Chapter Fifteen
Completely Incomplete

Sakura sat up suddenly in her bed, breathing heavily. Her bedroom was dark and the street outside was a sleepy kind of quiet. It seemed like the crickets were the only ones awake.

As her pulse returned to normal and her mind began to clear, she turned to glance at the clock on her headboard.

4:37am.

Sakura flopped back onto her pillow. The maze just kept waking her earlier and earlier... She hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. And she'd been up late putting the finishing touches on her newest project. It was too bad should couldn't sleep some more, but once she woke up from the maze nightmare, she got too restless to go back to bed. Something about the maze made her want to get up and get moving, almost as if she needed proof that the waking world was indeed reality. It was very hard to shake the sense of impending dread.

After futilely lying in bed for a few minutes, she reluctantly slid out from under the insulation of her blankets and shuffled into the bathroom for a warm shower. Even inside the house, the air was freezing. It looked like it was going to another of those days: horribly cold, but still bright and sunny.

At the very least, the day would be sunny.

Syaoran was surprised to open his eyes to find morning light flooding into his room from the sliding glass windows. He hadn't even remembered falling asleep. Is that was it was supposed to feel like? He pushed his blankets back and sat up, feeling unfocused and groggy. It was a very unsettling feeling to someone who hadn't ever felt less than ready for anything.

After a few moments, the grogginess began to fade and feeling returned to his limbs. The downy blankets were very soft and comfortable, almost as if he were wrapped up in a springtime cloud. Beyond the blankets he could sense the air snapped with cold and he suddenly felt very reluctant to leave the confines of the bed. Everything was just so warm and quiet...

Seconds after the thought, a piercingly loud beeping filled the room, violently shattering the peace. The synapses in Syaoran's head sparked violently with the noise and threatened to fry his brain.

"Wha...!" Syaoran yelled indignantly, throwing the blankets to the floor. He searched wildly for the noise and, after a few frantic seconds, found the source was the bedside clock. He grabbed the thing from the nightstand and turned it over in his hands, searching desperately for the "off" switch and trying to resist the urge to throw it across the room. His hand brushed the "snooze" button and the noise stopped abruptly.

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief and was able to find the "off" switch easily in the silence. Only then did he have the sense to check the time.

6:42am. He had a good hour and a half before he had to leave for Sakura's house. What to do? He was too pent up with adrenaline from the alarm to go back to bed now.

Syaoran slowly got out of bed and wandered into the main part of the apartment. Far from being quiet like he expected, Wei was already up and at the stove cooking breakfast. The sultry smell of bacon, eggs, and flour frying in a pan wafted through the air and made Syaoran realize how hungry he was. Apparently sleep made the human body really hungry.

"Ah, Syaoran, good morning," Wei said, turning around. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess so," Syaoran said awkwardly. "Until that alarm woke me."

"Well, I wasn't exactly sure when school started for you," Wei said, going from pan to pan and moving the contents around with his spatula. "But I wanted to make sure you didn't oversleep."

"You set it?" Syaoran asked, getting the urge to rub his eye. The gesture helped wipe the grogginess away somehow. "But you weren't even sure that I was coming back."

"I thought maybe you would," Wei said, grinning under his mustache. He quickly shifted gears. "You do have enough time for breakfast, I hope."

Syaoran nodded. "I don't have to leave until around 8."

"Go ahead and take a shower then," Wei said. "This won't be ready for a few more minutes."

"O-okay," Syaoran said. He watched Wei move back and forth in front of the stove. "Are you sure I couldn't help you here?"

Wei shook his head. "Oh no. I have this covered. You go ahead."

"Alright..." Syaoran said, backing out of the room and down the hallway. He was pretty sure he'd seen a bathroom somewhere on the left.

Pushing the door open, he found his school uniform freshly laundered and folded neatly by the sink. Syaoran narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"Just who does Wei think he is?" Syaoran whispered to himself. "My butler?"

