AN: I'm so sorry for not updating any sooner. School just keeps me really busy. I don't even have enough sleep without going online. Giving up an hour of my sleep to come online and so… The last chapter! It's finishing! Ahh… a new opportunity to start a new fan fic after this. [That's if I have time]
Disclaimer: Throughout this whole story, characters belong to Clamp. And lots of other stuff too!
Experience In Love: The Epilogue
"Princess Kinomoto! Your highness requests for your presence now," a servant informed her.
"No! I'm not going to meet him!"
"Squirt, you better go, before father gets into a fit and risk having another attack," Touya said.
"But Touya… you know what he wants to talk to be about again…" Sakura whined.
"I know, squirt. But just go, for father's sake," he said and ruffled her hair.
"Ok…" Sakura reluctantly agreed. She trudged her way to the throne room.
"Yes father?" Sakura asked when the servants opened the door.
"Sakura, you're sixteen already. It's an appropriate age for a princess like you to get married.
"I'm still young!" Sakura insisted.
"Yes you are, but you'll get old soon," Fujitaka reasoned.
"No, no, no!" Sakura frowned, obviously displeased with her father's pleas. "I won't get married. Not to just anybody you ask me to."
"Sakura…" her father rubbed his forehead tiredly. "You know me… I'm getting old. I want to see you get married and if I'm luck, grandchildren! I want to make sure that you're happy."
"But Father… I won't be happy with just marrying anybody. I would plunge into deeper depression and you know it."
"Of course I do, cherry blossom. How could I forget? You almost died."
"Then just let me off the hook this time, please?" Sakura begged.
"Ok… just this time."
"Tomoyo, I don't want to!" Sakura said and pushed the dress aside.
"But you have to Sakura-chan, it's a ball." Tomoyo persuaded.
"A ball for all I care. I'm not attending!"
"But Sakura-chan, if you don't your parents won't be happy."
"Happy? What is their definition of happy? It is marrying me off to some stranger and forcing me to attend all kinds of crappy balls. Am I happy? Obviously not!"
"I know… Sakura-chan. With capturing the cards and all… I understand that you are troubled. But I'm here to help you!"
Sakura's expression was a look of total concentration. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she examined her surroundings.
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, waving a hand in front of her friend's face.
"A card. I sense a Clow card."
"Syaoran, quickly! I can't wait to see her again!" Meilin whined.
Syaoran just looked ahead stonily. He was going to see her. After so long… he was finally meeting her. Up till now, he still hadn't forgotten his feelings for her. He went through everyday life painfully, not being able to see her face, hear her voice. It was torture.
"Hmm… Do you think Sakura has grown taller? More beautiful? Same attitude?" Meilin wondered. "I don't think she'll change that much in appearance, it's already been two years! But… maybe, there is a possibility." Meilin rambled on and on.
"We're here, Master and Mistress Li."
"We are! Yay!" Meilin shouted and leaped out of the vehicle and raced towards the front doors of the Kinomoto's residence.
Syaoran didn't budge. His magic aura was sensing a strong magical source.
"The Cards?"
"Where's Kero when I need him?" Sakura yelped as the spirit came charging towards her.
"I think I saw him head to the kitchen!" Tomoyo yelled over all the chaos as she continued filming her best friend.
"Oww…" Sakura moaned as the card punched her in the stomach continuously. "Damn Kero! Sometimes I wonder whether he is supposed to help me."
Tomoyo giggled. "Come on Sakura-chan! You can do it!"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I could just let them kill me. It would save my father from getting continuous heart attacks of my attempts for sui- Well… you know what."
Nearby, a figure was eavesdropping on their conversation. He frowned hearing Sakura's statement.
Tomoyo smiled but her eyes wore a pained expression. "I hope you don't try anything for this few weeks."
Sakura didn't have time to respond when the card, the Fight, attacked her with a new set of kicks and punches.
Sakura yelled as she stormed towards the card angrily. "Just let me catch you and it will end!"
Without hesitation, Sakura summoned all the energy she had and slashed the card several times until the spirit was worn out.
"Fight! Return to your power confined! Fight!" Sakura shouted as swirls of pink and white enveloped into a thin card.
"Finally…" Sakura droned. "I'm exhausted… Two cards in a day? What could be worse than that?"
"Your suicide…" Tomoyo muttered. Sakura did not hear and continued grumbling about… everything.
"Let's go and get ready for the ball then!" Tomoyo exclaimed and dragged Sakura back to the huge mansion.
A black shadow loomed across the hallway. Its owner crept stealthily towards the corner. As he rounded the turn, a loud piercing scream was heard.
"Noooooooo! Get away from me! Get lost!"
The figure frowned. That voice was definitely recognisable.
"No, no, no! Get lost, you understand?"
"Yes Mistress," and then there was the shuffling or scurrying feet.
"Peace alas!"
"Sakura… you have got to try and understand…" Tomoyo pleaded.
"Understand?!" Sakura snorted. "What is there to understand?"
"Your father is doing this for your own good."
Sakura laughed mockingly.
"My own good? Yea… for my own foot, right? He doesn't give a damn of how I feel!"
Silence.
"Where's the dress? I'll get changed, attend the ball and get the hell outta of there as soon as possible."
"Thank you Sakura!"
"Syaoran… are you sure about it? This is your last chance," Meilin asked Syaoran as he straightened the bow of his tuxedo.
"Mmm…" Syaoran mumbled, trying to straighten his hair out evenly.
"But… why did you give up the proposal in the first place?" Meilin asked again.
"It was for my own good and hers."
"I believe so," Meilin rolled her eyes sarcastically, adjusting the length of her evening gown. "And she's doing very well now."
"She released the cards…" Syaoran commented.
"I bet its cause you didn't advice her or whatsoever."
