Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura

Chapter 2

My Greatest Fear

Inside his large green decorated bedroom Syaoran stood by the window, arms crossed as he gazed out across the wondrous Li garden with sorrow in his eyes. He watched the blazing orange sun set into the distance, disappearing behind the skyline of the city of Hong Kong. His eyelids closed over slowly as he thought over the events which happened earlier…

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Queen Elizabeth hospital, Kings' Park, Hong Kong. Two hours ago.

Syaoran, Yelan and his sisters arrived at the hospital after receiving notification of the accident nearly an hour after it had occurred. Fujitaka, Toya, Yukito and Meilin escaped the wreck with minor injuries, the driver Wei suffered multiple head injuries and now lies in a coma, and Tomoyo broke her left arm. But then the worst news came…

"I'm afraid that the patient, Miss Sakura Kinomoto, had just passed away…" Syaoran was informed by a doctor when he arrived at the reception desk. The doctor gave him the room number where Sakura and the others were, and he was off like lightning.

As Syaoran, Yelan and his sisters jogged through the long white halls of the hospital, they eventually found the door they had so desperately been searching for. Sakura's room. They all stopped still practically in the doorway once they saw what was going on inside.

There was a lifeless auburn haired girl lying on the hospital bed. Toya was mumbling curses, his eyes buried into his bandaged forearm while he slammed his fist hard against the wall. Fujitaka and Yukito stood back in the corner of the room, trying their best to put on brave faces but the sorrow was overpowering them. Meilin leaned against the wall beside them, her head lowered into her hands. Tomoyo sat down on a chair next to the steel framed bed, one arm wrapped and resting in a sling while the other hand gripped Sakura's tightly. The small yellow guardian also remained by her side, one paw resting on Sakura's left cheek, and a strange look of guilt lingering on his little furry face.

"T-the doctor said s-s-she should've died i-instantly from the impact," Tomoyo managed to choke out in between her sobs as she realised Syaoran's presence. She was talking to him, but her tearful amethyst eyes never left Sakura's angelic sleeping face. "But she m-managed to keep herself alive…because s-she w-wanted to see you before she went, L-Li-kun…"

Syaoran froze stiff, his eyes squinted closed and his bottom lip wobbled. She wanted to see him before she died. She kept herself alive, putting herself through more pain…and it was for nothing. He couldn't make it in time to say good bye to the only one he truly loved.

"Syaoran-kun…" A soft voice and a warm hand fell onto his shoulder. He turned his head to see Eriol Hiirigizawa looking at him. "I am so very sorry…"

Syaoran looked back to Sakura, not really too concerned as to why or how Eriol had managed to get here so quickly. He brushed Eriol's hand off of his shoulder, walked forward a few steps and stopped at Sakura's bedside. The yellow plushie turned his head, slowly hovered up to Syaoran's face, and used his small paw to brush away the chocolate coloured bangs covering Syaoran's eyes.

"I'm sorry too, kiddo…" He then floated towards Eriol and rested on his shoulder.

Everyone now had a clear view of his eyes. They were burning with pain, and tears began to rapidly fall down his cheeks like pouring rain. He dropped down over Sakura's lifeless body, wrapped his arms around her, and finally let out a loud, painful cry.

For a while, the only sounds in the still, warm Hong Kong air was Syaoran's cries. They carried through the crowded hospital halls and echoed out into the busy streets. His sister's and his mother tried their best to comfort him, but it was to no avail. He continued to cry and his embrace on Sakura grew tighter and more possessive.

Meilin, unable to just stand there and watch Syaoran go through so much agony, suddenly burst into a fit of questions towards both Yelan and Eriol.

"Surely there has to be something you can do to help Sakura! You're some of the most powerful magicians in the world, can't you use some sought of spell…" She cast her voice down slowly as she watched Eriol shamefully shake his head.

"There is nothing we can do, I'm afraid…"

"You're wrong," Yelan murmured, as a strange look of realisation and surprise dawned upon her. "There is something…"

Everyone, even Syaoran, turned their heads towards her with strange glances. Yelan whispered something to Syaoran's sisters, and they all evacuated the room immediately.

"M-mother…?" Syaoran sniffled, tears still running down his cheeks. Yelan turned and walked over to him, a strong look of hope in her eyes.

