Card Captor Sakura 1. Forgotten

"Forgotten"

The sunlight shone through the window blinds like daggers embedding themselves into his eyes, threatening his sleep with a powerful jolt of pain.

The Chinese boy awoke rubbing his head slow-but steady circles, attempting to eke out the pain in his head. Then reaching for some vaporizing oil when full-consciousness had struck him like the harsh sun rays illuminating the room.

_What Happened?_ He thought as he forced himself into a sitting position with his elbows putting all his concentration on keeping his headache at bay. He sat up and reached for the bottom drawer for the liquid only to find that it was empty. He peered around the room decorated with forest green bed sheets curling and crumpling under his weight to find the clock.

9:56 it read. _Unusually late sleeping for someone like me_ he thought waving off all possibility he could go through his training drills this morning as he looked further from the nightstand to gaze upon the calendar lying effortlessly on the silver pin.

_August 3….. a Saturday _. His body shuddered and the pain grew exponentially. _I was supposed to be somewhere today…_

When suddenly the pain in his head grew and the whole world exploded.

White, nothing but white, no visible floors or walls or boundaries for that matter. The pain behind his eyes begun to pang vigorously against his temples and threatened a cry of pain from its beholder.

Then it stopped.

"…Syaoran-kun?"_ That voice, where have I heard that voice?_"…are you listening?" His vision blurred by the multiple swirling colors in front of him. Strangely only what was directly ahead of him seemed blurred, a jumble of brown, peach-white and green the trees and road around the enigmatic blur could be seen quite clearly.

Then everything went black.

He awoke to find that his headache had ceased and his vision returning. Using what little strength he had remaining from the bizarre awakening. He pushed himself from the ground without even realizing he was sprawled there in the first place. Mustering what energy he could to concentrate he stood and looked from his high apartment window to see the city lying below.

It seemed like something was missing, but he couldn't quite put it into words yet. The feeling of incompleteness like a beacon from the city below, a large beacon drawing upon his senses and taunting him to follow. The sensation was brilliant like a light shining in the darkness, drawn to it he opened his window and almost leapt.

When the sensation turned to caution and then faded before it could be remembered causing him to consider there may not have been a beacon at all.

Stepping quickly yet carefully across the wooden-hardwood floors he smelt the familiar scent of pancakes originating from his kitchen.

"Ohayou Wei-san" he said with as much effort to suppress the fatigue in his voice as possible. "Grand morning to you Li-san" Wei would always be the one person he could rely on to care for his needs, loyal and extremely devoted to his work Wei would never fail if given a task and he kept a vigilant eye on the young boy's lifestyle and would cater to whatever needs he would predict suited the occasion, his predictions were also always right.

"Could you cook some extra pancakes Wei? And if we have any strawberry filling mix I could bring some over for S-.."His voice caught in his throat at the word. Unable to define the incompletion that filled his mind and soul at the moment, he knew somehow that he knew what he wanted to say but couldn't quite put his finger on it. His mind suddenly garbled with a thousand thoughts and broken images locked in a stalemate battle between his tongue and his brain.

"Ano….never mind" He finished his plate with enthusiasm and gulped down the carefully hand-crafted mug that was set beside his fork. He stood and gently placed his plate into the sink when he reached back for his mug and his eye caught notice of the intricate colors running alongside the mug's exterior. A mesh of hunter and forest green and a oddly delicate pink flower along the bottom of the mug. Obviously hand painted so that the image was only visible when the beverage was consumed.

When suddenly the pain in his head began anew and the whole world exploded.

White, nothing but white, no visible floors or walls or boundaries. The pain behind his eyes begun to pang vigorously against his temples and threatened a strangled cry of pain.

Then it stopped.

"Happy Birthday Syaoran-kun" The blurred swirl of brown, white and green begun to take shape as it held something out to him. Cautiously he reached his hand out and took the item as it began to sharpen to reveal a carefully wrapped box with a beautifully made pink ribbon flower atop its white cardboard box. "I made it" the blur declared with a slight touch of pride evident in its voice. "I thought it would remind you of-"

Then the world faded black and everything dissolved into ashen dust.

Li Syaoran awoke again but without the slight dizzying effect he had from the first time it had happened. Searching curiously with his eyes he found himself in his bed with a thermometer in his mouth. It's stale plastic leaving a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

"Wei?" he called out hoping that he was somewhere near when he realized he was no longer alone.

He stretched every last bit of his strength to see the girl sitting casually on his nightstand, blurred but gradually sharpening he realized she had her small hand over his head.

"I should've known you'd be too stubborn" she said softly as she got to her feet and died in thin smoke as the door swung open to reveal his loyal servant and friend.

But at the edge of his mind a tingling sensation nagged at him from the city below and echoed across his mind once again inviting him to find it. Despite his current state he attempted to prop himself upwards and leave when he felt a heavy load on his chest.

"You should rest for the day Li-san, we wouldn't want you dozing off like that in the middle of the street" suggested Wei.

"I'm fine"

"You really shouldn't-"

"Honto, I'm fine. I can't be here all day anyways, I have to go to S-" Again the words just died in his throat abruptly. The confusing thoughts and memories in his mind began to resurface creating the familiar mental block that had paralyzed his thoughts before they could properly come together. Wei simply nodded and looked away in what looked like concern. Syaoran shrugged and put on his weekend attire, he had to get out of that apartment.

He had to go find some answers.

The breeze from the open window died down slowly as it placed shriveled cherry petal on the windowsill as the sun shone bright upon the leaves of the tall-grown trees.


	2. Roaming the Darkness

"**Roaming the Darkness"**

The sun had risen high above the town and at its zenith had looked over the entire sky without a single cloud obstructing its path but despite the normally dizzying heat it emitted over the Earth it watched the temperature itself was unusually cool.

Li Syaoran walked briskly down the path outside his home. Although the destination unclear, all he could feel was a sense of incompletion so immense that it hurt, he felt himself wanting to end the pain by finding the missing piece of the enigmatic puzzle that was there but at the same time not.

Stopping to rest for only a second he gazed distractedly at the sky above him in a seemingly desperate attempt to find the answer in the clouds and the sun.

Little did he know the true answer lay in the stars

Regardless he continued at a tiring rate down the road unaware of his surroundings when suddenly something caught his eye.

A tree, nothing interesting really just a tree, its leaves waved gracefully in the wind but something in waving in it's branches piqued his curiosity.

A flower, retaining very little of it's vibrancy but in it's fading color it was evident that at one time it had been a petite pink flower.

Images flashed before him but unlike the ones this morning there was no accompaniment no pain that would simulate his body being torn apart. They were abrupt too quick to make out any details but one stayed etched to his mind.

"Oooof…..gomen nasai" entangled so deeply in his thoughts he continued to speed walk and had walked right into the woman, she stumbled and tripped. Using his years of reflexive training he caught onto the flailing wrist and pulled the woman towards him narrowly avoiding the hard cement.

"To..Tomoyo?" he said while holding tightly onto her wrist as she stared at him wide-eyed and still panting from their collision.

"Li-kun, ano..how are you …umm feeling?" she said trembling, either from surprise and lack of breath or some ulterior reason. This hit Syaoran like cold water, Tomoyo his calm rational always confident friend was stuttering and seemed unsure of what to say, this alone worried him. "Tomoyo, what's wrong?"

She stuttered again, taking on a mixture of grief and disappointment as well as confusion in her dark eyes. Again he repeated his question this time with more demand.

"What's wrong? You know I would help you if you ever needed anything, we've been friends for forever now" he stated in his most calming tone of voice. _True we've been friends ever since_-

And then it began

The all too familiar pain swept across his skull and back before Tomoyo, the road the trees all exploded into white.

White, only white as far as the eye could see. The pain growing, every nerve firing off and bringing him to a desperate frenzy for the pain to stop.

Just then it did.

The surroundings were bleak, with a bright light that was obscured only by the shadow of the blur moving ever closer towards the old-Chinese style well.

_I gotta help her_ he thought summoning his sword with practiced ease in the event of a possible confrontation between this newfound evil, overwhelming his sixth sense as it emanated a sense of not hate, but need.

"Wake up" he shouted defiantly.

The sudden burst of sound carried out in the forgotten hollows of an all-too familiar Hong Kong slum, with it the light dispersed and the dark magic had fled. Leaving the blur and him standing alone against the cold dust that had gathered itself there.

It began to materialize; he now knew for sure that his visions were not of finding what happened to him, but _who _happened to him.

The blur moved gradually as it fell into the shallow puddle splashing it's dark water onto the broken stone.

Water

Then he saw it, tires slicing through puddles, blurs of motion sweeping across the window, cries of pain and the blurry image of two beautifully carved jade eyes and…

…and…

..and red.

Crimson red that darkened everywhere that threatened to taint the jade forever, he felt a pang of grief, an overwhelming sense of pain that threatened to leave him as an empty shell of himself.

"…_forget"_

And suddenly everything went dark.


	3. Seeking Shadows

**AN: I would like to inform you that my writing style will now go under slight renovation at the request of my…sister.**

**I think the plot is fine though, but am open to suggestions, because this is my first fic, I have low, LOW expectations. I think 2 reviews per chapter is good, so scroll down click 'go' and type 'H' followed by 'I' then click submit.**

"**Seeking Shadows"**

The first thing he saw was white and the intoxicating smell of Cherry blossoms and pillow fatigue filled his nostrils. He felt himself being weakly pulled forwards into a fragile but emotionally painful embrace.

