Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ An Unfinished Task ❯ Life for Mortality ( Chapter 10 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

An Unfinished Task: Part 10
By: Starlight Rose
Rated: PG
Email: starlighto_rose@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I wish I owned CCS but alas I don't own it. It's
owned by CLAMP, Kodansha, Nelvana, and maybe a few other
companies that I don't know of.

The last chapter. I was trying to get this out sooner, but I was unfortunately unsuccessful. Thanks to all the people that have kept up with this story and to my beta-reader Saturn Knight4 who is both a wonderful beta-reader and friend. Also thanks to my friend Justin who also proofread it occasionally.

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Syaoran laid on the ground motionless. No matter how much Sakura shook him, he wouldn't respond. "No... Syaoran! Wake up, onegai WAKE UP!" Sakura screamed. He couldn't die. He just couldn't! Sakura didn't know what she would do if he died without her being able to tell him she loved her. If Syaoran died Sakura's life would be cold and empty and she didn't want a life like that. She tried to beg him to wake up, saying, "Please wake up Syaoran-kun, I kept my promise. I defeated that thing, now you need to keep your promise. You said you'd be okay. You need to be okay. I need you to be okay. I can't live without you! It's no good living without you!"

A tear slowly traced its way down Sakura's pale face and dropped onto the Dragon's Eye lying in her hand. The tear shattered as it hit the stone. As if reacting to her tears the stone glowed a soft green color that slowly intensified growing larger. Sakura looked at the light with a mixture of hope and apprehension. The light slowly shaped itself into the figure of a young boy of about the age of nine or ten wearing what appeared to be a Chinese outfit. The boy bent over and wiped a tear from Sakura's eyes and said in a soft pleading voice, "Please don't cry Card Mistress. I think I might be able to help my master, if he wants me to help him."

"Who are you? What do you mean you can help?" Sakura asked the boy hope shining in her emerald green eyes.

"I'm the dragon of the Dragon's Eye. Syaoran-san passed all the tests that were set before him to obtain me, so he is now my master. It was very hard for him to pass all those trials, but he could do it because he had someone he wanted to return to and protect. That person was you. I don't think my master would like to see you crying, so for his sake and yours I can bring him back, but there is a price to it. But he is the only that must make the decision on whether or not he would like to pay that price."

"What price does Syaoran-kun have to pay? I'll pay it for him, since it's my fault all this happened. It's my fault that Syaoran got hurt."

The boy looked at Sakura sadly and said, "You have already paid that price. You paid it when you became the 'Card Mistress', although you didn't know it then. Now it is my master's turn to make the choice."

Sakura looked at the boy with confusion written on her face. "I don't understand, but if you think you can help Syaoran-kun please help him. If he can live, then I'll give you anything I can offer including my life."

The boy smiled gently at Sakura, "That is not needed Sakura-san. If you gave up your life for him, Syaoran-san would not be any happier than you are now. I will go try and help my master now."

"Wait!" Sakura said. The boy looked at her questioningly as she asked him, "What's your name?"

The boy smiled and replied, "Ryu." His form faded back into light and reshaped itself until it took the form of a large blue dragon. The dragon looked at Sakura one more time seemingly giving her a reassuring smile and dived into Syaoran's chest, disappearing.

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Syaoran looked about him and saw nothing but darkness. It reminded him of his second trial when he was trying to claim the Dragon's Eye, but he knew better. 'Am I dead?' he wondered out loud no that no one was going to answer him. To his surprise someone did answer him, "No, not yet."

"Who's there?" Syaoran demanded.

From the darkness a figure emerged. The figure wore a mixture of Chinese and English garb and had long black hair tied into a loose ponytail. Syaoran's eyes widened as he realized whom the figure that stood in front of him was and whispered hoarsely, "Clow Reed..."

"Hai. It's good to finally meet you, though this would not have been the way I wanted to meet you."

"Where are we?" Syaoran asked.

