Promises... do they mean anything? What happens when you break one? Will everything be the same again? A touching and emotional S+S story. Warning: FULL OF FLUFF!

A/N:

Konnichiwa! Ha, gomen for taking so long, but I guess the prologue wasn't as bad as I thought, since there were actually reviews. I haven't decided if there is going to be any mention of magic in the story, but the cards have already been captured. Enjoy this chapter; we took an eternity to do this!

Disclaimer: CCS and all its wonderful characters belong to CLAMP. The plot and all original characters (if any), belongs to us.

"I Promise"

Entwined

By: Tilted Star

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Something was suffocating her, ironically restricting her movements the more she flailed about to free herself. Sakura could hear someone calling her, his voice from afar. If only she could reach it…

Splash! The stinging drops of ice water on her skin shocked her back to reality. As she rubbed the sleepiness away from her eyes, blurring and refocusing, she saw the lanky figure of her brother standing at her beside, with an empty pail in his hands.

"About time you woke up, the sun's high overhead. Only a kaijuu would stay in bed thrashing about," Touya taunted.

"Sakura wa kaijuu janai mo!" Sakura screeched as soon as she recognised her tormentor, and threw her pillow at the closing door.

"Must Onii-chan always tease me like this?" Sakura grumbled as she tried to free herself from the tangled blanket.

In the midst of all the turmoil around her, Sakura forgot what her dream was about. However, the intense feelings her dream evoked lingered in her heart. The intense feelings for… Syaoran.

Hidden beneath Syaoran's cold exterior belied a most warm and gentle soul. With intense amber eyes staring defiantly from under dishevelled chestnut hair, Syaoran was but the most perfect compilation of qualities a girl could ever wish for in a man – handsome, intelligent, skilled, kind, cute, gentle, understanding, courageous, selfless… Oh, the list could go on and on.

And Sakura loved every bit of him ever since… she wasn't sure when. It could have started when Syaoran first called out her name when they were stuck in the lift together, it could have started when he decided to stay in Tomoeda, just as Eriol came. Maybe it was when he first entered her life, when he first stared at her with those ever-intense eyes.

In any case, the dream had left her with these confusing emotions, bitter sadness and an aching heart of losing a loved one… Syaoran.

Jerking her head up, Sakura hurriedly looked down again, blushing furiously. Him again… I… I… have to confess! To tell him… aishiteru. Before I lose him… before I feel that horrible hopelessness again… Just like how I felt in the dream… It was a nightmare… Its Valentine's today… The perfect time to confess…

"Oh! And I promised to meet Tomoyo-chan at the playground to walk to Eriol-kun's house to give him his Valentine's present… Hmm… Tomoyo-chan's present, check! Eriol-kun's, check! Yosh!"

She checked the time on her clock. "Hoe! I'm gonna be late!" She started for the door but stopped momentarily, and backtracked to say goodbye to Kero. "Ja ne Kero-chan, your Valentine's chocolate is on the desk, happy eating, 'k?"

As she left the room, Kero poked his head out of the drawer, sprawled over the drawer's edge, sleepily questioning, "Naiya?"

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As Sakura approached the playground, she saw Tomoyo sitting on a bench.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried, waving at her. She plopped down next to Tomoyo and smiled, "Ohayo!"

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo answered. "Let's set off for Hiiragizawa-kun's house, ne?"

"Hai!" Sakura said as they starting walking in the direction of Eriol's house. Tomoyo started chattering happily about the new costumes she made for Sakura, and how she couldn't wait for Sakura to try them.

"Unn…" Sakura mumbled, not really listening as she started brooding about the dream.

Recognising that Sakura was feeling troubled over something, Tomoyo asked gently, "Is something the matter?"

Realising that she had been caught thinking about, well, Syaoran, she blushed. And knowing that no one can keep anything from Tomoyo, Sakura told her about the dream.

Tomoyo listened patiently, and when Sakura finished, she thought about it, and smiled at the irony of it all. Both Sakura and Syaoran liked each other, yet they were both afraid of being rejected.

"Well," Tomoyo started, smiling. " If you don't ever ask, you won't know how he feels, ne?"

