Not mine.it's all CLAMP's.this took forever to finish because I kept forgetting that I still had it and I grew bored and got terrible writer's block and it's the last chapter and it's really rushed and I think it's really bad.but to wrap this series up. PS-some material in here might be umm.suggestible to some things that might offend some people.do not read if you're offended easily by mentions of sex, not the actual thing, just thoughts or illusions.

Chapter 15- Touch Your Heart
They both disappeared into a totally different dimension.

As Syaoran opened his hazel eyes, he saw Sakura lying on the ground next to him. Quickly he took in his surroundings. A desert-type place with almost no shade. A few cactuses dotted the never-ending desert. Shielding his eyes, he knew that they were nowhere near Mount Fuji anymore. Sighing, Syaoran turned to face Sakura, and then he saw the billows of dust and sand that were fast approaching him.

Eriol winced as he felt the auras of Sakura and Syaoran both fade from the realm known as Earth.

"Baka!" he exclaimed out loud. Hiyoshi ran down from the light room to see what was wrong.

"They were just sucked out of here through a portal," Eriol announced to him.

"No way!" Hiyoshi murmured.

His eyes widened as he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He slowly turned around to see a grim Yue behind him. Eriol looked around him at the audience, and noticed that they were all frozen.

"Only we're awake, because we've got magic." he gazed warily at the rest of the audience. Suddenly, on an impulse, he ran towards the stage with Hiyoshi.

As they had expected, Kent and Leisa were also gone.

"We'll have to wait for them to get out, the force that took them in is too powerful for me to get them out," Eriol admitted to the rest of them.

"Oh, Imoto," Touya sighed softly besides them.

Yue shook his head. "It'll be alright, Touya."

Eriol didn't say anything, but he seemed unconvinced. "Good luck, Syaoran and Sakura," he whispered to them quietly.

Suddenly, Hiyoshi let out a yell. "Where's Meilin?"

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Syaoran blinked again and groaned aloud. He sat up unsteadily and then rose to his feet. He stumbled once and then supported himself against a nearby tree. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the tree and was surprised that he didn't recognize its species. He looked out around him and was apprehensive as soon as he saw the cloud of dust that was bearing down on them steadily.

Quickly, he bent down to look at Sakura. She was still unconscious but breathing steadily. Slowly, cautiously, he reached out a hand to gently stroke her cheek.

He softly shook her then, trying to wake her up. "Sakura!" he glanced uneasily at cloud of dust that now resembled riders on horses and shook her again. "Sakura!"

Sleepily, she opened her eyes. "Syaoran! Where are we?" she immediately bolted up. "Where are we?" she asked again.

"Well, we aren't at Seijou High anymore," Syaoran remarked sarcastically. He turned Sakura towards the riders, as they closed the gap between them quickly.

Sakura quickly scrambled up to stand next to Syaoran.

"Stop!" a voice commanded them, and then the riders were upon them. Instinctively, Sakura grasped Syaoran's hand tightly. They linked together, and Sakura leaned on him for support.

"Are you friend or foe?" the lead horseman asked them warily. There were about 50 riders, all on black stallions wearing uniforms of red cloth that covered their entire beings, making the man's voice muffled. Syaoran could barely make out what he was saying.

He looked around him again and realized that he had been thrown into a desert. Sand stretched for miles around him, and there were no other living things near them.

"Friend, we come in peace," Syaoran said hesitantly.

"Where has thou come from?" the man questioned sternly. Syaoran noticed that he had an accent, but he wasn't able to place it. It was foreign to him.

"Eh.Earth?" Syaoran replied apprehensively.

"Spies!" a voice rang out in the crowd.

"Silence!" the man looked Syaoran and Sakura over, a gleeful look appearing in his eyes. He turned to the man next to him and whispered some words that Syaoran could barely hear.

"They'll make excellent slaves. We'll make a good profit off of them."

Syaoran started, but he was immediately reacquainted with the men around him.

"We take them!" the man announced to his men.

Surrounded by armed riders, Syaoran didn't want to take the chance that Sakura would be hurt by a stray arrow or weapon. He wouldn't throw her in harm's way like that. IDon't worry. It'll be OK.I he told her. Sakura looked over at him helplessly, and all he could do was smile faintly at her. They meekly submitted themselves to their captives.

Obediently, they trekked in the middle of the caravan, not being given the privilege of riding on a horse. Syaoran could see Sakura struggling out of the corner of his eye. They had not been bound yet, so he was able to lift her up in his arms. She protested weakly, but he knew she was too lethargic to do anything else. Near to him the soldiers were murmuring with each other and giving nods of approval to Syaoran. Late in the evening, after they had stopped for the night, Syaoran watched, awake on the ground next to Sakura. She was already asleep, but had entwined her fingers into his, firmly latching onto him.

Syaoran gently stroked Sakura's cheek, being careful to not wake her up. He sighed softly, silently berating himself for not escaping from his captors. But as he looked down at Sakura's sleeping figure, he knew that he would never leave her by herself, so there was no choice for him but to wait to see where he was being escorted by his captors.

Silently, he sat down to take care of Sakura throughout the night. He wasn't going to fall asleep in the unfamiliar territory. His nightly vigil went on till dawn broke, since he knew that he would be able to bear whatever happened to him. He hadn't been raised and bred in the Li Clan for nothing. Earnestly, he waited with the rest of the guardsmen for the dawn to break.

The next morning saw Syaoran and Sakura still trudging aimlessly with their vanquishers. Sakura was about to collapse as they climbed another endless sand dune, but looking over as Syaoran, she saw his face set in a firm resolution to get out of this alive. She sighed and tried to do the same thing. She found that almost impossible, and as she neared the top of the dune, she stumbled slightly. It was nearly invisible to the eye, only a slight faltering, but Syaoran had noticed. Quickly, he moved closer to her to support her.

She managed to smile at him, a quick fleeting falsity in this world. As they rose over the dune, Sakura gasped in astonishment at the city that lay in the oasis before them. Tall buildings made out of marble rose over the high city walls that were made out of impenetrable gray granite. Temples of majestic structure and columns dotted the city, almost everywhere. Regular houses were also huge, made out of sandstone in every imaginable color. They were at least twice the size of a two-story house, expanse in size and beauty. The tallest building, however, was the one that caught Sakura's eye as they traveled down the sand.

As she entered the city through its magnificent walls, she was amazed again at how many sounds and smells she was hit with. The delightful fragrance of fresh bread wafted through the air, along with the smells of fresh produce. The sewers smell was also distinct, though not as strong as the smells of flowers as they trekked past a flower shop.

The city was huge! It was filled with so many different alleyways that Sakura knew she would be lost within a minute if she tried to escape. Hidden barely from view, she could see shanties stacked together, made out of wood.

The bigger houses had great courtyards. People sat in them, dressed elegantly in robes of silk, eating and talking. Water fountains were abundant, as were gardens.

Then the abundance of all different types of people was also surprising to her. Peddlers, merchants, slaves, noblemen, peasants, soldiers, buyers, even little children roamed the streets. All different colors mingled together. Different skin, hair, and eyes.

Sakura's own eyes could barely take in everything that she saw as they were herded through the streets. The commoners all kept their eyes downcast as Sakura and Syaoran were pushed past them.

Syaoran cursed underneath his breath as he stumbled. A guard hit him hard, and he went sprawling into the ground. Sakura gasped and quickly bent down to help him up. She frowned angrily at the guard. Syaoran scanned the faces of the nearby crowd carefully and was surprised when he saw one of the faces glaring angrily at the guards. He looked again and saw the he was a young man, about 20. His blue eyes contrasted with his brown hair, and Syaoran knew that this one was special.

He stood up and caught the man's eye. A slight nod was all it took for him to understand what was happening. Syaoran continued walking and held onto Sakura's hand tighter.

She noticed that they had arrived at the largest building in the city, the one that had caught her eye before. She looked at it more closely now.

It was a luxurious palace with abundant trees and water that slowly seeped down in numerous waterfalls throughout the outside garden. Marble statues dotted the garden, but it was the castle that drew Sakura's breath away.

It rose up in the sky, made out of white marble. It had two large domes and many arches and columns. Beautifully sculpted, and crenellations perfectly shaped, Sakura had never seen anything quite like it before.

But Sakura and Syaoran were marched down a flight of stairs into the gloomy darkness while their captors stayed above ground to talk with another man that had appeared out of one of the palace's doors. Sakura gripped Syaoran's hand even tighter as a cold draft hit them.

