Prologue: The end of the beginning

"Sakura, wake up! Your friend Li Syaoran is departs for the airport in an hour! Aren't you going to see him off?"

That was the voice of Toya, Sakura's older brother. Sakura woke with a start. Syaoran was leaving. How could she forget? Her heart filled with determination and also, could she not believe it, a hint of despair. Syaoran has been in Tomoeda for seven years, accompanied her against the will of his mother to look after the Sakura Cards. Now, it was finished. His mother was killed in a car accident two days ago and Syaoran swore on her grave that he would go back and take care of Meiling, his cousin who was suffering from a weird illness. He does not know when he can return, but something tells him that he would never, and Sakura seems to have picked that up from the look he gave her as he told her the news. However, she had to see him off. She might never see him again. She got up and went down to breakfast.

However, a surprise waited for her downstairs. The surprise was nothing was waiting for her on the table.

"Haven't you made breakfast yet?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, I have. I got two hours ago and have already finished breakfast. You're going to have to make your own, as you know how much I don't like that brat. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of you seeing him off." Toya replied with an evil looking grin. At this, Sakura screamed with fury. Drawing out her staff, she hissed at Toya.

"If you didn't want me to see him off, then why did you wake me up then?" she screamed with malice. Her staff shone with crimson light as her anger ignited. Toya pulled out his sword and tried to stop the incoming fireball that was shot at him by Sakura, but the magic was much too powerful for Toya. He was hit by the ball and slammed into the wall. He winced. "Jeez, calm down, Sakura! It was a joke!" he winged while wiping blood off his chin.

"Why did you try to stop me? You know the magic Yue gave you and the sword I made for you was not enough to stop the magic of my magnitude. I have told you again and again not to annoy me. Now you know the consequences." With that, Sakura's staff glowed again and all the food she wanted floated towards her while cooking each other. Toya looked with annoyance.

"Stop doing that, it makes me look like a tool." Toya told her.

"Well, if you made breakfast for me then I wouldn't have had to do that."

"Breakfast? Anyone say breakfast?" A yellow teddy bear like creature came to the table.

"It's not for you, Kero, sorry." Sakura replied. "I'm in a hurry. I have to see Syaoran off at the airport."

Kero looked highly upset. "It's all about the kid. It's been like that for the past seven years since the kid came back and you stopped the NOTHING card. I need breakfast, you know. You saw how Yue almost disappeared when Eriol was still here. I need to the energy."

"Yeah, but Kero, you know that is a lie. Yukito ate tons and he still worsened. It's because of my magical power. I can sustain you both now, and if you want breakfast, ask Toya." Sakura replied as she finished off her last piece of breakfast.

At that, Sakura walked out the front door. She spread out her wings and flew to the airport. At the airport, she saw Syaoran.

"Syaoran! I've come to see you off!" she waved at him as he approached. Syaoran was now a grown man, but still he blushed every time he saw Sakura. They hugged.

"I'll see you again." Syaoran said. Sakura was not so sure. Syaoran saw her face. "I will, Sakura, I promise."

Sakura had a terrible night that night. When she finally got to sleep, the DREAM card erupted from the SAKURA card book. Sakura sensed it, her staff ignited, and she summoned the card. What she saw changed the world.

The premonition was that the plane Syaoran was on mysteriously flew straight into the sea. The dream then disappeared. Sakura woke with a start, sweat sprouting out of her body. She looked down and saw the DREAM card. She didn't know what to do.

She checked the news the next morning.

"And news just in," the reporter said. "The Japan Airlines Flight number 56 bound for Hong Kong has gone missing; fears have erupted that it might have mysteriously into the sea. Investigations have been and launched, and…"

The television suddenly switched off as Sakura hit the remote. She was devastated.

"Toya!" she called.

Toya came out of the kitchen. "What?" he asked.

"You had nothing to do with Syaoran's plane landing into the ocean, did you?"

"What? The brat's plane crashed? How?"

"I do not know, Toya. All I know is that it crashed."

"Don't look at me like that Sakura, you know I hate that brat, but I'm not a murderer." Toya saw the despair on his sister's face. "You really don't look well. I know you're devastated, but don't go pointing fingers. There is absolutely no way I could have knocked down that plane. You were just commenting on my magical powers yesterday. You want to go lie down?"

"No thanks, Toya, I'll just go outside and meditate on this." Sakura replied, grateful to Toya.

Sakura walked and walked and walked. She did not know where she was going to go. Suddenly in her room, her SAKURA card book started to glow. The HOPE card came out and another card was created. Its name was DESPAIR. She walked out into the middle of a great forest, and collapsed…