rlm@0
|
1 Dear Sakura
|
rlm@0
|
2 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
|
rlm@0
|
3 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
|
rlm@0
|
4 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
|
rlm@0
|
5
|
rlm@0
|
6
|
rlm@0
|
7 Bbbrrrrinnng.... Bbbrrrriiinnng.... Bbbbrrrrriiiinnng....
|
rlm@0
|
8 Tomoyo rolled over in her sleep, her long dark hair covering her
|
rlm@0
|
9 pale form like a sinuous shadow. She stirred as the phone continued
|
rlm@0
|
10 to ring at her in the silence, finally sitting up in the darkened
|
rlm@0
|
11 room. She was lying on the couch in her little home theater room, a
|
rlm@0
|
12 video of Sakura still playing in the background. She was still
|
rlm@0
|
13 wearing her busines clothes from the day before, not having had the
|
rlm@0
|
14 will to change out of them. Her tired mind quickly located the source
|
rlm@0
|
15 of the ringing and she slowly reached out for the phone. Who could be
|
rlm@0
|
16 calling her at this hour? Her fingers paused just before touching the
|
rlm@0
|
17 phone as if it had suddenly become a venomous snake, its ringing the
|
rlm@0
|
18 deadly rattle of a beast about to lunge out and bite her. She was
|
rlm@0
|
19 filled with a deep and foreboding dread at who may be on the other
|
rlm@0
|
20 end. 'Leave it. You can pretend that you were asleep. It's late and
|
rlm@0
|
21 no one will mind,' she thought to herself. But she knew that she
|
rlm@0
|
22 couldn't do that. Whoever would be calling this late at night must
|
rlm@0
|
23 have a terribly urgent reason. She couldn't just ignore it.
|
rlm@0
|
24 "Moshi moshi..." Tomoyo heard herself say, but the voice didn't
|
rlm@0
|
25 sound like her own. It was cracked and pained, as if it still held
|
rlm@0
|
26 countless unshed tears. Her fingers trembled as she held the phone to
|
rlm@0
|
27 her ear, brushing back dark hair that got in the way. Her dread was
|
rlm@0
|
28 growing by the second as she waited for what felt like an eternity
|
rlm@0
|
29 for an answer. For a second, she felt the beginnings of relief begin
|
rlm@0
|
30 to brush lightly at her bruised and battered soul. It must have been
|
rlm@0
|
31 a wrong number. But her relief quickly turned to mute horror as an
|
rlm@0
|
32 all too familiar voice answered her.
|
rlm@0
|
33 "Tomoyo-chan!!" an uberly genki voice called out. "Tomoyo-chan, I
|
rlm@0
|
34 was so worried. I couldn't get through earlier and I didn't know if
|
rlm@0
|
35 you would be there or not. I just... You see, I was in the garden
|
rlm@0
|
36 and... Well, remember how you kissed me?" A giggle before she
|
rlm@0
|
37 continued. "Well, I finally... Ummm... Can I come over?" Sakura
|
rlm@0
|
38 sweatdropped on the other end of the phone. She felt like a guilty
|
rlm@0
|
39 schoolgirl asking permission to go over to a friend's house to do
|
rlm@0
|
40 anything but study. That thought was silly and awkward for her, but
|
rlm@0
|
41 she couldn't help it. Being back home had felt almost like she had
|
rlm@0
|
42 travelled back in time. She hadn't been in the house more than a few
|
rlm@0
|
43 minutes before calling the Daidouji household. She could hear Touya
|
rlm@0
|
44 making tea in the kitchen and silently thanked her older brother for
|
rlm@0
|
45 all of his help.
|
rlm@0
|
46 The phone clattered to the floor, dropping from Tomoyo's numb
|
rlm@0
|
47 hands. She stared at the deadly viper that had indeed reached out and
|
rlm@0
|
48 bit her. How could it be Sakura? Her letter couldn't have gotten to
|
rlm@0
|
49 her already, could it? Tomoyo wasn't even completely packed yet. She
|
rlm@0
|
50 hadn't planned on moving out for another two days. And how could
|
rlm@0
|
51 Sakura be in Tomoeda? She should be in Hong Kong at that very moment,
|
rlm@0
|
52 snuggling with her husband. This was wrong. This was all wrong. It
|
rlm@0
|
53 completely shattered Tomoyo's painstakingly crafted plans to fade
|
rlm@0
|
54 from Sakura's life as well as her mother's. She felt trapped, caged
|
rlm@0
|
55 in on all sides by imposing iron bars. How could she escape her
|
rlm@0
|
56 torment if Sakura would not allow it?
