Finally, here it is. It took me a very long time to find a title for this. Spoilers for all of Cardcaptor Sakura the manga and anime. Touya has his power back, as I detailed in Loose Ends: Transference, and Yukito is living with them as I detailed in Loose Ends: Father to Son. Sakura is roughly 18.

Oh, and Touya and Yukito are in a relationship. Since that happens to be canon, flames will be snickered at. and if anyone was wondering, this fic will eventually incorporate an older fic of mine, Conciliation, in much revised form. (So that's what the first 22 reviews are for.)


For Those Left Behind
By Flamebyrd

One: Changes

Sakura took several deep breaths to calm herself. She'd been working herself up to asking this for days, it wouldn't do to give up again.

But... Her brother...

She frowned, pausing over her food in despair. Her brother and Syaoran-kun still didn't get along, even now that she was almost grown up. She'd even graduated two weeks ago! Her brother had no right to be so mad...

"Stop stabbing at your rice like that," said her brother. She just knew he was readying some comment about monsters, and decided it was high time he got what he had coming to him.

"Otousan? Oniichan? Yukito-san? I have something to tell you."

The three males looked up from their meals to look at Sakura curiously. "Yes?" said her father, encouragingly.

"Well, since we've almost finished school now, Syaoran's been told he has to go back to Hong Kong after graduation --"

Touya scowled automatically at the mention of Sakura's boyfriend. She kicked him under the table.

"-- and I wanted to go with him."

Touya dropped his chopsticks. "WHAT?!"

"It'll only be for a year!" continued Sakura, hurriedly. "He just has some family business to sort out, since he's not at school any more! And... He wants me to meet his family," she trailed off uncertainly, feeling a blush rising in her cheeks.

Her brother opened his mouth as if to make some protest, so she gave her father her best hopeful look and trusted he would interrupt.

"I think it would be a wonderful experience," said her father, giving his son a significant glance.

Touya glowered at the plate in front of him.

"So, I can go?" said Sakura, ignoring her brother.

"Well, that depends on where you would be staying."

"Syaoran said he'd talk his family into letting me stay with them." She just knew she was blushing now but she had to clarify, lest her brother come to any false conclusions. "We'd be in separate rooms, of course," she added, hurriedly.

Touya went scarlet.

Her father just smiled. "You know you'll have to get a visa and everything, don't you?" he asked.

Sakura nodded. "I asked Syaoran about all that. He had to go through it to live here."

"Well, if you're sure you want to, I don't see why you shouldn't go. We'll miss you, of course. But Syaoran-kun is a nice boy and I trust him to look after you," he added, giving his son another look, this time more concerned. "And you're old enough to make your own decisions about what's the best thing to do," he added.

"I'd miss all of you, too," said Sakura, smiling brightly in the face of her brother's anger.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yukito take Touya's hand from where it was clenched on the tabletop and caress it gently. He bent over to murmur something into Touya's ear, and then bowed politely over the food before making for the stairs.

Touya followed silently.

~ * ~

As soon as they were in Touya's room with the door shut, he lost it. "I can't believe she's going to Hong Kong to live with that brat for an entire year!"

Yukito put a calming hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I mean, who does he think he is, that he can just take her away, out of the country even..." He was so angry, he could barely think.

"He left his country to be with her," Yukito reminded him, gently.

Touya snorted. "And now he expects her to return the favour?"

"If I had to leave the country for a year, wouldn't you come with me?" asked Yukito, looking slightly hurt.

Touya stared at him. Yukito wasn't the type to lay on guilt trips, so he must really feel strongly about this.

"Because Sakura-chan loves Syaoran-kun very much and I'm sure she'd be very miserable if they had to be separated for so long, especially since they already spent so much time apart," continued Yukito, softly. "I know I'd be miserable if I couldn't see the one I loved..."

"Oh, Yuki," said Touya, flopping down onto the bed. "You know I love you. It's just... just..."

"You," said Yukito, pausing for dramatic effect, "have a sister complex." Yukito sat down beside Touya and looked down at him indulgently. "You really should get over that some day."

Touya groaned. "I don't want her to go. I can't help that." She was his beloved little sister, he was supposed to protect her. He wouldn't be able to do that any more if she wasn't in the country.

"Neither does your father, or I. But, Touya... the people we love as children grow up and develop their own lives. You can't be her sole protector forever, you know," Yukito continued, gentler this time.

He sighed, then frowned again. "I still don't like that brat."

Yukito laughed slightly. "You don't have to like him. Just be civil to him. And don't call him that in front of Sakura-chan."

Touya nodded obediently. "I'm still going to miss her, though," he added, petulantly.

"We all will." He smiled, suddenly. "Let me tell you what I know about them."

Touya raised his eyebrows, but sat back to listen.

"Li-kun," he said, "is so afraid to even touch her that half the time when they're together they don't even hold hands. Kerberos tells Yue that he thinks Li-kun is afraid that if he gets too close to her they'll be broken apart again, by someone. And Sakura doesn't notice, because for her, she has her Syaoran-kun back and nothing will ever, ever break them apart again. But you really don't have anything to worry about, because I think Li-kun would die before doing anything that would hurt her in any way imaginable."

