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1
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2
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3 All I want for Christmas is You
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4 by Amazoness Duo
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5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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6
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7
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8 Her name was Sakura Kinomoto. Sweet, lovable, and very energetic,
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9 Christmas was one of her favorite times of the year. Her emerald
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10 green eyes sparkled as all sorts of Christmas decorations caught her
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11 their notice. “Sugoi! Tomoyo-chan, look!” The Twin Bells shop was
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12 putting up a cute little Christmas tree right outside, decorated
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13 festively with all sorts of beautiful decorations, lights flashing on
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14 and off in spectacular patterns. Sakura giggled happily. She had gone
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15 out shopping with her best friend to get a few last minute Christmas
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16 gifts.
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17 Tomoyo smiled cheerfully as she watched her genki best friend. Her
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18 hand was on her ever trusty camcorder, capturing every second of
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19 enthusiastic Sakura on videotape. Sakura was trussed up in an outfit
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20 Santa Claus would have envied. Tomoyo had finished it just that
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21 morning and was eager to see the Cardmistress in it. Despite her
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22 initial embarrassment, Sakura didn’t even seem to notice the garment
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23 was there anymore, walking around with her usual flourish. The little
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24 white ball at the end of the red cap on her head bobbed back and
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25 forth as she walked. Her feet were covered with little red shoes,
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26 also with little white balls. Long white stockings kept Sakura’s legs
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27 warm. Those ran up into a small red skirt that was trimmed with
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28 white. Her red coat was held closed against the cold with green lace.
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29 In both gloved hands, Sakura held shopping bags filled with her
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30 latest gifts. Tomoyo sighed to herself. “The tree looks very nice,
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31 Sakura-chan, but it’s not nearly as cute or as festive as you are.”
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32 Sakura blushed at the remark, sweatdropping at Tomoyo’s usual
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33 bluntness about such things. She didn’t think she’d ever understand
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34 why she said those kinds of things, but she had come to accept it.
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35 She should see it coming by now, she told herself, but she always got
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36 caught by surprise. Tomoyo was dressed all in green, with a beautiful
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37 green bow in her hair. She said that she was dressed as ‘Sakura-
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38 chan’s helper’. It looked pretty on her regardless, Tomoyo’s snow
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39 white skin almost seeming to be an addition to the costume. Sakura
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40 went back to looking at the tree, her fingers brushing through some
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41 of the tinsel. “It’s so pretty! I hope Onii-chan and dad get the
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42 Christmas tree up before I get back. I hope it’s big with lots of
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43 lights and decorations.” She balled her fists up in anticipation,
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44 already seeing the tree in her mind.
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45 Giggling softly, Tomoyo led Sakura inside the shop, walking
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46 carefully backwards so that she could get Sakura’s entrance. “Sakura-
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47 chan enters the store, ready for more holiday gift giving. Like a
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48 kawaii Santa Claus, she comes bearing gifts.” She barely noticed the
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49 running commentary she was providing, lost up in the sheer perfection
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50 that was Sakura. The holiday season could be one of the most
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51 depressing times of the year, but right now that hardly seemed to
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52 matter. It was as if she was too busy partaking of Sakura to allow
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53 any other thoughts into her head.
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54 Blushing again, Sakura went back to the task at hand, glancing
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55 around the store for anything someone might like. “Let’s see... I
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56 already have Onii-chan’s present. He’s getting that sweater. And I
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57 got Yukito-san that basket of food you pointed out. Naoko-chan got
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58 the book of scary stories.” Sakura paused for a moment to shudder.
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59 That book sure had a spooky ghost on the cover of it. And Sakura
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60 hated ghosts. Especially after Touya spent his youth telling her
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61 scary stories about them. “And Chiharu-chan has those ribbons for her
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62 hair. Rika-chan got that cute broach. Father has the scarf I made.”
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63 Biting her lip, her mind went through the possibilities. What else
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64 did she need for Christmas? Her eyes caught on something near the
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65 back of the shop, drawing her towards it. “Kawaii!” It was a cute
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66 angel doll, it’s wings folded beautifully behind it, it’s white silk
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67 shining in the store light. It held a small candle in its hands, its
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68 eyes closed as if in prayer. Her mind raced. Yes, she knew exactly
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69 what she would get it for. A giggle escaped her lips as she picked it
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70 up. “Wai! I have just enough for it. And it’s the last thing I need.
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71 I’m going to get it for Syaoran-kun.”
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72 Tomoyo’s sweet voice reached out to Sakura from behind Tomoyo’s
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73 camcorder. Her smile was genuine, but Tomoyo couldn’t tell if she was
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74 hiding behind the camcorder or not, using it to distance herself from
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75 the situation. She wasn’t part of this. She was an observer. So there
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76 was no reason to be sad about Sakura picking out a nice gift for the
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77 boy she would one day marry. When she spoke, it was with all honesty.
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78 “I’m sure that Li-kun will be thrilled to get such a lovely present
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79 from Sakura-chan. Though being with Sakura-chan would be present
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80 enough for anyone.”
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81 Smiling brightly, Sakura headed to the counter to make her
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82 purchase. “Tomoyo-chan, arigato! I really hope so. It’s the last of
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83 my money. I want it to be something special.”
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84 “It is special. An angel from an angel.” Tomoyo sighed happily, a
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85 light blush on her cheeks as she continued recording Sakura. The
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86 brunette sweatdropped again, waving off the idea, but Tomoyo just
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87 went around to get another angle of her angel.
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88 “I’m not an angel, Tomoyo-chan. I just want to make this a good
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89 Christmas for everyone,” the Cardmistress explained, accepting the
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90 bag with the angel inside from the shop owner before turning back to
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91 her eccentric best friend. She was happy to have found it. It was
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92 absolutely perfect. She couldn’t wait to wrap it up. Yes, this
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93 Christmas would be perfect indeed.
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94 “You’re an angel to me, Sakura-chan. Floating down gingerly from
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95 the sky, filling up the lives of all you meet with love, capturing
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96 their hearts with your beauty and cute personality, making everyday
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97 feel special. Sakura-chan’s my Christmas angel.” Another smile
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98 crossed her lips as she continued filming, following the embarrassed
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99 Sakura out of the store. Everyone knew, most of all Tomoyo, that an
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100 embarrassed Sakura was a very cute Sakura.
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101 “Thank you very much, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura got out, smiling despite
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102 her blush. She knew that Tomoyo was a very wise person and took what
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103 she said to heart. Tomoyo always seemed to be looking out for her and
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104 she appreciated that. Even if some of what she said was strange,
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105 Sakura knew that the dark haired girl meant it. That was part of why
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106 it was so embarrassing to hear, actually. Because she knew that
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107 Tomoyo was always being honest about it. She was always very happy to
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108 hear it regardless. It made her feel warm inside, like when you would
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109 sit right in front of a fire or it would wash over you or when you
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110 had a nice cup of hot chocolate that swirled and heated you up
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111 inside. It was much the same being with Tomoyo.
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112 When they had finally reached Sakura’s house, they found that
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113 everyone else seemed to be out for the moment. Sakura grinned as she
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114 lugged in her bags. That meant no big brothers to get in the way of
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115 her Christmas wrapping. A nearly forgotten thought struck her
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116 suddenly and she turned back to Tomoyo. “Oh, wait right there, Tomoyo-
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117 chan! I need to go get your Christmas present.” She motioned towards
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118 the living room and began for the stairs. She was happy to note that
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119 the Christmas tree was up and that it was beautiful. Underneath, she
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120 could see some of the presents already. Spotting Tomoyo’s present to
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121 her that Tomoyo had given her before they had left this morning,
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122 Sakura grinned and rushed up the stairs. She couldn’t wait to give
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123 Tomoyo her present.
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124 Tomoyo waited patiently, sitting in front of the large Christmas
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125 tree. She knew her mother had already purchased the largest Christmas
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126 tree imaginable. They had spent the night before decorating it. She
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127 had been happy to spend the time with her mother, worrying about
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128 nothing other than a large tree. They had stayed up long after the
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129 tree was finished, Tomoyo’s head on her mother’s lap. Her mother
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130 would gently play with her hair while they both stared at the glow
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131 from the Christmas tree, all the other lights in the house off. They
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132 had talked late into the night, her mother telling her all sorts of
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133 stories, most having to do with her sweet cousin, Nadeshiko. She had
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134 finally fallen asleep, curled up and with her head still on her
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135 mother’s lap. Looking at the Christmas tree brought back all of those
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136 memories, diffused with other thoughts of Sakura and her family
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137 around it, enjoying the holiday together. Still deep in thought,
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138 Tomoyo pulled up her cell phone to call her bodyguards to pick her
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139 up. Her mother was a very protective woman and wanted to make sure
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140 that she was safe. Tomoyo didn’t really mind and the bodyguards were
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141 all very nice, even if they all hid that under a mask of
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142 professionalism.
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143 Finally finished and with some tape still stuck to her now
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144 gloveless hands, Sakura hurried down the stairs. She found Tomoyo on
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145 her knees in front of the Christmas tree, the lights shining onto her
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146 pale skin making it look like she was changing color herself in front
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147 of Sakura. Sakura shook her head and approached the dark haired girl.
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148 “Here it is. I had to wrap it really quickly, so I’m sorry if it’s a
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149 little messy.” She hung her head apologetically as she held it out as
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150 an offering to her best friend.
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151 “I’d rather have Sakura-chan wrap it than any store,” Tomoyo said
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152 happily as she stood up, taking the slightly rushed package. The
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153 paper was crinkled and the tape was all over the wrapping paper,
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154 which was a cream color with cute teddy bears holding hearts all over
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155 it. Tomoyo hugged it to her chest, thrilled to receive a gift from
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156 the girl she loved.
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157 “Are you still having that Christmas party tonight, Tomoyo-chan?”
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158 Sakura asked curiously, brushing some stray locks of hair from her
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159 eyes.
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160 Watching Sakura carefully, Tomoyo nodded. Something was bothering
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161 the brunette, she could tell. “Yes, it’s still tonight. I’ve already
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162 passed out all the invitations at school. I’m going to make a cake
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163 for it myself after I get home. Mother has to be at some business
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164 party, but she promised that we’ll spend all of Christmas day
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165 together. The house is decorated very prettily. I can’t wait for you
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166 to see it, Sakura-chan. Sense mother owns a toy company, she made
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167 sure that the house was perfect for Christmas.” Tomoyo’s smile came
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168 easily, though a warning at the back of her mind made her cautious.
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169 Sakura’s shoulder’s slumped visibly. There was obvious
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170 disappointment in her voice. “Gomen nasai, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t think
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171 I can come to your party. My family was all going out to dinner
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172 tonight.” She had completely forgot that the two events would be
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173 happening at the same time. To her surprise, Tomoyo’s smile never
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174 faded, though her eyes closed.
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175 “That’s all right, Sakura-chan. Family is more important than a
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176 Christmas party. Please have fun at dinner. I promise I’ll save some
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177 of the cake for you and Kero-chan.” Tomoyo was the mask of
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178 unconcerned sweetness to her friend, but inside she was heartbroken.
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179 What was a Christmas party without Sakura? The biggest thrill would
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180 be to see her best friend there, to enjoy Christmas Eve with her. And
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181 if her mother was already gone, what was she to do? They were the two
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182 most important people to her, yet she would be spending Christmas Eve
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183 without them. But she still had a party that she was responsible for.
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184 An idea struck her and the heartache dulled slightly, though it
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185 refused to disappear. Images of Sakura in her cute Christmas outfit
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186 and gift giving and Christmas carols with her lingered in her mind
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187 like the events from something that now would not be. “I’ll videotape
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188 the party for you so you won’t have to miss it. I’ll give it to you
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189 as soon as I can.”
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190 “Great idea, Tomoyo-chan! I can’t wait to see it. I’ll be able to
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191 pretend that I actually went.” Sakura smiled at the idea, still
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192 unaware of the heartache behind her friend’s smile. It seemed like a
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193 wonderful idea. What better way to handle both events? A car out
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194 front pulled her from her thoughts.
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195 “It must be my bodyguards. I have to go home now and get ready for
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196 the party. Sakura-chan, thank you so much for the present. Whatever
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197 it is, I will cherish it always,” Tomoyo said sweetly. ‘Just like
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198 I’ll always cherish you,’ she added to herself.
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199 The two friends walked towards the door, Sakura following a little
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200 behind Tomoyo. “I hope the party goes well, Tomoyo-chan. I bet it’ll
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201 be lots of fun.” Sakura grinned as they reached the door. “You’ll
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202 have to tell me how it all went later.”
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203 Smiling back, Tomoyo wasn’t so sure herself, but she hid her
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204 concern. After all, it wouldn’t be the same without Sakura. But she
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205 could still record it for her and try to make it a nice party for
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206 everyone. It should be a nice way to spend Christmas Eve. The special
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207 cake she was planning to make wouldn’t be for Sakura, but she could
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208 still keep her in her thoughts while she baked it and got everything
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209 ready. Yes, even if Sakura and her mother couldn’t be there, she
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210 could throw a nice Christmas party for her friends and record it for
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211 the two absent women. “I will, Sakura-chan. I’ll wrap up the video
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212 and bring it by tomorrow afternoon when most of the Christmas
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213 festivities are out of the way. And you’ll have to tell me how your
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214 Christmas goes. I’m sure it will be lovely.”
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215 “Tomoyo-chan, arigato,” Sakura said happily as she stood in the
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216 doorway. She was very excited about the coming Christmas. She had
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217 presents to wrap and she had to get changed before dinner. Not that
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218 Tomoyo’s costume for her wasn’t cute, but it would look a little
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219 strange at a restaurant. The brunette was nearly giddy with
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220 excitement. Christmas Eve was always a time of great anticipation for
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221 her.
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222 Pausing for just a moment as she considered it, Tomoyo leaned
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223 forward and planted a small, delicate kiss on Sakura’s pink lips. Her
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224 own petal soft lips remained there for a brief second, thrilling in
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225 the delightful feel of the sweet kiss. It was over in an instant, but
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226 it felt like it had lasted much longer. The dark haired girl smiled
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227 brightly, her eyes closing as she tilted her head to the side.
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228 “Sakura-chan looks cute under the mistletoe,” she stated simply
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229 before turning towards the waiting limousine. Her bodyguards watched
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230 impassively as she walked back towards the vehicle. She was nearly
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231 glowing as she walked, entranced by the wonderfully soft kiss she had
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232 managed to give Sakura. She licked her lips while her back was still
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233 to the brunette, savoring the flavor of Sakura’s strawberry flavored
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234 lip balm. Her smile grew as she reached the door that one of the
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235 bodyguards was holding open. She loved the holidays. “Merry
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236 Christmas, Sakura-chan!”
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237
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238 Sakura was still in the doorway sometime later, her cheeks a bright
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239 scarlet and her hands held tightly against her chest. Tomoyo had been
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240 gone for several minutes already. But the kiss from the other girl
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241 still lingered in her mind like a lazy butterfly moving slowly
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242 through a meadow. Looking straight up, she saw the mistletoe hanging
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243 above the threshold. Her brother had placed it up the week before.
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244 She frowned, balling her fists as she got ready to blame her brother
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245 as he often did. But for what? She really didn’t feel like it anyway.
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246 She just felt... strange. It had been awkward, getting kissed by
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247 Tomoyo under the mistletoe. But she found the idea returning again
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248 and again in her mind like a light bulb that wouldn’t stay off. It
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249 had been... pleasant. Warm. And very soft. Almost fragile. It took
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250 her a moment to notice that she was breathless. A small laugh escaped
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251 her, sounding tiny and distorted in the empty house. Such a silly
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252 thing. No wonder people kept mistletoe around. For odd occasions like
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rlm@2
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253 that. She decided that it was a good thing, whatever it was. A nice
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rlm@2
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254 little holiday ritual. She found herself almost disappointed that
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rlm@2
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255 Christmas would be over soon and that she wouldn’t have a chance to
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rlm@2
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256 do that again. Maybe Tomoyo would kiss her again the next day when
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rlm@2
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257 she came by. Or maybe she could kiss her. Under the mistletoe. With
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rlm@2
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258 snow outside and Christmas music in the background. It almost sounded
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rlm@2
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259 romantic. Sakura tried to force away her blush.
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rlm@2
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260 The thought still replaying in her mind’s eye, Sakura made her way
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rlm@2
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261 back to her room upstairs. She had to hurry up and call Syaoran
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rlm@2
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262 before her father and brother got home. She wanted to wish him a
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rlm@2
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263 merry Christmas while she still had the chance on Christmas Eve. She
|
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rlm@2
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264 had already sent out his present the week before and she wanted to
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rlm@2
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265 know what he thought of it. “Hanyaa...” Life was good. Even if her
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rlm@2
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266 boyfriend lived so far away, she was still lucky to have him. And she
|
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rlm@2
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267 had a wonderful friend to help her through everything back home. And
|
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rlm@2
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268 soon enough she would be off for Christmas dinner with her family.
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rlm@2
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269 A low, desolate howl carried to Sakura over the wind. It was both
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rlm@2
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270 intensely close and extremely distant at the same time. But the
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rlm@2
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271 desperate hopelessness to it made the brunette shiver terribly, her
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rlm@2
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272 skin prickling into goosebumps. She told herself that it must have
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rlm@2
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273 merely been the wind, that it was nothing more. But there had been
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rlm@2
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274 something remotely human in the despair she had heard. It sent a
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rlm@2
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275 chill through her that she couldn’t shake.
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rlm@2
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276 Trying to ignore the eerie feeling that she was getting, Sakura
|
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rlm@2
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277 made her way over to the fireplace to warm herself. She was felt as
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rlm@2
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278 if she had waiting out in the snow for hours without the warm
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rlm@2
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279 protection of Tomoyo’s costume. Kneeling down in front of the fire,
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rlm@2
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280 she basked in the warm glow, its cheery heat spreading across her
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rlm@2
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281 cheeks, almost painfully at first. But despite the warmth it gave
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rlm@2
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282 off, Sakura couldn’t get warm enough. It never seemed to dispel the
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rlm@2
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283 cold that hung about her. Rubbing her hands together, Sakura knelt
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rlm@2
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284 closer. The flames flickered and faded. The howl returned, closer
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rlm@2
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285 this time, as if it were right over her shoulder. Any warmth the
|
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rlm@2
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286 flames had been giving off to Sakura dissipated quickly, her heart
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rlm@2
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287 pounding nervously in her chest. The cold winter outside seemed no
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rlm@2
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288 match for the frigid shroud that was gripping at her like thousands
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rlm@2
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289 of frozen hands. As the brunette stared uneasily into the flames, the
|
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rlm@2
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290 flames began to stare back at her, taking shape. A feminine figure
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rlm@2
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291 began to appear, long hair flickering as the flames danced lazily
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rlm@2
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292 about the fireplace. Screaming, Sakura fell backwards, kicking away
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rlm@2
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293 from the fire. Without a glance back, she ran up stairs. Her fingers
|
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rlm@2
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294 fumbled around her doorknob as they shook, the sound growing louder
|
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rlm@2
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295 and closer. She barely got the door open as the sound reached the
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rlm@2
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296 stairs, slipping in and slamming the door closed behind her.
