Hearts Unsealed
By: pnaixrose
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or any of its characters. They all belong to CLAMP.
Summary: Because of that dark, fateful day nine years ago, he had been forced to give up the only thing that had ever made him happy, to resign himself to the guilt of not being able to protect her, to look into dull, distant emerald eyes and know that he had been forgotten forever and would never be remembered. As for her, she has been living with gaps in her memory – in her heart – that have just been waiting to be filled. And with trouble arising with the Cards, a string of circumstances might actually lead her to finally find what she's been missing.
(Note: Continuation of the anime if Void had been able to take what was precious to Sakura's heart)
Chapter 4: Unaiding
Meiling walked into a certain someone's dimmed room. She smelled the stench of alcohol, saw the empty bottles littered on the floor and night table, and looked at the pathetic pile of sheets on the bed. A body was entangled among them, seemingly unconscious. She walked towards the curtains and briskly opened them, allowing the fresh sunshine to seep in and illuminate the room.
"Just how long do you plan on missing work and drinking yourself into oblivion?" she asked the crumpled body in front of her with her hands on her hips.
Syaoran groaned, a pounding headache aiding Meiling's especially irritating voice today. He attempted to bury his head into his pillows, trying to block out everything, trying to bury himself back into the darkness.
Though he could handle his alcohol, he had never been quite the drinker. It's only been the past two nights that he had turned to alcohol this much, but only to try to help him sleep. Ever since seeing Sakura in the Li Corporation building, his nightly insomnia and night pains were worsening.
To tell you the truth…he could handle that strange gnawing pain that has been plaguing him for god knows how long.
The alcohol…was for dealing with the additional knowledge that Sakura was now engaged.
"It's been two days, Syaoran," Meiling said quietly, sitting next to him on his bed. "Drinking until the early morning and sleeping in until late afternoon is not doing anything for anybody."
She didn't receive a response.
"She…She's been asking for you…"
At this, Syaoran lifted the covers off of his face to look at Meiling incredulously. "W-What?"
Meiling took a deep breath and stared at the floor. "I didn't know whether or not to tell you this because I can't even imagine how you feel right now…" she said. "But Sakura's been – I mean, Kinomoto's been asking to see you. It turns out there's an immensely troubling issue with the Cards and she's been trying to talk to the Li Clan leader about it. I didn't tell her the leader was you though…I've just been saying that I'd mention it to you…"
A problem with the Cards. As he suspected, Sakura had been struggling with an issue with the Cards even before the Thunder Card had attacked.
"What are you…going to do?" he heard her cousin ask quietly. He knew her real thoughts behind those words. Are you going to be a part of her life again? Despite what had happened all those years ago? And…especially despite the fact that she was now to be wed to another man?
His stomach lurched due to a mixture of the remaining alcohol in his system and pure disgust at the thought of Sakura with that…man. He couldn't even remember the name of that damn man, but Syaoran could not get his foul face out of his mind.
How had it happened? Had they known each other long? Were they dating for a long time? How did he propose? Is he making Sakura happy? Have they…been intimate…?
"S-Syaoran…please stop making that look. You're starting to scare me," Meiling said with a sigh.
Syaoran heaved a sigh himself and attempted to cover his face with his comforter. He mumbled something incoherent that Meiling couldn't distinguish.
"What did you say?"
Syaoran sighed and pulled the comforter down a bit so that just a portion of his forehead. "I can't," he said simply and quietly.
Meiling stayed silent for a bit, observing her cousin with pity. No, pity was the last thing Syaoran needed right now. But she just did not know how to help him. And she did not know how to help out Sakura with her Cards either.