"_Please…just…."_

"…_forget"_

Dazed and unaware of his surroundings, Syaoran attempted to recall the- was it day? He could scarcely recall the events fading in his still-boggled mind leading him to everywhere and nowhere up to the point of bringing him here..

…wherever here was.

From his place he could see the bright day sky directly above him it's high blue essence omniscient over the Earth as it watched over the Sun and its dwellings below. He felt a hard surface beneath him angled more or less comfortably towards his right and a luscious thick green canopy above him. The placid daylight bleeding through the wispy leaves creating an almost-unreal picture of tranquility.

Unhurried despite the still growing presence tugging at his mind, the Brown-haired Chinese boy supported himself into a sitting position when his vision; still blurred from his unconscious voyage tried to focus, began to clarify when the sudden noise caught his attention.

"Li-kun! are you all right? what happened?" The voice carried through his pain-stricken mind and in an instant recognized Tomoyo's soft but beautiful voice. There, he did remember some things, he was not completely amnesiac. _She does have a beautiful voice, but there was someone else, someone with an angelic voice._ A voice that both haunted him and guided him to finding the answer.

Syaoran stood up for a second groggily and fighting to maintain his balance, in his state even the gentle early-August breeze felt like a harsh cold whipping across his backside.

"Tomoyo, there's something wrong here…it feels like magic again" true the feeling of magic had returned to the quiet town he could recall the his adventures as an 11-year old capturing cards and the odd events that had occurred after them, fragmented memories, like a song that can't be remembered, or a word on the tip of one's tongue fading in and out of reality, waiting for just the right combination of time and energy to become a fully sustainable image…

…but still they were all he had.

"I've been having visions Tomoyo" He decided he would rather not disclose his visions or the peculiar feeling of a distant aura, not evil more like familiar but repelling, dreading the moment he would find the source. This of course only pushed him further to pursue it

His long-time friend of what could've been a thousand years stood there absent-minded, absent-minded although with a million thoughts that made her vulnerable to an outburst of tears

She was far away from him although standing right there, her hair a dark kite flailing behind her shoulders before Syaoran realized that an awkward silence had befell them. The image of her flickered; slipping instantaneously into a movie screen, abandoning the bounds of reality once again as his vision blurred, and he could see the shadow again.

The shadow and Tomoyo laughing carelessly into the sky as the slight purring of the video camera focused on recording everything instead of being in it. He remembered that moment, that video camera had always been with her, sometimes he wondered if she kept it in her hands when she slept, the small humming device was what filled her and made her complete, that would be his destiny whether it end in success or death.

The hum of conversation and twitchy screeches of a bird song somewhere just disappeared. He could hear only a slight noise hardly steady enough to reach his ears. Simultaneously, a violent fountain of blood bubbled quite audibly until his vision re-adjusted and he once again felt the pain subsiding in his skull.

When a revelation hit him

"Tomoyo" he said slightly concerned as she awoke from her standing slumber "do you still have your old videotapes?" The still-in pain eyes narrowed in concern as he saw her expression change from mild-mannered concern to a pale-white fear. Her breath suddenly becoming faster, the mist vaporizing in the air as the cool wind gathered it in for itself, stealing what it could of her voice.

"uhh…" She hesitated " ...sure" she said nervously, unsure of whether or not she could somehow indirectly refuse him. But again the look in his eyes at that moment spoke his true need, small colored irises that spoke volumes and great lengths, just like _she_ used to have.

She was torn back to reality by the sharp tug at her wrist as he pulled her towards her house. Barely managing to keep up with his determined pace, she caught a glimpse of his face and could see the unwavering devotion he had in his expression.

Within the expanse of a few minutes they had begun a slight run, but with his hand still firmly gripped over her wrist she struggled to maintain her balance as he whipped around a corner, and advanced in a non-straying path towards the Daidouji residence.

Under the dwindling daylight, the sun had begun to set over the eastern horizon bringing about it a fiery red glow that ignited the sky in both what could be seen as both fury and beauty. The cold swept in quickly as it controlled every inch of the land as the sun slowly retreated elsewhere, for now the moon and the stars dominated the night sky.

They were sitting on a couch now. One long beige seat, The quiet buzzing of the machine seemed only to aggravate him even more coupled with the sound of static; His body shook beyond the strength of his control and now the carefully checked fury of Syaoran only brought further tension into the atmosphere. It was her only instinct to apologize for the shortcomings.

The tapes as it seemed, we're nothing but blurred images with no audible dialogue, no more clues than the painful visions that had obscured his thinking and confused his weary mind with their endless loads of information, but completely irrelevant to what he was searching for.

Angry but not at her, he lifted himself off the cushioned seat and made his way for the door, many times he had come here and the long labyrinth of corridors and hallways was as familiar as his own home now. But he could not rest and slow down his pace, the magic beacon was gone now but the slight nagging pull he felt was still the same.

Without proper outerwear Li Syaoran stepped past the gate of the grounds that once held so much promise, where now lay another dead-end amongst the numerous other puzzles that arose in the past day. It was well into the night now and the apartment he called home seemed more cold and distant then ever. Sleep would come like snowfall in mid-summer, drifting forwards but never staying too long. With this he retired to stand by his nightstand and gaze out into the unusually cold-summer night with the thousands of infinities gazing down upon him.

He realized something then as he gazed into the starlight, at first he squinted in an effort to obtain clarity, but what he saw would lead him to believe there was more to this then he originally thought.

The moonlit night sky continued to swirl and though clear as the pitch black that wrapped itself around the distant starlight, it began to rain.


	4. Finding the Light

**Author note: School's coming up**

**I'm soooo bored, here's another chapter**

"**Finding the Light"**

The rain spattered endlessly on the transparent window pane, quietly telling its soft tale that would span the very limits of time itself. The usual sunny morning was obscured by dark rain clouds that hovered over the city skies.

"_Please just forget about me"_

"_Please……just"_

"_forget"_

"No, Sa-"

Li Syaoran woke abruptly from what little sleep he had mustered from the night before, the endless pain in his head called at his attention, it would not be ignored. Out of pure routine he stretched his arm out to the bottom drawer to retrieve his medicinal oils, his cure and sanctuary from pain.

When he found nothing but a rugged surface, funny he couldn't recall it being there yesterday morning.

But there was that strange force that tugged at his mind, raising his awareness to a degree where he could clearly see the dust drifting through his room despite the declining amount of sunlight visibility.

He shrugged it off and took grabbed the smooth polished amulet that lay at his bedside, a dark brown crystal as dark as its wielder's eye with a slight tint of color in the center.

He brought it closer to his eye for inspection, only to see the thin shimmer of color at its center draw him even further into its depths. Drawing on his inner magics he transformed the amulet into its full sword form with routine ease throughout the years.

Eyeing the sword carefully he caught a glimpse of its hilt

A tiny pink flower carved intricately into its dull gold metal

Focusing his energy he swept the sword with his senses to find only an even greater disturbance.

_This sword was granted to me by my father and mother, I've had it since I was young. Who would have the nerve to-_

When suddenly the blade shimmered a bright white and the searing light stretched out and burned its bright fury into his eyes.

White, nothing but white. No tangible boundaries where he found himself once again, the pain once again throbbing itself deep inside his being blinding his senses and rendering pushing his sanity to its limits.

"Happy anniversary Syaoran" The timid figure ahead of him bristled with excitement, clear enough that he could see her smile and the faint outline of her cheekbone and a chin that grew from a graceful neck. Even though the figure was unclear, his mind raced quickly with thoughts.

_You're beautiful_ She handed him a long box expertly engraved with his Chinese name, the long box was wooden and had locks on both sides of the parcel, with one small polished lock right in its center.

"It's a gift from me and your mother" She said with confidence, once again beaming her contagious smile at him, he grinned in return.

Placing it on the ground he unlocked the gift carefully, the hinges swung back with anxiety, finally free of their bonds. He gazed upon the object it held, a sword, his sword.

But at the same time it wasn't his sword, he could feel his aura emanating in waves around its sharpened steel and guided hilt, but paying close attention he could feel another power echoing within its tempered steel

It was pink and comforting but had a powerful force behind it all.

"We tried something new with the cards and thought we could imbue something that would help you one day"

With this Syaoran stood happily and put his arms around her neck

And the white returned, white everywhere, with spots of dark red dancing over the sheets and he smelt cherry blossoms and pillows and quiet sobbing, that grew into an immensely painful squeeze.

"Please forget about me" she sobbed.

"Please…just"

"…_forget_"

"No, Sa-"

And the entire world went dark.

The growing sound of rain tapping against his window was louder than he first remembered it.

Opening his eyes he found he was sprawled across the floor unceremoniously, his brown bangs covering over his eyes not that he expected any sunlight to break through the opaque haze that had descended itself onto the town.

When he felt the force tugging at his sixth sense

Rubbing the fatigue out of his eye he rolled over to find the shining blade lying at his side, its blade shimmering in an unknown light and its hilt beckoning for him to hold it.

But when he did, the presence faded and he was left with nothing but emptiness. Now alone in the dark with no sound but the rain pelting down on his balcony window, he now felt more alone than ever.

"Moshi, Moshi Daidouji residence Tomoyo speaking"

Cordless phone in hand Tomoyo gracefully placed her sewing materials in her closet, she would never need them again.

