A.N. Well…I felt really bad. The last time I updated was like 3 years ago. I mean, I just graduated from high school and I was like, woah, I totally neglected this. This is what I had left that I never posted. It's been so long, even I don't know what's written. Maybe, just maybe, if you all are nice, I'll keep updating since it's summer.

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With confusion muddling his brain, Xiaolang felt as if he was doing something wrong by being with Sakura. It made him feel like a child. There were gaps in his memory; whatever he tried to remember came in pieces. It was as if someone had broken apart his memory and taken the important bits. He could remember being ten and he could remember being eighteen, but he was having trouble making the transition between the two. The memories didn't flow; they crashed.

"You…I feel like I should miss you, but at the same time I don't." Xiaolang brushed his thumb across her cheek as he spoke. "You look so different from the last time I saw you, but I've had your face memorized. How could you change so much?"

"You're…a lot taller." Sakura had to strain her neck to look up at him, but she would endure the pain a million times over all the same just to be able to be with him.

"I bear my soul to you about having trouble remembering things and all you can say is 'you're a lot taller'?" Xiaolang gave her a slightly betrayed look.

"Well, you are. I remember standing face to face with you, foreheads touching when you were trying to figure out if my eyes were real. You kept on saying how 'unnatural' they were. 'No one can have eyes that color.'"

"We were ten!"

"And if I told you," Sakura began with a very solemn look, "that I felt like that was last week and not eight years ago, would you think I was crazy? I'm starting to wonder myself."

"It isn't only you." Xiaolang lifted up her downcast face to look into her "unnaturally" green eyes. "I feel it too. Like someone shattered the door to your mind and stole the most important pieces of the puzzle."

"Do you also get that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that makes you feel like you are going to punished like-"

"a child." Xiaolang finished for her with a small smile. It was then that Sakura fully realized just how much older Xiaolang really was. The fine planes of his cheekbones gave him the full aristocratic look. All of the baby fat he had as a child had vanished like a whisper on the wind to reveal a tall lean man where a child once had been. She focused on the strong lines of his jaw that she had never noticed before, or maybe they had not been there. She couldn't tell. Sakura brushed her fingers along his jaw. The stubble tickled her fingers making her smile.

"You have the cutest grin you know that?" Xiaolang grinned at her in response. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Wood nymphs had nothing on her. Sakura's beautiful emerald eyes seemed to sparkle and dazzle even more than he remembered. It was true, no one could ever have eyes like hers; they were absolutely amazing. He also couldn't help but notice what else about her was absolutely amazing. Her body had smoothed out into graceful curves that flowed through his fingers as he ran his hands up her sides. The silky material was no substitute for the soft skin he knew lay beneath. Every inch of her was no doubt beautiful.

"Well, you are awfully cute."

"You don't say?"

"Yeah, really. It's like 'isn't he just the cutest little kid you've ever seen?'"

"Oh, you're going to pay for that." A wicked little smirk materialized onto his face.

"Am not!"

"Oh, I think you are."

"Says who?" Sakura arched a delicate, mocking eyebrow at him.

"Me."

"You?" Sakura pretended to scoff, "And what army?"

"Well…"

"Don't answer that." Sakura tilted her face up and kissed him. Xiaolang immediately responded. She brought her hands up and slowly slid them along his neck, pausing a moment and rubbing the tips of her fingers along the hinge of his jaw. The hairs on her arms began to stand on end and the loose wisps of his hair began to stick up with tiny worms of electricity wiggling their way through.

Neither of the noticed.

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"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

"What do you mean don't worry? She's my best friend; in fact she's blood! If something happened to her, I could lose some of that blood. Oh her brother will be furious if he ever finds out. This has got to be a chronic problem, this wandering off." Tomoyo was looking frantically for her cousin among the many gardens. Her love-struck Romeo was quickly in tow.

"Relax, she couldn't have gotten that far. We were only talking for…" Eriol stopped to glance at his pocket watch, "AN HOUR!" Eriol exclaimed hardly believing his own words. Tomoyo started to breathe quickly. Her life was going to end!

"Oh I need to sit down."

"Wait! There aren't any benches around."

Tomoyo waved him off, "Doesn't matter." She plopped unceremoniously onto the grass and dramatically through her head into her hands causing dozens of loose curls to bounce around animatedly. "This is just not happening. Any minute I am going to wake up and we haven't gone to Teal'ec and when Touya heartily objects to Sakura going, I'm going to stand by his decision and proclaim him correct."

Eriol knelt down and began to shake Tomoyo, "It's fine," Eriol made a grand, waving gesture with his hand, "I own the whole palace remember? I can set guards and servants and, and other people who work for me out onto the grounds and we'll search for-" He stopped abruptly and narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter now!" She sighed and flopped backwards to lie on the grass, "I knew you were just too good to be true. No guy I build up in my mind is ever as good in real life. You're just going to disappear soon anyway and I'll probably end up betrothed to some frizzy haired little freak who's all gangly and scrawny and shorter than me and he'll have a perpetual cold all the time."

"You really think I'm that great?"

"Only if you're real!"

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"Oh please!" Sakura gave Xiaolang an incredulous look and put her hands on her hips.

"Well, it's true." Xiaolang shrugged.

"It is not!" Sakura seemed a bit hesitant, "Is it?"

"You can believe whatever you want to believe."

"Oh come on, Lang, that's just so NOT fair to just leave me hanging. I bet it isn't even true, you're just playing with me."

