Title: To Say Goodbye

Author: Nightingale

Genre: Card Captor Sakura

Rating: PG

Notes: I couldn't help it. I just couldn't, so I hope that everyone that has been reading this will like it.

Warnings: Nothing for warnings this time.

Disclaimer: No, CCS is not mine. Yes, I do wish it were. No, it won't happen in this lifetime. But at least Even, Crinis and Sidereal are mine. ^_^

"How can I help you, to say goodbye?

It's ok to hurt, it's ok to cry,

Come let me hold you, and I will try…

How can I help you… To say goodbye…"

-Patty Loveless

The rain fell in soft droplets to the dampened ground below. It seemed that the heavens themselves were crying for their loss. Everyone seemed to grieve in their own way. Crinis spent endless hours with Spinel Sun occasionally talking or whimpering, doing everything possible to let go. Though, she wasn't the only one. Sidereal spent endless hours just walking around. It wasn't uncommon to see her cry, especially whenever she talked about the days Even was still around. She'd told Yukito, that Even had never truly been happy. But then again, it wasn't that hard to believe.

Sakura sighed softly and turned her head toward the sky in order to gaze at the heavy gray clouds over head. They looked nearly as gloomy as she was feeling. Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but hear the gentle tenor speaking just as though he were right beside her. "Sakura-chan… Nothing good could come out of your intervening. Please just trust me…"

Why hadn't she just listened to him? Shivering slightly, she felt the cold rain begin to seep into her clothing sending chills down her spine. Maybe if she hadn't tried to stop them, Even wouldn't have thrown himself in front of her, and he'd still be alive. Beside her, Eriol stood with downcast eyes leaning against a tree. He too was feeling the heavy burden of guilt, and because of it, he and Sakura sought each other for company. "Eriol-kun…"

Looking up slowly, clouded eyes of dark sapphire met eyes of jade. "Hai, Sakura-chan?"

"Gomen nesai… if I hadn't…"

Raising a hand slightly, she watched him close his eyes sadly. "No 'ifs' Sakura-chan. It's been a week. Talking about the 'ifs' will only make it worse. It's just as much my fault, but thinking in this way… makes it worse…" Sakura nodded slowly then looked back down to the ground.

"I wish… he were still here…"

"So do I Sakura-chan… So do I…" Giving a fleeting smile, Eriol pushed himself away from the tree and removed his glasses. Cleaning them gently in his shirt, he threw a worried glance at her. "I'm going to Tomoyo-chan's house… will you be ok on your own?"

Meeting his gaze, she knew that he was scared that she would let grief be the end of her. Had this happened a couple of weeks before, he would have had good reason, but since Yue had been there for her, she knew she couldn't give up. Yue needed her. Nodding slowly, she pasted a small smile on her face. "I'll be fine. I think I'll go find Yue-san…"

With a slight nod, the boy with midnight blue hair turned and began to walk away. Sakura followed his form until it disappeared then finally stepped out from beneath the cover of the tree's dense branches. Without the tree, the drops seemed to multiply and hit her with more force, but she didn't take the time to realize them. Her gait was slow, and her heart seemed heavy.

Out of all the trials she had been through, this was truly the worst. She'd never had to lose someone before. Not like this. Pushing her dampened hair behind her ears, she was surprised to hear the approaching sound of footsteps. Looking about, her eyes fell upon two figures stopping to gaze back at her sadly. Beneath a large black umbrella, Touya gave his sister a worried glance. "Imoutochan. You shouldn't be out in the rain…"

"Hai… To-ya is right, Sakura-chan." At her onnichan's side, Nakuru stood with one arm looped into his in a somewhat affectionate fashion. There was something calm and serious about her that Sakura had never seen before, and she knew it had a lot to do with the events of last week.

Touya knew about it. There was no use hiding things from him. And it was pointless to tell him to stop worrying about his imouto. "Sakura-chan… Why don't you head on home? We could walk you if you like…" Sakura merely smiled and shook her head before turning away to hide her tears.

