Sakura's fit suddenly ceased, and all at once she fell into calm. She lay limply in Syaoran's arms.

Her friends looked over her nervously, Tomoyo was nearly in tears.

At length, her eyes opened and she whispered "He's gone…Onii-chan…he's gone!" Tears spilled over as realization came to her finally of what it was she had been feeling.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo asked tentatively "What are you talking about?"

But her best friend only shook her head sadly and repeated "He's gone…he's gone…I'll never see him again…he's gone…"

Syaoran held her close, signaling to others to stop questioning her.

"Perhaps you're mistaken Sakura" Kero vainly tried to suggest "What do you mean he's gone?"

"He's left…he's not coming back…" Sakura said, as if in a dream.

"Touya?" Meiling asked cautiously.

"Touya…"Sakura repeated his name "Onii-chan…he's gone…"

Meiling Tomoyo and Kero surrounded her in silence, not knowing what was really going on as none of them were told of the truth. They half knew what it was she was saying but none of them could really believe it nor know of how it came to be.

"It's true" Syaoran spoke up "He's gone…he knew a long time ago that this was going to happen,  and he felt that you shouldn't have to suffer for it…that's why he chose to leave…"
            Sakura looked up in shock "You knew?!" She exclaimed "You knew and you never told me? WHY?!!"

"How would you have taken it?" Syaoran asked gently. "What would you have done?"

"I don't know…I would have tried to help them…there must've been a way!"

"You really believe that if there had been a better way they wouldn't have taken that path instead?"

"What?!" Sakura could not comprehend.

"They-Touya and Yue-they spoke to Eriol…" Syaoran began.

"I know! I was there!" Sakura interrupted "He said I could help them…"

"When you were strong enough Sakura!" Syaoran said "What he didn't add was that it would take you too long to be strong enough, far too long to save him…"

"NO!" Sakura cried "I would've found a way! I know I could've!!!"

"Why do you think they kept it from you?" Syaoran asked sadly "They knew you would've felt this way, and they knew you would do something…drastic…and end up hurting yourself! Just as Kero and Yue kept from you the fact that Yue was fading, Eriol, Touya and Yue decided to keep this from you…"

"Keep from me the fact my own brother is dying??!!" Sakura practically screamed "How could they do such a thing?!?"

"Touya's main concern was to protect you…and if you had defied him…"

"Still…" Her voice had become strained as she started to understand that all was in vain. It was true, she would've gone to extreme measures to seek a solution, but somehow she also knew she'd be helpless in all of it, there was really nothing she could do "How could he leave me…how…?" She pulled Syaoran close to her and put her head onto his chest, silently sobbing.

                              *                                  *                                  *

He was giving away…

Yue could feel it, even though he kept his eyes closed and concentrated on the kiss, he could feel it clearly. Touya was falling away.

Slowly he pulled away from the boy in his arms.

Touya's face was a ghastly white, but the smile on his face was still there, so calm and blissful. His eyes were closed and his chest was still. There was no pulse, no breath, no sign of life.

He was gone.

Yue sat unmoved, Touya still in his arms. All of a sudden he felt so completely alone. He could not believe that Touya had really left, it just has not sunk in.

He gazed at the too-peaceful face, trying to convince himself Touya was really only sleeping, just like every other time he closed his eyes. But the unnatural stillness of his body contradicted him, and it finally hit him that Touya wasn't going to wake up.

Not ever again.

Yue closed his eyes, and drew Touya close to his chest.

"I love you…" He said silently "I love you…I love you…I love you…I love you…I love you…"

                              *                                  *                                  *

Sakura slowly pulled away from Syaoran, drying her tears. Standing up, she looked out the window.

"I love you…" She sent the thought into the evening breeze "I love you…"

She turned to her friends.

"I have to be strong" She said with astonishing control in her voice "I have to be strong for my father, and for  Yue and Yukito when he comes back…Onii-chan…he wouldn't want to see me weak…I have to be strong or I don't deserve to be his sister"

Syaoran held one of her hands with both his own "I'll be here for you, you will always have me when you need me"

"And me too" Tomoyo stepped forward, her own eyes shining with tears "You can always turn to me for support Sakura"

"Don't' forget us!" Meiling put her hands on Sakura's shoulders, and Kero floated in next to her. "You'll never lose any of us Sakura!"

"Thank you" Sakura whispered gratefully. She closed her eyes, and then, for the briefest moment, she heard his voice…

"I haven't left you Sakura" Touya had said "I'm here, just like our mother is, we'll always watch over you"

"I hope you will…Always…"

*                            *                                  *

Many weeks later…

Yue slowly knelt down in front of the newly placed headstone. Ignoring the light rain falling around him.

Here Lies Kinomoto Touya

Twenty-six years of age at time of decease.

