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1 Dear Sakura
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2 Dream Angel
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3 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
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4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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5 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
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6
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7 Sakura hopped lithely from cloud to cloud, wearing only her
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8 pajamas. But somehow they seemed like a fittingly appropriate attire
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9 for the task at hand. Her bare feet were tickled by the soft and
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10 fluffy clouds, their material similar to some of the clothes Tomoyo
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11 had had her in over the years. Beautiful pastel blue skies surrounded
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12 her on all sides as she continued walking along the clouds. A dove
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13 darted past Sakura’s shoulder, drawing the Cardmistress’s attention.
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14 It arched through the air gracefully, without a care in the world.
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15 Sakura giggled in amazement as she watched the beautiful creature
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16 soaring high above the clouds.
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17 But it wasn’t flying above the clouds anymore. And it didn’t appear
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18 to be a dove any longer, either. Gentle waves rocked the boat she was
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19 on as passengers looked out at the stunning vista of Hong Kong
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20 beyond. “Mr. Seagull!” an energetic young voice yelled out as the
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21 former dove turned seagull teased the water playfully. Sakura glanced
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22 around for the voice. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn’t quite
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23 place it. Her emerald eyes finally fell upon a small brunette that
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24 was looking out at the captivating ocean and the brave little seagull
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25 with a bright earnestness. She was being playfully teased by her
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26 older brother as a white haired boy with glasses looked on with a
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27 smile.
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28 “Hoe..?” Sakura took a few awkward steps forward, her mind
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29 swirling. This had happened years ago, hadn’t it? This was her first
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30 trip to Hong Kong, when she had been but a child. What had happened
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31 to the clouds and the beautiful blue sky? Not that this was any less
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32 gorgeous, but just what was going on?
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33 Sakura’s questing eyes finally came to a stop when they reached a
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34 not so familiar part of this fateful voyage. There was Tomoyo, ever
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35 vigilant to capture every precious memory of their time together on
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36 videotape. Sakura could remember that vaguely. She had known Tomoyo
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37 was videotaping her, but her mind had been on other things. And quite
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38 frankly, she had gotten so used to the lavender haired girl
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39 videotaping her back then that sometimes she simply didn’t realize
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40 when she was being taped and when she wasn’t. Sakura felt a pang of
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41 guilt at having taken those little eccentricities for granted. She
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42 missed the knowledge that her beautiful friend was catching her on
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43 videotape. But that wasn’t what surprised Sakura. What the brunette
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44 couldn’t remember at all was the pair of gorgeous, ethereal angel
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45 wings that graced her dark haired friend’s young back. More beautiful
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46 than Sakura’s own wings when she used the Fly Card, these wings
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47 shimmered with their own inner light. They almost looked out of
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48 place, surreal in this foreign landscape. But on Tomoyo, they fit
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49 perfectly. The young heiress’s pale features and long spools of hair
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50 just made her look even more angelic. Like a little lost angel, she
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51 watched Sakura closely, with a heartfelt intensity that Sakura never
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52 would have noticed back when the memory had first taken place. The
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53 cute little angel smiled serenely as she continued videotaping her
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54 clueless best friend, the iridescent wings on her back moving slowly
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55 and gracefully.
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56 Entranced by the spectacle before her, Sakura continued forward,
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57 her bare feet moving quietly across the bottom of the boat. “Tomoyo-
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58 chan..?” she whispered softly, almost afraid that the quiet angel
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59 would fly away if she made too much noise. After all, such things
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60 were always fleeting, weren’t they? It was best that she treat the
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61 situation as delicately as possible lest her skittish angel leave her
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62 side. The eighteen year old Sakura continued quietly towards the ten
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63 year old vision of an angelic Tomoyo.
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64 Turning gracefully, the young angel smiled sweetly at the older
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65 woman, pulling down the camcorder for a moment. “An older Sakura-chan
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66 is also very cute,” she said in her soft, harmonious voice. She
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67 giggled softly as Sakura nearly fell back in fright. Her camcorder
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68 came up swiftly, to forever catch the shocked look on her beloved’s
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69 face. “Sakura-chan is so gorgeous when she’s older.” A delicious sigh
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70 escaped her flushed cheeks as she rested a hand on one of them.
