As Sakura and Syaoran announced their engagement, Meiling walked slowly into her room. She then lay down her bed and felt the tears slowly roll down. She had lost Syaoran for good.

But wasn't it expected? Did you not encourage this relationship? Have you not found… someone else?

Meiling got up and walked to her study table and opened a drawer. She then pulled out a letter written to her from China. Her soon-to-be-fiancé.

Tao Ren.

OoO

Sakura watched sadly as Tomoyo packed her belongings. Tomoyo was going back to Tomoeda together with Touya and Yukito. After some negotiating, Sakura was to stay behind due to her engagement with Syaoran.

"Do you need some help?" asked Sakura after the long silence.

Tomoyo shook her head. "It's all right, I've got it under control."

"Tomoyo-chan, I…" Sakura trailed off. What do I want to say?

Tomoyo smiled in understanding. "You'll be staying her for a few months training with Syaoran's mother in order to understand the basics of the Li-clan. And then will you be able to be Li-kun's appropriate wife without any problems. Sakura-chan…" Tomoyo left her stuff for a moment and held Sakura's hands, "I'm so happy for you."

Sakura felt like crying. "Tomoyo-chan, arigato. But I'll be leaving you, Onii-chan, Otou-san, Yukito-san and everybody else back home."

"Not forever," said Tomoyo. "After a few months you'll be back home. You'll only be training for three months and I doubt school will be important because you'll be learning something that you're sure to use in later life."

"But I'll miss you and everyone else so much…" Sakura sighed. "But promise you'll write to me and tell me what's going on back home."

Tomoyo nodded. "Of course!"

Just then Meiling entered the room. "So you're leaving, Daidoji? Do you need help?"

Tomoyo smiled. "Thank you so much but I've got everything under control."

Just then Yelan called for Sakura. Sakura apologized to Tomoyo and Meiling and then ran out of the room.

Both Meiling and Tomoyo watched her as she ran down the stairs. "She's very lucky…" said Meiling. "She may not realize that…"

"Sakura-chan will find out sooner or later. She always does! And maybe… she does right now. But she doesn't want to show it out of something we don't know…" Tomoyo looked at Meiling meaningfully. "Your engagement."

Meiling gave a light jolt. "Did Syaoran's mother tell you?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "Actually Li-kun showed his worry to me and Sakura-chan when you said to him that you're going to be engaged to someone."

Meiling sighed. Even though she knows deep within her heart that Syaoran truly loves Sakura, she wants to believe that someday he'll turn to her instead and save her from the dreaded engagement. But…

"Is he a good man?" asked Tomoyo.

"I'm not sure. He had only written to me once, announcing his date of arrival and every small thing like that. I don't know how he looks like… but I know he's a very powerful man."

Just then Touya and Yukito appeared. "We have to go now, Daidoji-san," said Yukito.

"Hai!" said Tomoyo. She then packed the last of her baggage and then hugged Meiling. "Good luck," she whispered. "And don't worry about Li-kun. I'm sure he still loves you although not the way you wish."

Meiling nodded as they parted. But her thoughts wandered.

Tao Ren. The famous shaman. Who is he really? And what will he be to her? Or she to him? Meiling shook her head. For another thought that she didn't want to believe entered her head.

Will he be able to replace the place in her heart she made especially for Syaoran all these years, hoping he'll return?

OoO

Just coming out of the airport, a man held unto his luggage, holding a long fighting equipment with a huge blade in the end. People around him stared and gave a look of fear and disgust. If not the blade, then they will stare at his hair that stood up like a shark's fin.

Tao Ren wrinkled his nose. People in Hong Kong are so typical…

He took out a letter addressed to him that had an address, a map and a few details about a certain someone.

Li Meiling.

OoO

"WAAAAAAAAHHH!!" screamed Sakura.

"Aih… not again, Kinomoto-san!" said Meiling.

They both looked at the mess they made in the room. One part of Sakura's training was to control the Sakura cards in a certain field created by Yelan. The field causes Sakura to lose control over her cards thus making it hard to use the cards correctly. Right at this moment, Windy has trashed the whole room instead of picking up the vase as she was meant to.

"This is so hard," sighed Sakura. "This field is also wearing me out."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to get the hang of it," said Meiling. "Besides, you're quite powerful enough now even without this field."

"Well, at least I'm doing better in creating spells using calligraphy," said Sakura, scratching her head. "It's quite simple once you understand the meaning of the calligraphy. It's one of your best subjects, isn't it Meiling-chan?"

"Yeah, although it's pretty useless since I can't create spells out of my calligraphy. I think you'll do great, Kinomoto-san."

