Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Hurray! A review! Greetings to White Eternity. :) Thank you so much for your comment. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations. One of my beta readers insisted that I do a Sakura story after I finished the Sailor Moon one I was working on (The Sleeper), so you have her to thank.

And since I have remembered that... This final chapter is dedicated to Elflina, who kept insisting that I needed to write a Sakura story just to make her happy.

I do not write for reviews, but I sure enjoy compliments, constructive criticism, and grammatical corrections (especially the Japanese and German parts in this section). So if you feel like it, please press that little review button, and let me know what you think. - Raya

WARNING: Spoilers for "A Little Snow Fairy Sugar" ahead! You have been warned. There are also some spoilers for CCS, but that has been out in the US longer than Sugar so I don't think you're at as much risk....

Cherry Snow

Part IV – Finale

Sakura peered around nervously as she waited for Shaoran to retrieve her coat. She expected to see Kero fly out of the concert hall at any moment. When he didn't appear, she paled and looked towards the snack bar.

Ten minutes later, she waved farewell to her friends. Telling the ushers that she had left something important inside, she and her family (including Shaoran and Eriol) re-entered the concert hall in search of the two missing beasts.

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Saga placed Kero on her dressing table, and whispered to him. "Just stay put until the coast is clear." She opened the door to walk back to the stage and jerked back in surprise. Hans smiled as he handed her her music, the empty basket, and the little bear shaped paper.

"Here. Go grab your shower and change." His smile grew wider. "Can't start the post show party without the main event, now can we? Hurry up. I'm starving, and Ichijo says this place is really good."

Saga laughed as she took the items and shook her head. "You're always starving," she commented. "I swear, someone would think you were 16 instead of 26. I'll be out shortly," she added with a smile. She closed the door, put the pile on the table near Kero, and then turned to study the little creature.

"Somehow, I don't think Sugar wants you to be seen," she sighed. "Look, just stay put, and I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Actually, I couldn't care less," Sugar responded from her seat on Saga's shoulder. "It's his mistress that would get upset."

Kero flinched slightly at the mention of Sakura, and continued to stare glassy-eyed at the door. 'She's gonna be so mad and worried,' he thought. 'I've got to get out of here.' His heart sank as he watched Saga lock the door, then gather her things for a shower. After Saga had entered the shower, he flew up from the table and began to search for an escape.

"Hey, sit down," Salt said irritably. "Saga told you to stay put for now."

Kero glared at him, then flew to the door. "Uh-ahhh," Pepper said sweetly as she pulled out her harp. She created a stiff breeze that blew Kero back towards the dressing table. "You've created enough trouble. Why don't you just sit and wait like Saga asked?"

"Hey, stop that!" Kero demanded. "Sakura will be looking for me. I've got to get back before she gets really worried."

"You should have thought of that before you tried to cause a commotion on stage," Ginger replied darkly. As Kero tried to fly to the door again, she knocked him to the floor with an isolated downpour. Kero growled and then transformed into his large form.

"Out of my way!" he ordered, and tried for the door again. This time, Powder stopped him by blinding him with a mini blizzard. Somehow, the fairies managed to keep him distracted until Saga stepped back in the room with Sugar.

"What the…" she started as she stared around the room in shock. Water, papers, and makeup bottles were everywhere, making the room look like it had been through a miniature tornado. Cerberus stared at her in panic, frozen in his newly won spot by the door. "Um, I can explain," he said, but was interrupted by a knock.

In a flash of light, he transformed back into his small form and flew to the dressing room table. Saga continued to stare around the room until another knock startled her into moving.

She slowly unlocked the door, and opened it a crack. "Um, yes?"

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"Ohhh... Where could he have gone?" Sakura fussed quietly as she stood near the balcony railing. "Calm down," Shaoran replied, running an impatient hand through his brown hair. "Just trace his aura. He can't possibly hide from you."

"Actually, that won't be necessary," said a voice near the dark ceiling. As the group looked up in surprise, Supi floated down to the balcony. "I know exactly where he is. Rescuing him may not be so easy, though."

