Author's notes:

Lenna: Er – alright, I know we must have lost more than two thirds of our reviewers, but… Thank specially Chette-sama! She inspired us into writing more!! If it weren't for her, I don't think we would *ever* continue this. ^^;

Nelly: Yeah! We apologize for the excruciatingly long wait, but BLAME IT ON KYRA! She stopped writing. Ohohoho, but I can get her to join us again! I just need a few more chapters, I guess…

Lenna: OK, now what will happen to our dear, and not to mention sick, Sakura-chan?

Nelly: Please review!! Well, as Kyra won't be here for a while… so I'll do the disclaimer! – clears throat – CCS doesn't belong to us!

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Hurt of love, reborn as an Angel

Chapter twelve

"… I love you…"

Tomoyo's eyes widened, and she stared in shock at him. Instead of blushing, she paled. Her heart started to pound madly, as if trying to fly away, crazily thumping and bouncing inside her chest. Her mind started to spin. The world wasn't on its place anymore. She thought she was going to fall down in vertigo. She felt herself starting to tremble. Her breath caught in her throat. And suddenly, she found herself in great denial.

Could she possibly return what he said?

She didn't comprehend. She couldn't understand. They were foes. They were opponents, enemies. And now she saw her ideas of what was right and wrong whirling aimlessly in her mind, warping themselves in a twisted jumble of sensations, merging into only one reality. One single truth, that while confusing her to no end, seemed right.

Her mind wasn't thinking clearly anymore, she was sure of it. Sanity had left her. This deliberately contradicted everything she had learned until now. Emotions such as the ones she felt right now were going against all existing rules and laws, being so dangerous. Dangerously attractive, dangerously pleasing. Would this sentiment be worth it? It lured her towards someplace she didn't know if she could ever leave again. She was slowly letting herself be carried, be led by it. Even if it hurt.

She could feel, above everything, pain.

Sweet, tenderly sweet pain.

She closed her eyes, concealing the purplish-blue orbs. Funny. It was painful. A sweet, deliciously pleasant pain. Her heart ached, but still felt like hopping out of her chest in pure glee. How can one be so scared, sad and content at the same time? It just didn't seem logical, it made no sense whatsoever. Irrational. It was the only word she could find to describe this.

An instinct to which she couldn't refuse to obey. Something almost reflexive, an impulse.

It was so confusing.

But then again, nobody ever said that life was easy. Especially when it came to the aspects of it concerning love.

My God. This was just too weird.

'Love?' Tomoyo suddenly asked herself. Love? What was love? Could she feel love for a male? Could the indescribable pain she was feeling be called love?

She was confused.

"Too weird to be true, too crazy to be real, too powerful to be controlled, too dangerous to be achieved, too forbidden to be attained, too fantastic not to be a dream."

She remembered having heard these words from one of the maidens. This was the description she had of love, something the little girl couldn't comprehend at that time.

At that time…

"ERIOL?!" Somebody suddenly called out, shock evident in his voice. Wait a minute – his? Tomoyo's eyes snapped open, and when she saw what was about to happen, she instantly let out a shrill cry of sheer horror. Mingling with other two screams of terror and panic, it was amazing that the unconscious girl didn't even flinch when a blue glowing sphere of magic hit her square on the side.

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Darkness.

Black, embracing silently an unconscious girl.

Suddenly, a burst of blinding light, and Sakura awoke. She found herself floating in an intensely bright room. Around her, nothing but white. Emptiness.

She wasn't just alone. She was empty. Something was missing, something she needed back. Her mind was blank, her face was rid of emotion, her body shook in fear. Frightened.

As if her soul had been taken away from her, leaving her an empty shell; she didn't know a reason for her to exist anymore. Her existence was pointless, she suddenly realized.

Memories…

"Who are you?" Her voice echoed dully. Her eyes, opaque and glassy, seemed to forever have lost their shine.

"Where are you?"

She felt her body trembling with fright. She was alone, lost in a dreamlike state, a prison of nothingness. Emptiness surrounding her, swallowing her, enclosing her; just as a phantom, who had invaded the only place she couldn't escape it – her own mind. She felt an icy, chilly wind blowing right through her, through her mind and spirit, as if her very being had vanished. Gently swept away by a cold, wintry breeze. It wrapped around her helpless self, chaining her to an unreal, false state of peace.

She couldn't feel her body anymore. She didn't hear her heart anymore. She couldn't remember her name anymore. Her mind was frozen, non-functional, she felt as if being controlled by somebody else. Like a puppet, a simple marionette, she didn't have any will of her own anymore. Her master would decide whether to play with her or throw her in the flames. Soon, she began to question whether she was still alive.

Suddenly, she had the impression of seeing a flash of color. Though brief, to her it represented hope. It was the first time she saw color, since she had entered this infinite vacuum. She wanted to follow it, to find an exit, for she knew it would lead her to one. Yet her body didn't want to obey, and it stayed still.

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Syaoran: YOU ARE GOING TO REVERT THIS!! – A furious voice bellowed heatedly inside the cave. Kneeling on the ground, Sakura's limp head resting on his legs, Syaoran shakily stroked her face. Her forehead was creased in an agonizing frown, covered in sweat. Her ghostly pale face didn't show much sign of life anymore, despite the grimace of pain. Her body looked lifeless.

