Fandom: TRC

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Syaoran x Sakura

Summary: Sudden realization strikes, only to be ripped away within that same moment. He would never ask that she remember him - just that she not forget him.

Disclaimer: If I owned TRC, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be in the streets singing and dancing.

---

“You love her,” Fai guesses and she hears the faintest of gasps. Her jade eyes are revealed slowly as she awakens and she first sees Fai-san kneeling at the end of her bed smiling breezily, “but it extends beyond that of comradeship, doesn’t it? Her importance to you is much greater than that, isn’t it, Syaoran-kun?”

It takes Sakura only a moment to realize that this is no longer a dream and with that realization she closes her eyes. It is not every day that she’s able to listen in to what her friends say while she’s sleeping--the things they speak of when they know she will not hear them. Ten thousand questions have burned in her mind since she’d first woken--ten thousand questions that she’s too afraid to ask. Ten thousand questions that they would not answer anyways. Fai has already asked one of them which still remains unanswered, and she listens intently while trying her hardest to look asleep.

“I do,” the younger boy spoke softly, the admittance in his voice almost… painful in a manner, almost reminiscent. Sakura’s ears prick and her pulse races and it’s a great difficulty to keep from smiling at his open confession. Syaoran begins to speak again, “But… if Sakura-hime knew such a thing, she’d only worry. That’s why I don’t want to tell her anything about our past together under any circumstances. It will only hurt her when she realizes that remembering me is an impossibility.”

There is a long, comfortable silence and she feels his fingertips feather-light on her forehead. Her heart continues to pound in her chest and her breathing his becoming harder and harder to control because slowly, it’s working its way back into her mind.

“You’re a good kid,” Kurogane says in an unnaturally soft voice--she can almost picture his rare smile.

“Ah!” the magician cries out in his teasing manner, “I knew Kuro-pin was a softy!”

A growl emanates through the room, coming solely from the ninja and Sakura feels the shifting of fabric as Fai hops up from the edge of her bed, “Damn you…”

“Kuro-pii’s blushing!” Fai points out and it isn’t a moment before Mokona joins in.

“Blushing, blushing!” the white creature teased.

Kurogane growls again and she hears heavy footsteps as the ninja chases the magician around the room.

“Ah! Kuro-pon, you’ll wake Sakura-chan!” Fai squeals as he runs.

After a moment, things quiet and Syaoran speaks once more, this time more softly and much closer to her. It takes only a moment to realize that she is the one his words are directed at.

“You will never have to know of my sacrifices,” he assures her softly, his warm breath fanning her face. “It would only bring you pain and that is something I will avoid at all costs. I would never ask that you try to remember me, Sakura-hime.”

Then his fingers are tracing her jaw and she tries to keep from blushing profusely and having her charade ruined. It comes to an end far too soon.

---

The pieces tie themselves together in that moment and everything suddenly becomes painfully apparent.

Syaoran-kun loves her and before she’d lost her memories, he’d been her most important person, even more so than he is now. It becomes clear in such a brief moment that her breath catches in her throat. Syaoran is the one who fills the voids in her memory and he will be the one who fills them all. His sacrifice had been her and, just as Syaoran-kun had said it would, it pains her to an unbearable extent.

Sakura would never be so grateful as to awaken at the moment she did. With this newfound realization, she shoots up out of bed in such a manner that gains the attention of even Kurogane-san.

“Hime!” Syaoran cries out, voice filled with a concern she finally understands, “What is it? Are you alright?”

Sakura hurriedly nods her head, ready to tell Syaoran those things she now remembers, “Syaoran, I…”

His eyes widen in surprise and it is one she understands. After all, she was calling him by name again.

“I remember! I understand now!” she cries out, her voice urgent and excited. The eyes of everyone in the room widen and all focus is on her, “I finally remember y--”

Overwhelmed by a sudden faintness, Sakura falls. Her eyelids droop shut and sleep overtakes her.

---

Realization had stricken so suddenly--raising his hopes so unbearably high--only to be ripped from her mind within that same moment. Syaoran would never ask that she remember him, only that she never forgets.

---

It was meant to be sad, I hope I pulled this little ficlet off well. I’ve re-written it because of massive lack of details in the first and I really just didn’t like it.

Just so it makes more sense: this story is meant to take place just before the Outo Arc, so that no one is quite certain what will happen if Sakura remembers on her own.

I want to thank Ari Elisianete for proofreading this piece. (It was very much riddled with errors.)

Please review and let me know what you thought! ;3