1 Chapter 11

The moon shone bright among the stars, making the snow on the ground sparkle. Syaoran stood on his balcony, leaning against the railing, taking it all in. He glanced at his watch. It was after midnight. I should go to bed soon, he thought, and get a little sleep before I head over to Sakura's for my turn to keep watch. But he could not bring himself to go inside. Something was nagging at him. He felt a deep sense of foreboding.

He recounted the events of the past week or so in his mind, then recalled what he had recently told Sakura. He had said that the dragon was getting bolder. Soon, he feared, it would pull out all the stops and attack directly.

Syaoran was afraid of what the dragon would do to Sakura to get her magic. A million possibilities flowed through his mind, each more horrifying than the last. He gripped the railing as hard as he could, tears filling his eyes. I can never let that happen, he thought. I can't live without her! But what can I do?

He wondered how much longer he could hold the dragon at bay. Would the dragon starve? Or would its desperation make it too powerful to defeat? Syaoran remembered reading about a dragon's hunger when, for whatever reason, it was unable to acquire the magic it needed. He shuddered. A dragon's hunger was legendary. How could he ever protect Sakura from something like that?

I've got to do something, he thought. I'll go crazy if I just sit here and keep thinking about it! He decided to go over to Sakura's house now. The walk, at least, would do him good.

But even as he began to walk, he was unable to shake the thoughts that clung to his mind. One thought in particular haunted him over and over. How can I protect Sakura from something like this? He shoved his hands into his pockets, shoulders hunched over, and walked faster, trying to escape his thoughts, but he could not. How can I protect Sakura? I'm not strong enough... How can I... How...

When Syaoran arrived at Sakura's house, his feeling of foreboding had deepened. Something's going to happen, he thought, and it's going to happen soon. He sighed, then felt angry, angry at the dragon, angry at his own helplessness. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into Sakura's tree, ignoring the pain. He fell to his knees and bowed his head, trying desperately not to cry. "Something's going to happen and I'm helpless to stop it," he murmured. "I'm helpless... helpless..."

"No, you're not!"

Syaoran, surprised, leaped to his feet, then looked up. Sakura smiled at him from her window. He blushed. She heard me?

"Why don't you come in?" she asked, still smiling. "I couldn't sleep anyway. But don't go through the door. You might wake up my dad or my brother."

Syaoran climbed the tree, then quickly ducked into Sakura's room through the window. He thought briefly of the strangeness of being so used to Sakura's room, then dismissed the childish thought. He had bigger things to worry about.

Sakura sat on her bed. "Touya knows everything now," she said softly. Syaoran grabbed Sakura's desk chair and turned it backwards, straddling it. He leaned forward with his arms resting on top of the chair's back, listening to Sakura.

"Even before the other night, he knew something was up," she continued. "He thought it was weird that I asked him to keep an eye on me before he went to bed, but I think his worst fears were confirmed."

"I know," Syaoran replied. "But he really seems to understand. And, as much as he usually doesn't trust me, he seems to know that I'm doing everything I can to protect you right now."

Sakura nodded. "I think he wishes there was more he could do..."

They sat in silence for a moment. Syaoran was silently whether or not he should tell her. Finally, he decided he had to.

"Sakura..." he said softly. She looked up at him. "I think... I feel something. Something's going to happen, something big, and it's going to happen soon. I think..." He looked down. "I think it might even happen tonight."

Sakura nodded. As Syaoran looked to return her gaze, expecting to see fear in her eyes, he was surprised. She did not seem to be afraid at all. In fact, she seemed determined, almost fierce.

"I heard what you said earlier about feeling helpless. Well, let me tell you that you're not. Her eyes filled with tears, but she ignored them. "You're one of the strongest, bravest people I know. I trust you completely, and I know that, no matter what happens, everything will be okay because you're here with me." Her tears spilled over onto her face.

Syaoran felt overwhelmed. To have someone have that much faith in him... He had never felt so needed before. Suddenly, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell Sakura how he felt, how deeply he cared for her, how he would die before he let anything happen to her.

He wanted to cry, but he could not. He opened his mouth to speak, but he could not speak either. He was helpless to express himself, trapped in a vortex of emotion. Unable to do anything else, he finally stood up, walked over to Sakura, and gently brushed away her tears, the whole time looking deeply into her eyes. Then he hugged her. Still unable to speak, he held her close. I will protect you with my life, he thought, closing his eyes. Sakura, let me be half the man you think I am, and I will be strong enough to defeat ten thousand dragons. He continued to hold her, and, slowly, he felt her put his arms around him, hugging him back. He felt that this was the best moment of his entire life. Even if she only thought of him as a close friend, his protectiveness like that of a brother, it did not matter to him. All that mattered in this moment was that she trusted him, had faith in him, and he knew that he would do anything in his power to keep her safe.

Suddenly Syaoran was jerked from his happy, dreamlike state. He pulled away from Sakura, staring out the window.

Sakura stood up worriedly and walked next to Syaoran. She grabbed his arm. "What... what is it? What's wrong?"

"The dragon," Syaoran said softly. "It's here."



Author's Note: Ack! Don't hurt me! I couldn't help it!!! I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this chapter, so I decided to set up for what's coming. The next chapter should be pretty interesting. But be prepared, more cliffhangers are likely. Just don't kill me, okay? :-b And thanks again for all the great reviews! I love you guys! You're so sweet! ^_^ I hope you liked this chapter! Ja ne!