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rlm@2
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297 Backpedaling in her frightened state, Sakura fell back on her bed,
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rlm@2
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298 staring at her door.
|
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rlm@2
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299 If there was one thing that really frightened the magical girl, it
|
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rlm@2
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300 was ghosts. Everything else was tangible, something that she could
|
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rlm@2
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301 eventually overcome with support from Tomoyo or help from Syaoran or
|
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rlm@2
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302 Yue. Ghosts were just... They were scary. They always had been to
|
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rlm@2
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303 her. Touya had told her many ghost stories as a child and now she was
|
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rlm@2
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304 simply terrified of the very idea. She usually found herself gripping
|
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rlm@2
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305 onto Tomoyo when Naoko would start a scary story or when they were
|
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rlm@2
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306 walking through some dark shadows. But now she was all alone in her
|
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rlm@2
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307 room, the sound growing ever closer. Her shaking hands reached out
|
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rlm@2
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308 for the pink cell phone Tomoyo had given her so long ago, punching in
|
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rlm@2
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309 familiar numbers in a desperate attempt to reach her best friend. It
|
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rlm@2
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310 was all right. This was probably all in her mind. She just needed
|
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rlm@2
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311 Tomoyo to tell her that. She could trust her dark haired friend much
|
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rlm@2
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312 more than her own jumpy mind. -“Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered
|
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rlm@2
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313 nervously. She never finished dialing. The cell phone clattered
|
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rlm@2
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314 uselessly to the floor. “Hoe...” Now Sakura’s whole body had begun to
|
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rlm@2
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315 shake. A woman was walking through her door. At first, it appeared to
|
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rlm@2
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316 be gathering mist, pooling out through the closed door. But it slowly
|
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rlm@2
|
317 began to take shape, features growing more defined in the dim light
|
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rlm@2
|
318 of Sakura’s room. She had never hit the light switch upon entering
|
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rlm@2
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319 the room, but the woman before her was glowing softly in the
|
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rlm@2
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320 darkness. Her eyes were closed, long gray hair fluttering around her
|
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rlm@2
|
321 as if in a breeze that Sakura could not feel. Sakura slowly felt her
|
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rlm@2
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322 fear melt away in this angelic woman’s presence. There was nothing
|
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rlm@2
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323 frightening about her, only a deep sadness that surrounded the woman.
|
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rlm@2
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324 It took Sakura a moment to realize she had seen this woman before.
|
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rlm@2
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325 Every day in pictures around the house. The last time she had seen
|
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rlm@2
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326 her alive was when she was only three years old. “Mama?” she asked
|
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rlm@2
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327 quietly, her voice wavering.
|
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rlm@2
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328 Nadeshiko smiled warmly at her daughter, drifting closer. She didn’t
|
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rlm@2
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329 seem to be moving at all as she did so, the distance dropping away
|
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rlm@2
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330 between them. Her jade eyes, the same green as her daughters, shone
|
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rlm@2
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331 brightly in the darkness like twin moons. They were gentle and
|
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rlm@2
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332 loving, just the way Sakura remembered her mother. Her dark hair
|
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rlm@2
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333 continued to flow about her in a breeze that was not there. “Sakura-
|
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rlm@2
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334 chan...” Her soft voice was achingly beautiful, wrapping around
|
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rlm@2
|
335 Sakura like a time machine as years slipped away from her like grains
|
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rlm@2
|
336 of sand. For a brief moment, she was three years old again, together
|
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rlm@2
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337 with her mother.
|
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rlm@2
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338 “Mama!” Sakura cried out, tears spilling down her cheeks as she
|
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rlm@2
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339 lunged forward to hug the spirit before her. Her arms encountered
|
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rlm@2
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340 nothing, moving through Nadeshiko as if she were never there.
|
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rlm@2
|
341 “Mama..?” Sakura stepped back in confusion, watching her mother.
|
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rlm@2
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342 Nadeshiko closed her eyes sadly, her bright light fading ever so
|
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rlm@2
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343 slightly. It looked like an ancient pain had overtaken her, one that
|
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rlm@2
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344 she was all too familiar with.
|
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rlm@2
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345 “Sakura-chan...” Nadeshiko whispered again. Her fingers brushed past
|
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rlm@2
|
346 Sakura’s cheek and for a second the brunette could feel a light
|
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rlm@2
|
347 breeze along her cheek, though the fingers were curiously absent. “My
|
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rlm@2
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348 baby girl. I’m always watching over you, Sakura-chan. I couldn’t
|
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rlm@2
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349 leave you all behind.” She smiled beautifully and for a moment,
|
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rlm@2
|
350 Sakura was reminded of Tomoyo. They both shared a loving smile and
|
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rlm@2
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351 nearly the same long, dark hair. ‘And she watches over me, too,’
|
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rlm@2
|
352 Sakura added to herself. She quickly pushed the thought away. Now
|
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rlm@2
|
353 wasn’t the time. But if now wasn’t the time, when was? Unable to
|
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rlm@2
|
354 answer her own question, Sakura merely shook her head, watching the
|
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rlm@2
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355 glowing woman. “But I can’t share in your joys or your sorrows. I
|
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rlm@2
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356 can’t be part of your lives anymore. I can only watch. And offer my
|
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rlm@2
|
357 love across the distance. I can only hope that you all feel it.” The
|
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rlm@2
|
358 pained look overtook her again and the hurt in her voice was evident.
|
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rlm@2
|
359 Sakura could never remember her mother looking so sad. The older
|
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rlm@2
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360 woman had always been happy during the short time Sakura had known
|
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rlm@2
|
361 her, even up to her death. It seemed like nothing could hurt her.
|
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rlm@2
|
362 Life itself seemed to thrill her and fill her with exuberance. But
|
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rlm@2
|
363 now she hadn’t moved on, still holding herself close to the family
|
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rlm@2
|
364 she loved so dearly. Only being able to watch them, unable to share
|
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rlm@2
|
365 in their lives must have been painful for her. All she could do was
|
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rlm@2
|
366 wait to be with them once more. But there seemed to be something else
|
|
rlm@2
|
367 as well. “We can..” Sakura offered, taking a step closer to her
|
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rlm@2
|
368 mother. It had been so many years. Several crystalline tears dripped
|
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rlm@2
|
369 unnoticed past her chin. “Sometimes I’ll feel it. It’s like you’re
|
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rlm@2
|
370 there beside me. It feels warm and safe. And it makes me smile to
|
|
rlm@2
|
371 know that you’re watching. Because I know that you’re out there.”
|
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rlm@2
|
372 A smile crossed Nadeshiko’s lips and the light surrounding her grew
|
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rlm@2
|
373 in intensity. “My little girl... You’ve grown into such a beautiful
|
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rlm@2
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374 woman. I knew my little Sakura would do great things as she grew
|
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rlm@2
|
375 older.” Her smile faded, as did her glow. She grew serious, her eyes
|
|
rlm@2
|
376 locking with Sakura’s. “It’s great to see you again, Sakura-chan, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
377 I can’t stay for long. I came to warn you.”
|
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rlm@2
|
378 “Warn me?” Sakura asked worriedly. The ominous tone in her mother’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
379 voice didn’t help her state of mind. Oh, and the fact that she was
|
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rlm@2
|
380 dead. From the stories she had heard, that usually meant she was back
|
|
rlm@2
|
381 for a very important reason. But what could that be? She had already
|
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rlm@2
|
382 captured all of the Clow Cards and made them her own Sakura Cards.
|
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rlm@2
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383 She had faced Eriol and overcome the Catastrophe. What could be worse
|
|
rlm@2
|
384 than any of that that her mother would need to come warn her about?
|
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rlm@2
|
385 Nadeshiko nodded gravely. “Sakura-chan, you’re at a very important
|
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rlm@2
|
386 time in your life. Your decisions will affect a great deal of what is
|
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rlm@2
|
387 to come for you. You need to make sure that they are the right
|
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rlm@2
|
388 decisions.” A soft, wisp of a sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes fell
|
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rlm@2
|
389 shut as her mind drifted back to some of her own decisions. “I have
|
|
rlm@2
|
390 only one regret from my life. The rest was wonderful. Having you and
|
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rlm@2
|
391 Touya, the joys I was witness to, all of it. Even watching your lives
|
|
rlm@2
|
392 as I wait is a blessing. But there’s one thing that haunts me.
|
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rlm@2
|
393 Everyday I see the pain that I’ve caused when I watch her. I can feel
|
|
rlm@2
|
394 her agony, but I’m helpless to ease its burden. I had no idea how
|
|
rlm@2
|
395 much I had hurt her.” Her voice choked off as tears threatened to
|
|
rlm@2
|
396 overwhelm her, but she forced forward. She hadn’t much time left. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
397 shook her head and continued. “You’re in that same position now,
|
|
rlm@2
|
398 Sakura-chan. We both overlooked the love that sustained us throughout
|
|
rlm@2
|
399 our lives. You can’t make the same mistake I made. Tasting her pain
|
|
rlm@2
|
400 is just too horrible. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
401 Tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she paid them no attention,
|
|
rlm@2
|
402 fixing her gaze on her daughter. “During my lifetime, I didn’t allow
|
|
rlm@2
|
403 myself time to worry about much of anything. I simply enjoyed the
|
|
rlm@2
|
404 beauty that existed in life. One of the most beautiful things I was
|
|
rlm@2
|
405 witness to was the love of my cousin, Sonomi. She was my best friend,
|
|
rlm@2
|
406 my guardian, and so much more. But I never realized the extent of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
407 love. I never knew how much I had hurt her when I got married. Losing
|
|
rlm@2
|
408 her was the most painful thing in my life.” A soft, warm smile
|
|
rlm@2
|
409 crossed her lips as she drew closer to Sakura. “Much worse than my
|
|
rlm@2
|
410 death. It never really did concern me. I had lived a happy life.
|
|
rlm@2
|
411 Death was just a crossroads. It even brought Sonomi back to me, if
|
|
rlm@2
|
412 only for a short time, so I was glad for that. But now... I watch her
|
|
rlm@2
|
413 every day. I watch over her in the same way I watch over you and
|
|
rlm@2
|
414 Touya. I’ve seen the pain she’s endured. And I know that I’m the
|
|
rlm@2
|
415 cause behind it. All because I failed her. I failed to see what was
|
|
rlm@2
|
416 right in front of me for all those years. And now she lives on in
|
|
rlm@2
|
417 pain that I can only watch. And wait. One day, I will make it up for
|
|
rlm@2
|
418 her. But that could be many years from now. I have to wait until her
|
|
rlm@2
|
419 own death for us to be reunited again. Sakura-chan, you’re travelling
|
|
rlm@2
|
420 the same path I did. And I’m afraid for you, my daughter. I don’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
421 want you to have to see that pain yourself.” Her teary eyes fluttered
|
|
rlm@2
|
422 for a moment, but remained fixed on Sakura’s green orbs. Sakura could
|
|
rlm@2
|
423 only look back, unsure of what to say. “Tonight, you will be visited
|
|
rlm@2
|
424 by three spirits. Listen to them. Learn their lessons well. The rest
|
|
rlm@2
|
425 is up to you, Sakura-chan. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
426 wait until your death to see the errors in your life. Don’t lose the
|
|
rlm@2
|
427 most beautiful thing in your life before you truly have the chance to
|
|
rlm@2
|
428 appreciate it.” She smiled softly, kissing Sakura’s forehead. Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
429 only felt a gentle breeze as her mother pulled away. “Remember,
|
|
rlm@2
|
430 Sakura-chan, I’ll always be watching over you. Please make sure she
|
|
rlm@2
|
431 doesn’t join me too soon. You only need one guardian angel.” Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
432 voice faded, becoming nothing more than a faint whisper. The room was
|
|
rlm@2
|
433 once again plunged into darkness.
|
|
rlm@2
|
434 Sakura sat in silence, and for a moment she wondered if her mother
|
|
rlm@2
|
435 had truly been there at all. Was it just some delusion? Had she been
|
|
rlm@2
|
436 dreaming? No, she had been there. It was her mother. She had to be.
|
|
rlm@2
|
437 Her voice still lingered in Sakura’s ears. But what had she meant?
|
|
rlm@2
|
438 What was awaiting her? Who was she hurting? Tomoyo, a voice in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
439 back of her mind supplied. But how? She would never hurt Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
440 intentionally. She was her best friend. The dark haired girl was
|
|
rlm@2
|
441 always there for Sakura. She would never dream of harming her pale
|
|
rlm@2
|
442 friend. But if she was doing it unknowingly... Sakura slumped back on
|
|
rlm@2
|
443 her bed, hugging herself tightly. “Mama...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
444
|
|
rlm@2
|
445 Dinner came and went all too swiftly for Sakura. Her mind was too
|
|
rlm@2
|
446 focused on her mother’s words to really enjoy herself. Her brother
|
|
rlm@2
|
447 had noticed that something seemed wrong with her, but she quickly
|
|
rlm@2
|
448 explained that she was fine. He didn’t look like he believed her, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
449 he let it drop. The whole thing had been disturbing. But had it
|
|
rlm@2
|
450 really happened? She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and
|
|
rlm@2
|
451 Christmas was only a few short hours away, so she could have just
|
|
rlm@2
|
452 dreamt the whole thing. She had nearly gotten herself to believe that
|
|
rlm@2
|
453 by the time she was back home in her room. Kero was still
|
|
rlm@2
|
454 mysteriously absent, but she figured he was probably out looking at
|
|
rlm@2
|
455 all of the pretty lights decorating the city for Christmas. Or
|
|
rlm@2
|
456 getting something to eat. He did have a pretty one track mind
|
|
rlm@2
|
457 sometimes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
458 Sakura had contemplated calling Tomoyo several times, but she
|
|
rlm@2
|
459 couldn’t quite bring herself to finish dialing Tomoyo’s number. This
|
|
rlm@2
|
460 had to do with Tomoyo, didn’t it? That’s what the small voice in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
461 back of her mind had said at least. She didn’t know how to ask the
|
|
rlm@2
|
462 dark haired girl about it. ‘Besides,’ she rationalized, ‘Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
463 chan’s busy with her party. I’ll just call her tomorrow. By then that
|
|
rlm@2
|
464 dream should have stopped bothering me anyway.’ Setting down the pink
|
|
rlm@2
|
465 cell phone near her bed, Sakura tried to ignore the area where her
|
|
rlm@2
|
466 mother had been standing not so long ago. It was just a dream. It had
|
|
rlm@2
|
467 to be.
|
|
rlm@2
|
468 Lying on her stomach, Sakura held onto a doll in front of her. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
469 doll looked quite a bit like Cardcaptor Sakura, even though she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
470 gotten it a while before she had ever found out about the Clow Cards.
|
|
rlm@2
|
471 Tomoyo had sewn it and given it to her a few weeks after they had
|
|
rlm@2
|
472 met. She had kept it near her bed ever since. She had plenty of
|
|
rlm@2
|
473 stuffed animals and dolls around her room, but this one was probably
|
|
rlm@2
|
474 her favorite. Maybe even more so than the teddy bear Syaoran had
|
|
rlm@2
|
475 given her. The teddy bear was sweet and she was happy to have
|
|
rlm@2
|
476 received it from him, but the little stuffed Sakura had been hers for
|
|
rlm@2
|
477 so long. It was always a comforting reminder of Tomoyo whether she
|
|
rlm@2
|
478 was doing homework or worrying about magical happenings or just lying
|
|
rlm@2
|
479 in her bed at night waiting for sleep to take her. Pulling it closer
|
|
rlm@2
|
480 to her face, Sakura could still faintly smell Tomoyo on the cute
|
|
rlm@2
|
481 little doll. Squeezing its soft fabric between her fingers, she let
|
|
rlm@2
|
482 her eyes fall closed peacefully. If she couldn’t call Tomoyo, this
|
|
rlm@2
|
483 was the second best thing. It almost felt like she was there with
|
|
rlm@2
|
484 her, soothing Sakura’s worried spirit the way she always did. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
485 felt herself drifting off, her worries dissipating in the calm that
|
|
rlm@2
|
486 slowly began to envelop the Cardmistress. Tomoyo’s gentle caress
|
|
rlm@2
|
487 seemed to spread through her soul, washing her worries away. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
488 could almost feel Tomoyo’s fingers brushing softly through her hair
|
|
rlm@2
|
489 and gave a content sigh, hugging the stuffed Sakura against her
|
|
rlm@2
|
490 chest. Her relationship with Syaoran could be a little strange at
|
|
rlm@2
|
491 times, but she could always count on Tomoyo in her life. Syaoran
|
|
rlm@2
|
492 wasn't very good at expressing his emotions so she didn’t know how he
|
|
rlm@2
|
493 felt very often. That coupled with his irrational jealousy at times
|
|
rlm@2
|
494 made things difficult. But they were made for each other, right? So
|
|
rlm@2
|
495 it didn’t matter. Sakura was almost the opposite. She couldn’t help
|
|
rlm@2
|
496 showing her emotions. It was just that she didn’t always understand
|
|
rlm@2
|
497 them. Like her feelings for Syaoran. She never would have understood
|
|
rlm@2
|
498 them if Tomoyo and everyone else hadn’t told her. Tomoyo was always
|
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rlm@2
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499 there for her, never too busy to help Sakura or just to spend time
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rlm@2
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500 with her. Tomoyo understood her feelings perfectly, even better than
|
|
rlm@2
|
501 Sakura herself did. The dark haired girl was the eye of the storm in
|
|
rlm@2
|
502 her life when everything else became overwhelming. She was the one
|
|
rlm@2
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503 Sakura always turned to for comfort when she needed it. It was
|
|
rlm@2
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504 strange how it differed from her relationship with her boyfriend. And
|
|
rlm@2
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505 now that everything had gotten so confusing for her, it was Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
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506 she had reached out for, if only in the form of the doll she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
507 given Sakura.
