Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“ Sakura!! ” the original Syaoran shouted.

Sakura shook her head, disintegrating into Sakura petals. “I’m not your Sakura” she said. Sakura turned to the clone. “Because I… am just like you” she stated, “I’m sure you knew it as well, that I wasn’t the real Sakura. That’s why, that time, you said ‘the one that held that Sakura dear wasn’t my heart! It was you!’. She’s waiting for you… your Sakura” she said, tears gathering in her eyes as she floated towards her Syaoran’s arms. “So, please… from now on… be free!”. Sakura began talking to the clone again. “The two of us… even if we’re artificial beings, we’re… the same… As long as those two keep living, it’s not over. I love y-”.

And with that Sakura vanished.

~-~

“Why, you…!!” Fei Wang Reed shouted.

The original gasped as Fei Wang pulled the sword out of his clone, his father. He couldn’t believe his eyes; Syaoran had jumped in front of ‘Syaoran’ just before he got stabbed.

The clone held out an arm and began casting a spell. “Fuuka!” ‘Syaoran’ shouted. His eyes widened. “Why… did you…?” the original asked. “Because… I wanted to know… what… came next. The words… that I didn’t have a chance… to hear... back then…” he replied, falling to the ground. ‘Syaoran’ caught him as he began coughing up blood. He wrapped both arms around the clone and gently lowered him to the ground. Orbs of magic came out of his eye and turned into a gem. “The feathers…” Syaoran panted, “Take them... to Sakura”. “Kurogane-San, Fai-San, Mokona… Sakura… Syaoran”. ‘Syaoran’’s eyes widened upon hearing his name. “I’m sorry… and thank… you…”.

Notes: Whose death do you think is sadder? Sakura’s or Syaoran’s? I say Syaoran’s is so much sadder because he’s apologising for what he did, as if he’s asking them to pardon him of his sins. And then when he apologises to his future son and future wife, I cry !!!!!!!

Chapter Text

Notes: I’m sorry if the MKR (Magic Knight Rayearth, not My Kitchen Rules) trio are OOC! I’ve never read the series! It’s on my to-do list, though, and please tell me if they seem OOC!

Sakura wasn’t able to explain it. Yet, she knew it was him. As she stood under the Sakura tree with Fuu, she knew. She had finally found him.

Turning around, she gasped in disbelief and tears flooded her eyes, hands flying to her mouth. His amber eyes widened in shock before softening into that painfully familiar smile she had been yearning for. Without a second thought, she jumped into Syaoran’s arms, letting her tears spill.

“I’ve finally found you” she whispered, letting her Clow slip in during her excitement. Sakura felt like an idiot straight away. It had been fourteen years since Syaoran had used Clow, he probably didn’t remember it! At least that’s what she thought. That is why she was overjoyed when he replied in the same language. “Yes… But I always believed. Believed that I'd find you”. They pulled apart to look at the other’s face.

Sadly, their moment was ruined all too soon.

“How dare you make Sakura-Chan cry like that, you… you disgusting… rotten, puke-green, horrid… overly-handsome boogerball!!” Hikaru shrieked at Syaoran. Sakura laughed, wiping away her tears. “I’m crying because I’m happy , Hikaru-Chan” she said. Hikaru paused. “Oh” was all she said. Fuu and Umi came up to them. “Who is this?” Umi asked. Sakura sighed dreamily. “This… is Syaoran. He’s... the love of my life” she replied. Syaoran blushed. “Y-yes. I love her with all of my heart, too. May I know who you three are?” he inquired, polite as ever. “I’m Fuu and they are Hikaru and Umi” Fuu said. “Hikaru-Chan, don’t you have something to say to Syaoran?” Sakura asked. The girl sighed and muttered an apology. “But seriously, how do you know him?!” Hikaru asked. The other two nodded. “Yeah, you’ve never spoken of him before. Surely , you would have told us if you met him in Japan. And you said this is your first time in Hong Kong. But at the same time, it seems like you’ve known him in another life!” Umi pointed out. That is scarily accurate , the couple thought at the same time. “Perhaps we should take a seat” Sakura said, leading her friends and her soul mate to a bench underneath the Sakura tree.

