Chapter Text
Sakura watched quietly from Syaoran’s slightly opened study door as he worked silently on the stack of paperwork that towered over his desk. Ever since Syaoran’s father, King Fujitaka, had passed away, the work that Syaoran had to complete to run the Kingdom of Clow has steadily increased. And the time he spent with Sakura was limited only to meals and when he occasionally took breaks. I wish he would put that pen down and spend the day with me. Sakura thought sadly as she continued her peeping.
“Ahem” Sakura jumped at the unexpected sound as she whirled around to come face to face with Yukito and her older brother Touya. “Sakura, if you want to check up on the King, I am sure he would allow you to enter.” Yukito said with a slight tilt to his ash blond head.
“I-I just wanted to see him is all…” An embarrassed red flush crept up her face. “I don’t want to bother him while he’s working.” At this Yukito looked down at her with an empathic stare that made her face burn more as she squirmed.
“You know the kid hasn’t been handling the death of King Fujitaka too well.” Sakura glared up at Touya as he spoke. He is not a kid! She screamed through her glare but he just continued talking, ignoring her. “He has just been overworking himself ever since.”
“Hmmm… I think you're right, maybe a day to relax would be good. After all, we can't have our young King falling ill.” At this, Sakura's eyes widened into sparkling pools of jade.
“Really!” She asked exuberantly. “He can really take the day off!”
“Yes. I will take care of his work for the day, I am his advisor after all.” Touya scoffed as Sakura’s eyes widened more from the promise of a day with Syaoran.
It bothered him that his sister was so attached to Syaoran ever since they met seven years ago, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was about the kid that bothered him. He was always nice and respectful to Sakura and Touya knew that he would never intentionally hurt his younger sister, but he was still unnerved by him. As Touya watched Sakura throw open the door to the King’s study he couldn’t help but smile at his younger sister’s enthusiasm.
The study was a mess. Books and papers were piled high on every surface looking as if, if one were to breathe too closely, it would blow over the precariously stacked material. Sitting at his desk in the middle of it all was Syaoran studying a document closely. In fact, he was studying the document so closely he failed to realize that three people had entered the room.
He sat there reading silently, eyebrows hitched together creating a little divot in between and rubbed his temple trying to come up with a solution to the slowly dwindling water supply in Clow, until he heard a light cough from above his head. He looked up to find Sakura beaming down at him with sparkling eyes. It took all his strength not to jump and spill his paperwork from his cluttered desk.
“Sakura!” He almost screamed. “How long have you been there!” She backed away so that he could see his Knight Touya and his Royal Advisor Yukito standing behind her.
She clasped her hands behind her back and practically sang her reply. “Long enough to know that you need a break.” At this Syaoran’s eyes widened almost matching Sakura’s.
“No, I can’t take a break now. I still have a lot to do before the day is through.” He said while waving his hands frantically. Sakura slumped slightly as she looked behind her to Yukito with pleading eyes.
Taking this as his cue to speak, Yukito stepped forward. “Your Majesty it is important to let yourself rest frequently so that you do not ruin your health.” When Syaoran looked like he was about to counter his argument he continued speaking more sternly. “What would happen if you were to fall ill? How would the kingdom function without its King?” Syaoran’s head dropped and he looked at his hands lying on his desk. “Now, why don’t you go and spend the day with Sakura here? She has been very lonely as of late.” Yukito looked down to the girl with a gentle smile before returning his gaze to Syaoran.
Syaoran looked up to Yukito and then to Sakura’s lightly blushing face. Then his eyes set in some unknown determination. “Alright, I can spend the rest of the day with you Sakura.” And again her eyes lit up in happiness. “I would like to check how the town is fairing.” He stood stretching out his limbs and walked to where his cloak hung. He flung his cloak over his shoulders in one fluid motion then walked over to Sakura.
“Shall we go check on the kingdom?” He said, holding out his hand for her to take, a light smile playing on his lips.
She nodded her head and smiled brightly at him taking his hand. “Come on Syao!” And then she was running and pulling him along with her down the halls of the palace.
“They sure are happy.” Touya said with a little scowl placed on his lips.
“Well they are each other’s chosen one.” Yukito said this with a small smile but seconds later it was gone. “Though they will have a lot of trials to get through before they can truly be happy.”
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Syaoran pulled the gold and green hood of his cloak over his head to shield his face from the hot desert sun. It had been a while since he had come outside of the palace walls and since he felt the sun beat on his skin. He missed the days when he and Sakura would explore the town, running in-between the dome houses and examining each stall in the market. Every time Sakura would go to a stall she would be given gifts from the people who owned them. She is beloved by all the people in Clow and even now as she stares longingly at this season's harvest of apples the owner gives her a basket full.
