Author's Notes: I'm sorry I took so long to update this part, but I had my winter holidays last week and instead of having more free time, I had my whole day full of things. A busy social life, ne? ;) Anyway, this chapter came out pretty smooth. Reflections from practically everyone are in this chapter, so I think you'll find it interesting. Chapter 11 promises more action, I believe, but we'll see.

Dedicatory: To my reviewers, simply for being who you are.

I'll say goodbye for the two of us: When the truth breaks the silence

Part ten: "New senses"

By cherry blossom

Sakura looked steadily at the horizon before her. She was simply standing on the beach, with the small waves that reached her licking her feet, and the wind gently playing with her hair. The sky was an assortment of reds and oranges, and a golden shade. Mixed feelings poured into her heart as the last sunrays faded away.

How she loved to watch sunset.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she noticed the star she had called as her own shinning weakly. There you are she thought and she began with the little game she had been playing ever since she got to this island.

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight" she whispered. "I wish I may, I wish I might, but half the wish I wish tonight"

I wish... she started thinking, but couldn't finish the sentence.

What did she wish?

She sighed as she looked at the now inky blue sky. How long since this doubt had settled in her heart? She didn't know, but she surely wasn't enjoying it. Living this way was terrible. Total numbness, when she desperately attempted to feel something, filled her days, and anguishing, fierce emotions filled her nights. What was she to do? Every night after hours of thinking she would settle her mind on something. But when sun arouse, the passion she had felt would fade away, and the plan wouldn't seem like such a good idea. Where did the intensity go anyway? Not having what she wanted was a terrible thing, but not knowing what she wanted was infinitely worse. Especially, with the constant possibility of happiness waiting round the corner.

She closed her eyes, simply enjoying the cool night breeze. Then she opened them and looked at her star once again. She offered it a small smile. The star twinkled, almost as if winking in return. It was amazing how small details like this star was could make her breath, relieved. But it was just this kind of things Sakura thanked still existed. She took comfort in the constancy of the star, for it seemed to be something she could count on, now that her life was threatening to fall apart. She knew it was ridiculous, but it made her feel better, and who was there to argue?

No one.

She reflected on this for a few moments. Isolation wasn't affecting her in the way she thought it would. In the past she would have been terrified at the perspective of being completely alone. In fact, she wouldn't have survived it. Her nature simply didn't accept detachment as an even possible factor. She was dependant person. To her, aloneness was pain. But right now she wouldn't say the same thing. Maybe she was getting accustomed to it. But it was certainly wasn't killing her.

Or so she thought.

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Syaoran's POV

So this is Earlington. Doesn't look like Dark Force Center 1 to me. Too beautiful, if you'll take my opinion. Eriol must have caught my doubtful look for he simply says, "Not everything is what it appears"

So it's a tricky place. I'll be on my guard then. I take one last look at the scenery around me before I focus on our most pressing issue right now.

"Ok, so where should we look for this cure? What is it, anyway?" I ask him.

"It's actually in a plant, a very rare one, I'm afraid. It's a pure white flower which grows in the midst of the Dark Forest" he replies.

"And where might that be?"

He moves his head, indicating a direction to our left. I can make out a dark spot at a distance. Probably this Dark Forest he's talking about.

"It doesn't seem so far" I comment, a hint of hope in my voice.

"It's not that easy, my descendant. This unique flower grows in the very heart of the forest, and is protectively hidden in the middle of a huge, black flowered bush."

"A bush? That doesn't seem such a hard obstacle to me"

"I don't know much about it, but its interior is supposed to be highly magical, and a test you have to pass"

"A test? What kind of test?"

"I have no idea, but it can't be an easy one"

This is already sounding quite complicated. And I wonder how we'll do all this with Tomoyo in this state. We probably shouldn't be carrying her around while we look for this flower. Which means there's a decision to make.

"One of us has to go and look for the cure, and the other one should stay with Tomoyo" I tell him. He nods softly and looks at Tomoyo. I think I can see tears forming in his eyes.

"I can go if you don't want to leave her side. You know. Just in case" I offer quietly.

"No way" he replies. "As much I want to stay with her, I know it's me who should go. There's something inside me that is telling me so"

"Are you sure?" I ask once again, maybe he just doesn't want to stay here and feel useless. I can totally understand that feeling.

"Dead sure" he says.

I wish he had chosen different words.

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Tomoyo winced as her head painfully ached when she tried to get up. She had never had such a terrible headache. She abandoned her attempts at getting up and moaned softly, trying to return to the peace once settled around her. However, this little move caused a much bigger reaction than she thought.

"Tomoyo!!" she heard a voice scream. "Are you awake, can you listen to me?"

She felt herself being lifted and pulled into an embrace – Syaoran's embrace. His panicked voice filled her with anxiousness and she wondered what was going on.

"Tomoyo, please, if you can listen to me let me know! Give me a sign, any sign!" he begged, fear very present in his voice. Tomoyo's whole body complained with pain as she struggled to open her eyes, but she ignored it, determined as she was to find out what was going on. Slowly, she let light fill her world as she tried to speak.

"S-Syaoran" she said, her voice a whispery squeak.

"Tomoyo! Are you ok? Where does it hurt? What can I do?" Tomoyo noticed how his voice trembled with each word. What could have happened to frighten him so?