Finally he shrugged, thinking that Wei's instincts from his old job must have awakened with the arrival of a new guest.

And if that's what made the old man happy, Syaoran felt obliged to play along.

Sakura waited outside her house down by the sidewalk. Her project was in the shopping bag she'd been carrying with her for the past several days. It was the reason she'd stayed up late the night before and the reason she was looking toward the park with an anxious feeling in her stomach.

She hadn't been waiting long when a tuft of dark brown hair appeared over the horizon. Syaoran quickly made his way up the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets and a stony look on his face, as always. And, as always, he wasn't wearing anything besides his school uniform. Not even jacket, even though the air was bitterly cold. But despite the expression and his huddled appearance, Sakura couldn't help but think he looked... good. As if everything in his life was going really well.

"Good morning, Reed-kun!" Sakura said cheerfully as he approached.

"Morning," Syaoran said, short as always with conversation. "Ready?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. But first, here."

She reached inside the shopping bag and pulled out a long, handmade scarf. The crocheting was messy and obviously rushed in places, but it was still readily recognizable as a scarf. It was a deep shade of green with two stripes of carnation pink near the ends.

"I've never actually crocheted anything, so it's kind sloppy," Sakura said, holding it out. "I hope you like the green, though. I thought it matched your personality somehow..."

Syaoran stared at it for a long time, as if recovering from a very big shock.

"Is... it for me?" he asked finally.

Sakura nodded vigorously, cracking a smile. "You always look so cold. I thought maybe it would warm you up a little..."

Syaoran reached out and gently took the scarf from Sakura's outstretched hand. For a moment, Syaoran's fingers brushed against hers and a thrill slid down her spine.

He continued to stare at it laying in his open palm. Then he wrapped his fingers around it and squeezed, as if to make sure it was real.

"You don't like it?" Sakura asked, getting a little worried.

Syaoran shook his head. "No, not at all. It's just..." He quickly and eagerly wrapped the material around his neck. "I've... never gotten a gift before."

"Hoe?" Sakura said, cocking her head in confusion.

"No, forget I said that," Syaoran said, shaking his head. He lifted one of the arms of the scarf and slid the material between his fingers. He looked up a Sakura. "Thank you."

"No..." Sakura said, pointing at the scarf. "This is my thanks to you. For the car and kite and the hammer... I don't know what I'd've done without you."

Syaoran shrugged. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Sakura giggled and flailed her arms. "I'm great!"

They started walking toward the school, side by side.

"Do you like the green?" Sakura asked after a few minutes. "You know, in the scarf?"

Syaoran turned and started into Sakura's emerald eyes.

"I love green," he said softly.

"I've never gotten a gift before."

No... that's not exactly true, Syaoran thought to himself as Sakura chatted animately by his side. He was very aware of the fabric around his neck as it radiated warmth throughout his body. The winter cold suddenly couldn't touch him. My first gift was getting the chance to at her side like this. Everything else is just a bonus.

"... And then I tried to stomp on onii-chan's foot, but he was able to dodge me. I think it's because I do it too much," Sakura said, clenching her fist and fuming dramatically. "Someday I'll take him totally by surprise and crush him!"

Something bubbled inside him then, rising up to his face and coming out his mouth. It was kind of like a cough, only... happier.

Sakura turned to him with shock in her eyes.

"Reed-kun..." she said, a grin breaking on her face. "Did you just laugh?"

Syaoran could only stare blankly. Is that was just happened? "Uh..."

"You did! You laughed!" Sakura said, grabbing Syaoran's arm and shaking it. Her grin grew wider.

"I guess I did," Syaoran said, feeling the muscles in his face tighten involuntarily. Her smile was contagious, especially with how good he was feeling at the moment. His reflexes just took over.

"And a smile too!" Sakura said, looking at Syaoran's face in awe. "I'm so lucky to see Reed-kun laugh and smile in the same day!"