"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked suddenly, sharply, to the soldiers that were now in charge of them. "Where are you taking us?"

Laughing evilly, the first man swung around to regard Syaoran with mild indifference.

"Fights between slaves are just so much fun to watch!" he snickered.

Sakura's breath fell away and her face paled. Was Syaoran getting thrown into a fight or was she? She shivered, not being able to picture anyone who would have to go against Syaoran.

Syaoran glanced around him suspiciously and was suddenly startled as Sakura was snatched away from his grip.

Whirling around in desperation, he clawed at empty air to regain her hand. He frantically reached out to clasp her hand once more, but to no avail. They were separated by force and imposed to go down different pathways.

"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled to her, struggling against more than 30 guards, compared to the three that had taken Sakura away.

"Syaoran!" her panicked scream echoed in his ears.

Syaoran unwillingly went along with his captors, leaving most of them with an impression of a good fighter, and all with some marks that would last more than a few days. But he was eventually pushed into a cell that was padlocked and then his guards leered at him outside while he made futile attempts to hit them, knocking out anyone of them that came too close.

Suddenly, they rushed off as another guard came down the corridor yelling, "He's coming! He's coming!"

Syaoran straightened up as he felt the presence of a powerful man walking down the hallway to his cell. He had kept his eyes downward until he saw the uniform that the man wore. Defiantly, he looked up and was startled as he recognized the boy from before.

"Who are you?" Syaoran managed to blurt out before the man had a chance to speak.

"Funny you should ask. Usually, when I get a new Fighter to train, I put them through a test...but when I get a new Fighter who had single-handedly beat off almost all of my guards, even if they are a bunch of fools, then I take a closer look..." the man said, peering intently into Syaoran's face.

"Who are you?" Syaoran pushed the question again. "And what am I doing here...and where is here?"

"Nosy, nosy," the man said good-naturedly. "If I let you out and release you, you must promise me that you won't hurt me or go looking for that girl that came along with you."

Syaoran stiffened immensely.

"I know, I know that she meant a lot to you...I could tell with the way that you look at each other...other people are not as observant as me. That's why I make such a good Gladiator trainer, I guess," he ended.

"Do you agree?"

Syaoran glared at him, looked down and thought about it, and then asked one question. "Is she OK?"

"Yes," the man said.

"Fine," Syaoran snapped.

With a click, the man released Syaoran.

"But, that doesn't mean that I won't hurt your guards!" Syaoran said threateningly.

"Alright, as long as you don't hurt them too bad. No killing, who know, I might just need them someday...maybe as bait for the lions."

"Your name?" Syaoran asked impatiently as they walked down the hallway.

"My name...you may call me Kyoto."

"Kyoto? Alright, what's going on here?"

"Your name first," Kyoto said.

"Li," Syaoran said.

"Li? I thought I heard the girl call you something else in the hallways..." Kyoto stopped walking to look at Syaoran.

"My full name is not...my name is Li. You must have misheard something," Syaoran repeated.

Kyoto looked at him skeptically, but he continued to talk. "This is a Gladiator training facility. The Mistress runs it. She rules this world with an iron hand, and I immensely distrust her. Her cousin is much kinder and rules a section of this world with much kindness. All the people love him, while she must keep her popularity with bribes. I am training you...if you succeed in winning 20 all of your battles consecutively, you are granted your freedom."

"So I must become a Gladiator? Against who am I suppose to fight against?" Syaoran asked impatiently.

"It will depend, sometimes fierce animals, and sometimes other Gladiators."

"Do we get prizes for winning?"

"Usually, yes. Some men prefer it to others, but it will depend on your taste and how you were brought up morally. After so much training, some men prefer some...shall I say, entertainment? The women are usually high-bred and slaves, almost always captured on raids against the Grafters."

Syaoran growled in disgust, and then suddenly remembered about Sakura. His face paled, as he thought of what might be happening to her at this very instant. All of the soldier's that he had seen were men.

"Sakura," he whispered. "Stay strong. Hold on."

Sakura was holding out well on her own. As she had disappeared from Syaoran's sight, she had slapped one of the guards as he had tried to touch her body.

"Ooh, we've got a feisty one, alright,' he sneered at her and his two companions.

Sakura struggled again, in vain. "Syaoran," she whispered mellifluously. A single tear rolled down her cheek, unnoticed by the three men who were laughing uproariously.

First, she was left with another woman, who was silent the entire time that she was with her. As soon as Sakura had seen that she was alone with an old woman, she headed for the door. But she never made it out, as the three soldiers were outside waiting for her. She was hauled back in and thrown on the ground.

"Just be a good girl, and maybe we won't hurt you, too much!" the men sneered at her. "Much!"

Sakura glared up at them in hatred, but followed the woman's directions. She was bathed in a marble bath, an ancient-looking one, and then soaked in oils and perfumes.

Too tired to refuse to do anything now, she obediently held still as the woman braided her hair up. Her long hair was washed and pulled up into a tight pile on top of her head. She was made to wear a dark blue dress, almost in a form of a toga.

The men returned after Sakura had eaten a pile of grapes, being completely famished from her journey. The woman had disappeared, leaving Sakura alone in a room.

Sakura was pulled around again down the hallway and then thrust into a dark room. The men glared at her, her pitiful form huddling on floor. A human being would feel a twinge of sympathy for her, but the three men were far past being human.

They snickered at her again and then closed the door behind them. Sakura heard a click as it locked. She threw herself upon the carpeted ground and began sobbing uncontrollably, letting the tears fall down her face without falter.

"Syaoran," she murmured over and over again.

Sakura, stay strong. Hold on. She started as she heard his voice echoing in her ears.

She fell asleep, from grief, and the total amount of sleep piling up on her, a magic sleep that healed all of her wounds, though they were only the ones on the outside.

As Sakura woke up, she suddenly realized that she was now on the bed and covered in blankets. She kept her eyes closed, as she suddenly remembered about the past few days experiences.

"Maybe it was all a dream," she said softly to herself. Cautiously, she opened her eyes, and then sighed as she realized that she was still in the same chambers, just on the bed that was on the other side of the room. She wondered who had laid her on the bed and pulled the sheets closer to her as she shivered. Then she remembered about Syaoran.

"Syaoran," she whimpered. If Sakura hadn't been so caught up in her grief, she might've noticed another magic presence entering the room. It paused when it felt her and recognized whom she was. Silently, it closed the door and waited.

As Sakura's cries and sobs diminished, she suddenly felt a magic presence throbbing to life near her. It was a strong force, one that she should've felt before.

"Syaoran?" she whispered again to the dark room. Glancing around, she saw that it was lavishly decorated. Colors were well complimented against each other, and she could tell that most of the ornaments and furniture were expensive pieces.

"Sakura?" she heard a voice murmur, and she knew immediately who it was. The aura was completely different, not as warm, but also inviting.

"Kent?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes," he answered, stepping into her view from behind the shadows for her to see him. Sakura guessed that he must have been in this place for a while since he was wearing a white toga, like the many rich men that she had seen on her way here.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked her surprised, and then he suddenly started, as if he realized why.

"Where am I?" she said to him. "And where's Syaoran? What've you done to him? Why in the world.I hate you for causing this!" she cried out to him.

Kent grimaced, his face contorting into an unreadable expression.

He slowly walked over to where Sakura was sitting on the bed. She backed away from him, afraid of what he was going to do to her, afraid that he was going to hurt her.

Instead, he sat down next to her on the bed and slowly let out a long sigh.

"Sakura.I.I.don't know how to explain this to you.I guess I deserve your hatred, after all that I've done with Leisa.I'm sorry about Syaoran.I think that he's probably been sold to the gladiators, which is where prisoners that are new here usually go to. I.bought you because.well, I bought you."

Sakura could feel his aura slowly shifting to a mix of calmness and slight guilt. He was trying to relax. She took one of his hands, slowly, and interlocked their fingers.

"Please." she said softly. "Please, tell me. I.I really need to know this."

Kent sighed again, and then began his story, hesitating slightly.

