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1 Author’s notes: This story is set in the future of Cardcaptor
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2 Sakura. ^-^ Tomoyo & Sakura are married and have a child named Bara.
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3 This is just a cute little story that I’ve been wanting to write for
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4 a while now. If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail
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5 me. ^-^ I always love to hear what people think. ^-^ The characters
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6 are not my own (with the exception of Bara). They are property of
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7 CLAMP.
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8
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9
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10 Be My Teddy Bear
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11 by Amazoness Duo
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12 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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13
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14
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15 “How kawaii!! I finally get the chance to videotape the two most
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16 beautiful women in my life,” Tomoyo exclaimed ecstatically, zooming
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17 in on the subjects of her camcorder. A pale hand went to the slightly
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18 eccentric woman’s cheek as she focused the image. Her long, dark
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19 hair, done up in two pigtails with some aquamarine ribbons, stirred
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20 lightly in the gentle afternoon breeze that meandered through the
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21 garden bringing with it the sweet fragrance of flowers in bloom.
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22 The two women who were as always the focus of Tomoyo’s wholehearted
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23 attention blushed simultaneously as they found themselves caught on
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24 video. “Tomoyo-chan...” The taller of the two said nervously as she
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25 placed her hand behind her head. Her fingers brushed chestnut hair
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26 away from her eyes as the gentle breeze began to pick up. After over
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27 a decade of marriage, Sakura still couldn’t hide her embarrassment
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28 over some of her wife’s obsessive remarks. Of course, knowing what
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29 was behind her best friend’s words actually made it all the more
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30 embarrassing. These weren’t just strange comments as she’d thought
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31 when they were children. She knew very well just how much Tomoyo
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32 meant every one of them. Of course, even if they were a little
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33 embarrassing to hear at the end of a meeting at Daidouji Inc., she
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34 could never bring herself to ask Tomoyo to stop. She wouldn’t want
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35 the dark haired woman to cease such things, after all. Besides,
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36 wasn’t that sweet devotion part of why she had married her in the
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37 first place? So even if it always started Sakura blushing, she was
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38 always happy to hear her wife’s strange remarks.
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39 The younger girl, not much older than Sakura had been back when she
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40 had begun her own adventure with the Cards, sweatdropped herself.
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41 Daidouji Bara was a small, pale girl with short, midnight hair. While
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42 not quite as easily embarrassed as her more athletic mother, she
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43 still found herself blushing at some of Tomoyo’s comments. Certainly
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44 not starved for attention, she once again whiled away her afternoon
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45 by having a picnic with her parents. The daughter of Sakura and
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46 Tomoyo was an energetic and gentle girl. While not being as
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47 athletically inclined as Sakura, she did find herself becoming more
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48 and more interested in the magical workings of her mother’s own
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49 Sakura Cards. Part of that was because of her friendship with several
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50 of the Cards, including the Flower and Mirror. Brave and determined,
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51 there was little that frightened her and so magic had quickly become
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52 something that captivated her attention. Unfortunately, through some
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53 twist of nature, or perhaps an inheritance from Nadeshiko, the poor
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54 girl was terribly accident prone. This kept her loving parents and
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55 guardians ever vigilant, but even then she often got herself hurt.
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56 While not quite as overprotective as Tomoyo’s mother, they still
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57 tried to keep a careful eye on their bubbly daughter. “Okaa-sama...”
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58 Bara said, nearly mimicking Sakura. This only brought a giggle from
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59 Tomoyo and yet more videotaping.
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60 Bara didn’t really mind her mother’s videotaping hobby. In fact,
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61 she had grown up with that particular facet of life. So it hardly
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62 seemed strange when the dark haired woman pulled out her camcorder to
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63 record just about any event. It seemed that the only prerequisite for
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64 Tomoyo’s camcorder was that Sakura or Bara had to be present. The
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65 loving wife and mother was always happy to videotape one or the other
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66 for her ever expanding collection of videotape. Bara herself enjoyed
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67 watching through her mother’s older videotapes so aptly entitled
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68 ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’ or ‘Sakura-chan’s Kawaii and Magical Adventures’.
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69 It always fascinated her to watch her parents in their younger days
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70 and the exciting escapades they had found themselves in. She had even
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71 worn some of the costumes that Sakura had worn in the videotapes.
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72 Tomoyo had kept nearly every costume, so when Bara had asked her
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73 about them she had been more than happy to go through the vast
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74 collection. The designer of the costumes had fixed up some of them to
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75 fit Bara and had taped her running around in them. Bara had been
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76 awestruck at the wide variety of beautiful designs that her mother
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77 had sewn over the years. The gorgeous outfits had all been eye candy
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78 for the hungry girl. Sharing her mother’s flare for the artistic, she
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79 had easily been lost in the wide array of clothes kept in pristine
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80 condition. In recent years she had even begun helping Tomoyo with
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81 some of the costumes that she still made for an embarrassed but
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82 willing Sakura. She was always thrilled to see the finished designs
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83 on their auburn haired model, something she shared with her pale
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84 mother.
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85 “Oh, Bara-chan,” Tomoyo began thoughtfully, pulling herself from
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86 her Sakura induced daydreams. Her hand went to her chin as she placed
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87 the camcorder on her lap. “I picked up some materials for you on the
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88 way home. I put them on your bed. If you want a different design for
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89 the cloth I can go through my closet and see if there’s anything you
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90 like.” Her trademark smile graced her lips as she watched her
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91 daughter’s face light up. It was such a wonderful feeling to see her
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92 daughter enjoying some of the same things that had always brought joy
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93 to her own heart. Tomoyo’s mother had taught her simple things like
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94 sewing and even videotaping when she had been a child herself and she
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95 had fallen in love with these seemingly simple activities. Mostly
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96 because the woman she loved was always the focus of her work. Seeing
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97 her daughter grow up was equally thrilling but was slightly
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98 bittersweet. She knew that her child would one day grow up and find
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99 her own way in the world, but part of her wanted to cling on to the
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100 baby girl that she and Sakura had raised together, to never let her
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101 grow up. But watching her blossom into a beautiful woman, seeing the
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102 result of her love for Sakura grow was a gift that she would never
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103 let go of.
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104 “Really?! Okaa-sama, arigato!” Bara nearly squealed. Pushing off
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105 the picnic blanket, she hugged the older woman tightly. Tomoyo hugged
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106 her back for a moment before the younger girl got to her feet.
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107 Excitement tingled through her mind as the half-forgotten thought
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108 from earlier once gained her full attention. Bowing to both of her
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109 parents, she smoothed down her sunflower yellow sundress as the wind
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110 played with the edges. “Dinner was wonderful. It was a lot of fun. I
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111 think I’m going to go to my room to start right now. Thank you again,
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112 mother!” She smiled happily as she turned on a sandalled foot and
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113 hurried towards the large mansion. Despite her frail body, the
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114 younger girl took off like a shot, anticipation evident in her eager
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115 strides.
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116 Sweatdropping, Sakura watched her daughter disappear into the
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117 house, wincing as the younger girl nearly fell on her face, barely
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118 recovering herself. The door finally swung shut, bringing forth a
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119 relieved sigh from the two parents as their baby remained unscathed
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120 for the time being. Turning to her still smiling wife, the auburn
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121 haired woman raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Bara-chan sure was eager. I
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122 think she would have even given Sonomi-sama some trouble in a race
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123 just now.”
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124 “And Sakura-chan, too, if that’s the case,” Tomoyo added, sipping
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125 some tea delicately, her stormy blue eyes never leaving the Mistress
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126 of the Cards. Dark lashes fluttered half closed as she savored the
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127 bitter taste of the tea, watching Sakura through long lashes. “She
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128 may not be very fast but she can’t help speeding off with her whole
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129 heart blazing.”
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130 “Well, she might not be fast, but she has your cute feet,” Sakura
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131 replied thoughtfully, resting back on her hands. Her eyes went to
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132 Tomoyo’s pale bare feet, her unused sandals lying next to the picnic
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133 basket. The pale girl had always been beautiful, but as she had grown
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134 into a woman she had become absolutely stunning, and it was something
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135 that Sakura was easily reminded of. Her mind would have happily
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136 lingered on such warm thoughts had something Tomoyo said hadn’t
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137 suddenly replayed through her mind like one of Tomoyo’s tapes on
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138 replay. Sitting up, the brunette shifted her legs under her. Her
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139 throat had suddenly gone dry and she had to lick her lips before
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140 continuing. Bara was still her little girl in her mind and it was
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141 difficult to imagine her growing up so quickly. Sakura had always
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142 tried to protect those she loved and she had come to understand just
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143 why Sonomi had been so overprotective now that she had a daughter of
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144 her own. “Wait, with ‘her whole heart blazing’?” Years ago, the
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145 brunette had written off a lot of Tomoyo’s strange comments as just
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146 her friend’s cute but bizarre eccentricity. But as she had learned
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147 from their time dating and years of marriage, what Tomoyo said should
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148 always be given careful consideration. Certain things still slipped
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149 past her at times, but she wasn’t nearly as dense as she once had
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150 been, especially when it came to the dark haired woman.
