Even After, I'll Love You Again

To seal the Nothing Card, Sakura sacrifices her greatest magical energies and is consumed by the darkness. When she awakes, her memories are gone—with them nearly all her magic as well—and the life she knew as a Cardcaptor had been forgotten. But each time she looks at the boy with the deep amber eyes, she feels as if there is something she needs to remember.

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, CLAMP does.

Dedicated to: Chia and everyone else who thought the ending of the second CCS movie was completely unacceptable... we don't even know if Sakura made the leap into Syaoran's arms or if she fell and landed with an unreasonably cheerful splat...

A/N: This is like an AU for the second movie, so any inconsistencies that exist... they're SUPPOSED to be there! ;;; I REPEAT: THIS IS AN AU FIC!!!

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Part One: Even After

Everywhere they looked, there was darkness.

Kinomoto Sakura and Li Syaoran stood alone on top of Tomoeda's radio tower, and everywhere they looked, there was darkness. Everything that had happened and everyone that had disappeared into the void of the Nothing Card: it was something both bewildering and frightening to the two Cardcaptors. Tomoyo and Meiling, and all the citizens of Tomoeda, and even Keroberos and Yue could not stand against the power of the Nothing; they were all engulfed by the empty black abyss.

Everyone had disappeared, and now it was just Sakura and Syaoran, alone and unknowing of how to stop the most powerful Clow Card created. It was the most powerful card of them all, and the most dangerous, for the Nothing embodied the soul of destruction. It had no other purpose. Tomoeda reached its darkest hour, but at present they could do nothing about it.

And so they stood, watching the darkness.

The sandglass of time drained slowly, and even when it seemed there was nothing left of the city, something more disappeared. The two Cardcaptors were helpless spectators; their only hope was to find the one way to seal it. Sakura remembered what Eriol had told her about the Nothing. Now she was trying to understand what exactly he had meant... What had he meant?

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"You must listen, Sakura-san," Eriol said with urgency in his voice. "The Nothing Card is too powerful to be sealed by your magic alone. It is not like the others." Sakura could tell the line was breaking, and Mizuki-sensei and Eriol-kun's magic would not last much longer.

(A/N: I've always wondered why Eriol used magic in this scene... Would the Nothing swallow all the phone lines and satellites to stop it or something? Or was Eriol just so cheap that he didn't want to spend money on an over-priced international call just to warn Sakura something bad was going to happen? )

"How do we seal it, then, Eriol-kun?" Sakura asked, and Kero, Yue, and Tomoyo understood then the trouble descending.

"It cannot be sealed with your staff alone, Sakura-san," Eriol said in reply. "The Nothing is the soul of destruction... Its only desire is to create a void of nothingness in which no life or memory can exist. It will not allow itself to be sealed without a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice?" Sakura asked, confused. The three others in Sakura's room who were listening felt a twinge of dread creep around them.

"One can call it that," Eriol continued. "To seal it there must be a sacrifice, or if you wish to call it, a compromise." The line faltered and the magic began to fade even faster than it had been. Mizuki-sensei was battling with another power—most likely that of the Nothing Card—to keep the connection from breaking. "Sakura-san," he said more quickly, "just listen to me. To seal the Nothing, the heart of the most powerful magician must disappear."

"But—" Sakura started to speak, but at that moment, the phone went dead. She closed her eyes.

"What did he tell you?" Kero asked. "Was he able to tell you how to seal the card?"

"He said that the heart of the most powerful magician must disappear." Kero nodded solemnly and Yue remained silent. In some faint form of premonition, both Guardians knew what would become of this final battle... this final Clow Card. But Tomoyo, even beneath the shadows cast by this impending fate, did not fall into the clutches of despair. She smiled for Sakura's sake.

"I don't think I understand much about this, Sakura-chan, but I believe that everything will turn out well in the end," Tomoyo told her reassuringly.

"I hope so," Sakura whispered in reply.

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Sakura closed her eyes, no longer able to face the emptiness below them. Syaoran knew she was remembering something important—thinking about it or trying to understand it, for he'd seen the glazed look in her emerald eyes. And when she closed her eyes and expelled a nearly silent sigh of forbearance, he knew she'd been thinking about what Hiiragizawa had told her. Like Kero and Yue, Syaoran, too, had a faint sense of premonition. He knew something would change when the card was sealed. Something would be different, and that something would be one he would regret.

