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1 Hello, everyone! ^-^ I’d like to dedicate this story to Reisz
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2 Fenrir, without whom I would never have written this story. ^-^
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3 Remember to never stop dreaming. ^-^ This story has two girls in love
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4 and some adult situations, so please read responsibly. CCS and its
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5 beautiful characters were created by CLAMP.
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6
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7 I Love You, I love You Not
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8 by Amazoness Duo
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9 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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10
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11
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12 “Everything will always be all right,” Tomoyo whispered, imagining
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13 Sakura’s voice giving life to the dead words. But even that couldn’t
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14 bring back the magic to them. Like a magician’s chant, it only worked
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15 for those with the power. What power? That fiery determination that
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16 burned in beautiful emerald green eyes within the girl known as
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17 Sakura. Tomoyo had tried to make Sakura believe in them, to put forth
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18 her determination into making those words a reality. But for Tomoyo,
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19 the words were meaningless, hollow. They carried with them no magic,
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20 no sparkle. They were simply what they were. A messy collection of
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21 words. They alone had no magic power, no abilities. It was Sakura
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22 that unlocked their magic. Because the magic was within her, not
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23 within any saying. And so they hung in the air painfully, sounding
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24 brittle in the cold air.
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25 Hugging her dark blue jacket closer, Tomoyo continued walking along
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26 the nearly frosty sidewalk. Her long dark hair trailed behind her
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27 like a shadow. Her pale skin glistened like the falling snow, making
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28 her look like a snow angel that had been brought magically to life to
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29 all who crossed her path. She wore long, thick black stockings and
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30 large boots. Her dark skirt shifting as she continued walking, lost
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31 in her own thoughts. Despite her warm apparel, she felt frigid
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32 inside, as if an arctic wind had blown bitingly across her soul.
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33 Shuddering, the dark haired girl hugged herself tightly. It offered
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34 little warmth. She had the sudden thought that Sakura’s arms would
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35 warm her instantly, much stronger than her own self-embrace. She
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36 tried not to let the thought linger, knowing it would only be
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37 painful. Thinking like that was selfish. Sakura’s happiness was the
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38 important thing. Much more important than her own happiness. Sakura
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39 was her best friend. She should be happy with that. Thinking of
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40 Sakura in such ways was painful, taunting. Sakura didn’t belong with
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41 her, but with another. Someone else, probably Syaoran, would be the
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42 one to make Sakura happy. That thought was so much easier to deal
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43 with as a child. Back then it had seemed so much easier. Sakura would
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44 fall in love with someone and she would be happy to watch after her
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45 beautiful Sakura. But as she grew older, her feelings grew as well.
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46 Her love for Sakura only became stronger as the years went by. And
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47 the thought of watching Sakura with another cut into her like a
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48 jagged icicle.
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49 Telling Sakura of her feelings would only be selfish. Tomoyo knew
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50 Sakura better than anyone. Sakura could never bear to hurt her. She
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51 would never be able to simply reject her. It would only confuse
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52 Sakura, hurting the one Tomoyo loved more than life itself. And
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53 hurting Sakura was the last thing the young heiress wanted. Better
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54 she suffer than Sakura. Yes, that was right. She could handle it. For
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55 Sakura. But sometimes the love in her heart wanted so badly to get
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56 out, to touch Sakura’s heart. She wanted to feel loved, to feel the
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57 love in her heart returned. But it was an empty dream. One she had
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58 given up on as a child, as a sacrifice so that her beloved Sakura
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59 would find her own happiness.
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60 Sometimes it just felt too lonely. Knowing she would have to give
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61 up Sakura was the most painful thought imaginable for the dark haired
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62 girl. She had seen what losing one’s love had done to her mother.
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63 Sometimes she wondered if she could survive it. Her mother was so
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64 much stronger than she was and it had crushed her. Sonomi still
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65 hadn’t recovered, and she probably never would. Tomoyo knew that she
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66 had to. For Sakura’s sake. But sometimes that was all that kept her
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67 going. As her heart inside wept, she smiled serenely at the brunette,
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68 never letting her know the pain that was growing inside of her. She
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69 knew what was awaiting her. Forever alone. She would have her love
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70 for Sakura, but no Sakura. And sometimes that just didn’t feel like
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71 it was enough. She knew she would never give up that love, but it was
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72 so deliciously painful that it nearly consumed her. She was starting
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73 to worry that cracks might begin to show through her masks. She could
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74 only smile so much. It was beginning to hurt now, smiling for Sakura
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75 when she just wanted so badly to cry. But she couldn’t let Sakura see
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76 her pain. Sakura had to be happy. Sakura needed to smile. Sakura
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77 needed to fall in love. She couldn’t be held back by her best friend.