She was glad that it was raining. It made it harder for others to see the tears make tracks down her cheeks they way they mingled with the raindrops. "I'm fine onnichan. I think I'll go find Yue-san…"

All he could do was agree. Yue was probably the only one that could help her right at that moment. "All right… please… just get out of the rain and dry off." Silently he watched his imouto nod before giving a soft sigh. Looking down at Nakuru, he saw the sympathy in her eyes. As much as he liked her to be serious, he'd give anything to see the light in her eyes that had died out after Eriol had unintentionally killed the boy from Ukraine.

"Hai! Don't worry onnichan!" Turning around, the girl with long honey brown hair gave him one of her best smiles. "Zettai daijoubu-yo!" At her words, both Touya and Nakuru couldn't help but return her smile. There was something about the way Sakura said it, that made everything feel absolutely all right. It was true; it was her very own spell that made things turn out right.

Sakura watched them continue to walk away as her heart felt a bit warmer. For some reason, saying that phrase aloud made all of her pain slowly begin to fade. It was like the tiny flicker of hope was suddenly beginning to grow. And something in her told her that something amazing was going to happen. Sucking in a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and started her walk toward the Tsukishiro home. Yue had been staying with Yukito since their splitting, as had Sidereal and Crinis. One would have thought Yukito would feel crowded, but instead he enjoyed the constant company. Yue on the other hand, tried his best to never be home. It was far too loud for his liking.

~*~

Yue sat quietly upon the roof watching his former half standing beneath an umbrella with an arm wrapped tightly around Sidereal's waist. The female moon guardian had her head on his shoulder sending waves of light sapphire falling down over his shoulder and back. They were faced away from him, but he could tell she was crying.

Yukito was having a hard time comforting her because of his lack of knowledge. He really hadn't known Even at all, and that made it difficult to understand her loss. Yue was sort of envious of Yukito for that. He had known Even, and that made it difficult. He hadn't even had the chance to apologize. Even died thinking that Yue was angry with him. That wasn't what he had wanted. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and listened to the soft fall of the rain and the gentle voices coming from the couple below.

"Tell me… your former master… What was he like? What was his life like?" Yukito was talking in a very soft voice, and it was obvious that he was trying to be non-offensive in his word choice.

The blue-haired girl sighed softly and drew closer to him evidently showing signs of sadness in her body language. "He was quiet… For the most part he kept to himself. All the education he had acquired couldn't make up for the love that he lacked in his lifetime. He jumped from school to school all over the world mainly because he never knew his parents… and because his adopted parents didn't care if he was even alive…"

Her words made Yue cringe. Yue had lived without the romantic love from Clow, but he wasn't blind enough to overlook the parental love that he had been given. He was at least lucky enough to have that much. And yet, Even hadn't even had that to call his own. No wonder he'd created the two guardians. Being alone like that would drive any human being mad. Sighing, he forced himself to stop listening to the two below. It wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but he had really wanted to know the same thing.

Even had refused to talk about his past. He had claimed that he didn't want to burden others with it. How could this have happened? It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. With his debt paid, was it really necessary for him to lose his life? No matter what, he'd never blame Eriol, and it wasn't possible for him to even consider blaming his sweet Sakura… Pinning the blame wouldn't bring him back.

Looking down the street, he was surprised to see a small figure approaching without even an umbrella to keep the rain off. Blinking, he allowed his catlike eyes to focus on the person and jumped up in shock when he realized who it was. Summoning up his wings, he jumped from the roof and flew to his mistress as quickly as possible. Landing before her, he watched her lively green eyes rise to gaze upon him with a worn smile on her lips.

