Hey, guys. I don't know if anyone is still reading this collection, but after such a long unannouned "hiatus", I thought a little explanation might be necessary.

Well, I have been busy with school. That's true. Somewhere along the way, I must have dropped my muse as well, so it's been hard getting back on my feet again.

This is a rather old fic, written a while after the end of the [TRC] series. Under the stress of exams, I must have forgotten to upload it here. Or perhaps I didn't think it worthy enough then. Now, well, I think it's better than anything I might be able to invent at the moment.

If anyone does read, please review?

Title: For Those Who Wait
Characters: Sakura, Touya; mention of Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane
Theme: Rhapsody ~writer's choice (also for 31_days LJ, 20 Oct 2009 "And within every dewdrop a world of struggle")
Genre: Slight angst
Word Count: 474
Rating: G
Warning: Set post-series, hence spoilers for final chapter 233.
Summary: Sakura has a dream and wakes up in the middle of the night.
Disclaimer: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and its characters belong to CLAMP.

Sometimes Sakura would wake up in the middle of the night, her brows damp with sweat and her eyes wide and glittering like emeralds in the dark. There was no noise except her slightly hurried breathing and the sound of the desert wind filtering through the curtains.

Sometimes she simply rolled into a new position in bed and tried to fall asleep again. It did not always work. She could try for hours and still remain wide awake when dawn broke. Then, some time during the day, her brother would catch her nearly dozing off to sleep during lunch or, worse, a meeting with distinguished court guests.

Sometimes she would just sit up quietly in bed, careful not to make any unnecessary noise in case she woke her brother in the next room. He had an extremely sharp ear, occasionally catching her awake in the wee hours of the morning. Usually, he just pretended to be irritated by the "racket" she was creating, but she knew as well as he did that he was actually really, really worried and concerned for her.

Tonight, however, Sakura had chosen to stay still and unmoving like a statue. She stared mutely at the ceiling, vividly recalling the dream that had forced her awake. Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane were facing another adversity in another dimension. They were fighting and got hurt; it was inevitable. The image of Syaoran grimacing as he vainly suppressed the pain was imprinted in her mind. She felt her heart clench. Why did Syaoran always try so hard to shoulder the pain alone?

Suddenly, out of the dimness, a glimmer of candlelight appeared in a corner of the room. Sakura sat up, surprised. Touya was standing at the doorway, holding a small lamp. He was leaning against the wall with a dully annoyed expression on his face, as though he had been rudely woken up.

"You're awake again, monster," he stated in a very bored tone. He approached her bedside. "What is it this time?"

"I'm not a monster," snapped Sakura with sudden energy; then tiredness seemed to envelope her again. "I just... had a dream...." she trailed off.

Touya frowned. He knew that she had been waking up at odd hours for many nights. Even in candlelight, he could see the beads of sweat that lined her forehead, tiny droplets like dew that appeared night after night, reminding her of the struggles her friends faced in various worlds. He was unable to help her; he knew it and it frustrated him.

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Then sunlight began to filter through the curtains and Touya suddenly spoke up:

"The brat will live," he said. "If I wasn't sure of he'd make it through a few problems, I'd have beaten him up a long time ago."

Sakura just smiled.