A/N: I usually don't say much at the beginning of a chapter, but I just want to say that I absolutely love everyone who reviewed!!!!!! Thanks!!!!! You guys are the reason I keep this going!!!! And to Kagomi- OF COURSE!!!!!! Now, to the story.


Disclaimer: I own the plot, and . . . um . . . that's about it. I don't own CCS. Oh yeah, I own the stub of a movie ticket from a couple of years ago I found in my pocket.


Ch 3- Wrong Number

"Somebody save me

Somebody take my hand and

Lead me where there's

No tears, no pain

One time for a change

Somebody hold me

Tell me everything's gonna be okay

I'm asking, begging please

Somebody save me . . ."


I've always been partial to corners. I know lots of people will say that it's a bad thing to be backed into one, but in a corner, no one can sneak up on you. You see everything you need to see, and you've got protection. Sort of.

But out . . . there, or then . . . there were no corners. No place for me to hide. Sometime back I'd dropped to my knees when I'd stopped, and I was stuck like that.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe, and I couldn't see, what with the tears streaming down my face. I was so tired, more so than I've ever been. Something deep within told me to stay awake, so I tried. My struggle for consciousness was draining, and I was contemplating giving up when I heard a voice,

"Don't you dare."

I tried to see someone through the blur of blackness, but I failed miserably. Nothing was there. Maybe I was starting to imagine things. After all, who would be out here? For all I knew I could have gone totally insane or something, and I had created this dimension in my mind. Or maybe I had never really existed, and everything was just a lie. Maybe . . . there were so many maybes. I started to doubt my sanity.

I've always been fairly open to new ideas, mainly because of my powers. Who am I to scoff at other people's beliefs when I, myself, possess something that no one would ever think was true.

I see the past in water. I see the future in fire.

Who ever heard of anything like that? No one knows about my 'special abilities'. I've been hurt enough to know that you can trust no one. Everyone's human, they can't help their weakness. It's not their fault.

The only way I can protect myself is to stay away from everyone else. Especially men. All they want is to be the first to take away my innocence. They are the ones with the power, and they know it. Besides, I already know I'm going to get hurt by one. A lot. Physically and emotionally. So why bother?

That's probably why, when I heard the voice again, I tried to get away. It was definitely a male's voice. I struggled desperately against my invisible bonds, to no avail. There was no escape.

Determined not to go down looking like a coward, I looked up, my eyes defiant. I was startled to see eyes, for once, not filled with an impure lust. Eyes that looked . . . concerned. It was such an odd feeling, seeing someone that didn't want to kill me. And all of a sudden, I knew I was safe. Someone was finally there to catch me if I were to fall, and I felt peace. But I couldn't. What if he was just trying to gain my trust, only to . . . I didn't even want to think about what he could do to me.

The closer he came, the safer I felt, the stronger I felt, and the more I struggled. I tried my best to get out of the trap I was sure he was pulling me into, but I couldn't. I couldn't move, my eyes wouldn't leave his. The looked so familiar . . . and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was a pair of very worried amber eyes.

*~*~*~*~

I woke up, once again in a different bed. I had no idea where I was. Looking around, I was surprised to find myself in a very pink room that seemed somehow familiar. There were stuffed animals everywhere, even though I could tell the room belonged to a girl near my age. What had happened?

The door was creaking open, slowly but surely. It was evident that whoever was on the other side did not want their presence known. Maybe they didn't know I was there, or maybe . . . they were trying to sneak up on me to attack me! Should I hide? But there was no time. What could I do in self-defense? That lamp over there looked promising . . . but it was probably plugged in, which would make it difficult to pull out quickly if the need came . . .

I was saved any further contemplation by a pair of amethyst eyes peaking out from behind the door. When they saw that I was awake, the widened considerably– enough to make me think they were about to pop out– and their owner gave a little shriek.

