Sorry I haven't been uploading anything recently, been rather busy. I feel like this chapter in particular, probably because it's the first chapter, is a bit dodgy, so if you have any advice on what I could improve on that would be amazing! I try to re-read and edit everything, but I do miss some things, so point those out too, please.

Thanks a bunch! Enjoy

Warning: This story does contain violence and some gore, some angst and sexual references.

The night was cold and bitter-the perfect night for a cold-blooded death. It was the night of the new moon and very dark, the only source of light coming from the dim street lamps outside.

Sakura waited silently for the familiar face of the assassin she had come to know to arrive, readying her sword in her hand as she paced slowly around the large hall, the echo of her footsteps bouncing off the walls.
Photo's hung on the wall, and in the photos some of the figures moved.
"Madam, are you sure someone's actually going to try and kill me?" The owner of the mansion asked from where he stood nearby.
He was an elderly man, a diplomat for the government. Lately it seemed that all of this person's targets were from the government-her government.
She tore her gaze from the cloudy sky and turned to face him, fiddling with the teardrop pendant that hung around her neck.
"The one who is after you is no ordinary assassin." She replied calmly, remembering the countless times she had come face-to-face with this young man.
She whipped her head around as she saw a shadow against the tall-planed windows.

Sure enough, standing on the balcony stood a young man-roughly in his early twenties-with cold amber eyes and dark messy brown hair. His attire was black and in his hand was a sword that was already covered in the crimson liquid that she hated to see. He too wore a pendant similar to hers.
"It's you again." He spoke; his voice was emotionless, dull.
"You need to stop!" She cried, sadness hanging in her voice.
She wished her dreams didn't always have to be true.
He cocked his head to the side, seeming a little curious. "Why?" he asked.
"No one deserves to die like this," she whispered sadly.
He still didn't seem to understand. His heart was frozen, and the young woman seemed to know this. Her jade green eyes filled with tears as she lifted her weapon, her vision blurring. She watched as he continued walking towards her and his target.
Sakura stepped in front of him, though she hesitated a little despite being taught not to. She couldn't stand fighting-it wasn't in her nature and somewhere down the line…
He saw her hesitance and shoved her to the side. She wasn't his target so he saw no need to harm her. Sakura groaned in pain and pulled herself to her feet. She looked over to see him lifting his blade above his head, getting ready to strike. The diplomat was frightened, unable to move from his place on the floor.
Sakura ran and flung her arms around him in hopes that he'd stop-he hesitated for a moment, but still brought the blade down upon the man. The diplomat fell limp in a pool of blood.
"Why…?" she whispered.
"Because I'm an assassin." He answered.
"You told me your name a little while ago-it's Syaoran, right?"
"Yes." He replied dully.
She smiled sadly, "I didn't get to tell you mine. It's Sakura." She whispered as she leant her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent.
"Why are you telling me this?" He asked, confused by her actions.
"Because I want you to know who I am. Because I fear…I have fallen in love with you." Sakura whispered, leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips.
She parted and gave him a soft yet sad smile; he watched her as she picked up her weapon and left, her pink and white dress stained with the blood of the man she was supposed to protect.
"Why did you kiss me?" He asked, just as she was about to exit through the door.
She stopped and turned to him, smiling warmly at him before leaving without saying a word.

The magic flames that lit the castle grounds were still burning brightly as Sakura walked up the castle stairs. She knew that her personal maid would be worried about her again, and her personal guard was probably out on another search.
She opened the castle doors and slipped in quietly, hoping she wouldn't be caught as she quietly tip-toed across the tiles.
"Your highness, where have you been!? And why is there blood on your dress!?" A blonde woman with deep brown eyes came rushing over to Sakura and checked her for wounds.
"Chii, I'm fine. I just went out for a while…nothing major…" She mumbled, frustrated at being caught.
"Princess Sakura! You know not to go anywhere without a body guard-especially at night since the appearance of that assassin! And that still doesn't explain the blood on your dress!" the maid cried. "I saw someone get hurt…so I helped them…" Sakura lied.
Chii sighed; she knew that if Sakura wanted to talk about it, she'd talk about it.
"Let's get you cleaned up before bed; Fai will be back soon." She said with a cheerful smile. "I sent someone out to tell him you were safe."
"I see." Sakura murmured.
"Now, I'll take these bloody clothes for you and you can enjoy your shower. You should be safe tonight." Chii said as she pulled the princess into her bedroom to pull off her clothes and get her into the shower.
"I'd prefer it if Fai stayed with you-I don't want the protection if it means you have to be alone."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Chii scoffed.
"That's not what I meant-" Sakura said as her dress was thrown into the basket that Chii emptied every morning, noon, and evening if necessary.
"Yeah, yeah, but you're the princess and need to be kept safe!" Chii said as she ushered the princess into the shower.
I know, but Syaoran would never hurt me. Sakura thought to herself. At least, she hoped that much was true.

