Author's note: Syaoran and Sakura are what I like to call "omg could it be more obvious" canon, but this longish drabble came to me anyway.
No major spoilers, but I would hope you've read/watched a little Tsubasa so Sakura's condition doesn't surprise you. XD
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Tsubasa. If I did, I would make Kurogane and Fay do things. Many things.
It's my sincere hope you enjoy this fic.
:o:o:
Happily Someday After
by Talim-Hime
Syaoran had read many fairytales in his short life.
He read them as an archaeologist and a historian – fairy tales were creative interpretations of a certain society's values and traditions, told by word of mouth or read aloud to the next generation.
But Syaoran also read them as a simply a kid, a member of this next generation that needed to be schooled in what is evil and how a "happily ever after" should look like.
He found the similarities between his life and the beginning of a fairy tale more than a little odd. Before Sakura's feathers had taken flight, his life could have easily been what shortly followed a tale that started with "once upon a time".
The Clow Kingdom had never known poverty or drought – the agricultural economy kept every belly full, and a carefully maintained irrigation system kept the desert kingdom hospitable and the citizenry quenched. The people loved their royal family, and throne disputes and usurpations only existed as plots in the occasional dark novel, mulled over at the central library.
And Syaoran himself? Well, he was no prince – but there were plenty of fairytales about humble boys determined to accomplish the goal set before them.
But Syaoran had always believed that his goal was to dig up these massive wing structures and present the findings to the royal family. He never really thought about if he was going to stay or not once the work was complete, or thought of excuses he could give to remain by Sakura's side.
He also made it a point to ignore his feelings for the princess, for his precious Sakura.
And whenever he called her precious, he mentally chided himself for doing so. She was precious to the kingdom, not just himself.
The social stigma only vanished when Sakura was dying in his arms. Only until Yukito was shouting over his dimensional magic about some time witch in another world did Syaraon realize his fairytale life had finally moved forward in the plot.
A gallant knight sets forth to lift a curse from a beautiful princess.
But Syaoran had never been officially been knighted (sometimes he laughed at the mental image of King Touya's face if Sakura ever mentioned to do so). Syaoran had no horse, no armor. He did not know where to get a mystical sword, or even where the magical cure for Sakura was.
All he had was his fiery determination, the whim of the dimensions, and his love for Sakura that he acknowledged a little too late.
:o:o:
The sleeping princess was a romantic notion.
Syaoran's travels to many countries confirmed that the sleeping enchantment was a favorite for cultures to cast over their female heirs. And he supposed that in a way, it was rather appealing. A fragile bloom of a girl in the clutches of a magical sleep, often imprisoned in some absurdly tall tower or resting at the feet of a wicked dragon – Syaoran had read these and other variations. And he found himself riveted with how epic their male saviors were, royal and peasant alike.
But for these saviors, love came only after the noble rescue. For such an emotion was a weakness, a soft spot for whatever evil thing stood in their way. The glory of the rescue drove them, and the faceless crowds that always greeted them in the end proved that.
What about Sakura, the one who needed rescuing? Was that her lot in her life, a girl always in the arms of someone supposedly stronger and braver?
She couldn't remember, but Syaoran remembered her potential, her strength that went far beyond warm smiles and gentle looks. A zeal much like his, but quieter and more refined, waiting for the day her kingdom called for their royals to lead them. Syaoran wanted to restore this girl, this princess who could be so much more than in distress. His long-delayed love for the free-spirited, independent girl he once knew drove him.
But love wasn't enough.
Love didn't stop her memories from shattering and flying free into the desert sky, washing everything in a pink light that contradicted the horrible events of that night. Yuuko, despite her full knowing that his quest was fueled by love, did not hesitate to take Sakura's memory of it.
Apparently love was not as powerful as a mystical sword, or enchanted armor. Syaoran didn't think there were enough dragons in the world to slay, or enough witches and warlocks to combat with.
And Syaoran didn't think a kiss on her lips while she slept would do a thing.
"Syaoran-kun?"
Sakura snapped him out of his dark reverie.
His precious Sakura.
"I worry about you when look at me like that. I'm fine, see? Kurogane-san caught me before I hit anything."
Kurogane and Fay were sitting at the other end of the room, giving the two some space. Despite the distance, Syaoran felt them tense in that familiar ache they felt for Syaoran's loss.
For the death of her memory, and the persistence in his.
Sakura dropped the covers around her and pressed her palms on the bed, inching closer to Syaoran.
"And… I guess I needed rest," Sakura ended, giggling nervously. As if her sleeping patterns were her choice.
"Exactly!" Mokona exclaimed and jumped between the two. "And your prince was right here when you woke up!"
"Huh?"
"Ah, Mokona, thanks anyway," Syaoran interrupted, a blush rising at the prospect of being compared to his childhood heroes. Mokona looked at him in confusion, but was instantly cheerful again when Sakura scooped him up.
She cuddled the magical creature, and she looked at Syaoran with a smile even her missing memories could not obliterate.
Maybe they were different. Their story and those he once read with such passion.
Maybe his love really would come through. Someday, perhaps on the same day when the last of Sakura's missing feathers were finally returned to her.
They would have a happily ever after someday, one all their own; the love-driven hero and the very capable princess.
"But thank you for staying with me, Syaoran-kun," Sakura assured, making Syaoran's blush lessen. "Maybe you really should be a prince."
Syaoran laughed and clasped the princess' hands in his.
"I don't think so. This isn't a fairytale, after all."