|
rlm@0
|
57 "Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura's voice asked, concern tinging her exuberance.
|
rlm@0
|
58 Tomoyo realized only dimly that Sakura had been waiting on the
|
rlm@0
|
59 other end while the phone had lain uselessly on the floor. She
|
rlm@0
|
60 reached out slowly, picking up the cold plastic once more. Her eyes
|
rlm@0
|
61 flickered to the screen that was still showing her beautiful second
|
rlm@0
|
62 cousin flying through the air like an angel. The angel had finally
|
rlm@0
|
63 come for her, and she had nowhere to flee. She searched desperately
|
rlm@0
|
64 for her soft voice, one that had served her well for years as a
|
rlm@0
|
65 member of the choir, but was frustrated to find it having suddenly
|
rlm@0
|
66 gone missing. What disturbed her even more was that she had begun
|
rlm@0
|
67 crying moments earlier and hadn't even realized it. Wet tears slipped
|
rlm@0
|
68 past her cheek and against the telephone as she held it tightly. She
|
rlm@0
|
69 briefly remembered the cute pink cell phones that she had gotten from
|
rlm@0
|
70 her mother to stay in contact with Sakura. They had been a wonderful
|
rlm@0
|
71 tether for the two girls, offering Sakura with a constant link to her
|
rlm@0
|
72 loving and supportive friend and giving Tomoyo a link to the
|
rlm@0
|
73 beautiful girl of her dreams. It had been a wonderful thing for both
|
rlm@0
|
74 of them, giving Sakura a way to always turn to her best friend and
|
rlm@0
|
75 Tomoyo a way to bask in Sakura's presence even when they were far
|
rlm@0
|
76 apart. It had worked so well, in fact, that Tomoyo had given Syaoran
|
rlm@0
|
77 one of the cute cell phones so that he and Sakura may be able to
|
rlm@0
|
78 share that same bond. Hadn't that been the start of all this? No,
|
rlm@0
|
79 no... The start of all this had been the gift of a small eraser a
|
rlm@0
|
80 lifetime ago.
|
rlm@0
|
81 "Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura repeated, this time listening intently for
|
rlm@0
|
82 her best friend. She thought she could hear short, ragged breaths, as
|
rlm@0
|
83 if someone was short of air, and what sounded like sniffling. "Tomoyo-
|
rlm@0
|
84 chan?"
|
rlm@0
|
85 'She can't hear me like this. It will ruin everything. She'll never
|
rlm@0
|
86 let me go if she knows how I feel. And it will destroy Sakura-chan's
|
rlm@0
|
87 fairy tale. Her beautiful new life will crumble. All because of me. I
|
rlm@0
|
88 can't do that to Sakura-chan. I can't stay because I... can't...
|
rlm@0
|
89 handle... it....' Tomoyo thought frantically, her shaking fingers
|
rlm@0
|
90 quickly wiping her tears away. It did little to soothe the cold and
|
rlm@0
|
91 broken shards of her heart. 'If I stay, it'll kill both of us, Sakura-
|
rlm@0
|
92 chan. I can't be a part of your life anymore. Seeing you, loving you,
|
rlm@0
|
93 knowing that I can't be a part of your heart, it's killing me. It's
|
rlm@0
|
94 killing me and I won't let it kill you, too.' When she finally spoke,
|
rlm@0
|
95 her voice came out weakly, a pale shadow of it's normal gentle self.
