16 October, 2000

Card Captors

"Dimensions"

By : The MOUSE...........................

The pungent scent of incense and medicinal herbs filled her nostrils as Kinomoto Sakura slowly woke up. Her green eyes fluttered open and she looked around the dimly lit room as best she could with a stiff neck. To her left was a bamboo-covered wall. Somewhere to her right burned a number of candles. Daidouji Tomoyo was kneeling at her right, staring at something going on near the candles in both curiosity and anxiety. Her ever-present video camera was at her eye recording everything.

"To... Tomoyo...?" she managed to croak.

"Oh, Sakura, you're awake!" she cheered in a near whisper.

"Where are we?"

"At Li's apartment. How do you feel?"

"Tired... stiff..." She suddenly heard Kero chanting in a soft voice from where the candles were. "What's going on over there?"

"Kero's helping Meilin restore Li."

"Restore?"

"Li used up a lot of his strength and magic fighting that card to get you away from it. He was almost completely drained. When the rest of us got here you were both passed out in the living room."

Sakura fought against her pain and stiff muscles to crane her neck, trying to see what was going on off to her right. The room she was in reminded her of a very traditional looking dojo. Stocky candles were set up in a circle, all of them lit, with two smoking incense burners. Meilin was between the burners, adding more incense to them every so often. Kero was standing not far away, reciting an ancient sounding text from an equally ancient looking book.

And in the middle of the candle circle lay Li Syaoran.

He was still in his clan's battle outfit now stained with blood, his breath slow and steady, his eyes closed as he faced the ceiling. He looked to be asleep. Kero's chant changed slightly and the smoke from the incense burners seemed to suddenly wrap around the warrior's body. After what seemed like an eternity passed when finally the Guardian Beast of the Seal stopped chanting. The air was thick with barely contained power and heavy silence. The book was slammed shut and the energy flashed into visible existence before crashing down on Syaoran's still form, causing him to glow in an eerie green light. It both awed and terrified Sakura, so much so that she suddenly felt lightheaded and passed out.

* * *

How much time had passed since she fell unconscious? Sakura didn't know. She slowly opened her eyes to be greeted with the very dim glow of pre-dawn. Her friends were nowhere in immediate line of sight. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, letting her senses resurface. Off to her right Sakura could hear someone releasing sharp breaths as if punching or swinging at something. She craned her neck towards the sound.

In the center of the dim room was Syaoran practicing his katas. Every step he took, every move he made, every slice of his sword was deadly precise and beautifully graceful. Sakura felt herself blush suddenly as she realized he was shirtless and barefoot, only wearing what looked like the white leggings of his battle outfit. Years of hard training and fighting had given the young warrior a well-proportioned physique and chiseled muscles. She smiled as she watched him. Something more to add to her growing list of things she liked about Syaoran. His slightly tanned skin glistened from a thin film of perspiration; his amber eyes were closed in concentration. Sakura shifted on her low pallet to be more comfortable while she watched him practice, a pained moan escaping her lips despite her best efforts to hold it in. Syaoran's katas faltered at the sound and he turned to her in worry. Seeing her try to sit up brought him to her side in an instant, sheathing his sword in the process.

"You shouldn't try to move." he chided her softly as he gently forced her to lie down again and sat at her side.

She bit her lower lip in remorse. "Gomen."

He carefully threaded a hand through her long bangs. "You don't have to apologize. You should be sleeping. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No. I just felt like waking up."

The hand rested on her cool forehead. "How're you feeling?"

Sakura sighed softly, silently enjoying the warmth of his hand. "Still tired... a little cold... and it feels like a few hundred needles are lightly pricking my back."

"That would be the poultice Meilin applied. Dulls the pain, but tingles like crazy. That card came real close to k- killing you."

A fleeting grin touched her lips, part of her mind noticing which word he had hesitated on. "The Death Card was just trying to live up to its name." Her green eyes almost seemed to glow as she looked up at him. "Tomoyo told me you drained yourself of your magic and energy fighting the card after it knocked me out. Why?"

