Scars
Prologue
Hello everybody. This is the first long dark fic I've ever written, but it doesn't mean you can't still flame me. Don't own this.
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Ueno Tsuruyama looked like everything you could want in a boyfriend. He had clear blue eyes; a square, sharp-cut face; broad shoulders; a fit, well-muscled body; and hands that looked gentle. Gentle and kind.
But they were ever so not.
At times, they seemed kind. Like when he'd brush a strand of hair away from his girlfriend's face. Sakura would look up at him, then, and she'd smile.
But if you looked hard, you could see the touch of fear in her eyes.
Syaoran Li did not look like everything you wanted in a boyfriend. He looked cold at times; but it was only shyness and the result of living with a family of sorcerers who didn't love him. His eyes were a sharp honey brown, but every once in a while you'd catch him looking at Sakura, and they'd soften. He had come to Tomoeda seven years ago, and ever since then he'd befriended a few people. A few fortunate people; nobody ever messed with his friends, because they knew he could kick their ass all over the school with ease.
Or at least, almost nobody.
Sakura knew better.
Sakura was what many people would call lucky. It wasn't the truth. What was the truth was that she was an incredible runner. What was true was that she was beautiful—she outmatched any of the girls in the school by far. But they didn't mind; she was too nice for them to be jealous. What was true was that she was in love with Syaoran Li.
But she was not lucky.
At the moment, she was cowering in a corner of the empty hall. It was after hours. She had just finished with track practice; Ueno had finished football practice early. He wanted her to walk home with him, but that meant Sakura would have to walk across town and then back to her own house. Ueno was not a gentleman, and he went home first. And he insisted she go with him.
And she was tired. It had been a long day at track practice. She wasn't even sure if she could make it home herself. "Ueno, I can't."
"Yes you can," he said, more than a touch of steel in his voice.
"I don't even know if I can make it back to my house. It was a hard practice."
"You're going to make it to my house first, and then you can rest and go to yours."
"I can't. I'm too tired." Sakura shut her locker, then swung her backpack on.
"Yes you can!"
"No, Ueno, I can't!"
That was the final straw for him. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU STUPID WHORE!"
Sakura saw the hand coming down and closed her eyes before it hit. His fist hit the side of her head, and she fell, skidding down the tiles of the deserted hall. Tears of pain filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. God, she wanted out of this relationship. Relationship? She thought sarcastically. It isn't a relationship. It's a slavery.
"Sakura?" Now Ueno was kneeling beside her. "Sakura, I'm so sorryI love you, you know that"
"Then why'd you hit me?" She asked icily.
His sweet, kind mask was lost again. "Now you listen to me, you little bitch," he growled, his hands locked around her shoulders and shoving her roughly into the lockers. "You don't talk to me like that ever or I'll make you pay for it. Do you understand me?"
"I do," she whispered. If she tried to stand up to him again, he'd hurt her some more. This wasn't the first time this had happened.
"GoodI love you, Sakura. You're the only one for me." He stood and offered her a hand. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to get up on her own, but if she did, he'd take it as a sign that she was still angry at him and probably hurt her again. Trembling, she took his hand and got to her feet. It looked like she'd be walking with him today.
Syaoran Li watched Sakura walk out with Ueno from the library window. If he had known what had happened in the hall, there would have been nothing to stand between him and pounding Ueno into a bloody pulp. But he didn't know; no one in the school knew what was really going on between Sakura and Ueno.
He frowned and moved away, picking up his books and heading for the door. Ever since the two had started dating a year ago, he'd noticed a change in Sakura. She had hung out with him like usual at the beginning, but then she gradually had started becoming more and more distant. Now, he was lucky if she'd greet him in the hallways. The odd thing was that she didn't act as though she was angry with him; it was almost as if she was scared of talking to himor of what would happen if she talked to him. That worried him.
As of late, she'd lost her Sakura-ness. Her eyes had dulled, losing that sparkle. Her smiles were nervous and infrequent, unlike the days they'd been working together to capture the cards, and then turn them into Sakura cards. And strangely, she was almost never seen talking to another boy. Before Ueno and her had dated, she'd chatted with them, being like a sister many of them had never had. She'd offer her opinions on whatever they were talking about—even sports. They'd treated her like one of the guys.
But then she'd started going out with Ueno, and the chats with other boys became more and more scarce. Syaoran knew that the other guys hadn't changed that much.
That left Sakura.
Or, more importantly, whoever it was that was making her change.
He swung his backpack on and started to shut his locker, then noticed a dent in the door. A dent? Bending down, he studied it further, then looked around to make sure no one was watching and studied it with his magic. Flashes of a scene came to him.
"Shut your mouth, you stupid whore!" The voice echoed across the past –link, distorted. It didn't sound like anyone he knew. There was a cry of pain, and a blurry form slid across the tiles. He couldn't make out either the girl's face or the boy's. The scene wavered for a minute, and when it came back the boy had his victim slammed into his locker, the pressure making a dimple the size of his fist where the girl's shoulder was jammed into the door. "You don't talk to me like that ever or I'll make you pay for it. Do you understand me?"
"I do" The soft voice shook, but he couldn't tell whose it was. Damn it! Why can't this spell actually transit the voices like they are?
The vision broke up, and he sat back, stunned. Someone in this school was abusing their girlfriend, and that was anything but right. Who is it? He wondered, frustration nearly driving him insane. Why is she putting up with it? How could this get past the teachers?
And what am I going to do about it?
It wasn't right; that was for sure. If only he knew who they were, he could confront them. Or at least, do something about it. But he didn't, and that was all the problem. What am I supposed to do? Walk up to the guidance counselor and say "Hey, my magic said that someone in this school is beating up their girlfriend, but I don't know who it is and I just thought I'd tell you"?
This was seriously bothering him. Standing, he shut the door with a bang. He was going to find whoever it was. And he was going to make him pay. Damn it, was he ever going to make them pay. Of the few things that made him disgusted, abusing someone like this was on the top of his list. But I'm going to need help
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Okay, that's it for the prologue. I know, short as hell. And it really isn't my typical style. But I think it's going to come out okay. Feel free to review, or even better, you can e-mail me at star_shot_indigo@hotmail.com. Go on, make my day.
