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It was the cold that woke Sakura.
Blinking open her eyes, Sakura realized that she was in cabin made out of wood. Sitting up, Sakura quickly noticed that the place was tiny; there was only one room that served as the bedroom, living room and kitchen.
The bed that Sakura was on was small but comfortable. Part of her wanted to stay put, but an even stronger part of her desired to find the others. Sakura knew they couldn't be far but she couldn't remember what had happened since they had left the last world. Sakura could certainly take a guess however, knowing she had fallen asleep again after receiving the latest feather and while she slept they had travelled to a new world.
It was frustrating, always passing out, but Sakura wasn't going to complain. She knew that everyone was working so hard to help her and she didn't to seem ungrateful. She appreciated that they were trying to help her recover her lost memories. And she didn't know how she would be able to thank them when everything was done.
Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Sakura ventured across the cabin and looked out the window. What she saw was tones of snow but to her relief she also saw Kurogane and Fay; Kurogane appeared to be standing guard but Fay looked rather bored.
Sakura smiled as she watched Fay pick up a clump of snow in his hands and threw it at Kurogane. The clump of snow struck the side of Kurogane's head and even from her position inside the cabin, Sakura saw Kurogane growl at Fay so she decided to intervene.
Walking over to the door, Sakura found boots sitting near it and tried them on to find they were a perfect fit. She wasn't stupid, she knew what snow was even though she had only learned of it a few days ago when they had been at another world. Back then there hadn't been time to truly enjoy the snow since too much had been going on but if Fay thought it was safe enough to play, the new world was probably safe.
Sakura caught Fay's and Kurogane's attention as she opened the door. Kurogane had been chasing after Fay who was running away as fast as he could but both stopped and looked at Sakura when they realized that she was awake.
After saying hello to them, Sakura looked around for Syaoran but she couldn't see him. Mokona was missing as well, which concerned Sakura since their group had been separated before and she didn't want the same thing to happen twice. Even with Fay and Kurogane there, she didn't know what she would do without Syaoran.
"They're looking for your feather," Fay quickly explained, easing Sakura's nerves. "It's suppose to be nearby but we didn't want to leave you in case something happened."
Sakura nodded her head in satisfaction. A lot had been happening lately and she was grateful for their protection but at the same time she wished that Syaoran had stayed instead. A simple look from Syaoran had the ability to make her smile; she didn't know why since they had only recently met, but at times it felt like she had known Syaoran a lot longer than that. Sakura knew it was ridiculous however since Syaoran didn't exist in the memories that were slowly being returned to her. Her memories wouldn't lie to her.
A snowball hitting her brought Sakura out of her thoughts. She looked at Fay who was attempting to look innocent but Sakura knew better. She exchanged a look with Kurogane and the message was clear even though Kurogane looked liked he didn't want to participate in childish games. Nevertheless, for her he was willing to go along with it.
Together they threw snowballs at Fay who laughed as he attempted to flee. Fay was quickly overwhelmed by the snowball assault especially since Kurogane was doing most of the work. Sakura quickly realized that she was unable to keep up with Kurogane's speed. The snow was cold on Sakura's hands and she wondered how Kurogane seemed unaffected.
"No more!" Fay cried but as he said that he bent over to scoop up some more snow to throw back at them.
Sakura had to admit that it was fun and even Kurogane looked liked he was getting into it. He had a smug look on his face as he would whip the snowballs as hard as he could at Fay in revenge. It was unfair really since it was two against one but Fay didn't seem to mind.
Hours went by and Sakura was beginning to grow concerned again about Syaoran and Mokona. She hoped that nothing happened to them. Her feathers weren't worth someone getting hurt over them, although she was sure that Syaoran would disagree. Memories could be replaced but Syaoran couldn't, she wished that she could make Syaoran see that.
Slowly, Sakura's interest in the snowball fight began to wane and she began looking into the distance for Syaoran's return. He was taking too long and if he didn't soon return she was going to suggest to Fay and Kurogane that they all go out and look for him and Mokona.
Finally, Sakura spotted Syaoran walking through the deep snow towards the cabin with Mokona perched on his shoulder. Without thinking, she called out his name and ran towards him to make sure that he was all right.
"Are you feeling better?" Syaoran asked holding a small block of ice in his gloved hands.
That was so like Syaoran, always being concerned over her safety without thinking about himself.
"I'm fine," Sakura replied as she took a closer look at the block of ice that Syaoran held. Frozen inside was her feather and despite the fact that Syaoran had worked hard to retrieve it, Sakura was disappointed that the fun would soon be over as she knew as soon as the feather was absorbed back into her body, she would fall asleep again.
It wasn't fair, she wanted to spend time with Syaoran and now she wouldn't be able too.
"This will take some time to melt," Fay said as he walked over and took the block of ice from Syaoran. It was like he could read Sakura's mind and she was grateful for his help.
"Can't we just break it open?" Syaoran asked. It seemed liked he wanted to get things over quickly so that they could move on to the next world.
"It might damage the princess' feather," Kurogane said, which brightened Sakura's mood. Fay wasn't the only one who was looking out for her. "We'll take it inside to start melting it by the fire."
Mokona hopped from Syaoran's shoulder to Fay's and then the three of them headed inside the cabin leaving Sakura alone with Syaoran. She was grateful for their help since it wasn't often that she was able to get time alone with Syaoran.
"Thank you for all the work you had to do," Sakura said. She felt guilty every time she caused Syaoran trouble but he never seemed to mind. She didn't know what she would do without him.
"It wasn't too much trouble," Syaoran said but Sakura could tell that it was a lie. "The ice was making it difficult to find, that's all."
"I still wish that there was some way that I could thank you," Sakura replied and she wondered what she could do to cheer Syaoran up. Starting another snowball fight didn't seem appropriate and Sakura wasn't sure what other things people did in the snow, so she was at a lost for what to do.
"It's fine," Syaoran insisted. "I just want help you."
"I'm glad," Sakura replied and she gave Syaoran a gentle smile.
They stood in silence, neither one knowing what to say. Snow began falling down upon them and Sakura looked towards the sky in wonderment. The snow was quite peaceful; it was so different from the harsh sand of her home world. It seemed to light up the darkening sky. Sakura wanted to say something but she didn't know what so she simply allowed the snow to fall down upon them.
"We should go inside," Syaoran said and Sakura nodded her head. She was getting cold and figured that if she was cold, Syaoran had to be as well.
Entering the cabin they found Fay, Kurogane and Mokona sitting near the fireplace. On the floor in front of the fire was the block of ice that housed Sakura's feather. The ice was quickly melting away and Sakura knew that she would soon be forced back to sleep. It made her sad since she wanted to stay longer; wanted to play in the snow again tomorrow, this time with Syaoran. But at the same time she knew that it was impossible.
"Be there when I wake up," she whispered without thinking.
"I will."
Sakura felt better knowing that Syaoran would be there when she woke the next time. Although they had only spent a short time Sakura didn't want to think about what life would be like without Syaoran in it. She was hopeful for that when all her feathers were collected they could return to Clow Country together and live a happy life with no further need to travel to many worlds.
Sakura watched as Syaoran stepped forward and picked up the now freed feather. He turned and handed it to Sakura who could already feel herself growing tired. As the feather returned to her body, Sakura found that she was unable to keep her eyes open. Her last conscious thought was of Syaoran as she remembered the way he looked as he walked through snow, looking tired but at the same time looking triumphant since he completed his quest.
Sakura felt safe, which meant she would be able to sleep peacefully. She couldn't wait until the next time she woke up.