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Chapter 1

Troublesome Day

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They walked awkwardly in front while Tomoyo trailed on behind enjoying the scene the two were making without even knowing it. It sure didn't take a genius to figure those two were meant to be together and she was happy by simply knowing that they are. Her best friend is happy and that was enough for her.

"Ano. Is it really okay for your family that you decided to finish your schooling in Japan?" Sakura asked cheerful as always.

Li nodded with a warm smile, he was no longer stiff like he was then and Sakura made sure of that. No longer the boy who only wanted to finish his duty and go back to his hometown, no longer the boy who didn't care for anyone or anything and on top of that he was no longer a boy. It was amazing how a year in Tomoeda changed him, changed his life and made it complete.

"Mother said it was better for me to stay here since it could be part of my training and besides..." I promised myself to always be here for you no matter what, didn't I?

"And.?"

"Never mind." he replied turning a bit red, maybe a part of him is still is a child.

It's been a month since he got back from Hong Kong after talking his mother into making him stay in Japan. She acknowledged his decision as though she had known he would ask and had him packing a week after in spite of his sisters' pleadings to take them with him, which his mother luckily shove- off. He wouldn't know what to do with them if they did come along.

"But it was too bad that Meiling didn't come along." Tomoyo added.

"Um. She said in her last letter that her mother wanted her to stay in Hong Kong and that she'll just visit us here when their summer vacation comes. Right, Syaoran?" Sakura explained. It has been two days after the Nadeshiko Festival play when they last saw Meiling. She and Syaoran had to leave as soon as possible since Syaoran had already decided then to study in Japan and there wouldn't be much time to arrange their school transfer documents.

"Yeah. She wanted to go but Auntie won't let her this time as punishment for stowing away the last time."

They halted on the intersection where they were to part with Tomoyo. She waved at them and whispered gambare to Sakura. Which as usual resulted to a long HOEE and faint blushes. While Syaoran just smiled at them. it was because of her that they were happy now, she and many others that he didn't even want to think what he would become without them. He would probably be back in Hong Kong getting married to Mei Ling, not that he wasn't grateful to her but now thinking of a life without Sakura was probably the saddest thought he could have.

"Syaoran, you're brooding all of the sudden, is something wrong?"

"I'm ok, just thinking that's all. Say, would you mind if we drop by the park for a while?" He asked the feeling of warmth coming back to him again; being with her is like always having the sun smiling at you, like sadness never existed that her love meant the world to him... SHE meant the world to him.

"Sure," She replied flashing him one her precious smiles.

They sat side by side on the swing where they usually had their chats, where she had once told him about her heartbreaks on Yukito, where he had comforted her and almost made the biggest mistake of his life by deciding not to let her know of his true feelings.

"Listen, Mother told me to warn you. She said someone's coming." Li told her just after they got seated. He didn't want to tell her anything until he was certain but figured to warn her nonetheless.

"Someone?"

"She said it'd be tougher this time." He continued lowering his gaze, her mother was never wrong about these things and it was probably one of the reasons she willed him to go.

"But who? Do you think we should ask Eriol about this? He knew about the Void maybe he could help with this one. Ne? Syaoran?"

"I guess... but we're still not sure. We might just be bothering them"

"I see..." She replied but inside she was afraid, afraid that this time Li's mother could be warning them of a greater danger than the last time.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will be all right besides. I'll always be with you. I promised didn't I?" he said so embarrassed to be comforting her with words he didn't use to have that he turned his face away from her. Sakura smiled her loving smile and wrapped her arms around him.

"Arigatou, Syaoran" Syaoran's heart almost stopped but it was these kind of moments that made him want to stay with her forever. He closed his eyes and was about to kiss Sakura's hair when a soccer ball came crashing from behind so fast that he didn't have time to retaliate and it knocked him dead flat on the ground.

"Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed as she knelt down to looking at him whose brown eyes turned to spinning spirals.

"Oi! To-ya! That wasn't very nice" she heard a voice coming in from the direction the ball came from.

"Hoe?!! Oniichan! Yukito-san!" she exclaimed after recognizing her brother's annoyed face as he walked furiously at them while Yukito just trailed after wearing his usual smiley-face.

"Konichiwa! Sakura-chan, Li-kun" Yukito warmly greeted but Touya just grunted and glared at Syaoran who was abruptly rubbing the huge bump on his head.

"Mou!!! This is your soccer ball isn't it, Oniichan!"

"Yeah .so what?" Touya shot back at her. "He's suppose to be good isn't he? he should've dodged it"

"WHY YOU!" Syaoran glared back at him and the glaring contest began.

"Gomen nasai Sakura-chan, Li-kun. Why don't we just buy you something to drink to say we're sorry"

"It's nothing really." Syaoran broke off the glaring contest. "We were just going home anyway.

"C'mon Yuki we're heading home too." Touya said throwing Li another killing glare.

"But you said you had to return that book your father asked you to. We might as well let them go ahead. Ne? Sakura-chan."

"h-hai." Sakura helplessly answered since she knew what Yukito was up to.

"ja-ne Sakura, Li-kun" Yukito said bidding them farewell as he dragged Touya away.

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"Yuki! You know I can't let her be alone with that gaki!" Touya shot furiously after they were out of the other two's hearing range, but Yukito just giggled it away.

"That's not something to call your brother-in-law" he teased.

"Yuki!!" he started to stretch the other boy's cheeks but Yukito merely laughed his good-natured laugh. ---------------

"C'mon I'll walk you home." Syaoran said holding on to Sakura's hands.

"Um." She replied her usual yes.

