COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: The characters here only belong to CLAMP, well probably for some of those that I created myself. Other than that, they are strictly the property of the CLAMP manga team of four women and they rock!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: To all the reviewers out there, thank you for your reviews, and I do appreciate them very much, to that of asga & Dust-in. This is the second installment of the arc of four year old Tomoyo. On an overall basis, I won't really say this chapter is fantastic, but it is more of laying the foundations for the later plots in the later part of this story. Please read and enjoy it, thank you!

ASSUMPTIONS MADE: 1. Like I said before, Kyoto is a city influenced by Chinese culture; 2. For some weird reason, Tomoyo already has magical powers; 3. Kurogane isn't that cold or whatsoever personality when he was young. It was caused by something later on.

CHRONICLE THREE: LOST IN THE CITY by xXredEMPTionXx

"What?" The man with the tall black headdress and the white imperial garb stood up from his sitting position near the low wooden table. "You've simply let your imperial sister get lost like that. I demand an answer now, Princess Tomoko."

"Tennou no Otousama," the princess dressed in common attire knelt down before her imperial father, lowering down her head. She began a kowtowing ceremony of respect to her emperor father. "I was careless for being unable to take care of her. Please give me the harshest punishment."

The emperor gave a humph and looked away from his own daughter. "I'll deal with your punishment later," he spoke strictly. "We'll find Princess Tomoyo. She is one who has being blessed with the special abilities of our blood, and losing her is not an option."

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Tennou no Otousama," Tomoko-hime replied back closing her eyes.

"But," the imperial symbol spoke back to his own kin. "You'll stay in the palace to do self-reflection by re-reading the Confucian analects once again."

The princess looked up at her father. After all, he was a benevolent ruler in the land of Japan who did not really mean the harsh things he had said. She had just been granted with a lenient punishment of self-reflection indirectly ordered by her imperial parent.

Please come soon…Tomoyo-chan…

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"Tomoyo-ojousama," Kuro-chan panted as he followed the energetic princess. They had been searching for the elder princess who had seemed to be nowhere in sight. "You should rest. We have been searching for a rather long time. The sun is already setting."

"Please don't call me ojousama," Tomoyo stopped to turn to her newly-found companion, giving a smile which softened the seemingly fierce look in his red eyes.

"I don't care," he replied back sarcastically and folding his arms. "I call anyone at my own will!"

"So…" the princess spoke softly with a sad tone in her voice suddenly. "You…you don't treat me as a friend?" Her eyes were suddenly warm and watery. Kuro-chan looked at the suddenly sad princess, and was at a loss.

"Hey...!" Kuro-chan had a panicky look on his face, with panic shown in his eyes. "Don't cry! People will think I'm bullying you! Okay, anything, I'll call you Tomoyo-sama."

"It doesn't have a touch of being friendly still," the princess responded back with still a sad tone.

"Okay, I'll call you Tomoyo-san instead!"

She was quick to show a happy face again. The boy next to her only showed signs of embarrassment for making a girl cry as his red face showed. Together, they walked through the back alleys of the shop houses to find her elder sibling.

"Kuro-chan," Tomoyo blurted out abruptly as she continued to look for her elder sister in the thick crowd of the street. The sky had become orange and the sun was already setting. Little did the princess and the outcast boy knew that this task was as impossible as finding a needle in a haystack. "How did you survive in these streets?"

"I don't really know…" came his quiet but abrupt reply to her question. He placed both of his arms behind his short black hair. "…all I know is that I always ate the food left by the shops, or fighting with others over it, Tomoyo-san."

"The others, Kuro-chan?"

"Those idiot homeless boys found here," he replied back sharply with a bit of anger in his tone.

"Those who bullied you?" There was a moment of silence after Tomoyo's words.

"Yes."

Tomoyo knew that Kuro-chan was indeed an ostracized child that was despised by the society, but she didn't know much. "Let's continue finding my sister," she changed the topic after much consideration that was originally to probe further into her companion's life.

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"Lord Oda!" a sudden cry came from one of the servants in the servitude of the House of the noble Oda family. "The princess Tomoyo is missing. The news came from above."

"So what if the princess is missing, Sen?" A middle aged man in noble dress replied back at his servant. "It doesn't affect me much."

"Of course it affects you much," a ladylike voice suddenly sounded, which came in the form of a young woman in an exquisite silk kimono dress. "How can you let such a golden opportunity to slip by?"

"Since when was this a golden opportunity, kanai-ue?"

"The princess Tomoyo is the favoured subject of the imperial house," she explained in an analytical manner. Narrowing her eyes, she produced an evil smile which obviously was that of an attempt to do something unorthodox. "If we can somehow make the princess disappear, the influential Fujiwara house would be humiliated by their inability to protect her and we can influence the emperor more to kick out that wretched family."

Lord Oda thought for a moment, and suddenly produced a sinister grin too. "Your ideas are always great, kanai-ue," he replied back in unison.

Little did they know that their faithful servant was hearing all of these and knew that something bad was going to happen. Sen the servant gave a silent bow and proceeded to exit the main room of the noble house.

"Sen," Lady Oda suddenly ordered him from behind. "Do not breathe a word of what we have just discussed."

