Disclaimer: I do not own Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, Kurogane, Mokona, Yuuki, Tomoyo, or Tsubasa Chronicles. CLAMP owns them (lucky…).
A fanfic for Sakura and Syaoran. This is my very first EVER fanfic, and I love the pairing so much that I decided they deserved to be my first.
This fanfic does not follow the story of Tsubasa Chronicles, as beautiful as it was (seriously, it was very beautiful, whether you read the manga or watched the anime). The story here is, however, loosely interpreted from it.
Rated M just to be safe, as Sakura and Syaoran have some romance scenes LATER ON. Additionally, Kurogane has a cursing problem (although there are some words that I absolutely refuse to use); and there will also be minor violence.
Anyway! Enough of my rambling! On to the story!
Chapter One: The Land of Green
Birds chirped merrily, singing a song to greet the morn that so quietly, gently, spread across the land. The sun seemed reluctant to wake the slumbering creatures; they had been so peaceful. Now, however, it was time for the sun to aid the birds in their salutations to the new day—there was much work to be done on the land, and precious few hours of light to do it. Just as the sun's mouth peek across the horizon and lit the countryside, a large, dark purple glob—almost like a bubble—appeared in the sky, approximately ten feet from the grass of a clearing beside a forest. In an instant, the glob drooled away from itself, slithering into nothingness, as its own inhabitants were spilled unceremoniously from it onto the ground that was still moist from the morning dew.
As always, it seemed, Kurogane fell onto the ground first, and just as he attempted to raise himself onto his hands and knees, Fai landed squarely on his back, holding Mokona to his own chest and wearing a wide, plastic close-lipped smile. (Perhaps it was for that reason—Fai holding Mokona—that the blonde landed upright.) Syaoran, ever vigilant for the safety of the princess, calmly and quietly held her against his chest as he tried to cushion her fall with his body. Her soft hair tickled his face as they fell for a split second, the princess clinging to him tightly, her eyes shut in preparation for impact, her teeth clenched together in case of a jarring halt. Syaoran, however, landed in a kneeling position, his arms cushioning any sense of impact Sakura may have felt. He smiled when she released a pent-up breath of relief.
"Dammit, you stupid magician! Get the hell off me!" Kurogane growled, digging his fingers into the soft earth, his red eyes glinting.
Fai turned to him, that content smile still plastered onto his face. "But, Kuro-tin, your back is such a nice seat. Mokona likes it, don't you, Mokona?"
"Mokona likes to sit on Kuro-puppy!" The little white creature chirped, raising its paws—and ears—a bit.
"It's KUROGANE, you idiots!" Kurogane bellowed. He made a swing for Fai's head; but the tall, slender man jumped out of Kurogane's reach easily, as if the wind had carried him.
A smile appeared on Sakura's face as she watched the trio "fight", wishing she could join in their play, yet knowing her frail body would not withstand such exertions. She had not gotten a feather in quite some time.
Syaoran watched her face break into a smile, then falter, as if troubled by something. He knew that the princess would want to have some fun, but also that she was too weak to do so. The boy would simply have to work harder to find a feather this time. He would not allow her physical state to deteriorate any further. Syaoran glanced up as Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona settled down enough to observe the party's surroundings.
"Well, it doesn't look like we've been to this world before. I wonder what it's called. It's very beautiful," Fai observed, gazing around him.
"Mokona knows we haven't been here. It feels a whole lot different than the other worlds." The little creature's forehead crumpled as it attempted to sense one of Sakura's feathers. Alas, it was fruitless. "Mokona can't sense one of Sakura-chan's feathers, either," it said dejectedly.
"That's alright, Mokona-chan," Sakura said lightly. "There's a feather here. I can feel it." She brought her smile back to her face and tried to sit up, but Syaoran held her firmly in his arms. It made her blush to feel him holding her so strongly. Why was he…?
The princess looked up to see Syaoran staring at her determinedly, his brilliant amber eyes smoldering at her. Her heart quickened. "Sakura-hime, I think it would be best for you to conserve your energy, so please allow me to carry you until we can find a place for you to rest. I wouldn't like you to overexert yourself." That was only a half-truth. Yes, it was important for her to save her strength, but mostly Syaoran just wanted to feel her in his arms. When she nodded her assent, for some reason hiding her face from him by looking the other way, Syaoran stood, carefully so as not to jostle her. He held her tightly in his arms, but tenderly as well. He was concerned that she had looked away from him.