“Thank you!” She beams at the older woman as she is handed the basket of bright green apples.
“Your welcome Sakura.” The woman smiles as she speaks. “And your majesty is welcomed to anything you would like.” She turns that same smile towards Syaoran.
“No thank you, but your kindness is greatly appreciated.” Syaoran bows slightly to the woman and she blushes.
“Oh but it’s not every day that I get to see the King in person. Please take this as a gift for taking care of the kingdom.” Syaoran takes the offering of apples and bows once more.
“Thank you.” He says earnestly and they stand to leave.
“Please come anytime!” The woman waves at them as they walk to the end of the market and through the town.
“Everything seems to be going well.” Syaoran says as they make their way to the end of town.
“Everyone seems so happy.” As he spoke he looked ahead, eyes swirling in a mix of happiness and sorrow.
“Of course they are Syaoran.” Sakura’s words drew Syaoran’s attention. “After all they have such a great King to look after Clow’s future.” Sakura watched as Syaoran’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears and he smiled slightly.
“Thank you Sakura.” When Syaoran spoke so sincerely it always made Sakura’s heart flutter in ways that nothing else could.
“Oh, look!” Sakura’s eyes were on the rock formation that they used to play on as children, then she was running off to climb to the top. Syaoran followed and soon they were at the top breathing heavily while giggling. Exhausted, they lay beneath the evening sky enjoying each other’s company.
Sakura was the first to break the comfortable silence that had enveloped them. “It’s been such a long time since we’ve had fun like that.”
“Yeah.” Syaoran simply said, staring off into the distance at the wing shaped ruins. “I miss running around like we used to.”
Tracing Syaoran’s line of sight, Sakura gazed at the ruins that Syaoran’s father had personally excavated. Even now men were working hard to finish the late Kings work. “Do you miss him?” Sakura said without thinking.
“Everyday.” Syaoran said without bristling at Sakura’s bluntness. “I kind of wish I had time to continue the work we started together.” He said this with longing in his warm brown eyes.
“I don’t know how he was able to manage running the kingdom and unearthing those massive ruins. It’s amazing.” Sakura said and it was genuine. King Fujitaka had made time for everything and everyone. That had always been what Sakura loved the most about him and she could see the same kindness and patience in Syaoran.
The earlier silence returned as they sat there holding hands and again Sakura spoke first.
“Syaoran…” She said in a quiet voice. He looked over to her to see her face awash with a pink glow. “I just wanted to tell you that I-I lo-.” She was cut off by the sound of the evening bells toll and she nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected interruption.
After recovering from her fright she stood, hands clasped behind her back. “Syao that thing I have to tell you; I’ll say it later. Okay?” She looked at him with a sober smile and continued.
“Anyway it’s getting late. We should head back before Touya starts to worry.” With that they climbed down from their perch and walked back to the palace.
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Back at the palace everything was calm and quiet as usual, the guards stood at their posts and bowed to Syaoran as he passed, the servants were running around getting ready for the King to retire for the night and Yukito had just finished the work that Syaoran left behind.
“Your Majesty, I have compiled all of the documents that need your attention at the center of your desk and I have a report on the documents concerning the neighboring Kingdom’s trade offers. Everything else is taken care of.” Yukito bowed as he spoke and when he was done he lifted his head to find a gently smiling Syaoran.
“Thank you Yukito, you have done well as always.”
“Your thanks are unnecessary, your Highness; it is my duty as your advisor after all.” Yukito again had his hand across his heart in a deep bow. “If I may ask, how was your outing in the Kingdom today?”
“It went quite well. It’s always nice to see how the Kingdom is doing in person rather than on paper.” Yukito smiled at the young King of Clow, he embodied so much of the former King’s wisdom and Yukito was proud to call him the King of Clow.
“I’m sure that King Fujitaka would be proud.” Syaoran’s eyes were shining with a mix of sorrow and distant happiness that one only acquires after losing someone dear. With another bow Yukito dismissed himself.
Syaoran turned to look into Sakura’s happy eyes. “I will return to my work now. It was nice to have a day to relax, but I still have work to attend to.” Sakura gazed down at her feet in disappointment. She didn’t expect him to spend the whole day with her, but she did expect him to relax the rest of the day. But Sakura knew that it was futile to try to get him to relax anymore, it had been a miracle that she was able to get him to spend the afternoon with her.
So she spun on her heel and when she was facing away from him she said, almost in a whisper.