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71 Camcorder still glued tightly to one lavender eye, this ethereal
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72 sprite watched Sakura’s forward advance. “My beautiful Sakura-chan,
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73 growing lovelier and wiser as the years grace her lovely form.”
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74 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura repeated, now inches from Tomoyo. Her
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75 hesitant fingers reached out slowly, almost afraid that they would go
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76 straight through this sparkling apparition. This was all from her
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77 memory, what had happened back on her first trip to Hong Kong. All of
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78 it except for the charming angel in front of her. Tomoyo had been
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79 there, of course, but she certainly didn’t remember her with angel
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80 wings. And besides, she was the only part of this memory that seemed
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81 to acknowledge that she was there. So just what was going on?
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82 Before Sakura could touch the phantom of Tomoyo in front of her,
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83 the younger girl hopped gracefully backwards. Sakura’s Tomoyo was
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84 certainly not athletic, but she didn’t have big shimmering wings
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85 either. The angel Tomoyo smiled at Sakura as she pulled up her
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86 camcorder. The brunette felt as if she was being drawn into the
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87 camcorder, as it seemed to see her for all that she was. The feeling
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88 was disconcerting. She had about made her way to the angel’s new
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89 location before her wings lifted up into the air. With a giant flap,
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90 sparkling feathers surrounded Sakura, dancing around her in exotic
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91 combinations before they finally faded away.
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92 Looking around, the Mistress of the Cards found that she was no
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93 longer on the boat in Hong Kong. Her emerald orbs searched intently
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94 for the small yet elegant angel, but at first there was no trace. It
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95 took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. She was still mildly
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96 confused as to what was going on, but she was far more concerned with
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97 important matters like finding Tomoyo to worry about the details.
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98 “Tomoyo-chan?” It was dark around her, but she soon discovered the
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99 reason. She was outside, at a festival back home in Japan. People
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100 dressed up in a myriad of different designs and colors of kimonos
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101 walked through the dimly lit festival, all contributing to the cheery
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102 atmosphere.
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103 Walking through the crowd of people, Sakura searched valiantly for
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104 her pale angel, moving past the unseeing throng of people. They paid
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105 her no mind as she continued forward, her pajamas looking oddly out
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106 of place in contrast to the dazzling kimonos passing her. A sudden
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107 flash hit Sakura as she reached the center of the festivities. She
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108 remembered this night. Tomoyo had taken her someplace away from all
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109 of this, all of the crowds and busy people trying to enjoy
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110 themselves. Had taken her someplace quiet and romantic. As if drawn
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111 by some unseen force, Sakura hurried to the place of memories and
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112 dreams, to one of many sweet and precious moments that she had
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113 forgotten over the years but that she would give anything to relive.
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114 With the sculpted speed of an athlete, the auburn haired woman made
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115 her way through the trees. The sounds of the festival grew more
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116 distant as she followed the traces of her memory like a treasure map.
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117 And sure enough, she found her treasure at the center. There they
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118 were, a younger Sakura and Tomoyo, sitting together in pretty kimonos
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119 on the grass under the moonlight. They were leaning against each
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120 other, alone except for the cheshire cat smile of the moon. Sakura
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121 remembered that Tomoyo had made that kimono for her; had in fact
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122 given it to her that very day. Their small, sandalled feet brushed
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123 together as they sat together in a comfortable silence. The two girls
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124 had been thirteen at the time. Little moments like this with Tomoyo
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125 were the few times that she had completely forgotten about Syaoran
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126 during his absence. They were precious little moments that had been
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127 like tiny diamonds sewn into her life. They had made the potentially
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128 painful time during Syaoran’s absence a joyous part of her life.
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129 The older Sakura blushed as she watched Tomoyo gently placing a
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130 flower in her short auburn hair, her fingers caressing her ear.
