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1 Dear Sakura
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2 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
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3 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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4 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
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5
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6
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7 Life is a mixture of good and bad. Delightfully joyous
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8 circumstances plagued by the most exquisite pain. Biting cold and
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9 burning heart. In some ways, the very talons of sorrow and defeat
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10 were what made joy taste all the sweeter to the lips, a fruit that
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11 one was lucky to find but was gone all too quickly. While in the
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12 shadows, waiting and lurking was the despair, eager to reclaim its
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13 prize once delight and happiness had all but faded. Happiness was an
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14 escape that faded all too quickly in the dim lights that filled one’s
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15 life. That was not to say that they were any less spectacular. It
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16 served to make them even more treasured in the hearts of those who
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17 knew how rare such things really were. How cherished they should be
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18 for simply being there. The sweetest joys were often tinged with the
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19 bittersweet aftertaste of sadness. And through it all, life continued
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20 it’s inexhaustible march forward. As a lone toy designer waited
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21 patiently for the giant metal beast she was riding to make its way
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22 back to Japan, her thoughts were filled with musings on her own
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23 recent joy and pain.
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24 Tomoyo found herself staring into the eyes of the teddy bear that
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25 Sakura had made her. It was beautiful, if a little messy. But that
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26 was something the dark haired woman loved about it. It was obviously
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27 Sakura’s doing. She remembered one time when Sakura had made a yukata
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28 for Syaoran. She had spent so long working on it, despite her
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29 difficulty with sewing. And even if it hadn’t been the best looking
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30 yukata, it had been crafted carefully and delicately with Sakura’s
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31 warm and loving heart. Tomoyo understood this all too well. After
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32 all, every costume she made and all of the outfits she would sew for
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33 the brunette came from the bottom of her heart. The level of one’s
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34 skill with thread and needle didn’t matter; it was what lay in one’s
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35 heart while creating that truly brought out the beauty within. And
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36 Tomoyo saw that reflecting back at her through the violet eyes of the
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37 teddy bear she was holding. The bear was pink and white with a large
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38 purple bow. It was stained with Tomoyo’s tears as she had held it
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39 tightly to her, Sakura’s scent still clinging stubbornly to it.
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40 Turning the bear over in her hands, the pale heiress ran her
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41 fingers over a small dark patch that she had identified as some of
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42 Sakura’s blood. She knew very well that Sakura had difficulty with
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43 such tasks and the bandages on her fingers had been testament to
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44 this. The thought of Sakura pricking herself while making the bear
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45 was both sad and heartwarming at the same time. Knowing that Sakura
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46 was in pain, physical or emotional, had always hurt Tomoyo infinitely
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47 more than her own pain. Seeing Sakura hurting and knowing that she
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48 was helpless to stop it dug into her heart. She would give anything
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49 to take all of the brunette’s pain for herself, to suffer with all of
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50 it if only it meant that Sakura would no longer feel it’s heavy
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51 burden. But knowing that despite hurting herself, Sakura had
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52 continued to pour her genki heart out into the teddy bear almost left
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53 Tomoyo breathless. Surely she wasn’t worthy of such shining devotion.
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54 It made the bear in her arms a truly wonderful gift, one that came
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55 from the deep spring of love that Tomoyo had nearly tumbled into
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56 during her visit. And just like in real water, she couldn’t swim in
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57 it. She had found herself floundering, awash in the waves of
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58 confusion that kept pushing her under. But that was one sea that she
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59 would have been happy to drown in, the deep ocean of Sakura’s love.
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60 Her fingers passed once more over the small dried patch of blood, a
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61 small sacrifice from Sakura that left itself as a tiny badge on the
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62 bear.