"Supi," Sakura cried in delight. "You know where he is? What happened? Where did he go?"

The little cat-shaped black guardian smirked with superiority. "He was too slow in getting out of sight, and got caught by the fairies' friend. He was warned, but that black hole of a stomach of his over-rode what little brains he has."

"Spinel," Eriol reprimanded as Sakura stared and began to flush. Supi looked at the young sorceress then floated down to face her. "He's all right," he reassured her. "Come, I'll take you to them."

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"Ano... Sumimasen," Sakura said nervously as Saga opened the door a crack. "Kin iro meigurumi wo aitsukimashita ka?"

"Eh?" Saga asked, blinking in confusion. "Ich nicht verstehe."

"Eh?" Sakura asked, returning Saga's blank stare. "Taihen.... Nihongo wo wakarimasen ka?"

"Do you speak English perhaps?" Eriol tried, speaking slowly. Saga's face lit up with understanding. "Ja, a little," she replied.

"My friend is looking for a little stuffed animal she lost," Eriol continued. "It is about this big, yellow, and has wings and a tail."

"A stuffed animal?" Saga asked looking nervous and doubtful. Before she could say more, though, Kero flew across the room. "Sakura!"

"Kero-chan!" his mistress exclaimed in relief, holding out her arms. "I was so worried..." Abruptly, she realized that Saga was watching. "Um... a-hahaha...." 'Now what do I do....'

"So... Is this the great mistress you were telling us about, Kero-bear?" Sugar asked as she flew over to look at Sakura. "The owner of those really powerful cards?"

"Hu-e?" Sakura said in surprise, jerking her head up to look at the snow fairy. "Wha... What did you say?"

"Heh? You can see me? You can! You can!" Sugar began darting around in excitement, as Sakura looked over at Saga's puzzled face.

"Hey, hey, can you give Saga a message for me? Please? Plea-ea-ease?" Sugar put her hands together and begged as hard as she could with her pale amethyst eyes opened wide.

"Um... Okay," Sakura said slowly, looking back at the fairy. "But, I don't speak German, and my English isn't all that good...."

"That's ok," Sugar said excitedly. "Just repeat after me. Sugar says thank you for the waffles and the beautiful song."

Sakura looked at Saga, and slowly repeated the strange foreign words. Saga's eyes grew wide when she finally deciphered the message Sakura was trying to pass along. "Sugar... Sugar!" With tears of happiness in her eyes, she held up her hands. She watched as the pink fairy sparkles settled down, then brought her hands gently to her face to nuzzle her friend. "It was you... I was right!"

"This little fairy is your friend?" Eriol asked, once again speaking slow English. Saga smiled, nodded, then looked at him in surprise. "You can see her? What does she look like? Are there others here, too?"

"Um... Well, she's about a foot tall, thin, with pink hair and a white hat. She's wearing a floor length white dress with cap sleeves, and a white cape with white fur trim. And she has a huge smile on her face," he added as Sugar looked at him gratefully. "And there are one, two,... Six other fairies here as well."

"Six?" Saga asked in surprise. "Yes. They say that their names are Ginger, Turmeric, Pepper, Salt, Elder, and Sugar's mother Powder," Eriol replied over the cacophony of excited fairy voices.

Saga smiled down at Sugar. "Your mother? I wish I could see her," she sighed.

"But that's just not possible," Hans said sympathetically as he stepped around Yukito. Saga gasped in surprise, while Sakura, Eriol, and Shaoran jumped. He smiled at the invisible creature in Saga's hands. "How do you do, Sugar. My name is Hans. If you happen to meet a Storm-Fairy named Cocoa, please tell him I said hi."

As Saga looked at her manager in surprise, Sakura and Shaoran began to plead with Eriol to give them an explanation of what was going on.

