Short Stories with Tragic Endings Chapter 2: Drifting, a card captor sakura fanfic

digi-gal-rox: i intended to put this up earlier, but because of everything starting to pile up now, i didn't get the time. now i'm taking a short break, just to put this up. inspired by Butterfly Cloud

Summary: Two friends return to their how town, many years later, to find changes to the place they once grew up

DRIFTING

The island. It had been so long since they had last stepped foot on that place. The place the two friends had once called home. Leaving that place may've been the hardest thing, for a particular woman, to do. But she did not regret it. Sakura gave a soft sigh, before glancing at her friend beside her. The one man that had been with her this
entire time. Eriol. Together, they stood on the deck, allowing the calming wind to blow against their face. Behind the two childhood friends, sat two other people. The boyfriend. And the girlfriend. Who were both fast asleep. A chuckle had escaped Eriol's mouth, as he glanced at them, as Sakura tried to wake the two sleeping figures.

"I wonder what everyone looks like." Sakura said softly, her eyes closed. Eriol nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his face.
"Me too." it was then he noticed the far-a-way look in her eyes. "Sakura...?"
"Think they're married?" she asked, leaning her back against the railing. An awkward giggle escaped her lips.
"You don't have to force yourself." he said quietly.
"You don't have to keep protecting me." she sighs. "He," she motioned to the sleeping figure of her boyfriend, "is more than enough." Eriol snorted.
"A fine job at it too." he grinned. Sakura giggled.
"Better at it than you, dear friend." Eriol gave her a mock hurt look, before cracking up.
"Touche."

"Do you think he'll know?" he suddenly asked. She looked away uneasily, taking another glance at the sleeping form of her boyfriend, who stired slightly.
"I don't know." she said quietly, a painful expression evident on her face. Eriol moved towards her, giving the woman a tight hug.
"It doesn't matter now, Sakura. You've got us." Sakura looked up and smiled.
"Yeah. I do."

"I wonder how my parents are doing." he murmured.
"Me too." she pauses. "I think mum and dad will be very surprised about this." Eriol snorted.
"Surprise? More like a heart attack." Sakura rolled her eyes at the laughing man, before punching him in the arm.
"Hey!" Eriol pouted, rubbing his arm, in mock hurt. The woman giggled, giving him a triumphant smile. Silence had greeted them, save the sound of the snoring from the girlfriend. "I wonder what will happen when we arrive." he said quietly. Sakura nodded her head in agreement.
"Me too."

"Think anyone will remember us?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows." he said quietly.
"Maybe not our teachers." Sakura wrinkled her nose. "I really hope they don't remember us."
"They probably would. It's a small island." Eriol murmured. Sakura made a face.
"O.K then. I really wish they didn't remember." Eriol laughed at this.
"I know I've asked this a million times, but do you regret leaving?"
"No." was her answer. "Do you?"
"Same." he responded. "But I sometimes wonder what happened if we didn't." silence had fallen once again.
"He would've married her... wouldn't he?" she asked. Eriol didn't respond, regretting his statement earlier.
"We would have had sad lives." Eriol decided as an answer. "We would have eventually left."

"Afraid?" he asked, when the boyfriend mumbled something about getting a drink.
"Somewhat."
"Me too." Eriol sighed. They remained silent for some time, simply watching the clouds go by.
"Butterfly cloud." Sakura murmured. Eriol followed her gaze.
"Storms coming." he murmured. "I hope we make it in time." the boyfriend returned with four cans of Coke, handing it to the small group of friends.

"I wonder if home has changed." Sakura murmured.
"Probably not." Eriol sighed. "Definitely not. I would be surprised if it did."
"Yeah. I guess I would be too. But it has to have changed. There are so many people visiting there."
"Yeah. I suppose." he paused. "I wonder if the Sakura Trees are still standing there." he murmured. A soft smile formed on Sakura's lips.
"I hope so. But didn't the council wanted it cut down?"
"Yeah. But who knows if people actually fought for it to be up."
"For us to climb it again?" Sakura smirked. Eriol grinned.
"Maybe."

"You said you always wanted to know why I gave him those letters, right...? The ones you took." Sakura said quietly. Eriol looked at her, his eyes softening.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. You already know I gave up asking."
"I wanted to see him smile again. I wanted him to be happy." her eyes fell slightly.
"Sakura..." Eriol murmured.
"I did the right thing though." Sakura sighed.
"I don't regret taking them away." Eriol stated firmly. Sakura smiled at him.
"I know." she sighed. "I still thank you though. At least for those last few years, I got to smile."