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63 Sakura. That’s what she had named the bear. The name had flown into
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64 her mind the instant she had received it. After all, you were
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65 supposed to name your teddy bear after the one you loved. If you were
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66 lucky, it meant that they would fall in love with you as well. Tomoyo
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67 had explained that to Sakura years earlier. Sakura had been about to
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68 make one for Yukito when she asked why Tomoyo wasn’t making a bear
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69 for her special someone. The dark haired woman had replied that she
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70 only wanted the one she loved to be happy. But she had wanted so
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71 dearly to make a bear for Sakura, to give it to her along with her
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72 love. Instead, she had sat by while Syaoran made one for Sakura and
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73 Sakura eventually gave hers to the Chinese boy. She had never made a
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74 bear for anyone and she found herself regretting that. Even if Sakura
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75 hadn’t been able to understand, even if she had never known why,
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76 Tomoyo wished that she had been able to make one for her beautiful
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77 friend. But her love had to be locked away, unable to come forth in
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78 such an obvious display. Not that she hadn’t been obvious enough at
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79 other times, now that she thought about it, but after explaining the
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80 bear in relation to her special someone, even dense Sakura would have
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81 been able to figure out that she was the one who held Tomoyo’s heart
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82 by strings. And up till now she had never received a teddy bear. Not
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83 that she had minded at all. Just like the boys she had turned down in
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84 high school when they had asked for dates, it just didn’t matter. Her
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85 one, true love was the only one in her heart. She was all right if
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86 that meant never getting flowers, or teddy bears, or chocolates as
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87 tokens of love. She could be happy as long as she knew her true love
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88 was. Even if she wasn’t with her.
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89 But now Sakura had gone back and made her a teddy bear, something
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90 that Tomoyo had long given up on back in her youth. The gesture had
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91 surprised and amazed her. It was supposed to be from her special
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92 someone, Sakura had said. It _was_ from her special someone. It was a
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93 gift that she had never even allowed herself to hope for. The very
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94 thought that Sakura had made it specifically for her, that she had
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95 given her such an incredible gift was almost too much to handle. She
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96 hoped that Sakura would find her final costume soon after she left.
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97 She had left it on the bed in the small room she had occupied. It was
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98 still unfinished, but she wanted Sakura to have it regardless. She
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99 didn’t think she would make another costume after the wedding dress,
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100 so she would leave it unfinished for Sakura to do with as she pleased.
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101 Hugging the bear closer, Tomoyo hardly seemed to notice the
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102 turbulence that suddenly began to buffet the plane. Such things were
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103 trivial and didn’t matter much to her in her current frame of mind.
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104 Part of her cried out, hoping that the plane would crash into the
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105 waves beneath them, slipping into the rough waters below. It would be
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106 a fitting end to her visit. The image of herself still strapped to
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107 her chair, eyes closed serenely, her hair fluttering about in the
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108 water as she held the bear beneath the waves entered her mind. She
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109 took the thoughts in stride, the dark imagery failing to worry her.
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110 If she were to die in such a way, then she would be happy. She would
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111 have seen her darling Sakura one last time in life and would be ready
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112 to fade from her life. But her mother was still waiting for her back
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113 home and Sakura would undoubtedly hear about such a disaster. No, she
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114 would have to find a quieter way to slip out of Sakura’s life. She
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115 knew that she had to fade away. And soon. This trip had been a
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116 blessing, but it had frightened her at times. Her continued presence
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117 in Sakura’s life could have drastic consequences if Sakura were to
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118 ever discover who her special someone was. The love that she had felt
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119 from Sakura had been intoxicating, wrapping around her like silk
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120 spider webs, unable and unwilling to get free from their hold. But if
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121 that love were to continue developing, it could be disastrous not
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122 only for Sakura’s marriage, but her entire new life as well. It was
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123 too dangerous. And far too painful. Being so close to Sakura, feeling
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124 the warmth in her heart, it was maddening for Tomoyo. So close yet so
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125 far. She knew that she could never be with the smiling brunette,
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126 could never love her the way she wanted to. Being so close was an
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127 exquisitely delightful torture, giving her secret thrills at sharing
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128 so much with Sakura, but with a heavy undercurrent of frozen icicles
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129 of pain slashing mercilessly at her heart. Her masks had become
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130 ineffectual, leaving her completely defenseless in Sakura’s presence.