“A long time ago, in a different dimension, there once lived a princess and an archaeologist from a kingdom called Clow” Sakura began, “They met when they were seven and lived happily for another seven years. They were best friends, really.

“One day, when both were fourteen, the princess went to the ruins her friend was excavating to tell him how she really felt. That’s when disaster struck”.

Syaoran continued the story. “Because, when does a princess ever have it easy? Anyway, there was a wing symbol on the ground that seemed like it was meant to kill her, but the archaeologist grabbed her hand to pull her out in time. Unfortunately, something bad still happened; the princess’s memories had turned into feathers and had been scattered across dimensions. So, in a moment of desperation, the high priest of the land sent them to the girl witch with many names. She grants wishes for a price. There they were joined by a ninja who wanted to go back to his home world and a magician who wanted to stay away from his. The ninja paid with his sword, the magician parted with his magical tattoo and the boy… he had to give up his relationship with the princess. He went anyway, deciding he would rather have her forget all about him than have her die when there was something the archaeologist could do about it”.

Sakura took over. “And so, they embarked on their journey. It was rather peaceful and fun. And even though the princess had to forget their previous relationship, it didn't mean they couldn't forge a new one from scratch. As time passed, the princess found herself falling more and more in love with her knight in shining armor who kept her out of harm’s way”. Syaoran blushed at ‘knight in shining armor’ before continuing.

“But then, in one country, everything changed. Everybody found out that the archaeologist was just a clone. His original had put his soul in one of his eyes, putting a seal on it. It was in that country that it broke and the borrowed soul was released” Syaoran’s voice was filled with lifetimes of anguish as he continued. “He decided that having magic would make the collection of the feathers by himself for his master a lot quicker, so he… he ate the magician’s eye, for they were the source of his magic”. Hikaru, Fuu and Umi gasped. “He left soon after a fight with his original and returning the one collected feather to the princess”.

“The rest of the group continued without him, with the original” Sakura said, “The princess made it her goal to find the archaeologist again, but in the world after the archaeologist left, she was stabbed by the magician”. She subconsciously clutched her abdomen, the very place where Fai had stabbed her. Her friends gasped again. “Did she… die?” Umi asked. Sakura shook her head. “She had made it just in time to travel to another dimension. Or, rather, dimensions. Her body and soul split, body going to the magician’s home world and the soul going to Dreams. It was a curse that forced the wizard to do what he did. The first person to gain more magic power than him was to be killed by his hand. With his magic halved and the princess’s gaining of the feather… well… yeah. I’m pretty sure they went to Celes, the magician’s home world next, but the princess wasn’t there, in a way. Her body was… but really, she didn’t know what was going on.

“Afterwards, they landed in the ninja’s home world, Nihon. The princess, currently residing in Dreams, was, in a way, in their sacred Sakura tree”. Sakura waved her hand in dismissal. “It’ll make more sense later. Anyway, a boy kept her company in Dreams until… the archaeologist and his original came. The two battled and…” Sakura stopped, letting Syaoran go on.

“Well, they battled for the feather” he said, “and all the while, the Sakura tree was cracking open bit by bit, making an exit for the ones in Dreams. The feather had floated high in the sky and…” there were tears in his eyes as he said the next part, “Both of the boys put their swords out and… the archaeologist’s sword stabbed the princess”. The girls gasped again, tears springing forth.

“Well, really, she was just trying to stop a fight and inconveniently got in the way of his sword in the process” Sakura amended for her boyfriend. “And, well, she was sent into a void… the netherworld”.

