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 Two
Essence of Attack

.xx.

-Sakura-

July 13th, 2001- 8:11pm

"How ya doing, babe?"

"Fine..."

"How good are you with the drinks?"

"Um... pretty decent..."

"Yeah?"

I nodded.

"Then mix me up a vodka and coke."

I prepared his drink with ease—as vodka and coke was a regular drink ordered here. I passed his glass to him and he took a sinfully slow sip.

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

I blushed. Ew...

Extending his hand, he made the motion that he wanted to shake mine.

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

Oh. My. God. "Kin—kin... Kinomoto Sa—Sakura..."

This was the Li Syaoran of the Bloodhounds...

His erotic brown eyes stared me down, unknown thoughts probably passing through his twisted mind. The Li Syaoran of the Bloodhounds was having a jam at my brother-in-law's joint. This was not considered normal. Yet here I was preparing a vodka and coke for him.

.xx.

The events of this story happened a good seven years ago, yet it still replays in my head as if it were only yesterday. I can still smell the essence of sweat, see the glare of the lights, and hear the music the DJ was playing... everything was fresh yet forgotten. New yet old, here but there.

So I pen these words sitting beside my soul sister, Tomoyo, reliving our life in two different backgrounds. It is the same story yet it is the telling between Tomoyo and I. While she concentrates on the gist of the stories, telling what happened between Syaoran and I, Eriol and her as well as Takashi and Chiharu, I tell the tales of the deeper meanings; the hidden feelings.

I can't, most certainly, delve into Takashi and Chiharu's emotions but their story is enough to explain what emotions were running through them.

The events of this history spans out throughout six long years, recently just ending and wrapping up. So far everybody is living happily—well as happily as they possibly could with all the devilish bullshit we had to go through.

Six years...

Six long years to go through. Yet, it all happened in a snap.

And it all started because I prepared a vodka and coke for Li Syaoran.

.xx.

July 13th, 2001- 11:47pm

It was close enough to midnight and the jam was supposed to wrap up sometime past 4 am. I had learned that the occasion was for Li Syaoran's 26th birthday. Michelle and I had served more drinks that very night than we had done during our entire career working at the bar. Yukito was beaming with happiness and Touya had kept on calling either my cell phone, Tomoyo's or Yukito's to constantly check up on the three of us.

It was sweet to see how much my brother loves his husband (growing up, I would've never guess Touya and Yukito were involved in a homosexual relationship, they were two of the most dude-liest men I have ever seen...)

Everybody in the club had managed to squeeze onto our impeccably small dance floor and began to bust their own moves. Tomoyo had managed to dance with a few of the cuter boys, lucky skank. We both knew that they were gang members of the Bloodhounds yet she let go and had fun—she was still 19 and entitled to her own little moments here and there. Michelle had spotted a blondie amongst the crowd of men and deserted me for a good hour and a half to get to know him better.

She came back with a dark hickey on the base of her neck.

Kinky.

I hadn't seen Li Syaoran for the majority of the night. He had somehow disappeared and I had a feeling he was probably with one of the many women that had attended the party. Takeshi had helped the Bloodhound DJ with the deejaying for the night and I had to admit, the playlist was golden.

Michelle had finished wiping down the last of the dirty martini glasses as I poured a mug of beer for an already drunk girl. She was going to have trouble going home tonight but that was not my issue. My orders were not to deny any guests their drinks, even if they seemed incapable of downing it.

On a regular night, I was obligated to deny drinks to those I observed too drunk to take another one.

Sighing, I lost sight of Tomoyo. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself...

But I still worried, being the older cousin and what not.

My cell phone rang and I glanced at the number. I saw that it was my long term boyfriend, Yue Tsuki. Yue and Yukito were distant cousins yet Yue resembled Yukito in a creepy way. They were like 'twins' in a non biological form.

"Hey babe," Yue greeted, his voice blasting me away. I bit my lower lip frowning slightly, it was kind of surprising that Yue would bother calling me up at midnight. He normally wouldn't do sweet things like this.

"Hi," I said back, "what're you doing?"

"Thinking of you."

Cheesy.

And he probably had an ulterior motive.

I snorted as I pushed the phone between my ear and my shoulder. I was filling up my olives while Michelle took over preparing drinks for a while. The rush at the bar died down to one or two guests and we were okay with that. It gave Michelle time to go to blondie without worrying of me being overwhelmed with drink orders.

"How cute." I murmured softly. "No seriously, what are you doing up at midnight?"

"I couldn't sleep..." Yue admitted, "I need you here."

I wasn't surprised; it was one of his horny moments. This man was so addicted to sex it amazed me. I'm not gonna lie, I did sleep with him. But he wasn't the one to take my virginity. Back when I was 18 years old I had lost my virginity to my prom-date who had been a long term boyfriend. Unfortunately though, we broke up 4 months after that and a good year later, I had hooked up with Yue.

We've been steady for a year and three months.

"Use your hand." I scoffed and he chuckled.

"Why when you're so much—more."

"Get your head out of the gutter. If you want so much sex go hired somebody off of the streets and stop asking me!" That was my anger kicking in. Whenever he called, it was either one of two things...

Sex.

Or sex.

I was with him because I loved him. I think. Not sure though seeing as I just entered prime-life adulthood, this entire Yue thing started getting so old for me. I think I was getting tired of him. Sigh.

Yue chuckled and my heart jumped a little bit. So, the man had a nice laugh, what of it? "Why? You're all I want and more."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm glad. Anyways I'm kinda busy—let me call you when I'm out?"

"I'll be waiting."

I wanted to laugh in his face; his acting was pathetic. "Good."

"Love you, babe."