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131 Sakura remembered that vividly, Tomoyo’s delicate touch burned into
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132 her senses. She could still feel it even now, soft fingers running
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133 through her hair and gently tracing her ear. Sakura shuddered at the
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134 strength of the memory. It was as if she was the younger Sakura,
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135 leaning against her gorgeous dark haired friend. She crept forward,
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136 her eyes never leaving the two girls from years long past. This whole
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137 memory played out exactly as she remembered it. Well, with one
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138 noticeable exception. Cute and blossoming Tomoyo once again had long,
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139 glimmering angel wings. They sparkled like thousands of energetic
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140 fireflies, shifting behind her elegantly in the night breeze. Sakura
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141 knelt behind the two girls, watching them eagerly as they sat
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142 together, bathed in moonlight and warm feelings that washed over them
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143 like an ocean current. Not to her surprise, her younger self had a
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144 scarlet blush across her cheeks as Tomoyo’s fingers played with her
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145 ear. It had been a wonderful escape, that night. They had been lost
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146 in each other. Sakura had forgotten all of her cares, all of her
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147 worries as Tomoyo’s sweet and loving presence had almost a hypnotic
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148 affect on her. Even now, Sakura felt her cheeks warm at the memory.
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149 How long had they spent out there that night? It had been late, the
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150 festival long finished when the two had finally shaken the trance
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151 that settled over them and had gone home.
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152 Even now, Sakura could remember that sweet caress. She could feel
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153 Tomoyo’s light but sensuous touch gently following the curves of her
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154 face. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t just memory, but
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155 that the delicate angel was tracing her face in her smaller hands.
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156 She blushed deeply as she watched the younger Tomoyo smile her
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157 trademark smile, both pale hands resting on the older Sakura’s
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158 cheeks. “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered quietly, as if afraid she
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159 would awaken her younger self from her near trance. She had
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160 remembered that one of the few thoughts that had gone through her
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161 head that night had seemed entirely nonsensical. As they sat together
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162 in an all encompassing silence, lost to each other, Sakura had
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163 wondered if Tomoyo was going to kiss her. She had almost asked the
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164 other girl that same question, but had been too embarrassed to say
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165 anything. Besides, why would Tomoyo do such a thing? But now Sakura
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166 found that same thought running through her mind as she watched the
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167 younger angel before her, soft palms pressed against her cheeks. She
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168 could smell Tomoyo’s intoxicating lavender scent that had entranced
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169 her that night, holding her spellbound in a way her magic was
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170 incapable of.
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171 Tomoyo giggled softly as she watched the bewildered look on
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172 Sakura’s face. “If my darling Sakura-chan wants a kiss, she only
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173 needs but ask for one,” her soft voice sang out like a charming song.
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174 The older woman’s blush deepened considerably, which only seemed to
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175 further the warm smile on Tomoyo’s face. The ethereal ghost’s fingers
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176 ran up her cheeks and through Sakura’s still short auburn hair,
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177 brushing through her soft strands. Sakura didn’t realize she was
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178 holding her breath until the gentle spirit's fingers began to trace
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179 the curves of her ears. “I always liked your ears, Sakura-chan. They
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180 were always so adorable. Just like you.”
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181 Taking a quick gasp of air, Sakura felt as if she were drowning in
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182 the deep blue pools of Tomoyo’s eyes. She certainly didn’t remember
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183 this part of that night, no matter how romantic it had been. Their
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184 first kiss had not been with a thirteen year old Tomoyo, but an
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185 eighteen year old Tomoyo back in Hong Kong not that long ago. But the
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186 delightfully sweet apparition didn’t seem to plan on playing her
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187 allotted part in these memories, changing the script as she pleased.
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188 Tomoyo’s words burned through her mind like chain lightening, blazing
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189 forth even in the darkness. To her surprise, Sakura found herself
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190 nodding slowly, her cheeks a bright stripe of crimson. Even as this
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191 younger angel, Tomoyo did an excellent job of embarrassing her.
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192 “Un... I want to kiss you, Tomoyo-chan..” she whispered above the
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193 soft rustle of the trees. Her own younger self sat silently next to
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194 Tomoyo, the wind playing with her hair as the angelic Tomoyo
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195 continued to play with the older Sakura’s ears.