The school appeared in the distance and Sakura ran to the gates where Tomoyo and Eriol were waiting. Tomoyo had her video camera out, as always.

"Tomoyo-chan, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura yelled, running up to the two. "You should've seen it! Reed-kun laughed and smiled!"

He couldn't help it, he smiled again. It was a shy grin and rather sheepish, but it was there.

"See!" Sakura said, guiding Tomoyo's hands to train her camcorder on Syaoran. She looked so happy. "He's doing it again!"

No, this time isn't really a bonus... Syaoran thought as Sakura laughed with Tomoyo. Even Eriol's presence couldn't get him down.

"Come on, Reed-kun," Sakura said, grabbing Syaoran's hand and tugging on it. "We're going to be late."

Her hand sent a pleasant ripple up his arm and down his spine. How could he have ever thought that this body was a curse?

...Every moment is a miracle.

"What about this one?" Sakura asked, pointing to a math problem in her workbook.

It was their extra study time with Mizuki-sensei. The teacher had assigned the two some problems and said they could work them out together, so they pulled their desks next to each other and were bent over the workbook.

"Yeah, same thing with this one," Syaoran said. "Just apply the formula and it'll work out. See?"

"Right," Sakura said. "And with these too. But these have to be broken down first, right?"

"Yeah," he said. He looked up and smiled at her. "You've got this."

Sakura smiled radiantly back. "I guess I do."

Mizuki-sensei came by and peered over their shoulders. Syaoran could feel her shadow fall over them.

"Excellent, you two," she said, analyzing the sheet. "I don't think there's much more to do. Why don't we cut this short for today?"

"Okay," Sakura said, gathering her books. "We'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"I surely hope so," Mizuki-sensei said, smiling. She turned to Syaoran. "Be careful going home." She said a last goodbye and swept out of the room.

Syaoran turned to help Sakura pack her things.

"Um, Reed-kun," Sakura said quietly. "Do you have anything planned tonight?"

Syaoran shook his head. "Not really."

"Well... would you like to come have dinner at my house?" she asked casually. "We're having spaghetti."

Syaoran's heart skipped a beat. A chance to be back inside his old house... And with Sakura, no less.

"Shouldn't you ask your dad first?" Syaoran asked. His thoughts darkened. "Or... your brother."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm the one making dinner tonight, so I'll just buy extra. I'm sure they won't mind."

"Okay, sure," Syaoran said, trying to keep the excitement from leaking into his voice.

"Alright!" Sakura said, grabbing his hand again. No matter how many times she did that, the ripple never failed to fall down his spine. "Meet me at my house at 7, okay?"

"Could I..." Syaoran said. The thought of Sakura being off on her own filled him with dread. "Why don't I just come with you?"

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Sakura said. "I've still got to buy the ingredients and make it..."

Syaoran shook his head. "I don't mind. I told you that I have nothing better to do."

"Okay," Sakura said. "There's a little market right down the street from here. That's where I usually go."

It turned out that Sakura was a very picky shopper. She had many different methods that she used to make sure everything she bought was of the highest quality. And she knew how to haggle. She could knock at least 20 off of everything she bought, more like 50 when she was at her best. Syaoran marveled at how the price came down the more she talked. And despite being extremely picky, she found what she needed quickly and didn't need to stop very often.

"You're really good at that," Syaoran said as Sakura waved goodbye to the man at the meat counter.

"Good at what?" Sakura said, blinking.

"...Buying things," Syaoran said.

Sakura grinned. "I've been doing this since I was eight years old. You get good at what you do over and over. That's why my family sends me to get the groceries most of the time. Otou-san's too nice, so he never gets a good price and onii-chan only intimidates people."

They passed through the park on the way to Sakura's house.

"Oh, Reed-kun," Sakura said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk next to the penguin slide. "Shouldn't you let your parents know you're staying at my house for dinner?"

