Ok everybody u better thank me! this is up a day sooner than I said it would! Be very very very thankful. Actually I'm just taking a break from my project right now, soooooo…I figured might as well write this chapter up.

Chapter 9

Friday.

The day before the dance.

"Alright people, now, we've been watching Li's every move, and we've taken these photos, that way we can identify him. However even if you do see him alone, do not attack unless you have back-up there with you. This vamp is strong, and takes no mercy."

Touya was currently sitting in one of the meeting rooms of the underground, listening to Ryu go on and on about how dangerous Li was. Finally one of the pictures got to him. Practically every organ in his body temporarily shut down, when he recognized him. 'It was the gaki from yesterday!' His mind went back to when Sakura said that she had met him at the party. He was going to have to talk with her.

His eyes were on fire, as he got up and stormed out of the room without saying anything to anyone. Ryu looked at the door, where Touya had just exited, strangely. Then shrugged his shoulders and returned to the debriefing.

Sakura's Room, same time

Sakura was just finishing her homework when the doorbell rang. She got up and stretched, while making sure her sais were on her waistband, well hidden. She bounded down the stairs and opened the door. She gasped when she saw Meiling. "Meiling, what are you doing here?"

Meiling smiled, "Oh I just wanted to talk for a few minutes, mind if I come in?"

Sakura shook her head and stepped aside to allow her entrance. She led her to the living room and sat down. "Do you want something to drink?"

Meiling shook her head still smiling sweetly. "No thanks. Actually I was hoping we could just get to the point."

Sakura nodded eagerly.

"Well ok, are you in love with my cousin?" she asked bluntly.

Sakura blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Syaoran, my cousin are you in love with him?" she asked more straightforward this time.

Sakura tried to say something but nothing would come out. "I-well-I-"

Meiling smiled. "That's what I thought. Congratulations Sakura." She got up and smiled, as if Sakura had just said yes.

Sakura just kept staring as she opened the door, and turned back to her, still smiling like a kid who just got away with stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. "I'll be seeing you soon Sakura-chan. Welcome to the family."

With that she left. Leaving Sakura, still sitting on the chair, wide-eyed, and tongue-tied.

As if things couldn't get any worse, just when Meiling had shut the door, it opened once again, almost being knocked off it's hinges. Touya lunged through and slammed it shut again, searching her out.

His eyes found her and his scowl deepened. He stalked over to her, and slapped the pictures down on the table making Sakura gasp. "Touya what's wrong?"

Touya trying very hard to control his temper, asked silently, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" he asked getting louder, "What's wrong is my little sister is having an affair with a FREAKIN VAMPIRE!"

Sakura closed her eyes, 'Oh man can this day get any worse?'

"Touya, please calm down its not what it looks like."

"Then tell me what the HECK IS GOING ON!" he screamed, making her jump back a little.

'What do I say? What do I say?'

'I can't tell him nothing's going on, he'll see right through me. I can't lie to him.'

"I don't know." She answered. And it was the truth, she didn't know. How could she tell Touya when she didn't know her own feelings.

"What do you mean you don't know!" he asked, his voice still raised.

"I MEAN I DON'T KNOW!" Sakura yelled at him, now equally mad. And for the first time in a long time, she started crying. She tried to hold the tears back, but couldn't. They just kept coming.

Touya's eyes softened. He knew exactly what was happening, although he didn't want to admit it. He knew his little kaijuu was in love.

"You love him, don't you?" he more stated, then asked.

Sakura threw up her hands, exasperated. "Oh I don't know! One minute, he gets on my nerves so much that I want nothing more than to drive a stake through his heart and the next, I want him to just hold me!" she had no clue why she was telling her brother all this, but at the moment there was no one else.

Touya came over and hugged her tightly, stroking her soft hair, "It's going to be ok. We're going to get through this ok?"

She nodded against his chest. Still not sure, but she trusted him. He pulled away. "You know you can't see him ever again?"

