A / N : Since there seemed to be a general clamour for an epilogue, I decided to comply and write one. It's very short, mind you. I never intended it to end this way, but as open endings don't seem to suit everyone... Plus, I think I owe to you all to write a happy ending, since the first two chapters were kind of depressing (understatement of the century).

Hearty thanks to lunarianmaiden51, Midnight Rose (I'm honestly touched. I can't imagine what it would feel like, being a formerly blind person to read this. Thank you so much for your feedback!), donut, Reality Wish, mistress of death, Tropicalsun, Sara, Unknown Person, Emerald-Words, iceblue, s&s4eva, Angel of Happiness and lonelysis-2007

And on a final note: I'm sorry for making you guys cry! That was not my intention while writing this, I assure you! I mean, I know I was getting a bit sniffly while writing some parts, but...crying out loud?! I really don't know what to say...I'm speechless...

Anyway, on with the very short and conclusive epilogue (that was written in half an hour, so excuse it if it doesn't quite match the calibre of the first two chapters).

B-L-A-C-K

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e p i l o g u e

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Meiling got out of her car and stretched. It had been a long day, as usual. Running the school was always hard work, but in the end she always felt satisfied. Smiling softly to herself, she crossed the big lawns of the mansion she lived in and entered her home. She had found two good teachers for the school, more than enough to help her run classes and manage administration work.

She was on the way to break the news to her darling cousin when, suddenly, she spotted the corner of a small white envelope peeking out underneath the door to her room.

That's funny, she thought to herself, picking up the envelope. Who drops mail directly at my room?

Then her eyes caught the familiar handwriting on the envelope. Meiling, it read.

Oh... Her eyebrows furrowed as she recognized Syaoran's angular handwriting.

That man never ceases to confuse me, she thought to herself, shaking her head as she slit the envelope open. All thoughts vanished from her mind, however, as her eyes scanned across the painstakingly written letter.

Dear Meiling, it read.

You will be happy to know that the teacher is finally returning to the student after many long years. I must see to it that my student has finally come into the light and hope that she has not let go of the light of knowledge, whose brightness is greater than the light of all the stars in the sky combined. I remember the darkness of the void, and can never forget the crippling silence. My student needs my help, and I must ensure that all my previous efforts have not been in vain. The loss of an enlightened soul would be too much for my guilt to bear. Already I bear a burden of leaving my aptest pupil, breaking an unspoken promise. I promised her I would never give up on her, and I never will. Now I must return, and there is a very good chance I will not return from my life's work.

Convey my farewells to Mother, Fuutie and the rest of the elders. If possible, please explain to them the nature of my work, which they had always sneered at. There is no stigma in helping others, no malignity associated with aiding the less fortunate. In reaping no financial reward in this work, one bears fruit for the soul. There can be so much joy in living for others, and I hope the elders will come to understand that one day. Working with you was a pleasure, cousin, and I shall never forget you.

In seeking my own shadows, I face a future brighter than the light of sight. But I am not alone. Not now. Not ever.

Always yours,

Syaoran

Meiling's eyes widened as she rushed to her cousin's room. She opened the door and peered inside.

It was empty.

A giant grin slid across her face. Well, she thought, pleased, after ten years, the man finally catches on.

He was finally returning to her.

Meiling sighed, folding the letter in her hands.

Her next task: how to break the news to Yelan, Wei and the rest of the Elders...

Exactly one week after Sakura received her Ph. D., they gathered in the small church near the extensive Kinomoto residence. It was a small gathering, consisting of the Kinomoto family, Tomoyo and her family, Yamazaki and Chiharu, and a handful of people Sakura had met during her years of study. They were gathered outside, beneath the perfectly blue sky and the golden sun. The lawns were a perfect green, the stones a perfect white. Fountains nearby splayed the air with a delicate mist.

It was another perfect summer's day. It was perfect as Sakura, dressed in a white bridal gown, clung to her father's arm as they walked slowly down the aisle. It was perfect as Fujitaka Kinomoto held his daughter's hand and placed it gently into Syaoran's. It was perfect as the priest read their vows, Syaoran translating for Sakura, and finally made them man and wife.

It was perfect as, at long last, Syaoran lifted her veil and kissed his bride. Not as a student, not as a friend, but as his wife. As Mrs. Sakura Li.