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151 Smiling to herself, Tomoyo again sipped at her tea. She had
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152 wondered if Sakura would catch that. Setting down the tea cup, the
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153 pale woman brushed some grass away from her long skirt. “She may have
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154 my feet, but she definitely has Sakura-chan’s adorable ears.” Pausing
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155 for a moment, Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, dark hair spilling
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156 past her shoulder in a shadowy cascade. “And Sakura-chan’s nose. And
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157 your sparkling emerald eyes, always so full of energy and
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158 determination.” Sighing sweetly, Tomoyo placed a hand on her cheek. A
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159 soft giggle escaped her lips as a slightly flustered Sakura continued
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160 to watch her intently. Shifting on the blanket, the dark haired woman
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161 felt her bare feet brush against the soft fabric. Tilting her head
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162 back, Tomoyo brushed a long, dark pigtail over her shoulder. She
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163 waited for Sakura to comment, but the brunette just waited, her hands
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164 now on the blanket in front of her. Sighing to herself at the
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165 gorgeous sight before her, Tomoyo almost forgot what had been on her
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166 mind. Pale fingers reached out, gently playing with Sakura’s auburn
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167 hair. The soft strands swayed at her touch, tickling playful fingers.
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168 The shorter haired woman held her breath for a moment as Tomoyo
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169 brushed through the luxurious hair. Her heart swelled happily as she
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170 looked into the eyes of her genki wife. Her love for Sakura had only
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171 grown stronger as the Cardmistress’s presence nurtured it. That train
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172 of thought reminded her of the purpose of Sakura’s intent gaze, but
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173 it could have easily been her touch that drew Sakura nearer. And
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174 almost subconsciously, the brunette was getting ever closer. A
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175 delicious warmth spread through Tomoyo’s soul despite the cool breeze
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176 swirling around them. Her daughter’s company was always wonderful to
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177 have, but time alone with Sakura was it’s own reward. “You haven’t
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178 noticed? Bara-chan has been extra genki lately. And very dreamy.” She
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179 paused, waiting for Sakura’s reaction.
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180 “Un... I guess so. But what does that have to do with her heart?”
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181 Sakura asked curiously, her own hand coming to a rest atop Tomoyo’s.
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182 She could still feel Tomoyo’s fingers in her hair, moving through the
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183 short hair slowly. The sensation was certainly a pleasant one as they
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184 sat under the sinking sun. The Mistress of the Cards would have been
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185 happy to simply bask in Tomoyo’s gentle touch, but her curiosity had
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186 been piqued. Sakura herself had never been very good at reading
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187 hearts, whether it be her own or someone else’s. But her nearly
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188 constantly smiling wife could read hearts with an ease that had
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189 always surprised Sakura. Tomoyo seemed to know them inside and out,
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190 Sakura’s in specific. But the pale woman seemed to be able to read
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191 her daughter equally as well. Sakura knew her daughter well, but
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192 there were some things that slipped past her. She was glad that her
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193 more perceptive wife always picked up on them.
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194 “Bara-chan is making a teddy bear to give to someone very important
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195 to her,” Tomoyo said simply, watching Sakura’s reaction. For a
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196 moment, the auburn haired mage said nothing, emerald eyes sparkling
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197 with their own inner radiance. Sakura looked as if she may be
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198 dreaming, still drifting closer to the warmth of her wife’s embrace
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199 as Tomoyo continued toying with her hair. After a long moment, the
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200 jade orbs widened perceptibly, shock registering on Sakura’s pretty
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201 face.
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202 “A teddy bear..?” Sakura asked, trailing off. She shook her head
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203 quickly, still holding Tomoyo’s hand to the side of her head. “But
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204 she’s just... How can she be making one... She’s making a teddy bear
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205 for the person she likes?” the surprised Cardmistress got out at
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206 last. The dark haired woman nodded, still smiling sweetly. The fact
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207 that Tomoyo didn’t seem fazed at all by this turn of events didn’t
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208 immediately soothe Sakura’s frazzled nerves. After all, the lavender
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209 haired businesswoman rarely seemed shaken by anything that didn’t
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210 have to do with her. And even then, Tomoyo had hidden it from her for
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211 the longest time whenever she would worry. Any arguments Sakura could
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212 think of died before they made their way to her mouth. Age couldn’t
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213 be a problem. Tomoyo had been in love with her since the third grade.
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214 Sakura couldn’t even argue about Bara sewing because Tomoyo had been
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215 teaching her how. Besides, even if Bara was accident prone, she never
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216 seemed to have trouble with artistic endeavors. The fact that her
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217 daughter was in love with someone wasn’t such a big deal, but she was
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218 hit with the sudden realization that her baby girl wasn’t quite so
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219 little anymore. “Hoe...” she got out weakly.
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220 “Sakura-chan makes such a cute mother,” Tomoyo whispered softly as
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221 she closed the remaining distance between herself and her still
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222 bewildered wife. Her lips pressed lightly against Sakura’s, drawing
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223 the brunette from her jumbled thoughts to a much more pressing here
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224 and now. Tomoyo had known all about the teddy bear and had actually
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225 been the one to tell Bara about the legend behind giving one to the
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226 person you liked. She was even fairly confident that she knew the
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227 focus of Bara’s attention. Of course, there would be time to explain
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228 the intricacies to Sakura later on. For now it was much nicer to just
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229 enjoy the distinct taste of Sakura’s kisses. Sakura apparently
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230 thought so as well, her arms sliding around Tomoyo’s waist and
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231 pulling her closer as their kiss deepened. Letting her eyes fall
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232 closed, Tomoyo sighed inwardly. Love wrapped her heart like a heavy
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233 quilt. Love spun her around, leaving her ever thirsty for more of
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234 it’s intoxicating and endless depths. It was for this reason that she
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235 was so pleased to see her daughter falling in love. Her love for
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236 Sakura, and in later years Sakura’s love for her, had been life’s
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237 greatest joy and deepest amazement. If her daughter could experience
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238 that same warm and all encompassing feeling then it was with great
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239 joy that she watched her growing into a beautiful young woman.
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240 Curling up with Sakura on the blanket, the two women quickly lost
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241 themselves to each other, lost to a deep and endless love that had
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242 captured them both long ago. As the heavy sun began sinking beyond
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243 the horizon, the two women continued to kiss, embracing warmly under
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244 the darkening sky.
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245
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246 Blushing at her parents’ sudden display of affection, Bara closed
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247 the blinds to her window. She had been about to call down to Tomoyo
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248 to thank her again for the materials for her teddy bear, but the
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249 older woman looked like she had her mind on other things. Not that
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250 Sakura was ever far from her mind. Deciding it might be best to thank
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251 her mother later, the younger girl hurried to her bed. Surveying the
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252 items on her bed, the materials all looked perfect for what she had
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253 in mind. A beautiful peach and white cloth would make up the body of
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rlm@0
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254 the bear. A lavender bow would clad the small teddy bear when it was
|
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rlm@0
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255 finished while tiny little green orbs would make up the eyes. Tomoyo
|
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rlm@0
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256 had insisted upon that small touch.
|
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rlm@0
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257 “After all, if the one you like is going to name it after you, it
|
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rlm@0
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258 should have your eyes,” Tomoyo had said earlier. “That way, they will
|
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rlm@0
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259 always see you when they look into its eyes.”
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rlm@0
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260 Sitting on her bed next to the pile of supplies, the dark haired
|
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rlm@0
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261 girl pulled her legs up to her chest. The bear was already fully
|
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rlm@0
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262 assembled in her head, but she didn’t know where to start. Her heart
|
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rlm@0
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263 still beat in her chest like a swarm of angry honey bees, startling
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rlm@0
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264 her. She was a little embarrassed about making such an obvious
|
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rlm@0
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265 declaration of her feelings, but she knew it was what she wanted to
|
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rlm@0
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266 do. It was too difficult to not say anything at all. And this would
|
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rlm@0
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267 finally give her a chance to tell the person she liked how she felt.