"To seal the Nothing, the heart of the most powerful magician must disappear," Sakura whispered, enunciating Eriol's exact words. Confusion and frustration were evident in her voice, and Syaoran reached out to reassure her. He only managed to take one step, though, before Sakura whirled around. "I understand," she stated, a miserable triumph in this dark hour.

"Sakura, what—?"

"At first, I thought it was something tangible, but Syaoran-kun, do you know what truly is the heart of a magician?" He half-shook and half-nodded his head as Sakura continued to speak. "It's their memories and their magic... the life they've known for so long. So when Eriol-kun said that a sacrifice had to be made, he meant the most powerful magician must give that all up. I understand now, and what I must do, Syaoran-kun, I do for everyone. You, Tomoyo-chan, Meiling-chan, Keroberos, and Yue, and everyone."

Syaoran stood in shock, his eyes wide with a fear he'd never felt before.

"Sakura—" But he could not find the words with which to speak.

"Remember, Syaoran-kun, when Kero and Yue named me the Card Mistress? Once, a long time ago, Kero-chan told me that life was like a puppet show, where we are all merely dolls, and fate is pulling all the strings backstage." She did not meet his amber gaze, fearing the last of her courage would ebb away before she could grasp it and do what she knew was the only thing to do. "I don't know what will happen to me after the Nothing is sealed, but I do know that it will be sealed."

At that moment, Syaoran could listen to no more. For the first time since before the Final Judgment, Syaoran got angry—truly angry. "And so you would let fate pull those strings and take it all away from you?!" he shouted, and in the bleakness around them, his words seemed to echo forever. "Sakura, you'll lose it all! Your memories, your magic... and everything you've known as a Cardcaptor! What will happen to us then, Sakura? What will happen?" But the anger in his voice faded into fear. He was afraid.

"Syaoran-kun, please understand. It doesn't matter what I lose, because in the end, if I don't do this, the entire world will seep into the void... I'll lose more than what will be missing if I make a sacrifice now. Syaoran-kun, I'd lose you! And I don't want that to ever happen..." There was silence then.

"Sakura... and what if I lose you?"

"You won't lose me, Syaoran," she replied softly. "Just remember that I promise I'll love you again, even after my feelings are taken away." With that, she jumped from the tower, plummeting into the dark abyss that lay below. She was going alone in search of the Nothing Card, and Syaoran could not follow, for his magic was not strong enough to enter the void without being swallowed completely by it.

"Sakura, don't do this!" he yelled, but Syaoran was alone with his echo.

Sakura continued to fall into the void, slowing until her falling became more like floating in a sea of blackness. She did not know how long she'd searched, but finally, emerging from the dark came a pair of hollow gray-violet eyes—eyes that belonged to the Nothing, the soul of all destruction. When Sakura's emerald eyes met that empty gaze, everything became like a lucid dream. The Nothing smiled in satisfaction, taking from Sakura the one heavy purchase price for sealing the final card. Sakura felt a great loss, indeed, but for Syaoran and the others, she would not turn back. Her staff glowed with her soft pink aura, and she reached for the power of her star. The rest was a blur of shadows and magic, but at least Sakura knew when she lost consciousness, that she held the Nothing Card in her hand. She had sealed it.

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"Owww, my head!" Syaoran moaned, struggling to his feet. When his eyes adjusted, he realized he was still standing on top of the radio tower. But now he was alone. With frantic eyes he scanned what lay below him, and what he saw was something that brought a wave of both relief and sorrow to wash over him. Everything was where it should be, and everyone had returned. Only one thing crossed his mind, then: Sakura. He had to find Sakura.

And he found her in the one place he'd become most familiar with: the Penguin slide. But it was not a happy reunion as he'd dreamed, where the Card Mistress turned to answer his calls, smiling her pretty, innocent smile, her emerald gaze flashing with joy and triumph and love as she held the Nothing Card in her hand. No, that was not how he found her. Her thin, fragile body lay in the sand, unmoving, and Syaoran feared for the worst. He ran to her side, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs, and he sighed when he found she was only unconscious; she had not died. In an instant, he scooped her up in his arms and began to run. He needed to find his mother and Fujitaka-san. He was bringing her back to the Kinomoto residence: her home.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried for what might have been the hundredth time, but she and Meiling had already lost count. "Sakura-chan!" The two girls rounded the corner and nearly crashed into Syaoran. "Li-kun!" Tomoyo said, and then she saw the unconscious Sakura in his arms.

