Warning: This story contains mature content and should NOT be read if you are uncomfortable with abuse or sexual situations. You HAVE been warned! Flames on this subject will be ignored and deleted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or any of its characters. I do how ever own the ideas behind this story. XP

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Chapter Four:

Seeing Stars

I shook my head as I walked down the sidewalk towards school. The morning was cool and calm, a nice relief to the stuffy atmosphere of the apartment. Mom was trying some new energy saving thing she had read about on the internet. Unfortunately it wasn't working out so great. I actually think she broke the heating and air conditioning unit to our apartment. I shook my head again. Up ahead, I watched as two girls walked side by side. Their laughter reached my ears carried by the wind. I knew who they were right away; the princess of Halloween Sakura and her gothic friend Tomoyo.

I felt my pace quicken, an impulse telling me to catch up with the girls. I was curious to see Sakura. I wanted to get a better look at her. If my assumptions were correct then it would explain why Tomoyo was so protective of her.

I was starting to catch up to them. Then suddenly I realized that I had no idea how to even start a conversation with them. It did seem like a good idea to just walk up to them. Despite the impulse and curiosity I slowed my steps.

For the second time in my life I felt like I was stalking this girl. As an after thought I realized that maybe I should get use to it if I was going to find out the truth. For now I settled on trying to hear their conversation. It was a long shot but I hoped they might mention something about Sakura's family.

I had to cover a laugh at their choice in conversation. It sounded like something about fairies and then something about picking Indian names. They seemed completely oblivious to the world around them. At least Sakura seemed to be ignoring it. I could almost see the darkness in her life. I watched as Tomoyo slapped a playful hand on Sakura's back. Tomoyo didn't seem to notice, but I did. She flinched; her whole body seemed to go ridged with pain. Then just like that, it was gone. She had composed herself and gone on with the conversation.

I watched as they entered the school thought the painted blue doors. By now I was sure the halls were filled with kids and it would be hopeless to try to find her now. I fallowed through the same doors and was right, they were no where to be seen. In their place was a hall way full of groups of pre-teens talking and gossiping.

Giving a small sigh I made my way down the hall turning at the first corner and was off toward the band hall. My mind wandered as I walked through the halls. Sakura's reaction to being playfully slapped on the back kind of bothered me. Tomoyo's picture crossed my mind and I realized that she looked like a pixie.

I pushed open the cream colored door on the side of the cafeteria. It opened with a squeak to reveal the band hall. Risers were built into the floor. Brown plastic, chairs that really needed to be replaced, stood in semi-circle rows on each riser. Off to the right of the room was a closet with two doors that stood about four feet apart. Inside the walls were covered with shelves meant the hold the instruments. I walked in through one door and set my trumpet on the top shelf of one of the cabinets and then walked out the other door, or at least meant to walk out. Instead I walked into somebody. A muffled thump of a person hitting the floor fallowed by the clatter of their things confirmed my running into someone.

I looked down to see Sakura rubbing her head with a confused look on her face, and a laughing pixie knelt down beside her. I wanted to kneel down in front of her and kiss her forehead where she gently ran her fingers over the tender skin. 'My impulses must want me to suffer this morning.'

"Oh, my goodness, Sakura, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." She smiled at her friend and then looked up at me looking guilty. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" her guilt turned to confusion "Syaoran?"

I smiled down at her and nodded holding out my hand to help her up. She took my hand and I pulled her to her feet.

"I really am sorry Syaoran; I didn't mean to run into you like that." She bent down to collect her things as she spoke. Tomoyo mumbled something about being right back and skipped off to speak to Ms. Garcia.

"It's alright Sakura, I think I should be the one apologizing, I seem to have done more damage to you then you did to me." I laughed a little and reached out to take her instrument from her. She watched me confused and then smiled when I set it down on the shelf just inside the closet.

"Thank you"

"Not a problem." Her cheeks reddened slightly and we walked away from the doors so we didn't run into anyone else.

"I thought you said you didn't get here until late?" She gave me a smirk and then laughed. I sighed and looked away from her

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I was up early this morning." She must have noticed the way I reacted and let the subject drop with an "Oh." I sighed again and looked at her, giving her a small smile. I glanced up and down her body trying to make it so she wouldn't notice. She was skinny, a little to skinny really but some girls were these days so I decided to ignore it for now. Her cloths were no help to my evaluation. Jeans covered her legs and a jacket hid her arms. I sighed mentally in temporary defeat. The only odd thing about her this morning was the blue ribbon she had wrapped around her neck. I didn't know her very well so I wasn't sure if this was a regular thing.

"Are you excited about the band concert this Friday?" I laughed when her eyes widened with shock.

"Oh, no! That's this Friday!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I completely forgot, I was supposed to go have dinner with my cousins that night. Oh, my dad is going to kill me!"

I couldn't help but get the feeling there was more truth behind that than she was letting on. It took me off guard when I realized she had set her head down on my shoulder with a sigh. Once again impulse told me to give her a hug, and this time, I gave into it. I slipped my arms around her waist and squeezed her gently before letting go.

Her cheeks were bright red, from either the hug or her own impulse, I wasn't sure. I felt my own face redden slightly. We both jumped and gave a nervous laugh when Tomoyo jumped up next to us with squeaked 'ok'. I was slightly relieved when the bell rang

"Well, I guess that's my queue to get to class. See you later Syaoran!" she waved back at me before disappearing through the door way. I stood there for a moment longer, staring where she had just disappeared. Then with a shake of my head I was out the door and headed to my first period class.

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I thought about her the entire day. I had never noticed before that she had the same lunch as me. She sat on the other side of the cafeteria though. Tomoyo sat with her. Other girls surrounded them. Sakura and Tomoyo talked with them but mostly stayed lost in their own world.

Takashi punched me in the arm about ten times during lunch because I wasn't paying attention to him. I had a bruise on my arm. I walked home with Takashi as usual. The sun was bright and warm. I heard him sigh and pulled myself away from my thoughts and looked at him.

"What's up?" He looked at me with a bit of relief when I spoke.

"What's up with me? Dude what in the world is up with you? You have been spaced out a lot today."

"Oh, I'm just thinking about something"

"Thinking about what man? Come on, you know that I don't like to be kept out of the loop." He gave me a pouting look and I had to laugh at him.

"Dude, don't ever make that face again!" Takashi laughed along with me.

"I'm just thinking about a girl I met."

"Oh! That's what's going on. Never mind I don't want to hear about it." By this time we had made it to his apartment. "See ya' later man"

"Bye."

I walked the rest of the way to my apartment absent mindedly. I rounded the last corner and stopped. Sakura has just gotten home herself. I watched as she fumbled with her keys. Her hands were shaking and she glanced at the watch on her wrist. That was when I caught sight of the bruises there. They were yellowing now but still noticeable. She glanced at the door in frustration. Finally when she managed to get the right key she got the door open. I entered my own apartment and dropped my stuff just inside the door. I fell onto the couch and just lay there, listening.

Mew Mew Berri: Hey peeps! Well Chapter Five will be up soon I promise and if I don't feel free message me to yell at me ^-^ Things are about to heat up so keep an eye out for me.