|
|
rlm@2
|
508 Nearly asleep, Sakura began to feel the imaginary fingers brushing
|
|
rlm@2
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509 her hair from her eyes. A sleepy part of her mind mused that the
|
|
rlm@2
|
510 fingers were longer than Tomoyo’s. But that hardly seemed to matter
|
|
rlm@2
|
511 at the moment. In her dreamy state, she could see when Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@2
|
512 first given her the Sakura doll. Tomoyo had given it to Sakura after
|
|
rlm@2
|
513 school. She couldn’t remember if it was near Christmas or not at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
514 time, but there was a light snow in Sakura’s dream and Tomoyo was
|
|
rlm@2
|
515 wearing their school’s winter uniform. The dark haired girl smiled
|
|
rlm@2
|
516 pleasantly as she gave Sakura the gift, telling her that she was so
|
|
rlm@2
|
517 happy to have met Sakura and that she wanted to thank her for being
|
|
rlm@2
|
518 her friend. Tomoyo had been new at the time, Sakura knew that. No one
|
|
rlm@2
|
519 else seemed to want to be friends with the slightly introverted,
|
|
rlm@2
|
520 eccentric heiress. But Sakura had quickly found her to be the best
|
|
rlm@2
|
521 friend she could have hoped for. She had been thrilled with the gift,
|
|
rlm@2
|
522 though a little puzzled that it was a doll of her. Despite her
|
|
rlm@2
|
523 friend’s obvious talent the doll showcased, Tomoyo mentioned that it
|
|
rlm@2
|
524 wasn’t as cute as the real Sakura. Sakura had blushed as she often
|
|
rlm@2
|
525 did when Tomoyo would say such embarrassing things. Tomoyo looked
|
|
rlm@2
|
526 incredibly happy, her hands on her cheeks as she simply watched the
|
|
rlm@2
|
527 brunette contently. It was strange. The oddest things could bring
|
|
rlm@2
|
528 such joy to Sakura’s dark haired friend. It usually had to do with
|
|
rlm@2
|
529 when they were together, Sakura realized sleepily. The thought
|
|
rlm@2
|
530 lingered for a moment, as if it wanted to say more to Sakura before
|
|
rlm@2
|
531 it drifted off to wherever dreams disappear to upon awaking.
|
|
rlm@2
|
532 The fingers in Sakura’s hair were still there as she finally began
|
|
rlm@2
|
533 to stir. Had she fallen asleep? She hadn’t been that tired, had she?
|
|
rlm@2
|
534 A wave of disorientation spun her around and around as her mind
|
|
rlm@2
|
535 slowly began to concentrate on the present again. It felt like she
|
|
rlm@2
|
536 was thinking through a heavy blanket, her thoughts muffled and
|
|
rlm@2
|
537 distant. Her whereabouts took a minute to come to her. Her room, of
|
|
rlm@2
|
538 course. Where else would she be? It slowly dawned upon her that that
|
|
rlm@2
|
539 was an awkward place to find fingers in her hair. Sometimes when she
|
|
rlm@2
|
540 would sit in the park with Tomoyo or when she would sit at her desk
|
|
rlm@2
|
541 before class started she would find the other girl’s pale fingers in
|
|
rlm@2
|
542 her hair, but Tomoyo would hardly be in her room right now, would
|
|
rlm@2
|
543 she? For a few moments, that was the perfect answer. Of course it was
|
|
rlm@2
|
544 Tomoyo. She must have come by after the party and was watching Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
545 sleep. The explanation sounded plausible enough, but once again she
|
|
rlm@2
|
546 was reminded that the fingers were longer, not quite as gentle as
|
|
rlm@2
|
547 Tomoyo’s. They were still soft and smooth in her hair, though the
|
|
rlm@2
|
548 overall feel was beginning to strike Sakura as different. Almost like
|
|
rlm@2
|
549 a woman stroking the hair of a cute child, unlike Tomoyo’s... Just
|
|
rlm@2
|
550 how did Tomoyo run her hands through her hair anyway? Like a best
|
|
rlm@2
|
551 friend? Sakura hadn’t seen many other best friends doing quite the
|
|
rlm@2
|
552 same thing. Tomoyo was loving and gentle about it, her fingers
|
|
rlm@2
|
553 playfully running through Sakura’s hair as they envisioned different
|
|
rlm@2
|
554 hairstyles. This thought brought an image of Tomoyo’s own beautiful
|
|
rlm@2
|
555 hair and how often she styled it differently. She found herself
|
|
rlm@2
|
556 embarrassed to be drifting so far from the topic at hand. Someone was
|
|
rlm@2
|
557 there with her. That realization finally shook the last vestiges of
|
|
rlm@2
|
558 sleep from her. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she sat up. Darkness
|
|
rlm@2
|
559 surrounded her in all directions, seeming to stretch off eternally.
|
|
rlm@2
|
560 Was this the Dark Card again? No, she could feel her bed underneath
|
|
rlm@2
|
561 her, her blanket twisted between her legs. After what seemed like
|
|
rlm@2
|
562 eons, Sakura’s eyes finally began adjusting to the darkness. What
|
|
rlm@2
|
563 looked to be a woman was sitting next to her on the edge of her bed,
|
|
rlm@2
|
564 long hair falling past her shoulders. Was it pink? She couldn’t tell
|
|
rlm@2
|
565 the exact shade in the darkness of her room. “Ruby Moon?!” The sound
|
|
rlm@2
|
566 of her voice scared her. She hadn’t noticed how silent it was. How
|
|
rlm@2
|
567 eerily silent. There was no snoring from Kero, no sounds of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
568 brother busily finishing some sort of work in his room, which she
|
|
rlm@2
|
569 would have counted on with it being Christmas Eve, no sound at all.
|
|
rlm@2
|
570 Her voice rang shaky and frightened in her ears. She tried to push
|
|
rlm@2
|
571 back her fears and confusion, gripping onto the stuffed Sakura in her
|
|
rlm@2
|
572 arms. ‘Everything will always be all right,’ Tomoyo’s voice whispered
|
|
rlm@2
|
573 in her mind. “What are you doing here?” she asked at last. Her voice
|
|
rlm@2
|
574 sounded less afraid now, simply curious. What reason did she have to
|
|
rlm@2
|
575 fear Ruby Moon anyway? But wasn’t she with Eriol in England now?
|
|
rlm@2
|
576 Ruby Moon stood up and stretched extravagantly. Her butterfly wings
|
|
rlm@2
|
577 shimmered in the darkened room. Her long gloved fingers beckoned for
|
|
rlm@2
|
578 Sakura as she ignored her question. “Come. You have much to see. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
579 I don’t have much time to show you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
580 Sakura merely sat in confused silence, staring at the beautiful
|
|
rlm@2
|
581 crossdressing magical being. “What?” Sakura repeated, blinking. This
|
|
rlm@2
|
582 wasn’t registering in her sleep addled mind. Her mother’s words
|
|
rlm@2
|
583 slowly began to surface in the mist that shrouded her thoughts. Was
|
|
rlm@2
|
584 this one of the spirits she had been talking about?
|
|
rlm@2
|
585 Ruby Moon sighed, her hands on her hips. “We have to get going,
|
|
rlm@2
|
586 Sakura-chan. We don’t have all night. Besides, as soon as I finish
|
|
rlm@2
|
587 this, I’m gonna go watch Touya while he sleeps. I bet he looks
|
|
rlm@2
|
588 completely darling.” A grin crossed her lips, but she quickly forced
|
|
rlm@2
|
589 it away. Business before pleasure, she reminded herself. Taking
|
|
rlm@2
|
590 Sakura’s hand, she led her to the window. The Cardmistress followed
|
|
rlm@2
|
591 docilely, still completely confused by the situation. “I’m the Ghost
|
|
rlm@2
|
592 of Christmas Past. I’m here to show you your past holidays. Much was
|
|
rlm@2
|
593 left unseen their first time through, so this is your chance to see
|
|
rlm@2
|
594 the truth behind them. Keep your eyes open, Sakura-chan,” she
|
|
rlm@2
|
595 finished cordially. Her wings spread as she placed her hand on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
596 window. Soft, white snow fell outside, blanketing the city. Ruby
|
|
rlm@2
|
597 Moon’s hand slid through the glass as if it were nothing more than
|
|
rlm@2
|
598 water.
|
|
rlm@2
|
599 Amazement crept up on Sakura as she watched the pink haired woman
|
|
rlm@2
|
600 start to shift through the window. Amazement turned to shock as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
601 found herself getting pulled along through as well. She had time only
|
|
rlm@2
|
602 to get out a short yelp before she was on the other side, floating
|
|
rlm@2
|
603 above the fallen snow. Ruby Moon’s giggle fell on her ears, grabbing
|
|
rlm@2
|
604 her attention. Even though Sakura was only in her pajamas, the wind
|
|
rlm@2
|
605 and the cold moved past her as if she were being protected. “Hoe...
|
|
rlm@2
|
606 What’s going on?” Sakura asked again quietly. But she already knew.
|
|
rlm@2
|
607 They were going to see the past. With the soft smile that Ruby Moon
|
|
rlm@2
|
608 was wearing, it almost felt like a jolly idea. It was Christmas,
|
|
rlm@2
|
609 after all. Why not go and see the pretty decorations of years gone
|
|
rlm@2
|
610 by? But a chill went through Sakura, creeping through her whole body.
|
|
rlm@2
|
611 She was afraid of what she might find on the other side.
|
|
rlm@2
|
612
|
|
rlm@2
|
613 When Sakura opened her eyes again, they were indoors. Murmuring
|
|
rlm@2
|
614 could be heard somewhere behind her, voices upon voices piled on top
|
|
rlm@2
|
615 of each other, all trying to be vaguely quiet but rising together in
|
|
rlm@2
|
616 a swell that was nearly deafening in itself. Sakura turned around,
|
|
rlm@2
|
617 trying to spot anything that would help tell her where she was. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
618 bare feet moved against the carpet, though the carpet didn’t shift at
|
|
rlm@2
|
619 all. It was as if she weren’t there at all. Her eyes finally fell
|
|
rlm@2
|
620 upon something that rose her heart high up in her chest. “Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
621 chan!!” The dark haired girl was wearing a beautiful dress with a
|
|
rlm@2
|
622 long white ribbon in her hair. If Tomoyo was here, then she didn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
623 have to worry. Whenever Tomoyo was with her, everything seemed more
|
|
rlm@2
|
624 bearable. She felt at ease now that she wasn’t all alone in this
|
|
rlm@2
|
625 strange place. “Tomoyo-chan!” she called again, running to the other
|
|
rlm@2
|
626 girl. It was then that Sakura noticed that she was taller than
|
|
rlm@2
|
627 Tomoyo. That wasn’t strange in and of itself, she had always been
|
|
rlm@2
|
628 slightly taller than Tomoyo, more so in recent years. But she was too
|
|
rlm@2
|
629 much taller than her best friend. Tomoyo’s gentle curves were much
|
|
rlm@2
|
630 less defined, her face more childish. “Hoe?” It took Sakura a moment
|
|
rlm@2
|
631 to understand. Tomoyo was younger than she was. Just how much, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
632 couldn’t be sure. So she was in the past. “Tomoyo-chan..?” But Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
633 couldn’t hear her. She looked nervous as she kept looking into the
|
|
rlm@2
|
634 mirror, adjusting her ribbon one way or the other. It was strange to
|
|
rlm@2
|
635 see her like that. In all the time that Sakura had known Tomoyo, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
636 couldn’t remember one instance when the dark haired girl had looked
|
|
rlm@2
|
637 nervous. Tomoyo was obviously about to go onstage to sing. But she
|
|
rlm@2
|
638 had told Sakura before that she wasn’t nervous when she was singing
|
|
rlm@2
|
639 because she got lost in the music. So what was worrying her?
|
|
rlm@2
|
640 “Tomoyo-chan!” Another voice called out, drawing both Sakura and
|
|
rlm@2
|
641 Tomoyo’s attention. In a fraction of a second, all of the worry
|
|
rlm@2
|
642 Sakura had seen on Tomoyo face dissolved as if it had never been
|
|
rlm@2
|
643 there at all. Tomoyo was once again her normal smiling self. Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
644 was a little surprised. Had she seen it at all or were her eyes only
|
|
rlm@2
|
645 playing tricks on her? Tomoyo looked completely fine now, smiling her
|
|
rlm@2
|
646 usual sweet smile. The owner of the voice turned out to be none other
|
|
rlm@2
|
647 than Sakura herself, albeit her younger self.
|
|
rlm@2
|
648 “Sakura-chan, I’m glad to see you,” Tomoyo said in her gentle, warm
|
|
rlm@2
|
649 voice. She took Sakura’s hands in her own, smiling happily, no trace
|
|
rlm@2
|
650 left of whatever was plaguing her moments before. “Thank you so much
|
|
rlm@2
|
651 for coming. Did you get a good seat?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
652 Sakura returned the smile, shifting on the souls of her feet as
|
|
rlm@2
|
653 Tomoyo held onto her hands. She felt a gentle squeeze but that
|
|
rlm@2
|
654 nothing of it. “The seats are great. I’m right next to Rika-chan and
|
|
rlm@2
|
655 Naoko-chan.” She frowned slightly. “But Onii-chan and Yukito-san are
|
|
rlm@2
|
656 a few rows back. Onii-chan wouldn’t switch with me.” She sweatdropped.
|
|
rlm@2
|
657 A soft giggle came from Tomoyo. “If poor Tsukishiro-san can’t have
|
|
rlm@2
|
658 Sakura-chan’s company then I’m sure he must be very sad. He’ll have
|
|
rlm@2
|
659 to make do with Touya-san instead. I’d be happy to be sitting out
|
|
rlm@2
|
660 there with Sakura-chan if I could.” Her stormy blue eyes sparkled in
|
|
rlm@2
|
661 the backstage light, their bright intensity never leaving Sakura.
|
|
rlm@2
|
662 Shaking her head swiftly, Sakura took a step closer to Tomoyo. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
663 dark haired girl began to smile even brighter at the close proximity
|
|
rlm@2
|
664 to her best friend. “No, you can’t do that, Tomoyo-chan. You need to
|
|
rlm@2
|
665 be up on stage singing. You’re the best in the choir. Everyone will
|
|
rlm@2
|
666 be so happy to hear you sing.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
667 “There’s only one person I want to sing for. The person I love. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
668 want everything I sing to be for them. I want every word to go
|
|
rlm@2
|
669 straight to their heart. I want them to feel my love. When I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
670 singing, I can see them in my mind. It’s like I’m with them, like
|
|
rlm@2
|
671 we’re together. So I sing with all my heart for them. When I think of
|
|
rlm@2
|
672 them, my love bubbles up inside my heart and it feels like it’s going
|
|
rlm@2
|
673 to burst. But when I sing, I can let all of my love out, I can pour
|
|
rlm@2
|
674 it into my singing. It’s how I express my love,” Tomoyo explained, a
|
|
rlm@2
|
675 distant look in her eyes. They held Sakura’s gaze, saying so much
|
|
rlm@2
|
676 more than her words could hint at.
|
|
rlm@2
|
677 “Hanyaa... Tomoyo-chan, no wonder your singing is so gorgeous! It
|
|
rlm@2
|
678 has to be if you’re singing for the one you love.” Sakura watched
|
|
rlm@2
|
679 Tomoyo with equal parts joy and admiration. “That’s wonderful. I wish
|
|
rlm@2
|
680 I could sing like you. I would sing for Yukito-san.” Her cheeks
|
|
rlm@2
|
681 flushed darkly at the thought, her eyes closing as she imagined
|
|
rlm@2
|
682 herself on stage singing to an audience consisting of only her
|
|
rlm@2
|
683 brother’s friend. Tomoyo must do the same thing, picturing only her
|
|
rlm@2
|
684 love listening happily to her beautiful music.
|
|
rlm@2
|
685 Tomoyo’s smile continued on as before, still bright and cheery, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
686 she let go of her grip on Sakura’s hands, pulling her own hands up to
|
|
rlm@2
|
687 her chest. “I’m sure your singing would be very cute, Sakura-chan.
|
|
rlm@2
|
688 Tsukishiro-san would love to hear it, I’m sure. You have such a
|
|
rlm@2
|
689 pretty voice that I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to hear
|
|
rlm@2
|
690 you sing. Like a beautiful Siren, Sakura-chan would lure everyone
|
|
rlm@2
|
691 close by, taking a place in all of their hearts.” The older Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
692 could almost see hearts in Tomoyo’s eyes as the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
693 spoke fervently to her younger self. It was cute to see her with such
|
|
rlm@2
|
694 pure enthusiasm. Sakura had seen Tomoyo act that way often when she
|
|
rlm@2
|
695 would talk about the Cardmistress or about her true love.
|
|
rlm@2
|
696 The younger Sakura found herself blushing again at Tomoyo’s kind
|
|
rlm@2
|
697 words. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. But you have such a beautiful voice.