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131 Watching Sakura’s marriage so closely, never being able to truly be a
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132 part of Sakura’s happiness, it would quickly destroy her. She was
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133 already broken. Tomoyo knew that. The cracks were becoming evident in
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134 her surface, the underlying structure starting to buckle. She would
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135 not last much longer in Sakura’s life, especially after the moments
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136 they had shared. The pain, the loneliness would quickly consume her.
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137 Watching Sakura and smiling, trying so hard to pretend that she was
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138 all right, she couldn’t keep it up anymore. She was tired. Oh, so
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139 tired. Her masks lay heavy on her shoulders and she could no longer
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140 work up the will to wear them as she once had. Yet she would continue
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141 to as well as she could for Sakura’s sake… until she could fade away.
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142 She was nothing more than a specter from Sakura’s past. It was about
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143 time that she made her exit.
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144 Her current train of thought sent fresh tears streaming down her
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145 ivory cheeks, falling helplessly to the teddy bear in her arms. She
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146 didn’t want to leave Sakura. She didn’t want to fade out of her life.
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147 After this trip, all she wanted was to be with her, to hold on to the
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148 woman she loved with all of her heart. But she knew she couldn’t. And
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149 she wouldn’t last much longer in Sakura’s life. Her pain had built up
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150 intensely inside of her for years now, growing steadily as she kept
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151 it all inside, never once showing her friend the torment in her
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152 heart. And it was rapidly becoming too much for her. Staying in
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153 Sakura’s life was making it grow stronger, the longing for Sakura
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154 becoming more painful, the pain as she watched Sakura’s marriage even
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155 more acute. She had to fade away. For herself and for Sakura. It was
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156 the only way. Staying would only bring more heartache and pain. There
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157 was still a chance that she could survive with only her memories of
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158 Sakura. Her mother had lasted all these years with memories of
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159 Nadeshiko. Perhaps she could do the same. The pain would never lessen
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160 in her heart and her love would never fade in the slightest, but she
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161 would know that Sakura was happy and that she was only a distant
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162 memory to her. No matter how much that hurt Tomoyo, she knew it was
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163 quickly becoming the only way out.
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164 Wiping her tears away with shaking fingers, Tomoyo smiled softly
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165 and politely turned down a flight attendants offer of help. Looking
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166 out the small window near her seat, the dark haired woman watched the
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167 clouds beneath them. The sun gleamed brightly from behind them,
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168 coloring the sky in beautiful oranges and pinks as it slowly began to
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169 fade away. “The sun is the most beautiful before it disappears,”
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170 Tomoyo whispered softly to the teddy bear. “That is what this trip
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171 was for. My beautiful memories of Sakura-chan before I fade away. At
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172 least we got to be together one last time. I’ll always cherish those
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173 memories and the time we spent together.” A soft smile crossed her
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174 lips. It was a heartfelt smile. Yes, this would be the last time she
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175 would see Sakura, but like the setting sun, it was gorgeous. Tomoyo
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176 had no regrets about the trip or her time spent with Sakura. It had
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177 been a beautiful gift that was bestowed upon her and she thanked
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178 whoever it was that had blessed her with Sakura’s friendship in the
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179 first place for the wonderful memories that would always be etched
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180 into her soul. Every second with Sakura had reminded her of just how
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181 much she loved the brunette. It had shown her once again that all she
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182 really wanted was for Sakura to be happy. Each magical moment had
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183 been like the sweetest dream, even down to their parting. It had been
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184 terribly painful to leave Sakura. Her legs had nearly refused to take
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185 her away from the other woman. But even then, Sakura’s gift had
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186 shined through the darkness of the moment. It had been as if Sakura
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187 had wrapped her battered heart gently in a soft quilt, cradling it
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188 from the pain. Yes, she would always treasure this trip and the
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189 pieces of Sakura’s heart that she held close to her own. When they
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190 were together, it had felt like all of the pieces to the puzzle had
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191 been brought together. Sakura had fit all of the missing pieces in
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192 her heart and soul. Tomoyo had felt complete. The loneliness was
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193 gone, the void in her heart was answered. She felt happy when she was
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194 with Sakura. Even if she couldn’t be the one to make Sakura happy,
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195 Sakura certainly was the one who made her happy.