Syaoran told the next part of the story; the part of his own death. “Then, the group went to Clow”. “The princess’s and the archaeologist’s home world?” Fuu asked. “No, the original’s. They fought again, the original and the clone. The master of the clone went to stab the original, but… the clone stood in front of him and was impaled by the man’s sword”. “Why?” Hikaru asked. “Because the mindlessness was a farce after killing the girl he loved” he answered, his tears spilling. Sakura wiped some away, kissing others. “... And also because he wanted to know what she said back in Nihon. He apologised to his friends, knowing that it wouldn’t be enough to lift the burden, and thanked them. The last thing he remembered was how the original embraced the clone as if his life depended on it. And then he was sent to the netherworld, too”.

“The witch gathered them there” Sakura said, “to give them a chance at a true life. And the price… she said it would be paid for them”. Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were practically off their seats. “So?! Did they say yes?!” Fuu finally blurted out, the cliffhanger bothering her way too much. Sakura and Syaoran looked into each other’s eyes. “Yes” they whispered.

“Wow! You must be soul mates, well and true!” Umi stated. “If you could tell that story together, you just have to be!” Fuu agreed. “Perhaps, it was meant to be…” Hikaru suggested, being surprisingly philosophical. The couple looked at each other. “Hitsuzen” the whispered together.

Sakura’s friends promptly stood up. “Let’s go, Umi, Fuu! I think these lovebirds need to catch up!!” Hikaru said, all wiseness disappearing into thin air. Umi and Fuu giggled as said lovebirds turned a deep shade of crimson. As soon as they left, Syaoran took Sakura’s waist and slid her onto his lap. She giggled and sighed. “Yuuko-San was right” she said, “We did get to meet again”. Syaoran smiled. “Yes…” he agreed.

They chatted for a while. The two talked about normal things like school life and family life (“Fujitaka-San is your father now?!” Syaoran asked at one point, “Wait… I should be worrying about your brother… I can't ever escape him in any dimension”). Suddenly, Sakura gasped.

“What's wrong?!” Syaoran asked. “It's 4:30! I need to be back at the Xiao Long Boarding House by 4:45!!” Sakura told him. Syaoran smiled. “Then, let's go! I'll walk you” he said. She grinned. “Okay!” she agreed gleefully.

~-~

They arrived in just five minutes. “That was quicker than I thought it'd be!” Sakura said. “Well, I do know all the shortcuts, seeing as I've lived here my whole life” Syaoran said, smiling with Sakura. She blushed as she stood on her toes to brush a kiss on his cheek. “See you tomorrow, Syaoran?” Sakura asked. He blushed, too, from being kissed and being called just ‘Syaoran’ by his precious princess. “See you later” he said.

Chapter Text

Syaoran checked the Xiao Long Boarding House three times, but no sign of Sakura. They must've left already , he thought. He didn't blame Seijou High, Sakura’s school, though. It's not like they knew he was coming and they left an hour ago. He had spent most of that time trying to look perfect for Sakura and hoping that the traffic would clear up. No such luck for the latter, but the former… Meh. His mother and four sisters had said he looked nice and he was going to take their word for it.

You know what, Syaoran? You should just go to the Ai Bao Museum yourself! , he thought. The thought excited him; both the fact he was going to be with his Sakura again and that they were going to a history museum! Syaoran’s thoughts compelled him to run to his chauffeur-driven car quicker. But then Ryuoh just had to barge in. “Hey, Xiao Lang! What're you doing here? Checkin’ out for babes, I hope! A whole high school came in and I heard that there are a lotta hot chicks!” Ryuoh said. Syaoran shook his head. “Heading to Ai Bao Museum” he corrected his best friend. Syaoran turned to Weimin, the chauffeur. “Please take me there” he said. Weimin smiled. “No problem”. Ryuoh’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Hell no! Weimin, take us to the club around the park, ‘kay? Xiao Lang needs to meet a girl!” he said. “Don't listen to him, Weimin. And, Ryuoh, I'm going to meet the girl at the museum. Plus, you know how much I love archaeology, anthropology and history!” Syaoran said. “How'd you meet her, then?” Ryuoh asked, stepping into the car as Weimin started the engine. “Remember the girl from my past life I keep telling you?” Syaoran asked. “Wait… So she's really… real ?!” Ryuoh asked. Syaoran nodded.

