OKAY! So it has been like what almost 3 months! Holy shit! I'm sooooooooo sorry! Lots of fun and scary things have been going on! First off, I had my son! 3 (that was the main reason I didn't update quickly. Typing is so hard with a newborn ;)) and the scary part...I almost lost my life before giving birth to him :'(. this really put me into a funk that I just got out of so! I am back full swing! I have this story planned out in my head and omg I can't wait until it's finished! So excited!
Anyway! Thank you to all of you who stuck by this story while I was figuring things out! You guys are freaking awesome! And the reviews helped me keep a smile on my face ;)
thanks to : pooja manohar, poweredbuttercup1999, xxsc8ergirlxx, sweetseductioncherryb, preciselyrandom, .3363, deadflo, fashion fairy 26, themidnightblackcat, rubyblossoma, cherrywolf666, dancingfingers, cherryblossom3, takari01fan, r0mantic at heart, and the 2 guests that reviewed! ;)
kindle09 : thank you so much! I know some parts get a little rushy cause I get that awesome part in my head that I want to write out and it seems like my fingers won't write fast enough! Haha but thanks hopefully the next chapters continue to be just as awesome! :)
bolamut : I love happy endings and of course SS! It would be blasphemy NOT to make it that! Haha :)
wyte kassle : yeah I noticed the cinderella aspect too! Ugh! Haha I originally was going to make Syaoran REALLY mean (kinda like the beast) but it was sooooooo hard, so after like the 2nd or 3rd chapter, it fell away from that. Honestly, though, I kinda like where it's going and i'll probably change the title to not further confuse people haha
bob : I sorta wished you signed in so I could write this to you personally, but eh. First I said that characters would be ooc. Watch the anime and notice the differences. And sorry for the lack of grammar (don't understand this because I proofread every so often, but again, eh. Can't catch everything. Nothing to nitpick about). I do enough research considering I have many friends that have gone through this or are going through this. I take my ideas from things that they have gone through or are going through. Wouldn't consider that flippant. The only thing that hasn't been the same is the cps procedure as they do notify you beforehand. And again the characters, watch the anime. Syaoran is arrogant and can come off mean, but he has a good heart. Sakura is kindhearted and forgiving. I believe how I wrote it is maybe how they would acted in that given circumstance considering I've never read a story like this yet on this site even though I've been reading from this site for nearly 10 years. So considering the argument, I guess there was more thought put into it than you thought, huh? How about being a little nicer next time? Flames are fine, but not rude ones like yours. Have a nice day and thanks for the review.
Also, yes I know that I need a beta. I would love for someone to tell me that sometimes I'm rushing things or putting too much thought into things, but, alas, all I have is myself and my inner conscience. ;) so if anyone wants to volunteer...? I'd love you forever haha
Oh and be forewarned. A lot of different emotions were going on while I was writing this. Some was pre-birth and some post sooooooooo...lots of emotion ;) I read it and again not my favorite chapter, but I think it's pretty okay.
And now! Sorry for the writing ;) on with the story...
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter 7
As Lalan led them through her home, Sakura stared in disbelief at the rooms showed to her. It was as if she were in an alternate reality. Nothing was the same. There was food in the fridge. Electricity. Hot water. The blood splatter in the hallway? Gone. Sakura's bedroom? On the second floor. The attic? Just a dusty old attic filled with random boxes and other things. The bars from the window had even been removed. She had bed linens and clothes, a phone, a computer!
The overwhelming sense of dread filled her lungs as CPS thanked Lalan and her husband and ushered everyone out the door. No one said a word as they went to their respective cars and pulled away from the curb.
Syaoran immediately noticed Sakura's shocked face filled with fear. He was about to console her, but Yelan immediately bombarded Sonomi with questions.
"How was it? Take lots of pictures for evidence?! We're gonna get this evil woman!" Yelan said victoriously. Sonomi just shook her head.
"We'll discuss it when we arrive home, okay?" Sonomi's voice was so soft and resigned that everyone knew suddenly that something was wrong. No one uttered one word until the car pulled into the driveway.
Everyone was silent after Tomoyo's recording of Lalan's home. There was nothing to say. Everyone had different things running through their heads. They definitely knew for sure that this battle was going to be a long one.
Sakura had hidden herself in her room the moment they arrived home. She knew that things were not going to go easily. Lalan was probably stark raving mad about the CPS case and she would be even more pissed off after having to buy all that stuff and clean any traces of abuse from the house.