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196 “I could never thank you enough for this trip, Sakura-chan. It was
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197 the most wonderful time of my life. Being with you must be a glimpse
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198 of Heaven,” Tomoyo whispered as she held the teddy bear in her lap.
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199 For a moment, she saw it as her own child, coming with her on some
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200 business trip. Is that what would happen? Would she find herself with
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201 a child to ease her loneliness and to try to fill the void in her
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202 life as her mother had? She knew that her mother had been happy to
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203 have her, Tomoyo’s young life giving her own meaning. The idea was
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204 very tempting, to raise a child of her own. Perhaps she could even
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205 convince Touya to supply the sperm for the child. She could get a
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206 very skilled doctor for the procedure. After all, she didn’t need to
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207 be with anyone to have a child. There were other procedures for that.
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208 In Vitro-Fertilization. And if half of it was coming from Touya, then
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209 it would be very close to the child she and Sakura would have had
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210 they been able to conceive one. A faint smile crossed her lips at the
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211 thought, images of Sakura in boys’ clothes once again filling her
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212 mind. A cute little girl. A child all her own. Yes, she’d have to
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213 look into it. She held the teddy bear closer.
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214 The entire trip had left her small and relatively weak body
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215 exhausted, but sleep seemed light years away. Tomoyo’s mind was far
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216 too consumed by the trip itself and it’s implications to worry about
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217 such things as sleep. It had fulfilled one of her fondest dreams, to
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218 kiss Sakura with all of the love she could muster. And even more
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219 surprisingly, Sakura had returned it with a fervor she never would
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220 have imagined in the brunette. It had been a magical, fairy tale like
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221 kiss and that alone stood out as a symbol in her mind of the
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222 affection Sakura had showered upon her during her visit. She still
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223 found herself confused by it, but now there was nothing she could do
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224 about it. She would soon be back home in Japan, far away from the
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225 beautiful bride and her sweet and soul stirring kisses. But it left
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226 Tomoyo a little uneasy. Behind the confusion surrounding Sakura’s
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227 love, she saw something that resembled her own love remarkably. Like
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228 a crystal clear mirror, it seemed to reflect her own love, beaming
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229 from within Sakura. As if the Red String of Fate that was heavily
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230 knotted around her heart also tugged at Sakura’s. This gave Tomoyo
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231 pause, considering Sakura’s words on the night before she left. Even
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232 Sakura’s confession had sounded like one confessing a secret love.
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233 More than anything, she wanted to take that love and nurture it with
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234 her own, delighting in its shimmering radiance.
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235 Tomoyo wasn’t used to being confused. In fact, she very rarely was.
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236 Her mother loved her dearly, but she was gone often with her work so
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237 Tomoyo had relied heavily on her keen perception of people and their
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238 hearts for most of her life which is why she was having such a
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239 difficult time lying to herself that Sakura’s love was anything else.
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240 Tomoyo was a terrible liar, especially to herself. But if it was
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241 love, then what could she do? She had already wasted her chance to be
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242 with Sakura. Sakura was already married and in a new life. She
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243 couldn’t interfere. She just wanted Sakura to be happy and getting
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244 involved would just make things difficult for the poor magical girl.
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245 Her thoughts were finally interrupted by the pilot announcing their
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246 descent into Tokyo. Tomoyo was glad for the distraction. She held her
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247 teddy bear close as the plane made its way towards the airport below.
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248 “I love you, Sakura-chan,” she said out loud, half hoping that it
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249 would be heard and answered from across the sea.
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250
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rlm@0
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251 Sonomi Daidouji looked down at her watch impatiently. “It’s been
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rlm@0
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252 half an hour. What if something’s happened to my darling little
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rlm@0
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253 Tomoyo-chan?” she asked no one in particular. Her voice held a tinge
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rlm@0
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254 of mania in it, an overprotective quality within her that had only
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rlm@0
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255 grown stronger since the loss of her beloved Nadeshiko. Her daughter
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rlm@0
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256 was the only person that mattered in her life anymore and she
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rlm@0
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257 couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to the pale girl. “I
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rlm@0
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258 knew I should have sent the bodyguards with her.”