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rlm@0
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268 She still wasn’t sure how they felt, but as long as she didn’t have
|
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rlm@0
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269 to hide her feelings anymore, it would be worth it. She hoped.
|
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rlm@0
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270 “I need the scissors,” Bara said, thinking aloud. Slipping off the
|
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rlm@0
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271 bed, the dark haired girl hurried out of her room, her mind already
|
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rlm@0
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272 two steps ahead of her body. When would she give her gift? What
|
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rlm@0
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273 should she say? Should she offer anything else with it? Too lost in
|
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rlm@0
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274 her own thoughts while on the way to her mothers’ room for the
|
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rlm@0
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275 supplies she needed, Bara didn’t see the little table in the hallway.
|
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rlm@0
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276 It had been there for nearly as long as she could remember, but she
|
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rlm@0
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277 simply wasn’t paying enough attention to notice it. Her bare foot
|
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rlm@0
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278 snagged the table leg, throwing her off balance as her forward
|
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rlm@0
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279 momentum kept her sailing forward. Arms pinwheeling, the pale girl
|
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rlm@0
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280 fell forward, the world seeming to tumble around her. A short yelp
|
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rlm@0
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281 escaped her lips before arms grasped her waist, keeping her from
|
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rlm@0
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282 falling face first into the floor. The situation not being very new
|
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rlm@0
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283 to the accident prone girl, she didn’t find herself very startled by
|
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rlm@0
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284 the whole situation. Smiling, she turned in the arms of her rescuer.
|
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rlm@0
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285 Moving in the tight embrace, she came face to face with herself.
|
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rlm@0
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286 Emerald green eyes looked at her in concern from underneath midnight
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rlm@0
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287 hair. Pale skin offset the darkness, pressed against Bara’s own pale
|
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rlm@0
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288 skin. “Mirra-chan!” Bara exclaimed happily.
|
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rlm@0
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289 The Sakura Card let out a sigh, slowly letting go of the
|
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rlm@0
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290 Cardmistress’s daughter. As usual, the dark haired girl hardly seemed
|
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rlm@0
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291 fazed by yet another accident she nearly got herself into. Mirror was
|
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rlm@0
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292 starting to wonder if the human girl cared at all about such trivial
|
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rlm@0
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293 things as pain or injuries. She tried to frown, but Bara’s smile was
|
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rlm@0
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294 contagious. She found herself returning it before too long. “You
|
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rlm@0
|
295 really need to be more careful, Bara-chan. You’re cuter when you
|
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rlm@0
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296 aren’t all bruise covered,” she said quietly.
|
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rlm@0
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297 The two Baras looked at each other for a moment before the real one
|
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rlm@0
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298 giggled in reply. “But with you and mother and everyone around
|
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rlm@0
|
299 there’s no reason to worry about it.” Turning back to the task at
|
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rlm@0
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300 hand, the pale girl began again towards her parents’ large room,
|
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rlm@0
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301 slipping lithely into the room through the half open door.
|
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rlm@0
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302 Emerald eyes began searching for what she needed, looking past a sea
|
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rlm@0
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303 of portraits and picture frames, labels and videotapes that were all
|
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rlm@0
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304 somehow in perfect order. Tomoyo’s large desk lay in one corner,
|
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rlm@0
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305 several costume designs and a half finished costume resting on top of
|
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rlm@0
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306 it. Some stuffed animals lay on the bed, all from Sakura’s
|
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rlm@0
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307 collection, which had grown in recent years even as she gave some of
|
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rlm@0
|
308 her long held ones to Bara. One of the centerpieces to the group of
|
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rlm@0
|
309 stuffed dolls was a little Sakura doll that Tomoyo had made for the
|
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rlm@0
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310 brunette back when they has still been children. The fabric was a
|
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rlm@0
|
311 little frayed and it’s age was showing, but Sakura took it wherever
|
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rlm@0
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312 she went, and always held onto it when Tomoyo was gone on a business
|
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rlm@0
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313 trip.
|
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rlm@0
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314 A television lay in one corner of the room, obviously for Tomoyo to
|
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rlm@0
|
315 view her tapes, even though she had a viewing room for such things
|
|
rlm@0
|
316 with a much better setup. Bara’s questing eyes finally came to a halt
|
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rlm@0
|
317 on the desk. It looked like her mother had been busy at work on a
|
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rlm@0
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318 costume the night before, so all of the materials she needed were
|
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rlm@0
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319 there. Grabbing several of them, she turned to leave the room.
|
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rlm@0
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320 “I’ll carry that,” Mirror said quickly, taking the scissors from
|
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rlm@0
|
321 Bara’s hands. The last thing she needed was for Bara to trip while
|
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rlm@0
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322 holding something like that. The midnight haired girl simply smiled
|
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rlm@0
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323 in gratitude as she headed back for her room. Following behind her,
|
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rlm@0
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324 the Sakura Card watched as the Cardmistress’s daughter sat back on
|
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rlm@0
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325 the bed. “What are you doing?” she asked curiously.
|
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rlm@0
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326 Looking up from the assortment of items she had gathered along with
|
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rlm@0
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327 those her mother had already lain out for her, Bara spotted Mirror in
|
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rlm@0
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328 the doorway. Smiling cutely, the dark haired girl shook her head
|
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rlm@0
|
329 emphatically. “I can’t tell you. I’m making something, but it’s going
|
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rlm@0
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330 to be a surprise for someone.” She turned back to the items, shifting
|
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rlm@0
|
331 through them. After a second, she walked over to a still confused
|
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rlm@0
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332 Mirror and took the scissors slowly from her hand. “I’ll tell you all
|
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rlm@0
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333 about it later,” she said reassuringly.
|
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rlm@0
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334 Mirror sighed as Bara returned to the bed. “Why can’t you tell me
|
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rlm@0
|
335 now? You know I won’t tell anyone. It will just be our secret.” The
|
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rlm@0
|
336 Sakura Card tried to catch Bara’s gaze as she herself reached the
|
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rlm@0
|
337 bed. Her own eyes tried to lock onto Bara’s jade eyes, but the human
|
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rlm@0
|
338 girl seemed intent on her thoughts. Shifting to her normal form for a
|
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rlm@0
|
339 brief second, the magical creature quickly returned to being Bara’s
|
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rlm@0
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340 lookalike. Something she had learned over time was that it was easier
|
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rlm@0
|
341 for someone to trust themselves than to trust anyone else. This
|
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rlm@0
|
342 helped her at times because she could be them. It was, in a sense, as
|
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rlm@0
|
343 if they were looking into a mirror. Unfortunately, this trick rarely
|
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rlm@0
|
344 seemed to work on the Cardmistress’s daughter. Bara generally trusted
|
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rlm@0
|
345 her with most things as it was. But when the dark haired girl wanted
|
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rlm@0
|
346 to keep something from her, it was very difficult to drag it out.
|
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rlm@0
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347 Tilting her head to the side in thought, Bara paused for a moment.
|
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rlm@0
|
348 “Well, mother, for one. Maybe Flower. Oh, and uncle Touya if he stops
|
|
rlm@0
|
349 by. Am I missing anyone?” Smiling sweetly, the magical girl finally
|
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rlm@0
|
350 turned her gaze back to the Sakura Card. She liked to tease her
|
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rlm@0
|
351 friend from time to time. Mirror got riled up so easily. Never did
|
|
rlm@0
|
352 her teasing get mean spirited, but she did like to see how Mirror
|
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rlm@0
|
353 reacted. The midnight haired girl already knew that she wouldn’t be
|
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rlm@0
|
354 telling her friend about what she was making anyway. So she was only
|
|
rlm@0
|
355 having some fun while Mirror was continuing to be stubborn. Besides,
|
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rlm@0
|
356 Bara’s mind was already busy trying to decide exactly how she wanted
|
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rlm@0
|
357 the teddy bear to end up. But the image she had in her mind slowly
|
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rlm@0
|
358 faded away. ‘I can’t force it. Just like mother’s costume designs and
|
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rlm@0
|
359 her videotape. You have to let things flow on their own, to see where
|
|
rlm@0
|
360 they take you.’ Her hands gently trailed over the cloth. ‘There’s a
|
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rlm@0
|
361 teddy bear in here and she wants to come out. I’m just going to help
|
|
rlm@0
|
362 her. How she comes out is up to her,’ she thought to herself, a small
|
|
rlm@0
|
363 smile spreading across her lips. An important lesson that she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
364 learned from her mother was not to force things. Bara had learned
|
|
rlm@0
|
365 that after coming to Tomoyo with tears in her eyes over an accident
|
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rlm@0
|
366 she had while painting. Her inspiration had been nonexistent and when
|
|
rlm@0
|
367 she had tried to finish a painting she had started several days
|
|
rlm@0
|
368 before, it wound up being ruined. Tomoyo had held onto her and
|
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rlm@0
|
369 brushed back her shorter, dark hair, whispering softly. She had
|
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rlm@0
|
370 explained to Bara that forcing things didn’t let them grow as they
|
|
rlm@0
|
371 wanted to, and it forced them to be a certain way. To bring them out,
|
|
rlm@0
|
372 to truly see them for what they were, they had to be nurtured and
|
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rlm@0
|
373 loved. It was a lesson that Bara saw in many aspects of life. Whether
|
|
rlm@0
|
374 it be painting or videotaping or falling in love. It was still
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 difficult sometimes to banish a finished mental image from her mind,
|
|
rlm@0
|
376 but she was much happier with how things turned out.
|
|
rlm@0
|
377 Unaware that Bara was deep in thought, Mirror found herself
|
|
rlm@0
|
378 blushing deeply. She had indeed had a crush on Touya long ago. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
379 she was still delighted to see him whenever he stopped by to visit
|
|
rlm@0
|
380 his little sister and her wife. But that hardly mattered. He had
|
|
rlm@0
|
381 Yukito, after all. And she was only a Card as it was, so it couldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
382 have worked out between them, even if Touya had returned her
|
|
rlm@0
|
383 feelings. A sigh escaped her lips as she let her eyes slip closed.
|
|
rlm@0
|
384 Still, did Bara have to keep teasing her about it? It had been a
|
|
rlm@0
|
385 lifetime before. Bara hadn’t even been born back then. But Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@0
|
386 to be right about one thing. There was definitely something cute
|
|
rlm@0
|
387 about those ears. For some time now, she had continually noticed how
|
|
rlm@0
|
388 Bara’s were the same. The cute little ears jutted out of short, black
|
|
rlm@0
|
389 hair in the same way that Sakura’s did. Mirror had found it quite an
|
|
rlm@0
|
390 endearing aspect of her friend. And it certainly added to Bara’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
391 already considerable cuteness. Shaking her head and attempting to
|
|
rlm@0
|
392 banish the blush, Mirror replied. “You know I wouldn’t tell any of
|
|
rlm@0
|
393 them. Even Touya-san.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 “I know,” Bara answered simply, emerald eyes glittering as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 looked up from her thoughts. Pale fingers brushed dark hair away from
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 her jade orbs. “But I still can’t tell you. You’ll find out sooner or
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 later. You always do.” Winking at the Sakura Card, the pale girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 giggled. “So just be patient.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
399 “If you say so, Bara-chan,” Mirror said in defeat. She knew it was
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 pointless to continue arguing to be told. Much like Tomoyo, Bara
|
|
rlm@0
|
401 could keep a very tight lip about such things. Even if she didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 want to wait to find out what her friend was up to, it didn’t seem
|
|
rlm@0
|
403 like she had a choice. Sitting on the bed, the Sakura Card watched
|
|
rlm@0
|
404 the pale girl continue to dreamily go over ideas in her head.