Syaoran shrugged. "It's okay. I told Wei that I'd probably be back late anyway."

"Wei?" Sakura asked.

"Wei is..." Syaoran struggled for a word to describe him without telling an outright lie. "...my butler."

"Your... butler?" Sakura said, question marks practically coming out of her ears.

"Uh, yeah," Syaoran said, putting a hand behind his head.

Sakura giggled.

"What's so funny?" Syaoran said, a smile threatening to break on his face again. Sakura just had that effect on him.

"I don't know," Sakura said, stifling her laughter the best she could. "It's just the way you said it."

They continued toward Sakura's house. The air was getting colder, but the sun still had a few hours left. The sky was blue and fresh-looking.

"So you live with Wei-san?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Sayoran said, shifting the grocery bags over his shoulder.

"Alone?" she asked.

Syaoran nodded.

"What about your parents?"

Syaoran struggled to hold back a sigh. What about his parents? "I don't really remember my father... And my mother..."

He paused, trying to reconcile with the reality that he'd just come to think of.

"... My mother is probably dead by now," Syaoran said. The thought hurt him much more than he thought it would, but he knew it was the truth. His mother had died a long time ago.

Sakura's face fell a bit, but she recovered quickly. "Probably? You mean you don't know for sure?"

Syaoran shook his head. "We got... separated. But I don't think it's possible that she's still alive."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, looking at the ground.

"Don't be," Syaoran said, looking at the same spot on the ground. "I'm just happy to be here. Besides, Wei took me in. Everything has worked out for the best, I think."

Sakura smiled and began to talk about happier things. Eventually they reached Sakura's house and she let Syaoran in.

"No one's home yet," Sakura explained as she turned on the lights in the living room. "Otou-san and Onii-chan are working late. That's why I had to make dinner."

Nothing had changed since Syaoran left. Even the remote control to the television was in the same place. Syaoran was a little shocked. For some reason, he had expected it to be drastically different.

Or maybe he had just hoped it would be. If it had been different, he might have been able to convince himself that this place really wasn't the same place he'd left. Seeing the house like this only reminded him of everything he'd given up. The thought made him a little bitter.

"I'll make some tea," Sakura said, leading Syaoran into the living room by the kitchen. "And you can watch TV or something while I get dinner ready."

"Can I help?" Syaoran asked. Even when she was inside her own house, he worried about her safety. Until he left for good, he wanted to be at her side during every waking moment.

"Guests aren't supposed to help make their own dinner," Sakura said, a playful tone in her voice. "It's bad manners for the hostess."

"But really..." Syaoran said. "I want to help."

Sakura stood there for a moment, then seemed to make a snap decision. "Okay. If you really don't mind..."

"I don't," Syaoran said firmly.

Sakura lead him into the kitchen. "Alright. Well, I guess you could get the water boiling and put the noodles in when it's done. While you do that, I'll cut the sausage for the sauce."

Sakura reached for a huge carving knife and panic washed over Syaoran. Flashes of all the horrible ways Sakura could get hurt with a knife ran through his mind almost simultaneously.

He dove in front the knife holder, blocking Sakura's way.

"Reed-kun..." she said, laughing. "I need to get a knife."

"Let me use the knife," Syaoran said insistently, his arms spread wide as if trying to keep a suicidal person from the roof's edge of a skyscraper. "You boil the water."

Sakura laughed nervously. "Um... Alright."

She moved to pull a pot out of the drawer under the stove. Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief and took the smallest knife from the holder. He got the sausage out from the grocery bag and walked to the far side of the kitchen— to get Sakura as far away from danger as possible.

Sakura chatted as they worked, telling Syaoran things about her family that he already knew. She told him stuff like what her father did for a living and where she moved from. Syaoran may have already known these things, but it just seemed more interesting when she talked about it.