"Tomoyo, you know something" A dark familiar voice hit her ears and she froze.

"What do you mean Li-kun?" she said, trying to conceal the fear in her voice.

"You're hiding something, I know you are" _That voice, he's never used that voice since we were young_

"I'm…not hiding anything" shaking before she even realized her nerves were betraying her.

Silence

"Then tell me…Daidouji" hearing an emphasis on her last name that clung to her ears with insurmountable disdain"…why…are you shaking?"

Surprised she let out a yelp and turned to see the chestnut haired boy soaked and crouching on a tree that overlooked directly into her room. An angry scowl furrowed into his expression and she cringed with fear at what she knew he would do next.

Swinging expertly from the branch he landed on the small windowsill and with perfect balance focused his magic on the room on the other side. A brisk wind erupting as it picked up a picture frame and threw it against the window lock and all within a split-second entered the one man she dreaded to see at the moment.

Taller than her by at least a head and definitely much stronger she peered through the room for something, something that could get her out of this room.

_Can't go into the closet, it's only one way and can't go through the door, he's too fast for that _her nervous thoughts becoming akin to panic.

"There's no point in running" he said. Clearly observing her state, eyes darting throughout the room, he recalled he had been to this room many times before but they were never truly alone, not as alone as they were now.

A silence had descended upon the room emphasizing the raindrops that danced from the sky and landed on the lonely city below,

_Of course it had never been this lonely._

He eyed her suspiciously never allowing his gaze to break, and she responded by staring downwards at the expensive rug that had a particularly faint design on it obscured by the shadows of raindrops dripping across her window and catching the wind to grace itself on the room floor.

"Tell me what I want to hear and make it easy for the both of us" he proposed. But to the ears of the long-haired Japanese maiden she would have said it was more like threatened.

Another long silence, never breaking his stare even when lightning scattered across the sky as it intertwined in a mystical dance with the raindrops and down to the earth with a ground-shaking thunder that only acted to intensify his intimidating stance.

"I..I.." her shaking intensifying with every failed attempt to answer him.

"I'm not going to say this again Tomoyo" His voice heightening at her name "tell me that girl is!"

Another clasp of lightning but her body was so afraid of the man in front of her that all fear of the storm was a mere memory.

"Sh..sh…she" before she knew it tears were beginning to fall from her eyes and onto the floor as it begun to mix with the wind water that continued to draft from the open window.

When he felt it, another beacon of magic pulling at his senses urging not to be ignored any longer, without hesitation Syaoran leapt from the high window leaving her alone in her bedroom, crying.

Landing with perfect grace he trudged across the Daidouji grounds in a record pace, his mind following the nexus of energy that had called to him a night before. What bothered him though was the fact that the aura had presented itself to him but left him disillusioned. He felt the aura mingling with his own, giving an overwhelming sensation of comfort, warmth and joy but simultaneously a feeling of dread, like it wanted him to come to it but at the same time wanted him as far away from the truth as was possible.

Ignoring the pain in his head and the burning sensation of over-exhaustion in his lungs and limbs, he continued running as the rain continued it's violent downpour and the wind itself cutting lashes through the air, he almost considered even the elements had turned against him in a worthy, but futile effort to keep him from the source.

The rain continued to fall as it harshly drew up its strength to force a violent gust through the city, the clouds smothering out any chance of sunlight shining through it seemed to be one of the darkest days anyone had ever seen.

Trembling from her frightful experience, Tomoyo sat curled on her cleanly-polished hardwood floor with the rug strewn neatly over the room and ended in frayed strings at her legs.

"How did he….Where did…"

_I have to find him_

Gathering her strength and mustering her courage all together she set out to find him.

_Stay strong Tomoyo, he's so stubborn, I guess he deserves to know the truth_

Throwing caution to the air she left her room in a break-neck pace

and in her hurry she neglected to see …

…her best friend placing her sewing kit on her bed.

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Hey this is my first story, so leave me a review and tell me how i can make it better, besides grammar and spelling. That will always be the same. I also need to know whether or not I should make this story longer or not too.


	5. Fleeing Dreams

**Author note: A lot of reminiscing in this chapter people**

**Speaking of reminiscing, this story isn't getting enough reviews I have future chapters already typed up and ready for submission but unless I get more reviews, I ...just can't find them on my hard drive anymore. )**

"**Fleeing Dreams"**

Footsteps pelted the hard concrete as droplets of water jumped forward in response. Merely a blur across paths as his exhaustion grew but his pace only managing to increase.

And that's when a shimmer caught his eye.

A brief shimmer of light as it cascaded off a park light and into the window of a nearby schoolhouse, the schoolhouse that he once attended. Li Syaoran recalled the many months he spent there dreading each and every morning routine as he would step into his homeroom and despair at the sight of another school day.

Until something brightened his morning everyday

His eyes stopping to focus on the golden reflective material hanging in the windowsill, a star strung by its arms to the window in a collage of many stars embedded within it.

Stars, too distant to be tangible but so close to one's eye they held the night sky with a defiant manner, refusing to give in to the darkness of the night. There were no stars this night as the clouds invaded every last inch of sky holding both the moon and stars hostage.

Self acknowledging the fact that it would be wise to continue running he was transfixed by the patterns the stars in the window had when realization struck him.

Constellations, like the ones he saw last night when it rained through the clear night sky. Constellations, but none he could recall, they all seemed…broken.

Thinking back he remembered the teachings of magic he had been taught as a young boy hardly seven years of age, the positioning of the stars and the most important constellations to magic, the Dragon, the Phoenix swirling above and below the immovable star.

But that night the immovable northern star was gone, and its guardians decimated, left gaping. The lines that once held the promise of watching over the Earth had scattered and abandoned its hope and in its place was a single lone twinkle as the minute raindrop caught its light and burnt out.

Memories spun in his head as the familiar pain sweeped through his mind and enveloped his consciousness in a blur of white that converted everything it touched into it's bright grip.

"The stars are beautiful tonight" The voice that haunted his every awakening said.

He analyzed his surroundings, the night sky above and a hill with wild grasses and leafy plants surrounded them in a secluded clearing atop the hill.

"I knew you would like this place" The smudged being said "It's green" and through the unclear image he saw a smile "and everyone knows how you like green".

"What do you have against green?" He spoke casually, the words leaving his mouth without his intention

"It's the color of grass" she stated matter-of-factly

His muscles moved on their own accord leaning closer to the distorted shape. So close he could almost see through the translucent cloud that covered her face.

"It's the color of your eyes"

With that he felt a slight impact on his shoulder and despite the momentary pain he let out a satisfied grin. He chuckled

"Besides, wouldn't you think it would be weird if I liked pink instead?'

And he heard a slight giggle echo through the soundless night, the laughter that filled his entire being with joy and compassion and he felt her hand rest lightly on his hand when he looked up and saw her staring lovingly at him through the mist. Her eyes that filled the darkness of the night with it's depths, illuminating every corner of the night sky with their beauty an her laughter.

"I lo-"

The night sky suddenly collapsed onto his senses and brought nothing but darkness, and he flashed back into awareness as a car drove past and showered cold water onto his body, not that it mattered to him he was already thoroughly soaked.

He saw images just then, tires cutting through water jade green eyes that stared at him hopelessly darkened by the taint of darkness, this dark red liquid that threatened to taint their pure depths with another world where she did not belong.

He remembered the rain that night and how it poured down in volleys much like how it rained now but forever engraved in his mind would be the rain the night before, how it fell from a clear midnight sky without warning and continued to shower its silent story onto the deaf ears of the city streets below.

He shrugged and continued his pace along the familiar streets and would always remember that night.

The night the stars were crying.

The criss-crossing winds dove from all directions and threw the descending dews of water into a random array of directions, all exploding into multitudes of crystal drops that descended to the ground. His journey coming to an end as he reached out his senses, trying to confirm his location when he came to an abrupt stop

Here

It ended here, the focal point of the faint but nagging magical signals that had accumulated over the days drew him

Here

The pale yellow outer-casing of the wall shone vibrantly although the lack of daylight would forbid such a display, but there he stood outside the gate facing the steps that would lead him in. The very house itself breathed with the familiar tinge of magic that had decorated his sword blade. Walking gingerly towards the gate he lay his hand on the copper plating and slid his hand slowly down the Japanese characters as he read them aloud.

"Kinomoto Residence"

Just an endnote

In Chinese/Japanese mythology the constellations of Dragon and Phoenix would circle around the gateway to heaven, the Big Dipper being the dragon with it's long tail and winding upper body, and Andromeda being the Phoenix because it looks like a bird, the gateway is the North star.

So if the gateway and guardians were broken then…you get the idea.


	6. A Fallen Star

**Author Note: I can't get the formatting from Word onto the site properly, I haven't noticed it until now but I'm missing a lot of page breaks that indicate scene change, oh well, hope it adds to the thinking effect. In this chapter you will see my sad attempt at making an action/fluff scene. Enjoy! )**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to **MoRnIngLoRi**as her reviews are probably the only reason this chapter is even being put up. As well as everyone else who reviewed, finally I feel like my talentless writing is meaning something.**

"**A Fallen Star"**

Walking gingerly towards the gate he lay his hand on the copper plating and slid his hand slowly down the Japanese characters as he read them aloud.

