Author's notes:

'' Haven't updated in so long, sorry! But now that my exams are over, here's the latest chapter! Last time we left off, Sephiria's castle had appeared and landed in the lake. Will Syaoran find Sakura? Has Sakura entirely given up on her love for Syaoran? And what's this about that mysterious group of people who are always watching them… working with Sephiria?

Note: I do not own any of the characters: they're copyright of CLAMP and I don't take credit for any EXISTING characters, though I do create a few of my own. My story is about a new world that Syaoran and the gang go to. Please note that it takes place after they leave the Oûto world (the world where they actually were inside a game). I created personality and background features for characters still mysterious in the Tsubasa series: they may not (well, most likely aren't) be what CLAMP has planned for them, but for the purpose of my story, that's how they are! (Especially for Fye) Ok? That's enough for now. Enjoy!

What happened last time:

"You know… I'm not getting married," Syaoran was able to grunt in a low voice, straining his body to the point of collapse just to speak. "How… do you… know… about us? Who… are you…"

"Kourya," His stare continued to fixate on Syaoran, "I AM you, so to speak, but you are in my way." Kourya's grip tightened on Syaoran's shirt, before flnging him hard against the wall behind them.

Syaoran's skull impacted with a painful thump against the stone wall, completely blanking out his vision. His skull and back felt shattered by the impact, his senses tingling madly as the sedate continued to flow in Syaoran's veins. He heard the sound of metal chains clinking, seemingly far and distant. A trail of blood began running down his temple, tainting his cold skin as it slithered down. A sudden threatening crack echoed through the stone chamber.

"She won't accept me… at least, not until you are gone." The voice seemed faint in his ears now as he fought the piercing pain in his head. The sounds of chains continued grinding as he spoke. Syaoran felt the gravity begin pulling harder on his body as he was dragged upward, hung by his arms. "Since you came for her, I must get rid of you. Those were my orders… so, goodbye. And thank you…" A slicing pain cut through Syaoran's chest.

Kourya sneered. "…for the eye, Syaoran."

Chapter 7: Chain My Body, Not My Heart

"Why the hell are you talking in third person?" Kurogane shouted angrily at the sorceress. His patience was wearing thin, too; if there was going to be a fight, than LET there be a fight. He was sick of all this waiting. And what in the world does Fye have to do with this sorceress, anyways?

"Kuro-puu, let me explain to your delicate mind!" Fye started.

"What the hell!" Kurogane retorted, a surge of anger running through his veins. "Did you send the kid in for another reason, other than to save the girl? What've you been plotting with this witch…are you trying to get rid of us because we're lagging you behind with the search for the girl's feathers? That's it, isn't it? You probably set this up with your little magic friends to get rid of us, so you could keep fleeing at a faster pace. Is that it!"

Fye's expression was one of utter confusion and surprise at Kurogane's outburst. "Nee… Kuro-chan, what ARE you talking about? Don't jump to conclusions without knowing the full story. You may be smart Kuro-tan, but not this time."

"Feh," Kurogane turned his head away. "I'm never going to understand you. And how can I not jump to conclusions? We know nothing about you, so how the hell am I supposed to know what you're hiding? Maybe the pork bun knows something or other… but not me, or the kid, or the girl. You could be a criminal for all we know!"

"Wwwweeeellll… I…sort of am," Fye stated shyly, scratching the back of his head. A vein popped in Kurogane's temple, and he sighed, plopping down onto the cold ground in defeat.

"Get on with it, but make it short. I hate being confused."

"In my home kingdom of Seresu, King Ashura needed a wife to rule beside him. As mentioned before, Ameko here was a candidate for that position. She, however, was looked down upon because of her split personality… as a kind, sweet tenshi, and as the suppressed dark sorceress. They were afraid that if she became Queen, her evil side may surface at anytime and wreak havoc through the kingdom. Ameko, which is her name when she is her tenshi-self, was a magical assistant in the kingdom, who worked alongside me a few times. After my King laid eyes on her however, he fell in love, and knew she was the one he wanted to marry. But the prospect of Ameko, a girl who was suppressing her own evil, was not exactly a happy thought to the citizens of Seresu."