|
rlm@0
|
96 It sounded sorrowful in Tomoyo's ears and she immediately cut herself
|
rlm@0
|
97 off, closing her lavender eyes tightly. 'Hang up!' part of her cried,
|
rlm@0
|
98 but she knew she couldn't. Sakura was like the Syren from long ago,
|
rlm@0
|
99 luring her towards grave dangers that she couldn't force herself to
|
rlm@0
|
100 escape from. She needed to answer Sakura. And soon. But she didn't
|
rlm@0
|
101 know how. If Sakura heard her crying, then her farewell letter would
|
rlm@0
|
102 be for naught. Sakura would know the pain that resided in her heart
|
rlm@0
|
103 and they would both be doomed. With a supreme effort, the pale ghost
|
rlm@0
|
104 of a girl gathered the splintered shards of her masks, cutting her
|
rlm@0
|
105 soul in the process as she pulled them up for one final act. But
|
rlm@0
|
106 would they be enough? Were these tiny shards enough to hide the pain
|
rlm@0
|
107 she was in? "Sakura-chan..." her soft voice whispered into the phone.
|
rlm@0
|
108 The pain was still glaringly evident in Tomoyo's ears, but she hoped
|
rlm@0
|
109 that the brunette wouldn't hear it. The ocean of tears underneath her
|
rlm@0
|
110 voice's surface wasn't gone exactly, but it was muted, as if a large
|
rlm@0
|
111 tarp had been thrown over it.
|
rlm@0
|
112 The auburn haired girl on the other end of the line sighed in
|
rlm@0
|
113 relief. She had thought that the line had disconnected or that, even
|
rlm@0
|
114 more irrationally, Tomoyo had finally made good on her words.
|
rlm@0
|
115 'Goodbye,' echoed through Sakura's mind in Tomoyo's sweet voice,
|
rlm@0
|
116 surrounding her like a sad song from long ago. It anchored Sakura's
|
rlm@0
|
117 heart with painful chains and hooks. But Sakura struggled forward
|
rlm@0
|
118 despite the immense weight on her heart. She was here now. Tomoyo
|
rlm@0
|
119 couldn't leave or fade away. She would finally fulfill her promise.
|
rlm@0
|
120 'I knew Sakura-chan would come and rescue me,' Tomoyo had said an
|
rlm@0
|
121 eternity before. And Sakura had finally come to rescue her fair
|
rlm@0
|
122 skinned damsel in distress. "I'm here, Tomoyo-chan," she said again,
|
rlm@0
|
123 not noticing that she was speaking out loud. She blushed slightly,
|
rlm@0
|
124 but continued on. "I'm glad to hear you. I was so worried about you.
|
rlm@0
|
125 I got your letter in the mail today... well, yesterday... Anyway, I
|
rlm@0
|
126 got your letter and I had to come see you. Tomoyo-chan..." her voice
|
rlm@0
|
127 caught in her throat as she blinked back crystal tears. "I don't want
|
rlm@0
|
128 you to go. I need you, Tomoyo-chan. I need to talk to you. Right now.
|
rlm@0
|
129 I'm going to be over in a few minutes, okay? Just unlock your window
|
rlm@0
|
130 and I'll be there as soon as I can," the Cardmistress said quickly.
|
rlm@0
|
131 Sakura was too flustered to sleep, her heart's recent revelation
|
rlm@0
|
132 too much to keep inside for herself. It longed to be offered up as a
|
rlm@0
|
133 gift to the woman who had been there for Sakura every step of the way
|
rlm@0
|
134 through her life. But she couldn't do that over the phone. Words
|
rlm@0
|
135 weren't Sakura's strong point. She always went on her emotions. She
|
rlm@0
|
136 couldn't even understand her emotions half the time. But she knew
|
rlm@0
|
137 that the woman on the other end of the phone knew her emotions
|
rlm@0
|
138 perfectly, as if she could read Sakura the same way others read a
|
rlm@0
|
139 good book. She had the eye of an artist, but one that was attuned to
|
rlm@0
|
140 the human soul. No one else understood her like Tomoyo. No one else
|
rlm@0
|
141 could hope to. But there was one thing that even Tomoyo hadn't been
|
rlm@0
|
142 able to uncover. The glistening love that lay shrouded in the curious
|
rlm@0
|
143 mists of Sakura's heart. Now that Sakura had finally understood it,
|
rlm@0
|
144 she wanted to go to her gentle best friend and to tell her the
|
rlm@0
|
145 deliscious secret she had learned.
