A/N: Only one more chapter to go. I'm kind of disappointed with the review count for the last two chapters. What happened guys? Is the story not good enough anymore? What's wrong? If it's got anything to do with the way I write or the direction everything seems to be heading, please feel free to let me know.

And now, I give you chapter 25.

Enjoy!

And don't forget to tell me how much you loved it or else…

He stayed by me the whole night and he was still there when I woke up the next morning. Holding my hand.

"You're still here." I smiled as I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of his cool yet warm fingers against my skin.

I promised I would be, Sakura. He answered.

Before I could say another word though, the door to my room opened and as I opened my eyes, Dr. Masooma's gentle face was the one I saw hovering next to my bed. And right next to her stood Syaoran.

"Good morning." She smiled at me, the slanting rays of sunlight pouring in through my window, falling on her hair made it shimmer like stars. "How are you feeling today?" she asked as she placed a thin glass tube in my mouth, a thermometer I remembered it was called.

"Good, you're fever is gone." She nodded, noting something down on the small writing pad she held in her hand, "but your dressings need to be changed. Syaoran, would you mind stepping outside for a while?" she asked him as she pressed a button next to my bed.

"No!" I immediately tightened my hold on his hand when he nodded and turned to leave.

"What's wrong Sakura?" the doctor asked me but it was Syaoran who I was staring at.

"Don't go." I cried frantically.

"This will only take ten minutes." Dr. Masooma assured me gently but I shook my head.

"No." I repeated myself, pushing myself up on weak limb as I tried to get out bed. I could hear the slight touch of panic in my desperate tone. "You promised you wouldn't go." He was leaving again.

"Sakura, relax," the raven-haired woman stopped me gently but I struggled against her as Syaoran's body began to dim and his hand started to melt in mine.

"No! Syaoran! Don't go!" I didn't understand. Why… Why was he leaving me?

Why didn't he want to be with me anymore?

Sakura, his image solidified a little bit, his fingers squeezing my hand, I'll always be here.

"No!" I could see him start to fade away. My heart raced beneath my ribs, the blood was pounding madly in my ears as my breath grew shorter and ragged. "You… You have to stay!" My eyes darted wildly as I tried to keep him with me but his arm just slipped through my fingers, like grain of sand or rivulets of water.

Sakura, I won't ever leave you. He tried to assure me but I knew it was a lie. He was leaving because he didn't love me anymore. He didn't want to be with the girl who let him die. You have to calm down.

Calm down? Calm down? I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to tear my hair out. Here he was, fading away, right before my eyes and he wanted me to calm down?

A small hysterical laugh bubbled from my mouth as I tried clutching at the thin air where Syaoran stood. His amber eyes were looking at me in alarm as rivulets of saltine water traced their now familiar path down my face. I was laughing and crying at the same time.

Why was he looking at me like that when he no longer cares for me? He was leaving me, wasn't he? Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dr. Masooma insert something into the IV bag hanging from my bedside but I couldn't bring myself to care. Moments later I found my eyes drifting close against my will.

"Syaoran…" moments before my world turned black I saw him fade from my sight completely.

-0-

The darkness engulfed me as her presence vanished in a burst of bright light.

She was truly gone.

And I

I was returning to the land of the living.

And let me tell you, returning to the land of the living hurt.

My whole body felt like someone had rolled boulders over it, my muscles ached and my head pounded. And it felt as if my bed was going round and round in circles.

"Oww…" I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. Instead of a stark white ceiling, I was met with a pair of bright emerald eyes. "Sakura?" I asked in surprise as the person hovering over my face stepped away.

"You know my name?" the woman who answered was most definitely not Sakura. Or at least the Sakura I knew and had traveled with. This girl, despite sharing the same color of eyes with my princess, did not have the light caramel-colored hair or the pretty, childlike, innocent face. Don't get me wrong, she was beautiful in her own way, but just not like my princess.

This woman had shoulder length, light pink-colored hair and rather broad forehead.