Sakura had been visiting the Li Corporation building the past two days, much to Meiling's dismay. She simply just did not know how to deal with Sakura. She was unsure if accidentally revealing too much in the past was "allowed." After all, just before Meiling had left Japan and attempted to stop being friends with the ones she was leaving behind, Sakura had been in such a wreck. Whenever Sakura had seen Meiling's face, a look of pure confusion and agony dawned on the poor Japanese girl, as if she was racking her brain for some very important lost information. As if she was trying to piece back a puzzle that already had missing puzzle pieces. Meiling was told that the pensive, distraught look would last on the normally cheerful girl's face for hours even after Meiling had left the room. Occasionally, when Meiling had spoken or had mentioned something about her family or the Cards, Sakura would suddenly burst into a stream of silent tears, surprised and abashed that she was crying. It had been heartbreaking to watch Sakura trying to fix a heart that could never be fixed. It had been even more heartbreaking knowing that she was part of the problem of causing Sakura pain. They had never been best of friends, but Sakura has had a definite impact of her life that Meiling knew that leaving Japan for good would be the best for Sakura…and Syaoran for that matter.
At that time, Syaoran…was just as crushed as Sakura…probably more so. It's hard trying to piece together a puzzle that cannot be pieced together…but to try to break something against your own desire that had been cemented into your heart was another story. Furthermore, Meiling knew that Syaoran placed a lot of the blame of Sakura's unstable condition on himself. He hadn't been able to sleep for months afterwards, and whenever his body allowed him to rest out of pure exhaustion, he would writhe and groan in his sleep. He had never spoken about it to her. It had lasted even up until now…except it seemed to be getting worse. Meiling guessed he was experiencing nightmares created out of pure guilt.
Hiiragazawa Eriol had informed them at that time that Void's spell would remain forever, that even if Sakura and Syaoran start from the beginning, Sakura's heart had been sealed from him for all eternity. Sakura had needed to make that permanent sacrifice in order to transform the Void into a Sakura Card. In addition, her sacrifice would maintain the balance needed for the contrast in power between the Cards...so that Void would not be able to overpower the other Cards or Sakura despite the immense amount of magic it contained.
Ultimately, no matter what he did or said, Syaoran would never be able to win back Sakura's heart or help her regain her memories of him. And because simply seeing him would exacerbate matters even further, possibly causing a panic attack or causing her to go into hysterics, Syaoran was advised never to even let her see him again.
And Syaoran had complied, probably accepting it as his punishment.
"Don't give me that look," Syaoran grunted drowsily, snapping her from her reverie. He knew that she was mulling about the past in her head. He could tell with those pitying ruby eyes. "You and I both know I can't help her." For more reasons than one…
Meiling nodded slowly. There wasn't much she could do except comply with his wishes and attempt to shoo the poor girl away. Sakura had pleaded passionately for a consult with the Li Leader. And Meiling knew from the look in those emerald eyes that the problem was severe and was probably progressing. If only there was another way to help Sakura…
"Make sure you hydrate yourself," Meiling stated simply as she stalked out of the room, knowing that Syaoran would be absent from the office yet again. She stopped at the door, looking at him sternly. "Don't drink as much tonight." And with that, she closed the door behind her, the sound ringing in Syaoran's ears.
He groaned loudly as he finally successfully buried himself into the covers without any interruptions. The pounding in his head worsened as he found himself mentally stringing a slur of curses towards that damn Japanese man.
He just couldn't get the image of that man disgustingly grinning as he slung an arm over a smiling Sakura's shoulder. And in the background, the sun was shining brightly, birds were chirping…and Sakura was in a beautiful white gown.
God…he needed another drink.
"B-But Meiling-chan, please!"
Meiling tried to stay as firm and stubborn as she always is. But something about this girl always manages to crack that resolve of hers.
Of course she would be standing here in front of Meiling's desk, about to make a scene in front of the entire corporation without even noticing it. Sakura was resolute about anything that had to do with her Cards. She would go to the ends of the earth for them.
Meiling inwardly sighed. She really wished she could help her.
"I told you…I've spoken to him and he simply cannot do anything about it. This is a job solely for the Card Mistress," Meiling replied slowly and quietly. "I'm sorry, Kinomoto."