"I'm bringing her back to her father," Syaoran said flatly, fighting the grief that was cutting him deeper with every moment. Only he knew what Sakura had done to seal the Nothing, and soon he would have to explain it to Tomoyo and Meiling. They nodded and followed.

"Did Kinomoto-san seal the card?" Meiling asked and Syaoran nodded.

"It was in her hand when I found her. She must have signed it before she fainted." He said nothing more.

"Then everything turned out well," Tomoyo said softly, but Syaoran did not acknowledge. Silently, he was crying, because he knew Tomoyo was wrong... very wrong.

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An urgent knock came to the door of the Kinomoto residence, and Fujitaka, Touya, and Yelan rushed to answer it. The three had sat in silence, knowing that Sakura and Syaoran had a great task placed before them. They were waiting for the truth of what happened to appear, for in the midst of the chaos caused by the Nothing, Yelan could not feel either magician's aura. She could not even sense her own. Keroberos and Yue did not speak nor move, for they knew.

"Sakura!" Fujitaka gasped when he pulled open the door. A weary Syaoran held her out to him, and Tomoyo and Meiling only watched from behind.

"What happened to my sister, gaki?!" Touya asked when his eyes landed on Sakura's unconscious form. "What did you do?!"

"She sealed the Nothing," was all that Syaoran said to anyone and everyone and no one.

Yelan helped to herd everyone inside, and Syaoran laid Sakura on the couch. His eyes were relieved, yet worried, and he held a great sadness, Yelan noticed. She did not ask, for she knew her son would tell them everything in time. It was the first thing he said that surprised her. "Can you still feel her magic, mother?" he asked.

She tried to sense the aura of the Card Mistress, but something was wrong. It was like it no longer existed. "I don't know," Yelan replied.

Everyone in the room was silent. Meiling was shocked, Tomoyo was near tears, Fujitaka, in his worried state, wanted to know what it all meant. Touya was busy mentally listing the number of ways he could hurt Syaoran for letting harm befall Sakura. Syaoran did not look at anyone. Minutes passed like hours.

"It's okay," Yue said, and did not say anything more.

They wanted to question the Moon guardian, they wanted to know what he meant, but Yue did not answer.

"It's okay," Keroberos repeated. "You cannot feel her aura because it is too faint. We are her guardians, so we can sense her magic, no matter how weak it may be. It's the work of fate that Sakura's energy was so strong the Nothing could not consume it all. You do not need to worry, because in time her magic will grow and return. You don't need to worry, kid," he told Syaoran. Syaoran did not look at the Sun guardian.

"It's not her powers that have vanished, then," he whispered. "It's her memory. She told me that the heart of a magician lies in their memories... in everything they knew in their life as a magician." Everyone in the room gasped. "I'll tell you everything that happened," Syaoran offered quietly, forsakenly. They nodded.

"If she's forgotten her life as a Cardcaptor, then we'll just have to teach her all over again," Keroberos said wilfully.

"It cannot be done," Yelan answered. "She no longer knows this world of magic exists. If we try to show it to her, she will become confused, and that confusion will disturb the Cards; they will not understand, and perhaps they will cease to obey." She sat on the sofa with Fujitaka and Touya, while Tomoyo and Meiling tended to a now sleeping Sakura. They were afraid for Sakura's sake.

"Then what can be done? What will happen to the Cards?"

"The Cards will remain silent, powerless, until their Mistress remembers. If she does not remember, they will not and cannot be released. On the day she dies, when that happens, the Cards will scatter once again to be captured."

"Clow Reed did not create these cards so that such fate could cycle so despairingly!" Keroberos shouted, suddenly growing furious. "He did not create them to cause human pain!" For a moment Fujitaka and Yelan did not understand, but with one paw he pointed to the chestnut haired boy who'd been silent all this time. "Especially not for his blood descendants." And they knew, then, that Syaoran was the one who suffered.

"But it will continue to cycle this way," Yue commented flatly, as usual his true emotions, despair and resent, were hidden by a stone facade. "Because the next magician will have to make the same sacrifice... and each Master we choose, Keroberos, will meet the same fate." Something coursed through the air of that room then, a mix of anger and frustration and grief welded into the hearts of all who were present.

"When did we choose to give up hope so soon?" Keroberos asked. Yelan nodded apologetically, and another discussion ended the previous one.

