A/N: I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter so much. But my plunnies got out of hand again and I ended up writing an extra chapter in the end. But this one ties up a lot of loose ends making it easier for me to keep the epilogue short (could just be me but I think an epilogue has to be short ^_^; ) and sweet. Now then, go ahead and enjoy the bonus chapter ;)

"I don't have to fight anymore." The man repeated breathlessly, as though he could not believe those words.

"That's right." The ninja nodded, slowly pulling the axe from the man's suddenly-lax grip before beckoning the kid forward to help him support the magician's weight, "It's done. It's finally over."

"No!" Sakura heard the man gasp, struggling to get away from Kurogane and Syaoran's supporting grip even though it was obvious he was on the verge of collapsing. "We have to get to the main cavern! Fetch a healer," he cried as Syaoran lost his grip on the man, the latter's wild flailing causing Kurogane to drop him only a second later. The man refused to just fall down like he should have, though. He half-crawled, half-staggered past her. "There's still time."

"Oracle," Kurogane addressed the blood-covered man as he hurried after him, Syaoran gripping her hand to pull her along as he too followed after the duo. "Time for what?"

"Find a healer!" the Oracle groaned before he stumbled and crashed on the ground.

"Syaoran," she whispered shakily to her husband, "what's going on. Who is that? Why is he covered in blood? What is this place?" She had been dormant inside her original's body in the form of a feather all this time. She could only ever recall having caught fleeting glimpses of her husband through her original's eyes…except for that one time she had truly awoken long enough to feel his touch on her skin. She might have reacted a lot more impulsively then was appropriate, but… she had soon been pushed back into the dark, remaining oblivious to everything until a short while back when she had felt the magic weave through her very soul to build her this body she now possessed.

"That's Nixon-san," the brunette replied, "he's an old friend of Fai-san's from Celes. We're in the catacombs built underneath the city of Magihidusi. I'll explain everything to you later, okay?"

"We'll get there quicker if you let me help," Kurogane growled to the man as he forcefully pulled the latter's arm over his shoulder, supporting most of the weight of his body as he began to lead the way. "What's wrong? Why do you need a healer?"

"She's dying." was all he said. Although his words did not make sense to Sakura, it seemed the ninja had understood, for he hurried his pace.

"Don't worry, the princess is a healer and she's here with us. She'll help her."

She could see a brighter light up ahead near what appeared to be the opening of the tunnel. As she stepped over the threshold a few yards later, the sight that met her eyes could only be described as decimation. What was probably once a magnificent city built inside the giant cavern was now nothing more than a pile of crumbling rocks, embers dying in some places. Here and there she could see a solid structure having withstood the destruction, but most of the buildings were destroyed.

"Over there." Nixon pointed closer to the center of the city, a few yards to the right of pyramid-shaped building. "She's over there. Save her." he begged, leaning heavily on Kurogane for support.

"Come on," Syaoran tugged at her hand, snapping into action and pulling Sakura along as he raced to where the man had pointed, climbing up and down the ruins to take the shortest route there. Her chest was heaving from the exertion by the time the brunette stopped running. Their destination was stained a rustic crimson, five unmoving bodies- three men and two women- just lying there like marionettes with their strings cut off.

She took in the unmoving chests of the two men laying amongst the rubble, the big gaping hole in the chest of one woman- her expression frozen in surprise in death. A horrified gasp escaped her lips when her gaze zeroed in on the blood-bathed form of Fai.

"Fai-san!" she exclaimed, letting go of Syaoran's hand as she hurried towards the mage. Uncaring of the blood, she dropped on her knees beside the blond, checking for a pulse, letting out a relieved sigh when she found one thrumming strong right beneath the skin. "He's alive." She assured Syaoran, who was kneeling next to the last woman.

"But she's dying." He responded solemnly as he looked at Sakura.

"Please! Don't let her die!" she heard Nixon cry somewhere behind her. Nodding to her husband, Sakura scrambled closer to the woman, hurriedly taking note of her injuries: a stab wound in the shoulder, a shallow cut on the throat, maybe some internal injuries judging from the copious amounts of blood covering her mouth and a stab wound in the lower pelvic region. Deeming the last one to be the severest of the injuries, Sakura pressed her palms against the exposed flesh, goose bumps rising all over her body as her fingers felt the thick scars on the woman's skin.

Gathering magic in her palms, Sakura closed her eyes, concentrating on trying to save the life that was slipping through her grasp like water through cupped hands. She had no idea who this woman was or what had happened to her, but she knew she had to do what she could to save her life.