It was the start of a new journey for the two of them. And, being the patient people they were, they savoured every moment they had together. From the moment they entered the small house Syaoran had bought in Tomoeda, they devoted themselves to the other. Sakura took some time getting used to thinking about her Teacher in the way she had always longed to, but as always, she welcomed change, and it welcomed her.

Syaoran's cousin Meiling came to visit soon after they married. She brought important news with her.

"There is a doctor back home," she said to them gravely one afternoon. "He is a surgeon, specialized in dealing with blindness, deafness, muteness..."

Her voice trailed off as she met Syaoran's eyes, as he translated for Sakura, as usual.

"He has never had an unsuccessful operation," she continued. "If you wanted, I could make an appointment with him for Sakura..."

At first they were hesitant. They didn't want to take the risk. Hong Kong was too far away. Syaoran didn't want to face the taunts of the Elders again, and Sakura didn't want to leave her family behind in Tomoeda.

But in the end, they agreed to it. And days after arriving in Hong Kong, Sakura underwent surgery. For hours, Syaoran waited anxiously outside the operation theatre. But then he recalled his own advice, that he had given to Sakura years ago. For the first time in years, he clung to faith, hope and perserverance to help him through the tersest wait of his life.

He remembered the darkness. He remembered being blind. He remembered that first intake of light, so painful and so intense, yet so beautiful. How could one describe light to someone who had never seen it? But Sakura had seen and had her light snatched from her...

The doors to the operation theatre opened, and the doctor came out, his expression carefully controlled. Syaoran took one look at him and feared for the worst. But those four words changed his life forever.

"The operation was successful," the doctor said with a kind smile. "You may go in and see your wife."

Syaoran rushed into the room, where Sakura lay asleep on the bed. And slowly, hesitantly, she came to. She opened her eyes, wincing at the brightness of the light that had been missing from her life for thirty-three years. But her eyes grew focused, and when she finally could keep them open, Syaoran's face was the first thing she saw. His voice, the first thing she heard.

Their happiness kept building as Sakura grew accustomed to using her eyes and her ears. She learned how to talk using her voice, and Syaoran loved the sound of her voice. He loved being able to talk to her and her being able to hear him. He also loved the way her eyes looked after her operation. They were still dazzling and still green as emeralds. But they were no longer empty. They saw him and he saw them.

Sakura couldn't believe that after her long years of struggle, she was no longer blind and deaf. The feeling of being made whole after being broken for so many years overwhelmed her. She met with Meiling and, after consultation with Syaoran, the two of them began work in Meiling's school again. Sakura's incredible story attracted more and more students in the school. And slowly, the school expanded.

Sakura and Syaoran decided to live in Hong Kong. They spent their days teaching the blind-deaf at Meiling's school. Sakura gave birth to a son a year after arriving in Hong Kong. Despite her age, the child was born healthy. Yelan and the Elders, despite themselves, couldn't help but acknowledge Sakura's role in the Li family. She had, after all, provided them with an heir.

In time, the Elders came to respect Syaoran's decision to abandon politics.

They gave control of the Li clan and party to Syaoran's elder sister Xiefa, and her husband.

It seemed that, at long last, Sakura and Syaoran were finally fated to live the life they had never even dreamed of living. They walked together, and their life was perfect. Not because they were granted an easy life void of obstacles and troubles, but because they were both adventurers who seized pain and joy with open arms.

Their life was perfect because they had each other.

And that was all they needed to make their lives luminous.

//end.

D i s c l a i m e r : I do not own CCS or the general plotline of Black (which is in turn a spin off Helen Keller...so we're all just spin-offs here, no suing!)

A / N : And that's the lastlastlast thing I'm writing for this fic. I gave it the Hollywood happy ending I never really planned on giving it, but all ends are tied. Sakura and Syaoran marry, have kids, return to Hong Kong, reconcile with his family, and Sakura gets her eyesight and hearing back.

If that's not enough to satisfy you all, I don't know what is... I think I just shattered the realism of the story here, but as they say: miracles do happen.

Notice that I took out Syaoran's letter from the last chapter and inserted it here. It seemed more fitting here in the epilogue than it did in the last chapter.

Anyway, don't forget to review! The preview from Literary is being posted tomorrow, so look out for that! There's already a short preview posted on my writing journal (the link to which is posted on my profile), so feel free to check that out.

Thank you all for making this fic come alive.

Cheers!

- Celestiana