Prologue
It is such a cold night. Tree leaves are dancing in tune with the light breeze. The normally clear blue sky is currently deep black with hints of sparkle from stars. Even the animals are abnormally quiet. The fishes in the lake nearby are seemingly asleep. It is such a cold night—a very cold night especially to one young girl. She had her car parked under a tree. No houses are within her sight just like she wanted. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to think. She sat in her car waiting unsure of what is to come but definitely hoping for someone to return.
"It's been such a long time." she murmured softly. "I wonder how he is now."
She looked up in the sky and tried her best not to cry. Reminiscing the old days was always such a bittersweet thing.
"Is he looking up to the same sky I see right now? It's been 5 years and yet I still can't stop thinking about him." She said with a sad smile adorning her pretty face.
She used to be a cheerful little girl but it all changed that day five years ago. She can remember it quite well. They used to make quite the striking pair—Sakura Kinomoto, the passionate and naïve little girl with Syaoran Li, the seemingly uncaring little boy Sakura Kinomoto fell in love with. People thought they were cute. People thought they were eventually going to marry.
"How I wish that we did... But they were very wrong." she thought to herself.
He had to leave. Syaoran Li, the heir to the Li clan, had other responsibilities to his family. At age 18, he was called back to China without any room for complaints. He couldn't resist. And they both knew it. Even before they started their relationship, they knew the possibility of the Li clan calling him back. They took the risk anyway. Despite that, it couldn't prepare Sakura for the pain that was to come. It couldn't prepare her for the pain she's about to incur even after five years. She sat sobbing in her car waiting for the man of her dreams to come back to her arms again.
"I thought I could live on even without him. I thought I can but I can barely manage to survive..." she sobbed continuously.
Five years still isn't enough for her to get herself together. However, she had to keep a mask. A short time after Syaoran left, Sonomi Daidouji, Tomoyo's mother, fell ill. She eventually died. Sakura knew she had to be strong for Tomoyo now that she's alone. She did her best but all she could manage was a fake mask. For days and months, she kept on her mask of strength. She appeared to be the same girl that she was before Syaoran left. No one knew how she was breaking inside. She got too good at pretending. She became too good in keeping up her mask. Sometimes, she's able to fool herself, too. But on 13th of July every year, without fail, she finds herself in front of this lake where they last said goodbye. Her face completely devoid of the mask that she's been so used to wearing.
"I miss you..." she whispered to the wind hoping that it would reach his beloved. "Maybe, this year it would..."
AN: Wow.. It's been a while since I wrote something. It just came to my head. Hopefully, it made sense. :)