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rlm@0
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259 Looking down at her laptop, the businesswoman sighed. She was too
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rlm@0
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260 flustered to attempt to get any work done. Her mind was concentrating
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rlm@0
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261 on other things. Her finger lingered over the shut down command, her
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rlm@0
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262 attention on the picture of Nadeshiko that she used as a background.
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rlm@0
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263 Though Nadeshiko had been a model for a number of years, this picture
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rlm@0
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264 was one of a kind. Nadeshiko had sent it explicitly to her around the
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rlm@0
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265 time she had been pregnant with Tomoyo. It was almost as if she’d
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rlm@0
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266 known. There was a sweet, simple letter attached. It mentioned
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rlm@0
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267 nothing of the man Sonomi had come to hate, Nadeshiko’s husband,
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rlm@0
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268 Fujitaka, or even of the birth of Sakura that must have been near at
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rlm@0
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269 the time. It was merely a few words that Sonomi had read over and
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rlm@0
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270 over until the ink had gotten smeared with her fingerprints and even
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rlm@0
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271 then, they were vivid in her memory. ‘Thank you for always looking
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rlm@0
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272 out for me, Sonomi-chan. Even if I don’t see you much anymore, I
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rlm@0
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273 still hear your voice when I’m going about my day. You’ll always be
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rlm@0
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274 in my heart.’ Three years later, she had died. Sonomi had never
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rlm@0
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275 gotten to ask her why she had sent the letter. It just hadn’t seemed
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rlm@0
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276 important while she was in the hospital. Sonomi’s mind had latched
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rlm@0
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277 onto other things at the time. Her failure to protect Nadeshiko and
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rlm@0
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278 the knowledge that she would soon lose her dearest cousin in this
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rlm@0
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279 life was unbearable. It made everything else seem trivial. It was
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rlm@0
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280 ironic that the only thing able to bring her back to Nadeshiko after
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rlm@0
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281 the marriage to Fujitaka was her impending death. And she had once
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rlm@0
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282 again been left without her.
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rlm@0
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283 But, as Nadeshiko had said, she was always in her heart. The
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rlm@0
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284 picture that Sonomi kept on her desktop and by her nightstand was not
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rlm@0
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285 one of Nadeshiko the model, Nadeshiko the mother, or Nadeshiko the
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rlm@0
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286 bride. It was simply her beloved Nadeshiko, her sweet little cousin.
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rlm@0
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287 And that was all Sonomi ever really wanted. She had other pictures of
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rlm@0
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288 Nadeshiko around the house and at her office, but this was her
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rlm@0
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289 favorite. The words always followed in Nadeshiko’s gentle voice when
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rlm@0
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290 she would look upon it. “Nadeshiko-chan, please look out for my
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rlm@0
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291 daughter,” she said softly.
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rlm@0
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292 Sonomi had spent the entire trip to the mountains in the vacation
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rlm@0
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293 house plagued by worries and concerns for her daughter. She felt a
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rlm@0
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294 little ashamed at what Tomoyo would think if she knew she had been
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rlm@0
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295 smoking the entire time. But she couldn’t help it. Her mind had been
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rlm@0
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296 in shambles, a hopelessness that had shrouded her soul sneaking up
|
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rlm@0
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297 like a curse to strike down her only daughter. It hardly seemed fair.