-0-

Syaoran let the heavy stone fall to the ground with a thud, feeling the vibrations in the soles of his feet as he wiped the sweat from his brow to take a look around. All around him, he could see the healthy survivors help move the rubble to a side cavern where the materials would be magically broken down for reuse as construction materials of the new city. He spotted Kurogane and Numero pushing a makeshift cart carrying a lot more debris towards the designated cave along the path they had cleared out. It was the third day since the Hunters had attacked, and while the first few hours after the magicians' victory were spent trying to find survivors and relocate them to a safer location in the catacombs below for healers to treat, some form of order had returned to the panicked population in the form of a surprisingly calm and level-headed Captain Numero aiding the two youngest council members in getting things under control.

It had taken quite a while for Sakura to stabilize the witch, but she managed to do it all the same. But the amount of blood loss in addition to the injuries Masooma had sustained and the amount of magic that she had lost-Sakura had told them later on-was enough to put the witch in a coma until her magic could restore itself. No one was sure how long that might take.

Nixon, unfortunately, had collapsed as soon as he had gotten close enough to Masooma with Kurogane's support. It was obvious that even his determination to be by her side was not enough to overcome the need for his body to recuperate. Luckily for the blind man, his injuries had not been very severe and he was back on his feet in only twelve hours' time. Immediately after, he had gone off to help the council members with various problems that had arisen in the wake of the attack, stopping only long enough to get an update on the witch's condition. Syaoran had no doubts that at the current rate, the Oracle would be back in the ward for a case of over-exhaustion.

When one of the magicians came up to relieve him at the end of his shift, Syaoran thanked the man with a tiny nod as he picked up his discarded shirt from the spot he had left it. Pulling it on, he began making his way towards the catacombs. The extensive labyrinth of tunnels and caverns had been turned into a makeshift living area for all the survivors, including five treatment wards for the injured. A separate cavern quite a ways away from the city had been designated as the holding cell for the captured hunters. The council members along with Nixon had been having discussions to come up with the best possible solution to deal with that particular problem. Syaoran and his friends had been invited by the Oracle to attend that night's meeting to decide on how to best deal with the issue of security of Magihidusi now that its location had been compromised.

But that was an issue they would all have to think about later, Syaoran decided as he walked along the sloping tunnels. Shadows danced across the walls from the magical fires that had been conjured to light the way for all those coming and going from the surface of the city. Syaoran stopped at the opening of one of the casualty wards, running a hand through his hair as he tried to decide whether or not to enter. It was a strange ritual that he had come to performing every single time he came to this particular cave in the past three days. He always faltered right at this spot, indecisive on whether to step inside or turn on his heels and never return. And it wasn't because of Tsubasa being in that ward, either. No, there was someone else in there that he couldn't quite bring himself to face. And the most frustrating part of the entire deal was that he didn't even know why. Shaking his head after nearly five minutes spent in that spot in contemplation, the brunette decided to step inside.

-0-

Her hand remained slightly cold in his grip, even though he had been holding on to it for nearly half a day now, watching the slow, unchanging rise and fall of her chest. Sterile white gauze was wrapped around her throat, disappearing beneath the collar of her rust-colored shirt and peeking out from underneath torn sleeves along her arms. More bandages were wrapped around her stomach and legs, though his gaze was continually drawn towards her expressionless face, parted lips dry and cracked. Unevenly-cut hair spilled out on the pillow beneath her head like a dark halo, further highlighting the paleness of her skin. Resting his chin on his arm folded over the mattress, he kept staring at her unchanging, expressionless face, silently praying to gods he had longed stopped believing in to return her to him. But like every other moment in his life when he had dared to pray to them, they did not listen.

He did not know how long he stayed that way, but hearing a familiar voice call his name, he straightened up, blinking slowly. He inwardly frowned at the slight sting as his dry eyes got the much-needed moisture.

"How is she?" Nixon asked from where he stood near the foot of her bed. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, exhaustion making him appear older than he was, dark circles underlining his eyes. This was the first Fai had seen of the man since that time in the ruins of Magihidusi and it was quite obvious the Oracle was over-working himself, but the blond knew the other man would refuse to listen if he were to tell the latter to rest for a bit. So the magician decided on answering the question he was asked instead.

"Same as she has been up until now." He squeezed her hand lightly, feeling disappointed when she gave no response whatsoever.

