Chapter 1: The Girl

Lil LoveStar: Hey this is chapter 1; hope you like RR always.

Sixteen years later that same night.

A girl with a black bandana and brown eyes looked up at the full moon and the clouds drifting under its glow. She looked down at the key she kept around her neck then back to the moon and sighed. "Cosette." Came a whisper that almost scared her. A boy her age came out of the shadows; he had midnight blue hair, with matching eyes that were behind a thin pair of glasses.

"Eriol? What are you doing here?" The girl asked.

"It's the children, they're all sobbing." "I can't calm them down."

"Ok, let's go." Cosette said following next to him. She remembered when she slept in that room and she remembered how much she wanted to cry everyday. But now at the age of sixteen she knew that she had to be strong for those around her. Eriol opened the door as they stepped into a very dark room. You could hear little sobs all over the room. Cosette looked at the little darlings with a sad look, "Ok, ok, shh now, calm down." She said softly. The youngest one, a girl, at the age of three stopped and looked at the voice. In the darkness she smiled at the voice and said, "Its Cosette." The other children, who were around the ages of 4-6 each stopped and looked at the sixteen-year-old standing over them. "Ok now, let's get some moonlight in here." She walked over to the large window and opened the curtain. The light from the moon brightened the room as she looked at the ten children in the room. They were all dirty, but all smiled at her. "Eriol, get me a warm washcloth." Eriol nodded and started off.

"Well now how are you all?" Cosette asked. She normally saw them everyday but today she hadn't.

"The emperor made us weed his gardens." A six-year-old boy with hazel colored eyes and scruffy blond hair pouted. Eriol came back with a washcloth in a bucket of warm, slightly soapy water. Cosette picked up the boy and wiped his arms and face and asked, "Didn't like that huh?"

"The emperor is a potty-head." The boy said.

"I don't think that's very nice Cory." Cosette said setting him down. She'd finished eight of the children when she came to the youngest and her favorite of them all. The little thing had long shiny turquoise hair in long pigtails and bangs on two sides of her forehead, not in the middle. Her eyes were a cute hot pink color. She also had two halves of a triangle on the middle of her forehead that came together as one. (She looks like Sasami from Tenchi) Cosette picked her up and asked, "What do you think of his highness?"

"Are you talk-ing bout the em-per-or?" She asked.

"Yes sweetie."

"Oh… well I did like the fa-act tha we got to play outside." She smiled innocently.

"You're too nice to everyone! Cosette she's too nice!" A girl at the age of six said. She had piercing sapphire eyes and dirty blond hair. Cosette shook her head at the child's remark and asked, "Do you like me Mia?"

"Yea I like you a lot Cosette." Mia said.

"Well I'm just like she is; I always try to find the good in anything or anyone. And she's younger than you all so don't yell at her for something that she naturally has." Mia put on a sad face at Cosette scolding her and told the three year old she was sorry. "Now I believe its time for bed, all of you."

"Sing us a song." The three-year-old said excitedly.

"You'd better hurry Cosette it's getting late." Eriol said. 'He's right and I shouldn't be here at this hour.' Cosette thought to herself. "But first tell me why were you all crying?" She asked tucking them into two beds, one for the girls and another for the boys.

"Is a cause it was dark." One of the other boys said.

"Yeah and we were scared that the em-per-or was gonna get us." The three year old said with a slight shake.

"Oh little Sasami." Cosette smiled as she sang

There is a Castle on a Cloud. I like to go there in my sleep.

Aren't any floors for me to sweep. Not in my Castle on a Cloud.

There is a room that's full of toys; there are 100 boys and girls. Nobody shouts or talks too loud. Not in my Castle on a Cloud.

There is a lady all in white holds me and sings a lullaby, she's nice to see and she's soft to touch. She says Cosette I love you very much.

I know a place where no one's lost. I know a place where no one cries, crying at all is not allowed.

Not in my Castle on a Cloud.

When she finished all of the children were fast asleep, most with smiles on there faces. The door opened, two guards, the emperor and his son came in. Cosette and Eriol didn't hear them until Sasami made a scared face in her sleep. "What was that horrible sound I heard?" The emperor yelled waking all the children. Both Eriol and Cosette gasped. Sasami started to cry because of the emperors yell. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sasami haven't I told you time and again that you should only cry when I hit you?" He was about to hit the now sobbing Sasami when Cosette came in front of her. "Cosette? So that was you who disturbed my rest, with that song of yours." He glared.

"My mother sang me that song when I was young." She declared. Sean glared at her as he grabbed her face and said behind gritted teeth, "What have I always told you?" Cosette struggled as his grip intensified, she said, "My mother never loved me."

"And?"

"And that she left me alone."

"And?"

"And you were so kind as to bring me into the palace under your care." Tears started welling in her eyes at saying her mother didn't love her.

"Don't forget what I taught you Cosette." He let go of her. She stopped crying and glared at his back. She knew her mother loved her. She remembered the night someone took her away from her mother, hearing her sing to her, hearing her yell a name at her. But for some reason she couldn't fully remember the song or the name, but she remembered parts of the song and made up her own words. If only she knew where her mother was. The emperor turned and said, "I hope I never hear that song from you Cosette. And as punishment you will become my son's personally servant." His son stepped forward as Cosette looked at him. He looked like his father, chestnut colored hair and amber eyes glaring at her, his glare was different from his father's though, it was worse. Sean pulled her forward toward his son, she fell face first at his feet.

"Do what you wish with her son, just don't kill her." Sean said annoyed as he and the guards left. Cosette looked up at the prince, the children all started to whimper and cry. The prince growled and said in a deep but cold voice, "Take care of them and I'll be back for you in the morning." He left as Eriol went over to Cosette and they both put the children back to sleep.

Lil LoveStar: Liked? RR and tell me plezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz thanx.