"Leisa and I.we've always been close as cousins. We were both left as orphans from a fire when we were younger. We decided to stick together; we were all that we had to each other after the fire. All of our relatives... gone.one day.I got sick.terribly sick. We lived on the streets, so I guess I just picked something up. I was about to die, and I could barely face this fact.of leaving Leisa alone by herself. Leisa, she told me later, was really concerned about me, but I was so sick that I barely remember anything. These two nomadic spirits appeared to us. They promised to save me, us, if we would find something for them. We had find this deck of powerful cards that he called the Clow Cards and reunite it with a deck of cards that they gave us called the Fóng Deck. We had to put the two decks of cards together to form the Máng deck. It was supposed to be invincible. Leisa agreed and I was saved, and miraculously, we were able to find a mansion that was deserted. Food appeared on the table every morning for us to eat and we were never bothered by anyone. We spent awhile, ten years, to get our lives together, and finally look for the Clow Deck. We arrived this year.in Japan."

"So it was you two who sent all those new cards after us!" Sakura said, more as a statement than a question. Glancing over at her, Kent saw that she didn't look surprised, just intrigued by the story, and slightly wistful. He wondered how much she was going to hate him afterwards.

Sakura stared at him, still puzzled. How did Leisa and him end up here then, and why in the world had she and Syaoran been pulled into this world also?

"I'm so, so sorry, Sakura. I truly didn't want to do any of this to you, or hurt you so much. This is all of my fault! If I hadn't gotten so sick, Leisa wouldn't have had to agree with these spirits and none of this would've happened. I'm not even human anymore!" Kent said, trying to keep his anger down and apologize to Sakura.

"Kent," Sakura said in a soft voice. "You're still a human, as much as I am. Listen." She bent her head down against his chest, where she could hear his heartbeat and pressed her hand, still interlocked with his to his chest.

She could hear his heartbeat speeding up and she lifted her head up. His face had turned a slight shade of red.

Gently touching his cheek, she smiled at him faintly. "You see, you're still a human. You have so many emotions still."

Kent smiled back at her. He had known that she was a caring person, but he hadn't thought that it would have been able to extend to him after she had found out about everything. Cautiously, he fingered the earring in his left ear.

"C'mon," he said to her as he stood up. "I can take you to find Syaoran. Maybe we'll be able to free him right now, and if we can't, I'll be able to ensure that he's safe, and I'll be able to ensure that you're free also. This way, both of you will be safe for now, and you'll both be relieved."

Sakura stood up, eternally grateful to Kent. She followed him out of the room in a rush. Not one thought of Leisa went through his head as he walked out the door.

Syaoran watched carefully as his opponent swung his sword towards him. He sighed. This was too easy. Without hesitation, he skipped into the space that was now open to him and scored a hit on the chest armor.

His adversary growled in anger as Syaoran nimbly jumped out before the sword that he swung could hit Syaoran.

Syaoran rolled his eyes as his opponent carelessly left open another easy place to hit on his body as he pushed closer to Syaoran. A third hit from him on his opponent's back was all that was needed for him to win the practice spar.

Syaoran deftly pushed his sword back into its sheath, and glanced at his opponent to see his reaction to Syaoran's easy win and his easy defeat. The ones who showed anger and hatred in their eyes were the ones that he needed to watch.

He straightened as he realized that his opponent was more in awe of him than in anger. Sighing, he calmly walked off of the arena and watched the other fighters combat.

He was then led back to his enclosed room and laid down on his cot, exhausted. Sweat ran down his back and he wiped the perspiration off from his forehead. He had spent the better part of this morning combating against other fighters so that Kyoto would be able to see how well his training was.

He closed his eyes to think about Sakura again. Her green eyes and auburn hair were impressed into his memory, chiseled in forever.

He could almost hear her voice now, but he was dreaming. Syaoran opened his eyes in surprise as he heard it again.

"Sakura?" he whispered into the air.

He heard the stall door open, and her face looked in. Syaoran was up in an instant and crushed her to him in a firm hug. Sakura was almost dizzy with the relief that he was fine.

He pushed her back to look at her. "Are you alright?" he asked her, looking at her straight in the eyes. "They didn't do anything to you?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, not yet. And I doubt that they will. I have to show you someone."

Syaoran paused as he sensed a presence and began to understand. He nodded curtly at Kent as he appeared in the prison door and all three of them closed the door behind them to talk.

"Well?" Syaoran asked Kent. "Please explain to me."

Kent sighed, and then he repeated the entire story to Syaoran, leaving out most of the more emotional parts.

Syaoran was amazed when he heard the story, but not as astonished as he was when he found out that Sakura was Kent's slave.

He pulled her closer to him, and lightly kissed her. "Don't worry, Sakura. We're going to get out of this," he promised her.

She nodded, but she wouldn't look at him in the eye. "I know." Kent noticed and was just as puzzled as Syaoran.

"Kyoto.Meiji Kyoto. He can help us with this," Syaoran said to Kent.

"Yes, he will be able to. I trust him.more than I trust Leisa, I'm sad to say.but I love her too. She's my cousin."

Syaoran understood. "So will you be able to free me soon?"

Kent nodded. "Tomorrow night will be the best night. Leisa is throwing a party.where she'll be bribing everyone again. I'll be able to sneak away, since everyone knows that I hate social events anyway. Everyone will be too busy for the party to notice too much, besides. I hold a lot of power here. I can help you escape off this island to the mainland. There's a portal on the other side of the land where you'll be able to return to our world." He stopped as he heard voices coming down the hallway.

"I'll talk to Kyoto. I'll see you here tomorrow night. Be prepared," he warned Syaoran. Sakura exited the room first, after a lingering kiss with Syaoran.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear. She walked out with a wistful expression on her face, not looking back at all.

"Don't worry Syaoran," Kyoto said to him as he observed Syaoran watching Sakura walking out.

"She's with me. I won't let any harm come to her. I promise you."

Syaoran smiled in relief. "Arigato, Kent-kun. I don't know how in the world I'll be able to repay you."

Kent smiled. "You already have." He walked out and locked the door behind him. "Be careful," he cautioned Syaoran, a few seconds before the guards walked up.

Syaoran watched Kent swagger off, back into his role as the ruler of the kingdom.

Sakura sighed as Kent showed her to her room.

"This is where I'm going to be staying?" she asked him.

He nodded. "The best I could get on such short notice. We usually have extra rooms at the palace all the time, but the Rinkers are here, so we had to give up most of the clean rooms.I feel so sorry for the maids that need to clean theirs up."

Sakura smiled slightly. "Kent, don't worry too much about me. We'll get through this and all get back home together."

Kent nodded, grinning encouragingly at her, though his eyes were still in reflection and thought.

"Sakura.you know, about Syaoran."

Sakura looked at him curiously.

"I've noticed that you were slightly detached from Syaoran back in the prison.is anything wrong?"

Sakura watched Kent carefully, almost trying to catch him deceiving her.

"Kent.do I really have to talk about this?" she whined to him.

He nodded firmly. "What's wrong?" He gently pushed Sakura into the room and closed the door behind him firmly. The distant moonlight reflected off of Sakura's face, somehow making her seem a bit melancholic.

"Kent.you know.alright. I just don't feel.feel.the same with him anymore."

Kent raised his eyebrows. "Why not?"

"I don't know. Honestly!" Sakura raised her eyes to look at Kent. "I don't know!" she whispered to the room, almost like she had forgotten that Kent was there.

"Sakura, you have to realize that Syaoran loves you. He will do anything for you. He loves you that much! Can't you see that?"

Sakura nodded, tears streaming down her face, lit up in the moonlight. "I know that. But he just seems so distant sometimes. He's just grown up in such a different way from me. I don't know if we have enough ways to connect and relate to each other."

Kent's face softened. "Sakura, love is a wonderful thing. It can overcome so many barriers that are set before you. You see? Culture is something that you'll both overcome together. I know it. You two were meant to be together. Don't ever doubt that."

Sakura nodded again, smiling faintly at Kent. "Domo arigato, Kent!" She hugged him tight once before he pushed her away.

"Don't get too carried away," he warned her. "I'll wake you up tomorrow. Do not open the door to anyone unless you hear 3 knocks and then your name. Make sure that it's me. Don't forget that Leisa is still here, plus, the men here are very rowdy!"

"Thanks, night, Kent," Sakura closed the door gently behind her as he went out. She waited until she heard Kent's fading footsteps in the hallway.

Quickly, she changed into the cotton pajamas that she found next to her bed.