They arrived at the museum quickly. By then, Syaoran looked ready to burst into historical confetti. “Hey, bro! Don't smile so big or your face will split in half!” Ryuoh warned him. Syaoran ran inside happily, ignoring his best friend.

People gave him weird looks as the one and only Li Xiao Lang stepped inside doing his happy dance. Syaoran blushed madly and cleared his throat, regaining the posture and sophistication that only Lis had. Syaoran walked up to reception.

“Hello” he said to the lady behind the table in what his friends and family called his ‘Li voice’. She looked up and jumped, bowing hastily. “L-Li-Sama! What a pleasure it is to meet y-y-you!” she stuttered. Syaoran grinned. “Don't be so formal!” he told her. She blushed from his dashing grin. “Could you tell me where the Seijou High tour is?” Syaoran asked as Ryuoh approached them. He seemed to be mentally debating whether he should bore himself at reception or in the exhibitions. He decided on exhibitions.

Ryuoh found himself three feet away from the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had short auburn hair and perfectly green eyes. Her lips were just the perfect pink, like Sakura blossoms. She was wearing a uniform that Ryouh somehow immediately identified. Seijou. He stepped forward, wearing his most flirtatious grin ever. “Hello, m’lady” he said. Her three friends turned to look at him strangely, while the girl smiled kindly at him. “Hello, Ryuoh-Kun!” she said. He raised a brow and decided against asking how she knew his name. “Hey, girl, could you touch my arm so I can tell my friends I've been touched by an angel?” he said. The girl giggled. “I don't think your friend would be very happy to hear that” she replied with a grin. Ryuoh frowned, turning around. Then, his face paled. Because behind him stood his best friend, scowling and glaring at him like a piece of scum. It hit him instantly.

This was Xiao Lang’s girl.

And he had just crossed the line.

~-~

Ryouh gulped. Syaoran was giving him a murderous look and something about it gave him the feeling he'd done some killing before.

A hand fell on Syaoran’s arm. The thing that surprised him was that she was smiling. “Syaoran… Were you jealous ?” Sakura asked. Syaoran blushed. “I-I-I… I mean… Uhm… I-I guess…” he finally admitted. Sakura smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. “That's so sweet” she said, “but please, next time try not to consider murdering Ryuoh-Kun” Sakura said. Syaoran grinned bashfully. “I'll try… But he is very hard to live with!” Syaoran said.

Their friends gave them strange looks. “Is something wrong?” Sakura asked. “What language were you guys even speaking before?!” Hikaru asked. The couple replayed the conversation in their heads before realising they had spoken in Clow. Again.

“ That is the language of the Kingdom of Clow” Sakura told them. “Wait… You weren't lying about that kingdom and the ruins and the bunny-thing?!” Ryuoh said. “Mokona is not a bunny-thing!” Sakura said, “Mokona is Mokona!”. Syaoran chuckled. “She got that from Mokona” he told them.

Sakura's stomach suddenly growled. She blushed as all eyes turned to her and her stomach. “I… I'm kinda hungry…” Sakura said. Syaoran grinned. “Let's all grab a bite to eat” Syaoran suggested. “ Or ” Hikaru said, “you two could go by yourselves and we can sit far, far away!”. Everyone else seemed to like that idea, so the couple sat down, Syaoran promptly getting back up to order.

“Hello. Could I have two slices of apple pie and two mugs of hot chocolate?” Syaoran asked. The woman working there smiled. “Sure thing!” she said. His order was done in what felt like seconds and he was off back to the table, a goofy, lovestruck grin on his face. “Oh, Syaoran! You remember that my favourite food is apple pie!” Sakura said. He grinned. “Of course!” Syaoran replied. They dug in quickly. They didn't talk much in between, rather enjoying the other’s presence.