"How do you think they'll react?" she suddenly asked, causing the boyfriend and girlfriend to wake up. Eriol simply shrugged.
"Who knows." two pairs of eyes watched the two friends carefully, before the boyfriend rose, instantly wrapping his arms around Sakura.
"Whatever happens, it'll be fine." he murmured aloud.
"You're right," Eriol nodded, taking the hand of his girlfriend. Sakura allowed a smile to grow on her lips, as she rested her head comfortably on her boyfriend's shoulder. "But one thing I can say. They are definitely in for a surprise."

The captain made the announcement that they would be approaching the island soon. Two sighs could be heard escaping the lips of Eriol and Sakura.
"Looks like we're nearly there," he stated, glancing at Sakura and the boyfriend. "We're nearly home."
"Home..." Sakura murmured softly. "I think home is actually back in they city." she slowly pulled away from her boyfriend, looking at Eriol.
"Maybe." Eriol said quietly. "How about the place we grew up in?" a cheaky grin on his face. At this, his girlfriend rolled her eyes.
"Grow up." she muttered. At this comment Sakura and the boyfriend exploded into fits of laughter, a smile now forming on the girlfriend, and a frown on Eriol's.

"Look. Over there." Sakura whispered softly, pointing to the top of the island. "Can you see that up there?" when she received a nod from both the girl friend and boyfriend, Sakura let out a grin. "That, my friend, is the temple."
"All the way up there?" her boyfriend asked, his eyes going wide.
"Don't tell me we're going to walk all the way up there!" the girlfriend whinned. Eriol simply smiled.
"We could." he said thoughtfully, receiving a glare from the woman. "But it's easier if we drive." instantly, her expression changed, "If we can find a car." the girlfriend hit him on the arm.
"Idiot." she muttered.
"Don't worry," Sakura giggled. "The walk is great! You'll love it. Trust me."
"Oh, I definitely trust you. It's him," she motioned her head to Eriol, "That I don't trust."
"Hey!" Eriol pouted.
"She has a point..." Sakura said thoughtfully, a grin on her face.
"Sakura!"

Slowly, a small crowd of passengers departed the boat. Scanning the small crowd, Eriol spotted a familiar face, smiling and waving at them. Taking a quick hold of Sakura, he motioned to the man that was now approaching them.
"Hey." he says, giving the two a hug. "You guys made it!" a tight smile formed on the boyfriend's lip. "And you brought friends!"
"Boyfriend," Sakura said instantly.
"Girlfriend," Eriol had corrected at the same time. The smile on the man's face widened.
"What are we standing around here for? You guys must be tired!"

"This place hasn't changed on bit," Eriol murmured, as they drove by familiar stores.
"You'll be surprised."
"Oh?"
"A few of our old school friends moved away to the city. Even families as well."
"Wow. I never expected that." Sakura stated. "I thought everyone wanted to stay here... well forever."
"Well, after the two of you took off, everyone decided, why not as well."
"We started a trend." Eriol grinned.

"Do they still do the festival?" Sakura suddenly asked.
"Yeah. Tradition!"
"Great!" Sakura beamed. "You guys up for it?" she asked. The boyfriend nodded his head, as did the girlfriend.
"After you two raved about it..." the girlfriend grinned.
"More like Eriol." the boyfriend muttered. The two girls broke into giggles.
"You haven't changed one bit, man." Eriol surprised their friend with a slap on the back.
"You two have." he said quietly. "I would have never thought that Sakura would be so..."
"Great?"
"Feminine, is the word I'm looking for." Eriol simply smiled.
"Well, time has changed us." Eriol sighed, now frowning at the argument going on in the back.

"They seem to be doing well, boy." his father stated, as his mother placed their dinner on the table.
"Yeah. They are." he responded quietly. "I never expected them to change so much."
"She's quite a beauty, eh?" silence had greeted his father's question. "Syaoran?" the older man sighed, glancing at his wife, worriedly. "Boy, you've got to let go. People change. She's been-"
"I know." Syaoran cut in hastily. "It's not that. It's..." his father gave him a soft smile.
"It'll be alright, boy. You'll see. Everything will work out they way it's meant to be."

