"Syaoran!" Usually, that was all she had to do, yell out his name, and he would come to save her. But not this time.

"Syaoran!" She screamed again, narrowly dodging the attacks that the card was sending her way. Where was he? She gritted her teeth and winced as an attack sliced through her shoulder, and then again as one hit her left leg. She faced the reality that he was not coming, and through her fear, she wondered why.

There was one final blast and then she sank into blissful darkness.

"The Darkness"

Sakura woke up slowly. She'd had a nightmare, and yet, she still woke up so slowly. First she became aware of the fact that she was no longer encased in a cold environment. Then she opened her eyes and realized that she was no longer surrounded by darkness. Finally, she knew that she was in her room and that it had all been a nightmare.

She woke up slowly.

She didn't understand it. Kero said that it was because her unconscious mind was stronger than most humans, so it was able to withstand more in her nightmares, and she didn't give into her fears as easily. She didn't wake up with as great a battering to her soul as others did, and she didn't succumb as easily, so she never woke up from her nightmares as quickly as others did.

Sakura took this as a compliment, she thought, but she knew how wrong her Guardian really was. She had no strength. None at all, not without Syaoran. Without him, she was nothing. She had realized this that day.

She'd been saved by Syaoran, once again, and this time, she'd realized the full potential of her weakness. She'd never been trained as he'd been, never been hardened to life's elements, never been so strong. She wasn't supposed to be the one with the cards, he should have been. But because of her morbid curiosity, she had taken the one chance that he had of finally proving himself before the Li Clan Elders away from him. And she could never bring it back. He would never accept the cards from her, no matter how many times she tried to give them to him. He was too kind and self-effacing.

She lay down and buried her head in her pillow. And now she knew how much he really meant to her. When he'd picked her up, stroked her hair, held onto her so tightly that she'd known she wasn't dreaming, that was when she knew. She loved him. He was her strength, her reserve.

There was only so much she could hold back. It seemed as if he could hold everything back for her. And when she cried, he was there for her. And when she laughed, he was there for her. And when everything seemed like it was about to fall apart, he had been there for her.

And he was leaving today. Leaving her in darkness, while he went on towards the light.

Without her.