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1 Fruits Candy
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2 A Sakura and Tomoyo Story
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3 By G. P.
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4 Please send comments to treeandleaf2002@yahoo.com
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5 Note: All characters depicted herein are property of CLAMP. This
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6 work in no way is meant to infringe on those rights.
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7
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8 This is story is part of a continuing series, though it can also be
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9 read alone. The previous stories in the series are:
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10 1. Love is the Crooked Thing
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11 2. First Date
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12
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13
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14
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15 Gazing out the window, Sakura caught sight of the long, black
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16 Cadillac pulling up to the curb. With clipped, almost military
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17 motions, a female bodyguard dressed in a severe, slate-gray dress
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18 popped out and opened the back passenger door. Tomoyo emerged,
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19 dressed in a simple cobalt-blue dress, her gray-black hair in two
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20 long braids, tied at the ends with pink ribbons. Sakura felt her
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21 heart flutter at the sight, and blushed deeply. She was still
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22 adjusting to the notion of Tomoyo-chan as something more than her
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23 very best friend. Like a double thunderclap, Tomoyo's love for her,
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24 and her own love for Tomoyo, had come as explosive revelations, one
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25 after another.
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26
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27 She still felt deafened by the shock, a bit confused and
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28 disoriented. In some ways, nothing had changed. Tomoyo especially
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29 seemed as she always had: bright, cheerful, kind, and helpful. But
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30 Sakura was sometimes uneasy in her presence in a way she had never
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31 felt before. Sometimes, sitting by her in class or at lunch, she felt
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32 buffeted by a strange whorl of emotions. She knew now that those
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33 emotions had always been there, laying unrecognized in her heart,
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34 waiting. When she finally saw that Tomoyo liked her- like that, her
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35 own feelings were at last unfettered. As the leaves fell and the
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36 nights grew chill with winter, Sakura had struggled with the dilemma
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37 of how to love her best friend.
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38
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39 Tomoyo stepped lightly up to the door, carrying a canvas bag with a
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40 picture of a French flag on the side. Sakura sprang to the door,
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41 opening it as she approached.
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42
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43 "Konichiwa, Tomoyo-chan!"
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44
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45 "Konichiwa, Sakura-chan!" She took Sakura by the hand and smiled,
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46 "Thank you for inviting me to your house."
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47
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48 "No, thank you for coming. My father is at a Conference for the
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49 weekend and won't be here, so I wanted to make a special dessert for
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50 oniichan tonight. You're just so much better at it than me."
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51
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52 Tomoyo looked aghast, "But Sakura-chan, you make beautiful things.
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53 The cake you baked for your father was wonderful".
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54
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55 "All the same, I'm glad you're here. Would you like some tea?"
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56
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57 "Oh, yes, thank you. Shall I help?"
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58
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59 Sakura smiled, nodded, and went to boil the water as Tomoyo gathered
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60 up the cups and napkins. It was just like her. She was helpful and
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61 considerate in such a natural way that you were sometimes unaware of
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62 what a gracious friend she was. Sakura broke the silence,
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63
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64 "How is your Mother?"
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65
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66 "Oh, she is very well, thank you. She was talking about you the
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67 other day".
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68
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69 Sakura tilted her head quizzically.
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70
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71 Tomoyo smiled, and continued, "I showed her the videotape of your
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72 race from the school festival. She watched it so many times that I
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73 had to make a copy for her before the tape wore out." Tomoyo
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74 suppressed what seemed to be a giggle,
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75
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76 "She said you have great potential as a runner, but will need work
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77 on your technique. She said your father should teach you, but if he
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78 is too busy she would be happy to coach you."
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79
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80 At the prospect of running like Sonomi, Sakura brightened visibly.
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81 Almost leaping from her chair, her eyes glistening at the prospect,
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82 she blurted out,
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83
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84 "Really? That is so nice of her! I would love to run like that!"
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85
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86 Tomoyo touched her cheek with her hand and gazed adoringly at her
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87 friend. In physical activity, in track and gymnastics and swimming,
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88 Sakura was like some beautiful, feline animal, coiled power exploding
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89 with easy grace. No wonder she made such an exquisite Card Captor!
