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1
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2
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3 Sakura-chan is Coming to Town
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4 by Amazoness Duo
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5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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6
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7
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8 “Isn’t Santa Claus supposed to be fat?” Kero asked skeptically.
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9
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10 “Sakura-chan can be a cute, skinny Santa Claus,” Tomoyo offered,
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11 pulling her camcorder down for a second.
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12
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13 “Hoe...” stated the jolly Cardmistress in question, dressed up like
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14 Father Christmas himself. Once again, she knew this was Tomoyo’s
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15 idea. And just like always, she wasn’t quite sure how the dark haired
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16 girl had talked her into it. But Tomoyo always did, somehow. The fact
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17 that Sakura couldn’t say no to her best friend also played a part in
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18 it. So now she found herself outside of Tomoyo’s house in the dead of
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19 night, dressed up like Santa Claus while Tomoyo watched on in barely
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20 concealed bliss.
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21
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22 The Seal Beast nodded thoughtfully, his arms crossed. “Yeah, I guess
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23 so. But if Sakura-chan is Santa Claus and I’m Rudolph,” he paused for
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24 a moment to show off the cute little antlers and shiny nose Tomoyo
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25 had gotten him for a costume, “then who are you supposed to be?”
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26
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27 “I’m Mrs. Claus, of course,” Tomoyo said matter of factly.
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28
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29 Sakura’s face went a bright shade of crimson. She waved her arms
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30 swiftly. “To..Tomoyo-chan!” she whined in embarrassment. The
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31 implications of that were blatant enough that even she got it. Her
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32 cheeks burned as she busied herself with picking up the large bag of
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33 presents near her feet.
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34
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35 Tomoyo giggled at Sakura’s embarrassment, pulling up her camcorder
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36 to catch Sakura’s scarlet blush on videotape. “And if I’m Mrs. Claus,
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37 then I want nothing more than to videotape my dashing husband’s
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38 midnight ride.” She sighed dreamily, a hand on her cheek.
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39
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40 The flustered Cardmistress could only blush under the loving gaze of
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41 Tomoyo and her camcorder. She shifted about, trying to find a
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42 comfortable way to carry the bulky bag, but failing. “So.. Tomoyo-
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43 chan, what are we doing again?” Sakura asked in confusion, blinking
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44 off her earlier embarrassment. “You said you wanted me to come and
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45 play Santa for some kids. Shouldn’t you get onii-chan or someone
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46 who’d make a better Santa for this? I don’t think they’ll believe I’m
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47 Santa.” Looking down at Tomoyo’s take on the Santa Claus costume that
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48 she was wearing, she shifted a foot around, hearing the slight jingle
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49 of bells attached.
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50
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51 “But Sakura-chan’s the perfect Santa Claus!” Tomoyo insisted,
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52 letting the camcorder fall gingerly to her side for a moment. She
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53 stepped closer, helping adjust Sakura’s hat, moving the fluffy ball
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54 on the tip over her shoulder. Her fingers brushed back some of
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55 Sakura’s hair back underneath, lingering there for a moment. “You’re
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56 sweet and giving and adorable. And you have so much energy. I can’t
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57 think of anyone else who could handle Santa-san’s job.” She smiled
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58 brightly at the Cardmistress, her heart aflutter. Sakura made a
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59 darling Santa Claus. This was the perfect way to spend her Christmas
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60 Eve, out amidst the snow and moonlight with Sakura. It was so much
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61 better than unwrapping a present or even watching the Christmas
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62 lights. It was her very own Sakura, all dressed up festively and
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63 about to make children’s dreams come true. As well as her own.
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64 “Besides, the children probably won’t even see you. So you don’t need
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65 to look the part.” Tomoyo brought her pink gloved fingers up to
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66 Sakura’s ear, tracing the intricate snowflake earrings that she’d
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67 given Sakura as both a Christmas gift and a part of the costume. She
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68 should’ve waited for Christmas day, but she wanted Sakura to have
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69 them for their trip that night. She had such cute ears. The heiress
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70 sighed dreamily.