"Kinomoto Residence"

Those words rang endlessly inside his head, ringing of familiarity, dread, fear and most confusing of all:

Love

His thoughts wandered to where he had yet to explore, torturing his mind for a piece of memory that would tell him what-or more importantly why-this name meant so much to him.

Suddenly from the corner of his left eye, he found movement but was just uninterested at what she had to say.

Or so he thought..

She was still shaking, either from the encounter at her house or the cold-soaked state of her pale skin. She stared at him as his hand slowly retreated from the nameplate and back into his right side back pocket.

He was still staring at her, with a slight hint of aggravation. _Really, what would she have to tell me now that she couldn't tell me back there?_

When suddenly the next words she spoke brought his world crashing down.

"Her name was Sakura" she spoke, clearly as though the rain wasn't there as clearly as the rain had never been there.

"Sakura" He whispered silently

Sakura…

Sakura

_Sakura_

The light behind his eyes burst and he was blinded by the light as pain coursed through every possible cell in his body, shivering he felt the need to lie down.

When he was suddenly brought here, he could tell this place from a million of others. It was his home, although to him it didn't feel like home. There was a circular platform raised above him and the figure that stood before him held a wooden bamboo sword much like the one he held himself.

"Ready?" she said enthusiastically, sword held at an offensive stance. No longer was his vision blurred by the mysterious translucent mist that had shielded him from what he saw, the being he saw before him was divine, there were no other explanations for her beauty. Smiling and giggling as she held her stance defiantly staring at him with determination.

"You bet" and without warning he swung his wood sword down with a powerful force.

Only to have it blocked and be pulled back just in time to cover his weak lower left side, she struck at it with gusto. Swinging backwards in a menacing arc he dealt a blow swift enough that he though not even his trainer could defend against, but she did an expert back flip just before the attack could land and she landed gracefully on her feet, not even breaking a sweat.

"We aren't playing by the rules are we?" She said, he barely caught the mischievous tone in her voice and the glint in her eyes he knew that it would lead to this. Both sword wielders pacing back they swiftly changed their stance and the real contest had begun.

"Element Water!" he called drawing a thin ward with Chinese calligraphy

"Water! Release"

The resounding impact of both forces flooded the battleground and left the floor wet and frictionless as both users leapt to their right in perfect sync, only to draw out the battle by sending another volley.

"Wind!" They cried in equal unison

Again the stalemate continued as the entire ring had been filled with a powerful gust that caused the brown soaked sand to lift creating a sandstorm.

With an extra ounce of magic he strengthened his blow and the resulting gust had knocked her off balance just enough time for him to reach for his sword. He leapt into the air with his sword drawn for a downward strike eyeing her beautiful locks of hair from above swaying as she fought to regain her balance when he brought down the wooden weapon..

SMACK!

Swords caught in a deadlock, their faces close enough to feel the other's breath they fought for dominance.

"You didn't think I'd go down that easily did you" She smirked pridefully. "You know you've already lost this fight"

He was about to reply when he felt soft skin press against his lips, and he was instantaneously brought to heaven and back by the delicate feeling that coursed through his body.

Cut short when she gave him a hard shove and he tumbled towards the ground losing grip as his weapon flew across the sandy earth.

He could feel the eyes of the spectators around him; he knew he had lost and that there would be rumors spreading throughout the clan. It didn't matter, it was worth it.

"Okay you got me" He sighed in defeat

"You don't think I'll let you off that easy do you" He looked up at the mischievous gaze and was too late before he felt her fingers traveling purposefully over his chest sides causing him to erupt in laughter as his nerves screamed with life. He pulled his holy-torturer towards him and held her in his arms, breathing deep the scent of cherry blossoms and strawberries.

"I love you" and he pulled his lips to hers

"I love you too"

Suddenly he could see the flashes of images like he had previously but clear focused on the bright angel in each and every one of them. Every single happy moment he had seemed to have her entwined within them, swirling as they reassembled themselves into his mind. His first meeting her, the card captures, the transformations, the attack by the Void and the subsequent confessions that preluded the few short years they spent together. Her smiles in the morning and the shine in her eye that caught and held just the right amount of sunlight, so that she could share that light with everyone else.

These memories, memories of her, memories of Sakura. They continued to fill in every gap of his being with emotions he would have thought could never be forgotten. So now they would not be neglected, he could feel the magical tension surrounding him dissolve as the memories flooded in multitudes of bright colors now strengthening his resolve.

_I've got to find her. I have to find Sakura_

He suddenly felt his body shifting upright in the sudden darkness and could feel now that he was standing, the water of the soaked training ground spreading over his body, inundating every last fiber of his clothes. Tomoyo was no longer there, but he would prefer she wouldn't be for what he was about to do.

What drove him to do what was next, nobody would know. It was as if the wind drove his legs together in determination as his arm reached over the low gate and unlocked it from the inner gate side.

Creaking slowly, the gate swung open on its hinges and opened to reveal the inner garden, soaked but still gleaming its beautiful array of flowering plants. He walked cautiously up the stone steps being swept clean of dirt by the harsh wind just to have it renewed by the nearby flowerbeds. He strode slowly towards the door narrowly avoiding the bicycle that had toppled over the grey steps of this home, this beacon of energies that called to him even during the darkest of nights, this sanctuary as it felt that held so much promises to the answers he seeked. He mustered up his courage in the dark shadow of the porch and raised his rain-soaked arm to the pale door and gathered his fingers together to knock on the door, when it suddenly opened.

Touya stood gazing downwards into the rain; his bike had fallen despite his best efforts to secure it to the porch light. The rain blew harshly but to his surprise none of the flowers had given in to its surprising might.

He stood there eyeing the porch and _him_. He knew he would be here, and now he was soaked and drenched in the mysterious storm, seeing his eyes filled with confusion, anger, sadness and most of all determination.

"Come in" That was it, no insults no glaring contests no wise tricks.

He stepped carefully into the house, and was careful not to ruin his new surroundings with the accumulated water. He somehow felt that he should preserve it, protect the house and everything within it with his own life. Funny, such selflessness for an inanimate object.

But it wasn't just an inanimate object, the house surged with still-flowing energies re-awakening his sense and giving him strength he even thought he could feel the energies wrapping them around him and drying him off.

But there was nobody there and the tall dark haired man just walked into the room to his left, the living room as he recalled was a fair-sized room with a low coffee table and corner- lime green couch. The light-colored rug felt comforting under his feet although it had looked dingy and discouragingly dirty since the last time he saw it.

All these memories flooded into his mind from such motions as walking through it's halls gripping the rug fibers with the curl of his toes even sitting down on it's smooth surface reminded him of her, reminding him of Sakura.

"I guess you figured it out" Touya looked up from his beverage which now lay still on the coffee table. Black coffee it didn't look like he slept that much anyways.

"Kaijuu would always mess up things like that, you know. Of course you remember don't you?" His tone solid but his eyes quivering with unshed tears.

"What happened to her? I need to know where she is so I can talk to her" He said in his least-demanding voice. Looking down at his shirt to realize it had dried, as if it had never touched rainwater before.

"That's her you know" His response shocking him, but giving him hope, hope was all he needed. "Her magic and her presence is still everywhere, doing all the things she used to do"

"I need to know where she is, Kinomoto-kun" Letting just a little demand slip into his voice this time.

"You still don't get it do you? I guess she did have a lot of power then didn't she?" He spoke reaching out for the beverage on the table only to realize it was filled to the top.

"She keeps doing things like this, just yesterday I could feel her stepping on my foot" He took a deep sip from his mug. Placing it down again as it slowly filled to the rim.

"She was always clumsy, but she was my sister" His voice beginning to quiver

"This is hopeless! Utterly hopeless. Won't anyone in this town help me find her or do I have to do it myself?" He couldn't take it anymore he had to find answers and sitting here talking to her brother wasn't helping and watching the mug simmer as it refilled and reheated wouldn't help either.

He stood upwards and could feel his body filling with warmth; he felt that this house did not want him to leave. But stubbornly he walked across the room and placed his hand on the door catching a glimpse of a photo sitting on the drawer-side. A photo of Sakura, beaming happily at the polished pane of glass but lying to himself to think she was really smiling at him. They would never put just anything on that drawer it was always reserved for a special reason, one he could wished he could provide to his tortured mind.

Beside it was the photo of her mother.

Touya stood at the hallway staring at the empty space where the boy had left just moments ago. Not bothering to bring a jacket or something to shield him from the rain. He was determined, and as much as he hated to admit it.

_He would've made a good Brother-in-law_

The long dark rain had seemed to lighten now, but that was the least of anybody's concerns. Another cold chill had come through and the leaves were beginning to grow weary of the torment. They had begun to show signs of an early mid-August autumn, but the sun had remained captive to the clouds as they showed no sign of letting up.

Tomoyo stood under the shelter of a shaded tree, though shade was none of her concern in the dark days that had passed yet still the dying leaves provided some relief from the light tears that fell from the sky.

She stood at the cement steps of the apartment building eyeing her watch and pacing steadily as even her, with no magical ability felt that she should be here. She'd wait until he showed himself from the confines of his apartment where he hid himself for days, not even sure this day would be any different but she waited.

He awoke late again, not unusual for his past days highly out of routine. He had not bothered to leave his room unless for are necessities, he didn't seek any help but would sit quietly on his bed with his sword, the Sakura sword as he began to call it lying still on his lap, waiting for her to reach out to him again.