"Sakura! You're awake!" Tomoyo always could reach a pitch to make you deaf. She hurried over to my side, and I saw they tray she was carrying with here. I was suddenly aware of how long it had been since I'd eaten. "Oh, we were so worried when you just collapsed on our way home. You should have seen how worried Kero was, I've never seen him like that." She apparently didn't notice the look of complete confusion I was sure was written plainly on my face. "And then when we couldn't wake you up, even Yue started to get worried. Are you hungry, I'm sure you are. After all, you've been unconscious for almost a week now." And without further ado, she proceeded to scoop some of the oatmeal from the bowl and raise the spoon to my mouth.

I, needless to say, was shocked. She was talking as though nothing had happened, and she seemed to be completely unconcerned that the last time she'd seen me, I'd been terrified, and then I'd popped away. And who were these Kero and Yue people? I collapsed? I couldn't remember . . .

She didn't seem to care that the only reason the oatmeal made it into my mouth was because it was hanging open in shock. She just chatted away without a care in the world.

"Touya was so mad when Syaoran walked up carrying you, he wouldn't even let him into the house, no matter how much I told him that you'd want him to be here." All I could do was stare dumbly at her, until something registered with me.

"Wait– Touya? He's here? H-how?" I sputtered, completely lost again. Tomoyo gave me an odd look before answering.

"He lives here, remember? He got out of college a long time ago." My brother went to college?

"He isn't sick anymore?" I persisted, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"Sakura, he got rid of his cold weeks ago," she laughed. "Are you okay? Maybe you hit your head on a rock when you fell . . ."

"I didn't fall! Don't you remember?" I was close to shouting now, desperate for something to tell me I wasn't losing my sanity. "You took me to the bathroom . . . and I sort of . . . popped in front of you . . . and . . ." I trailed off. What exactly had happened? I wasn't even sure, and here I was trying to explain it to someone else. Before she could answer, though, the door opened once more. Unlike last time, however, it was opened as though the person knew exactly what he was going to find and he wasn't afraid of disturbing anything.

"Finally kaijuu, you're up."

"W-what did you just call me?!" The nerve of the strange man in front of me was shocking! How dare he call me a monster! All of a sudden, I had the unexplainable urge to get up and stomp on his foot.

But in his eyes . . . there was an air of familiarity, and he seemed accustomed to calling me that, even though he seemed to care for me . . .

"Um . . . Touya?" Tomoyo broke in, her eyes concerned. "Can I talk to you outside for a second?" Something was wrong, I could tell. I wondered what it was. When they had shut the door firmly behind them, I chanced another curious look about the room. I saw pictures upon pictures plastered on the walls, and something clicked.

That man had been Touya. Touya was my brother. He wasn't sick anymore.

Those pictures. They were of my friends. Everyone was laughing. I looked to the night stand beside me, and was shocked to see one of myself, leaning against some guy, looking extremely content.

What was going on? Did I have a twin? Very unlikely. Then what? Something was wrong, and I could hear voices being raised outside the door. I blocked them out, not wanting to here anything more of this insane nightmare. With an effort, I dragged myself to the window, and looked out.

Oh my God.

I was looking at my street. The street I've lived on since I was twelve. The view was from Kiko's 'private' room. And I was in it. I took another look around. The stuff in there looked very much like things I would have gotten, if I hadn't had to change myself in order to survive. Was this . . . my room? Maybe what I'd always wished had been true, and it had been just a nightmare. When my eyes traveled over what I assumed to be my room again, they caught on a peculiar-looking book, haphazardly hidden under many papers.

Something seemed to draw me to it, and I reached a hand out and took a step forward, but I spotted someone outside, walking up to the house. Something seemed to be troubling him, but he looked extremely determined. Briefly, I wondered what was wrong, but years of living in fear kicked in, and I did what I always did: when in doubt, hide.