"Konnichiwa Yue-san…" The moon angel blinked slowly then allowed himself to smile minutely. "I… I just… needed to talk to you…"

Sighing softly, he cupped his wings over them to block out the rain before bending slightly to meet her eye to eye. With slender hands he gently wiped the moisture from her doll like face only to pause when his cool fingertips met the warm tears mixed with the cool liquid drops of rain. "Sakura-chan…" Worry filled his smooth features as he watched the girl smile brightly. She was so very strong…

"I'm ok Yue-san… How are you?"

"You really should learn how to worry about your self, Sakura-chan…" Stopping, Yue continued to gaze into the warm pools of emerald before him. He loved her so much. Reaching out his arms again, he timidly pulled her into an embrace and buried his face in her damp honey locks. "I want to see you happy again…"

"Just like I want to see you happy, Yue-san." Looking up at him, she studied his face and eyes with a gentle smile. "Can… can you just hold me for a while? I just don't want to be alone…"

Nodding slowly, Yue slipped his arms about her and lifted her against his chest. Watching her closely as he headed back in doors, he felt his cheeks grow warm. She was so light in his arms, and the feeling of her cuddling close to his chest, made his whole body pulsate with happiness. She truly meant everything to him and she always would. It was true that eternity wasn't so bad as long as you had the most important person in your life by your side loving you.

~*~

It felt so warm. Like a thick blanket was wrapped around your body covering every inch and hiding you from the cold. Every limb was tingling with life and a warmth that had never been experienced before. "You'll be ok… don't worry…"

Weary eyes opened to slits only to meet with the blurred vision of aquamarine eyes and long locks of soft blonde hair falling forward to frame the perfectly gentle face. An angel? Who?

"You'll be fine… I won't leave you. I promise." A small gentle hand reached out and traced the ghastly white face before the eyes slowly closed again in silent relief. "All the questions can wait…"

~*~

Crinis sat silently before the large window within the mansion occupied by Eriol and his guardians. Curled up by her side, Spinel purred softly. He was absolutely adorable in his sleep. Reaching out a small paw, she brushed it over his cheek lightly and smiled. It amazed her how much he put up with since Even had disappeared. Yes, that's how she thought of it. It was impossible for her to put Even and died in the same sentence together.

The rain wouldn't stop. It wasn't a heavy foreboding rain, just a light looming one. If you could really call that better. Periwinkle eyes watched the drops spider web they're way down the window pain casting eerie shadows on the objects inside the room. "I miss him…"

Beside her, the midnight blue cat stirred in his sleep. Slowly one turquoise eye opened and tiredly rested on the black and white cat at his side. "You really should get some sleep Crinis-chan…"

Nodded her head lightly, she didn't remove her tired gaze from the window. "Suppi-chan… I have this feeling… That he's…."

"Crinis-chan… You don't know that and it's better that you don't get your hopes up… I don't want to see you hurt more than you already are." Tilting his head slightly, she caught the look of sadness in his gaze from the corner of her eyes.

Without Spinel, she didn't know where she would be. It was bad enough that her new master had to spend a lot of his time cheering up Sidereal, they didn't need her around to be gloomy as well. Turning to Spinel, she gave a gentle smile and lowered down next to him. Cuddling closer to him, she reveled in the warmth he gave to her. Kero had tried to help her, but he wasn't the type to be sentimental. Besides, she felt much more attached to the Sun guardian that was not at her side.

Spinel didn't like how much pain she was in, but there was nothing he could do. Dropping his head lightly onto the back of her neck, he wondered what she was thinking. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't let Even go. It was almost like part of her claimed that he was still alive somewhere. How nice it would be if that were true. Was it? It was foolish to put something such as that past a sorcerer. Especially one as powerful as Even. "Sleep well Crinis-chan…"

~*~

The girl sat quietly by the bedside watching the boy toss and turn in his sleep. She didn't know his name, or even why he had been so badly injured when she had found him, but there was something about him. Aqua eyes blinked a few times before she rose to her feet and leaned over the bed to peer at the pale face covered in a sheen of perspiration. Gently reaching out a hand, it rested with the back of her hand to his forehead. He was still warm with a fever, but it had fortunately gone down drastically. "You'll be fine…"

