Chapter 28: Times Like These

Sunday Afternoon…

"Sakura…Sakura…" A soft voice could be heard, floating in the air and into Sakura's ears but it sounded so far away; miles away. Sakura stirred in her sleep and slowly reality sunk into her mind and she became alert to the world outside her dreamless rest, "Sakura…Wake up sleepy…" Sakura slowly opened her eyes and gazed around as her vision slowly focused. The whiteness of the room was enough to blind her. Her eyes throbbed and she wondered what had happened to make them so sore. The memories of the struggle with Orion suddenly came to mind.

"Syaoran!" Sakura shrieked, suddenly sitting upright. Her guest, the one who had been calling her from what seemed like far away, was thrown backwards from surprise.

"Welcome back Sakura!" Tomoyo exclaimed, her smiling face appearing at the foot of her bed. Sakura stared in astonishment and scratched her head.

"W-What happened?" Sakura asked, confusion written all over her face, "How did I get here? Am I in a hospital?"

"Yes you are Miss. You've been here in Tomoeda General for a day and a half now." A nurse suddenly appeared from the doorway and set a glass of water down on Sakura's bedside table. Sakura gawked at her.

"I've been sleeping for a day and a half?" Sakura said with her jaw dropped.

"Yes. You were in a horrible state when we found you," The nurse shook her head sadly, "I'm glad you're feeling better Miss." The nurse smiled and walked to the doorway, "Just holler if you need anything!" She disappeared out the door and was gone.

"What on earth happened to me? How did I end up here? Who found us? Oh my god! Where the hell is Syaoran? Is he alright? Is he alive?" Sakura almost jumped out of her bed with panic, throwing questions this way and that at Tomoyo. She just smiled, got to her feet and closed the door the nurse had left open.

"Okay. We'll start at the end of your questions. Yes, Syaoran is alive. He got out of surgery yesterday and is doing just fine though he's so doped up I don't think he's going to wake up anytime soon.

"What?" Sakura looked sceptically at Tomoyo.

"They were saying something about an electric charge and they were really confused because it looked like he was struck by lightning."

"That's because he was. But that's beside the point-"

"What?!" Kero exploded out of Tomoyo's bag and zoomed straight into Sakura's face, "Struck by lightning?"

"Yes! Now will you get on with the point Tomoyo?" Sakura exclaimed, anxious to hear about Syaoran.

"I think she's adopted some of Syaoran's more 'charming' attributes." Tomoyo muttered into Kero's ear. Kero nodded and sat down on Sakura's bed, "They had to pump a lot of drugs into him. He was all tense and stuff from the electricity shock. But he's fine really, he'll be healthy in a little bit. He broke four ribs you know. He was lucky he didn't puncture a lung."

Sakura listened intently, watching Tomoyo with widened eyes.

"After the storm had passed at around 9:30-ish, someone was walking through the parking lot amidst all the wreckage and found you two, crumpled and unconscious, laying there right in the middle of the lot. They called an ambulance and you both were rushed into extensive care, especially Syaoran. If he had been out there an hour longer he would have been out of the doctor's reach." Tomoyo explained.

"Oh my gosh…" Sakura looked crestfallen. She groaned and bent her legs a little bit. They were thickly bandaged and covered with gauze. Kero floated over to her and sat down into her lap, "Are you feeling better Kero? I'm glad you're moving and talking again."

"Yeah. It was some device of Orion's to try and keep me out of the scene for as long as possible. Turned out it worked." Kero replied, hanging his head.

"It's okay Kero," Sakura gathered the humbled beast in her arms and embraced him gently; "You were facing your own battles while I was facing mine."

"What happened to the magician? Is he still alive?" Tomoyo asked anxiously. Sakura shook her head.

"No. He's dead," Sakura brushed her fingers over the throbbing bandaged gash on her cheek and winced. 'That's going to leave a mark.'

"I'm glad to hear that. Yue was very worried he was still at large. We had no way of knowing if he was dead or not." Kero said taking his place on Sakura's shoulder.