"My son, bring Miss Kinomoto back home. I know how we can get her back…"

Syaoran hesitated. What was his mother thinking…?

"W-what exactly are you talking about, Mrs Li?" Toya asked. Everyone was looking at the woman as if she had grown another head. She simply smiled in response, and held out her hand.

"I'll explain once we get home. Come on, let's go," She hushed everyone out of the room until it was only her, Syaoran and Sakura left.

"We own half of this hospital, so I'll take care of the release papers later. I'll have another car waiting for you outside," And with that, Yelan left the room.

He had no clue what was going on, but decided to go along with it. If his mother says that there is something that can be done about this, he would trust her. So he wrapped Sakura up in the white blankets and swiftly scooped her up, carrying her bridal style with her head resting on his shoulder. Making sure he had her securely, he quickly followed his mother.

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Present

Syaoran opened his eyes, taking another glimpse at the city. He turned away from the window and walked over to his large green bed where a small black satchel lay. He opened it and checked through the items, making sure he had everything. Some ofudas, a few bandages and extra medical equipment, some water and a small wooden doll shaped like a man wearing Han Dynasty armour, no bigger than the size of a hand held phone and wrapped in a brown tweed cloth. This object was a talisman with a great amount magic power will get him back home…

'Di Yu,' Syaoran thought to himself. 'That is where I must go. It's the realm of the dead, the place where the souls meet once they have left the world of the living. All I have to do is meet the God of Death, Yan Luo Wang, and fight for Sakura's life. For her right to live.'

On their way home from the hospital, his mother told everyone about the world of Di Yu. It was a place which people believed only existed in myth, but records that had been kept in the Li mansions library prove that its existence is real. Records that hold information on how to get there, what it is like, who lives there and even more importantly…

…how to bargain for a person's soul. Well, fight for a person's soul. There is supposed to be many dangers, and all of those who have travelled there are said to have never returned. None of these warnings made Syaoran feel uneasy; if there was a chance he could bring Sakura back, he would do it. Even if it meant giving up his own life in order to do it.

And even though Eriol, Meilin and Toya offered to go with him, he insisted that he would go alone. Right now, his mother was preparing to send him off.

He snapped back to reality after a light tapping sound came from the direction of his door.

"Come in," He answered, placing the doll back into the satchel. The wooden door swung open slowly as Meilin stepped inside the room, followed by Yelan who was carrying something big in her right hand.

"Hey, are you ready to go Syaoran?" Meilin asked, looking down at her wristwatch.

"Yeah," Syaoran closed the satchel and hooked it around his waist. He went to his bedside cabinet on which his sword rested against, but his mother moved over and stopped him from taking it.

"Here you go, my son. Take this with you; your father wanted you to have it," Yelan smiled gently, and presented him with a sword.

It resembled his old one except this Jian was longer, the tassel was leaf green and the scabbard was made of an autumn wood, similar to the sword's handle. This sword belonged to his father Li Yuen. Syaoran glanced over the weapon in a trance-like awe for a few seconds, and formed a grateful smile for his mother.

"Thank you…" With his left hand Syaoran received the sword and held it close to himself, while his right hand gripped the handle and slightly unsheathed it. He mentally read the name inscribed in Chinese on the silver blade just below the hilt; Sing Lung ("Already a Dragon"), his father's nickname.

"The elders are not going to like this…" Meilin whispered and folded her arms. Yelan looked down to the girl, placing a hand on top of her head,

"They have no say in this matter. It is Syaorans' decision."

Syaoran wondered for a moment as to how the Elders would react when they'd find out he had gone through with this. Knowing them, they'd try everything they could to stop him from pulling off such a dangerous stunt.

'Sakura is the biggest part of my life; I can't just let her go…'

He opened his eyes and gazed at his reflection in the gleaming blade. The tear stains running down his cheeks were clearly visible, but he really didn't care. They reminded him of the reason why he must risk his life; reminded him of what it is he fights for…

"Time to get going," He slid the weapon back into its casing then flung the strap over his left shoulder. Yelan and Meilin nodded, leaving through the door ahead of Syaoran while he followed suit.

A few rooms down the wide and brightly lit hallway, Meilin stopped outside a mahogany door with a large cherry blossom carved in the centre. It was the room where Sakura lay, surrounded by her friends and family.