"We are in your mind. You are currently unconscious and very near death. In fact you are dead by clinical definition. You are no longer breathing and your heart has stopped beating, but your soul has not left your body yet so your are still alive." Clow Reed answered him matter of factly.

"Oh..." Syaoran said not sure about how to respond to that bit of information. "What are you doing here then? Are you here to take me away?"

"I'm first to find out what you want to do then to help you anyway I can."

"Help me? How?"

"You shall see. Please be patient and wait a few moments."

Syaoran nodded his head and settled himself as comfortably as he could considering that he was in a void. Syaoran heard Clow Reed give an amused chuckle and looked over at him questioningly. Instead of seeing Clow floating in a void like he was he saw him sitting in what appeared to be a comfortable armchair before a fire. Clow beckoned to Syaoran to join him in the armchair adjacent to his that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Syaoran did as he was instructed to and sat down tentatively into the chair and found it extremely cozy. He looked questioningly at Clow but Clow just smiled and told him, "This is your mind so anything you want here can appear. It'll seem very real even though it's not or at least most of the time it's not. These forms and these surroundings that we are in are just a figment of your imagination and my manipulation of your thoughts. If you want to change the scene you can."

Syaoran nodded in understanding. They sat there for what seemed to Syaoran to be a long time, but he knew it wasn't since Clow had explained that time in the real world flowed slower than time in his mind. Finally Syaoran felt another presence enter his mind. The presence felt familiar to him and he removed himself from the armchair to see who it was. Clow having sensed the same presence did likewise.

Before Syaoran stood Ryu, the dragon of the Dragon's Eye. Syaoran smiled welcomingly at Ryu and turned to Clow asking him, "Is he who you wanted me to be patient and wait for, Clow-san?"

Clow Reed nodded his head in response and also smiled welcomingly at the figure of the young boy in front of him. "It's nice to see you again Ryu."

Ryu smiled at the two of them and said, "It is nice to see you too, my former master. But that is not why I'm here and I believe you know that."

"Yes. I know. Why don't you explain to Syaoran-kun why you are here." Clow replied as Syaoran looked on with a quizzical look on his face.

Ryu turned to Syaoran and looked at him grimly before saying, "I have come here to offer you a choice. Right now you are on the verge of death, but I can save you if you wish to be saved. Though there is a price to be paid if you wish to live. Do you wish to live?"

Syaoran stared at Ryu for a few moments before replying quietly, "I don't know. In some ways I want to live. I want to live and be there to protect Sakura, but Sakura doesn't need me. I would just get in her way and cause her trouble, so I'm probably better off dead."

"That's not true. The Card Mistress really cares about you. She is out there crying right now because she thinks you have died. When I appeared before her and told her that I might be able to save you her eyes took on a look so full of hope that even I have not seen equaled in my thousands of years of existence. She offered her life up to save you." Ryu replied.

"Sakura has a gentle heart. She would cry for the lose of anyone and she would offer her life up to save the life of anyone." Syaoran replied.

"That is true, but do you really want to leave her? If you leave her then who will protect her?"

"Sakura can protect herself and she has a lot of people that care for her."

"That is also true, but you know very well that no one would protect her with the ferocity and love that you protect her with. Do you wish to risk it?"

Syaoran remained silent a few moments before looking the dragon boy straight in the eyes and replying, "No. I cannot. Tell me the price I must pay to return to her."

Ryu smiled gently and told him, "The price you must pay to live, is the ability to live a normal life. For me to save you my soul will join yours thus giving you all my power. We will still be separate in that you will control your own actions and thoughts and I will control mine since I can still take on my form after having assimilated with you. But once you join with me you will live much longer than any normal human would live. You would probably end up living several hundred years. You would be very close to being an immortal."

"To live I must be willing to live a very long time?" Syaoran asked solemnly.

"Yes. Think it over carefully Syaoran. To live that long means you will out live your friends and family. To live that long is to know loneliness. I should know. That was why I created Keroberus and Yue. It wasn't merely for them to guard the Clow Cards, but also for them to keep me company." Clow Reed revealed.

