Disclaimer: I don't own it…so don't sue…coz if you do, I'll hurt you!

Sorry! To all those who know the Japanese names better, I don't really know them, but here's a name guide:

Sakura Avalon: Sakura Kinomoto Li Showron: Syaoran Li Madison Taylor: Tomoyo Daidouji Meilin Rae: Meiling Li Tori Avalon: Touya Kinomoto Julian Star: Yukito Tsukishiro Chelsea: Chiharu Mihara Nikki: Naoko Yanagisawa Rita: Rika Sasaki Zachary/ Zach: Takashi Yamazaki

Key: "Talking" "Whispering" Thinking -----New scene or POV----- POV Point Of View

Writing-notes, emails etc.

R+R if you like!

Author's Note: If you have something nasty to say, say it to someone who gives a shit. Any flames will be ignored. Don't waste your time.

This is a prequel to COTW, sort of explaining what happened between Tori and Meilin…I may have to change a few minor details…

Chapter 1:

Searing Pain

"Rubes? Is that you sweetheart?" Tori turned his head away from the boring email he was under pressure to read.

The 'rules of the game' for his football training. He'd lost his control and punched the coach last week, but that didn't mean he was going to re-read the rules he'd skimmed so elegantly over when he began training.

"Uh…yeah, it's me…" Ruby sounded far from her usual self, and Tori frowned, knowing immediately that something was wrong.

As she came over to stand in the doorway, Tori felt an unfamiliar knot of dread in his stomach.

Ruby had been crying. That much was clear.
There were smudges of mascara down her cheeks; her eyes were red and puffy.

"What's wrong?" Tori was up immediately, walking straight over to his fiancée, with nothing but concern on his face.

But, to his shock, as he neared her, she backed away rather self-consciously.

"I…uh…oh, Tori…I don't know how I got here…" Her loud sob echoed through the hallway, and she placed her hand on her head in anguish.

"Ruby, I don't get it…what's going on…what's wrong?" Tori couldn't keep the edge from his voice this time.

Ruby met his steady gaze, and Tori felt the knot of tension in his stomach tighten.

"I…I mean, I'm…I'm l-leaving y-you." Ruby's voice shook with panic and distress. She seemed to notice the quiver in her own voice, and attempted to meet Tori's shocked gaze once more.

"I mean, I'm leaving you. I'm sorry, but…I can't pretend any more…I'm sorry, Tori. I really am." She turned to walk out the door, but Tori's strong arm stopped her.

"What, you think that's it, do you? You just tell me it's over, and I just have to stand here and listen to that shit, and let you walk out? After the two years we spent together, and you can't even tell me why?" Tori had raised his voice by now, and was reluctant to release Ruby's arm from his claw-like grip.

"Let go of me, Tori. I have to go. I have somewhere to be." She muttered, and Tori could hear her attempts to keep her voice calm.

"Where? What's more important to you than sorting this out? We can work through this, I'm sure we can!" Ruby spun round now, and Tori shrunk away slightly as he met the fire in her eyes.

"I don't want to work it out, Tori! I don't love you, and you probably don't love me, not really! I have a shot at true love, and I won't let you ruin it for me! I never meant to hurt you, but I can't lead you on anymore." Her voice softened at this last part, and Tori had no choice but to stand completely still.

What the hell was going on?

Ruby was leaving him?

She had a shot at true love?

He sank down onto the arm of the couch, barely noticing the fact that Ruby crouched down beside him as he went.

"Tori, I'm sorry." She attempted to meet his gaze once more, but he couldn't look her in the eye.

"Who?" Tori's question seemed to shock the young woman for a moment, and she turned away guiltily.

"W-what do you m-mean?" She stuttered, cursing herself for being so scared.

"You just said that you have a chance of real love…so who are you leaving me for?" Tori spat, his voice oozing with venom and contempt.

"I…is that really important, Tori? It's got nothing to do with…him, it's us…it wouldn't work out…" He could see the tears in her eyes, but he didn't care.

Something inside him had snapped, and his usual discipline was out the window.

"Who?" He yelled, causing Ruby to jump, and there was fear mirrored in her usually confident eyes now.

"Tori, I'm so sorry…don't hate me…" And she burst into tears, causing Tori to feel a pang of guilt.

However, the guilt soon evaporated as Ruby uttered her next sentence, and Tori was sure the world stopped spinning for that moment.

"I'm in love with Julian." Ruby placed her hand on Tori's shoulder, praying he'd find some way to come to turns with it.

But he merely shook her hand away, and stood to tower above her, his eyes burning with a fire she hadn't seen before.

"Get out." Tori could no longer contain his anger, and she winced at his tone.

"Tor-" But he cut her off.

"I said get the hell out of my apartment. And don't even think of coming back. And tell that baka yaro that I called my best friend to stay the hell out of my way. Coz if I ever see him again, he won't survive."

"Don't call Julian a stupid bastard! He doesn't deserve that, Tori…he doesn't even know that I'm breaking up with you. And don't you even think of laying a hand on him. Because if you ever hurt him, I'll be forced to use my magic on you. And then you won't survive." Ruby couldn't keep the hatred from her voice, but she'd gone beyond caring.

"Get out!" Tori yelled at her, and her confidence evaporated.