Tears filled her eyes and Meiling felt a pang to her heart. Sakura frowned and spoke the next words quietly and pleadingly. "Don't do for the Card Mistress. Do it for me…not 'Kinomoto', the girl who you've lost touch with, but for your old childhood friend, Sakura."
Meiling looked at her sadly. "I'm…I'm so sorry…" she stated dumbly. "Maybe…you shouldn't come here anymore…Maybe you shouldn't have come in the first place."
The words cut through her and Sakura just stared at her Chinese friend's face blankly. With a sigh and without another word, she walked out of the room and out of the building quickly, trying to hold in tears.
Sitting on a random bench somewhere close by the Li Corporation building, Sakura sighed as she realized that she had been sitting there for the past couple of hours and now the sun was about to set for another night to come. Her stomach was grumbling and she looked as miserable as ever. But she just couldn't find it in her to get up to do anything. She didn't have anything else left to do after all.
She had been so close to getting help with the Cards. She's so close to the Li Leader that she could feel it.
What will she do now? She had no more options. She's failed them. Eventually they would all activate by themselves and turn against her. And then they would disappear and never come back.
Sakura sighed aloud, watching the people exit from the Li Corporation building. It was almost time for most of the workers to go home. She might as well wait for Keiji-kun.
Suddenly, she spotted a familiar long haired girl with ruby eyes exit the building and wait for the valet to pull her car up to the front door. As Meiling got into the car and began to drive away, Sakura didn't even think before she got up from her seat and ran behind some bushes out of the public's view. Good thing there weren't too many people around.
"Dash!"
A flash of bright light illuminated and a twenty-one-year-old girl ran with the speed of a cheetah, following the car at a safe distance and trying to remain hidden from public view.
At that moment, Keiji just walked out of the building, heading back to his hotel and excited to see his pretty fiancé.
Meiling's black convertible entered through the gates of an enclosed property and the gates promptly closed behind her. Sakura poked her head out from behind a building, Dash's magic still activated within her.
She almost couldn't believe what she just did.
She pretty much stalked her former childhood friend back home.
Trying to push the tiny amount of guilt away, she couldn't believe her luck now. She was standing practically in front of the Li mansion and was probably just a few yards away from the Li Leader himself.
She was sure that if she talked to him personally he would understand.
But standing out here looking at the enclosing wall just felt so…strange. It felt eerily like déjà vu. Is it possible that she was…here before?
The thought started to suddenly make her head start pound and she raised a hand to hold it. What was happening? Why did this place feel so…familiar?
Faces and places flashed through her mind – all blurred. They kept flashing faster and faster until suddenly she felt like her mind was in a haze.
Suddenly, Sakura gave a start and gasped out loud as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Dash had suddenly recoiled away from her body and materialized in its physical form in front of her, growling menacingly at her.
Confused with what was currently happening, Sakura looked at the small, lean animal in bafflement as it bared its teeth, her headache now forcibly forgotten. "D-Dash? What's wrong?"
As it growled and snarled at her while slowly backing away, Sakura noticed the strange aura that enveloped it and her eyes widened in realization. "Dash! Wait!"
True to its name, the creature jumped back so fast that Sakura couldn't even see it move with her eyes. All she saw was a purple blur heading down an alleyway. Without even thinking, she rushed down the dark path, her heart beating fast and her mind filled with worry.
Not again…please…come back to me, Dash…
Suddenly she stopped in her tracks in the middle of the narrow alleyway as she was blinded by bright lights. With the roar of an engine and the sound of wheels screeching against the cement, Sakura's eyes widened as the image of a truck headed towards her, getting closer and closer without any hesitation.
"F-Fly!"
