Chapter 6: Longing Safety

They ran what seemed for miles until they came to the front of her house, gasping for breath. They both collapsed to their knees and held each other, never wanting to let go. Sakura couldn't stop her tears. Syaoran had gotten hurt!
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried over and over again.
"No, Sakura. Stop. Please, stop!" He wove his fingers through her hair, holding her head close to him while he tried to calm her shaking body.
"But you got hurt! You got hurt because of me!"
"That's not true! You could have gotten hurt if I hadn't! Is that what you would have wanted?"
"Yes! Yes it is!" she pounded on his shoulder. He took her hands and made her look at him.
"No, it isn't, Sakura. I'd die before anything happened to you!" His eyes pleaded silently with her.
"Syaoran, I'm so sorry…" she whispered.
"Stop. Let's get you inside. You need to get some rest." He lightly touched her cheek.
"I'm not going in without you."
"But -"
"I'll kill Onii-chan if he says anything."
He didn't argue. Her mind was made up and he knew it. Syaoran helped her up and they walked up the steps to the door. Sakura clung to him and her tears soaked into his shirt. Why couldn't she stop crying? After using his shoulder to dry her eyes, she got out her house key and attempted to open the door, but it flew open before she had a chance.
"Onii-chan!" she yelled, her heart pounding.
"Where have you been!? Do you know what time it is!? And- AHH!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM!?!?" He pointed a finger accusingly at Syaoran.
"Syaoran-kun got hurt, Onii-chan! Please, get me an ice pack!" she answered as calmly as she could while dragging the boy into the living room.
"But-"
"ONII-CHAN!!" Sakura screamed and more tears fell down her face. Syaoran was careful not to meet her brother's gaze and held back the urge to brush away her tears. Touya stared at his sister for a moment. How could she bring that brat in the house!? But he couldn't stand to see her so troubled, so he obediently went to the kitchen, gritting his teeth.
Sakura breathed a sigh if relief and pulled Syaoran onto the couch with her. She sat on her knees facing him, held his hand and lightly traced her fingers over his bruised eye.
"Are you ok?" she whispered. Syaoran looked up at her.
"It feels better when you touch it…" He blushed but smiled all the same. Sakura nearly broke out in tears all over again but she kept them back. She had to be strong. For him.
"You shouldn't have fought with that jerk." She swallowed and searched his eyes.
"He deserved it-"
"But you didn't. He wasn't worth it."
Syaoran lifted her hand with his and raised his eyebrows,
"But you are, Sakura…I couldn't risk letting anything happen to you..."
They both leaned in and closed their eyes. His heart pounded in his ears and he wondered if she felt the same way. They were so close he could feel the warmth of her breath.
"Uh uh, brat." His shoulder was jerked back to the couch by an iron grip. Touya came around and looked in Syaoran's face.
"Stay away from my sister."
Syaoran just stared back. Those words cut through him like a steel blade. Stay away. Stay away. Stay away. No. No! He wanted to scream. But he couldn't. His voice was caught between extreme sadness and pain. Didn't he understand? Didn't he understand that Sakura meant everything to him? That he would give up his life just so she would be safe? His eyes clouded over with hurt and anguish.
"You're lucky I even let you in here." Touya said before handing the ice pack to Sakura
"Onii-chan, leave him alone, I mean it!" Sakura's eyes flamed. Syaoran stared after him. Why? Why didn't he understand!? Sakura tugged on his sleeve.
"Here," she lay the ice pack gently over his eye, "please, don't let him get to you." He lifted his hand and put it over hers.
"I - I love you, Sakura…why can't he see that?"
Sakura's lip quivered.
"Because he doesn't want to. But he will. One day he will, don't worry." She moved onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I can't stop shaking…" She bit her lip trying to hold back the tears. Syaoran closed his eyes and lay a hand on her back.
"I'm all right. Don't be sad. Don't be sad…"
Sakura turned and pressed her lips firmly to his cheek. They trembled as a single tear escaped from her eyes but she held them there. It landed on his hand and he brushed his fingers lightly down her face. The feel of his touch calmed her. She brought her head down to his chest and lay against him in peace at last. Syaoran put his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head before she fell asleep.