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71
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72 Sakura’s mind had gone blank, her emerald eyes lost in the stormy
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73 blue eyes that were gazing deeply into her own. Tomoyo definitely
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74 wasn’t like any of her other friends. And no one could embarrass her
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75 the way Tomoyo did. But then, no one made her feel the way Tomoyo
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76 did. All warm and fuzzy and dizzy inside all at the same time. She
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77 knew she should say something, but words failed her. Her mouth
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78 opened, but little more than a tiny sound came out. She could feel
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79 the soft cloth of Tomoyo’s gloves caressing her ears. She felt weak,
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80 as if she might collapse against Tomoyo if she kept this up. And part
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81 of her wanted to. She knew Tomoyo wouldn’t mind. She’d hold her there
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82 as long as she wanted. “I...” Sakura finally tore her gaze away,
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83 staring down at her feet. Her cheeks burned even against the cold
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84 wind that raked past them. Just what had that been all about? She
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85 shook her head, her auburn hair getting thrown out from under the cap
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86 despite Tomoyo’s earlier efforts to tuck it in. She could hear the
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87 heiress giggle, almost in her ear with how close they still were.
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88
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89 Looking up at last, Sakura tried to fight off her blush, but it
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90 stubbornly refused to go. She smiled weakly. “So you really want me
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91 to play Santa Claus? To give these presents to some children?”
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92
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93 “Hai. There are so many sad children without much for Christmas. I
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94 went singing to lots of them with the choir. I thought that we could
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95 bring them a bright Christmas after all. With Sakura-chan as my Santa
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96 Claus.” The dark haired girl sighed dreamily, clasping her hands
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97 together. “And they’ll wake up on Christmas morning to find wonderful
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98 surprises.”
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99
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100 Sakura nodded determinedly, balling her fists up. She wouldn’t have
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101 even thought of that on her own. It was so sweet of Tomoyo to want to
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102 help those poor children. And if she could help her best friend with
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103 it at all, even as a substitute Santa Claus, she would do her very
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104 best. “They’ll have a beautiful Christmas, Tomoyo-chan. I promise!”
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105
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106 Tomoyo took a step forward, hugging Sakura warmly. “I knew I could
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107 count on you, Sakura-chan!”
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108
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109 Sakura wrapped her arms back around Tomoyo, standing there with the
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110 other girl pressed against her for a long moment. They both knew
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111 Sakura would have agreed to practically whatever idea Tomoyo had. But
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112 she was still glad to have made the heiress so happy. She hugged her
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113 friend tighter as snow fell slowly around them. This was so nice and
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114 warm.
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115
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116 Tomoyo stayed that way for a long time, reluctant to leave the
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117 glorious embrace of Sakura’s arms. After a moments thought, she
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118 rested her head on Sakura’s shoulder, her long dark hair spilling
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119 across Sakura’s back. She knew they had to go start delivering
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120 presents soon, but if she could just stay this way a little longer...
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121 But Christmas would not wait for them. She slowly, gently pulled away
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122 from Sakura.
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123
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124 They stood there for a moment under the stars, silence enveloping
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125 the two girls. Sakura shuffled her foot in the snow for a moment
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126 before looking up. “Where did you get all of the presents?” she asked
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127 curiously, trying to break the silence.
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128
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129 “From my mother. She runs a toy company, after all. She thought it
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130 would be a wonderful idea to give out presents this way,” Tomoyo
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131 explained. “And she was delighted to hear you’d be Santa Claus.”
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132
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133 Sakura blinked rapidly. “Sonomi-san knows I’m doing this?”
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134
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135 Smiling and nodding, Tomoyo continued. “She loved the thought of you
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136 delivering all those presents. She just made me promise to let her
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137 see the videotape and she gave me all the gifts we’d need.”
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138
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139 “Sonomi-san’s going to be watching this, too? Hoe...” Sakura
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140 clutched the bag nervously as Tomoyo pulled up the camcorder again.
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141
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142 “Like mother like daughter, I guess,” Kero added.
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143
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144 Tomoyo giggled, stepping to the side. “We’re going to watch it
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145 together when I get home. ‘Sakura-chan’s White Christmas’. It will be
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146 much better than any Christmas specials.”
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147
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148 Sakura blushed. This was going to be a long night.
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149
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150
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151 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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152
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153
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154 Meanwhile, their not-so-mysterious benefactor was finishing a few
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155 last minute decorations at the Daidouji mansion.
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156
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157 “There.” The businesswoman hopped off of the stepstool she had been
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158 on, stepping back to admire her handiwork. “Much better.” Her eyes
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159 followed the string of mistletoe. Mistletoe was placed at just about
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160 every convenient spot in the house. She’d picked it up as much as she
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161 could on the way home and had spent the next few hours putting it up
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162 personally. She had to make sure it was perfect. It had to cover
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163 every possible way Sakura could go through the house when she and her
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164 daughter got home late that night.
