A/N: Wow! A new story and in a new category too! Quite impressive for such a lazy writer, hm? Well, here you go, a classic SakuraXSyaoran fanfiction for all you fans. I absolutely love this pairing to death so needless to say I'm ecstatic that I finally have a story for them in their original series (since I do have CENDRILLON with is also SyaoranXSakura but as their Tsubasa counterparts). If you guys recognize where I borrowed this title/idea from, props to you! If not, oh well, still enjoy the story as Syaoran and Sakura walk us through their journey from strangers to lovers to strangers again~

Disclaimer: raindropdays does not own Cardcaptor Sakura.

"Sakura!"

It was the first time he had ever called her by first name without any honorifics or hints of unfamiliarity to cloud the meaning. It was the first sign of true friendship, of trust, of a locked and closed heart opening up and of what could perhaps blossom into an unforgettable love affair with an inevitable end. As they all do end inevitably one way, or another.

It was all this and so much more that it's strange to think that it happened in only a matter of a few seconds. It was beautiful. And of course, it had happened just as she was falling from a cliff born of an out-of-place earthquake to her certain doom.

It's probably easy to believe that Li Syaoran never did forgive himself for what happened that day near the park where he had first seen her. To say they met there would be too far from the truth. He had threatened her childish way of thinking with a self-fulfilling prophecy about power and destiny using his own childish ways that would form a life-long rivalry with her only brother. That would probably never change in this life or the next.

But he'd let her go. Her hand had slipped from his so quickly, so inevitably...so wrong... She had fallen. Gone and out of his reach.

It would probably be easier to understand why he never forgave himself if Sakura had indeed fallen to her death, but no she was saved by a friend closer and dearer to her at the time.

In the heat of the moment, his emotions became a wild blur in his mind as he switched from worry to relief mixed with anger and shame, aftershocks of mock grief running through his body. When she questioned him about his strange and paramount usage of her first name he could only flush bright red with nervousness and embarrassment, avoiding her glassy emerald eyes with whatever pride he had left.

"Did you just call me Sakura?" she had asked as great boulders and behemoth rocks tumbled all around them and the ground shook due to what Syaoran was sure was his own shaking of nervousness and awkwardness.

"N-n-not r-r-really," he had stuttered as she continued to smile genuinely and lightheartedly at him with an air of innocence that he had learned to get drunk off of in the years to come, "Th-that was j-j-just t-to—"

She didn't pay any attention to his flustered response or awkward stuttering and instead spoke from her heart, a refreshing trait that he genuinely appreciated and loved. "It made me really happy," she said with a smile that could have made his heart stop were they not strangers at the time, "Can I call you Syaoran-kun?"

And break the unwritten contract that decrees them strangers? And break the wall that separates them on 'your side' and 'my side'?

"Do what you like..." he had replied quickly, under his breath, before being overshadowed by Kerberos's booming voice, strongly advising they head for shelter.

But we're strangers.

He should have added in order to quell his churning feelings for this girl he barely knew.

Barely knew?

Hadn't they met months ago in some bizarre twist of fate, caught up in some hunt for destiny born from his ancestor's wielding of magic and love of card games? Hadn't he calmed her fears when she was alone, provided guidance, reluctantly albeit, but still he knew far too well that they had already created and shared a bond. A bond too strong for the word "strangers" to be used.

He had thought about it many times after that and long after they had parted ways. Just when did they stop being strangers?

"Oh, I liked you from the very beginning Syaoran-kun," she had laughed many years later when he brought the subject up to her at their morning coffee table, "But you didn't like me too much..." She trailed off.

"Quite stupidly of me," he had confessed, "You were very likable Sakura." She blushed at his compliment. "Perhaps it's just that you don't feel that anyone's a stranger because of your kind nature..." he had mused as he turned a page of the morning paper.

"No, that's not true," her explanation had come out with a serious, melancholy tone that made Syaoran wonder if perhaps he had somehow unintentionally reminded her of a sour memory of long ago, "Some people are strange to me. You were different though."

"So we were never strangers?" he had asked as he raised his eyebrow at her.

She smiled at him brightly, "You tell me."

Though he had thought that Sakura had wanted an answer right then and there, he wouldn't provide her with one he was definitely sure of until years after that. Still, all memories seemed to always lead back to that day when he had first reciprocated her tries to break their 'stranger-wall'. He always wondered if maybe things would have turned out differently if she hadn't become Master of the Clow and had failed to properly seal away all nineteen cards. If somehow his act of impulsive love for her had vanished in an instant due to the cynical sense of humor that Clow Reed possessed.

"Do you ever wonder about that?" he had wanted to ask on far too many occasions, "Do you ever think about what it would be like to forget the one you love most?"

But he never did.

And somewhere deep down, he regretted that.

Especially now.

But regardless, somehow time went on for them; passed as a dream would. Eriol, the cynical puppeteer who loved to play with heart strings, guided them almost too easily down a path of compassion, trust and eventually right to his confession of love (though Eriol would deny that last part from the very start, Syaoran always wondered...).

Ah yes! It had been him who had made the first step! He would always get points from Sakura for not being cowardly as the years went by.

And he was there for her when she cried, heartbroken. And he was there for her when she needed to be strong and calm after losing her best friend to a cruel prank and darkened shadows. And he was there for her when she was banished to face a cruel night as a final test of courage and strength.

He was there for her on every single one of her adventures as she wove her way to forge her own Sakura Cards through lessons of life, love, laughter and everything in between.

And so it only seemed natural that he would be there for her once again, to hold her hand and comfort her—promise her everything would be alright.

But only when they were no longer strangers embarking on an unforgettable journey to become strangers again.

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed. A bit shorter than my usual chapters (in hopes that I will update more frequently on this story... . no promises, dear fans). I didn't realize until about a fourth of the way through that I was writing this in Syaoran's point of view (oops xD;). That said, I'll try to change the point of view for the next chapter... Please review since feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading! :D