"The Beginning of it All"

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" A little girl with emerald eyes and auburn hair exclaimed, pulling on her mother's sleeve.

"Yes, honey?" A woman with grey, long hair and emerald eyes answered, distractedly.

"Is it time to go to the park now?" the little girl asked pleadingly.

"Oh Sakura, honey, not today. Mommy's a little busy and has a lot of work to get done. If I get done a little early, then maybe we could go," her mom said, looking at the pictures on the screen of her laptop. "You see that clock over there?" She pointed to a clock on the wall.

Sakura nodded, staring at the clock strangely. She recalled learning how to tell time a few weeks ago, but she had not mastered it yet.

"It says, 5:25PM. As soon as it hits 6:00PM, then we can play and go to the park, maybe," Nadeshiko said, smiling.

"Okay..." Sakura said disappointedly with a sad smile playing at her lips.

"Go to your room and play with your dolls for the meantime."

Sakura's lips pouted as her eyes watered. "Onii-chan broke her arms and legs," she said sadly.

Nadeshiko gasped dramatically. "Really?!" she exclaimed.

Sakura's lips moved downward, even more. "Yes. Now, I can't even play with my favorite doll anymore because she looks silly," she said dramatically.

"I will be sure to talk with your father about Touya's punishment as soon as they get back from playing football," Nadeshiko said, sounding sure about it.

"But, my doll won't be fixed..." Sakura trailed off sadly.

"We'll get that fixed as well," she said.

Sakura's face lit up at that. "Really?!"

"Of course. You just have to give mommy time to finish her work. Since we wasted so much time talking, the time will have to be prolonged to 6:10PM, okay?"

Sakura gasped, shaking her head. "You're right! Hurry so we can play soon!" she said, running out of the living room so her mom could get her work done.

She faintly heard her mom yell, "No running in the house, honey," before she ran up the stairs.

Once she reached the far end of the hall where her room is, she walked inside, closing the door behind her. She walked to her toy box, reaching inside of it to grab out an action figure that she had stolen from Touya's room a few weeks ago.

She thought, since Touya broke her favorite doll, he deserved to lose one of his favorite toys. So, she had snuck in his room one day when his best friend and her crush, Yukito Tsukishiro, came over so they could play in the backyard.

She had felt a little bad about it for a while, but the little devil on her left shoulder reasoned that she shouldn't feel bad about it. But, whenever the mention of his missing toy came into discussion, the little angel on her right shoulder told her to come clean about it.

Then, the guilt of being found out would eat at her conscious too. So, she settled with keeping it hidden away until she could muster up the courage to tell the truth.

Sakura picked up her other doll too and began to play with them, talking in the weird voices for the characters.

This is how it always was for her. Touya, her older brother never wanted to play dolls, her mother was always busy, considering she was a famous model, and her father always worked.

By the time he finished with his lectures at the university, Sakura would already be in bed sleeping.

She was alright with this, though. The times that they all spent together made up for these missed times together.

A cool breeze brushed against her skin, causing Sakura to look towards the window area.

She gasped, seeing the window wide open. Jumping up from her sitting position, she ran to the window, looking outside to see if anyone was there.

There was no one there, though.

She shrugged, closing the window, and then ran back to her toys to play.

"Is it time to play now, Mommy?" Sakura asked, peeking behind the door shyly.

She hated to be a bother to her mother, but it got lonely playing by herself sometimes.

"Give mommy one more minute," her mom said, distracted.

Sakura smiled, nodding her head, and then walked in the living room all the way.

She sat in the chair by her mom and looked at all the designs on the computer. She ooh'ed and aww'ed at all the beautiful images.

"Are you going to wear that, mommy?" she asked, staring at a golden dress.

Nadeshiko smiled, nodding her head. "Yes. Isn't it pretty?"

Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "Yes! And, mommy will make it look even prettier than ever!"

Nadeshiko chuckled with a blush on her cheeks. "Thank you, honey."