"SAKURA!" The door burst open and Chalandra dived onto Sakura's bed, her eyes dampened with tears, "I'm so sorry! I failed you! I'm so sorry I wasn't dere to tear out dat wicked magician's heart!" Chali growled defiantly and then burst out again in tears.

"It's alright Chali." Sakura whispered, trying to console the bawling feline girl despite her own shocked-ness. Tomoyo just smiled and gently pried Chalandra off of Sakura. She sat Chalandra down on a chair and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Is he dead?" Chali managed to say through sniffs and sobs. Sakura nodded and smiled.

"He's dead. He's a pile of dust that washed away in the rain."

"I'm glad. I would have gone out right now and killed him if he wasn't already dead." Chali growled and wiped her eyes. Tomoyo handed her a tissue.

"So what exactly happened Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, moving her chair closer to Sakura's bed so that she could hear everything. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed.

"The storm began while we were in Penguin park and we panicked. We figured Syaoran's place was closer and we ran that way. Syaoran led me through an empty parking lot as a short cut to his home but I tripped and fell. He came up behind us, the Magician Orion but he looked like Ryan."

"Ryan? You mean that boy from school?" Tomoyo gasped.

"Magician Orion is a master shape shifter. That teenager was one of his most used concealments." Kero deemed.

"Ryan transformed into the Magician Orion. He was after the Cards but I wouldn't give them to him. Syaoran got protective-"

"Not surprising." Tomoyo muttered. Sakura waited until she was done before she continued.

"Orion somehow made Syaoran go flying out of his way and landed a few meters away. He released his sword and there was a discussion I didn't really catch about Syaoran's father. Orion got a horrible look in his eyes and a lightning bolt fell from the sky and shocked him. I thought he was dead!" A few tears sprung from Sakura's eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Tomoyo held Sakura hand in hers and Kero rubbed her back gently. They could all see the mental strain Sakura was in and Tomoyo was beginning to regret asking her to tell her story.

"Orion was holding me by the wrists and I bit him and got away but he shot a ball of energy at me. I fell to the ground, barely dodging it but when I got up he was smiling at me and he…he…he did something to me I never wish to speak of again." Sakura's expression darkened and more tears fell from her eyes. Tomoyo could only imagine the horrible things someone so wicked would do to a beautiful girl like her.

"Then Syaoran got up somehow and he zapped the monster. He let me go from his hypnotic hold and-"

"I forgot about his knack with hypnotism. That's how he got the Black Sapphire you know. He hypnotized the guards and stole it right from under their noses." Kero explained. Sakura was confused about the Black Sapphire subject but decided to keep quiet and ask about it later.

"Syaoran accused Orion of murdering his father and Orion made no effort to deny it. He was really angry and came at Syaoran with these orbs in his hands and punched him in the ribs and in the shoulder. That's how he broke his ribs I guess. The magician was very tired and almost spent. I put my shirt and Syaoran's jacket back on and scampered over to Syaoran who had just gotten to his feet. We attacked Orion with a combined force using lightning."

"I can't believe it. Electrified, now with four broken ribs and he was still able to function?" Tomoyo gaped. Even Kero looked impressed. Chalandra's expression hadn't changed; she was still staring at Sakura with her jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"The magician was really angry now and shot daggers at us. Syaoran dived on top of me but one got my cheek and sliced it. Syaoran cried out and he started bleeding really badly and he told me to finish him off."

"Finally the brat gives in." Kero mumbled. Sakura gazed at him sadly and Kero shut up immediately, suddenly felt very guilty.

"I used my disintegration spell that I've used all along against him and it killed him. I passed out beside Syaoran and I remember no more." Sakura looked downwards and the dark circles under her eyes seemed to get a lot more foncé.

"Wow…" Tomoyo managed to say, Sakura's story as a whole overwhelming her. For once she was glad that she didn't have that adventure on tape.

"I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Do you mind?" Sakura whispered.

"No. Sweet dreams." Tomoyo gave Sakura's hand a soft squeeze and started walking out with Chali beside her. Chali waved and smiled sympathetically, her eyes welling up again with tears.