|
|
rlm@2
|
698 You’ll make the Christmas pageant wonderful. I can’t wait to see it.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
699 Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, smiling at the brunette. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
700 dark hair fell past her cheeks, contrasting starkly with her snow
|
|
rlm@2
|
701 white skin. She should be feeling nervous, a thought occurred to her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
702 But she wasn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to be. She merely felt
|
|
rlm@2
|
703 absorbed in Sakura’s presence, as she often did. It surrounded her
|
|
rlm@2
|
704 and held tightly to her heart. Her heart was trussed up with a
|
|
rlm@2
|
705 beautiful red bow, ready and waiting to be Sakura’s Christmas
|
|
rlm@2
|
706 present. “I’m going to be singing for you, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
707 explained. Her voice was soft and loving, directed fully to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
708 friend. “I want you to be the only one I’m singing for tonight. I’ll
|
|
rlm@2
|
709 sing with my entire heart for you, Sakura-chan.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
710 Sakura’s face lit up. Oh, what a wonderful Christmas present!
|
|
rlm@2
|
711 “You’re always so good with gifts, Tomoyo-chan. They’re always so
|
|
rlm@2
|
712 special. Thank you so much!” Sakura clasped her hands in front of
|
|
rlm@2
|
713 her, anxious to hear Tomoyo sing again. Whenever Tomoyo would sing,
|
|
rlm@2
|
714 it felt like the dark haired girl was singing directly to her. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
715 melodious, gentle voice swept her away to warm and loving
|
|
rlm@2
|
716 destinations each time. She always looked forward to listening to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
717 sing. Her friends agreed that Tomoyo had an amazing voice and was a
|
|
rlm@2
|
718 wonderful singer, but it went beyond that for Sakura. She truly loved
|
|
rlm@2
|
719 listening to her friend’s melodies. She almost found herself lost in
|
|
rlm@2
|
720 them when Tomoyo would sing, but she was never afraid because she
|
|
rlm@2
|
721 knew Tomoyo would lead her back safely. Her eyes closed slowly as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
722 imagined the songs that often played in her heart, sung always by
|
|
rlm@2
|
723 Tomoyo. She would sneak by the choir room when she could, listening
|
|
rlm@2
|
724 to her best friend’s practices, forgetting everything else in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
725 world when she would. Her voice was encompassing, rolling emotions
|
|
rlm@2
|
726 through her body, drawing out the feelings deep in her heart. It was
|
|
rlm@2
|
727 Tomoyo’s special brand of magic and Sakura always found it enchanting.
|
|
rlm@2
|
728 “Sakura-chan...” Tomoyo whispered. Sakura looked absolutely serene
|
|
rlm@2
|
729 as she stood quietly with her eyes closed. Tomoyo found her fingers
|
|
rlm@2
|
730 moving as if with a will of their own, lightly stroking Sakura’s warm
|
|
rlm@2
|
731 cheek. That wasn’t her full Christmas gift. There had been something
|
|
rlm@2
|
732 else she had wanted to give Sakura this Christmas. An explanation. A
|
|
rlm@2
|
733 sign. Her heart. Christmas was a time of giving and she wanted to
|
|
rlm@2
|
734 give Sakura her entire heart and soul. What the brunette would do
|
|
rlm@2
|
735 with them, Tomoyo did not know, but she would just be happy to let
|
|
rlm@2
|
736 her know that they were hers. She wanted to make Sakura happy with
|
|
rlm@2
|
737 every ounce of her being. Sakura was so intoxicating. Everything
|
|
rlm@2
|
738 about her only served to strengthen Tomoyo’s love for the girl. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
739 licked her lips, the soft pink rose petals suddenly dry. This would
|
|
rlm@2
|
740 be the perfect way to show Sakura what she meant with her present, to
|
|
rlm@2
|
741 show Sakura why she would be the only one Tomoyo was singing for. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
742 wanted Sakura to know what was behind the music when she was out on
|
|
rlm@2
|
743 stage. She drew nearer to Sakura, the beautiful brunette still
|
|
rlm@2
|
744 smiling with her eyes closed. Yukito was only a crush, Tomoyo knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
745 Sakura well enough to know that. Besides, she already had a good idea
|
|
rlm@2
|
746 who Yukito himself was interested in. She wanted to spare Sakura that
|
|
rlm@2
|
747 pain. She wanted to be the one who sheltered her heart and labored
|
|
rlm@2
|
748 all her days to brighten Sakura’s heart. Her lips were now inches
|
|
rlm@2
|
749 from Sakura’s. Delicate inches that felt both indescribably distant
|
|
rlm@2
|
750 and incredibly nearby. The Cardmistress’s spell had worked it’s magic
|
|
rlm@2
|
751 on her long ago, back before Sakura had ever been a magical girl. A
|
|
rlm@2
|
752 sweet, gentle kiss, one that would explain her love better than any
|
|
rlm@2
|
753 of her words ever could for her sweet yet naïve best friend.
|
|
rlm@2
|
754 “So what were you going to tell me, Tomoyo-chan? You told me you
|
|
rlm@2
|
755 wanted to see me before the pageant started.” Sakura’s emerald green
|
|
rlm@2
|
756 eyes fluttered open slowly. Tomoyo was surprisingly close, but that
|
|
rlm@2
|
757 just made her smile. She felt nice when Tomoyo was near her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
758 No, maybe Sakura wasn’t old enough yet after all. There would
|
|
rlm@2
|
759 always be other Christmases. One day Sakura would understand her
|
|
rlm@2
|
760 heart. But not yet. “I’ll tell you when you’re older, Sakura-chan,”
|
|
rlm@2
|
761 Tomoyo said softly, taking Sakura’s hands again. She gave them a
|
|
rlm@2
|
762 gentle squeeze and began leading Sakura after her. A smile crossed
|
|
rlm@2
|
763 her lips. Yes, her love could wait an eternity for this girl. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
764 didn’t need to tell her now. She could wait for Sakura. When Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
765 was ready, that’s when she would tell her. In the meantime, she might
|
|
rlm@2
|
766 as well work out her crush on Yukito. It was cute watching Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
767 chase after him as it was. The magical girl was always so determined,
|
|
rlm@2
|
768 her eyes burning with their own jade fire. “I’ll be singing for you,
|
|
rlm@2
|
769 Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo promised as they reached the exit.
|
|
rlm@2
|
770 Sakura nodded, a little confused. “Un, if you say so, Tomoyo-chan.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
771 Confusion gave way to concern. That Syaoran boy was probably trying
|
|
rlm@2
|
772 to steal Yukito away from her again while she was busy. She returned
|
|
rlm@2
|
773 Tomoyo’s smile as she got ready to slip out the door. “I have to go
|
|
rlm@2
|
774 keep an eye on Yukito-san. Merri Kurisumasu, Tomoyo-chan! I’ll be
|
|
rlm@2
|
775 watching!” Sakura called before ducking out.
|
|
rlm@2
|
776 Tomoyo stood alone with her hands held to her chest for a long
|
|
rlm@2
|
777 moment, staring at the space that Sakura had previously occupied. A
|
|
rlm@2
|
778 soft sigh escaped her lips. She slowly began to fade away in front of
|
|
rlm@2
|
779 the observing Sakura’s eyes, growing faint and dim. Sakura reached
|
|
rlm@2
|
780 out for her, her fingers finding nothing but a patch of cold air.
|
|
rlm@2
|
781 “Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered, thought whether it ever got out of
|
|
rlm@2
|
782 her mouth, she didn’t know. Even she couldn’t hear it. Her eyes
|
|
rlm@2
|
783 stayed on the solemn figure until long after the last trace of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
784 pale best friend was gone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
785 “She’s a brave little girl. You’re happiness meant the world to
|
|
rlm@2
|
786 her. So little things like that didn’t seem to matter to her. But it
|
|
rlm@2
|
787 grew more difficult as time went by. The hope of youth slowly slips
|
|
rlm@2
|
788 away from you as the harshness of reality sets in. I think she truly
|
|
rlm@2
|
789 believed that you would rescue her for quite some time,” Ruby Moon
|
|
rlm@2
|
790 said, startling Sakura as she appeared by her side.
|
|
rlm@2
|
791 “She was going to kiss me...” Sakura mumbled, a hand going to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
792 lips. She could remember that night, with her eyes closed. She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
793 had no idea that Tomoyo had been so close. That the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
794 had another piece to her present. Her mind shot back to the kiss
|
|
rlm@2
|
795 under the mistletoe not that long before. So Tomoyo had some other
|
|
rlm@2
|
796 reason behind it other than just some holiday tradition. A shiver
|
|
rlm@2
|
797 went through her as the cold emptiness once again surrounded them.
|
|
rlm@2
|
798 She longed to see Tomoyo again, to see the warmth and brightness the
|
|
rlm@2
|
799 other girl seemed to give off. Anything but this expanse of nothing.
|
|
rlm@2
|
800 Ruby Moon nodded. “She was. That was back before she had given up
|
|
rlm@2
|
801 on being your special someone. There was still hope in her heart that
|
|
rlm@2
|
802 she could be the one you would love in the end. But that dwindled
|
|
rlm@2
|
803 away as time went by. She convinced herself that it wasn’t that way,
|
|
rlm@2
|
804 that you would love another. That someone else would be the one to
|
|
rlm@2
|
805 make you happy.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
806 Sakura shook her head quickly, trying desperately to get a grasp on
|
|
rlm@2
|
807 everything that was piling up on her. “What? But why? I mean, I
|
|
rlm@2
|
808 didn’t... Everyone had to tell me about Syaoran-kun. I had no idea
|
|
rlm@2
|
809 about my feelings before he wound up telling me. And without everyone
|
|
rlm@2
|
810 else pushing us together, I might never have known. Why would she
|
|
rlm@2
|
811 decide that we could never...” She trailed off, having trouble
|
|
rlm@2
|
812 wrapping her mind around the thoughts that followed. Her cheeks
|
|
rlm@2
|
813 blushed stubbornly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
814 “If they’re your feelings to begin with,” Ruby Moon stated
|
|
rlm@2
|
815 enigmatically. She sighed, shaking her head. “Sakura-chan, she has
|
|
rlm@2
|
816 poured her love out to you for a very long time now. It stays
|
|
rlm@2
|
817 unwaveringly with you through all that you do. It’s left open and
|
|
rlm@2
|
818 obvious to the world. But you have never seen past Tomoyo to the love
|
|
rlm@2
|
819 that lies in her heart. You have ignored it, taking it for granted
|
|
rlm@2
|
820 that her love would always be there to nourish you as it was in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
821 past. Years of this have taken their toll on Tomoyo. She no longer
|
|
rlm@2
|
822 believes that you can love her because of it. So she contents herself
|
|
rlm@2
|
823 with waiting in the background and trying to help you with someone
|
|
rlm@2
|
824 she thinks you do love.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
825 “I do love him,” Sakura said, suddenly feeling defensive. But why?
|
|
rlm@2
|
826 It had never been an issue to her before. But what troubled Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
827 was that after witnessing her best friend’s love for her from another
|
|
rlm@2
|
828 point of view, actually seeing it perhaps for the first time in her
|
|
rlm@2
|
829 life, she wasn’t so sure anymore. A blindfold had been pulled from
|
|
rlm@2
|
830 her eyes, allowing her to see the pulsing love the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
831 held for her in all its glorious colors and magnitude. This left her
|
|
rlm@2
|
832 feeling on very shaky ground. It was nothing like how she felt for
|
|
rlm@2
|
833 Syaoran. It was almost intense enough for her to smell, taste, or
|
|
rlm@2
|
834 touch. A tangible object that Sakura could feel entwining around her
|
|
rlm@2
|
835 like so many flowing ribbons. She hugged herself tightly as she tried
|
|
rlm@2
|
836 to get a grasp on the overwhelming feelings surging through her. “I
|
|
rlm@2
|
837 don’t ignore her,” Sakura whispered, less sure of herself. Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@2
|
838 been her best friend for years now. They had shared so much together.
|
|
rlm@2
|
839 She was always the focus of Tomoyo’s life. But Sakura found herself
|
|
rlm@2
|
840 caught up in so many things, always expecting Tomoyo to be there when
|
|
rlm@2
|
841 she needed her. And the dark haired girl always was. She had insight
|
|
rlm@2
|
842 into Sakura that shone a bright light into even the darkest areas of
|
|
rlm@2
|
843 her life that Sakura herself was clueless about. Yet Sakura had
|
|
rlm@2
|
844 missed so much about her friend. She always wrote it off as just more
|
|
rlm@2
|
845 of Tomoyo’s normally eccentric behavior. It was right there in front
|
|
rlm@2
|
846 of her and she continued to miss it. She just always expected that
|
|
rlm@2
|
847 love and warmth and support that Tomoyo always selflessly offered up
|
|
rlm@2
|
848 to her to be there in her life.
|
|
rlm@2
|
849 Ruby Moon offered a small, comforting smile to the Cardmistress
|
|
rlm@2
|
850 before putting a hand on your shoulder. “The past is filled with
|
|
rlm@2
|
851 beautiful memories, but life continues onward. You have to cherish
|
|
rlm@2
|
852 them as you life moves onward. Never forget their lessons or their
|
|
rlm@2
|
853 simple joys.” She paused for a moment. “We have to go, Sakura-chan.
|
|
rlm@2
|
854 There’s still much for you to see tonight.” Pity crept up on her for
|
|
rlm@2
|
855 the brunette girl, but she knew there was little she could do.
|
|
rlm@2
|
856 Sakura followed along helplessly, trailing slightly behind as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
857 tried to get a grasp on the situation. “Tomoyo-chan...” she
|
|
rlm@2
|
858 whispered again. Right now she desperately needed the dark haired
|
|
rlm@2
|
859 girl’s love and support. Whenever things were difficult for her,
|
|
rlm@2
|
860 Tomoyo was always there to soothe her battered spirit and warm the
|
|
rlm@2
|
861 cold inside of her. Tomoyo rarely dealt with the problem itself. No,
|
|
rlm@2
|
862 that was something for people like Syaoran to attack. Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
863 specialty was Sakura. Sakura was always the focus of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
864 concentration whenever Sakura needed help. And the Cardmistress found
|
|
rlm@2
|
865 herself realizing how much more important that was to her. She could
|
|
rlm@2
|
866 handle any problems when Tomoyo was there to bolster her heart and
|
|
rlm@2
|
867 soul. The world began to shift around Sakura, but she barely noticed
|
|
rlm@2
|
868 until they shown like Christmas lights all around her. In the eerie
|
|
rlm@2
|
869 lighting, she thought she saw Tomoyo standing alone before the
|
|
rlm@2
|
870 pageant once more, a phantom amongst the gathering lights. But before
|
|
rlm@2
|
871 Sakura could call out to the lonely shadow, she was gone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
872
|
|
rlm@2
|
873 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura called out, her hand reaching forward. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
874 fingers laced around a bed sheet, pulling it close. “Hoe?” Blinking
|
|
rlm@2
|
875 confusedly, the brunette found herself back in bed, her blanket
|
|
rlm@2
|
876 pulled oddly around her. Her hand clutched for her cell phone
|
|
rlm@2
|
877 instinctively. “Tomoyo-chan…” she got out as it began ringing. There
|
|
rlm@2
|
878 was a long pause as Sakura waited. What if she wasn’t there? She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
879 to speak with her. She almost hung up when she heard it connect.
|
|
rlm@2
|
880 “Tomoyo-chan?!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
881 There was a moment of silence before Sakura got her reply. “Sakura-
|
|
rlm@2
|
882 chan? Are you all right?” Tomoyo asked concernedly. “Is anything
|
|
rlm@2
|
883 wrong?” Her voice was gentle and soothing as always and Sakura could
|
|
rlm@2
|
884 feel her worries begin to melt away. Tomoyo waited patiently for an
|
|
rlm@2
|
885 answer.
|
|
rlm@2
|
886 Sakura could picture Tomoyo sitting on her bed in her nightgown,
|
|
rlm@2
|
887 holding the phone in her soft, pale hands and felt herself relax.
|
|
rlm@2
|
888 “I’m.. I’m all right, I think. I just had a weird dream, that’s all.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
889 It had all been a dream, hadn’t it? Her mother, Ruby Moon, the past.
|
|
rlm@2
|
890 It was all just one big dream. She sighed. “It’s good to hear your
|
|
rlm@2
|
891 voice, Tomoyo-chan.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
892 “You can always call me if you want to talk, Sakura-chan. I’m glad
|
|
rlm@2
|
893 that you’re doing all right. Please don’t let a dream worry you too
|
|
rlm@2
|
894 much. Sakura-chan should only have the prettiest, sweetest dreams of
|
|
rlm@2
|
895 all on Christmas Eve.” Tomoyo shifted on the other side of the phone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
896 It sounded like she was sitting up. “Whatever’s troubling you, I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
897 sure it won’t affect your Christmas. Christmas won’t be the same for
|
|
rlm@2
|
898 your family if Sakura-chan isn’t bright and happy for it.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
899 For a second, Sakura considered asking Tomoyo about her feelings.
|
|
rlm@2
|
900 Was the dream right about them? Did Tomoyo really love her? Looking
|
|
rlm@2
|
901 back on memories of past Christmases and just about any other time
|
|
rlm@2
|
902 she had spent with the dark haired girl, Sakura could only come to a
|
|
rlm@2
|
903 resounding yes as the conclusion. But that was something she would
|
|
rlm@2
|
904 have to ask her about in person. She smiled a little, feeling better
|
|
rlm@2
|
905 now that she was talking to her best friend. “You’re right, Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
906 chan.” She giggled softly. “You’re always right. You always seem to
|
|
rlm@2
|
907 know what’s going on.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
908 “I don’t know everything. I just have a good idea about Sakura-chan
|
|
rlm@2
|
909 because she’s my absolute favorite subject,” Tomoyo said matter-of-
|
|
rlm@2
|
910 factly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
911 “Arigato gozimasu, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said into the phone. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
912 dreams were all just getting to her because it was almost Christmas
|
|
rlm@2
|
913 and she was stressing out way too much about everything. Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
914 soft voice was already making the odd tone of the dreams seem far
|
|
rlm@2
|
915 off. Something over near the door caught her attention. Kero was
|
|
rlm@2
|
916 floating there in a top hat, wearing a green and red checkered scarf
|
|
rlm@2
|
917 and mittens with little snowmen on them. “Oh, Kero-chan’s here.
|
|
rlm@2
|
918 That’s a cute outfit you made him, Tomoyo-chan.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
919 “Kero-chan’s wearing an outfit? I didn’t make him one. I gave him a
|
|
rlm@2
|
920 video game for Christmas. I’m sure it’s cute, though.” Tomoyo sounded
|
|
rlm@2
|
921 a bit confused, but it quickly disappeared. It was probably just
|
|
rlm@2
|
922 something he’d cobbled together himself. “And your welcome, Sakura-
|
|
rlm@2
|
923 chan. I always love hearing from you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
924 Sakura smiled as she slipped her legs over the side of the bed,
|
|
rlm@2
|
925 waving at the Seal Beast. Kero waited impatiently, his arms crossed.
|
|
rlm@2
|
926 “I’ve got to go now, Tomoyo-chan. I think Kero wants something.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
927 “All right. Tell him I said ‘Merry Christmas’ for me, please. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
928 sleep well, Sakura-chan. Have the dreams of angels.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
929 Sakura froze, her hand tightly on the phone. Angels... Her mother
|
|
rlm@2
|
930 had mentioned that earlier. But it had only been a dream. Still, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
931 coincidence was enough to shake her. “I will. Thanks again, Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
932 chan! Sleep well!” Sakura hung up and set the cell phone back down.
|
|
rlm@2
|
933 Her emerald eyes went back up to Kero. “Where have you been, Kero-
|
|
rlm@2
|
934 chan?” she asked curiously.
|
|
rlm@2
|
935 Striking as cool a pose as he could possibly attain in his current
|
|
rlm@2
|
936 attire, Kero whipped his scarf back over his shoulder. “I am the
|
|
rlm@2
|
937 Ghost of Christmas Presents. I am here to show you all the great
|
|
rlm@2
|
938 stuff you’re gonna get!” Kero nodded triumphantly, transcendental
|
|
rlm@2
|
939 light starting to glow behind him. Ruby Moon’s hand snaked out from
|
|
rlm@2
|
940 the light and dragged Kero back through it. Sakura stared in
|
|
rlm@2
|
941 disbelief as she heard a muffled argument through the light. After a
|
|
rlm@2
|
942 long moment, Kero popped back into sight. He cleared his throat
|
|
rlm@2
|
943 loudly and began again. “I am the Ghost of Christmas Present! The
|
|
rlm@2
|
944 here and now. Today.” He glared back at the light before continuing.
