Author's Note:

I'm soooooooo sorry!!!! I feel so bad, I know that when I read fan fiction I expect people to update at least every week, and I haven't updated in three weeks!!! It's been chaos over here, but I finally got my computer back and online again!!! Oh, and to answer a few reader's questions; yes, I live in California. I live in the Stevenson Ranch area, but luckily they contained the fire, so it's not on the news anymore. Anyway, Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad there are at least a few people still following this story, even though I'm taking forever to update, hehe. I just want to thank a few specific people...

Star () - Thankies! Thanks so much for your constant support and reviews! And don't worry; nothing got burned, well, except for the hills behind us anyway. Thank you soooo much for Syaoran's sister's name and for adding the website for me. Where can I find the website? And I loved your name for Chiharu, so I'm gonna use it. Thanks again for all three of your reviews; you don't know how much they mean to me!

Sakurapetalsntears - Thanks for your review! I'm glad you love my fic so much. Yeah, I did get a lot of my inspiration for this story from .Hack//Sign. Poor Sakura! *sniff sniff* Don't worry though; a certain little wolf will cheer her up!

Mystical Wolf- Thanks for reviewing again! Hehe, don't worry, you don't sound like a teacher. I love hearing feedback from my readers; it helps me become a better author! Also, I love your name for Yukito. I'm going to try to use it, or at least part of it. I got soooooo many names for Yukito, and they all involved rabbits! Lol, I never even knew his name meant that. Thanks!

Transcendant Pig- Thanks so much for reviewing, and for all the great names! I especially liked your suggestions for Yukito and Naoko! Don't worry; I'll at least use one!

Kitten at Heart- Yep! I live in California, in Stevenson Ranch to be exact. Thanks so much for asking. We're all fine though, we just have to look at some charred mountains for the next couple of months, lol.

Hikaru Ayumi- HEHE. I was wondering when someone was finally going to tell me that the story was confusing, lol. Yeah, I know it's hard to understand, sorry about that. In the next couple of chapters, the story will hopefully become a little clearer. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or send them in a review. Thanks for your comments!

I'm sooooooooo happy! I haven't gotten one flame since my story has been posted! YAY! I have such great reviewers, too. You guys are all so supportive! I live off of the reviews! Anyway, here's the disclaimer;

I don't own any of the CCS characters (even though I really wish I did) and certain ideas from this story were inspired by .Hack//Sign. ((I stopped putting Everquest since I don't even know what the stupid thing is!))

Here's Chapter 3 of Real Love is Just a Dream:

Hanami of My Heart .....................

Sakura ran as fast as she could, but it was no use. She hiked up her cotton skirts, letting her legs stretch as far as they could as she loped across the indeterminable landscape, desperately trying to reach the figure just out of her reach. She only had one thought in mind; she had to reach him. If she didn't, something bad would happen. What that was, she had no idea, but whatever it was, she wasn't going to let it pass. She fruitlessly searched within herself for an extra burst of strength, but she had nothing left. The sound of her footsteps pounded relentlessly within her head, an ever-increasing reminder of her failing endurance. She shook her head to banish the negative thoughts rushing through her head. She had to reach him, that was all that mattered.

Suddenly, her legs gave out, and she crumpled to the ground. She gasped as a small sob escaped her throat. No, this couldn't be happening, not now, not when she was just starting to catch up. She groped around for something to use for leverage to pull herself up, but there was nothing except the barren wasteland around her. She desperately pushed all the panicked thoughts from her mind, and looked back up; searching for a sign of the vague figure that haunted her.

She spotted him in the distance, just out of reach, just like he had every night. She clenched her teeth in frustration. She was beginning to think that she would never reach him, that she would be stuck chasing him for the rest of her life.

No, she thought. I can't let myself give up. I will reach him, I will!

Sakura pushed herself up on her elbows, slowly dragging herself in the direction of the figure. But when she looked up to make sure he hadn't disappeared, as he tended to do some nights, she caught him looking at her.

That's odd, she thought. He's never done that before.

The figure had stopped and turned around to face her, and was looking at her with a vague expression. His face was blurred and faded, but his amber eyes shone with bright intensity, as if he wanted so badly to react, to talk to her, to do anything but turn back around and keep walking, waiting for her to catch up. Finally, after they had gazed into each other's eyes for eternity, he turned around and continued on his way, walking with an easy gait, as if he was walking only for the sake of walking. A small tear slipped down Sakura's cheek. She opened her mouth to yell, to call him back, but nothing came.

No, no, no, she thought, not again, not again....

"SAKURA!!!!!!!!"