“Don’t work too hard.” A warm glowing smile settled on Syaoran’s face.
“I won’t.” He said in a tone so warm that she turned her head.
Feeling the warm affection that he directed at her she smiled and said a quick good night as she skipped down the hall to her room.
“Good night.” He said to no one now that Sakura had gone and he turned in the opposite direction to walk to his office. But as he walked he heard a strange song. It sounded so familiar to him. There were no words, just pangs of sound that he never heard from any instrument before. Following the sound, he walked to the balcony used to address his people and looked out to the glowing ruins in the vast distance.
“The ruins are calling to me…” He said in a breathless voice, his eyes suddenly losing focus. And then the same green light that emanated from the wing shaped ruins started to pour from his body.
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Sakura stood on her balcony recollecting the beautiful day that she had just spent with Syaoran. Aside from him going back to work so soon the day had been pretty good and she knew that she would cherish these memories forever.
I almost told him. She thought. I almost told him that I love him. The words had been right on her lips and had it not been for the bell's interruption she would have said them. She stood there leaning on the balcony railing, dreaming of what it would be like to share her love for him openly, when she noticed a soft green glow from below.
As she looked closer she saw it was - Syaoran! – wearing his fine green cloak with the gold bordering the edges. What is Syaoran doing out so late? Didn’t he say he had work to do? She couldn’t understand why he was outside at the late hour. Is he glowing?
At this she stood up straight. She didn’t know why, but she felt uneasy like something really bad was about to happen, so she rushed out of the room grabbing her white and pink cloak swinging it over her shoulders. As she raced down the hall she came to a corner and when she turned it she ran straight into her older brother.
“Touya!” She exclaimed from her spot on the polished floor.
“Watch where you’re going.” He said with a scowl on his face. “Why are you in such a rush?” He held out his hand to help her up.
“It’s Syaoran! He was heading towards the ruins and he was glowing and I just had this really bad feeling that something was wrong!” The look he gave her told her just how much he believed her statement.
“He was glowing.” He said slowly. “Right. Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
At his mocking Sakura stomped her foot down. “He was!” She had enough of talking to him. He was always like this, smug and mocking. So she decided to run away instead.
She ran down the halls with Touya close behind calling to her. “Sakura! Sakura stop, it's late!” He rounded the corner that she had just passed and came face to face with a strange man in black that stood over his little sister with his sword drawn. Instinct took over and in a blink he was drawing his own black sword and cutting the enemy down.
Sakura screamed as Touya cut through the man’s middle and the man fell backwards landing with a wet thud!
“Are you alright?” Touya was beside her looking down at her with worry in his dark eyes.
“Y-yes. I’m okay, but we have to find Syaoran.” He nodded and then they were running again side by side.
As they neared the entrance to the palace they heard fighting and Yukito chanting so they sped up and as soon as Touya saw Yukito surrounded by the men in black he went wild. Swinging his sword so fast that Sakura could barely see it strike. In the time it took Sakura to make it to Yukito, Touya had eliminated all of the intruders.
“Where is the King?” Yukito asked worry showing on his bespectacled face.
“Sakura said he was walking towards the ruins. And he was glowing.” He said with a smirk.
“He was!” She shouted. “And if we don’t get to him, who knows what could happen!”
“She’s right we don’t know what these men are after. Let’s hurry.”
They were running again through the town past all the dome houses and even though Sakura’s lungs burned and her legs ached she kept running, praying in her head that the men that attacked them didn’t make it to Syaoran.
After what felt like two eternities they made it to the ruins where the archaeologists were working late into the night. Good, the men in black haven’t made it here yet. Yukito thought as he stopped to address the leader of the project.
“Have you seen his Majesty?” He gasped out while trying to catch his breath.
“The King?” The tall man said questioningly. “Yeah I have, but when we greeted him he said nothing. He looked right through us as if we weren’t even ther-.”
“Which way did he go!” Sakura interrupted. The man looked down at her taking in her worried features.
“He went right into that door without sparing a glance. Why? Is something wrong?” He was now staring at them with alarmed eyes.
“I need all of you to find shelter quickly and to stay hidden.” Yukito ordered the man away to gather his men to hide. “Touya.” As Yukito said his name he turned, looked him in the eyes and immediately he understood. He drew his sword once again and stood directly in front of the ruins.
“Take care of my little sister.” He shouted over his shoulder.
“Sakura, we've got to hurry!” Yukito said and she nodded, determination shining in her eyes.
They entered the ruins warily. It felt like forever since Sakura had been here, but in reality it had only been a few months.