Sakura woke the next day lying on the couch with a quilt pulled over her. She felt a tingling sensation on her cheek as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Syaoran…where?" She looked around groggily.
"The brat's gone."
Sakura looked up and she screamed,
"ONII-CHAN!"
Touya stood before her, leaning against the doorway. Her stomach took a leap and her eyes went wide.
"Where is he, Onii-chan!? What did you do to him!?" She put her hands up in fists.
"The brat left this morning. I didn't get to kill him…" He began muttering a series of things Sakura was sure she didn't want to hear. Knowing that Syaoran was all right let her relax so she stood up and stretched. Her brother glared and pointed at her
"You . . . have a living stuffed animal in your room."
Sakura jumped back onto the couch.
"WHAT!? I mean uh, heh heh heh..what are you talking about, Onii-chan?" Her hands started sweating as she rubbed them together.
"The flying teddy bear upstairs…"
"I'M NOT A TEDDY BEA- … oops…" Kero sweatdropped and slunk over to Sakura who had her hands on her hips. He sat on her head and sighed,
"I made a boo boo…"
"That… is a stuffed animal. Why does it fly?"
Kero's mistress plucked him from her hair and held him tightly in front of her.
"Kero-chan is not a stuffed animal and Kero-chan is coming upstairs…with me." She walked passed Touya and went up the stairs to her room.
"YOU CAN'T STAY UP THERE FOREVER! YOU HAVE TO EAT!!!"

Sakura closed her door and held Kero by his tail.
"Explain…"
Kero clapped his paws together nervously.
"Well…after you left yesterday, your brother came in and threatened me to tell him where you went or he'd rip my head off…"
"And you told him!?"
"How could I? I didn't even know where the two of you had gone!"
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and let him go.
"Ohhh…..headrush," Kero moaned once he was right side up again.
"Sorry." She sat on her bed and leaned her head against the wall.
"Why did he leave? I need him here!" she whispered. Kero shook his head,
"They should give me a new name: Rough and Tumble Kero, you can shake him, throw him around, and hold him by his tail…he won't fall apart! Sakura what's wrong?"
She lay down and he sat on her stomach.
"Syaoran isn't here…"
"But you were with him all day yesterday weren't you?"
"I don't care…"
"You'll see him at school tomorrow won't you?"
She sighed,
"Yeah…maybe I can sleep all day, then it won't be as long." Sakura rolled over, knocking Kero onto the bed.
"Do you really think you can do that? I mean you would be wasting a whole day! Even I couldn't play video games for 18 hours straight. Although…if I did…I would be the Zylon Warriors 3 champion! Fwahahahaha!!"
No response.
"Sakura, are you listening to me? I wonder if they're going to make a Zylon Warriors 4 game, that would be awesome!" He started kicking and punching the air.
"HOO HA and flip! Twirl, spin, ZAP! No one can defeat my special move!"
No response. Kero stared at her back for a minute.
"Anyway! I was saying that sleeping that much is practically impossible. You know I think that too much sleep is bad for you."
No response.
"SAKURA!!!"
"It's no use, I can't sleep." She sat up and gripped the edge of her bed, "Maybe I should take a walk."
"I'll stay here and practice my game controller skills!" He flew down to his precious game system as she went to the door.
"Uh, Sakura? Do you want to go out wearing that?"
She looked down at her wrinkled clothes.
"HOEE!!!!"

Freshly dressed, Sakura skipped down the stairs, happy to start a new day. She hopped over the last step and ran down the hall. Pausing at the kitchen she wondered if she should eat something first.
"I'm not hungry. Besides, that would just give Onii-chan more time to bug me." She went past the living room and almost screamed when she saw Touya reaching for her backpack. Her bear was in that backpack!
"NO!" The backpack disappeared from the couch in a white blur, just escaping her brother's grasp. He looked up to see Sakura hugging it tightly to her chest.
'Don't worry, Syaoran, I have you now,' she said silently to her bear. There was no way she was going to let Touya get a hold of her treasure! She strapped her winged backpack to her back, walked to the door and turned the knob. Well, tried to at least.
"Why won't the door open!?" She pulled on the handle.
"Looking for this?" She spun around and saw Touya dangling the key from his fingers.
'Onii-chan! Give me that!" He pulled it away when she reached for it.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"For a walk!"
"YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT BRAT AREN'T YOU!?"
"No, I'm not! Are you planning on locking me in this house for the rest of my life?"
"Something like that…" he answered coolly while searching for something in the ceiling with his eyes.
"Onii-chan. Please… I just want to get some fresh air. I had a rough day, yesterday!" 'Well, kind of…' she said to herself.
"How do I know you're not going to his house?"
"I won't! I promise! Just let me go, pelase?"
Touya looked at his sister. Her eyes were getting all red, like she was about to cry.
"Please?" she begged.
"I wonder if I'll ever be able to ignore this," he mutter inaudibly.
"Hoe?"
He handed her the key.
"Don't stay out too late."
Sakura was all smiles.
"Thank you, Onii-chan!" She hugged him around the waist. Sighing, he patted her softly on the head. After letting go, she unlocked and opened the door.
"But I swear, if you come back with that brat, I WILL kill him!" he called after her.
"Good BYE, Onii-chan!"

