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Cardcaptor Sakura:  The Sealed Card
Epilogue Part 1:

Sakura walked hand in hand with Syaoran out of the amusement park.  In her other hand she held the HOPE card.  She felt as though she was walking on air.  She had finally confessed her feelings to Syaoran, who had reconfirmed his own for her.  This feeling was better then anything she had ever felt before, she thought to herself as she looked at Syaoran beside her and squeezed his hand with a cheerful smile.

“Sakura-Chan!!” called a trio of voices from the air.

“Syaoran!!!  Kinomoto-Chan!!”  Cried out another.

Kero and Yue landed and Tomoyo and Meilin leapt off of Kero’s back and began to run towards Sakura & Syaoran.

“You did it!”  Meilin squealed as she made a flying leap onto Sakura, who somehow managed to stay on her feet.

“Hai!”  Sakura nodded excitedly and held up her HOPE card to show Tomoyo, who stood with her video camera in hand filming the moment.

“Not That!” Snickered Meilin as she snatched up Sakura & Syaoran’s joined hands and held them up triumphantly for Tomoyo’s camera.  “This!” she squealed in excitement.  “You finally told him!  I’m So Glad!”

Sakura snatched her hand back and attempted to hide her face, which flushed as dark as red bean paste.  She nodded with a whimper of embarrassment.

“It’s about time!” scolded Meilin.  “But you know, if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t ever have approved!” she added with a smile while pulling Sakura’s hands away from her face.

Syaoran watch the encounter and smiled with his hands folded behind his head.  He couldn’t stop thinking how cute she looked when she was blushing.

“You had better never never ever hurt him though!” Meilin scolded Sakura.  “If you do, I’ll never never ever forgive you!” she added with a firm tone of seriousness.

“H…hai…” stammered Sakura with a wary smile.

The conversation was suddenly cut off by a scream.  Sakura, Syaoran and Meilin looked to the source with alarm.

“We need to get you back to the play!  I don’t want to miss my chance to record the final act!” exclaimed Tomoyo.

“HOoo….ee…”  Sakura sighed with relief.  Syaoran raised an eyebrow and Meilin rolled her eyes.

Less then a minute after Tomoyo’s phone call, the truck in which Tomoyo transported all of Sakura’s costumes pulled up and Tomoyo ushered everyone in.  Kero, by this time, had transformed back into his plushy form and Yue had flown back to the festival in search for Touya.

As the truck sped off, back to the festival, Tomoyo instructed Sakura and Syaoran to change back into their costumes for the play.

In record time they were back at the festival, which had magically been restored of all damages caused from the earlier attack.  Tomoyo wasted no time to announce that the final act would soon begin.  As the crowd settled back into their seats, Sakura and Syaoran took their places on stage behind the curtain.

“And now presenting the grand finale!” came Tomoyo’s voice over the microphone.  The curtain parted to reveal the final scene.

Syaoran, the prince, lay lifelessly in center stage with the princess, Sakura, kneeling beside him mournfully.

“Why did this have to happen…” she spoke sorrowfully.  “To die protecting me…there is no happiness for me if you are not here.”

“I wish I had told you how I feel…” she continued after a brief pause.  “How I truly feel…” she concluded and collapses forward onto Syaoran’s chest crying.

After the curtains were closed Syaoran sat up quickly.  “Sakura!” he exclaimed with concern.  “What’s wrong?”  He held her out at arms length so that he could see her face.  Real tears flooded from her eyes.  “Sakura!” he exclaimed again, framing her face with his hands.

With a smile, Sakura wiped at her tears.  “G…Gomen ne Syaoran-kun.” She sniffled.  “I just couldn’t help thinking how sad it was and about what I would do if you had been killed before I was able to tell you…” her words were cut off as he stood and pulled her to her feet.

Either he forgot his own strength or she had gotten lighter because once her feet touched the floor inertia kept her body in motion and she fell forward into Syaoran’s embrace.  “HOoo..ee…”  she exclaimed in surprise.  Just then the curtain opened for a standing ovation.  Not having noticed the audiences roar of applause, Sakura steadied her footing and found herself staring into Syaoran’s gaze.

Syaoran swallowed hard and felt the heat rising in his face while he watched the same effect occurring on hers.  With their hearts pounding the world disappeared for a split second.  Until…

“Hey!  Kid!!  Get your hands off of my Sister!!!” bellowed Touya as he struggled against Yukito’s efforts to keep him from jumping onto the stage.

Sakura & Syaoran jumped away from one another and stood in astonishment as the applause continued. Together they bowed and rushed off of the stage where classmates who raved about their performance surrounded them.

“Wow, Sakura-Chan!  That was so realistic!!” exclaimed Tomoyo

“I loved your added touch to the ending, Sakura-chan,” stated Naoko

“Did you know that if a couple kisses on stage during a standing ovation it is said that you will have a long and happy life together?” Yamazaki explained.

“Hai…hai…liar…” answered Chiharu with a tug at his ear.

“You two played the perfect Prince and Princess!” commented Rika dreamily.

“Yeah, but Kinomoto-Chan makes a better princess!”  Meilin teased playfully.

“Who do you think makes a better prince though?  Sakura or Syaoran?” Naoko questioned thoughtfully.