Son of Kinomoto Fujitaka and Kinomoto Nadeshiko

Older brother of Kinomoto Sakura

May he live on forever within the heart of his loved ones

Rest In Peace.

Absentmindedly Yue brushed the raindrops out of his eyes…or were they tears? He couldn't tell. All he knew and believed was that Touya wasn't dead. Not really. Although he couldn't be seen, he could still be felt, and sometimes, to Sakura and Yue, he could be heard.

Yue gazed at the small bunch of flowers he had earlier placed one the grave. They were peach blossoms, of course, it was only appropriate that they should be.

There was so much he had wanted to say to Touya, ever so much. But now he had no idea where he should start. It's been so long since he had even said the name out loud, and he knew it would be hard to keep his composure.

"I miss you To-ya…" He finally began "I really really…miss you…" It was stating the obvious, but Yue could find no other way to begin.

"I can feel you sometimes, but not nearly enough…what I wouldn't give just to be able to feel you again, to speak to you and hear you reply, I can't even remember what your voice sounded like! When I hear you speak to me, the voice is not yours, it's mine, even if it's saying your words…"

He could feel himself lose control already, his voice shook and his heart was aching, he quickly changed the subject.

 "Sakura is getting married today...yes…finally she's grown up…she turned twenty yesterday…but you know that of course" he hastily added " She's been so brave and strong…it even makes me feel ashamed of my own weakness, but yesterday I guess it got too much for even her to stand and she cried…not in front of everyone of course, just Yuki, she wouldn't even let Li see her cry. It was in the midmorning, everyone was busy with preparations for her party, but she was miserable the entire morning and Yuki knew, despite her efforts to hide it. So when everyone was preoccupied and Sakura had shut herself into your room…yes Touya, yours…and started crying her heart out, Yuki went in to comfort her…and you should be proud of him, he didn't even cry! I guess in some respects he's stronger than I…"

Yue's mind flashed back to the day before, when Yukito had held a shaking Sakura in him arms, and with the same gentleness that sent her into complete hanyan mode when she was a child, he spoke to her and comforted her.

Yuki…Yue thought…How will I ever live up to you?

"She's okay now" He continued "And insisted that the wedding to go on as planned…she should be getting ready just now…I hope you see her wedding…"

"…and your father…he amazed me even more…he is part of Clow Reed after all…of course there's still the pain of losing another family member, now he has only Sakura…but soon you can bet there'd be many more members of the family…although I guess it wouldn't be the Kinomoto family…" Yue shook his head, he didn't want the sense of guilt to take over again, not after he spent so long and so much effort to come out of that mode.

"I'm trying to hold out…I'm doing my best to stay strong, although sometimes I still think about how much easier this would all be if I had never known any feelings, if I had never been so influenced by Sakura and her emotions, but then I realize I can't live in the past forever…it took me a long time to recover from my last loss, and I can't say that the experience has made me anymore prepared for this…"

"I'll never forget the things you said to me in those last days you were still with me, and I've taken it all to heart. If you believe that this is destiny then so be it. I'll learn to cope…but I now think I understand…you're a part of me now To-ya, and a part of Yuki too…we're closer now than we ever were before…"

"I know I must live on…I've contemplated asking Sakura to destroy me…she has the power now…but I'm ashamed of ever thinking of it, because it would mean you were sacrificed for nothing. I won't do that, I won't take all that love for granted…you said the only thing you wanted in exchange of your strength was to protect her…and I will do that, no matter what it takes I'll achieve it. I've vowed to you and I'll never break a vow…not merely as a way of honor, but because I love you…"

"When I first came to accept the fact that you were dying…I thought my heart would die with you, just like I felt it die the last time I was abandoned…but my heart is still alive To-ya, because I know you're still alive…you're a part of me, you've made me stronger…the only way I can repay you is to be the best guardian I can be to Sakura"

Yue stood up slowly, his tears flowed but they contained no bitterness, just sincere sorrow.

"I still miss you though…and I wish you could be here with me…and with Sakura on her wedding day…somehow I know you'll be there, but I wish we could all see you…"

"It's almost time now…Sakura needs me now…Yuki had promised to be with her just before she's sent down the aisle…and I can't make him break a promise. It doesn't make a difference where I am though, I know you're with me wherever I am, whether or not I can feel it…"

He spread his wings and got ready to take flight.

"I love you To-ya…I love you more than words can ever express…you understand my heart…you are my heart and soul…"

He slowly lifted away from the ground, rising higher and higher above it.

"Goodbye To-ya…no, I take that back…you're not leaving me, why should I bid you farewell? You'll be with me forever…I'll never say Goodbye"

He cast one final gaze backwards, before continuing on his way to Sakura.

"Never say Goodbye…" 

~OWARI~