Tomoyo was sitting across of Syaoran, tears flowing down her cheeks freely,  as she sobbed heartily. She was gripping Sakura's cold hand firmly, determined not to let her go.

Eriol was pale with shock, and regret was obvious in his expression. He had been standing like this since the spell had hit Sakura square on the side, and he hadn't been able to do anything to prevent that from happening. Syaoran had already yelled at him a few times, and he couldn't find it in himself to respond. He didn't know what to do.

Sakura was very ill when the spell hit her. It was possible that it drained the very bit of strength that was still left in her. While the spell wasn't dangerous to somebody in perfect health, it leeched quite a bit of energy. If so, the inevitable could happen, and Sakura could die.

Eriol: Look, S-Syaoran… I-I… well… w-while I don't know any c-counter-spell for the memory-erasing magic –

Tomoyo: …what…? – Tomoyo's quiet voice cut off his own. Her eyes widened, and more tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She looked desperate, nearing a fit of hysterics. Eriol sighed deeply.

Eriol: While I do not know any counter-curse to it… I know a bit of healing magic that might help her… live… - He said quietly. Kneeling down by Tomoyo's side, he closed his eyes and started to chant something. Sakura's body started glowing a faint blue, and her expression calmed down a little. However, there was still palpable pain in her aura.

Syaoran looked incredulously at Eriol, feeling his eyes burning with the urge to cry. Would this mean Sakura was about to forget him…? Forget that he loved her, forget any feelings she had for him as well?

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Another glint of color materialized beside Sakura. A tiny blob of light, that rapidly vanished from view. She tried desperately to run after it, to find a way out of this void. Still, her body remained motionless, as if frozen in time.

After a while, increasingly more twinkles of color started to momentarily blink past her. And all of a sudden, she realized that the more color flew away, the emptier she felt. Soon, her spirit was screaming in agony, trying to retrieve what it was losing. For she now knew that she was losing something, something she wanted back, something she needed back to live on.

Yet her struggles were in vain, as her body was in control of something else. She wanted to cry. She wanted so badly to cry and just forget about this. Where was she? Who was she? Was there any point to keep living? Any point at all? She wanted all of this just to end, even if it meant her end as well. She was becoming more and more confused…

She felt a piercing pain in her heart. A sharp, tearing pain, as if her heart was being ripped apart. A heart she had momentarily doubted whether she still had, for now it seemed empty. Devoid of a reason for its existence.

Soon, the quantity of memories leaving her slowed down. Well, she seriously doubted she had any memory left inside of her. She was exhausted, at the point of wishing death. All of her strength had been drained form her. She was sure to have lost the most precious and treasured thing to her. Though, she couldn't quite remember what it was.

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Eriol: It should be over soon... – Eriol said quietly, staring sorrowfully at the ground. He thoroughly believed it to be his fault. Tomoyo looked up at him, and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled faintly at her, and put her hand in his.

Syaoran looked away from the little scene, painfully. He still held Sakura's lifeless form in his arms, and he had resisted the almost overwhelming urge to cry.

Syaoran: Sakura…. – He whispered. Caressing her now peaceful face, he felt a little gratitude towards Eriol, for she wouldn't have survived if he didn't use the healing spell. However, he face was still pale and ghostly, and her breathing was yet unsteady. Gazing at her, he suddenly felt himself pulled towards her, and gently, he kissed her cold lips.

Tomoyo looked away from Eriol, and had to smile at what she saw. In her mind, the word 'KAWAII' was bellowing loudly, but she didn't feel it was the right time to voice this. Her gaze saddened.

Syaoran kissed her tenderly for what he was sure would be the last time. And, out of nowhere, she kissed him back. His eyes snapped open, and he broke apart from her. She stirred a little, as if preparing to wake up. Syaoran sighed. It wouldn't be right if she woke up being kissed by a stranger.

Suddenly he paled.

Syaoran: Eriol!! - He whispered fiercely, grabbing his wrist, – we have to hide!! – He pulled Eriol nervously behind a large rock, clamping his hand over the shocked Eriol's mouth.

Syaoran: Forgot that she will only remember our female versions?! – He growled menacingly at him. Eriol sweatdropped, and nodded. Syaoran sighed, "conveniently" forgetting to take his hand away from Eriol's mouth.

Tomoyo looked after them, a little worried, but then her attention fell upon Sakura, seeing that she was awakening. Her eyes glimmered with hope, because while she knew the spell would make her forget about Syaoran, she couldn't help but wish it had somehow failed.

Sakura lifted herself from the ground, mumbling something under her breath while holding her head. Her eyes opened, and as her vision got used to the dimly lit cave, her gaze fell upon Tomoyo. She squinted her vision, and pointed at her best friend.

Sakura: Do I know you? – She asked, blinking.

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Lenna: K….. Um, I don't know if this is bad or OK, I just hope you like it..!

Nelly: Well,  I really don't know what to say, besides apology… So, sorry for the overlong wait!!

Lenna: We hope to get at least one review, if that's OK? – looks hopefully at reader –

Nelly: Gomen neeeee people…… But! We are already working on the next chapter! (if that's some kind of comfort)