Princess Sakura of Clow Country stared at the door in front of her.
She was being silly, she knew that, but there was no other choice. She had been coming to that door and staring at it before loosing her nerve and walking away again. She had to go in there, she knew that she had to, but she could never bring herself to enter. According to her brother she had been in there before, a lot. She didn't remember spending time in there but allegedly she had. Apparently she had done a lot of things back home that she did not remember even though she should. Slowly her memory got jogged at times when she was with something she should remember. It still seemed silly that she couldn't remember all these things that she had done and said, despite having all her feathers back.
The other Syaoran had told her, haltingly, of Yuuko's price. He had come back with her to Clow Country and she had pried the beginning of the story from him, starting with the creation of Syaoran and how he had desperately pulled his own right eye out and shoved it into the Clone, praying that his own love would be strong enough for two. But, clone soul or not, Yuuko's price was the same and she could not remember a lot of her life because Syaoran had been such a big part of it. Not him Syaoran but her Syaoran, the one who was gone now. Not dead, just gone. At least, he hadn't been dead when she had seen him last. He might have been reckless but she liked to think that he was still out there somewhere, trying to do good in the worlds that he had hurt when he was a pawn for Fei Wong Reed.
Squaring her shoulders she reached out and pulled open the door and stepped into Syaoran's home. The door closing behind her sounded more like a funeral bell than a door closing and she had to resist the urge to yank open the door and run as fast as she could back to the palace. Carefully she undid the ties of her cloak and laid it on the chair pushed against the desk before stepping back and looking around the neat, tidy home. He hadn't come there after bringing her home, she knew that much. Touya had told her that he had simply cast a spell and vanished. The house was untouched from the night when she had stupidly gotten them into the mess.
At the entranceway she looked at the ground, knowing she should remember something important. She had waited at the door, she had run through it, she had collided with him and told him that she was happy he was back from a dig. She carefully moved into the main room. Against the wall where she had put her cloak was the desk, still filled with pieces of paper and books. His tools were laid out carefully in a well worked leather case. She ran her fingers across the cherry leather and smiled faintly. She had given it to him, she knew that much. The clasp of the case was a flower, a bit too girly she had thought at the time but he had told her that it was fine, it reminded him of her. She had turned as red as the case with joy that he liked her gift.
Her fingertips trailed over to the picture of him and his father. He was so little back then and his father was so happy. She wondered if he ever thought of his father, what he would think of him and what he had become? She knew that he would be proud of his son, after all Syaoran had saved them all in the end. She traced his face through the glass of the picture before carefully placing it down and continuing onwards. The kitchen was not of that much interest except for the long table. When she was having trouble with her lessons she used to go to him and beg for help. He would patiently help when he could, explaining this problem or that problem for her. His desk was too small for them both to work side by side but as long as they kept their papers separate the kitchen table would seat them both. She would sometimes write notes for him and stick them in his papers when he wasn't looking.
She came to the bedroom and stopped, pressing a hand against the wall. This was his place, moreso than any other place in the small house. A wardrobe was against the wall that held his cloths, She pulled it open and looked inside with rapidly filling eyes. Reaching out she pulled down one of his black turtlenecks and walked over to the bed. Sitting down she buried her face in the fabric, breathing in his scent. It still smelled like him, though she knew that soon would fade. Would he fade from her memory too? Until one day she just thought of him as the boy she had wonderful adventures with when she was a girl? Closing her eyes she felt the tears on her cheeks and shook her head.
They were so different! Her Syaoran and the Syaoran in the palace now. They were as different as could be. He didn't know history like Syaoran or how to fight without magic or anything that Syaoran knew. She wanted to tell him but she couldn't. Apparently her clone had told him that his Sakura was waiting and she desperately wanted to tell him that his Sakura wasn't her, it couldn't be, or if it was she wasn't waiting for him because she was already waiting for her Syaoran and she always would. How could she not? This Syaoran felt wrong, like he didn't belong in Clow. He didn't, she knew that and he did as well but neither had the sense to say anything. It was so stupid, one of them should say something but neither could find the words.
"Oh Syaoran," she whispered, her voice breaking painfully, "how could you leave without saying goodbye?"
He hadn't. He had used the last feather to make her sleep. When she woke up she had been in her own bed in her own country and he was gone. She didn't understand how he could do that, he should have at least said goodbye or said something. Her clone soul had loved him but it had also loved the other Syaoran, it had been just as confused as she was. But as time went on it became clear that she loved the duplicate Syaoran, the one who couldn't even look at her anymore. She wanted him back, more than anything in the world, she wanted him home with her. Careful she lowed the fabric and looked around the house, her eyes full of tears.