Then, she collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. "Good night, Syaoran," she murmured. "Night Tomoyo-chan, 'nii-chan, otou-san, okaa-san, Hiiragiwaza- kun, Chiharu-chan, Rika-chan, Meilin-chan, Hi.Hiyo.Hiyoshi.kun." She yawned loudly and then drifted off into dreamland.

She woke up the next morning, almost willing to believe that she had just been dreaming last night.

Anxiously, she opened her eyes and was disappointed as she saw that she was in the same walled in room. She sighed, and then rose up.

She spotted a fresh, new dress next to her bed again and was surprised. Had Kent left it, or had someone else slipped in?

She slipped it on, a slim white dress, decorated with a few embroidered flowers. It only had one strap, so it looked modern enough to Sakura.

Cautiously, she opened the door and almost screamed as she saw Kent's face next to hers. He looked equally surprised, but was quick enough with his reflexes to clamp his hand on Sakura's mouth before she was able to scream.

"Are you OK?" he asked her quietly. She nodded. "Sleep well?" Nod. "Can I let you go now?" She nodded yet again.

"You scared me!" she yelled at him.

He smirked. "I knew you were a baby."

She pouted at him, and then matured. "What are we supposed to do today? How are you going to explain me? Am I supposed to be your slave?"

Kent paused. "I don't know what I should have you as.I'm not sure whether or not Leisa would recognize you or not if I escorted you to the party tonight. You know, it would look even more legitimate if that did happen, and then both of us disappeared. That way everyone would think that."

Sakura interrupted him. "All right! All right. So I'll go with you to this party tonight. Do I get a maid or something?"

A scream that reverberated within Sakura's ears suddenly cut through the air. "Stop it! Help!"

Sakura started and then quickly opened the door. "What was that?" It sounded suspiciously familiar.could it be? But how could anyone I known from Japan have gotten here?

She ran towards the direction of the scream, Kent close behind her.

"It sounded really familiar.like someone I knew.like." Sakura shouted back to him. He nodded, just following her.

Sakura abruptly entered into a large courtyard and saw a crowd of guards gathered towards one of the exits around something.

She slowed down to let Kent take over. "Hey, you! What has happened?" he questioned.

One of the guards turned around and saw Kent. "Oh, your highness!"

"Spread apart, and stand straight! I want to see what's behind this mess that you lot of barbarians have managed to ruin, once again!" Kent commanded.

Quickly, the soldiers did that.

Sakura gasped as she saw who was in the middle. "Meilin!"

"Sakura?" Meilin tried to rise up, but she was too bruised.

"Oh my God! Meilin!" Sakura rushed up to her and hugged her. "How in the world did you.did this happen to you?"

"Tell you later," Meilin croaked to her. "Please, I need to sleep now.just sleep."

"Meilin!" Sakura shouted. She bent down to make sure that Meilin was still breathing, and then motioned to Kent.

"Can we get her back into my room?"

"Hai!" Kent replied. He ordered two soldiers to retrieve Meilin to carry her.

"How dare you? This is my guest's personal maid! You have harmed her personally, and I have caught you! You should all be flogged and hung!" Kent thundered out loud to the cowering soldiers. "Get back to your posts! I'll deal with you all later!" Quickly, the soldiers scrambled to obey him.

"How did she?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'm not sure. How could she have.no idea."

"Well, we need to prepare for tonight. I'm going to have to show you how to dance in the style here and how to act and everything."

Sakura nodded. "All right, I'm ready. But Meilin."

Kent smiled. "Always watching out for everyone else. She's going to be fine. I think that she was just exhausted and she might be emotionally scarred, but I think that she'll be fine."

"But she'll need someone near her when she wakes up," Sakura protested.

"Yes, I know, but she won't wake up for a while. Don't worry, Sakura," Kent told her reassuringly. "We need to prepare so that we won't draw too much attraction to ourselves, and then you'll be able to escape with Syaoran and Meilin tonight."

Sakura nodded. "All right. Show me."

Kent slowly taught her how to act, talk and dress according to the style here in the city of Gydoria.

Sakura was exhausted and tired by the time that she was released to go change for the party.

"Kent, what if I fall asleep or somehow embarrass myself?"

"You'll be fine, Sakura," he supported her.

She was still skeptical, but obediently, she headed up to change. Kent watched her, and then quickly changed himself.

Then, before she finished, he hurried to the prison.

"Syaoran? Where's Syaoran?" he asked the guard.

"That man you visited last night? He was taken away." the guard said. Kent's face clouded over. Leisa.

"By Kyoto."

Kent's face lit up in surprise. When he had talked to Kyoto last night, he had been skeptical, but he hoped that Syaoran had been able to persuade Kyoto to help them.

Sakura entered her room and greeted Meilin, who was now wide-awake.

"Sakura! What happened? Was that Kent that I saw you with? Where's Syaoran? Sakura.I don't like what I'm seeing here."

Sakura laughed. "Meilin-chan, it's not what you think. I swear. Syaoran is.well.this place is different." She proceeded to tell Meilin everything.

"Wow!" Meilin said, in awe and astonishment of everything.

"So, how did you get here?" Sakura asked Meilin, accusingly.

"Oh.umm.I was watching you guys, and once you were gone, I headed towards Kent's dressing room, and he had a portal there too."

"Oh," Sakura said, surprised.

"Do you need help?" Meilin asked as she saw Sakura struggling to change into her dress.

Sakura nodded her head, thankful that Meilin was there.

"There!" Meilin said, finally finished with Sakura's makeup. She had improvised with many things, being that makeup wasn't really available in a convenient way there.

"Good thing that I had my bag with me when I was brought here," Meilin said. She firmly closed her makeup bag, which had been overflowing with lipstick, gloss, eye shadow, mascara, and eyelash curlers, among various other beauty products.

Sakura opened the door slowly when she heard the knock. Meilin had fallen asleep again, tired from everything. Kent's mouth dropped in surprise as he saw her. She was elegantly draped in a cloth of a soft red color. It contrasted with her emerald eyes, but brought out the rich brown color of her hair more.

"Sakura." was the only word that he could get out.

"What? I look really bad, don't I?" she asked him, pouting a bit.

"No, you look umm.lovely!" he said to her breathlessly.

"C'mon, we're going to be late," Sakura said to him. "I talked to Meilin and told her everything. She's fine, and will be able to come with us tonight home, of course."

"Great, so let's go!" Kent grabbed Sakura's hand and calmly led her down the corridor to the party.

"Good luck," Kent whispered to Sakura as they entered the room.

Sakura was caught up in a whirlwind of activity. Dancers were everywhere, and food was plentiful. She suddenly spotted Leisa up ahead of her, lounging comfortably on a large cushion. She was flirting outrageously with her slave, a nice-looking European.

Sakura clung onto Kent's hand tighter, not willing to get lost.

"Kent.when are we allowed to slip away?"

"Once the dinner is over and all we're doing is talking and dancing.well, if you really want to, I guess that I can try to get away earlier. But you're going to have go through some lewd things." he looked over at her anxiously.

Sakura nodded. "Alright. I just want to go home, now."

Kent smiled faintly at her. "We're still going to have to eat. Especially you." He was firmly guiding her through the crowd, his hand on her waist.

"Oh, Kent.I just remembered. Syao.you know, your sister. She took his powers away from him, or did something to him. Do you think that.maybe you could.do you."

Kent nodded. "Of course. I know exactly what she did. We'll do it on our way out, when everyone is here, OK?"

Sakura nodded.

Both of them sat down near the opposite side of the room from Leisa.

"Hey, Peter!" Kent yelled out to one of the slaves. "Get us some drinks here!"

A mild-looking boy appeared a few minutes later, blue eyes meekly lowered, brown hair falling into them.

"Check out my new girl!" Kent crowed to him, forcing him to raise his eyes up.

Sakura blushed, now understanding what Kent was going to make her do.

Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, nice girl, you've always got good picks, Your Highness."

"I know," Kent said in a dismissing tone of voice. Peter bowed, and then walked away.

Kent glanced at Sakura. "You see, that's what."

Sakura nodded. "I know."

"Good.here comes my top advisor, he might be touching you a lot.just be careful, and nudge me if you're getting too harassed," he whispered to her.

She nodded again, and then watched a black-haired man slowly make his way to them.

"Ahh, another nice one," he announced as soon as he reached them, his eyes on Sakura only. She modestly lowered her eyes, trying to breathe slowly, regularly. She at least kept herself from twitching too much as the man touched her upper thigh. Kent immediately slapped the man.

"My girl! Don't tough her."

