(With ideas and co-writing from HeYan)

Disclaimer: I don't own it…so don't sue…coz if you do, I'll hurt you!

Sorry! To all those who know the Japanese names better, I don't really know them, but here's a name guide:

Sakura Avalon: Sakura Kinomoto Li Showron: Syaoran Li Madison Taylor: Tomoyo Daidouji Meilin Rae: Meiling Li Tori Avalon: Touya Kinomoto Julian Star: Yukito Tsukishiro Chelsea: Chiharu Mihara Nikki: Naoko Yanagisawa Rita: Rika Sasaki Zachary/ Zach: Takashi Yamazaki

Key: "Talking" "Whispering" "YELLING" Thinking -----New scene or POV----- POV Point Of View

Writing-notes, emails etc.

A/n: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I didn't get many reviews so I sort of forgot!

Please R+R people, it really brightens up my day!

Chapter 11:

Now it's personal

Adorare crept downstairs, praying the adults in the sitting room wouldn't notice her creeping around so long after she'd claimed she was sleepy and retired. She jumped at the sound of their laughter, anxious as to whether they were all in the room or not.

Would they be laughing if Sakura was in there? Surely she wouldn't want to hang around and chat while they were all laughing and joking? But if she's not in there, where would she be?

Suddenly, Adorare became aware of footsteps coming down the hall, towards where she was perched on the end of the stairs. She looked around, desperate for somewhere to hide, and desperatley looking for the nearest room to throw herself in.

She looked towards the upstairs hallway, and saw legs moving past the rails. No chance of escape that way. If she was caught, she'd be made to go back to bed, and she'd never get the oppurtunity to go back, and when she eventually continued her plan, someone would suspect her and she'd be thwarted before she'd even begun.

She looked at the front door. It was her only chance, but it meant she'd have to run past the open sitting room door, and just pray no one would see her. And she'd have to do it fast, as whoever was above her was now creaking on the landing just next to the stairs.

Before she even had the chance to reconsider, she dashed down the hall, being careful to tread as lightly as her mother had taught her when doing jujitsu. She barely even noticed she'd been running at all until she got to the door, and looked back to see legs plodding down the stairs.

She quickly escaped, however, and stood for a moment, waiting in case someone had called after her, or followed her outside. Not that she knew what she'd say if someone did follow her. So it was rather fortunate for her that she was left in peace.

SAKURA'S POV

As I descended the stairs, I could have sworn I heard someone walking around in the downstairs hallway, and as I walked into the front room, I was sure it was just Meilin, who'd been holding a fresh pot of tea.

The atmosphere as I walked in was deathly quiet. It wasas if they were scared that just laughing would bring me down.

"You don't have to stop having fun whenever I come in the room!" I muttered, immediatly regretting it as I looked t the hurt expression on their faces. I was tempted to just walk straight back out the room.All eyes were on me, and I knew no one would have any fun unless I allowed them to. I yawned to bide my time. I was desperatly thinking of something to talk about that would let them know I was fine.

Li seemed to know what I was thinking, though, because soon enough he was talking about Adorare, who had retired early because she felt unwell.

"She's probably in a mood coz she's not the center of attention..." Meilin smiled at her own joke, and everyone seemed to laugh a little. It was no secret that Meilin and Adorare didn't get on, and I couldn't help wondering if maybe it had something to do with Adorare's father, who Meilin refused to talk about. It was as if she was regretting ever having a child. Or maybe she was regretting ever having slept with the father.

MADISON'S POV

I heard stamping down the the stairs over my head, and I scuttled into a corner, wondering what was to become of me. I didn't even know who'd brought me here. All I remembered was waking up that morning in a cold, dark little room, which I remembered as the old wine cellar of the Li mansion. But it was seperate from the house and had been abandoned for years, so I knew I had no chance of a friendly face coming to my rescue. I had no chance of escape, either, as this place was like a mini maze, and Sakura and I had gotten lost in here too many times. I didn't have a clue how to get out, and usually, Li had to come and find us.

I looked desperatly around for something to guard myself with. I had no idea who my kidnapper was, and no idea what they wanted with me. So I was desperate for something to protect myself, should things turn nasty.

Not that I thought for a moment that if they wanted me dead, I could stop them. Not that I saw any point of them kidnapping me, knocking me out, waiting for me to wake up and then killing me, mind you...but, then again, I didn't see why anyone would want to kidnap me anyways, coz even if they wanted to take me for ransom, they were wasting their time, because they could've just as easily taken Sakura, or Li, or even Hotaru and Genrou...they had more money...

The thuds came to a stop outside the door that led to my room, and there was silence for a moment. I shuddered at the thought of what may lie beyond that door, awaiting me. I pushed myself further into the corner, praying that something would save me.

But deep down, I knew there was no chance, as Sakura, Li and the others would be back in Japan by now, thinking I was already dead. Little did they know that I was alive, at least for a little while longer.

Then the door swung open, and there stood Adorare.

NORMAL POV

Madison sighed with relief and ran up to the teenager, both shocked and relieved at the same time. She hugged her young rescuer, not noticing the fact that she was being looked at with pure hatred.

"Get off!" Adorare pushed her captive to the floor, leaving her shocked and bleeding on the cold, hard stone surface.

MADISON'S POV

I stared up at Meilin's daughter in confusion, wondering what the hell was going on. I hoped I was just confused, or we'd gotten our wires crossed. Maybe she didn't recognize me? Maybe she thought I was up to something dodgy?

"Adorare? It's me, Madison...your mother's friend! You have to help me, someone dragged me here and I don't know what they're gonna do to me, we have to get out of here before they come back! Who knows how many of them there are?" I grabbed desperatly onto her now, trying to move her out of the way of the door, but she wouldn't budge. I was vaguely aware of something warm trickling down the side of my face, and tried to wipe it away, scarring myself as I saw the blood on my hands.

"There's just one...and she's standing in front of you." Adorare smiled at me, and it took me a moment to realise what she was getting at.

She's the one that brought me here? Why...why...why is the room spinning? I'm tired...

As the room went black, Madison was almost certain she heard someone speaking to her, but she vaguely heard Adorare when she muttered:

"Time to bring you some company." And closed the door to the room.

NORMAL POV

It was three in the morning, and Sakura was still unable to sleep.

If she had been paying more attention, she probably would have noticed the noise of footsteps creeking down the hall. And if she hadn't been so preoccupied, she probably would've been aware of the 'coughing' noises right outside her bedroom door. But she didn't.

She was too busy thinking of her best friend, and how she'd even begin to tell Eli that his wife was...
Or, for that matter, what she'd say when Hiroshi started asking her where his mother was, and why she wasn't around. Luckily enough, he hadn't asked her yet, and she was sure someone else had spun him a story.

She turned over in bed to make an attempt at being comfortable, but instead came face to face with a very awake Li.

" Sakura, if you don't get some sleep soon, you're gonna make yourself ill." She sat up in bed.

"You're awake too, ya know!" She poked him mockingly.

"That's because someone is fidgiting!" He grabbed her poking hand and pulled her down toward him, causing her to giggle and squirm.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream errupted from the hall, and the pair had little time to exchange glances before they dashed towards the sound, Sakura more and more horrified as she saw the crowd outside her children's room.

"What's going on?" She slowed her pace, scared to see the scene that awaited her.

For, there, covered in blood and unconcious, was Genrou.