Wings sprouted from her back as she propelled through the air to the direction from which she had just come. As fast as Fly was however, she could feel the roar of the truck behind her getting closer, the heat from the engine just about to reach her toes. She flew higher to escape it and was relieved when the truck propelled itself from the narrow alleyway into the open pavement and skidded to a stop. She landed on the ground a few feet away from it, hearing it rev its engine in apparent anger...or agony?
"Please, Dash! Stop!"
Her words only angered it more as it reversed, headed towards her direction. It was faster now and Sakura got away just in the nick of time. She began staying at a higher altitude to avoid it.
"Tell me who's doing this to you!"
The engine revved once more, moving back and forth haphazardly apparently frustrated that she was out of its reach.
With a leap of courage, knowing that Dash would never want to hurt her, Sakura lowered herself. She knew that Dash was observing her. She had seen Dash frightened before and although her memories about that time were slightly hazy, she knew that all she had to do was console it to get it to calm down.
She landed on her feet a few feet away from the front end of the truck. She forced Fly to disappear and slowly held her arms out on either side of her, a sign of welcoming, a sign of friendship.
Her heart in her throat, she began to think it was working. She forced herself to calm down. "I'm here for you, Dash. Like always."
It seemed as if the engine was dying down. Sakura realized that Dash was having some sort of internal struggle. So far, Dash was winning so Sakura remained hopeful. She knew she could count on it. Dash would never want to hurt her or anyone.
Suddenly, her eyes widened as the engine revved again, harder and louder than it did before. It headed towards her at such a tremendous speed that she didn't even have time to put down her arms.
"Fukka, shourai!"
Sakura was suddenly roughly pushed aside by a strong wind just in time to feel the intense wind of the passing truck graze her left cheek. She landed hard on the ground, skidding to a stop in the gravel.
A sharp, hot pain traveled throughout her right arm and she stifled a yelp. She had landed on her arm in an awkward way and it was now either out of its socket, strained, broken…she didn't know. She didn't have much time to really think about it as she knelt pitifully on the ground clutching at it with her left hand.
Once again, her amber-eyed savior had arrived just in time. He was kneeling beside her now, a hand on her back as he assessed her injured arm in worry. His angry eyes caught hers and she felt a flurry of emotions run through her.
"You can't be so reckless!" he spat, his voice high and strained. "Don't act like such an idiot!"
Tears were about to spill from her eyes at the Li C.E.O's words and from the pain but she didn't respond. She was too focused on Dash who was strangely becoming weaker. The truck was getting quieter now, the engine seemed as if it was trying to restore itself but was failing.
"D-Dash?"
Suddenly, the engine and the headlights died altogether, and both the strange aura and Dash's aura disappeared altogether. Sakura's eyes widened at the sudden emptiness. "No…" Tears were now openly spilling from her eyes as she continued to dumbly clutch onto her throbbing arm. "No…Not again…"
Syaoran's anger was suddenly subdued by those tears and by the defeated sound in her voice. He had almost had a heart attack as he watched her battle against Dash. Not too long ago, he had felt the auras suddenly and realized that Sakura was just outside the Li compound. But he had stopped himself from intervening…he didn't think he should.
But seeing her almost letting herself get hit by that truck…that had been too far.
He should've intervened from the beginning. Now she was hurt because of his magic.
Hearing her sniffles, he felt at a loss. And he realized that as lost as he felt, Sakura probably felt a thousand times more so. She probably felt like she is letting the Cards down…letting Clow down.
And quite suddenly, without thinking, he pulled her into an embrace, her now wet face buried into his the front of his chest. Even though they were strangers, he couldn't deny how familiar it felt.
"Okay… I'll help you." he said, sighing in relief that she was still here, not buried or smashed to bits by that Card. He pulled her in closer, patting her back comfortingly. "I promise. We'll figure out what is going on…"
He didn't care what he was risking. He wasn't going to stand by idly and watch Sakura succumb to whatever is facing her, watch her get hurt. And even though it'll tear his heart apart to know that she'll never remember him...and to further know in the back of his mind that she already was to wed another man... he couldn't just sit back anymore and watch.