Sakura stepped beneath the hot water and began scrubbing the dirt and blood from her skin. She watched as red swirled down the drain and fell into a fit of tears. Why did she have to become so helpless when she came face to face with him? It was as if an impenetrable fear settled in upon seeing him, and she lost the will to fight.
She couldn't fight him in fear of hurting someone she cared about. She couldn't fight him despite knowing she needed to protect her people. She loved her people and it was tearing her apart. She didn't know what to do.
She quickly cleaned her hair and allowed her muscles to relax, clearing her mind briefly. She would find a way to help him and her people.

Sakura had originally met Syaoran when she'd begun to have dreams of her people being assassinated. She'd go to their houses in a common disguise and tell them that she was there to stop them from being assassinated; sometimes she was too late, and other times she just wasn't strong enough to lift her blade. He was brutal, but something inside Sakura was telling her that he was being controlled by something or someone-as if he'd been brainwashed. It was when she noticed that his heart was frozen that she'd made it her mission to try and protect her people while also trying to crack the ice around his heart. It had been apparent to her for some time, but she never told anyone-not even Chii, her closest friend and head maid-who she had fallen in love with.

Syaoran walked through the halls of the underground headquarters stopping only when a certain blonde man stepped out to talk to him. He was tall and wore a white lab coat over his blue shirt. "Did you complete the mission?" he asked.
"Yes." Syaoran answered, walking past him.
"Is there something on your mind, Syaoran?" he asked.
Syaoran stopped. "A girl seems to always know who my target is…she keeps trying to stop me. Why?" He asked.
"Hey Yuui-it's nearly time for the tests!" Someone called out from the far side of the large hall.
The blonde acknowledged them and turned back to Syaoran. "People are a mystery, so no one can ever be certain what one is thinking." Yuui replied, "It's possible she may have precognitive dreams." He then said, and then disappeared down the hall.
Syaoran could still feel the soft lips of the girl named Sakura against his. "Sa…kura…" he murmured her name, brushing his fingers against his lips while still thinking about the kiss.

As the princess lay in bed, her mind kept wandering back to when she kissed Syaoran. She wondered how Syaoran felt, if he did feel anything for her. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep, and that night she dreamt. She dreamt of a young man with dark black hair and pale eyes. He had an olive complexion and a strong build. She watched in her dream as he walked up a street and through the gates of the mansion he lived in, and then she saw Syaoran on the balcony. He jumped down and before Sakura saw what he did to his target, she woke, startled.
Sakura was covered in a cold sweat. From what she could tell it was roughly about three in the morning.
That dream-not again. But his new target…who was he…? She didn't recognise him.
She looked up as her door opened; Fai was standing in the doorway peering into the room to make sure everything was alright.
"Fai, what's wrong?" Sakura asked. She coughed a little, feeling the effects of the illness she was suffering from.
"I thought I could hear you crying out in your sleep, so I thought I should check to make sure you're ok-it seems you aren't." The blonde guard replied.
"I'm fine." She coughed again.
He sighed and shut the door, "Try and sleep."

Syaoran stared at the new file sitting on his table that Yuui had given him just hours ago. He had no doubt that Sakura would somehow find her way there, and he didn't like the thought of her being there. He didn't even like the thought of her protecting him.
He had read that file, read about what kind of person he was. Usually he didn't care and the only reason he read the file was to find out how to deal with his target. It seemed that this one might be a little more difficult than others.
"I fear I have fallen in love with you."
He remembered the look in her eyes, the sadness in her voice. For some reason it hurt him to see her that way. He felt a tear roll down his cheek as he sat on his bed. What is this feeling…? He wondered as dripped onto his hand.
Even if she did get in the way-she wasn't his target, so he wouldn't kill her, not unless he was ordered to.

