Protecting Each Other

New Life In Misery

Author: Obsessor*Cherry

Disclaimer: Nothing, I repeat NOTHING is mine, except for this ficcy here, for if the vast network of CLAMP *says in disgust* were in mine domain (*says w/ authority*) why do you think I'm writin' this kami-san-forsaken fic!? D'YALL HERE ME!? (Please excuse me poor ol' temper, I really got to get her t'grow up! She's much too short!)

Author's note: I don't know if my rating was quite right for 'later on,' well PUH-LEASE! R&R Thanxies! ^_~ enjoy

Warning!: Has some sexual content, you have been fairly warned. If you do not like this kind of content, please do not read.

BRIEF RECAP: Sakura & co are all at Tomoyo's mansion and find all hell broken out in Sonomi's room. Sakura fainted. Tomoyo said good-bye.

Tomoyo finally regained her strength and had Eriol let her down. Syaoran carried his ying hua back to her house with Eriol and Tomoyo, explaining to Touya that his sister had seen something shocking at Tomoyo's, and that Tomoyo's mother had passed away.

"I'm so sorry, Tomoyo-san…I know what it's like to lose a mother. I lost my own. With time, you will heal. I know you will, I'm sorry," and with those wise yet awkward words, Touya entered his home to tend to his sister.

The remaining three left for Eriol's house.

"I'm so sorry," Syaoran and Eriol said simultaneously after an awkward pause.

"It's all right…" Tomoyo trailed off. There was another awkward silence. "That Steven!" she hissed softly, hate and contempt dripping from her voice.

"Nani? Who's Steven?" Syaoran asked, puzzled.

"Her new step-father," Eriol simply explained.

"Oh…yeah," Syaoran remembered scowling.

"I knew he didn't have something right about him, I could sense it," Tomoyo whispered. Eriol nodded in agreement. He also knew about Steven's evil-tinted aura. He worried for Tomoyo greatly…

*~*~*~*~*

A few days later…

"Take those OFF and put these ON!" Steven barked at Tomoyo. He held out the most obscene articles of clothing. There was a top that just went around the chest, it was very tight, and there was a short skirt, which barely came to her thighs, and there were slippers. When Tomoyo still refused to change into the clothes presented to her, Steven got angry. He slapped her across her face – hard. Her face turned sharply, then she turned it right back to stare at him with firm refusal once again. He was infuriated. Steven grabbed his step-daughter's long hair and dragged her closer to him until they were face-to-face.

"I ORDER you to WEAR THESE CLOTHES!" he shouted in her face, spit flying from his mouth. And he yanked roughly on her hair several times, then he kicked her thin form mercilessly, his foul lips curling into a smirk as he listened to her cries of pain. When he found she was bruised to his satisfaction, the ruthless step-father dropped the beaten girl on the ground. She was breathing hard, and she finally managed to speak.

"Alright! *gasp* Alright! *gasp* I will!" she managed to sob out painfully.

"Good, that's what I like to here…Oh, and mind you, only say 'yes sir' and 'no sir' or nothing at all from now on, UNDERSTOOD!?"

"Yes sir," she whispered in surrender. And she put the offensive articles on silently. Hmmmm, she looks pretty enough, I wonder how much I could get off her if I put her up for prostitution…nah, I'll wait until after I've had some fun with her! Steven thought greedily. OWWW, what am I going to DO? I'll die if I have to live with this horror! He's probably planning my rape now. Tomoyo thought dejectedly. Little did she know how very close she really was.

*~*~*~*~*

At school, Tomoyo bent her head low, and slumped usually. She gazed off into space with her eyes glazes over. The teachers left her alone and marked her as excused. They thought she was going through a hard time with her new step-father and with her mother dead… They had NO idea what she was really going through.

Later, after school…

"Tomoyo-san? Daijoubu? You've been really quiet lately," Syaoran commented quietly.

"… Hmm? Wha- oh, sorry, Syaoran-kun, I'm fine, don't worry about me…" Tomoyo trailed off.

"Daidouji-san. What's the matter? I know something's wrong, I can sense it! Tell us, onegai? Gomen, I was just worried, we all are," Eriol apologized.

"I-It's o-okay, I-I-I'm f-fine-," Tomoyo gasped and lost control of herself and started sobbing softly yet uncontrollably, they knew she was holding something back.

"Tomoyo-san? What's wrong!?" Sakura asked, concerned for her best friend as she caught up with the others. They saw, once again, the magical tears that she spilled from her royal violet eyes. But this time, the tears spilled to the ground and there were sparkles of amethyst-colored specks scattered throughout each drop, which held each it's perfect form and did not evaporate or become absorbed in the cement sidewalk. Each tear stood out from the ground and sparkled with each of its own beauty. The three friends gaped at her in awe, how beautiful and graceful she could be, even when she was weeping. When Tomoyo finally regained her composure, she looked up with slightly pink circles under her eyes and her face flushed.