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165
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166 “She’s going to kiss my little girl,” Sonomi said determinedly. One
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167 of the maids sweatdropped as she passed, but said nothing. Such
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168 things were typical in that household. Both Sonomi and her daughter
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169 were rather eccentric, after all. Just to be safe, the maid hurried
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170 out from under the mistletoe.
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171
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172 Sighing, Sonomi sat down in the couch. Her daughter would be out at
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173 that moment with Sakura, giving gifts to a lot of needy children. She
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174 was glad to be able to help, and they way the two girls were going
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175 about it was even better. She couldn’t wait to see her daughter’s
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176 videotape of the evening. It would be so cute. Seeing Nadeshiko’s
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177 daughter play Santa, watching her own daughter’s eyes light up at the
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178 sight.
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179
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180 In the meantime, she’d been working on a gift for Tomoyo. Or, more
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181 accurately, a gift from herself and Sakura to Tomoyo. Sakura just
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182 didn’t know she was involved yet. But all she had to do was get the
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183 brunette under the mistletoe with her daughter. Which shouldn’t be
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184 too difficult with how much she had put up. She thought the world of
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185 Sakura, but Nadeshiko’s daughter could be so dense sometimes. She was
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186 just going to give her a helpful push in her daughter’s direction.
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187
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188 Closing her eyes, the auburn haired businesswoman rested on her side
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189 on the couch. She was exhausted. It had been a long day at work. This
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190 was the busiest time of the year for her, after all. But she’d made
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191 absolutely sure to get all the gifts she could for Tomoyo’s little
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192 Christmas endeavor and had hurried home as soon as she could. Her
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193 sweet little daughter had been very grateful. So sweet and polite,
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194 just like Nadeshiko.
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195
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196 A smile crossed Sonomi’s lips as she lay sleepily on the couch. Her
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197 thoughts were drifting back to a time long ago, back when she had
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198 been able to spend this time of year with her very own Christmas
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199 angel. And in her tired mind, she forgot about the present. Nadeshiko
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200 was alive again. Shimmering radiantly, excited by the prospect of
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201 Christmas. Sonomi sighed, hugging herself. Yes, her dearest Nadeshiko
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202 had loved this time of year so much. Nadeshiko had even kissed her
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203 under the mistletoe once. It was still Sonomi’s favorite present of
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204 all. “Nadeshiko-chan,” Sonomi whispered, curling up like a child.
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205
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206
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207 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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208
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209
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210 Sakura crept quietly through the silent house. She squinted to try
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211 to see better in the darkness. The only light came from the Christmas
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212 lights twinkling on the tree. She could barely hear Tomoyo tiptoeing
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213 behind her. How Tomoyo could walk in this darkness and videotape at
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214 the same time was beyond Sakura.
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215
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216 “Cookies!” Kero’s eyes widened hungrily. The little mock reindeer
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217 zipped over to the plate of cookies left for Santa. This job wasn’t
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218 so bad after all.
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219
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220 “Shhh!!” Sakura chided the Seal Beast. But he was already too busy
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221 munching on the cookies to care. Sighing, she made her way to the
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222 Christmas tree. He was going to wake someone up on one of these
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223 trips, she just knew it. She was lucky he hadn’t already.
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224
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225 Kneeling down, Sakura rummaged through her large red bag, searching
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226 through the presents. She squinted to see the nametag on it. “Which
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227 presents am I looking for, Tomoyo-chan?” the Cardmistress whispered,
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228 holding up two different packages.
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229
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230 "Megumi-chan,” Tomoyo replied, zooming in on Sakura. She made such
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231 an adorable Santa, sitting there underneath the tree. Oh, how she
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232 wished she could be sitting there with her under the pretty lights.
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233 But they didn’t have time for that even if she could.
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234
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235 Sakura crawled forward with the gift, trying to find a good place to
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236 put it under the tree. She finally placed it behind one of two gifts
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237 that had already been there. “How’s that?” Looking over her shoulder,
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238 she saw Tomoyo still videotaping her. She slowly followed where the
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239 camcorder was pointing. Her face red, she sat back quickly.
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240
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241 The camcorder immediately went back up to Sakura’s face. Tomoyo
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242 smiled brightly, covering her embarrassment. She must have been out
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243 of it that night. Sakura usually didn’t catch her when she’d catch
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244 little glimpses like that. “That’s perfect, Sakura-chan,” the heiress
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245 reassured the still embarrassed brunette.
