Essence of Blood

He had met girls throughout his life but never had he met a woman as unique as her. Not only did she defy him in an erratic way but her blood held an essence that differed from everyone else. Her blood was special... her blood made her, his.

Chapter One
Essence of Alcohol

.xx.

-Tomoyo-

So...

This is the story.

To be quite honest with you, it's kind of a dark story that weaved within the light. It's laced with sexual frustration that only pushed the two protagonists further off the edge. Actually, I would personally call them the antagonists but hey, they're the main characters fighting for a cause...

Even if that cause was bad in the eyes of the general human population. Well, it was only bad in the eyes of those who believed in God. Anybody who doesn't believe in God would probably think that our story is complete and utter bullshit.

My name is Daidouji Tomoyo. Once upon a time I was a regular woman working a part-time job for a prestigious fashion magazine firm in Japan as well as going to school, full-time, for fashion and design. Those days have long passed since my distant cousin, Sakura, pulled the worst stunt (or best stunt... she did save my life) in her existence. Her recklessness (even though I love her dearly) put us both in the worst situation ever possible, or best, depending on which point of view it's regarded from.

To be completely honest, I didn't mind being in that situation with her mainly because it was her. Our families thought that we were dead and we had never seen them afterwards. They had a "funeral" for us; my mother was devestated and Sakura's father was equally worse off.

So what happened?

Sakura fell in love with a gangster.

Not just a gangster—the gangster; the biggest name in the black market, the underworld society and in the gang business.

Who turned out not to even be a real human being. He was a divine.

I don't know the story in full, so I'll just give you my version. It started years back, when Sakura had gotten a part time job as a barmaid when she just turned twenty years old. Her brother's boyfriend, Yukito, owned the place and had given Sakura the job when Touya, Sakura's older brother, had persisted that his younger sister needed some independence. Yukito had given Sakura a crash course in mixing drinks and maybe flair bar tending, just in case, he said.

A good month or two after Sakura had started officially bar tending at the Dark Night, the lounge slash bar/club place that Yukito owned, the place had a serious jam. There were security cars, big bouncers (at least five of them, from what I remember), a DJ and, literally, lookouts that stood on the roof with rifle things. Sakura and the only other bartender, Michelle, were on duty while the number of waitresses and waiters were doubled as well as the entertainment.

I had joined as family since I had nothing to do that night...

And that was the worst (or best?) mistake I could've ever made...

.xx.

July 13th, 2001- 6:45pm

"Move!" Sakura shoved Michelle with a large casket thing. Michelle waved out of the way as she watched Sakura drop the large container and began fishing through it. Raising an eyebrow, Michelle looked at me sitting at the bar stool before looking back at my cousin, with obvious disdain.

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"Yukito said there's this jam thing going on tonight, which is why both of us are here. We need to prepare enough glasses for a minimum of two hundred guests."

Michelle's eyes blanched. "Say what? The floor is only big enough for a hundred and twenty something guests!"

"Tell that to Yuki." Sakura rolled her eyes as she threw a rag at me. "At least make yourself useful."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a cup and began wiping it down. Sakura was half a year older than me. She had turned 20 while it was still merely a few months till my 20th birthday. In all honesty, I loved Sakura as I would a sister. We were always together with our three friends, Chiharu, Rika and Naoko. We all shopped together, chilled, schooled—you name it, we did it...

Well, anything that is considered straight and non-lesbian-ish.

"When are the gates opening?" Michelle asked, bringing me out of my spaced-out-glass-wiping.

"Nine pm," Sakura answered as she brought out a jar of olives. I raised both eyes, highly amused at the display of olives.

"We have olives why?"

"Martini garnishing," Michelle replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I twitched; I wish I could throw something at her air-blown head.

Stuck up twit.

I guess Sakura sensed my displeasure because she shooed Michelle to the back area to check if the beer lines were running. I snickered under my breath as Sakura returned to unpack some of their finer martini and cocktail glasses. In silence we both continued cleaning and fixing, even though I wasn't getting paid for this.

Sigh. Oh how I love my family.

"SAKURAAAA! MICHELLEEEE! TANYAAAA! TAKESHI!"

Yukito's blaring voice shot through the bar as Sakura shot up straight, Michelle ran out of the back area, the head waitress Tanya dropped her washcloth and Takeshi, the usual club DJ, dropped his CD's. Meekly stepping out from behind the counter, I watching Sakura approach her brother's boyfriend.

"What's up Yuki?"

The 34-year old was standing rather dashingly in the middle of the barroom. He was adorned in a silk-white suit thing that looked rather spectacular I must say. Not something I would create really, but it was definitely something I could work off of...

Like make Sakura a really sexy, white, silk lingerie set...

Oh, that gave me ideas. I wish that girl had an active sex-life... so much more fun with lingerie creation. Oh well, you can't always get what you want in life right?

"The guests just called, they're gonna be here in less than an hour." Yukito looked as if he was hyperventilating. Sakura muttered something about Touya being able to calm him down and I nudged her. Glancing over at me subtly I mouthed sexy-sexy-time to her.

It was obvious it was taking Sakura all of her willpower to not crack up laughing.

"And what do you want us to do about that, Tsukishiro?" Tanya raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. Sighing, Yukito fumbled with his bow-tie.

"Hurry up?"

"Way to state the obvious Yuki," Michelle snorted. "Now go back to paper-working and let us slave-workers slave away."

Takeshi snorted. "Shut up Shelly."

"Do not fucking call me Shelly."

"Aw shut up the both of you! Get to fucking work!" Tanya roared as Sakura snickered. Laughing, I turned back to the counter and resumed wiping some martini glasses for my cousin-dearest.