He was so wrapped up in Sakura's one-sided conversation that he wasn't paying very much attention to where he was cutting. The knife slipped and caught Syaoran's index finger near the cuticle. He didn't feel much in the first few seconds, but then a stinging pain quickly wrapped around his finger and invaded the cut.

"Ow..." Syaoran said quietly.

"Something wrong?" Sakura asked suddenly. Obviously he hadn't been quiet enough. He could feel her coming over even though his back was to her.

"I'm fine," Syaoran said, going back to his business.

"No you're not!" Sakura exclaimed, grabbing Syaoran's hand. "You're bleeding."

"Huh?" Syaoran muttered, looking down. The cut on his finger was leaking a few drops of red that left a trail from the open cut in his finger to the tiny dots on the white counter.

Syaoran could only stare. Of all the things he never thought possible, the fact that he could bleed was a very high number on the list.

"Here, run it under the tap," Sakura said, guiding Syaoran to the sink.

The cold water helped to wash the sting away, as well as the unsettling trail of red. But as soon as the water stopped, more blood began to welt up under the wound.

Sakura got a rag out and gently dried his finger off.

"Hold this," Sakura said, gesturing to the rag. Syaoran obeyed. "I'll go get a bandage."

She ran out of the room and Syaoran lifted up the rag to watch the blood trickle from the cut and slide slowly to the pad of his finger.

He knew it was fake. All of it: the breathing, the exhaustion, even the bleeding. It was only a side effect that the full moon had on the elements that manifested his spirit on the physical plane. He wasn't human anymore than a scuba diver is a fish. A diver could breathe underwater and resist the ill effects of the pressure while submerged, but it was only temporary and fake. It was the same thing with his spirit, pretending it was human. Some time in the future, the effect would fade because the moon would fade... He knew it. In fact, he was counting on it. Only when he finally left this plane for good would Sakura be safe. That was the whole nature of the paradox that brought him here.

But as he watched the blood trickle down his finger, some selfish part of him hoped all this would be permanent. He could protect Sakura for the rest of her life... couldn't he? Was it too much to want to stay?

Hadn't he sacrificed enough already?

Sakura returned quickly with an open bandaid in her hand.

"Here," Sakura said, gently taking Syaoran's hand. She wrapped the bandage expertly around the cut. "Tell me if it gets too tight."

"It's fine," Syaoran said. He looked back at the work he'd abandoned. "I'm sorry I bled all over the food..."

Sakura giggled a little. "No it's okay," She paused for just a second, as if thinking seriously about her next sentence. "The blood proves you're alive."

Syaoran's head snapped up. She was wrong; it wasn't true, not for him. It just wasn't true. I couldn't be true. And yet...

And yet...

They both became aware of how close together they were standing, their stomachs almost touching. They were so close that they were breathing the same air. Sakura tilted her head upwards and Syaoran leaned forward, his body moving on its own...

"I'm home!" Touya's voice echoed like a gunshot from the hallway.

Suddenly Sakura and Syaoran were at opposite ends of the kitchen.

"Welcome back!" Sakura said, peeking around the corner. "How was work?"

"Fine. We were able to wrap up early," Touya said, still in the foyer. "What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti," Sakura said. "And I invited someone over tonight. You don't mind, right?"

"Daidouji again, huh?" Touya said, his voice getting closer.

"No, it's—" Sakura began.

"You!" Touya exclaimed, staring at Syaoran with wide eyes from the kitchen's entrance. His expression was one of confusion, suspicion, and contempt all at the same time. "I thought you left."

Syaoran resisted the urge to pull his arms across his chest. He had been interested to see what the brother's reaction to him would be, but he wasn't expecting something quite like this.

Sakura looked back and forth between the two, sensing the sudden hostility in the air. "Do you two... know each other?"

"Not really," Touya said.

"Not really," Syaoran said at the same instant.

They glared for a few tense moments before Touya seemed to let up and mentally back off.