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246
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247 ‘It’s dark. She didn’t see anything. She didn’t know she was
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248 recording up my skirt,’ Sakura rationalized, though the excuses
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249 sounded lame even to her. She blinked, slowly realizing that Tomoyo
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250 was holding a hand out to her. She took the pale girl’s gentle hand,
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251 getting to her feet. ‘She didn’t really..’ Sakura was thinking.
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252 Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t realize her foot was around
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253 the cord to the Christmas lights, stepping forward, she stumbled into
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254 Tomoyo, the two girls falling together.
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255
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256 Tomoyo opened her eyes slowly, having shut them instinctively as
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257 they had been falling. “Are you okay, Sakura-chan?” she asked
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258 quickly, worried about the brunette. She sighed inwardly in relief as
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259 Sakura nodded into her shoulder, giving a muffled ‘hai’. She squeezed
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260 her hand, making sure the camcorder was still all right as well.
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261 Having checked the important things, she finally went about seeing to
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262 her own condition. Sakura had landed on top of her, her head buried
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263 against her shoulder. The back of her shoulder hurt, but it would go
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264 away soon enough. She simply laid there with Sakura for a moment,
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265 looking down at the auburn hair spilling our of Sakura’s red Santa
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266 hat.
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267
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268 “What was that?” a girl in a nightgown asked, stepping out of one of
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269 the back rooms.
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270
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271 “It was probably nothing, Kumiko-chan,” a blonde girl replied,
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272 hugging the other girl from behind. “Let’s go back to bed. Tomorrow’s
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rlm@0
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273 Christmas. You just want to sneak a peak of the present I got you.”
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274
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rlm@0
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275 Kumiko raised an eyebrow. “You mean you want to sneak a peak of me
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rlm@0
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276 wearing your present. I still can’t believe you bought me lingerie.
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rlm@0
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277 My parents will kill me if they find out.”
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rlm@0
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278
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rlm@0
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279 Giggling, Megumi nodded. “Can I? It is Christmas Eve, after all. You
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rlm@0
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280 can open one present. And then you could wear it back to bed,” the
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rlm@0
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281 blonde suggested, nuzzling Kumiko’s neck. Kumiko blushed darkly, but
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rlm@0
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282 that just brought a delicious sigh from Megumi. She was so happy to
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rlm@0
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283 have Kumiko over for Christmas. Her parents were both gone, working
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rlm@0
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284 again. To afford her treatments that didn’t seem to work anyway. She
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rlm@0
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285 was just getting sicker and sicker as it was. But at least she could
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rlm@0
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286 spend Christmas with the one she loved.
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rlm@0
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287
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rlm@0
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288 Kumiko blinked, ignoring Megumi’s warm and insistent nuzzling. No
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rlm@0
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289 small feat considering how she usually melted under such an assault.
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rlm@0
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290 But something seemed wrong. The Christmas lights on the tree were
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rlm@0
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291 out. She walked over, Megumi still hanging onto her. What she didn’t
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rlm@0
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292 know was that Megumi was having trouble standing on her own at the
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rlm@0
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293 moment.
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rlm@0
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294
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rlm@0
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295 Tomoyo lay there, still stuck underneath Sakura. Sakura had frozen
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rlm@0
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296 against her, unsure of what to do. If they stood up, they’d be
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rlm@0
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297 caught. But if they stayed where they were, the two girls would
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rlm@0
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298 probably find them, too. They weren’t in a very good position. Well,
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rlm@0
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299 they were, Tomoyo had to admit, holding Sakura closer. But it
|
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rlm@0
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300 wouldn’t be good if they got caught. She could feel Sakura blushing
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rlm@0
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301 against her. Apparently she had heard the girls’ conversation. But it
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rlm@0
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302 wasn’t anything new. She dressed Sakura up all the time with her
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rlm@0
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303 costumes, including matching undergarments at times. But then, Sakura
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rlm@0
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304 had never thought about it in that context before.
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rlm@0
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305
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rlm@0
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306 “Kumi-chan, can we go back to bed?” Megumi asked quietly, resting
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rlm@0
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307 her head against the braided haired girls back. She suddenly wasn’t
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rlm@0
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308 feeling very well at all. She would drag Kumiko back to bed, but she
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rlm@0
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309 didn’t think she could even keep standing if she let go for a moment.
