Hi everyone! ^-^ I wrote this in less than an hour over my frustration at all of the 

 ‘S+S’ and Tomoyo/Eriol fics out there. Poor Tomoyo-chan. ;_; She can’t be 

 with who she loves so she’s paired off with Eriol just because they’re both 

 eccentric. *sighs* Anyway, I’m way too overly emotional about the whole 

 Sakura & Tomoyo thing, and I was in kind of a weird mood anyway, so that’s 

 where this story comes from. ^-^ I hope you like it!

 

 

 Love Lies Bleeding

 By the Amazoness Duo 

 

 

 	As I lie bleeding to death on the cold ground, my last thoughts 

 automatically travel back to Sakura. Her beautiful face, her sparkling emerald 

 green eyes, her friendly smile. I could always tell how she was feeling, even if 

 she didn’t know herself sometimes. I could see it in her eyes. Those eyes told 

 me everything. They filled me with strength, bolstered my love for her. But they 

 hurt me in ways she’ll never know. I love her so much, yet… His incessant 

 agonizing breaths are breaking my concentration. “Li-kun, if you’re going to 

 die, then could you please be a little quieter? I’m having a hard time 

 remembering what I got Sakura-chan for her twelfth birthday and her exact 

 reaction.”

 

 	He seems to consider my request before moaning louder. How 

 inconsiderate. I asked nicely. And wouldn’t he want to think about her in his last 

 moments as well? “This is all your fault...” he says after a moment, glaring 

 pointedly at me. At least, I assume he is. I can’t really see him very well from 

 where I am and my vision’s starting to go dark. I can almost see her in the 

 darkness, as if she’s waiting for me. Oh, Sakura-chan... You’re always so sweet. 

 I’m so lucky to have... I cut off again as he reiterates how much this is my fault. 

 

 	“I hope Sakura-chan wouldn’t see it that way,” I say simply. Why does 

 it matter what he thinks so long as she knows? “I hope she knows my video 

 collection is willed to her.” All of my worldly possessions are willed to her, so 

 she’d be getting everything anyway. I’m just trying to keep his mind off of 

 things long enough so we can both die in peace. 

 

 	Unfortunately, that seems to be the wrong thing to say. “That’s what 

 started all of this. I never would have noticed the way you look at her if it 

 weren’t for all of those videos you take. Can’t you let her be happy on her 

 own?”

 

 	I blink back my surprise, or try to, anyway. “What? How I look at her? 

 I look at her with love because that’s what courses through my heart when I see 

 her. And of course I want Sakura to be happy. I just know how to make her 

 happy better than she does. So sometimes she needs a little extra push in the 

 right direction.” I smile fondly at so many memories before realizing that 

 smiling hurts far more than it’s worth. 

 

 	I can hear him trying to drag himself up. If he’s in half as much pain as 

 I am, he can’t do it. Nope. It sounds like he clattered back to the ground again. 

 “If you think you know so well, why the hell didn’t you get with her?” he 

 growls. Though I tried so hard to get him with Sakura, I really wish he didn’t 

 have such a temper. You’d think he’d be happy after sacrificing my happiness 

 for her. 

 

 	“You’re starting to make me wish I did. Then you and Sakura-chan 

 could still be friends and I could be at home videotaping her right now.” I don’t 

 mention _what_ I’d be videotaping exactly. Probably her eating dinner. Or 

 maybe out back practicing her magic. Or maybe just her sleeping cutely. That 

 would be so sweet. Some of my favorite footage is while she's... Apparently I’m 

 not allowed to get sidetracked in my thoughts of her because he picked up where 

 he left off again.

 

 	“I didn’t say you couldn’t be friends. I said I never wanted you to see 

 her again,” Li-kun corrects me. Which is more or less what started this. You see, 

 one of the things that made Li-kun so good at protecting Sakura also made him 

 dangerous to all those around her. He never did learn how to work out his 

 jealousy problems. He tried to burn Sakura’s big brother alive once. Over 

 Tsukishiro-san if I remember right. I should have known that that would 

 eventually turn towards me. I’m closer to Sakura than anyone else he knows, 

 and in some ways I’m closer to her than he is. That doesn’t stop me from 

 wishing I could be in his place, though. That I could be the one she loves. 

 

 	But back to the point, we’re here because Li-kun finally noticed that 

 I’m insanely, horribly, and absolutely in love with Sakura-chan. That my heart 

 never wavers and my eyes never wander despite the fact that she’s not even 

 mine. That didn’t go over very well with him, though, and he confronted me 

 about my feelings for her on the way home while Sakura was out shopping with 

 Chiharu. He had been too busy arguing and shaking me while I was calmly 

 trying to explain that Sakura is the light of the entire universe before we got 

 struck by a passing motorist. The man must have been in quite a hurry because 

 he didn’t bother to stop and check if we were alright. 

 

 	“But Li-kun, that’s practically the same thing. And I can’t very well 

 videotape your wedding and first through fifth children if I can’t be around her.” 