Sonomi's lawyer was skeptical of the abuse and Sonomi yelled at him for a long time trying to convince him that Sakura wasn't a liar. He stated that CPS was probably thinking the same thing. This kid was a liar. The bruises that the school photographed could easily be explained considering Sakura all ready gave them a cause as to how she got them. Things were just not going their way.
CPS called on Wednesday to report that they found no reason to remove Sakura from the home. They completely dropped the charges against Lalan for abuse and neglect and reported that Sakura had by Friday to return home.
Sakura hid herself in her room. She couldn't stop crying. In truth, she was more afraid of what awaited her when she returned home. Lalan was going to be so angry...
Syaoran watched the video over and over and couldn't believe what he was seeing before him. The house that Sakura was so scared of turned out to be clean and loving. Nothing that Sakura had told him appeared in that video. He didn't think she was lying, but it definitely was hard to tell with this video in front of him. All he knew was that Sonomi, Tomoyo, and Sakura were going to be in for a wild ride.
"She couldn't have been lying, right?" Meiling asked exasperated. Her, Yelan, and Wei were in the kitchen fretting over Sakura's new situation. Wei simply smiled to her.
"Meiling, do you think that young girl would lie about something like that?" she shook her head. "Sakura is a beautiful, strong young woman. She is not a liar. I also examined her. Anyone can tell that she's malnourished, and not to mention that underneath all those clothes, she hides the bruises that she doesn't want anyone to see. I just don't understand how her stepmother knew that CPS was coming. They're usually random appointments." He trailed off, in thought.
"They can't make her go back to that house! If her stepmother is capable of deceiving the law then what else is she capable of? Sakura could be in danger!" Yelan quieted the girl.
"We can't hold her here. The police would have a field day with the kidnapping charges that Lalan would impose. There's no way to keep her out of that house indefinitely until Sonomi goes to court and files for full custody of Sakura. But until then, there is absolutely nothing we can do," Yelan said in a somber voice. She rested her head on her hands. The weight of the situation brought a heaviness to her shoulders and forced her heart into her throat. That poor girl. And there was nothing they could do.
With the drastic outcome of the CPS appointment, Yelan allowed Syaoran and Meiling to stay out of school until Friday to help console Sakura, who kept herself holed in her room underneath her covers. Thursday bloomed into a beautiful morning, but everyone was feeling Sakura's heaviness and tried many times to get her out of her room. She hadn't eaten since before the appointment and everyone was worried for the girl.
As morning started into afternoon, Syaoran had had enough. This was Sakura, the girl who showed him that he was a complete coward and that she was stronger than anyone he knew. The one who helped his life begin to mend. He got up out of his chair and walked to Sakura's door, opening it suddenly. The form on the bed jumped and stared at him through disheveled hair. You could tell she was crying and in obvious distress. Walking over to her bed, he yanked the covers off of her and proceeded to pull her from the bed.
"Syaoran!" she gasped. "What are you doing!"
He threw her into the bathroom and she stumbled into the bathtub. She stared at him in disbelief and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, so things didn't go as planned and the worst is coming for you tomorrow, but you are very strong. Remember? I gave up! I'm not letting you give up. Get in the shower. We're getting out of this house." He turned to leave. At the door, he turned and smirked. "Oh, I'm going to come and check on you. If you're not in the shower, I will put you in there clothes and all." With that he left. As he closed her bedroom door, he heard the water turn on.
Syaoran had Meiling and Tomoyo help Sakura with an outfit for the day. The day was warm and the direct sunlight was unrelenting. Tomoyo threw a pair of jean shorts to Meiling and pulled a plain, but bright coral t-shirt from the mess inside the closet. From her closet, Tomoyo pulled brown sandals and a matching belt. Meiling helped blow dry Sakura's hair and Tomoyo helped her put on light make-up.
Within a couple of minutes, they had Sakura ready, and as if on cue, Syaoran burst through the door. He was amazed at how well Sakura cleaned up. With her hair done and makeup, she was actually really beautiful and her outfit accentuated her features and brought color to her otherwise pale face. For a second, he suddenly realized he was staring at her and she was staring back at him. He turned to Tomoyo and Meiling with a slight reddening of his face and thanked them.