"I did not want to marry him either Fye-san, so it suited me fine." Ameko's voice called out, a momentary flicker of red shone from her eyes, but it soon faded to green again. She turned her head away when she felt Kurogane's silent glance.

Fye gave a slight nod, and ventured on with his tale. "King Ashura obviously picked her as his bride, but Ameko was…very reluctant. She came to me and begged for my help in escaping the marriage, but I was not sure what to do. Ashura, as well as being my King, had also been a long, dear friend to me. The prospect of betraying him and losing his trust by helping his love run away was not in my interest. I told Ameko no, and she slowly went into a state of depression as she ran out of choices…eventually going into a state of suicide. I never thought that it would be so cruel for her to marry someone she did not love…so in a panic, I decided to help her and sent her to another world for her own safety and happiness. I could not keep her in the same world as King Ashura because he would never give up searching for her, nor it would seem, find a new love. As I sent Ameko away, I believed I made the right decision: I saved her life, and Ashura could now find someone he could love who would love him in return. But I was wrong. After he found out Ameko had fled and that I, his trusted friend, was the one who helped her, he went into a state of depression as well. My life was spared, even though I committed an act of treason, because I was still his dear friend and the only magical defence of the kingdom. King Ashura slowly forgot to smile…always dreaming of Ameko in the night, only to wake to face the reality.

"Years went by, and things only changed for the worse. King Ashura continued to mope in a state of denial at his loss and the kingdom slowly began to crumble. Armies attacked, and he'd feebly send them to their deaths with no strategic plan at all. None had ever come back. If he kept on the way he did, Ashura would have died and the kingdom utterly destroyed. Fearing for his safety, and for the safety of the people of Seresu, I planned another act of treachery. I attacked his palace, and temporarily knocked out the guards, and put my King to sleep in a magical barrier. Harsh as it may sound, it will hopefully save his life and the kingdom."

"How would that save the kingdom, if the ruler's asleep and no one can get to him?" Kurogane questioned, still sitting on the dew-covered ground. The ice castle loomed high beside them and the growing night splashed across the meadow, drowning the dark green in a sea of darkness.

"While he sleeps, he'll have good dreams. And the human mind is not one to dwell on a sad thought forever. Each soul seeks for happiness, and always searches for a new hope and bliss to hang on to…something with which they can start over and find a reason to smile again. In King Ashura's dreams, he'll be able to do that, and not dwell continuously on the reality that Ameko isn't there, and that they could never be together. That thought was driving him insane, Kurogane, you have to understand how I felt at the time. He was dying in his heart, and it was the only way I could save him from himself."

Kurogane finally turned his gaze up to Fye's serious glance. There was no hint of his usual false smile, but a stern, yet sincere look of confidence. Fye had never called him "Kurogane"…ever. Which meant that this time, he was finally dead serious…no more school-girl nicknames like "Kuro-puu" or "Kuro-chan".

Fye's blue eyes bored into Kurogane's own. "After I put him to sleep, I had to flee because there was no one and nothing between me and the death penalty. I didn't want to die for a good deed I'd done, and that's why I used my magic to take myself to the time-dimension witch."

"This conversation has gone astray." A cold female voice intruded, and they both turned towards the sorceress by the bridge. A dark tattoo crossed her left cheek, and Ameko's green eyes were now a bright blood red, contrasting greatly with the white frosty dew littered at her feet. "It's gone on long enough, and keeping the angel out for that long was absolutely pointless. I haven't gotten anything useful out of you pathetic, blabbering worms. That boy has been taken care of so now it's just you two left. Now, move or I'll make you move."

"Feh…" Kurogane seemed calm as he got to his feet, pulling out his long sword as he did. He adjusted his armour slightly and gave Fye a sideways glance. "Presuming that's no longer the sweet and innocent Ameko?"

Fye gave a daring smile. "Nope…that's Sephiria all right."

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Snow gave one last heaving tug at the cloth trapping him down and finally managed to stick its soft white head into the cold air in the hallway. Having finally found an opening in Syaoran's cloak, Snow sprinted out and shook its furry head, then turned to the still open doorway beside it. The soft glow of the fireplace was spilling out, splashing the frozen ice with continuously dancing glimpses of firelight.