The air inside was cold, but not as cold as the night desert air she realized as they walked down what seemed like thousands of steps. With each step her worry increased. She was scared that they wouldn’t get to him in time or that he was lost or that they would be lost, unable to help him let alone themselves. But she wouldn’t give into such thoughts. She had to find Syaoran.
She still had to tell him she loved him.
Finally, they reached a landing that led down a dark corridor lit only by the occasionally weak torch light. They passed a low table, on top was an hourglass, sand seeping through the middle to rest at the bottom. She stared at the sand for a second and then out of the corner of her eyes she saw the gorgeous green glow that surrounded Syaoran before.
Before she knew what she was doing she ran after the light and down a short flight of steps. And there was Syaoran walking to the center of the room slowly. She called out to him.
“Syaoran!” Her voice echoed through the huge space. He turned, looked at her and just like the archeologist had said before his eyes stared right through her. Seeing, yet not seeing anything.
Those cold lifeless eyes froze her in place, she couldn’t move. And then he turned away from her and crouched, placing his hands over the wing shaped symbol in the center of the chamber.
The moment he touched the runes they glowed the same lush green that came from Syaoran. The floor shook as the wing symbol opened up and Syaoran floated down disappearing within the unknown depths.
Sakura, finally unfrozen from Syaoran’s icy gaze, ran over to the hole in the floor and Screamed out his name.
“SYAORAN!”
But there was no reply.
“Sakura.” Yukito’s voice startled her and she almost fell through the opening in the floor. She had forgotten he was with her, but was grateful once she realized. Without saying a word Yukito pulled her into his arms and jumped through the opening, landing lightly on the balls of his feet and set her back on the ground.
The sight that awaited them was surreal and beautiful, but even so the bad feeling didn’t leave Sakura’s gut, Syaoran floating with great green wings of light. He was glowing brighter than ever before. Before her mind could think, Sakura ran to him shouting his name again.
“Syaoran! Syaoran can you hear me?” His gaze seemed far away as the wings on his back unfurled further. “Syao!” She couldn’t help but let tears slide down her face. What’s happening? Even though she couldn’t understand what was going on she still had the terrible feeling she was about to lose him. She tried to climb up on the out juts in the wall to get to him. Her fingers hurt with the effort of trying to pull her weight up the wall.
Yukito stood staring as the King’s wings stretched to great lengths. He didn’t know what to do. There was nothing in his arsenal that could combat the grand magic that he was staring at.
Who could have cast such powerful magic?
Then when Syaoran’s wings were fully splayed, each individual light, representing a feather, shot away from the boy’s body leaving him flightless. Seconds later Syaoran came crashing down, landing in a graceless heap on the ruins floor.
“Your Majesty!” Yukito ran to his king’s side, flipping him over so that his back lay on the cold stone.
“Is he going to be alright?” Sakura had picked up Syaoran’s head and laid it in her lap. Her face was messy with tears and worry.
Yukito’s expression was grave as he touched two fingers to Syaoran’s head. “They’re gone. All of his memories have fled him.” Sakura’s eyes widened in distress.
“Can we get them back? Where have they gone?” Yukito just shook his head.
“They are not in this world anymore.” Then his expression hardened and he stood. He had foreseen their future, but the details were unclear, nonetheless he knew what he had to do. “Sakura, the King needs your help.” At this the girl lifted her head to look Yukito in the eyes. Her features were grim, but she had a fiery determination blazing in her emerald eyes.
“Please! Tell me what I have to do!” She begged and at that moment Yukito saw all the love bare on her face. She is his chosen one. He thought sadly.
“I am afraid that there is nothing that I can do, so in order to save his life I am sending you to someone who can help.” Yukito flicked his staff out in front of him, magic springing to life from its tip. “She is known as the dimensional witch. She can help you more than I can.”
A circle of blue voracious moving liquid rose around the frightened Sakura and the unconscious Syaoran. Sakura let out a little squeak as the liquid formed around her. She had never seen magic like this before. The liquid quickly engulfed them and she could see Yukito no longer. Then she felt a slight dropping sensation and she was staring at a strange group of people in a strange garden, rain starting to pour around them.
She had never seen people with such fair skin that the woman and boy possessed. And the two children standing on either side of the group were strangers yet, they had blue and pink beautiful hair. Sakura stared at the woman in the center, somehow she knew that this was the woman that Yukito referred to as the dimensional witch.” Then two more drops of fluid appeared in front of her. On her right a pale man with pale hair appeared and to her left a tan man with dark hair.
Before anyone had a chance to speak she looked at the woman with the long dark hair and begged.
“Please! My friend needs your help!”