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rlm@0
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298 And Sonomi, the athletic and overprotective woman she was, once again
|
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rlm@0
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299 failed to save those close to her. Just like she had been unable to
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rlm@0
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300 protect Nadeshiko from HIM, she was unable to protect Tomoyo from the
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rlm@0
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301 pain that had enveloped her own life. Her mind had been consumed with
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rlm@0
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302 thoughts of her poor Tomoyo in Hong Kong, painfully aware of the boy
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rlm@0
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303 that had married Sakura. She knew that she herself couldn’t have
|
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rlm@0
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304 handled seeing Nadeshiko during her marriage to Fujitaka. It must
|
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rlm@0
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305 have been terrible for Tomoyo. Which is why she had tried to get
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rlm@0
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306 Tomoyo to come up with her to the mountains. She only wanted to
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rlm@0
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307 protect her daughter from the sorrow and the hurt. Her dreams had all
|
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rlm@0
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308 been nightmares during her restless sleep at the vacation home,
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rlm@0
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309 always reliving either Nadeshiko’s wedding or her funeral. She would
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rlm@0
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310 wake up screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks to an empty
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rlm@0
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311 vacation home filled with smoke, silent except for the ghost of her
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rlm@0
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312 daughter’s musical voice playing at the edge of her thoughts.
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rlm@0
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313 Tomoyo’s return to Japan filled her with a sense of relief,
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rlm@0
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314 although an afterthought of dread followed it. She really had no idea
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rlm@0
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315 what had happened during Tomoyo’s trip and was afraid that her
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rlm@0
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316 daughter had been thoroughly crushed by it all. Knowing she was
|
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rlm@0
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317 coming back let her rest a bit easier because now she could once
|
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rlm@0
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318 again keep an eye on the younger woman, trying to help however she
|
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rlm@0
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319 could. She needed to know that her baby was all right, that she had
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rlm@0
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320 survived the painful ordeal. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan, I wish you had come
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rlm@0
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321 with me instead. I can’t stand to know that Sakura-chan is hurting
|
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rlm@0
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322 you.” A sigh escaped her. If there was one thing that Sonomi hated
|
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rlm@0
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323 (Fujitaka), it was (Fujitaka) not being able to protect the ones
|
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rlm@0
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324 dearest to her. It was that feeling of utter helplessness that held
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rlm@0
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325 her bound while she desperately wanted to make things better. And it
|
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rlm@0
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326 had struck first with Nadeshiko and now with her own daughter. It
|
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rlm@0
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327 drove her crazy to be unable to keep her darling daughter safe from
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rlm@0
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328 the pain and torment she had lived through. Her long fingers wrapped
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rlm@0
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329 around the last cigarette in her purse. She rolled it over between
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rlm@0
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330 her fingers thoughtfully. No, being self-destructive certainly
|
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rlm@0
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331 wouldn’t help Tomoyo. She could almost hear her daughter’s voice
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rlm@0
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332 asking her politely not to use the little paper stick. Sighing, she
|
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rlm@0
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333 tossed it into the nearest trash can.
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rlm@0
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334 “Okaa-sama?” a tired voice asked behind her. Sonomi whirled around,
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rlm@0
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335 eyes settling on the visage of her exhausted daughter. Tomoyo had
|
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rlm@0
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336 dark bags under her eyes and her body seemed nearly too tired to walk
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rlm@0
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337 another step. Her smile was soft and sweet, her stormy blue eyes
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rlm@0
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338 sparkling with a mixture of emotions. Sadness, loss, joy, relief. She
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rlm@0
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339 seemed far too tired to struggle with her masks, though Sonomi could
|
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rlm@0
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340 see through her daughter’s charades easily enough. It looked like the
|
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rlm@0
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341 dark haired woman had been crying, her cheeks puffy and red and her
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rlm@0
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342 eyes bloodshot. She was holding a pink and white teddy bear and one
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rlm@0
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343 bag she had carried on with her. Sonomi’s arms wrapped around the
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rlm@0
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344 younger girl, pulling her nearly off her feet. Despite Tomoyo’s
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rlm@0
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345 exhaustion, the heiress nearly flew into her mother’s arms,
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rlm@0
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346 collapsing moments afterwards. “Okaa-sama... It’s so good to see
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rlm@0
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347 you,” she whispered. Her voice was near breaking.
|
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rlm@0
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348 “Tomoyo-chan!” Sonomi began smoothing down her daughter’s lavender
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rlm@0
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349 hair as she held onto the weak figure in her arms. “I was starting to
|
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rlm@0
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350 worry. I was starting to think something happened to your plane.”
|
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rlm@0
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351 Choking back tears that suddenly threatened the businesswoman, she
|
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rlm@0
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352 shook her head, smiling. “I’m just glad to see you, Tomoyo-chan.