"Nani?"

"You could've died. Why did you do it?"

Syaoran hesitated, a light blush beginning to color his cheeks, then he averted his eyes from hers. He smiled ever so slightly and closed his eyes. "I already told you why, Sakura. I care too much to let you get hurt."

Sakura was both honored and stunned by the admission, so much so that the words momentarily left her. Syaoran, the little wolf, who was usually so reserved with his feelings had actually admitted her cared for her. It was infinitely more than she could have ever hoped for from him. To add anything to what he had just said would ruin the moment, but she felt she had to say something. What could she say?

"Syaoran?" she called softly. His amber eyes met her emerald eyes. "Arigatou." she whispered with a smile. A hot blush crept up her cheeks when he smiled back, the backs of his fingers trailing down the side of her face in an almost tender caress.

A loud yawn sounded somewhere behind Syaoran. He stiffened as Kero flew up into view, landing in a sloppy heap on the young warrior's shoulder. "What're you still doing up, kid?"

"Keeping a vigil." the warrior replied simply, slightly uncomfortable with Kero flopped on his shoulder as he was.

"Morning, Kero." the Mistress of the Cards greeted with a giggle at the look Syaoran had plastered on his face.

Kero perked up at her voice. "What? Yeah, Sakura! You're awake!" and the tiny creature dove straight for his Mistress, snuggling up under her chin. She laughed softly, hugging the teddy bear sized Guardian Beast of the Seal. "Oh, man, you had us all worried, Sakura. That was some hit you took from the Death Card."

"I knew she'd be okay." Tomoyo voiced from somewhere near Sakura's feet. "My Sakura's a fighter. She'd never quit."

"You'd never let me, Tomoyo."

"Of course not! What kind of friend would I be if I let you quit on something?"

A pillow unexpectedly flew through the air and smacked against the back of Tomoyo's head. "It's four in the morning!" whined a half-asleep Meilin. "Go back to sleep before I hurt you!"

"Um, maybe we should let sleeping beauty here sleep and continue this conversation in the living room?" the violet-eyed videographer suggested in a whisper.

Sakura fought her pain and sat up, small whimpers escaping her throat in the process. In one fluid motion Syaoran picked her up off the palette, cradling her in his arms. She looked at him strangely with a slight blush as Tomoyo and Kero gathered up the blankets and soft pillows. Tomoyo was trying her best not to giggle at how cute they looked together. Kero grumbled to himself.

"I think I can walk on my own, you know." Sakura tried in protest.

He stood up with a look that silently asked, and your point is...? He then headed out of the room behind their friends.

"Really, I can walk. I don't want to be any trouble. I mean, I must be heavy."

He shook his head in a negative. "Light as a feather. You should conserve your strength. And you're never any trouble, Sakura."

She blushed fiercely with a shy grin, trying as much as possible not to look him in the eye. Even if he wasn't outwardly smiling at her, his amber eyes were. That was enough to leave her weak in her knees. Part of her was thankful he was carrying her for she was certain the look in his eyes would have made her fall to her knees. The rest of her was completely engrossed in the feel of his strong arms and warm chest. Syaoran held her for a moment more, while Tomoyo and Kero prepared a comfortable spot on the couch for the severely injured Card Captor, then carefully set her down in a sitting position on the bed of soft pillows and blankets. Sakura winced despite how gentle he was trying to be. She clenched her jaw tight to keep her teeth from chattering. She felt frozen, but she knew it was more from exhaustion and pain than from actual cold. Syaoran felt her body tremble slightly as he let her go. A concerned frown knit his brows as he tucked the covers up around her shoulders.

"I'll make you some honey milk to help warm you up."

She looked at him in surprise. "What makes you think I'm cold?"

"Your lips are turning blue, that's what."

