Chapter One: Same As Always

Many quiet years had passed in the small town of Tomoeda, which remained almost unaltered despite time flowing on. The families living there had aged; some had moved onto other places, and some new families had joined the community. The children of the past had grown older and were children no longer, enjoying the ups and downs of ordinary teenage life. For one young girl, who indeed, was becoming more woman than child, things were not so ordinary…

"Kinomoto, you're up! Get a move on!"

"HOOOOOOOEEEEEE!" A pretty girl ran through the busy room, crowded with hangers of clothes, make-up tables and mirrors, and crammed tight with other pretty girls hurrying to dress in designer outfits. She dodged the other people rushing past her and the obstacles in her way, making her way to the other end of the room, grabbing various articles of clothing and accessories as she passed, and putting them on as she ran.

"This is why I had three alarms set." She muttered wildly to herself, "Why did Kero-chan play video-games all night and keep me awake?"

She ducked under a banner that two men were carrying in the opposite direction and they stumbled slightly as she passed.

"Gomen!" she cried, "I'm sorry! I'm late!"

The two men shook their heads with a smile at the pretty, energetic girl. They saw this routine often. Would she ever make it on time?

The girl ran over to the group of girls in a straight line, waiting to strut down the catwalk. The other girls turned around when they heard her coming and applauded with laughter.

"Just on time again, Sakura-chan!" one girl said happily, giving her a wink. "Just, mind you."

Sakura fanned her face with her hands and sighed. "Why do I always oversleep?"

The other girl, Chiharu-chan, grinned while smoothing down Sakura's dress and fixing her hair. "Ask yourself that later. You're on! Good luck!" Chiharu pushed her gently through the curtain and onto the stage.

Sakura blushed. "Hoe!" She shook her head to banish the blushing and slowly started to saunter down the catwalk. Sakura hadn't quite learned how to really strut yet as she had only been modeling for a month. She liked being a model though. With her best friend, Tomoyo-chan, making her clothing, it was kind of like the good-old-bad-old days. And of course, Sakura's mother, Nadeshiko, was a model in her time too, so Sakura felt like she was living her mother's dream.

Sakura turned her head in the pretence of posing, while really she was scanning the crowd. Tomoyo was at the very front of the audience, as per usual, holding her signature video camera and smiling with overjoyed happiness to see Sakura modeling Tomoyo's latest creation. Sakura smiled at her friend and continued searching the crowd as she walked on.

She saw a boy with dark messy hair and grinned. Yamazaki-kun! Of course, he wouldn't be there to see Sakura, he would be waiting for Chiharu-chan. Sakura was instantly happy. That pair was so cute together!

Sakura reached the end of the catwalk, stopped and posed, then turned around and started walking back. As she was stepping back through the curtain, a shock ran through her, like a bolt of electricity. Sakura gasped and shut her eyes, concentrating. Her mind was hazy, full of misty figures appearing and disappearing. She searched her mind and found what she was looking for. A cry for help.

Sakura opened her eyes and raced for the door.

"Kinomoto! Where do you think you're going?"

Sakura stopped and turned around. Ms Yamada looked at the girl sternly. "We're in the middle of a fashion show, Kinomoto. What are you doing?"

Sakura grinned sheepishly and backed away slowly to the door. "Sorry, Ms Yamada. I-uh…need to…."

"…go to the hospital"

Sakura bumped suddenly into the person behind her and turning, found Tomoyo and Chiharu. Tomoyo continued. "You need to go to the hospital and visit your sick uncle, right Sakura-chan?"

Sakura nodded quickly and before Ms Yamada could react, Chiharu had stepped in. "I can cover Sakura-chan until she returns, Ms Yamada."

Ms Yamada sighed. "Very well. Hurry, Kinomoto."

Sakura grabbed Tomoyo's hand and together they raced out of the building. Chiharu and Ms Yamada sighed in unison and the fashion manager rubbed her temples. Kinomoto had so much talent, but how was anyone supposed to train her when she raced out in the middle of every show?

Meanwhile, Sakura and Tomoyo were running out of the back entrance and into the alley. They stopped and Sakura brought out her necklace from under her top. Tomoyo stepped back with a small smile and pressed record on her video camera, as Sakura began to recite her magic spell.

"Key which holds the power of the stars,
Reveal your true form to me,
I, Sakura, order you under our contract,
Release!"

Sakura whirled the magic staff around her and took a card from her pocket. She threw the card up into the air and touched it with the staff. "FLY!" Sakura yelled.

All of a sudden a wind came from nowhere and transformed her staff. Now it had wings. Ordinarily, the Fly Card would give Sakura-chan wings on her back instead of her staff, but that was no good if more than one person needed to fly. Sakura jumped onto the staff and pulled Tomoyo-chan on after her. The pair flew off into the sky, just like a witch's broomstick.