|
|
rlm@2
|
945 “And I’m here to show you Christmas, Sakura-chan!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
946 “What?” It took a moment for Kero’s words to register in Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
947 still clouded mind. Her head shook quickly, her eyes going wide as
|
|
rlm@2
|
948 realization struck her forcefully. “Oh, no! Kero-chan, I’ve already
|
|
rlm@2
|
949 seen Ruby Moon and my mother. It’s late. I’m tired. Can’t we do this
|
|
rlm@2
|
950 later?” Or better yet, not at all? A voice in the back of her mind
|
|
rlm@2
|
951 asked. She gave a wary smile to the oddly dressed Seal Beast. “It’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
952 almost Christmas, Kero-chan. And it’s late. And I understand. Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
953 chan likes me.” A small blush started to spread across her cheeks.
|
|
rlm@2
|
954 “What else do I need to know?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
955 “Plenty,” Kero said quickly. He looked at Sakura with his tiny
|
|
rlm@2
|
956 black eyes, studying her. “And I have no idea who this ‘Kero-chan’
|
|
rlm@2
|
957 is. I am the ghost of Christmas Presents.” He paused for a moment
|
|
rlm@2
|
958 before correcting himself. “Present.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
959 Sakura suppressed a giggle and nodded. “All right, Kero-chan. Where
|
|
rlm@2
|
960 do we go?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
961 With a flourish of his scarf, Kero fluttered up to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
962 Cardmistress. “To a place you know well. Though this time you’ll be
|
|
rlm@2
|
963 seeing it in a different light. Finding out Tomoyo’s feelings isn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
964 the only thing you’re supposed to learn, Sakura-chan. There’s much
|
|
rlm@2
|
965 more for you to discover tonight.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
966 But what more could there be? Sakura couldn’t come up with
|
|
rlm@2
|
967 anything. She had missed Tomoyo’s hints and gestures of love and
|
|
rlm@2
|
968 affection over the years, but now they made sense to her. That was
|
|
rlm@2
|
969 what her mother had meant about her overlooking something, right?
|
|
rlm@2
|
970 That had to be it. So she’d have to ask Tomoyo about it later. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
971 dark haired girl seemed to be fine with the way things were, so it
|
|
rlm@2
|
972 couldn’t be bad enough to warrant all this. In fact, this just
|
|
rlm@2
|
973 managed to make everything even more confusing than it already had
|
|
rlm@2
|
974 been. Now how was she supposed to treat Tomoyo? She already had
|
|
rlm@2
|
975 Syaoran as her boyfriend. She didn’t know what to do or even what to
|
|
rlm@2
|
976 say to Tomoyo about it. She could see herself in her mind’s eye
|
|
rlm@2
|
977 smiling at the pale girl upon arriving at her house. ‘Hi, Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
978 chan! So you like me, huh? Well, we can still be friends, but I’ve
|
|
rlm@2
|
979 got Syaoran-kun. Did you want to go on a picnic?’ A small shiver went
|
|
rlm@2
|
980 through her. Just what was she supposed to say, anyway? Oddly enough,
|
|
rlm@2
|
981 she could see Tomoyo smiling her same sweet smile even after cruel
|
|
rlm@2
|
982 words like those and agreeing that a picnic would be lovely. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
983 didn’t make sense, but it was perfect Tomoyo. A lot about Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
984 didn’t make sense, but Sakura had always been happy to be her best
|
|
rlm@2
|
985 friend. At least now a little more about the dark haired girl was
|
|
rlm@2
|
986 clear. Even if it meant Sakura would eventually have to figure out
|
|
rlm@2
|
987 what to say to her about it. Or if she should. A sigh escaped her
|
|
rlm@2
|
988 lips as she took Kero’s small paw. She wanted to see Tomoyo, to tell
|
|
rlm@2
|
989 her everything. Tomoyo always managed to make her feel better.
|
|
rlm@2
|
990 “We’re here,” Kero said casually as he let go of Sakura’s hand.
|
|
rlm@2
|
991 They were standing in front of the Daidouji mansion, the lawn and
|
|
rlm@2
|
992 walls decorated extravagantly with Christmas decorations.
|
|
rlm@2
|
993 “Huh? Ah!” Sakura pulled a foot up, staring at the ground. Snow was
|
|
rlm@2
|
994 underneath her bare foot, but she couldn’t feel the cold. It was
|
|
rlm@2
|
995 distant, like walking through a video recording. The snow didn’t even
|
|
rlm@2
|
996 shift under her feet as if it didn’t recognize that Sakura was
|
|
rlm@2
|
997 standing there. Being set apart from the world that way sent a chill
|
|
rlm@2
|
998 down Sakura’s spine. She hadn’t even noticed that they had gone
|
|
rlm@2
|
999 anywhere until the top hatted Seal Beast had pointed it out to her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1000 The sudden transition made it difficult for her to get her bearings.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1001 “Tomoyo-chan’s house,” she said at last, her eyes heading towards
|
|
rlm@2
|
1002 Tomoyo’s bedroom window. “Oh! She’s having her party!” A small thrill
|
|
rlm@2
|
1003 counteracted the creepy feelings that had been preying on her and a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1004 smile crossed her face. “So I can see her party after all!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1005 Kero nodded eagerly, hugging himself tightly as a look of pure joy
|
|
rlm@2
|
1006 crossed his teddy bear face. “I LOVE Christmas parties! And ‘cause
|
|
rlm@2
|
1007 it’s Tomoyo-chan’s, you just know there’s gonna be lots of cakes and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1008 puddings and deserts and yummy stuff to eat. And games! I bet she’d
|
|
rlm@2
|
1009 have plenty of games, too! Of course she would. It’s Christmas!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1010 Floating as if on a cloud of sheer ecstasy, the Ghost of Christmas
|
|
rlm@2
|
1011 Present started flying circles around Sakura.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1012 Sweatdropping, Sakura wondered how the Ghost could possibly be
|
|
rlm@2
|
1013 anyone but the Seal Beast with the Osaka dialect that she had known
|
|
rlm@2
|
1014 for some time. He may have denied being Kero, but he wasn’t doing a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1015 very good job of disguising himself. “So where is Tomoyo-chan having
|
|
rlm@2
|
1016 her party then? I don’t see any lights.” The brunette held her hands
|
|
rlm@2
|
1017 near her eyes, trying to get a better look. Sure enough, the only
|
|
rlm@2
|
1018 lights coming from the mansion were from the many Christmas lights
|
|
rlm@2
|
1019 generously positioned around the building.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1020 Finally managing to get a hold of himself, though still seeing
|
|
rlm@2
|
1021 visions of candy and deserts, the little bear in the top hat, began
|
|
rlm@2
|
1022 to lead the way towards the house. “Christmas is a wondrous time,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1023 Sakura-chan. People everywhere find themselves sharing food and gifts
|
|
rlm@2
|
1024 with family and friends. Even if it’s cold outside, the warmth from
|
|
rlm@2
|
1025 the hearts of those celebrating more than make up for it. Lovers kiss
|
|
rlm@2
|
1026 under mistletoe. Friends exchange gifts with each other. Families
|
|
rlm@2
|
1027 come together for generous meals to share. Big meals. With lots of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1028 seconds. And plenty of deserts.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1029 “Kero-chan...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1030 “Oh!” Kero shook his head, trying to get the images out of his
|
|
rlm@2
|
1031 mind. He hadn’t noticed until then that he had begun salivating.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1032 Dabbing at his mouth with his scarf, he continued on. “No matter who
|
|
rlm@2
|
1033 you are or where you are, the most important thing about Christmas is
|
|
rlm@2
|
1034 love. Sharing the holidays with the ones you love is what makes it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1035 great. Giving of your heart, adding to a feast of warmth that you all
|
|
rlm@2
|
1036 can share. Sure, there’s cool presents that I could be showing you
|
|
rlm@2
|
1037 right now...” he glared off into the distance for a moment before
|
|
rlm@2
|
1038 continuing, “but right now I have to show you the hidden parts of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1039 this Christmas. Maybe when we’re done...” He nodded to himself,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1040 pleased. “Well, we’ll see about that. But for right now, let’s go see
|
|
rlm@2
|
1041 the party!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1042 Sakura nodded eagerly, following Kero’s receding form into the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1043 mansion. Wouldn’t Tomoyo be surprised when she knew what happened
|
|
rlm@2
|
1044 even without the videotape!
|
|
rlm@2
|
1045
|
|
rlm@2
|
1046 The house really was entirely dark. Sakura could only see by the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1047 light of the Christmas lights, and with them flickering on and off in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1048 intricate patterns, it certainly made things difficult. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1049 considered using the Sakura Cards to light her path, but her nervous
|
|
rlm@2
|
1050 hand couldn’t find the key. Everything felt wrong. Houses generally
|
|
rlm@2
|
1051 held some feelings to them. Her own house felt comfortable and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1052 loving. Tomoyo’s home had a warmth and sweetness to it that she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1053 always liked. But this time was different. It was like she was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1054 walking through some sort of twisted version of the mansion. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1055 couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong. Only that she could
|
|
rlm@2
|
1056 feel it. The shadows seemed to stick out at all angles, almost moving
|
|
rlm@2
|
1057 from the sporadic Christmas light patterns. Sakura swallowed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1058 nervously but found her mouth had gone dry. ‘Ghosts!’ her mind kept
|
|
rlm@2
|
1059 crying out when a shadow would loom near her for a moment before
|
|
rlm@2
|
1060 shifting in shades of green, red, and blue. She found herself wishing
|
|
rlm@2
|
1061 not for the first time that night that Tomoyo could be there. Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
1062 never seemed afraid, except when she was worried about Sakura. Ghosts
|
|
rlm@2
|
1063 just didn’t seem to bother her, though the brunette couldn’t figure
|
|
rlm@2
|
1064 out how anybody could not be afraid of ghosts. So she would always
|
|
rlm@2
|
1065 clutch onto Tomoyo when she was worried about them. And she would
|
|
rlm@2
|
1066 feel better, holding onto Tomoyo, because she knew the other girl was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1067 there with her. But now...
|
|
rlm@2
|
1068 “I think it’s this way,” Kero said after a moment, completely
|
|
rlm@2
|
1069 hidden in the darkness in front of Sakura. His voice didn’t sound
|
|
rlm@2
|
1070 quite so sure. The place was so big! He had come with Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1071 occasionally, but he never got to do any exploring. He should be
|
|
rlm@2
|
1072 making Sakura lead the way. After all, she knew the place better than
|
|
rlm@2
|
1073 he did. But his keen Seal Beast pride got in the way as he floundered
|
|
rlm@2
|
1074 about in the dark. He barely noticed Sakura’s shriek at his sudden
|
|
rlm@2
|
1075 comment.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1076 Catching her breath, Sakura followed the jolly ghost further into
|
|
rlm@2
|
1077 the darkness. Her eyes caught on the flickering lights coming from a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1078 large Christmas tree standing on the far side of a room she was about
|
|
rlm@2
|
1079 to pass. Forgetting about all about Kero for the moment, Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1080 slowly entered the room. Wouldn’t this be where Tomoyo would have her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1081 party? The large room could easily fit all of her friends and was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1082 very well decorated. Finding herself drawn to the sparkling Christmas
|
|
rlm@2
|
1083 tree, Sakura’s fingers reached out to touch a few of the ornaments.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1084 They were all very beautiful. Some looked like priceless antiques,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1085 placed with ginger care upon the branches. Glimmering crystal angels,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1086 sparkling icicles, glass bells, and so much more festooned the tree.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1087 Placed just as gingerly but with perhaps even more love, were small,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1088 worn out trinkets from years long past. Sakura could see a small
|
|
rlm@2
|
1089 snowman that’s seems were starting to show. It had Tomoyo’s name on
|
|
rlm@2
|
1090 the back with a date. It didn’t surprise Sakura that Tomoyo had made
|
|
rlm@2
|
1091 several other ornaments on the tree as well. Some were from nearly a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1092 decade before. Yet these old ornaments, some quite obviously made by
|
|
rlm@2
|
1093 a child (a skilled child, but a child nonetheless), appeared to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
1094 some of the most cherished objects adorning the tree. “So you get to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1095 be dressed up by Tomoyo-chan, too, Mr. Tree?” she asked quietly. Some
|
|
rlm@2
|
1096 other ornaments appeared to be from a time even further back, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1097 grasp of age touching on them. Family heirlooms, Sakura supposed.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1098 Several appeared to come from Tomoyo’s mother’s childhood, others
|
|
rlm@2
|
1099 from further back than that. She caught sight of her mother in one of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1100 them, a beautiful young girl around Sakura’s age at the time the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1101 picture was taken. She was lying in the snow next to a brunette woman
|
|
rlm@2
|
1102 that Sakura recognized instantly. ‘Sonomi and Nadeshiko’, it read on
|
|
rlm@2
|
1103 the back. The two looked so happy in the picture. Her mother’s words
|
|
rlm@2
|
1104 once again whispered in her ear. Tomoyo had once told her that all of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1105 her mother’s employees were female because of her preference. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
1106 Sonomi always talked about Sakura’s mother so dreamily. Was that what
|
|
rlm@2
|
1107 her mother had meant about what happened to her? Sonomi did seem to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1108 be in a lot of pain over her death. ‘But I would never hurt Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
1109 chan. I couldn’t stand to know she was in pain. So I shouldn’t have
|
|
rlm@2
|
1110 to worry about it. But still...’ Her eyes couldn’t leave the picture.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1111 The two best friends, happily together. One of them so in love with
|
|
rlm@2
|
1112 the other. For a moment, the picture shifted and she saw herself and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1113 Tomoyo in it. She backed away quickly, nearly tripping over a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1114 Christmas present.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1115 Presents lay scattered underneath the tree, all done up in festive
|
|
rlm@2
|
1116 wrapping paper with plenty of bows and ribbons. Sakura had to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1117 suppress a laugh. She could definitely tell which were from Tomoyo to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1118 her mother. Only two names alternated on them all. Sonomi and Tomoyo.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1119 Her laughter was short lived when she read Sonomi’s name. No, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1120 wouldn’t hurt Tomoyo. She couldn’t. But the thought frightened her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1121 Her mother had warned her that she was making the same mistake she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1122 had. But what?