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rlm@0
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310
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rlm@0
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311 “Just a second, Megumi-chan,” Kumiko replied distractedly, following
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rlm@0
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312 the unplugged Christmas light cord in the dim light. Her eyes went
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rlm@0
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313 wide as she spotted a boot. And then a shadowy figure lying on the
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rlm@0
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314 floor. “Ahhhhh!” she screamed, reeling back. There was a dead body on
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rlm@0
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315 the floor! In Megumi’s house.
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316
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rlm@0
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317 Sakura stood up quickly, her heart pounding in her chest. “No, wait!
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rlm@0
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318 It’s all a mistake!” She waved her arms in front of herself, trying
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rlm@0
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319 to stop the braided girl’s scream.
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rlm@0
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320
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rlm@0
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321 Following Sakura’s lead, Tomoyo got to her feet as well. She bowed,
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rlm@0
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322 smiling softly. “We’re sorry for the trouble. We were just dropping
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rlm@0
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323 off a present. Now If you’ll excuse us, our sleigh is waiting. Right,
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rlm@0
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324 Santa?” She wrapped her arms around Sakura’s, pulling her gently
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rlm@0
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325 towards the chimney.
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rlm@0
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326
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rlm@0
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327 “Santa?” Megumi asked, watching the two from over Kumiko’s shoulder.
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rlm@0
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328 Well, they were certainly dressed the part. And they didn’t look like
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rlm@0
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329 they were here to cause any harm. Just two girls their own age. It
|
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rlm@0
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330 didn’t make any sense why they were here, but she didn’t feel like it
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rlm@0
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331 was a bad thing.
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rlm@0
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332
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rlm@0
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333 “Hai...” Sakura replied, laughing nervously, a hand behind her head.
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rlm@0
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334 “Merry Christmas!!” She waved quickly, pulling out a Sakura Card to
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rlm@0
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335 make a hasty retreat. Tomoyo hurried back to her side after plucking
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rlm@0
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336 Kero away from the cookies.
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rlm@0
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337
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rlm@0
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338 Blinking, Kumiko shook her head. “But..!” A finger pressed against
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rlm@0
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339 her lips, silencing her.
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rlm@0
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340
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rlm@0
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341 “Shhh... Just ignore it, dear,” Megumi whispered. “Now go ahead and
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rlm@0
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342 open your present.”
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rlm@0
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343
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rlm@0
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344 “Megumi-chan...” Kumiko blushed. Maybe Megumi was right. She should
|
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rlm@0
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345 just ignore any of this had happened. Even if she did want to know
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rlm@0
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346 who those two girls were. And why they were in her girlfriend’s house.
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rlm@0
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347
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rlm@0
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348 Megumi giggled. “I love you, Kumi-chan.” She kissed the other girl’s
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rlm@0
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349 cheek.
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rlm@0
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350
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rlm@0
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351
|
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rlm@0
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352 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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rlm@0
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353
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rlm@0
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354
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rlm@0
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355 Tomoyo slid her window open as she hung in the air, held aloft in
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rlm@0
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356 Sakura’s arms. The Cardmistress was holding onto her waist tightly,
|
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rlm@0
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357 her angelic wings flapping to keep them up. The window finally open,
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rlm@0
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358 Tomoyo slid inside before helping Sakura follow. Sakura’s angel wings
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rlm@0
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359 dissipated in a burst of feathers. She let go of the empty sack that
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rlm@0
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360 had held the gifts, stretching tiredly. It had been a long night. She
|
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rlm@0
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361 saw Tomoyo smiling sweetly at her as she yawned. She covered her
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rlm@0
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362 mouth quickly, blushing faintly.
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rlm@0
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363
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rlm@0
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364 “Thank you, Sakura-chan. You made tonight a perfect Christmas. For
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rlm@0
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365 all of those girls. And for me.” Tomoyo stepped forward, taking one
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rlm@0
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366 of Sakura’s hands in both of her own. “It was the best Christmas I’ve
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rlm@0
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367 ever had. Thank you.” She kissed Sakura’s hand gently. She was so
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rlm@0
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368 happy. She didn’t want the night to end, but she knew she could go
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rlm@0
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369 right back and watch it all over on videotape. Her beautiful
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rlm@0
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370 Christmas Eve with Sakura. She sighed contentedly.