"No change then?" the Oracle inquired softly.

"None." He replied, watching as the other man's shoulders hunched just a little. "The healers have no idea when she might wake up." he added, "They're trying to do what they can for her, but…" he trailed off, unable to voice what he had been told. He still had a hard time wrapping his own mind around the thought of her never waking up. How could he voice it and make it even more real of a possibility?

"Are you going to stay now?" Nixon finally asked when he deemed he had let Fai brood for long enough.

"The journey is finally over." He said, "Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan have their bodies back."

"I know about them." The man said a little impatiently, "I asked if you had decided on staying or not."

"Masooma can't leave, can she?" he questioned in return.

"The bond of Guardian still binds her to this city. She wouldn't be able to stay away for long."

"I made her leave once before," Fai admitted quietly, "I did it for her own safety, but I also did it because I still had things that needed doing and I couldn't afford to be distracted from them. Not to mention, I didn't feel worthy of having something like that."

"But it's all changed now." The Oracle nodded.

"I'm not sorry that we fell in love," the blond said as he returned his gaze to the witch's face, "but I am sorry that you had to suffer so much because of it."

"Don't be." Nixon said sharply as he turned on his heels and started walking away, "I don't need your pity."

Fai watched him go with a sad frown, waiting until the Oracle had left the cave to return to his initial position to continue staring at Masooma's face for the smallest sign of a change.

-0-

Tsubasa struggled to get into a sitting position without disturbing Mokona who slept peacefully, cuddled up to his side. It took a little more effort than should have been necessary, but he was glad he was not panting by the end of it. He looked around the ward, noting the slowly dwindling numbers of patients that still remained bedridden with serious injuries while the less-serious cases were discharged to help with the rebuilding effort. The cave he was currently in was one of five that had been transformed into a temporary infirmary, makeshift cots lining the length of the cave in two neat lines, conjured curtains suspended between every bed, with some of them drawn to give the injured just a little bit of privacy.

Two beds to his right, he could see Fai's hunched form seated next to a comatose Masooma. He felt a twinge of sadness in his heart when he took in the sight of the woman who had helped him regain so much of what he had lost. He only hoped she would wake up soon, Fai had yet to leave her side, after all. The mage had had an argument with Kurogane the previous day about the disadvantages of remaining by her side.

Tsubasa had been pretending to be asleep at the time because he had not felt like he was ready to face his mentor, or anyone else apart from his father, though due to a shortage of healers, his mother had taken over the task of his healing. He was grateful that she had not tried to force him into a conversation, giving him time to approach them all of his own accord. Sakura had come to visit him too, but just like the time with Kurogane, he had feigned sleep. Like his mother, she was helping the healers, even though after having spent so much of her magic she was still recuperating herself. He had found this out from his father when the man had come to see him that afternoon.

He noticed Kurogane enter the cave out of the corner of his eye and hurriedly lowered his head, refusing to look. It would be too conspicuous to suddenly lie down and pretend to be asleep, so he decided on the tactic of playing ignorant. Just to give himself something to do, he picked up Mokona and placed it in his lap, slowly patting its sleeping head.

Kurogane stopped at the foot of his bed for a moment. Without even looking up, he knew the man was staring at him. He could feel his eyes on him but he refused to look up. He knew that Kurogane could tell that Tsubasa was ignoring him, but instead of saying something, the man merely heaved a sigh and resumed walking. Tilting his head just a little, he saw the man approach Fai with a tray of foods. Fai sat up, looking at the ninja with the tiniest of smiles as he accepted the food. Kurogane did not sit next to the magician until the blond had actually begun to eat. He could catch snippets of conversation from them but it wasn't enough for him to make out what was being said.

He remembered the way the two had yelled at each other the previous day, the fight nearly getting physical until one of the healers had intervened and told the ninja to leave for the fear of disturbing the patients. The ninja had returned that night with food for the blond, just like he had come twice today already. If it wasn't for Kurogane, Tsubasa was sure Fai would have starved himself rather than leave Masooma's side for even a heartbeat. The conversation was decidedly more polite and a little formal if the looks on both the adults' faces were anything to go by. All too soon, Kurogane was getting back to his feet and taking the empty tray from Fai and… he had seen Tsubasa watching them talk. Dread clenched its burning claws around his heart as the man began to walk purposefully towards him.