|
|
rlm@2
|
1123 A sound from the other side of the room caught Sakura’s attention.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1124 Her ears perked up as she peered into the shadows engulfing the rest
|
|
rlm@2
|
1125 of the room starting just a few feet in front of her. She waited in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1126 the darkness, holding her breath, waiting for it to happen again.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1127 Lights shifted on the floor in front of her. Red, blue, green,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1128 orange, violet. Blinking on and off in their continuing patterns.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1129 Staring at the shapes they cast on the floor, Sakura began to wonder
|
|
rlm@2
|
1130 if it had just been her imagination. A muffled sob reached Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1131 ears, quiet but unmistakable in the silent room. The voice behind the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1132 pain racked cry was equally unmistakable to Sakura. That voice that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1133 always soothed her soul, that carried her away to distant locales
|
|
rlm@2
|
1134 when in verse, that made embarrassing comments about how cute she was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1135 or how talented.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1136 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered into the darkness. Her body went
|
|
rlm@2
|
1137 as cold as if she had just awoken in the snow. Her heart felt just as
|
|
rlm@2
|
1138 numb. She walked forward slowly, her emerald eyes questing valiantly
|
|
rlm@2
|
1139 for any sign of her dark haired best friend. She could by now dimly
|
|
rlm@2
|
1140 make out a large couch facing the Christmas tree with some pillows or
|
|
rlm@2
|
1141 a large sheet lying over it. She couldn’t quite make it all out in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1142 the dim light of the Christmas tree. A long table rested near the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1143 couch. A delicious looking cake was set atop it, beautifully
|
|
rlm@2
|
1144 decorated for the occasion. That must have been the cake Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1145 hurried home to make. But it hardly looked touched, not a single
|
|
rlm@2
|
1146 piece removed. Cups lay nearby, along with holiday themed napkins and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1147 a large pitcher of spiced cider. This had to be where Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1148 planned to have the party! But what had happened? It didn't look like
|
|
rlm@2
|
1149 anyone had been here.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1150 “Sakura-chan...” Tomoyo’s weak voice got out before another sob
|
|
rlm@2
|
1151 broke through. The sheet shifted on the couch, darkness cascading
|
|
rlm@2
|
1152 down around the top of it. The form shuddered, crying quietly in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1153 empty room. She had mistaken the dark haired girl at first, but now
|
|
rlm@2
|
1154 her eyes began to adjust. From what little she could see, Tomoyo was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1155 wearing a beautiful green and rust red party dress, her dark hair
|
|
rlm@2
|
1156 done up in pigtails. Her tears sparkled in the darkness, reflecting
|
|
rlm@2
|
1157 the colored lights as they slid down her cheeks. Her pale skin made
|
|
rlm@2
|
1158 her look eerily ghostlike in the dim light, almost an apparition of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1159 her normal self.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1160 Sakura’s heart broke in two to hear the strangled, miserable sobs
|
|
rlm@2
|
1161 that broke free while Tomoyo cried, alone. The brunette was caught
|
|
rlm@2
|
1162 completely off guard. She had never seen Tomoyo like this before.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1163 “What happened?” she asked, hoping that Tomoyo would somehow hear
|
|
rlm@2
|
1164 her. “Tomoyo-chan.” Her own voice was shaky in her ears.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1165 Tomoyo curled up into a tight little ball on the couch, hugging her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1166 legs to her chest. Her head ached from crying too much. Her body felt
|
|
rlm@2
|
1167 sick and exhausted. But she couldn't stop the tears. She should go to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1168 her room before her mother got home so she wouldn’t see her like
|
|
rlm@2
|
1169 this. She should clean up her little ‘party’ before she would have to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1170 explain what had happened. But she couldn’t will herself to get off
|
|
rlm@2
|
1171 the couch. She didn’t want to leave the dark confines of the room
|
|
rlm@2
|
1172 that she had waited hours in. Hours all alone. She had the sinking
|
|
rlm@2
|
1173 feeling that this is how it would always be. This was what awaited
|
|
rlm@2
|
1174 her in her not so distant future. Alone, alone, always alone. She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1175 made the cake hours earlier, in preparation for her Christmas party.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1176 Everything had been set up. She had done a meticulous job of making
|
|
rlm@2
|
1177 sure everything would be perfect. Sakura would be there, after all.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1178 And she wanted to spend a perfect Christmas Eve with her darling
|
|
rlm@2
|
1179 Sakura. Finding out Sakura couldn’t be there had been a bit of a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1180 shock, and a rather painful one. She wanted nothing else for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1181 Christmas than to spend it in the glowing presence of her beloved
|
|
rlm@2
|
1182 best friend. But she had hidden all that away. She couldn’t let
|
|
rlm@2
|
1183 Sakura see how disappointed she was. No, she had to make sure that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1184 Sakura enjoyed her night with her family. After all, that was an
|
|
rlm@2
|
1185 important part of Christmas, too. But her family, her only family
|
|
rlm@2
|
1186 could not be there for Christmas Eve. Her mother was far too busy
|
|
rlm@2
|
1187 finishing things at work for the Holiday. She had understood that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1188 when her mother had explained. Sonomi had been hesitant to go, making
|
|
rlm@2
|
1189 sure that it was all right with Tomoyo if she did. Tomoyo knew how
|
|
rlm@2
|
1190 busy her work could be and told her that it was quite all right, that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1191 they would spend Christmas Day together, so it wasn’t a problem. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1192 two women that meant the most in Tomoyo’s life couldn’t be there for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1193 Christmas Eve. But that was all right. She would be strong for them.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1194 She had guests to attend to as it was. So she had finished the last
|
|
rlm@2
|
1195 of her preparations for the party and then waited. And waited. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
1196 decorated a little more before waiting. She didn’t know when it had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1197 finally struck her that no one was coming. Minutes after the start of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1198 the party? Hours? She couldn’t be sure. But it had all become too
|
|
rlm@2
|
1199 much for her to bear. Here she was, all alone on Christmas Eve, like
|
|
rlm@2
|
1200 some forgotten Christmas present that wouldn’t be found till the next
|
|
rlm@2
|
1201 year. Tears fell past her ivory skin to the couch underneath her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1202 Sakura was surprised when she felt a tear of her own slipping down
|
|
rlm@2
|
1203 her cheek. Her eyes were starting to sting as she sat watching her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1204 best friend crying softly. “Tomoyo-chan... What happened? Please..”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1205 she pleaded with the dark haired girl to no avail. She felt so
|
|
rlm@2
|
1206 helpless. There wasn’t anything she could do. She had been so sure
|
|
rlm@2
|
1207 that nothing could faze Tomoyo, that she always managed to have the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1208 gentle smile no matter the circumstances. Seeing her like this was a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1209 wake up call for Sakura, shaking away the illusions that had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1210 surrounded her friend. Suddenly Sakura started to wonder if she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1211 actually had hurt Tomoyo before, not seeing behind the dark haired
|
|
rlm@2
|
1212 girl’s smile to the pain she had caused. Her mind began pouring
|
|
rlm@2
|
1213 through memories, but she quickly gave up that search. It would do no
|
|
rlm@2
|
1214 good. Not now.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1215 Unknowing of the subject of her thoughts presence, Tomoyo continued
|
|
rlm@2
|
1216 to cry in the darkness. She didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t think
|
|
rlm@2
|
1217 she could take it. Her heart longed for Sakura, for a love that had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1218 long been denied, one that she now knew she couldn’t have. Yet her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1219 heart would not listen. It only called out for Sakura, aching
|
|
rlm@2
|
1220 painfully for her. And loneliness was the only thing this road
|
|
rlm@2
|
1221 offered. But she would live with it for Sakura. She didn’t know any
|
|
rlm@2
|
1222 other way. Tomoyo cried harder, her sides starting to ache. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1223 thought of returning to her room, to her personal shrine to Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1224 just made her feel worse inside. She had no place to go. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1225 Christmas tree peeked out at her through her tear blurred vision,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1226 taunting her with its grim reminder of this painful Christmas Eve.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1227 Her stormy blue eyes shut tightly, her small body shaking on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1228 couch. She just wanted Sakura to hold her close, to feel her warm
|
|
rlm@2
|
1229 embrace. To hear her beautiful voice. But she knew she couldn’t. This
|
|
rlm@2
|
1230 was the dark underbelly of Christmas. It had two sides. The bright,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1231 joyous side. The one she hoped that Sakura would be seeing with her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1232 family. And the dark, lonely side. The holiday when experienced in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1233 all of its gruesome torment. Alone. When all it managed to do was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1234 reinforce how insignificant and lost one is in the wide world.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1235 Why had she thrown this party? What had she hoped to accomplish? She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1236 just wanted to have a wonderful Christmas Eve for everyone. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1237 thought it would be perfect to have Sakura and all of her friends
|
|
rlm@2
|
1238 over. But she knew at the back of her mind that they weren’t her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1239 friends. They were Sakura’s friends. Like a puppy tagging along
|
|
rlm@2
|
1240 behind her owner, Tomoyo had never really been befriended by Chiharu
|
|
rlm@2
|
1241 and the others. She was merely there. Why would they come over for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1242 Christmas of all days? They had their own families and loved ones.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1243 They all had people to share the holiday with. Tomoyo felt frozen
|
|
rlm@2
|
1244 despite the heat being on. Christmas Eve was almost over now. It was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1245 growing late. The day would soon be over, but the scars on Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1246 soul would remain. After all, Today is always built upon Yesterday’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1247 ashes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1248 Kero sighed, shaking his head. “Christmas isn’t always happy for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1249 everyone. Even with a warm heart, with no one to share it with, what
|
|
rlm@2
|
1250 good is it? It’s like having an oven, but no food to put in it. It’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1251 just... empty.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1252 Sakura didn’t even turn to look at the festively dressed Seal Beast,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1253 her eyes never leaving Tomoyo shuddering form. She looked so weak, so
|
|
rlm@2
|
1254 frail. As if the slightest touch would shatter her into a thousand
|
|
rlm@2
|
1255 jagged pieces. She remembered something her father had said to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1256 when she had accidentally broken a pot as a child. ‘Sakura-chan, when
|
|
rlm@2
|
1257 we break things, we can’t always fix them. We can try to put them
|
|
rlm@2
|
1258 back together, but they’ll never be exactly the way they were,’ he
|
|
rlm@2
|
1259 had explained while they tried to glue the pot back together. Had she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1260 broken Tomoyo? Could she pick up all the pieces? “What happened?” she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1261 asked in a tiny voice.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1262 Clearing his throat, Kero looked away. He had never seen Tomoyo, or
|
|
rlm@2
|
1263 anyone that he could remember, looking quite so desolate before. “Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1264 mother couldn’t be here because of work. You couldn’t be here because
|
|
rlm@2
|
1265 of dinner. You friends didn’t show up because they all had things to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1266 do and they’ve never been Tomoyo friends exactly anyway so they
|
|
rlm@2
|
1267 didn’t see it as a big deal. She always follows you around so why
|
|
rlm@2
|
1268 would she care? I don’t think that matters though. The only ones that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1269 she really wanted to be here were you and her mother.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1270 Shaking her head sadly, Sakura reached out hesitantly for Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
1271 before stopping, her fingers inches from Tomoyo’s hand. “So this is
|
|
rlm@2
|
1272 all tonight? This is what happened with her party? Tomoyo-chan...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1273 She sniffled, cold tears spilling down her cheeks. “Tomoyo-chan!” she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1274 buried her face in her hands, crying into them. “It’s not fair! She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1275 shouldn’t have to be so sad! I... Tomoyo-chan, I’m so sorry...” Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1276 mouth opened to say more, but her throat locked up, unable to allow
|
|
rlm@2
|
1277 her to get anything else out. She just shook her head again, tears
|
|
rlm@2
|
1278 falling to her pajamas. Painful shards of ice grew into her heart,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1279 tearing at her with each consecutive sob that came from the dark
|
|
rlm@2
|
1280 haired girl. She couldn’t help but feel that it was her fault, that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1281 she had failed Tomoyo. ‘I always knew you would save me,’ Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1282 voice echoed in her mind. ‘But I failed her. I never saved her,’ her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1283 own voice came back accusingly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1284 “Sakura-chan, I’m sorry I had to show you this,” Kero apologized.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1285 “No... I’m.. I’m glad you did. If I didn’t see this, I’d never know.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1286 She would just smile when she sees me tomorrow and she’d act like
|
|
rlm@2
|
1287 everything’s all right. Be..Because I..” Her eyes shut closed as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1288 tried to continue, choking back sobs. “Because I can’t see it on my
|
|
rlm@2
|
1289 own... Kero-chan, I didn’t know..” A small whimper escaped her as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1290 fell back on her knees.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1291 “It’s okay, Sakura-chan. You’ll figure it out. But it’s not over
|
|
rlm@2
|
1292 yet. There’s still a final spirit to meet. The one who will judge
|
|
rlm@2
|
1293 you. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” Kero took Sakura’s hand,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1294 leading her away from Tomoyo’s silent form. Sakura kept watching her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1295 as she slowly began to walk away. She could see Sonomi enter the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1296 room, and paused.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1297 Sonomi brushed back some of Tomoyo’s long dark hair as she knelt
|
|
rlm@2
|
1298 beside her. Work had gone later than she expected, but she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1299 hurried home as quickly as she could. It didn’t take long for her to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1300 realize what had happened. The cake left untouched, the Christmas
|
|
rlm@2
|
1301 letter for Sakura still in Tomoyo’s hands, the tears staining her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1302 daughter’s cheeks. Tomoyo had just passed into a fitful sleep a short
|
|
rlm@2
|
1303 time before her arrival. She wiped the remaining tear from Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1304 pale cheek before gently picking her up. She kissed her forehead
|
|
rlm@2
|
1305 before walking out of the room with her baby girl. “It will be all
|
|
rlm@2
|
1306 right, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t know how, but it will be. I’ll be here
|
|
rlm@2
|
1307 for you when you wake up.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1308 ‘At least Sonomi-sama tries to protect her!’ Sakura’s mind lashed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1309 out. ‘And I’m the one she’s trying to protect her from. Oh kami-
|
|
rlm@2
|
1310 sama... How long have I been hurting her?’ Her legs went numb at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1311 thought. Fresh tears burned in her eyes. A weak sob escaped her lips
|
|
rlm@2
|
1312 and the world went black, plunging her into darkness.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1313
|
|
rlm@2
|
1314 It was cold. That was the first thing that Sakura noticed. Icy
|
|
rlm@2
|
1315 hands dragged the breath right out of her, cold daggers lancing into
|
|
rlm@2
|
1316 her sides as she tried to breathe in the frozen air. In all of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1317 other places she had traveled that night, the cold had been a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1318 distant, forgotten thing as if she were not a part of it. But now it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1319 surrounded her, grasping onto her, infusing into her body. Clutching
|
|
rlm@2
|
1320 herself tightly, she struggled to fend off the shaking of her cold
|
|
rlm@2
|
1321 body. “Kero-chan?” she called into the windswept night. But there was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1322 no answer. The howl of the wind startled the Cardmistress, snow
|
|
rlm@2
|
1323 falling about her pajama clad form. Alone and afraid, she started to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1324 cry, slumping to her knees in the freshly fallen snow. The night had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1325 take a lot out of her, and upon expecting to find herself in her bed,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1326 she wound up out in the bleary night without the faintest trace of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1327 her guardian. Still in anguish over seeing Tomoyo in such pain, pain
|
|
rlm@2
|
1328 that she had helped to bring to the door of her sweet and gentle best
|
|
rlm@2
|
1329 friend, Sakura couldn’t work up the strength to get back up.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1330 ‘Don’t cry. It won’t get you anywhere,’ a rough voice said from
|
|
rlm@2
|
1331 nowhere. Sakura’s body shuddered as she was wracked with more sobs.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1332 ‘Please don’t cry, Sakura-chan. It just makes me feel sad,’ a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1333 softer, more gentle voice spoke up from the same spot that was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1334 nowhere but ever so near to the brunette.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1335 Tomoyo... She had heard Tomoyo say that before. She shouldn’t cry
|
|
rlm@2
|
1336 because it made Tomoyo sad. And she couldn’t make Tomoyo sad anymore.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1337 The other voice... It had to be Syaoran’s. He had told her that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1338 crying wouldn’t solve anything, that she needed to face things
|
|
rlm@2
|
1339 without tears. Yes, he was right. “Everything will always be all
|
|
rlm@2
|
1340 right,” Sakura whispered to herself. That was her power, right? Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1341 special power. It wasn’t magic, it wasn’t strength. It was just a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1342 tiny phrase in the midst of a snowstorm. But it came with the love
|
|
rlm@2
|
1343 and support of those that had stood behind her at one point in time.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1344 It came with the profound faith of those that believed in her. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
1345 through that belief that they held in her, Sakura could have faith as
|
|
rlm@2
|
1346 well. That perhaps everything would be. Blinking in the blizzard that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1347 encompassed her, Sakura tried to look up. The endless white that had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1348 blanketed everything she could see was replaced in the immediate
|
|
rlm@2
|
1349 vicinity by a dark black shroud that rose up above her kneeling form.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1350 The cloak flailed around in the darkness, snow not daring to fall
|
|
rlm@2
|
1351 upon it’s midnight embrace. Yet Sakura couldn’t see make out whoever
|
|
rlm@2
|
1352 it was inside of the cloak, only a vague figure that remained
|
|
rlm@2
|
1353 shrouded in darkness. The figure held out a hand to Sakura, beckoning
|
|
rlm@2
|
1354 her to follow. “Are you... Are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1355 Come?” Sakura asked above the rising icy shriek of the wind. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1356 voice trembled, though not entirely from the cold. She was to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
1357 judged, she knew that. And she was afraid that she would be found
|
|
rlm@2
|
1358 terribly wanting in the eyes of this macabre judge, jury, and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1359 executioner. The figure nodded almost imperceptibly, causing Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1360 to wonder if she had even seen it at all. “There’s so much I’ve
|
|
rlm@2
|
1361 learned tonight. I... I never knew how much I had ignored Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@2
|
1362 chan. I didn’t know how much I had hurt her. Please, show me more. My
|
|
rlm@2
|
1363 mother said that you could help me. I don’t...” Her voice caught in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1364 her throat painfully as she tried to speak. It took a moment to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1365 swallow the burning tears and continue. “I don’t want to hurt anyone
|
|
rlm@2
|
1366 anymore. I just want everything to be all right.” Tears threatened to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1367 spill from her jade eyes, but the shadowed figure merely watched in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1368 silence before beckoning once more. Sakura once again found herself
|
|
rlm@2
|
1369 wishing Tomoyo was there to clutch onto. Why did they have to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
1370 ghosts? Why couldn’t they have been the three magical beings of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1371 Christmas? Or the three Mr. Seagulls? Anything would be better than
|
|
rlm@2
|
1372 ghosts. But she had already made up her mind. Frightened or not, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1373 had to follow. The shadowed figure slowly took her hand. It felt cold
|
|
rlm@2
|
1374 yet familiar in her grasp, but she couldn’t quite figure out who it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1375 belonged to. Her mind quickly gave up the futile attempt as the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1376 snowstorm grew infinitely worse, swallowing up Sakura and the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1377 mysterious stranger in it’s jagged talons.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1378
|
|
rlm@2
|
1379 Before the two figures, the snow slowly began to dissipate,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1380 weakening it’s snow white hold on Sakura’s vision. All around her,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1381 the snow continued to fall with a silent intensity, but before her it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1382 dropped in only small groups of snowflakes. She caught one between
|
|
rlm@2
|
1383 her hands, holding it in her opened palms for a moment. The tiny ice
|
|
rlm@2
|
1384 crystal was beautiful, a jewel from the sky. But almost immediately,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1385 it melted into cold water in her hands, not a trace remaining of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1386 beauty she had seen moments before.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1387 Cold fingers curled under Sakura’s chin, lifting her gaze to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1388 glass in front of them. It took all of the brunette’s strength not to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1389 jump at the sudden touch. The glass looked into a busy office room,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1390 people hurrying about their business. One woman in a business suit
|
|
rlm@2
|
1391 looked particularly familiar with her fairly short hair and glasses.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1392 “Working on your book, Naoko-san?” one of the women asked as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1393 poured herself something warm to drink. She had a warm, friendly air
|
|
rlm@2
|
1394 about her, but her tone was almost teasing as if she asked the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1395 question often.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1396 Naoko frowned, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with
|
|
rlm@2
|
1397 her index finger. “No, I’m not working on it today,” she stated
|
|
rlm@2
|
1398 simply, going through some papers shuffled together on her lap.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1399 “Oh? Why not?” a man asked curiously. Despite the earlier teasing,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1400 it seemed that they were used to a different answer. “Because it’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1401 Christmas Eve?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1402 Naoko nodded somberly, looking up again. The light shined off her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1403 glasses for a moment, frightening Sakura as she watched. “I don’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
1404 want to anger the spirits, after all. Today’s the anniversary. A girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
1405 I went to school with for years did something horrific last year. You
|
|
rlm@2
|
1406 see, she was a very lonely girl. You wouldn’t know that at first, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
1407 she was. She only had one really good friend. None of us understood
|
|
rlm@2
|
1408 at first, but as we grew older if became blaringly obvious. She was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1409 in love with her friend. But it was an unrequited love, one that she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1410 could never have. Every Christmas, she would try to give her gift of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1411 love to the one she held dear, but every year it went unreturned. No
|
|
rlm@2
|
1412 one could see that she was slowly freezing to death from the cruel,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1413 cold emptiness in her heart. Eventually, you could see the pain in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1414 her eyes, like cracks running through ice. It was frightening to see.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1415 It always made me feel cold inside when those eyes would turn to me.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1416 Naoko pulled her jacket about her tighter, shivering in her chair. “I
|
|
rlm@2
|
1417 didn’t hear from her after high school, but I heard stories. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1418 withdrew more and more as her lonely heart began to pain her even
|
|
rlm@2
|
1419 further. Yet every Christmas she would offer up her gift and every
|
|
rlm@2
|
1420 Christmas it would be denied her. One Christmas years ago, she simply
|
|
rlm@2
|
1421 died. It was as if her body just couldn’t live with that torment
|
|
rlm@2
|
1422 anymore. I heard that she looked peaceful, at rest. I guess she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1423 finally found the rest in death that she couldn’t have in life.” A
|
|
rlm@2
|
1424 cell phone call interrupted her story. Picking it up, she blushed a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1425 little upon answering. “Nakuru-san! Hai, of course I’ll be home in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1426 time for dinner.” The blush turned a little deeper as she whispered
|
|
rlm@2
|
1427 into the phone. “Of course. You know I love seeing you in that dress.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1428 Alright. I’ll see you in an hour or two.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1429 Sakura could only stare into the office, her hand on the window
|
|
rlm@2
|
1430 shaking softly. Naoko’s story had sent a splinter of ice deep into
|
|
rlm@2
|
1431 her soul, chilling her very being. Her mind hurried through images of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1432 classmates, horrified that such a thing could happen. She abandoned
|
|
rlm@2
|
1433 the quest immediately when a sweet, gentle voice rang out in her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1434 mind. ‘You know who it is, Sakura-chan. You know who it is very
|
|
rlm@2
|
1435 well.’ She couldn’t pinpoint the source of the voice, but the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1436 unsettling feeling that washed over her kept her from searching for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1437 it. “No... How can something like that happen? That’s terrible...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1438 She turned on the shrouded spirit, nearly hysterical. “How can
|
|
rlm@2
|
1439 something like that happen on Christmas? Christmas is a time of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1440 love... and joy and... And that’s too sad. No one should have to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
1441 that lonely on Christmas. No one should ever have to be that lonely.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1442 It..” she trailed off, hiccuping. Her tears were starting to build
|
|
rlm@2
|
1443 again and she found it difficult to fight them off. “Please... Please
|
|
rlm@2
|
1444 show me that there’s still love left in this desolate place...
