THE NAMELESS BLACKMAIL

WRITTEN BY ----- VIOLENT HAYES

RATING ---- PG13 (situations, violence, and language)

GENRES --- Action & Adv./ Romance/ Suspense

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DISCLAIMER --------------------------------------[+]

You know the deal, right? Clamp owns Card Captor Sakura, and I own the story. There's no philosophy involved in it. So I beg not to steal. Thanks. ^.^    

SUMMARY ------------------------------------------[+]

In an attempt to murder, Syaoran mistakenly gets caught by Sakura, and has every reason to kill her after he ends up in jail. Just when opportunity strikes him, things get twisted, and  they suddenly end up together in an unsought quest to mend each other's problems. 

AUTHOR'S COMMENT --------------------------[+]

I'm back!!! Yes. It's holiday vacations and I find myself writing yet another fan-fiction. Isn't it swell? After reading Hunting Emerald's Secret and realizing all those mistakes... God! I have to edit it! I've been thinking about getting one of my friends to beta-read... But for the time being, I'm on my own. This time, I'll try writing more romance, I'm not saying I'll be good, but I'll try. ^^; Location and settings will be a little different, and I'm still thinking about adding magic or not. I guess I'll see.

But now, I'll just quit my yapping and let you read. Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 1 --- A perfect murder, a complete failure---[+]

It was a frigid and a dark night. The moon was non-existent and the wind mightily howled. Only the crestfallen streetlights of Tomoeda laid a short path between each other, and barely any presence was distinguished under the ghostly curtain made of mist. Winter was almost reaching its peak; it would only be a matter of hours before snow would coat houses in white.

Even though it was past midnight and most of the residents were asleep, a handsome and reckless young man, with a sword in hand, ran to his marked destination. His chocolate-brown locks dangled in an already soaked forehead, and his intense amber eyes were drained by fatigue; but he wouldn't dare to stop for he knew he had unfinished business. In fact, by now there was nothing that could hold him back. His mind was fixed in one goal that would finally set him free from the torment in his wretched life. Deep inside the boy knew he was afraid of the aftermath; nothing good would come out. Yet there was a solid reason that made him strong and brave, defiant against all his beliefs. He had no other choice but to suppress his emotions.

It always worked; after all, this wasn't his first time doing it.

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" Oh, why do I have to take the night shift again? " an eighteen-year old girl protested. " I'm positive that Hiro will arrive… "

" No, Sakura. He's half an hour late, and I don't think he'll even call... " the man replied.

The girl's radiant and emerald eyes pleaded for mercy, but the man knew better than to give in to such beauty. Instead he chose to smile apologetically and shrug.

" Look, I'll pay you extra. You can't refuse that, can you? "

Sakura narrowed her eyes for a moment with doubt. " How much, Masao? "

" Five percent of what he lost."

" Fifteen. "

" Ten, and that's my final offer."

They both laughed together. Sakura was grateful for being able to work in the store with Masao. He was a successful tall and lean young man with curly brown hair and hazel eyes. He was fresh from career and already starting up a business, currently owning, "CHIBI CHIKIU" (little earth), a modest store with all sorts of needs open twenty-four hours a day.

" Fine, whatever. " She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

" I knew you would come through! I need to go now, since tomorrow I'll have a busy day." Masao put on a brown coat and hat.

" Why do I have a feeling that you are lying?"

He winked. " Take care of yourself, the weather's turning colder. I'll see you tomorrow as usual. "

Sakura waved and sighed when the door closed; she had to work for another three hours. Even though she was tired, she had to keep her motivation since she truly needed the money to help her sick father. Because of a rare disease, he had ended up in intensive care at the hospital. She knew the payment was going to come down hard on them, even though they had insurance and Sakura's oldest and only brother, Touya, also worked at several jobs. Together they would join what they earned every day, and little by little they would reach their goal. However, they still had a long way to go.  

You might be wondering: What about her mother?

Well, Sakura's mother had died long ago while she was three. Sadly, a tumor had devoured Nadeshiko's life. Sakura had long kept those cheerful memories like everlasting dreams from which she could never wake up.               

The store was finally emptied and silence overflowed each and every deserted aisle. Sakura stared at the clock in the wall and yawned. Another half hour and my shift ends. I'm sure Natsuko will understand why I'm late, again. I'm tired of being yelled by an aunt who only punishes for everything I do. She then decided to read one of the magazines stacked up in the counter. Just when she reached the second page, the bells on the door merrily jingled. Sakura took a short peek from her reading to find a man enter hurriedly. Loosing interest she returned to making mascara out of natural resources.

The bells jingled again, but this time Sakura didn't bother to look. She instead turned the page and continued. The sound of solid footsteps could be heard in the distance, walking slowly and steadily toward her. They suddenly stopped, followed by a clearing of a throat. She quickly tossed the magazine, and turned her attention to the man standing in front of her, the one she had seen. There was no sign of the second. Sakura slightly shrugged and stared at the contents: aspirin, mints, and coke.