Today would be no different, nor would the morning headaches that made him curse his mind show signs of freeing him. So routinely he sat up ad reached to bottom drawer for his oils, groggy from the recent nights he received little sleep from he opened the bottom drawer and felt the rugged surface under the tired pads of his fingers.

"Master Syaoran" A voice sounded from the other side of his door in Cantonese.

"What is it? Come in" responding in kind.

The door opened slowly and creaked on its hinges as the hall light shone into the dark room, for once in many days he could once again see the green that permeated his room.

How he hated it, his sheets his bed his flooring, everything green that he could want but none of the green beauty he actually needed.

"You have guests, they say they have something to discuss with you, will you be joining them?" He asked politely, Syaoran recalled how many times he had told him to speak casually but his unchanging ways was what brought him a sense of trust.

"Let them in, I'll be out in a minute" He said transforming the sword back into it's pendant form and slipping it under his shirt just before he took one last glimpse at it's pink center.

"Yes Master Syaoran" as Wei slowly closed the door but not before "Please Wei just Syaoran is fine"

"Yes Master" and the door shut with a soft click

Letting out a slight chuckle he stood to his feet and watched the slow rain beginning to pick up where it had left off. Changing into some casual wear his white-shirt with a green striped neckline and his carefully straightened blue jeans he slid out the door and closed it behind him.

"Trust me this is the last place I want to be right now" Touya sat comfortably on the couch carefully eyeing the violet eyed girl sitting nervously at his side. At least here he wouldn't have to worry about the feeling of her presence anymore.

"I just think we shouldn't try to interfere with her plan" She said pleadingly with her voice, she really wanted to get out now that she spent so much time jus getting in.

"Kaijuu could never form a plan, she lived in the moment, you of all people would know that" He said with tone of cheeriness returning.

When Li Syaoran walked into the room, the world fell silent as he eyed his two visitors. He stood there observing the two one who had returned the gaze and the other reflexively looking to the floor.

"Tomoyo told me everything that happened" He spoke with confidence to his words "frankly, we think you should stop it"

"Where is she?"

"She didn't want you to be in pain for the rest of your life Li-kun" Tomoyo drawing attention to herself for the first time with her sudden outburst.

"Tell me where she is, can't you see important this is to me" He voiced with a growing anger.

"You think we're doing this to hurt you, we're doing this to help you" The tall dark-haired man said his voice remaining strangely calm.

"How many times do I have to say this, tell me where she is now!"

_He deserves to know the truth_ a small voice whispered in the back of her mind, filling her heart with a sense of familiarity.

"She's…she's at the park" She said defeated. Earning a thankful look from Syaoran and a surprised look from Touya.

"He deserves to go find her" She voiced as Syaoran leapt at the door and ran out into the cloudy light of Tomoeda.

He ran with all his energy and all his magic being pulled to it's limits as he his feet ached with the impact of the ground each time, the shortest point between two points was a straight line and he avoided traffic and used his magic-induced leap to clear low-houses, narrowly dodging a truck that braked at the last minute earning curses from the driver. He ignored these nuisances as he ran ever quickly towards the park, the park where so much of his memories were made, promises to be kept, loves to be found.

The slow wind carried upon it more rain, rain that had seemed it would haunt the city sky limits forever with leaves dancing across his face and hard rain drops cutting through his skin with their brisk chill he passed the blue penguin slide that held so many memories and darted towards the more wooded area closer to the shrine where he could feel her energies filling the park grounds.

When he came across the clearing, he could feel the radiant energies in this place surrounded by falling cherry blossom petals; no doubt the energies had kept them alive. But what horrified him was sitting unmoving in between the two trees. Pale colors being danced upon by bright pink and white, the soil showing signs that she had been there waiting for a long time. The words written across the face were unmistakable and he broke down and sobbed.

_In Loving Memory of Kinomoto Sakura_

_We will never forget you_


	7. Trudging through the Ashes

"**Trudging through the Ashes"**

_In Loving Memory of Kinomoto Sakura_

_We Will Never Forget You_

"We will never forget" The pale engraved words rang through infinite worlds as they all met in the same meaning, the same inevitable meaning. The one result he had been dreading the one result that tormented his soul, his entire being, all of his hope of finding her, all his wishes to be alongside her again, all the finalities of his destiny, engraved in rock and smeared in the mud.

_I never wanted for you to know_

Her voice, the voice that resonated through his dreams and his reality was somewhat assuring, though the last thing he wanted was reassurance, he would not face the truth he would not tell himself that Sakura, his rival, his friend, his very meaning was gone.

"Li-kun!" The panting voice drifted over the park grounds, carried by a light wind that caused the cherry blossoms to glisten, shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. He looked over his shoulder to see her thoroughly exhausted, her black straightened hair looked messy and her gentle pale face showed signs of stress.

"So now you know" Her voice holding masses of sympathy

"Yeah" his voice monotone, his expression completely neutral.

'I'm…sorry it had to be this way" Her eyes drooping downwards at the ground in apologies.

They stood there like that, leaves falling in bright circles of yellow and brown, their golden specks and auburn flurries falling gently onto his skin, and stabbing his heart leaving it to bleed with unshed tears.

"It was the same thing her mother had" She said calmly breaking the silence with her voice shaking as the thought of it all made the defenses she built crumbled into dust and flew away amongst the flying petals. "She didn't tell anyone about it" Slowly she began to weep for her fallen friend.

_It was the same thing her mother had_

The color of the leaves began to contrast leaving them grey with white specs dotted over them that spread like wildfire through the leaves and the tress, the pain in his chest swimming towards his head causing a cry of pain that would not have enough courage to escape his throat, and the clouds darkened beginning to rain, their drops adding touches of color to the leaves, returning them to their green precedent when suddenly he realized where he was.

The car sped through the streets at an absurdly agile speed, it's tires cutting through reservoirs of rain water left on the ground and shocking them to rise to his window, houses and trees blurred past them until there was no way to depict whether or not they ever existed.

The weight in his arms shifted, letting out a painfully weak cry.

And there she was lying in his arms, being held closely to his chest as to reassure her heartbeat would not betray her, although there would be little he could do if that were the case.

She continued to sob in pain, the pink blanket around her beginning to darken with blotches of dark red that flowed like a bottomless fountain from her mouth. Another splash of water rose to the window and its shadows dotted her tender face with dark impressions so unbefitting to her. She seemed so small and fragile in his arms, only shrinking as the sheets continued to darken and he cursed the color that endangered his hold on her life. He was afraid, never before had he been so deathly afraid of anything in his life. The small flower in his arms only shrinking and becoming paler and he did not want to see her shrink until there was nothing left of her.

They rushed her inside the white stale building, with teams of machines he could make no sense of and in that moment he so wished that it was him in that stretcher instead of her, he wished that he would be the one to have those final prayers but instead he stood there giving them instead of receiving.

It was the middle of the night when the doctors managed to stem the blood loss. And through the window he looked onto her body and never before had he wished he'd helped more and never before had he hated the feeling of death lingering in the air with the stale odor of sterilized upholstery.

"She'll only make it through the next two days on constant anesthetics and drugs" The tall man dressed in a long white uniform explained "She would only make it through the next few hours without them" There was a long pause in his dreaded words that echoed through the hallway and in the corner of his eye he could see her brother and father breaking down. The man sighed and continued "she's requested to be taken off medication and says she has a few last things she wanted to say"

Li Syaoran's world turned red as his words faded away into silence, and he wanted to tell him to get back into that room and try doing something right for once. But he could not find the words or the energy to speak instead tightly squeezing his hand around the tiny object in his pocket, smoothing his thumb over its surface.

The sun would rise in a matter of hours, but for now he waited in the dimly lit hallway as he watched her family and friends take their respective turns in the room with her. He stared at the messy carpeting that laid between the soft walls and he waited there both anxious for his turn to see her and dreading it.

He looked towards the calendar that hung neatly next to the chair, August 2 it read, he was supposed to meet her in the park tomorrow and they'd spend their weekend together without a worry in the world. Under the moonlit stars he intended to show her how much he truly cared for her.

"Li" The tall man he recognized to be the eldest Kinomoto spoke "it's time"

Slowly he stood and walked towards the door, its lever scratched by usage over the many years and he placed pressure onto the handle and squeezed his left fist so that the fine details embedded themselves in his hand.

He made his way into the room and could see the sun peering over the horizon giving promise to a new day; sadly he thought one she would not see to its end.

She laid there amidst white sheets, all white her small body barely making an impression amidst it's sheets and it seemed like the white went on forever, no walls, no floors no tangible objects, just white. But as far as he wished the white would continue it didn't, all of the slight curves and crevices in the immense sea of light led to the dark blotches that stained it's origin with a red haze.

Her eyes shone with a weary fatigue that disillusioned him to think that they still had plenty of life in their emerald green depths. She motioned for him to approach closer, and when he did he felt himself pulled towards in a tight emotionally painful embrace. All he could see was white with red spattered blotches that decorated her sheets and he could smell cherry blossoms and pillow fatigue and amongst the pain he could feel the magic in the air beginning to intensify.

"I'm sorry...I can't…I just can't…hold on" she spoke into his ear feeling her breath tingle past his senses and the vibrating waves beginning to take shape.

