DaZed

By Diamond Wolf Returns

Chapter 4: Lies

The intense lights of the police station burned into Sakura's eyes as she sat cross-legged on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs they reserve for the victims. Victim. That word sat in her mind; she had been so close to being one. Another statistic in the police charts of a young woman being taken advantage of by a cruel man. She shuddered and wiped the tears that glittered across her cheeks in the bright light with the back of her hand.

"Now tell me one more time Kinomoto-san, what did he look like?" A kindly police officer's voice broke into Sakura's thoughts causing her to jerk upright and address the situation she was currently in. The policeman had large, round cheeks that jiggled a bit when he talked. He reminded her of a bullfrog, about to stick his nasty tongue out and swallow the flies that revolved around the low hanging lamp above them. She shook her head and pushed the thought out of her mind; no sense thinking bad thoughts about the man who was trying to help her.

She straightened herself in the seat and looked at him squarely, sniffling a little bit as more tears threatened to flow. "I'm sorry, I just don't remember much," Sakura murmured, her arms instantly went up around her, holding her together in fear that she'd soon fall apart. "It all just blurs together to be honest…" She trailed off, choking off another set of tears. She felt stupid, she'd been the unstoppable Clow Mistress and now she was getting choked up over this? But she soon reminded herself that even the Clow Mistress herself had her breaking point, especially after a night so emotionally trying.

"It's natural for that to happen after a traumatic event, just relax and we'll get that scum off the street as fast as possible, but please try to remember. It'll make our job much easier," the police officer tried to act kind, but the stresses of the night were getting to him as evidenced by his gruff undertone underlying his respectful words. He cleared his throat and started to shuffle some papers on the desk before him. "Maybe it'll help if I bring in that young man who called the cops for you. He says that he's your boyfriend. You're a very lucky girl that he was there."

Sakura blinked a few times, incredulous. "Who, Daichi-san? He's not my…"

The man grabbed a paper, surveyed it with his round, amphibious eyes and nodded, "Yes, that's his name. Give me one minute to get him. I'm sure you'll be glad to see him." He started to exit –Sakura half expected him to hop his way out- when Sakura found her voice.

"Er-er wait, I'm starting to remember now, no need to get him!"

"God Sakura, I'm a fuckin lame excuse for a brother." Were the first words out of Touya's mouth when he arrived at the station. Tears filled his dark eyes, an action so unlike Touya that Sakura didn't have the heart to be angry with him. Instead she wordlessly grabbed his hand and led him out of the brick building and back to the street. His hand was clammy with distress and she had to hold tight to the warm dampness so her fingers wouldn't slip. "I should have, those bastards… Sakura, I'm so… I'm just…so, so sorry."

"Just be quiet Touya, It'll be okay. I'm fine. No harm done." She patted him lightly on the arm before sidling over to her brother's silver Toyota, her heart dropping down and breaking. She felt unloved and alone even with Touya sitting in the cramped car next to her. She toed a to-go box with her foot that smelled faintly of fried tofu and tried not to cry.

The silence that filled the air of the car was thick with emotion and neither sibling could bring themselves to break it. Soft, indistinguishable music played from the speakers, but even it did nothing to quell the mood.

Touya's mouth opened a few times and his eyes blinked furiously as he looked at his sister almost willing the words to come out past his lips. Either the guilt or Sakura's prior words stopped him. Instead he sighed and drove the last few minutes home without looking at her, his fingers tapping nervously against the steering wheel.

As he parked the silver Toyota in the driveway he once more attempted to speak, but was cut off by the slam of Sakura's car door. There was nothing he, or anyone else for that matter, could say to make her feel better so she felt it'd be better if he didn't say anything at all. Their father's decrepit old junker sat in front of where he parked, still hot and extending steam into the cool night air. No doubt he'd gotten Touya's message and rushed home.

Touya walked slowly down the path to the front porch straining his ears to hear Sakura and their father's soft voices floating out into the night air. His stomach was at his knees as images of what could have happened to his little sister cycled through his mind. I wasn't there and I should have been. I knew she was having a bad night and I should have comforted her more. I'll be surprised if she ever trusts me again. He sighed and walked inside, shutting the door behind him and flipping the locks to block the Kinomoto residence from the outside world.