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78 Tomoyo had been crying herself to sleep more often lately. She
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79 tried to be quiet, so as not to let her mother hear. She didn’t want
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80 her mother to worry about her. She was always so busy with work as it
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81 was. So she would cry quietly at night, watching her videos of Sakura
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82 through a haze of tears. And during the day, she was all smiles. It
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83 was what everyone expected of her, so no one questioned that the
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84 smile was anything but real. She was eccentric. Everyone thought so,
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85 even Sakura. So no one noticed that her smile never disappeared.
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86 Until she was alone. Then it would leave her, replaced by the
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87 emptiness that spread throughout her. It was cold and desolate, a
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88 taste of the life that awaited her. The few times that she had tried
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89 to envision her future, she had quit soon after. There was nothing in
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90 her future. She could take over her mother’s business. She could grow
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91 old, alone, always loving Sakura from a distance. That was all that
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92 awaited her. Much better to imagine Sakura’s future, to hope for the
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93 very best for her dearest Cardmistress. That was what had kept her
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94 going over the past few years, the thoughts of Sakura’s beautiful
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95 wedding, her many children, and her bright smile. That was the future
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96 she was working for, not her own. She always had to keep that
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97 beautiful vision in her mind. She loved Sakura with all her heart.
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98 She would do anything for the athletic brunette, even if she would
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99 never know of the feelings Tomoyo had for her.
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100 Stormy blue eyes blinked rapidly as tears threatened to spill from
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101 them. Tomoyo wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. She
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102 would have plenty of time for tears later. She just had to hold on a
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103 little longer for Sakura. Once Syaoran got back from Hong Kong,
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104 Sakura wouldn’t need her anymore. Syaoran would be able to help
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105 Sakura through all of life’s intricacies. But for now, Sakura still
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106 needed her. That was a bitter relief. It would be over all too soon,
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107 but at least there was still a place for her in the brunette’s life.
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108 With what precious little time she had left, she would do all she
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109 could for Sakura, to ensure her gloriously beautiful future. It was
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110 the least she could do for the girl who had so easily stolen her
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111 heart.
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112 A faint smile crossed Tomoyo’s lips as she watched two young girls
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113 run past. Her mind busied itself with other things, trying not to
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114 dwell on the pain. Cupping her hands, she caught a gently falling
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115 snowflake in her palms. The beautiful crystal lingered for a brief
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116 moment before it began to melt and fade away. It reminded her of
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117 something her mother had told her long ago. ‘The most beautiful
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118 things in this life are gone before we know it, Tomoyo-chan. We have
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119 to cherish them while we can.’ Her mother had been talking about
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120 Nadeshiko then. As she often did. Tomoyo’s smile brightened slightly.
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121 ‘Mother still loves Nadeshiko-san even after all this time. I’ll
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122 always love Sakura-chan. I’ll always cherish her,’ she thought to
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123 herself.
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124 And the snowflake was gone. Tomoyo silently thanked it for it’s
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125 swift moment of beauty before gingerly closing her hands. Her mind
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126 was already planning out a snowflake costume for Sakura, one just as
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127 pretty as any snowflake out in the skies. Her heart still hung heavy
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128 in her chest, but her thoughts helped her to focus elsewhere, to
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129 things she had always enjoyed. And these invariably led back to
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130 Sakura. Who led back to her lonely thoughts. It was a vicious cycle,
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131 but one she found herself caught in.
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132 A thought struck the pale girl as more snowflakes fell around her.
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133 Pulling her camcorder out of its carrying case, she began to
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134 videotape the slow descent of the glittering snowflakes. The footage
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135 would help when she finally started on Sakura’s new costume. Sakura
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136 would look gorgeous in it, like a Snow Princess who had fallen from
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137 her home in the sky above. Tomoyo sighed dreamily at the thought, a
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138 hand going to her cheek, playing the lovely image of Sakura over and
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139 over in her head even as she videotaped the falling snow. Her hand
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140 felt cold against her warm cheek, sending a chill through her.
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141 Shuddering visibly, she went back to her camera work. Each lonely,
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142 frozen teardrop from heaven slowly made its way to the earth around
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143 the pale girl, all alone despite the people passing by.
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144 “Tomoyo-chan!” a voice called from across the street.
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145 Pulling her camcorder down for a moment, Tomoyo quickly spotted the
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146 source of the voice. A bright smile lit up her face, her earlier
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147 thoughts quickly forgotten as Sakura waved to her. Her heart
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148 brightened at the sight. Sakura made her happy. The brunette lit up
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149 her heart. She waved back warmly. “I love you, Sakura-chan,” she said
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150 quietly. Yes, this was exactly why she would never be able to shake
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151 Sakura’s spell. Even if it was painful at times, she could never give
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152 it up. Her heartbeat quickened as she saw Sakura smile at her. She
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153 was so absolutely perfect. A dreamy sigh escaped Tomoyo. There was
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154 nothing more painful than love. But there was also nothing more
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155 beautiful. Taking a quick glimpse in either direction, Tomoyo hurried
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156 to be with her beloved.