"Please don't" He spoke and for the first time since he was a young child standing by his father's side as he begun to slip from his hold, he begun to cry.

"I just can't go on without you...please stay" he pleaded, hoping his pleas alone could stop her from departing.

"I know, but please"

The pink waves intensified and stood stabilized in the air waiting for the command.

"Please forget about me"

"Please…just"

"_forget"_

The electrical energies began swirling around him when he finally realized what was happening.

"No! Sakura!"

And his world faded to black, and he collapsed on her side. Still putting up a valiant effort she mustered her last ounce of strength and leaned forward to his ear.

"I love you"

And their last drop of strength left them both, lying together amongst the screeching machinery the first rays of sunlight invaded the room and shone down upon them both…

…reflecting the tiny diamond ring that fell from his clutch and plummeted towards the darkness.


	8. Under the Twilight

**Author Note: This story will be ending pretty soon, I guess it's for the better seeing as how school is coming up and stuff. I'll continue to write and post new stories as soon as I have time and ideas. Feel free to tell me in a review or E-mail any new fic ideas you would like to see.**

**"you know whatpisses me off? the fact that writters will only post for reviews, if people are reading it as it is, doesn't that say something?" ****My Sis has brought up a good point here, and from now on all chapters will be posted at her beck and call**

"**Under the Twilight"**

The two of them stood there staring at the stone jutting out from the Earth as leaves danced with petals, brown flickers dancing with green, green leaves dancing with pink petals.

The Chinese boy kneeled there on the fresh little hill of dirt that protruded out from the carved stone. Imagining the days he shared with her, the conversations they had about little things, just little things. Like how birds could fly, how clouds soared through the scorching sun, just little things like how much he liked green.

He told himself that that is why he felt so attached to this place, the scenery was a collage of green and pink dotted with seasonal brown and he remembered why even the trees hurt him so deeply, staring at their leaves were like staring into her eyes.

Eyes that just wouldn't open, even with all the money in the world they could just still didn't have enough to open them let everyone bask in her endless pools. He knew he had drowned in her eyes for years now, giving up the struggle and letting himself sink beneath the surface of their depths, he always thought if she left, she would take him too.

But she wasn't like that. Everyone knew she wasn't the kind of person who ever asked anybody to anything for her, she never hated anyone and shared her joy with the world. So much life, tragically swept away from the world.

"I'm so sorry Li-kun" She voiced amidst her own sobbing and for a moment it seemed the wind would didn't carry her message to the one that needed it the most, until he slowly got up and a fierce determination in his eye that struck fear into her and pity at his words.

"Don't be sorry" He inhaled deeply "There's no reason to be…

…I'm going to fix it"

Tomoyo gasped, cold air entering her lungs and vaporizing from her body warmth as a trickle of breath escaped from her voice-stricken throat.

"What? Li-kun-"

"Enough" he stared at her with violent impatience "I'm not going to waste time here"

He ran off towards his apartment leaving her alone with the leaves and the mound in the dirt. The wind blew hard against the trees surrounding the site, and pin petals descended to the ground and shriveled with the ground's touch.

Running, all he could think of was running. Not paying attention to any of the vehicles at all, abandoning all caution he ran through a busy intersection panting from over-exertion but failing to recognize the danger of his foolish actions. Besides, the worst thing that could happen would only bring him and her together again.

He could see now the distant building coming into view over the horizon as the sun begun to set behind it, creating an optical illusion that made the building seem to shine with rays of salvation. He grabbed the handle of the entrance and ran his way up the fire route to his apartment door, fumbling for the keys he threw them into the mechanism and turned it.

His home, although for days now it didn't feel muck like home to him anymore. Everywhere he would go in Japan he could only think of the times and the places he's been with her, and in Hong Kong he could only think of the places she hadn't seen. Nowhere was home to him now. He paced quickly to his room ignoring the still open doorway, his loyal servant and friend nowhere to be seen, opening his door he stepped inside.

"I knew you'd do something like this" Li Syaoran stood shocked as the golden lion stood before him defiantly.

"Get out of my way" Glaring back with the same magnitude of threat in his stance.

"My mistress told me you'd be coming" He said matter-of-factly

"Is that all she is to you, a mistress?" He voiced annoyingly "How about instead of thinking of her as a mistress, you think about her as a friend"

There were no words to his challenge, and the lion slumped his shoulders in defeat yet still keeping a watchful eye on the boy.

"But what exactly do you intend on doing?"

"I'm bringing her back, I don't know what it will take nor do I care, I'm doing this…with or without you"

Keroberos stood at the ground in thought for a moment and to Syaoran's surprise he side-stepped away from his drawer and lied down on the floor, with his paws underneath his chin.

Syaoran now looked towards his bedside drawer sensing the powers revolving around it reaching down for his bottom drawer he placed his hand inside it to find the rugged surface underneath his fingers and the slight tingling sensation of warmth and joy pulsating through his nerves at it's touch.

There it lay, the Sakura book nestled neatly next to a stack of papers. Such a powerful object that lay in so close to him for days and baka he was for not caring to give it a second notice.

He picked it up and opened the dusty seal on the smooth undecorated side of the book and placed it on his old wooden workstation carefully. The sun's rays melting into the horizon sending a few last rays that hit the book giving it a surreal glow of pink assorted with the green surroundings of his room. He'd never done this before, never felt the need to and all knew that it probably wouldn't work. But still stubborn as he was he decided against common sense and began to neatly shuffle the deck and place it in a diamond formation in front of him and he begun a chant

_Ancient forces hear my plea_

_Know that the fate of your mistress now runs through me_

_Spirits, save her from her untimely wrath_

_And grant me vision to my path_

The still air in the room ignited with liveliness the wind tossing papers and objects across his space in a frenzied gathering of mystical energies. The lights flickered, showing signs of torment before surrendering and letting their light dim to darkness as the last glimpse of sun descended into the Earth making the entire room suddenly pitch black with darkness.

The magical winds slowed and the cards remained in there place despite the howling winds, and through prior knowledge of card magic he turned over the middle three cards.

Shadow, Illusion, Dark

"What?" He exclaimed in the darkness "there's got to be some meaning to this" Desperation rising in his tone.

"Sorry kid, there doesn't seem to be a clear solution to any of this"

He was about to retort when a shrill cry echoed from his living room forgetting that he had left the door open.

"Li-kun please stop this it's only going to make you hurt mo-"

Clearly aggravated by the interruption, he cursed and leapt from his seat to see that she had already made her way to his room slouching he closed his door and was lead by the lengthy haired women to his living room couch.

In the darkness of the kid's room, Keroberos leapt felinely to the cards and out of curiosity gently lifted the bottom card with his jaws and placed it carefully side up, smiling to himself as he shuffled them back inside the book.

_Hope_

**hehe, I could've made this chapter longer but I decided to post it as two separate chapters instead of one, anybody have guesses? Please leave them in a**

**REVIEW!**


	9. Hope

"**Hope"**

The room stood silent in the growing darkness of night, and the wind had ceased to exist leaving a slight uncomfortable tinge in the air. No sound could be heard, not even the crickets that he cursed every night that signaled the time when he would be forced to leave her side. Silence, completely uninterrupted except for the slight humming of magic in the air that no doubt only he could hear.

She was here, he was sure of it. Not just an illusion created by wishful thinking that played and tormented his still-breathing body and made him ache to be released of it to join her at its side and in some way the feeling was comforting.

Tomoyo sat at his side, playing with her hair as a diversion from the conversation or lack-of. He could clearly see her black straightened hair being twiddled between her white fingers that showed themselves in the artificial light to be paler than he last remembered.

_Normally _He thought to himself _I would be pretty annoyed to have been dragged out like that just to find she has nothing to say anymore. _But he couldn't be annoyed. At least not with the big sphere of pink energies lying opposite to him on the dull-fashioned seat and that only made him more at ease when she made the seat seem to turn to life with color. But of course that was her way. Her mysterious ability to bring life to everything around her even in her untimely death….ironic to say the least.

He felt gazed upon all of a sudden. Only to realize that he was staring at the empty space on the couch and even though it was against the overbearing laws of normality he blushed.

The lion walked across the old wooden floorboards wringing out a creak from some and an expected thud from another. He instinctively shot his head to his left and stared upon the space that he just moments before had gazed at and made his way to sit almost humanly next to it's lively glow.

He almost felt angered when he thought of his choice of location, like he had no right to be sitting there, but ignoring it he broke the silence and spoke.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about" he queried.

"It's just" She paused looking unsure of her next words "She told me…right before it happened that day that the longer you kept thinking of ways to bring her back the longer and the more painful it will be when you can't"

"You too?" He widened his eyes in menacing question "You were her best friend since even before I met her and you too have given up on her, just like that" He waved his hand in the air to emphasize his stand.

"You think this doesn't hurt me as much has it hurts you? You…" her words broke off as she lowered her head, he couldn't tell whether it was in defeat or to cry. But he was pretty sure why

"Even if we tried, it would be impossible. You of all people should know that"

"I won't just give up on her like that, she never gave up when we were friends capturing cards, she never gave up when I had to leave and she would never give up if it was me instead of her"

He could see the stunned faces of the two beings in sitting comfortable in his dingy living room and he could only feel the slight shift in emotions in the air and he could swear she was nodding in agreement at the statement.