Snow was hesitant. Sakura, or the boy? Pricking its ears up, Snow listened for the sounds drifting from Sakura's room, and could hear the faint echo of clattering pots out from the adjacent doorway to the kitchen. Sakura seemed to have calmed down. Snow shook its white head again to clear its thoughts, sniffed the cloak one last time like a dog, and sprinted down the hallway after Syaoran's scent. Even if it was just a little bear, Snow could still be of some help to Sakura and Syaoran, right? It'd make Sakura smile… for real.

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Inside the kitchen, Sakura was flipping through the pantry, adding in the last ingredients for the soup she was cooking in the kitchen fire. Fye's training from the Cat Eye Café was really coming in handy. As the soup boiled in its final stages within the large black pot, Sakura rummaged through a cupboard, to find some small frozen fish in a bag of ice - most likely for Snow. Placing it on the table, she turned back over to the fire and put it out, rendering the kitchen into semi-darkness. For just a moment before the room grew completely black, Sakura could have sworn she saw a shadow at the doorway watching her.

She paused, not daring to breathe or move. All she could hear was the bubbling of the soup as it cooled in its metal pot, and the distant sound of the crackling fire in the next room. The window a few meters away provided only a tiny bit of light, as the moon was shining on the other side of the ice castle. Sakura threw aside her superstition and lifted the pot gently from its rack. In the dim light, she could barely see, and she realized her mistake at putting out the fire too early. Sakura placed the pot of hot soup on a low table, but some spilled out from the rim and splattered her white dress.

"Oh no…" She groaned as she tried to wipe it off with a towel, but to no avail. A stain spread across the white cloth of her beautiful dress, tainted a sinister red in the darkness, stubbornly unwilling to be wiped away. "Oh, I can't do anything right!" Sakura threw down the towel in frustration and stared down at the stain in the faint light.

She sighed, a sadness creeping into her heart again. Looking down at the white dress brought memories of the previous night flooding back. Her embarrassment as she saw the dress in Syaoran's room for the first time in its cover; the moment she nervously put it on as she wondered what Syaoran would think of it; and the sight of Syaoran, standing at the bottom of the stairs clad in black armour still brought a light blush to her cheeks. Sakura looked back up, and stared at the opposite wall. "I wonder did Syaoran mean what he said when I asked him if I looked alright? Did he…really think I looked -"

A sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught Sakura's attention. As she quickly spun around in panic, she slid on the ice floor and lost her balance, tipping backwards towards the ground. Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for the hard impact between her back and the cold hard floor.

It never came.

She fell into a warm embrace, and two strong arms kept her from falling to the ground. Her head leaned against a warm chest and she smelled a familiar scent, though it seemed foreign at the same instance.

"…beautiful." The voice said in a bare whisper, completing Sakura's incomplete sentence. Sakura's eyes flew open in shock. That voice…

"Syaoran?" The arms lifted her gently to her feet and spun her around, only to wrap Sakura in a long, tight hug.

"Sakura…"

The voice… The voice was definitely Syaoran's. Sakura thought as she felt her heart grow lighter, like a giant boulder had been lifted from it. "Syaoran, it IS you!" She, in turn, returned the hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so much Syaoran, so much!" Her worries seemed to seep away like running water, disappearing into nothing as if they had never existed. Just to be with him again, to hear his voice and to feel his touch; it was enough for her to smile genuinely after what seemed like forever.

"Sakura…" He said again, running a hand through her soft brown hair, the other still around her small waist. "I've wanted to hold you like this for so long…" He tilted his head and planted a small kiss on her cheek near her earlobe.

Sakura blushed at this, and couldn't help but give a small laugh. She was happy…so happy…

She moved her hand slightly from around his neck and felt wetness on his shoulder. Sakura let go of him and peered down curiously at her fingers to exam it in the dim light of the stars.

Blood.

"Syaoran-kun, what -"

"Don't mind that," Was his reply, as he hooked an arm around Sakura's waist and pulled her back to him, kissing her again on the cheek. He wrapped the other arm around her neck, then pushed her against the nearest wall and Sakura kept back a wince of pain as her back made contact with the window sill. The tiny lights from the twinkling night sky shone through the clear panes of ice, hitting the boy's brown hair. His lips moved down her slender neck in continuous kisses, and it sent an odd shiver down Sakura's spine.

