Hey! Thank you to all the reviewers: NAME ALL I just LOVE getting reviews! That was the prologue- I sort of had to explain the whole Sakura-Cinderella story, and how Tomoyo ends up at the palace. And, sorry, Tomoyo won't meet or hear of Eriol this chapter- I'm going to explain her "dark past." It set things up…next chapter, things actually start to happen! Stay tuned!

-x-

For all that you are

By Sariastar

Chapter One: Dreams

Tomoyo looked at her mother happily. They were walking to Mehmin to find work, coming from the Eastlands.

"Let's sing," he mother suggested. Nodding, Tomoyo burst into a spur-of-the-moment song.

My name is Tomoyo Daidouji

My mother here is Sonomi

We do what we please, walking around the lands.

Right now we feel like going to Mehmin, but later it might be Kyros.

Our feet lead us, wherever they want to go,

Wherever that might be.

Sonomi smiled at the silly song. "Your voice is wonderful," she said.

          Tomoyo smiled, skipping along the road. They were happy. Although poor, they had each other. They wore knapsacks and were going to Mehmin to, hopefully, settle down.

          At dusk, they set up camp on the fringes of the Siticene forest.  They spent the night peacefully. With dawn, however, things changed.

They were packing to leave, when five bandits appeared in their camp. They wore black clothes, their only color coming from a blood-red bandana around their heads.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked their leader softly, his pitch-black eyes glittering. "A lark and her fledgling."

Although Tomoyo was scared, her mother remained calm. "Good morning," she said, calmly.

"Where are you heading, Sonomi and Tomoyo Daidouji?" asked the leader. Tomoyo was surprised- he must have heard her song yesterday. How long had these bandits been watching them?

"Mehmin. And we must be on our way." Sonomi stood, and Tomoyo imitated her. The leader smiled greasily.

"You seem to forget," he said lightly, "that you slept in the shelter of our forest. We must be repaid."

"We have no money," said Sonomi, still camp. Only Tomoyo could see that her mother's hands were shaking.

"Oh, darling," he said, coming toward her. "We don't want money. We want you." He grabbed Sonomi in his arms. She fought to get out.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" she screamed. Suddenly, a dagger was tickling her throat.

"Make one move, and you're done," the leader said softly. Sonomi, scared for her daughter, turned to look at Tomoyo. It counted as one move.

          A second later, she slumped to the ground, her throat slitted. Tomoyo stood stock-still, petrified.

The leader turned to her, a fresh dagger magically in his hand.

"Hello, little girl," he said. Tomoyo's eyes widened, and she sat on the ground, hard. The dagger whirled, and hit the ground in front of her, the tip in the ground, the handle quivering.

"Do you know who I am?" the bandit leader said. Dumbly, Tomoyo shook her head.

"Your mother fought with the leader of all the rogues in this forest. That's a whole army behind my back. My name is Revean," he said. The other bandits chuckled. Tomoyo still couldn't say anything.

"You foolish mother," Revean said, "was stupid enough to fight with me."

          Suddenly, rage and fury filled Tomoyo. "SHE WAS NOT STUPID!" yelled Tomoyo. She grabbed the dagger in front of her, and hurled it at Revean. By sheer luck, it cut a gash in his cheek. Tomoyo gaped. So did the other bandits. Revean reached up with his hand, and it came away stained red.

          Tomoyo regained her senses, and ran for her life. As she ran, she could hear the mad bellow of Revean.

"I'll get revenge on you! You wait and see!"

I'll get revenge…wait and see…revenge…wait.

          Tomoyo woke up. Gasping, she looked around her. She was safe in her palace bedroom. She was sweating heavily, and her heart was racing. She had been having this dream ever since the event happened, when she was eight. She had it about once a month, and it still scared her.

          She slid out of her suffocating bed, put on a robe, and went out onto her balcony. Sitting on the railing, she drew her knees up to her chin. She needed to think.

          After attacking Revean, she ran. She stayed off the main road, and gathered food from the foliage, or from begging. She finally wandered into Mehmin. There, she begged for food, and looked for a job. Most shopkeepers turned down the scrawny, hollow-eyed girl. Finally, she found a job helping a dressmaker.

          During nights, she went to duels and dagger fights that were common in the Slums. Watching, she learned how to sword fight, and how to use a dagger. Saving her money, she bought a small steel dagger, with an ebony handle. Its sheath was attached to a strap around her thigh. No one was going to rape her. And they did try. As Tomoyo grew, she became a belle, beautiful. She had learned that men were dirt, and she soon gained a reputation in the Slums as the 'Ice Raven'. She mercilessly snubbed and ignored any man who tried to make a move on her. Force didn't work either- she had her dagger.

          She stayed in the Slums, until Sakura's miraculous engagement in August brought her to the palace. She became Lady Tomoyo, Sakura's advisor. Palace gossip flew around her. She was the kindest, sweetest lady you had ever met, they said, until you tried to pursue her romantically. Then she would turn to ice- snub you, shame you, ignore you. And the gossips had a field day with all the Lords that did try. Sakura wanted Tomoyo to be as happy as she was, and kept introducing her to Lords. Apparently, Sakura was happily oblivious to how Tomoyo treated those men.

          Lady Tomoyo, rumor said, was a dress designer. She was designing all the dresses for the wedding ceremony, which was taking place on the first of May. Tomoyo had ways of overhearing the gossips. Hearing these reports of her, she was happy. She had been accepted into the fickle Court.

          Yet no one, not even Sakura, knew about he mother and Revean. Tomoyo had always avoided the subject, and when someone asked her, she would say that her mother had been killed by bandits- then quickly change the subject. As for Revean, Tomoyo learned that he was telling the truth. He was the unofficial leader of all the bandits lurking in the Siticene Forest. All in all, the bandits roughly added up to 1000. An army. And he always kept his word, no matter what the price was. And his parting words had practically guaranteed Tomoyo's certificate of death…

She blinked. A faint glow was coming from the east. Had she thought that long? No matter. Dark thoughts had no place in her mind anymore. A new day had come.

-x-

Did you like it? That means there will be some ACTION before the end of the story! Yay!!!! E+T, eventually! (Notice the word, eventually- they hate each other at first, just a warning. Well, at least Tomoyo hates Eriol.) But, before you do anything, there's a sweet little button below just wanting to be pushed! To put it a bit more bluntly, REVIEW! ^ - ^