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rlm@0
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353 Here, let the bodyguards get the rest of your bags and we’ll head
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rlm@0
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354 straight home. You look like you haven’t slept in days. We’ll get you
|
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rlm@0
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355 right in bed as soon as we’re home.” Standing back to get a better
|
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rlm@0
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356 look at her daughter, Sonomi couldn’t help but smile wider. Her worry
|
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rlm@0
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357 seemed to evaporate now that Tomoyo was back in Japan. Now she could
|
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rlm@0
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358 protect her again. Now she would be safe. “I’m so glad to have you
|
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rlm@0
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359 back, Tomoyo-chan.” Giving her daughter another quick hug, Sonomi
|
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rlm@0
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360 finally stepped back.
|
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rlm@0
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361 A soft sigh escaped Tomoyo’s lips. She was home now. The whole trip
|
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rlm@0
|
362 was behind her now. But it still felt fresh and alive in her memory,
|
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rlm@0
|
363 as if she was reliving it at the very moment. Seeing her mother took
|
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rlm@0
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364 away the edge to her pain. It was still there, but much more distant.
|
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rlm@0
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365 She always felt safe when her mother was nearby. Her indomitable
|
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rlm@0
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366 spirit was something Tomoyo had always admired about her mother, and
|
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rlm@0
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367 it always made things feel better when she was there. "Arigato
|
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rlm@0
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368 gozaimasu,” Tomoyo said, bowing. One of the darkly dressed women
|
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rlm@0
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369 standing behind her mother took her bag, though she held tightly onto
|
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rlm@0
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370 the teddy bear. Two others returned with the rest of her luggage.
|
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rlm@0
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371 Sonomi led the way towards the limousine, standing very near
|
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rlm@0
|
372 Tomoyo, half afraid that her daughter would simply collapse. “If
|
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rlm@0
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373 you’re too tired, I can carry you the rest of the way,” Sonomi
|
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rlm@0
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374 offered, watching her daughter out of the corner of her eyes. “I used
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 to all the time when you were younger, Tomoyo-chan.” A bright smile
|
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rlm@0
|
376 played across her lips at the memories. Her tiny little daughter
|
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rlm@0
|
377 asleep in her arms as she would carry her off to bed. She still did
|
|
rlm@0
|
378 that occasionally when she found Tomoyo asleep while watching her
|
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rlm@0
|
379 videotapes of Sakura. The young woman she saw next to her seemed to
|
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rlm@0
|
380 be replaced by the tiny daughter of yesteryear, happy to see her
|
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rlm@0
|
381 mother again after a business trip. But the look in her eyes brought
|
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rlm@0
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382 Sonomi back to the present. There was something in those eyes that
|
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rlm@0
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383 was far too old for the young woman, an ancient pain and knowledge.
|
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rlm@0
|
384 She was mature for her years. She always had been. She had always
|
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rlm@0
|
385 surprised Sonomi, brightening up her otherwise lonely and busy life.
|
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rlm@0
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386 Tomoyo smiled at the offer, but shook her head politely. Long dark
|
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rlm@0
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387 hair fluttered from side to side. “No, that’s all right, Okaa-sama. I
|
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rlm@0
|
388 think I can make it on my own.” She was happy to see that her mother
|
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rlm@0
|
389 was still as sweetly overprotective as ever. It had always been
|
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rlm@0
|
390 something she could rely on when she was younger. When she was tucked
|
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rlm@0
|
391 away in bed, she had always known that her mother would keep an eye
|
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rlm@0
|
392 on her. And that if anything went wrong, Sonomi would be the first to
|
|
rlm@0
|
393 her rescue. It was a comforting thought. Of course, Tomoyo tried
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 extra hard not to worry her mother because of that overprotective
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 nature. In the same way Tomoyo didn’t want Sakura to feel bad because
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 of her, she tried to do the same for her mother. But Sonomi always
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 foiled her attempts by seeing straight through her masks, looking
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 directly into her soul. She still didn’t know how her mother managed
|
|
rlm@0
|
399 it when no one else seemed capable, but the only answer her mother
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 ever supplied was simply that: She was her mother.