Sakura hadn't told anyone about her dream to do with the young assassin who was targeting a young man that evening. It was only a few weeks until her twenty first birthday-the day she would come of age for the throne-and finally be able to begin her search for the people who took her parents from her. However, she wouldn't be able to do that if she was sick, and she hated being stuck in bed all day with a high fever. Instead, she took the chance to do a little bit of research on the man from her dream.
"This sucks." She muttered.
"Well if you stopped disappearing every night and returning with blood all over your clothes, you might not be sick." Chii scolded.
Sakura rolled her eyes at the words of her best friend. Suddenly, a thought hit her. "Chii…can I talk to you about something?" Sakura asked.
Chii looked over at the princess and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" the maid asked.
"I've fallen in love with someone…but I fear that no one will accept him." She murmured.
"You've fallen in love with someone? Why haven't you told me!?" Chii cried.
"Because I know you won't accept it if I told you who it was." The princess coughed.
"Silly Sakura, we support you." Chii smiled.
"Thanks…but I'm not sure about this one since he's not royalty…" Sakura said.
"Who cares-it's love!" Chii grinned. "And your parents always said that whoever you choose, it will be."
Yes, but the one I love is the assassin you're trying to keep me safe from.
The maid noticed Sakura's uncomfortable look on her face, and instantly knew that something was wrong.
"The one you're talking about…he's no ordinary person, is he?" she whispered.
Sakura shook her head; she hoped that perhaps, just maybe, she'd be able to persuade him to stay with her in the castle. She was lonely despite the fact she had so many friends in the castle, but there was one place in her heart that couldn't be filled by anyone other than him.
"He isn't." She answered sadly.
"For you to have such sadness in your voice, you must truly care for him if you fear that none of us will accept him," Chii said as she hugged her friend, "but how will you know for sure unless we know who he is?" the blonde gave Sakura a reassuring smile in hopes to comfort the princess, but it did little to calm Sakura's unhappiness.
"If you want to know who he is, then you'll probably find out soon." The princess said weakly.
"Silly, you're too ill to be having people visiting. Try and get some rest-and no trying to sneak away from your room!" Chii told her before heading towards the door.
Sakura giggled, "I won't, I promise." She smiled.
Chii smiled back, though shook her head as if sensing her friends lie. Sakura returned to looking at the file in front of her and began to piece the puzzle together. She looked out the window-the sun would begin to set in two hours…
She needed to be careful not to get caught leaving the castle.

"How is she?" Tomoyo, another of Sakura's closest friends and her tailor, asked.
"Poor girl really isn't well, and on top of that she feels like we won't accept someone if she were to introduce him to us." Chii said sadly.
"She's got someone she loves? When did this happen?!" Tomoyo shrieked.
"I don't know…she just told me about it now." Chii replied thoughtfully. "I wonder if that's who she's been going out to see?"
"Aww…I hope she'll be ok." Tomoyo murmured, her voice full of worry for her friend.
"Would you like some tea?" Chii asked suddenly. "We got a new flavour in today."
"That sounds like a lovely idea." Tomoyo beamed and followed the maid to the dining area.

Dressed in a teal dress she had hidden in the back of her wardrobe and some brown boots, Sakura opened the doors to her balcony and quickly slid over the edge and into the cherry blossom tree. She climbed down and then headed for the gates quickly, slipping out unnoticed.
Her fever hadn't gone down and she still wasn't well, but she would deal with that later. Right now someone else's life was at stake.