|
rlm@0
|
146 Of course, she didn't know if Tomoyo would accept her tentative
|
rlm@0
|
147 offering of love or even how she would react. The eccentric young
|
rlm@0
|
148 woman held so much love in her heart that its depth felt endless and
|
rlm@0
|
149 all encompassing, like a warm, deep ocean. She knew that much from
|
rlm@0
|
150 the love Tomoyo had always showered on her. It may have been
|
rlm@0
|
151 embarrassing at times, but Sakura would never have wished it away. In
|
rlm@0
|
152 fact, being without it during her months in Hong Kong had felt like
|
rlm@0
|
153 she had been exiled to a barren and empty desert. She knew that
|
rlm@0
|
154 Tomoyo's warm and giving heart had a very special someone at it's
|
rlm@0
|
155 core, but she knew not who that person was. She only knew that if
|
rlm@0
|
156 they couldn't love her dear, sweet Tomoyo, then they were undeserving
|
rlm@0
|
157 of the lavender haired woman's boundless love. And Sakura would try
|
rlm@0
|
158 her hardest to take away all of Tomoyo's pain, to love her with all
|
rlm@0
|
159 of her heart. She may not be Tomoyo's special someone, but she would
|
rlm@0
|
160 more than try to make up for it. She would love Tomoyo with all of
|
rlm@0
|
161 her heart and soul and try to make everything, for once, all right.
|
rlm@0
|
162 Tomoyo didn't know how much time had gone by as she sat on the
|
rlm@0
|
163 floor of her room in the dark, her legs curled under her and her
|
rlm@0
|
164 tearstained eyes still focused on the moving images of Sakura on the
|
rlm@0
|
165 screen in front of her. Panic consumed her, a viscious monster that
|
rlm@0
|
166 had snagged her in it's fangs. Her clothes were only half packed, her
|
rlm@0
|
167 airplane tickets not for another two days. Sakura had caught her in
|
rlm@0
|
168 the midst of her plan to fade away from her life, and like a breath
|
rlm@0
|
169 on a house of cards, it all came tumbling down. Sakura couldn't come
|
rlm@0
|
170 now, not with the state she was in. It was all Tomoyo could do to
|
rlm@0
|
171 clutch onto the few remaining shards of the illusions she used to
|
rlm@0
|
172 hide her pain from those she loved. If Sakura saw her.... "Sakura-
|
rlm@0
|
173 chan... I can't see you... Not now. Today was such a long day and I
|
rlm@0
|
174 can't keep my eyes open much longer." And it was true. She couldn't
|
rlm@0
|
175 keep her eyes open without tears cascading down her pale cheeks.
|
rlm@0
|
176 Blinking in confusion, Sakura listened to Tomoyo words once again
|
rlm@0
|
177 in her mind. That didn't sound like her happily eccentric best
|
rlm@0
|
178 friend. She knew that Tomoyo had stayed up quite often on costumes or
|
rlm@0
|
179 videotapes and the like. Besides, Sonomi was the businesswoman in the
|
rlm@0
|
180 family. She was the one who threw herself into her work. And even
|
rlm@0
|
181 then, she would throw that aside when her daughter needed her. And
|
rlm@0
|
182 there was something else as well, as if there were little broken ice
|
rlm@0
|
183 crystals in Tomoyo's voice, threaded through the lavender haired
|
rlm@0
|
184 woman's melodious voice. This took Sakura completely by surprise. She
|
rlm@0
|
185 hadn't thought of the possibility that Tomoyo might not be ready for
|
rlm@0
|
186 her to visit as soon as she reached Tomoeda. She was almost as
|
rlm@0
|
187 shocked by the lack of Tomoyo's usual embarrassing comments. No
|
rlm@0
|
188 'Sakura-chan's lovely voice is like a dream', 'All of Tomoeda must be
|
rlm@0
|
189 ecstatic to know that Sakura-chan is back again', or even 'Isn't Hong
|
rlm@0
|
190 Kong missing Sakura-chan's beautiful face?'. They had always caused
|
rlm@0
|
191 such a flurry of emotions in her, but the lack of her best friend's
|
rlm@0
|
192 adoring remarks left her in silence.