"Keroberos, Yue-san," she whispered.

"Yes, Li-sama?"

"Sakura has met a fate where the two of you can no longer exist in her world. You must be gone before she wakes."

"What?!" Keroberos cried, but Yue held a silent understanding.

"I'm so sorry, Keroberos. Sakura has not lost all her magical energy, so there still lies hope, but no longer will she remember who you are. It would not be right to show yourselves before the Card Mistress... at least not until she remembers."

"And how long will that take?" Kero asked, scared and angry.

"I don't know. Maybe she will when she awakes, or maybe she'll never. I'm so sorry." Yelan laid a hand on the shoulders of the two Guardians. "Vanish now, and do not show your presence, for the sake of your Mistress." They nodded.

"Good-bye, Sakura," Kero whispered.

"Good-bye, Mistress," Yue said, his emotions escaping from behind his mask this one time, as one tear slipped down the Moon guardian's cheek. Then, in a flash of magic, the two Guardians' wings enshrouded them, and they disappeared completely. Yelan turned around to see her son kneeling by Sakura's side. His bangs fell over his eyes and one hand he laid on hers. Every so often, in the silence as Yelan watched, Syaoran shook a little as if he were crying. Fujitaka and Meiling both had a hand on the boy's shoulder. Tomoyo stood near, but without her video camera. There were tears in her eyes.

"Oh, my son," she whispered, and slowly, Syaoran turned around.

"Do you think... do you think she'll remember me at all?" he asked softly. "Do you think that she'll still—" He stopped as his mother shook her head slowly, remorsefully.

"Syaoran, your powers played an important role in the Mistress's life, no doubt. Your magic was always evident, and your relationship built on the essence of yours and Sakura's auras. Just like Keroberos and Yue, she will not remember you."

"So then I, too, must disappear," he answered, not moving from where he remained, wishing that somehow this was just a dream.

"It is not necessary, son. Keroberos and Yue had to vanish, but not you, because you are human. You will do what you feel is right... whatever you feel is best for her now, you will do." Yelan watched her son lower his head, his hand still holding onto Sakura's. Tomoyo looked to her and opened her mouth to speak, but Yelan shook her head. Touya had never liked the gaki, especially when the kid was near his little sister, but at this moment of despair, he felt a wave of compassion for Syaoran. He found he'd never truly hated the boy, and he understood that no one ever wanted to be forgotten.

"You promised I wouldn't lose you," Syaoran told Sakura.

"Gaki," came Touya's voice. Syaoran's head shot up, fearing the worst, but instead of meeting eyes that were cold and unforgiving, he felt that Sakura's brother at this moment no longer hated him. Touya stepped closer and opened his mouth to speak, but he never did. He squeezed Syaoran's shoulder gently as if to show reassurance and sympathy, and gave him a sad smiled before leaving the room.

What had he meant to say? Syaoran asked himself and then turned back to Sakura. "You promised," he whispered, "but it seems you won't even remember what you said before you sealed the Nothing."

Everyone left in the room watched silently, waiting as the scene unfolded, not daring to speak. Now Yelan, Meiling, and Tomoyo wondered what Sakura had said, their eyes meeting Fujitaka's who was asking the very same question. What was it she said?

"You promised you'd love me again, even after the Nothing took your feelings away." Yelan gaped for a few seconds, and Fujitaka just smiled a sad smile. He was glad Touya was no longer in the room to hear. "Open your eyes, Sakura, and tell me if you can keep that promise." Syaoran's voice choked in his throat and his words came out as a whispered plea. "Open your eyes, Sakura." And she stirred.

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Sakura was floating in a dream.

Everything was dark, but it was comforting. It was silent and warm, and every so often a drop of liquid blue light would fall before her, causing ripples of pale colour in the blackness. She continued to float in that dream, as if searching for something. She didn't understand, though, what it was she was looking for. Suddenly, a voice echoed across the darkness, and another drop of light fell. As the voice drew nearer, she could just barely pick out the words.

"You promised..." the voice whispered, but Sakura could not understand what it meant. "You promised..."

"What did I promise?" she asked. The voice was familiar, and yet it was not. "Who are you and what did I promise?" She swam through the blackness, searching for a way out, following the blue light that now seemed to resonate from one place.

"Open your eyes, Sakura," she heard the voice say, and the dream world faded.