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157 No one saw the car. It closed on the small girl like a terrible
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158 beast stalking its prey, a dragon snatching away a princess. It was
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159 all a blur for Sakura. One moment, Tomoyo was hurrying to her side,
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160 smiling sweetly. The next, Tomoyo was nowhere to be seen, a car
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161 screeching to a halt where the heiress had been moments before. There
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162 was a sickening thump and then silence. Tomoyo’s cracked camcorder
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163 lay at Sakura’s feet, staring up into the sky like a curious eye.
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164 With shaky fingers, Sakura reached down and picked up the broken
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165 camcorder. This was wrong. Tomoyo was supposed to be holding it.
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166 Still in shock, Sakura looked up from the item, glancing around for
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167 her best friend. The woman who had gotten out of her car was
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168 frightened about something. Sakura followed her towards something
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169 crumpled in the snow. It was deathly pale, almost the same color as
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170 the snow itself. But there was something else in the snow, sparkling
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171 and red. Blood. Sakura collapsed in the snow next to the crumpled
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172 figure, her heart beating furiously in her chest. Her cold fingers
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173 clutched the camcorder like a lifeline, her emerald eyes watching the
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174 tiny shape unmoving in the snow. “Tomoyo-chan..? Tomoyo-chan? Tomoyo-
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175 chan!?!” Sakura burst out into tears, huddling over her broken
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176 friend. Tomoyo didn’t reply, only lying there like a shattered China
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177 doll in the street. “Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura cried, trying to hold onto
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178 her battered friend. Her bitter tears fell onto Tomoyo’s pale skin,
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179 Sakura’s body shaking painfully as she was wracked with sobs.
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180 “I... I didn’t see her there,” the driver said quickly, as if it
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181 would somehow magically fix the shattered girl.
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182 Sakura didn’t hear anything. She held Tomoyo’s hand, crying
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183 anguished tears. She didn’t even notice the blood beginning to stain
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184 her own dress as she held onto her broken friend. “Tomoyo-chan,
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185 please wake up. It’s okay. It’ll be okay. Just please wake up.
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186 Please? Please, Tomoyo-chan?” Her only answer was the wail of sirens
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187 in the distance. “Please..?”
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188
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189 Standing in front of the large, imposing gate, Sakura felt her
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190 heart falter in her chest. She took a heavy breath, blinking away the
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191 tears that threatened. The image of the accident was still vivid in
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192 her mind, even though it had been more than a week before. Whenever
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193 she was in the shower, she could still see the blood on her hands,
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194 even though there wasn’t anything there. She shuddered at the
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195 thought. She still felt exhausted from that day, her soul feeling
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196 drained from it all. She had never cried so much, not even when her
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197 mother had died back when she was a small child. The thought of being
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198 without Tomoyo, of losing her very best friend, was just too much for
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199 her. She couldn’t think of life without the dark haired girl.
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200 Sakura managed a weak smile when she saw Sonomi herself coming out
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201 to fetch her. Tomoyo’s mother was eccentric, much like her daughter.
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202 The older woman always made Sakura feel special. She was always so
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203 warm and affectionate to Sakura, treating her like a visiting
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204 princess. She knew that part of the reason was because their mothers
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205 had been close when they were younger, but didn’t know exactly what
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206 had happened. Whatever the case, she always felt nice around Sonomi.
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207 And with Tomoyo’s normal loving care, Sakura felt very happy at the
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208 Daidouji home.
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209 Her smile faded as Sonomi drew closer. Did Tomoyo’s mother blame
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210 her? Did she think it was her fault that Tomoyo had been hurt? That
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211 thought frightened her. What if Sonomi hated her now? Could she blame
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212 her? If Tomoyo hadn’t been coming to see her, then... More tears
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213 glistened in Sakura’s eyes. She rubbed the away insistently. She felt
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214 like a little girl again, hoping that Tomoyo’s mother wasn’t mad at
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215 her. She never knew her own mother. Sonomi was like the one she never
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216 had. She felt like she had disappointed the older woman, failing to
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217 protect her daughter.
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218 Sonomi sighed with relief as she opened the gate, ushering Sakura
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219 in. “I’m so glad you’re here, Sakura-chan.” Hugging the younger girl
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220 tightly, Sonomi smiled before leading Sakura further inside.
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221 A sigh escaped Sakura. At least Sonomi wasn’t mad at her. That was
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222 something. She felt a little better at that. But the pit in her
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223 stomach still remained. She still felt awful, the blur of the
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224 accident burnt into her soul. She shuddered as a maid took her coat.