Sakura lay across her father's lap, her tear-stained face buried in the crook between a pillow and the back of the couch as their father surveyed the bruises and cuts that were blossoming in harsh reds, blues, and deep purples on her back. Touya looked away, each mark reminded him of his selfishness—he should've taken his sister to the convenience store instead of kicking her out of the house. Suddenly a wave of nausea overcame him and he hurried into the kitchen for a glass of water, his lips parched and dry.

"This is all from being pushed into that wall?" Fujitaka's even, contemplative voice followed Touya into the kitchen wrapping him in a sort of calm as his lips touched the iciness of the water. He took a few more swigs from the glass and listened to the murmurs between his family members—his father's soft words and the now gentle whimpers of his sister—until the nausea went away and logical thoughts began forming once again in his head. His sister was okay after all. There really was nothing to worry about and in the morning eggs, toast, and pancakes would be waiting on the table, he and Sakura would be fighting over who got the last piece of sausage, and his father would be reading the morning paper, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

Hazy smoke filled the air making the already dark corridor that much harder to traverse. She couldn't see more than a foot in front of her, the clink clink of her companion's boots ahead of her the only indication of what direction she should go in. She followed obediently, her hands pressed to her sides, and her eyes squinting dead ahead as if closing them tighter would help her see through the black abyss.

'Not much further, my dearest,' the voice murmured from somewhere beyond her. It was deep, manly, and strangely seductive in its simplicity. It rattled her to the core and took what little breath she could take –being that the smoke made it hard to breathe—to expel from her lungs. Images of his face flashed through her mind causing her to blush to her ears. She was suddenly thankful for the darkness; she didn't want him to think her a fool for letting him get to her so badly. She wanted him, more than anything.

When she emerged into the light she saw him dressed in barely anything save for a pair of silk pajama pants, resting lazily on a sofa as if he had been there all night. His naked chest glowed bronze in the low light of the fireplace lining each well-toned muscles of his abdomen in gold. He beckoned her to him, his hold hand seeming to move in slow motion, or maybe it was simply a trick of the light obscured by the smoke.

Sakura… Sakura…

She heard him calling her name even though his naturally pink lips never moved. His words resonated in her mind and filled her with both fear and a fierce sense of longing. She stepped forward, boldly, her eyes set on nothing but him.

'Sakura, my love' He murmured from behind her, his movement not noticed by her slow, human eyes. She gasped, his hands finding her hip bones and pushing slightly into the warm flesh. He pulled her close, his hands cold on her body, his sweet breathe like the finest perfume to her nose as he kissed up and down her neck and onto her shoulder.

'Syaoran' she spoke his name, relishing in the fact that it was hers to say. She spun around, taking in his handsome face, her lips rising to meet his lips, but suddenly he wasn't her handsome prince anymore. He appeared to be the monster he truly was; his eyebrows knitted together in deep concentration, his forehead wrinkled, and his lips parted with deep thirst exposing his protruding fangs dripping with saliva. He wanted her so very much too…

His mouth opened wider, his teeth so white they glinted in the light, and a deep, beastly moan released from deep within him as he bent down, taking her soft neck into his mouth. His fangs extended and pierced into her flesh, burning, searing pain. Then there was darkness—

Sakura awoke with a start, her heart beating fast from the dream. She was in her bed, her book, Interview with a Vampire still lay propped open on her lap from the night before and her side lamp burned brightly, not having been shut off. She had pushed the book to the floor and was reminding herself to never read it before bed again when she noticed the slim figure in the corner of her room. Her heart, still beating rapidly from the strange dream, went into overdrive until she realized it was Tomoyo.

"Morning Sakura, I'm sorry to intrude like this, but your dad did let me in. It was the only way I could get to talk to you. " Tomoyo murmured, striding across the room then taking a seat next to Sakura on the bed. She sighed, twisted a long strand of hair between two fingers and bit her bottom lip. Her beautiful face was laced with worry. "I suppose you want to know what last night's… urm, incidents… were all about."