"Where are you?" she whispered.
"Princess Sakura."
She turned around. The original Syaoran was standing there. Silently he came over to her and sat down next to her. She swiped at her eyes and looked at him. He let out a frustrated breath and looked over at her. He did not look like he belonged in the apartment, anymore than she belonged in the many worlds they had visited along the way. He ran a hand through his hair in anger before turning to look at her.
"You haven't called me Princess in a while," she said softly.
"I know," he said, "but this needs to stop."
"Huh?"
"I don't belong here Sakura," he said softly, "we both know that. Even if we try to make this work, it won't," she looked down at her hands, "its not because you don't love Syaoran or I don't love you or anything like that," he broke off, "this is so confusing," he muttered before continuing louder, "I've done something terrible. I've made myself believe I was in love with you when I'm not, not like that," he sighed roughly, "see the fact is that I--I have a Sakura already."
"What?" she gasped.
"In my world, I have a Sakura. She looks like you but you two are as different as different can be," he shook his head, "in my world I'm more of a prince than she is a princess," he sighed and picked up the picture, "see in my world this--" he pointed at Fujitaka, "is your father. You're Sakura Kinomoto and we meet when you accidentally take a power that should have been mine. We don't really like each other but eventually we fell in love. When i was taken to Fei Wong, we had a really big fight. I was stupid and said some things and she was angry and did as well. And then I took a hit for her and wound up with Fei Wong Reed."
"Go on," she said.
"Well I've got a Touya whose also your brother."
"Does he hate you?"
"You have no idea," he said, "and a Yukito as well--though my Sakura was in love with him for a while," Sakura laughed, "yeah that was before we liked each other. We had our own crazy adventures and did our own stupid things together--kinda like you and Syaoran."
"Do you miss her?" Sakura asked softly. He nodded tightly, "is she alive?"
"I don't know," he said softly,"I disappeared in the middle of the battle so she could fight. I know she was strong enough to defeat whoever it was but I'm not sure if it was enough to save the world and herself," he looked away before looking back at her, "I hope she's alive and that time flows slower there or we're going to be ages apart. But, I've been using you and your mission as an excuse not to go back because I'm afraid, afraid to find out if she's alive or--" he stopped, "or dead," he whispered.
"You need to go back," she said looking at him.
"I need to go back," he echoed softly, "I swore to the other Syaoran that I would make sure you were alright before I left."
"You could have just asked Yuuko to take you home, like Fay asked to stay with Kurogane."
"I promised him," he said simply.
"You've done so much for me," she looked up at him, "let me help you," she said and took his hands.
She summoned her magic, reaching inside like Yukito had told her. Pink light flew up around them and she slowly stood up, backing away. The light swarmed Syaoran and she smiled and waved through her tears. The magic burned brightly and she closed her eyes. When she opened them she knew he was home and she was glad. The room was empty again but a bit of her broken heart seemed to be healed. He was home and for that she was happy. She hoped that he was with his love, that another version of her existed in another world and her clone soul's words were true--that his Sakura was waiting. Carefully she got to her feet. Walking back over to the wardrobe, she hung the sweater up and closed the doors.
Next to the bed on a night stand was a picture she recognized. She had the same one near her own bed of her and Syaoran at one of their shared birthdays. He had gotten dressed up for her and they had started out looking great. And then one of the kids at her birthday had started a food fight and Syaoran had taken a hit of cake for her and she had taken some kind of pie for him. They were dressed in their nice cloths, which had been ruined, grinning like complete idiots. It was her favorite picture of the two of them. She loved how happy they looked in it. Placing the picture down she sighed and closed her eyes, wondering if she should risk it and go to Yuuko and trade for Syaoran.
She just thought he needed time, time to realize that he belonged in Clow. It had only been a short while but she was terribly impatient. She wanted Syaoran back and she wanted him back now. She shook her head at her foolishness and took one look around the bedroom. She remembered when he used to go on extended digs and she would sneak into his house because she missed him so much. In her mind she liked to pretend that this was one of those things and that soon he would be back. She knew that nothing would go back to normal but she had to believe that if he was there, if he was with her, everything would be alright. Biting her lip she reached down and pulled her cloak over the chair, slipping it on and doing the fastening around her neck.
Light blinded her. Not the pink of her magic but another color. She closed her eyes tightly against the burning light. When she opened them again she blinked rapidly to clear the blue dots from her eyes. The short distance between herself and the bedroom had never seemed so massive before. She raced forward as fast as she could to the bedroom froze in the doorway. He was standing there, having just landed after traveling through dimensions. He straitened up and turned his head, their eyes locking. They both looked different, they both did frankly. His eyes were cold but it seemed to take a lot more self control to keep them cold. Time seemed to slow because neither had obviously expected to see the other there.