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225 “How’s Tomoyo-chan?” Sakura asked quickly, turning her earnest eyes
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226 to Sonomi. She could feel her anxious heart fluttering in her chest
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227 like a caged bird.
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228 Shaking her head, Sonomi gazed towards the stairs. “She hasn’t been
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229 doing well, Sakura-chan. She doesn’t want to come out of her room
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230 anymore. She barely eats anything unless I’m there. And even then I
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231 know she’s only doing it so I won’t worry. Her eyes don’t sparkle
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232 like they used to. She’s broken, Sakura-chan. Not just her body, but
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233 her soul. And I don’t know how to help her. Maybe you can cheer her
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234 up. Tomoyo-chan always loves to see you. You mean the world to her.
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235 I’m so glad you could come on such short notice.” The weary mother
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236 looked back to her daughter’s friend and smiled. “I’m sure she’ll get
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237 better now that you’re here.”
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238 Sakura sweatdropped, placing a hand behind her head. “I’m not sure
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239 what I can do.” She looked back into Sonomi’s stormy blue eyes and
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240 nodded determinedly. “But I’ll do whatever I can to help Tomoyo-chan.
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241 She’s my best friend. I want her to feel better.”
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242 Sonomi grinned, watching Sakura for a long moment. “You’re so sweet.
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243 Just like your mother. I know you’ll be able to help Tomoyo-chan.”
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244 Sakura was her last hope. She didn’t know how else to bring the life
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245 back to her beloved daughter. Tomoyo had survived, but the life had
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246 disappeared from her. Sakura was the only one that could re-ignite
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247 the sparkle within her. Sonomi would do anything for her daughter,
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248 but there was only so much she could do. The rest was up to Sakura.
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249 Sakura bowed to the older woman before hurrying up the stairs. She
|
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rlm@0
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250 had to make it up to Tomoyo. It was her fault Tomoyo had gotten hurt
|
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rlm@0
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251 in the first place. All because Tomoyo had been coming to see her.
|
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rlm@0
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252 There had to be something she could do to help the heiress, to make
|
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rlm@0
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253 things better. It wasn’t right for Tomoyo to be so hurt. She had to
|
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rlm@0
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254 do something.
|
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rlm@0
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255 Sonomi watched as Sakura slowly disappeared up the stairs. Making
|
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rlm@0
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256 her way into the living room, the older woman collapsed into a chair,
|
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rlm@0
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257 closing her eyes. This whole incident had left her feeling weak and
|
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rlm@0
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258 helpless. She had always been overprotective of her lovely daughter,
|
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rlm@0
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259 but it had all been for nothing. In an eye blink, she had almost lost
|
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rlm@0
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260 her dearest treasure. In some ways, Tomoyo was too much like
|
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rlm@0
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261 Nadeshiko. It was part of why Sonomi was so worried about her.
|
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rlm@0
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262 Nadeshiko had always wound up getting hurt. And she had died a young
|
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rlm@0
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263 death. Sonomi didn’t want the same thing to happen to her daughter.
|
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rlm@0
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264 She had already lost Nadeshiko. She couldn’t stand to lose Tomoyo.
|
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rlm@0
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265 Waiting there at the hospital while Tomoyo was in surgery, the
|
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rlm@0
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266 auburn haired businesswoman would have given away her entire company
|
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rlm@0
|
267 if she could know that her daughter would be all right. She had
|
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rlm@0
|
268 stayed by Tomoyo’s side through the next few days, even though Tomoyo
|
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rlm@0
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269 hadn’t been conscious for much of it. Somehow she had pulled through.
|
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rlm@0
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270 Sonomi could only believe that it was because Nadeshiko had been
|
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rlm@0
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271 looking out for her daughter. As soon as Tomoyo had recovered enough
|
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rlm@0
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272 to be moved, she had taken her daughter back home and hired a nurse
|
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rlm@0
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273 to keep an eye on her. The doctors had suggested keeping Tomoyo in
|
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rlm@0
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274 the hospital, but Sonomi didn’t trust hospitals. Nadeshiko had been
|
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rlm@0
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275 there for her final days and they hadn’t been able to save her. She
|
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rlm@0
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276 didn’t want to leave Tomoyo there either. She had hoped Tomoyo would
|
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rlm@0
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277 feel more comfortable at home.
|
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rlm@0
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278 But now Tomoyo was still empty, her body mending while her heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
279 remained splintered. Now Sonomi had to hope that Nadeshiko daughter
|
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rlm@0
|
280 would fix her own daughter’s soul. “Get better soon, Tomoyo-chan,”
|
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rlm@0
|
281 Sonomi whispered.
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rlm@0
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282
|
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rlm@0
|
283 It was snowing outside again. Tomoyo watched out her window as white
|
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rlm@0
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284 snowflakes drifted past. Her room was silent, the only noise coming
|
|
rlm@0
|
285 from the restless wind outside. She was still bedridden from her
|
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rlm@0
|
286 injuries. She couldn’t even get up to put on one of her Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
287 videos. Not that she was in the mood to. It would only remind her of
|
|
rlm@0
|
288 her darling Sakura, of the lonely love in her heart. So she simply
|
|
rlm@0
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289 watched out her window. There would be no snowflake costume, after
|
|
rlm@0
|
290 all. It had seemed like such a pretty idea, too. But like most
|
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rlm@0
|
291 beautiful things, it lasted for but an instant.