He decided to take Sakura and the girls out to have a huge fun day before Sakura had to leave the next morning. Even though he knew what Sakura was returning to tomorrow, he wanted her to smile and laugh as much as he could get her to before she left. In truth, he was really worried for her. They had not expected Lalan to come up with such an intricate set up, especially one that got all her charges dropped. He knew for a fact that Sakura was going to be in for something when she returned home, and it scared him that he didn't know the extent of what she might face. A light bulb popped in his thoughts. He would get her a camera and a small cell phone that she could stow away somewhere, away from Lalan. If she needed help, she could call police and with the camera, she could take pictures of damning evidence against Lalan. If social services was going to throw her back into Lalan's house, then he was going to help protect her, even from the outside.
He led the girls to his car, where his mother and Wei were waiting for them. His mom had suggested the small amusement park that was smack dab in the center of town to get everyone's mind off the next morning. Sakura was silent as they drove there and Meiling, Tomoyo, and Syaoran exchanged worried looks. The same thought passed through their heads. They had to come up with some way to make her see that tomorrow wasn't the end of her life. They had to get her to smile.
Twenty minutes later, they were inside the park, deciding what to try first. They played through the carnival games, which Sakura skipped, staying clear of the booths. They came upon a log ride, where Sakura sat solemnly, sighing into the water. Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Meiling looked at one another and the same look passed on their faces. Something had to be done quick. Meiling looked up and stared ahead, a mischievous smile slowing coming across her face.
"There," she said, stopping everyone. Everyone, besides Sakura, looked up to the mass amount of twist and turns and loops. Syaoran's face paled. Yelan and Wei backed out almost immediately opting to wait outside the exit. Sakura turned to follow, but Meiling grabbed one arm and Tomoyo, the other. "Not uh, Missy, we are riding this ride. Right, Syaoran?" Sakura looked up at him. His face was as pale as hers. "Syaoran?"
He snapped out of it, looking straight to his cousin. "Uhh...Meiling..." His eyes traveled up to the height of the ride and he gulped. "I can't ride this ride. I'll wait with mother." Meiling hopped off Sakura and grabbed Syaoran's arm before he could make his escape.
"No no no no no no no!" she said in a hushed whisper. "This is part of my plan!"
"Yeah, if you want me to puke on her!" he whispered back.
Meiling put her hands on her hip and glared at him. "You are going on this ride even if I have to make you." Syaoran stared into her eyes and gulped before sagging his head and shoulders and following the three girls inside the ride entrance. This was not going to end well.
The four approached the ride quickly and filed into their seats with Sakura and Syaoran sitting next to each other like Meiling planned. Syaoran's eyes widened as he felt the seat belt latch tightly and the floor from beneath them lower making their feet dangle. He gripped the handles tighter, holding on for dear life. Looking over to Meiling and Tomoyo, he saw them wave and grin before giving him a thumbs up and continue into their excitement. As the ride shuddered forward, he glanced over to Sakura, who was just staring into space with her hands lightly grabbing the handles on the head rest. Whatever Meiling was planning better work, he thought, cause seeing Sakura like this was really messing with him. In the course of one horrible day, they had had a role reversal and Sakura was looking more and more like he had when he was a child. Before he had another thought, the ride shot forward and Syaoran screamed, closing his eyes and willing his stomach to retreat back to its proper place.
Syaoran dashed through the exit of the ride, the three girls right behind him. He emptied his stomach in the first trash can he saw. Surprising everyone, Sakura rushed up to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder, pulling him up so she could see his face. It was deathly pale and Sakura's face filled with worry.
"Are you okay?!" she asked frantically. He chuckled slightly and nodded. Her eyes searched his until laughter from behind them shook their reverie.
"You two are too cute!" Meiling laughed. Tomoyo was taking pictures of them with her camera, her smile visible from below it. "I'm just glad we got her to finally get out of her funk!"
Tomoyo lowered her camera. "Yeah, for a second there I thought we lost you, Sakura."
Sakura straightened up, giving them a curious look. "What do you mean?"
It was Syaoran's turn to smile and laugh. "You've been a zombie ever since our visit to Lalan's house. You were scaring everyone because we all know that's not the Sakura we know."
"I'm...I'm sorry. I'm just so ready to give up, you know?" Her eyes glazed over and the group circled in around her. "No matter what happens, she always wins. And you know she's going to be really mad tomorrow! What's going to happen to me?" Tears spilled over her cheeks and her hands rushed up to her face. "I mean," she sobbed, "it's like I'm waiting for my death sentence..."