Sakura sat in the cherry blossom tree holding her bear. She could almost feel Syaoran's warmth coming from it and that gave her a sense of contentment. Since she couldn't go see him, this was as close as she could get.
"I'll see him tomorrow, that's not too far away…" she sighed then shook her head, "I'm hopeless!" Sakura peeked out of the corner of her eye as a pink and purple butterfly landed on her shoulder. She lifted her head but it wasn't frightened away. It merely fluttered it's wings and almost seemed to watch her. Sakura grinned.
"Hey," she spoke softly to the gentle creature, "could you go tell Syaoran that I miss him?" It stopped moving for a second then flew away. She felt better as she watched it.
"Sakura-chan!" called a high-pitched voice. Sakura looked down from her perch, jumped off and smiled at her friend.
"Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan!"
"Could you come over to my house for a little while? I just finished your dress for the dance and I wanted to check the fitting!"
Sakura frowned a little,
"Tomoyo-chan, you didn't have to spend all your time doing that."
"I don't mind! It's so much fun to design outfits and imagine how they would look on you!" Her eyes sparkled with stars, "I feel so honored when you wear my creations, and you look so kawaii!"
Sakura grinned at her,
"Of course I'll come over, Tomoyo-chan!"

"See, the sleeves are loose and transparent so you can feel the night breeze, and it compliments the rest of the design!" Tomoyo twirled around with the pink colored dress, giggling hysterically. "I'm so happy! I think this is the best one yet! And I even have a matching hairpiece for you! Kawaii! Kawaii! Kawaii! Kawaii!!!"
Sakura caught her as she almost fell over. Tomoyo quickly thrust the dress into Sakura's arms.
"Now go try it on and then we can talk!" A huge grin flashed across her face.
"All right, Tomoyo-chan…wait…talk!? Why did you say it like that!?" She started to yell but sighed as she looked around. Tomoyo had already pushed her into the dressing room and was setting up her video camera.
"Oh well…"