Kurogane scoffed at the pair. Sickeningly cute. Yet, cute they were, and he found himself—himself, the mighty Kurogane—urging the young couple on. "Well, if we want to find that feather, we should start looking for it. It ain't gonna just hop out outta nowhere and just float to the princess and… and…" Kurogane was rendered speechless by a loud banging noise not two hundred feet away from the group. He spun around savagely and drew his sword in preparation for a fight, instinctively. He saw a large boulder, a boulder that had not been there one minute ago.
Mokona, on the other hand, screamed its indication of being aware of the feather. "The feather is there!"
That statement was all Syaoran needed. Gently, he set the princess down. "Please stay safe for a moment while I get the feather, Sakura-hime." Sakura only nodded in return as she felt coldness envelope her body from the loss of his touch.
The banging noise erupted again, and a second boulder joined the first, accompanied by a rallied battle cry of many voices. Fai's eyes widened.
"Syaoran, perhaps this is not the best time to get the feather. I think it might be best to run and watch from a safe distance this time," the blonde wizard suggested. Syaoran hesitated, then nodded, his jaw set and his eyes steady as he plucked Sakura off the ground and into his arms once more. Following his companions, Syaoran darted into the forest to their left, climbed a tree to conceal himself and the princess, and lay in wait, anxious to return that precious feather to its precious owner—his princess.
Syaoran watched the scene before him unfold with determined, smoldering amber eyes.
The people that had flung the boulder at them were now racing to the spot he and his companions had been, with weapons raised over their heads. These people were huge monstrosities: they stood over nine feet tall, their torsos as wide as tree trunks, their limbs branches of sinewy muscle. They wore no armor, yet they seemed as if they were going to war. In a brutish tongue, they growled about having lost the "damn elves". One of the people rose up above the rest. He wore a long beard, and wiry hairs covered his torso and limbs. By the way the others backed away and quieted, it seemed as if this huge man was their leader.
"Elves no here. We lose them. But, me bet they gone up across hill." At this, he pointed with a finger the shape and color of a sausage. "We follow them to their tree-homes. Kill Mother Tree, then they all die. Mountain Father will be pleased and reward us!" The mountain man roared to his people and they set off towards a hill, their morale inspired. No one bothered to recover the huge rocks they had left behind, though catapults followed the marching army of over a thousand.
In his focus on the mountain people, Syaoran had failed to notice his proximity to the princess. It was not lost on her, however. Sakura felt him edging closer and closer to her, trying to get a better look as these mountain people and their plans. By the time the leader had risen to make his speech, Syaoran's chest was nearly close enough for her to kiss. His own chin was brushing against her forehead. So, she sat there, huddled underneath his body, aching to touch him. Sakura couldn't, though. She couldn't risk upsetting him. Recently, he seemed to be drifting away from her a bit; he was more formal than usual, and did not often look into her eyes. Therefore, Sakura contented herself with closing her eyes and inhaling his clean, warm pine scent. As she filled her lungs with his scent, her heart fluttered. She suddenly was blushing as he held her tighter, closer, and the warmth of his body overtook her. She melted into him.
Syaoran's mind flung back to his body as he felt Sakura's head rest on his shoulder. His face flushed with embarrassment—he had unknowingly pressed her body against his while trying to get a closer look at the giants now exiting the clearing. His body stiffened, then relaxed as she leaned against him, gently putting her hands on his chest and curling her fingers into his cloak. Syaoran glanced at Fai only a few trees across from him and was met with a calm stare and a smile. "Can I get the feather now?" Syaoran asked, his voice not betraying his anxiety for Sakura.
Fai nodded, chuckling a bit. "I will follow you. Kuro-rin, come on, too!" Mokona squeaked its participation as well. Kurogane, as to be expected, grumbled as he leapt from the tree, following his companions.
Syaoran carefully cradled his sleeping princess in his arms as he sprinted toward the boulder. Would possessing the feather really be this easy? He became cautious as he approached the boulder, guided by Mokona's cries of "It's there, the one on the left!"