"Is something wrong Syaoran?" She asked seeing Syaoran's eyes narrow so suddenly.

"Someone's watching us."

A deep blue aura surrounded them, it wasn't apparent but through their eyes they see it. It made birds fly away from their nests as it spread-out, a harsh wind started to blow and a sudden chill spun around them in a form of a wild wind-sprite.

"Who's there?!" Li shouted then a boy with red-hair in a black trench coat appeared. His choker gleamed with a blue light and his eyes fixed on the girl. Li stood in front of Sakura defensively.

"Konichiwa." He greeted them; his face smooth like ivory if his hair was the same color as his gray eyes Sakura could've sworn he was lifeless and yet she smiled back and returned the greeting though Li didn't put off his guard.

"Who are you?" He asked, struggling to keep himself calm though his keen senses were making it hard, the other man's mere aura was gushing out to him like freezing water.

"I am called Lance and I am here for your life current Mistress of the Cards." He said bestowing Sakura his lifeless gaze, it frightened her and yet she couldn't help but feel a slight pity toward that boy who had such lonely eyes. For a moment they could've sworn his face saddened but he disappeared almost as fast as he came.

Sakura's eyes widened, the wind-sprite who was just lingering by before started make swift circles around them almost diminishing the air within its domain.

"I can't breathe… Syaoran!"

"I know, don't talk, breathe slowly then release your wand. I'll try to lock the sprite"

Li got hold of his ofudas and released his sword, it was lucky that he brought it when he did. He tried to focus on the sprite but it went by so fast even for his sharp eyes that all he could see was blurs of green. Sakura had release her wand and was holding on to it tightly as she kept close to Syaoran.

"It's no use I can't find it." Syaoran said panting, even he was having a hard time trying to talk.

"I'll call for time."

They nodded in acknowledgement, Li readied his sword as Sakura started to chant,

"Card who has power over time, reveal yourself to me and cease this creature before me."

The hermit's spinning wheel started to turn it surrounded them as it gradually reduce its speed. The sprite's movements slowed down but it kept on struggling even when the wheel of time has stopped yet Li had no time to be awed, using time was clearly draining a lot of Sakura's magic. He tightened his grip over his sword and thrust it to the sprite, it let out a shrilled banshee-like scream as its form diminished into nothingness.

Syaoran dropped his attention to Sakura, who slopped down the moment the wind was gone. Everything turned back to how it was like nothing happened and a good thing too that there was no one around, everything was back to normal except them.

"You okay?" Li asked dropping down his feet.

He lifted Sakura's face and was relieved that she didn't faint.

"I'm fine. Did we get it?"

"Yes. You got it." He replied brushing aside the stray auburn strands that were invading her paled face. God you're beautiful.

"Here," he said offering his back after he retrieved their bags, which she reluctantly took a bit shy knowing that it's a long walk from there to their house but she didn't have any choice. She tried to stand when the boy was retrieving their gust-blown things but her knees shook badly.

"Am I heavy?"

"No."

She giggled at his reply, almost forgetting her exhaustion and their encounter with the sprite that caused it. Maybe love really is everything. They made a pretty good sight, her arms circled around his neck, his bag dangling in her hands and hers on her back as the boy carried her glancing sideways whenever he had a chance. Their faces were so near it would probably make the girl's brother erupt and his friend amuse.

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"You made a pretty nice entrance." A girl dressed in a Tomoeda uniform spoke as she swayed on one of the kiddie swings beside the King Penguin slide, which a while ago was being occupied by two other.

"It was only appropriate since she IS the cards' mistress" Lance replied standing a foot away from the girl. His arms were crossed and his eyes closed not bothering to look at the person he was with.

"Oh yeah? But she won't be for long. I wonder if Xiao Lang knows about me? He is after all, Yelan's son." She asked herself since the other didn't seem to pay any attention to anything nor anyone.

"I do not approve of your idea." He finally replied. "She passed Yue's test and changed the Clow cards into hers. I find no point in giving her a burden again. I don't think she deserves anything like this."

"In a sense, yes. She doesn't deserve what's about to happen but if she is strong maybe she won't have to die but-" she raise a card, it looked like the shadow card but it held a huge scythe on its deformed hands, the symbol of death. "It seems that fate has already decided. someone WILL die.". She laughed a maddening laugh that echoed through the vacant park.

"This isn't good.." Said a deep voice from amongst the trees, its owner's eyes fixed on the girl. He was a few pace away yet the girl who supposedly had such magic didn't sense him, but Lance did. He glanced at him and the boy greeted him with a kindred smile, he smiled back and felt partly relieved.

"Everything will be alright, Sakura" he whispered to himself and turned to look back at the boy but he was gone. He won't tell his mistress about this. The boy is his only hope of turning back to who he was and to avoid doing something he would regret for the rest of his life.

"And so he is here as well, isn't he?" the girl sharply looked at him. "Hiiragizawa Eriol-kun"

He got careless; he looked away not wanting his mistress to read more of his thoughts. "Didn't you say that he is not of consequence?"

"He isn't but he could be a bit of a nuisance after all he is that Clow Reed's copy. This is getting interesting by the minute. should we do it tomorrow?"

His mistress' words struck him. Tomorrow. His mind raced knowing her mistress was mocking him in asking if he minded.

"Well?" she pretended to wait for an answer. She was waiting for him to say that he won't, that he can't. It would be fun, she thought in her twistedly cruel mind.

"Whatever you say, Mistress Gwen" he replied in gritted teeth. All he could do now was hope that she wasn't as weak as he had seen her to be a while ago.

Someone please...save her...save me.