" This sure has been a long night, hasn't it? " the man suddenly replied, showing a crooked and uncertain smile.

Sakura forced a small grin, " I'll say. Seems like you've had a rough day. "

The man stared at the objects and laughed, " You could say that. Time sure flies by, you just have to be ready. "

Sakura nodded slowly and stared into the man's gray eyes. They were beaten up by tension and worry. His jet-black hair was in disarray. Needless to say, his whole body was drunk from caffeine and endlessly shivering.

The man paid, hastily grabbed the bag and made a run for the door. In two seconds he was gone.

Weirdo. What the heck's wrong with him?  Sakura shook her head and picked up the magazine on the floor. In the process, the door slammed shut. She felt a tinge of cold shivers down her back. The second person had left. It was frightening enough to think that he or she had been hiding all the time, watching.

What was that person doing? Spying on the man? Sakura swiftly removed the thought out of her mind. What was she thinking? Could I be more delusional? Maybe working at night isn't healthy… Okay Sakura, nothing's wrong. Everything was just a simple coincidence...

Just as she was mentally relaxing, the bells once more made known a presence. Sakura jumped slightly. A laugh however assured her that everything was okay. Even though she dreaded that nonchalant laugh, she was relieved that it had been someone she knew well, a damn too much.

" Being up to late isn't good for you."

" Hiro didn't arrive. I was taking over for him, Akio. "

The guy named Akio motioned his hands in defeat and ruffled his light brown hair. His deep blue eyes studied Sakura for a while. She couldn't help but blush. Even though Akio was commonly known as the jerk that lamely joked, he had a nice, tall, slender, and well-built body. Peculiar was all that came into Sakura's mind whenever she thought of him, which was basically whenever she saw him.

" Look Akio, I need to go home now. It's been a long day--night. "

Akio nodded understandably, something that was quite rare of him.

" Sure. But tell me first, was something bothering you a while ago? "

There we go. Same old Akio: curious and sly as a cat. Sakura knew better than to not give an answer. So, she promptly lied.

" Did you know that avocado mascaras have fat that could really cause you pimples? Isn't it gross? I jumped knowing that all this time I've been doing the opposite… "

Smooth Sakura… Real smooth… She sarcastically thought.

Akio put on a smile, " You should go. You are starting to look sick already… "

Didn't buy it, didn't ask for it. I like it. Sakura smiled.

" Yeah, I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow Akio. "

" Same here. Sleep well."

Sakura nodded as she put on her jacket and scarf. Not planning to stick any longer, she waved and closed the door behind her. There was one thing about Akio that Sakura could not put her finger on. He was a nice guy, not dangerous -which was good- but not very friendly either. However, she wasn't going to think about that, not now.

Walking down the streets, Sakura found herself wondering about how her father was doing. Vacations were her reward for her studies, but this year they were torture. Not that she hated working extra, but she hadn't gotten the time to enjoy and have a restful peace.

Soon all of this will be over. Dad will get better and we'll get our normal lives back.

She felt herself weary, defeated and devastated. All she needed was to go home and get some sleep. Just close her eyes, and sink her head in the fluffy pillow back at home. Let the covers from her bed warm her. Let the silence of her room lull her to sleep…

If it hadn't been for the strange sound I am about to describe, Sakura would have kept dreaming on until she would have landed safely on her bed. However fate wasn't going to let that happen.

SLASH

Snapping from her sleepy bubble, Sakura suddenly heard the sharp-pitched cry of a sword being taken out of its sheath. It had happened near her, just around the corner. What surprised her the most was that nobody carried swords anymore, especially out on the streets. Driven by curiosity, she decided to take a small peek. It probably wouldn't hurt.

At first she couldn't make the figures standing in the dark alley. But she soon found out a guy stiffly holding and pointing a sword at a helpless man on the floor. Sakura mutely gasped and quickly turned away. She had the urge to scream, but contained herself. What is that boy thinking? Is he trying to kill? She silently pulled away her cell phone and called the police. It was the only thing she could do…

Sakura however realized that by the time the police would arrive, the boy would have already done harm. Heroically thinking, she could help the man by distracting the boy for a while. But how would she do it? She had to think fast. Time was running out. What if the man was already dead?

No need to point that out. Dead or not, I have to do something. He can't run and get away with it…

Gathering up courage, Sakura ignored her fear. She was a brave girl, maybe not by the way she acted, but by heart. And even though it was beating fast and ready to break loose from her chest, she was determined to continue with her foolish plan to save the man. She took in a deep breath and started to move to the scene of the crime. But before actually reaching it, she accidentally tripped over one of the nearby garbage cans. Noise was created from it.

" Whose out there? " a voice suddenly called out.

Sakura groaned. I gave him a surprise, all right. Just not the way I had planned.