"Hey." she whirled around surprise, before a small smile formed on her lips.
"Hey."
"Mind if I join you?"
"Go ahead," she motioned to the spot next to her. "How are you?"
"Good. You?"
"Good." he noticed the smile on her face. "How is Mei? We've been looking forward into seeing her." silence had greeted her question. "Syaoran...?"
"She's in a very far-a-way place right now." Sakura frowned.
"Please give me a straight answer." Syaoran bit his lip uncertainly.
"She... died three years ago." Sakura's eyes went wide, as a gasp escaped her lips.
"Why didn't anyone tell us?! We would've come back!"
"She didn't want you to know." Syaoran said quietly. "Something about fulfilling dreams." Sakura sighed heavily, looking up at the stars.
"Sorry for your loss." she said quietly. Syaoran remained silent.
"We never married. Not even engaged."
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, her eyes remaining focused on the dark sky above them.
"I don't know." he said quietly.

"There you are!"
"Before you say anything Eriol, shut up." Sakura muttered.
"That's not very nice," he smiled playfully. Syaoran shook his head.
"Somethings never change." he sighed.
"I miss the stars." Sakura said quietly.
"Can't you see them in Tokyo?" Syaoran asked curiously.
"Not really." Eriol shrugged, joining the two on the ground. "It's clearer here, for sure."
"It's strange how thing's work out, huh?" Sakura murmured. "Life. Friendship. Everything." the two boys nodded.

"I see." Eriol said quietly. A soft sigh escaped his lips. "They still should've told us."
"In that case, we'll go to the temple and pray to her."
"Further more," Eriol continued, as if Sakura had not spoken, "Why didn't they marry? They really seemed lovey-dovey before we left."
"Maybe things didn't work out for them?" Sakura guessed. Eriol simply shrugged.
"Who knows."

"It's beautiful." the girlfriend breathed, when they had reached the top of the hill. Eriol gave a smile, as he took hold of her, leading her away. The boyfriend, let a chuckle out, as did Sakura, watching the affection between the couple.
"How long have they been together?" Syaoran suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
"Three years, I believe." the boyfriend said thoughtfully.
"But including the time they first met it would be since we were nineteen." Sakura jumped in. "Hey, you think he'll propose to her anytime soon?" the boyfriend simply smiled, causing the girls eyes to widened.
"He's going to ask her?!" a grin was her only response.

A cool breeze blew their hair back. Breathing in the clean air, the girl friend let out a sigh. Next to her, Sakura was taking a gulp of water.
"I've been meaning to say..." the girl friend started, getting Sakura's attention.
"Hm...?"
"It's really none of my business, but Li-san keeps looking at you." Sakura froze.
"Eh...?" it was a moment before anything had registered into her mind, on the implication that Eriol's girlfriend was trying to imply. "Eh?!"

"You're heading back...?" Syaoran asked quietly. Eriol and Sakura let out a smile.
"We have things to do back in the city." Eriol stated. "Everything is already probably piled up by now."
"It was really good seeing you again." Sakura added, brightly. "It's been far too long. You should come visit us next time!"
"Yeah..." he said quietly. "Maybe." taking sudden notice in his silence, Eriol surprised the man with the sudden slap on the back.
"You O.K?"
"This may sound childish, but do you really have to go?" Syaoran asked.
"We have lives back there. Friends. A job..." Eriol said quietly. Syaoran turned away uneasily.
"I don't want us to not talk. We're friends." he stated stubbornly.
"We always will be." Eriol continued. Sakura nodded her head in agreement.
"Sakura... I-" he looked at her. She gave a small smile and nodded.
"I know." she murmured. "This is our life now." she continued. "We'll always be friends. Always."

The island. It had been so long since they had last stepped foot on that place. The place they had once called home. And now, the place they would call their home town. Giving their family one last hug good bye, they bid good bye to a friend they had not talked in so long. As the four boarded the boat, they gave one last wave good bye before turning their backs to them.
"Do you think it'll ever be as it once was?" Eriol asked quietly, as the girlfriend and boyfriend mumbled something about taking a nap.
"No." Sakura sighed. "But maybe. One day." she paused. "I'm surprised though."
"Me too." Eriol chuckled. Looking at the clear sky, both friends noticed the butterfly cloud, motionless and clear.

"You O.K, son?" Syaoran turned around slightly. His father giving him and earnest look.
"Yeah." he returned his attention back to the boat. A tiny dot now. He knew that the friendship the friends had once could never be the same. They knew it to. Taking a deep breathe, like their friendship, he watched it drift into the distance.

END

digi-gal-rox: i apologise if there any confusions. it is intended to be that way