Well, Sakura hasn't even rested in her grave yet, and I've already started working on the sequel. Strange isn't it? But motivation hits me at the funniest moments, like the time I was sitting on the toilet and A Cherry Blossom's Death suddenly hit me. So for those who were wondering how I came up with the story, basically I was minding my own business, doing a well-needed crap. That probably turned your stomachs. Sorry for lack of a warning -_-;;  This one is short, since it's only a starter chappy…

Can't say I own CCS. I would if I could, but I don't and can't, so I won't. Does that make any sense to you, cuz honestly I lost myself at 'own…'

Italics either mean thoughts or an emphasis on the word. You decide.

~ * ~ * ~ That won't change! Passing of time or a new paragraph, most likely.

The Awakening

Prologue:

 "…and please welcome back Li Syaoran and Hiirigiwaza Eriol…and you might also remember Li Meiling…" Terada-sensei announced, giving all three a warm smile. "You remember where you used to sit, don't you?" he asked, then silenced the scattered applause.

Syaoran walked to his old desk casually, trying not to break down over the fact that Sakura's desk would be empty. Really and truly empty. Eriol gave him a quick once-over hoping to dear God that anything short of ordinary would not happen here, in the eight grade classroom, especially anything to do with Sakura's absence. He, himself, felt an emptiness in his stomach as he sat down and glanced at Tomoyo's desk, which showed signs that it had been cleaned out for some time now. Sonomi had done her job; she'd wanted everything that reminded her of her daughter, put away. With a frown he scanned the rows of desks and noticed a certain lack of students since the last time he'd been here. He gave Syaoran a meaningful look, which Syaoran quickly acknowledged with a grunt – in Syaoran's words "leave me alone…I'm depressed and Sakura's gone and I just wanna wallow in my own miserable life."

With a shake of his head, Eriol pondered over it, noting that they were Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko's desks. If only one, or even two of them had been absent, then maybe things would be a little less suspicious, but to have all three of them away today was quite strange. Meiling, too, must've noticed for she cocked an eyebrow at him as he turned around. (AN: does Meiling really sit behind Eriol, or am I way off? Somebody help!!!) He mouthed a 'lunch' to her and she nodded. They'd wait til lunch to discuss everything that had been going on, and Syaoran would most certainly be happy that they'd finally decided to take the plunge and try to bring Sakura back from the dead. Their trip was due next week. When they'd first told Syaoran about the idea, he'd gone absolutely ecstatic, demanding they go right away to get Sakura and Tomoyo back, but Eriol had other things in mind. First, as he'd pointed out, they had to make sure their whereabouts of the last month wasn't taken further than a simple 'mourning,' from the rest of their classmates. And secondly, Meiling had also realized that the Sakura Cards hadn't gone every which way, the moment that Sakura had died. That must have meant something, so she'd decided to ask Kero about it. Kero, unfortunately, had been in one of his more somber days and had burst into tears once he'd heard his Mistress's name.

Apparently, since Syaoran – the second strongest magician in the world – had been the one to kill Sakura, he'd already passed the Judgment, according to sacred law in which it stated that if the Master or Mistress of the Cards were defeated by the next person in line for the duty, then whoever defeated him or her would take on the responsibility of the Cards without test or the hassle of card capturing. It had been a fact that all three of them had rejoiced in, for it meant that they wouldn't have to deal with the whole Card Captor ordeal once again. Now that things were back to normal – well, almost back to normal, Meiling reflected, they'd have another journey way ahead of them. And this time, they'd be prepared. They'd need an extra week to train themselves to gain a higher magic level, but other than that they were already set to go.

Meiling licked her lips nervously as Terada-sensei continued to talk about their assignments which were due next week. Call her crazy, but she was actually looking forward to this adventure. Sakura…this time you'll see a side of me you've never seen before…and this time…we'll be friends…

~ * ~ * ~

"And you're saying that we leave this exact day, next week?!" Syaoran exclaimed, his face brightening considerably. His sullen face was now practically glowing like a light bulb. Meiling shielded her eyes and nodded with a smile. "It's our duty to get Sakura back…" she giggled then added "after all, we know how bad you'd be as a Master of the Cards. No doubt Sakura would do a much better job."

Eriol chuckled to himself, taking in the sight of the two cousins actually being more… 'cousinly' – he couldn't exactly say they were getting along, he mused as Syaoran *thwapped* Meiling on the head. Eriol remembered just a few days ago when Syaoran had resented Meiling for being here in Tomoeda again, but now it looked like that problem could be ruled out of the list of dilemmas that were sure to occur in their trip. It was a frightening thought, really…to go to the Underworld…

Neither Meiling or Syaoran had mentioned it, but they both knew that Eriol was looking forward to going to the Underworld, also for the fact that he would be united with Tomoyo again. They knew he was trying to overlook the fact that since Tomoyo had technically killed herself, the law would not allow her to return to life without a pretty damn good fight.

"Quiet down guys," he whispered as he glanced at the number of people who had turned to look at the two cousins when Syaoran had turned from Scrooge himself to Elmo gone absolutely postal. In this situation he didn't want people figuring they'd gone clinical during the time between Sakura's death and now. If there were gonna carry off this new scheme properly, they'd have to make sure that everybody thought things were going absolutely hunky-dory. After all, Tomoeda was strange enough already; what with the deaths of both Sakura and Tomoyo, and also having to deal with all of the strange occurrences from the cards two years back.

Meiling stopped her little game with Syaoran and turned to Eriol, having just thought of something. "Ummm, Eriol?" she asked, chewing her lip nervously. "I always thought there was a Heaven and Hell…how come everybody is jam-packed in one place? Sakura should be in Heaven right now, shouldn't she?"

Eriol took in the question. He had to admit, that was a pretty damn good question. "Uh…" he muttered, trying to remember what he'd been taught as a child. Light suddenly dawned on him. "Both Tomoyo and Sakura are yet to be placed in one spot. Both did good in their lives, but both died for wrong reasons…that's why we have to get there before the judging begins…once they've been categorized, we'll never be able to get them back…"

"But that means we have to leave sooner!" Syaoran protested, ever the eager one. He didn't want to think about losing Sakura…again!

Eriol shook his head. "My descendant, you have yet to learn," he murmured. "We'll let things die down a bit before we do a bit of Sakura-searching, ne?"

Syaoran sighed and nodded, knowing full well that he couldn't argue with Eriol…and Meiling would most probably agree with Eriol; they had formed a kind of bond in that area…

"Alright," he agreed finally. "But we leave this exact time next week…"

~ * ~ * ~

Okay, so that was a short one…a really short one, but if you think about it, all my prologues are short and the next chapter features all of them going to the Underworld anyway…and there'll be heaps of cool stuff happening there! Constructive criticism, suggestions and opinions are always welcome ^_~

Next chapter up fairly soon.