Sakura woke with a jolt. She launched forward, her hands clenched tightly around her pink bed covers. She glanced around wildly, searching for the source of her panic. Her eyes finally settled on a tall boy standing next to her bed with his arms crossed against his chest, glaring down at her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Touya! What the heck?! You scared me half to death! You could have just shaken me, you know." she grumbled angrily.

Touya leaned forward angrily, motioning toward the silent heart monitor next to her bed.

"Why did you turn off your monitor?!!! Do you want to give me and Dad a heart attack!? I thought you were DEAD! What if something had happened while you were asleep?! What if you're heart stopped?! Dad and I wouldn't know until the next morning, you'd have been dead by then!" he yelled furiously.

Sakura sighed. She knew this was coming. Touya hated it when she turned off her monitor. Even worse, she knew that it scared him to death, and that was the last thing she wanted. But she could never sleep with the constant beeping in her ear, reminding her of her mortality. She hated the maze of machines, tubes, and needles that surrounded her, like a blanket slowly suffocating the life out of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, trying to readjust to the harsh reality of her life.

"I'm sorry Touya. I didn't mean to scare you again, I really didn't. It's just that I can't sleep with that thing on, you know that."

Touya grunted. "So you're willing to sacrifice your life for a good night's sleep?!"

Sakura rolled her eyes exasperatedly. It was no use; there was no reasoning with him. She gazed longingly at her creamy white pillow lying under her. She wanted so badly to just slip back under the security and warmth of her soft pink blanket, back into the serenity of her dream world, where her legs still worked, where she still went to high school, where there were no yelling brothers, heart monitors, or responsibilities. She sighed one last time what could have been before throwing off the covers and pushing herself up into a straight sitting position as she reached over and reluctantly pushed the small red button, flinching unconsciously as the first loud beep echoed through her head. She turned back to Touya.

"Happy?" she asked sarcastically.

Touya's frown remained, but his eyes pleaded with her to cooperate. His forehead was creased with worry. Ever since he'd found out about her illness, those creases had been permanently attached to his face, making him seem older by the day. Sakura hated what her illness was doing to him, but no matter what she did, she could never get him to forget about it.

"Touya, I'm fine! I swear, I'm really fine, okay? I'm not going anywhere for a long time, I promise you that." She said sincerely.

Touya just gave her one last skeptical look before turning back and heading for the door. As soon as he turned the doorknob, a huge gray and white mass launched through the air and collided with Touya's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Kero!" Sakura exclaimed happily, opening her arms wide to signal Kero to jump up on the bed with her.

"Kero!" Touya yelled angrily, trying desperately to get the huge ball of fluff off of him.

Kero clumsily hopped off of Touya and leapt up onto the bed, eagerly nuzzling Sakura. Sakura giggled happily. If anyone could cheer her up, it was Kero, her birthday present from her sister-in-law. (AN: There is no magic in this story, so Kero is Sakura's dog. Don't worry though; all the same characters are in here.) Kero was a huge mutt that was constantly infuriating Touya or eating the Kinomoto's out of house and home. He was Sakura's constant companion, with the exception of Tomoyo.

Touya picked himself off the floor, angrily brushing dog hair off of his shirt. Before he could say anything more, Meriko floated into the room, a cheerful smile on her face, and threw her arms around Touya's neck, kissing him quickly on the cheek. She turned back to Sakura and Kero.

"Good Morning!" she chirped.

Sakura returned her sister-in-law's smile and answered her morning greeting. "Good morning Meriko. Where's Ayna?"

Meriko absentmindedly picked dog hair off of Touya's shirt. "Oh, she's downstairs with Fujitaka. I just came up here to see how many pancakes you wanted." She replied.

Sakura stretched and yawned before answering. "That's okay; I'll just pick something up in Ch'ien. Tell dad that I'll be there for a while longer today, Tomoyo wanted me to meet with her after school, so I'll probably just stay all day long, if that's okay."

Meriko nodded and lead Touya out of the room before he could object. Touya hated Ch'ien, he thought it was nonsense. But he still went occasionally to keep her company. Actually, it was more like to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. No wonder the oracles called him the 'Knighted Guardian'. He treated her like a glass statue. The only person he was more protective of was her three year old niece, Ayna. She was the most adorable little girl, and often kept Sakura company during the long days when she was restricted to her bed. Sakura loved her little niece, just as much as she loved her sister-in-law, Meriko. Sometimes, though, she thought Meriko was just a little too cheerful. Everyone told her that she used to be just like that, but that had changed.

Sakura sighed. No use thinking about that, she thought. She grabbed the Ch'ien collar off of her nightstand, slipping another, smaller collar out of her dresser drawer. If she wanted to get into Ch'ien, she'd have to do it before Touya had another chance to come up and object. She slipped Kero's collar around his neck, snapping the catch shut and giving her faithful companion a last pat before slipping her own collar around her neck and picturing her beautiful Hagden Woods in her mind...