|
|
rlm@2
|
1445 Otherwise, what have I fought for? What good did I do? Please...” Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1446 voice quavered as she begged the ominous silhouette.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1447 The shadow did not move, but the scenery around them did. They were
|
|
rlm@2
|
1448 indoors at last, finally in a heated room. But the house they were in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1449 offered little warmth. Sakura recognized it almost immediately.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1450 “Tomoyo-chan’s house!” She exclaimed, a small yet delighted laugh
|
|
rlm@2
|
1451 coming from her. Yes, that was exactly what she needed. She could see
|
|
rlm@2
|
1452 Tomoyo, see the love that always flowed from her heart. The woman’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1453 warm and caring nature would help through whatever dark time had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1454 befallen one of their classmates. She knew that what happened to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1455 classmate must be a warning, a sign of where her neglect was leading.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1456 But she couldn’t believe that Tomoyo would ever do such a thing. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1457 notion was abstract to Sakura, beyond rational understanding. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
1458 would never happen.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1459 Jade eyes darted around the large room of the mansion, looking for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1460 any symbol of her dark haired best friend. It was the same room she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1461 had seen Tomoyo in just a short time before, but now there was no
|
|
rlm@2
|
1462 Christmas tree, no lights or decorations. It felt... empty. That
|
|
rlm@2
|
1463 wasn’t to say the furniture and normal items were not there, but that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1464 a feeling about the room, one that she associated with the house
|
|
rlm@2
|
1465 itself was missing. Sakura swallowed painfully and turned to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1466 spirit. Her mind raced down a dead end tunnel, afraid of what was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1467 lurking in the shadows at the end of that path. Turning away, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1468 bolted out of the room, hurrying for sanctuary, the one place she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1469 could be sure she would find that feeling again. Tomoyo’s room. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1470 house rushed past her in a blur as she made her way to the lodgings
|
|
rlm@2
|
1471 of her best friend. The door was already ajar, hanging open as if
|
|
rlm@2
|
1472 pushed by a ghost. Pausing for only an instant, Sakura rushed in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1473 headlong, hoping and praying that the pale woman who occupied it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1474 would be sitting there even now, editing videotape or perhaps working
|
|
rlm@2
|
1475 on a costume. But it was not to be so. Unable to give up hope, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1476 brunette looked around the room. A costume lay half finished on
|
|
rlm@2
|
1477 Tomoyo’s desk, numerous designs neatly laid out near it. A small
|
|
rlm@2
|
1478 camcorder was resting near the bed, a small stack of videotapes
|
|
rlm@2
|
1479 nearby. A picture of the room’s owner, several years older than she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1480 had been in Sakura’s own time and smiling as she sat next to an older
|
|
rlm@2
|
1481 Sakura sat on the nightstand. The room looked just how Sakura had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1482 remembered it, even if a few years change were evident. But it all
|
|
rlm@2
|
1483 had a dull feeling to it, as if it were merely a moment of the past
|
|
rlm@2
|
1484 captured inside the room, never moving forward but never holding the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1485 life it once had. ‘When I videotape, I capture moments of Sakura-chan
|
|
rlm@2
|
1486 frozen on film. I can watch them forever, cherishing these moments
|
|
rlm@2
|
1487 even when they have long disappeared into the past,’ Tomoyo’s voice
|
|
rlm@2
|
1488 echoed in Sakura’ panic driven head. She had spoken those words to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1489 the Cardmistress not more than a week earlier, but they rang eerily
|
|
rlm@2
|
1490 true in this room that was not truly a room. It had been turned into
|
|
rlm@2
|
1491 a museum, a snapshot of it’s former self. Sakura’s knees felt weak
|
|
rlm@2
|
1492 and wobbly, as if they belonged to someone other than the athletic
|
|
rlm@2
|
1493 brunette. Her stomach felt sick as she shut her eyes tightly, trying
|
|
rlm@2
|
1494 to force out the images of the long dead room.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1495 A faint, sickly sobbing finally drew Sakura out of her pain induced
|
|
rlm@2
|
1496 game of hide and seek with reality. Like a Siren’s song, she followed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1497 it, desperate to find it’s source. The voice behind the pain wracked
|
|
rlm@2
|
1498 sobs sounded so familiar. Who could be in such terrible agony? The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1499 cries were hopeless, desolate sounds that sent a chill over Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1500 that was worse than any of the snowstorm she had witnessed. Her feet
|
|
rlm@2
|
1501 continued moving her forward even after her mind decided it didn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
1502 want to see whatever lay at the end of this path. She passed a framed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1503 picture of her mother next to one by Tomoyo. They were nearly the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1504 same age in the pictures. Sakura found herself awestruck by the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1505 similarities. Tomoyo looked remarkably like her mother, something she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1506 had never truly noticed before, despite Sonomi’s explanations of it.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1507 It was almost frightening to see the two side by side. Long, dark
|
|
rlm@2
|
1508 grayish hair clung around both of their shoulders, falling in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1509 beautiful waves. Both with such pale complexions and such gentle
|
|
rlm@2
|
1510 smiles. The biggest difference that Sakura could see were their eyes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1511 Nadeshiko’s were the same emerald green as Sakura’s whereas Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1512 were a deep, stormy blue. ‘Nadeshiko-chan was an angel I was blessed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1513 to have met,’ Sonomi had once said. “So is Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1514 whispered softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the photographs.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1515 ‘No!!’ Something inside her screamed. Whatever it was frightened her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1516 dearly, but it’s message rang clear. No, Tomoyo couldn’t be an angel.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1517 Not yet. Not yet. Please, not yet...
|
|
rlm@2
|
1518 Her shaky footsteps finally brought her into the bedroom that housed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1519 the quiet sobs that filtered through the house like an fine mist,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1520 blanketing the house in sadness and grief. Sonomi Daidouji, Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1521 mother lie on her bed, clutching onto a pillow the way a woman would
|
|
rlm@2
|
1522 clutch to a life preserver for dear life out in the cold relentless
|
|
rlm@2
|
1523 ocean. Sonomi had been a beautiful, amazing woman when she was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1524 younger, of that Sakura was certain. By the time she had met Sonomi,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1525 something had been stolen from her. Her love remained, but her hope
|
|
rlm@2
|
1526 and joy had been ripped away from her, leaving her bitter and pained.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1527 But there was still a warmth in her heart, one that Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1528 filled. Her daughter had given her some reason to continue on, a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1529 gentle glow that Sakura had seen time and again in Sonomi’s presence.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1530 But that was all gone now. Sonomi’s sobs were brittle, broken. There
|
|
rlm@2
|
1531 was no more joy or warmth inside of her heart. It had all been cut so
|
|
rlm@2
|
1532 violently away from her. She looked like a woman who had lost
|
|
rlm@2
|
1533 everything, who had not a soul in the world to hold out for in this
|
|
rlm@2
|
1534 life. There was a painful resignation in her sobs and Sakura realized
|
|
rlm@2
|
1535 with shock that it was defeat. Sonomi had always been a firey willed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1536 woman that continued on despite the pain life had dished out to her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1537 But that iron willed determination was gone. Sakura felt a shaky sob
|
|
rlm@2
|
1538 of her own pass through her body. There was only one thing that this
|
|
rlm@2
|
1539 could mean. Her mind still refused it with all its might, unable to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1540 accept it as anything more than a lie.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1541 Without warning, the window opened suddenly, spilling white
|
|
rlm@2
|
1542 crystalline snowflakes about the room. They swirled around Sakura in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1543 hurried patterns, turning her around as they again filled up her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1544 vision.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1545
|
|
rlm@2
|
1546 When the last of the snow flakes had fallen away from the terrible
|
|
rlm@2
|
1547 blinding white that had encompassed her, Sakura finally saw that they
|
|
rlm@2
|
1548 were somewhere that she had not been for quite a long time. Her heart
|
|
rlm@2
|
1549 froze in her chest, refusing to budge in even the smallest of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1550 movements. She knew this place from long ago. Memories returned to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1551 her unbidden, all carrying depths of sadness that she had not dwelled
|
|
rlm@2
|
1552 on in years. There was not an ounce of snow on the ground. Only a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1553 dark, dreadful sky that poured down a relentless rain from up above.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1554 The shadows reached out as if in wait to lurch out and snag
|
|
rlm@2
|
1555 unsuspecting visitors and lure them to stay in their endless depths.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1556 This was a cemetery. The last time she had been to one was years
|
|
rlm@2
|
1557 earlier when she had visited her mother’s grave. The skies
|
|
rlm@2
|
1558 themselves had gone from blinding white to an anguished dark indigo,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1559 almost the same color as Tomoyo’s eyes. The skies above were weeping.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1560 The wet, distraught Cardmistress caught sight of the dark figure
|
|
rlm@2
|
1561 that was leading her along this dreadful tour up ahead near a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1562 gravestone. The hand reached out slowly, beckoning her once more.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1563 Sakura’s legs felt like wet ramen noodles, but somehow she managed to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1564 close the distance between herself and the cloaked ghost. Her heart
|
|
rlm@2
|
1565 was pounding in her chest, her mind still trying desperately to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1566 believe that Tomoyo wasn’t... But Sonomi’s cries were proof enough.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1567 They gave way the endless torment of a mother who has lost her only
|
|
rlm@2
|
1568 child. Sakura slowed her pace as she came nearer, holding her hands
|
|
rlm@2
|
1569 tightly to her chest. “This... This is only a warning, right? I can
|
|
rlm@2
|
1570 still fix things, can’t I? Please... Please tell me! I can’t... It
|
|
rlm@2
|
1571 just can’t be this way..” Tears stung her jade eyes, blurring the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1572 world in front of her, but still it crept forward as her legs moved
|
|
rlm@2
|
1573 forward of their own will. The ghost just watched her impassively,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1574 it’s hidden gaze almost unbearable for Sakura. It’s familiar hand
|
|
rlm@2
|
1575 pointed out to the grave again, demanding Sakura’s attention. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1576 Cardmistress balked, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as the rain
|
|
rlm@2
|
1577 drenched her body and soul. “Please... Please tell me she’ll be all
|
|
rlm@2
|
1578 right... I need Tomoyo-chan... She can’t...” Her voice choked off
|
|
rlm@2
|
1579 with a painful sob as her eyes slowly turned to the tombstone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1580
|
|
rlm@2
|
1581 ‘ Tomoyo Daidouji
|
|
rlm@2
|
1582 Our dear, sweet angel was here for but a short visit,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1583 But we will never forget the joy and happiness she brought into our
|
|
rlm@2
|
1584 lives.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1585 May she soar in ways that this life denied her.’
|
|
rlm@2
|
1586
|
|
rlm@2
|
1587 Sakura’s head shook slowly, disbelieving the words at first. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
1588 couldn’t be. No... Deep, endless regret and sadness gripped Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1589 tightly, wrenching at her heart. Her body shook with the force of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1590 sobs wracking her small body. “Tomoyo-chan... Please, no...” Her wet
|
|
rlm@2
|
1591 hair fell about her face, obscuring her vision along with her now
|
|
rlm@2
|
1592 freezing tears. She couldn’t tell what were raindrops and what were
|
|
rlm@2
|
1593 teardrops anymore. Her fingers slowly brushed across the ingrained
|
|
rlm@2
|
1594 words, her lips trembling as she did. “It’s not fair!” She screamed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1595 into the storm, her whole body collapsing against the tombstone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1596 “Tomoyo-chan...” her hoarse voice whispered as she clung to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1597 tombstone as she would her now dead friend. The angel on top looked
|
|
rlm@2
|
1598 down sympathetically from it’s statuesque eyes. Sakura clutched
|
|
rlm@2
|
1599 tighter onto the tombstone, ignoring the biting stone against her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1600 soft, wet skin. She was lost now. What could she do without Tomoyo?
|
|
rlm@2
|
1601 Her best friend, her support, her confidant, all gone in one fell
|
|
rlm@2
|
1602 swoop. And with it, all of the love and support that Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1603 showered on her since they were in the third grade. Gone. Because of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1604 her neglect. ‘Sakura-chan, you have to be careful with that flower.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1605 You have to water it and love it every day or it will shrivel and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1606 die. You must take good care of it,’ her mother’s voice reached out.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1607 Sakura’s nodded her three year old head with a happy smile. But the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1608 flower had died. Sakura had forgotten all about it and it had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1609 withered. ‘Is that what I did to Tomoyo?’ she asked herself, her mind
|
|
rlm@2
|
1610 still a shattered mirror of grief and sorrow. ‘Did I forget to water
|
|
rlm@2
|
1611 her and love her? Did I forget all about her until she shriveled up
|
|
rlm@2
|
1612 and died?’ Harsh, dark cries escaped Sakura, her head pressed firmly
|
|
rlm@2
|
1613 against the stone. Her heart felt dead in her chest, nothing more
|
|
rlm@2
|
1614 than a collapsed black hole of pain and suffering. Every time she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1615 closed her eyes, she could see Tomoyo’s beautiful smiling face. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
1616 she would never see that smile again. It had been taken from her. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1617 had not appreciated the gift that was bestowed upon her and it had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1618 been returned. “No! No!! Tomoyo-chan!!” Her fist battered against the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1619 tombstone to no avail, her wrist screaming in agony as she twisted
|
|
rlm@2
|
1620 it. But that was hardly of any consequence to her anymore. Despair
|
|
rlm@2
|
1621 wrapped around her soul like a thick blanket.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1622 “Get away from here!” An angry voice called. It took all of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1623 Sakura’s will to turn towards the voice. A girl that couldn’t be more
|
|
rlm@2
|
1624 than eight years old stormed forward through the rain, only a small
|
|
rlm@2
|
1625 umbrella in her hand there to protect her from it’s biting chill. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1626 had short, dark hair, and angry indigo eyes. She looked like she was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1627 barely holding onto her composure, tears sparkling at the edge of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1628 eyes. Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but another spoke up before
|
|
rlm@2
|
1629 she had the chance. Oddly enough, it was her own voice. Somewhat
|
|
rlm@2
|
1630 older, dulled from what sounded like years of pain.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1631 “What?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1632 The little girl shook her head, rain droplets falling away from
|
|
rlm@2
|
1633 her. “You! You’re Sakura Li, aren’t you?” Her voice was accusatory,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1634 hateful. As if the very possibility sickened and dismayed her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1635 Sakura spotted another woman. Herself, she mused. Though some years
|
|
rlm@2
|
1636 older by now. “I am,” she whispered softly, looking at the girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
1637 questioningly. She was standing near the grave, just inches from
|
|
rlm@2
|
1638 where the past Sakura was holding onto it. Her finger’s brushed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1639 brunette hair from her eyes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1640 “Get away from there! You’re not wanted here! Stay away from my
|
|
rlm@2
|
1641 mama!” The girl yelled, her tears beginning to fall down her pale
|
|
rlm@2
|
1642 cheeks. She was clearly upset by Sakura’s presence, her little body
|
|
rlm@2
|
1643 shaking in what looked like rage.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1644 Sakura opened her mouth several times but nothing came out. She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1645 only seen Tomoyo’s daughter twice before and once had been at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1646 funeral. “I’m sorry,” she stated at last in a voice that was nearly a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1647 whisper. The girl was living with her grandmother now, though Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1648 hadn’t spoken to Sonomi in quite some time. Her eyes went back to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1649 grave and she choked back the tears that lurked just beneath the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1650 surface. “She was my best friend. I miss her. I just... I wanted to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1651 give her a Christmas present.” She held up a small wrapped package in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1652 her hand, gingerly protecting it from the rain.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1653 “You killed her! She doesn’t need anything from you! Haven’t you
|
|
rlm@2
|
1654 done enough!” The younger girl was crying heavily by now, huge tears
|
|
rlm@2
|
1655 falling past her cheeks. But she never took her eyes off of Sakura,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1656 dead intent on protecting her dead mother from any further pain. “She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1657 loved you! She always pretended that it didn’t hurt her, that she was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1658 happy, but I could tell... I could tell from the stories she told of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1659 you and how wonderful you were, the times I saw her crying late at
|
|
rlm@2
|
1660 night when she thought I was asleep. All you did was hurt her!! Get
|
|
rlm@2
|
1661 away from my mama!” The girl ran up to Sakura, tears streaming down
|
|
rlm@2
|
1662 her face. She hit at Sakura weakly, trying to fend off the woman who
|
|
rlm@2
|
1663 had come to her mother’s grave, but her hands soon fell limply to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1664 sides. Her small body shook with her sobs for her mama, the one that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1665 had been taken from her far too early.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1666 Sakura squeezed her jade eyes shut tight, tears spilling across her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1667 own cheeks, mixing with the rain. Kneeling down, she held the young
|
|
rlm@2
|
1668 girl close, whispering over and over again, “I’m so sorry.” She
|
|
rlm@2
|
1669 barely noticed the rain anymore, her arms tightly around the young
|
|
rlm@2
|
1670 girl before her. Tomoyo’s one and only daughter. Looking into those
|
|
rlm@2
|
1671 tear filled indigo eyes had been like looking once more into Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1672 own eyes and it was too much for the brunette to handle.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1673 “She... She got sick...” the girl sniffled, unable to struggle
|
|
rlm@2
|
1674 anymore. “She got so sick... But she wasn’t scared. She was never
|
|
rlm@2
|
1675 afraid of dying. I think... I think part of her wanted to die... The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1676 part that you had ruined... She said that she’d watch me... That
|
|
rlm@2
|
1677 she’d keep an eye on me... And that she’d watch you, too... But I
|
|
rlm@2
|
1678 don’t want her to watch you.. Because you’ll just keep hurting my
|
|
rlm@2
|
1679 mama the way you always did! I hate you!!” Fresh tears broke free as
|
|
rlm@2
|
1680 the little girl slumped against Sakura. “She loved you so much, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
1681 you hated her!! You hated my mama!! When she got sick, she didn’t get
|
|
rlm@2
|
1682 better because of you! Gramma says that her broken heart wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
1683 mend because of you so her body died the same way!” Her cries were
|
|
rlm@2
|
1684 hysterical now, her small body shuddering against Sakura’s.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1685 Sakura could only offer her own muffled sobs in reply, her face
|
|
rlm@2
|
1686 pressed against the young girl’s dark hair. The jagged pieces of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1687 heart that remained felt as if they had been set aflame, left to burn
|
|
rlm@2
|
1688 away until there was nothing left. “I’m so sorry... So, so sorry...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1689 Her eyes blinked open slowly, tears still falling from them. “I... I
|
|
rlm@2
|
1690 never meant to hurt you mama. I... I loved her...” Her voice cracked
|
|
rlm@2
|
1691 at the confession, her jade eyes closing tightly again as more tears
|
|
rlm@2
|
1692 threatened to overwhelm her. Yes, she knew that now. She did love
|
|
rlm@2
|
1693 Tomoyo. She still did. She always had. But she realized it too late.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1694 She held on desperately to Tomoyo’s only daughter, the two crying
|
|
rlm@2
|
1695 together in front of an angel’s grave.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1696 “This is what awaits you,” a familiar voice said from behind the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1697 dark cloak as it stood looming over Sakura. A hand reached down and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1698 took Sakura’s gently.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1699 Sakura shook her head, wiping at her eyes with her cold, frozen
|
|
rlm@2
|
1700 hands. “Please.. Please say I can fix this. It’s not too late, is
|
|
rlm@2
|
1701 it?” She looked up tearfully at the shrouded ghost, her eyes
|
|
rlm@2
|
1702 pleading. “There has to be a way. Tomoyo won’t die like this, will
|
|
rlm@2
|
1703 she?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1704 The figure reached back and slowly pulled away the dark hood that
|
|
rlm@2
|
1705 had covered its face. Brunette hair escaped the dark confines,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1706 followed by emerald eyes. Sakura found herself looking up at her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1707 mirror image. She herself was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
1708 still half shrouded Sakura reached down and took Sakura's hand with
|
|
rlm@2
|
1709 her own, shaking her head. “I don’t know if you can prolong her life
|
|
rlm@2
|
1710 or if she will still die at this time. But that doesn’t matter. You
|
|
rlm@2
|
1711 can make what life she does have beautiful and warm. You can share it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1712 with her, experiencing the joys and pains it brings together. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
1713 doesn’t matter how much time she has left. It matters how that time
|
|
rlm@2
|
1714 is spent. Sakura, don’t be afraid of death. Be afraid of an
|
|
rlm@2
|
1715 unfulfilled life. Even if Tomoyo still dies and becomes your guardian
|
|
rlm@2
|
1716 angel, at least she will have the beautiful memories of your life
|
|
rlm@2
|
1717 together. I’m sure mom will watch out for her up there.” Her hand
|
|
rlm@2
|
1718 pulled away to rest on Sakura’s heart. “The future is for you to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1719 decide. Please choose carefully, Sakura. For both of our sakes.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1720
|
|
rlm@2
|
1721
|
|
rlm@2
|
1722 “No!!!” The earth tilted around Sakura, colors blurring together as
|
|
rlm@2
|
1723 she hurtled through what must have been an endless void. Her shoulder
|
|
rlm@2
|
1724 slammed down hard into the floor, her bare feet sticking up in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1725 air out of her dry and none the worse for wear pajama pants.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1726 “Hoe...?” Looking around the room curiously, Sakura found that she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1727 had fallen out of bed. She quickly shifted to her hands and knees,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1728 joyous realization slowly dawning upon her. Giggles escaped her lips
|
|
rlm@2
|
1729 as she rose to her feet, twirling around in the early morning
|
|
rlm@2
|
1730 sunlight. Her eyes spotted the Sakura doll Tomoyo had made for her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1731 long ago and she instantly seized upon it, hugging the poor thing
|
|
rlm@2
|
1732 until she was nearly certain it would pop. “I’m back!! Kero-chan, I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
1733 back!” Placing the Sakura doll back on the bed, Sakura lifted up the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1734 sleeping Seal Beast by his hands, twirling around with him. Another
|
|
rlm@2
|
1735 laugh escaped her as she spun on her foot. “My mom gave me a second
|
|
rlm@2
|
1736 chance!” Sakura smiled gloriously as she ran to look out at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1737 beautiful sunlight spilling through her window. She basked in it’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1738 gentle glow, her eyes closed and her arms wide open. Kero muttered to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1739 himself as he crawled back into his bed, pulling the blankets up
|
|
rlm@2
|
1740 around himself. It was too early for crazy things like this. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
1741 Sakura didn’t hear him, too busy with a hundred different thoughts to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1742 bother. Her hand reached instinctively for the cell phone, but she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1743 paused halfway through dialing Tomoyo’s number. No, this was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1744 something she would have to do in person. And that was exactly what
|
|
rlm@2
|
1745 she would do!
