A/N This is an alternate universe fic, but it pulls a lot of true information from the original series. There is no magic. I am more likely to use facts from the anime than the manga. Everything from proper birthdays to relationships to deaths to catch phrases is used. Of course, I'll throw you a curve ball every once in a while to keep you on your toes.

In this novel, Sakura shows a lot of love for her brother. Rest assured, this is only fraternal love and nothing else.

I finally got busted. These damn life-suckers have caged me like an animal in their hell again. This is what I've avoided since I can remember. I hate the police like flames burning through my bones.

The only comfort is that I'm not scared anymore.

There is nothing they can do to me that hasn't already been done, short of kill me. I don't think I'm even afraid of that anymore. Death might be a pleasant relief after all this bullshit.

The lens of the surveillance camera stares me down, threatening my every move. This time, I am sure there is no escape. There are no inside spies, no gang waiting outside the door, no brother scheming my escape. I am alone.

So here I am, sitting in what might as well be a concrete cupboard in front of a table that's bolted to the floor. My hands lay on it in front of me in handcuffs, grasping a pen and paper, mulling over the task they have left me; to write down my side of the story.

The only thing I can do now is write.

Daddy patted my head affectionately as I rocked back and forth on the balls of my toes. The lion heads on my slippers wobbled back and forth joyfully. He had just returned from another work trip. My brother, Touya, looked excited too.

"It's time to go to bed Sakura," Daddy warned kindly. "You need to get enough sleep or I won't be able to play with you again tomorrow."

"B-but...I h-haven't seen y-you in s-s-so long!" I cried, reaching up my hands to be picked up into his arms. Tears welled in my eyes. I ran at him and wrapped my arms around his knees. My mean brother stuck his tongue out at me, as if to call me a baby.

"Oh, Sakura. Everything will surely be alright. There is always tomorrow. Tomorrow might be the greatest day of our lives."

Despite my increasingly loud protests, Daddy easily lifted my three-year-old self and brought me to my bed. My lion slippers were discarded at the edge, and he tucked me in. I still sniffled.

"Daddy, don't go."

"Sakura, I'll still be here in the morning. It will come sooner than you think! Goodnight. I love you," he whispered, then turned off the light and closed the door as he left the room.

I shimmied out of bed and hustled to the door to follow. The light flowing in from around the crack in the door was abruptly cut off by the figure of Mommy. I didn't want her to be disappointed in me, so I didn't exit the room. However, my curiosity won out, and I put a small ear to the crack to listen to my parents' conversation.

"Fujitaka, will everything really be alright?"

"I just don't know. I just... don't know, Nadeshiko. I think we should get out of the country for a while, to keep the kids safe."

"I- I- ... Tomorrow. For the kids. We can't take any risks."

Mommy and Daddy sounded really serious, so I knew that I shouldn't be caught. I sneaked back into bed to hide under the covers, grabbing the family photo off my dresser and clutching it close to my chest. I hoped that Daddy was right, and that morning would really come soon.

I awoke with a start. Loud sounds kept on coming from every direction and I was really scared. I scrunched my body as far under the covers as possible, in order to escape from the sound. The family photo was still clenched tightly in my hands. The house almost seemed to be shaking with noise. I squeezed my eyes shut and threw my arms over my ears.

Suddenly, the blanket was removed off of me and my arms were jerked away from my head. I heard the distant screams of Mommy. They were unlike anything I had ever heard before.

"No! Get away!"

I was quaking in my pyjamas. The horrid screams came again.

"RUN! NO, DON'T YOU DARE!"

A pair of hands shook my shoulders, and I mustered the courage to open my eyes. Touya's eyes met mine. He ran to the window and slammed it open. Grabbing my hand and using my desk as a step-stool, he pulled us outside onto our porch rooftop. He grabbed my shoulders again and forced me to look into his eyes.

"We h-have to get out. Mom said, 'Run.' W-We need to get out of here!" he cried. I nodded my head frantically, then noticed the proximity of the edge of the rooftop. I buried my face in his shoulder in fear. I heard him mutter to himself the same phrase over and over.

"Everything will surely be alright. Everything will surely be alright. Everything will sure-" he continued. He picked me up, and suddenly the world disappeared beneath us, as my stomach did somersaults. I lifted my face from his shoulder and noticed we were on our lawn in front of our house. The door was broken open and every window on the main floor was smashed. Smoke billowed out of the open frames. I could faintly see Mommy's form through the smoke, standing with her arms spread wide. I could hear her screams clearer now.

"What did you do to him? HE'S INNOCENT. You killed him!" she shrilled, then a sudden change occurred in the tone of her voice, and I realized that she had spotted us outside the window

"RUN. Run with all you can! Run until you can't run anymore. Everything will surely be-" My mother's voice was suddenly cut off as a dark shadow passed over her figure. The sounds which followed were forever burned into my young mind, piercing every one of my senses. Touya's grip on me tightened, and I could feel his violent shivers.