|
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rlm@0
|
292 Except Sakura. Sakura was timeless. No matter what happened, she
|
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rlm@0
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293 would always be beautiful. Tomoyo had little captured moments of
|
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rlm@0
|
294 Sakura’s life frozen forever on videotape, always a testament to the
|
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rlm@0
|
295 beauty that was Sakura, as if it all existed simply to state that
|
|
rlm@0
|
296 Sakura had been there, that she wasn’t just a dream.
|
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rlm@0
|
297 Part of her wondered why she hadn’t died. Wouldn’t it have been
|
|
rlm@0
|
298 easier that way? Then she could watch over Sakura as her guardian
|
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rlm@0
|
299 angel. She wouldn’t have to slip away when Sakura fell in love. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
300 wouldn’t have to watch from afar. She could be right there, right
|
|
rlm@0
|
301 along with Sakura, could stay close to her forever. She found herself
|
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rlm@0
|
302 disappointed that that wasn’t the case. Instead she was still here.
|
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rlm@0
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303 And sooner or later, Sakura would be gone, off with the one she
|
|
rlm@0
|
304 loved. And Tomoyo wouldn’t be a part of her life anymore. Instead of
|
|
rlm@0
|
305 watching all of Sakura’s life as her angel, she would simply have to
|
|
rlm@0
|
306 hope for the best, trusting that it would all work out. It didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
307 seem fair. She had lost even her last hope. She wouldn’t even be able
|
|
rlm@0
|
308 to watch Sakura’s beautiful future as her guardian angel.
|
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rlm@0
|
309 Dying in Sakura’s arms, it had almost been blissful. It was terrible
|
|
rlm@0
|
310 to see Sakura so sad, but Tomoyo had wanted her to know that she
|
|
rlm@0
|
311 would always watch over her, that everything truly would always be
|
|
rlm@0
|
312 all right. Everyone has to die. So if she couldn’t be with the one
|
|
rlm@0
|
313 she loved, why couldn’t she at least die in the arms of the one she
|
|
rlm@0
|
314 loved? Then they could be together forever, even if Sakura forgot
|
|
rlm@0
|
315 about her. Because Tomoyo would never leave her side again. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
316 someone had kept her from dying. Someone with long, liquid silver
|
|
rlm@0
|
317 hair and the same emerald green eyes as her Sakura. She could only
|
|
rlm@0
|
318 vaguely remember the woman now, as if it were all little more than a
|
|
rlm@0
|
319 dream. ‘You can’t go yet,’ she had said. ‘Sonomi-chan needs you. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
320 so does my little Sakura-chan. She’d be lost without you.’ She seemed
|
|
rlm@0
|
321 so kind, so loving. But Tomoyo still didn’t understand. Sakura was a
|
|
rlm@0
|
322 big girl. She didn’t need her anymore. Especially when she fell in
|
|
rlm@0
|
323 love, which was only a matter of time now. Syaoran would be returning
|
|
rlm@0
|
324 soon. He would take Tomoyo’s place at Sakura’s side. Tomoyo couldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
325 help but feel that the angel had been wrong, that she should have
|
|
rlm@0
|
326 died then, broken in Sakura’s arms. Better to have died then than
|
|
rlm@0
|
327 years later when she was all alone. At least she could have died
|
|
rlm@0
|
328 happily.
|
|
rlm@0
|
329 A knock on the door pulled Tomoyo from her thoughts. She slowly
|
|
rlm@0
|
330 looked to the door, trying to focus on it. “Hello?” she asked
|
|
rlm@0
|
331 curiously, her soft musical voice even quieter than usual. The door
|
|
rlm@0
|
332 slowly opened, exposing a nervous looking brunette. Tomoyo brightened
|
|
rlm@0
|
333 visibly, smiling at the welcome visitor. She really didn’t see anyone
|
|
rlm@0
|
334 besides her mother and the maids. It was so nice to see Sakura again.
|
|
rlm@0
|
335 “Sakura-chan, please come in. I’m so happy to see you.” The pale girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
336 struggled to sit up, her body aching as she did.
