DISCLAIMER: I own no part of CCS… that includes the characters and everything…… yeah…..….. so……………. BLAH!

AUTHORS NOTE: omg…. Forgive me!!!!!!!! PLEASE! falls on knees and begs for mercy! I didn't mean to put off updating for sooooo long! My life has been hectic… *shakes fist at the many plays I have worked on* AND… my mind has been in a fog lately… I have absolutely noooo ideas, or inspirations… just emptiness in my hollow head…. In fact right now I don't know what the heck to write… this will most likely be an exceedingly short chapter because of it… sorry!! I promise that im going to be getting back into the swing of things shortly… im forcing myself to update all my stories right now… even if they are really short updates.. so I can hopefully get my mind working again…. Hope you like it even though its short…… So I shall say no more excuses… please… enjoy this chapter!

Tomoyo walked towards Sakura's house with a worried expression plastered on her face. She shivered slightly as a cool breeze brushed her bare arms. :: hmm….. fall is here… im going to need to unpack my winter clothing soon…::: She quickened her steps, not sure whether it was because she worried about Sakura, or because it was cold.

She soon found herself standing outside of Sakura's house. There was no car in the driveway, and all the lights were out inside. ::hmmm.. Maybe Kero is in…If I could just get up to her window…:: "Ah!" she said suddenly, as her eyes settled on the tree that was positioned very conveniently by Sakura's window. She began to climb….

Kero sat on the bed, got up, began pacing, then sat down once more. He was restless, and scared. Sakura had not returned at all during the night, and only the worse scenarios were playing through his mind. Finally he flopped down on the pillow with a great sigh. His head hurt from worry, and every muscle ached from the stress. He was drifting away into sleep when a harsh tapping on the window jolted him awake. He flew up in surprise, and in false hope of Sakura being at the window. Instead he came face to face with Tomoyo, as she slowly opened the window for herself and was climbing in.

"Oh, its just you Tomoyo… Where is Sakura?" he asked as he floated back down onto the bed. Tomoyo raised her eyes to look directly at Kero.

"You mean she's not here?" she said, the worry plain to see.

"no…. she.. she hasn't been home ALL night…. She… She disappeared yesterday after I heard her and L…" he suddenly stopped. ::::oops… I almost let the secret slip… Sakura didn't want me to tell anyone….. but… but she is missing now… and… maybe Tomoyo could help… OH SAKURA WHAT DO I DO!!!???:::

Tomoyo's mind was racing her worried thoughts all jumbling together trying to figure this out… ::: Sakura wouldn't just disappear for no reason without telling Kero…. Oh.. something terrible must have happened!::: "Kero! What happened… you aren't telling me! What did you hear??" She walked over to kero, quickly filling in the gap between them, picking him up and holding him at eye level cupped in her hands. "Kero, tell me what has been going on with Sakura these past months. She wouldn't tell me… But now something awful has happened, and I fear it has to do with it….." she trailed off. Scared, and worried, and not sure if kero would tell her or not.

Kero sighed, looking away, his eyes darting around the room, trying to find an answer hidden somewhere there. He found nothing. "she…. They…. Oh where do I start! Her aunt…. She.. she is a monster… she fights with Sakura… no… not fights… she beats Sakura… she has been doing it for some time now… I was told not to tell anyone… but.. but now I fear Sakura might be in trouble.. or ..de.." he couldn't bring himself to say it, so he just moved on, " Yesterday they fought, I heard them. And after the screaming stopped, there was just nothingness… and Sakura never came back…."

Tomoyo listened to this shocked. Her brain no longer thought, she was in a foggy dream like state…:: no, not dream….Nightmare:: she corrected herself… She sat on the edge of the bed, holding Kero… lost for what to do…

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As Sakura walked she felt the familiar sensation of her sinking heart. Syaoran followed a few steps behind, lost in an internal battle. While he knew Sakura couldn't stay with him forever, he hated sending her back into the hands of the beast.

"well… here we are.." Sakura said, suddenly breaking the silence. She looked up at the house, remembering how just yesterday, ::: god, it seems like years ago:::, she had ran out of there with the intention of never coming back. She noticed, and happily I might add, that there was no car in the driveway. She began to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" Syaoran said suddenly, "are you sure that you want to go…" He searched her eyes, then looked down, "No.. Forget I said that.. I know you don't WANT to… but you have to…… I wasn't thinking straight…. Its just… I….Do you want me to go in with you?"

Sakura wanted to say yes, but she feared her aunts arrival, and she knew having Syaoran there would not make her aunt a very happy person (is she ever though…) "no, you shouldn't. My aunt may be home soon… It would be better if you were not here when she shows up. I will see you at school tomorrow. Ok?"

"yeah… see you then… and if she.. if she tries to hurt you run, come to my house… or call me to come get you…. Do you understand?" he said with concern in his eye.. He hated this, ::: if only I could get my hands on that women… or call the cops… but I promised I wouldn't… I feel so helpless…:::

Sakura nodded at what he said, and turned to go inside. She found that the door was luckily unlocked, and she entered silently, pausing just long enough to wave to Syaoran, who had not moved, before closing the door and heading upstairs……

AUTHORS NOTE: im stopping there, because I have no brain left…heh.. sorry… I will post again this week… probably over the weekend…. I PROMISE!!! Don't hate me cause im stupid…. Heh… I beg for your mercy! Soooo sorry for the long wait… and then I disappoint you with such a short chapter… please review though… cause if no one reviews then I will think you have all abandoned me and I will feel no need to update….. (I wouldn't blame you for abandoning this story.. its been so long since I updated you probably thought I fell off a cliff or something……)

MUCH LOVE AND MANY APOLOGIES FROM

~ Takara, AKA Lacey