Her hand shot up to hide her mouth, her face turning a deep shade of red. Tomoyo's near violet eyes danced in laughter. "Now they must be turning purple." she quipped.

Syaoran lightly tapped the end of Sakura's nose with his index just like a gently chiding parent. "Honey milk it is."

"Hey, brat, how about some breakfast too?" Kero called to him as the young warrior disappeared into the kitchen.

"You want breakfast then you have to help make it, fuzz ball!" he called back.

"Nani!? No way, I'm not stepping foot into another kitchen after than little fiasco with the Change Card and your whiney Cousin!"

"Fine, then you're not getting breakfast!"

"Why you gaki!"

"Kero?" Tomoyo called gently, a sly grin on her lips.

"Nani?" he near growled.

"You do know most girls find a guy, who can cook, irresistible, ne?"

He blinked. "Honto?" She merely nodded in response. "Oh, well, in that case..." He grabbed a tissue, folded it a few times, and draped it over his arm like a waiter at a fancy restaurant. "And what would the lovely ladies like to have for breakfast on this fine Sunday morning?"

Sakura smiled, amused, but shook her head. "Nothing for me, I'm not really hungry."

"You should at least try to eat something." Syaoran countered. He came up behind the couch and cautiously handed her a mug filled with warm milk and honey, then leaned on the couch back to watch her take a few short sips. "You have to re-build your strength for when we go after that card again."

She raised her eyes to him. "Even when I'm just not hungry?"

"Even when." he confirmed as he moved a rebel lock of her hair away from her eyes. "Tell you what, I'll make a little of everything and you can choose what tempts you."

"Kawaii! A buffet!" Tomoyo exclaimed.

"Sort of." he amended. He turned to Sakura. "Will you at least try?"

His deep amber eyes pleaded with her. She blinked. Why was it she could never refuse him anything when he pleaded so sincerely? Finally she sighed in surrender and flashed a gentle smile up at him. Even if he didn't smile, his whole expression and posture seemed to brighten.

"Just don't make too much or you'll have leftovers to deal with." she warned.

"Not if the stuffed animal has anything to say about it." and he went back to the kitchen.

"Hey! I can't help it if I'm always hungry." the Guardian Beast of the Seal retorted as he flew after him.

Sakura chuckled. "They act like they hate each other, but deep down I know they like each other."

"They like you better." Tomoyo grinned slyly.

She lowered her eyes. "Syaoran doesn't like me."

"Hai, he does! If he didn't he wouldn't be doing all of this. You should have seen him, Sakura. Attack after attack and then the strongest lightning attack I've ever seen him use. You could literally feel the electricity around you."

"He shouldn't have done it. He almost died."

"He did it for you."

"He did it to catch the card."

Tomoyo sighed in frustration. "You know, you're sweet and all, Sakura, but sometimes you can be really blind to what's right in front of you."

"Nani?"

She paused in thought. "Just a second." and she dashed away back to the training room. She returned short moments later with her video camera in hand. "Here, I rewound it to the attack by that card. Tell me then, after you watch it, if you still think he's only after the card."

Sakura brought the camera to her eye, pressing the small ear-piece into her ear, and pressed play. She saw herself and Syaoran sliding down the loose shale hill, then she saw herself get thrown against a tree by an invisible force. She had been too stunned to see Syaoran stand in front of her like a living shield. He turned in time to see her up in the air in a chokehold. He shouted familiar words and made a familiar hand gesture, causing lightning to crash down on the Death Card. The next few scenes she remembered vividly: Syaoran helping her stand; her challenging the Death Card; the card's charge; and the subsequent attack. She had been in too much pain then to notice Syaoran's attempt to attack the card from behind. She winced in sympathetic pain for him when she saw him get hit. Sakura saw the card ram her head into a tree. Off to the side of the shot Syaoran had been recovering from his blow and had seen what had happened to her. He screamed and she blinked in surprise. He had screamed out her name as a battle cry as he ran towards the card and took a violent swipe, barely missing. A few more swipes of his sword later he finally used the massive lightning attack Tomoyo had mentioned. Injured, the card escaped. Kero flew over to a recovering Syaoran and told him that she needed help immediately, to which the warrior/sorcerer promptly picked her up, saying they should take her to his apartment, and then ran off with their friends close behind.