"What do you suppose I do? Get up and leave Japan again? Even if she wasn't around anymore I would never leave her here"

His expression gradually changed from anger to sadness and the ever-present shine in his eye gave way to the small shine of determination.

"I promised her, I would never leave her again"

Hours passed in the lonely living room, Tomoyo had just left as her mother called her to return and he sat in the same position as Kero did still contemplating the issue. Completely fruitless he recalled Kero saying and he could still remember the gentle voice that swept through his mind and entered his thoughts in response.

_Even now he thinks of food_

Syaoran grinned as he remembered the humming in the air grow louder and the feeling of comfort grow closer as it made its way towards him and faded in power as time went on.

So many memories he had of her sleeping against his arm like she was probably now. A myriad of memories that stuck out in his mind and refused to be forgotten, and countless mental artifacts that he would preserve in his mentality as clues to solving this riddle, the riddle that meant the very future of two lives.

He remembered the mug she made for him, the one he would wake up every morning and replenish his thirst-ridden throat with. The mug that would make every morning a memorable experience.

He remembered the sword, imbued with her magic and could recall as if it were yesterday the words that formed meaning from her soft angelic voice that moment.

"We tried something new with the cards and thought we could make something that would help you one day"

"One day" He whispered under his breath "no time like the present Sakura"

Syaoran could hear the sound of Kero clearing his throat, and realized he had interrupted him in mid-speech.

"As I was saying, what you're trying to do is completely impossible. Not even Clow was powerful enough to reverse the effects of death"

_Syaoran, it's time_

Something in his thoughts snapped, and a sea of realization struck him with full force and he was drowning in depths of solutions and knowledge. He thought he could feel the very energies of the mystic void flowing through his mind at the touch and quickly stood up…his eyes burning with resolve.

"Clow wasn't powerful enough, but I know someone who was even more powerful than he ever was"

Kero sat silently contemplating the truth in his words. But the odds were still stacked against them.

"Even so, not one card in the book can possibly do anything like bring someone back like that"

Syaoran stood silent, his heart burning with joy as the sea of endless thoughts in his mind mingled with the inner fire co-operatively and in the darkness of the starless night he could see the light in the far distance.

"Not every card was created by Clow" he turned his head to look upon the now-shocked guardian beast; he could see him swallow as he closed his gaping mouth. He smiled as the tingling sensation returned

_Oh look, he can already taste the pudding_

The beast's eyes darkened with sadness again "Looks like you have a plan there gaki, but you can only access the power of Clow's magic. In no way are you capable of summoning any card from the Sakura book now."

His strong resolve did not falter but instead reaching for his pendant strung neatly around his neck and holding it out at arm's length for both to see.

The sun had begun to rise over the distant line of the horizon, and its warming rays shot through the window and caused a small flicker of light to shine on the brandished steel…

…reflecting the pink cherry blossom that carved itself into the hilt of the Sakura sword.


	10. Revival

"**Revival"**

The darkness of the night touched everywhere, casting long shadows over the white walls and darkened everything. But the brief flickering light that shone over the horizon had begun to dispel it's darkness with its own radiant touch. The air was slightly humid with moist droplets of dew that hung over the multitudes of grass blades below the trees and tall aging buildings but the entire city seemed untouched with the business of life.

In the fleeing darkness stood the Chinese warrior with sword in the shimmering blade in hand that illuminated his discolored surroundings with a brilliant shade of cherry. Seemingly awakening the liveliness in the walls and upholstery with a colorful energy he never knew they had.

Hesitantly he sheathed the sword in the Old-oak Chinese Style scabbard and slid it into his pant belt, taking great care not to scratch or ding this priceless gift. The sword he used to summon the elements with his wards, the sword he used since young to train, the sword that once held the power to use and control the mystical cards, but most importantly the sword that promised Sakura's salvation.

The silence of the room was interrupted as Syaoran broke into a running pace towards his green-dominated room. There lying neatly on the desk was the powerful book that held endless uses with its cryptic writings scribbled into the back pages. There was no need to read them for he had spent his entire childhood being forced by his elders to study and memorize them, but his mind side-tracked as he picked up the book and scanned through the back appendixes, skimming through the old knowledge of the cards and their uses. Many of the pages were in good kept condition despite its age but many of the ancient paper had begun to crisp with exception to the one he saw now.

Tucked and neatly added behind the last of the pages two sheets that were obviously newly added, and the handwriting he could pick out from a million others, even in the dark. Void and Hope pages lay after the musty old original scriptures, but the writing was neither formal nor serious as Clow's originals had been they suited her in a way. Letting curiosity get the better of him he read the last page of the book, written neatly in what seemed to be a pink gel-pen.

_The Hope Card_

_I'm not too sure what this does though I do have a good hunch…_

_I think it helps preserve the memories and feelings of the ones you never want to leave, the ones you never want to forget. _

_But I think it does more than that, when it was created it did something, something I wasn't too sure about until four months later…when Syaoran came back to me._

_So it brings back the ones you love the most I guess and it will always to keep us together._

_No matter what happens._

The ink ended there and what followed seem to be a crinkled dot on the page, what seemed like a tear had fallen and blessed the ordinary paper with it's astonishing prisms of beauty before sinking into it and becoming one with the page forever.

The sun rose to barely a finger over the black line that signified the farthest depths his eye could see and had brought the sky into a hybrid state of night and day. The sun shone brightly in the East while the moon still raised high in the dark sky surrounded by slowly fading starlight, the time would be now. He wouldn't be able to go another day without her by his side.

The sun slipped through the leaves of the trees and directed its blinding light into his eyes, while the moon held its ground defiantly against the emerging sunlight and the infinities of the stars had claimed neutral territory in the skies.

The stars watched curiously over the two enemies that traveled slowly towards the park entrance. To anyone else it would prove to be a peculiar sight, a man walking quickly with a round object in his hand and engaged in an inaudible conversation with his left shoulder.

He made his way through the familiar tiled walkway that wound itself around the gigantic penguin and the mounds of sand that held countless tales. All of his best memories had been here; coming to this tranquil park reminded him of the millions of times he had been here with her, always in some form by his side. Even now he could feel himself being followed by her presence that no longer shrieked of repelling him but now he could sense an electric anxiousness in wherever he stepped.

He could feel himself becoming confident again, his steps becoming more deliberate and quickened with every tree had passed and every leaf that fell.

The wind had died; leaving a gloomy presence to the air as the sun, moon and stars merely watched him. Both pitying him and praising him with their never-dying lights as clouds could be clearly seen streaked across the sky.

When his shoes came in contact with the grassy-cleared pathway and he lead himself up the winding lines until he came upon the clearing. Beautiful beyond words he could think of, the deciduous trees dotted across the borders and four tall flowering cherry trees were planted neatly in a square with its leaves and late blossoms drifting gracefully towards the grassy foundation. Above, the sky was simply surreal. The sun had begun it's ascent into the sky as everything it touched became a reddish pink that grew evenly with the clouds whereas the other half was dark and the sky shows faint glimmers of stars while the moon had kept a stubborn hold on its position.

Quiet air that passed by with growing anticipation seem to have filled every corner, every crevice of the wondrous clearing as he stood facing the small flower carving in it's center head that rested upon the engraved stone that stuck out of the ground and with little effort he transformed his pendant into it's full length as the steel reflected the light of the sun and stars evenly across it's symmetrical face. Standing with one hand loosely over his sword and another arm tightly grasping the pink tome, he retrieved his salvation.

"You ready?" The stuffed animal queried. Obvious anticipation that coupled with the growing anxiety that made itself present on his back and he exhaled where he didn't even know he held his breath.

"Now or never" reaching for the one card that held the fate of his Sakura, he raised it to the air where the sun, moon and stars shined evenly upon it and threw it into the air.

The card danced the typical routine he had seen many times before; raising his sword he stabbed it in a forward motion.

"Hope, release and dispel" he shouted, placing every strand of energy in his body and every inch of determination into the activation of the card.

"RELEASE"

It shone brightly, the color-dotted rectangle began to bleed white as it's light swallowed the grey stone just mere steps away from him and continued to spread and grow in magnitude until all that could be seen was white. White walls, white floors and no visible objects as far as he could see, he felt his growing weariness in the light but knew to give up now would be to forsake his mission forever. Pushing every limit of physical, mental and magical energy into channeling the energies through his sword he could see the card beginning to dim and the magical white light beginning to fade into rainbow eddies of still burning light. The spell was nearing its completion; his dreams were now being realized.

She stood there pale-faced and panting in the soft-chill of early-autumn air. The soft pink petals fell on her and the gentle wind kicked up around and beneath her feet as she stood staring at the Chinese boy that stood there staring emptily as he quickly blinked his eyes and tried to refocus them. He looked disappointed.

Tomoyo walked closer to her friend as he fell to his knees, he looked dumbfounded. She of course, had a million other questions as well.

Li Syaoran sat there with his knees in the dirt, staring at the stone and the mound in the ground that had not moved.

"Where is she" he searched around but could find nothing. The small rectangular card lying solemnly amidst the blades of grass that grew like carpet and surrounded the unreal beauty of the clearing and he wondered why she wasn't there, why amidst the thousands of cherry blossoms that decorated the air why his wasn't here.

That was it, his only way of being re-united with her, the one sole reason he had to keep himself going and all of his efforts led to nothing. He remained there crumpled with his knees beginning to deeply embed themselves in the soft moist dirt.