A gentle smile crossed her soft features as she sat down on the bed beside him and brushed her sandy blonde hair from her face to rest behind her ears. Watching him a bit longer, she finally reached out to brush ebony bangs off of his forehead delicately. To her surprise, his eyes opened slowly to rest upon her in a sparkling glow of amethyst. There were unspoken questions in his eyes as well as fear, all of which made her very heart tremble. "It's ok… I won't hurt you nor leave you…"

The boy managed to smile weakly before blinking once and trying to get a better focus on her face. "You're… an… angel?"

The girl then began to laugh lightly as she shook her head sending out a fan of soft blonde causing his eyes to widen. "No… I'm afraid not. But I'm honored that you think so." Getting up, she turned to the bedside table and picked up a glass with water in it. "Can you sit up?"

Struggling slightly, the boy forced his body to move while clenching his teeth in pain. "H-hai…" Finally sitting up, his body fell with a thud into the head board as he took in labored breathes. "I'm… I'm sorry…"

Laughing lightly once more, the girl smiled and helped him raise the glass to his parched lips with the utmost sense of care. "Why? It's not your fault that you were sick and injured… and I couldn't leave you there to suffer… Though… I admit it was quite a surprise to have you suddenly appear out of nowhere then collapse." The smile left her face as his eyes continued to remain on her. There was a look of puzzlement and concern there that seemed to touch his heart.

"I'm sorry… that… I scared you. I really don't know what happened…" Her eyes met his and studied their deep royal purple depths before she smiled again. She had a sweet smile that was almost as pure and innocent as 'her' smile.

"It's ok… I'm just glad I could help. Tell me… can I have your name?" He watched the curiosity in her countenance grow as he slowly handed her the emptied glass and leaned his head fully against the headboard of the bed.

"Even… Starlet Even. And you?" Even smiled at her warmly and clasped his trembling hands together on his lap.

"Marinna. My name is Marinna Angelo. I'm from Italy so I'm aware that my name doesn't fit…" Smiling apologetically she rose and returned the glass to the table. "My family allowed me to take vacation here. I've always wanted to see Japan and the Pacific Ocean."

Looking back to him, she was amazed to see the faintest hint of red in his pale cheeks. "I see… I'm really form Ukraine… so I understand." Lowering his gaze to the bed he felt his heart sink. "How… how long have I been out?"

"A little over a week… I'm just glad to see you awake Even… I was really scared you wouldn't come to. I have such a lack in Japanese that I didn't know if it would do me any good to take you to the hospital…" Marinna looked down sadly and finally sat down upon the bed again. "You're not normal are you? The marks on your back… they aren't like anything I have knowledge of…"

Even's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her. "Yes… I… I was a sorcerer and the wounds you saw… were magic inflicted…"

Waiting for her reaction, he imagined only the worst, only to be surprised as she smiled and nodded. "I suspected as much… I'm glad you lived. But… we should find your friends… do you have any family? I'm sure they're worried about you…"

Blinking slowly, Even felt a smile coming to his face. Marinna was right. He could just imagine how torn up Sakura, Sidereal, and Crinis were at this very moment. He didn't know how he survived, but he was glad that he did. He didn't want to see the tears or sad expressions on their faces. Turning to look at Marinna again, he saw the warm smile on her face that made the warmth rush to his cheeks again. There was something about her that made his heart skip a beat. "You're right… Tell me… would you be willing to come with me?"

Marinna giggled softly at the unsure sound in his gentle tenor. "Of course. I want to make sure you are all right anyway." Brushing his hair behind his ears gently, she gave him a warm smile. "Get some rest for now. When you regain your strength, we'll find your friends."