-0-

The kid looked like a deer being confronted by a hunter as Kurogane strode towards him, but he refused to leave him alone now. He had given the kid space for long enough. He couldn't stand the fear that still showed up on his face whenever he looked at Kurogane, only to be replaced by guilt whenever the kid looked away. He could tell the kid was ashamed of his fear of them and though he did not blame the brunette for his fear, he couldn't let this thing continue any longer. Despite it being finally over, their little family was still falling apart at the seams. The mage refused to leave the witch's side, the kid refused to talk to anyone but his father and the princesses were both overworking themselves just to keep from thinking about it all. The Oracle, too, had thrown himself into work and Kurogane wasn't quite sure what he was doing to cope with it all. He was trying to go on with life as usual, but… it was just a little frustrating that even though it was all over and a lot of things had changed, there was still much that was just the same.

Stopping at the foot of the kid's bed, he looked at the boy who once again guiltily averted his gaze. Refusing to let the avoidance get to him, he spoke. "How are you feeling now?"

The brunette looked up, surprise flickering across his face as though he had not actually expected Kurogane to speak to him, mouth opening and closing like a fish for nearly a minute before he cleared his throat and responded in a hoarse voice. "I-I'm much better." Silence hung between the two for nearly an eternity before the kid cleared his throat once more. "H-How… How have you been, Kurogane-san?"

He knew saying that he was fine would be a total lie in light of the bruises that decorated half his face and the wires poking out of his artificial arm, all trophies of his fight with the Shaman, so he decided to go with a milder version of the truth. There was no point in outlining all his injuries for the boy anyways. "I'm okay, I've been through worse." which wasn't that much of a lie after all. The worst injury that he had ever received was the one he had inflicted upon himself when he cut off his own arm to save the mage. Compared to that, this fight had been nothing.

"I see…" Tsubasa nodded, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt for a little bit as he seemed to struggle with something, "Fai-san looks better." the kid finally said. Looking in the direction he had come from, he saw the blond once again resting his head on the mattress right next to the witch's face. "He's not…" the brunette trailed off uncomfortably, "he became that way because of me…when you came to rescue me, he…got caught. I remember it all now…" The kid admitted hesitantly, "I'm glad he's better."

"The shaman healed him." He responded gruffly.

"What about Masooma-san?" he asked quietly, "Is she going to be okay?"

"She got pretty banged up," he answered, feeling a little unsure about how much to tell the kid, "She lost a lot of blood, but your mother fixed her up quite well."

"Then why isn't she waking up?" there was a hint of challenge in the brunette's tone, letting Kurogane know that he was aware of the omission.

"Her magic got taken away from her."

"Will she be alright?"

"I hope so." The silence that prevailed between them was uncomfortable, but Kurogane had nothing more to say to break the silence. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Kurogane stepped away, "The Oracle called everyone for a meeting, so I guess I'm going to go. Take care of yourself, okay kid?"

-0-

Sakura tiptoed into the cave, carefully making her way through the beds till she reached Tsubasa's. He was fast asleep, eyes closed and lips parted just a little as he snored softly. Two beds down, Fai had his head buried in the mattress next to Masooma. Looking around, she noticed all the other patients were asleep as well. Runic spells glowed above some of the patients, possibly to monitor their condition, she guessed from the unchanging symbols floating above Masooma's bed. It crushed her heart to see those two like that. Fai deserved to be happy too. He had endured enough bad things already. But every passing moment that the witch did not wake was another moment that brought the witch closer to being brain dead. Syaoran's mother had done what she could to stabilize her condition, but it would seem that had not been enough. What would Fai do if she never woke up? Would he just waste away by her bedside?

Shaking her head, she sent a small prayer to help speed up the witch's recovery before turning her attention to Tsubasa. He looked peaceful as he lay there, unbothered by the worries that plagued them all in the waking world. She had not been able to come visit him up until now, because Kurogane had mentioned that he pretended to be asleep every time the ninja had come. What if he pretended to be asleep when she came to see him too? At least right now, she knew he wasn't avoiding her. He truly was asleep. Settling down onto the mattress next to his arm she continued looking at him, drinking in the sight of his face as she reached out with trembling fingers to brush a few hairs away.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you till now," she murmured, caressing the side of his face, feeling her heart flutter when he leaned into her touch. "But I've been helping out your mother and the other healers. I'm not really able to do anything major because your mother has forbidden me from depleting my magic any further. Your father and Kurogane-san support her wholeheartedly in that decision. Kurogane-san thinks I'm overworking myself…" she chuckled softly, "Funny thing is, when I'm working, I can focus on the tasks at hand. I don't have to think at all. So even though Kurogane-san keeps on threatening to chain me to a bed if I work late one more night, I still do."