Then he ran. I jostled up and down, clinging to his neck. I watched over his shoulder as our burning house faded further into the distance. The centre of the road passed behind us.

The crashes and bangs of our home started to fade away, only to be replaced with sirens. Our direction suddenly jerked sideways, and the volume of the sirens grew exponentially higher. Suddenly, the sounds of tires screeching filled my ears and I let go of my brother's neck to put my arms over my head. Touya put me down gently to confront the police officer that had exited the car and was walking toward us.

"Young sir. Do you happen to be Touya Kinomoto?" he queried with a strange smile on his face. He stepped closer until he towered over us. I shuddered.

"Y-yes sir," Touya responded hesitantly.

"We were just looking for you. It seems as though something strange has occurred at your home. We need to take you into custody."

"You s-suspect us of something. Don't you?" Touya challenged, attempting to hide his fear.

"Only criminals run from the scene of the crime," he smirked, the smile growing on his face. "You two are no exception."

I'm still not sure how, but we outran the officer. His cries echoed behind us.

"Come back you filthy murderers!"

I was running on short stubby legs, causing me to tire quickly. I don't think we would have made it had our lives not been on the line. Touya's hand clutched mine, nearly dragging me behind him. We ran and ran and ran. The soles of my feet hurt from their constant slap on the pavement. The policeman's footsteps had faded away, but there was no way to know how far away, or if he was just being silent.

I recognized the area around us. Tall luxurious homes bordered the streets, with fancy trees and gardens adorning the lawns. I kept my gaze sharp, waiting for a particular house to come into view. My brother's hand still lead me forward.

"Aunt Sonomi's house!" I yelled with a sort of delighted desperation. Touya suddenly pivoted and slammed his free hand over my mouth.

"Shh, Sakura. We must be quiet," he ordered in a harsh whisper.

We had stopped moving for that moment and I once again noticed that he was shaking. His clothes danced over his body in pure terror. He was only ten years old at the time. I was sure I was shaking as well.

The big white house that had cause my outburst stood next to us. It was three stories high and had a blue peaked roof. A large whitewashed porch covered the entire front of the house and vines climbed up trellises on the light siding. Huge rosebushes sat in front of the porch, surrounded by countless other flowering plants. Normally, this house would leave me with a heart of joy, but the eerie early morning light threw shadows in spooky places.

I was oddly aware at the silence that now embraced the street. Our desperate footsteps no longer flooded the neighbourhood. It was still quite dark, but the clouds looked more grey than black. Upon closer inspection, sirens could be heard wailing in the far distance. I was still feeling breathless from the time spent running, but it almost felt like I was not allowed to breathe and interrupt this silence.

A drop of sweat rolled down my cheek, and its tickle temporarily distracted me from the moment. I moved my free hand to wipe the distraction away, but I was caught by surprise as my forehead was met with a hard object. Staring at my hand is disbelief, I noticed something that had been there all along.

The family photo remained clutched by my fingers. The joints of my hand had gone white with the force which my hand clung to the only possession I still had left.

Touya's eyes widened when he notice what was in my hand, and he freed my face from his grasp. He reached out to the photo, hands searching out blindly for more than just an image in a frame. I slowly unclasped my hand from the frame. My fingers had become cramped, and I was starting to notice the pain.

The picture met with Touya's hands, and he brought it up right to his face, blocking it from my view.

My hand really hurt. Tears bubbled into my eyes. I sniffed.

Touya didn't move.

I fell to the ground, my unhurt hand frantically massaging the other in a primitive way to try relieve the pain. I cried, the shock of the pain pouring over me. Sobs racked my childish body and I couldn't think much past my discomfort.

I peered up at Touya, searching for a hint of comfort, however, his face was still hidden by the photo. His shoulders shook up and down, and I could tell that he was crying as well.

He fell to his knees, and his hands finally fell to his lap, revealing a tear-ridden face underneath.

I grabbed his knees and fell to the ground sobbing some more.

"Mommy...Daddy..." I hiccoughed, under my voice. I'd forgotten that I was told to stay silent. I was not alone in forgetting.

Both of us lay there in the middle of the street with tears in our eyes. I don't know how long we were there.

A bar of light flooded onto the street, which blinded us for a second. As we squinted at the offender, our eyes adjusted, and Aunt Sonomi came into view.

"Oh dear goodness, children. Come in. Come in," she said, the emotion unreadable.

Touya and I supported each other as we rose up from the pavement. Glancing downwards, I noticed the picture remained upon the ground. I bent down to pick it up in a hurry, brushing off the absent dirt frantically.

Aunt Sonomi, who had waited in her front door to greet us, realized that we weren't going to arrive at her door quickly. She rushed out the house in her pyjamas, grabbed a hold of one of our arms in each hand, and hurried us toward her front door. Pulling us not all that gently into her house, she let go and peered out the door, flicking her head back and forth to check for occupants on the street. When she decided it was safe, she closed the door and confronted us.

"Did they find you?" Aunt Sonomi asked sternly, the panic evident in her voice. I didn't know what she was talking about, so I kept my mouth shut and faced the floor. After a moment of pause, she asked again.