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196 Smiling serenely, Tomoyo leaned forwards, her wings spreading out
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197 behind her in all of their glorious wingspan. Her smaller, soft lips
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198 pressed against Sakura’s like freshly fallen cherry blossoms. Her
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199 pale hands continued to trail through Sakura’s hair lovingly. The
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200 long sleeves of her kimono fell against Sakura’s shoulders,
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201 blanketing the pajama top in the expensive cloth. Her dark hair, done
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202 up in two buns on top of her head, fell luxuriously past her own
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203 small shoulders as Sakura’s fingers undid the delicate hairstyle. The
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204 dark hair fell about her like streaks of midnight, draping Tomoyo
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205 like a second garment.
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206 Sakura kissed the angelic Tomoyo back with all of the passion that
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207 she wished she could have kissed Tomoyo with on that same night years
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208 ago. It felt a little differently from her recent kisses with Tomoyo,
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209 but it was still deliciously Tomoyo. There was that same gentle, slow
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210 feeling to it as the dark haired angel kissed her back. It was so
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211 different from Syaoran’s brusque kissing style. It was so drawn out,
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212 as if Tomoyo wished to savor every possible second, drawing it into
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213 something very near heavenly bliss. Sakura held the younger girl
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214 tightly as they continued to kiss in the moonlight, her hands on
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215 Tomoyo’s slender shoulders. The soft fabric yielded to her fingers,
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216 her fingertips pressing against the soft flesh underneath. The fabric
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217 seemed to give more as Sakura’s lips brushed again against Tomoyo’s
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218 feathery kisses. Then the soft lips seemed to tickle her own lips.
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219 Sakura’s eyes blinked lazily open as the dark haired girl disappeared
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220 in a flutter of feathers, blinding her in a storm of the iridescent
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221 objects. “Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura called out, struggling to her feet as
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222 she hurried through the glittering feathers. Her heart pounded as she
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223 gazed desperately for her elegant specter.
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224 She was on a bridge, with sounds far in the distance, but she
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225 couldn’t make them out. Her eyes finally landed on Tomoyo who was
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226 standing on the edge of the bridge, holding tightly to her cell
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227 phone. The memory came back slowly to Sakura. “Illusion... So that
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228 means younger me is in the water. And Illusion is pretending to by my
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229 mother.”
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230 “Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo cried out, her eyes widening as she heard the
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231 Cardcaptor struggling for breath underwater. She ran to the railing,
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232 getting her leg over the side, her dark hair trailing behind her in
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233 the night’s breeze.
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234 Sakura had never seen this side of things before. She had been
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235 underwater at the time, passing out from inhaling too much water. She
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236 never knew that her pale friend had tried to rescue her. It had never
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237 crossed her mind. Tomoyo couldn’t swim and still hadn’t learnt how
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238 even in Sakura’s time, yet the delicate little heiress had been ready
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239 to jump in after Sakura even then. Sakura yanked her small, delicate
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240 friend away from the edge, her heart pounding in her chest as she
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241 held the ten year old Tomoyo. Her fingers brushed down the ruffled
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242 feathers of Tomoyo’s angel wings, the one constant in this trip
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243 through her memories. Yukito leapt over the bridge railing seconds
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244 later, and if Sakura remembered correctly, she would wake up at his
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245 house to hear that Tomoyo had been worried about her. But she would
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246 never discover that the dark haired girl had been about to follow her
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247 to the depths. The sheer selflessness of the young girl’s act
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248 startled Sakura. Tomoyo hadn’t waited before getting ready to jump in
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249 after Sakura, hadn’t paused to worry about her inability to swim. If
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250 Yukito hadn’t jumped in before Tomoyo, Tomoyo would have quickly
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251 joined her. Sakura simply held the younger girl, fingers trailing
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252 over satin soft feathers. “Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered, unsure of
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253 what to say.