"Yes, madam."

"If you do so," the lady of the noble family held up a certain pink cherry blossom. Without warning, she clenched her fist and crushed it readily. "You'll end up like this poor flower. And so will the young princess share the same fate as it."

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"Tomoyo-san," Kuro-chan said his words again silently with much hesitance. "It is already late. You should be going home."

"And what about you?"

"I…I have no home," he answered back to the princess. "I'll just sleep in the streets."

"That won't do," she rebutted his words. "I can't let you sleep in such terrible conditions."

"I'm fine with it!" Kuro-chan replied in a strong tone, trying to act tough in front of her. "A girl like you should rest in better places like your home." Tomoyo looked at him, which made him a little uneasy on the inside.

"Kuro-chan," Tomoyo suddenly smiled back at the young boy, which made him feel bad in his heart. "Then I'll join you in sleeping in the streets."

You're really stupid to let her sleep in the streets…

"DON'T!" He suddenly exclaimed out at the princess in which his comical action was enough to make Tomoyo have a few giggles.

"Why not? After all, it is better to have company," she produced a kindly look on her face. Kuro-chan knew that it was definitely difficult to resist her offer, for he had been lonely for much of the time, or all the time since time immemorial. However, his mind was full of hesitation at the thought of letting such an upper class person to sleep in the streets with him.

"Well…"

"Well I don't mind anything," Tomoyo replied back to console his reluctance. "We can continue to find my sister tomorrow."

"Shouldn't your sister be back at home by now?" Kuro-chan questioned, seeing that the street was already quite empty since it was already dark and many have returned to their respective homes to rest. "You can go back to your home to tell your father if your sister is missing."

"I want to find my sister myself," Tomoyo answered back to her companion's query, and showed a determination in her eyes. "I don't believe in failing now."

She's quite mature in thinking despite her age…

"Something wrong?" Tomoyo asked the pondering Kuro-chan as he looked into blank space. Although he was a little rude and somehow shy too, he was a thinker all the time who had much things going through his head at times.

"Nothing is wrong," he replied back abruptly as soon as he had come to his senses. "Let's find a place to rest." Tomoyo nodded in response.

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"It looks…cozy," the princess commented as she looked at a corner of the wall of the alley. Kuro-chan had found some straws and haystacks as a blanket to protect against the cold. "Do you sleep like that all the time?"

He was reluctant to comment on anything. It was obvious that almost any homeless person would have such a place to sleep in for the night. He suddenly lowered his head, giving a dark look to the princess.

"I'm sorry, Tomoyo-ojousama," he suddenly became respectful of her. "This is the best I could help you. After all, you're probably used to a comfortable home, and your father would probably be worried about you."

"My father has other worries than me alone," she suddenly spoke solemnly and in a soft, sad tone. "He has more problems than to worry about me." She crept behind the straws and haystacks which warmed her body. Suddenly, she noticed that Kuro-chan was not going to share the 'blanket' with her.

"Sorry…I'll find myself some other alternatives to warm myself."

Tomoyo looked at the condition of his garments. It was tattered and torn, with no one caring whether he was ill-treated. There were several loopholes in his grey clothes, which was in the shape of an external kimono too.

"Won't you get cold?"

"Just worry about yourself!" came his cold reply towards the princess. He knew he couldn't afford to let her stay with him. Tomoyo nodded and crept behind the 'blanket', knowing well that she could not convince him to share it with her.

Hopefully…we can find her sister tomorrow, and I can bid a final farewell to her…

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In the deep night, in a certain alley were two sleeping children. One behind the straw blanket, and the other one just sleeping and shivering from the cold. Two dark figures appeared in the alley as they approached the princess in slumber.

"Your Imperial Highness, Princess Tomoyo," one of the dark figures suddenly bowed to her, and shook her to awaken her. "We have finally found you."

"Who…Who are you people?" She suddenly stirred from her sleep, opening her eyes. "Did you find my sister?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Then I can return home," Tomoyo gave a small smile with a heave of relief. Turning her head to the sleeping Kuro-chan, she looked back at one of the dark figures who had shown himself as a masked ninja. "Can I bring him along too?"

"Absolutely not," came the reply from the ninja. "He is way below you to enter the palace."

"But…"

Her speech was to be suddenly stopped by the other ninja cupping her mouth and suddenly putting her small frame over his shoulder. Shocked by what was happening, she was unable to shout or do anything as she watched the figure of the sleeping Kuro-chan getting smaller and smaller.

END OF CHRONICLE THREE

CHRONICLE FOUR: THE RESCUE OF THE PRINCESS

CONCLUSION: Tomoyo the princess has been captured by some strange ninjas. Are they really from the imperial palace or were they hired by the plotting nobles to use her as a trump card? Can Kuro-chan devise some plan to save the princess this time? But the problem is that he is only a small child, and he cannot do anything. Watch out for the next chapter The Rescue of the Princess!

GLOSSARY: tennou no otousan – 'honourable father', a term to respect the emperor as father; arigatou gozaimasu – Japanese honourific for 'thank you'; ojousama – technically means 'young mistress' in Japanese, used by servants; kanai-ue – honourific for 'wife', used in my story for the wives of nobles