as he flailed it around while he screamed.

"I'm the one who has a job here!" he yelled.

"I'm the one who actually does any work!" Her mother returned.

"I don't care what you say, what you do isn't actually work! I'm the one who gets up every morning and goes to a job and makes the money that supports this family!!"

"All it supports is you DRINKING habits!" Her mother screamed. Sakura slid into the house and closed the door silently behind her. She sneaked toward the stairs.

"What? I don't have a drinking habit! You've got the eating problems! There's never any money because you go out and buy enough food to feed a third world country and then eat it all in a day and a half!!" That was complete bullshit. Sakura's mother was thin. As was Sakura. There was never any money because her father was a heavy drinker, and was addicted to gambling. He refused to admit he had a problem, and instead made up crap and blamed it on Sakura and her mother.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Sakura and I are starving! There's no food because there's no MONEY. Because you gamble it all away, and spend it on your booze! I can't believe you'd blame it on me and your daughter!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" her father roared. Sakura walked up the stairs and closed the door to her bedroom before she could hear anymore. She flopped onto her bed and tried not to cry. She was absolutely sick of this. She couldn't take anymore. Family problems...

Her grades had been declining, and the principal had pulled Sakura into her office and asked about her life at home.

"Are there any problems at home?" If this question was asked, Sakura had been ordered by her father to say "No, I've just been getting a little less sleep lately." So that's what she'd said. She wanted so badly to tell the truth...

She could still hear their voices faintly. She pressed a pillow over her eyes but that didn't work. She put the CD player back in and slid her headphones on. She wanted a nap. Her eyes closed, the music filled her head, and her wish to sleep was granted.

She woke late at night. She'd slept for five hours at the least, and was now starving. Quietly, she went downstairs for food. As she crept down the stairs, she heard soft sobs.

Her mother.

"Mom?" Sakura whispered as she crept around the corner. Her mother was at the table, head in her hands, crying softly. Her father was probably sleeping. "Mommy, are you alright?" She heard that time. She sat up straight and wiped her face.

"Is that you, Sakura, dear?"

"Yes."

"Oh, are you hungry? Let me fix you something to eat." Her mother was avoiding the subject, so Sakura let it go. Instead she sat at the table and played with her long hair while her mother bustled around the kitchen looking for food. She ended up eating PB&J that night, but she didn't mind. She sat at the table with her mother and ate.

"You're so pretty," her mother said. "I'm so proud of you." She patted her head.

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too, sweetie." There was a sudden noise from the bedroom, and Sakura's mother's face blanched. "You should get to bed," she said, and Sakura obeyed.

"Mom, are you sure you don't want me--"

"Go! Quick!" The urgency in her mother's voice made her go. She made it to her room, but didn't close the door. She wanted to hear this fight.

"You're still here? Get out."

"Get out of what?"

"Get out of my sight. Go sleep on the couch or something."

"No. This is as much my house as it is yours." Sakura started to creep back down the stairs.

"Well, I just want you to go away. And I'm the man; I'm in charge of you."

"Bullshit. Women and men are equal."

"No, they're not. Men are stronger, and I'll always be in charge of you if I can overpower you." Sakura could see into the kitchen. They were fighting, but this was different. Her father was more physically into this fight. It was...frightening. THIS was going to change her life, and she knew it. She slid into the doorway to the kitchen and saw her father grab her mother and push her. She landed against the dish rack, making a glass fall. The crash resonated throughout the house.

Her mother stood up. "Don't touch me!" She spat. He did the opposite. He balled up a fist and hit her hard, in the face. Something, at that moment, snapped in Sakura. With wild eyes, she jumped onto her father's back.

"Don't touch my mother!" She screamed in his ear and began pounding on his shoulders with small fists. "Don't touch her!"

He grabbed her and threw her next to her mother. "Get off me! You're a child! You have no authority! I'm the boss of you! And I'll beat both of you to my heart's content!" He hit Sakura. Lyrics flowed into her mind.

It was the day that he turned on the kids...

She put up her arms to protect herself, but he grabbed her by her hair and dragged her away from her mom. "I'll teach you to go against me..." he said while going through drawers in the kitchen .Finally, he found what he was looking for.

Scissors.

She struggled, but it was no use. He made the first cut, and her pink locks fell onto the floor around her. She screamed. Her beautiful hair...but it was over. It was all gone. He thought he'd won.

Her hair was now in an uneven line that reached to her chin. She crawled back to her mother's side. He reached for her next, but Sakura was ready.

She grabbed the broom and hit him hard in the stomach. Hard enough to knock him out. Once he was out, she started crying. And crying. And crying.

Her ribs hurt from being hit. And her ego hurt from the haircut. After a moment, her mother spoke.

"Pack what you can," she said. "We're leaving."