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90
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91 Sakura caught the pale girl's look and blushed. Tomoyo was
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92 so....eccentric. Even knowing they were now more than best friends,
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93 her adoration still stirred a strange mix of feelings: embarrassment,
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94 shyness, and a delightful sense of being utterly loved. Sakura put
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95 her hand behind the back of her head and laughed in an odd voice,
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96
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97 "Ha-ha-ha, um, should we begin the dessert?"
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98
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99 Tomoyo nodded, all smiles, and began to open the large canvas bag.
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100 Sakura watched, her curiosity aflame. First out of the mysterious bag
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101 was....the video camera. She felt the welling of a sweat drop. Tomoyo
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102 laughed and said,
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103
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104 " To film with, and to help you study your technique".
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105
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106 Sakura groaned at the prospect of her culinary clumsiness captured
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107 for all eternity. She watched as Tomoyo next brought out a small
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108 white bag and a set of little silver cones. Handling them with
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109 respectful care she said,
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110
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111 "This is a piping bag, and these are the nozzles. With a delicate
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112 finger she pointed to a cone with a slim, tapering opening, and spoke
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113 in a hushed, reverent tone,
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114
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115 "This is a Saint Honore nozzle. Saint Honore is the Special Saint of
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116 Pastry Chefs. The dessert we are making was done in his honor." Then,
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117 she took out a small candy thermometer, a pastry mixer, and a
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118 strange, wicked looking whisk, whose rounded ends had been clipped
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119 off. Looking at Sakura, she asked solemnly,
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120
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121 "Do you have the other ingredients I asked for?"
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122
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123 "Yes, ummmm", Sakura's voice trailed off as she scrambled into the
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124 kitchen, then rushed back in with the list, reading it breathlessly
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125 while Tomoyo closed her eyes and listened, "Flour, eggs, sugar,
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126 butter, milk, heavy cream, powdered sugar, superfine sugar, gelatin,
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127 cornstarch?" Tomoyo nodded, opened her eyes, and smiled,
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128
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129 "Shall we begin, Sakura-chan?"
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130
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131 Vigorously nodding, Sakura followed her friend into the kitchen.
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132 With a sinking feeling, she saw the dark-haired girl merrily setting
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133 up a tripod in a corner. The red light showed the camera was on,
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134 ready to follow her every blunder. At least it was something only
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135 Tomoyo would see, and, thankfully, there were no costumes. The girls
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136 tied on matching aprons and began, Tomoyo directing and Sakura doing
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137 her best to follow.
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138
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139 "We'll start with the Pate Sucre", Tomoyo sang out. She set the
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140 pattern by showing Sakura how to do it, and then watching,
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141 encouraging, and helping her friend along. Sakura took pride in the
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142 dishes she could cook, but desserts, especially fancy ones, baffled
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143 her. Watching Tomoyo in the kitchen, she felt a sweet heartache.
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144 There was a perfect precision in her movements as she sifted and
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145 rolled and mixed and whisked. Like a ballerina, she whirled and
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146 dipped and spun her own special magic. Tomoyo had no sense for the
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147 magic of the Clow Cards, but here, she was the Mistress, the cooking
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148 tools her Cards. Lightly dusted in the fine, white pastry flour, she
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149 looked like an angel: calm, watchful, and glowingly beautiful.
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150
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151 Sakura lightly placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, as if to
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152 assure herself that this was indeed her friend, and not some
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153 celestial visitor. Tomoyo glanced up and smiled, placing her hand on
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154 Sakura's own, then slowly pulling away, their fingers lightly
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155 interlacing for the briefest second. Sakura caught her breath and
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156 swallowed hard, a crimson blush tickling her neck and ears. But
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157 Tomoyo was back to her choux paste, mixing the egg into the crumbly
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158 dough. Sakura shook her head and tried to remember Tomoyo's
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159 directions. Peering into the oven as the round base baked to a golden
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160 sheen, she asked in a puzzled voice,,
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161
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162 "Tomoyo-chan, how can you be sure you can make it rise?"
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163
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164 Tomoyo turned with a puzzled look and answered, "I'm sorry, I don't
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165 understand".
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166
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167 "The pastry base we made...how do we make it rise?"
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168
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169 Tomoyo laughed quietly and regarded her friend with thoughtful
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170 eyes," We can't do anything to make it rise. It has to want to do it
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171 itself".
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172
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173 Sakura stared back, blinking in quiet incomprehension.