"H-hey, Syaoran-kun, stop." Sakura said shyly, keeping in a giggle. There was no reply, and one of his hands was grasping onto the side of her neck, the other running down her back, and didn't stop.

"S-Syaoran…?" Sakura was beginning to grow nervous, and she fidgeted nervously in her position. She was pinned to the windowsill by his body and couldn't move. Something didn't seem right. Syaoran isn't this type; he's not so forceful…and he'd never ignore what I'd say. "I said STOP!"

His lips momentarily paused as it left her skin, and Sakura took his hesitation as a chance of escape. She pushed him off of her in an immediate reaction, and he stumbled back. Sakura found herself breathing hard, her heart pounding in her chest. She stared up into his face and a cold fear rose inside of her.

"Syaoran, what happened to your left eye?" A black eye patch was strapped over his left eye, framed by the dim light of the stars. Red marks tattooed the skin on his arms, crossing each other in intricate designs, burning like ancients seals of wax. "And…your arms?"

Then it hit her. Syaoran's blind in his right eye…if his left eye was covered…

"You shouldn't be able to see…" Sakura breathed aloud. Her gaze was fixated on the boy's face. "Who…who are you?"

A familiar smile spread across his face. "I'm your Syaoran, Sakura… who else?"

"No…" Sakura shook her head gently in confusion, her hair swayed softly in unison. "No, Syaoran isn't like you… I don't care if you look and sound like him, you CAN'T be Syaoran!"

The smile faded from his lips and was replaced with a solemn look. "Hm…seems the master is wrong…" I got rid of the boy, so why will she not turn to me yet? Perhaps…

Sakura stood rooted to the spot, scared beyond her wits. Who was this guy? Why does he look like Syaoran? Where is Syaoran?

"Where's Syaoran-kun!" Sakura demanded, a small flame of courage beginning to burn in her heart. He's here, right? Would Syaoran come for me?

The boy continued pondering in silence. Master said that Syaoran would never confess…so he'd reject her thoroughly enough that she'd come back to me…right? He raised his gaze and stared at Sakura. The longing in his eyes seemed alien compared to Syaoran's character, and it sent another shiver down Sakura's spine.

"Syaoran's been…taken care of," he chose his words carefully.

"What do you mean…?" A tone of panic rose in Sakura's voice, unsuppressed. "What've you…you CLONE done to him!"

"The name's Kourya, Sakura, but I can be any name you wish." He replied instead.

Sakura felt a strange wave of anger rise inside, and she couldn't help but burst. "Don't avoid my question, 'Kourya!' What'd you do with Syaoran-kun!"

A sinister smile crossed Kourya's face. "Why don't you go find him and see for yourself?" He leaned against an adjacent wall, clearing a path for her to head out. "I left him in a room somewhere in this ice fortress. Perhaps…after seeing how he is, you'll realize I'm the only one left here for you now, hm?" You'll see…who's better to return your love, Sakura. Me, or him.

She stormed past him without a second glance and ran through her room and out the door ajar into the cold hallway. She sprinted in any direction, hoping to find some sign of Syaoran, and spotted the black cloak on the chilling ice floor. Picking it up, Sakura could make out small white hairs statically clinging to portions of the cloak in the glowing light of the walls.

"Snow?" Had Snow been with Syaoran? Sakura dashed down the hallway, carrying the cloak in her tightly clutched arms, praying that the fears flowing through her mind were just from paranoia.

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"Guess we won't be hearing her side of the story now, huh, Kuro-woof?" Fye shook his head gently with a small smile across his lips. "Awww, and I was so looking forward to hearing about her adventure in this world!"

"Back to calling me crazy names? Feh…" Kurogane stated. "Our conversation wasn't over either…and just when you were being serious for once, and not hiding behind that plastic smile."

"Hm? Kuro-puppy doesn't like it when I smile?" Fye was still smiling, proving Kurogane's point. "And we had more to talk about, Kuro-chan?"

Kurogane gave a tired sigh, indicating he was through with playing games. As he began striding towards the impatient sorceress, he called over his shoulder. "I know that can't be the full story behind you. Now let's take her down already."