"Well, good," said Touya, reaching over and pulling Yukito into a warm hug. He needed this, sometimes, just to know that Yukito was there and he wasn't going to disappear with the sunlight one of these days.

Yukito giggled as Touya found a spot and tickled it mercilessly. "It won't be for months yet. You'll even have time to start getting along with him," he teased, squirming.

"I don't think," he said, with a light kiss to his friend's nose, "there is any hope of that happening."

~ * ~

"So," Kero said as Sakura entered her room after finishing her call to Syaoran to tell him the news, "how did they react?"

She absently handed him a small portion of the dessert she had saved, and he squealed with delight. "Father seems fine with the idea. I'm not sure about my brother." She frowned, remembering the way he had looked at the dinner table.

Kero shrugged, busily gobbling down pudding. "I'm sure he'll come around." He flew up to her face, plate now empty. "Are you sure you want to do it?"

"Yes! Of course! I want to be with Syaoran," she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Hong Kong's very different from here, though," said Kero.

"Syaoran came over here for me," said Sakura, stubbornly. "I want to see where he comes from."

"Fine, fine..." He held up his paws in resignation. "But you're taking me with you. I'm not staying here on my own." He stood up. "Besides, I'm your Guardian, the mighty Seal Beast Kerberos. I have to come along."

A thought occurred to her. "But oniichan and Yukito-san --"

"-- Are completely wrapped up in each other."

"And Yue-san?" she asked, triumphantly.

Kero paused. "Yue's not going to be happy," he said, darkly.

That wasn't the answer she was looking for. Sakura looked distressed. "But I can't take Yue-san with me as well!"

"No, I suppose not." Though he would never admit it, the only way she could get Kero along would be by pretending he was a stuffed toy. "But you should talk to him," he continued.

"I will," promised Sakura, picking up the phone and dialing Tomoyo's number. She just felt like having a long, girlish chat with her best friend.

Predictably, Tomoyo was delighted by the news. "It's just like a fairy-tale romance," she gushed.

"But I'll be leaving you and Naoko-chan and Chiharu-chan and Rika-chan..."

Tomoyo was silent for a moment. "We'll miss you, of course, but I promise to forgive you if..."

"If?" she asked, worried.

"If you promise to get married as soon as you get back to Japan!"

Sakura almost fell off her bed. "T-T-Tomoyo-chan..."

"I'll make your dress for you, of course! And the bridesmaid's ones to match." Sakura could practically see her friend's eyes sparkling in delight. "Goodness, I think I'll need a year! Sakura-chan deserves the perfect dress for her wedding!"

Sakura tactfully turned the conversation onto school-related matters, and then less-tactfully onto how Tomoyo needed to find someone to make her happy. The phone conversation ended not long after that.

"And now," said Kero-chan, dramatically, "you are going to get some rest. I know you were up all night stressing about this conversation last night."

"Hai," said Sakura, meekly. Sleep, at least, was not long in coming.

She woke sometime in the middle of the night with the feeling that something was wrong. Yawning, she made her way downstairs to get a drink of water from the kitchen.

Moonlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the winged figure sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yue-san!" she said, surprised.

He gave her a slightly wounded look. "You're leaving?" he asked, quietly.

Sakura forgot about her glass of water. Wordlessly, she nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I've found my special person. And I don't want to be apart from him."

"I don't want you to go," he said, softly.

"I'll be back. It's only a year, Yue-san. I'm not going away forever," she said, doing her best to comfort him. Inwardly, she was panicking. She'd never been good with dealing with Yue's moods, and this time he was upset with something she had done!

A small noise alerted her to the fact that something was coming down the stairs. She turned around to see Kerberos pad into the room, tail swishing. "Get over it, Yue," he said, irritably.

"What?!" said Yue, sticking his nose up in an afronted manner.

"Clow was twisted to begin with. He deserted us. He doesn't deserve to be moped over."

"Kero-chan!" exclaimed Sakura. Kerberos ignored her.

"Sakura isn't deserting you. She's just going away for a bit."

"But she's taking you with her," said Yue, sounding hurt. Sakura didn't even question how he knew that.

"That's because you're needed more here."

Yue looked down. "Am I?"

"Yes!" said Sakura, enthusiastically. "Oniichan needs you. And not just because of Yukito-san."

"Because I'm teaching him how to use his power," said Yue, logically.

"Yes! I mean, no! Not just that. Because you're friends, and he loves you."

"Touya is in love with Yukito."

"Oniichan loves you very much. He's just too afraid to say it," said Sakura, positively.

Yue just looked doubtful.

"And I love you too, Yue-san. You're a very good friend." The Moon Guardian glanced at her. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek impishly. "I told you we'd be great friends, didn't I?"

Yue was silent, but she could tell he was really pleased, in his heart.

TO BE CONTINUED

If you like it, tell me, and I'll post more, sooner.