|
|
rlm@0
|
337 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura held back a gasp. She watched Tomoyo for a
|
|
rlm@0
|
338 long moment, guilt eating at her with each passing second. Tomoyo was
|
|
rlm@0
|
339 lying in bed in a pink nightgown. She had bandages all down both of
|
|
rlm@0
|
340 her legs, disappearing up under her nightgown. She had a cast on one
|
|
rlm@0
|
341 arm. Bandages wrapped around the back of her head. Another square
|
|
rlm@0
|
342 cloth of bandage was taped over her right eye. She had always known
|
|
rlm@0
|
343 that Tomoyo was fragile, but seeing Tomoyo like this struck the point
|
|
rlm@0
|
344 home. But even then, a beautiful smile lay across Tomoyo’s lips as
|
|
rlm@0
|
345 she entered. Sakura managed to return the smile herself after a
|
|
rlm@0
|
346 pause, closing the door behind her. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
347 The brunette hurried to her friend’s side, looking down at her from
|
|
rlm@0
|
348 the side of the bed.
|
|
rlm@0
|
349 “I’m all right, Sakura-chan. It still hurts a little bit. But I’m
|
|
rlm@0
|
350 feeling a lot better.” Which was remotely true. She still hurt a lot
|
|
rlm@0
|
351 and she was only feeling a little better. And she was only feeling
|
|
rlm@0
|
352 better because Sakura was there. But it was best not to worry Sakura.
|
|
rlm@0
|
353 It wouldn’t do to have Sakura crying for her. That would just make
|
|
rlm@0
|
354 her want to cry as well. If Sakura was happy, she felt much better
|
|
rlm@0
|
355 about life in general. “I’m just glad to see you,” she said softly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
356 looking at Sakura with the one uncovered stormy blue orb. She felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
357 her heart skip a beat as Sakura took her free hand in both of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
358 own. She squeezed softly to reassure her friend, smiling gently up at
|
|
rlm@0
|
359 her. Sakura seemed deep in thought about something. Tomoyo tilted her
|
|
rlm@0
|
360 head to the side quizzically, but stopped that when an icy pain shot
|
|
rlm@0
|
361 down her back. She simply watched, deciding it was best not to
|
|
rlm@0
|
362 disturb Sakura while she was busy with her thoughts.
|
|
rlm@0
|
363 A slow smile crossed Sakura’s lips, a determined look glowing in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
364 eyes. It all managed to set Tomoyo’s heart a flutter, though Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
365 didn’t know it. All she knew was that Tomoyo held onto her hands more
|
|
rlm@0
|
366 warmly, watched her even more intently. But none of that seemed
|
|
rlm@0
|
367 important. She knew what she was going to do. “I’ve got it! Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@0
|
368 chan, I’m going to make up for this, I promise!” Sakura smiled
|
|
rlm@0
|
369 happily, squeezing Tomoyo’s soft hand with both of her own. “I’m
|
|
rlm@0
|
370 going to make you feel better. I finally know how.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
371 Tomoyo blinked in surprise. What was Sakura thinking? If she wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
372 so lost in Sakura’s greatness, she might be able to piece it
|
|
rlm@0
|
373 together. Okay, Sakura was excited and determined. She wanted to make
|
|
rlm@0
|
374 Tomoyo feel better. Hmm... So she had some idea on what she wanted to
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 do. Something that she thought would make things better. Probably
|
|
rlm@0
|
376 something to do with the Cards. The pieces slowly fell into place as
|
|
rlm@0
|
377 Tomoyo kept watching Sakura. She found it ironic that Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
378 trying so hard to fix things for her when all she wanted was to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
379 there with Sakura. That alone was enough for her. Sakura didn’t have
|
|
rlm@0
|
380 to do anything. She just had to be there. That was more than enough.
|
|
rlm@0
|
381 But it was so sweet of Sakura to want to help her. “But Sakura-chan,
|
|
rlm@0
|
382 you really don’t need to do anything. I’ll be fine,” Tomoyo promised.
|
|
rlm@0
|
383 Sakura shook her head, dismissing the silly idea that she didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
384 have to. She still felt like it had been her fault that Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@0
|
385 been hurt in the first place. And even if that wasn’t the case,
|
|
rlm@0
|
386 Tomoyo was her best friend. She couldn’t simply sit by while Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
387 was hurting. And Sonomi had seemed so worried. So she had to fix
|
|
rlm@0
|
388 things. Giving Tomoyo’s hand a last squeeze, she rested it back on
|
|
rlm@0
|
389 Tomoyo’s stomach. Invoking her staff, Sakura took a step back. “I’m
|
|
rlm@0
|
390 the world’s most powerful mage now, right?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
391 Tomoyo nodded, smiling. “Hai, no one’s stronger than Sakura-chan!
|
|
rlm@0
|
392 You can do anything if you put your heart to it!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
393 Normally one to be embarrassed by Tomoyo’s statements, Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 too excited to be embarrassed at the moment. “And right now, there’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 nothing more my heart wants to do than to make you feel better. So
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 I’m going to use all my magic for that. To make you happy.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 “To make.. me happy?” Tomoyo repeated. Her heart spun at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 thought. Those words were so beautiful. Even if Sakura was attempting
|
|
rlm@0
|
399 to make her happy through magic, it was simply that she wanted to
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 make her happy. Tomoyo felt her heart soar. “Arigato, Sakura-chan.
