Sweetest Life
Chapter Seventeen

This chapter was betaed by the wonderful Joji Sada! Many thanks to her!

"Sakura Kinomoto, I am Yelan Li. Are you of any relation to Fujitaka Kinomoto?"

"Yes, Mrs. Li. He is my father."

She smiled, "We went to school together. How is Fujitaka?"

"I'm afraid to say he has left us," Sakura answered sadly. She felt Syaoran grasp her hand tighter.

Yelan's smile left her face and was replaced with an expression of deep regret. "I haven't spoken to him in years. I will miss him dearly."

"Its okay. He wanted to be with my mother."

"Yes, Nadeshiko. She was very beautiful and a nice person. I only spoke to her once.

Now enough of this saddening talk. Let me show you to your rooms."

"Mother, where are my sisters? I haven't heard their loud voices."

"Syaoran do not speak of your sisters in that way. They will be home tommorrow."

Sakura squealed, "I can't wait to meet them!"

"I guess you want them squealing over you, pinching your cheeks, and dressing you."

They began to move out of the foyer, into the main hall, and up the stairs.

"Your home is beautiful, Mrs.Li."

"I'm glad you like it. I was thinking about redecorating. Maybe add more green."

"That would be great!"

Syaoran rolled his eyes as he followed the two chatting women up the stairs.

SS

"So what do you think of my mother?" asked Syaoran while pulling off his shirt.

"She seems nice."

"Is that all?"

"For right now."

Syaoran smiled and went into the adjourned bathroom. Sakura got up from her chair and followed him. He was standing in front of the mirror. She wrapped her arms arounf him and placed a kiss on his left shoulder blade. He turned around and placed a kiss on warm lips.

"Be prepared for tomorrow, love."

"Your sisters?"

"Yeah, they tend to get a little out of control."

She laughed, "That's okay. Tomoyo's given me a lot of practice."

"Oh yeah. All those years she kept calling toy kawaii, making you strange costumes,

and filming you."

"That's, Tomoyo, for you."

"Are you hungry?"

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. "I want more of your sweet blood."

"Sweet? My blood is not sweet."

"How would you know? You don't drink your own blood."

Syaoran lifted her into his arms. "How about we go and find out?"

Sakura giggled as he moved them out of the bathroom.

SS

Tomoyo sighed as she continued to watch the phone. Sakura hadn't called her yet and she was starting to worry.

"I shouldn't have left her alone."

"Left who alone?"

Tomoyo turned around and watched as Eriol walked through the door pulling off his shoes and socks.

"Sakura, I left her alone with the photographer. I should have stayed with her," cried Tomoyo.

"I'm sure she's alright."

Tomoyo sighed and laid her head down on the desk. 'What if she...no she wouldn't,

but what if she lost control? Sakura...'

She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt arms wrap around her. She leaned back into the warm chest and sighed with content.

"Don't worry so much, 'Moyo."

"I can't help it! What if she's hurt?"

"She's okay. Remember she's with Syaoran."

"I guess your right," whispered Tomoyo. "But I'm going to go to the studio to check it

out. Maybe she left a note."

"Alright, but make sure you come back before seven. I'm making dinner tonight."

"Really? I'll come back at six then."

Eriol laughed, "Still the same Tomoyo."

SS

Tomoyo pulled out her keys to the studio and unlocked the door. She turned the door

handle and walked inside. Everything was exactly how she had left it, except for the photographers camera and suitcase still on the table.

She walked over to the camera and noticed that it had already been used.

'Why would he leave his stuff here?'

She put down the camera and walked over toward Sakura's dressing room. The door was left open, so she just went in. Nothing was out of place, but that unnerved her.

Something was wrong.

She was about to walk out the door when she spotted something red on the white wall.

She got closer to it and ran a finger over it. She then looked at her finger and gasped.

'Blood!'

She quickly wiped off her finger and fled from the room. She opened the suitcase and looked inside. There were tons of pictures of Sakura and a few other girls.

'He hurt Sakura!'

Tomoyo snatched up his wallet and ran out of the studio.

When she got back in her car she went through his wallet and pulled out his license.

He lived only a few blocks away from the studio.

Tomoyo immediately turned on the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

'11th street...12th street...13th street. This is it.'

She pulled up in front of a large blue house with painted black windows.

'There's something not right about this house. Wouldn't the neighbors have noticed

something like this?'

She turned off the engine, undid her seatbelt, and stepped out of the car. She walked up to the door and rung the doorbell. After three minutes of waiting she began to search around for a key. She checked his wallet and found a spare key. She opened the door and walked inside.

Everything looked normal. Papers all over the table, dished in the sink, and a few cans near the sofa. Typical for a guy.

She walked over toward the table littered with papers and looked them over. They were

all on Sakura! What schools she went to, where she grew up, what clubs she joined, everything!

She swallowed the lump that started to form in her throat.

'Why didn't I look at his record?'

She gathered all of the papers and continued into the house. She went to the last room

at the end of the hall. She could her her heart beating as she reached for the handle.

She opened the door and dropped all the papers she was holding. Inside the room a girl was tied to the bed. Blood was everywhere and the bed sheets were torn. She was breathing heavily as she gazed at Tomoyo.

"Help me.."

Tomoyo quickly made her way to the bed and began working at the ropes holding the girl up. Tomoyo gazed at all the scars across her once flawless skin.

"Is...Is..he here?" the girl asked shaking.

"No, I think he's dead."

The girl gasped softly and looked down. She looked back up with tears in her eyes.

"There were two other girls here, but he killed them. I don't know of any others."

"Do you know how long you've been here?"

She shook her head, "I only remember November 2nd."

Tomoyo began to cry as she said, "That was eight months ago."

The girl began to shake. "C-can we...leave...here?"

Tomoyo nodded and stood up. She removed her jacket and wrapped it around the girl.

She had only been wearing a torn shirt that reached mid-thigh.

Tomoyo quickly led her out of the house and to the car. She grabbed a blanket out of the trunk and gave it to the car once she was in the backseat. She then hopped into the car, turned on the engine, and sped away from the house.

'Sakura, I hope your alright.'