 Silly boy. So I can’t be away from her. And Sakura will have five children. I’ve 

 already come up with all of their names. Now how will she know what to name 

 them or what to wear to her eventual wedding? Or even who to marry? I can’t 

 leave her yet. She still needs me. Not that I have any reason to live without her, 

 but I can’t make her sad. I won’t let myself. But it seems like I don’t have much 

 of a choice. The pain inside seems to intensify and the darkness covers more of 

 my vision. I don’t feel angry so much as... a great sense of loss. How can I be 

 taken from her like this? Is this some divine retribution for trying to kill myself a 

 few weeks ago? Mother stopped me and she has me in therapy now, so there’s 

 no reason to have me die in the street like this. I won’t try again unless Sakura-

 chan doesn’t need me anymore. It makes enough sense to me. 

 

 	“Besides, aren’t you in love with Eriol?” he asks after a slight pause in 

 our lovely conversation. Hadn’t Sakura asked me that before? I think everyone 

 was trying to mentally pair me off with them sense I had no true love interest 

 that they could see. And because I stalked Sakura. It’s much easier for them if 

 they think I’m in love with someone else. 

 	

 “Eccentricity does not mark the trappings of love.”

 	

 “What?”

 	

 “No, I’m not. And I don’t see how anyone could think I did. He and I 

 barely even talked when he was here. Sakura-chan is far more captivating than 

 anyone else I’ve ever met,” I explain. How could I ever not love her? She has 

 been the single most important aspect of my life from the day I met her till the 

 day I die. Which will most likely be today. So in that case, for all eternity. I’ll 

 always love her, even if I can’t be there for her.

 	

 “Yeah, but you’re both...”

 	

 “Messed up?” I supply.

 	

 “Yeah.”

 

 	We sit in awkward silence for a long moment, pain gripping my 

 shattered body. Silken dark gray hair lies pooled on the floor, a stark reminder of 

 the blood under me. I think my legs are broken and definitely some ribs. I’m 

 having a hard time breathing. Little droplets of red mixes in with the darkness 

 randomly as blood drips into my eyes. But none of this compares to the pain in 

 my heart at the thought of being torn away from her so violently. Not so much 

 for my own sake because I have nothing left to live for, but for hers. I know that 

 this will hurt Sakura dearly. She needs someone to help her through this, but Li-

 kun and I will both be gone. Poor Sakura-chan will be all alone. I can’t bear the 

 thought of her pretty face streaked with tears. 

 

 	“Why didn’t you just tell her? You could have snagged her from me 

 during those years I was gone.” His voice sounds defeated, pained. 

 

 	“Because I wanted her to be happy. When I was little, I used to think I 

 could do that. But after you showed up and then Eriol started testing her, I 

 wasn’t so sure anymore. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t give her a child. She 

 might not even be able to love me.” My voice breaks at the last of it. That fear 

 has ridden along in my heart nearly as long as I’ve known her. It’s safer to love 

 her from afar, to watch from somewhere else. “You seemed to make her happy 

 and you obviously loved her almost as much as I did.” Which is a lie. He’d 

 shown the same affection to Yukito. He seemed just fine transferring his 

 feelings to Sakura. But I was starting to get desperate to play matchmaker for 

 her lest someone else get in the way. “I thought you were the best possible 

 candidate for Sakura’s love and I wanted to do all I could to make her happy.” 

 That is the truth. That’s what I’ve wanted ever since she first smiled at me in 

 class all those years ago. I knew then as I know now that I would do anything, 

 _anything_ to make her happy. 

 

 	Another odd silence answers me as he lies there. “I would have. 

 Sometimes things were tough and she always ran to you with her problems.” He 

 sounds a bit resentful of that. Is that what this is really all about? He was 

 worried that I was more important to Sakura? I almost laugh, hurting myself 

 more in the process. The taste of blood is almost sickening now. I could only 

 wish I was as important to her as he was. “But I would have made her happy.”

 

 	“I believe you, Li-kun. There’s no doubt in my mind. That’s why I 

 wanted you to be with her. She deserves to be happy.” Nothing but the sound of 

 birds greets our ears for the longest time as we both wait to die. Does it usually 

 take this long? My only condolences are that I’ll be able to speak with whatever 

 wondrous being created the beauty that is Sakura and that hopefully they will let 

 me watch her as I never have been able to before. Touya did used to speak of 

 seeing his mother. Maybe I could come back and watch over Sakura, even if she 

 couldn’t see me. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about hurting her. “Li-kun, I 

 promise if I make it out of this alive that I will make Sakura-chan happy.” 

 

 	He doesn’t seem to know how to reply, but I can only guess that he’s 

 happy with my proclamation. I am, of course, wrong. “What? What makes you 

 think you’re going to live? If either of us lives, it’s going to be me. Why would a 

 fragile little rich girl survive that?”

 

 	“Well, I’m only stating it as a ‘just in case’. So you’ll know she’ll be in 

 good hands in case I survive and you don’t. Besides, I already know that’s what 

 you’d do in the event that I die.” My resolve is much stronger than it’s ever 

 been. I’ll take care of her as best I can. I’ll love her like no one else ever could. I 

 will make her happy. I wish I had this type of strength back when my life 

 expectancy was higher. It might have come in more useful. 

 

 	“Yeah, but that’s because she’s my girlfriend.” I wait for him to 

 continue, but apparently that was explanation enough. I shrug it off. 

 

 	It sure is dark. I feel like I’m falling asleep. “I wonder what Sakura-

 chan’s doing right now.”