Clutching the book to me, almost unconsciously, I watched him from the side of the window, knowing that he couldn't see me from his angle. It was a good thing, too, because as soon as I had moved, he looked up, as though hoping to see something he knew he wouldn't, and I had the shock of recognition.

It was the boy from the picture!

Something jolted inside me, and I had no idea what to do. My heart pleaded to stay, but my mind was screaming at me to run. So I did.

I slipped out the window as soon as the guy entered the house, and stealthily made my way to a nearby tree, praying my grip on the ledge would hold.

As soon as I reached my objective, I leaped onto a handy branch and made my way down. I had no idea where I was going, only that I was going to run as fast I could. So I did.

I ran past children running through sprinklers, women watering their gardens, men washing their cars, all blissfully unaware of me. Something pushed me on, kept me from tiring. This time, there was no maniacal laughter following my every step, but still I ran as I had that day.

The day my mother had been murdered.

This time, though, I took all day to reach the mansion I'd collapsed in before. Cautiously, I slowed my step, taking in everything around me. Half the shutters hung askew, creaking ominously in the breeze. Weeds that reached my waist clung to me, hindering my progress. The mansion seemed to retreat with every step I took, and before long, it was starting to waver in my vision. Nevertheless, I plodded on.

I don't know why. I really had no hope for anything if I reached it. All I knew was the I had to make it, no matter how heavy my legs were . . .

Vaguely, I wondered why I was so tired . . . all I had done was run around all day . . . I'd been asleep for a week, if Tomoyo was to be believed. And why not? She had never led me astray before . . . actually, she had never really led me anywhere. With a pang, I realized what an awful friend I must be. We considered each other best friends, and I never told her anything. She's perceptive, that much I know, considering the number of times she saw through my feeble lying skills, before I'd been able to practice. She must have noticed something was going on. And how did she know that doctor?

Speaking of which . . . why hadn't anyone wanted to treat me that day? It was almost as though someone had told them not to– but that was ridicules. With so much to think about, I nearly ran straight into the front door. I'm really glad I didn't, considering how big and wooden that thing was. I would had got some serious bruising if I had, not to mention the splinters. The thought of slivers of wood stuck in my forehead was so disturbing that I actually reached up to feel my forehead, just to make sure it wasn't covered with pointy things or something.

That's when I realized something. All my bruises were gone. Completely gone, as though they'd never been there. Wherever I was, I was really starting to like it a lot better than where I used to be.

Where was I, anyway? Was it true? Was this who I was, and everything else had been a nightmare? I wanted it to be so bad, but something nagged at the corners of my mind. Shouldn't I remember something, at least? I might have some sort of amnesia, but there's no such thing as total loss of memory, no matter what movies say.

Maybe . . . The wind started to pick up, and for the first time, I realized that clouds had been gathering above me all day. I was in for a thunder storm and I need shelter. Fast.

Without hesitation, I pushed the door open, looking for any signs of life. There were none. A flash of light blinded me momentarily, and the following crash of thunder was enough to send me flying into the abandoned mansion in terror. A grand staircase greeted me, its once-shining banister dull with dust and age. The crystal chandelier hung above me, no longer illuminating the enormous entryway, cobwebs hanging almost elegantly from it. It was as though time had been stopped in the house, and I had just stepped into my past.

Another flash of light allowed me to see the portraits of the Hiiragizawa line glaring down their noses at me, their eyes following every cautious step I took. A sense of elegance still hung in the air, bringing back many memories. Mechanically, almost, I walked through the halls that had, for a brief time, been my home. Everything was the same. I was bombarded with mixed emotions; it had been the last place I had felt safe, and I had been happy, but they had also abandoned me. They had left me at that orphanage, without so much as a note asking whether I was still alive.

The weather seemed to reflect my mood, and rain was coming down in sheets out there. It was only a matter of time before it began to hail.

