AN: A short chapter today, but a lot happens.

Chapter 21: Restoration

Sakura woke in a great deal of pain. She had immediately tried to sit up and found her stomach burning indescribably before she had even opened her eyes. Both hands clenched and she felt a pair of hands squeeze back as she cried out in pain. She had been injured capturing Clow Card, and in training, but had never felt anything like this. There was a buzz, and Syaoran's voice spoke from her left, but she couldn't pay attention to his words. Another voice, female, sad. It was familiar but she didn't recognize it immediately. The sniffles and hiccups did not help in the recognition either. Then, her father's worried voice as her body spasmed from the pain, causing more pain to flood her system and drown out all other sensations.

A sudden coolness flooded into her arm, and her body relaxed against her will and her mind became fuzzier. She could still feel the pain, but it was like it was happening to someone else, so it didn't hurt her as much. She smiled as her body began to feel happier. She wanted to share this happiness. She opened her eyes and saw she shaggy brown hair of her love. She reached out and patted his head, giggling.

"Puppy!" She explained gleefully. His face flushed crimson. It was so cute. She grabbed his ears and pulled his face down into a sloppy, wet kiss which he happily reciprocated. It was fun to share happiness.

She turned her head and saw Tomoyo whose cheeks were stained with tears. If anyone needed happiness, it was her. Before Tomoyo could react, Sakura reached out and dragged her into a kiss as well. It wasn't quite as fun, and she struggled a bit, but she got happy too after a second... and very, very red.

"Tou-san!" Sakura pouted, holding out her arms like a little child. He looked really worried. She sat up and stretched her arms out towards her father even more. He bent over to give her the hug she was asking for. She practically leapt out of bed to wrap her arms around him, knocking his glasses askew. She couldn't reach his lips, but thought that maybe you could give people happiness through their noses. She planted a big sloppy kiss on his nose.

"Sakura, your stitches!" Syaoran called out in alarm.

A man in hospital scrubs pressed a button. More happiness surged through her, then she toppled back into bed, wondering why her stomach hurt before she fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

"Umm... What was that exactly?" Syaoran asked, glancing down at Sakura's dazed and happy expression as she began to drool.

"I'd like to know that as well," Fujitaka concurred as he took a tissue and gently cleaned the drool off of his daughter's face.

"A slight side-effect of the drug. Her fiancé has refused to allow the use of opiates to control the pain, and other drugs would likely cause kidney damage in the doses they would have to be taken in," the doctor explained. "Because of this, we've had to rely on lower strength pain relievers. She is currently taking an analgesic which is a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. But, at the current time, that is not enough to stem the pain of such a grievous wound. Without the use of opiates, we went with a slightly different tactic. We are using ketamine to induce a disassociative state. This allows her to ignore a great deal of her pain."

"Is this ketamine likely to cause any danger to her?" Syaoran asked.

"It has several side effects, which include confusion, hallucinations and euphoria. She may also experience nausea and other neurological symptoms. On her current dose, we will need to remove the ketamine within the week in order to prevent permanent effects." The doctor withdrew a needle from his pocket and drew out some of the ketamine solution from the bag hanging on a rack next to the bed that had a hose leading to a needle which was sticking into Sakura's forearm. "Try some, it looks like you could use it," the doctor announced, after jamming the needle into Syaoran's arm, depressing the plunger, "and stop raiding our supply cupboards."

Syaoran stared at the doctor in surprise. He had thought that no one had seen him. He was about to shout at the doctor, but decided that he really wasn't mad. In fact, he felt positively amazing. The symptoms from his withdrawal had almost completely disappeared. Those that were left seemed pretty irrelevant, especially when he compared it to the light that seemed to dance across Sakura's body like a golden corona. It shimmered up and down her body like flames and made her already incomparable beauty seem to radiate like a fire. He wanted to bask in that beautiful warmth. It seemed like there was a way, like a hole had opened up in his chest and he could just squeeze out and reach for her.