"G-Gomen n-nas-sai!" she managed to choke out dryly, no more tears would come.

"What's wrong?" Eriol asked the question that was baited on everyone's breath for them.

"N-Nothing, I just…" Tomoyo's soft voice cracked. Eriol!!!! Get a hold of yourself, for all our sakes!!! What in kami-san's name has gotten into you!? You love Kaho Mizuki, right!? Right?… Then WHY is Tomoyo's silence and aloofness slowly killing me!? Eriol thought in turmoil.

"Let's go somewhere a little less public, onegai, minna-san?" Tomoyo whispered, timidly at Eriol's hard expression.

"Oh…Wha- OH, oh, right. Okay," Eriol stammered, after a break from his mental argument. They left for the Hiragizawa manor once more.

*~*~*~*~*

"Ummm… I don't know where to start," Tomoyo said heavily. She hadn't planned on telling any one what was going on at home.

"Start at the beginning," Eriol suggested gently.

"I-I don't think I'll be able to tell you guys everything quite yet, but I will try my best not to unsettle you too much," she started.

"It's ok, just tell us what you can," Sakura quickly responded seriously, even she could sense the tense atmosphere. In the small room, where Eriol had escorted them, had no windows, was dimly lit, and at present, the atmosphere was so thick, it felt like you could slice it with a knife, and the four friends had a hard time breathing, them waiting in suspense did not help at all.

"Okay, well, I guess it began when I first saw him. It was like seeing a nightmare come true. I didn't know why, though, he looked as handsome as any man could be…but I could sense something about him, his aura was so powerfully evil, it was painful to look directly at him. And the way he had my…mo-th-er…" Tomoyo put her head down, but sobbed dryly. And then went on, in a whisper filled with venom and dripping with hate, "…and the way he had my mother wrapped around his foul little finger and the way his eyes were cold black …and…cruel. He looked at me like I was going to be his whore or something, it almost scared me, I hated him and I still hate him now. He…he beats me, sometimes for a reason, sometimes…sometimes just because he's in a bad mood, and sometimes…sometimes…sometimes just to see me in pain or for his amusement. I hate him! Oh, I hate him s o much, for killing my mother, for destroying my life, for making m life a misery, for treating me like his geisha or something."

"And that's not all, is it?" Eriol asked softly. I'm drowning in agony! I don't know what to do for her! I know she's living a nightmare, but I can't DO anything! Oh, dammit I so badly want to just wrap my arms around her and… HIRAGIZAWA ERIOL!!! STOP THINKING LIKE THAT! It's KAHO that you feel for! Eriol harshly scolded himself.

"I-I c-can't say anymore, gomen, gomen nasai," Tomoyo apologized, in her angelic voice.

"No, no, no, don't be sorry, you shouldn't be, you shouldn't be sorry at all. You have a reason for hating that obake, Tomoyo, and a very good one too," Sakura soothed her best friend.

"THAT SON OF A --!!! THAT BASTARD!!!…" Syaoran, who had been sitting, silent, and shaking with suppressed fury, proceeded to call, in a yell, Tomoyo's cruel step-father every unprintable word under the sun.

*~*~*~*~*

"WHERE IN THE –IN' WORLD HAVE YOU BEEN!? You @#%&$!*%&^!@ bitch! I've got THINGS for you to do!!!!" Steven screeched at a silent Tomoyo. "BITCH!? ARE YOU LISTENING!?" Steven raged.

Silence.

The silence that Steven hated reigned once again. He hated it when the girl did not respond to him, so he had his ways. He grinned evilly as he stepped closer with a storm brewing in his inhumane, black eyes. He was so very close to Tomoyo now. He had her against a wall and she couldn't retreat any more. Before she knew it, she was boxed all around. Steven's left and right arms guarding her sides, the wall behind her, and him in front of her. She was trapped.

Yup! I LOVE to keep people hanging in there like that! *cackles evilly*

*dodges tomatoes thrown at her*

"hey! what was that for!?" I yell

"for not letting them finish the story at ALL! You know that you take FOREVER to update!" Kero-chan complains. *BONK! hits me on the head w/ club* "there! Now they don't have to bonk you for not updating sooner, because I did for them!! *cackles evilly*

"Bwah!" *sweatdropps* "Well, here's the next chappie! PLEAASE review, or flame, whichever you like best! I welcome them all!!" I plead.

"Bye-bye, 'til next time!" in unison.