Beyond the Unknown

Chapter 1: First Meet

At a private estate miles away from civilization, two figures, one with auburn colored hair and the other with amethyst colored hair, sat in the balcony of the estate.

It was still early in the morning, but the two sat side by side, with their backs against the transparent sliding door and their knees propped up.

"Do you think life would've been different for us if your mom hadn't joined this agency and brought you along and.. if Evan hadn't adopted me?" Sakura, the one with the auburn hair, asked her friend.

"If someone else had adopted me… would I have had a normal life?"

Tomoyo nodded. "I'm sure it would've been. Any kind of life would be more normal than being in a gang before you even learn to say the word "gang."

They sighed, with a coke hand in hand.

It was a beautiful day out and the sun beaming against their faces felt pretty okay.

--

Weeks after

A forlorn figure sat on the white sheets of a bed, its head propped up on its elbow.

"I miss you," she whispered to the photo, staring into the faces of her dead parents. "I really do."

Water trickled down the window, trailing lines behind. The trees shook left and right as the world wept. A drop of water fell, but this time it wasn't the rain. It was a tear, a pure tear of sadness from the depths of a hollowed soul…

… And she cried herself to sleep.

Time passes

"Jade," came a rough, firm voice.

Her eyes snapped wide open and her breath came in full gasps. The lights were dim, casting dark shadows of despair.

"Get up," was the harsh demand.

She quickly complied, pulling herself up to her feet. "Sir," she stated, acknowledging his rank.

"The Boss wants you." He stated simply. His cold, obtrusive eyes said that there was nothing more to say.

A shiver ran through her spine. 'What does he want with me?' She thought. Unconsciously, she knew the answer. Nothing good.

At the office

She could not stop the shaking of her fingers, as she twisted open the brass knob and pushed the door open. It made a creaking sound in its hinges.

The first image she saw were the wide, flamboyant windows that encased the whole back of the room. It was built Victorian style with flashy burgundy drapes.

But her eyes moved still, to the pale faced man sitting in the black, grandiose chair. His hair was a dark black that contrasted sharply with his pale face. But his features were sharp, with a pointy chin and piercing gray eyes. His looks resembled quite like an A-list actor or a professional model.

But sadly his personality would never come into the high terms of his looks.

A smirk graced his face, as he motioned for her to sit on a chair opposite from him.

"How can I help you Evan?" She asked with each word spoken deliberately slow and forceful. She prayed that her voice remained even and did not betray her thudding heart.

She would not give him the satisfaction that she feared him.

He laughed. "I see we're still on first name terms. I guess I can get use to it. Though…" he paused. "I really had my hopes set that you would call me 'dad'. You are my adopted daughter after all."

"Adopted exactly." She answered him.

He smirked brighter, the contours of his lips tugging upwards in a humored tilt. "You were such a lonely, yet puzzling girl… something about you captured my attention."

He had adopted her a few years back, but he hardly felt like a father. She rarely saw him or spoke to him.

"Anyway," he said then. His palm flattened on the desk with a harsh thud, breaking all thoughts. "Daughter or not, I don't believe we've ever come into the right terms after all these years. But… that can change. I am getting old and this agency needs a leader."

Her heart stopped.

"What are you saying?" She asked. "I am your inheritor?" Dubious. Ludicrous. Crazy. Was it true? "I thought Julian would take over."

"Yes, he's been my best agent. But he's about ready to leave thislifestyle."

"What about all the other men? They must be clamoring to take his position."

He looked at her then- his eyes a terrifying gray. "Are you complaining? Do you REFUSE?"

She felt her insides bursting from his fury. She wouldn't speak until she heard his breathing even. Then she spoke. "What do I have to do?"

"A mission. I have to make sure how much you will sacrifice for this agency."

She knew. It was protocol for the inheriting agency leader to accomplish a task for the reigning leader.

"There is a man from our rival agency. He's the inheritor. He knows everything about our agency and that poses us a threat."

He looked at her. "Your job is to assume the role of a student learning karate. He's currently a teacher there, training 'to-be' members in his agency."

"You must gain his trust and when he believes that everything is alright, you will kill him."

Kill.

3 letters.

A smile glistened her features. She felt her own thirst for power, for respect, for recognition from the men.

"Deal."

-------------------

Sakura walked down the gray winding steps and watched the leaves skitter past her feet as if they were dancing across the gray pavement.

She only turned around once to look at the mansion and her eyes locked onto the amethyst eyes of her only friend in the world.

'Goodbye Tomoyo.' She voiced in her head. 'I'll see you soon.'

The girl smiled back as if she understood, before she let the drapes to her window fall close.

Karate Building

"I hearthat we're getting a new student." A girl with a heart shaped face and big lips that portrayed her personality well, said.