"Good night." Kero patted Sakura on the forehead and then flew off into Tomoyo's handbag. Sakura fell asleep less than a minute or two after that, feeling so stretched after telling the story of that night's events. It was a story she never wanted to tell again.

c

The weight on the world lifted a little bit after that. That little bit of extra yang ridden from the world was enough to set off the beginning of the harmony the lock and key of destiny were meant to deliver. Brandon, the young adult that had been forced to make the bet with the Magician Orion, was a free man again. There was no promise of death that hung over his family's head any longer. The next day, Brandon's wife Chelsea told him the news that he was going to be a father. It was the best news he had received in a very long time.

c

Tomoyo returned home and sat on her bed, her heart heavy with the evils that Sakura had endured. Kero floated out of Tomoyo's bag in a gloomy state of mind and collapsed on a pillow.

"I can't believe it." Tomoyo blurted, "Syaoran was struck by lightning, had four broken ribs and he was still able to stand."

"I must admit, that boy has some strength." Kero replied. A voice entered his thoughts. 'Has the lock of destiny proven himself to you yet?' Kero growled inwardly at Yue.

'No! He's still a brat.' Kero replied weakly, knowing his comeback wasn't very great.

'But he's a very strong and a very powerful brat to say the least.'

'Gah. Shut up. I hate it when you're right.'

'Well I was made to be the smart one.' Kero could almost feel the grin growing on Yue's face.

'GAH! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!' Kero shook his head violently as if he was trying to shake Yue out of his brain.

"Are you alright Kero?" Tomoyo asked, staring at him with confusion written all over her gorgeous face.

"Just fine." Kero muttered through gritted teeth, "Just fine."

c

"I can't believe it." Touya muttered blankly, "He should have been dead."

"But he isn't dead and that's the important thing." Yukito replied happily, sitting down beside Touya in their hotel room. They were way down south in Japan's archipelagos and had no way of returning home until Wednesday. Fujitaka had called Touya and had told him that Sakura was in the hospital. Both he and Yukito booked the next flight possible back to Tomoeda.

"Is he even human?" Touya exclaimed, waving his arms around in a state of disbelief. Yue had filled Yukito in on the vague details he was able to discover from Cerberus.

"For God sake's Touya, yes he is a human. He's made of tougher stuff than you will let yourself believe. But no, you're too stubborn to think of letting anyone stronger then you take your kid sister's heart. Remember when I told you that you have a sister complex? Well I still mean it!"

c

"Still, I feel so bad." Chalandra whispered, a portable phone glued to her ear. Camlo was listening intently on another phone to the words being spoken.

"It's alright my dear. What matters is that both the lock and key of destiny are safe and not in any trouble in the meantime. You did your best and have helped them on many occasions. You should be proud dear daughter on you accomplishments." Patia's clear voice rang through the receiver, her voice unaccented unlike her children.

"Dank you Moder." Chalandra replied through her head still hung low.

"And you too dearest Camlo. I am very proud of your evolving powers. I knew they would shine through at some point."

"Dank you Moder." Camlo replied happily, glad he was not feeling the same shame as Chalandra. It was her job after all to protect Sakura and Syaoran and not his.

"Now it is time for new issues to be addressed. My children, problems will arise to threaten the Mistress of the Clow and the Li Clan heir. It is up to both of you to watch over them and help them in their time of need. You must embrace this new responsibility Camlo, not resent it," Patia explained somehow knowing that Camlo was scowling about his new accountability, "I must leave you now for I am weak and I must speak with Yuko."

"You still meet wid dat witch?" Chalandra asked.

"Yes," Patia replied, "She has been keeping me informed on the goings on in this world and in others. She is a very important ally and a close friend to me. Goodbye my dear children. I will speak again with you soon. Until then, I love you and I wish you a good night."