"To-Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura stammered. Tomoyo-chan's right. If I don't confess, I'll never know how he feels… It will be better than always pondering about his feelings towards me. I'll tell him when we meet at the swing set later.

Soon after, they reached Eriol's house, which was on top of the hill in Tomoeda. As they entered the dining room, Nakuru pounced on Sakura, pinching her cheeks and squealing, "KAWAII DESU!"

"Stop torturing her," Spinel stated blandly. Nakura pouted, but whipped out a gigantic present and said sweetly, "This, is for the two of you. I would have given some to Suppi-chan, but he didn't want any."

"I don't eat chocolate," Spinel muttered, staring out of the window.

"Umm… Ohayo… Where is Eriol-kun?" Sakura questioned.

As soon as the question was out of her mouth, the door opened, revealing Eriol in his usual cobalt-coloured robe, holding two gift-wrapped parcels in his hands.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-san, Daidouji-san. Sorry for my lateness, I was wrapping your presents," Eriol explained as he handed the two neatly wrapped presents to Sakura and Tomoyo.

"Arigatou, Eriol-kun… Ano… This is for you," Sakura said as she handed Eriol his present from her and Tomoyo.

As Eriol started the conversation, with a few squeals injected by Nakuru, as well as the occasional chuckle from Tomoyo, Sakura started drifting back to her castle in the sky, her head in the clouds, while the clock went tick tick ticking…

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It was soon dusk, Syaoran had been waiting at the swing set in the playground for almost three hours, but Sakura was still no where to be seen…

He let out a sigh. For three hours, children at the playground had been staring at him, wondering why a "grown-up kid" was sitting there, robbing them of the lovely swing…

One by one, the children left, leaving only him and the desolate playground. The colours of the sunset painted the place a mingling of orange and pink, the colours of unrequited love…

With a sigh of resignation, Syaoran stood up, leaving his Valentine's present to her on the swing.

So she doesn't feel what I feel for her… I should have known…

He walked away.

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Sakura rushed to the playground. I'm late, I'm so late… Syaoran must have left… What if he thought I never loved him?

Moments after Syaoran left, Sakura approached the swing set, panting heavily. She scanned the rapidly darkening place, looking for any sign of Syaoran.

On the swing laid a peony and sakura flower, their stems entwined together.

Does this mean……?

Enlightened by this new discovery, Sakura whipped around, trying to recognise the direction where Syaoran had left. She sprinted away, the entwined flowers clasped to her bosom, combing through the whole park for Syaoran, but to no avail.

It was but a futile search.

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Eventually, Sakura shuffled along the pathway, dragging her feet along, her face covered in perspiration.

In the end, the peony and the sakura were not fated to be…

Sakura trudged along, walking towards the bridge laid across the river. Lifting her head up, she realized it was night. The full moon shone brightly above her head, a lone pearl in a sea of velvet. A dog howled in the distance, reminding Sakura of Syaoran. Looking ahead, she saw a silhouette leaning against the bridge's railings.

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Syaoran stood on the bridge, looking at the shimmering ribbon of silver beneath him, his forlorn face staring back at him.

Sakura, what is it about me that you can't accept? Perhaps we were never meant to be…

He sighed once again and straightened himself, prepared to return home.

"Syaoran."

Instinctively, he turned around, fully aware of her presence.

Sakura…

Moonbeams shone down on Sakura, bathing her in a dazzling white, highlighting her every feature, making her look as if she was a fairy from heaven. Clasped in her hands were the two flowers, Syaoran's Valentine's present to her.

She smiled; tears trickled out of the corner of her eyes, staining her cheeks. Syaoran strode towards her and reached out a hand to brush away her tears, together with all her doubts, replacing it with the hope of love.

Slowly, they embraced each other, reveling in the warmth of the other. Sakura hesitantly tilted her head up and let herself drown in Syaoran's gaze. Leaning closer, he placed a kiss on her forehead and closed his eyes.

Under the moonlight, they kissed.

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A/N:

And that's the end of this chapter! Whew! Finally! Done! Congratulate us! CHEERS

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