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She opened her eyes to the sound of someone calling her name. What a familiar voice, she thought, just like that dream. But who was it? "Father?" she whispered, and she looked up to see Fujitaka standing over the couch. Suddenly aware of her surroundings, Sakura sat up. "Dad, what happened?" Fujitaka forced himself to smile a little. If she couldn't remember what happened, then she probably would not remember what Syaoran was talking about. Perhaps she would not even remember Syaoran at all... It was so sad...

"You told Tomoyo you were feeling ill," he answered softly, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand and checking if she 'still' had a fever. He was lying through his teeth and everyone except Sakura knew it. "You passed out when you two were walking here. You've been asleep for a while."

Sakura ran her hands through her hair, smoothing out her bangs. "Well, I feel much better now, at least." Her eyes searched the room and her gaze landed on the woman standing father from the couch. She had not seen Syaoran yet. "Dad, who is she?" she asked, referring to Yelan.

"This is Li Yelan, an old friend of mine from Hong Kong. She and her niece and son will be staying with us for a while." Yelan looked to Fujitaka, surprised. She'd never said they were staying. His eyes, though, she understood. They were telling her 'stay a little longer with us, and maybe we can set things right again, at least for your son's sake'. She nodded.

"Hello, Sakura." Yelan introduced herself and Sakura smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Li-sama." Now again, Sakura's gaze drifted over the room, landing on Syaoran, who had moved much closer to the door. The moment he felt her lay her eyes upon him, the last of his hope exploded into fire and dwindled down into nothing, as if the flame had been extinguished. "Who are you?" she asked him, and Syaoran's heart shattered that very instant. Yelan saw and knew, and spoke for him.

"This is my son, Syaoran. We've just come here from Hong Kong, and I'm afraid he still doesn't know very many people or his way around. Perhaps you could be kind enough to befriend him." Sakura smiled as Yelan flashed her son a look he could not fully understand, but in his head he heard her say, 'Don't stop hoping yet. You can start all over again if you truly must.' He looked at Sakura, and she mistook his heartbroken feeling for one of nervousness.

"Hajimemashita, Li-kun!" she chirped as she stood to bow, a large, friendly smile on her face. It was just like her... so happy... even if she had forgotten who he was.

"Hajimemashita," he answered softly, brokenly, not able to fully meet her gaze. "It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san," he said again, and inside, he was hurting more than his training with the elders in China ever did. "I hope we can be friends."

Sakura smiled. "Hai, Li-kun!" Syaoran winced inwardly.

"Mother," he whispered. "I forgot there are things I have to do before tomorrow. I must be going." Yelan was about to protest, but she could not hold her son to suffer. She could not choose for him. She nodded for his release. "Sayonara, Sakura-san," he said quickly and left without another word.

"Don't you think he seems a little shy, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura laughed as she turned to her best friend. The other girl forced a smile, her own heart shattered by the fact that Sakura could no longer remember the one she loved most.

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"Meiling!" Syaoran shouted as he entered the hotel room that he, his mother, and his cousin had planned to stay in before the Nothing came to Japan. It was already early evening. "Meiling, why did you leave without introducing yourself to Sakura?" His cousin looked up from what she was doing and smiled quietly. "What are you doing?" he asked, bewildered as he noticed she was packing her things neatly into the suitcase she'd brought.

"I am going home," she replied, matter-of-factly. Syaoran just stared. "Kinomoto-san needs her space, and so do you. So you are going to stay here, and I am going home to Hong Kong." She placed the last of her clothes into her bag, and Syaoran realized she even had a plane ticket with her. "When Kinomoto-san remembers, then I will go to meet her." Syaoran suddenly understood that Meiling really did care for Sakura as a friend. She was hurt by this as much as he was.

"Meiling—"

"You are going to make her remember, Syaoran," Meiling told him with eyes that dared him to go against her. "You are going to make her remember, or else I will not allow you to come home to Hong Kong. Don't you dare come home without Kinomoto-san." With that she walked past him, luggage and plane ticket in hand. "I'll see you soon, cousin." And she closed the door, leaving a confused Syaoran to stand alone with his thoughts.

"She left because she knew you needed your space," Yelan said, breaking the silence. Syaoran had not even noticed she'd entered the room. "We will be staying with the Kinomotos for now, so gather your things. Fujitaka-san is waiting in the lobby." He nodded obediently, and went to fetch his belongings.