"I will outlive almost everyone I know and will know loneliness." Syaoran said quietly, thoughtfully. "I will pay the price. If I can live and protect Sakura throughout her life, then I will pay any price. I have already known loneliness and am no longer scared of it."

"Are you certain?" Ryu inquired.

"Yes." Syaoran replied determinably.

"Very well then. Open up your mind and heart and I will combine my powers with yours."

Syaoran did as he was told as Ryu slowly approached him. Standing before Syaoran he reached a hand out to touch Syaoran's chest. A bright light flashed and Ryu's form disappeared, but Syaoran could still feel his presence. Inside his mind he could hear Ryu saying, "It is done. Please use my power to protect the one you love most."

Clow Reed smiled at Syaoran and told him, "I think you made the right decision. I will leave you now. I need to speak with Sakura-chan a bit. Take care of her Syaoran-kun. She is a very special girl."

"I know..." Syaoran said, "I know."

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Sakura sat motionless on the ground watching for any signs of movement from Syaoran, a twitch of the fingers, a gently rise and fall of the chest, a flutter of the eyelids, anything. Anything to indicate that Syaoran was alive. She waited, and waited, and still she saw no outward sign that he was okay. Finally losing hope, Sakura turned away sadly tears once again stinging her eyes. She marveled at how her tears seemed endless, how no matter how much she cried they never seemed to dry up.

A hand lightly touched her shoulder and Sakura whirled around exclaiming, "Syao..." before the name died on her lips and she spoke another name more subdued this time, "Clow-san."

"Konnban wa, Sakura-san." Clow said smiling at her.

"Konnban wa, Clow-san." Sakura replied sadly.

"It has been a long time since I saw you last, but you don't seem to be too happy to see me. What's wrong?"

"Syaoran-kun...Syaoran-kun got hurt trying to save me and I don't know if he'll be okay or not."

"I see. You really care for Syaoran-kun, ne?" Clow asked sympathetically. Sakura merely nodded in response. "Do you love him?"

"Ha...hai."

"If you love him then you should tell him."

"I can't tell him anymore because he's dead." Sakura replied tearfully.

"Syaoran-kun is not dead yet. He won't die for a very long time."

"Honto?" Sakura asked looking hopefully up at Clow.

Clow nodded his head and smiled warmly at her, "Because he wanted to live and protect you, Syaoran chose to pay the price that Ryu asked of him. If you really do love him then you should tell him, because although he should live a very long time, there is no guarantee of that. I thought that I had foreseen every possible future there was that might guarantee your happiness, but I was wrong. I never saw this threat coming until it was too late to really help, but I think this may have turned out better than I had planned. Sakura-san do you know what the price Syaoran-kun paid was?"

Sakura shook her head. Clow looked at her seriously and told her, "He gave up the right to live a normal life span. Syaoran-kun will now live for several hundred years, during which he will have to watch many of the people he loves die. It was a difficult choice for him to make because it meant that he would have to risk being lonely when everyone he loved died. I know how difficult a long life can be. But Syaoran-kun accepted the price of loneliness so that he could be with you and protect you. Though fortunately it won't be as bad for him as it was for me because he'll have you with him.

One reason that you could not pay the price for Syaoran-kun was because you have already paid it. When you became Card Mistress and accepted the power and responsibility that came with it, you also accepted Syaoran-kun's fate. The power will allow you to live several hundred years, far outliving most people you know and love with maybe the exception of Keroberus and Yue. It would have been lonely for you though maybe not too bad since you would have your guardians, but now you will also have Syaoran-kun.

Syaoran-kun does not know this yet, because he needed to make his choice thinking that he would live a lonesome life. You were never truly given the choice, and I am sorry for that, but now neither of you needs to be lonely. All you have to do now is tell him how you feel about him. I know Syaoran-kun may seem very confident in himself, but when it comes to you he is just an insecure little boy. Take care of him Sakura-san. I must go now, but I am entrusting his happiness with you."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding and whispered, "Arigatou, Clow-san. I promise I'll tell him."