Sakura held in a scream and Syaoran maneuvered her shoulder back in place. He looked at her apologetically and finally it popped back in. It still ached however and Sakura willed that her tears wouldn't fall.
"You shouldn't move it for a couple of weeks," he said. "I don't think you broke it but you dislocated and strained it. As well as sustained several abrasions that thankfully don't have to be sutured."
Sakura nodded quietly in gratitude. Meiling then swooped in and placed a makeshift sling on for her. "I can't believe all that noise out there was you, Kinomoto!" she said in worry. "I'm sorry…I didn't even realize…"
Sakura gave a small smile at her concern. "It's okay, Meiling-chan…"
The girl grunted. "It is not okay! Here you are about to get trampled by a truck and I'm over here reading a book and cursing at the teenagers that I thought were outside racing their cars…"
"Take this for the pain," Syaoran said, handing her a little white pill and a glass of water. Without questioning it, Sakura swallowed it and drank the cup, tired from her excursion.
She still couldn't believe that she was sitting in one of the many brightly decorated living rooms of the Li mansion. It was a strange feeling to be in this house...she knew that she had entered it before a long time ago. However, so much had been altered from that time period of her life that she couldn't clearly remember. But now that she was here...the familiarity to the beautiful home started to slowly seep into her skin.
Here she was...back in this place that she was familiar with, yet had no clear memories of, being doted upon by two prominent figures of the Li family – one of whom she just recently found out was the Li Clan Leader. She looked up at him, assessing him carefully in a new light. She had expected the leader to be an old, wizened man, not a young, healthy, utterly attractive –
She caught herself and turned bright pink. He caught her stare and apparently thought she was inwardly angry with him.
"I'm…sorry that I…refused to help you initially," he said quietly and guiltily. "I just…as the leader I have to be careful about what I get the Clan involved in," he lied, causing Meiling to sigh knowingly. "We can't so easily be involved in something dangerous that can affect our entire Clan."
Sakura nodded. That made sense. Now she felt bad for pushing Meiling. "I'm sorry that…I don't have much control over the situation," she said sadly. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
"Nonsense! You're doing nothing wrong!" Meiling encouraged with her signature cheeky smile. "Syaoran and I will figure this whole thing out! Don't even worry about it! You just get better for now."
It was silent for a bit when Syaoran suddenly cleared his throat. "Don't you have to tell…your fiancé what happened?" His voice was deep and he had almost growled that one word he hated so much.
Sakura's eyes widened. Oh no. What was she going to tell Keiji-kun? How could she even forget that he was probably looking for her and was worried?
Meiling looked at a silently fuming Syaoran sadly before turning to Sakura. "You don't have a phone here in China yet right? We'll use mine. We'll call him and maybe he can come pick you up."
"I-It's okay!" Sakura insisted, suddenly embarrassed and not really wanting to see Keiji at the moment. "I'll just go walk home myself in a bit after I rest."
"Nonsense," Meiling said again as she whipped out her cellphone. "You're not going anywhere alone in your condition. Now what's his number?"
Sakura sighed as she relayed the series of numbers as Syaoran silently slipped out of the room, not particularly wanting to be part of the conversation any longer.
"Oh Sakura-san…" Keiji breathed as soon as he saw her. He immediately ran up to her and hugged her, taking care to not put pressure on her injured arm. "I can't believe this happened…I'm so sorry. If I hadn't asked you to come with me to China, this wouldn't have happened."
Sakura squirmed uncomfortably until she finally was released from his embrace. "It's not your fault, Keiji-kun."
"I just…I just can't believe that you were rudely pushed over like that," he said, looking at her sadly. "I know Hong Kong is crowded but I didn't think the crowds would be so aggressive, even during rush hour."
"But remember, I'm clumsy too though, Keiji-kun!" Sakura said cheekily, trying to cover up her weak lie. "It was bound to happen."
