"I can't MOOOOVE!" Sakura groaned, lying in bed with her arms spread out. Syaoran had just finished his shower and was drying his hair. "Syaoran-you are so evil!"

He looked at her and smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, dear." He said as he pulled on his shirt. Sakura rolled her eyes-he'd given her no rest throughout the night at all, and she could barely feel her legs.

"I'll make you pay…" she muttered under her breath.

"Good luck with that." He said as he walked over to her, leaning over her and then kissing her.

"So, are you going to get up or not?" he asked.

"Give me a minute, geez." She said, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed and sitting up. "So, what are we doing today?" she yawned.

"I'm taking you out shopping to get you something for Chii's tea party." Syaoran replied.

Sakura blinked a couple of times. "Tea party?" she asked.

"She's invited you and me to a tea party." Syaoran answered.

"I thought she hated my guts." Sakura raised an eyebrow.

Syaoran just smiled and headed down to the kitchen to make something for breakfast, leaving Sakura to have a shower and get dressed.

The weather was nice; the sun was out and there were hardly any clouds in sight. The shops were bustling with people of all ages, which was normal for a Saturday.

"Syaoran, why do we have to go shopping when I have plenty of clothes already?" Sakura sighed.

"I noticed that most of your tops are too low cut and your skirts are a little too short for Chii's liking. Same with your dresses." He replied.

"That's usually because most of my clothes are too small for me…" she mumbled to herself. Syaoran stopped and turned around to face her, a look of utter confusion on his face.

"If they're too small for you, then why don't you buy more?" he asked.

"I...kinda don't have that much money…" she grumbled.

Syaoran face palmed. "You could have just asked…"

"I'm not going to ask anyone for help, alright? I can deal with my own problems myself."

"Just out of curiosity, when did you move out of Yuui's?"

"Uhh, I think I was fifteen."

Syaoran stayed silent for a moment, wondering what had led her to that decision. He decided he'd ask Yuui later, and would leave the matter at rest for the moment.

"Why do you care?" she asked.

"I just want to help you." He answered.

"Out of pity?" she asked darkly.

"No, because I love you." He answered. "One of your bills was overdue too." He told her.

"Oh shit! Wait, was?"

"I took care of it."

"Syaoran!"

"Don't argue. You don't need to be stressed out by such things, alright? Besides, I'm technically living with you at the current moment-I'm pretty sure I can take on some responsibilities."

He was upset with how she handled herself. She refused to accept help from those around her, even when she needed it most. She didn't say anything and kept quiet. She knew he was right, and didn't want to anger him further.


Sakura stared at some of the tops hanging on the clothing rack, not really interested. She walked over to the dresses and began flicking through them, looking for something suitable that she liked and would be able to wear in the presence of the princess.

"I'm going to go into the jewellery store just a few stores down, I won't be too long." Syaoran told his girlfriend before leaving.

"Alright, if I'm not here I'm around in one of the other stores." She replied, screwing her face up at one of the dresses.

She couldn't find anything she liked the look of in the store-it was either too bright for her taste or the style of clothing was horrific. She left the shop and looked around for the next clothing shop to investigate. She crossed the road to head over to one of her favourite stores. She stepped inside and looked around for something suitable; she spotted a dark green long sleeved A-line dress that looked perfect. She walked over and had a closer look. Glittery green lace had been sewn around the neckline to give it a more sophisticated look, and the lace had also been sewn onto some ribbon which was meant to be tied around the waist. She tried it a size fourteen on, and it fit perfectly. Sakura figured that it would do since it looked nice enough and came down just past her knees, so she bought it and left the store to find Syaoran.

She was passing an alleyway when a group of thugs called out to her. "Hey sexy, wanna have some fun?" the one who spoke would have been a few years older than her, probably about nineteen or twenty.

He had dark hair and was wearing red contacts that had flecks of gold in them. She looked at their attire; all three were wearing jeans with studded belts and black shirts. The one who had spoken to her was holding a cigarette, and had several piercings on his face. She noticed they all had the same tattoo on their right arms-a group of gangsters.

"No thanks." She replied walking away.

They stepped out in front of her forcing her to stop. She looked down at the ground, not making eye contact at all.

"Come on babe, it'll be fun." He pressed.

The other two laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm a little busy. Please excuse me."

She said firmly, trying not to show her fear. He grabbed her arm painfully tight and pushed her up against the wall, choking her. She couldn't do anything; everything hurt.

"Now you're gonna stay nice and quiet while we have our fun, mkay?" He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek before looking up and nodding at his men. They placed a piece of cloth around her mouth to stop her from making any sound and tied her hands so she couldn't fight back. They dragged her into the alleyway, away from any prying eyes. She struggled against their grasp, her mind screaming for Syaoran.