|
rlm@0
|
193 Covering the phone as she choked back a sob, Tomoyo tried
|
rlm@0
|
194 desperately to think. She couldn't let Sakura see her like this,
|
rlm@0
|
195 teary eyed and broken. It would crush the energetic Cardmistress's
|
rlm@0
|
196 spirits. She was like a shattered China doll lying upon the floor.
|
rlm@0
|
197 Wasn't it better for Sakura to think that her favorite China doll was
|
rlm@0
|
198 simply elsewhere than finding it broken and smashed? Pulling together
|
rlm@0
|
199 the last bit of her strength, Tomoyo could feel her tears burning at
|
rlm@0
|
200 her eyes as she kept her voice as level and soft as she could. Her
|
rlm@0
|
201 tattered heart heaved in her chest as she hung onto her crystalline
|
rlm@0
|
202 mask shards until her soul cried out. "Sakura-chan needs her beauty
|
rlm@0
|
203 sleep so that she will be gorgeous and genki when the morning comes,"
|
rlm@0
|
204 she said at last, and was relieved to hear it sound as obsessive and
|
rlm@0
|
205 adoring as ever.
|
rlm@0
|
206 That seemed to relax Sakura on the other end of the phone, calming
|
rlm@0
|
207 some of her worries for her dark haired friend. Sakura sighed,
|
rlm@0
|
208 hugging her knees to her chest as she held onto the phone. "Are you
|
rlm@0
|
209 sure, Tomoyo-chan? I... I really want to see you." She had been
|
rlm@0
|
210 waiting so long. Ever since they had said farewell at the airport,
|
rlm@0
|
211 Sakura had been longing to see her friend again, to hold her, to love
|
rlm@0
|
212 her, and to kiss her. To make sure that things would truly be all
|
rlm@0
|
213 right. That feeling had become even stronger since discovering the
|
rlm@0
|
214 love within her for her blue eyed friend. Tomoyo had been all she had
|
rlm@0
|
215 thought about on the flight out and the ride home. Things like her
|
rlm@0
|
216 marriage and what would happen when they met failed to concern her.
|
rlm@0
|
217 All she knew was that she had to be with Tomoyo again. To lose
|
rlm@0
|
218 herself in the sweet scent of her long, luscious hair. To feel her
|
rlm@0
|
219 gentle embrace, and her warm lips. She wanted to give Tomoyo her
|
rlm@0
|
220 entire heart, to offer it on a beautiful platter of silver and
|
rlm@0
|
221 emeralds. What Tomoyo would do with her gift was entirely up to her.
|
rlm@0
|
222 But Sakura knew that she had to give her most precious Christmas
|
rlm@0
|
223 present to Tomoyo soon.
|
rlm@0
|
224 The dark haired woman waited in silence for a long moment, trying
|
rlm@0
|
225 to regulate her breathing. This was even more difficult than when
|
rlm@0
|
226 Sakura had complained about the butterflies in her stomach while
|
rlm@0
|
227 Tomoyo had helped her into her wedding gown. That had been a very
|
rlm@0
|
228 traumatic experience for the young heiress. Helping Sakura into the
|
rlm@0
|
229 intricately designed and lovingly crafted dress, her own heart
|
rlm@0
|
230 pouring out to the auburn haired woman as she tried to soothe
|
rlm@0
|
231 Sakura's worries over marrying someone else had been one of the
|
rlm@0
|
232 hardest moments in her life. Part of her had wanted to confess her
|
rlm@0
|
233 love right then, to stand up after helping Sakura with her stockings,
|
rlm@0
|
234 to look her in the eyes and tell her 'You don't have to be afraid,
|
rlm@0
|
235 Sakura-chan. I love you.' But even that now seemed like nothing
|
rlm@0
|
236 compared to this bitter struggle with her emotions. She knew that she
|
rlm@0
|
237 had strings around Sakura, that she had since they had been small
|
rlm@0
|
238 children. Sakura was so loving, so trusting, and she had such faith
|
rlm@0
|
239 in Tomoyo. Tomoyo knew that she could use that to manipulate Sakura
|
rlm@0
|
240 like a marionette on it's strings. Sakura would listen to whatever
|
rlm@0
|
241 she had to say, always trusting her dark haired friend. But Tomoyo
|
rlm@0
|
242 had never used that for her own gain. Well, aside from getting Sakura
|
rlm@0
|
243 into her costumes and videotaping her. Tomoyo's gentle heart would
|
rlm@0
|
244 not allow her to use Sakura in such a way. So she had merely used her
|
rlm@0
|
245 influence on the brunette to gently nudge her heart in the right
|
rlm@0
|
246 direction, to help her through all of the obstacles life placed
|
rlm@0
|
247 before the Cardmistress. She now had to try and keep Sakura from
|
rlm@0
|
248 coming to her, though the longing in the brunette's voice broke
|
rlm@0
|
249 Tomoyo's already shattered heart into further pieces. Taking a deep
|
rlm@0
|
250 breath, Tomoyo fought back her tears as she continued. "It really has
|
rlm@0
|
251 been a long day, Sakura-chan, especially if you've been on a plane
|
rlm@0
|
252 for so long. Please get some rest. When next I see Sakura-chan, I
|
rlm@0
|
253 want to see her emerald eyes sparkling happily as she laughs with
|
rlm@0
|
254 joy."