Clow smiled at her and waved good-bye saying, "Sayonara Sakura-san, I think two people you know well are coming by soon. You can get them to help you move Syaoran-kun. He'll be alright now, though he still needs to rest."

Sakura nodded to him and smiled brightly telling him, "Sayonara, Clow-san."

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Syaoran awoke and looked about him. The second thing he noticed was that his chest hurt and that his leg was bandaged. The third thing he noticed was that he was lying him his room. But the first and most important thing he noticed was that there was a beautiful auburn-haired angel fast asleep next to him.

With the help of Tomoyo and Soujiro, Sakura had managed to get Syaoran back to his room. She pulled up a chair next to his bed to keep watch over him while he slept, but unfortunately for her the night's trials had taken their toll on her. She fell asleep while keeping vigil over Syaoran. Her long hair fell about her like a halo as she slept in a chair next to his bed, with her body hunched over the bed and her head supported by her arms.

Syaoran tried to sit up so that he could move her to a more comfortable place, but the sharp pain in his chest quickly stopped him. He fell back onto the bed causing it to bounce and wake up Sakura. Sakura warily opened up sleep-filled emerald eyes and took one look at Syaoran and exclaimed, "Syaoran-kun! You're finally awake! Yogatta!"

Syaoran nodded and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. Are you okay? What happened with Mauler?"

Sakura shook her head and told him quietly, "It's okay. Everything is fine now. Christian-kun is gone now. He helped me defeat the creature that possessed him. He told me to apologize to you for all the trouble that he and the creature caused you. I'm so glad you're okay now. I thought you had died, but I'm glad Ryu was able to save you. Though after he saved you I had to get Tomoyo-chan and Soujiro-kun's help carrying you back. Told them about what happened and they were really shocked, but they understand. I had to use the Erase card to erase everyone else's memories of Christian though."

Syaoran nodded his head in understanding and noting the sad expression on Sakura's face he said quietly while turning his head to the wall, "I'm sorry about Mauler. I know you really liked him."

Sakura sat silently looking at the floor for a few moments before saying, "I really did like Christian-kun," Syaoran could feel his heart constricting within his chest at her confirmation of what he had accidentally discovered, "But I love Syaoran-kun." Sakura continued. "I know that I am probably a burden to you. I'm always causing you trouble and you're always having to protect me, but even if you don't feel anything for me. I still wanted you to know."

When Sakura told Syaoran that she loved him Syaoran jerked his head around to look at her in disbelief. After she finished Syaoran reached a hand out and gently stroked her cheek, lifting her chin up so that he could look at her straight in the eye. "Sakura, you can never be a burden to me. You are the one that I will always try to protect because I love you."

Sakura's eyes welled up with tears, but unlike the tears she had been crying for the past few weeks these were tears of happiness as she asked him in a soft unsure voice, "Honto?"

"Honto." Syaoran said as he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. Her lips were warm and yielding and they tasted of ripe cherries. As Syaoran leaned in to kiss her Sakura closed her eyes lightly and revealed in the feel and taste of Syaoran's kiss. She had wanted his love for so long and it was wonderful knowing that she had it though she had held his heart all along. The two stayed so engrossed in each other that they didn't notice when the door opened softly and two heads popped in.

Tomoyo stood at the doorway and sighed happily at the site of her two friends kissing. They made such a cute scene. "Suberashi!" She exclaimed. "I need to go get my camcorder and record this. It's so cute."

As she was turning away she felt Soujiro's arms wrap around her and he lowered his head to her ear and whispered, "I think we should leave them alone, Tomoyo-chan. They've had a rough time and they deserve to have some time alone together without us peeping in. You'll have plenty of time to record them together later."

Tomoyo looked longingly at the couple and back at her room where her camcorder was before nodding her head and saying, "I guess you're right. We should leave them alone." Soujiro nodded and led her away from the room and gently closed the door on the young couple kissing.