|
|
rlm@2
|
1746 Pulling off her pajama top and kicking her pajama pants off, Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1747 dug through her closet for something to wear. Her eyes finally caught
|
|
rlm@2
|
1748 on a brown costume on the bed. With cute little antlers. She left the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1749 closet and picked up the reindeer costume Tomoyo had made for her a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1750 short time ago but she hadn’t had the time to wear yet. Well, and she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1751 hadn’t been in a hurry to dress up like a reindeer. But she pulled it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1752 on quickly, the jingle from the bells giving her a start. Another
|
|
rlm@2
|
1753 giggle escaped her lips as she realized what it was. Looking in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1754 mirror, she sweatdropped as she saw herself dressed up as a cute
|
|
rlm@2
|
1755 reindeer. It was most certainly one of Tomoyo’s designs. Plenty of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1756 bells and cute reindeer paw gloves and boots adorned the costume.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1757 A snicker came from Touya who was standing in the doorway, leaning
|
|
rlm@2
|
1758 against the doorframe casually. “You’re not actually wearing that for
|
|
rlm@2
|
1759 Christmas Day, are you, kaijuu?” he asked curiously.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1760 Sakura whirled on him, her natural response getting the best of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1761 her. Glaring at Touya, she crossed her arms, a chorus of jingling
|
|
rlm@2
|
1762 following the simple motion. Her face turned red, but she maintained
|
|
rlm@2
|
1763 her glare. “Onii-chan!!! Tomoyo-chan made this for me! Of course I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
1764 going to wear it for Christmas! She went through a lot of trouble to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1765 make it and you shouldn’t make fun of it!” Oh, if she were a real
|
|
rlm@2
|
1766 reindeer, she’d skewer him on her antlers right now. But he just
|
|
rlm@2
|
1767 grinned and patted her on the head, making the bells shake again.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1768 “Be quiet on the way downstairs, kaijuu, or you’ll wake up dad.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1769 Don’t stay out too long or you’ll miss Christmas Breakfast. Which you
|
|
rlm@2
|
1770 have to help me cook.” Her turned his back to her, heading back
|
|
rlm@2
|
1771 presumably to his own room. “But on second thought, I don’t need a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1772 monster helping me cook. I’ll just make it on my own. So don’t worry
|
|
rlm@2
|
1773 about breakfast. Tell Tomoyo-chan I said hello.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1774 Sakura blinked in confusion for a moment as he walked off. A smile
|
|
rlm@2
|
1775 slowly spread across her lips and she ran over and gave him a hug
|
|
rlm@2
|
1776 from behind, bells jingling all the while. Kero pulled a pillow over
|
|
rlm@2
|
1777 his head to muffle the noise. “Arigato, Onii-chan!!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1778 Using the Silent to get downstairs without the bells waking up her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1779 father, Sakura quickly made her way outside. With a few words, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
1780 was flying through the air to Tomoyo’s house.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1781
|
|
rlm@2
|
1782 Landing in front of the large mansion that Tomoyo lived in with her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1783 mother, Sakura paused before the large door. She hadn’t called
|
|
rlm@2
|
1784 beforehand and it was probably too early for Tomoyo or her mother to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1785 be awake. Maybe she should have waited until.. But before she could
|
|
rlm@2
|
1786 finish her thought, the door sprung open. Tomoyo stood before Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1787 in the party dress she had seen her in the night before, clutching
|
|
rlm@2
|
1788 her camcorder in her hand with a sparkle in her eyes. Sakura had a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1789 moment to realize that Tomoyo hadn’t changed into her nightgown the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1790 night before because her mother had carried her off to bed.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1791 “Oh, Sakura-chan, it was so cute! I caught it all on videotape! It
|
|
rlm@2
|
1792 was like a beautiful Christmas wish come true. Sakura-chan the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1793 reindeer, flying across the sky in her hurry to bring Christmas joy.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1794 Tomoyo sighed extravagantly, her free hand on her cheek. “All you
|
|
rlm@2
|
1795 needed was a cute little sleigh behind you and it would have been
|
|
rlm@2
|
1796 perfect.” Her hand went under her chin thoughtfully as her gentle
|
|
rlm@2
|
1797 smile settled in on her still ecstatic features.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1798 Blushing deeply, Sakura looked down. She hadn’t quite realized how
|
|
rlm@2
|
1799 Tomoyo would react to her arrival this way. She should be used to it
|
|
rlm@2
|
1800 by now. Part of her wanted to know how Tomoyo had gotten it all on
|
|
rlm@2
|
1801 tape when she hadn’t known she was coming, but it hardly seemed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1802 important. She smiled herself, glad to see Tomoyo with sparkles in
|
|
rlm@2
|
1803 her eyes instead of the tears she had shed the night before. Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1804 lunged forward, hugging Tomoyo tightly. Her heart was overjoyed to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1805 see Tomoyo again, to feel Tomoyo again, to smell her sweet scent all
|
|
rlm@2
|
1806 over again. It was almost too good to be true.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1807 Surprised for a brief moment, Tomoyo wrapped her own arms around
|
|
rlm@2
|
1808 Sakura, gently rubbing her back as she hugged the brunette. She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
1809 been thrilled to see Sakura on Christmas morning, showing up right at
|
|
rlm@2
|
1810 her door like Santa’s cutest reindeer. The pain of the night before
|
|
rlm@2
|
1811 faded into obscurity in Sakura’s warm embrace, driving back
|
|
rlm@2
|
1812 everything but the love in her heart for the Cardmistress. “I’m so
|
|
rlm@2
|
1813 glad to see you, Sakura-chan. I was thinking about you a lot last
|
|
rlm@2
|
1814 night.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1815 Sakura bit her lip as she pulled back slightly, startling Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@2
|
1816 with her sudden change of behavior. “I know,” she whispered sadly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1817 Her emerald eyes flashed with determination as she smiled once again.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1818 “But you’ll never have to think of me that way again. I promise.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1819 Tomoyo continued to smile, but she was a bit puzzled by what Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1820 had meant. She merely took Sakura’s hands and led her inside. “Please
|
|
rlm@2
|
1821 come in, Sakura-chan. There’s a nice fire going and my favorite
|
|
rlm@2
|
1822 reindeer shouldn’t have to stay in the cold.” Sakura followed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1823 obediently as Tomoyo led the way. They finally stopped in the same
|
|
rlm@2
|
1824 room Tomoyo had occupied the night before, the large Christmas tree
|
|
rlm@2
|
1825 still flashing it’s lights in wondrous patterns, a large fire blazing
|
|
rlm@2
|
1826 in a fireplace adorned with two stockings. Tomoyo gently sat Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1827 down with her hands on her shoulders in front of the fire. There was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1828 mistletoe hanging just about every conceivable place. Kneeling down
|
|
rlm@2
|
1829 herself, Tomoyo smoothed out her skirt. “This is a wonderful
|
|
rlm@2
|
1830 Christmas gift, Sakura-chan. Its so wonderful to see you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1831 The room looked much warmer and comforting in the early morning
|
|
rlm@2
|
1832 light and it helped to soothe Sakura’s spirits as the memories of
|
|
rlm@2
|
1833 Tomoyo crying on the couch the night before pushed at the back of her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1834 mind. Her emerald eyes looked over shyly but determinedly at Tomoyo.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1835 “Well, that’s not really my present, Tomoyo-chan. Could you open the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1836 present I gave you yesterday? I have something I want to say along
|
|
rlm@2
|
1837 with it.” She blushed a bit, her hand going behind her head
|
|
rlm@2
|
1838 nervously. But her nervousness slowly dissipated as Tomoyo’s gentle
|
|
rlm@2
|
1839 smile and nod calmed her. Her heart began to beat steadily again as
|
|
rlm@2
|
1840 Tomoyo hurried over to the gifts under the tree, gracefully picking
|
|
rlm@2
|
1841 up the gift she had received from Sakura the day before, having gone
|
|
rlm@2
|
1842 straight to it.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1843 Anticipation filled the air as Tomoyo walked back over to Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
1844 side, slowly sitting down next to her once more. Her mind wasn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
1845 focussed on what it could be, but simply that it was from Sakura.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1846 That alone was enough to make it a wonderful Christmas present
|
|
rlm@2
|
1847 indeed. She would have to find someway to repay Sakura with all her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1848 heart for whatever the gift may be. Noticing that Sakura herself was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1849 getting anxious, she decided to spare the poor brunette and began to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1850 unwrap the present. To he shock and delight, it was the same angel
|
|
rlm@2
|
1851 doll that she had seen Sakura pick up at the Twin Bells shop only a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1852 day prior. “Sakura-chan, it’s gorgeous.. A beautiful angel from
|
|
rlm@2
|
1853 Sakura-chan..” She watched it closely for a long moment, admiring the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1854 beautiful gift her friend had given her. She hugged it tightly,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1855 closing her eyes as she did. “It’s beautiful. But Sakura-chan, wasn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
1856 it for Li-kun?” Tomoyo’s eyes opened curiously, her dark hair
|
|
rlm@2
|
1857 fluttering about as she turned her gaze once more to Sakura.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1858 Sakura shook her head quickly. “I only said that so it would be a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1859 surprise. I got him a present a while back. When I saw it, I thought
|
|
rlm@2
|
1860 ‘That’s the perfect gift for Tomoyo-chan. She’s just like an angel,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1861 so she’ll take great care of it.’” She smiled at the pale girl,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1862 thrilled to see Tomoyo still delightfully holding the angel doll. To
|
|
rlm@2
|
1863 her surprise, there were tears in Tomoyo’s eyes as well. They weren’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
1864 the same bitter tears she had seen the night before, but joyous,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1865 happy tears that threatened to consume the dark haired girl in what
|
|
rlm@2
|
1866 amounted to utter bliss.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1867 “It is perfect. Nearly as perfect as you. Thank you so very much,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1868 Sakura-chan. I will treasure it always,” Tomoyo promised brightly,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1869 her sweet lips turned into a gorgeous smile. This had to be the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1870 single greatest Christmas she had ever had. Not only was she spending
|
|
rlm@2
|
1871 the morning with Sakura, but to receive such a gift from her.. It was
|
|
rlm@2
|
1872 like the brightest of dreams.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1873 Brushing back her hair, Sakura met Tomoyo’s stormy blue eyes with
|
|
rlm@2
|
1874 her own emerald green ones. “But I was wrong. It’s not the perfect
|
|
rlm@2
|
1875 gift for Tomoyo-chan. There’s one thing that could be better. One
|
|
rlm@2
|
1876 thing that I can give to you that I hope can make up for everything.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1877 A present that I didn’t even realize I had to give until last night.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1878 Swallowing deeply to keep her nerves in check, Sakura leaned forward
|
|
rlm@2
|
1879 and kissed Tomoyo. The dark haired girl was surprised for only a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1880 fraction of a second before she melted into Sakura’s kiss, kissing
|
|
rlm@2
|
1881 back with a gentle yet intense fervor that left Sakura a little
|
|
rlm@2
|
1882 shaken when she finally pulled away. Tomoyo was sitting next to her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1883 with her bright, all knowing indigo eyes, a radiant smile on her
|
|
rlm@2
|
1884 lips. The kiss had been small, but world shaking. Tomoyo simply
|
|
rlm@2
|
1885 beamed in a light that seemed to burn from her heart. Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1886 surprised herself when she leaned in for a second kiss. Tomoyo’s lips
|
|
rlm@2
|
1887 were splendidly soft, coaxing her own lips open into a deeper, more
|
|
rlm@2
|
1888 drawn out kiss that left both girls breathless. “Tomoyo-chan.. I love
|
|
rlm@2
|
1889 you,” Sakura said as she finally caught her breath. She realized
|
|
rlm@2
|
1890 that her hand was in Tomoyo’s hair and that their noses were pressed
|
|
rlm@2
|
1891 together, Tomoyo’s hands both on her cheeks.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1892 This time tears did spill from Tomoyo’s stormy eyes, dripping onto
|
|
rlm@2
|
1893 Sakura’s cheeks as they made their path slowly downward. Those were
|
|
rlm@2
|
1894 the most beautiful words Tomoyo had ever heard and she knew that they
|
|
rlm@2
|
1895 were words that she could never possibly grow tired of hearing.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1896 “Sakura-chan... My Sakura-chan..” she whispered softly in her musical
|
|
rlm@2
|
1897 voice. “I love you so much.” Her lips lightly brushed Sakura’s again
|
|
rlm@2
|
1898 as she gingerly pulled Sakura closer. Her eyes slipped closed, tears
|
|
rlm@2
|
1899 still falling from them as they kissed again and again under the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1900 mistletoe.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1901
|
|
rlm@2
|
1902 Years and years later, Sakura decorated a Christmas wreath with a
|
|
rlm@2
|
1903 young dark haired girl with indigo eyes. The two held hands as they
|
|
rlm@2
|
1904 walked along beautiful green grass under a frosty blue sky. Sakura
|
|
rlm@2
|
1905 smiled as she reached her destination. She gently set down the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1906 Christmas wreath in front of the tombstone. It read:
|
|
rlm@2
|
1907
|
|
rlm@2
|
1908 ‘Tomoyo Daidouji-Kinomoto
|
|
rlm@2
|
1909 Loving wife and devoted mother. Even death can’t keep us apart.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1910 Please watch over us, my beautiful angel.’
|
|
rlm@2
|
1911
|
|
rlm@2
|
1912 Sakura’s fingers lightly brushed over the inscription and the name.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1913 A small tear fell unnoticed down her cheek, but a smile formed across
|
|
rlm@2
|
1914 her lips. She placed a small present decorated with sakura blossoms
|
|
rlm@2
|
1915 next to the tombstone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1916 The little girl placed her own present next to the tombstone before
|
|
rlm@2
|
1917 taking Sakura’s hand again. “Merry Christmas, mama!” the girl said to
|
|
rlm@2
|
1918 the tombstone, placing a small hand on it for a moment.
|
|
rlm@2
|
1919 Sakura squeezed her daughter’s hand, her eyes still focussed on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
1920 tombstone in front of her. She could almost feel Tomoyo’s soft
|
|
rlm@2
|
1921 fingers brush past her cheek comfortingly. Her eyes fell closed and
|
|
rlm@2
|
1922 she could swear that she could almost smell Tomoyo, could almost feel
|
|
rlm@2
|
1923 the way her fingers would gently brush against her skin. “I love you,
|
|
rlm@2
|
1924 Tomoyo. Merry Christmas.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
1925 |