Meiling and Tomoyo hugged her hard, trying to console her. Syaoran regained his composure and reached into his pocket for the cell phone and camera that he was planning on giving to her later.
"Sakura, I know we can't be right next to you in the event something does happen, but I do have something for you that could help." Sakura looked up to him, curiously, her eyes rimmed red. He outstretched his hand and handed her a small flip phone and an about as tiny camera. "If you're ever in trouble you can call 911 and our numbers are all ready preset as well. Call if you need anything. Use the camera to gather evidence against Lalan. We all know that's not how her house normally looks and if she ever hits you again, document it. This way Lalan will have no clue you're building a case against her and we will try our hardest to gather evidence out here."
Sakura stared at the phone and camera then back up to Syaoran. Silence fell between them, the wind lightly playing with each of their hair. Seconds later, new tears sprung to Sakura's eyes and she jumped into Syaoran's arms, clinging to him as if her whole life depended on it. Meiling and Tomoyo smiled, coming up behind Sakura and engulfing the two teens into a large hug.
"We will bring Lalan down. She won't win." Sakura hoped he was right.
That night Sakura lay awake. She was afraid for what awaited her when she returned home. She felt the dread seep into her, causing her to shiver, but before it took her over her senses, she calmed. The camera and phone were tightly tucked into her bag in a secret compartment that she sewed into the lining of a pocket earlier that night. At dinner, Yelan and Wei kept the talk light and made everyone laugh with bad jokes. It had kept her mind off of it at that moment, but it didn't calm her nerves enough to let her sleep. She tilted her head and stared at the blinking neon red numbers on her clock. It was early morning and outside her window, the sky was lightening slightly.
She snuggled back into her warm bed. Sakura chuckled to herself. She shouldn't get used to being warm or happy because she knew that once she arrived home, a new hell awaited her. With this new dreadful thought, Sakura fell into an exhausted, fitful sleep.
Sakura woke up to someone knocking on the door. Through the sleep in her eyes, she made out the forms of Yelan and Sonomi coming across the room. Yelan touched her shoulder, smiling. "It's time to start getting ready, Sakura." Sakura gave a slight nod and sat up in bed, stretching, as the two women left the room.1sw23
After a quick shower, Sakura dressed in the only clothing left out from her massive bags by the door. She donned the plain t-shirt and jeans, Sakura said goodbye to her room of two weeks and pulled her bags from the room.
In the foyer, everyone was waiting for her and helped put her bags into the car. Sonomi got into the driver's seat as Sakura hugged Yelan tightly, a few tears escaping down her cheeks.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she said into Yelan's chest. Yelan hugged her tighter, smiling.
"If you need anything, use the phone we gave you. Wei and I will help any way we can from here." Sakura nodded, pulling away, only to jump into Wei's arms. He hugged her tightly and released her. Syaoran, Tomoyo, Sakura, and Meiling got into the car. With one final wave, Sonomi pulled away from the curb.
After about fifteen minutes in the car, Lalan's groomed house appeared in view. Sakura sucked in a breath and held it even after the car stopped. Syaoran opened her door and all but pulled her out. She let go of the breath she was holding and turned to the group in front of her. She gave Sonomi and Tomoyo hugs letting them know that she couldn't wait until Sonomi filed for custody. She squeezed Meiling, telling her how much she loved her, then released her. She looked up at Syaoran's face and nearly started crying. She flew into his arms, squeezing him tight.
"Thank you. I thought I was strong enough to get through this, but I'm really scared," she mumbled into his shoulder. He squeezed her, reassuring her.
"Sakura, you are the strongest person I know. I would never have been able to get through the things that you have. You are most definitely not weak and I'm proud of you for the things that you have done for me and for my family. You will get through this, but not without our help."
Sakura looked up at him and smiled. She grabbed her bags and rushed up to Syaoran, pecking him quickly on the cheek, causing him to redden. With a small wave, she ran to the door and pushed the door open.
Sakura dropped her bags with a gasp. Something plowed into her and she felt the wind being taken out of her as she was thrown to the ground. Her head smacked the floor and stars danced in her eyes. When her vision cleared, she couldn't believe her eyes. Lalan was kneeling next to her, tears in her eyes, grasping her tightly in her arms.
This was going to be harder than she thought.
Yay! Thanks again and please review! ;)