|
rlm@0
|
255 Sakura smiled softly as she held the phone to her ear. Just hearing
|
rlm@0
|
256 Tomoyo's voice made her feel better. "Yeah, I guess you're right,
|
rlm@0
|
257 Tomoyo-chan. I can wait till the morning. That would probably be
|
rlm@0
|
258 better anyway. I have a lot I need to tell you." Slumping back on the
|
rlm@0
|
259 bed, Sakura moved an athletic leg into the air as she yawned. It
|
rlm@0
|
260 really had been a long flight. And it would probably be better if she
|
rlm@0
|
261 could actually decide what she wanted to say to Tomoyo. Not that she
|
rlm@0
|
262 was ever very good with such things. As Tomoyo had told her before,
|
rlm@0
|
263 she should simply speak her heart. She nodded in silent agreement to
|
rlm@0
|
264 her best friend. She would speak her heart when she saw Tomoyo the
|
rlm@0
|
265 next day. "Okay. Thanks, Tomoyo-chan. I'm so glad to hear you again.
|
rlm@0
|
266 I really missed you. Please sleep well, okay? I'll see you early
|
rlm@0
|
267 tomorrow."
|
rlm@0
|
268 "Sweet dreams, Sakura-chan. Dream of the most beautiful angels,"
|
rlm@0
|
269 Tomoyo's soft voice whispered quietly on the other end. And with a
|
rlm@0
|
270 slow click, she was gone.
|
rlm@0
|
271 Lying back in bed, Sakura stared straight up. She wasn't looking at
|
rlm@0
|
272 the ceiling so much as she was looking through it, as if it wasn't
|
rlm@0
|
273 there. She had wanted to see Tomoyo that night, but the lavender
|
rlm@0
|
274 haired woman had made sense. Besides, it was better for Tomoyo to
|
rlm@0
|
275 hear what Sakura had to say when she was rested. Sakura, on the other
|
rlm@0
|
276 hand, was pretty sure that she couldn't sleep. She had slept off and
|
rlm@0
|
277 on during the plane ride and in the car with Touya. On top of that,
|
rlm@0
|
278 her mind was still buzzing with excitement over being back in
|
rlm@0
|
279 Tomoeda, of being so close to realizing her hearts secret desires.
|
rlm@0
|
280 The thoughts of once again basking in that sweet love that she had
|
rlm@0
|
281 taken for granted during the years she and Tomoyo had been friends
|
rlm@0
|
282 sounded exhilerating. She let out a warm sigh. "Hanyaan..." It had
|
rlm@0
|
283 always been there, but she had overlooked it as something that would
|
rlm@0
|
284 forever be a part of her life. Now she knew that Tomoyo was its
|
rlm@0
|
285 source, the reason behind so many of her happy childhood memories,
|
rlm@0
|
286 and throughout her adolescence. Tomoyo had bloomed like a gorgeous
|
rlm@0
|
287 flower, and like a beautiful gardener had coaxed Sakura into becoming
|
rlm@0
|
288 a very pretty young woman, always nurturing her heart and soul with a
|
rlm@0
|
289 warmth that Sakura could search the world over for and never find
|
rlm@0
|
290 again. Sakura felt blessed to have grown up with such love in her
|
rlm@0
|
291 life.
