To Catch A Falling Star
by Ekai Ungson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: I don't own CLAMP but they own Card Captor Sakura! Okay?! Okay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is dedicated to my own Syaoran-kun, Ryan. Ai shite ru.
Chapter 4: Return to Forever
Could time be frozen still for all eternity?
Make it stop. Make the earth remain stationary. Make the sun refuse to rise, or set, as the
case may be. Make everything stay still, for forever and forever.
Because he knew that each day that passed lessened the days that she would spend living on
earth.
*I can't lose you.*
Each morning that the sun rose and each night that the sun set, her lifetime was cut short by
still one day. It wasn't fair. They always said that you didn't know when you were going to
die. Why her, and why now?
*Don't leave me here.*
Twenty-four hours would come and then go, fleeting, and then slow, but moving, always
moving, forward, always forward.
He had so little time. Too little time.
*Stay with me.*
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Sakura opened her eyes to bright morning sunlight. Brighter, because it was so amplified
by the stark whiteness of the snow outside her window.
She smiled, but she seemed detached. To any random person, she would look like a tragic
heroine of a play, beautiful, haunting. To close friends and family, they would see she was
sad. But that wasn't the case at all. It was as if... she wasn't really there.
Another day had come.
One less day to her stay with the living.
She wasn't sad about it. She held no pain about the unfairness of it all. It was something
inevitable, after all, and the sooner she accepted it, the better.
She didn't want to cry about it anymore, because she knew she could spend that time crying
smiling instead, and being happy, and helping the others feel secure that she would not leave
this world in sorrow.
She wanted to be happy before she left.
She felt no pain, no sadness.
But there was always regret. For what might've been. For what she did not have, would not
have.
The door opened. It was her cheerful nurse, Yanagi.
"Ohayo gozaimas, Sakura-chan," Yanagi greeted. "You okay?"
She nodded. "I haven't seen you in a long time, Yanagi-chan. What have you been up to?"
Yanagi giggled. " I've been on vacation."
"Really? Did anything special happen?"
The nurse blushed. "My boyfriend... he just asked to marry me."
"That's great!" Sakura replied. "Invite me, okay?"
Yanagi smiled as she set Sakura's breakfast down "Of course, Sakura-chan. I'll talk to you
more later, okay?"
"Jaa ne," she called as her nurse closed the door. Then she returned her gaze to the snow outside.
*That could be you and me, Syaoran-kun. I could be the one you're planning your future with right
now. We'd finish school, get jobs. Get married. Live happily ever after...
But... I'm sorry.
It's just that-- I let you go, so that you wouldn't be deprived of a future yourself, as I am. It
wouldn't be fair for you to get hurt, too, just because I am.
Can't you understand that?
I was trying to save you.
I loved you that much.
I still do,*
"-- Syaoran-kun."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
He opened the door, cherry blossoms in hand. It had taken him a long time to find any, since
the flowers never bloomed any time else other than spring.
Her pink curtains were open to the brightness outside. Her sheets covered her up to her waist.
And there she was, sitting quiet, too absorbed in her own thoughts to hear him come in.
*What are you thinking?*
Auburn hair fell along the sides of her face, and her skin had gone pale. She appeared to be so
delicate, as if she'd break the second she was touched.
*Who are you thinking of?*
His question was answered when he heard her whisper his name.
"-- Syaoran-kun."
And there it was. Release. All his doubt, all his pain, gone in one softly spoken word.
He took a step closer, and she started.
She turned her green eyes on him and blinked disbelievingly.
This had to be some new complication of her sickness, she mused absently. Now she was hallucinating,
too. All thought and all mobility had left her.
"Sakura-chan," he whispered.
Mirage. Illusion. Ummm... evil clone? There had to be some logical explanation. It couldn't be him
standing there.
It couldn't be Li Syaoran standing there.
And then as she stared into his smiling eyes it sank in.
It WAS really him.
Messy brown hair, and astonishingly clear amber eyes.
But what in Kami-sama's name was he doing here?
Suddenly it didn't matter.
Tears blurred her vision even as she smiled.
He moved forward and held her, flowers forgotten, surroundings forgotten.
All that mattered was her, and him, together, right that moment.
"... Gomen nasai, Syaoran-kun..." she whispered apologetically. "I never meant to hurt you."
"There's nothing to be sorry about," he replied. "It's all right now. It really is."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Touya smiled.
Yes, he still disliked China Boy. But if he could make his sister happy, then who was he to argue?
That really was all that mattered.
Now maybe he wouldn't have to lose his only sister.