Sakura smiled at herself in the mirror.
'This is probably the most normal thing Tomoyo-chan has ever made!' She examined the long, flowing skirt that had been purposely but unevenly so that it was
longer in the back. The top was made of crushed velvet and around the neck were tiny
golden stars. The sleeves were her favorite part. They grew wider at the wrist so that they
hung down about five inches from her fingertips. Sakura whirled around happily to feel the skirt blowing a soft wind under her, and sweatdropped as Tomoyo slid a pair of pink, patent flats under the door. Reluctant to leave the room, Sakura put them on her feet and closed her eyes for a minute. She was getting very suspicious of Tomoyo. The things she said lately didn't seem to make much sense. Especially the way she pronounced them. Talk? Since when did they have to make plans to talk? Why did she think that Tomoyo was trying to get information out of her? About her and Syaoran….. She blushed and put her hands to her face. It wouldn't be smart to go out there with her cheeks matching the color of her dress.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and prepared to model for her friend.
"OK, I'm ready To-," she raised her eyebrows, "Tomoyo-chan, are you all right?"
Tomoyo was practically in tears. She had her hands clutched to her chest and her eyes had grown wider than she thought possible. She started to squeal and fumbled with the buttons on her recorder.
"It's even better than I thought!"
Sakura almost fell over in exasperation. Tomoyo rushed over and moved her into posing position with a giddy look on her face. Then she grabbed her camera and started shooting pictures from all angles.
"Uh huh, uh huh, yes, ok, a little…that's it, now for a full body shot, great! Umm…love it, love it! And…(click)…we're done!" She threw up her arms nearly sending her equipment flying across the room.
"That's it?"
"Yep! Now let's talk!!"
Sakura eyed her suspiciously, "About what…?"
Tomoyo rolled her eyes, "You know…"
"No I don't know.
"Yes you do…after you and Li-kun dropped me off at my house…what did the two of you do?"
"He walked me home, Tomoyo-chan."
"Is that all?" Tomoyo leaned in closer to Sakura and watched her face turn red.
"We talked for a while." Sakura slipped a nervous glance at her friend. What was she doing? Tomoyo wasn't there so why was she treating her like a guest on 20 Questions? She hoped her face wasn't turning pink but she could already feel it getting hot.
"Talking is good…" she furrowed an eyebrow and curled up her lip.
"Tomoyo-chan! Why are you talking like that!?"
Tomoyo sat up, looked at the ceiling and, dramatically tossed her long, wavy hair behind her back,
"Because you and Li-kun are the most kawaii couple in the word and I want to know everything!!"
Sakura's eyes shot open. What did she say!?
"Tomoyo-chan, I don't think couple is the right wor-,"
"No, you're right. The two of you are soul-mates matched in heaven, and sent to earth, destined to save each other through the power of your love!!!"
She blushed even more furiously.
"Tomoyo-cha-,"
"It's perfect!" Tomoyo stood up and got a faraway look in her eye as she started gesticulating with her hands, "I can see it all now! It will be my first movie ever…"
"Tomo-," She winced and raised her finger.
"The two most powerful magicians in all the universe become allies to save the world from turmoil and destruction and then fall in love! Oooh! I'm so excited!"
"Tomoy-,"
"Let's see…I'll have to start working on your costumes right away! They have to be exactly perfect!"
"Tomoyo-chan,"
"And the title too…hmm….I know!"
"Tomoyo-chan,"
"CardCaptors in Love! Wait, is that too corny?"
"TOMOYO-CHAN!!"
Tomoyo shrieked and turned around noticing that Sakura was all the way on the other side of the room.
"Sakura-chan? Why did you go all the way over there? Do you want to leave or something?"
Sakura walked over to Tomoyo, shaking her head.
"No, I was just trying to bring you back down to earth."
Suddenly the dark-haired girl broke into a huge smile and lost herself in her own world again. She walked over to her private theatre, forgetting about Sakura completely. Her mind and body were totally taken over and her hands found one of her most recent tapes. Becoming deeply concerned, Sakura followed Tomoyo wondering what in the world she was doing.
'Oh yeah, I forgot. She's not in this world right now!' She grinned while watching her sorting through hundreds of tapes.
"How does she keep them all straight?" Sakura whispered to herself.
"Sakura-chan's already been practicing for the scene with the kiss, I have it right here!" Tomoyo exclaimed as she thrust the tape into the air triumphantly. Sakura stopped dead.
"What are you talking about, Tomoyo-chan?" How did she know that she and Syaoran had….kissed? Tomoyo wasn't there, it wasn't possible!
"Tomoyo-chan, what are you doing!?"
Tomoyo turned out the lights and sat down before pushing the tape into the VCR. She rested her chin in her hands and sighed dreamily. Sakura stayed in the back too stunned to move. There it was, all on film. The day Syaoran had walked her home from school, at the front of her house and…..
"Tomoyo-chan…where did you…" She watched Syaoran pulling her into his arms and catching her lips in his own. It played over and over again, making her heart beat wildly and sending warmth up her face. Just looking at them together made her miss him even more. She had no idea that a kiss could look so…
"Perfect! Sakura-chan does everything so perfectly! So my movie will be perfect too! Especially this scene…"
Sakura couldn't decide weather she was angry at Tomoyo for spying on her, or happy that it was on tape so she could see it. Thoughts raced madly through her head as she walked up the aisle and slowly pushed the stop button.
"Huh?" Tomoyo lifted her head.
"Where did you get this, Tomoyo-chan?"
Tomoyo looked at Sakura and a horrified expression passed over her face as she quickly stood up, dropping the remote control.
"Sakura-chan! I didn't mean to! I mean…you…um…I'm so sorry!" Her hands flew to her cheeks and tears filled her eyes. A wave of pity filled Sakura's heart and her face softened as she hugged Tomoyo trying to comfort her friend.
"It's all right, Tomyo-chan. I'm not mad."
"Really?" Tomoyo sniffed as her tears began to cease.
"Hai, I understand what you were trying to do."
"I thought I could tape all your special moments and give it to the both of you as a gift when you got older! I knew you would be mad if you found out too soon so I was going to keep it a secret!"
Sakura pulled back and looked at Tomoyo.
"Don't worry, Tomoyo-chan. Just be more careful in the future!" she laughed. Tomoyo's face brightened and she laughed as well.
"I will!"
The two girls walked back into Tomoyo's room and screamed as thunder boomed and lightning streaked across the wall. Then the rain came, first just pittiling on the windowpanes, but soon it was pounding on the roof.
"Rain?" Sakura went to the window and put her hands on the glass, "But it was sunny just a minute ago! That's really strange…"
Tomoyo came up behind her but was surprised when she heard a sharp intake of breath from Sakura as a flash of lightning illuminated her face.
"Tomoyo-chan…"
"What's wrong?"
"I felt…I felt…"
"Clow-san?"
Sakura turned around, her face grim.
"No. Something dark….and cold. Something I've only felt when….." her voice suddenly became urgent, "Tomoyo-chan, take me home."
Tomoyo nodded and went to tell her bodyguards over the intercom while Sakura hurriedly changed into her clothes.
They put her new dress in a protective bag and ran out the door.