Her eyes widened, "But Touya, he doesn't even know I'm a hutner!"

He looked Sakura straight in the eye, taking the sides of her face into his hands. "No buts this time Sakura, I mean it. Not ever. In fact I think we should move back to Tokyo."

"TOUYA!"

"Sakura! By now the entire vampire community here has at least heard about you and Li." Touya said soothingly, yet firmly.

She nodded still not happy, but she knew that if Meiling knew, then everyone probably knew. It would no longer be safe in Tomoeda.

"Touya," she began warily, "At least let me say good-bye to him. The dance tomorrow, there'll be a lot of people, and I promise I'll stay with the crowds."

Touya was about to protest, then saw the look in his little sister's eye. He sighed, defeated, "Alright. But no going off with him alone. He's still a vampire, there's no telling what he'll do when he gets angry."

Sakura nodded obediently, then ran up to her room and locked the door. She threw herself onto her bed and cried her heart out. She hadn't cried since her father had died, over 12 years ago. After that her mother had started training her, telling her that tears were not an option. She hadn't even cried when her mother died, she knew that she wouldn't have liked it. but now, it felt like her heart had just been torn into pieces and sent through a shredder. She couldn't help but cry.

She had to talk to someone, so she picked up the phone and dialed Tomoyo.

The Night of the Dance

"OW! Tomoyo watch it that hurts!" Sakura snapped at her best friend while holding onto the hair that Tomoyo was now trying to put up.

Tomoyo smiled, "Oh Sakura-chan, don't you want to look your best for Li-kun tonight?"

Sakura instantly sobered, and Tomoyo suddenly regretted what she had just said. "Oh I'm sorry Sakura, I really wish there could have been some other way."

Sakura nodded, a tear escaping her eyes. She quickly wiped it away and put a smile on her face, although it was completely fake, and Tomoyo knew it.

"Just hurry up Syaoran will be here in 10 minutes."

Tomoyo nodded and continued with her current project. Sakura had absolutely refused the make-up that Tomoyo had practically begged her to use, but she had agreed to the hair-do.

After a few more agonizing minutes, for Sakura anyway, Tomoyo looked at her finished work, and proudly stated, "Done!"

Sakura looked up into the mirror. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Tomoyo had been right the dress was beautiful, it accentuated her curves perfectly, as well as bringing out her emerald eyes. Her hair was at the top of the back of her head, and sausaged-curled. Sakura smiled weakly and hugged her friend. "Thank you Tomoyo."

Tomoyo pulled back and looked her friend in the eye. "I'll be right there with you, if you need anything, just come and get me alright?"

Sakura nodded, then went over to her desk and got her kinfe/bracelets and put them around her wrists, testing them. She could feel Tomoyo's questioning gaze on her back and decided to answer the question she knew was coming. "I'm going to tell him Tomoyo."

She turned to her friend who's eyes widened. "You don't mean."

"Yes, I'm going to tell him I'm a hunter."

"But Sakur—"

Sakura held up her hand silencing whatever remark Tomoyo had to make. "I know what the risks are Tomoyo, but I don't think he'll hurt me."

"But then what are the knives for?"

She eyed her bracelets, "Assurance."

Tomoyo nodded. "Alright just be careful. Does Touya know about this?"

Sakura's head snapped up, "No. and he never will, clear?"

Tomoyo held up her hands in defense. "Alright. I was just asking."

Suddenly the doorbell rang. She looked at Tomoyo, and gave her one last hug before turning towards the door. "I'll see you at the dance," then shut it tightly behind her, rushing down the stairs before her brother could get to it.

She had barely beaten him and she gave him a lethal stare that made him put his hands up in defeat and sulked back to the kitchen. She sighed, then put her best smile on her face and opened the door.

A/n and I know everyone probably wants to kill me right now, but I'm seriously tired, I've been up all night, and now I want nothing more than to get some well deserved rest. I've been depending on sugar to keep me up and now its all gone, so if you'll excuse me, I have some z's to catch…