"Syaoran," she breathed.
Where had he been, what had he done? Blood streaked the right half of his face from a cut above his blue eye where someone seemed to have tried to cut it out, obviously unsuccessfully. His eyes widened and the magic began, much faster and much more smoothly than her own. The only resounding thought in her mind was that she had to stop him, she had to make him see that he belonged there. So she did the only thing that seemed to be effective. She threw herself at him, taking them both to the ground with a thud. His arms automatically came about her waist and hugged her against his fame, cushioning her from the fall. She looked down at him, her eyes wide and he looked right back up at her, the coldness gone from his eyes. He carefully helped her to her feet and took a step backwards.
"Wha-no!" she cried, "don't go, please!"
"I have to," he said hanging his head.
"No!" she cried out in horror, "please, don't go," she felt tears slide down her face, "why?" he turned his head, "why do you have to go?" she asked, needing to know, "why?"
"Because I don't belong here anymore," he said softly.
"Yes you do!" she all but yelled, "you always have Syaoran," he said nothing, "all our memories, they're ours! Not his--" she hung her head before looking up at him, "this isn't his house, he doesn't smell like you or talk like you--he isn't you! You're my Syaoran like I'm your Sakura!"
The words hung in the air between them.
"What?" he turned his head to face her, "no, not after everything I did--"
"Everything was Fei Wong Reed's fault, not yours! Oh cant you see?" she pleaded, "you belong here! The other Sayoran, he went home--back to his world," she looked up at him through tear-clouded eyes, "like you."
"I'm not--" he began, looking adorably like the Syaoran she was just beginning to remember, "I can't be--"
"But you are! You're home! You belong here," she broke off, an idea coming to her, "you belong here with me," she finished before grabbing the back of his neck and kissing him.
It was not so much a kiss but a colliding of lips. She pressed hers against his, trying desperately to make him see that he was the only Syaoran she ever wanted to know, that he, not his 'original' was the Syaoran she was in love with, that to her he was the original and always would be. Initially he made no movement to respond to the kiss, his lips as cold and unfeeling as his eyes had once been. And then, like a breath of air, his lips moved under hers and he was kissing her back, his arms coming up around her body and pulling him close against her frame. When they broke apart, both their eyes were wide.
"Welcome home," she said looking down at him, trying to ignore the obvious fact that he was about to leave again.
For a second he was still, making no move either way. And then he slowly nodded, his lips curving up into a smile that reached his eyes. She cried out in joy and buried her face in his chest, taking them both to the ground again. He laughed, the sound echoing through the room and she felt joy swell through her. He was back, he was home where he belonged. Pulling back she looked up into his two tone eyes and frowned, realizing he was hurt for the first time. Carefully they broke apart and got to their feet, keeping their hands joined as if they were afraid to let go of each other. The second they were on their feet, she wrapped her arms tightly around him, a gesture he returned.
"Sakura!!"
They looked at the door as Touya's angry voice came through the wood. Sakura groaned and buried her face in his chest, not wanting to deal with her brother. Syaoran smiled and walked over to the door. Touya stood on the other end, looking like he was out for blood as usual when it came to Syaoran. He stopped and looked at Syaoran with his two tone eyes and breathed out.
"Brat?"
"My name is Syaoran."
"Sakura?"
"Hi Touya," she said stepping around Syaoran.
"Is that him?" Touya demanded. She nodded, "not that arrogant, pompous--" he trailed off angrily, "thats that archeologist?
"Yes," she said.
Touya was silent for a moment before he swung his fist around and slammed it into Syaoran's blue eye, making the cut even more gruesome. Sakura shrieked and covered her mouth with her hands.
"First if you ever, and I mean ever, make her cry by leaving again I swear to God what I do to you will make Fei Wong look like a child. Secondly I expect you back at that dig the second you are able, the new archeologist is a complete idiot. Thirdly you are both to attend lessons with Yukito. You two wreak enough havoc without magic, I won't have you two doing any more damage because of this magic stuff. Is that clear brat?"
"Yes," Syaoran glared at him.
"Good," Touya said, "I expect you both at the palace for dinner," he added over his shoulder, "oh and one more thing," he turned around, "welcome home."
"I didn't miss that," Syaoran said with a shake of his head as Sakura came over and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you for letting him hit you," she said. He nodded, "do you think Syaoran found his Sakura?"
"I hope so," he said tightening his grip around her waist, "he deserves happiness."
"So do you," she said looking up at him.
"Maybe we all do," he said looking down at her with a smile.