Tomoyo held onto Sakura's waist with one hand and filmed with the other. "Whereabouts is the crime taking place, Sakura-chan?"

There had been no magical disturbances for many years and Sakura had taken up fighting crime. She was known around the town as 'Miko-chan', the girl who always had a different cute costume and fought with her magical powers.

Sakura frowned, scanning the ground with her eyes. "I don't think it's an ordinary crime, Tomoyo-chan. It feels different."

Tomoyo took her eye off the camera and looked seriously at Sakura. "You mean-?"

Sakura nodded. "There's a magical disturbance."

"But you haven't felt one of those for years!"

"I know" replied Sakura, pulling out her mobile phone. "Not since before I transformed the Hope Card." She dialled a number quickly. "So that means it's time to interrupt Kero-chan's video-game playing."

Tomoyo smiled. Although it seemed like there would be a new danger, Tomoyo was not worried. They had faced many troubles before and always come through alright. Tomoyo always felt safe, as long as she was with Sakura-chan.

Meanwhile, a high score had almost been broken…

A television set in Sakura's bedroom was turned on and a bright and colourful fighting game was in action. Sitting on a cushion in front of the TV sat a small yellow cat-like creature. Kero-chan had the game controller held tight in his paws and was smashing the buttons furiously, his attention focussed squarely on the screen. When his mobile phone began ringing, Kero-chan tried to ignore it and continue playing. However, the shrill ringing of the phone distracted him, and in an instant the words 'GAME OVER' flashed up onto the screen.

"Nooooo!" shrieked Kero-chan dramatically. The High Scores replaced the last screen and Kero-chan wailed with theatrical anguish and rage. "Why? WHYYY?" He had only needed 100 more points to win…

"What is it?" snapped Kero-chan, answering the phone.

"It's me, Sakura." Replied Sakura from the other end of the phone. "Kero-chan, we may have trouble!"

Instantly, Kero-chan's misery at losing the game was forgotten and he was alert. "Magic?"

"You got it." Sakura said, "I'm following the aura and I'm pretty sure we're headed to Tokyo Tower."

Kero-chan gasped. "But… your dream? What if-"

"I know, Kero! It's like my dream. So I think I'll need your help."

"Should I call Yue?" Kero asked, referring to Sakura's other guardian.

"Not yet, Kero-chan. We'll see what happens. I gotta go now."

"I'll meet you there!" Kero ended the call and flew out of the window quickly, a deep frown on his face.

It had only taken a few more minutes of flying for Sakura's hunch to be correct. The Tokyo Tower loomed in front of them, dark and foreboding.

"I don't like this, Sakura-chan." spoke Tomoyo softly, "What if your dream was true?"

Sakura had explained the details of her strange dream to Tomoyo on the way.

"It doesn't matter, Tomoyo-chan. I'll have to face whatever this thing is anyway. There's no way of avoiding it." They landed, and Sakura waved her staff in the air, returning it to its original form. Tomoyo flicked record on her video camera once more, and filmed Sakura. Sakura had walked over to the edge of the building that they stood on with her eyes closed. Tomoyo knew that she was trying to sense the strange aura again.

Sakura breathed slowly, trying hard to concentrate and find the aura. However, her thoughts kept straying. Sakura couldn't help thinking about her old friend, Syaoran Li. She could really use his help now, and wondered where he was and what he was doing. The reason she could only wonder, and did not know for sure, was because she had not heard from Syaoran for many years.

In fact, Sakura hadn't talked to him since she sealed the Hope card. They had promised to write, and then Syaoran had gone back home to Hong Kong. However, the boy never responded to any of Sakura's letters, and eventually she had given up on him.

Still, Sakura thought of Syaoran now, although it caused her heart pain. Seven years ago, Sakura had thought she was in love with Syaoran. Though, being so young, who can really tell? Now Sakura was seventeen, but she still hadn't met anyone that she cared about as much as she had loved Syaoran.

Shaking her head, Sakura cleared away all thoughts of her former love and concentrated.

At once, Sakura felt the aura. She opened her eyes to see a dark shadow darting passed her. Sakura ran across the building's roof, chasing the shadow. When it reached the edge of the building, it froze and turned around to Sakura. But before she could get closer, it had disappeared again.

Sakura stamped her foot angrily. "It got away, again!"

"SAKURA!" Kero-chan flew over to her. "I came as fast as I could."

Sakura sighed. "Sorry Kero-chan, too late. It's gone again."

Sakura used her Fly on her staff, and soon the group was flying home. Kero-chan flew next to the girls on the staff, brooding silently. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm worried about your dream, Sakura. Something is happening." Kero stared off into the distance. "Something big…"