And she could move on, with life.
by Ekai Ungson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: I don't own CLAMP but they own Card Captor Sakura! Okay?! Okay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is dedicated to my own Syaoran-kun, Ryan. Ai shite ru.
Chapter 4: Return to Forever
Could time be frozen still for all eternity?
Make it stop. Make the earth remain stationary. Make the sun refuse to rise, or set, as the
case may be. Make everything stay still, for forever and forever.
Because he knew that each day that passed lessened the days that she would spend living on
earth.
*I can't lose you.*
Each morning that the sun rose and each night that the sun set, her lifetime was cut short by
still one day. It wasn't fair. They always said that you didn't know when you were going to
die. Why her, and why now?
*Don't leave me here.*
Twenty-four hours would come and then go, fleeting, and then slow, but moving, always
moving, forward, always forward.
He had so little time. Too little time.
*Stay with me.*
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Sakura opened her eyes to bright morning sunlight. Brighter, because it was so amplified
by the stark whiteness of the snow outside her window.
She smiled, but she seemed detached. To any random person, she would look like a tragic
heroine of a play, beautiful, haunting. To close friends and family, they would see she was
sad. But that wasn't the case at all. It was as if... she wasn't really there.
Another day had come.
One less day to her stay with the living.
She wasn't sad about it. She held no pain about the unfairness of it all. It was something
inevitable, after all, and the sooner she accepted it, the better.
She didn't want to cry about it anymore, because she knew she could spend that time crying
smiling instead, and being happy, and helping the others feel secure that she would not leave
this world in sorrow.
She wanted to be happy before she left.
She felt no pain, no sadness.
But there was always regret. For what might've been. For what she did not have, would not
have.
The door opened. It was her cheerful nurse, Yanagi.
"Ohayo gozaimas, Sakura-chan," Yanagi greeted. "You okay?"
She nodded. "I haven't seen you in a long time, Yanagi-chan. What have you been up to?"
Yanagi giggled. " I've been on vacation."
"Really? Did anything special happen?"
The nurse blushed. "My boyfriend... he just asked to marry me."
"That's great!" Sakura replied. "Invite me, okay?"
Yanagi smiled as she set Sakura's breakfast down "Of course, Sakura-chan. I'll talk to you
more later, okay?"
"Jaa ne," she called as her nurse closed the door. Then she returned her gaze to the snow outside.
*That could be you and me, Syaoran-kun. I could be the one you're planning your future with right
now. We'd finish school, get jobs. Get married. Live happily ever after...
But... I'm sorry.
It's just that-- I let you go, so that you wouldn't be deprived of a future yourself, as I am. It
wouldn't be fair for you to get hurt, too, just because I am.
Can't you understand that?
I was trying to save you.
I loved you that much.
I still do,*
"-- Syaoran-kun."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
He opened the door, cherry blossoms in hand. It had taken him a long time to find any, since
the flowers never bloomed any time else other than spring.
Her pink curtains were open to the brightness outside. Her sheets covered her up to her waist.
And there she was, sitting quiet, too absorbed in her own thoughts to hear him come in.
*What are you thinking?*
Auburn hair fell along the sides of her face, and her skin had gone pale. She appeared to be so
delicate, as if she'd break the second she was touched.
*Who are you thinking of?*
His question was answered when he heard her whisper his name.
"-- Syaoran-kun."
And there it was. Release. All his doubt, all his pain, gone in one softly spoken word.
He took a step closer, and she started.
She turned her green eyes on him and blinked disbelievingly.
This had to be some new complication of her sickness, she mused absently. Now she was hallucinating,
too. All thought and all mobility had left her.
"Sakura-chan," he whispered.
Mirage. Illusion. Ummm... evil clone? There had to be some logical explanation. It couldn't be him
standing there.
It couldn't be Li Syaoran standing there.
And then as she stared into his smiling eyes it sank in.
It WAS really him.
Messy brown hair, and astonishingly clear amber eyes.
But what in Kami-sama's name was he doing here?
Suddenly it didn't matter.
Tears blurred her vision even as she smiled.
He moved forward and held her, flowers forgotten, surroundings forgotten.
All that mattered was her, and him, together, right that moment.
"... Gomen nasai, Syaoran-kun..." she whispered apologetically. "I never meant to hurt you."
"There's nothing to be sorry about," he replied. "It's all right now. It really is."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Touya smiled.
Yes, he still disliked China Boy. But if he could make his sister happy, then who was he to argue?
That really was all that mattered.
Now maybe he wouldn't have to lose his only sister.
And she could move on, with life.