"What're you wearing for the jam?" I inquired as Sakura glanced at me.

"My uniform?"

That... was breaking one of my ten commandments. Sakura couldn't just wear nothing to a jam. The girl had the body of a model mannequin—it would be an eternal sin if she wore a disgusting apron. She needed to flaunt her body.

"Funny, right?" I rolled my eyes. "Thank goodness you have me Sakura."

She visibly paled. "What do you have in mind?"

I smirked. I love myself. "You'll see..."

"Should I be scared?"

"More or less."

"...Shit."

That made me laugh even harder.

.xx.

July 13th, 2001- 7:39pm

There would never have been a grander entrance. The doors just flew open, like in the movies where the door opens and this Godly light enters in before the image of the guest? Yeah, it was one of those moments. Smoke screens went up and a breeze of air blasted through the bar. This guy planned this out big-freakin'-time.

Sakura had her arms crossed behind the counter. I was still sitting at the bar stool, chewing on a straw, watching the scene unfold; I had gotten Sakura changed into a nice dress that I had created a year back. It was a mid-knee length black skin-tight dress. It hugged her like a second skin that her bra wasn't even required. It was large-necked and off the shoulder/sleeveless. Diamonds studded the collar and there were cuts in the dress exposing the most general of her skin.

To top it off I made her wear 7-inch stilettos. She was in pain.

But she looked sexy so it cancelled each other out. (Not that she would agree with me...)

I wore a denim mid thigh-length skirt and a black skin tight full-sleeved shirt. My hair was up in a ponytail and I had knee-length leather boots to top it off. Not as fancy as Sakura but she was the bartender and I was not.

She was privileged.

Or unfortunate, according to her.

"What's with the dramatic entrance?" Sakura nudged me. "It isn't as if God is entering the damn place."

I giggled, "Maybe this guy thinks he is God with all the money he's burning on this jam."

"What's the occasion anyways?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe he finally got laid?" I laughed at the look she shot me.

"A man that looks like him probably has no problem getting laid." I nodded at Sakura's comment.

Takeshi had the DJ turntable ready for the guest's personal DJ. No outsiders were allowed in except the workers of the bar. I had somehow managed to stay in but then again, they probably thought I was the third bartender. The smoke finally left and there were three guys walking through the door.

.xx.

Okay, let's pause. This story is about my cousin, Sakura, and the deadliest of the deadly gangster alive. The beginning was general; general to the point where whatever I said wouldn't really influence the take on the story. However, after this moment where the antagonist (or protagonist, depending on which view you took) enters the scene, any simple word can influence your take on the story.

This story is laced with three love stories... the story of my cousin Sakura and the gang leader. This is the story I am telling right now. It has its downs... and very few ups. It's a love triangle to be honest and there's a lot of blood and tears. His and Sakura's story isn't a very happy story but it does end satisfactorily.

There story is the primary one.

Then there's Eriol. He's the best friend to Sakura's gangster boyfriend. He has his own love story too. It isn't as complicated as Sakura's but it is out there... Thing is, he's a married man but he does not want his wife. So he chooses to go out and fall in love...

With me.

And lastly there's the story of Takashi and Chiharu. Their story is simple, sweet and fairy-tale like. They loved each other once, left, was broken hearted, met again, fell back in love once more, and get married.

Happy?

No.

Somebody dies.

Throughout this story I will be telling you all of their stories but under the base of Sakura's story and Syaoran Li. It was because of their forbidden love that the three of these stories played out...

And it was because of them why everything in Japan is the way it is right now.

Some can say it's good... some say it's bad.

I honestly cannot say anything because I left my family for this... for Sakura, and I can't say I don't regret it.

Because sometimes I do.

But everything happened for a reason and who's to say that maybe that night Sakura wouldn't have been the specific barmaid working?

What if Sakura never got hired?

Then this would've never happened...

Right?

.xx.

July 13th, 2001 - 8:06pm

A cool breeze past me and I glanced over to find one of the three guys sitting down beside me. He was cute—okay cut my tongue off, he was sexy. The man had the body that a man should have. It was like... Sakura's variation of a woman's body. It was perfect to the point where anything I made would look so amazing on him...

Damn.

I glanced over at Sakura and saw that she was entranced. Poor girl kept on sneaking glances at him.

I wanted to laugh.

"How ya' doing, babe?"

His voice was... different.

If it was Sakura commenting on his voice, she would've said something like luscious. I still don't understand how a man can have a luscious tone of voice...

Sakura's eyes widened before she lowered them again, "Fine..." she mumbled out.

How cute.

"How good are you with the drinks?"

"Um... pretty decent..."

"Yeah?"

Sakura nodded.

"Then mix me up a vodka and coke."

Such a soft drink. Wow.

Sakura immediately got to work and in a matter of seconds she had his drink ready. Smirking, he took a sip...

"Beautiful." He stood up. "Just like its maker."

That made Sakura blush. Wow.

Extending his hand, he made the motion that he wanted to shake Sakura's hand...

"Li," he introduced himself. "Li Syaoran."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Kin—kin... Kinomoto Sa—Sakura..."

I didn't know why Sakura was stuttering but I realized after about a few seconds when I saw a tattoo poke out from under Li's sleeve...

Li Syaoran... I stared with wide eyes...

The leader of the Bloodhounds was flirting with my cousin...

And that was when the story truly began.

.xx.

Special thanks to my beta-editor, Sakura-chan Master of the Clow
Edited/Updated: August 16, 2011

Re-edited: November 03, 2012