"What about my stuff?" Her voice was quivering now, and she shrunk away from her fiancé.

"I don't give a shit about your stuff! Just get the hell out, and stay out!"

And, to Tori's surprise, she did as she was told, walking as calmly as she could out of his apartment, his life forever.

It wasn't until later that evening, when he picked up his coat, ready to take a walk in the brisk winter air and clear his mind, that he noticed Ruby's engagement ring on the hall table.

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TORI'S POV

As I locked up the door to my apartment, clutching Ruby's engagement ring in my hand, I couldn't bring myself to cry.

It wasn't that I didn't care about Ruby.

It was my pride. I'd never allowed myself to cry, and I wasn't about to start here.

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JULIAN'S POV

I put the kettle on to boil, my mind racing.

What was going on between Tori and Ruby?

She'd turned up on my doorstep about ten minutes ago, tears and mascara streaking her face, and all she'd been able to say since was 'sorry'.

Had they broken up?

I couldn't help but notice the space on her finger, where her engagement ring used to be.

They'd never had an argument this bad before, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was partly my fault.

I'd had a conversation with Ruby earlier today, which I'd barely even thought about at the time, but now seemed suddenly significant to me.

She'd turned to me, when we were watching Tori play football, and said something along the lines of:

"Julian, if you think you're in love with someone, should you tell them? I mean, even if it's not right?"

I'd assumed she was talking about Tori, and the fact that he had no magic.

"Yes. Otherwise you'd only regret it later on."

Now I couldn't help but wonder if it was this very advice that had brought about my best friend's heartache.

The click from the kettle soon awoke me from my thoughts, and as I poured the tea, I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that bubbled within me.

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RUBY'S POV

As Julian brought the teas into his sitting room, I felt the familiar apprehension that arose whenever he was around, and I prayed I wouldn't mess this up.

At least I had the comfort of knowing that even if I did, I could always just up and leave.

Go back to England or something…

"So, you wanna tell me what happened?" Julian's calm face gave me the sudden urge to laugh.

He really had no idea.

"I left Tori." I took my time, wanting my revelation to be at the right time.

After all, it would probably be a moment I'd remember forever.

"What? Why?" Julian's eyes widened and I decided to take my chance now, before it was too late.

"Well…"

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TORI'S POV

As I approached Julian's house, I wondered exactly what I'd do once I'd got there…

I was hardly going to punch him, beat the crap out of him in the middle of the road, with Ruby screaming at me to stop, like some crappy Japanese drama series…

I stopped as I reached his front door, wondering whether to ring the bell, slam on the hard wood surface, or just carry on walking down the road towards the King Penguin Park.

But, as I lifted my hand to raise the heavy metal knocker of the large oak doors, something caught my eye through his window.

Something moving on Julian's stairs, pale and reflecting the moonlight. It took me a while to work out that it was a person.

Scratch that.

It was two people.

Standing there, on the lowest steps, kissing and frantically ripping clothes from each other were my fiancé and best friend.

They were making their way up the steps now, and I saw a belt and Ruby's bra flying down the stairs.

I turned away abruptly, not wishing to see the inevitable boxers and thong joining the pile.

I turned, instead, to head towards the park, not wishing to go home to my empty bed, and have to think about what my best friend was doing now…

Or who he was doing.

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NORMAL POV

Tori slunk down on the seat of the swing, wondering how his life had become so messed up.

He placed his head in his hands, wondering why he didn't feel any pain at what he'd just seen.

Was Ruby right?

Did they really not love each other?

As he sat there, wondering if perhaps he'd made a mistake in ever proposing to her, he heard a loud sob erupting from near the slide.

A woman's sob.

"I hate you!" A familiar voice cried out, and a male body ran out of the park, swiftly followed by a cell phone.

Tori frowned at the collapsed and hysterical form, wondering why he recognized it, unsure if he should go and check the owner was ok.

"I hate you." The voice said, somewhat more quietly this time, obviously unaware that it was being eavesdropped on.

Tori approached the figure, wondering whether his assumptions were right.

"Meilin?" The Chinese girl looked up, her eyes drowned in mascara.

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MEILIN'S POV

"Tori?" I jumped at seeing Sakura's brother towering over me, his hands stretched out in an offer to help me up.

"Are you ok?" He looked at the shards of my cell phone, lying on the floor where I'd so clumsily aimed it at Takato's head.

I accepted the invitation for a lift up, and smiled as much as I could at the handsome man in front of me.

To my horror, I soon found myself sobbing in Tori's strong arms, and it wasn't long before he was supporting my body completely.

"Meilin…" His voice was distant, cold, almost annoyed, and I realised why.

Did he think I was drunk?

"Takato was cheating on me." I said, as simply as possible, trying my best to make out as though I didn't care.

I know it was a little late for that, but I didn't know how to resurrect the situation.

"Oh!" His voice was softer now, more understanding.

His embraced on me tightened, more protective, and he began to stroke my back fondly.

"He threw me out, and I haven't got anywhere to go, and now my cell phone's smashed on the floor so I can't call Li and ask him for the keys to my old apartment, and I don't know what to do and it's not fair!" I wailed, mortified by my outburst, yet unable to control myself.

"Why don't you stay with me tonight?" He muttered, and I nodded slightly.