Chapter 2

"I hate being yakuza! I'll definitely fall in love with an honest and independent person to get out of this family! That's right, I'll fall in love with a responsible person with a strong sense of justice..." Sakura ran forward as fast as she could, not watching where she was going at all. Her rapid footsteps slowed to a stroll when she finally raised her head and saw a group of three men in black suits wearing sunglasses. Just like her father's men.

"You are Sakura Konomoto are you not?" one of the men asked, his tone cold and intimidating. Fear rose within her, her stomach knotted together and her body shook with fear. She steadied herself and stepped back into a running position.

"I'm... not!" Sakura shouted and kicked the ground as hard as she could, propelling herself forward. She darted away like an arrow and sprinted as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Help! Brother, father, help!!

Sakura slid to a sudden stop when she spotted a black car like his father's not far from her. Except this car didn't belong to her family. Fear and desperation consumed her, Sakura turned around and was met by a solid wall of black suits. No! Help me! Please! Her mind screamed and begged for help, while her exhausted body froze uselessly. Sakura opened her mouth to scream, but a piece of tape was pressed on her mouth, silencing her. Her arms were roughly yanked behind her back and pulled. She felt ropes wrap around her wrists as she was pushed into the black car. The group of black men followed her, she could see the handle of their guns sticking out of their jackets.

"Mm! Mm!" Sakura tried to scream for help, but all that came out of her mouth was unrecognizable muttering. What the hell! Tears began to sting her eyes, Sakura closed her eyes and bit down on her lower lip. Help! Somebody...

"Start the car!" she heard someone call. No!

"Ah! There's a guy in front of us!" the driver screamed, slamming his foot on the breaks.

"What?!"

Sakura raised her head, she could see a man wearing a black suit standing in front of the car, his head lowered, his face blocked by his bangs. His hair was a shade of brown slightly darker than hers, it look soft and neat. No, he wasn't a man. He was a boy. He seemed no older than her, his figure seemed fragile compared to the black suits seated all around her right now. What was a kid like him doing in the middle of the street looking so calm and purposeful? Especially in front of this car?

"Doesn't matter, just run him over and kill him! We don't have time for this." the man sitting left of her shouted, the driver hesitated for a second then slammed his foot on the other petal instead. Sakura let out a muffled scream and squeezed her eyes shut.

It all happened too soon for Sakura to react.

There was a loud boom. The driver screamed as the car twirled 360 degrees and skid to a stop, barely missing the telephone pole. Sakura was rocked back and forth, her head banging on the backseat and shoulders of the abductors, and finally she was jerked forward when the car finally stopped.

"What happened?" the same black suit next to her shouted, massaging his neck.

"The tire has been shot." the driver replied, rubbing his head.

Within a flash the barrel of a gun of pointed at the temple of the man next to her. The one that seemed to be in charge. She could hear a clicking sound as the cock of the gun locked into its place, ready to be fired.

"Give me the girl and get out of here." the voice of her savior was soft, and not as deep as the tone of the abductors, but it wore the same cold, intimidating tone. It sounded emotionless and demanding. The voice of a killer. Sakura shuddered at the thought.

"Bro!" several black suits exclaimed.

"Hurry up, do you want his head blown off?" the boy lifted his face to stare at the man on the right side of Sakura. His eyes were pecan, they were cold, ruthless, and piercing. Those eyes don't belong to a teenage boy! This is supposed to be my 'savior'

"H... here!" the man on the right of her pulled the rope that bound her hands and freed her arms. He yanked her by her arm and pushed her out of the car. Sakura crashed head-first into the cement. Suddenly everything in front of her was black. She heard the tires of the car squeak as it hurried away. The last thing she felt was strong arms carrying her and holding her against a warm chest.

