AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi, it's me again… heheh… listen, I think this story's gonna be the shortest one of 'em all. I don't know yet. It might, it might not. You never know. Anyway, I'll just leave you alone now and… and, uhh… yeah, I'll just go. Sorry…

2

In the six months Li had been gone, the city of Tomoeda had changed drastically. Because of Sakura's death, there was fear on the streets and despair in the hearts of many. The protection of Eriol and the rest of the Tokyo Knights gave them a little comfort but not as much as when Sakura was still around. The damage caused by Lorca and the Demon Knights was cleaned up, buildings repaired and the site where Sakura had fallen was made into a shrine.

A gold plaque engraved into the ground with a cherry blossom motif surrounded the words: MAY SHE ALWAYS LIVE ON. Everyday, admirers of the fallen hero left flowers, cards and dolls resembling her onto the shrine. So much, in fact, the city officials decided to cut that part of the street off from traffic and leave it as reminder to everyone that things will no longer be the same.

¬¬¬¬¬

"You'd think after six months, they'd learn to move on." Chiharu said as she and Takashi watched admirers place their gifts from across the street.

"Everybody needs to take their time." The boy said, putting his arm around her. "I know I did."

"So did I."

"I still can't believe this had to happen, though." Takashi looked down. "She was always so strong and brave."

"She never showed any fear." Chiharu added.

After a long silence, Takashi wrapped his arm around Chiharu even tighter and led her away from the view as they headed back into town.

"Come on." He said. "We have to go meet the others."

¬¬¬¬¬

Inside his building, Hiroshi Kanaye had just finished a meeting with the board of directors when he was approached by one of the senior staff.

"Mr. Kanaye…" The older looking man said.

"Yes, Mr. Tanaka?" Kanaye sighed.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That meeting just now."

"Same as always. We make progress, we let you know and it falls on your boys in marketing to get the damn things sold. It's as simple as that."

"You know what I mean. How could you say there's nothing to fear? Your company is at risk here."

"Really? Is someone planning to buy us out?" Kanaye joked as he started to walk down the hall.

Tanaka chased after the man and kept up with him. "Listen to me, I beg you! We need to relocate some of our testing facilities and put everything on a backup file!"

"And why would we do that? Our facilities are fine just where they are."

"This Shadow Reaper business is nothing to laugh at, Hiroshi! He's already brought down Sakai Inc. along with Masuyo and all those other helpless fools!."

"The Shadow Reaper is nothing but a media device used to scare us big business owners into being 'more eco-friendly' and 'environmentally sound.' It's a joke."

"But what if it isn't!? People have died!"

Hiroshi stepped into an elevator and gave his associate one last look. "Don't worry your pretty bald head, Tanaka. He's not going anywhere near our company. My company."

"But he might! We could be next!"

"Bye-bye!" The businessman said as the elevator doors closed.

¬¬¬¬¬

Inside a restaurant, Takashi and Chiharu met up with Rika and Naoko, who were already seated and waiting for them.

"It took you guys long enough." Naoko greeted the couple with a smile.

"Sorry." Chiharu said as she took a seat next to the window. "We took a shortcut through 3rd Street."

"Near the shrine?" Rika asked, almost surprised. "Why?"

"I figured it would be best seeing as we haven't stopped by in a few months." The young girl took a sip of tea. "I feel really bad."

"We all do." Takashi said as he handed his menu to the waiter.

"But we shouldn't feel that way, should we?" Naoko looked at her friends, who shrugged at the question.

"All I can say is…" Rika looked out the window, as if the events from those six months ago were reoccurring outside. "Either we do or don't, there was no way we could have prevented what happened."

"Do you actually believe that?" Takashi shot her a doubtful glare.

"I do."

"But even if there was something we could have done, what would it have been?" Chiharu scratched her head. "We don't have any powers, we're completely oblivious to the world of magic and I don't think we're mentally equipped to deal with what Sakura and the others faced."

"On a regular basis, no doubt." Rika shook her head. "I admire them. I really do. All that time, before they went public, saving us and we didn't even know it."

"You know, I don't think we ever had a chance to properly thank them." Naoko added. "Now I feel even worse."