All he could do was nod. The mere touch of her hand seemed to send jolts of electricity through him. It was a feeling he'd never felt before. He had to admit that he felt lost without his magic, but he was sure with time, if he really wanted it back, it could be returned. But the feelings he got from Marinna seemed even more powerful than magic. And that thought totally blew his mind.

~*~

The days were getting colder, and for most of Sakura and her friends, the pain only became deeper. In one more day, Even will have been gone for two weeks exactly. People at school were beginning to wonder, and Sidereal only told them that he was ill and planning to return to Ukraine. Sakura sighed softly and leaned on her desk heavily. In all the people that had came into her life and left, Even was truly unique. From the beginning, he'd solely meant to make everyone else's dreams come true, but never his own. Twirling her pencil lightly and allowed her gaze of jade to trail out the window.

It was true; depression was getting the best of her no matter how hard she tried. And even though she knew it impossible, her heart believed that Even was still alive, somewhere. With a vacant gaze, she watched the trees outside sway in the wind. Soon, she no longer saw them and instead stared through them, until something caught her eye.

A flash of white and light blue clothing fluttered in the wind among the branches followed by long strands of fine ebony. Blinking in surprise, she traced the form with her eyes and finally allowed them to rest on the distorted countenance. Where she couldn't make out the face well, the vibrant royal purple was unmistakable as the person's eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

Nearly falling out of her seat, Sakura threw her chair backward and stumbled to the window. Pressing against the glass, she didn't even realize that all of her classmates were staring solely at her. As she tried harder to see him, she was amazed to see him fade away into what seemed like thin air. In a cry of dismay, she dropped her forehead to the glass and sighed. "Hoe!"

"Sakura-chan?" Looking up sharply, she met the smoky violet eyes of Tomoyo as she stared at her in concern. "Daijoubu?" Blinking rapidly, Sakura looked about the room to see the confused looks on all of the other students' faces. Instantly she turned a bright shade of red and stumbled back over to her desk smiling nervously.

"Gomen ne… I thought I saw something." Falling into her chair she rubbed the back of her head nervously then looked down at her book with fake intensity. Not far from her, Eriol and Tomoyo watched her in worry wondering what had brought about the strange behavior.

In a matter of hours, Sakura was rushing from the school building straight to the tree that she thought she had seen Even in. Looking at it with wide eyes, she swore that she had seen him there. "Even-kun…"

Sighing softly, she rested a hand lightly on the rough bark and closed her eyes. "Um… Even Starlet?" Sakura blinked and looked up sharply to meet the intense gaze of aquamarine that spoke rather warmly to her. "You must be the girl I've heard so much about."

Sakura watched the girl with sandy blonde hair smile pleasantly while brushing mid back length hair behind her ears gently. "Nani? Have we met or know a common acquaintance?"

"Um… Yes… Even? You're Sakura Kinomoto, right?" The girl peered at her nervously while struggling to communicate with the Japanese teen. It was painfully evident that she was not from Japan.

"Hai. That's me. You knew Even-kun?" Hopeful emerald met the girl's eyes of blue green.

"I do." Smiling a bit widely, she looked up in the tree and closed her eyes. "That's why I'm here. My name is Marinna Angelo. He insisted that he see you… and I didn't want him to go alone in his condition…" Frowning slightly, Marinna finally looked back to Sakura with an intense gaze.

"What do you mean? You talk as though he's right here…" Confusion filled her doll like façade as she looked about wildly hoping her assumption was correct. "Please Marinna-san! I need to know!"

Tilting her head the side, a cascade of rich dark blonde fell over one shoulder. "He is… Even… You should come out… it's not polite to hide like you are." Looking back up into the branches, Sakura saw her eyes rest on something on the lowest branch. Following her gaze, her eyes fell upon a boy sitting on the branch dressed in a white oxford and light blue jeans. A sea of raven colored hair feathered out in the wind as the wind picked up slightly.