"I did nothing to you! Why'd you snap at me like that last night?" Sakura cried, a bit unnerved by the ferocity in her voice. She shoved the covers off her body and stood up, but softened her movements when she saw how her reaction had stung Tomoyo. Sure, her best friend had been pretty horrible to her last night, but that didn't mean that she had to be as harsh back.

"I know, but it was all part of the plan. It all sounds so stupid now, but…" The black-haired girl sighed again, but held Sakura's eyes with hers. "If you'd please just sit down I will explain. Please?"

Sakura thought about sending Tomoyo out of the room until curiosity got the best of her. Sighing, she pulled her hair back with clips off her desk and resigned to the bed, her green eyes focused on the dark-haired girl. "Okay, tell me."

Tomoyo gave a sort of half smile that made her look even more uncomfortable and took Sakura's hands in hers. "Promise me that you'll let me finish til the end?"

"Just get on with it."

"First of all, I'm sorry, Sakura. I really never meant this to happen."

The brunette made a hurried motion with her hand as if to say 'well get on with it', but nodded all the same. This encouraged Tomoyo to continue. "I know that you've like Syaoran since, well, forever. He's always been that unreachable guy for you and you've never had the courage to speak to him. I thought that if I could just set things up he'd realize how great of a person you were and fall madly for you. I was sitting in the back of Biology when I overheard him talking to some of his friends about how he was having some difficulties lately. So-"

Sakura thinned her lips and made a slow intake of breath. She was afraid of what her best friend was going to tell her. She wanted desperately for the other girl to just blurt what really happened out.

"-So I went up to him after class and asked if I could set up a business arrangement of sorts with him. You see I knew that you've been really stressed about school and your family's finances and such lately so I wanted to do something to cheer you up especially since my birthday party was coming up and I wanted you to be as happy as me that day. Anyway, I had gathered from Syaoran's conversation with his friends that he'd been cut off from the family finances for some nasty rumors that he'd gotten some girl pregnant. He later told me that his mother flipped and told him that if he was going to pay for cheap whores then he'd have to pay out of his own pocket. I know he's been working with your brother at that car shop, but he was desperate to have more money. So, I offered him some to do me a little favor."

"A favor?" Sakura's mouth suddenly went dry and she had to choke back the bile that was suddenly rising in her throat. She knew what Tomoyo was about to tell her was going to change how she viewed their friendship.

Tomoyo nodded, gripping Sakura's hands tighter in her own. Her dark eyes began to well up with tears as she struggled with how she was going to phrase the next part. "I asked him if he would come to my party and show you the night of your life for, for two-hundred d-dollars. It all seemed so simple in my head. I figured I would get into a fake fight with you and that would get you alone to where he could sweep you off your feet and dazzle you, b-but something went wrong. He shoved the money back at me and went out the door without telling me what happened. I am so sorry, Sakura. I never should have…"

Her tears were now falling rapidly down her face, but Sakura had no sympathy for the other girl. "You think you could buy me off like that? How could y-"

"—It's not like that! You were never supposed to know about the money!"

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? I told you already, I do not need your charity, Tomoyo. I don't need you to buy guys for me. Now all Syaoran can see me as is pathetic." Sakura ground her teeth in anger and disbelief. How could this happen? All of what happened with Syaoran was an act. He doesn't give two shits about me. I acted like a stupid puppy head over heels for him last night. He probably was so sickened by me that he left.

"Sorry! I just wanted you to have a romantic night with Syaoran. It was never going to happen otherwise because you don't have the courage to go after him. You can fight battles with magic, but when it comes to Syaoran you're scared."

"Get out." Sakura hissed through gritted teeth. Her eyes were deep green slits as she stared with anger at the woman she used to call her best friend. "Get out of my room!"

"Sakura, again I'm sorry for doing this, but you have to agree with me that you're scared to make a move!" Tomoyo stated back, standing up with her hands placed defiantly on her hips. "Don't push me away because I'm pointing out a simple truth."