"Oh yes, of course, your Highness. Do you see that one dancer over there? She's moving beautifully, she's one fine specimen!"

"Yes, she is, Akimoto," Kent said, trying to keep disgust out of his voice.

"You should spend a night with her Your Highness!" Aki suggested to Kent.

Sakura's hand tightened on Kent's, and he nodded to Aki. "Of course, isn't that Lelita? I think of her every night!"

"Good!"

"But, I think that I'm set right now," Kent drooled to Aki, motioning to Sakura.

"Ah, she's fine also," Aki said, but he was clearly disappointed.

"Now, do you think my cousin would mind if I disappeared earlier? You know, because." Kent motioned to Sakura.

Aki nodded in understanding. "No, I don't think so. I'll tell her if she asks."

"Good. Aki, I think that you should go try out the caviar," Kent said to him, dismissing him.

"He's always trying to get me with her.I think that he's got a plot with her to kill me, overthrow me, or something." Kent murmured quietly to Sakura as he watched Aki move away.

She nodded. "I see. So we're going to sneak away earlier, under false pretenses of.umm.yeah."

Kent smiled at her, nodding. "Yeah. I just hope that Leisa doesn't recognize you. I don't think she will though, since you look a lot prettier tonight." Suddenly, he blushed, realizing what he had just said. Sakura looked away, her face hot also.

"Do you know when this is going to be over?" Sakura asked him, trying to keep calm.

He paused. "Soon? Then we're going to stop over at Leisa's room.more like her own castle, and then head to Kyoto's where Meilin and Syaoran will be waiting."

"Do you know what we're getting at Leisa's?" Sakura questioned him. He nodded.

"Yeah, I helped her to make the cage for it, so I know how to break it for him too."

"Good." Sakura's voice trailed off.

"Don't worry. We're going to get out of this OK." Kent reassured her. She nodded and leant into him, playing out her part as his new love.

"Hey everyone, listen up!" She suddenly heard Leisa's voice cutting through the crowd. Sakura sat up and looked towards the middle of the room where Leisa was standing.

"Kent," she whispered.

"I know.time to go?" he asked her.

"Yeah."

"Time to dance!" Leisa shouted above everyone else.

Quickly and unobserved, Kent and Sakura sneaked out of the party. Kent led Sakura through the castle to Leisa's own room. Inside, however, it was completely different. It was a massive castle, lavishly decorated with millions of things. Sakura walked through it, absorbed with its garlands.

Sakura was drawn to a beautiful vase, which seemed to be of Greek origin. She gently touched it and was shocked by the immense source of power that surged through her.

"Hurry up, Sakura!" Kent yelled from ahead. She ran towards him, and he handed her a tiny orb of light. Just holding it made Sakura smile, for it contained Syaoran's powers inside of it, and they were connected to him.

"All right, let's go," she told Kent. He nodded. Holding onto her tightly, he whispered a word of command and both of them transported out of Leisa's room, not willing to chance being in there much longer.

But unknowingly, Sakura had triggered an alarm to Leisa when she had touched the vase.

Back at the party, Leisa stiffened. "Why was he just in my room.with.ugh. Sakura. I knew she would do this to him. "I'm leaving," she announced to her guards. "Keep the party going, don't let anyone leave until I return."

Sakura waited anxiously outside of the house of Kyoto with Meilin. "Why is this taking so long? Something's wrong, I know it," she whispered.

"Sakura, calm down!" Meilin berated her. "We haven't even been out here for more than ten minutes. He's coming. Don't worry."

Sakura sighed and watched the door carefully. "Hurry up. Syaoran," she said to herself.

Finally, the door opened and Kent walked out, Syaoran behind him. Sakura was almost unable to restrain herself. Another man, with blue eyes and brown hair was behind them. Sakura heard Meilin inhale sharply.

"What is it?" Sakura asked her.

"That's.that's.what in the world is he doing here?"

Sakura was puzzled.

"Meilin, c'mon, let's go," she called to her. Syaoran swung Sakura in a circle, and then crushed her to him.

"Sakura," he murmured into her ear. "I thought that I had lost you. Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Sakura smiled. "I love you, Syaoran." She gently opened his hand, and deposited the jewel that she had found. He stared in amazement at it.

"How."

"Shhh.don't worry. It's yours, just keep it."

"Arigato, Sakura-chan," Syaoran said to her. She nodded.

She still doesn't know how lost I was without it, worrying so much that I wouldn't be able to protect her if I didn't have it with me. And she had to be the one to return it to me? Well, I know that I'm never going to be separated from her again! Syaoran vowed to himself.

Meilin slowly approached the man. "Kyoto?" she asked softly. The man turned around.

His eyes widened. "Meilin? What the.how did you get here?"

"Same question to you. I didn't know that you had magic.aren't you a famous movie star? Why.OK, I'm getting really confused. Let's just get out here first, all right?"

Kyoto nodded. "I only have three horses, so we're going to have to double up. Syaoran nodded and quickly helped Sakura up onto his horse. Meilin waited patiently for one of the others to help her. Kyoto went first, and gently lifted her up.

"All ready?" he asked her as he ascended besides her. She nodded.

"Yeah, let's go."

Quickly, Kent led them across the castle grounds to the gates, and ordered the guards to release them, and not tell his cousin about them.

"Hurry!" Kent yelled to them as they fled across a large field, headed towards the docks.

Thunder rumbled above them, and lightning flickered. Sakura felt Syaoran come closer to her, comforting her from her terror.

"We're almost there, don't worry!" Kent shouted back to them as they passed another town. With another loud rumble of thunder, rain came pouring down.

Sakura cowered beneath Syaoran's frame, his body shielding her from the pellets of rain that ripped at his clothing. Soon, all of them were soaking with rain.

They arrived at the harbor, the horses' hooves clanging dully on the wooden floor of the docks. Syaoran spun around, suddenly feeling a burst of anger from behind him. Sakura gasped as she saw a huge monster of destruction come up from behind them.

A black mass of fiery with red eyes, it narrowed its eyes as it saw Sakura's gang.

"Oh my," she whispered. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Syaoran said to her. Kent pulled them forward.

"Hurry up, get to the ship! I'll deal with it!"

"No, Kent, you can't!" Sakura said to him, filled with fear.

"Yes, I can," Kent told her firmly. "This is one of the most powerful cards, and I must deal with it myself. You need to go, Leisa is trying to delay you from your escape. I know that you can capture it yourself, but you also need to escape from here! Go!"

He tried to push Sakura into the rowing ship, where Meilin and Syaoran were already waiting with Kyoto, but she held back.

"Kent, you have to come back with us!" she begged him. He smiled at her, a faint smile of regret.

"I can't. You know that. I have to stay here.remember when I told you what I had done, and I didn't tell you why I was here? I.Leisa and I came here because I.convinced her that it was best for us to stay away from you. That one night at Daidouji-chan's house.when you were talking to Li-kun about us.I was watching you.listening to you talking. It changed me. I convinced her to get out of Earth, to go to a different dimension, to create out own world. We fought so long against the spirits that captured us the first time.we overcame them.and we escaped here. We created this entire world, but we didn't plan to come here until after the play.the school year had ended. But somehow, the spirits took Leisa over again.and pulled us back into this world, dragging you along with us. I have to stay here now, because I don't have any place in your world, I never belonged there. I'm sorry, Sakura, but I belong here, with Leisa, with the world here that we've created."

Sakura nodded, finally understanding, though tears were streaming down her cheeks, mingling with the pouring rain.

"Don't ever forget, Kent, that you are still a human, no matter what has happened to you. Deep down inside, you have the spirit, the life, of one who truly cares about people," Sakura whispered to him.

He nodded. "Sakura, you be careful too. Go, now!"

"Kent,"

"Go, I'd give you a hug or something, Sakura.but he's watching, you know. Just, you know. Take care of yourself."

Sakura flung her arms around Kent. "Be careful," she whispered to him.

Kent gently pushed Sakura into Syaoran's waiting arms.

A lone figure on the docks, he faded into the fog as Syaoran and Kyoto rowed them away. Sakura sighed as she saw Kent turn around to face the monster.

Later, halfway across the sea, Sakura turned to Syaoran. Kyoto and Meilin were both sleeping already. Syaoran was keeping the boat afloat on the stormy waters.

"We never did catch all of the cards," she whispered to Syaoran.

"I know," he told her. She looked up at him.