Violet met deep green for a brief moment before a mist of tears covered Sakura's eyes in disbelief. "Even-kun! You're alive! Even-kun! How?" Tears fell down her cheeks anew as she clasped her hands together over her chest and watched the boy leap from the tree to the ground before her. Rising slowly as if in pain, he hesitantly met her gaze again.

"I don't know… I really don't… Sakura-chan…" Reaching out a shaky hand, Even wiped away her tears and attempted to smile at her. "I just remember separating Yue and Yukito then waking up under Marinna's care…"

Swiftly, Sakura lurched forward and hugged him tightly not noticing him wince from the unexpected gesture and old wounds that hadn't quite healed yet. Shaking with sobs, Sakura felt him hug her back gently and rest his head on hers. "I'm so glad you're alive! Oh Even-kun! We have to tell Sidereal and Yue-san! Oh Even-kun!"

Patting her back lightly, Even gave a warm smile to Marinna who stood by smiling lightly. He had doubted the idea of telling his friends about being alive, but Marinna told him she would hear nothing of it. After long preparation and the relearned ability to walk, Even had managed to find his way back to Seijou high school in order to see the young Sakura and his other friends. He'd even returned to see Eriol and apologize. "Shh… Its all right Sakura-chan… I'm all right. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. It felt like an eternity…"

Pulling back, Sakura wiped away her tears and smiled brightly up at him. "It's ok… You came back… I knew you would! I knew it! Let's go find everyone!"

Giving a light smile, Even felt the sadness creep into his eyes. "Yes… Demo… Sakura-chan… I have to tell you something. After I tell everyone, I'll be traveling back to Italy with Marinna… and… I don't think I'll be coming back. I'm ready to start a new life… and leave magic behind." Looking passed her to smile at Marinna; Sakura felt her heart sink slightly in shock. Studying Marinna for a moment, Sakura saw how much love she conveyed in one smile to the boy with ebony hair.

He needed her. He needed the love she was offering him, and as much as Sakura would miss him, she was happy for him. "I understand…" Even looked down at her in shock then began to smile at the sight of her warm look of happiness. "Lets go tell everyone. You will write won't you?"

Returning the smile and warmth, Even gave a slight nod. "Every chance I get… I promise."

~*~

The airport was empty early that morning as the group of people gathered around the solitaire couple standing at the gate leading to the plane that would take them to Rome. They had taken the news with the same shock Sakura had, some with tears, others without. Eriol had seemed to be the most relieved, and Sidereal seemed to be the happiest. To Sakura's surprise, Crinis had also believed as she had.

Everyone was silent as they smiled sadly at the couple about to depart. Sidereal had an arm laced in with Yukito's and it took all of her strength to smile for her former master. "I just get you back and you're leaving again…"

"But it's not nearly as permanent Sidereal-chan…" Smiling lightly, Even knew it wasn't much of a consolation, but it seemed to be enough.

"It feel funny… not going with you." Crinis poked her head out of Sidereal's purse and gave him a saddened look with her bright cerulean eyes.

"It does, doesn't it? I'm sorry… but you need someone to stay in one place like Yukito. We'll stay in touch, I promise." Crinis nodded slowly even though she still didn't like the idea. "Yukito-san… Please take care of my dear Sidereal and Crinis… They mean the world to me…"

Yukito smiled lightly and nodded his head. "I'll do my best. I'm just happy that you lived. It was such a scary thought…" He seemed to wilt visibly only to be punched in the shoulder by his best friend that had Nakuru clinging to him with the tightness only super glue could rival.

"Don't look so glum… He's alive." Yukito nodded in response only to laugh as Touya gave Nakuru a weary look. "Must you cling like so?"

"I can't help it To-ya! I'm happy and I love you!" Cheerfully the girl chanted squeaking slightly as her voice inflected her enthusiasm.

"Hai hai…" Groaning lightly, Touya looked down at Spinel whom was sitting in Nakuru's purse with a look of irritation. "I see you know how I feel…"

"Hai… I don't envy you… but I do admire you…" Spinel smirked softly then looked up at Eriol whom was scratching behind his ears lightly.

