Sakura fiddled with the rings around her thumbs, worrying about pretty much everything. She was scared-scared of dying. The nightmare she had been having was not a nightmare at all, but a dream of the future. What she was truly afraid of was what would happen after she was put to death, the actions she had seen Syaoran carry out in her dream. She could never allow that to happen, and that was why she was so scared of dying. She pulled his coat from underneath her pillow, running her fingers along the delicate red and gold embroidery. She remembered when they had first met; back then it was raining too. She'd been beaten up by members of a gang and left for dead in the alley. But he had saved her. Back then, he had left his coat with her too.

"You have a visitor." Brady said, tapping on the bars to her cell.

Sakura quickly hid the coat under her pillow and stood up. Tiffany had come for a visit.

Once again, Syaoran was arguing with his parents about Sakura's death sentence. "She hasn't done anything worthy of being sentenced to death!" He argued with them.

"Don't argue with us." His father sighed.

"Well too bad, because I'm going to keep arguing with you until you change your minds!" Syaoran said.

"Why can't you just forget about her and be with Tiffany?" His mother asked.

"You can't force someone to forget another. Nor can someone choose to forget another. Do you remember telling me that when I was younger? Well?" Syaoran asked angrily.

"We're sorry…but it has to be done." His mother whispered.

"What crime could have been so great that she's been sentenced to death!?" Syaoran asked. He really didn't understand what she could have possibly done. They refused to answer that one question.

"Fine. Be that way. I hope you're ready to deal with the consequences of her death." He spat before walking out of the room.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Princess?" Sakura asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps to disappear off the face of the Earth would be nice, but we all know that's not going to happen." Tiffany sighed, examining her neatly manicured nails.

Sakura bit back an insult, clenching her teeth.

"You know, Syaoran hasn't been sleeping well lately." The princess said.

"I know." Sakura growled.

"I'm sure he'd be a lot less worried if you were to just disappear. Just think, his life would be so much better off without you." Ouch. That would have hurt.

Sakura laughed bitterly, "So you think you know Syaoran better than I do? I've been living with him for the past fourteen months, sweet heart." She said. Despite what Sakura had just said, she was wondering if he would be better off without her around to cause so many problems.

"Well that's all going to change soon-once you're executed of course." Tiffany smiled. Oh how Sakura would have loved to kick her face in.

"Here's the thing, Tiffany. If you seriously think he's going to go to you for comfort once I'm dead, then you are sadly mistaken. Know your place." Sakura hissed. She had seen what he was going to do once she was executed.

"Oh no, I don't have to. I know my place. Also, I thought you should know that the date has been moved forward to the fourteenth." Tiffany said with a smug looking smile on her face.

"Don't think that's going to scare me one bit." Sakura spat. But, it did scare her. The date was set for the end of April! Uh-oh. Blood was running down her back. Tiffany noticed the blood on the floor and smirked.

"I should have known that you'd been cutting yourself; after all, you're just a whore that can't get her way." The princess snickered.

"You should shut your mouth about things you have no knowledge of!" Sakura shouted angrily. Tiffany smirked and turned on her heels.

"See you at your execution." She said, laughing as she walked off.

"Go to hell." Sakura hissed angrily.

"First your ring, now your coat; what have you done with them?" Syaoran's father asked. "I told you; I lost my ring and I dropped my coat into the tailors for some amendments." Syaoran replied with a shrug.

"We know you didn't simply 'lose' your ring; we taught you better." The king replied stiffly.

"Well that's too bad, because I actually did lose it." Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"I suggest you find it then-and quickly." His father said.

Syaoran left and returned to the gardens. What his parents had just told him about the date being moved forward had only made him angrier. Why did they have to put an innocent girl to death? Surely there was some reasoning behind it that didn't have anything to do with how she acted at school or her dating him. He pulled out a pen and some paper, beginning his letter to Sakura.

The footsteps of Tiffany tore his attention from the letter he was writing; he noticed that she seemed to be in a rather good mood-and smelt of blood.

"So, been off insulting my girlfriend, have you?" Syaoran said, returning to writing his letter.

The princess was shocked. "What in the world makes you think that?" Tiffany asked.

"Don't even think about trying to lie to me; I can see right through you, I know what you are." He said rather calmly.

"What do you see in that girl?" Tiffany asked.

"More than you ever could." Syaoran spat, "She has the kindest heart that I have ever known, and she is so much more to me than just a girl I used to go to school with. She is my life!" He hissed.

Tiffany blinked in surprise, "But you know she's going to die in a week's time." The princess said.