“Hey, Sakura?” Syaoran said suddenly, causing said girl to jump in her seat. “Yeah?” she replied. “How much longer do we have?” he asked. “I'm leaving in a day…” Sakura replied sadly. “Well, that means we’ve got to make the most of our time together!” Syaoran said, “Where is your school going tomorrow?”. “Um… I’m not sure…” she said. Syaoran grinned. “Then, I have an idea!” he said to her, excited. Sakura smiled, too. Syaoran’s enthusiasm seemed contagious.

“Kinomoto-San!” A deep, burly voice said. Sakura jumped to her feet on cue, bowing. “Tachibana-Sensei! I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t keeping track of time and…” she trailed off. Syaoran stood up and bowed, too. “Good afternoon, Tachibana-Sensei. I am Li Xiao Lang. In Japanese, my name would be Syaoran, so please call me that” he said quickly. “L-Li?! A-as in Li Corporation?!” Tachibana said. Syaoran gave him the ‘Li smile’. “Yes. I was just walking around when I saw that this young lady was lost, so I helped her out and treated her to lunch” he said, “Anyway, I heard that your school is here in Hong Kong for a trip and I wanted to know if you’d like to visit the Li Estate? We do have a lot of history”. Tachibana gaped. “Th-that would be a-a-a great honour, Li-Sama” he stuttered. Syaoran handed him a business card. “Come to this address tomorrow. Okaa-San and I will be waiting”. Tachibana gave him one last bow, Syaoran following suit, and they left. ‘I love you’ Sakura mouthed, waving back at Syaoran. He smiled. ‘I love you, too’.

Chapter Text

Seijou High arrived at the Li Estate at noon, spot on the dot. The students stared in awe at the mansion. It was white with gold pillars and had what seemed like fifty stories. It was at least a few ten thousand metres wide. Every floor had a terrace with colorful potted plants hanging from the balustrades. There were gardens from just about every country, like Japan and India. Though it looked much more modern than Clow’s castle, the grandness reminded her of the palace. Her old home

Tachibana stepped forward and pressed the intercom on the titanium gates. “Good afternoon, this is Li Yelan. May I know who wishes to enter the Li Estate?” A voice said. “Tachibana Masaki of Seijou High, with class 43” the teacher said. “Ah! Yes, my son, Xiao Lang, said you were coming for a tour” Yelan said as the gates opened, “Welcome!”.

Everyone dashed through the gates excitedly. Students sprawled around the gardens, ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing at different statues, flora and fauna. “Gather round!” Tachibana ordered. Everyone quickly did. “Okay, everybody! Stay in one big group and don’t split up. If Li-Sama lets us, you can wander around in a smaller group at the end. Until then, stay together, got it?” he said. Everyone murmured their agreement before running for the entrance.

~-~

The tour proceeded with much fanfare, students taking everything in with wide eyes. Finally, Yelan said they could go around freely. A resounding cheer was let out amongst the class.

“Hikaru-Chan, Sakura-Chan, Umi-Chan! We should look for Syaoran-San!” Fuu told them. “Yes!” Sakura said. They headed for the gardens first. “Syaoran loves plants and trees and flowers! We didn’t have much greenery in Clow, seeing as it was a desert, but the Palace garden was our favourite place to play!” Sakura explained to them. They didn’t find them there, though. “How about the foyer? Everyone’s there, maybe he went to say hello?” Umi suggested. Hikaru nodded. “That makes sense! The girls are probably trying to woo him now! Go, Sakura-Chan! Claim your man!”. Blushing, Sakura ran off.

They found his messy hair in the midst of ponytails and braids. “Syaoran-San! Oh, Syaoran-San!” The girls in the class shouted as if the boy was a celebrity. “We’ll never get to him!” Sakura exclaimed, dismay written all over her features, “All those other prettier girls are crowding around him!”. Hikaru shrugged. “We’ll just wait for them to leave him” she said. So, they did.

