Watch the Rain Fall, by CheeseyCraziness

Summary: Sakura appears to die in an inferno and Syaoran vows never to love again. When she wakes up in someone else's body, Sakura discovers that she can never reveal herself to those she loves, or Syaoran will die. But fate has a way of stepping in... SxS

Last Chapter:

"Thank you… Even if I can't remember you… I'm really glad." Sakura smiled and tentatively hugged her mother, who accepted the hug easily.

Maybe she could learn to live like Xing Lin. She didn't think she could ever be as happy. She didn't think she could love anybody like Syaoran again.

But she could live, and be content with that.

Thank you, okaa-san. Thank you, onii-chan. Thank you, otou-san. I'll be alright.

.o0o. Chapter Three: Alone With Fate .o0o.

It was March thirty-first once more. Sakura pulled on a light lavender jacket, and tucked the Sakura Cards into one pocket, smiling. It was early afternoon, only an hour after school, and she had informed the housekeeper that she would be going out alone for a walk in the park – alone meaning she wanted her bodyguard out of sight. Not that the bodyguard did her much good, since Illusion would make the bodyguard think Sakura wasn't doing anything special, and since Sakura could easily defend herself, but at least it made those around her feel better.

Just before she opened the door to leave, the door opened first.

"Father? What are you doing here so early?" Sakura said, surprised. She spoke in clear Cantonese, which she had finally mastered after a year of struggling with the new language. Her English was better as well, but she was still working on it.

"I'm here preparing for a very important dinner tonight. You're going too."

"Important?"

Her father sighed. "Xing Lin… I don't really know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it right out. Tonight we have a dinner to meet with a friend of mine and her son. We're setting up an arranged marriage for you. I'm sorry for not giving you any warning…"

"An arranged…" Sakura's voice trailed off, as she stared at her father in confusion. It took a moment for the words to sink in. Sakura took a deep breath. "Is this really that big?"

"We've found a nice young man for you, with a very rich and important family. It's very big. Many girls want to marry him, but you could be chosen."

"I… I see." Sakura hung her head. "I'll meet him tonight and try to make a good impression, but if he turns out to be mean at all, please don't make me marry him. Otherwise, I will. Can we agree on that?"

Suddenly her father hugged her. She looked up at his warm smile. "I expected outright refusal, or at least some shouting, so I'm very thankful. That's fine. We want the best for you, Xing Lin."

She smiled back, touched, but couldn't think of anything equally sweet to say back. Instead, she asked, "May I go out to the park, and walk around a little? I just want to clear my thoughts up a bit. I won't change my mind. I just need to think. The housekeeper approved it already."

"Of course, but be careful."

"Thanks!" Sakura said cheerfully. She left quickly, leaving her father smiling behind.

Her walk took her out the door and down the sidewalk until she reached a nearby park. It was her favorite place to be when she needed to think, or needed to get away from the life of Xing Lin and pretend she was still Sakura for a while. It was full of beautiful trees, grass, paths, and even a small pond. It reminded her a bit of Tomoeda.

Walking through gave her a sense of peace as she worked out her thoughts. What did she think about this arranged marriage?

She trusted her parents. Over the past year she had learned that they were kind and dependable, when they were actually around. She liked them well enough. It still wasn't the same as being with her father and brother, but she was okay with it. And she knew that if they said this boy was nice, then he had to be nice. They knew the girl who Xing Lin had become well enough to tell.

Really, Sakura was okay with it. In her heart, she knew deep down that nobody could ever replace Syaoran for her. He was the one who she would always love. She could never be with him, so why bother even trying to find another? Maybe this arrangement was for the best. She wouldn't grow up to be alone. She would be taken care of by somebody nice to her. There wouldn't be any true love, but it was the best she could hope for at least.

With that figured out, Sakura smiled slightly. She had come to her favorite bench, a small wooden one overlooking the park's small pond. It was delicately carved, with small swirls on the ends of the armrests and the legs. Sitting comfortably, Sakura put her chin in her hand and watched the flowing water move calmly in the fading light.

Fifteen minutes later she rose, feeling very refreshed. Sakura wound her way out of the park thoughtlessly, not even watching where she was walking, when she bumped into somebody.

She stumbled and nearly fell back, and would have if her wrist hadn't been caught by somebody.

"Sorry!" she said in Japanese, then caught her mistake and said it again in Chinese.

"It's alright."

That voice!