"Now, I will be quiet, so you can finish up," Sakura said, running her fingers across her lips as if she were zipping her lips together.

Sakura watched her mom put together a few more outfits, entranced by her mother's creative mind.

Once Nadeshiko finished, she closed her laptop and turned to Sakura with a bright smile.

"What are we playing today?"

Sakura's face lit up. "We can play now?!" she exclaimed.

Nadeshiko chuckled, standing from the chair. "Whatever you would like, honey."

"Well...since it's too late for the park, maybe we can play hide-and-seek?" she asked, staring at her mom hopefully.

A small smile formed on her mom's lips as she closed her eyes. "One...two...three..."

Sakura took off running after catching the hint.

Hide-and-seek was her favorite game, and she was the best at it. Or, so she believed that.

She hid under the bed, holding her breath a little so she didn't make too much noise.

When she heard her mom yell, "ready or not, here I come," her heart jumped, panicking even though she had not been caught yet.

In all honesty, she couldn't wait until her mom found her. Whenever she would, she would give Sakura the best hugs and tickles in the world.

"Kaijuu!" she heard a voice yell and her door opening.

She silently fumed, hearing her brother insult her.

She didn't want to give her hiding place away yet, so she decided to scold him later for being rude.

"Oi, you're not very good at hiding," his voice said, a lot closer than she expected.

She opened her eyes, seeing him face her on the floor under the bed. She gasped, pushing against him. "Get out, get out, get out! Mommy is looking for me!"

"Is my little Sakura blossom in here?" she heard her mom ask.

"Y—"

She hit his shin under the bed, glaring at him.

"Itaii," he said, grabbing his shin.

"I think I hear...SOMETHING!"

Sakura burst out laughing when her mom grabbed her leg from under the bed, pulling her out. She began her relentless tickling.

It was only when Sakura could barely breath, that her mother stopped, giving her a hug.

Sakura giggled, hugging her back before she heard Touya groan.

"What about me, Mom?" he asked.

Nadeshiko giggled, opening her other arm for him.

Sakura held onto her tighter, sticking her tongue out at him. "She's my mommy," she said.

"I know monsters don't share, but this isn't an exception this time," he said with a smirk as he moved into her arms for a hug as well.

Sakura pouted, releasing her mom. "Mommy, tell him to stop being a big meanie," she said, folding her arms like a stubborn child.

Nadeshiko laughed, kissing Sakura's cheek as she stood from her stooping position on the floor. "Be nice to your sister, Touya," she said, ruffling his chocolate colored hair.

He huffed, swiping her hands away jokingly. "Fine..." he said, though it didn't sound like he meant it.

"Do you guys want to help me warm dinner up? I'm starving, and I'm sure the both of you are as well."

As if on cue, their stomachs growled.

They all went into a fit of hearty laughter as they walked out of her room.

They walked downstairs to the kitchen, seeing their dad sitting at the table with his laptop.

Nadeshiko walked over to him, pushing the head of the laptop down. "It's time to take a break from work," she said with a smile.

Fujitaka, her husband chuckled, standing from the chair so he could place a chaste kiss to her lips. "I know. I was just waiting for you guys to come down."

"Daddy!" Sakura exclaimed, running over to him.

He picked her up with ease and placed a kiss on her forehead. "How's my favorite daughter?" he asked, lifting her in the air.

She giggled, spreading her little arms. "Awesome! I missed you guys," she said.

He placed her back on her feet with a chuckle. "I missed you too. I'll take you out in a few days. It's your turn," he said.

She beamed, grabbing his hand. "It is, isn't it?! Oh, I can't wait. What are we going to do?" she asked excitedly.

She ignored the sly comment she couldn't catch Touya say besides 'kaijuu.'

She was way too excited to care about that, though.

"Whatever you want, honey," he said.

"I'm so excited! And then we'll have our movie night on Sunday as always!"

"That's right. Now, I'm more than sure you're hungry right now, because I am."

Her stomach growled again, and she giggled. "I am very, very hungry."