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174
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175 The pale girl joined her at the window of the oven, "It's just like
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176 flowers, or paintings, or sewing. You can't make it do anything. You
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177 can only be there for it, to help it be what is wants to be." She
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178 tilted her head, and smiled.
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179
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180 Sakura looked at her friend in slow realization of what she meant.
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181 Tomoyo was so gentle, she would never force anything, be it pastry or
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182 painting or costume. Or even, she thought with a start, her love.
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183 Tomoyo had loved her for so long and never spoken, lest Sakura be
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184 burdened or troubled. She had never tried to control their friendship
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185 to her advantage, even going so far as to encourage Sakura's crush on
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186 Yukito-san, and her tentative feelings for Li-kun. Tomoyo had been
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187 ready to sacrifice her own happiness to ensure Sakura's own. The
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188 auburn-haired girl felt a shiver as she blinked back the tears.
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189
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190 Tomoyo gazed at the shimmering emerald eyes and felt her own heart
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191 racing. Sakura lunged at her, staggering her back, hugging her
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192 tightly. Tomoyo closed her eyes, feeling the trembling form in her
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193 arms. Had all her hopes and dreams and prayers come true it could not
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194 have brought a sweeter moment than this. Sakura's love washed over
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195 her like an ocean wave, knocking her off her feet, swirling and
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196 eddying in every corner of her being. She smoothed the red-auburn
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197 hair, straightening a ribbon with nimble fingers.
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198
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199 Sakura drew back slowly, smiling, blushing, looking dazed and
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200 slightly embarrassed. Tomoyo smiled at the white flour that now
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201 powdered the girl's cheek. She reached out her hand, tenderly wiping
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202 away the flour and the tears. She rested her palm on Sakura's cheek,
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203 and then lightly caressed the soft skin with her fingertips.
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204
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205 "I love you, Sakura-chan".
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206
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207 Sakura gently enfolded the hand in her own and squeezed tightly. "I
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208 love you too, Tomoyo".
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209
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210 Hands clasped, both girls stood transfixed until Tomoyo wrinkled her
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211 nose and exclaimed, "The pastry base!"
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212
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213 As if choreographed, the two twirled about and saw gray smoke
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214 billowing from the oven. Quickly donning silver oven mitts, Tomoyo
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215 opened the door and removed the baking sheet. Coughing in the smoke,
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216 Sakura stared at the blackened circle.
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217
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218 With a disconsolate look, Tomoyo murmured, "I ruined it".
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219
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220 Sakura looked sadly at her friend, then suddenly brightened.
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221
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222 "We didn't ruin it. It wanted to burn!"
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223
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224 Tomoyo looked up, smiled, and suddenly began to laugh. Sakura looked
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225 on in surprise, and then started laughing, too. Neither had laughed
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226 so hard in a very long time. Gasping for air in the still-smoky
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227 kitchen, Sakura blurted out,
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228
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229 "We...we better..hee...start another one, hee hee...before oniichan
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230 gets back...hee..."
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231
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232 Tomoyo, still giggling, nodded, and the two began again.
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233
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234 After the surprisingly delicious noodle dinner, Touya watched Sakura
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235 and Tomoyo disappear into the kitchen. The two had seemed inseparable
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236 of late, and he was glad. He liked the pale, dark-haired girl,
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237 sensing her intense devotion to his sister. He thought to call out
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238 and ask if Tomoyo had actually cooked the meal, since it was so good,
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239 but he smiled to himself and kept quiet. After several minutes the
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240 two girls returned, each carrying one side of a large serving plate.
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241 They placed the magnificent Saint Honore Pastry on the table before
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242 him and shouted, "Happy Birthday!"
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243
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244 From his job at the bistro he knew it was a complex dessert that
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245 only the boldest chefs would attempt. The carmel-dipped buns ringed a
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246 lake of layered, criss-crossed Crème Chibouste, deftly executed to
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247 look like ripples on the water. In place of the normal spun sugar
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248 ball on top sat two delicate pastry swans, gracefully arching necks
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249 entwined like lovers. Enclosing them was a sparkling, bowl-shaped
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250 cage of golden carmel. Amazed that they could create such a work, he
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251 glanced up at them. Like two swans, the girls nestled together, hand
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252 in hand, expectantly awaiting his reaction. He smiled, and understood.
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253
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254 "It's beautiful."
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255
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256 And it was.
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257
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258
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259
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