Sakura looked up without meaning to, and stared. There he was, wearing a casual pair of light jeans and a simple forest green t-shirt. His amber eyes stared at her calmly, not shaken at all. His hair had grown a little longer, but was just as messy as she knew it to be. He seemed to be a little taller, and his muscles were more defined than she remembered. Frankly, in a year's time, he had grown even more handsome, and Sakura knew immediately from the fluttering in her stomach that she still and would always love Li Syaoran.

"T-Thank you!" Sakura said quickly, aware that she was staring. He nodded back in acknowledgment, and then continued on his way. He was frowning in thought, Sakura saw.

He looks… He looks okay. Part of Sakura was sad that he was doing so well – she almost wanted him to be unable to live without her. But a bigger part of her was glad that he was okay, and that he could deal with her death. She didn't want him to forever spend his life moping.

But seeing him… An almost unbearable sadness fell over Sakura. Tears came to her eyes as she stared after his handsome figure, walking calmly in the opposite direction. Syaoran… Oh, how she missed him! She wanted to run back, to tell him who she was, run into his arms once more and feel secure and safe… And the fact that she couldn't nearly destroyed her.

Eventually he turned, and Sakura forced herself to look away and continue on, hastily wiping the tears from her face. She made a tragically beautiful picture, the beautiful young woman wiping tears from her bright blue, sorrowful eyes, looking young yet with the wisdom and understanding of love that usually comes with age. But Sakura didn't know that. All she knew was that after this night, she would truly never have the chance to be with him again.

Rain began to fall suddenly. The forecast had been sunny, Sakura distantly remembered. She sighed, partly glad. At least her tears would be unnoticed now. She turned her face up, letting the rain pour over her. She could dry herself with a Card later and say she went beneath a tree or something to avoid the rain. But for now, she just let the droplets wash her away.

.o0o.

Sakura returned home only just in time to start preparing for the dinner, having spent an extra thirty minutes practicing magic in a spot only she knew of. Her emotions were under her control, her sorrow carefully tucked beneath her smile where nobody would find it. And her Cards were, so to speak, in a good mood, as they always were when Sakura "played" with them.

She knew now the truth of what had happened that night. After Firey gave out, the Change card had worked its magic, switching her strong soul to the body of a weak soul. Xing Lin's soul had not been strong enough to fight against the pneumonia; Xing Lin would have died anyway. She still felt guilty that she had caused her real death when Xing Lin was put into that fire, but what could Sakura do about it but live on?

Now her magic had returned, leaving her more powerful than ever before. No longer was it a beautiful rosy pink hue, but a bright, shining, beautiful silvery color. It had changed when her personality did. "Dying" had made her different somehow, and her aura as well.

Her new habit was to practice every few days. It gave her a chance to think about being Sakura and Xing Lin, which she still did very often, while also strengthening her magic and making sure she was prepared for any possible enemies or problems. Sakura could call upon the Cards without using words as Sakura, and now, she had learned how to call them without even needing to unseal her staff. Nobody would recognize the Sakura cards if she used them, unless Sakura actually showed them. They still had that beautiful pink color… All except for one.

The Hope card. It had become silver, like her magic. She didn't know why, and she didn't want to know why. She never used it, but still cherished it and treasured it like, if not more than, her other cards. But not even Hope, speaking through Mirror, could tell her the reason for the change.

With a long inward sigh, Sakura entered the house. A smile at her mother, who also came home early, was greeting enough. She went upstairs to her room, then to her closet.

It was time for the biggest dilemma of all: what on earth was she going to wear?

.o0o.

Watching the waning sunlight glimmer on the pond, Syaoran sighed, remembering again why this was his favorite park.

Once, he had hated this park. It was too big, too tranquil, and too far from home. But now, it reminded him so much of Tomoeda's park that it had become a refuge, where he let himself actually think about…

About Sakura.

But for the moment, a different girl occupied his thoughts. The girl he'd bumped into.

There was a word other 17-year-old boys used to describe girls on occasion. Sexy. He'd never once considered a girl sexy. Sakura had been beautiful and cute, absolutely radiant in her energetic optimism, but sexy? Never. But that girl – no, young woman; she looked too sad to be a girl – his first thought, upon seeing her, was that she was entirely, completely, and utterly sexy.

Sexy?

Syaoran was amused. He was attracted by this young woman he met on the street. That had never happened to him before. But there had been something about the sweetness in her crystalline blue eyes, the matching soft waves of her air, and her ideally curvaceous body that had called to him in a way he hadn't felt since Sakura's death. It was maybe even stronger than it had been with Sakura.

He shook the thoughts away. Now was not the time to crush on some random passerby. It was, in fact, the worst time.

Yet, he found, he couldn't get her off his mind.