Smiling a sad smile she continued, "I wish I could work up the courage to talk to you again, but the truth is, I'm scared. I'm scared to look into your eyes and still see some of that fear and hate lurking in there somewhere." She was surprised to taste salt on her lips. She wasn't even aware of when she had begun to cry. "I'm really not strong enough to withstand that. I know you know the truth now, but…what if, what if you can't separate me from the person who hurt you?"

She nearly jumped off the bed when Tsubasa's fingers sought her hand, twining their fingers together just the way they used to. Squeezing her hand just a little, he opened his eyes, meeting her gaze for the first time. All she could do was inhale sharply as she stared into his amber eyes.

"You're not going to give up on me, are you?" he said hoarsely.

She choked on a sob, unable to stop the tears that now trailed down her cheeks in a steady stream.

"Don't cry, please," he reached out with his other hand to wipe them away but they just kept on coming.

"I'm sorry…I just…can't stop." She replied, offering him a wet smile. Throwing caution to the wind, she flung her arms around his neck, sobbing openly into his chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Tsubasa. I wasn't able to help you. I was too weak. I wasn't strong enough for you. I'm so sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault," he murmured, his calloused fingers petting her hair in a soothing motion as she breathed in his familiar scent, even if it was severely overpowered by the smell of antiseptics and healing salves. "Shhh…it's okay, it wasn't your fault. I…I don't blame you anymore."

"It broke me every time you told me you hated me," she cried, unable to stop the dam now that it had burst, "every time you refused my help, turned me away…but I always picked up the pieces and put myself together. I always returned, only to be crushed and beaten all over again. But I kept coming back. Again, and again and…I just couldn't stop. I loved you too much for that. No, I love you too much for that…but I'm not sure if I have the strength to put myself together again if you push me away. Don't do that to me again. Please don't do that to me…"

"I won't. I promise." His arms returned her embrace, "I know it wasn't you. I'm so sorry for all the pain I put you through. You did not deserve any of it, but I was just so…confused and lost and hurt…I couldn't help but lash out at you. At all of you. I'm so sorry for that. I wish I could take it all back now. I…I nearly made you kill yourself and you're telling me you still love me?"

"I don't know how to stop loving you." She replied helplessly, pushing away to meet his gaze again, "I can't stop loving you."

"Would it be selfish of me if I said I'm glad?" he whispered, causing her to laugh despite her tears, "because the truth is… I couldn't stop loving you either."

And then, taking her completely by surprise, he pulled her down again, crashing his lips against hers in a kiss that took her breath away.

-0-

Time went by and things began to fall into place. Thanks to some clever intimidation involving Nixon, Kurogane, Syaoran, Sakura, the original Sakura, Numero and the younger council members cornering the leader of Metropolis in his own territory, they had managed to get a binding agreement out of the bastard about the safety of Magihidusi. It had taken a lot of magic and skill to pull the whole deal off but the city was once again a safe haven for the magi. Nixon seemed to have run out of things to do and usable excuses to avoid seeing the others. It had been three weeks since the attack and Masooma had not shown any signs of improvement. It was worrying that although thankfully her condition had not declined, it had not made any changes in the positive direction either. The healers were now worried she might never wake up and…Nixon had not been willing to try and see into the future to know what would happen. He was afraid of the healers being right.

So he pushed it all away, just like Fai had pushed away thoughts of his time spent in captivity. The blond, he had been told, still had not moved from her side during all this time. There even had been a rather major fight between him and his companion over that subject, even though the ninja kept on grudgingly bringing the blond all his meals in the ward. The original Sakura was a lot more cheerful now that she and Tsubasa had finally made up, the clones were adjusting to living out their lives in their new bodies and they city was once again slowly regaining its former splendor. The ninja was helping with the patrols and…everything was becoming normal again. Just the way it used to be. All except…him and them. He tried not to think about what would happen when she woke up. She and Fai would probably pick it all up again and…he'd be left as the third wheel to tag along.

But he didn't want to be the third wheel. He knew now that she could never be his. She never was for, that matter, and he had only just come to realize it now. He couldn't really stay here anymore, not when Fai was there to stay with her. There was no need of him anymore, but he wasn't ready to leave just yet. He still wanted to say goodbye to them. Maybe there was someone out there for him, too. And even if there wasn't, there was still a lot more to life than to pine away after a love he couldn't have. He wondered if he would be able to hitch a ride with Mokona when the dimension travelers left. He could always travel by himself, but it was better when one had company.