Unconsciously, I reached for the pendant I had worn since I was three . . . in that different place and time. To my surprise, I found it hanging on my neck, as always. Everything else about me was different, why did I still have my necklace? I had no time to ponder this, however, because just then, lightening flashed, in itself nearly scaring me to death, but when the thunder crashed, I was terrified. And I'll admit it; I'm scared of thunder and lightening. I always have been. But being completely alone in that mansion didn't help, either.

Every step I took echoed, my heartbeat rung so loud I could even hear it above the din of the storm. With every breath I drew, it became harsher, more ragged. And I did what I've always done when I was scared.

I found a corner.

Huddled there, cold and lost, I will say that I've never felt so alone. All I wanted was for someone to show up and save me, but I knew that would never happen. I held the pink book tighter to me without realizing it. Its corner dug into me, as though it wanted my attention. Looking down, it barely registered that I could see it clearly, though the only light came from the occasional flash of lightening.

Glad of something to keep me distracted, I opened the book, and to my amazement, found cards instead of pages. They were strange, but beautiful. Characters had been drawn on them, and I instinctively knew they were anything but ordinary. Shuffling through them, I saw two that especially caught my eye. One seemed to be a young woman holding a clock, and 'return' was written across the bottom. It was the other one, though, that intrigued me. It depicted an old man, swathed in robes like the other, but he was holding what seemed to be an hourglass.

'Time' it said.

Time is such a funny thing. The fourth dimension. And I can see through it. It's supposed to be this unfathomable thing, a big secret from everybody that we all just accept to be true. I wonder why I can see the past, the future?

Lightening flashed, thunder crashed, bringing me out of my reverie. I screamed and held the card to my heart, wishing only to be back at the place I have called home for sixteen years. Or have I?

It may not have been the best of lives, but at least I knew what to do. There was the familiarity that could comfort me, though there was nothing remotely pleasant about it. All I wanted was to be back.

I closed my eyes and tears trickled out. Everything was spinning. I was getting dizzy. Why wouldn't it stop? Didn't they know I was going to be sick? All I wanted was to be back at the home I never had. I opened my eyes briefly, and the last thing I saw before I blacked out again was a pair of now familiar worried amber eyes.

At last. I was safe.

*~*~*~*~

When I opened my eyes again, I was grateful to find myself back in that big elegant bed. I was so tired of blacking out and waking up in unfamiliar places, it was a blessing to look up and see the same elegant satin draped above me, my sheets once again perfect. Everything was exactly the way it used to be, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

But what if I was back in the day I was here last?

There was no way for me to know whether or not I was once again in the present. I couldn't ask the date, I didn't even know how long I'd been gone. If Tomoyo walked in, what would I do? Ask her if she remembered me popping in on her, then disappearing? If I were back in the past, she would think I was crazy, and that would get me absolutely no where.

How did I get back, anyway? It was getting to the point that I really wanted to know who those eyes belonged to, but I didn't dare ask. I didn't want to ruin the mystery. There were so many things I didn't understand, and to be quite frank, I didn't want to. I knew something was going on that would only serve to complicate my already twisted life. I didn't think I would be able to handle that, but even I couldn't deny that I wanted to know what was going on.

Everything was getting so complicated. All I ever wanted was a normal life, but I never did get that. I have never asked for anything else. Ever. I didn't ask for the beatings to stop. I didn't wish the alcohol away, or the attempts on my innocence. I never asked to see my family again.

I never even asked for someone to love me.

I guess my special 'gift' is the one thing that can guarantee I will never be normal. All I can say is that whoever is out there giving out these little 'gifts' had better start making sure that the people actually want them. But then again, it's not something I would wish on anyone. I know I can deal with it, so maybe it's better for me to have to bear this weight.

So I comfort everyone else. They don't know what it's like to truly despair. I don't want them to. No one deserves the pain I go through. No one. I hope that one day . . . maybe . . . someone will try to save me.

The door creaked open, and an amethyst eye peeked out at me. I sucked in a breath. This was when I find out where– or when– I was.