Only one thing was on Sakura's mind as she stared out the rain streaked window of the car.
"Syaoran…" she whispered. What could she do? She promised Touya she wouldn't go to his house! If she broke that promise, she'd be breaking her brother's trust as well and that would only make things worse. She would just have to fight them alone. As long as she didn't fall asleep, everything would be fine… Suddenly, that nap she had begun this morning seemed like a good idea at the time.
Tomoyo couldn't stand to see Sakura this way. She wished there was something she could do to help. At least a little. She put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Sakura-chan…are you sure you want to go back home? You could stay over at my house tonight…" She prayed silently that Sakura would agree.
"No, Tomoyo-chan. I can't bring you into this."
"But,"
"No." She leaned back against the seat and took deep breaths.
"Then at least go to Li-kun's," Tomoyo pleaded.
"I can't. I promised Onii-chan I wouldn't. Kero-chan can take care of me," 'I hope…'
"Be careful, Sakura-chan." They came to a stop.
Sakura smiled weakly at her.
"I will." She gave Tomoyo a quick hug before dashing out of the car and into her house but getting soaked all the same.

Touya opened the door for Sakura and handed her a towel.
"Thank you, Onii-chan," she gasped as her brother took the dress and her backpack so she could dry herself off a little.
"Thank you," he answered while putting her things on the step.
"For what?"
"For not breaking your promise."
Sakura bit her lip and looked up sadly at Touya.
"Sorry I got home so late," she responded, noticing the clock in the living room, "I'm going to my room for the rest of the night. Could you bring me some dinner and dessert when you get a chance?"
Touya ruffled her semi-damp hair.
"Sure, Kaijuu," he said, walking into the kitchen.
"Onii-chan…"
He laughed.
"Wish I could laugh…" she mumbled while grabbing her stuff and trekking upstairs.
Sakura flung open the door and jumped onto her bed. Kero left his game and sat next to her. She was holding her backpack so tightly that her knuckles turned white and her breathing was ragged.
"Sakura…" Kero was almost too afraid to speak.
"They're back, Kero-chan, they're back! Why won't they leave me alone!?"
Kero's stomach lurched and he flew to the window, "We have to get Li…"
"NO! You can't leave me here alone!" Her eyes widened and she clenched her fists.
"But Sakura, if we don't-,"
"NO!" she screamed and thunder echoed through the sky following a blinding flash. The lights went out. Her breathing sounded so loud and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
"Kero-chan, you can't leave me here now. I'm so scared…"
He went back over to her and she wrapped him in her arms while leaning against the head of her bed.
"Sakura, we have to do something about this…"
"I'll fight them. If I don't let my guard down they can't hurt me."
There was a knock on the door. Sakura quickly pretended to be asleep.
"Kaijuu, I have your food." Touya stuck his head in the door and noticing the sleeping monster, left the tray on her desk and quietly closed the door. Sakura opened her eyes and sat back up.
"Sakura, those…people, or whatever they are, are really powerful. Are you sure you can handle them by yourself?"
"No, I'm not. But I have to try. And you have to promise, that if anything happens to me, you won't leave this room." She stared into his eyes, her face set and determined.
"I don't think I should make that-,"
"Kero-chan…"
He hung his head, "I promise…"
Slowly standing up and looking around, Sakura tried to shake off the eerie feeling that came with the rain. If only she could have Syaoran's arms around her and feel his warmth soaking into her as steadily as the beat of his heart. But instead it got colder. She shivered and walked over to the tray with her dinner on it. Picking it up she said,
"Maybe we should eat this. It could take our minds off things a little bit." Sakura turned around and felt her ankle get caught on something.
"Sakura, watch out!"
She felt herself begin to fall and the tray crashed to the ground,
"AH!" Her foot twisted under her, making her land flat on the floor, with her eyes closed…falling asleep.