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254 “My life’s nothing without you, Sakura-chan. I would do anything
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255 for you. I didn’t know if I could save you, but I knew I had to try,
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256 even if I would have drowned,” Tomoyo explained, looking up at the
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257 older girl. A small, beautiful smile appeared on her lips. “Besides,
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258 you saved me countless times. I’m still happy you saved me in Hong
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259 Kong instead of everyone else. I thought that was very romantic, like
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260 my very own Prince Charming come to the rescue,” her gentle voice
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261 said happily.
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262 “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered, hugging the younger girl.
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263 She felt a vague blush creeping on her cheeks. Tomoyo had always been
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264 such a cute girl, always saying such embarrassing things to her. That
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265 had never changed about her eccentric friend and for that she was
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266 happy. Even if it embarrassed Sakura, it warmed her heart to hear.
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267 This dark haired girl had given so much to her, always sweetly
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268 supportive by her side. In all of her memories, she could remember
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269 the young heiress behind her, gently pushing Sakura to give
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270 everything her all, from Card capturing to love to school work. Like
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271 a loving mother, she had been their to bolster Sakura’s heart, to
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272 give her a lap to cry on, and an ear to turn to when she needed
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273 advice. She could see why Sonomi said that Tomoyo was a lot like
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274 Nadeshiko. But there was something far deeper than just that.
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275 Tomoyo’s love and support bathed Sakura’s soul in a brilliant light,
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276 giving Sakura the energy to tackle whatever got in her way. With the
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277 exception of ghosts. But even then, Tomoyo was her ghost buster,
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278 protecting her from the shadows and whatever lay in their depths. She
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rlm@2
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279 still remembered Tomoyo pulling a sheet off of her teacher when he
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280 had tried to scare her in a cave. And another time when Tomoyo hadn’t
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281 told her about a ghost at the school for fear of worrying her. And
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282 who knew how many times Sakura had gripped onto the pale girl for
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283 dear life at the thought of ghosts while Tomoyo merely smiled and
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284 comforted her. Sakura had to wonder if perhaps Tomoyo was the Prince
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285 Charming. Tomoyo was everything for Sakura, her all encompassing love
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286 something that Sakura knew she couldn’t live without any longer. Even
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287 if Tomoyo loved another, Sakura merely wanted the opportunity to love
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288 her gentle and giving friend.
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289 But before Sakura could voice her spiderweb of thoughts to the
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290 young angel in her grasp, Tomoyo disappeared once again in a flurry
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291 of feathers and light. Sakura sighed, not wanting to lose her grasp
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292 on Tomoyo again. Without a look back at the last memory, Sakura
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293 hurried headlong into the storm of feathers, once again seeking out
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294 the pretty heiress.
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295 And she found herself in a hallway. Sakura glanced one way and the
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296 other, trying to figure out where she was. It was a very nice
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297 hallway, if that said anything. Then it struck her with all the
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298 suddenness of the shot at the beginning of a race. This was where she
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299 had gotten married. This hadn’t been more than half a year earlier.
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300 Sakura took a moment to catch her bearings before pushing open the
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301 door that she hoped was her own. She sighed with relief as she saw
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302 herself in the enrapturing wedding dress that Tomoyo had designed for
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303 her. Tomoyo was kneeling in front of her, slowly pulling a lacy white
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304 stocking up along Sakura’s long bare leg. Sakura would have been
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305 blushing terribly at the act by her friend, but Tomoyo had been
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306 helping her dress in her costumes for so many years that it was
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307 second nature. Of course the fact that Tomoyo had designed everything
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308 right down to the white lace panties had been a bit embarrassing at
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309 first. But there had been other, more pressing issues on the
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310 Cardmistress’s mind, like her own impending marriage.
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311 “I can’t believe it’s today, Tomoyo-chan. It’s all so sudden. I
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312 didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Hoe...” The only slightly
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313 younger Sakura clasped her hands nervously as she looked down at her
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314 prettily dressed dark haired friend. Tomoyo wore an elegant white
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315 dress of her own, though it in no way matched the spectacular garment
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316 Sakura wore. It looked like it had come out of a dream, and it had.