|
|
rlm@0
|
401 But you do make me happy. You always make me happy.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 This time, Sakura did blush faintly, but she was glad to hear
|
|
rlm@0
|
403 Tomoyo’s words nonetheless. “But I want to do something special for
|
|
rlm@0
|
404 you. To make you feel better about all this. I want to help. So I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 use all my magic to grant your one strongest wish for one week. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 don’t know if I could keep it up any longer than that anyway. But I
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 know that I can make your wish come true for a little while at
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 least.” Magic was a tricky thing, and though Sakura had grown rather
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 proficient with the Sakura Cards, she was still having trouble
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 getting used to being the strongest magician alive. But that wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
411 stop her from making Tomoyo’s dream come true. She had to try.
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 Tomoyo blinked, slowly shaking her head. “Ano... I don’t think
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 that’s such a good idea, Sakura-chan,” she warned, sweatdropping. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 could see where this was going and she was already worried. Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 was the strongest mage on the planet. She could only imagine what
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 this would do. Sakura didn’t know that she was what Tomoyo wanted
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 most of all. It didn’t seem like a good idea to rush into this
|
|
rlm@0
|
418 without knowing how it would work. Sakura still didn’t even know
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 about Tomoyo’s love for her. She had a bad feeling about this.
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 “Please don’t worry, Tomoyo-chan. You always help me so much. I want
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 to help you this time.” Sakura smiled brightly at her bedridden
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 friend, pulling up her staff as she summoned her magic. “What’s the
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 one thing you wish for more than anything else, Tomoyo-chan?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 “For Sakura-chan to be happy,” Tomoyo responded simply.
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura shook her head. That couldn’t be it. But she
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 should have known Tomoyo would say something like that. Oh well.
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 She’d just have to grant Tomoyo’s one wish even if Tomoyo wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
428 tell her exactly what it was. So she would use all the Cards and all
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 of her power. Surely that could handle her wish for one week. “Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 Cards! Please hear me! Make Tomoyo-chan’s most heartfelt wish come
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 true for this next week!” The pink Cards swirled around Sakura like a
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 cyclone, magic lighting the dark room with burning intensity. All of
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 the Cards lent their magic to Sakura’s command, each adding to the
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 final spell.
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 And with a last flash of light, it was over. The Sakura Book
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 clattered to the floor, the Cards tumbling down to Sakura’s feet.
|
|
rlm@0
|
437 Sakura herself nearly stumbled at first, her magic drained from the
|
|
rlm@0
|
438 spell and the use of all the Cards at once. She shook her head,
|
|
rlm@0
|
439 trying to clear her thoughts. She felt... strange. What had just
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 happened? She felt so dizzy. The brunette quickly took a seat on the
|
|
rlm@0
|
441 edge of Tomoyo’s bed, trying to get her bearings. She’d been working
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 some kind of magic spell... But what had happened? She glanced around
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 the room, but she couldn’t tell any noticeable difference. Something
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 soft rested on her hand, drawing her attention back to the bed.
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 Tomoyo held her hand, looking up at her concernedly. Nope, Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 wasn’t any different. She was still just as pretty as always. Even if
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 she was injured. Sakura smiled brightly at her friend. For some
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 reason, she just felt... happy. Everything seemed perfect. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
449 emerald eyes sparkled as she looked deeply into Tomoyo’s stormy blue
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 orb. Tomoyo always did have such lovely eyes. Even if she could only
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 see one of them. And Tomoyo was always so sweet and gentle and
|
|
rlm@0
|
452 loving. And she always made Sakura feel so wonderful. And she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 always there to help her when she needed her. And she always said
|
|
rlm@0
|
454 such sweet thing to her, even if it was embarrassing sometimes.