"Um, no. I thought you were someone I know." I shook my head and instantly regretted my action as a wave of nausea washed over me. "Ugh… I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"I highly doubt that," I had not even noticed Kurogane standing next to the woman. "Since you have not eaten anything in the past five days."

"The feeling will go away once your magic has somewhat replenished itself." The pink-haired woman told me. "I guess there is no point in asking how you are feeling. I'm Dr. Sakura Haruno by the way." She smiled as she shone a bright light in my right eye, "do you feel any sort of pain in your shoulder or chest?" she asked as the light moved to my other eye.

"No." I answered after a moment's concentration. The ache in my muscles was dulling and the pounding had subsided. Even the lightheaded feeling that had been causing me to feel sick was fading away.

"I see." She nodded before reaching with a hand and lifting the collar of my loose white shirt. Someone had changed my clothes while I had been unconscious. I looked around a little bit and realized that I was in a hospital room. That meant my spell had worked. She lightly touched the bandages wrapped around my shoulder with a frown before mumbling. "I thought his dressings were supposed to be changed yesterday." Moments later, the door opened and a nurse stepped inside.

Dr. Sakura turned to face the brunette with a scowl. "Why haven't the patient's dressings been changed?"

"They were changed just last night ma'am." The confused nurse answered.

"Then why the hell are they covered in blood?" she whirled around and lifted the collar of my shirt once more to peak at the dressing with a worried frown. "Get me a pair of scissor, some antiseptics and a fresh role of gauze."

"What in the…" Kurogane growled from his position slightly behind her as he peeked over her shoulder. The doctor had cut through the last of the bandages. I turned my head to see what had gotten him so surprised but all that I saw was pale, unblemished skin without a trace of even a scar. My shoulder looked fine to me.

Why were they acting like it was such a big deal? Wasn't it a good thing that I healed?

Wait a second. I looked back at my shoulder. It looked normal. No trace of a scar. No injury. Nothing at all.

Without hesitation, Dr. Sakura cut through the bloodied gauze wrapped around my torso and once again I saw whole, unmarked skin. My wounds had healed completely. But that would have been impossible for my weakened body to accomplish in only five days unless…

"Magic." Kurogane and I spoke at the same time.

"But you are not supposed to use any of that until you have recovered." The doctor put the scissors away as her scowl deepened still.

"Not mine." I shook my head, understanding what that feeling of warmth that had accompanied the burst of bright light had actually been. "I can't use healing magic."

Her hands were enveloped in a transparent sort of green-colored aura as she hovered them a couple of inches above my body. I had seen some healers use that technique back in Celes so I was not alarmed as I felt tendrils of her gentle magic snake their way into my body. She was just checking me over for internal injuries and stuff.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she retrieved her hands a minute later.

"Your muscles have repaired themselves completely and your magic seems to have replenished itself as well." She told me. "I'll have to run a few tests later and if all turns out okay, I think you can be discharged tomorrow."

"That's good to hear." I smiled despite myself. "Ne, Kuro-tan, where is Sakura-chan?" I looked over at the ghost of my red-eyed friend.

"The room next to yours." He answered gruffly.

"Kuro-tan?" Dr. Sakura repeated in confusion before a look of comprehension dawned on her face. "You mean Kurogane's spirit is in here?"

"Yes," I nodded as I pushed myself into a more comfortable sitting position. "Can't you see him?"

"No, unfortunately I do not share Dr. Masooma's or yours gift to see the departed." She shook her head.

"So Sakura-chan… Is she alright?" I asked feeling somewhat hesitant. What if my magic had not been enough? What if I had failed? What if… Stop it. I mentally berated myself. Didn't Kurogane just tell you she is in the next room? She wouldn't be there if she wasn't alive. "How is she?"

"She woke up a couple of days ago. She is in no immediate danger and her injuries are healing quite nicely." Dr Sakura told me as she gathered her things. "Now, you will excuse me. I will drop by in the afternoon to take you for the tests. In the meanwhile, if you need anything, press that red button over by your bedside to call a nurse. Have a nice day." And then she walked out the door with a graceful gait.