"Did they find you?!" she demanded. "This is very important. Did the people interested in your father's work find you?"

Touya was silent as well. We were both very afraid. At least, I thought he was silent because he was afraid. Usually Touya knew everything, so I figured he knew the answer, but stayed silent for other reasons, such as fear. Of course, I didn't actually know whether or not he knew anything. I was only three after all.

Aunt Sonomi was losing her patience. She knelt down and grabbed my brother by his shoulders forcefully.

"Are your parents safe?" she yelled, shaking my brother. I couldn't take it anymore. He was my precious brother after all, even if he was a meanie. I threw myself at Aunt Sonomi and banged my fists against her.

"Get away from him you meanie!" I cried. "Don't touch him."

Aunt Sonomi looked at me with calculating eyes and removed her hands from my brother. I backed down. All I know is that people should not harm other people with their bodies. I had just done so too, and I felt a little ashamed. Nonetheless, I had gotten her off him, so I felt a little better. I looked up at her and frowned the best look of disappointment I could muster.

Aunt Sonomi frowned a little and kept one eye on me while addressing Touya for a second time. I kept both my eyes on her.

"Touya. What happened to your parents?" Sonomi asked, controlling her voice, but keeping a steady eye on Touya. He looked very conflicted, and his expression changed each moment. Finally his face broke down

"Th-they... They... They are..." he rasped. His face was completely scrunched up. Tears were a waterfall down his cheeks.

"They are what? Speak up."

"They're dead."

Sonomi was silent.

My mind didn't entirely accept this concept. The last time that I had seen my parents they were alive. Even if the last time I had seen Mommy she was screaming, she was very much alive.

However, I did know one thing; Touya never lied.

I took my eyes off of Sonomi and looked at Touya, searching his eyes for a clear response.

"Mommy and Daddy are...dead?" I asked hesitantly.

"Y-yes," he choked out. He brought his hands up to try to cover his emotion. I'm sure he didn't want to burden me with anything.

"But they are coming back, right? They'll be back, and we can play just like Daddy promised!"

"No, Sakura. No. No no no no no-" Touya continued as a kind of chant. My mind went blank. Too much had happened. I no longer knew how to react. This was beyond my three year old knowledge. Mommy and Daddy were the ones who took care of complicated stuff like this.

Aunt Sonomi seemed satisfied with this information. She stood back up and gathered up her dignity.

"Both of you, return to the guest bedrooms you used last week. Use the washrooms before you go. I will lock the door behind you. Be as quiet as possible; Tomoyo is sleeping. If anyone comes to your door, I want you to hide. I will bring you food in the morning."

Touya must have obeyed, but I didn't hear everything she said, nor did I comprehend it.

"Sakura, you're a big girl. Let's try to get through this. I'll take you with me," Aunt Sonomi said, and took my hand gently. She noticed the picture frame resting in it, and her eyes softened.

"I'll keep that safe. Everything will surely be alright," she said, and tried to take the picture from my hand, but my grip stayed firm. I had long since forgotten about the cramp in my hand muscles; too much was going on.

Aunt Sonomi decided that it was harmless for me to keep the photo, and proceeded to bring me to do all the things Touya was doing.

After we were done in the washroom, she took me to the guest bedroom that I was so familiar with. With a swift goodnight, she tried to leave. However, I leaped out of bed and cried.

"Don't leave me alone! Please don't leave me. Please!" I pleaded as I grabbed her leg. She looked down at me and I could tell she was struggling with something. She picked me up into her arms and walked out the door of the bedroom.

"I'll get my butler to bring an extra bed into Touya's room, so you can stay there with him. It will be easier to protect you that way anyways. Will that be alright?" she reasoned. I nodded jerkily.

Soon enough, I joined Touya in his room. He was lying on his back under the covers, but his eyes were wide open. Aunt Sonomi tucked me into bed and locked the door behind her, after saying a brief farewell.

After the door shut, I felt lonely again. Touya's presence was a great comfort to me though. I still couldn't comprehend what he had said about our parents, but I knew it was bad, at that I wouldn't see Mommy or Daddy for a long time. Thinking about it caused me to tear up again. I had cried so much that I was starting to feel thirsty, and I wished that I had brought a glass of water with me.

I was too scared to go get one. I felt extremely uneasy when I was alone, and Touya was the best comfort to me then.

Instead, I shimmied out of bed, much as I had only a few hours of earlier to eavesdrop on my parents, and walked over to Touya's bed. I looked up at him, and his eyes were staring unfocused and staring at the ceiling. I flipped open one side of the covers and climbed in, catching his attention.

"Sakura?" he questioned softly, a worried look on his face. His eyes were red and his face was discoloured from all the crying.

"Don't leave me. Don't ever leave me," I pleaded. I needed him then. He was really the only one I had.

"I promise Sakura. We can make it through this together. Don't leave me either. I'll protect you."

With each other's comfort, we were finally able to fall asleep.