Sakura pressed stop and handed the camera back to Tomoyo, her mind swirling with thoughts and questions. Syaoran had admitted to her that he loved someone, but he hadn't said whom. Then he had admitted to her that he cared for her, twice. He constantly risked his life to protect her. But that didn't mean anything romantic, did it? They were just partners in capturing Clow Cards, right? He didn't like her that way. Did he?

Tomoyo watched her best friend carefully, catching the confused emotions flickering across her face. "So, what's your opinion now?"

Sakura looked at her friend, confusion swirling in her bright green eyes. "I... I don't know." came her soft admission.

"Well, just think about it for a while then, ne?"

She paused, then nodded slowly. "Okay."

Meilin came trudging into the living room at this point, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. "How can you guys wake up so early?" she mumbled.

""Habit."" Syaoran and Tomoyo answered simply.

"The gaki's fault." griped Kero as he carefully cracked a few eggs in a bowl.

"Pain." Sakura winced slightly as she shifted.

At this Meilin came completely awake in a flash. As much as she didn't like the green-eyed Mistress of the Cards she couldn't stand to see her this hurt. So, despite her animosity towards her, she would help her... for her Cousin's sake. She looked to Syaoran and found his amber eyes fixed on Sakura in worry. Meilin set her jaw. This was what Tomoyo had meant when she had said he had been starting towards a different road than hers. She saw it now. Syaoran was falling in love with Sakura. Or he had already and just didn't have the courage to tell her yet.

"Be right back." Meilin suddenly announced as she ran off down the hallway. She returned moments later with a small terra cotta jar and a number of bandages, tossing a white long-sleeved mock neck to her Cousin as she passed. "Might as well take the opportunity and change your dressings."

Sakura looked apprehensive. "Now?"

"No time like the present." She saw her Cousin and Kero make a move to come help her. "No you don't! This is a girls only thing. You and Kero finish making breakfast while Tomoyo and I do this. And no peeking!" she ordered.

"Why you little brat! I'm gonna--" But the Guardian Beast of the Seal never got to finish his threat since Li Syaoran grabbed his tail and yanked him back. "Hey! What was that for, gaki?"

"To save you from a painful death, you ball of fluff. Meilin's not kidding about this."

With that said Kero reluctantly backed off and went to stare at the toaster, waiting for the toast to pop up. Satisfied that both males in the apartment would stay where they were, Meilin turned her attention to Sakura. With Tomoyo's help they got her to sit up and the young Chinese girl began to carefully snip away the present bandage. The blood had dried to the bandage and Sakura whimpered in mounting pain as she felt it being pulled off. The more Meilin tugged at the bandage, the more pain the Card Captor felt until she was crying in agony, crushing Tomoyo's hands. Syaoran turned his back to the living room, his eyes shut tight while he struggled not to race in to her rescue from this torture. Just as he thought he couldn't stand to hear anymore, her cries subsided slowly to soft whimpers again. Syaoran felt Kero land on his shoulder.

"Planning to make meringues with whole eggs there, kid?" the magical creature questioned.

The young warrior looked down at the bowl before him. He hadn't realized he was still beating the eggs until now. He pushed the bowl away with a sigh, pressing his shaking hands to the counter top to help steady himself.

"They'll be extra fluffy scrambled eggs, that's for sure. But this is actually something we agree on, kid." Kero voiced softly as he patted Syaoran shoulder.

"What is?"

"We both hate to see or hear her in so much pain. Tears you up inside all the way to the core."

Syaoran closed his eyes. "I failed her. I'm supposed to protect her from this sort of stuff and I couldn't."