Sakura recovered her balance and her eyes widened at the boy's intense gaze. His features were unknown and well hidden in the dark. However his vivid and silver sword shone brightly, and she was well aware that it was now pointing toward her. She gulped and mentally slapped herself for getting into this mess. Nevertheless, before she would panic, she needed to know what had happened to the man. He had a petrified look in his familiar face -the man, who first entered the store-, but he was still alive and well; and upon seeing the opportunity, he quickly stood up and made a dash for it.

Coward. Well, at least he is safe, but what about me? 

Sakura had forgotten the part where she escaped.

When the boy turned around and realized that his prey had run off, he got really angry. Sakura could feel it, and this time she remembered to flee; she started running for her life. The boy, however, wasn't going to let her get away with it. Not by any chance.

He tightly caught Sakura's wrist and held her back.

Feeling the rigid restrain, she had no other choice but to scream as loudly as she could. Maybe a neighbor or somebody passing by would hear her and come to the rescue, just as she had stupidly helped the man. She had done her deed. Now she just wanted to be back in bed safe and sound.

" Think you can get away with it? " The boy roughly pulled her close to him. He whispered into her ear, " …now be a good girl and shut up."

All of a sudden, a white and strong light blinded the boy. Sakura sensed it as soon as the grip from his hand faded. He fell to the floor confounded and overwhelmed. Like magic, the strong rays of light removed the dark veil covering him; his features became known.

Sakura also shocked by the sudden shine, covered her eyes. Where is that light coming from? Her lips slightly curled into a smile for she was free from his grasp and someone was pulling her away from him.

" Is everything okay, miss? " a soothing voice called out.

The irritation wore away and Sakura opened her emerald eyes.

A tall and young man was looking back at her. His spiked hair was golden and his eyes a deep blue. He had concern written all over his face.

" Miss? Do you feel okay? " the man repeated.

Sakura nodded, and upon doing so, the guy sighed in relief.

" I'm glad for it. We got just in time. "

" In time? You mean--"

" Yeah, police," he interrupted and smiled. " I believe you were the young lady that called us."

She nodded again. " What was that light? "

The guy chuckled, " Flashlights. As simple as that, but effective enough to blind the eye for a moment. "

Sakura had to admit that he was cute with that little smile of his. He seemed to be around her age. Better yet, he was being kind, and polite to her. In the midst of her thoughts, she failed to notice that he was staring back at her.

" Oh. I totally forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hiroshi."

" I'm Sakura, nice to meet you. "

" What a beautiful name. Now tell me, what were you –a beautiful young lady- doing on the streets this late at night? Don't you know that it's dangerous? "

And so, Sakura gathered the strength left inside to tell the story of what had happened just a few minutes ago. Hiroshi listened to her intently while taking down notes in a little notebook he carried. However, there was one thing that Sakura didn't mention. It was too embarrassing for her to let people know about how she had tried to save the man.

" So you say he attacked you? " Hiroshi asked.

" Well, not exactly. He made an attempt and only grabbed my wrist before you came."  Sakura said.

Hiroshi finished his writing and closed the notebook. He then took a deep breath and gently smiled.

" There's no need to worry now. Everything is under control. There is no way he will escape. "

The comfort from Hiroshi only lasted for a while. Sakura turned around to the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, there stood the murderer with his hands tied behind his back, head low, and knees bent. For a single minute, Sakura tasted compassion. Feel compassion for a boy who tried to kill? Yeah sure…  It could have been his current state -all tied up and restrained-, or maybe because he totally looked lost -like a little child-. Who knows? But the feeling quickly got erased as he turned around to meet her with his own amber eyes. There was no doubt about the bewildered part, but it hadn't been his expression that surprised her. It was something she couldn't believe. Something she couldn't put together.

His face… I know him. Those intense brown eyes, the messy yet perfect hair… Those handsome features… The well-built body…

He stunned her completely with a spell that would have lasted for hours, if only Hiroshi hadn't interrupted.

" Something wrong? "

Sakura shook her head, still a little dazed. " It's nothing, really."

" If you say so. I'll be back in a minute okay? "

" Yeah. "

Sakura turned her attention to the boy who was now looking at floor. There was no doubt about it. It gave her shivers just thinking of it, but it was the senseless truth. She couldn't deny it. Even though Hiroshi was helping her into his car, she couldn't help to stare back. She had to make sure. And as the car started, like a tear from heaven, a little snowflake fell on the boy's nose as they forcefully pushed him inside another car.

Sakura looked up at the sky in amazement as a white and soft mist fell upon them all, gently caressing everything it touched. She then looked down at the guy.

The boy who had tried to kill…     

The boy she knew…

The boy named Li Syaoran.

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AUTHOR'S COMMENT --------------------------[+]        

Yeah! My first chapter is done! So, what do you think? Liked it? I hope so. If you read my other fan-fiction, then you'll know that I'll be writing another messy and complicated story. This is only the beginning.  So stay tuned for the next one. I'll see you later! ^^