"I'm fine" she whispered, steadying her voice "My head hurts a bit, but that's all"

Syaoran let his breath out, a bit relieved. "What about your waist?" he asked.

Tomoyo thought his inquiry was a bit odd. Why such a specific question? Anyway, she concentrated on her waist to see if she noticed something weird. And she did.

"Actually, now that you mention it..." she began softly, while she lowered her hand to touch the spot.

"Yes?" he asked

"Well, it does feel a bit funny. It's not pain, but more like a soft tickling...why are you asking?" she questioned, looking directly into his amber eyes for the first time since her awakening.

Syaoran, however, looked away and bit his lower lip, obviously trying to find a good answer. Tomoyo eyed him suspiciously.

"The truth doesn't usually take so much meditation to be revealed. Will you tell me what really happened, please?" she requested politely but firmly. No more lies she thought. Tomoyo was tired of being constantly overprotected. She needed the truth and she needed it now.

Syaoran sighed before he spoke. "Don't you remember?" he asked quietly.

Tomoyo stared at him, puzzled. What was she supposed to remember?

"The plane" Syaoran tried "We had an argument and you went to sit with Eriol. Then you got up and went to the toilet, and when you came back the whole plane was shaking and you–"

"Say no more" she replied softly, her eyes filling with tears. "I remember"

"Wanna tell me what happened in that toilet?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it"

"We found knife marks on your waist, and a strange fluorescent substance" he started saying. Tomoyo kept shaking her head, looking down. She didn't want to hear this.

"Eriol managed to get to you before...well, before the situation became irreversible..."

Tomoyo, who was trying to force his words out of her ears, practically jumped at the mention of Eriol.

"Where is he? Where is Eriol?" she asked anxiously.

"If you'll let me continue–"

"No, I want to know where he is right away!" she said stubbornly, that was all she wanted to know. She didn't care about anything else, she didn't want to remember more...

"He's in the Dark Forest, trying to find a cure for what you don't want to remember!" said Syaoran, finally losing it. If Tomoyo didn't want to do it the nice way, she would have to go the hard way.

Just as he had expected, Tomoyo stopped her incessant head shaking and stubborn talk. She simply stared at the ground for a few moments while taking in the news. Then, she looked up at Syaoran, regret for her childish attitude minutes ago visible in her eyes and voice.

"Come again?" she whispered.

"He examined your waist while we were still on the plane, and did something to it. Then everything went black and we woke up on this island. I think he teleported us here, though he won't tell me. We are in Earlington now."

"We are? This is the place where Sakura-chan is?"

Syaoran seemed taken aback by the mention of Sakura's name. His worries over Tomoyo's condition had made him take no notice of his permanent pain for a short period of time. The ache in his heart, however, returned in full measure at that very moment. Tomoyo noticed this, and mentally slapped herself for being so insensitive.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she began, but Syaoran didn't let her finish the sentence.

"No, it's ok. I need to get over this, and start focusing on how to get her back" he said, and looked down, reflecting on what he had just said. Tomoyo thought it was prudent to let him think by himself for a few moments, but minutes passed by and she couldn't hold herself any longer.

"So where did Eriol-kun go?" she asked timidly, breaking the silence. Syaoran shook his head lightly, snapping out of his momentary trance.

"When we woke up in this island, he told me he had found a fluorescent substance on your waist. He also said that he had gotten to you to late to heal it completely, and that the proper cure could be find in the Dark Forest, at your left, after that cave." He indicated. Tomoyo looked in that direction, focusing on the dark spot, just as Syaoran had some hours before.

"I could see he didn't want to leave your side, so I volunteered to go, but he mentioned something about a test he would have to pass to get the cure, and his need to take that test. I didn't understand much, but he seemed determined, so I let him go."

"When did all this happen?"

"Just a few hours ago. I know he wanted to stay until you awoke, but we didn't know when that would be, and time is precious, I'm afraid" he said, but it seemed more like he was talking to himself rather than to Tomoyo.

"What do you mean by time is precious?" she inquired, a horrible feeling going through her. Syaoran slapped a hand over his mouth. He had spoken more than he was supposed to. Tomoyo realized this and she stared at him long and hard.

"What are you not telling me? And don't you dare lie to me Li Syaoran!" she demanded when she realized he was cooking some story in his brain. But he can't fool me she thought I know him to well.

Syaoran sighed. She deserved to know the truth, and he wouldn't stand in her way.

"Eriol said...he said that the substance he found was mortal, and since he hadn't been able to heal it completely, we had two days –three days tops– to find the cure and administrate it. Otherwise..." Syaoran didn't want to finish the sentence.

Tomoyo nodded, acknowledging the fact. The truth was what she had expected it would be. Harsh and painful. But she knew it was for the better, no matter how much it hurt knowing it. After these reflections, she took Syaoran's hand and squeezed it, silently sealing their pact of unconditional friendship. As sunset began to fill the sky with intense orange and golden rays, sleepiness went upon her. Syaoran noticed and nodded, as if reassuring her that she could sleep easy while he watched over her. Tomoyo smiled and closed her eyes, but she spoke one last time before getting back to sleep.

"It's ok. I trust him. He'll come back with the cure, and I'll get better, and we'll find Sakura-chan. I promise"

Her voice didn't quaver once.