Suddenly, it came into view. The feather. It was right there, in front of him. Syaoran made a quick grab for it before the small, delicate thing could flutter away. The boy would not be eluded once again. Syaoran gently, reverently, placed the feather on Sakura's slowly rising chest; the princess' heart absorbed the small offering. It was a thing of beauty. To watch the little feather, pure as light, float inside the girl's chest; to observe her body receiving a new memory; to know that, in her dreams, she was reliving her forgotten past… it was that which kept Syaoran going. For he knew that, with this small gift, Sakura would be kept alive and well for a least a little bit longer.
He stared at her face, watching her dream of something. Her long eyelashes fluttered softly as her mouth twitched into a faint, sleeping smile. The sun sent a soft light to caress the girl's cheek, making the skin glow a warm cream color. Suddenly, though, Syaoran could tell that Sakura's dream had taken a turn. Her face twisted into one of confusion.
"Who… I don't… unders…" her lips, pink and moist, whispered into the air. Syaoran felt a stab in his heart. He knew what she dreamt of—or, rather, what she did not dream of.
Fai looked at the despairing boy sympathetically. "She is having a memory, isn't she: one of you, yet not of you." It was not a question.
Syaoran nodded painfully, swallowing a lump in his throat. "At the beginning, I thought I could handle it. I thought I could cope with her not being able to remember me, not having the same relationship with me. I thought that, as long as I found her feathers, it would be fine. I thought that she would not notice, that it would cause her no pain. After all, how can she miss what she doesn't remember?" His face grew more morose.
"But, recently, she has been having gaps in her memories. I can tell. She often speaks out in her sleep, 'Who are you? I know you're there, but I can't see you. I can't hear you.' Sakura-hime worries that she had no friends as a child, when the truth is…" he choked, but went on. "The truth is that I was there all along, helping her, protecting her. And she was saving me. All that time. All that trust, that care, all those… those memories. Gone. All of them, gone." He suddenly was unable to take the grief that had lodged in his soul. The tears threatened to overtake him.
Fai smiled, but this smile was different. It was real. The smile that now touched Fai's lips was stunning, so full of raw sympathy and sadness for Syaoran that even Kurogane's eyes widened. "Then, I suppose you'll just have to make new memories with her," the wizard said, and his voice was full of tender kindness.
Syaoran nodded, though still mourning the loss of his childhood friend. It would take him much time to understand fully what Fai meant, but for now, Syaoran needed to be alone with his thoughts. "Can we… hurry and find a place to sleep?"
His companions nodded, all except for Sakura, who still lay sleeping in the boy's arms, her hand delicately gripping his cloak, drawing herself in closer to share his warmth, unknowing.
By the time the group had establish a small camp and set dinner on the fire, night had fallen, Sakura had awakened, and Syaoran had left to take a stroll in the chilled night air.
As Sakura sat up, she remembered the hinting loss of her memory. Often, she felt cheated, as if she was only getting half a memory, as if there was so much more to her life than she was seeing. The feeling of being empty would never truly leave her, she thought as she yawned, her stomach grumbled—the only part of her that was not dainty. Her stomach demanded attention, bringing a blush to her cheeks.
Fai smiled at her. "Good morning, Sakura-chan." Sakura opened her mouth, but her stomach issued a grumbly good morning to Fai before she could. The magician chuckled. "We're having fish tonight, with fruits picked freshly from the forest by Mokona."
"Thank you, Fai-san. Mokona-chan," Sakura said lightly, smiling as she stood up and stretched a little. "Where is Syaoran-kun?"
"Syaoran went on a walk so he could cry," Mokona said sadly. "He hasn't been feeling very happy lately. Mokona thinks that Sakura-chan should go and comfort him!"
Sakura's cheeks reddened further. "B-but Mokona-chan…"
Kurogane sat up from his laying position on the other side of the fire and stared at her coolly. "Sakura. Take it from me. The kid needs someone he cares a lot about to help him right now. And that means you."
Kurogane's companions' eyes widened. He had never spoken so… caringly about another person. Immediately, however, the warrior caught himself, and, with a quick snarl, he growled, "But it's not like I care or anything. Just a suggestion. He's less of a fighter when he's depressed."
Sakura smiled and stood, then walked over to Kurogane, who sat cross-legged, hunched over. He looked up at her suspiciously for a moment until she knelt down beside him and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Kurogane-san." Then, she stood, and, after being directed on where to go by Mokona, set off to find Syaoran.
