Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura in any way. This story is my fault. Warning: angst. Based on "Mariage D'amour" (a piano piece) by Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint.

Thorns of a Rose

Syaoran planned to surprise Sakura. He wanted to finally reveal his feelings for her, and ask her out. Spotting her strolling along in the section with the tulips, Syaoran called out and asked her to walk with him for a bit. He led her to a side path. He'd picked a section of the garden that was little known, and had spent nearly a month clearing that path. It led to a small grove of trees, where he'd planted a single rose some time ago. It had been fully-grown when he'd bought it, so he'd just transplanted it into the soil there after he cleared the path. They came upon the tiny grove, and Sakura exclaimed with delighted surprise. "Oh! Look at this lovely red rose! I wonder how it got here?" As she oohed and aahed over the rose, Syaoran felt his heart burst with emotion. "I love you." She turned around, shocked. He hadn't meant to say it so abruptly, but it had just popped out. Hoping to soften the impact, he said softly, "My love for you is like this flower. Nobody knew about it as it slowly bloomed, hidden away from the world. But, finally uncovered, it blossoms fully, revealing great beauty- and fragility. It shows the entire world its vibrant color, its soft petals, and moves the hearts of those around it." Syaoran plucked the rose then, and offered it to Sakura. "My love for you has been revealed. I pray that you will accept my love, and care for it." She started to cry- she was always an emotional girl. "You planned this, didn't you?" She asked, her throat choking up. "You cleared this path, and planted this rose, didn't you?" But she didn't wait for an answer, just ran into his arms, and he held her tightly, vowing never to let go.

Syaoran opened his eyes. Somehow, as he had imagined the scene, he had traveled to that small grove. Even now, he could see what had actually happened, that day so long ago.

Syaoran had finally spotted her in the garden, but when he opened his mouth to call to her, he realized she was walking with Eriol. Syaoran had felt dread in his heart, but had refrained from calling out. Following them silently, Syaoran nearly gasped with dismay when they happened upon that small path that he had painstakingly cleared. "Oh, look! It's a new path! I wonder where it goes?" Sakura said excitedly, and led Eriol with her onto the new path. The pain in his heart growing by the second. Syaoran found himself following stealthily behind. As they came upon the single red rose, Sakura had gasped. "Oh, look at this rose! I wonder who planted it here? It's so beautiful!" Eriol had glanced at it, then turned to Sakura. "I know of something far more beautiful." She had turned to him with a question in her eyes. "It's you," he said softly, and had bent to capture her lips. She hadn't resisted, if anything participated enthusiastically. As they came together, Syaoran's heart had broken, shattered into pieces. He couldn't continue watching it, yet couldn't tear his eyes away. Sakura broke away from the kiss first, and whispered, "Eriol…" He shook his head. "Don't say anything. I know this is sudden, and I'm sorry for forcing this upon you. But I've liked you for a long time. I really, really like you, Sakura." She had looked up at him with glowing eyes. "Eriol… I… I like you too." After those revelations, they had just embraced, but somehow the moment seemed more private than the kiss had been. It only served to drive a deeper stake into Syaoran's heart. Soon after, they walked out of the grove hand in hand, the red rose forgotten behind them.

Syaoran had stood in that clearing for several minutes after they left, numb and shocked. How had it turned out this way? Why? He'd planned it for so long, had prepared for it… The ache in his heart only grew as he stared blankly at the rose he had so painstakingly planted. Filled with a sudden rage, he had ripped the rose out of the ground, ignoring the pain as the thorns dug into his hand. This rose was indeed like love- beautiful on the surface, but in the end it could only bring pain. He ripped the rose apart, tearing its petals to pieces, splitting the stem into several fragments. Leaving the remains of the rose there, he left, hot tears slipping from his eyes. Forlorn and broken, the rose remained lying on the ground, amidst drops of his own blood.

Several weeks later, Syaoran had returned to that tiny grove, despite his vow never to return. There was a tiny tendril growing from that spot where he had torn the rose up- apparently, he hadn't gotten to the roots. The rose was still alive.

This time, Syaoran left it, even knowing that when fully grown, it would only cause him more pain.

***Owari***

A/N: I'm a huge fan of SyaoranxSakura myself, so writing this actually made me quite sad… I hope it's not too bad… R&R please!

A/N 2: Thank you for the reviews! Yes, it's very sad, and I apologize for that… Sorry for splitting these two up! By the way, thank you to patri-300 and Annyxoxo who reviewed AND favorited my story! Thanks sooo much, it makes me glad that someone likes my story xD