"Hey, you two went after the most powerful of all the Clow Cards. What were you thinking?"

"Sakura wanted to alter her vision and so did I. That card'll kill her sometime in the future. I don't want her to die, not if I can help it. If we catch it first then she won't die. But she almost did last night."

"But she didn't because you were there. Besides, you're only human. It's to be expected that these things will happen."

The warrior/sorcerer of the Li Clan went back to preparing the morning meal. "Knowing that doesn't make things any easier."

"I know, but to protect her like you want you'd have to lock her up in a bubble for the rest of her life." Kero assembled the finished food items on a large tray with the plates and utensils, then turned to Clow Reed's descendant. "No matter how hard you try to protect her there will always be a time when Sakura will get hurt. Might be by a Clow Card, might be by an enemy, might be from a broken heart, or it might be from something from everyday life. In any case, I know for a fact that she really appreciates your help in everything since you arrived in Tomeda District."

"And how would you know that?"

"I... well, um... I sort of read Sakura's journal."

"You what!?"

"Well, what? I know she has a lot of dreams about the future, but she doesn't tell me even half of them. I just want to know those dreams to better prepare for what might happen. And I was right, a lot of them are about the Clow Cards, but the rest all involve her and you. And let me tell you, kid, she only has nice things to say about you."

Syaoran perked up and looked at the Guardian Beast of the Seal in surprise. "About me? Honto?"

"Nothing but." Kero confirmed with a smirk.

The warrior thought about this as he finished assembling the breakfast on the large tray. Sakura actually wrote nice things about him, her dreams of him, in her private journal. To most it wouldn't seem like much, but to him it was hope that her heart was drawing closer to his reach. He allowed himself a small inward smile. Hope was often all a guy needed. As he carefully lifted the tray onto his shoulder he saw Kero manage to lift the drinks' tray. Syaoran grinned at the sight. He was strong for a little stuffed ball of fluff.

"Hope you ladies are hungry." Kero announced as he and the warrior entered the living room. "You, too, brat girl." he directed to Meilin as the trays were set down on the small coffee table.

"Hey!" the young Chinese girl pouted.

"Kero, be nice." Sakura chided in a weak, pained voice. "We're guests here so behave like one."

Syaoran noticed how pale and fragile she looked lying there, a thin film of perspiration dampening her hair, and he bit the inside of his cheek as he handed her a plate with a small quantity of food on it, as she had requested. Kero bowed his head in apology to his Mistress. In revenge, Meilin stuck her tongue out at Kero and turned on the television, beginning to absently flip through the channels. The Guardian Beast of the Seal grumbled to himself for a moment, then flew over to stand on Sakura's knees, his expression serious.

"This is as good a time as any to review last night's failed capture."

"Sorry about that, Kero." Sakura stated sheepishly, toying with her food. "We'll try harder next time. Won't we, Syaoran?"

"You bet." the warrior assured.

"No, you won't." Kero amended.

The Mistress of the Cards was surprised at this. He didn't want them to go after the card? "But, Kero--"

"No. The whole reason it got away was because you weren't ready to fight it yet. The Death Card is supposed to be the last and ultimate test of a Card Captor's abilities. You need more card capting experience before you can go after it again... a lot more."

"And what if it comes after us?" Syaoran countered with a frown.

"Avoid it. Run away."

"I will not run from a Clow Card!"

"You don't know how to fight the Death Card!"

Sakura blinked. "Hai, he does." Both males blinked and stared at her. "You told me yesterday afternoon, remember, Syaoran?... Oh, what was it?..." She met the young warriors steady gaze. "Clow Reed said there were two ways to defeat the Death Card for capture."

He sat of the couch's armrest behind her and nodded as he remembered. "Hai. One was to not use the cards and only use pure magic, but neither of us have enough control over our own powers to do that yet. The other way was confusing. Something about two souls having to be in one body... or at least that's as close as I could come up with during my translation."