(AN: pets can go into Ch'ien, they just don't have screen names or anything. Also, in Ch'ien, people can be whoever they want to be, and look however they want to look. So, a blond haired, green eyed American could be a black-haired, brown eyed Chinese girl in a suit of armor. Sakura and co. happen to look the same, but other characters might not be who they seem..)

.......................

A few hours later..

Sakura searched around in her leather pack for her money pouch. It was already noon and she was breathing hard from practicing her swordplay. She slipped her sword back into its scabbard, wiping the sweat from her brow, glancing up at the hot sun directly above. She was starving. When she'd gotten into Ch'ien, she'd completely forgotten about eating breakfast, and gotten caught up in her workout. She whistled loudly, watching Kero turn from his mission of chasing the birds from the nearby field to bound toward her.

Because of the heat, her usual traveler customers were absent, so she abandoned her woods guide duties to practice in one of her secret clearings. Usually on weekdays, she'd work guiding travelers and new players through the maze of the Hagden Woods, but today Halma (her boss) had given her the day off. When Sakura had first been diagnosed, she'd had nothing to do while she spent her days in hospital beds and various clinics. So, she'd worked on schoolwork, so much in fact, that she had graduated high school early. That was before Tomoyo had discovered that in Ch'ien, Sakura's disease had no effect. Now, while Tomoyo and her other friends were in school, Sakura spent her days in Ch'ien's villages and mountains.

Sakura's rumbling stomach reminded her of what she'd been looking for. As Kero bounded into the clearing, Sakura searched vainly for the small silver coins nestled deeply in her bag.

"Ah Ha!" Sakura exclaimed, proudly displaying the pouch of silver and copper coins in front of Kero's face. "I knew I would find them!" she grinned.

"Find what?" asked a feminine voice from behind her.

Sakura jumped. She turned around to find her blond-haired, blue-eyed boss standing in front of her.

"Halma! You scared me!" she admonished.

Halma grinned as she flipped her waist-length braid over her shoulder and brushed a leaf off of her sky blue tunic. "Doesn't surprise me, you're so easy to scare!" she teased. She lifted a finger pointedly. "And you know better than to call me Halma, Cherry Blossom." She scolded playfully.

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "There's no one around, we're in the middle of the woods, in case you haven't noticed."

Halma ignored her. "So, what'd you find?"

"Oh, I just found my money pouch. Kero and I were headed down to the village to buy some lunch. Wanna join us? My treat?" Sakura coaxed.

Halma laughed. "Why is it that you always have to tempt me with food?"

Sakura smiled. "Because that's all that works on you!"

Halma shook her head. "Alright, alright. So I'm a pig, do you have a problem buying lunch for a pig?"

Sakura slung her pack over her shoulder. "I've never minded before."

Halma snorted before falling in step next to Sakura and Kero. "So, where to?"

Sakura shrugged. "I thought we'd just find a good fruit stand and buy some bread and cheese to eat out on the glades."

Halma nodded. "Sounds good to me. So, are you and Amethyst Blade going to the Hanami Festival next week?"

Sakura nodded emphatically. "Of course, I love the Hanami Festival. I'm not sure if Tomoyo's going, but I will for sure" (AN: Hanami is a festival they have in Japan where people come out to watch the cherry blossoms)

Halma quickened her step to catch up with Sakura's long strides as they headed out into the bright sunlight and down the hillside toward the bustling Souta village. "What about Eriol? Is he coming with Tomoyo?"

Sakura grinned. "Now who's forgetting to call people by their screen names?" she laughed. "Yeah, I assume that Clow Shadow and Amethyst Blade would be going together. What about you and SwordSoul?"

Halma blushed. "What makes you think I'd be going with Kiran?"

Sakura smiled suspiciously. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you two have been eyeing each other since you met him in the village!"

Halma smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but abruptly stopped. Her smile slipped into a sympathetic frown. "Oh, Sakura, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."

Sakura held her hand up and interrupted her. "Please don't worry about my social life, the last thing I need right now is another person feeling sorry for me. I'd really rather hear about you and Kiran."

Halma nodded. "Alright." She smiled again. "Not another word, I promise."

Sakura had decided not to attempt any type of a social life with a guy. She figured it was pointless, and couldn't be convinced otherwise, no matter how many times her friends had tried.

Sakura and Halma continued their lighthearted discussion with Kero trotting at their heels as they approached the outskirts of Souta Village.