There was no thinking to be done today. Not since that blue-eyed beauty had invaded his brain.

He left quickly, still trying to remove her from his thoughts.

.o0o.

The colors stood out the most to Sakura as she watched the cars speeding by. Some were silvery, some black, some blue. The occasional green passed her, and fleeting glimpses of grays appeared from time to time. Distantly, in the background, she heard her parents whispering to each other, but didn't bother to listen.

Mostly it was a way to keep her mind off of other things, like, well, Syaoran, and her impending engagement to some random boy whom she would only meet for the first time that day. Things like that.

But of course, she couldn't avoid such thoughts for too long. She began to wonder when she began to wonder.

Sakura, as Sakura, had been cheerful, never lonely, and never distant, always in the middle of the world, a joyous bundle of kindness and fun. But when Sakura became Xing Lin as well, she changed, simply because she had been Sakura before. Now, there would always be a secret she could never share, her identity, and it made her distance herself from her friends even if she didn't truly want to. And in distancing herself, holding that secret back, she felt lonely.

Lonely. It used to be, when she was alone, she was alone, and that was all there was to it. Now, alone, all her thoughts crept up on her, hurting her with memories of happy times when she had been with Syaoran, with Tomoyo, with all the things that made her want to smile. Now, she feared being alone. And it made her different from before, causing the new silver color of her aura.

She shook the thoughts away, and smiled. Shouldn't she be happy? She would try to be happy, as always.

"Xing Lin! We're here," her father said, interrupting her thoughts. She blinked a few times, coming back to reality slowly. She stepped out of the limo, following her mother, and brushed off her dress.

It was made of navy blue satin, hugging her curves nicely, emphasizing them with the shine of the light on the material. The waistline was high, so the dress flowed to just below her knees from her thin figure. It had a modest neckline, but with a lining of a slightly brighter blue to draw attention, and no sleeves. It was overall a very acceptable dress in terms of modesty, but it also showed off all she had perfectly.

Sakura looked at herself happily, pleased with her appearance. Tomoyo-chan would have loved this, she thought dejectedly. She sighed wistfully, and then looked at her surroundings.

A gasp escaped her lips.

"Yes, I did say he was richer than even we were, didn't I?" remarked her amused mother.

Paling for another reason entirely, Sakura nodded, speechless.

It can't be.

Dazed, she followed her parents inside. The mansion was familiar. The butler, whose name was Wei, was familiar. The halls were familiar. So very, very familiar. And not as Xing Lin, either, but as Sakura.

They reached the dining room at last. A familiar woman rose from her seat, smiling kindly.

It simply can't be. Because if it is…

"I am Li Yelan," she introduced herself. "We have met before, Xing Lin, but I am told you do not remember."

Still speechless, Sakura nodded again.

"And this is your soon-to-be-fiancé and my son, Li Xiao Lang."

There he was. Syaoran. As he looked unbelievably good in his formal clothes, Sakura's lightheaded feeling only grew at the sight of him. She felt sick, she felt horrible, and she felt like she was going to break down if she didn't get herself under control immediately.

If it is… I don't know what I'll do.

"You!" he exclaimed, recognizing her instantly. But not as herself, as Xing Lin… Always, she knew, he would see her as Xing Lin.

Sakura gulped, holding back the tears and the waves of sorrow with them. She looked down, unable to meet his eyes, and said as clearly as she could, "Yes. Me."

.o0o.

Was it just me, or did that chapter seem longer than it actually was?

Dedicated to xXxCherryBlossomxXx, whose AMAZING Hoshi no Kodomo story is (much like my ExT story) under-appreciated. And who helped me out with the dress description… I hate dress descriptions. Next time, I'm forcing some poor soul to write mine, though I promise it won't be you, Rai-chan! XD Should we meet, I promise you that box of tissues.

And of course, thanks to my beta-friend SilentCynara, who deserves credit for the dress description help too, and I also owe you a box of tissues and a gigantic hug of doom for the amazing picture of me which YES I am STILL ranting about. I LOVE IT! P.S. Working on chapter six of THAT story, I hope? Make sure to leave me a few fun parts!

Hopefully, after the fifth chapter I'll have a little of fluff… But really, I don't expect anything remotely fluffy for a little while. First several plot related things must occur. THEN we get to the squeal-kawaii parts! Yay! I'm excited for them already. Darn. I still have to write chapter four first. Ah, well.

Beware of more angst too, I'm immersed in philosophy at the moment, and it happens to be extremely depressing most of the time! Should be fun.

Don't kill me, and please review! – Lauren