"But could you imagine how Li feels?" Takashi said. "I heard from Tomoyo he was arranging for him and Sakura to get married one day and now…" He sighed heavily. "…That'll never happen."

Chiharu took Takashi's hand then pondered for a moment. "But imagine her family. Her father."

"You're right." Naoko's eyes grew wide. "To lose your wife and finally make peace with it so many years after and then having your only daughter taken away from you so suddenly…"

"It escapes me as to why we bother coming here at the end of every month to look back on the darkest day of our lives." The boy said as he sipped from his teacup. "Maybe Rika's right. There was no way we could have helped them."

"Takashi, what are you trying to say?" Chiharu looked into his eyes.

"I'm saying Sakura gave her life to save us and all we could do was watch. Watch and… wait for her to finally fall." He leaned against his seat. "We were useless to her. We were always in the way."

"She wouldn't see it that way." Naoko told him.

"No. Because she's dead."

"What about Tomoyo and the other Knights?" Asked Chiharu. "What if we could find some way to assist them to make up for Sakura? It wouldn't be much but--"

"It wouldn't be the same." A solemn Takashi interrupted her.

"To think everyone has already moved on when in reality…" Rika looked down on the table. "…We haven't. We really, really haven't."

"Some more than others, anyway."

¬¬¬¬¬

At the Kinomoto residence, Fujitaka added the finishing touches to the dinner he was preparing as Touya set the table. Once the cooking was complete, Mr. Kinomoto brought out the tray of food and set it on the table, when he suddenly noticed an error in his son's table setting.

"Touya…" The man said, almost trembling in his throat.

"What is it?" The young man raised an eyebrow.

"You did it again."

"Did what again? I don't…" Touya turned and looked at the table, finally realizing his mistake.

Instead of setting two dinner plates on the table, he had set three. On a certain location, near a certain chair where a certain other person used to sit across from him. Touya closed his eyes and turned his head, frustrated that he had done this yet again without even knowing.

"It's okay, son." Fujitaka placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Just leave it there."

"I'm sorry." He said in a low tone.

"Don't worry about it. Just sit down."

After dinner, there was a knock at the door. Touya volunteered to answer, expecting it to be Yuki but was completely taken aback by who he saw in his place.

"Hello, Touya." Li gave him a warm smile.

"Kid…" The older man exhaled slowly. "You're back."

"Yeah. I am."

"For good or are you just visiting?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well… come on in."

"Thanks."

"Who is it?" Fujitaka asked as he stepped out of the kitchen, surprised to find Li paying them a visit.

"Hello, Mr. Kinomoto." Li bowed his head and smiled.

¬¬¬¬¬

After hours of talking with each other, Fujitaka came to the conclusion that his late daughter was very much alive in all their hearts. The connection the men made with each other with all that talk could only have been made because of the one person they all had something in common with. As the night sky grew darker, Li decided it was time to leave but not without Touya and Fujitaka seeing him out properly.

"Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?" Fujitaka asked the young boy.

"Tomoyo was kind enough to let me stay at her place another night until I can get my old apartment back tomorrow." He replied. "Thank you anyway."

"Sure thing. Just…"

"Yes?"

"…Well…" The man was at a loss for words then chuckled for a bit. "Don't be a stranger, huh? You're always welcome back here anytime."

"Really?" Li gave Touya a funny look.

"He means it." Sakura's brother said with a grin.

"Thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Li." The man said as he went back inside his home.

As Li walked off, Touya called out to him one last time. "Hey, kid!"

"Yeah?" He turned and faced him.

"I know you were planning on marrying Sakura one day."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

"And?"

"And if you ask me, she couldn't have found a better person to spend the rest of her life with." He smiled. "You two deserved to be together."

"Thanks."

¬¬¬¬¬

Atop a hill, where all of Tomoeda's city lights could clearly be seen, the Shadow Reaper stood proudly as his tattered cape blew with the wind. The mysterious thief then flipped open a computer panel in one of his gloves and punched in a few keys until a small beeping noise was heard.

"Kanaye Industries…" The Reaper's deep voice said smoothly.

After getting all the necessary information, the Reaper turned and slowly descended down the hill with a new target in mind. By the looks of things, Hiroshi Kanaye's company was no longer safe.