A smile played across Sephiria's face, the dragon tattoo distorting slightly as her lips moved. "Ah… FINALLY done chatting now?" She watched the tall ninja draw closer, seemingly just as bored as she was with all the waiting. Sephiria couldn't help but smirk when she saw the longing in his red eyes for battle, and lifted her staff, chanting a spell. The feather glowed a light blue, radiating sparks through its cage of ice. "You shall feel my wrath!"

A sudden slice cut through her cloak, knocking her concentration amiss. An arm threw hers towards the ice castle, redirecting the spell towards Sephiria's own creation. The streak of blue magic collided with the tall east tower of her castle, deteriorating it into a million shards of flying ice, tumbling into the seas or onto the castle itself.

"Oh hoho, Kuro-puu!" Fye called out a distance away. "You just got her VERRRRRYY angry!"

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Sakura was sprinting down another hallway when the castle shook abruptly, a loud booming sound echoing through the castle, followed by thousands of softer bangs from above. She leaned against the wall in fear, clutching Syaoran's cloak to her face. Sakura inhaled his lingering scent and felt a glimmer of strength fill her heart. Syaoran-kun…

Without thinking, she began running again, looking for a door, or at least a sign of Snow. The rumbling stopped, and the last pinks of impact faded.

A white ball caught her eyes as she dashed passed a corridor to her left, and Sakura backed up to see the white fluff ball, framed against the darkness of the castle halls, scratching furiously at a door against the left wall.

"Snow!" Sakura ran to the little bear. It pounced into her arms and she cuddled it, happy to have found Snow. "Have you seen Syaoran?" Snow nodded its head furiously and scampered back to the door, ramming it with its little body.

Sakura moved towards it, and pushed hard against the wooden door herself. It gave way with a soundless swing, leading to a seemingly pitch-black room. An eerie silence echoed out from within.

From the soft glow of the hallway, Sakura could make out a metal lantern hanging by the door. Picking it up, she felt lingering warmth in the metal, and turn the small dial near the bottom. A fire lit inside the glass panes of the lantern, burning brightly from the gas and casting light into the shadows of the room.

Sakura felt Snow rub against her leg, and looked own to see the little bear pushing her into the room. She stepped cautiously in, a panicking fear rising in her chest.

"Syaoran-kun?" her voice echoed shortly in the chamber, noting that it was quite small. As Sakura took another step forward, the lantern's luminosity cast long shadows upon the ground and wall, though the metal cage restricted the span of light. Something shone on the floor and Sakura bent down, lowering the lantern with her.

A splatter of blood stained the cobble stone floor, and between the cracks of the grey stones flowed thin trails of ruby-red. Was it…Syaoran's blood? Sakura thought back to the wet smudge of blood on Kourya's shirt. "Syaoran-kun?" Her voice stressed in tones of panic. Sakura took another few steps, apprehensive what she'll find next.

The beam of light caught another sight. Gleaming its gold colour under the glow of the lantern, a sword in its sheath lay untouched against a wall, as if thrown carelessly away. The inscriptions of flames stood out in the light, and Sakura could identify it as Syaoran's sword. A ring of keys hung on the wall above, along with a discarded thin whip stained with red.

Sakura gripped the lantern's handle shakily, and raised it a little higher up, casting light onto the wall meters in front of her. The sight she saw made her scream in fright, and the lantern fell from her hand and clattered loudly to the floor beside her. It rolled gently back and forth, continuously casting shadows through the chamber.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried. He was tied up, hung from the ceiling by rusted-red chains to his arms. Lengths of heavy chains pulled his feet towards the floor, as he suspended spread-eagle in mid air, his head dropping into his chest. Deep whiplashes cut through his body, slicing open his skin all over his body.

She rushed in panic to the keys and tremblingly testing each one on Syaoran's handcuffs. As she fought back the sobs threatening to override her, Sakura found the right key and it clicked satisfyingly, and she moved towards the others.

The last handcuff free, Syaoran collapsed with a thump to the floor, his blood still flowing uselessly to the cobbled floor from a deep gash in his chest.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura felt tears escaping her eyelids and trail gently down her cheek as she flung down the keys. Gently, she fought with his weight and was eventually able to lift him off the ground and lean him against the closest wall. "Syaoran-kun, answer me." The warm teardrops left her chin, dripping onto his tattered shirt as she leaned in to check the regularity of his breathing. "Please, please don't be dead. I can't live without you." She looked up into his blood stained face, where inklings of his own blood still ran down his perfect skin. Syaoran's eyes were closed, but Sakura could hear a light, painful breathing.