Tomoyo cocked her head in curiosity. "Translation?"

Kero hunched his shoulders. "Um... yeah... Master Clow had a habit of writing everything in an ancient Latin dialect. Really hard to translate."

"But does what he said sound familiar to you though?" Sakura insisted.

"Vaguely. Actually, if I remember that particular text correctly, it should read more, two halves of the same soul in one body again."

"Two halves of the same soul?"

"Soul mates." concluded Syaoran.

"Soul mates? How does that fit here?"

"It's an old Greek belief. Clow Reed had a few references to it throughout his scrolls and texts. Human kind used to be both male and female in one, all hermaphrodites, a perfect being. The gods were jealous of that perfection and split the beings down the middle, creating both male and female. The belief goes that the soul was also split in half, but it was fully aware of that fact so it started searching for its other half that the gods had separated it from. That's the driving force behind the search for that special someone. We look for that person who makes us feel whole because that person is our other half, the other half of our own soul. Our soul mate."

"But with so many people on the planet, it's almost impossible to ever be able to meet your soul mate."

"No, it's not." Meilin suddenly beamed, turning away from the television.

"It's not?"

"Nope, because I found mine!" and she launched herself at Syaoran, who promptly ducked out of the way. "Come back here!"

"Meilin, I am not your soul mate! Now leave me alone!"

"Never! You're mine!"

Tomoyo and Sakura chuckled in amusement even though this was an old routine between the two, Kero flying up near the ceiling to get a better view of the action. Like he was going to miss a moment of this. Ruby-eyed Meilin had amber-eyed Syaoran trapped near the balcony door, slowly advancing on him like a predator stalking its prey. She would never give up until he finally saw that he loved her, no matter how long it took. He expertly ducked out of reach, moving away from the wall and window that had cut off his escape. With so many years of practice evading her, he was now an expert at it. He knew exactly what she was going to do and when. His back was now to the back of the couch, waiting for Meilin's inevitable next move. He didn't have long to wait. With an almost maniacal look in her eyes she lunged towards Syaoran, aiming to wrap her arms around his waist. He easily back flipped over the couch's backrest to get away from her, landing in a low crouch between the couch and coffee table. Unable to stop her momentum, Meilin crashed headfirst into the couch. The impact jarred the piece of furniture, the sudden shaking movement causing pain to lance through Sakura's injuries. She groaned in pain despite her best efforts not to. From his position at her shoulder, Syaoran looked at her in a mixture of worry and remorse.

"You okay?" he questioned gently.

She nodded gingerly, waving back his concern as she tried to settle back against her pillows. "What about Meilin?"

He smirked imperceivably. That's one of the things that makes you so beautiful, Ying Fa. Always thinking of others before yourself, he thought to himself, using her name translated into Chinese. It was a private pet name he used for her, but that he never had the courage to say out loud.

"The she-brat is fine." Kero announced from his perch on the backrest. "She landed head-first so there was no damage done at all."

"Kero!" Tomoyo admonished.

Meilin's scowling face suddenly popped up into view right behind the Guardian Beast of the Seal. "You are so dead, cotton ball." she growled low and menacingly. He took off like a shot with her chasing right behind him.

Syaoran stood and watched the chase attentively, making sure they came nowhere near the couch. He didn't want his beloved Mistress of the Cards to be hurt again, even accidentally. Tomoyo sat at Sakura's feet, busy cueing her video tape in her camera while she absently munched on some toast. She didn't want to lose any footage she had and she definitely didn't want to risk missing a precious moment if ever it happened. Finally done with her camera she risked a glance up to the warrior standing guard next to her best friend. She smiled. He was a good and loyal friend. And he did like Sakura a lot, maybe even loved her. There were just too many signs pointing to that fact. Each time they went after a card he protected her with such passion. He got flustered and unsure of himself whenever she appeared. He smiled easily and a lot more when she was near. And he blushed almost shyly when she smiled at him. Tomoyo was already certain Sakura loved him too. She wouldn't have been much of a best friend if she didn't know the intimate details of her friend's life. But it was also so obvious that both teens were afraid to be rejected by the other if they admitted their feelings. That was the whole reason they remained quiet on the subject. Tomoyo grinned. She would fix that. She looked to Sakura and gasped softly.

