"Sakura! What on earth are you up to?"

As usual, Sakura Kinomoto still wakes up too late in the morning for her classes. Keroberos already took his real form to wake her up with his growling, booming voice. But despite his agitation, his mistress still hadn't budge an inch from her pillow. Sakura even smiled sleepily, clutching the blankets fondly, and whispered, "It was my first, first kiss with Shaoran…"

Keroberos slapped his own face. So she was dreaming about it for the hundredth time around! The thought made Kero irritated, for he couldn't help expressing his childish annoyance for Shaoran Lee, Sakura's long-time sweetheart since the sixth grade. They have been together for five years! That kid…

Keroberos glanced at the window, to the early morning skies, and smiled to himself. "But those five years has made Sakura almost as strong as Clow himself…"

True, and he prided in that fact. Ever since Sakura converted the sealed card, her powers has risen near Clow's degree, and quickly, she learned the other magical secrets of the stars. When she stepped into highschool, Sakura started to experiment for a new type of magical arts, tapping her powers to a new light.

Not only that, Kero mused, Sakura has grown so pretty and lady-like in that short five years! Her copper-brown hair has grown long, silky and slightly wavy down to her waist. And she has grown taller, maybe just two inches short of Touya, her older brother. "No wonder Yukito still thinks Sakura's cute."

After all the futility of his screaming attempts to wake Sakura up, Kero just sighed and returned to his false form. He flitted to the desk where the book of cards lay and summoned it to open. "Hey, guys, will you wake her up? I want to sleep again." He yawned and retreated to his cabinet-room, quickly dozing off.

The cards giggled a little and after a few seconds, the Rain card floated above Sakura and started to drizzle her on the face, laughing childishly as she did so. Hope also emerged, and sat beside her on the bed, tapping her cheek. "You are so stubborn, Mistress."

Sakura finally woke up, surprised by the small rain and the very energizing touch of Hope. "HOOEEE!" She quickly rose from the bed and turned to the clock, "Darn! Why am I late again!"

Rain and Hope giggled again, together with the slight movement of the other cards on the desk. "Quick, Mistress. Show us your new magic." Hope said, winking her left eye.

"New magic? Did I make—" She reckoned what it was. "Ah! Yes, yes! The remedy for late mornings. Thanks for reminding me!"

"I think you have to make a Reminder Card as well."

This time, it was not one of the cards' voice, but of his onii-chan, who was already standing lazily by the door, crossing his arms. He smiled mockingly, and looked casually at Rain and Hope, who just smiled back. "Well, well, a magical monster is still a monster, who finally has woken up."

"Onii-chan!" Sakura gritted her teeth at him. "Don't stand there looking at me like that!"

"Then, kaijou, hurry up because that twerp is already waiting for you by the gate."

Shaoran is picking me up! Sakura flushed at the thought of him waiting by the front of their house. Touya closed the door and sang a tune that never failed to irritate Sakura again. "Kaijou and the twerp, Kaijou and the twerp, dadadadada…"

"Don't call him twerp, Onii-chan!" She shouted back.

Sakura breathed in and looked at Hope and Rain. They were waiting for her new magic to show them. Rain said, "Would it be better if all of us watch you, Mistress?"

"Oh, but I might not do it right!" Sakura blushingly replied.

"Just try it in front of us." Hope told her, and she raised her hand to bid the remaining cards to watch their mistress. All the cards floated and aligned in the air, and the Star seal flashed. In a moment, all the 53 cards were in their true forms, smiling back to their mistress in delight and excitement. Some sat in the bed and on the floor. Others like Light, Dark and Wind floated to see her display her magic. "Please, Sakura, this is a new milestone for every one of us." Light said.

Sakura smiled sincerely at them, her inspiration now more stronger to reinstate her magic. She has been crafting this new magic to tap the powers of the star and fuse it with the sun and moon, thereby creating stronger, more radiant magic.

This is for my cards.

But never did she know what consequences this would mean in the future… a new fate, perhaps a change of destiny, would arise in her step of creating a stronger type of magic.

She finally got the momentum to concentrate all her powers. Kero, who was woken up again by the sudden powerful surge of aura surrounding Sakura now, got up from his cabinet-room and shouted, looking shocked from the scene– "Sakura! What the devil are you doing!"

Sakura only closed her eyes and concentrated still, not hearing any worldly noise. Only the divine hum of the soft, flickering constellations filled her mind, lifting her to a galactic void.

Finally, I am able to feel them like I am holding their powers in my own hands…

For five years, five long years for her! Sakura rejoiced at the thought of becoming one with the stars. Becoming them… tapping their magic to a oneness, together with the brightness of the sun and the radiance of the moon.

Sakura was enclosed in a bright bluish orb, which made all her cards exult in silent awe. Keroberos felt that very strong energy, almost surpassing Clow, and then he shouted both in stark fear and amazement— "Sakura! The magic you are gaining is too strong to hold! Do not overdo it!"