When she saw my lying there with my eyes wide open, she nearly unhinged the door when she burst into the room, only to smother me with her hug. Apparently I wasn't there unless she could prove it to herself. I lay there indulgently for about five minutes, but then I really started to need air, and I tried to tell her that. But unless I wanted large quantities of her dark hair in my mouth, I could only make a few very odd sounds from the back of my throat.

I didn't work that well.

The door opened again, and I prayed that whoever it was would notice that I was slowly suffocating.

"Tomoyo," I heard a voice say. It sounded like the doctor again, "Kindly do not kill your friend after all the trouble we have gone through to save her." Was it just me, or did he sound amused?

Finally, she drew back, and to my shock, I saw tears in her eyes. I couldn't tell whether they were tears of joy or not, but I'm not sure she knew either.

"Don't even think about ever trying something like that ever again," she said, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably. "You were gone for a week, do you know that?! And none could even feel you! I didn't whether you were dead, or is they'd taken you, or anything! You put me through a lot, young lady! And then when we finally find you, you're out cold for three days!" By now, the blue-haired doctor had taken Tomoyo gently by the arm and was leading her out of the room. Of course, that only served to agitate her more, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was going to work herself into hysterics. I figured I was the only one there that would be able to head her off before she got herself sick, as she's been known to do before.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to make the small smile on my face genuine. I sat up, and said the second she paused to take a much-needed breath of air,

"Remember the time I went to your house and fell down the stairs all because of the stupid thing you made me wear?" She was looking at me indignantly now.

"It was not stupid! I only wanted to see you in a dress. Besides, it was mostly your fault, you were trying to run away."

"What else could I do?" I shrugged helplessly, "You were going to get me on tape. I had to run."

"I wasn't getting my camera," she protested. " I was just going to the kitchen to get a cookie for you!" I snorted.

"Yeah, so you could blackmail me into standing still while you taped me." By now Tomoyo had completely forgotten that she had been about to rant at me for hours, and was starting to smile.

"Oh yeah . . . I'd forgotten about that."

"Convenient." I knew I had successfully distracted her, and I knew it was safe for me to open my arms, knowing she needed the comfort. I would have preferred solitude, but everyone else came first.

"I really am sorry." I said while she cried. She had to get it out, I knew. The best way to heal is to get it out. And I really did feel bad for making her worry. Maybe if I'd told her something . . . but she might not be able to deal with it. Besides, I had a feeling she already knew more than I'd told her.

"It's not your fault," she said when she finally came up, drying her eyes. "You must be hungry. Do you me to bring you something to eat?" she said briskly.

"Sure, food sounds good." I hesitated, then said what I knew she wanted to hear. "Do you want to eat with me?" No matter how much she wanted to, though, she wouldn't unless she really thought I wanted her there. "Unless you're too busy . . ." She smiled.

"For my best friend? Never. I'll be right back." With that she turned and left, and the doctor soon followed, after casting me an odd look.

I sighed. The truth was that I didn't think I'd be able to keep anything down if I tried to eat, and all I wanted was to be alone, but as that's what I usually want, and I rarely ever get it, I knew I would be able to fake cheerfulness. It would make Tomoyo happy to see me eat, it would convince her that I really was all right, and I knew she would only worry if I chose to eat alone. I wanted her to be happy. She deserved it.

When she came in ten minutes later, I was ready. My mask was up, my fears were hidden. I scooted over to make room for her to sit, and allowed her to brush my hair as we gossiped the day away.


That night, as I lay in bed, struggling with the tears that threatened to get the better of me, I made a wish on a shooting star I saw streaming through the night sky.

Please . . . somebody . . . save me.

A/N: I don't know what I think about this chapter . . . it seemed kinda pointless to me, but what do I know? I hope I didn't confuse too many people. :$ The part at the beginning was from the song 'Somebody Save Me' by Chalee Tennison (I don't own it). REVIEW!!!