She sat at her designated seat after her father pulled the chair out.

Touya sat down beside her. And, they all engaged in conversation, laughing to their hearts content.

Even though they didn't have the chance to spend a lot of time together, they embraced it when they could.

It was days like this where they all lived to see and experience. And so, they enjoyed one another.

After they finished eating and watching a little tv, Nadeshiko and Fujitaka tucked Sakura into bed after the bedtime story.

"I love you, Mommy and Daddy," Sakura said, smiling at them sleepily.

They both placed a kiss on her forehead. "We love you too, my little blossom. We'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Sakura nodded before she closed her eyes when they shut the door.

As soon as she began to drift off to sleep, there was a light tap on her window, causing her to become wide awake. She threw the covers back and jumped out the bed, quietly running over to the window.

She gasped, seeing a boy with chestnut hair and amber eyes, staring back at her. He looked much older than her and very much like a stranger.

The longer they stared into each other's eyes, the more Sakura felt willing to open the window for him.

As soon as the window was wide open for him, he climbed through without her permission.

She stared at him with wide, emerald eyes, surprised to see a stranger in her room.

Her parents had always told her not to talk or go near strangers, but for some reason, the man standing in front of her didn't feel like a stranger.

"What's your name, mister?" she asked, tilting her head to the side innocently.

He simply stared at her, nose flaring a bit as he clenched his jaw.

She frowned. "Are you okay? You don't look very well," she said.

When he began to approach her, fear began to creep in, so she moved back. "I... I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Yet you let one in," he said darkly, stopping his approach.

"I...Mo—!"

Her mouth was covered within a blink of an eye by the man's hand. "Don't do that," he said tightly.

The tears started to stream down her cheeks now.

He released her, and then wiped the tears from her eyes. He stooped down in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. "I'm not a stranger," he said softly.

She stared at him fearfully. "Who are you then?" she asked.

"I'm the one you're going to turn to."

The tears stopped as she stared at him confused. "Hoe?"

"You have nothing to be afraid of. I'll always protect you," he said gently.

She sniffed, wiping her face. "R-really?" she asked, staring at him.

He gave her a small smile, nodding his head. "Yes. Whenever you're in trouble, I'll come to save you. When you need a shoulder to cry on, you'll have my shoulder. We'll be together forever," he said.

A small smile crept to her lips. "So, you'll be my bestest friend forever?" she asked excitedly.

He smiled, nodding his head. "Sure. So, I'm not a stranger," he said, smiling at her.

A blush formed across her cheeks as she nodded. "Okay, mister."

"Yes. You should get to bed as your parents said," he said.

"Okay. I'll see you again very soon?" she asked, staring at him curiously.

"Of course. Get in bed," he instructed.

She climbed in bed, getting back under the covers. She looked at him approach her.

He tucked her in bed again, so she could feel comfy.

She yawned, eyes beginning to close slowly. "Mister?" she called.

"Yes?" he answered, a lot closer than she expected.

"What's your name? My name is Kinomoto Sakura," she said sleepily.

"It doesn't matter. Just sleep," he said.

"Okay."

She could feel the man's eyes on her, but for some reason, she felt safe in his presence.

It was only when she felt ice, cold hands on either side of her head tightly that she opened her eyes, wide.

She gasped, seeing him right above her face with his mouth opened, revealing sharp teeth that sent her body in overdrive.

"Mist—"

He held her head tighter, causing her to go mute. His mouth came in contact with her warm skin before she felt it open around her.

He closed his eyes tightly, face looking contorted in pain when he pulled back from her neck. "Damn it...I can't do it," he hissed under his breath. "I'm sorry, Sakura," he said softly before she felt something sharp stab the side of her head.

Before her body could react to the pain, she blacked out.

A/N: This chapter should have been out months ago because it's just been sitting in my notes for the past few months, so my apologies! I know this start is slow, but I just want you guys to know when everything began! Let me know what you guys think and how you think the story will progress :).

Ja ne!