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 Blushing a bit from the direction her thoughts were headed about
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 giving her teddy bear to the one she loved, Bara quickly shook her
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 head. “Ano... I think you should probably go for now, Mira-chan. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 need to get started on this.” Hopping off of the bed, Bara put her
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 hands on the Sakura Card’s back, gently pushing her mirror image
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 towards the door. “If you stay, I’ll get distracted and then I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
411 never finish up. And if I don’t ever finish, you’ll never find out
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 what it is.” Smiling sweetly, the Cardmistress’s daughter closed the
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 door.
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 Mirror blinked as she found herself outside of Bara’s room. What
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 had just happened? “Well, I guess. But I hope it won’t take too
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 long,” Mirror said through the door, pressing her ear up against it
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 as she waited for a reply. Curiosity gnawed at her magical core. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
418 couldn’t begin to guess what her human best friend was up to, and the
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 dark haired girl’s strange behavior was only strengthening her desire
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 to know what Bara was up to. She could hear movement on the other
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 side of the door, strange noises that met her ears as she tried to
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 discern them. Just what was the slightly eccentric girl doing?
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 Pushing the side of her face against the door, she strained to make
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 out what was happening. Suddenly, the door fell away from her and she
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 nearly came crashing to the ground. Pinwheeling, the Card barely
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 regained her balance in Bara’s doorway. She looked up to see Bara
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 smiling at her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
428 “Well, the sooner you stop listening in, the sooner I can start.
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 Honestly, Mira-chan, how can I ever do anything surprising if you
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 won’t let me hide a few things from you now and then?” the pale girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 gently chided, tucking some strands of black hair behind her ear. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 could only smile at the childish look of embarrassment flashing
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 across Mirror’s face, an exact copy of her own face. Did she really
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 look like that when she was caught embarrassed? The fact that Mirror
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 often looked like her wasn’t at all awkward for her. She had actually
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 grown accustomed to seeing that pale face and dark hair greeting her
|
|
rlm@0
|
437 when she saw her best friend. Like looking into an actual mirror, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
438 could always see herself in it, but unlike those constructs of glass,
|
|
rlm@0
|
439 she could see the girl underneath her visage. Mirror was always her
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 Mira-chan, no matter what she looked like. The Sakura Card looked
|
|
rlm@0
|
441 very lovely in her normal form, very formal with pretty pale green
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 hair, but she didn’t get to see Mirror like that very often. It was a
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 shame, but Bara didn’t mind very much. It didn’t matter how Mirror
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 looked so long as she was there. “Now scoot,” she commanded, putting
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 on as serious a look as her near giggly heart could allow. It came
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 out sounding silly, even to her. She placed her hands on her hips and
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 gave Mirror a mock stern look before bursting out laughing. Mirror
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 joined her a second later, forgetting her earlier embarrassment.
|
|
rlm@0
|
449 “I can’t let you hide things from me,” Mirror said after they both
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 regained some measure of composure. “Because I’m you.” Striking her
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 best imitation of the young heiress, she watched the human girl. That
|
|
rlm@0
|
452 was what she was after all, a reflection. She had been created to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 a mirror, to reflect things back. She was more comfortable looking
|
|
rlm@0
|
454 like Bara than she was looking like herself. It was easier for her
|
|
rlm@0
|
455 that way, to assume someone else’s identity, to simply reflect what
|
|
rlm@0
|
456 she saw. And she could think of no one she would rather be a
|
|
rlm@0
|
457 reflection of than the Cardmistress’s daughter. Bara’s shimmering
|
|
rlm@0
|
458 spirit and sweet nature made her a perfect choice for Mirror’s new
|
|
rlm@0
|
459 guise. She had spent more time as the dark haired girl’s twin over
|
|
rlm@0
|
460 the past few years than she had as herself. And that’s the way she
|
|
rlm@0
|
461 liked it. “So it’s not fair if you know things about you that I
|
|
rlm@0
|
462 don’t,” Mirror argued.
|
|
rlm@0
|
463 “Nice try, Mira-chan. I’ll see you in a bit.” The pale girl gave
|
|
rlm@0
|
464 her magically created friend a quick hug before once again closing
|
|
rlm@0
|
465 the door. She waved to her slowly before it closed shut. Pressing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
466 own ear against the door, she waited until she heard the Sakura Card
|
|
rlm@0
|
467 walking away before hurrying back to her bed. Her heart fluttered in
|
|
rlm@0
|
468 her chest like a hummingbird, her jade eyes flashing with
|
|
rlm@0
|
469 determination to finish her teddy bear as quickly as possible. Pale
|
|
rlm@0
|
470 fingers began sifting through the materials spread out on her bed,
|
|
rlm@0
|
471 shaking in their eagerness. The young girl had to force herself to
|
|
rlm@0
|
472 slow down, lest she make any mistakes with her new little friend. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
473 teddy bear should be perfect after all. Her heart’s desire deserved
|
|
rlm@0
|
474 nothing less. Humming softly to herself, the pale waif started her
|
|
rlm@0
|
475 work.
|
|
rlm@0
|
476
|
|
rlm@0
|
477 “Hoe...” a flustered voice rang through the spacious wardrobe room
|
|
rlm@0
|
478 that Tomoyo had insisted on having when the house had been built. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
479 was right across the hallway from Sakura’s Magician’s Workshop,
|
|
rlm@0
|
480 another room Tomoyo had decided on having. The whole house was almost
|
|
rlm@0
|
481 dreamy, very beautiful and elegant yet with an almost absurdly cute
|
|
rlm@0
|
482 feel to things. It lingered in the background, never entirely
|
|
rlm@0
|
483 prominent but there just the same. And it was in Tomoyo’s wardrobe
|
|
rlm@0
|
484 room, or rather, Sakura’s wardrobe room as the costumes inside all
|
|
rlm@0
|
485 fit her snugly, that the two childhood friends once again found
|
|
rlm@0
|
486 themselves. “Isn’t it a bit...” Sakura trailed off, at a loss for
|
|
rlm@0
|
487 words. Here she was, a grown woman, and Tomoyo could still get her
|
|
rlm@0
|
488 into crazy costumes with little more than a few words. Her cheeks
|
|
rlm@0
|
489 flushed as she looked down at the outfit she was wearing this time.
|
|
rlm@0
|
490 She wore a man’s suit and tie, a very dressy outfit. The polished
|
|
rlm@0
|
491 white and black shoes shown back up at her. She would think Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
492 had gone shopping in the men’s section on accident if it weren’t for
|
|
rlm@0
|
493 the fact that it fit her measurements exactly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
494 “Handsome? I certainly think so,” Tomoyo put in, finished Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
495 sentence in a way Sakura herself wasn’t likely to have. Reaching
|
|
rlm@0
|
496 forward, the lavender haired businesswoman readjusted Sakura’s white
|
|
rlm@0
|
497 dress shirt. “There. See? I think children will love this design for
|
|
rlm@0
|
498 the Kenji doll. He’s handsome and dashing with just a touch of
|
|
rlm@0
|
499 innocent vulnerability in him. It’s a nice outfit for if he’s going
|
|
rlm@0
|
500 out on a date with one of our other dolls or if he’s just going out
|
|
rlm@0
|
501 for a night at the theater.” Smiling happily, Tomoyo was in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
502 element. Dressing up Sakura and working out new designs. Turning her
|
|
rlm@0
|
503 shy wife around, the eccentric woman sighed contentedly. Yes, this
|
|
rlm@0
|
504 was exactly what she lived for. “After this, you can try on the two
|
|
rlm@0
|
505 new designs we have for the Hanako doll.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
506 “Ano... Tomoyo, do you really have to make life-size versions of
|
|
rlm@0
|
507 all the costumes you design for the toys?” Sakura asked as her
|
|
rlm@0
|
508 lovably obsessive wife fixed the costume here and there on her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
509 “Yes, of course. Because it makes a much better impact if I can
|
|
rlm@0
|
510 have Sakura-chan sport our new designs at the meetings before they go
|
|
rlm@0
|
511 into production. Seeing you walk around the room like a model
|
|
rlm@0
|
512 showcasing the new designs is always much better than simply showing
|
|
rlm@0
|
513 the costumes for our dolls on paper,” Tomoyo explained, turning
|
|
rlm@0
|
514 Sakura so that the auburn haired woman faced the camcorder on it’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
515 tripod more directly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
516 “But Tomoyo-chan, you’re the president of the company. You don’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
517 need to sell everyone on the designs.” Sakura sweatdropped as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
518 looked over at the camcorder. Even after over a decade of marriage,
|
|
rlm@0
|
519 the lavender haired woman still managed to confuse Sakura at times.