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rlm@0
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371
|
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rlm@0
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372 “It was fun, Tomoyo-chan.” Sakura replied, shifting about. She
|
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rlm@0
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373 wanted to say more, but the whirlwind of feelings inside of her
|
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rlm@0
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374 refused to translate into words. She bit her lip in frustration.
|
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rlm@0
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375 There had to be some way to explain, to say something, to let it all
|
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rlm@0
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376 out. Now was the time where they said goodbye and she left for home
|
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rlm@0
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377 to have Christmas the next day with her father and brother. But she
|
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rlm@0
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378 didn’t want to go. She felt like she’d regret it if she didn’t say
|
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rlm@0
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379 something, if she left now.
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rlm@0
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380
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rlm@0
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381 Tomoyo stroked Sakura’s hand gently, comfortingly. Something was
|
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rlm@0
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382 obviously bothering the Cardmistress. Sakura almost looked ready to
|
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rlm@0
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383 cry. Tomoyo’s heart broke at the sad look in Sakura’s eyes. The
|
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rlm@0
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384 Cardmistress was so intent, but she was having trouble with
|
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rlm@0
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385 something, as if it refused to come to her. Sakura had looked so
|
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rlm@0
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386 happy before. What had gone wrong? All she could do was be there with
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rlm@0
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387 her. She squeezed Sakura’s hand gently.
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rlm@0
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388
|
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rlm@0
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389 Her mind a swirling mess, Sakura took a shuddering breath. This had
|
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rlm@0
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390 been such a perfect night. So why was she on the verge of tears? It
|
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rlm@0
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391 wasn’t fair. Not to Tomoyo. But such a perfect Christmas Eve deserved
|
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rlm@0
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392 a perfect ending. But nothing she could say sounded right. Something
|
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rlm@0
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393 up above finally caught her eye. She looked up, trying to discern it
|
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rlm@0
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394 in Tomoyo darkened room. Mistletoe, she finally decided. But what was
|
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rlm@0
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395 it doing in Tomoyo’s room? It didn’t matter. She shouldn’t be
|
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rlm@0
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396 thinking about such things right now anyway. She should be thinking
|
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rlm@0
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397 about how to say goodbye. Blink. She looked back at the mistletoe and
|
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rlm@0
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398 back at her Mrs. Claus. She swallowed nervously. She shouldn’t. She
|
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rlm@0
|
399 should. She was too embarrassed. But it was the best way to end the
|
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rlm@0
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400 night. Their beautiful Christmas night, sealed with a kiss. ‘Hoe...’
|
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rlm@0
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401 she thought. Steeling herself. She closed her eyes, wrestling with
|
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rlm@0
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402 her embarrassment at the idea and the burning need within her. It
|
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rlm@0
|
403 finally one out, burning away her reluctance. Blinking, she looked
|
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rlm@0
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404 back into Tomoyo’s worried blue eyes. Leaning forward, she kissed her
|
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rlm@0
|
405 best friend. Her lips inexpertly brushed against Tomoyo’s taking a
|
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rlm@0
|
406 moment to finally press against them in a kiss. The world seemed to
|
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rlm@0
|
407 tilt and tumble around her, her cheeks ablaze.
|
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rlm@0
|
408
|
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rlm@0
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409 Tomoyo was for once completely taken by surprise by her beautiful
|
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rlm@0
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410 Cardmistress. She didn’t always know exactly what Sakura would do,
|
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rlm@0
|
411 but she was rarely surprised by it. Now she was completely thrown
|
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rlm@0
|
412 off, the delicate balance of all of her careful planning sent
|
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rlm@0
|
413 spinning. For a moment, she had no idea what to do. But she quickly
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 pushed past her disorientation, returning the kiss. Sakura’s delicate
|
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rlm@0
|
415 lips were softer than freshly fallen Sakura blossoms that Tomoyo has
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 so often kissed, imagining this moment. Her arms wrapped around
|
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rlm@0
|
417 Sakura’s shoulders, pulling the auburn haired Santa Claus close. Her
|
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rlm@0
|
418 heart was near bursting with the love eager to get out to her friend.
|
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rlm@0
|
419 I love you, she tried to say through their kiss.
|
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rlm@0
|
420
|
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rlm@0
|
421 Sakura finally broke the kiss, blushing furiously. Tomoyo was still
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 rubbing her back. She couldn’t work up the will to pull away. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 didn’t want to be apart from Tomoyo. Resting her head on the other
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 girl’s shoulder, she sighed happily. “Merry Christmas, Tomoyo-chan.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
425
|
|
rlm@0
|
426
|
|
rlm@0
|
427
|
|
rlm@0
|
428
|
