Disclaimer: I do not own CCS.  It's really a shame…

Thanks to those who reviewed! Ne… is the rating right? I'm not sure… there's going to be some parental abuse so yeah. I suck at rating stuff. Maybe it should be PG-13.

Ice Queen

Chapter Two

---

Syaoran's POV

---

Amber eyes stared at the tiny slip of paper, the sheer intensity of his focus seemed to bore a hole through the thin, white piece of matter. Syaoran read the one word on it… and then read it over again, still not quite sure whether or not to be pleased that the Ice Queen had written him a note of apology… or to be interested in her actions.

She isn't as cold as she plays off to be… and what more, she can feel guilt… not as icy as everyone thinks she is, is she?

Striding over towards the bus stop, Syaoran checked his watch before slamming his fist into the "Bus Stop" sign. "Damn… I bent it," he immediately scanned the area, making sure no one else was there before doing his best to bend the thin pole back into place.

"He's going to kill me…" the high school senior ran a hand through his messy, chocolate brown hair before sighing and sprinting off in the direction on his home.

Syaoran knocked quietly on the door before slipping a key into the lock and opening it. Stepping noiselessly into the room, he looked around, trying to find where he was. His eyes focused onto a dark, shadowed figure slumped onto the living room couch.

The man lying across the old, stuffed chair was none other than his father… and Syaoran hoped with all his heart that his old man really had had too much to drink.

Please have passed out… Please have passed out…

No such luck. His father turned drowsily before staring at him with his harsh, piercing back eyes. Standing up slowly from the couch, the large man walked towards his son, "So… my little boy finally decided to return home… well? What's your excuse this time?" He brought a fist down onto Syaoran's eyes, blackening the flesh surrounding it.

"Did you have fun today, eh Syaoran?" Syaoran's father pummeled him, throwing multiple punches at his stomach before finally slamming his elbow into Syaoran's already cut-up arm.

Soaring pain registered in his mind and Syaoran yelled in agony before curling into a small ball on the ground.

Kuso!

His father's hand clamped onto the edge of his shirt and raised him up so that he could spit in Syaoran's face. "Disgusting little brat," he hissed before brining his knee up sharply into his groin.

"Ah…" Syaoran's body fell crumpled onto the floor. The older man was continually beating him… until Syaoran summoned up what scarce strength he had left and pushed his father over, making a break for his own room. He turned around and locked the door, trembling as he heard his father come up to the door, banging on it as loud as he could.

Hearing him take another long drink from his beer bottle, Syaoran prayed that his dad had reached his limit.

Please be fully passed out… please be fully passed out…

When no rude knocking came at his door, but instead a loud and heavy thud, Syaoran sighed in relief.

Suddenly, he fell forward, clenching his stomach and gritting his teeth in pain.

Oh crap.

His body collapsed on the floor and his world became black for the second time that day.

Sakura's POV

---

How many more days must I bear this…

Sakura glared at a group of terrified girls walking past her.

Idiotic band of students being so near me?

She walked down the hall and saw a girl handing a boy a sandwich. It wouldn't have bothered her, but the boy was no other than Syaoran Li.

Her eyes narrowed, and unknowingly she felt annoyed for the new kid. Why, she would never know… but she recognized that look of purely fake politeness on his face. A kind of politeness that begged whoever was bother him to leave… immediately.

That girl… she was in her class… name was Chiharu?

Why does it bug me anyway? Why should I care that she's given Li a sandwich… and what does it matter that he wants to get away?

Her emerald pupils lingered on the two of them standing in the hallway for a moment longer than perhaps they should have.

But still she felt some satisfaction when she saw Syaoran waiting for Chiharu to walk away before throwing away the 'specially-made' gift Chiharu had made him.

She would have kept on walking, but decided on going to her locker, which was near enough to where he was standing so that she could observe him more.

Is it just me… or does he seem in pain?

As if suddenly realizing how much attention she was paying a worthless classmate of hers, Sakura turned to leave, but not before smirking to herself.

Who would have thought there would be something interesting to learn about this year after all?

Her eyes trailed back onto Syaoran holding his stomach before staring back in front of her as she entered the classroom.

There's something about him…

Sakura walked into the classroom and went straight over to her teacher, Hirizigawa-sensei… or as most people called him, Eriol-sensei, since his last name was too long.

"Eriol… how is Tomoyo?" she stood in front of his desk and crossed her arms. While with any other teacher she might have sat onto the desk and messed with the papers as she spoke to her beloved "sensei", Eriol was different. He had her respect… and perhaps even friendship.

Suddenly, two smiling eyes looked up at her, "Oh! Saku-Kinomoto-san! She's doing fine... and she wanted me to ask you if you'd come over some time soon… she said she'd bake some strawberry cake."

Sakura nodded stiffly before going to her seat.

She, Eriol, and Tomoyo went way back. She didn't let him call her Sakura-chan at school or in public, but the two of them were the only people she really cared about… and trusted. Tomoyo had gotten into a car accident, but now it seems like she'd make it out just fine.

Che. They're better than my "wonderful" guardian anyway. I barely escaped living with that abusive old man… life here with the two of them… to say it's an improvement would be a major understatement.

What Sakura didn't know, was that Eriol was the one who paid for her bills. Her guardian didn't care a thing about her. He lived somewhere in Osaka.

The bell rang and everyone was busy writing down notes that the teacher assigned… well everyone but Sakura and Syaoran.

Sakura had been staring out the window. Even though she didn't look it, Sakura was one of the top students in the school. She had long since finished her notes, and was more than ready to ace another one of Eriol's sure-to-come pop-quizzes.

She glanced around the classroom, bored nearly to the point of death. She was surprised to find that Syaoran had finished as well.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Syaoran getting up and running out of the classroom. She was annoyed, and the air around her seemed to freeze as she became irritated at the fact that the moment of peace in the classroom was interrupted.

Those buffoons will probably start making a fuss about something utterly unimportant again.

Sakura watched as one guy… Yamazaki… was it… get up and run out of the room after Syaoran. A bubbling emotion rose up in her chest as she realized that Syaoran already had friends.

"Hurray for him. That fool can go play with the rest of the kiddies as well… and I thought that he had some tact… it's not often that I'm wrong," she whispered to herself.

Yamazaki raced back into the room, and his words seemed to stop the beating of her heart… but she didn't know why se was so concerned.

"Eriol-senesi! Come quick! It's Li-kun!"

To be continued…

So… what do you think? I know it's not all super or anything, but… I think it'll pass. REVIEW!