|
|
rlm@0
|
520 But it was always a sweet confusion that didn’t generally last long.
|
|
rlm@0
|
521 Tomoyo’s motives were, after all, beautifully simplistic.
|
|
rlm@0
|
522 “It makes the meetings much more fun if Sakura-chan’s dressed up
|
|
rlm@0
|
523 like our new products,” Tomoyo added, smiling her trademark smile as
|
|
rlm@0
|
524 she looked at the brunette. Sakura simply watched her as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
525 readjusted the camcorder. Her long, dark hair was done up in a high
|
|
rlm@0
|
526 ponytail now, draped down over one shoulder. That had always been her
|
|
rlm@0
|
527 ulterior motive, but it had been one that served her well. She liked
|
|
rlm@0
|
528 designing, but she found that Sakura was always at the root of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
529 inspiration. Working for her mother and later taking over the
|
|
rlm@0
|
530 Daidouji Toys company, she had to design for many of the toys the
|
|
rlm@0
|
531 company produced. It was fun to work on them, but she much preferred
|
|
rlm@0
|
532 to be designing costumes and outfits for her beloved Sakura. She had
|
|
rlm@0
|
533 found a way around this by making life-size versions of her designs
|
|
rlm@0
|
534 for Sakura to traipse around in for her. This allowed her to design
|
|
rlm@0
|
535 for the brunette even while she was working on dolls and their
|
|
rlm@0
|
536 wardrobe. Besides, who could resist seeing Sakura wearing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
537 company’s newest designs at important meetings?
|
|
rlm@0
|
538 Sighing in defeat, Sakura’s shoulders slumped. Wasn’t this the way
|
|
rlm@0
|
539 things had always worked? No matter how embarrassingly cute the
|
|
rlm@0
|
540 design, Sakura had always wound up wearing whatever Tomoyo made for
|
|
rlm@0
|
541 her. How could she not when the lavender haired woman had poured so
|
|
rlm@0
|
542 much of her love and effort into creating these beautiful clothes for
|
|
rlm@0
|
543 Sakura? Even as she stood in the man’s clothes for the Kenji doll,
|
|
rlm@0
|
544 the Mistress of the Cards knew that she did enjoy the attention
|
|
rlm@0
|
545 Tomoyo blanketed her with. Her mother had been a famous model, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
546 Sakura was Tomoyo’s model alone. And that was the way she liked it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
547 Sure, it was embarrassing. Sure, Tomoyo had some bizarre designs and
|
|
rlm@0
|
548 things that Sakura would never wear without a promise that the
|
|
rlm@0
|
549 videotape of her in such things would never be viewed by anyone but
|
|
rlm@0
|
550 her wife. But it was simply part of life with Tomoyo. Who else would
|
|
rlm@0
|
551 treat her like a movie star? Who else would give her all the
|
|
rlm@0
|
552 attention in the world? Who else could love her the way Tomoyo did?
|
|
rlm@0
|
553 “Besides, Sakura is very handsome like this,” Tomoyo stated,
|
|
rlm@0
|
554 placing her hands on Sakura’s shoulders. Her stormy blue eyes gazed
|
|
rlm@0
|
555 lovingly into their emerald partners, sending a spark through her
|
|
rlm@0
|
556 that had only grown stronger and more acute as the years had gone by.
|
|
rlm@0
|
557 It always thrilled her to dress Sakura up in all manner of clothing
|
|
rlm@0
|
558 and styles, eager to see how her energetic wife would look in them
|
|
rlm@0
|
559 all. It was like having her own live KiSS doll. The lavender haired
|
|
rlm@0
|
560 woman’s hobbies were very much centered around the one she loved. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
561 videotaping was always of Sakura, her costume designs were made
|
|
rlm@0
|
562 specifically for her wife, and her singing was for the one she loved.
|
|
rlm@0
|
563 But what better way to spend her free time than with her beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
564 wife, no matter what they did? Her hands squeezed Sakura’s shoulders
|
|
rlm@0
|
565 slightly, delighting at the feel of Sakura underneath her fingertips.
|
|
rlm@0
|
566 Sakura looked nearly as cute in men’s clothes as she did in women’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
567 clothes. Even if it wasn’t as lacy or as frilly as Tomoyo would like,
|
|
rlm@0
|
568 it was still her gorgeous Sakura. And she pulled off the dress suit
|
|
rlm@0
|
569 perfectly. Though it helped that Tomoyo had designed it with Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
570 in mind.
|
|
rlm@0
|
571 Sakura blushed at Tomoyo’s compliment, her eyes unable to escape
|
|
rlm@0
|
572 that azure gaze. Her hands slowly went to Tomoyo’s slender waist.
|
|
rlm@0
|
573 “Arigato, Tomoyo... You’re gorgeous,” Sakura breathed quietly as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
574 raised on of her hands up to the lavender haired woman’s snow white
|
|
rlm@0
|
575 cheek. The pale skin was offset wonderfully by the cascade of dark
|
|
rlm@0
|
576 hair down her shoulder. That long ponytail hung between them as the
|
|
rlm@0
|
577 two women inched closer. The Mistress of the Cards had the
|
|
rlm@0
|
578 overwhelming urge to ask Tomoyo to dance. They were surrounded by
|
|
rlm@0
|
579 racks of costumes and mannequins sporting some of Sakura’s old battle
|
|
rlm@0
|
580 costumes, but even in the quiet room it seemed like an excellent
|
|
rlm@0
|
581 idea. “Will you dance with me, Tomoyo?” Sakura asked at last, unable
|
|
rlm@0
|
582 to find a single reason not to. It felt a little strange to still be
|
|
rlm@0
|
583 in the awkward clothes Tomoyo had given her to wear, but it clung to
|
|
rlm@0
|
584 her perfectly, showcasing her wife’s talent for costume design.
|
|
rlm@0
|
585 “I would love to, Sakura,” Tomoyo whispered in reply, smiling
|
|
rlm@0
|
586 brilliantly. Leaning ever closer, her petal soft lips brushed
|
|
rlm@0
|
587 Sakura’s. Her heart ached longingly as their lips touched again,
|
|
rlm@0
|
588 longer this time. These little touches of heaven were pure bliss to
|
|
rlm@0
|
589 the lavender haired businesswoman. They were like the sweetest of
|
|
rlm@0
|
590 dreams brought magically to life. This was the magic she saw in a
|
|
rlm@0
|
591 life with Sakura. It wasn’t the Cards or any of the power Sakura had.
|
|
rlm@0
|
592 It was the brunette’s ability to bring out a sheer, unadulterated joy
|
|
rlm@0
|
593 inside of her. It was the warmth that shivered through her heart as
|
|
rlm@0
|
594 it waited bedecked with ribbons and lace for Sakura to simply hold it
|
|
rlm@0
|
595 close. Dancing with Sakura anywhere sounded like a wondrous idea, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
596 dancing with her among the flurry of cute and dreamlike costumes felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
597 like a trip through some distant wonderland. And her trusty camcorder
|
|
rlm@0
|
598 was set up to record the glorious moment. Tomoyo sighed rapturously
|
|
rlm@0
|
599 as their lips slowly parted, both women reluctant to end the kiss.
|
|
rlm@0
|
600 But there would be many more. There always were.
|
|
rlm@0
|
601 Drawn forward as if by a magnet, the dazed Sakura barely stopped
|
|
rlm@0
|
602 herself before initiating another long kiss. Shaking her head, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
603 tried to think coherently, but thought was rendered all but
|
|
rlm@0
|
604 impossible as the lavender haired woman caught her near kiss and
|
|
rlm@0
|
605 returned it with her own. Holding onto Tomoyo, Sakura felt feather
|
|
rlm@0
|
606 soft lips deliciously meeting her own. The fairy tale kiss came to a
|
|
rlm@0
|
607 slow end after Sakura got a taste of Tomoyo’s tongue in her mouth.