So much chatter went on that Sakura’s head began to spin.  “HOoo…ee…” she wobbled a little and Syaoran placed an arm around her to guide her away from their classmates.  To his dismay, however, Touya, Yukito and Kinomoto Fujitaka awaited them.

“I told you to get your hands off of my sister!”  Growled Touya dangerously.

Syaoran immediately let go of Sakura and she wobbled forward.

“Touya…Touya…calm down,” came Yikito’s voice as he took a step forward to catch and steady Sakura.

Touya and Syaoran glared at one another until Fujitaka, Sakura’s father, stepped between them.  “Arigatou, Syaoran-kun, for watching over our little Sakura.”  He said calmly and kindly before bowing respectfully.

Syaoran bowed in return.  “I’m happy to be of assistance,” he responded.

Fukitaka turned to his daughter, kneeled down to her size, and handed her a rose.  “You were excellent,” he told her proudly.  “I would like to take all of you out for a snack, but I’m afraid that I have to return to the university.  Touya, will you take everyone out for a snack,” he finished, looking up at his son.

“Do I have to….” Touya mumbled in a low voice, not taking his eyes off of Syaoran.

“It would be our pleasure,” Yukito continued.  Holding Sakura’s hand, he knelt between her and Syaoran and taking up one of Syaoran’s hands, joined them.  “Don’t let Touya drive you apart, the two of you have been through a lot.”

“Yuki!”  Touya exclaimed

Fukitaka placed a hand on his son’s shoulder reassuringly.  “She is growing up, Touya,” he explained to his son before leaving to return to the university.

“Where shall we go?” Yukito asked to group.  “How about the café?”

Everyone except for Touya nodded in agreement and headed off in the direction of the café.  Sakura and Syaoran continued to hold hands as they walked, though their cheeks flushed brightly because of the attention it brought from Tomoyo and Meilin.  Syaoran held his free hand behind his head and laughed with nervous embarrassment as Meilin circled the couple cheerfully commenting that it was about time they were finally together.  “You wasted 5 days because you couldn’t tell him sooner!”  Meilin scolded Sakura.  “We have to return home the day after tomorrow!”

Sakura froze in her tracks.  Syaoran would be returning to Hong Kong?  Meilin suddenly covered her mouth due to the glare she received from Syaoran.

“Oh my…”  exclaimed Tomoyo from behind her video camera.  She had been walking backwards in front of everyone in order to film her best friend’s first moments as finally being Syaoran’s girlfriend.

Yukito and Touya caught up to the quartet.  Yukito placed a hand on Sakura’s shoulder, and bent to whisper in her ear.

“HOoo….ee….”  Sakura exclaimed as her entire face turned a dark crimson color.

“Shall we get going?” Yukito asked as he pulled Touya by the arm around Sakura & Syaoran just in time to keep him from knocking the kid out.

“Why do I have to pay for that Kid again???” Touya exclaimed at the cash register.

“Because, you keep making Sakura-chan sad,” Yukito explained.  “Honestly, face it, He is her number one person.  At least you can try to accept her choice,” he concluded with a sigh of exasperation and carried a tray full of cake and sundaes to the table where Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Meilin waited.

“Arigato!”  They all said in unison as Yukito passed out the desserts.

Touya shortly arrived with a tray of drinks and an order for himself and Yukito.  He watched as Sakura chatted cheerfully with her friends.  Syaoran, Touya noted, sat beside her, listening to her chatter with a tender look of adoration.  “A lot has happened between those two, they have both grown a lot,” Yukito explained quietly to him as they sat down at the neighboring table.

Closing his eyes and turning away from the sight Touya sighed with a mixture of annoyance and understanding.

Tomoyo’s phone suddenly rang, “Hai, Moshi Moshi” she answered.  “Ah, one moment please!” she exclaimed and pushed away form the table.  “Please excuse us,” she said to Sakura and Syaoran as she pulled Meilin out of her chair and away from the table.

Sakura and Syaoran watched them leave with a look of confusion.  Syaoran sat up straight suddenly as his gaze scanned across the neighboring table where he found Touya’s watchful eyes on him.

“Um…..,” Sakura began to say, looking down at her folded hands in her lap.  “What would you like to do tomorrow Syaoran-kun…,” she asked quietly.  “I….I don’t know when we’ll see each other again, and tomorrow is your last day here,” she concluded.

Touya scooted his chair closer to hear their conversation and Yukito stood.  “We should get going Touya.  After all, we did agree to help clean up after the festival.” With that, Yukito pulled Touya to his feet and pulled him away from the tables.

“Yuki, I haven’t finished yet…,” Touya complained as he was being pulled away from his cute little sister and the twerp who was taking her away from him.

Syaoran watched in amusement as Touya's efforts to keep an eye on them came to no avail.  He turned his attention back to Sakura, and opened his mouth to speak when Tomoyo and Meilin suddenly appeared back at the table.

“Hiiragizawa-kun will be arriving late tonight at the airport,” Tomoyo explained.  “I will have him picked up and he’ll stay at my place,” she continued to say.

“Nani?  Eriol-kun??  Why?”  Sakura exclaimed in surprise

“Because he was worried about you and took the first flight that he could to Japan,” Meilin pointed out matter of factly, as if it should be obvious.

“We are planning to have a tea party tomorrow afternoon.”  Tomoyo explained.

~*~To Be Continued~*~