"I thought for a second..." Touya said, glancing at the bandaid on Syaoran's finger. Then he shook his head briefly as if to clear it. "Sorry. I must've been mistaken."

A few more uncomfortable seconds passed before the mood finally lifted off the air. Well, more like it soaked into the air like a red stain into white carpet. The feeling was still there, only slightly diluted.

"I'm going to get some homework done before dinner," Touya said, turning toward the staircase. "Call me when it's ready."

"Sure," Sakura said, smiling as if she could wipe away the hostility in the air with cheerfulness.

Touya paused before climbing up the stairs. He turned to Syaoran. "Nice to meet you," he mumbled, almost as if he regretted his words before he said them.

"Nice to meet you too," Syaoran said in the same tone.

But by then Touya was halfway up the staircase.

Sakura turned around with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"Sorry," she said, her tone reassuring. "He's like that with just about everyone. Don't take it personally."

"I won't," Syaoran said, wiping up the mess on the counter and throwing the contaminated meat away.

The actual dinner, unlike Touya's introduction, was very pleasant. Fujitaka arrived right before dinner was served and more than made up for Touya's bad mood, greeting Syaoran warmly and making sure he stayed involved in the conversation. To his surprise, Syaoran wasn't asked too many hard questions beyond where he lived and who he lived with. Other than that, the inquires from an eager father were mostly surface-level things that were easy for Syaoran to answer or, in a few cases, fabricate.

One question, however, took Syaoran by surprise.

"What are your plans for the future?" Fujitaka asked, smiling. "Have any ideas?"

Syaoran was speechless and a little shocked by the question. He only had one real plan for the future: to have no future. And he couldn't possibly tell Fujitaka that. For some strange reason he desperately wanted Sakura's father to like him.

"No, I'm not really sure," Syaoran said, unconsciously playing with his food in a nervous way.

"Well, not many people your age are," Fujitaka said reassuringly. "Myself included. It wasn't until half-way through my junior year of college that I decided..."

Fujitaka talked on, but the innocent and mundane question continued to weigh heavily in the back of Syaoran's mind.

He did the best he could to ignore it, though. He reasoned that it was natural to have these kinds of disparaging thoughts when the day of his complete oblivion loomed ever closer. He wasn't so much afraid as he was... sad.

But what did he possibly have to be sad about? Sakura would finally be safe. That's all the mattered.

Yes. That's really all that mattered.

Really.

The meal ended with a round of chocolate cake. Syaoran could hardly taste his piece, though.

It must be nerves, Syaoran thought as he shoved another flavorless bite into his mouth. Stupid human body...

"My turn for dishes," Touya said unceremoniously, standing. He began to pick up the empty plates and walked briskly into the kitchen. He seemed eager to leave Syaoran's vicinity.

Syaoran stood too, looking at the time for effect. "I better get back. Thank you for the meal," he said to Fujitaka.

"Of course, Reed-san," Fujitaka said, smiling warmly. "You're welcome any time."

Syaoran thought he heard a deep groan from the kitchen.

Sakura stood up quickly as Syaoran headed for the door. "I'll walk you out."

A second groan, even more frustrated, drifted from the kitchen.

Syaoran headed outside with Sakura trailing close behind. The sun had set about an hour before, turning the brisk winter chill into a freezing mist. The distinct feeling of snow was dispersed almost threateningly in the crisp air. The two stopped on the stairs that lead off the porch.

"I hope you had a good time," Sakura said, vapor pouring from her mouth with every word. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"I did. Your dad's a nice guy," Syaoran said, not nearly as much vapor coming from him. "And the food was really good. You're a great cook."

Sakura flashed a flattered grin under the porch light. "Hey, you helped make it."

Syaoran couldn't help but smile. "But it wouldn't have been as good if you weren't there."

Sakura grinned wider. "Maybe you should come over more often."

"Yeah..." Syaoran said, looking at the window where the blinds were parted ever so slightly. "But I think some other people would probably rather I not."