The girls groaned. "I wonder how she fights." Someone added.

"Well... who cares. She will definitely need to be put in her place. We've been here longer and we can't have anyone stealing our spots." Another girl said. Her hair was black as ebony and she wore thick eyeliner that matched the blackness of her heart. She was a vicious girl, parentless, and toughened from the corrupt street life of her town.

The door opening caused everyone to stop their conversations.

This person's footstep was light and swift, unlike the loud, heavy thudding they were used to hearing from their teacher.

Everyone turned to look and unexpectedly, their expressions shifted and they stared- captivated, amazed.

His face was entrancing, with an almost deadly, cruel character edging the contours of his expression. He had chestnut colored hair that fell unkempt across his amber colored eyes.

But it was the way he walked that insurmountably captivated the unexpected attention. He held himself in an air that emitted a feeling of authority. You were either captivated with adoration or enclosed with fear.

"I'm Syaoran Li. But call me Li." He said. "Your teacher was my father and he's recovering from a stroke. I will be taking over from now on."

A few surprised but delighted glances were passed around. But they were still entranced- some not tearing their eyes from his face. Not yet.

When Syaoran was about to speak, the door then opened with a resounding thud.

A lady stepped in, her honey colored hair sweeping gently across her shoulders. She examined the room, her eyes sweeping to all the faces inside. When her eyes landed on Syaoran, her gaze lingered. But then as if a light bulb had switched close in her head, she nodded her head dejectedly, as if she had not found who she was looking for.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Sakura said, before she stepped into the room.

She felt everyone's stare and especially noticed the dark gaze from the guy with the chestnut colored hair.

So she walked up to him and unexpectedly, smiled.

"I would appreciate it, if you'd stop fawning over me." She said. "It's not very becoming of you."

The guy with his dark eyes and features remained still. If possible, his features darkened even more. The tight line on his lips tightened. "Does it seem like I'm fawning?"

The room was silent.

There was a certain tension between their new teacher and the mystery women.

"No." She finally said, a hint of unadulterated fun lacing the edge of her words. "I thought I'd give a unique first impression. I'm Sakura and I'm delighted to be accepted into this prestigious organization."

When people around her eased off and began conversing, she turned and shifted herself towards the man. "It's okay." She said, serious once more. Her eyes gave off the feeling that they were talking about a grave matter. Then she said. "A little fawning is healthy," she said, laughing as she left his side and went to find a seat.

---

The day was uneventful with everyone practicing the basics of martial arts.

Additionally, all day she kept her eyes pealed out for Syaoran. But he was no where to be found. Instead there was a much younger teacher whom people called Li.

'So where is Syaoran?' She thought bitterly.

She watched Li though and sensed that he was a high ranking agent. There was something about him that reminded her of Evan himself.

When everyone was preoccupied, Sakura slipped out of the room- her patience waning.

The building they were in was plain and hidden behind many other buildings. 'The perfect place to train future assassins/killers,' she thought ironically.

Outside in the hallway, while she contemplated her mission, she noticed a deft pattern of footsteps heading her way.

Her closed eyes, opened easily and she waited, sure that it was Li.

"Hi." She said coolly.

His eyes met hers, challenging her back. She noticed for the 2nd time today how unbelievably perfect his features were. Though there was a cold quality to his demeanor, she noticed the softness of his jaw and chin. They were delicately seductive.

"You're not exactly my favorite student." He informed her. "Should I be talking to you?"

"Oh?" Sakura added, a little teasing lacing her words.

An unexpected smirk curved up his lips. She unnoticeably followed the motion of his lips.

"Would you stop fawning over me?" He asked, catching the direction of her eyes.

She was startled by his perceptiveness, but only for a second. She slipped off of the wall she was leaning against and stepped towards him, closing the secure space between them.

"I'm sorry, but you're really not much to fawn over. It's too bad that everyone makes it seem otherwise." She added, batting her lashes to appear innocently truthful.

The smile on his lips fell. "Is that so?" Syaoran said. He looked murky and unreadable, something dark gracing his previous playful features.

He finally settled his gaze back onto her face.

And for the first time, Sakura was caught out of balance.

His piercing eyes drove her head spinning dizzy from the force and his straight lips, set in serious line made her wish she was anywhere but here.

He looked at her as if she were a lamb about to be devoured by a lion. His eyes were scrutinizing her every feature as if she was yet to be figured out. Finally, it was as if he had made up his mind.

"I guess we'll just have to see about that." He chuckled.

Note: I decided to rewrite the first few chapters in my story titled Beyond the Unknown. But I found that the rewrite was a big change from the original scenes. So I decided to post this separately and see whether this is liked more or the original.

Well, I'm eager to hear your opinions.

Please review!!! It would mean the world to me.