"She was just lucky I happened to stumble across her," Meiling added. "She's fine though, just a couple of scrapes. Just landed wrongly on her arm."
Keiji nodded, guilt riddling through him. "Thank you so much, Li-san…" he said, "I still feel a bit uncomfortable knowing that you're all by yourself this often, Sakura-san. Especially with one of the bigger projects coming up, I don't want you to be alone. I don't want you to be cooped up in a hotel either."
An idea crossed Meiling's mind. "Maybe she can stay here for a bit?" Both Japanese natives looked at her in confusion. "There's plenty of room so you're not as cooped up. I won't be here as often either because I'll be at work too but it's a lot safer and quieter in this area compared to more urban area where the hotel is located. Plus, since her arm is healing we have maids and butlers that can help her out with daily activities."
"M-Meiling-chan!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise, not wanting to trouble her friend.
But Keiji seemed intrigued by the suggestion. "Is it really okay though?"
The Chinese woman turned to Sakura, her ruby eyes sincere. "I want to make up for being such a bad friend all these years…Sakura."
Sakura smiled at the tone of familiarity.
"And you'll be able to…get a lot more stuff done here, too," Meiling added with a knowing look, referring to the Cards. "So please, consider it."
Sakura nodded. She needed to get away from Keiji as much as possible now that she will be more actively trying to figure out what's going on with the Cards. Besides, she was being targeted by the Cards more often now and didn't want him to be involved in the crossfire.
"I'd be happy to."
A roar echoed through the quiet Li mansion halls that night from the confines of the Li leader's personal study. "Are you…Are you crazy, Meiling!" The voice was panicked and strained.
Standing dumbly in front of her enraged, upset cousin and leader, she bowed her head. "I'm…sorry, Xiao Lang," she replied quietly. It was one of the few times that Syaoran had ever heard her sound so defeated and apologetic. "I…I wasn't thinking about…the situation carefully enough."
And it was true, she hadn't been thinking enough. She practically invited the girl that he loved but wasn't allowed to love him back into his life and forced them to live under the same roof. She hadn't considered the risks that would come with inviting Sakura to stay…if it would affect her state of mind like it had all those years ago. And she certainly hadn't realized how hard it would be on Syaoran…especially considering that Sakura was engaged.
As she looked at him now, growling angrily at her with his fists almost making a dent into his desk, she could see just how difficult it would be. Yes, he had agreed to help Sakura, to not ignore her. But Meiling doubted that he what prepared for the faact that he would be forced to live with her.
"Y-You'll have to tell her that you changed your mind," Syaoran said with a deep voice. "I…I can't do it…It's too hard…"
"Are you sure you want me to do that?" she replied. "It would be much easier to converse about the Cards within the confines of our own home. Not to mention, it would be safer for her if you knew where she is if the Cards attack again. It might be safer for everyone…so far no civilians have gotten hurt or have seen the Cards in action. However, who knows what will happen next."
Syaoran was silent for a minute. He couldn't disagree with that. "I…I'm sure her fiancé doesn't like the idea of her living in the same house with another man," he spat in spite.
Meiling thought for a minute. "Actually…I don't think he knows you're even here…it didn't come up. And he was insisting on it after a while. Said he didn't want her to be alone all the time especially now that she's injured and now that he has that big project coming up."
The man in front of her bowed his head, covering his eyes. She looked at him carefully, realizing that he was shaking. It was too hard for him. She had suggested something that just simply could not be done. Not with Syaoran still…in love with her.
"You must think I'm pathetic," he said suddenly.
She raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"Because…I…I still…" He still loved her. As much as he did before. No, even more so now probably. Seeing her now and being near her…saving her from harm's way…he couldn't believe just how much he still cared for her. Not even time had stood in his way. Not even the fact that she had no memory of him.
Not even the fact that she now loved another.