"If you think you'll ever have a chance with me if she were gone, then you are so very sadly mistaken. Stay away from me, and especially Sakura!" Syaoran growled, walking away.


Sakura was screaming in agony, her back arching as blood pooled onto the floor. She was lucky to be alive with the amount of blood she had lost in the past two weeks. She screamed until she passed out from the pain, scaring the other inmates and the two guards. Now, the only thing that was keeping her from completely falling apart was what she had of Syaoran and his letters. When she woke, there was a letter beside her bed.

I want to hear you sing again.

She smiled. If Chii doesn't come in the next four days with the proof that is needed to save me from death, then my last request will be to sing. She thought to herself before returning to slumber. "Syaoran…" she whispered his name just before falling asleep. Her sleep was peaceful that night; that night she dreamt of Syaoran.

Syaoran was sitting on his bed texting Fai when Tiffany entered. It was also at that point that his phone had begun to ring, scaring the shit out of him. He threw the device at the wall, got up and walked over to it and slammed his foot down on it twice before storming out of his room.

"I can't take this shit anymore!" He muttered as he walked out, throwing his arms up in the air. Tiffany didn't understand what had just happened.

"What in the…" she walked over to where his phone was lying and was incredibly surprised to find that it was completely undamaged.

"But how…?" she couldn't believe it.

Laughter came from Syaoran's wardrobe, and opening it she found Fai laughing himself to tears.

"Oh my god-that was amazing!" He laughed.

Seconds later Syaoran returned and noticed Tiffany was holding his phone. He snatched it away from her hand and casually walked out of his room as if nothing had happened; glaring at Fai and mouthing the words "fuck you" as he walked out.


Sakura was to be put to death that day. She was given one last request, and seeing Syaoran was out of the question. "Is there anything you would like to do before your death?" a man dressed in black asked.

"Just one last time, I would like to sing again in front of a large crowd with my band." She replied.

"Alright." He answered. Syaoran wanted to hear her sing again, and so he would. Looking to Cameron and Brady, she held out Syaoran's coat.

"Could you please give this to Syaoran for me? Soon, preferably." Sakura asked.

"Of course." They answered, taking the coat from Sakura's hands. Even though she was giving the coat to them to deliver, she still had his ring on her necklace and was wearing what he had gotten her for her birthday. That she had kept on purpose…

Syaoran woke that morning with a deep feeling of dread and fear. He didn't want to have to go and see his girlfriend be killed right before his eyes, but he knew that he should at least try to prevent it. There was a knock at his door followed by one of the maid's voices. "Sir, you have a delivery." They said.

"Come in." He replied.

One of the guards that had been tending to Sakura stepped through-it was Cameron.

"Your girlfriend asked me to give this to you." He said.

"My coat…" he murmured, taking it from the guard.

"Is there any way you can help her, sir?" Cameron asked.

"I have to at least try. If what Chii told me is true, then I have to stop her from being killed." Syaoran replied. If what Chii had said about Sakura being a duchess was true, then she couldn't die.

Sakura was walked out into an arena-like place with her hands in handcuffs; it felt great to feel the cool air and sun against her skin once again. She looked around at the crowd, noticing her adoptive parents with solemn faces among the royals including Syaoran, who was wearing his coat, and strangely enough Lelouch was on his own-Chii was nowhere in sight. Tiffany was standing beside Syaoran, though he stood with a very noticeable gap between them. They were standing at the highest point-the place with the best view. His parents were sitting in expensive looking chairs, reserved only for royalty. Among the middle class she spotted Fai, Kanna, Lisa and a few other friends from work, all with grim looks as well. Looking around she could see familiar faces of regular customers and people from the orphanage. On the stage were the people from the band she worked with. She stepped up the steps onto the wooden platform and despite what was about to happen, she still smiled.

"Did you get the sheet music I sent you guys?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jason, the drummer, replied unhappily.

"That's good. That means you all got the list of songs I wish to perform then?" She checked. Again, they all nodded. "Let's go." She said softly.

She stood in front of the microphone, but before she said anything at all she looked to where Syaoran was standing. The look in his eyes was sad but determined, as if he had planned something.

-Syaoran's POV-

As I looked down at the platform Sakura had just walked onto, I noticed she was looking at me. She was smiling despite the fact that she was about to be stabbed through the heart with a sword. She already looked so weak and frail from the amount of blood she'd lost, and I feared that she could collapse at any point in time. As soon as she spoke, I froze. Her voice sounded strong, but at the same time she sounded so weak…

"As my last wish, I have chosen to sing a few songs as it's probably the second best thing that I love most in my life. There is someone who wanted to hear me sing again, and as I knew that I wouldn't get to see him before my death…I chose to sing for him. This will probably be my final performance, so I want everyone to enjoy it!"