"I'm sending you away because you have ruined any chance I'll ever have with Syaoran. He'll probably never look at me again. I'm sending you away because you were too focused on getting me to forgive you last night and this morning to realize all the crap that I went through last night." She turned around and ripped her shirt upward so that the injuries from the previous night showed in the bright morning sun that filtered happily through the window. It was weird that the world was going on as normal outside went all around her Sakura felt her life was crashing at her feet. The scratches and scrapes had fresh scabs coating them and the bruises had turned a deeper brownish-purple color.

Tomoyo gasped, her purplish eyes widening in shock and her lips parting as the air whoosed through them. "What happened?" She made a move to step forward but something in Sakura's expression kept her from finishing the stride out.

"Go ask someone else to explain. I don't have anything else to say to you." With that Sakura had finished her end of the conversation, but Tomoyo, ever the one to not let anything go, plopped herself right back on the bed.

"Alright, missy, I may have made a huge mistake in bribing Syaoran, but we've been through so much that this should be nothing. I can take you being furious with me. I can't take you not talking to me, though. Tell me what happened then yell and scream at me a bit more for this whole shit show I put you through then we'll go get ice cream or something, okay?"

Already Sakura's forgiving nature was working against her and as the moments ticked by she felt her anger ebbing slowly away. She loosened her fists and sat down next to her somewhat of a friend. She wanted to explain to Tomoyo what happened, but found the words caught in her throat. How could she explain the things that man tried to do to her? The pain she felt, the fear?

"I ripped the dress leaving through those bushes you always use to sneak out and it scratched my back too. And I was so distressed about everything I wasn't paying attention went I came up the stairs and fell back down them. That's where all those bruises came from." The lie sounded weak to her own ears, but she couldn't bear to tell the truth. Besides, Tomoyo seemed to take it as she wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Gosh, I'm sorry, Sakura. You must think I'm such a bitch for all of this and here I was bothering you over and over last night when you were probably in your bed trying to recover from falling down the stairs! I was just so scared something bad had happened between you and Syaoran that I was desperate to find you. I even blurted out the whole story to Rika and Naoko last night." She gripped Sakura tighter in her arms and rested her head on Sakura's shoulder. Then her head snapped up and she looked at Sakura again with those bright eyes. "Nothing bad did happen between you two right?"

Sakura shook her head, unable to explain that situation either. Instead she got up and went into the bathroom next to her room without a word. In the mirror she found her eyelids were swollen with all the crying she'd done the previous night and her lips quivered with all her pent-up emotion. She splashed some water on her face and succumbed once again to the tears.

"Morning Sakura, Tomoyo, Dad already left this morning. He asked me to set out the breakfast he made for you and have you call back the station. They called and left a message this morning while you were still asleep. Evidently they need to ask some more questions. " Touya said, already halfway out the door on his way to work. He gave a awkward half wave and then slammed the door behind him. Unable to entirely face his sister this morning he took to work to distract him.

"The station?" Tomoyo asked, her eyebrows rising in question. She leaned forward to grab a piece of toast of the table with a finely manicured hand then brought it to her mouth to lightly nibble the edges. Tomoyo had always been like that, stately in her actions most likely due to her rich upbringings.

"Don't worry about it, some neighborhood thefts have been going on around here and the local police station wants to question everyone who might have seen anything." Sakura was surprised at how well the lies were just rolling off her tongue this morning. This wasn't her, usually she was truthful, forgiving, and happy-go-lucky, but the sense of depression would just not rise up. She picked at the scrambled eggs her father had made, her appetite not allowing her to eat more than a forkful.

After a while she succumbed to the fact that she wasn't going to eat anymore and began collecting the plates off the table her mind barely focused on the task as Tomoyo chattered away at her.

"And I think we should do some shopping today to get ready for our school trip next Wednesday. I haven't even started! I need a new sleeping bag and a new bathing suit and new hiking boots…"

Goddammit Sakura thought angrily throwing the dishes in the sink. Flecks of food shot back up towards her as the dishes cascaded into the bottom of the metal sink. Another thing ruined, I was looking forward to this trip because I was in the same activity group as Syaoran and now it's just going to be awkward. This is going to be the longest week ever…