|
|
rlm@0
|
401 The two women and their small entourage finally made it to the
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 limousine out in the airport parking lot. One of the bodyguards
|
|
rlm@0
|
403 opened the door for the two of them and they slid inside the
|
|
rlm@0
|
404 comfortable interior. “How was your trip, Tomoyo-chan?” Sonomi asked
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 at last, almost afraid of the answer. To her surprise, Tomoyo giggled
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 softly, smiling brightly in response.
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 “It was wonderful, Okaa-sama. It was absolutely amazing. Seeing
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 Sakura-chan again was like a fairy tale. She was a beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 princess, capturing me away in a small tower in her heart during my
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 visit. I don’t think I’ve ever had dreams nearly so pleasant. It was
|
|
rlm@0
|
411 perfect, mother. I thought after so long, I would be in the way while
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 I was there, that I should try to distance myself during the trip.
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 But I couldn’t. Not with Sakura-chan. She pulled me out from behind
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 the curtains and wouldn’t let me go. We talked for hours and hours,
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 her voice is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, and we held
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 onto each other. She did my hair like she used to when we were little
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 girls and we danced late into the night together, all alone amidst
|
|
rlm@0
|
418 the crowd.” Her stormy blue eyes closed as she tilted her head to the
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 side, her cheeks flushing slightly at the memories. “We kissed under
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 the moonlight. She has incredibly soft lips. Sakura-chan is a very
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 good kisser.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 Sonomi clasped her hands together, very nearly startling Tomoyo out
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 of her reverie. Her eyes shone like diamonds, an electric thrill
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 coursing up her spine. “Tomoyo-chan, you kissed Sakura-chan?” She
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 couldn’t have been happier if she’d been told that she had kissed
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 Nadeshiko. In fact, it felt almost the same. She saw so much of
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 herself and Nadeshiko in the two girls. These little things between
|
|
rlm@0
|
428 their daughters almost felt like she herself was living through it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 For a second, she saw Nadeshiko sitting beside her, a small smile on
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 her lips and beautiful black ribbons in her hair. She looked quite a
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 bit like Tomoyo at that age, actually. And Sakura even resembled
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 herself in some small ways. Sonomi hugged her daughter tightly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 delight dancing through her. “Tomoyo-chan, that’s fantastic! You’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 have to tell me every single detail!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 Tomoyo giggled softly and nodded. So often she kept her love for
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 Sakura to herself, locked up in her heart. She was very happy to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
437 able to share that with her mother. Her mother was nearly as obsessed
|
|
rlm@0
|
438 with Sakura as she herself was, being Nadeshiko’s daughter and all,
|
|
rlm@0
|
439 and it was wonderful to have someone to talk about it with. If anyone
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 understood her love for Sakura, it was her mother who had gone
|
|
rlm@0
|
441 through much the same thing with Nadeshiko. Smiling happily, Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 added, “And I have plenty of videotape from the trip. Not as much as
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 I would have liked, but I have some nice footage.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 “I can’t wait to see it all, Tomoyo-chan,” Sonomi said eagerly. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 felt delightfully giddy at the prospects of what had happened during
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 Tomoyo’s trip. There was even a trill of hope in her heart, one she
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 hadn’t felt in an incredibly long time. In a way, her hopes and
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 dreams had been passed on to Tomoyo. She knew that Tomoyo obviously
|
|
rlm@0
|
449 wasn’t with Sakura, but the idea of a kiss was a gripping thought.
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 "But first, you’re going to get some sleep. Then you can tell me all
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 about it.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
452 “I would like that very much, mother,” Tomoyo replied, hugging the
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 bear named Sakura to her chest. Yawning tiredly, she felt her mother
|
|
rlm@0
|
454 pull her closer. Before long, she was asleep with her head on
|
|
rlm@0
|
455 Sonomi’s shoulder.
|
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rlm@0
|
456
|