Giving a light chuckle, Eriol turned to Even and smiled placidly. "I'm glad to see you alive old friend. I'm glad we could settle the score… and I'm glad you survived… Are you sure you won't rejoin us in the magic world?"

Even shook his head lightly and turned to smile at Marinna who remained quiet at his side either out of politeness or lack of Japanese comprehension, he wasn't sure. "No… I'm afraid not. I found something better than magic. A favor Eriol-san?" Eriol nodded slowly and held the hand of Tomoyo who was leaning against his shoulder lightly. "Help Yukito-san learn how to use his magic."

"Of course…" The two dark haired teens smiled warmly for a moment until Even looked at Yue and Sakura with Kero sticking his head out of Sakura's bag in order to keep an eye on everything.

"I'm glad… that I could see the happiness I see when I look at you two." Smiling, Even reached out and brushed aside a wayward strand of honey brown out of Sakura's eyes. "Please forgive me for hurting you two… someday. I tell you that the friendship I have received from you has been life changing, and for the better. I thank you. I wish all of the happiness in the world to you."

Sakura smiled brightly and nodded her head happily. "Same to you Even-kun! Nothing to forgive! You'll always be my friend, and now I understand why you did what you did. Please take care and find happiness for yourself. You deserve it…"

Yue nodded in consent then smiled ever so slightly into the shining eyes of amaryllis. "She's right. I'm happy to see you search for your own happiness for once." At the sight of Yue's smile, Even couldn't help but beam in reply. "Thank you…"

"It has been my pleasure…"

"Please take care of Even for us…" Marinna looked up into the golden eyes of Sidereal and smiled warmly while nodding. "He means the world to us… and we only want him to be happy."

"I understand. I'll do everything I can in order to see his smile." The two girls exchanged smiles and nodded as the intercom sounded drowning out any further conversation.

"Will passengers for flight 203 bound for Rome, Italy please head to gate 5 for departure. Final call." The monotone voice brought frowns to everyone's faces as their eyes fell to the ground sadly. It was now time to say good-bye, and no matter what, it still hurt.

"I'll miss you guys…" Even watched everyone nod in return and felt his lips curl into a smile. "Let's not say goodbye… Instead… I'll say… until later when we meet again. I'll stay in touch." Winking he took one final moment to smile at each of them individually before turning and taking Marinna's hand gently. "Let's go…"

Marinna smiled and gave a nod of consent before turning with him and heading down the terminal to the plane. Everyone was completely silent as they watched only to hear Even chime one last time. "Marinna, do you think I should cut my hair?"

At that simple question, Sidereal suddenly came to life with wide disbelieving look. "EVEN-SAN!!!!" All eyes fell on her and laughter broke out upon the distant sound and Even and Marinna chuckling. Where Sidereal couldn't take the joke, it helped the others to lose the sadness from the shared bidding of farewell.

Yue watched quietly and felt a smile vaguely touch his lips. In all his years of near immortal existence, he'd never felt the urge to smile the way he did now. Sakura had been insistent about calling him her angel, but he knew she was mistaken. He only knew of two angels. One was his sweet cherry blossom and the other was the nameless boy with ebony hair. How this had come to be, he didn't know, but he was glad to have known him.

Even was special, and he would always be in their hearts. And for Yue, he'd be the one that guided him down the scariest road he'd ever traveled. The one leading to happiness. What he was most thankful for, was that the boy himself had finally found something that made him happy as well. And for the first time since Clow created him, he was completely happy. He could look on his past and just smile saying it was worth it. And that single sensation… was priceless.

~*~ Owari ~*~

I hope this wasn't too lame. I couldn't bear the idea of killing him off. Now I will lapse into the world of idleness. Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. And! This fic is dedicated to NiCa and itokochan. You two are the best! ^_^