"Syaoran?"

"Eh?" he asked her.

"I'm.gomen ne," she whispered to him.

"Hmm? What for?" he asked in surprise.

"I." Sakura paused. "For not trusting you."

"When?" Syaoran asked, thoroughly puzzled.

"Oh, never mind," Sakura replied, smiling brightly at him.

"All right," Syaoran said, though he was still confused. They were interrupted though, when a particularly nasty wave tossed their boat around harder. Meilin and Kyoto were shaken awake.

"Ugh, what is it?" Meilin asked angrily. Then her eyes widened as she saw the huge wave that was bearing down on them.

"Oh my."

Syaoran hugged Sakura close to him, and Meilin huddled with Kyoto. Screaming, Sakura's voice was drowned out in the roar of the wave as it descended upon them violently, immediately breaking the vessel apart.

The wave rushed upon them with no mercy, tossing all of them overboard into the storm. Sakura gasped for breath, receiving nothing, she opened her eyes and quickly swam for the surface, trying not to panic.

Reaching the top, she gasped for breath, and attempted to stay afloat within the turbulent waters.

"Syaoran! Meilin! Kyoto!" she screamed, trying to be heard over the strident roar of the tempest.

She struggled against the waves, and was about to give up, utterly helpless in the waters, alone and frightened, when she felt something digging into her side.

She turned around, and felt the conch seashell that Rashila had given her, such a long time ago. She hadn't taken it off, forgetting all about it after the incident.

I don't know if they're going to come, but it's worth a try, Sakura thought to herself.

As smoothly as she could, she brought the shell to her lips, and gently blew through the shell, managing to keep the water away from it. She couldn't hear anything though, and she was getting tired from trying to stay in one place. Her legs were just too exhausted for her to tread water anymore. She strove desperately to keep her wits about her, to not fall unconscious.

"Gomen ne, Syaoran," she thought as she succumbed to the waiting darkness.

Syaoran's senses kicked in, and he immediately began coughing as he reached the surface. He took a deep breath, and then reached out with his newly regained powers for Sakura. She was over to his right, semi-conscious.

Quickly, he swam towards her, his strong strokes cutting easily through the sea.

As he neared her, he felt something coming out of the water next to him. "Baka," he swore, feeling rough scales cutting beneath him. It was a shark.

Syaoran grabbed Sakura, lifting her face up so that she could breathe. His fingers felt for her pulse while his eyes trailed the ever-moving shape beneath him. Then his mind clicked. Why would there be a shark near the surface of the water while there was a turbulent storm going on?

Relieved as he still felt Sakura's heart beating, he was surprised as a familiar face shattered the water surface besides him.

"Umm.hi," Syaoran managed to gasp out.

The girl whistled softly, and Syaoran suddenly felt himself lifted up into the air, above the waters. He looked down to see a dolphin carrying him, his legs stretched out on either side of it.

"Rashila?" he stuttered.

"Hi, Sakura-chan's friend, right?"

"How." He nodded, his head swimming with thoughts. He looked down at Sakura, and saw her hand clenching a tiny shell, attached to her as a necklace on a chain.

He smiled down at her and smoothed back a strand of her wet hair that was covering her face.

"There are two other people out here," he told Rashila.

"Yes, my sisters have found them already, just hold on until we arrive at the other side of the sea. They will be waiting for us there," Rashila said to him.

Syaoran nodded. "How long?"

"About.two more hours?"

Syaoran sighed and settled down to get more comfortable on the dolphin. Clutching tightly to Sakura with one hand, his other one holding onto the dolphin.somewhere. He was trying to stay on without falling back into the wild waters.

Rashila swam ahead, guiding her dolphin, Harper. She glanced back at Syaoran and smiled softly at him. Would you like me to call for another dolphin to help you?" she asked him.

Shaking his head, Syaoran thanked her. "I've got it," he said.

Without anything else to talk about, they fell into a lapse of silence. By then, the sea storm had died down to a few fluttering winds across the now calm waters.

Syaoran straightened as he saw land appearing out of the mist ahead of him.

"We're almost there," Rashila told him.

He nodded, and gently shook Sakura. He had been checking her pulse every few minutes, making sure that she was still alive.

"Sakura! Sakura!" he pressed her.

She moaned slightly, some water oozing out of her mouth and then she opened her eyes.

"Syaoran?" she questioned. "Where are we?" she sat up suddenly.

"Rashila!" she gasped as she recognized the mermaid. "I.where are we now?"

"We're almost to the other side of the sea," she told her.

"Syaoran," Sakura looked up at him, her eyes watering, and he enclosed her in his arms. "I almost gave up."

He smiled down at her. She reached up to grasp the necklace that his powers were now enclosed in. They swirled as she gently pushed them with her own powers. She smiled in delight as her own ability mingled with Syaoran's, producing a warm mix of strength.

"Arigato, Syaoran," she whispered to him. "I.love you."

"Aishiteru, Sakura," he murmured back.

"It's land," Rashila shouted out to them. "Can you swim back there? There's a cove nearby that we'll take you too. You can make your way back from there."

Syaoran nodded his thanks to her.

Sakura waved as she saw Kyoto and Meilin on the beach. Beside them was a large mirror type of swirling air.

"Is that the portal?" she asked Syaoran.

He nodded. "Hai, I guess that we're going to have to open it ourselves, and get home by ourselves too."

"Meilin-chan!" Sakura shouted, slipping off of the dolphin. Quickly, she swam towards the beach and hugged Meilin tightly.

Syaoran smiled slightly, and then frowned as he glanced over at Rashila.

"Rashila," he asked.

"Yes?"

"I recall that you or your sister mentioned something about how Sakura's ancestors helped you out in the past last time. What was it about?" Syaoran asked her.

"Oh, that. Sakura's ancestors were also close to your family, the Li Clan, in Hong Kong, and both of your families have helped us out before from various situations. Nothing too interesting, it was just not her time yet to die and fade from this world, when she has so much in store for her. And you will constantly be at her side, Little Wolf warrior," Rashila ended her statement abruptly.

Sakura waved to Rashila as she disappeared and Syaoran watched her thoughtfully.

Syaoran pointed to the wave of swirling colors, and watched as Meilin and Kyoto walked through it. With a loud swoosh they disappeared. Hesitantly, she walked towards it. Standing before it, she looked in. Syaoran came up besides her and grasped her hand.

"C'mon, we can do it," he said to her.

She nodded, and then closed her eyes as she stepped in. She was rushed through a dizzying array of colors and directions. Feeling as if she was being torn apart, she held on even tighter to Syaoran and tried to keep her screams inside herself.

Applause met her ears as she opened her eyes. She was back on stage with Syaoran. Seeing Eriol in front of her in the left wing of the stage, she met his eyes quickly, and he nodded, barely perceptibly.

She quickly exited the stage with Syaoran and headed towards her changing room. A breathless Meilin greeted her.

"Sakura! What happened to you! Are you all right? I knew that you and Syaoran would make it back together!"

Sakura nodded and smiled at Meilin. "Hai, I am fine."

Sakura tried to get through the rest of the play calmly, but she was flustered. Luckily, Syaoran kept encouraging her with gentle words through her mind whenever she faltered.

Scene five came on, where she was supposed to meet Syaoran for the first time, and this was where they kissed first. Sakura took a deep breath. She had never practiced this with him before. Thankfully, Tomoyo and the directors had agreed that Syaoran didn't have to kiss her directly, but he had to brush her forehead.

"What is wrong here?" Syaoran's voice was questioning and suspicious. Then he sighed, like a man in deep passionate love. Girls in the crowd sighed in bliss also. Sakura blushed and waited for her cue to enter.

"Oh, to be in love. What a wonderful thing. But the one that I love does not love me back. Or does she?"

Sakura was surprised at the passion and love that she heard in Syaoran's voice. He sounded completely out of his real personality. But he was still so real. He sounded like he truly loved her. She held back, not ready to go out yet.

She tilted her head up and stood in an upright position, and then she glided out. Syaoran turned his face towards her and just gaped.

She was wearing a white dress that fitted her body perfectly, showing off all of her natural curves. White pearls had been threaded through her hair and a golden lade ran down the sides of her dress, setting off her green eyes.

He had seen her wear the dress during rehearsals, but she had never seemed so beautiful before. Tomoyo had added all of the right touches.

I Syaoran, your lines!/I Sakura gently reminded him. He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Eh.wow! You look like an angel! Where have you come from?"