Sakura woke up in a small room. Where am I? Is this my room? Sakura rolled her head slowly left and right, her hands grasping and feeling the rough fabric of the bedding. This isn't my silk bedspread. This isn't my room either. She slowly sat up, the pain in her head was gone, but there was still the slight dizziness that remained. She was still wearing her school clothes, with her socks and jacket. Her hat rested beside her pillow. She quickly scanned the room. Everything seemed so... plain, and simple. Far different from her luxurious room at home. The white (or at least she thought they were supposed to be) curtains that are barely clean enough to be called yellow hung lopsidedly on a bent metal bar above the window. Her eyes caught a silver glimmer on the opposite side of the room. A shiny gun lay peacefully on the dusty table. The silver metal shimmered brilliantly in the light, she could feel it call for her, beckon her forward. This must be what the boys feel when they go near a gun. No wonder they love shooting so much. Sakura closed her eyes and shook off the urge to grab the gun and pull the trigger. She opened her eyes again and scanned the rest of the room. The gun seemed to be the only clean thing in the whole room.

Where am I? Sakura swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, shivering when she felt something soft squish under her feet. She took a fearful step forward. The disgusting mass was now stuck to her white socks. Great. I should've known, if rest of the room is dirty I can't expect anything better from the floor. Sakura glanced back and saw that the bedspread looked no cleaner than the curtains. She almost puked at the thought that she had slept on that filthy bed. She heard a soft pitter-patter on her left, like shoes stepping in water. She turned her head and saw a door that she hadn't noticed before. Her heartbeat went hysteric as the sounds increased and finally stopped. One... two... three... Sakura unconsciously counted the seconds of silence, then the knob turned. She nearly screamed, her instincts pushed her forward and she dived for the gun, barely missing the table. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the handle of the gun, squeezing so hard that her fingers felt numb. Her index fingers locked around the cold, metal trigger. She gulped and parted her legs for a firmer stance. Her whole body was shaking, she grasped the gun harder to stop it from wobbling. The knob turned.

"Don't move! I'll shoot!" Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and screamed. When she heard silence, she slowly opened her eyes and bit down on her lower lip to stop her trembling. Sakura's eyes widened, she recognized the young man in a black robe, or boy's more like it, who was leaning leisurely against the doorframe. She was the boy that saved her from those kidnappers earlier! Suddenly the memory sent a chill down her spine. This boy seemed even more dangerous than the kidnappers. She remembered the cruel expression in his beautiful pecan eyes, and almost broke down to tears. Are they really the eyes of a child?

"Shoot." he said in a bored tone, challenging her with his gaze.

What a bastard! Rage immediately rescued Sakura from her weak trance. "I will!"

The boy pushed himself off of the doorframe and smiled, somehow his eyes were kind and warm. Was she hallucinating earlier? He extended his left foot forward and slowly placed it back down to the floor, then lifted his other foot to complete his step.

"Stop moving! Don't come any closer!" panic rushed through her. Who was she kidding? She was not going to fire a gun! Sakura backed away slowly, but stopped herself, not wanting to show any weakness. Panic and fear flooded her emerald eyes. The boy didn't speak, he merely smiled and took another step forward, ignoring her screams.

"Stop!" the boy took a final step and leaned his head forward. His chin less than a few inches away from the barrel of the gun. "I'll really shoot!" Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, the gun almost falling from her trembling hands.

One long finger gently slid under her chin and lifted her head up. Sakura finally opened her eyes, they were met by a pair of pecan jewels. She gasped and turned bright red. His nose was almost touching hers, she could feel his breath fanning her face. She bit down on her lower lip and attempted to stop her cheeks from heating.

"Little girls shouldn't play with guns." his tone was mocking and cold. He pushed her chin upwards, making her neck and head bend back. Sakura felt the handle of the gun lift from her hands, as if she was holding them out instead of holding onto them tightly for her life.

"Ow!" Sakura screamed and took a step back, rubbing her chin.

"Relax, I'm your new bodyguard, Syaoran Li." he spun the gun around like a plastic toy, and slid it casually on the table. It stopped right before it went over the edge, shimmering like the sun all the while. Sakura realized that she was holding her breath and let out a long sigh. She glanced up at Syaoran. He seemed indifferent, as if the trick he performed was as natural and easy as breathing. "I'm your bodyguard, so feel free to attack me." Sakura clenched her teeth to stop herself from screaming. What the hell is with his arrogant if-you-have-the-guts tone? She glanced up at Syaoran, his back was turned to her and he seemed to be packing a small black leather bag. Why the hell is my heart beating for that bastard?