Souta Village was a bustling little village across a group of rolling hills south of the enormous Hagden Woods. The people there enjoyed simplicity, with small adobe homes and wood cabins, farming plots and marketplaces, cafés and hot springs. Somehow, this small village had managed to escape the towering resorts and lavish palaces of the surrounding kingdoms. Sakura and her friends tended to stick to this area in Ch'ien, mainly because of its rare privacy and serenity.

Sakura loved it here. She loved the cute little shops, the open fields, and the friendly people. She didn't need to visit some large city with a huge castle surrounded by insidious mountains to enjoy it here.

'But,' she thought, 'that will all change once I'm leave to find the Saotian Saber.'

Sakura banished the thought from her mind as she basked in the midday sunlight and the lighthearted conversation that Halma continued.

............................... Syaoran's POV:

Syaoran groaned as he sat up. He blinked his eyes a few times to clear his vision, glancing around at his surroundings. He was sitting in a large bed in a small, simple adobe room with a tile floor. He glanced down at himself. He didn't seem to be hurt, but he was surprised to find that his green shirt and khaki pants had been traded for a pair of tan trousers, a light green tunic and a silver brocade belt with a leather pouch attached. He opened the pouch to reveal a small pile of silver, gold, and copper coins.* A dark, forest green traveling cloak was hung on a hook next to the bed. Syaoran shook his head.

'That's the last time I let Mei Lin convince me to do anything' he thought angrily.

Syaoran slipped off the covers and slung the cloak on over his shoulders. He was surprised, and a little pleased, to find a simple dagger hidden on the inside of the cloak. He grabbed the black boots in the corner and shoved them on before opening the door.

A blast of appetizing aromas attacked his nostrils as he walked through the doorway. A small girl was leaning over a pot of something that smelled a lot like stew with her back to him when he cleared his throat to get her attention.

The girl jumped when she turned around. He was used to it, most people said he had an intimidating first appearance, and that was how he liked it.

Syaoran cleared his throat again as the girl continued to stare wide-eyed at him. She blinked and immediately looked down at the ground, blushing profusely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I'm Star Blossom." She said, looking back up expectantly.

Syaoran wouldn't give her the satisfaction of his name. "Where am I?"

Star Blossom looked slightly disappointed, but quickly recovered. "You're in Souta Village, in the Pri Nuta Region. My brother SwordSoul brought you in."

"Where can I find your brother?" he asked, deciding not to ask what the hell a 'souta' village or a 'pri nuta' region was.

Star Blossom motioned toward the front door. "He's outside in the front, carving."

Syaoran nodded curtly before stepping out the front door. As he stepped out into the fresh air, he was amazed at the beautiful view filling his vision. Huge, snow-peaked mountains dotted the horizon, surrounded by towering forests and rolling glades. The sky was a perfect blue with puffy white clouds crawling across it. He hadn't seen a scene this beautiful in a long time. The village surrounding the house was bustling with activity. People of all shapes and sizes and colors traveled around the village, shopping, talking, laughing, playing, and enjoying the beauty of the summer day. Syaoran's observations were interrupted when he heard a loud cough next to him. He turned to find a man he assumed was SwordSoul carving on a stone bench in front of the simple, snug little cottage. The man set his carving, which was starting to look like a woman with a braid, next to him on the bench and stood up.

"I assume you're SwordSoul."

The man smiled. "That's me. Though, I'd really prefer if you'd call me Kiran."

Syaoran shrugged. If this man wanted his name given to strangers, that was his business.

Kiran looked pointedly at Syaoran. "And, your name is?"

Syaoran was about to tell him it was none of his business, when he remembered the darkness, the three figures, and the piercing eyes.

Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest calmly. "I'm Little Wolf." He replied.

.........................

End of Chapter 3: Hanami of My Heart

So, did ya like it? Technically, this chapter was supposed to end after I finished writing about Sakura, but I figured since you guys have been so patient for the last week; I'd add part of chapter four.

Please, Please, Please, Please Review!!!! I need your reviews! And please feel free to email me any of your questions at lightwings456@hotmail.com, because I know how confusing this story is, hehe. Here's your assignment for this chapter:
I need screen names for;

Halma
Meriko
I also need the names of Syaoran's three other sisters. Star() already told me about Feimei, I just need the other three, but I don't need screen names for them yet.
Here's the extra assignment:
In the next chapter, I'll introduce an important character who will bring Sakura and Syaoran together. It's a new character, so you won't know who it is. So, do you think it should be; a bandit who ends up allying with Sakura and co. a prince who Rita will fall in love with or a beautiful priestess who's loyalties are a mystery..

I already have these characters written, and they'll all be in the story, I just need you to help me decide who will bring them together. It's a majority vote, so whichever one gets the most votes, or I'll decide if it's a tie. I'll try to update soon. See you all next chapter!

Chapter 4: A Fated Crossroad