Kurogane's eyes softened as he stared at her walk off. She reminded him of Tomoyo, back at his own world.
Fai's tongue clicked. "Did she knock a chip off that icy shoulder, Kuro-puppy?"
Kurogane growled once more. "No! It's just that…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say. "If that kid tries anything on her, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
A light laughter bubbled from Fai's throat. "Should I start calling you Kuro-daddy from now on?"
The ninja cursed and lay back down.
Sakura meandered through the woods, having lost herself in the night. She was fairly certain she headed in the right direction, though she could not be sure. The girl was cold, shivering, as she walked about the forest alone. Her soft caramel colored hair gently blew in the breeze as her bright green eyes glowed in the dark. Her arms wrapped around her torso, trying to conserve her body heat while she searched for the boy.
After walking some fifteen more minutes, her breath was floating up in misty sparkles around her face and her lips were slightly blue, though she wore her cloak wrapped tight around her body. She began to walk faster—she knew she was getting closer to him.
Syaoran turned around from gazing into the pond, having added his tears to the volume of the water within. He had been crying since he broke down here, on the edge of a small, pristine pond fed by a stream. Now, however, he felt someone come up behind him and, wiping his eyes with his gloved hands, the boy stood to face Sakura. She looked absolutely freezing. Chilled to the bone. Syaoran's eyes widened as he swallowed and took a step towards her, enveloping her in his embrace. "S-Sakura-hime? Are you all right? You're freezing, Hime, how did you get this way? Were you walking alone?" After a moment of her silence, the boy removed his own cloak and wrapped it around the princess, then used his hands to rub her limbs, trying to get warm blood pumping through her veins once more.
But she did not care about that. The only things she saw were his eyes—his beautiful, soft, caring eyes that seemed to bore into her soul—red and slightly puffy. He had been crying. Crying. "Sy-Syaoran-kun!" she exclaimed, sniffling herself a bit, and not just from the cold.
He looked into her tearing eyes worriedly. "Yes, Hime? Are you all right, Hime?"
She flung her arms about his neck. In whisper, she told him, "You were crying…." She brought her hands to his face, his eyes, where a small tear had escaped. Immediately, her own eyes formed small, crystalline tears. Her heart broke in two pieces.
At first, he shook his head. Then, he looked down and nodded, barely. "What it because of me?" she asked, taking a shaky breath.
Suddenly, Syaoran looked at her, into her tearing green eyes, and hugged her tightly. He was crying freely now.
"I'm sorry, Sakura-hime… I should be strong for you. It must worry you that I show such weakness," his voice was halting.
She shook her head and clutched closer to him, her body shaking with silent sobs. "No! It worries me that you're crying because I care about you, Syaoran-kun! Not as a body guard or a feather retriever, but a… a treasured, treasured friend." She wanted to say more, that she cared for him more than as a friend, that she loved him, that she wanted to kiss him, even now when they were crying and it was cold. She could not do that, however.
"Sakura-hime…" Syaoran whispered, putting his forehead against the top of her head as she ruined his shirt with salt water. His tears were receding, brought on by the calming, rushing waves of warmth that somehow came from her chilling body. They were from her acceptance of him, as a friend. As a dear friend. "I am honored to be considered such an important person to you, hime." He paused a moment, and his face reddened.
Sakura noticed his body stiffen in front her and looked up to find him with gritted teeth, looking conflicted. "Sy-Syaoran-kun?"
"N-nothing, Hime. Just that… I think of you as a friend as well," the boy said in a small whisper.
The princess' face immediately lit up brightly. Suddenly, she was getting too warm. She needed to get away from him, lest she overheat. That was a humorous thought—overheating. Usually, the girl felt as if she were constantly chilly; perhaps this coldness arose from travelling away from her homeland of Clow Kingdom, a desert country. Perhaps it arose from her loneliness. Nevertheless, Sakura decided she would steal this moment of warmth, even if it became uncomfortable for her—she would not accept the cold willingly.
"Hime? Are you all right?"
"Yes; I'm fine. I'm… I'm wonderful."
And so, that is the first chapter! There will be more, but I am a bit slow, so it may not be immediate. Thank you for reading!