"How is Syaoran-kun doing?" I asked Kurogane once the doctor's footsteps had faded away.

"He'll make it out," he spoke as he sat down on the side of my bed. "It's the princess that has me worried."

"Why?" The alarm was clear in my tone.

"She's falling apart." He answered solemnly. "The kid… he did something to save her life."

"What? What did he do?" I couldn't handle all the suspense. What had happened while I was off in dreamland?

"His spiritual energy now supports her life." He answered bluntly, I could see him clench his fists by his sides but my mind went reeling as soon as those words reached my ears.

Supports her life

Her life

Sakura-chan had almost died. My skin turned cold and clammy as I realized just how close I had come to losing the only living person I cared about. She had almost crossed over to the spiritual plane.

But then the rest of Kurogane had told me registered in my mind.

Syaoran's spiritual energy supports her life. But that must mean.

"He doesn't have a lot of time left." The ghost of my friend spoke the words that I was forcing myself not to say.

"Does Sakura-chan know about this?" I asked quietly.

"No."

"And-"

"The kid knows though." He cut in. "And he refuses to tell her about it. He's hell-bent on staying by her side."

"He does love her." I whispered softly as if this was explanation enough for everything he did. As a matter of fact it was.

"I know." He sighed, "And he is just as much of an idiot as you."

"What do you mean?" I asked with feigned ignorance.

"You almost killed yourself." He growled, his crimson orbs burning with anger and, if I wasn't mistaken, worry.

"Almost." I smiled sadly.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother." He shook his head and looked away.

"Cuz that's what good daddies do." I teased him, hoping to lighten the mood. Even though his murderer was dead for sure, Kurogane was still hanging around. He was putting off having to move on to the other side till he was sure his small makeshift family would be alright. I wondered what was going on with Syaoran and Sakura right now.

I pressed the button that Dr. Sakura had told me about and only a minute later a red-haired nurse was poking her head though the door.

"Yes?" she asked as she stepped inside.

"I was wondering if I could perhaps visit my younger sister?" I asked with a charming smile plastered on my face; it was completely fake but she did not know that. "Dr. Sakura told that she is in the room next to mine." Actually, Kurogane had given me that piece of information but it was better if I told her that the doctor was the one who had shared that with me.

"I'll have to ask the doctor." She said as she stepped outside and let the door close behind her.

"What are you planning mage?" Kurogane growled as he observed me through narrowed eyes.

"I think it's time we had a little talk with Syaoran."

"You are allowed to visit her, but she is resting at the moment." The nurse announced as she came back inside. Kurogane grunted something unintelligible as he followed me and the nurse to Sakura's room.

Just like the nurse had said, she was sleeping but Syaoran was not by her side. I thanked the nurse and stepped inside, taking in a deep breath as I closed my eyes and opened up my mind. I could feel the faint wisplike remnants of Syaoran's spirit. Immediately I set to work, a complex set of symbols and commands running through my head as my magic emerged from the tips of my fingers in its corporeal from of Celesian runes.

The blue glowing characters whirled around the room, latching onto the dissipating wisps of Syaoran's aura that I had felt not moments before. The ribbons then spun closer and closer, tighter and faster until in a flash of pale blue light, Syaoran's slightly translucent form stood before us.

"Fai-san." He exclaimed, a look of utter surprise pasted on his see-through face.

"Hmm… need a bit more magic." I mumbled, once again performing the spell. This time, when the light faded, Syaoran was more solid. "That's much better." I nodded in satisfaction.

"Hello, Syaoran-kun."

A/N: There is a reason for the way Sakura is acting the way she is. I've tried to depict her mental state as accurately as I could. If you find something lacking do tell me.

How do you think she will act when she finds out what Syaoran is currently refusing to tell her? Given her current state of mind not very accepting, won't you agree?

So until next time.

-Nims.

PS: I got 151 reviews so far, can you help me reach my new goal of 175 before the end?

Oh yes, I'm quite greedy. ;) ;)