She walked down the streets and looked at the street signs. She bit her lip in frustration at having not grabbed her cloak-the nights grew very cold no matter how hot the day had been.
Sakura spotted the familiar street sign from her dream and sped up her footsteps-the house should be close…
She began running, looking around herself for any large properties. She wasn't paying attention to who was in front of her or what, and ran into someone. She fell back and landed hard on the pavement, groaning in pain.
"Are you alright?"
Sakura looked up to see the young man from her dream. He smiled and held out his hand for her, and being polite she took it and allowed him to help her up.
"I'm very sorry-I wasn't watching where I was going." Sakura apologised, flustered.
"No, it's alright. What's your name?" he asked.
Sakura brushed her dress off. "My name is Sakura…"
"Sakura, huh? You seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. My name is Reece, by the way."
She smiled, "Sorry again. I was looking for the owner of the largest property on this block…" Sakura stopped mid-sentence as she realised where she was. She was standing outside a large mansion, the same one from her dream, and she looked back to Reece.
"Why, is something wrong?" Reece asked.
"This is a little difficult for me to explain…" Sakura tried to begin explaining, but Reece smiled.
"Why don't you come inside then? You can explain the issue to me over a warm drink."
Sakura blinked in surprise. "Uh…alright…thank you."

He pushed open the gate and allowed Sakura through, and then headed up to the large wooden doors and opened them. Sakura began to feel uneasy for some reason, but she summed that up to her dream from the night before. He led her to what seemed to be the living room and offered her a seat, and she sat patiently on the soft couch while he went and made her a warm drink as promised. She looked around the room-the walls were crème and the carpet charcoal. Hanging on the walls were a couple of paintings. One such painting was of a sunset that changed colours. The fireplace was empty and overall the room was neat and clean.

She looked up as Reece entered the room and set a teacup down on the glass top coffee table.
"Thank you, Reece." Sakura smiled.
"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" He asked as Sakura sipped her tea.
She set the cup down on the saucer and held it in her lap.
"I have precognitive dreams." Sakura began. "Last night I had a dream in regards to your safety…"
"About me?" He laughed.
"The person after you-he's merciless and will do whatever it takes to kill his target." Sakura pressed.
"And you're saying that I'm the one who's this person's target?" he asked curiously.
"I know it's difficult to believe…"
He shook his head, "No, that's fine. But, I'm more worried about you. Aren't you afraid of being hurt…by coming here?" Reece asked, leaning forward and picking up his own cup.
"I don't care if I get hurt, as long as no one else dies." She said softly.
He watched her as she brought her cup to her mouth in silence. Suddenly Sakura felt strange-she began to feel a little light headed and she couldn't see straight.
"What did you do to me?" she whispered, going to stand up. Sakura stumbled and then fell, knocking the teacup over along with its contents.
Reece walked around and brushed some of her pale caramel strands out of her hair. "Sorry, but there's something you don't know…I have precognitive dreams, too." He murmured.
Sakura tried to move, to roll onto her stomach and lift herself to her feet. There was something wrong about this…
"Now, I never would have guessed that the princess would have left the safety of her castle to come and warn me. That's brave." Reece continued to speak. He lifted her onto the couch and smirked, running his fingers over her satin smooth skin.

Syaoran pushed open the window with ease and jumped down from the ledge, his footsteps silent as he walked down the hallway. He stopped at edge of the doorway and peered in to see Sakura almost unconscious on the couch and his target sitting beside her.
Why was Sakura unconscious and why was he looking so smug about it?
Syaoran slipped inside without his noticing and unsheathed his blade. His target stood and turned around, facing him.
"Hello."
Syaoran didn't say anything.
Sakura coughed violently and his target looked at her out the corner of his eyes.
"She should have done her research properly before coming here."
Syaoran's eyes flicked towards Sakura quickly and then back to his target.
He began to walk towards his target.
"If you come any closer, I'll hurt her."
Syaoran ignored the threat and continued. He lifted his blade and pointed it at him. His target smiled.
Syaoran wasn't used to having to fight against his opponents but it did happen on occasion. He was highly skilled and wasn't worried about losing.

Sakura could feel a familiar pain in her chest the she often felt when she was unwell. She needed her medication but she had no access to it. She looked over and though her vision was blurred, she could see the familiar shape of Syaoran across the room. He seemed to be struggling a little in the fight, and as she closed her eyes she heard something fall to the ground with a sickening thud. There was another thud, and she cared not to know what it was.
She felt the warmth of two fingers against her neck, possibly checking her pulse, and she passed out.

As I wrote up the top, please drop by any advice for me, or just a nice review of what you thought :) Thanks!