Taking the Next Step, by tomoyohime8 for rhap_chan
A/N: the timeline is a little vague… and it’s kinda onesided in the shipside. But I do hope you like it, nonetheless. XD
When he arrives, the first thing he notices is that the world as he knows it is now divided into three groups.
The young children who look at him with curious faces, most probably wondering who the grey haired foreigner was…
…the men and women old enough to recognize who he was, bowing respectfully, some not without fear…
…and Sakura, the only one who comes forward to receive him, her steps light and soft, her smile calm, her bearing regal - like the empress she would have been in another lifetime, in another world.
The look she has perfected in her decades as the Li Clan matriarch.
But her eyes are still the same, one of the few things he can count on to never change.
It’s only him and her now, against a world they no longer know.
He kisses her hand, and her face relaxes and a hint of a blush is on her face.
She’s still the same Sakura and he’s glad for that.
The room suddenly dissolves and disappears, and they forget that hundreds of people are watching them.
He takes her into his arms and embraces her tightly. Her arms go around him and her eyes are shut tight.
But he knows that she won’t cry - not until they’re alone.
Now that Syaoran’s gone, the clan needs someone to be strong.
Sakura has always been the strongest among them all.
Xxxxxxxxxx
“Everyone I love is slowly leaving me, Eriol,” she says later, when everyone has finished paying their respects.
He does not know what to say to this, because it is true, and there is nothing they can do about it.
“First onii-chan, and then Yukito-san.”
Flashes of a past they can still clearly, and painfully remember come before them.
Sakura-chan… I’m sorry to be so selfish… but now that he’s gone… I …
Please, let me disappear.
“and then Tomoyo-chan…”
A headline of a popular newspaper.
CELEBRITY DESIGNER AND HEIRESS KILLED IN PLANE CRASH!
“Otou-san…”
A glimpse of the final resting place of the man who had been blessed with everything he had ever wanted. His other half.
“One by one, they’ve all gone and left me behind...”
The luckier half, he’d always thought.
“…and now… Syaoran has gone on without me…”
She turns away and watches the setting sun.
“Did you know, what his last words to me were?”
“I’m sorry, Sakura.. For leaving you behind.”
“Syaoran…”
“But I’ll wait for you with the others, and then we can all go on together.”
She is crying, and her husband of 78 years slowly raises a hand to wipe her tears away.
“Tell… the jerk… that if he leaves you alone… if he makes you cry… I’ll skip reincarnating and haunt him for the rest of his lives”
She turns back to him, her eyes clear, but dark, so dark they’re almost black.
“Everything has a price, Yuuko-san told me once. Is this the price we pay for our power?”
“Sakura…” he begins, but he can’t say it, can’t do it, because it’s too late, and it could no longer change anything.
“It’s not really leaving.” he says instead.
“It’s just going on ahead. And someday, when we’ve finished all that we’ve set out to do… we’ll be able to join them too.”
“Eriol,” she says softly, and reaches for his hand. Her grip is desperate, and suddenly the years melt away and she once again becomes the little eleven year old girl he’d known when he’d first met her.
“Promise me, that you won’t leave me alone. Until I find her… I can’t leave…”
Please call me Eriol. May I call you Sakura?
Okay, Eriol-kun.
Eriol smiles and laces his fingers through hers.
“I promise you, that until the end, I’ll still be here, holding your hand.”
Xxxxxxxxxx
“You startled me, Eriol. You could have gone through the door, like any other normal person.”
“I’m not normal, as you can plainly see.”
Eriol chuckles, and Sakura blushes.
“Despite most ghosts being afraid of you, you could never stop fearing them as well, could you?”
“it’s a mutual understanding nowadays. If I don’t see them we both have nothing to fear.”
“Am I the only exception?”
“You’d never hurt me.”
Eriol smiles fondly.
“Sakura will always be Sakura… Do you think she’s really the one?”
“I’m absolutely certain. She’s young - but she has lot of potential. I think she’d make a very good cardmistress.”
“She’ll still need help, I’m sure.”
“I think she’ll get along wonderfully with Xiaolong.”
“Which one was that again?”
“The youngest of my great… great… great grandsons.”
She laughs.
“I’m not sure anymore, how many greats there should be before the grandson.”
Sakura lies back down on her bed, her long white hair fanned around her face.
Eriol puts a hand over hers. He still vividly recalls the warmth of Sakura’s hands, despite having lost the ability to feel.
“Kero-chan, Ruby and Spinel Sun will be happy with their new mistress…
… I’m sure…”
Her words are getting softer and softer, and he can barely hear her anymore.
“ …Everything will be alright…”
“Sakura…”
“Eriol… Even though you could have gone on ahead… you waited for me. I’m sorry… for being so selfish.”
“Even if you, or even Syaoran hadn’t asked… I still would have waited.”
She doesn’t ask why, because she knows, and has known for a long time.
She smiles weakly at him.
“Thank you… for not leaving me alone, Eriol. And I’m sorry…
…that I couldn’t be your most important person.”
Eriol only smiles and kisses her on the forehead, like a sigh against her brow.
Sakura closes her eyes and her hand falls limply beside her, her lips curved into the happiest smile he’s seen in years.
And then she’s there before him, younger and more beautiful than he’d ever seen her, and yet she’s the same Sakura he’s always known and loved.
She holds out her hand to him.
“Let’s go meet up with everyone together, Eriol.”
He takes it, and together they take the first steps into their next great adventure.