"I…was... so sure" He said exhausted and panting, his words coming out in almost choked sobs. In all her years she had known him, he had never been this far on the verge of panic before. He was always the calm one, always the collected analytical one, but now she had seen how deeply the loss of her best friend was to him and she caught sight of his eyes for a brief moment and could no longer see the fierce determination they had held only a few days ago. It seemed hopeless now, all of his efforts. The stubborn resistance he held against facing the mere truth that she was gone, but what pained him even more was that she was counting on him. Nights ago, she whispered her mind unto his thoughts and had relied on him to bring them together again. That was perhaps what brought him the most grief, having failed the one thing that he could not risk failing. His one objective was her and now he couldn't even feel her presence anymore. The tiny gentle voice that swept through his mind occasionally was gone, Sakura, who was so afraid of spirits even when she was one, was gone; he still couldn't face the truth, never would he ever give up on her.

The sun's bright aura reached over and claimed the last remnants of night sky blanketing it in its warm protection but in the last glimpse of darkness, a diminutive light streaked across the morning sky.

…a star had begun it's descent to its home.

**I'm evil not inconsiderate, there will be one more chapter whenever I can find time in my schedule to write it. I know the chapter title is misleading but hey, what can you do. This story has been up for about 1 ½ weeks now and has already received 494 hits and thirteen reviews so I guess that's alright for a first fic.**


	11. Never Forget

"**Never Forget"**

…a star had begun its descent home.

The walk home that day was the longest walk he had ever had. Thinking he might've taken a wrong turn somewhere, or maybe…there just wasn't a place to call home anymore.

The morning sun was gleaming over the quiet city now, illuminating it's streets with a dull glow of fiery red. The stone path remained silent, only disrupted by the light hammering of his shoes against the pale face of the cobbled walkway. Everywhere he went he only saw things that reminded him of her, his subconscious thoughts beginning to drive him mad. Even the slightly discolored stones he tread upon looked like the tall fine carven stone that would mark her place in the world forever.

His memories, the memories he had nearly lost to her incantation. The only things he had left of her engraved themselves upon his every wakening moment; the entire town had housed countless memories of her. Something not even returning to Hong Kong wouldn't help, he would still be able to see the starlight and he could not escape the bright and cheerful sunlight.

_Where Am I now?_ She stood facing the dark, fluid wall. The dark bottomless liquid seemed to stand vertically forming a barrier on its own and she expected it to dissipate and have the aqueous material crash down upon her. She could see the reflection in the surface as well as the faint dotted colors behind it shimmering then fading back into the perpetual darkness. There was a sudden droplet that stung waves of retort and she could start to feel herself being pulled through the darkness.

"We'll meet each other again" She beamed a joyful smile "In another hundred years hopefully"

She felt the cold damp beginning to soak into her back and she shivered in response, then suddenly breaking through the surface and being pulled through the deep waters with tremendous speed and force until she was nowhere. In space in between reality and ethereality and she suddenly felt the need to breathe, the aching in her lungs that she had not felt for days now was beginning to return. Drowning was probably the best word to explain it, although she felt an incessant need to travel back to the surface for a gasp of air, she would not satisfy the thought.

But she would also never forget the time she had spent.

The first time she had met with her mother.

Kero flew a reasonable distance away from 'the gaki' as he could not predict his temper at the time. Switching momentarily between depression confusion and anger, he knew it was much more difficult on him then it was on himself.

Sighing he glided slower leaving a few paces behind him when he felt the odd presence flow through the air, checking backwards he saw the long road behind him leading back to the park.

He shrugged letting the peculiar sensation slip by him to see that the Chinese boy had already made quite a gap and he flew quickly to reclaim his place of uncertainty behind him.

When the brown and white dish caught hold of his senses, lying neatly on the floor was a small cup of pudding. Not being able to ignore his instincts he made his way into the shade of the residential wall.

Tomoyo took her steps in long wide strides down the long winding home to the more upper-ended housing districts. The unhurried breeze playing games and tying knots in her long silk hair which was frayed ever since that day with grief and sorrow. Sakura had been her friend since as long as she could remember, and she could clearly recall their childhood days of filming her graceful smiles and cheerful attitude. She had packed her camera away since that incident, the countless tapes that lined her clean specially labeled boxes sat undisturbed as a haunting library in the very back of her closet, never to be added to again.

The luxurious road that lead up from the gate of her house stood clean and swept as always. Lined with flowering plants and aesthetic flowering trees that seemed to grow closer to her ever since the day it happened. Those trees held many memories within their green leaves, as did every other tree _she _ever happened to pass by.

The double doors swung perfectly on their hinges and took their place on the door stubs that lined both side of the walls, creating a slight thud that would've echoed throughout the halls. But she paid no attention to them; she made her way slowly up the stairs and towards her room, hearing the muted voice of someone speaking in an Osaka dialect she first noticed that her mannequins were bare and standing prideful in the corner of her room, not where she had left them. The slight whirring of her video camera humming in the background to the familiar humming noises, and the shadows danced upon her soft walls as her face sprung up in delight.

The lemon walls of the old house had not changed its gleeful hue since as far as he could remember. The mumbling of the news broadcast carried quietly throughout the empty household. But it only felt empty, the tall man paced with the same old briefcase he had since he begun working at the university. Always filled with facts and figures regarding histories and lives that passed without anyone ever caring a second glance. Now held with papers and forms he had been dreading having to fill out. It was a parent's nightmare to ever have to outlive their child.

Touya walked towards the living room, not indulging in conversation with his only remaining family. Lately there were fewer and fewer words to be spoken. He watched him place his hand on the gold colored knob and twist it revealing the bright morning light outside and he watched him step out without a word.

He moved towards the living room and sat down with his Yukito his long-time friend. Lately he seemed to be tiring but today he said he felt better and decided to pay him a visit.

He moved his hand over to the low table and gathered his mug into his hand and lifted it to his lips, but there was nothing inside it. The mug was cold and empty

_The mug is cold and empty!_

Throwing it into the air and landing neatly into his friends pale hands he sprinted towards the door and scuttled down the porch steps to find his father just leaving.

"Dad, Stop"

Leering rays of light were cast upon the drying paths as alongside the street lines, the sun beginning it's ascent into the bright sky.

The 'stuffed animal' had fallen behind somewhere, he didn't know where but nor did it really matter. He had absolutely nowhere else to go, a shelter but no home like devotion lacking a devotee. Every glimmer of light seemed to be stabbing at him as they reflected off the dull opaque stone walls that winded in a never-ending system of roads and houses, so many houses but none to call home.

His pace remained slow and his thoughts distant, strolling through the streets without caution not even realizing his surroundings, or the car that seemed to have been peculiarly stopped at the intersection much too close to him, the driver seeming to be in a frozen shock

He continued his unhurried pace across the street continuingly unaware

Even when time unfroze and the car came speeding across the walkway screeching its brakes to a halt.

The path to his apartment building seemed to stretch further and further into the distance as he made his way closer to it. He could see the building but then it would fade back underneath the horizon.

It seemed an era had passed before he got to his apartment. Tragedy having rinsed his body clean of any hope, yet he could still feel the residue of her aura leaving faint surges of electricity where it stayed static, clung to the walls in a dying embrace.

_All this time, I've been lying to myself._

His steps became angrier as he kicked the elevator side, opening to reveal his floor. He was in no rush to be anywhere; it would seem his entire life had just come to a standstill.

He placed the key into the lock and automatically opened the door without thought until his nose was hit with the aroma of cooking in his house. Strange, he had let Wei out for the day.

He stepped cautiously around his own living space; he crept slowly into the kitchen to find there was nobody there.

He ventured to the dining room where a dinner was neatly prepared, the dishes still steaming with the fresh heat that emanated from the still cooling cooking, he sat down in his usual seat with his face turned towards the balcony watching over the town.

He could tell the style of cooking was clearly neither Wei's nor Meilin's. The dishes were both Japanese and Chinese and were prepared all too familiarly, in the sense that he could see the cake was burnt once and was hastily redecorated with a pink glazing that danced across the surface expertly in the shape of little pink flowers.

"Well Mr. I-can-bake-a-cake-better-than-anyone-else why don't you do it yourself then?"

It was then that all time stopped. No forward motion, no sign of change. Eons seemed to have passed as they stood there staring at each other, the white-cotton sweatshirt that was a size too big for her, stained with droplets of some odd seasoning, a bright smile stretching over her facial expression and the feel of wanting to memorize every feature of the woman he though he had lost forever, his heart came to a stop along with time, flowing slower than thick clotted glue.

She took the seat closest to the end of the table, pulling out the fine wooden chair from its place without causing the floorboards to creak and sat down with a thump and a sigh as she took out her dinner utensils and smiled invitingly at him.

He took the closest seat next to him, uncurling the napkin from his utensils as well and for the first time in days he made himself, at home.

At home with the one smile

the one face

the one woman

the one Sakura

He could never forget.

* * *

This story has finally come to an end. Hope everyone enjoyed it! 

Now I have to go write two essays by Monday and they have to be at least one page single-spaced each! I don't even have a topic and probably should've been writing my essays instead of writing this fic. But I didn't want to leave it hanging for too long so there.

By Winter Break I'll be writing more probably, but will need good fic ideas if you have an idea please E-mail me at azn(underscore)guy(at)hotmail(dot)com


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