Sakura yelped, jumped and turned around when she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder a minute later. She turned to see Syaoran, down on one knee, fiddling with a small, blue velvet box. He cleared his throat and suddenly everyone’s attention was on him. “S-Sakura” he said nervously, “I-I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember”. Gasps travelled around the room. “A-and this is something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time”. Syaoran opened the box, revealing a rose-gold ring. It had a Sakura blossom made of pink morganite on it, the centre made of rose quartz. On the base, four words were engraved, though they weren’t visible to anyone at the moment. It read ‘Love Of My Lives’. “Sakura, would you make me the happiest man in any of the dimensions… and marry me?” he asked. “Yes!” Sakura said immediately, “Oh, god, yes !”.

Syaoran stood up and wrapped his arms around her. Sakura followed suit and leaned up to kiss him. Syaoran took that as an opportunity to slip the ring onto her finger.

There were noises of glee and envy in the background, plus whoops from Sakura's friends, but the couple ignored them. They finally pulled apart and smiled at each other when Tachibana said that class 43 was leaving. “See you in six years” Sakura said. They would both be twenty by then, so it was the perfect time to get married. “See you then, Sakura. I’ll miss you” he said. “I’ll miss you, too, Syaoran. I’ll call you when I get back to Japan, okay?” she said. Syaoran nodded and watched them leave.

Chapter Text

“Onii-Chan, Otou-Chan! That’s Syaoran!” A twenty year old Sakura exclaimed. Sure enough, the man a few metres away from them had the mop of brown hair and the chocolatey brown eyes that Sakura loved. He turned around, grinning when he saw her and her family. “Sakura!”. He ran up to her and embraced her. A twenty-seven year old Touya cleared his throat angrily behind them. They pulled apart and Syaoran smiled up at him. He hadn’t seen the man in twenty-seven years. “Hello, Touya-San, Fujitaka-San” he said with a bow. “So, what do you think of him?” Sakura asked her family hopefully. Fujitaka smiled kindly. “He seems like a nice, polite young man” he said, “I’m going to enjoy having you as a son-in-law!”. Syaoran blushed. “Th-thanks”. Touya grunted. “He’s… okay” he said. “Touya-Ou’s seal of approval” Syaoran whispered to his fiancée. Sakura giggled. “When’s the wedding?” Fujitaka asked. “Give us a few weeks” Syaoran said in response.

~-~

Sure enough, the wedding was on a quick three weeks later.

They decided to have one like Piffle. Piffle had western-styled weddings, with tuxedos, floor-length white dresses with trains, veils, bridesmaids, groomsmen and the like. Umi, Fuu and Hikaru flew in to attend. After a game of paper-scissors-rock, it was decided that Fuu would be the Maid of Honour. Ryuoh was, of course, Syaoran’s best man. They used the Li Estate’s ballroom for the ceremony. It was decorated lavishly with long tables topped with gifts and food on gold platters, streamers, white and pale pink chairs, a white carpet on the aisle and a big dais with a stand and bouquets of flowers tumbling from the wall.

On one side, Fujitaka, Touya, Umi, Hikaru and all of Sakura’s school friends sat on light pink chairs. On the other, Yelan, Fuutie, Feimei, Fanren, Xiefa, Weimin, Wei and a few of Syaoran’s other friends sat on white chairs. Up on the dais, Sakura and Syaoran stood with the Maid of Honour, the Best Man and the priest.

“We are gathered here today to witness the joining of two people in holy matrimony” the priest began. Sakura and Syaoran both zoned out as the priest babbled on about vows and stuff. Finally, he came to the part they were waiting for.

“Do you, Kinomoto Sakura, take this man as your husband, to love and to cherish, until death do y--”. “I do!!” Sakura shouted. Everybody laughed. “And do you, Li Syaoran, take this woman, to love and to cherish, until death do you apart?” the priest asked. “I do” Syaoran said softly. “You may now kiss the bride!” the priest declared. Smiling lovingly, Syaoran leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Sakura’s lips. “I love you” he whispered. “I love you, too” she whispered back.