"Hey, Syaoran," Meilin firmly caught his shoulder with her right hand and turned him towards her. "When Sakura wakes up, you better be by her side, alive and well."

For a moment, Syaoran actually felt frightened of his cousin. He nodded furiously, and a smile flickered across Meilin's face as she walked towards the door. As her hand reached for the handle, she turned her head back to Syaoran.

"Please be careful," Meilin opened the door and stepped through, closing it slowly and quietly.

'I can only hope that I'll make it back in one piece…'

He sighed deeply, slightly adjusting the scabbards position on his shoulder before he continued to head through the hall, down the stairs and out through the garden. The sun had completely set, so it was up to the artificial rays emitting from a few path lights to lead him to the back of the enormous jungle of a garden.

Yelan was already waiting for him outside by the stone balcony which overlooked the city of Hong Kong (A/n the area shown in the first CCS movie) along with his four sisters, each holding large golden-rimmed fans, while wearing old but neat and brightly coloured Chinese ceremonial dresses. Fudie wore red, Xuehua wore blue, Huanglian wore green and Feimei was in yellow.

"Good luck, little brother!" The four girls took this chance to bombard him with hugs and kisses. He didn't bother fighting back; he needed to store his energy for the journey ahead.

"Girls…" Yelan gently pulled them all off of him. "Syaoran needs to hurry up and get going."

They all sighed and walked over the stone patio, each girl standing three meters apart from each other in a large square. Syaoran took one last glance back to the house, to Sakura's window. He saw all of the others, watching and waving him good bye and good luck. It really didn't surprise him too much when he saw that even Toya was waving.

"Take care of Sakura for me, guys," Syaoran whispered.

He turned and stepped into the centre of the stone patio while Yelan raised her fan into the air, and the four sisters simply held theirs out at arms length in front of themselves. When Syaoran found a spot to stand on, Yelan began to chant an incantation. After thirty seconds of chanting strange purple lights, like fireflies, began to slowly flow from the fan and landed on certain spots of the ground around Syaoran. More of the fireflies floated from his sisters' fans, each colour resembling their robes, and set themselves down beside the others.

Yelan increased the speed of her chants and in nearly an instant, the small balls of light expanded to form a circle of turquoise light beneath his feet, brightly glowing as a miniature twister of blue light swirled around him and up into the sky. This pillar of light was visible for miles, yet no one seemed to think anything of it. Syaoran closed his eyes, his hair and clothes blew about in the strong wind which suddenly picked up and encircled him. In a matter of seconds, Syaoran could no longer feel the solid ground beneath his feet; it was all replaced with the feeling that he was falling through the sky at an incredible speed. He kept his eyes shut tight, his mind only focused on the one he loved; Sakura.

After what felt like an hour, Syaoran felt as if he had hit something suddenly yet softly.

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Syaoran opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the cloudless blue sky above him. He swirled his head around from left to right, eyes squinting as he tried to get a proper glimpse of his surroundings. Realising that he was in fact lying on his back, he rolled onto his front and picked himself up. As he glanced around, his curiosity immediately turned into confusion.

"What the…?" Where he had arrived was not quite like how he expected it to be.

He stood in the middle of a vast and serene field of knee-high green grass, flowers coloured in pink, red, purple, yellow and blue. The sun shined brightly above, the temperature slightly warmer than that of Hong Kong, He slowly twirled around, noticing the only sounds around other than the grass crumpling beneath his feet was the wind whistling through some nearby trees, and saw a large mountain range in the distance with dense forest of at the foot.

"Am I in the right place?" He thought worriedly, throwing another few glances here and there. A sudden gust of wind brewed up, and Syaoran covered his eyes with his right forearm as the multi-coloured petals and leaves blew all around him.

'I can sense a lot of spirits here, but something doesn't seem right…'

"You have finally arrived."

Syaoran froze. A very flat, unemotional voice came from behind and it strangely sounded like a very young child. Cautiously he looked back over his left shoulder, the rest of his body eventually following around. Syaoran was slightly shocked by who he saw; his vision met a young girl in a pale white dress, holding a large brown teddy bear.

The Path Is Always Open To You; Only Fear Can Block The Way