Author's notes: I do not own CCS, only the plot that proceeds from the Last Judgment onwards in this fic.

Many thanks to parma-violets ("Void") and Blatant Subtleties ("The Ice Princess") for helping shape this story.

What if S&S failed the Final Judgment? "There is a price to be paid for your interference, even if you did it because you loved her. Now you two must be separated by space and time until you can somehow find your way to each other again."

Prologue: Broken

"Don't! Don't interfere!" A golden winged tiger, Cerberus the Appointer by name, blocked a young tousle-haired boy with amber eyes named Syaoran Li as he pulled out an ofuda and prepared to assist the green-eyed girl whom he had fallen in love with.

High above them, at the mid-section platform of the Tokyo Tower, Sakura Kinomoto, last remaining candidate for Master of the Clow Cards, struggled to escape the silver-haired, winged Yue, Judge of the Clow Cards, as he fired ice bolts and struck her again and again with his hands.

She was unable to fight back immediately, terrified that she would hurt Yue and in the process, his false form Yukito Tsukishiro, whom she was infatuated with.

Syaoran could not close his eyes. Though they were over a hundred meters above the ground and they were at the nearby temple, Sakura and Yue's voices were magnified magically, carrying to him, Sakura's best friend—the raven-haired, violet-eyed Tomoyo, Cerberus, and their mysterious teacher Kaho Mizuki.

Though Sakura had once been Syaoran's rival for control of the Clow Cards—and indeed, he had just failed his own test under Yue, his heart no longer considered her that way. Seeing her battered by the cruel silver-haired judge was more than he could take.

"If you interfere," the tiger continued, reading the brown-haired Syaoran's expression correctly, "she automatically loses!"

Syaoran clenched his fists around all of his ofudas and mentally cursed. What kind of test was that, especially for a child like Sakura? She's only eleven!

It of course escaped him at the moment that he, as well, was eleven.

Above them, in the shadow of Tokyo Tower's first deck, Sakura was slowly being wrapped in vicious tendrils of vine as a silver-haired winged man coldly said, "It is over. You have lost. Now comes the tragedy of the world."

"And what is that?" she gasped.

"Everyone involved with the Cards loses their feeling of love for the one they value the most."

And with a wave of his hand, he sent her into the nightmare of a world without love, what he considered a fit prison for a girl who was destined to control dreams.

When she screamed, it was heart-rending in its sheer pain; the red-haired teacher Kaho Mizuki gasped, and began to run towards the Tower, carrying a strangely-shaped purple-tasseled bell. It had been sent to her to give Sakura a second chance.

But before she could reach the girl who, incredibly, was fighting back, Syaoran, unable to bear the thought of not loving, not even knowing Sakura, cursed. He pulled out an ofuda before anyone could stop him. With a loud "Raitei! Shourai!" he summoned his most powerful spell, ignoring the cost to himself. A mighty bolt of thunder shattered the magical barrier around the Tower, and struck Yue, shredding his feathers and sending him plummeting towards the ground.

Both Mizuki and Cerberus gasped, half in awe and half in dismay. While Syaoran's spell had been incredible—spells being reinforced by emotions and feelings, and clearly, what he felt for Sakura was terrifying in intensity—he had also interfered.

Despite being on the brink of shattering Yue's hold on her, the rules now dictated that she fail.

And she did. Sakura had her eyes wide open, staring at the nightmare vision of a world without love.

Syaoran collapsed; his last spell had drained him of almost all his magic as he had poured everything he had into trying to save Sakura. Given his earlier beating at Yue's hands, and his use of the Time card, the drain was such that it would take many years for Syaoran to even begin showing signs of magic again—if at all.

"No!" The winged tiger tried to reach the girl, as he had been sworn to protect her. But it was too late; it was all too late.

Time froze. All but Yue, recovering on the ground, and Cerberus were completely still.

A raven-haired boy with midnight-blue eyes sighed. "What a mess." He propped up the unconscious Syaoran gently. "I had no idea you loved her that much. You weren't supposed to, you know? You weren't even supposed to be in the picture. You really hurt poor Yue," he said, as he spared a glance for the silver-haired winged man, who was beginning to recover.

"You!" Yue was about to fly towards the raven-haired boy when the boy held out a palm and stopped Yue cold.

Cerberus gasped. Only one person should be able to do that...Clow Reed himself, creator of the Clow Cards, Cerberus, and Yue. "Who...are you...Master!"

The blue-eyed, raven-haired boy, who preferred to be known as Eriol Hiiragizawa, was in fact the reincarnation of Clow Reed, master of the cards. And he sighed.

"I am not him, just his reincarnation. I came to watch who would win between Syaoran and Sakura. Technically, Sakura won...but because of Syaoran, well..."

"Why then did we have to have a test?" Cerberus demanded. "You're supposed to be dead! Why are you interfering...when there shouldn't even be a contest anymore?"

"All my plans were thrown out of joint when this boy interfered. I am so sorry, Syaoran, but there is a price to be paid for your interference, even if you did do it because you loved her," he said gently as he brushed unruly brown hair out of the younger boy's eyes. "Now they must be separated by space and time until they can somehow find their way to each other again."

With a wave of his moon and starburst staff, Sakura disappeared.

Cerberus snarled. "What did you do with her?"

"Transferred her into the dream, where she will be safe. No harm will come to her...although her life will follow a certain path similar to what goes on out here. She deserves to rest, but she can no longer become a candidate for the Card Master. Hence, I have also suppressed her powers...for now."

"He," and Eriol nodded towards Syaoran, "has drained his own magic, and there is no chance he will regain it in ten years. So he stays out here. I have also removed everyone's memories—everyone involved with the Cards, directly and indirectly, as the rules demand. Especially those of her family..." and his voice trailed off in regret.

"As for you two," Eriol waved his staff again, and both Yue and Cerberus reverted to their false forms, Yukito Tsukushiro and Kero-chan, respectively.

"You have new roles to play, for as we speak a new candidate for Master of the Clow Cards has just been born. Now I have to wait another ten years," Eriol sighed. "I imagine

"As for you," he bent down gently and touched Syaoran's forehead. "Forget. Go on living in the real world. Forget, because if you remember...then you will know the meaning of pain."

Little did he know that Syaoran would grow up intimate with pain.

A note to those who read my other fics: I am not abandoning any of them. Kindly check out my updated profile for when they will be updated. Thank you!