I was fighting back the tears that I could feel rising. I hated seeing her in such a horrible state.

"…To be honest, all I want is for him to be happy. That's all I want."

Her voice was shaking and she was crying. Her friends in the band stood frozen for a moment, and when she turned to them they began the start of her first song-a song I'd heard quite often when Sakura played music around the house.

"Hold on to me love
You know I can't stay long
All I wanted to say was, "I love you and I'm not afraid", Ahh
Can you hear me?
Can you feel me in your arms?"

I could still feel the touch of her skin from when I had last seen her on our birthday. I think that songs she had chosen were to send a message to me, but I couldn't be sure.

"Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight."

She was clever. She had chosen her songs carefully, I noticed.

"I'll miss the winter
A world of fragile things
Look for me in the white forest
Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)
I know you hear me
I can taste it in your tears"

Looking around me, I noticed that many of the people who knew Sakura well, and even those who didn't really know her, were weeping. "I can hear you, Sakura…" I whispered.

"Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight.

Closing your eyes to disappear
You pray your dreams will leave you here;
But still you wake to know the truth
No one is there…"

"Sakura…" I whispered her name to myself again; it was difficult to wait for the right time, and it frustrated me. But if the dream that Sakura had was of the future, then I had to stop her from dying, no matter what!

"Say goodnight…
Don't be afraid,
Calling me, calling me as you fade to black

(Say good night) Holding my last breath!
(Don't be afraid) Safe inside my self
(Calling me, calling me) Are all my thoughts of you?
Sweet raptured life, it ends here tonight

Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured life, it ends here tonight

(Holding my last breath)
Safe inside myself
(Are all my thoughts of you)
Sweet raptured life, it ends here tonight."

No. It won't end. I promise.

-Sakura's POV-

As I finished the song, I looked to where Syaoran was standing once again. I noticed that Tiffany was staring at me with a dirty look on her face, as if she knew the songs I had chosen were part of a message I was sending to Syaoran. I smiled, laughing to myself. I was not going to give her what she wanted. The next song was also by Evanescence. They were a good band, in my opinion.

"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb
Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back…home."

Syaoran had always been able to see right through to my soul, and the only thing that could save me right now was him. Save me.

"(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become"

Please Syaoran, I need you…

"Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breath into me and make me real
Bring me to life

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become."

Please, before I lose myself completely, my love.

"Bring me to life
(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love, darling
Only you are the life among the dead"

For me, all of these words were so true. There were at least a hundred songs I could have chosen, but I was careful with the ones I chose-they were special.

"All this time I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
Don't let me die here
There must be something more
Bring me to life!

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become

Bring me to life…
(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)
Bring me to life!"

He had gotten the message. I smiled, feeling a tear fall down my cheek.

-Normal POV-

Many of the citizens were overcome by her voice, and many were sad that this was her one last performance. Tiffany and the king and queen noticed Syaoran's tense posture; he was gripping the rail so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

"What's wrong?" Tiffany asked.

"What the hell do you think? My girlfriend is about to be killed right before my eyes." He hissed. After that, Tiffany didn't say a word.

Sakura sang a few more songs, and then her final song. She had decided to mix things up a little, and had picked a song from a bit more of a beat to it.

"This is my final song…so try and enjoy it." She smiled, and even though she knew it was probably disrespectful to the king and queen, she looked straight at them. "Nothing good will come out of this. I have seen the future, your majesty, and you're only hurting your friends and family." Sakura said. Syaoran looked to his parents for a reaction; they did nothing. Neither he or Sakura had expected them to do anything anyway. And so, Sakura began her song.

We were called tonight by grey gulls once again.

From most far, coldest north they came.

We will join this ride, there and back again.

Into the dark through wind and rain.

It has been way more than many years ago:
Last time we fought side by side.
It will be a triumphal reunion
when the two of us unite.

Our fear yields excitement.
We are one million mates, so I will
surely stand my ground tonight.

To the mountains and beyond.
Through oceans and skies
and to the other side.

Off to the mountains and beyond.
Through the woods and blackened nights.
Off to the mountains we will ride.

Gathering.
Tonight we will forgive our sins.
We rove, we wander, and we roam.

