A/N: So this is my first story on this account...I was actually hoping to write a La Corda D'oro fic first, just because some people are expecting it, but this came out instead. It might seem a little too unrelated to Tsubasa RC for your taste, but it'll change...a LOT. After all, the chapter's just a memory. Well, please read and review! It'll mean a lot to me. Enjoy!

Chapter one: Memories

I was tired. I don't think there was ever a day in my life when I wasn't. Exhaustion is something I've begged for most of my life; it's something anyone would beg for if all they could see in their sleep were stories that could change their lives. Every night terrified me when it came around--all I'd ever wanted was to be able to sleep peacefully. But how can one do that if all they see are visions from the minds of others? If all they can see are nightmares?

I had found, by then, that the only way to escape the nightmares was to stay awake. To never fall asleep. Of course, that's quite impossible for a girl like me. On this particular night, I tried desperately to stay awake. I bathed in ice-cold water. I took walks around the city. I drank coffee until I felt sick.

It was only until around three in the morning that I finally collapsed on the floor and slept. I thought I'd be able to make it through one more night without sleep, and I was so close, but one cannot stay awake forever. Not even me.

My dream began with the image of a young girl, racing through the woods in the middle of the night. Something was chasing her, and from the way she was running, I could tell that that 'something' would be a terribly unpleasant surprise to run into by chance. Her eyes were wild, her hair tearing loose of it's pin and falling around her shoulders.

Run faster, they're gaining on you.

Suddenly, her foot slipped on unstable soil and she fell to the ground, rolling recklessly to the bottom of a hill, falling beside a creek. Looking at her reflection, a bloodied scar ran from her forehead to her chin. So much blood, so much pain...

"NO!" I found myself shouting, bolting upright and slamming my head against the wall. Sweat plastered my shirt to my back, and the tears on my face showed that I had been fighting off a horrible dream. One would think that I'd be used to this dream, having had the same one every single night of my life. But god, I wasn't.

A knock came on the door, alarming me, even though it was gentle. I quickly stood up and ran over to the door. "Who is it?" I called.

The knock came again, a little louder this time. "I'm freezing my ass off out here! Lemme in!" Someone shouted. I quickly gripped the doorknob and opened the door without hesitation.

Big mistake.

A boy, only a few years older than I--maybe fourteen or fifteen--stood before me, black-clad and standing with his arms crossed over his chest. The moonlight seemed to intensify the evil smirk that was plastered to his face. Behind him was a beautiful girl of his age, hair tied back and her eyes glinting maliciously. Her hand was firmly clasped around a--a what? A stick? No.

A sword.

"Grab her before she runs!" The boy instructed, and the girl lunged towards me. I'd hated to hurt such a pretty face, but I had no choice; I slipped around the boy and she fell into the wall. They turned to look at me. They were inside, I was outside, and I knew now what I had to do.

Run.

I kicked the door as hard as I could and slammed it shut, then turned around and sprinted like my life depended on it. It was no leisurely jog to calm the nerves, no, this I was tearing through the woods at full speed, as if it were a matter of life and death. Pine needles pricked me, thorns tore my clothes and ripped my skin, but I didn't have time to think about that at all. They were chasing me.

Run. They'll catch you if you don't run.

My mind detached from my body--thinking wouldn't help me at this time. All I could do was run, faster and faster until I thought I would run out of my life. Nobody was there to help me; my parents had been dead for years and my older brother was dying in the hospital. And I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that nothing I could ever do would help me escape.

Still, I ran.

My hope was dwindling rapidly. I could hear them, crashing through the woods behind me, and I knew they'd have me in only a matter of minutes. It was no longer possible for me to hide, they were far too close behind me to do that. Why hadn't I hidden while I still had the chance? Now they'd kill me.

Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath my feet. I stumbled, tripped, fell. Blood. I could feel it on my face and my hands. I couldn't pass out now or they'd capture me. I didn't have the option of running; the pain made made dizzy. No way out. I was going to die tonight. Wait or run, they'd murder me.

No way out. You're dead.

You're dead.

I looked down at the creek beside me. Moonlight reflected off of the gentle ripples in the water. I gazed into it. My face was horrible--a huge gash marred my face, starting from my forehead, running along my eyelid, and ending at my chin.I fell back and sprawled across the ground. The pain made me dizzy. My vision was blurring, the pain melting away...

"She's here! Kei-kun, she's here." The girl shouted, and ran to kneel beside me. "She's hurt, Kei! What should we do?"

The boy--called Kei--appeared out of the woods. "She can handle it. She's one of us, isn't she?" He asked sarcastically. He crouched down and leaned over me, squinting his eyes and staring at my face. "Poor girl. That will never heal." He studied me closely. "Do you think you can heal yourself, girl?" He asked me.

"...not if you want me to." I retorted violently.

He chuckled, and dipped his hands in the creek. "I'll do it for you, then." Before I had time to react, he dripped water onto my wound. I winced in pain, and he sighed. "It'll hurt for a while. Now sleep."

"Kei..." The girl said, reaching out to him. "Kei, we shouldn't make her do this. She's so young..."

Something told me then that they had yet to realize I was awake and could hear them perfectly well. Kei turned to face the girl. "Rina, we need her help. You heard Fei Wong, right? He'll kill us personally if we don't make her join us." Fei Wong? I asked myself. Who's Fei Wong? Kei looked back down at me, hardly registering the fact that my eyes were only half-closed. "It's not like I want to force her..."

Rina sighed, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "We should bring her back to my place. She needs to rest."

Kei nodded. "We all do."

A/N: How did you like it? Confusing, maybe...I don't know. It took me about twenty-five minutes to pump it out so it's definitely not at it's best. Not to mention it's super-short...the first chapter is always short for me. You can expect a more well-written and longer chapter next time...Speaking of which, I'll let our heroine give you a peek at it:

Girl whose name we have yet to find out: Present day is six years after the events that have just occurred, and I accidentally come across a witch's shop. The wish I am forced to make sends me hurtling to different worlds with four strangers: Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, Kurogane, and the ever-so-popular Mokona! Things in my life slowly begin to change after I meet these strange travellers...Find out one of them in the upcoming chapter:The Changing Seasons