"Oh, she's so absolutely adorable!" she exclaimed in a whisper, training her camera on her friend.

Syaoran seemed to snap out of a trance. He looked to Tomoyo in confusion, then down at Sakura. She was nestled back against the pillows comfortably, her head lolled to one side in a deep sleep. A tiny peaceful smile adorned her lips. Her now empty plate was balanced precariously on her lap. Syaoran felt his breath catch in awe. He was in the presence of a sleeping angel. There was no other way to describe the being lying before him now. Being ever so careful, so as not to wake her, he removed the plate from her lap and tucked the covers up around her shoulders to keep her warm. He sat next to her, semi-lounged, an arm draped almost protectively just above her head on her pillow, and watched her sleep.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo near squealed in delight.

"Shh!" he hissed quietly. "You'll wake her."

"Gomen, gomen, gomen." she whispered quickly in apology. "You two just look so kawaii together."

Syaoran sighed softly. "Don't start, Tomoyo."

"Look, I just want you two to be happy. And I know that your being together will do just that. I know you like her a lot, maybe even love her, don't try to deny it. What I don't understand is why you told her you loved someone else?"

"I didn't."

"But she said..."

"No. What I said was I do love someone. I just never told her that person's name."

"Then why don't you tell Sakura how you feel about her?"

"I... I can't. I don't want to hurt her."

"How would telling her how you feel hurt her?"

His expression saddened. "Because I'll eventually have to leave her."

"Nani?"

"It was the condition I was given when I came to Japan. The Li Clan Elders said I could stay only long enough to capture the cards, but I soon as the last one was caught I'd have to return to Hong Kong and assume leadership of my clan. I gave them my word I'd come back. I never go back on my word."

She frowned at him. "So, what, you're just going to leave her when all this is done?"

"I don't want to, really, I don't. But as much as I don't want the cards to be caught so I can stay here, I also can't let them remain on the loose." Syaoran gently toyed with a lock of Sakura's hair, staring at her face in longing. "I'd bring her with me, but I can't just take her away from her home, her family, her friends. And I can't see how I can stay with her."

"Those are all big decisions for an eighteen year old to make."

"For the five years I've been here I've been rolling the questions over in my mind for the last four. I'm no closer to an answer now than I was back when I started."

"You'll find a way to stay with Sakura. Li Syaoran always finds a way." she smiled brightly.

He looked up at the amethyst-eyed girl sitting across from him. "You know, I'm glad she has you as a friend."

Tomoyo looked puzzled. "Why's that?"

"Because when I met her I also met you and now I can call you my friend as well."

She smiled again to cover her growing blush from the compliment. No wonder Sakura loves him so much. What a sweet-talker! she thought. "Any friend of Sakura's is a friend of mine."

He couldn't stop the low chuckle that escaped his lips at her cliché comment. With a patient shake of his head he looked down at Sakura's peaceful features. He smiled and lightly touched her cheek. "I wonder what you're dreaming about." he mused softly.

Sakura suddenly sighed in bliss in her sleep and managed to roll to her side towards him without pain. "Syaoran..." she mumbled with a smile, her hand clutching a fistful of his shirt possessively.

The warrior blinked in surprise at this, a blush coloring his cheeks as Tomoyo giggled. "Guess we know who she's dreaming about. And by the look on her face it's a very good dream." she jabbed verbally.

Syaoran just stared at the object of his affection for the longest moment before warmly enfolding her in his arms, being wary of her injuries. I pray I'm worthy of your affection, Ying Fa.

To Be Continued...