"And angel?" Sakura laughed, but the audience could hear the bitterness in it. "No, of course not. I'm just touring London for awhile."

"You seem familiar to me," Syaoran scrutinized her. "Have we met before? Perhaps at tea somewhere?"

Sakura's heart almost tore with the sincerity that Syaoran put into his words. "No," she replied curtly, but the crowd could distinctly tell how she was torn between decision.

"Care to go for a drink?" he asked her, obviously already bewitched by her presence.

"A drink? You've already been there twice today, and you want to go again?" Sakura's hand flew to her mouth, as if in shock that she had just uttered something that she shouldn't have.

Syaoran tilted his head towards her, suspicion in his eyes. "How'd you know that?"

"Lucky guess," Sakura said, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

"What else do you know about me?" he asked. "Are you a stalker?"

Sakura shook her head vigorously. "No! But I do know about you," she allowed.

"What?"

"I know that your name is Riley, and you don't know mine. I know that you're studying biology at college here. I know that you share an apartment with Whitney and Marc. I also know that you love a girl named Yuri. I could tell you a lot of things about you that no one else knows about, such as the time when you went to the psychiatric ward when you were ten years old because you kept seeing angels around you. I can tell you things that you don't know about yourself," Sakura continued on, seeing that Syaoran was completely amazed.

The audience went along with how astonished Riley was that this mysterious woman knew everything about him.

"You are fighting within yourself because you think that you remember something that happened to you that was awesome and great, but you can't remember it completely. Just fragments," Sakura's voice got softer. She was the one who was going to remind him. She would tell him. If only he'd listen to her.

"Who are you?" Riley finally asked her.

"My name is Gina. Does that ring a bell?" she asked him.

Shaking his head, Riley couldn't see the tears that welled up in Sakura's eyes. But the audience could. They knew how disappointed she would be now.

"I've waited so long for this, to be reunited with you once again, and now you don't remember me. You can't remember anything about me? I've missed you, Riley," Sakura said, her soft voice mesmerizing Syaoran and the entire audience.

Tomoyo grinned in delight. Syaoran was only supposed to kiss her forehead here, but.who knew? Sakura was acting as a very convincing Gina. What was going to happen?

"I've missed you too, Gina," Riley said. The audience was still in confusion, as to whether or not he really had figured it out, but the next moment, Riley leant down and touched his forehead to Gina's. She kept her breathing regulated, and closed her eyes.

It was almost over now. Just hurry it up, she thought within her head. Gently, she felt Syaoran touch her cheek with his hand and then his lips fell on hers. Her eyes flew open, and she saw Syaoran in front of her. He was smiling, and she broke away from him.

You weren't supposed to do that! she accused him.

Do what? he asked innocently.

Syaoran!

I was taking advantage of you in that situation.

"Care to join me for a stroll?" he asked, slightly smirking at her.

"Wow, he's so romantic," a junior sighed as she watched Syaoran on stage.

"Well, you know that Sakura-chan and him are a couple," her friend nudged her.

"You know that he's going to dump her as soon as he gets a look at me," a vain senior in front of them ended the conversation.

Touya, in the front row, was clenching his seat handles so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Chuckling, Yuki gently pried his fingers off. "Relax, you knew that they loved each other. And remember your promise to me."

"Promise?" Nakuru asked curiously.

Yuki laughed. "I made Touya promise me not to scream or kill anyone on stage. If he does, then he has to do all of my schoolwork for an entire semester." Nakuru giggled and quickly avoided Touya's death glare at her.

Sakura exited the stage with him, and then ran off to her room without saying anything Syaoran. She was too embarrassed and scared that she would start stammering before him if they confronted offstage. Onstage, she knew all of her lines, and she was playing a completely different person. It didn't matter there.

Thankfully, the rest of the play passed by uneventfully for her, though she was surprised when she saw that Leisa and Kent had returned. Finally, the last scene was here. She took a deep breath and followed Syaoran's example of reciting a simple relaxation spell. He was across from her on the other side of the curtains. This was the scene where they would kiss again, and then she would leave for heaven. She could barely remember if Syaoran had kissed her before, or if he had only hugged her tightly.

Tomoyo gave her a slight nudge from behind. "Go on out, Sakura-chan. You'll do great! I know you will!"

"Arigato, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura smiled. This was it. It was almost over. To keep her smile on her face as she walked out, she pictured Touya's face when he saw her kissing Syaoran again.

"Gina," Syaoran said softly, but loud enough for the whole audience to hear. "Do you truly have to leave me?" Everyone in the crowd held their breath, knowing that this was a special moment.

"I do, Riley," Sakura replied.

"I want to go with you. I don't want you to leave me again. I feel so alone," Riley begged her, having learned everything about her and how she had appeared to him before.

"You know that I have to go. I can't stay down here. I'd age much faster than a normal human. I'd be dead before I'm 30," Sakura told him gently.

"Then I'll kill myself to be with you in Heaven," Riley proclaimed loudly and rashly.

"No!" Gina shouted. "No," her voice softened. "I can't let you do that. I can't let you do anything like that. You have your whole life in front of you. I won't let you ruin it just because of me," she told him tenderly.

"Gina, I love you," Syaoran told her softly. Sakura felt her heart racing again. He sounded so sincere and genuine. She knew that they were about to kiss again, and she could hardly keep her eyes open or her face from blushing.

Syaoran's amber eyes met her emerald ones, and she saw something in them that scared her. He did love her. Truly and deeply. She closed her eyes as he bent his head down and kept herself from gasping out loud as his lips broke down all the barriers that she been keeping kept from him.

"Wow, they look so good together!" a sophomore whispered to her friend.

"He looks like a really good kisser, doesn't he? Do you think he'd try on me?" her friend whispered back.

Sighing in bliss and fantasies, they slowly floated back to the scene on stage. Sakura broke away from Syaoran, questioning him with her eyes.

Do you truly love me?

Do you doubt my judgment? he asked her, almost harshly.

What?

Get on with the play. We'll talk later.

Sakura smiled benignly at him. "I'll see you in heaven," she said gently. She couldn't tell now if the tears streaming down Syaoran's face were real or fake. She was surprised how genuine they seemed.

The audience was having trouble keeping their tears down too.

"I don't want you to leave," Syaoran confessed to Gina.

"I have to."

Tomoyo smiled as she continued to tape the play. Sakura and Syaoran were so good together. She felt Eriol's hand on her shoulder, playing lightly with her hair, calmly flirting with her. He was resting for three scenes and had come down to join her.

"It's so real. She's really going away and leaving him," a freshman sobbed into her boyfriend's shoulder. "Are you going to leave me?"

Her boyfriend sighed. "No, Aya. I'm not going to leave you."

"Farewell, Riley," Gina ended. Almost over.

"We'll meet again?" Riley called out to her as she floated up, supported by the invisible Float card, which no one knew about, and was a special trick that she had just invented.

Sakura waved from her position above him, until she disappeared from the view of the audience. Quickly, she crawled onto the catwalk, and then clambered down, trying to avoid her fear of heights. She could head the audience's applause thundering through the auditorium.

"Sakura-chan!" Rika ran up to her. "Get over to the curtains! They're doing the finale now! Go!"

Quickly, Sakura raced out, trying to be graceful in her white robes. Syaoran, where are you?

Here, on the left side. Go on the right so we come out on different sides. Remember this? We practiced it this afternoon. Remember?

Hai.Syaoran?

Hai?

Good job. Congratulations. You were awesome.

Arigato, Sakura-chan. You were too.

Arigato.

Tomoyo eagerly tilted her camera to the stage, watching the cast coming out. "Leana, Kimoko, and Kari, played by Kiata Kylie, Tetsuya Kasumi, and Sasaki Rika!" Hiyoshi's voice boomed out over the mike. The audience eagerly applauded for them. The praise grew louder when Yamazaki, Kent, and Eriol came out. "Alixander, Marc, and Whitney! Acted out by Hiiragiwaza Eriol, Takaishi Yamazaki, and Huang Kentaro!"

Naoko entered onto the stage, her head held high and regal. "Yanigasawa Naoko, acting as God!" The audience applauded loudly for her also. Yuri came out next, and the clapping was victorious, amid many hoots by the boys.

"God, she was really pretty. Good thing that she's not with Riley. I guess that I get her now!" An overconfident senior commented to his friend.