As he stepped out of the jewellery shop, Syaoran noticed a group disappearing around the corner of an alleyway. He squinted slightly and noticed that a familiar looking girl was with them. The dress she was wearing was a dead giveaway to who it was. He ran across the road to hurry over to her, but a crowd of people stopped him from moving.

"It's the prince!" they all exclaimed. "How good to see you!" one of the citizens smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to go-someone needs my help." His heart was pounding with fear.

He was soon surrounded by many others, and he was finding it frustrating that he couldn't get through such a large group of people easily.

The leader slipped his hand up Sakura's dark blue dress, sliding it up her side until he reached her chest while kissing her neck. Determination to not give into her fear was all that was keeping her from crying. Instead, she kept an intense glare fixated on the wall behind her offenders…until his fingers reached that spot. She tried to free herself only to have her back slammed hard against the brick wall behind her. She could feel blood dripping down her back, and she began to panic.

"Now, now sweetheart, just relax-it won't hurt as much if you just relax." He whispered.

"HEY!" a familiar voice to Sakura's ears came from her left. "Get away from her!" he said.

The group of gangsters laughed. "What are you going to do about it?" they snickered.

"Hey Syaoran-she's over here!" the blonde called out. The voice belonged to Fai.

The prince came rushing over after having finally gotten away from the crowd of people. He laid his amber eyes on Sakura, who slumped to the ground in shock.

"You go to her; I'll take care of these douche bags." Fai muttered, cracking his knuckles.

"You seriously think you can take on all three of us?" the gang leader asked.

"Easily." Fai smiled.

"Cocky, aren't you." The gangster replied stepping away from Sakura.

"Boys, take care of him." He ordered.

The two taller men walked towards Fai, who quite happily waited for them to make the first move. Meanwhile, Syaoran stood facing the leader. He was pissed.

"What's the prince doing down an alleyway?" he asked curiously, lighting a cigarette as if everything was fine.

"Rescuing my girlfriend-you deserve to be thrown in jail." Syaoran spat.

"Oh-she's your girlfriend? She's pretty hot." He replied casually. He didn't see Syaoran move.

The prince punched him hard in the gut; he didn't have any time to react as Syaoran dealt the next three blows; one to the face breaking his nose, the next to the chest which broke a couple of ribs and then a swift kick in the same place which sent him flying into the wall. He landed on the ground unconscious, and Fai dragged the other two over and dropped them on top of their leader.

"Why'd you draw a moustache on them?" Syaoran asked.

"Got bored." Fai replied.

"Naturally." Syaoran rolled his eyes. He knelt down beside Sakura, who looked up at him with tear filled eyes; they were full of fear.

"I couldn't move…" she whispered.

"Don't worry-you're safe now." Syaoran whispered, picking her up carefully. He felt the blood through her dress and pulled off his coat to wrap around her-he wasn't bothered if it got covered with blood. She clung to him, shaking. Fai called the police and they soon heard the sirens. The three men were arrested and Sakura was taken home where Syaoran called Kazuma for urgent medical attention.


She awoke later that evening to Syaoran arguing with two people downstairs; standing up, she noticed she was covered with bandages again. She pulled on her black nightie and a cardigan that was lying on the floor and walked downstairs. She stopped before reaching the bottom and ducked down, listening to the conversation.

"You can't just go rushing into danger like that!" It was Tomoyo who was speaking.

"I didn't have time-Sakura could have been seriously hurt!" Syaoran bit back.

"Even so, you need to stop being so reckless." A gruff voice intervened.

"Oh for crying out loud! I can protect myself from three people-I'm stronger than the palace guards, and you know that." Syaoran argued.

"We understand that you're upset, but we need to be around you to keep you-and Sakura-safe. Who knows what could happen to you!" Tomoyo urged.

"Ok, ok. I get it. I won't do it again." Syaoran grumbled.

"On another note; I hear you've been helping Sakura with her living expenses." A third voice joined in-it was Yuui.

"I won't lie-I have." He replied.

"I have to say, she's never accepted help easily." Yuui murmured.

"I was going to ask you about that." Syaoran said.

"Hmm, yeah… A decision she made when she moved out: she said, "I can't keep relying on others anymore. I need to fend for myself otherwise I'll get nowhere." I didn't want her to leave at such a young age, but she insisted." Yuui explained.

"If you don't mind me asking, who gave her martial arts lessons?" the prince asked.

"Hm? I did." The principle replied. Sakura just wanted to bury herself and never wake up. "I wasn't going to let her live on her own if she couldn't defend herself." He said.

"Smart." Syaoran laughed.

Sakura stood up and quietly walked back upstairs to her room. She closed her door and slid down to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chin. I'm hopeless at protecting myself when it comes to gangs. But I can't keep allowing Syaoran to protect me…even if he is stronger than the palace guards. The memories of her parents' deaths came rushing back to her.

"Mum…Dad…I wish you were here…" she whispered burying her face into her knees.

All done! Teehee. Review?