"She's doing fine… she has the ability to capture cards without training whatsoever," Syaoran said, "And besides… she has someone else now…"
"No. not yet… Not until Kinomoto-san announces the engagement," Meilin said.
Syaoran shrugged. "Well… he will… in a few hours time."
"You look gorgeous, no doubt your suitors would enjoy this scene a lot," Tomoyo commented professionally, taking one last tour around Sakura's gown.
It was dark velvety colour which just flowed down Sakura's body, accenting necessary parts.
"Let's get a move on. I want this party to end."
"She's not going to take it easily Fujitaka."
"I know Nade. That is why I will need your help," Fujitaka said.
"I can't do anything and you know that. I've done every possible thing and I don't want to be the one to drive her to her death."
Fujitaka sighed. "Let's just let nature run its course."
"The King and the Queen!"
Fujitaka and Nadeshiko smiled as their positions were called out and they walked graciously down the golden steps. They were guided to the thrones and assisted in settling down.
"Let the ball begin!" Fujitaka announced and couples strewn across the grand ballroom started dancing to the soft classical music.
"I hate this…" Sakura muttered as she peeked from behind a curtain.
"Come on Sakura. Just go and meet your father and you can leave," Tomoyo urged.
"Ok, ok! Let's go," Sakura said and walked up to her father.
"Dad…"
"Oh Sakura! Great! You're here! I can announce it now."
"Announce it? Announce what, dad?" Sakura asked.
"Wait and see…"
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. I have some important manners to be let known. Most importantly, my daughter, Sakura Kinomoto is now engaged."
The crowd bursts into short applauses and Sakura stood gaping at her father.
Syaoran stood by the side of the room, barely noticed. He watched sadly at Sakura's stunned reaction to the news.
"It's for your own good, Sakura."
"Engaged?" Sakura echoed emptily. "There's no way I'm going to be engaged!"
"Sakura…" Fujitaka started. "Just give this a chance, please?"
Sakura remained silent as she stared out into the crowd. Fujitaka took it as consent to go on.
"And now… I shall announce the new party that is to join the Kinomoto kingdom soon…" Fujitaka continued. "They are…"
"Syaoran!" Sakura shouted.
"What?" Fujitaka stopped short of his sentence.
"Syaoran!"
Syaoran, upon hearing his name, reacted fast by turning away and walking into the shadow.
"Syaoran, wait! Come back here! Syaoran!" Sakura shouted while trying to make her way through the audiences.
The crowd broke out into their own small discussions.
"Clam down, everyone. Let the ball resume… issues will be dealt with after you all had your fun," Fujitaka announced.
Sakura ran out of the back and into the gardens.
"Syaoran!" She shouted again, her voice echoing. "I know it's you, come out… please?"
Her 'please' sounded so broken and alone. Syaoran could not bear to see her in such pain. In one swift movement, he dashed out of his hiding place to run further away. But… Sakura spotted him and brisked walked after Syaoran.
Syaoran continued the escape away, his pace fast.
"Syaoran!" Sakura shouted and broke into a run. "Stop! Why are you running away from me?" Tears were streaming down her face by now as the wind whipped across her face as she ran across the gardens.
"Syaoran…" Sakura cried as she flinged herself on Syaoran from the back. "Don't go…" she whispered sadly.
Syaoran knew there and then that he couldn't escape from his feelings. That what he felt was to remain with him forever. Turning around slowly, he held her hands in his.
"Oh Syaoran!" Sakura lapsed into another round of tears as she clinged onto Syaoran's' tuxedo. "Why did you walk away from me?"
"Sakura… I-I… I missed you," Syaoran completed, wrapping her arms around her.
He missed the scent of her hair, the serenity of her face and every other part of her.
"Syaoran… I missed you too," Sakura's tears just kept rolling down. "Don't leave me…"
"I won't…" Syaoran knew that he had a confession to make. He realised that he had to make it known or else it would kill him… and Sakura slowly.
"Sakura… I love you," Syaoran ended with a resounding kiss on Sakura's lips. Sakura responded back, her arms automatically moving around Syaoran's neck.
Sakura's world was spinning around her. She was not sure whether she had heard right. Did Syaoran just say that he loved her? Or were her ears playing tricks on her? But one thing she knew for sure, that Syaoran was kissing her.
She could feel it. His gentle caresses on her back and the soft lingering kiss on her lips.
When they broke apart, Sakura was breathing heavily and Syaoran's face was flushed.
"Did you just say you love me?" Sakura panted.
"Yes, and I will say it again. I love you."
"Syaoran…" Sakura said. Syaoran waited in anticipation.
"I love you too."
Dark-wolfling: So this is it. The end to my first fan fic. I'll leave it up to you all to guess what happened after that. Thank you all my readers and reviewers! You helped me to continue on with each chapter!
Some things to clear up…
Why does Sakura have to recapture the cards?
Well… in the previous chapter, Syaoran stopped her from reading the 'Windy' card. But she forgot to ask why and curiosity got the better of her and poof! The cards were released.
I've got a new plot and have already begun typing. I'm up to the third chapter already. I'll probably upload it when it's the holiday or something to ensure that I can update more often.
The summary for the new story [may be edited]:
Summary: Sakura studied to be a heart surgeon. She has just started her training in Tokyo's biggest and busiest hospital. Syaoran is her mentor with an insolent attitude towards girls. Can Sakura cope with the extra work and all the strenuous activities in the everyday-bustling hospital? How will she cope with him? Is she going to give up?
Extras: Sakura's father is one of the richest men in Tokyo. But of course, having an older brother, the company was handed down to her brother, Touya. Sakura still can live off with the money her father is going to leave her. But, she chooses to have a career. A heart surgeon career, that is!
Thank you once again!