"Syaoran…" Sakura sobbed, wrapping her arms around him, and crying into his shoulder. She felt a clammy coldness in his skin, from having stayed in the cold atmosphere of the castle in a sleeveless top. "Syaoran, please answer me…please…Syaoran…" She closed her eyes to blink away her tears, burying her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Syaoran stirred, his hand twitching in pain as he began to gain consciousness. Sakura's faint sobs were echoing in his head and, at first, he thought of them as the recollections of his memory of her crying by the fireplace. But as his senses grew more distinct, Syaoran realized the warmth of someone's arms around his neck and a light weight upon him. Wet drops were falling gently onto his shoulder, and it felt somewhat soothing on his skin.

"Syaoran-kun…" Sakura cried into his shoulder again.

He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but he could only manage a raspy whisper. "Sa… kura…"

Her eyes flew open in surprise, and she lifted her head to stare once more into his entrancing sweet brown eyes. There wasn't a hint of his usual smile lingering on his lips; only an echo of his pain was written in his oppressed expression as Syaoran fought to conceal his pain.

He pushed painfully off the wall, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth in protest. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of red grip marks on Sakura's neck where Kourya had forced himself on her, and a tinge of guilt and sadness surged through his heart.

"Syaoran-kun, be careful, you're wounded so badly!" Sakura winced, and she tore a piece of her dress off as she spoke, using it as a towel in an effort to dab some blood from his wounds.

"I'm… sorry." He managed again in his raspy voice. He tried to clear his throat but to no avail. The lashes to his chest must have wounded his lungs more than the rest of the whips to his body. "I… sorry for… let you… get… hurt… Sakura…" Syaoran pushed her hand gently away as he spoke, and reached out to further examine the red marks on her neck in concern. His fingers felt ice cold from the frigid air, yet it gave saddening warmth to Sakura…to feel the real Syaoran's touch again.

"No, Syaoran, I'm fine, but look at you, you're hurt. Did Kourya do this to you?"

Another stab pierced Syaoran's heart as he recalled the conversation he had had with Kourya earlier. But the sudden memory of his conversation with Fye, back on the cold hill waiting for the sorceress to come, flashed through his mind.

"Sa…kura…"

"Shh, Syaoran, save your strength," she dabbed gently on the wound across his chest and a stinging sensation ran through his nerves at every touch. Syaoran could not understand…usually he'd feel no pain because he knew it was all for Sakura, but why was this one time affecting him so much? Was it because of Sakura? Guilt due to causing her pain? Maybe…the pain in my heart is affecting my sense of physical pain…

"No…this can't…wait."

Sakura stopped applying pressure to the wound on his chest and looked back up into his eyes and could see the brown pupils clouded with veils of suffering…from his injuries or his heart?

"I am not…getting married." His voice was beginning to grow clearer, but the energy to sit up right was murdering him as it stretched the wound on his chest. "I don't love Esmerelda."

"Syaoran…"

"I'm sorry if I hurt you…I never meant to do anything that would cause you any pain. If my actions…if my pain…causes you to stop smiling, I wouldn't want you to see me. I'd give up anything for you to smile again. If you'll be happier without me around, I'll disappear for you." Syaoran lifted a hand painful from the cobble floor, and gently stroke her soft cheek, rubbing away a lingering teardrop. A hint of a sincere smile spread across his face, and he leaned towards her. Syaoran whispered gently into her ear, ignoring the pain crying out from his wounds.

"I… love you."

Author's Notes:
XD Finally done typing! I was trying to have this done for Valentines, but homework really got me trapped. But it's done! ) So Syaoran confessed! silently celebrates to self It took me a while to write this chapter because I kept stopping and screaming "I CAN'T DO THIS!" I've caused them so much pain '' But trust me (really really!) it's going to get WAYYY better! XD Less sad! Really! So what will Sakura reply to Syaoran's (finally) confession? What exactly drove Ameko to turn into Sephiria? And what is the connection she has with this world? Kourya is still a threat too… what will the gang do! - Stay tuned!