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317 Tomoyo’s dreams. Tomoyo had made Sakura promise many years ago to let
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318 her make her wedding dress when the day finally came. Sakura had
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319 agreed nervously, having been rather embarrassed at the mention of
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320 marriage at the time. Tomoyo had been simply delighted and Sakura
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rlm@2
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321 couldn’t have asked for a prettier wedding dress. It had been
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322 Tomoyo’s last complete design for Sakura.
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rlm@2
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323 The observing Sakura smiled a bit to herself. The wedding dress was
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324 no longer Tomoyo’s final costume for her. Sakura had finished
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325 Tomoyo’s unfinished costume just a short time before. She had pricked
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326 her fingers enough while working on the costume, but it had been
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rlm@2
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327 worth it to work on the beautiful garment, to seal it with stitches
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328 from the both of them. Her friend had such an artistic eye, and it
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329 showed through in everything she did. From her costumes to her
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330 videotape editing, her singing, and even down to her declarations
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331 about Sakura herself, she was an ardent admirer of such beauty,
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332 Sakura’s in particular.
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333 The slightly distracted Cardmistress watched Tomoyo helping her
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334 ever so slightly younger self dress. She noticed that Tomoyo’s wings
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335 were jet black this time, like the large and shadowy wings of a
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336 raven. The wings accented the gorgeous woman’s pale features
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337 perfectly, Tomoyo’s high ponytail falling just above the wings. The
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338 engaged Sakura seemed to take no notice of the wings, acting exactly
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339 according to the script of Sakura’s memories.
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340 “Sakura-chan shouldn’t worry so much. This is supposed to be the
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341 most beautiful day of your life.” Tomoyo placed a hand on her own
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342 cheek as if to emphasize the point. “You’ve known Li-kun ever since
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343 you were ten years old. I was wondering when he would finally ask you
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344 to be his gorgeous, blushing bride.” Tomoyo’s gentle fingers followed
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345 along Sakura’s strong, smooth legs as she helped Sakura into her
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346 thigh high stockings. Her fingers ducked under the lace as they
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347 finished adjusting the delicate cloth. Tomoyo sat back with a soft
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348 sigh, looking up at her stunning friend. Her eyes sparkled as she
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349 looked up at her. Tears of happiness and sorrow mingled in her eyes
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350 like raindrops ready to fall from deep, dark storm clouds.
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351 Holding her long white dress, Sakura sweatdropped at the attention
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352 Tomoyo lathered on her. It managed to soothe her shaken insides. “How
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353 do I look, Tomoyo-chan?” she asked tentatively.
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354 Tomoyo smiled brightly, her angel wings fluttering softly behind
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355 her. “You look gorgeous, Sakura-chan. You look like my very
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356 definition of beauty. To be married to Sakura-chan must be a dream
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357 come true. Li-kun will wonder how life was breathed into his sweetest
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358 dreams.” Her angelic voice was soft, almost like a prayer. Her dark
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359 eyes never left the dazzling brunette who stood before her.
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360 The pajama clad Sakura felt a little out of place compared to her
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361 ornately decorated counterpart, but she forged forward, her heart
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362 surging at the sight of her pale angel again. Her own heart had been
|
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rlm@2
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363 so confused, so flustered on her wedding day. Tomoyo had soothed her
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364 frayed and nervous heart. Just like always, the dark haired woman had
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365 been there to help her when she herself wasn’t strong enough. She was
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366 braver with Tomoyo, she was more energetic with Tomoyo, she was
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367 better because of Tomoyo. Sakura knelt behind the sitting angel, her
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368 arms wrapping around her waist. The Mistress of the Cards rested her
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369 head on Tomoyo’s back, Tomoyo’s long black wings pressing against her
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370 body. “Tomoyo-chan...”
|
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rlm@2
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371 “Sakura-chan...” The dark haired woman whispered softly, leaning
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372 back into the brunette.
|
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rlm@2
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373 “I love you, my sweet angel,” Sakura murmured against Tomoyo’s
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374 back. As Tomoyo had wished in their conversation not too long before,
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375 Sakura was indeed surrounded by beautiful angels. Beautiful, lavender
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376 haired angels. As she held onto her beautiful best friend, Sakura
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377 continued to dream. |