"On the contrary, Xiao Lang," she said quietly. "I think you're being so strong."
She walked slowly back to the door, realizing what she must do. "I'll tell her that she can only stay a few days...maybe until her arm heals," she said. "I'm sorry. I acted out of turn and out of selfishness." She laughed a bit, mostly to herself. "To tell you the truth…I missed having that dummy around. I wanted to make things up to her…so I'm sorry." And with that, she closed the door behind her.
Syaoran was maneuvering through the dark halls of his mansion quietly in the middle of the night, covered in a sheen of sweat. His emotions and that strange aura were especially excruciating tonight and he simply knew that he would not be able to sleep without a little help from a little alcohol. Knowing that a certain emerald-eyed someone was sleeping under the same roof as him was also distracting him from sleep. He would probably need double the alcohol tonight.
His heart was still racing and he was still panting as he reached the living room where the minibar was located. Surprisingly, he found that the light was turned on and saw that someone was sitting on the couch, auburn haired head buried into a pillow that she was clutching onto with one arm on her lap. The other arm was in a sling. She was dressed in some borrowed pajamas that belonged to Meiling.
He froze as she looked up at her visitor. Tears glittered in her eyes and she quickly wiped at her face to rid herself of them. "L-Li-taichou…" she said. "I…I…Why are you awake so late?"
Something inside him urged him to wipe the tears away and pull her into his lap to comfort her. "I…couldn't sleep," he croaked.
She gave a small smile. "Me neither."
Forcing himself, he slowly took the seat across from her, deciding that he was not yet ready to be so physically close to her. "Is…Is something wrong…?"
Sakura was quiet for a minute. "I…I'm letting the Cards down…" she replied quietly. "I can't stop whatever's happening…and each night is just a night closer to them completely disappearing from me…I'm so worried…I hope Storm, Thunder, and Dash are all okay…"
"Well that's why I'm here to help you," Syaoran replied, his heart aching at her sadness. "We'll figure it out…together." He cleared his throat. "You won't be alone during this entire ordeal anymore. I'm…sorry that I couldn't help sooner." He eyed her arm sling guiltily.
Sakura nodded gratefully and smiled. "You had your reasons. I'm just glad you're here with me now. So thank you, Li-taichou."
His heart sank with the name she addressed him with. How he longed to hear his first name spoken from her lips, to feel the same kind of closeness and familiarity that had been between them all those years ago...
Without thinking he blurted, "Please…don't call me that…" He was taken aback at his own carelessness.
Sakura blinked for a second at his abruptness. Then she smiled at him gently. "I'm sorry! I'm sure you get that way too much at work. How about I'll just call you Li-kun?"
Li-kun.
A flashback of snapshots of the past replayed in his head. An auburn-haired young girl smiling up at him. Emerald eyes peering at him. Her catching one of his side-long glances during class, catching him off guard.
She had called him that a long time ago. Back when they had first met up until the time he was struggling with his feelings for her.
Now that they were strangers again…it felt only right for them to start at the beginning…
He nodded, a part of him dying inside. "That's fine."
Sakura gave him a brilliant smile. "Hai, Li-kun. I'm happy you're here."
And as strange as it was…she truly meant it. This stranger…she felt so much more at peace knowing that he was going to help her, knowing that he was by her side.
Sakura was used to feeling lost and confused about the various gaps in her memories, about the gaps in her ability to truly love Keiji-kun. However, with this man…she wasn't bothered by those things anymore. They didn't even seem to matter. And even as she thought about and worried over her Cards and the strange aura…knowing that he was going to be there gave her all the comfort she needed.
Li Syaoran.
First, it had made her cry. Then it made her feel the most comfortable that she's ever felt for a while.
It was a powerful name. And as she smiled and looked into this quiet man's amber eyes, she knew that she would never forget it.
...Ironic. After all, unbeknownst to her...the name had already been forgotten once before.