Author's Note: This story is meant to be a sequel to my story Valentine's Magic but this has the potential to stand alone – perhaps. If you're curious as to what happened before check it out. And that's all for now. Enjoy.
Torn
Chapter One
Syaoran pulled the covers of the bedspread down with one hand before gently laying Sakura down on the bed. He paused to pull off her shoes and then pulled the blanket over her. He looked down at the beautiful young woman he had fallen in love with and smiled to himself as he recalled the day they had spent together and the mental obstacles that had been overcome.
He had finally addressed her as Sakura and she had called him Syaoran just like she used to when they had been in the county of Clow. He had felt connected to her in a way that he had never experienced before. He had never felt as strongly as he had this evening and for the first time since they had left the time-space witch's shop he had felt hope.
It had been that hope that had given him the courage him to finally give into his heart's desire and kiss her. It was everything that he could have wished for in a first kiss and he couldn't stop himself from wanting to kiss her soft lips again.
'Tomorrow.' He thought to himself as he tried to encourage himself to leave. 'I'll kiss her tomorrow.' Turning slightly he caught sight of the rose he had bought her in a vase on the window sill – clearly Fai had already been in the room making sure that the room was ready for her. Syaoran took half a step away from the bed; sure that everything was settled and paused again just to stare at her in the moonlight that filtered into the room through a gap in the curtains.
He watched her frown slightly in her sleep, and he wondered what new memory she had received from the feather they had retrieved that evening. Obviously it wasn't something pleasant. Part of him grew upset at the fact that Sakura would have to remember painful aspects of her past. He wished he could make sure that she was never hurt again. He had seen the occasional flicker of pain in her during in the journey and he wished he could find some way to make the journey less painful for her.
He frowned and debated with himself for a few moments as to whether he should wake her up and stop her from remembering something sad or leave her be. But before he had decided what to do, her frown disappeared and a small smile tugged at the corners of her checks.
Syaoran breathed a silent sigh of relief, pleased that her memory held something good after all.
He stood there for a few more moments, content in watching her breathe and dream. Then, knowing that Kurogane and Fai were waiting for him downstairs, he leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips.
Sakura sighed happily and rolled over as he pulled away. He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek and walked to the door. Slipping out quietly, he whispered, "Good night Sakura."
Sakura snuck quietly into the castle, praying that her brother would not hear her. She knew how much he hated it when she spent time with ––––.
"Sakura you've been spotted!"
Sakura swung around guiltily, just catching herself from falling on her face. She hated the fact that he always caught her when she was trying to avoid him. "I… I'm home King Touya!"
Sakura giggled nervously under Touya's stern gaze. "Have you been with that hole-digging twerp again?"
Sakura's eyes flashed angrily as her face turned red with anger, "He's not a twerp, and his name is ––––!"
Touya looked away, rubbing an injured eardrum and tsking as he did so. "For a brat like him, 'twerp' suits him just fine!"
"He's not a brat either!" Sakura yelled, her fists clenched. " –––– 's living on his own, and doing good work! You should respect him!
"I will not respect him!" Touya yelled right back at her. "A brat's a brat!"
"HE IS NOT!" Sakura screamed. She was going to have to kill her brother if he carried on like this.
Sakura leaned against the barrier on her balcony looking out over the desert and the Clow ruins. Suddenly an idea sprang into her head, followed immediately by a blush.
"I've got an idea!" She muttered softly, "I'll bring him lunch tomorrow! And at lunch-time we can at least spend a little time together." Her blush deepened "That's when I'll tell him. That I…" She leaned her hand on her chin, "that I love him."
Sakura sat up suddenly, almost lurching out of the bed in the process. Steadying herself slightly, she pulled her legs up and leaned her head on her knees as she recalled her latest memory of her life in Clow.
The images and emotions from the memory were fresh in her mind and their implications… earth shattering.
She was in love with two people.
One from her past and one from her present.
And she couldn't tell who she loved more.
Sakura tightened her grip on her knees as she tried to hold herself together. She closed her eyes and considered the fact that up until she received this memory, she had thought that she had been in love with Syaoran. Until now, she had never ever considered the possibility that there could be someone else in Clow that held her affections.
And now… she was in love with a faceless person, whose name she could remember as well as the person who was giving his all to protect her and return her memories to her.
Sakura sighed and closed her eyes tightly, her mind a whirl. Is it right for Syaoran to loose out to memory, considering the fact that I'm not sure who this other person is? At the same time is it right for me to love Syaoran when I'm in love with someone else? Her brow furrowed in confusion as she considered the next dilemma that the memory presented. Is it even be possible for me to choose now, when I'm still missing a l my memories of the faceless person?
Sakura turned her head and rested her cheek on her knees and stared at the red rose that stood silhouetted by the moon that hung just visible through the window across the room. As her worried green eyes touched the red rose she smiled briefly as she remembered the day before where she and Syaoran had celebrated Valentine's Day. Her heart warmed slightly as she recalled the wonderful floating feeling she had felt when she had been in Syaoran's arms, gliding around the dance floor. Her mind recalled their kisses, the promise that Syaoran had made before he had the memory to her and the joyous fact that he had said her name.
Sakura.
Not Princess. Just Sakura.
She smiled and curled her toes at the memory of how he had said her name.
But her smile slid from her fact once more as her memory made it resurfaced from the backs of her mind. Unwanted and guilt ridden. Her joy became tainted by guilt and her stomach tightened into a knot.
Sakura leaned back and buried her head into the pillow trying to focus her thoughts and force herself to remember just who the other person was, but the more she tried, the more elusive it became. It danced just out of her reach, taunting her with other empty memories filled with holes.
Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as she ineffectuality fought for some clue of what happened in her past. These memories filled with holes were driving her mad. She felt as though she was missing something very important. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't remember enough to fill the blanks.
With a tear still lingering on her eyelashes, she eventually drifted away into an uneasy unconsciousness, the hole still empty.
The dilemma still unsolved.
Her heart still torn.