Author's Note: The first Tsubasa fanfic I've put up. That's good, right? Right. This one-shot thing is an ending theory to the style of Tokyo Babylon. This idea wasn't mine, it's a friend's. Do ignore the weird name for this story and the fact that it's not really 'true' to the original series. It's a little strange. Finally, I do not own Tsubasa Chronicles or anything associated with it. Enjoy.

Indelible Circumstances: Tokyo Babylon Ending

Yes, they had been right. Almost all-well, at least a good majority-of Sakura's feathers had been returned. She was back to her old self. Actually, not exactly. Traveling with them had changed her; there was no denying the changes, however subtle. Syaoran absently smiled and picked the cup off the table.

It had been a few days since they had arrived in this place that Mokona called 'The Wild Wild West'. Though frankly, none of them, except possibly Mokona and Sakura, saw what as so wild about it. It was mostly empty, except for a town some miles away. But there was no way to earn currency, so they were hiding in this abandoned cabin. Right now, Kurogane, Sakura and Mokona were out going to the town; Fai was sitting by a small stove, tending to the fire and making a thick sludge drink; and he, Syaoran was lying on a thin bundle of blankets, feeling unusually fatigued. After being on their feet for such a long time, suddenly his energy had disappeared. A burn-out, but Fai, Kurogane, Sakura, and Mokona had all told him over and over again it was fine for him to rest, but he still felt uneasy.

"Syaoran-kun?" Fai had paused in his fire-tending to examine the corner in which Syaoran lay.

"Yes?" With some difficulty he pulled himself up.

"Oh, no, you didn't have to get up." Fai returned to the stove. "I see a black blob in the distance, I think it's Kuronichi and them coming back."

"Already?" He stood up, rocking a little before balancing himself. "It's only been an hour." He went outside, and sure enough, there was a slow-moving mass of black amongst all the desert.

Fai, who had joined him, voiced what had been racing through his mind. "Where's Sakura-chan. Why's Kuronyon so slow?" He shook his head, and the two stood worriedly, waiting.

As Kurogane approached, they could see Mokona perched on his head and Sakura over his shoulder being carried like a sack of potatoes. Syaoran attempted to run to meet him, but too tired to make it the whole distance, called out, "What happened to Sakura-hime!"

Kurogane didn't answer, only walked past them. The two stood out in the barren heat in silence, until Kurogane returned in a little over a minute, Mokona and Sakura-less. Syaoran turned to him and asked again, "What happened to Sakura-hime…?"

Kurogane shrugged. "We don't know what made her faint, not exactly. But we found her feather-and when we gave it to her, she just blacked out."

Fai pushed the door open a tad. "Well, at least she seems fine. What about you Syaoran-kun? You might have to go a while without lying down."

Syaoran nodded stiffly. Of course he was fine; he was really worried about Sakura. She was the one who needed it. He wasn't the one who needed patronizing now…

She could sense herself, her actual self, hovering and watching herself, her past self. She was cloaked and hidden, standing in front of a tent, glancing nervously around. The tent flap rustled, and she felt herself being filled with pounding heartbeats and happiness as she launched herself at that same invisible person who was in so many of her memories. She watched neutrally as her old self talked animatedly with the invisible one, happy and yet also sad. She could tell her memory self was in love and loved back, and it made her a little…envious.

Her past self was building up courage to say something, a special something for a special someone, 'I love you'. There were the pangs again. As she prepared herself, a loud bell rang.

As she and her invisible friend recovered from the interruption, Sakura focused on something that had not been there before: a small brown tuft of hair floating near her head. She studied it, the visibility was rapidly increasing. A full head of hair, a green cloak, goggles, the brown clothes…slowly his face came to view as she bade goodbye.

Syaoran-kun!

All her memories she had attained came flooding back to her, each time with the once empty space replaced by Syaoran-kun, her heart was racing so fast…Syaoran-kun!

"Syaoran-kun!"

Fai said in alarm, Kurogane turned in mild alarm too. Syaoran was kneeling on the ground, breathing shallowly and shaking violently. Fai dropped to the ground, checking his vitals. "He's burning up!" Kurogane just stared, apparently at a loss as what to do. "Get water," Fai took charge, "get rags," something hit him, "get Mokona! We need to talk to Yuuko! Maybe she can help!" Kurogane hurried inside, returning with Mokona. "We need to talk to Yuuko," Fai requested in a strained voice.

Mokona saw the seriousness of the situation and immediately connected. Within a few seconds, Yuuko's image was projected before them. "Yuuko." Fai was speaking in that strained voice. "He needs help. What can we pay you with?"

Yuuko just watched the scene stoically. "I don't think I can, not yet. There are more pressing and disturbing matters to deal with first."

Something snapped quietly in Kurogane. "What the hell are you talking about? More pressing and disturbing than this!"

Yuuko surveyed him with some unreadable emotion on her face. "His original payment has been revoked."

Fai stared and murmured, "Revoked…? How? That means…"

Sakura burst out of the house, looking excited and feverish. "Syaoran! Syaoran, I remember! It was you! Syaoran, I-" She stopped, stricken, taking in what was actually happening. She rushed to his side, while Fai and Kurogane stared at Yuuko.

Fai slowly turned to Sakura. "Sa-Sakura-chan, you…remember him?" Sakura, having taken the wet rag from Kurogane and now wiping his forehead, nodded.

There was a long moment of silence, the only sounds Syaoran's shallow breathing and Mokona's soft hum. Finally, Sakura punctured the silence, turning to Yuuko with a bittersweet look on her face. "Is there anything we can do? Could we pay you with something to help him?"

Yuuko shook her head, no.

"So then…what happens now?" She didn't need to ask, they already had a strong sense as to where this was going. But hearing it from Yuuko would confirm it.

Yuuko paused before answering, her eyes betraying a brief look of pity.

"Now he dies."

The confirmation hung like fog over a city. Fai looked helpless and lost. Kurogane had the look of someone who had interrupted a funeral. Yuuko's image faded, leaving a meek Mokona in its place.

"Sakura…" Fai began awkwardly. She shook her head and buried her head in Syaoran's hair. A look from Kurogane told Fai not to continue, so he scooped up Mokona and the three went inside.

Sakura sniffed and pulled Syaoran's rapidly slowing body closer. "Syaoran…do you remember, back in Clow, before this…"

He didn't answer. His breathing had become labored. Sakura continued, "I had wanted to tell you something. I wanted to say…" Sakura hugged him tighter and with tears and a smile forming, finally said her confession. "I-I love you Syaoran…"

His eyes slipped open for a second. They were blank, and the fire that had always been there was gone. But she could still see the warmth and kindness that she loved so much. "Sakura-hime." He whispered softly.

She smiled, doing all she could to keep the tears in the reservoir. "I've told you, my name is Sakura."

He smiled back. "Sakura." His eyes slipped close, his breathing slowing to a halt.

With his final breath, the reservoir was broken. Tears flooded down her face. But with that, the small heaviness of her heart that she had never noticed was released too. She now knew how much he had been hiding, suffering. But she found her way to thank him. And though they would never be together, she could still feel that semi-sweet happiness, in knowing that she had thanked him, and she was loved in return.

Sakura. Smiling and wiping the tears from eyes, she looked to the sky. Sakura. That was her name.