Sakura stood unclothed in a grassy meadow. Butterflies fluttered around her ankles, landing every so often on wild flowers to devour the delicious center within. Nearby, there was a peaceful knoll with a widely branching sakura tree that was covered in bright pink blossoms that danced gently under the influence of a gentle spring breeze.

At her feet lay a steep embankment that dipped into a peaceful stream that bubbled merrily around rocks that had been worn into smooth round stones. Then, further out, the rocks changed, becoming more pointed and jagged. The water crashed around them, dashing against them with dangerous force, slamming mercilessly against a wall of solid granite protuberances that agitated the already hostile water before fusing into becoming the opposite embankment.

On the other side, the sky was dark. Towering black clouds swirled as lightning lanced down upon the bare desert ground. Dust blew around, scraping away at the rocks and the single solitary tree which was little more than withered branches that shuddered under the onslaught.

In this horrific landscape stood Sakura, who looked jealously at the Sakura standing opposite her. Neither could cross, and the roar of the winds and waters prevented any words from crossing from one side to the other.

There was a sudden howl and both Sakura's looked up to see a fuzzy brown object dropping from the sky, tumbling towards the grassy knoll. Sakura ran, diving into the soft grass to catch the trembling puppy in her arms. It landed softly in her fingers. Its large, fuzzy paws, struggling comically for a foothold. It leapt forward, nuzzling her face with its shaggy brown head. Its shining amber eyes gazed lovingly at her as he began to lick all over Sakura's face. She giggled, and struggled, but was defenseless against the cuteness when its whole backside began to wag along with its tail. She picked the little wolf pup up and hugged it to her chest, rubbing her nose against his wet, black snout.

"Syaoran..." She whispered the pup's name.

"That's not what is supposed to happen!" the doctor cursed as he tried to revive Syaoran. The boy had just collapsed. He rushed over and felt Syaoran's pulse. It was slowing. His breathing was also getting shallower. "He shouldn't have had such a strong reaction with such a small dose!" He slammed the emergency button on Sakura's heart monitor. A siren wailed out a call for help and Doctors and nurses rushed in. "I need some adrenaline before his heart and lungs stop!"

Syaoran now took the time to look around. It took only a moment to come to his senses when he saw the dark landscape behind Sakura and her twin staring back jealously. Of course, falling from the sky into the arms of a naked Sakura in a paradisaical meadow was too good to be true. He tried to think of what was happening, but his senses seemed fuzzy, and being snuggled into Sakura's chest didn't help him concentrate. In fact, being in wolf form made it even more difficult because his wolf form was lead more by instinct than thought. He could still remember the harsh training he had received when learning how to control himself and channel magic in this form.

"I call upon the power of the moon, release me from cursed form that binds my soul and return my true self." His body expanded, the hair shrinking into his body. His bones creaked painfully as his form began to shift, but then it stopped. Sakura had wrapped her arms around him tightly and suffused him in the glow of her power. It shielded him from the source of his own magic somehow and it was just one more proof that this plain would not be found anywhere upon the earth.

Syaoran remembered the doctor stabbing him with the needle. He remembered feeling disconnected from his body and reaching for Sakura. It was the only possible explanation he could think of – he was inside of Sakura. This wasn't good. His mind was clearing and one fact sprung to the forefront of his mind. A body cannot live without a spirit. With training, a body could go without a spirit for as long a a few hours before it died, but that took many years of training to achieve.

"Sakura!" he yipped in an embarrassingly high-pitched voice. Why was he even a puppy? He should still have been a full-grown wolf.

"Puppy!" she replied with a laugh.

Syaoran knew this wasn't a good sign. Her brain was addled by the drugs, and in her mind, she controlled the world with her subconscious thoughts and desires. Syaoran steeled himself for what he had to do. If he had the choice of how he was going to die, this was certainly near the top of the list, but he was not going to abandon Sakura, even if he had to hurt her. With a halfhearted growl, he sank his fangs into her shoulder.

