Title: I See You Dancing like a Star

Summary: Sakura hands over her Staff, and makes a promise.


One:

"Take this. It's a very precious thing to you, isn't it? Even without the Staff, the Cards will still be right here with me. I believe in them. So you, too, should believe. Because no matter how your life may have begun, you are still you. Your happiness is the happiness of the people who are precious to you. So always believe… in yourself, and in the people you love. That everyone will be all right. For sure!"

Two:

Sakura watches the world around her fade, the pink-tinted white of the dream between her and her other self disappear under the black ink of not, like a bottle of darkness pouring over a watercolor painting. It is only the waking world, and not the destruction it seems to be, but there is still a part of her that wonders and fears what will happen to the rose-colored world as it slips into nothingness.

Three:

It is Tōya-and-Yukito and Cerberus that wake her up, eyes searching her worriedly, hands brushing over her hair and her shoulders. Their magic pulls at her fatigue, helping her wake up, and she realizes that she is crying. Sakura rubs at her eyes, staining pajama sleeves with tears. The fabric darkens.

Four:

Tōya is the one who demands that Sakura tell them what she was doing, broadcasting that-is-her so loudly that it was only the hasty application of shields and wards that stopped anything malicious from attacking her. Sakura wonders what they are speaking of before the remainder of the dream returns.

Five:

She tells them what she has done, what she vows to do, and waits in anticipation as Tōya-and-Yukito and Cerberus share a long look over her head. It is a long silence, and when Yukito places a hand on her head, Sakura looks up in surprise. Then the moment is lost when Cerberus tackles her, praising the sheer amount of guts she has. The three promise to follow her lead until her promise is complete.

Six:

Sakura looks at Tōya-and-Yukito and thinks of all the other versions of them that she sees occasionally as she dreams of other worlds. And what her Tōya-and-Yukito have gone through to get here, in this place, and makes a silent promise to allow herself to move on to her next life sooner than she planned. It would do no good to keep them from moving on. And Yue—oh, Yue, whom she ties careful tendrils of magic around so that when the time comes he is free to make his own choice on whether or not he will follow Tōya-and-Yukito into their future.

Seven:

The world shifts, and after Sakura recovers from the bout of vertigo, starts preparations. What she handed her Staff over for is being accomplished.

Eight:

A month later, and Syaoran and Tomoyo realize that she is up to something. It would have taken less time, but Sakura, and Tōya-and-Yukito, and Cerberus, have made the conscious effort to withhold everything that they have been doing. They don't want to worry anyone because no one has attempted this. Syaoran taps her on the head, and Tomoyo tells her in so many words that she is an idiot.

Nine:

In a dream, a remnant of years past arrives in a flurry of black not-butterflies, sparks and energy that Sakura instinctively likens to a meteor storm. Naïve child-star. A searing pain enters Sakura, like her veins are being filled with fire. It is like breathing in a reverse-eclipse, like being dunked in the energy of twilight. But Sakura is nothing if not stubborn, and she forces that power to succumb to her.

Ten:

When she wakes, the world is the same, yet not. Her eyes open, and she sees that the Cards are no longer Cards. Rather, they are sparks, each friend twisting of energy-magic-not-here-there-yet-like-so and they twirl around her, keeping the familiar tarot shape as comfort. Sakura can not see, not yet, but her eyes are dappled with specks of dark green, and gold. They will be likened to stars.

Eleven:

It only takes a couple of days for Sakura to complete her task. She stabilizes the not-world into the Sakura Book, binds her Card-sparks, and places her Guardians as stewards of this new world. Once that is done, she dances through the halls, glowing, leaving trails of sparkling pink-patterned gold. On another day, she will place binds on those willing to the Book, links that will keep them until they move onto their next life. But for now, Sakura laughs and the not-world laughs right along with her.

Twelve:

"Welcome to Wishing Well. How may we be of service?"

End.


This story comes from a crossover (that, at the time, included Cardcaptor Sakura, Katekyō Hitman Reborn, Fruits Basket, and Axis Powers Hetalia), where Sakura, after handing her Star Staff to her other, older TRC self, creates a small pocket dimension where she can grant wishes, keep secrets, and generally help those in need.

It's not unlike Yuuko's shop, but rather than having an equal price, Sakura converts her power to that of a wishing star (shown in part nine) that boosts her magic a lot and makes her practically immune to the effects of an uneven price-wish-range.

The Tōya-and-Yukito thing was inspired by What Goes Around by Zeioinia aka Disturbed, and includes some extra stuff that isn't explicitly put here.

The first part was taken from an online English translation of the TRC manga. It's from when CCS!Sakura was handing over the Staff to TRC!Sakura.

The last part was basically the phrase that ran through my head and inspired the rest.