"Sshh, Kero-san." Dark assured him calmly, laying all her trust and support for her mistress. "We can feel that she could hold magic more than that."

"But that is too strong and— raw! A magic coming directly from billions and billions of stars, and this is beyond the limit for her type of magic!" Kero said, trying to convince them to make them stop Sakura.

"But that is exactly what the mistress' new magical arts is for." Hope beamed. "To define new limits, which means—"

"Infinite power." The cards all whispered divinely.

"HOOEE! That is too much!" Kero screamed, only to know that the next scream that he could do is nothing but a mime of "NO!" Silence did the job of shutting Kero up, so the guardian retreated to watch on with anxiety. Sakura…

"We believe her, Keroberos." Light said tranquilly. "Sakura is strong and pure of heart. She deserves this power."

And the next scene was a sight to behold—

Sakura held her key and incanted the words to transform it into her staff:

"O key that hides the infinite power of the stars,

Show your true nature to me—

O Sun, warm and bright,

And Moon, filled with radiant mystery,

come by with your light—

And magic be reborn!

I, Sakura, command you,

Under the dictates and rules of Nature—

Release!"

In a blinding flash of golden light, Sakura floated above the ground and her key glowed, transforming into a new star wand surrounded by golden sunrays and a silver moon above it. Its wings has been lined with silvery-pink accents and two golden ribbon-like sheaths tied just below the wings. Then all the cards surrounding her felt a new power charging them, and they too, was being reborn.

"O Cards,

Made by Clow,

Passed into me under the old magic,

Accept your new power and be reborn once again—

I, Sakura, your mistress, command you!"

A whirlwind of strong, illuminating magic burst out from Sakura's new star wand, and the golden ribbon sheaths flew by and entwined all of the cards majestically, giving them a new power, and recreating them into their new forms. Even more beautiful than their first forms, they changed into more lady-like and feminine forms. Rain was not child-looking anymore; and so was Small. Jump and Dash looked even cuter but fiercer and bigger, and Flower, Sleep and Wood all changed into more majestic dresses that made them jump in delight. So was Shadow, who was now given a beautiful face, and Time, who became a lady now with long, brown hair and wearing priestess-like robes. All the cards were happy, and Dark and Light, who were given new forms as well, said together, "O Mistress, thank you for giving us new power."

"That is because I love you all," Sakura smiled benevolently at them.

Kero-chan, who stood there looking dazed and wonderfully awed, said, "Sakura, how about me? Won't you change me too?"

"Yes, I would have to do that, but only together with Yue-san." She said. "Don't worry, I'll invite Yukito later to give you your new forms and powers."

"Yosh!" Kero jumped to his feet.

Looking at the happy cards and the new star staff, Sakura smiled happily, telling herself that this new power is a new responsibility… and her cards would have to protect the world from evil from this day on.

Infinite power of the stars…

"And the remedy for late mornings?" Hope said, giggling under her throat.

"Oh yes!" Sakura raised her staff. "Here it is!"

Later, Sakura got down in her highschool uniform, and Touya wondered what took her so long. When he glanced at the clock, he was surprised when it still read 6:42, when all this time he had been counting what seemed to be half an hour when he went to Sakura's room. Curious, did she use magic? And surprised by the fact that he had felt a very strong aura or perhaps a blind positive energy force in their house, he wondered. It cannot be… I cannot feel magic anymore—

"But why do I feel Sakura's aura…" He whispered to himself.

"Onii-chan." Sakura answered him suddenly from behind him. "Even though you still call me kaijou, you know how much I love you right?"

Touya faced her, and for a moment of silence, he understood. She returned my powers. "Sakura." He smiled, and patted her sister's head, as he used to do when she was younger. Thank you, he said silently, just enough for Sakura to hear inside her mind. Sakura smiled at his Onii-chan lovingly. Thank you for all those years that you sacrificed for Yue-san, Onii-chan— She answered him in his mind and even said, "Invite him tonight, Onii-chan. He should be transformed too."

"Leave it to me." Touya said with a brotherly smile of assurance and headed back to the kitchen, "Then Kaijou, better hurry up for school. The twerp is there at the door."

That day, Tomoeda City has seen a spectacular early summer, breaking the greenness of spring. And everywhere people go, petals of cherry blossoms flitted about, bringing in a fresh, flowery scent in the streets. Everybody seemed happy about it, and people talked cheerfully in the streets. Unknown to them was that the cards were rejoicing, spreading their positive magic as a tribute to their Mistress' new coming of age as a magician. Flower has set the summer early, and it was the invisible Hope that gave a bright feeling in Tomoeda.

Underneath the century-old cherry-tree, a familiar handsome face looked up to the shower of the pink blossoms, catching a petal in his hand.

"Sakura." He whispered in the wind, and his lips eventually curved into a silent, mysterious smile.