|
|
rlm@0
|
608 Her own tongue tried to follow Tomoyo’s, but her wife had already
|
|
rlm@0
|
609 begun to pull away. Still leaning forward, Sakura blushed as she felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
610 the lavender haired woman’s lips around the tip of her tongue. They
|
|
rlm@0
|
611 stayed that way for a moment, Tomoyo sliding closer for another
|
|
rlm@0
|
612 simmering kiss before pulling away once more. Slowly remembering
|
|
rlm@0
|
613 where she was and the promised dance that awaited them, a dreamy
|
|
rlm@0
|
614 Sakura pulled out a pink Card and twirled it between her fingers.
|
|
rlm@0
|
615 “Song! Please give us some music to dance to!” The Sakura Card
|
|
rlm@0
|
616 flashed and music slowly began to filter through the room, Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
617 voice singing softly with the music. The Song Card had long ago
|
|
rlm@0
|
618 chosen Tomoyo’s voice for the one it would use, just as the Voice
|
|
rlm@0
|
619 Card had sought her out as the most beautiful voice it could find.
|
|
rlm@0
|
620 And Sakura certainly agreed with the both of them. Hearing Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
621 voice sing to the both of them, the two woman slowly began to dance
|
|
rlm@0
|
622 through the costumes. “Hanyaan,” Sakura whispered.
|
|
rlm@0
|
623
|
|
rlm@0
|
624 “So okaa-sama couldn’t have caught it without you?” Bara asked
|
|
rlm@0
|
625 curiously as she flipped through the Book of Sakura. Several of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
626 Cards were elsewhere at the moment, such as Mirror and Song, but the
|
|
rlm@0
|
627 majority of the pink Sakura Cards were in their matching book. Bara
|
|
rlm@0
|
628 was currently looking through the Cards, trying to get a feel for
|
|
rlm@0
|
629 them. She was leaning absentmindedly against the upstairs railing,
|
|
rlm@0
|
630 overlooking the large entrance hall to the house. While sifting
|
|
rlm@0
|
631 through the Cards, she was listening to Kero’s stories about his
|
|
rlm@0
|
632 adventures during her mother’s days of card capturing. His stories
|
|
rlm@0
|
633 weren’t always entirely factual as Tomoyo’s videos had shown when
|
|
rlm@0
|
634 Bara watched them after listening to the Seal Beast, but she loved to
|
|
rlm@0
|
635 hear them all the same. Magic fascinated her and she always yearned
|
|
rlm@0
|
636 to find out more about it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
637 “You got it, kid. Had I not been there, we might not be standing
|
|
rlm@0
|
638 here today havin’ this little chat.” Kero nodded, his arms crossed.
|
|
rlm@0
|
639 He was standing on the railing, recounting his tales of wonder to
|
|
rlm@0
|
640 Sakura’s daughter. At least the dark haired girl appreciated him.
|
|
rlm@0
|
641 Sakura had never quite believed in how truly amazing he was. The kid,
|
|
rlm@0
|
642 on the other hand, would hang onto his every word. It had been a
|
|
rlm@0
|
643 mighty good thing that Sakura and Tomoyo had gotten hitched after
|
|
rlm@0
|
644 all. He was finally getting some appreciation.
|
|
rlm@0
|
645 “Then I’m sure Tomoyo-mama must have thanked you many times over
|
|
rlm@0
|
646 for saving Sakura-mama.” Smiling, Bara continued to flip through the
|
|
rlm@0
|
647 Cards, trying to feel them with her own slowly growing magic. It was
|
|
rlm@0
|
648 difficult for her, but she was pleased to see that she was making
|
|
rlm@0
|
649 some progress. Her left foot moved about playfully behind her. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
650 had finished the teddy bear a short time ago and now all she had to
|
|
rlm@0
|
651 do was wait for a good opportunity to give it to her special someone.
|
|
rlm@0
|
652 These things needed to be planned carefully if they were to come out
|
|
rlm@0
|
653 perfectly. One wouldn’t want to give something important like a teddy
|
|
rlm@0
|
654 bear to their true love during an inconsequential moment. So while
|
|
rlm@0
|
655 she waited for inspiration to strike on how to go about giving away
|
|
rlm@0
|
656 her heart in the guise of a trussed up bear, she spent some time with
|
|
rlm@0
|
657 the Seal Beast, gleaning up on her knowledge of the Sakura Cards. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
658 mother didn’t really mind when she borrowed the Sakura Book to look
|
|
rlm@0
|
659 through the Cards, so she tried to go through them when she could.
|
|
rlm@0
|
660 The Cards were all so amazing to the pale girl. Her best friend was
|
|
rlm@0
|
661 one of them as well. They all had such neat things they could do and
|
|
rlm@0
|
662 they all had their own distinct personalities. Some had become good
|
|
rlm@0
|
663 friends, like Mirror and Flower, others seemed rather mischievous
|
|
rlm@0
|
664 like Jump, and some had an air of respect about them that had Bara
|
|
rlm@0
|
665 bowing whenever in their presence, as was the case with Dark and
|
|
rlm@0
|
666 Light. And the Seal Beast was just funny. She always enjoyed Kero’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
667 company.
|
|
rlm@0
|
668 “Yep! She made such a delicious cake as a thank you...” Kero sighed
|
|
rlm@0
|
669 dreamily, remembering the cake Tomoyo had made in more detail than he
|
|
rlm@0
|
670 could remember the actual event in question. “Hey, let’s ask Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@0
|
671 chan to bake a nice big dessert for everybody when we finally find
|
|
rlm@0
|
672 her. If this place wasn’t so big, I’d go look for her right now. As
|
|
rlm@0
|
673 it is, I’d probably get lost and starve to death.” The Seal Beast
|
|
rlm@0
|
674 looked down at his stomach, putting both hands on it. “I’m already
|
|
rlm@0
|
675 wasting away.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
676 “I’ll bake you something if you want, Kero-chan,” Bara offered,
|
|
rlm@0
|
677 looking over to the flying teddy bear. She idly wondered if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
678 should have based her teddy bear off of the Seal Beast, but decided
|
|
rlm@0
|
679 she was happier having something original. It felt more from the
|
|
rlm@0
|
680 heart that way. Besides, no stuffed animal could take Kero’s place.
|
|
rlm@0
|
681 “Would you?” Kero’s eyes sparkled as he flew up next to the dark
|
|
rlm@0
|
682 haired girl. Yes, this was definitely Tomoyo’s daughter. “Wai!! Wai!!
|
|
rlm@0
|
683 Arigato, Bara-chan!!” Visions of cakes and sweets encircled his head
|
|
rlm@0
|
684 while he alighted next to the young heiress’s elbow.
|
|
rlm@0
|
685 Giggling at Kero’s enthusiasm, Bara nodded quickly. “Un, Kero-chan.
|
|
rlm@0
|
686 It sounds like fun.” There were very few instances when Kero wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
687 hungry and this didn’t appear to be one of them. The dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
688 had plenty of time to waste as it was and if the Seal Beast was
|
|
rlm@0
|
689 hungry, she was more than happy to cook for him. He was always very
|
|
rlm@0
|
690 complimentary about such things, so she didn’t have to worry overtly
|
|
rlm@0
|
691 about ruining a recipe while she was at it. Besides, cooking was an
|
|
rlm@0
|
692 art form in itself. So with enough patience, it could be a very
|
|
rlm@0
|
693 lovely thing. Bara enjoyed cooking nearly as much as she enjoyed
|
|
rlm@0
|
694 painting. They had a chef for such things, if they so needed it, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
695 Tomoyo and Sakura often cooked dinner together, and Bara had learned
|
|
rlm@0
|
696 from the two of them. She was slowly making her way through some of
|
|
rlm@0
|
697 the cookbooks in the kitchen along with Kero, though she needed
|
|
rlm@0
|
698 Tomoyo’s help with some of the trickier recipes.
|
|
rlm@0
|
699 Looking over at the Seal Beast with a smile, she didn’t notice as
|
|
rlm@0
|
700 the Sakura Book began slipping in her grasp. She barely looked back
|
|
rlm@0
|
701 in time to see it tumble end over end through space as it plummeted
|
|
rlm@0
|
702 to the floor below.
|
|
rlm@0
|
703 “Owww!!” sounded rather than the thud Bara had been waiting for.
|
|
rlm@0
|
704 Peering over the railing, Bara spotted Mirror sitting on the floor,
|
|
rlm@0
|
705 rubbing her head, the Sakura Book lying next to her. “Gomen nasai,
|
|
rlm@0
|
706 Mira-chan!” The dark haired girl darted down the stairs, nearly
|
|
rlm@0
|
707 tumbling down herself if not for Kero’s grip on her blouse as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
708 missed a step. Stumbling forward, she didn’t miss a beat as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
709 hurried to her injured friend’s side. “I’m so sorry, Mira-chan! It
|
|
rlm@0
|
710 just kinda... fell.” Sweatdropping, the pale heiress bowed
|
|
rlm@0
|
711 apologetically. “Daijoubu?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
712 One of the only real downsides to being the sweet, genki young
|
|
rlm@0
|
713 girl’s best friend was that it seemed her accident proneness had
|
|
rlm@0
|
714 targeted Mirror as well. As if it wasn’t enough that the pale girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
715 was always getting herself hurt, it always turned out that she
|
|
rlm@0
|
716 somehow managed to get Mirror hurt as well. It was as if Fate was
|
|
rlm@0
|
717 aiming at the poor girl and anyone who got near her. But even then,
|
|
rlm@0
|
718 the Sakura Card couldn’t imagine giving up her cherished friendship
|
|
rlm@0
|
719 with the girl for anything. Sighing, she continued to rub her own
|
|
rlm@0
|
720 dark hair, still a mirror image of Bara Daidouji. “I’m fine. Just a
|
|
rlm@0
|
721 little dazed. I didn’t expect it to start raining books today.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
722 “Awww... Gomen, Mira-chan.” Bending over, the pale girl kissed the
|
|
rlm@0
|
723 spot on Mirror’s head that the Sakura Card had been rubbing. Like a
|
|
rlm@0
|
724 mother kissing away some phantom pain, she gently pressed her lips
|
|
rlm@0
|
725 into Mirror’s soft, black hair. She didn’t know if it would do any
|
|
rlm@0
|
726 good, but it had always comforted her when she was younger, and the
|
|
rlm@0
|
727 gesture itself always made her feel better. Pulling away, she knelt
|
|
rlm@0
|
728 next to the fallen Sakura Card, hugging her pale legs to her chest.