As Syaoran was absentmindedly checking the last of his bags, there came a knock at the window, and surprisingly, outside there floated a tiny yellow plush. "Keroberos?" Syaoran asked as he opened the window. "What do you want?" The Guardian beast floated in; it looked as if he'd been recently crying.

"I need a place to stay," was all that Kero said.

"So you come to me?" Syaoran commented almost irately. "The only person you can turn to is the 'gaki'?" Kero did not reply, and Syaoran felt a wave of sympathy wash over him. It had not been more than a few some hours, and already Kero missed Sakura. Without his Mistress, there was no place for him to go.

"You miss her that much?" Syaoran asked.

"I could say the same for you." There was an uneasy moment of silence before either spoke again.

"My mother said we are staying with the Kinomotos now. I'm going back there... I can take you with me, if you'd like," Syaoran offered. "And you can pretend to be a stuffed animal, just like you used to." He noticed that Kero seemed at the point of tears. "Come on, don't cry. You've pretended plenty of times."

"But I've never had to hide from Sakura."

Kero froze when a bellboy entered the room to take Syaoran's luggage downstairs. With no words of agreement, but a mutual understanding, Syaoran picked up Kero and carried him out the door. All they way, the guardian was pretending to be nothing more than a toy.

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After dinner, her father had left to go somewhere and Touya was at his new job, so Sakura sat alone in her room, wondering about the boy she'd met that afternoon. Those eyes seemed familiar somehow, but she was sure she'd never met him. It was something that puzzled her, and continued to puzzle her even as she gave in to sleep.

Suddenly, she was in that dark world again. "Hoe?" It was a strange feeling, but she knew it from before... when she'd first heard that voice calling her. The liquid blue light returned, rippling the blackness that offered comfort and a sense of security.

"You promised, Sakura," someone told her. "You promised to remember..."

It was so confusing... those words... what did they mean? Who was speaking to her? Sakura did not understand, but through the darkness, a pair of amber spheres shone brightly, sadly. As she approached she saw that they were not merely orbs, but eyes... of a person whose face remained in shadow. "You promised," the voice said, resonating in her ears. "Sakura..."

"Who are you?!" Sakura shouted and her dream vaporized into a deep sleep.

Outside her door, Fujitaka and Yelan were listening, and they had clearly heard her ask 'Who are you?' to a person in her dream... and they understood.

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"Ohayou gozaimasu, Sakura-san."

"Hoe?" At the table sat a few more people than usual, and suddenly, she remembered that her father had invited guests to stay with them. "Ohayou, Li-sama, Li-kun." She smiled and sat in her place. "Ohayou, otou-san, oni-chan." She looked over at Syaoran and saw something sitting on the table beside him. "Oh, what a cute stuffed animal!" she exclaimed, and Kero's heart almost broke.

"This?" Syaoran asked. "It's... well, it's a present for you," he said quietly. "Since you said we'd be friends, I thought I'd get you a gift..." He handed Kero over to Sakura. "Be careful; Kero is quite a delicate toy." Sakura took the yellow plush gently in her hands and proceeded to examine it.

"Kero? Is that its name? It doesn't seem to resemble a frog..." She smiled again. "But it's so cute! Kero-chan... Arigatou, Li-kun!" Sakura chirped and set Kero down on the table. Syaoran nodded and forced himself to smile. Now Kero could stay with Sakura... and half the little guardian's problems were solved... almost. Fujitaka and Yelan excused themselves to speak in private about something, and Touya left for his job once again, leaving Sakura and Syaoran alone. "Do you want to go to the park, Li-kun?" Sakura asked, and he did not speak right away from his surprise.

"I... well, I..."

"If you're busy, that's okay, Li-kun. You don't have to come with me..." Though she smiled, there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

"It's okay," Syaoran quickly commented. "I'll go."

Little did Syaoran of anyone else know Sakura invited him for a reason. She wanted to make sense of that dream that returned and that familiar feeling she felt whenever she stood near the amber eyed boy. She wanted to understand what it all meant.

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A/N: Well, that's it for this part... actually, when I started writing I meant this to be a one-shot fic that was relatively long, but it's already September and I have to give my laptop away for a few days to the tech ppl at my school so they can reconfigure it 4 the network... That's why I have to split this into two or three parts because I can't possibly finish writing before then. ;;

Please RxR, thanx!

Cat :)