Meilin and Chiharu came out next, and the applause thundered again. "Li Meilin, playing as Janni, and Mihara Chiharu, acting as Shinhwa!" Finally, it was their turn.

"And Li Syaoran with Kinomoto Sakura, playing as RILEY AND GINA!" Sakura looked across the stage, directly meeting Syaoran's eyes. He nodded slightly, and Sakura took a deep breath. She slowly walked out to the middle of the stage, where she met Syaoran. He held out his hand to her, and she took it, suddenly realizing how nervous she was. They walked out together, and bowed in front of the audience. The applause that greeted them roared throughout the auditorium and school, rendering several elderly people deaf momentarily. Flashes of light and blinking of video cameras met her eyes, and Sakura blinked quickly.

Both her and Syaoran were exhausted after the strenuous performance, along with the extra trip to Gydoria with Kent and Leisa. It had seemed to be more than a few days, but in actuality must've been only a few seconds.

Sakura looked out at the audience, watching amazed as they all began to stand up. She held on tightly to Syaoran's hand, while she gazed out at the crowd, spotting everyone that she knew. Finally, the play was over. After so many hours of practice. After reconciling with Kent and Leisa. After

Otou-san, 'nii-chan, Yuki, Nakuru, Mizuki-sensei, all standing up and applauding for her. She smiled brightly suddenly, aware of everyone that loved her. Chancing to suddenly glance in Syaoran's direction, she noticed that he had on a smile, but his eyes were clouded.

Syaoran.what's wrong?

Nothing.

Sakura knew that it wasn't the right time to push him, so she squeezed his hand gently to let him know that she was there for him. Syaoran had known that this was going to happen sooner or later. She had everything here. She wouldn't want to go back to Hong Kong with him just because he wanted her to. He could always spell her. Syaoran grimaced and then realized he was still on stage.

Falsely, he smiled brightly and then backed up as the curtains came down before them. Everyone gave a huge cheer as they realized that it was finally over.

"Excellent job!" came the praise from Terada-sensei.

"I'm leaving. She's coming with me. Sakura, I'm sorry for all of the trouble that we caused you. The remaining cards are in Hiyoshi's hands now. It was a great pleasure to have met you, Sakura-chan. I'll never forget you." "I'll never forget you either, Kent."

Sakura waited patiently after the play for Syaoran. Her father and brother had already congratulated her and praised her for her excellent work in the play. She was supposedly staying after for a party, but she really didn't want to. Sakura had been congratulated so many times already that her head was spinning. If someone said that word one more time, she was going to faint! But it was over! And she had been great!

It was time to end it now. She had to talk to Syaoran. She had to find out how he really felt about her. She had to see whether she was wasting her time on him or not. She had to know.

"Syaoran?" She knocked cautiously on his dressing room door. She knew that he was still inside. She could feel him in there. "Syaoran-kun? Can I come in?"

"Hai." his voice sounded weird. Too low...too soft. Too...sad. Something was wrong.

"Syaoran?" she opened the door and entered. He was sitting on the chair in front of the mirror, looking down. He didn't look up at her as she walked in next to him. He had changed from the clothes that he had worn in the play into his regular jeans and shirt.

Meilin was there too. She patted Syaoran on his back once, and then smiled encouragingly at Sakura. She was gone in the next instant, leaving Syaoran alone with Sakura.

"Syaoran? Are you all right?" Sakura asked him softly. He looked awful. Was he crying? How could he? This was one of the most exciting days of her life.

Syaoran. Crying. Those two didn't match. He never cried. He was so strong, he was always the one that overcame, always the one who was brave and could withstand anything. What was wrong now?

"Syaoran? Talk to me. Please," Sakura begged him, hesitating for a moment, and then she took a step forward. She bent down on her knees so that she could look up into his eyes.

"Onegai, Syaoran-kun. If it's something that I did, I'm sorry."

"No." Sakura jerked, hearing the pain in his voice. "It's nothing that you did. It's just me."

"Well...tell me."

Syaoran sighed. "I can't. I shouldn't. You don't want to become involved with this."

"Syaoran! We've been together ever since we were in 4th grade. Do you not think that I know you well enough to see that something's really wrong? Why won't you tell me? Is it because I'm too childish for you? Can't you ever just trust me for once? The way that I've trusted you for these 8 long years? The way that I've loved you for these 8 years!" Sakura clamped a hand to her mouth, but it was too late.

He had heard her. How could he not have? But Syaoran stayed still, and Sakura's heart sank. She knew it. He didn't care about her the way that she loved him. She backed away, and stood up. It was time to leave. It was over.

"Sakura," his voice stopped her. She glanced back at him. He had risen up, and now towered above her. He hesitantly raised up his eyes to meet hers. "I...I just miss my family." Sakura's eyes softened. Now that Syaoran had started, he just poured everything out.

"They're all back in Hong Kong. Tonight, with everyone else's parents here, congratulating them. No one was here, but Meilin. She's plenty, and I know that she loves me, but she's got Hiyoshi now too. I...just felt...so lonely. I didn't have anyone. I miss my family a lot. I've been questioning myself now." He paused to take a breath, and then took a step forward so that he was closer to Sakura. He kept his eyes focused on hers and started speaking again.

"I wanted to know what made me stay back here in Japan instead of returning to Hong Kong. It was so obvious that I feel like I could slap myself now. I was so blind. I hadn't known what kept me back all this time until this year. Something kept me here, and subconsciously, I didn't want to leave. But now, I see. My eyes were blind,. but my heart knew all along what it was. Sakura..I stayed here in Japan for 8 years, only returning to Hong Kong a few times over the summers. Do you want to know the reason I stayed back?"

Sakura couldn't speak, the emotion that coursed through her body left her breathless. She closed her eyes, to break eyes contact with Syaoran for a moment and to regain her wits. She felt Syaoran moving even closer to her. He took her hands and she reopened her eyes. She knew.

"It was you, Sakura."

Her heart stopped right there. He had taken it from her now. He had taken it and he held it in his hand. But she didn't want it back. No, he could keep it. She knew that he wouldn't break it. She had given it to him freely. She felt tears of joy begin to run down her cheeks. Syaoran smiled at her and smoothed them away.

He had set her free. She was flying now. All the way up to the clouds. So she was bit out of place now, but that was OK. Syaoran was keeping her attached to the ground with his firm grasp on her. She smiled at him.

"I love you, Sakura. It's taken me so long to finally realize what love means. But today...or yesterday. I don't know anymore. On the ride with Rashila to the other side. While you were asleep. I...just...I realized just how much you loved me. How much you've scarificed for me. And I've been so...unkind to you. I know that we...kissed at the cabin over winter. But...I...didn't feel like it was right. I didn't know what, but it was me. I wasn't real to you there. I was still holding back. I didn't know why. Maybe it was because I was scared. Scared to just be so close to you. But you know what, Sakura? I realized that I don't need to be scared. Because love overcomes that. And Sakura, I love you so much!"

Sakura stared at him for a moment, her eyes fully penetrating into him. Fully exploring him, fully understanding him. A smile began to grow on her face. "Syaoran, I love you. I love you. I always will."

Syaoran's mind sent words of such intimate love to her that she blushed. "Syaoran..."

He didn't let her finish. He loved her, and he was going to make all those years of her suffering up to her. His mouth closed over hers, making her shiver with delight as his tongue entered her mouth, fusing them together.

"Syaoran...walk?"

He realized that they were still in the school. "Yes."

Tomoyo met them outside. "I've been waiting out here forever!"

Eriol was with her, and with one glance at Syaoran, he knew the entire story. He grinned evilly at them.

"Hehehe."

"Let's go celebrate!"

"Congratulations, you two!" Meilin's voice pierced the sky behind them. A loud thud was heard. Syaoran glanced down and reacted barely quick enough to catch Sakura.

She smiled weakly as she revived, a few seconds later. "Gomennasi, I've heard that too many times. Let's go out."

"Hai!" a chorus of agreement met her ears.

The entire group made their way down the street, each one reveling in their happiness.

Sakura smiled at Syaoran. She was finally with the one that she loved and he loved her back. She was in heaven. Syaoran clasped her hand tightly within his. They would be together forever.

I Love You!

Yay! I'm done! Finally! I've been trying to finish off this for forever, but got major major major writer's block, so I started writing other originals, and got majorly sidetracked...but now I'm done...thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Ja Ne Minna!

~Asian Ruby