|
|
rlm@0
|
729 She smiled softly at her friend, watching and waiting to see if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
730 was still in pain.
|
|
rlm@0
|
731 Blushing, Mirror looked down as Bara sat next to her. For a long
|
|
rlm@0
|
732 moment, she was silent. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Bara was so
|
|
rlm@0
|
733 accident prone after all. If that was what she had to look forward to
|
|
rlm@0
|
734 when she got hurt, it might be worthwhile just to stumble around
|
|
rlm@0
|
735 blindly and see what happened. The dark haired girl had a very
|
|
rlm@0
|
736 gentle, loving touch and it shined through in everything she did. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
737 Cards had all quickly come to love their Mistress’s daughter, keeping
|
|
rlm@0
|
738 an eye out for her. That was probably the main reason Bara hadn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
739 been hurt any worse than she already had over the years. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
740 embarrassment quickly melted away as Mirror’s eyes shot up eagerly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
741 “Oh, are you finished yet with whatever it was you were doing? Can
|
|
rlm@0
|
742 you tell me now?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
743 Bara giggled and hugged her legs tighter. “Yes, I’m finished with
|
|
rlm@0
|
744 it. No, I can’t tell you yet.” Letting go of her legs, the heiress
|
|
rlm@0
|
745 crawled over to Mirror and whispered in her ear so Kero wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
746 here. She knew how much he liked to be on the inside of everything.
|
|
rlm@0
|
747 “I can’t say now, but meet me in the garden tonight at nine. I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
748 explain everything then.” Standing up slowly, the pale girl smoothed
|
|
rlm@0
|
749 out her long skirt and smiled. “See you then, Mira-chan!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
750 Blushing once more from Bara’s cute whisper ringing through her
|
|
rlm@0
|
751 ear, Mirror nodded, now more confused than ever. What was she making?
|
|
rlm@0
|
752 Why was it so big a deal that she couldn’t simply tell her now? Well,
|
|
rlm@0
|
753 many things seemed like a big deal to the dark haired girl. Even
|
|
rlm@0
|
754 small things held a great deal of importance to her. So it didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
755 necessarily mean this was any different. But still, she couldn’t help
|
|
rlm@0
|
756 but wonder just what this was all about.
|
|
rlm@0
|
757 “What were you doing? And what are you two talking about?” Kero
|
|
rlm@0
|
758 demanded, disappointed about being left out of whatever this whole
|
|
rlm@0
|
759 thing was.
|
|
rlm@0
|
760 “Come on, Kero-chan. You can decide what we bake,” Bara coaxed,
|
|
rlm@0
|
761 already on her way to the kitchen.
|
|
rlm@0
|
762 The Seal Beast fell in with the younger girl, all previous thoughts
|
|
rlm@0
|
763 replaced with the goodies of what was to come.
|
|
rlm@0
|
764 Mirror sighed as she watched the two disappear around a corner.
|
|
rlm@0
|
765 “Bara-chan...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
766
|
|
rlm@0
|
767 Mirror paced nervously in the darkened garden as time slowly ticked
|
|
rlm@0
|
768 away in her head. There were plenty of lights out in the garden that
|
|
rlm@0
|
769 could be turned out if someone were so inclined to take a midnight
|
|
rlm@0
|
770 stroll or to have a late picnic, but aside from the lights of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
771 mansion, it was dark at the moment. The flustered Sakura Card
|
|
rlm@0
|
772 couldn’t even understand why she was so nervous. Bara was simply
|
|
rlm@0
|
773 going to explain whatever it was she had been doing earlier. From the
|
|
rlm@0
|
774 looks of things, she was probably sewing a yukata or something for
|
|
rlm@0
|
775 school. But then, maybe she could see the midnight haired girl in it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
776 That would be a sight to behold in and of itself. Just the same,
|
|
rlm@0
|
777 Mirror couldn’t completely set her anxiety aside. Bara was treating
|
|
rlm@0
|
778 this all like some special secret that she was enjoying far too much.
|
|
rlm@0
|
779 When this all turned out to be nothing more than some school
|
|
rlm@0
|
780 project... The green haired magical being knew that she should most
|
|
rlm@0
|
781 likely be in her Card form at the moment, back with the other Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
782 Cards, but she had to know that Bara was so excited about. Her best
|
|
rlm@0
|
783 friend was a real mystery at times.
|
|
rlm@0
|
784 A sound from up above tore Mirror from her thoughts. Shifting back
|
|
rlm@0
|
785 to a reflection of Bara, she watched up above and listened for the
|
|
rlm@0
|
786 sound to return. A small figure haltingly crawled out of one of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
787 windows, stepping out onto a nearby tree branch. Mirror could barely
|
|
rlm@0
|
788 make out the pale girl in the dim moonlight, it’s pale glow
|
|
rlm@0
|
789 illuminating her faintly. Hurrying over to the tree, the Sakura Card
|
|
rlm@0
|
790 looked up and tried to spot her Mistress’s daughter. “Bara-chan?” she
|
|
rlm@0
|
791 called out.
|
|
rlm@0
|
792 “Shh... I’ll be right down,” came Bara’s whispered reply. The dark
|
|
rlm@0
|
793 haired girl stepped down to another branch, being careful not to snag
|
|
rlm@0
|
794 her dress on the tree. Bit by bit, she made her way down the tree.
|
|
rlm@0
|
795 Nearing the last few branches, she reached out with her foot for the
|
|
rlm@0
|
796 last one and missed. Losing he footing, the pale girl careened out of
|
|
rlm@0
|
797 the tree.
|
|
rlm@0
|
798 Mirror’s eyes went wide as she saw the shape of her best friend
|
|
rlm@0
|
799 drop out of the tree. Bolting under her, she tried to catch the
|
|
rlm@0
|
800 falling star, but did little more than break Bara’s fall. Collapsed
|
|
rlm@0
|
801 under the heiress’s slender weight, Mirror sighed, spitting out some
|
|
rlm@0
|
802 grass. “You’re going to be the death of me, Bara-chan.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
803 The pale girl giggled softly as she helped her magical friend back
|
|
rlm@0
|
804 to her feet. “Gomen nasai, Mira-chan. I’ll try to be more careful.
|
|
rlm@0
|
805 Thank you for saving me.” Bowing, she glanced up to see Mirror
|
|
rlm@0
|
806 watching her. Smiling at the Sakura Card, Bara stood up. Her hair in
|
|
rlm@0
|
807 slight disarray looked like the faintest of shadows, the first
|
|
rlm@0
|
808 touches of midnight gripping the sleeping world. Her alabaster skin
|
|
rlm@0
|
809 seemed to sparkle like freshly fallen snow in the dim moonlight. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
810 wore a stunning ice blue dress that flowed down to her ankles. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
811 ears were adorned with two cute teardrop earrings. Slender shoes clad
|
|
rlm@0
|
812 her delicate little feet while white stockings disappeared underneath
|
|
rlm@0
|
813 the dress. She held a small pink sack that was drawn closed with some
|
|
rlm@0
|
814 pull strings. It was all slightly messy from her fall, little blades
|
|
rlm@0
|
815 of grass here and there and what looked like a leaf stuck in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
816 hair, but she looked altogether gorgeous nonetheless.
|
|
rlm@0
|
817 Shaking her head, Mirror tried to find herself, but couldn’t help
|
|
rlm@0
|
818 but stare in astonishment at the Cardmistress’s stunning daughter.
|
|
rlm@0
|
819 The small girl was always beautiful, but that night she looked simply
|
|
rlm@0
|
820 angelic. “It was my pleasure. I’m just glad you’re all right, Bara-
|
|
rlm@0
|
821 chan. I don’t know what I’d do if you were hurt. I’d be a broken
|
|
rlm@0
|
822 mirror. It wouldn’t be worth going on if I couldn’t reflect your
|
|
rlm@0
|
823 beautiful image ever day.” She smiled when the pale girl giggled
|
|
rlm@0
|
824 softly and hugged her. She returned the hug, the two carbon copy
|
|
rlm@0
|
825 girls holding each other underneath the moonlit. They stayed that way
|
|
rlm@0
|
826 for a long time, the cool breeze playing with dark tendrils of black
|
|
rlm@0
|
827 hair, moonlight shimmering over them. Bara was like a falling star,
|
|
rlm@0
|
828 carrying her own inner light that cascaded through the darkness. Oh,
|
|
rlm@0
|
829 and she fell a lot. But Mirror wasn’t about to mention that. It was
|
|
rlm@0
|
830 nice to simply stand there, hugging the other girl while the night
|
|
rlm@0
|
831 enveloped them. The pale girl’s steady breathing lulled Mirror into a
|
|
rlm@0
|
832 peaceful silence. For a moment, she thought that Sakura’s daughter
|
|
rlm@0
|
833 had fallen asleep in her arms, but Bara slowly stirred and took a
|
|
rlm@0
|
834 step back.
