Going back and looking at chapter 178, it's pretty clear that FWR cloned fourteen-year-old Sakura during the moment shown in chapter 1, when she "activated" whatever trap was lying in the ruins. She was also cloned wearing her chapter 1 clothing, which flashback!Sakura wasn't wearing when the original reality ended. Plus, the fact that the "Sakura is a clone" reveal came before the "Syaoran flashback" reveal means that, in that context, it couldn't have been a revelation that original!Sakura was cloned, since we readers didn't even know about the existence of the original!reality yet. Granted, CLAMP may go back and try to retcon that... And to be honest, if they do, it would make the Sakura/Sakura/Cloney/Oediporan love rectangle make a lot more sense. Buuuuuut I really don't see them caring that much. I mean, they apparently don't even care about the INCEST going on here, so whatever.
Also, the reason that FWR cloned Sakura was to send her body on a journey. This is his Plan B, which he formulated after the reality re-set. (Since this plan involved manipulating Fay and Kurogane too, and Yuuko implies that *before* Syaoran re-set time, Fay and Kurogane's realities were also quite different, and presumably less sucktastic.) Plan A, before the reality reset, was apparently just "kill Sakura" for whatever reason. I'm curious to see if CLAMP is ever going to explain why FWR tried to kill Sakura in the first place, or what it was about the reality re-set that made him switch from Plan A to Plan B.
As for trying to get this to fit with CCS continuity... I admire your efforts, because I personally cannot even *begin* to try.
I hear you about making sure that the rules of your fantasy universe don't collapse during your intended climax. ^^;; Not like I've, uh, made mistakes like that before... (*shifty eyes*)
Re: Chatting at length here because my FL doesn't give a damn.
Going back and looking at chapter 178, it's pretty clear that FWR cloned fourteen-year-old Sakura during the moment shown in chapter 1, when she "activated" whatever trap was lying in the ruins. She was also cloned wearing her chapter 1 clothing, which flashback!Sakura wasn't wearing when the original reality ended. Plus, the fact that the "Sakura is a clone" reveal came before the "Syaoran flashback" reveal means that, in that context, it couldn't have been a revelation that original!Sakura was cloned, since we readers didn't even know about the existence of the original!reality yet. Granted, CLAMP may go back and try to retcon that... And to be honest, if they do, it would make the Sakura/Sakura/Cloney/Oediporan love rectangle make a lot more sense. Buuuuuut I really don't see them caring that much. I mean, they apparently don't even care about the INCEST going on here, so whatever.
Also, the reason that FWR cloned Sakura was to send her body on a journey. This is his Plan B, which he formulated after the reality re-set. (Since this plan involved manipulating Fay and Kurogane too, and Yuuko implies that *before* Syaoran re-set time, Fay and Kurogane's realities were also quite different, and presumably less sucktastic.) Plan A, before the reality reset, was apparently just "kill Sakura" for whatever reason. I'm curious to see if CLAMP is ever going to explain why FWR tried to kill Sakura in the first place, or what it was about the reality re-set that made him switch from Plan A to Plan B.
As for trying to get this to fit with CCS continuity... I admire your efforts, because I personally cannot even *begin* to try.
I hear you about making sure that the rules of your fantasy universe don't collapse during your intended climax. ^^;; Not like I've, uh, made mistakes like that before... (*shifty eyes*)