"Good night Moder." Camlo and Chalandra replied in unison. They hung up their phones and sighed. They could only imagine the wicked tidings the future might bring.

c

Sakura woke to a quiet and darkened room. She opened her eyes and gazed over at the clock on her bedside table. It read 2:20AM. Sakura sat up and gazed out the window at the stars, twinkling in the twilight. Sakura swung her legs out of bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes. 'I'm so tired and hungry. I feel as if I haven't eaten in days. Oh wait. I haven't eaten in days.' Sakura put her bare feet on the cool ground and shuddered. 'Maybe I could find a nurse and ask her to get me something'. She walked across the concrete tile flooring of her room and opened the door to the hall as quietly as she could. She poked her head out the door and looked around. 'There's nobody in the hall. Maybe if I just walk down the hall I might find someone'. She stepped out into the hallway and walked to the floor lobby. She stepped silently into the lobby and she still saw no one there. 'Where is everybody?' She walked over the lobby desk and sat down at the computer table by an unoccupied computer. 'Maybe I could find where a nurse is using this.' She shook the mouse and the screensaver disappeared revealing a menu page. She scrolled down the page but found no 'Nurse Locator' but something else popped out that caught her eye. 'It won't hurt if I at least know where he is.'

Sakura typed 'Li Syaoran' into the bar and then clicked the 'Locate Patient' button beside it. The computer buzzed for a moment and then 5 names came up. Li Syaoran was among them. She clicked on it and the machine buzzed again.

Li Syaoran

Sex: Male

Age: 17

Room #: 219

Sakura looked up from the computer and gazed towards the guidance signs on the walls.

- 200-230 231-260 -

Quietly Sakura got up from the chair and tiptoed back out into the hall. Her interests had suddenly changed. Instead of trying to finding a nurse, she was trying to avoid one so she could find Syaoran. She walked quickly and silently down the hall and followed it past the turn. She started passing doors with numbers.

230, 229, 228…

Sakura started walking a little faster, anticipation of seeing Syaoran again fuelling her stride. She skidded around a turn and stopped dead in her tracks. 'JANITOR!' She ran back behind the wall and peeked around the corner. 'Oh good. He's leaving.' The janitor disappeared into a room and Sakura dashed across the concrete tile floor.

227, 226, 225…

Sakura stopped right before the janitor's room and peaked in. The janitor was rinsing out his mop, not paying any attention to the open door. Sakura tiptoed across and then gunned it down the rest of the corridor.

222, 221, 220…

She skidded to a halt and gazed up at the white hospital door.

219

As quietly as she could, Sakura twisted the door's handle and slowly pushed it open. She squeezed through the crack and almost silently closed the door behind her. She spun around and her expression softened when she saw Syaoran's sleeping form; the sheets that lay on his chest moving up and down. Sakura ran over and brushed the hair from his face and she stared down at his peaceful visage with admiration and love. She wondered if Syaoran was just as crazy about her as she was for him. She sat on the edge on his bed and took his hand in hers and rubbed it with her thumb gently.

"Hey Syaoran," Sakura whispered, rubbing a little bit of dirt off of his cheek, "Thank you for saving me. I-I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't. I thought you were dead, I really did." She stifled a quiet sob and a tear trickled down her cheek, "But you're alive and I'm so grateful for it. I don't think I could have dealt with losing you again." Sakura brought her hand up to her eyes and wiped some unshed tears away, "When you left for Hong Kong way back when, I didn't know what to do. Your letters and our phone calls were always so short. You were always so busy with the Clan. What really brought you back here? Was it really because you felt something horrible happening here or was it to get away from the Clan? Always in your head were little shreds of memory, about how much you resented the responsibility of the Li Clan heir," Sakura could see the dignity in his looks, the important-ness in his visage, "You turn eighteen this summer. Is that when you'll have to leave? To return back to your Clan where you are to be the leader?" A few more tears fell from Sakura's eyes, "You'll have to leave again and rip my heart to pieces. Goddamn it. Why did I have to fall in love with you again? Wait, I never stopped falling in love with you." While Sakura sobbed in the night of the room, two orbs of amber lit up through the darkness and stared up at the Emerald Eyed Angel sitting on his bed. He lifted his hand and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. Sakura's eyes opened with surprise and gaped at Syaoran who had one of his rare smiles playing on his lips.