|
|
rlm@0
|
835 “This is for you, Mira-chan,” Bara said, smiling cutely. She held
|
|
rlm@0
|
836 out the small pink bag hopefully, trying to keep her own nervousness
|
|
rlm@0
|
837 from showing. She didn’t want to pressure Mirror with concern for how
|
|
rlm@0
|
838 she herself would feel. She simply wanted to express her feelings in
|
|
rlm@0
|
839 the best way she knew how. As the confused Sakura Card slowly took
|
|
rlm@0
|
840 the bag, Bara felt as if she were handing over all of her hopes and
|
|
rlm@0
|
841 dreams in the small sack. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a
|
|
rlm@0
|
842 cloud of butterflies, yet she continued to smile as best she could.
|
|
rlm@0
|
843 It was like waiting to see what someone thought of one of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
844 paintings, only infinitely worse. This time there was a lot more
|
|
rlm@0
|
845 involved than a simple piece of artwork. Crafted with such care and
|
|
rlm@0
|
846 love, she could only hope her gift would be given a good home. But it
|
|
rlm@0
|
847 was more than the gift itself. Wasn’t it her heart in that bag? It
|
|
rlm@0
|
848 had simply taken the shape of a bear for the night. It’s Fate now
|
|
rlm@0
|
849 rested in Mirror’s hands.
|
|
rlm@0
|
850 Looking at Bara and then back at the bag, Mirror began to undo the
|
|
rlm@0
|
851 pull strings on the pink bundle. She was surprised to see her hands
|
|
rlm@0
|
852 shaking. She could never remember being this nervous, not even when
|
|
rlm@0
|
853 she had been confronted by Sakura after getting Touya hurt years and
|
|
rlm@0
|
854 years earlier. This was altogether different. And much more
|
|
rlm@0
|
855 frightening for some reason. Something in the back of her mind
|
|
rlm@0
|
856 whispered to her that it was only Bara. That there was nothing to
|
|
rlm@0
|
857 fear from this petite, lovely young girl. That eased the Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
858 Card’s nerves and allowed her to work out the last knot. Opening up
|
|
rlm@0
|
859 the bag, she gazed in to spy its contents. Inside sat a lone teddy
|
|
rlm@0
|
860 bear, his ‘fur’ a creamy peach and white combination. A cute lavender
|
|
rlm@0
|
861 bow was tied neatly around his neck, and beautiful emerald eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
862 looked up from the teddy bear to the Sakura Card. Mirror stared at
|
|
rlm@0
|
863 the precious gift, speechless. The bag fluttered to the ground as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
864 held it up in the moonlight. “For.. me?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
865 Nodding quickly, Bara smiled, her eyes closed. She wanted to see
|
|
rlm@0
|
866 every little detail, to know what Mirror thought, to see how she
|
|
rlm@0
|
867 reacted and her facial expressions and what she did with the bear and
|
|
rlm@0
|
868 so on, but she couldn’t bring herself to watch. Her nervousness had
|
|
rlm@0
|
869 finally stepped in and gotten the better of her. She knew that she
|
|
rlm@0
|
870 couldn’t keep smiling if she watched. It would be too difficult to
|
|
rlm@0
|
871 keep it up when she was too concerned with how Mirror was taking it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
872 And if she kept smiling, it wouldn’t matter how Mirror would take it,
|
|
rlm@0
|
873 because then the Sakura Card wouldn’t have to worry about hurting
|
|
rlm@0
|
874 her. So she waited in silence, her hands held together in front of
|
|
rlm@0
|
875 her as the wind whistled in her ear. She wanted to open her eyes, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
876 she couldn’t quite get them to budge. All the better, she supposed.
|
|
rlm@0
|
877 She wanted to know exactly how Mirror felt about receiving her heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
878 in a bear costume, and she certainly wouldn’t know if she was staring
|
|
rlm@0
|
879 at Mirror and begging for a positive response. The cold wind brushed
|
|
rlm@0
|
880 her bare skin, as if to tease her about her gift. She felt her dress
|
|
rlm@0
|
881 flutter about in the wind, her dark hair waving forward. The silence
|
|
rlm@0
|
882 just made her all the more anxious, but she continued to smile for
|
|
rlm@0
|
883 what felt like an eternity. Something warm and soft pressed into her,
|
|
rlm@0
|
884 causing her to take a half step backwards. Blinking her eyes open,
|
|
rlm@0
|
885 she could see Mirror’s grateful, smiling face in front of her, and
|
|
rlm@0
|
886 realized that the Sakura Card was hugging her again. She could feel
|
|
rlm@0
|
887 the bear still in Mirror’s hands pressed against her back. For once,
|
|
rlm@0
|
888 Mirror was actually herself, her longer green hair tossing about in
|
|
rlm@0
|
889 the wind. Smiling genuinely now, Bara returned the hug tightly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
890 “It’s so pretty. Thank you, Bara-chan. I’ve never gotten such a
|
|
rlm@0
|
891 wonderful gift. It’s perfect.” Elation rose through Mirrors soul as
|
|
rlm@0
|
892 the two stood under the starlight. Never had she imagined that
|
|
rlm@0
|
893 something so small yet so important as a little teddy bear would be
|
|
rlm@0
|
894 her own. That the black haired girl had made it for her was stunning.
|
|
rlm@0
|
895 She was a magical creation, a Sakura Card. Did she really deserve
|
|
rlm@0
|
896 something so special? Did it matter? Bara had made it for her. Had
|
|
rlm@0
|
897 crafted it with her own small, delicate hands. No gift could ever
|
|
rlm@0
|
898 exceed the small, precious teddy bear that she held.
|
|
rlm@0
|
899 Relief flooded through Bara’s nervous body, the pale girl relaxing
|
|
rlm@0
|
900 into the embrace that held them both. And that was really all she
|
|
rlm@0
|
901 could ask for. Whatever happened in the future, well, hopefully the
|
|
rlm@0
|
902 legend of the teddy bear was true. “What are you going to name it,
|
|
rlm@0
|
903 Mira-chan?” the black haired heiress asked after a moment, the wind
|
|
rlm@0
|
904 dying down around the two of them.
|
|
rlm@0
|
905 Pausing for a moment, Mirror shifted her grip on the cute bear in
|
|
rlm@0
|
906 her hand. Her fingers carefully traced the stitches as she held onto
|
|
rlm@0
|
907 the Cardmistress’s daughter. She remembered once more when she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
908 first met up with Touya. He had been helping her look for something,
|
|
rlm@0
|
909 but they had never found it. ‘When you find what you’re looking for..
|
|
rlm@0
|
910 Maybe you can go back..’ he had said, referring to heaven. Holding
|
|
rlm@0
|
911 the teddy bear tighter against Bara as she hugged the smaller girl,
|
|
rlm@0
|
912 she smiled to herself. She had found what she had been looking for
|
|
rlm@0
|
913 after all. But she needn’t go anywhere to find heaven. It was right
|
|
rlm@0
|
914 with her in the form of the darling little angel of a girl before
|
|
rlm@0
|
915 her. “I’m going to name it Bara-chan,” Mirror whispered.
|
|
rlm@0
|
916 Bara couldn’t help but smile joyously as the Mirror Card held her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
917 That had been exactly what she had prayed for. Maybe the legend was
|
|
rlm@0
|
918 true after all. “Really? There’s a legend that if someone gives you a
|
|
rlm@0
|
919 teddy bear and you name it after them, the two of you will fall in
|
|
rlm@0
|
920 love,” the dark haired girl explained quietly. She could feel her
|
|
rlm@0
|
921 hair moving around, but she couldn’t quite tell if it was the wind or
|
|
rlm@0
|
922 Mirror that was doing it. She shifted a bit against the now taller
|
|
rlm@0
|
923 girl, letting her eyes fall closed again. It felt so peaceful. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
924 previous worries felt far away, as if they had been from years
|
|
rlm@0
|
925 before. Now she was just with Mirror. Under the moonlight. Her heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
926 beat steadily. It was all so sweetly romantic.
|
|
rlm@0
|
927 Mirror sighed softly, looking down at the younger girl. She kissed
|
|
rlm@0
|
928 Bara’s forehead gently, brushing back the girl’s short, black hair.
|
|
rlm@0
|
929 “I sure hope so,” she replied, smiling. Bara blushed and looked away,
|
|
rlm@0
|
930 burying her head against Mirror. Holding onto the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
931 underneath the night sky, the Sakura Card promised off all of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
932 magic if only that moment could last forever.
|
|
rlm@0
|
933 |