|
rlm@0
|
292 But if Tomoyo's heart belonged to another, to her special someone,
|
rlm@0
|
293 then how would she react to Sakura's declaration of love? Would it
|
rlm@0
|
294 bother her? Would Tomoyo put her down gently? Or would she be happy
|
rlm@0
|
295 to simply be loved by someone for once in her life? And just who was
|
rlm@0
|
296 this special person anyhow? Tomoyo had first mentioned them when they
|
rlm@0
|
297 had only been ten year olds. And yet she still spoke of them with the
|
rlm@0
|
298 same passionate fervor she had always shown for this mysterious
|
rlm@0
|
299 person. So it had to be someone that Tomoyo had known for years.
|
rlm@0
|
300 Someone who had been close to her, always there in her life
|
rlm@0
|
301 throughout all of that time. Someone who Tomoyo thought could never
|
rlm@0
|
302 love her back.
|
rlm@0
|
303 Sakura sat bolt upright in bed, her emerald eyes wide as a sudden
|
rlm@0
|
304 realization hit her. She ran down the stairs two at a time, almost
|
rlm@0
|
305 running full tilt into her older brother as he finished up the tea.
|
rlm@0
|
306 "Oniichan!! I know who Tomoyo-chan's in love with!"
|
rlm@0
|
307 Touya turned around in surprise. He hadn't expected Sakura to find
|
rlm@0
|
308 out so suddenly on her own. Especially after all the hints Tomoyo had
|
rlm@0
|
309 dropped over the years and the one's he himself had been dropping
|
rlm@0
|
310 since the two had turned fourteen. That she would finally come to
|
rlm@0
|
311 that conclusion after all of this time stunned him. "You do?" he
|
rlm@0
|
312 asked curiously, holding the two tea cups with the grace that years
|
rlm@0
|
313 as a waiter, among other things, had afforded him.
|
rlm@0
|
314 Sakura nodded energetically, her short hair flying about her face.
|
rlm@0
|
315 The young woman looked seriously focused, as she could often get when
|
rlm@0
|
316 faced with a particularly difficult problem. She sighed, blinking her
|
rlm@0
|
317 emerald green eyes. She wasn't too happy about it, but at least she
|
rlm@0
|
318 knew. "Tomoyo-chan's in love with one of her bodyguards," she said at
|
rlm@0
|
319 last, her shoulders slumping.
|
rlm@0
|
320 Staring at Sakura for endless minutes, Touya slowly raised an
|
rlm@0
|
321 eyebrow. Handing Sakura her cup of tea, he ruffled the younger
|
rlm@0
|
322 woman's hair. "Good try, monster, but you're going to have to try a
|
rlm@0
|
323 lot harder than that if you're going to figure out who she's in love
|
rlm@0
|
324 with." Sighing, the sleep deprived older sibling made his way
|
rlm@0
|
325 upstairs.
