I found this in my fanfiction folder a week ago. I had written this on a whim as a drabble of sorts, and then abandoned it. However, after finding it again, I decided to post it here while I try to gather inspiration for my multi-chaptered CCS story. I suppose I'm posting this because I don't want my account to be inactive, and I also want to move the Tsubasa section forward (it's been very inactive lately...)

Please tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: Tsubasa Chronicle and its characters belong to CLAMP.


King

An 8-year old Syaoran cautiously walked through the doors of the Royal Palace, looking around for his friend. And it didn't take him long to find her. A shout of "Baka onii-chan!" was heard before he saw her storming down the grand staircase, muttering something incoherent. A scowl was placed firmly upon her face, but it vanished almost immediately when she caught sight of her best friend waiting downstairs. With a squeal, she skipped towards him and wrapped him in the biggest hug she could muster. He turned red (as usual) and she pulled away, smiling.

"Ah Syaoran, I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed. Then, her grin was replaced with a frown. "Stupid onii-chan, being mean to me so early in the morning. When I'm Queen, he'll see!"

"You're going to be Queen, Sakura-hime?" Syaoran asked, his head tilted slightly.

"Sakura!" she corrected him, pouting. "And of course I will be, when onii-chan gets too fat and old to fit in his throne."

They snickered silently, as Toya could still be within earshot. Then, Sakura sighed heavily.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, it's just…when I'm Queen, I'm going to need a King too…and I don't know where to find one."

"But isn't Toya-san already King?"

"Silly Syaoran," she laughed, tapping him on the nose. "I'll need my own King, of course." Suddenly, her features brightened and she grabbed his hands. Syaoran was taken aback as she began to hop slightly on both feet.

"That's it! You can be my King!" she cried, jubilant. Syaoran blushed and looked away.

"But Sakura…I'm just a peasant, and you're a Princess," he stated softly. "It wouldn't be right if-"

She stamped her foot. "I don't care about that, and you know it! I want you to be my King Syaoran! You and only you!"

A small smile appeared on his face and he nodded. If possible, Sakura's smile grew even larger and she hugged him again.

"I know Syaoran will make a perfect King! Because you're honest and kind and brave and thoughtful and-"

Syaoran watched his Princess as she carried on listing the qualities of her King, suddenly finding a part of him wishing that it could really be true someday.


"I had a dream."

Syaoran looked up from the book he was reading, only to see Princess Sakura looking down at him. He closed it and stood up silently.

"What was it about, Hime?"

She placed a hand over her mouth, trying to remember. "It was the night after you got my feather back…I think it was a memory. I was talking about being a Queen, but there was no one there. And suddenly, I felt so warm…and I said that I had found my King."

He smiled, urging her to continue.

"I just know that, afterwards, I said that I wanted him to be kind, brave, honest…" She looked up at him and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Just like you."

She continued to watch him expectantly, but he continued to smile. Eventually, Sakura sighed and tore herself away from him, turning around.

"Good night, Syaoran-kun," she whispered. He replied with a "Good night, Hime." and she walked away, closing the bedroom door behind her. The moment she was outside, she slumped against a nearby wall and looked down at her feet.

'Why won't he tell me anything?' her mind screamed. 'I saw the look in his eyes...he wanted to say something! Does he know anything about that memory?'

Then she shook her head. 'No, he would tell me. I suppose…Syaoran-kun isn't as close to my past as I thought he was.'

Meanwhile, in his room, Syaoran fought with his emotions, fisting his hands in his lap. If he could, he would have stopped her and said, "The one in your dreams…is me. It always has been me."

But he could not. The price would erase her memory immediately and her pain would be too much for him to bear. He would not let her suffer more than she already had.

He lay down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. A tear rolled down his face.

'If only you could remember, Sakura…would I still be your King?'