"I told you that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon and I meant it," Syaoran said, the grin on his lips getting wider. Sakura smiled and giggled happily, the tears from her eyes falling for joy instead of sorrow, "And by the way, I never stopped being in love with you either." Sakura stopped in shock and stared at Syaoran. He shrugged slightly with his uninjured shoulder and shot her a wolfish smirk. Sakura's look of disbelief suddenly turned into a look of delight and she impulsively lowered her head and planted her lips on his.

Syaoran was taken back for a moment but then quickly returned the kiss. 'Sakura!' His fingers crept towards her shoulders, up the nape of her neck and then buried themselves in her dishevelled golden hair. After a moment or two of tasting Sakura's sweet lips he parted his own lips slightly and licked her bottom lip, begging for entrance. More than willing to comply, Sakura let Syaoran's tongue slip into her mouth. Sakura moved her body closer, careful not to press too hard onto Syaoran's bandaged and broken body. She moaned softly as she savoured Syaoran's tongue exploring her mouth and she grinned blissfully into the kiss. She put her own tongue in action and massaged his tongue with hers playfully. Syaoran groaned longingly and angled her head slightly, giving him more access to her mouth. He bit her lip gently and Sakura exclaimed in ecstasy, grabbing hold of Syaoran's hair.

Sakura was first to pull away and gasp for air. She stared into Syaoran's tired eyes that glowed with a sudden radiance, as if a fire inside had suddenly been kindled. Sakura buried her face into Syaoran's neck that laid upon his pillow and snuggled up to him tenderly.

'Sakura…' Syaoran whispered in his mind.

'Yes?' Sakura replied without lifting her head. Syaoran turned his head and they lightly bumped noses. Sakura giggled and rubbed her nose against his, genuinely happy. He grinned, another one of his rare displays, and rested his hand on her cheek and stroked it gently.

'I love you…' Syaoran whispered, slowly dozing off.

'Oh Syaoran, I love you too!' Sakura kissed his lips softly. She shimmied herself on his bed and cuddled in beside Syaoran. She fell asleep listening to his gentle breathing, somehow knowing that beside him was where she was meant to be.

c

The next morning a nurse came into room 219 to check on its patient and she eyed the tender sight upon the hospital bed. Another nurse came in behind her and her face softened as well. The first nurse walked a little closer to the bed and sighed blissfully.

"Look at them." The first nurse whispered to the second nurse. She followed over and smiled.

"Look at the smiles on their faces." The second nurse tilted her head and got a passionate twinkle in her eyes.

"It's a breath of fresh air to see something so pure in times like these." The first nurse said. Syaoran squeezed Sakura's hand a little tighter.

"Yes, yes it is."

c

OMG! THE END HAS COME!

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed during this story. A good deal of your reviews has helped me become a better writer and I appreaciate all the wonderful complements you have given me.

Thanks to these reviewers from the last chapter

lucky aries

Boheme

soibean123

Fly

lil wolf lover

SnowCharms

Mooniesrule

caw122182

SailorInu1

Mekena (yay fellow TMNT fan!)

BlackbeltTKD

Miss.Redi

cherushiichan

Rhapsody

Sakura-cha

So here marks the end of All Along but I guarantee there will be more to come. Unfortunatly I broke my hand and this is being typed by my buddy Rhapsody (hiyaa!). Don't expect my new story up for a few weeks because I have to give my wrist/fingers some time to heal and I write everything into my book (I broke my dominant hand by the way).

I was kind of dissapointed by the reviews I recieved for chapter 27, the problem being that the fight scene wasn't long enough. Well as you all will learn soon enough, Orion wasn't really worth a long fight scene. Sakura beat him pretty easy at the end anyway. But that is for you to learn and for me to know as I continue what will eventually turn into a chronicle or saga or whatever you might want to call it.

My next story will be called...

Stranger Than Fiction

(it has nothing to do with the 2006 movie)

It's basically a shorter story to build up a fan base and to introduce new characters for the story that will be after. Of course character growth is a biggie in this story and our favourite main characters will be experiencing some new feelings...and I'll leave it like that.

I'll see ya in a few weeks. Please review or else...this story might not show up for a while.

Muahahahahaha!

Love and fluff, Bronte