"Me too, Yue." And I hung up. That felt so fake it disgusted me. I loved him yet I didn't. I want him but I don't.

This is so complicated. I want to leave him but I can't.

Sometimes I wish I'd catch him cheating on me or something so that I'd have a better excuse to leave then just 'Oh Yue, I'm getting tired of this whole thing and I don't want it anymore. I think we should break up.'

Made me sound whore-ish. Slightly.

"What're you thinking of?"

A sinfully sexy voice broke me out of my train of thoughts and I saw that it was Li Syaoran, sitting at a bar stool, watching me think about my predicament with Yue. His hair was askew, meaning he was dancing and the shirt he was wearing earlier was long lost—leaving him in a white tank top, exposing all of his beautiful muscles and physique.

I'm sorry to say, but he was damned Godly. Wow.

"Life," I replied dully. I shouldn't be checking him out. I'm with Yue.

Why did that sound like I was stuck with him? Maybe because I was? I don't know... I just didn't feel the connection with Yue anymore. It wasn't my fault though he had just changed one day and craved more and more sex and that wasn't something I was in the relationship for. I was in it because I wanted him—not just sex. If I honestly wanted sex, I would've gotten it.

Li smirked. "Life?"

I nodded, curling my toes. Damn heels hurt. "Yeah, life."

"Care to explain?"

What did he have to gain by listening to my life story? Nothing. But I was afraid if I didn't say something or told him off, my head would be blasted off. He was being nice because I was the barmaid at his birthday jam. Outside the doors of the Dark Night he could very well shoot me and leave me crumpled, alone.

In a dark corner.

Left to die!

"It's a long story." I tried to stall him out of it, "And boring. Do you honestly want to sit and listen to the tragedy of a bartender's life when you could be living it up?"

He chuckled. "Sarcastic humor. Very lovely."

I wanted to twitch. How was that lovely?

"But I would love it more if the bartender told me of her life's tale."

"It's boring."

"I doubt so."

I wanted to chuck something at him. Seriously. "Are you sure, Li-san?"

He rolled his eyes, "Positive." And he seemed to get comfortable on his stool. I sighed in defeat as I mixed him up a vodka and coke again. He smirked before taking a sip of the free drink. I secretly slid off of my heels and relaxed my toes—they hurt like a mad-ass bitch. Ugh. I also felt like I grew six inches shorter and I'm pretty sure Li-san also realized that I somehow became shorter.

"Well," I began, "I have this boyfriend...who I don't want anymore."

His eyebrows shot up. "You call that boring? I gossip about stuff like that with my sisters all the damn time!"

I snorted. "Oh really now?"

He laughed. "No, just wanted to make you feel better."

I wanted to laugh. That was a sweet yet pathetic attempt to make me feel better, I had to admit. "Thanks. Yue just seems to be more and more into, um, other stuff that does not really require me me, but me. Get me?"

Li nodded. "He's suddenly into sex, right?"

My mouth dropped open and he chuckled. "I am a man, I know these things. Continue."

I, stupidly, nodded. "So he's suddenly into sex and every time he calls me he either wants sex or sex. And it's not something I constantly want, ya' know? I mean I'm dating him because I want to be with him—sit down and talk about things, discuss life, everything else other than sex. Sex is good, sure, but not always."

He nodded and didn't say anything. I took the cue that I should continue speaking.

"So recently I've been feeling distant. What I felt for him in the beginning just isn't there anymore. I don't, in all honesty, want to continue dealing with this but I just can't leave."

He smirked. "Typical predicament. Angel, you aren't his wife, just his girlfriend. It's easy to say, I can't do this and leave versus to divorce him, understand?"

"We aren't marri—"

"I know," he stopped me, "but assume you were. Divorce is more complicated than a break-up. If you feel nothing, what's the point of continuing? There isn't any. You're only hurting yourself."

I was stupefied. "That—was good advice."

"I know." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. Creepy son of a bi—

"ATTAAACKKK!"

I gasped as glass shattered around me. People began scattering and I started hearing gunshots. Michelle ducked underneath the counter as many of the guests pulled out guns. Li was rigid, sitting on the bar stool. Why wasn't he moving?

Why wasn't he reacting?

Why—

I felt the air being whipped out of me as he lunged over the counter and pulled me to the ground with him. His body pinned mine against the floor and I couldn't breathe. But I realized why he did that—there were three bullets being shot in our direction. He was quick.

Too quick.

"You alright?" He whispered. I gulped and nodded.

Getting up off of me, he pulled out two guns.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" he roared.

Obviously, nobody answered and I wondered why he even thought of yelling that?

Quite stupid, actually.

Guns were going off and people kept on running around like headless chicken. My heels flew away to somewhere. Tomoyo was going to kill me for losing her heels— wait!

Oh my god, Tomoyo!

I stood up quickly and scanned the area for my little cousin. I couldn't see her...

I couldn't see her...

I couldn't—

"TOMOYO!" Bingo. Spotted her. She was in the middle of the craziness, a look of fear in her eyes. Hitching the dress up slightly, I hurdled over the counter.

"KINOMOTO!"

Li roared my name but I ignored him. I ran through the battlefield to get to my cousin. I had to get her to safety if it was, honestly, the last thing I did. From what I could see, Tomoyo was in tears and that made my adrenalin surge even faster. I pushed past a man with two guns and weaved through the crowded mesh of people

Tomoyo...

Tomoyo!

"TOMOYO!"

I lunged at her and, thank God I did.

Because as soon as my body covered hers, two bullets were pounded into my back.

And I blacked out.

.xx.

Special thanks to my beta-editor, Sakura-chan Master of the Clow
Edited/Updated: September 09, 2011

Re-edited: November 15, 2012