Maybe next time, in another lifetime, in another world… he would be her most important person.
When he arrives, the first thing he notices is that the world as he knows it is now divided into three groups.
The young children who look at him with curious faces, most probably wondering who the grey haired foreigner was…
…the men and women old enough to recognize who he was, bowing respectfully, some not without fear…
…and Sakura, the only one who comes forward to receive him, her steps light and soft, her smile calm, her bearing regal - like the empress she would have been in another lifetime, in another world.
The look she has perfected in her decades as the Li Clan matriarch.
But her eyes are still the same, one of the few things he can count on to never change.
It’s only him and her now, against a world they no longer know.
He kisses her hand, and her face relaxes and a hint of a blush is on her face.
She’s still the same Sakura and he’s glad for that.
The room suddenly dissolves and disappears, and they forget that hundreds of people are watching them.
He takes her into his arms and embraces her tightly. Her arms go around him and her eyes are shut tight.
But he knows that she won’t cry - not until they’re alone.
Now that Syaoran’s gone, the clan needs someone to be strong.
Sakura has always been the strongest among them all.
Xxxxxxxxxx
“Everyone I love is slowly leaving me, Eriol,” she says later, when everyone has finished paying their respects.
He does not know what to say to this, because it is true, and there is nothing they can do about it.
“First onii-chan, and then Yukito-san.”
Flashes of a past they can still clearly, and painfully remember come before them.
Sakura-chan… I’m sorry to be so selfish… but now that he’s gone… I …
Please, let me disappear.
“and then Tomoyo-chan…”
A headline of a popular newspaper.
CELEBRITY DESIGNER AND HEIRESS KILLED IN PLANE CRASH!
“Otou-san…”
A glimpse of the final resting place of the man who had been blessed with everything he had ever wanted. His other half.
“One by one, they’ve all gone and left me behind...”
The luckier half, he’d always thought.
“…and now… Syaoran has gone on without me…”
She turns away and watches the setting sun.
“Did you know, what his last words to me were?”
“I’m sorry, Sakura.. For leaving you behind.”
“Syaoran…”
“But I’ll wait for you with the others, and then we can all go on together.”
She is crying, and her husband of 78 years slowly raises a hand to wipe her tears away.
“Tell… the jerk… that if he leaves you alone… if he makes you cry… I’ll skip reincarnating and haunt him for the rest of his lives”
She turns back to him, her eyes clear, but dark, so dark they’re almost black.
“Everything has a price, Yuuko-san told me once. Is this the price we pay for our power?”
“Sakura…” he begins, but he can’t say it, can’t do it, because it’s too late, and it could no longer change anything.
“It’s not really leaving.” he says instead.
“It’s just going on ahead. And someday, when we’ve finished all that we’ve set out to do… we’ll be able to join them too.”
“Eriol,” she says softly, and reaches for his hand. Her grip is desperate, and suddenly the years melt away and she once again becomes the little eleven year old girl he’d known when he’d first met her.
“Promise me, that you won’t leave me alone. Until I find her… I can’t leave…”
Please call me Eriol. May I call you Sakura?
Okay, Eriol-kun.
Eriol smiles and laces his fingers through hers.
“I promise you, that until the end, I’ll still be here, holding your hand.”
Xxxxxxxxxx
“You startled me, Eriol. You could have gone through the door, like any other normal person.”
“I’m not normal, as you can plainly see.”
Eriol chuckles, and Sakura blushes.
“Despite most ghosts being afraid of you, you could never stop fearing them as well, could you?”
“it’s a mutual understanding nowadays. If I don’t see them we both have nothing to fear.”
“Am I the only exception?”
“You’d never hurt me.”
Eriol smiles fondly.
“Sakura will always be Sakura… Do you think she’s really the one?”
“I’m absolutely certain. She’s young - but she has lot of potential. I think she’d make a very good cardmistress.”
“She’ll still need help, I’m sure.”
“I think she’ll get along wonderfully with Xiaolong.”
“Which one was that again?”
“The youngest of my great… great… great grandsons.”
She laughs.
“I’m not sure anymore, how many greats there should be before the grandson.”
Sakura lies back down on her bed, her long white hair fanned around her face.
Eriol puts a hand over hers. He still vividly recalls the warmth of Sakura’s hands, despite having lost the ability to feel.
“Kero-chan, Ruby and Spinel Sun will be happy with their new mistress…
… I’m sure…”
Her words are getting softer and softer, and he can barely hear her anymore.
“ …Everything will be alright…”
“Sakura…”
“Eriol… Even though you could have gone on ahead… you waited for me. I’m sorry… for being so selfish.”
“Even if you, or even Syaoran hadn’t asked… I still would have waited.”
She doesn’t ask why, because she knows, and has known for a long time.
She smiles weakly at him.
“Thank you… for not leaving me alone, Eriol. And I’m sorry…
…that I couldn’t be your most important person.”
Eriol only smiles and kisses her on the forehead, like a sigh against her brow.
Sakura closes her eyes and her hand falls limply beside her, her lips curved into the happiest smile he’s seen in years.
And then she’s there before him, younger and more beautiful than he’d ever seen her, and yet she’s the same Sakura he’s always known and loved.
She holds out her hand to him.
“Let’s go meet up with everyone together, Eriol.”
He takes it, and together they take the first steps into their next great adventure.
Maybe next time, in another lifetime, in another world… he would be her most important person.