"Basically, from what Ginger-san tells me," he said in Japanese, "Sugar-san and Bergman-san became best friends many years ago when Sugar-san was an apprentice. Once Sugar-san finished her training, Bergman-san lost her ability to see into the fairy world. Apparently, she can still sense Sugar-san sometimes, and she can still see some of the glitter of fairy magic, but that's about it."

"Oh, how sad," Sakura said, looking at Saga with sad eyes. Touya also looked at Saga sympathetically, but with understanding, too. He reached out and tousled his little sister's hair. "It's not so bad, squirt. I bet she doesn't regret it a bit."

Sakura looked up at her brother in surprise, then back at Saga and Hans, who were talking quietly and quickly in German. Her eyes took on a speculative look. Shaoran, Touya, Yukito, Kero, and Eriol noticed it immediately, and looked at each other nervously. "Um, Sakura," Shaoran began, then stopped again uncertainly.

"All Onii-chan needed to do was regain his magical strength," she said softly, raising one hand to finger the Key at her neck. "Magic is rooted deep in the soul. It can't be completely removed without severe damage, but it can be cut back enough it won't re-grow on it's own.... It took a while, but once I realized that, I was able to help him. If the fairy used Bergman-san's energy to grow stronger..."

Eriol blinked at her in sudden understanding, then turned to Ginger and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know," she said in reply to his unspoken question. "It's never really come up before." She turned to the Elder, who had begun to carefully study a crack in the wall. "Elder? Is it possible? Can the sorceress help Saga see Sugar again?"

The Elder continued to look at the crack, and began to mumble to himself appearing not to hear the question. "Chocolates. That is supposed to work. Or better yet... Chocolate covered strawberries. I bet she likes strawberries!"

"Elder... Elder!" Ginger said, respect fading into impatience. The old fairy turned and looked at her with serious eyes. She bit her lip and looked down as she recognized the impartial expression on his face. It was the expression he used when he waited to see if an apprentice was going to solve the problem by himself like an adult, or ask for the answer like a child.

She looked back over at Eriol and Sakura. "I've never heard of a human regaining the ability to see Season Fairies. I think it's usually a sign that they have matured as well. I've only heard of children seeing us, not adults. So," she finished with disappointment in her voice, "I guess it's not a matter of sacrificing a magical strength but of maturity. Therefore, Saga will not be able to see Sugar again."

Sakura tore her eyes off of Saga, Hans, and Sugar, and looked at Ginger with a gentle smile. "It's all right," she said reassuringly. "She can still see the glitter, and she can still feel Sugar-chan. She hasn't lost it completely. Watch them. They can talk to each other without Bergman-san being able to actually hear."

The interested audience of humans, guardians, and fairies turned to watch as Saga told Hans a story of her time with Sugar. This one seemed to involve a piano racing out of control through the streets of a town. Every time Sugar made a comment, correction or complaint, Saga reacted. "It's true," Pepper whispered happily. "She CAN still hear Sugar!"

Sakura looked around the hallway and saw only friends around. She pulled the Sakura Cards out of her purse, and looked at them with a considering expression. 'Libra to return the scales of power back to normal? Power to strengthen what magic is there?' she thought. Her eyes grew wide, and then she smiled as Windy and Song rose up to float in front of her. 'Windy for communication... And music seems to be extremely important to both of them.... Yes, that combination might work.'

She put the rest of her Cards back in her purse, then took off her Key. By now, she had everyone's attention. With an encouraging smile to Saga, she transformed her Key into it's Staff form, then activated Windy and Song. "Windy! Song! Help these two to regain the strength they have lost!"

Saga and Hans stared as they saw a circle of light form around the young girl. As the wind began to blow through their hair, and Saga's closing song began to play around them, they began to look around in fright. Hans quickly drew Saga into his arms to protect her.

Sugar flew towards Sakura to make her stop, but was caught by Powder and Pepper. "Wait, Sugar," Pepper cried. "She's trying to help!" Reluctantly, Sugar let them hold her. She turned her anxious gaze towards her friend.

Around Saga and Hans, a pink glow began to form. Sakura kept her eyes on them, freely giving her strength to the two Cards that had volunteered for this task. As Song finished "Friends Playing Through Life", the light shrank down onto the two humans, then vanished.