The world lurched. He felt like he was falling as everything swirled around. Then, he felt the impact of a knee into his very human crotch and stumbled backwards, clutching himself in pain. He managed to stop as his foot landed only halfway on the cliff above the jagged rocks and rapids.

"Sakura, wait," he said, keeping his hands positioned to protect his pride, "I didn't want to hurt you."

"You're just a dirty, rabid, mongrel, aren't you! I was treating you nicely, letting you cozy up to me like that, and in return, you bite me!" Lightning struck nearby, making Syaoran's hair stand on end.

"I had to! I'm not connected to my body, I'm going to die."

"Then die, you whimpering dog, and take your punishment like a man." Sakura seemed to hold no sympathy for him.

"I promise, I will submit to any punishment you think appropriate," Syaoran winced at the evil gleam that began to dance in her eyes as he said it, "After we get back into the real world."

Sakura sighed in resignation. "Fine, what do we have to do?"

Syaoran glanced around. There was no obvious exit to this place. The scar along the sky where cloud met azure seemed too unnatural and he realized that he might never find it in a broken mind. 'Think!' he screamed silently inside his head. He could feel himself beginning to get cold on the inside. He didn't like the feeling, it felt like he was losing himself, like death was whittling away at him from the inside. This would be so much easier if the world made sense. He needed to restore Sakura's mind.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Sakura demanded impatiently.

"Use the change card!" Syaoran replied frantically, "Switch me with her!" He pointed across towards the other Sakura. The cold feeling had spread to almost half of his body. He knew there was litle time left.

"In my mind, see any cards around?" Sakura snorted derisively.

"Just do it, please!" His fingertips were beginning to take on a greyish hue.

"Fine, but don't blame me if it doesn't work."

"Key of the star, reveal your true power to me. Your mistress commands you under the contract, release!" It seemed like an earthquake and gale struck at the same time. The sky darkened and golden radiance shone down upon both Sakuras. The light illuminating the dark Sakura held much more light than the flickering luminance across the water. Sakura looked rather pleased with herself as she began to chant the next incantation. "Change card, discard your former might and draw upon my power under the new contract!"

Syaoran felt like a horse had kicked him in the gut as he went flying. He passed through the other Sakura over the middle of the river before tumbling through the grass on the other side. The landscape was flickering. Staring back at where he had come from, he saw Sakura staring across at him in concern, only one Sakura. He tried to stand, but his legs and arms were completely numb. Then, he was falling as the solid ground beneath him disappeared. He fell and fell and fell for what seemed like forever, and then he burst out staring down at Sakura from above.

Syaoran looked around for his body. It, and the doctor were nowhere to be seen. The only one with Sakura now was Tomoyo. He knew that they must have moved him after his spirit left his body. He hovered there, hopelessly unable to move. The cold continued to consume his body. He thought that it was going to be the last time he saw her. "I'm sorry, Sakura," he said as the cold worked its way up his throat.

As he was about to resign himself to death, a strange thing happened. A sheep that seemed to be made only of lines the color of the night sky floated through the wall. It ignores him completely, floating happily along its path. When their bodies collided, the sheep did not even flinch, but Syaoran felt a tug pull him through the hospital and slam him forcefully back into his body.

Syaoran opened his eyes a crack. A mask with a bulb was pressed over his face, squeezing air into his lungs.

"Clear!" A voice called as the mask pulled away. He saw the metal pads of a defibrillator descending towards his chest. He reacted instantly, his hands lancing out to catch the doctor by the wrists.

"I don't think that will be necessary," he gasped as he began to draw breath. One of the nurses screamed and fainted. He wondered how many times they had shocked him before he had woken up. Would his spirit have survived as long if they had not been doing everything in their power to keep him alive? He glanced around, allowing the magic to seep into his vision. There was one bright pink aura that stretched to almost unimaginable size. It was almost twice as big as it had been since Sakura had been split. He grinned and fell back into his bed. He couldn't have been happier with the way things had turned out. Sakura was fine, and stronger than ever.