"AM NOT!" Xiaolang immediately retorted heatedly.

"ARE TOO!" Sakura 'hmphed' and crossed her arms.

"Am not, you big baby."

"You are so too, you hippopotamus butt."

"Are not name-calling whiner!"

"ARE TOO!" She yelled back.

Now they were face to face glaring at each other. Sakura was warring with herself and it was beginning to show on her face. It took so much effort to not start smiling at him. How did he do it all the time? Finally, the corner of her mouth lifted just a little bit and did not go unnoticed by Xiaolang.

"I win." He said triumphantly raising his eyebrows quickly once. Sakura promptly went back to pouting.

"I never win." She hunched her shoulders and looked very much like she was a little girl whining because she didn't get her way.

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser. You usually win."

"You're just saying that."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Fine, I am. See you win."

"Xiaolang!" She tried to fight it, but she just couldn't. A smile broke out onto her face and she was giggling at him. Sakura looked like she was glowing. The reddish sun hit her hair in just the right way to make her look ethereal. Reddish sun?

"What time is it?" Xiaolang pulled out his pocket watch and his eyes widened in horror. "Oh shit, I was supposed to be with Eriol when they did the cake and the presents thing and, oh he is really going to kill me." Xiaolang scrambled to his feet and brought Sakura with him.

"Who?" She looked perplexed.

"Oh, my cousin. You don't know him. I'll introduce you eventually. Right now, I have to go. I'll see you later." Quickly he kissed her and started to leave but she grabbed the front of his collar and pulled.

"That is no way to properly say goodbye." Sakura pulled him in for a slow kiss and as she began to lace her fingers through his hair, trails of frost crystals followed her fingertips along the individual strands she touched.

"Well when you put it that way, I don't REALLY have to go now that I think of it."

"Get out of here!" Xiaolang smirked again briefly before leaping out of sight. Sakura sighed. "I really love that guy."

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"Really?"

"Yes, I am real."

"Oh this just sucks."

"What?" Eriol looked bewildered.

"I mean, it's great that you're real, but if this isn't a dream, we can't really spend all that much time together since I'll be killed if I can't find my cousin. It's like a lose-lose situation here." Tomoyo had given up all hope.

Eriol sighed to himself. What was he going to do? This girl was driving him crazy. Where was a good alcoholic beverage when you really needed it? I mean, didn't those things just pop out of thin air if you really needed one…like now? Oh hope had just abandoned everyone today. Eriol caught something dark moving towards them and looked up lazily. His eyes immediately lit up with gratitude and relief. He'd forgotten totally about his cousin too!

"Xiaolang, man, where have you been? You've been missing for ages now."

"Me? I have no idea what you are talking about. It's you who has been M.I.A."

"Yeah, well her cousin went missing cause she has this tendency to wander off apparently and we've been looking for her for a while now and…is that frost in your hair?" Eriol leaned forward to examine the older boy's hair a little more closely to see little crystals in his hair.

"What?" Xiaolang ran a hand through his hair and it came back with little flaky pieces of cold of which promptly melted in his hand. On a second try, Xiaolang ruffled up both sides of his hair with both his hands. "What the hell…?"

"What, were you walking through the snow covered tree tops…in summer?"

"It's nothing." Xiaolang ran his fingers through the messy mass of auburn silk a few more times. Tomoyo couldn't help but notice the strikingly handsome features of the newcomer. She was captivated by the rugged, strong features rarely seen on a member of royalty. Her eyes trailed down his arm till she came across the most interesting mark on his forearm. Suddenly she realized she was staring and looked away embarrassed. He didn't even seem to notice.

"Alright, well we've got to be inside for some stupid reason. My mom just said to be inside by sundown or she'd give my hide to the Raizurs and we all know how uncomfortable it is to grow back skin, so let's get moving."

"Oh…" Tomoyo said worriedly, "I guess I'll just have to hope my cousin turns up later." She dejectedly walked with the princes back to the castle.

At first, the ballroom looked quite beautiful, but now, it was absolutely magnificent. Banners streamed from the high marble ceilings and flowed like multi-colored rivers down the parapets. The various fountains had been charmed so each glittered a different color. The candles cast off a silvery glow that made the room absolutely enchanting. Everything, even the people seemed to be shining. Eriol had to appreciate the workmanship of his mother as only she would put this much effort for a simple little birthday party…but then again…

He found his mother on the stage of the ballroom seated on one of the grand thrones that seemed to float in midair. His mother had the unique quality of seemingly gliding on air wherever she was. He never did know if it was just looks are because she actually had the power of flight.

"Well, mother, here I am." Eriol made a dramatic bow for his mother's sake.

"Yes, indeed. There you are. Your cousin has a birthday present for you and it's only fair that you be able to see it." Eriol looked a bit confused, but moved to stand behind his mother as Xiaolang waltzed into the ballroom with a large covered box behind him. With a large mischievous grin on his face, Xiaolang swept the covering off with a swift flick of his wrist to reveal what Eriol least expected to get from his cousin.

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Tomoyo was escorted by Eriol back to her parents near the side wall of the tremendous ballroom. In all its glory, it seemed so much larger than it had before. She took her place near the pillars in the back to watch whatever was commencing. It looked as if Eriol was receiving a present. The magnitude of the room made her feel as if she was going to be swallowed up in the tapestries. Ironically as she thought that, something grabbed her from behind, pulling her into the rippling banners. No one heard her scream.

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Well, have fun with that, tell me if you still want it.