For a moment, everyone stood quietly and expectantly. Sugar was the first to move. "Saga? Are you all right?"

Saga nodded slowly from her spot in Hans' arms, then a shocked expression covered her face. Bolting free, she called out: "Sugar? Sugar, was that you?!" Her eyes scanned the hall looking for the source of the voice she heard.

Sugar's eyes widened, and her hands went to her mouth in shock. As Saga calmed down and began to look disappointed, she flew towards her friend. Immediately, Saga's eyes found her. "Sugar? Sugar!"

"Hurray! Hurray! Saga can see and hear me again!" Sugar cheered with tears running down her face. "Well, almost," Saga said as she wiped tears off of her own face. "You're like... like a shadow. I can see you when you move. And I can hear you, but your voice is really soft."

Salt turned to check on Hans, who was staring at Saga and Sugar in shock. "Can you hear her, too?" he asked the blonde man. Hans just glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to Saga and Sugar. "Darn, it didn't work," Salt said with disappointment.

"But it did," Sakura replied, then wavered on her feet. "Sakura!" Shaoran cried, then grabbed her to hold her upright. She smiled up at him reassuringly. "I'm ok."

She looked back over at Salt, and spoke again. "They can only hear and see you a little right now, but the strength will grow. Soon, they will regain the strength they had before. I don't think they will become stronger. They will return to what they would have had naturally if they had never met you."

Saga turned to look at Sakura. "I will be able to see Sugar again? Really? And Salt and Pepper and everyone?"

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, then started. "What? You can understand me now?" Saga looked at her in surprise, then nodded slowly. "Yes... I can understand you completely now. How weird. Was that part of your magic, too?"

Sakura shook her head in confusion, while Yukito smiled. "Yet another gift from Windy," he said softly.

"Um, excuse me, but what are you people doing back here?" The group turned startled as Mr. Sawaii spoke from the end of the hall. "How did you get here? Please leave before I call Security."

Hans shook himself, then stepped forward. "It's all right, Ichijo-kun. I invited them back here to meet Saga." Ichijo looked at him uncertainly. "Yes," Eriol said with a smile. "I mentioned that I had seen Bergman-san play in Germany, and he thought she might like to meet a fan who liked her enough to see her in a foreign country."

Ichijo's face still looked uncertain, but he accepted the explanation. "Well, thank you for your support. I'm sorry to rush you, but we have dinner reservations, and we are running late. I'm afraid you will have to leave now."

Eriol smiled and nodded. "Certainly." He turned towards Hans and Saga, and bowed. "It was very nice to meet you. I hope things work out well," he said with a twinkle in his eye. Sakura and her family also bowed and said good bye.

As they were walking away, Saga called out. "Sakura-san!" Sakura turned to look at her in surprise. Side by side, Saga and Sugar bowed, and in unison said in clear Japanese: "Thank you very much." With a smile, she returned their bow, then led her group back to the front of the concert hall.

"Bye Supi-cat! Bye Kero-bear!" Sugar called mischievously. Saga turned towards her. "Carebear? There really is such a thing as a Carebear?"

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End

A/N – Yes the fairies can understand and be understood in any language... I hereby declare it part of their magic. : )

As for Sakura's dream... That is another story I am writing. I am on Chapter 16 and I don't think I'm even half way through, so it will be a long one. This time, the cross-over is with Sailor Moon (ChibiUsa/Rini). Sakura and friends haven't had a lot of chapter time, but I hope to change that soon. : ) My policy is not to post a story until it is complete (because I'd hate to disappoint someone who was actually reading it if I don't finish), but I may bend that this time. My beta reader, Ree, is very insistent. She whines quite "loudly" about wanting her bedtime story if I don't finish a chapter soon enough for her. :) So, it's very likely that story will be finished and I might as well start uploading it. I haven't decided where to put it yet, so keep looking under my ID to find it.

Ja ne! : ) Raya