Sakura followed his gaze to the window and the gap in the blinds quickly disappeared.

"Onii-chan!" Sakura yelled, her voice echoing down the quiet street. She turned back to Syaoran, a sour look still on her face. "Sorry about that. He always does that. He even listens to my phone calls!"

Syaoran laughed a little at Sakura's over-dramatization. She seemed to relax at the sound.

"I really better go," Syaoran said, walking down a couple steps. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Reed-kun," Sakura said cheerfully, waving.

The name resounded unpleasantly in Syaoran, as if he'd just gotten a bad taste in his mouth. The syllables reminded him of the Reed who had practically abandoned him not once, but twice. Besides, Syaoran wasn't a Reed. He was Syaoran. Period.

Sakura deserved to know that.

"Hey..." Syaoran said, turning back around. He was a few feet below Sakura on the steps so he had to look up at her. "I've never really liked the name Reed... Just call me Syaoran from now on, okay?"

Sakura looked a little shocked at the sudden request, but quickly recovered with a shy grin growing on her face.

"Okay. I'll call you Syaoran," Sakura said. The name send a wonderful chill down Syaoran's spine and into his stomach. He wished she'd say it a thousand times over. "...But only if you call me Sakura."

Syaoran froze and gulped. At the same time, he wondered why the hell he was feeling this way. It was just a name, after all.

"It's only fair that you should call me by my first name if I can call you by yours," Sakura said, smiling playfully. "It's a really easy name and I kind of like it. Sa-ku-ra."

There was a moment as Sakura looked on expectantly while Syaoran gathered the courage.

"S-sakura," Syaoran said hesitantly, hoping that he said it right. It felt like he was saying the words to some magic spell.

Sakura beamed. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

The pleasant little ripple washed over him again. He smiled shyly and walked reluctantly down the porch steps.

"Goodnight Syaoran-kun," Sakura said in a sing-song tone.

"Goodnight..." he paused again, as if delaying a wonderful thing. "Sakura."

He walked backward down the steps as Sakura waved goodbye to him from the porch. Rubbing her shoulders against the cold, she finally went back inside.

Only then did Syaoran feel like he could turn back around.

He formed the word "sakura" under his breath several more times for no reason.

He just liked the way it felt.

"Suppi-chan, you're just in time! I've finished it, finally. It's done!"

"Ruby Moon, this is..."

"It's perfect, isn't it? A masterpiece, if I do say so myself, which I most certainly do!"

"This can't be what it appears to be."

"Oh yes it is. Come on, say it's great. You know you wanna."

"Ruby Moon... This will destroy the world. It will kill everyone."

"Oh, don't exaggerate. We're talking about three-fourths of the population, tops."

"Th-three fourths!"

"Tops. I have faith in human ingenuity. They'll be able to stop it kills off too many to repopulate."

"No, Ruby Moon. This is massive overkill. I asked you to take care of a single human girl, not the entire planet!"

"You're exaggerating again, Suppi-chan. Besides, it's not overkill. You have no idea what I had to go through to take care of that one little human girl. Her will is like plated armor against my power as sticks and stones. Besides, Yue told me to go all out, so I'm going all out. I can't resist a challenge."

"Destroy that thing, Ruby Moon. There must be another way."

"No! I waited too long for this! Do you know how long it's been since I've had a chance like this? It's been nearly 700 years. 700 years! I'm seeing this through."

"It will all be on your head. They won't tolerate it."

"Yes they will. I'm only doing my job, trying to set the balance straight..."

"Setting the balance! You're destroying it—"

"...and I left a loophole. There's always a loophole. Yue saw to that. So just calm down."

"And just what are the odds that the loophole will be found and executed in time?"

"Just enough so that there's the glimmer of a hope. That's all that the regulations demand. See? I'm totally playing by the rules."

"You're not playing by the rules, Ruby Moon. You're playing with the rules."

"Same difference."