Ohayou! hehe. Long time no write. I was scanning the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles manga when I saw the title from one of the chapters... "The Reason for Tears" and that sparked something. hehe. just a little thing I whipped in an hour and a half. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. CLAMP is the rightful owner, a'ight.

The Reason for Tears

"Crying when you need to cry is another way to show strength"

Oneshot

To keep on fighting...

To see your smiling face...

Until that day comes...

The weather was unexpectedly smooth - the golden sun lazed away as fluffy clouds grazed the fields of the sky. A gleaming blue lake sat snug on the calmed earth. A mild gust of feathery wind blew against his face, as he leaned back on an oak tree atop the hill, mesmerized by the serene view of the lake down below. His thoughts wandered carelessly, strands of his chest nut hair flying back towards his face. The meager sight of leaves danced to the rhythm of the wind, as it fell off its branches and scattered playfully to the ground. For a very long time alas, Syaoran found peace within him, as the seconds ticked by in a mannered fashion.

This gave him enough time to think about the past, about the person most important to him, and what he has done for her so far.

Truth be told, he has done so much; gathering a plentiful amount of her feathers to restore her sweet memories, he can finally let out an exhausted but very much needed sigh. After journeying through various worlds, each one as diverse as the other, he deserved a break, even if it was just for five measly minutes. She and the rest are enjoying a tempting meal back at the cottage, where they were welcomed warmly by the hospitable villagers of God knows where. For five minutes, he could ‑­

take his own time. But even so, he could not relax for long, for he could only take his eyes off her not a second more. He massaged his temples, his weary eyes longing for what things used to be...

--Flashback--

"You're back, Syaoran... how are you?" Arisugawa Sorata, a history teacher in the republic of Hanshin greeted as a brown haired boy sped in front of him.

"Why are you so happy?" He asked, as the boy ran inside the hotel to the sleeping princess's room.

"I found one of Sakura's feathers!" He replied as he rushed up the stairs. In his hands, he caressed a glowing feather, a part of Sakura's memories. He reached for the door and entered.

"Feather, please wake her up!" He whispered gently. He watched in amazement as the feather slowly disappeared within the girl's body. "Sakura..." he held her hand firmly, not letting go, and prayed for her to awaken.

And it happened.

Like as if time had stopped ticking, they opened... those eyes...

"Sakura!" he said, her hand still in his hold. She looked at him confusingly. Her lips started moving, as she tried mouthing some words. Her voice came out.

"..who.." his eyes struck wide. "..are you?"

And just like that, he felt a sharp glass piercing through his heart, remaining the shattered pieces left to be blown away by the wind. Slowly and gently, as to not alert her, he released her hand and laid it on her bed.

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He bit his lip. "I'm Syaoran..." he smiled weakly, though his eyes, now teary, obviously read sorrow and despair.

"And you're Sakura Hime... a princess." And with that, he painfully turned away, leaving the sleepy girl to her bewilderment.

--End of Flashback--

He shook his head violently, escaping the heart breaking scenario. That memory tormented him, and brought him to melancholic, mental breakdowns every time he reminisced about it. He opened his eyes, gasping abruptly. And as soon as he calmed down, he huddled to himself.

'Sakura...'

Oh, how it pains him to know that things would never be the same again. Sure, now that the princess was awake, she would develop new memories of him. But it wasn't the same anymore. There was only one thing he and Sakura had in common in terms of memory: She can't remember, and he can't forget. Go figure.

He watched as warm droplets trickled down his cheek, not bothering to wipe them away. Unfortunately, he was too much of a coward to cry in front of anyone, let alone in front of her. But this isn't the time for tear shed, now is it?

'Get a grip of yourself, Syaoran! You have no time for this..' He gulped. 'You have to protect the princess..'

Just then, two emerald green eyes peeped from behind the tree. 'Syaoran...'

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and turned his head at her direction.

"Ahh!" he yelled, shocking the princess as well.

"No, it's okay, it's just me! Sakura! Remember?" She smiled, as she neared his face and sat beside him.

"Oh, princess, my sincerest apologies. You gave me a scare back then." He breathed deeply, and heaved another sigh.

"I'm sorry... it's just that... you just looked a little lonely, somehow." She looked at him. A blush crept on his cheeks, and he looked away to hide it.

"Don't... don't worry about me. I'm fine." He whispered back, smiling a bit.

"Oh, and don't call me princess... Call me Sakura, okay?" he nodded, still looking away. She grinned happily and leaned back.

And a short silence engulfed them, as the wind blew silently, bringing along with it, the sweet melody of nature. It felt good, just as long as they had each other, it would all be alright.

"Hey, Syaoran..." She said softly, breaking the smooth quiet among them. He turned to face her.

"Back then.. I mean, before you noticed I was here, were you... crying?" She asked, worrisome. His eyes bolted up, but calmed down as another blush went up his face.

"No.. not.. not really.." He tried denying.

"It's okay.." She spoke.

"Huh?"

‑­

"It's okay... to cry sometimes. It just means that you need to let something out.." She smiled, staring at the sky as petal-shaped clouds flew by.

"I heard this from Kurogane-san... that.. Crying when you need to cry is another way of showing strength..." She grinned widely and looked back at him, he, who was smiling inwardly, took her hands in his.

"Thanks.." he muttered and crept closer to her, embracing her into a hug.

Her face flushed bright red, but she just held on tighter.

"You know..." she started again. "There are always reasons for tears." She told him as she smiled warmly.

He frowned a little bit, nervous of telling her the truth.

"The reason is..." 'you...' he paused, unsure of what to answer to the eager girl.

"You don't have to tell me now, you might feel like I'm forcing you." She smiled. "Just tell me when you feel like it, okay Syaoran?"

He smiled peacefully.

"Sure."

And it was a fine day...

So, how was it? too fluffy for your taste? Awww well. I just hope you enjoyed it. Ja!