"Meiling-chan, I've been meaning to tell you…" Sakura sat down on the floor. Meiling sat with her. "You don't have to call me Kinomoto. We've known each other for so long that it's not necessary. Plus, we're going to be sisters! Well, technically… But I'd like it if you'd call me Sakura, instead."

Meiling looked at Sakura. Ah, yes… someday she'll be a part of the Li-clan and that will make them technically related. "Fine then, Sakura."

Sakura smiled happily. "That's great! Now… let's clean up this mess and we could go out shopping for a while. How about that?"

Meiling nodded. "Let's go."

Both of them cleaned up the mess and then went to their respected rooms to change. When Meiling entered her room, she noticed the letter from Tao Ren on her table. The date in which he was supposed to come was tomorrow. Yet her heart felt uneasy.

Meiling waited for Sakura outside, where Syaoran was doing his sword practice with Guma-sensei. She watched him for a moment to make Syaoran realize she was watching.

"Meiling!" he cried, but was cut off short when Guma-sensei attacked.

"Concentrate! Concentrate! Don't let your mind wander too much!" Guma-sensei cried. Their swords clashed, the sound of metal grazing against each other.

Meiling sighed. Syaoran worked so hard to become leader of the Li-clan… it's a good thing Sakura stayed or else he'll wear himself out.

"Meiling-chan!" cried Sakura, running towards her. "I'm so sorry I took my time. Let's go." She saw Syaoran and smiled. Syaoran noticed it and smiled back, but again was interrupted.

"Li-sama!" growled Guma-sensei.

"Hai!" Syaoran replied, focusing on Guma-sensei.

Sakura and Meiling spent a whole day in the shopping mall but in the end didn't buy anything. Both felt lightly disappointed.

"Aih… if only Tomoyo-chan was here," said Sakura. "She would've bought tons of stuff making it look like it was worth walking around."

"My legs hurt and I didn't buy anything!" whined Meiling. "Let's go to that café and have a drink."

Sakura nodded. As they sat down and ordered their drinks, Sakura decided to speak up. "I've been meaning to ask you, Meiling-chan. Are you really engaged?"

Meiling shrugged. "It's not official but they're planning to."

Sakura smiled. "Is that so? Are you happy?"

Meiling looked at the table. It was polished so much she could see her reflection on it. "Sakura…"

"What?"

"If I told you that I still loved Syaoran what would you say?"

Sakura jolted. "Meiling-chan…" This was what Sakura feared. Meiling still had feelings for Syaoran.

"I know you love him as much as I do… and that he loves you more than me. But… I don't know why… my heart… is still holding unto him." Meiling put on a smile. "Isn't that funny?" She began to laugh.

Sakura looked worried. "I… don't know what to say… yet…" Sakura too put on a smile. "But when I do, I'll tell you and I hope it'll help! Until then…" She held Meiling's hands. "Hold on, Meiling. It's bound to be alright."

Meiling looked at Sakura and her face lifted. Just then the drinks came. Both of them slowly sipped their drinks, looking at their view.

"A-re…" said Sakura.

"What is it?" said Meiling. She looked further and saw what Sakura was trying to say.

There was a man outside that looked normal enough. Except that there was something around his left hand. A weird device. And he was talking to someone.

Sakura then shivered. "Oh no… can you see it?"

"What?"

Sakura pointed behind the man and Meiling gasped. There was a huge man with rippling muscles behind the man with the weird device. Meiling's heart froze. "No way!" she whispered. "Could it be…?"

"A ghost!" whispered Sakura. Then she blinked. "You can see it…"

Meiling blinked, too. "Wait… I don't have magic."

"Hoe? Why can you see it then?"

Meiling narrowed her eyes. "Let's go ask Syaoran's mother."

OoO

Yelan put down her cup of tea. "Well, Meiling. Looks like that little magic in you which every human has seems to have grown for some reason."

"You mean I had magic all along?" cried Meiling.

Yelan smiled in amusement. "Like I said, every human has magic. It's just in the matter of cultivating it. Those with more magic, though, have more potential."

"Those born with more magic?" questioned Sakura. "That means we all have some sort of powers from before?"

"I never expected Meiling's powers were to be able to see ghosts. After all only magical people can see it. But for some reason that little magic she had that was once graded useless has grown for some reason. If you ask me, it must've grown out of your jealousy."

Meiling blushed. Sakura sweat-dropped. "But that means Meiling has magical powers, right?" Sakura said.

Yelan nodded. "Well, since you show some potential Meiling, I'll give you a little training with Sakura, too."

Sakura cheered and hugged Meiling. "Yay! We're going to be together!"

Meiling was still blushing. How embarrassing! I had powers all along and I had been jealous!