Don't hurt our pride.
No, you should better step aside.
As we are surely marching on.

Our fear yields excitement.
We are one million mates, so I will
surely stand my ground tonight.

To the mountains and beyond.
Through oceans and skies
and to the other side.

Off to the mountains and beyond.
Through woods and blackened nights.

Off to the mountains we will ride.

To the mountains side.
To the other side.
Off to the mountains side.
Then to the other side.

Our fear yields excitement.
We are one million mates, so I
will surely stand my ground tonight.

To the mountains and beyond.
Through oceans and skies

And to the other side.

Off to the mountains and beyond.
Through woods and blackened nights,

Off to the mountains we will ride.

Upon the ending of the song, looking around, Syaoran could see everyone bowing as a sign of deep respect for her. Of course, this didn't make the king and queen happy at all, and as Tiffany wasn't native to the country she didn't understand.

"What's going on?" she asked, seemingly outraged by the gesture.

"It's a sign of deep respect for someone, usually of a higher class." Syaoran replied softly.

"But she's just a commoner!" Tiffany hissed.

Syaoran sighed, "I wouldn't expect you to understand because you don't try to understand the subjects themselves. You have a lot to learn." Syaoran laughed bitterly.

He watched as Sakura's hands were tied above her head, the swordsman who was to run her through cleaning his blade. Syaoran could feel the small box in his pocket, and he knew that he had to intervene soon. Sakura closed her eyes, tears running down her face. Her heart was pounding, and soon it would stop forever. The swordsman was positioning the blade so that when he struck her, he didn't miss. He pulled back the sword, getting ready to strike.

Syaoran leapt from his position on the high tower. Sakura sensed that something was wrong-she hadn't been pierced by the blade, but she could still feel a warm substance down the side of her face and front. Opening her eyes, she screamed.

"SYAORAN!" she shrieked.

The entire crowd fell silent. The king and queen were standing, and Tiffany was dumbstruck.

"Wait-don't kill her!" Chii came riding in with a case in her hand and she seemed to be wearing heavy winter gear as she slid in on ice that she had made with her powers to get to them faster. "You can't kill Sakura, she's a duchess!" Chii shouted.

Syaoran looked at Chii out the corner of his eyes, completely surprised but at the same time it really wasn't all that surprising to him. The swordsman was beginning to stress.

"Just pull it out, I'll be fine." He said softly so that only Sakura and the swordsman could hear him.

He did as Syaoran told him, pulling the sword out of Syaoran's shoulder. He hissed in pain, gripping his injured shoulder with his left hand. Once again, he looked to the shocked faces of his parents.

"I swear I will not marry Tiffany ever! The only one I wish to live my life with is Sakura, and no one can change that-not even you!" He yelled.

"Syaoran-your shoulder!" Sakura cried.

"Sakura, my shoulder will be fine. To be honest, I've been so confused. I kept wondering if you would have been better off without me, if we hadn't met then we wouldn't be in this mess. I wondered if it was all my fault for your suffering." He said.

"No, it's not your fault…" Sakura whispered as tears continued to flow down her face continuously.

"I knew you would say that, and that's why I told myself that no matter what I would always stay true to you." He said.

The king stepped forward. "A duchess, you say? Where is the proof?" He demanded.

Chii threw the case up at him. "Read through it all, I'm sure you'll both find it very interesting." Chii smiled triumphantly.

"…Syaoran." His father called his name.

"What?" Syaoran asked.

"Why did you intervene?" The king asked.

Syaoran felt more anger towards his parents. "If you kill this girl, then you are ultimately killing me!" He spoke clearly to his parents.

"Syaoran…" Sakura whispered. She felt her bonds snap; she looked around, wondering who had severed the ropes around her wrists.

"You have Tiffany." His mother said.

"Wrong. I have Sakura, and she's all I'll ever need!" Syaoran growled. Sakura noticed that his hand was inside his pocket.

What's he fiddling with? She wondered.

"And that's why I have something to ask you, Sakura." Syaoran turned to her, looking straight into her eyes.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"I would like to ask you to marry me." He said.

Sakura was speechless; a series of emotions rose inside her. Happiness, hope, love. She moved from her spot, jumping into his arms. She'd give anything to always be by his side.

"Yes." Sakura whispered, hugging him tightly. The crowd erupted into loud cheers and clapping-everyone except for the royals.

"You're free to go-for now." The queen said, looking through some of the documents in the brief case. Sakura smiled at Syaoran; he had saved her, just like she knew he would. Dizziness overcame her, and she passed out.