|
rlm@0
|
326 "Hoe.... Why is this so hard?" Sakura asked herself in the empty
|
rlm@0
|
327 kitchen. Figuring out Tomoyo was certainly a lot more difficult than
|
rlm@0
|
328 understanding the Sakura Cards. She would have argued with her
|
rlm@0
|
329 brother, but she simply wasn't in the mood. Taking a sip of the
|
rlm@0
|
330 flavorful tea, she wondered idly just what she was supposed to do for
|
rlm@0
|
331 the next... five hours, if she left at eight in the morning. A sudden
|
rlm@0
|
332 idea struck her like a lightening bolt. Grinning, the Mistress of the
|
rlm@0
|
333 Cards made her way upstairs.
|
rlm@0
|
334 "Not where is it?" she asked no one in particular as she sifted
|
rlm@0
|
335 through her bag. She smiled at the Cardcaptor Sakura keychain that
|
rlm@0
|
336 Tomoyo had had made for Sakura's thirteenth birthday that lay hanging
|
rlm@0
|
337 on the side. It was one of a kind, the design of the superdeformed
|
rlm@0
|
338 Sakura completely Tomoyo's while Sonomi had it crafted by her
|
rlm@0
|
339 company. She pushed it with a finger, watching it swing back and
|
rlm@0
|
340 forth like a pendulum. Shaking her head, she went back to searching
|
rlm@0
|
341 and within moments pulled out the object of her search. Tomoyo's half
|
rlm@0
|
342 finished costume lay unfurled before her, it's dazzling design
|
rlm@0
|
343 obvious even in that early state of completion. Tomoyo had always
|
rlm@0
|
344 been making such beautiful things for her. It seemed a shame that
|
rlm@0
|
345 Tomoyo's final costume design was never to be finished. She
|
rlm@0
|
346 understood that Tomoyo had wanted her last design for Sakura to be
|
rlm@0
|
347 the wedding dress, so the lavender haired woman thought it
|
rlm@0
|
348 unnecessary to finish this final costume. So if Tomoyo couldn't
|
rlm@0
|
349 finish it, Sakura could.
|
rlm@0
|
350 Smiling to herself, Sakura ran to the other room to get the
|
rlm@0
|
351 supplies she would need. Sewing wasn't exactly her forte, but she had
|
rlm@0
|
352 sewn a yukata for Syaoran and she knew that if she tried hard enough,
|
rlm@0
|
353 she could finish what Tomoyo had begun. It wouldn't be as lovely as
|
rlm@0
|
354 Tomoyo's delicate work, but it would finally be finished, putting to
|
rlm@0
|
355 rest at least one of Sakura's worries. This was their work, both
|
rlm@0
|
356 Tomoyo's and Sakura's. She wanted to show it to her best friend.
|
rlm@0
|
357 After all of those years of wearing Tomoyo's costumes, blushing all
|
rlm@0
|
358 different shades of red with the bizarre yet captivating designs,
|
rlm@0
|
359 this would be a combination of both of their hearts, every stitch
|
rlm@0
|
360 lovingly etched into the beautiful fabric. Clasping her hands
|
rlm@0
|
361 together determinedly, Sakura got to work.
|
rlm@0
|
362
|
rlm@0
|
363
|
rlm@0
|
364 Clutching onto the teddy bear Sakura had sewn for her as a farewell
|
rlm@0
|
365 present, Tomoyo rocked gently back and forth, whispering a lullaby
|
rlm@0
|
366 that her mother used to sing to her when she was a little girl. Icy
|
rlm@0
|
367 tears dripped down her chin, falling onto her little stuffed bear
|
rlm@0
|
368 named Sakura. She held it tightly, sobbing quietly as the phone lay
|
rlm@0
|
369 haphazardly a few feet away from her. "I love you so much, Sakura-
|
rlm@0
|
370 chan... Please forgive me... I don't know what to do, Sakura..." she
|
rlm@0
|
371 whispered tearfully into bear Sakura's ear. Her whole body felt cold,
|
rlm@0
|
372 torn apart by countless thorns that snaked around her heart. "Please
|
rlm@0
|
373 help me..." But no one would come and save her. Not even her darling
|
rlm@0
|
374 Sakura could save her from the darkness that surrounded her now. If
|
rlm@0
|
375 the brunette came for her, they were both doomed. Sakura's happy life
|
rlm@0
|
376 would be ruined and Tomoyo would never be able to survive watching
|
rlm@0
|
377 Sakura so closely like that, unable to be with her.
|
rlm@0
|
378 An even darker thought that crossed her mind was about what Sakura
|
rlm@0
|
379 had been struggling to say on the phone. What feelings did Sakura
|
rlm@0
|
380 have for her? What feelings did the Cardmistress understand now? Did
|
rlm@0
|
381 she know of Tomoyo's love for her? Which meant that Sakura's
|
rlm@0
|
382 marriage, her beautiful marriage, the child she hadn't yet had, the
|
rlm@0
|
383 whole life that lay before her was in peril. And all because Tomoyo
|
rlm@0
|
384 had failed to fade out of Sakura's life properly.
|
rlm@0
|
385 "Sakura-chan, what am I to do?" Tomoyo asked hopelessly, pressing
|
rlm@0
|
386 her tearstreaked cheek into the soft material of the teddy bear.
|