-0-

Darkness was all she could find. It was all she had known for so long. No voices, no light, nothing but darkness. It was a void she couldn't crawl out of because her body was weak, unable to help her crossover into the real world. And the longer she stayed the more she felt herself become a part of the nothingness that surrounded her. She knew she had to find a way out, find a way to go back, but she just wasn't strong enough. She did not have the strength. She was too weak. So she stayed there in the void, letting it erode pieces of her with every passing moment. All too soon there would be nothing left of her and she would be one with the nothingness. Giving in to the blissful ignorance, she sank and sank and sank until she hit the very bottom. And then a burning fire lit up the sky of the nothingness, voices entered her world and the void became a non-void.

But despite the light, she couldn't wake up. Couldn't open her weighed-down eyes, couldn't move. Couldn't talk. Couldn't do anything at all. But she could feel him, holding on to her and refusing to let go, gently pulling her, guiding her towards the light. Sometimes she would hear a familiar voice whisper words to her, sometimes she would feel the warmth of someone holding her hand and sometimes, she could almost see. But it was never enough for her to completely pull herself out of the void. So there she remained hanging, not quite dead, but not quite alive, either.

"How long are you going to make me wait, Masooma?" his voice stirred her out of the hazy non-existence she now was a part of, "I know it wasn't fair of me to have sent you away like that, but you're not really going to make me wait for that long, are you?"

She wanted to tell him that she didn't want to make him wait, but…she couldn't wake up. She was stuck and…there was nothing she could do. Slowly his voice faded away to become part of the background noise that now filled the world, leaving her to drift back into the emptiness.

"Won't you wake up? For me?" She wanted to! She did want to wake up but she couldn't. She was stuck. There was more white noise and she was lost once again.

"That's the fifth time Kuro-tan has tried to haul me out of the ward, you know. Of course he couldn't move me in the end because I'm not leaving until you wake up." He was speaking again. She wanted so badly to go to him but what could she do? She was still stuck, "Sakura fears my muscles will atrophy from the lack of use but I guess we could both go through recovery together when you wake up."

White noise in the empty world she was in. She longed to speak to him the way he spoke to her, hold his hand the way he held hers, comfort him the way he comforted her but her body was frozen, her lips glued shut. What could she do? What could she do? He was waiting for her. She had to get back. Find a way out. Find some way to go to him. If only she could move. If only she could speak. Maybe it had been hard because she had not wanted it enough? It was easier to remain here than it was to go back because she knew there would be pain and sadness there but here there was nothing, no worries, no sadness, no pain. But…didn't he deserve that she make an effort?

"It's been a month now, Masooma. Tsubasa-kun has recovered enough to be discharged from the infirmary but he's been coming to visit you too. He wants to thank you for what you did for him, but he says he'll say it to you when you're awake. Are you going to keep us waiting?"

She didn't. She didn't want to keep anyone waiting. She wanted to go back. Even if there was pain and sadness waiting for her, there were good things there as well. There was love and happiness and…him. Surely he was worth it. She had to try. She tried moving but after having been frozen for so long, she only managed the smallest twitch of her finger.

"M-Masooma?" She couldn't speak yet, but…she could still show him she had heard him, couldn't she? She tried again but still got nothing more than a twitch. "You…You moved!" she heard him laugh as a tiny flare of magic disturbed the air around her for the briefest of moments, "Sakura-chan, Tsubasa-chan! She moved!" He was happy. She wanted to make him even happier but her strength was fading fast. She was lost back in the void but at least she knew now. She could do it. She just had to try again.

It took countless tries and numerous failures, but finally came the day when she was able to force her eyes to open and her lips to part. Bloodshot blue eyes looked down at her with the biggest grin plastered on their owner's face that she had ever seen.

"H-Hey…" she croaked hoarsely, a small smile of her own pulling her mouth upwards even as exhaustion slammed into her with the force of a ton of bricks. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"Hey." Fai grinned back before pulling her into a tight embrace, "Welcome back."

A/N: And they all lived happily ever after~

End of story. *dodges a bullet* okay okay, not the end of the story. There's still the epilogue left so leave lots of reviews and help the plunnies breed and write because I'm kinda stuck… ^_^;