|
|
rlm@0
|
455 And... “Hanyaan...” Sakura said at last, sighing happily.
|
|
rlm@0
|
456 Tomoyo could only watch for a moment, trying to work out just what
|
|
rlm@0
|
457 had happened herself. There didn’t seem to be any noticeable
|
|
rlm@0
|
458 difference except for Sakura herself. She was just staring into her
|
|
rlm@0
|
459 eyes with a dreamy look and a faint blush on her cheeks. Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
460 eyes went wide in sudden realization. “Sakura-chan...” It suddenly
|
|
rlm@0
|
461 made sense. The wish... Tomoyo had been so lonely lately. She loved
|
|
rlm@0
|
462 Sakura so much. Did this mean...
|
|
rlm@0
|
463 Things were slowly beginning to make sense for Sakura as well. Bits
|
|
rlm@0
|
464 and pieces of a puzzle that she hadn’t even known was there began to
|
|
rlm@0
|
465 fit together. It all made a whole picture that she had missed for so
|
|
rlm@0
|
466 long. Sakura leaned closer, holding tightly onto Tomoyo’s hand as it
|
|
rlm@0
|
467 became crystal clear. “Tomoyo-chan... I understand now! You said
|
|
rlm@0
|
468 you’d explain when I was older, but I never understood. All this
|
|
rlm@0
|
469 time, you’ve been trying to tell me, but I never knew.” A faint blush
|
|
rlm@0
|
470 colored Sakura’s cheeks as her heart lifted up. Swooping forward,
|
|
rlm@0
|
471 Sakura hugged her best friend tightly, almost forgetting that she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
472 still hurt. “I love you, too!” Sakura giggled happily, relishing the
|
|
rlm@0
|
473 newfound freedom her realization gave her. It was true. She knew
|
|
rlm@0
|
474 that. And it made sense as she played it over in her mind. Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@0
|
475 loved her all this time, and she had never known. But she had loved
|
|
rlm@0
|
476 Tomoyo as well, only she hadn’t understood her feelings. But now they
|
|
rlm@0
|
477 were open to her. She felt excited and tranquil and loved all at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
478 same time. She felt Tomoyo’s good arm rubbing up and down her back
|
|
rlm@0
|
479 peacefully. Making a small happy sound, Sakura hugged Tomoyo closer.
|
|
rlm@0
|
480 How could she have missed it for so long? But it didn’t matter. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
481 knew now. That was the important thing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
482 Tomoyo quickly tried to figure out the situation as she found
|
|
rlm@0
|
483 herself in Sakura’s arms. Was Sakura in love with her for the next
|
|
rlm@0
|
484 week? She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. What an exquisite form
|
|
rlm@0
|
485 of torture. To have Sakura’s love, albeit magically induced, for one
|
|
rlm@0
|
486 week. And then she would have to give it up again. But she had to
|
|
rlm@0
|
487 admit, it felt so wonderful in Sakura’s arms, to hear those words,
|
|
rlm@0
|
488 even if they were only caused by magic. She sighed softly, resting
|
|
rlm@0
|
489 her head against Sakura’s shoulder. It felt magical, so soft and
|
|
rlm@0
|
490 relaxing. Sakura smelled wonderful. But everything about Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
491 wonderful. She nestled into the crook of Sakura’s neck, her soul lost
|
|
rlm@0
|
492 in Sakura. “I love you, Sakura-chan.” This would be one tough week.
|
|
rlm@0
|
493
|
|
rlm@0
|
494
|
|
rlm@0
|
495 “Is it done yet?” Kero asked impatiently, his face hovering near
|
|
rlm@0
|
496 the oven. “I’m so hungry,” he pouted, trying to emphasize his point.
|
|
rlm@0
|
497 “It’s not for you anyway,” Sakura said absently, checking over the
|
|
rlm@0
|
498 directions once more. She wasn’t the best cook in the world and she
|
|
rlm@0
|
499 knew it, which is why she was trying so hard to follow the directions
|
|
rlm@0
|
500 precisely. Because although she wasn’t a wonderful cook, Sonomi was,
|
|
rlm@0
|
501 and the older woman had given her the recipe. And on top of that, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
502 wanted it to be perfect. And Sonomi has said that Tomoyo hadn’t been
|
|
rlm@0
|
503 eating much lately, so Sakura had decided to bake something for her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
504 With Tomoyo stuck in bed, it seemed like the perfect time to bring
|
|
rlm@0
|
505 her a treat. Tomoyo always brought over such tasty things, obviously
|
|
rlm@0
|
506 inheriting her mother’s cooking abilities. Sakura paused for a
|
|
rlm@0
|
507 moment, wondering whether or not her own mother had been good at
|
|
rlm@0
|
508 cooking. Probably not, she decided. Why would she need to be when
|
|
rlm@0
|
509 Sonomi made such great things?
|
|
rlm@0
|
510 “But I’m HUNGRY,” Kero reiterated, working up some tears for good
|
|
rlm@0
|
511 measure. “And it smells so good. Just like one of Tomoyo’s mom’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
512 cakes.” He grinned hungrily, delving back into memories of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
513 different treats he had tried over the years. But that just made him
|
|
rlm@0
|
514 hungrier.
|
|
rlm@0
|
515 “You aren’t getting any of it. It’s for Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said,
|
|
rlm@0
|
516 holding up a wooden spoon as if to ward Kero away from her precious
|
|
rlm@0
|
517 cake. Satisfied that she had followed the recipe exactly, Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
518 stepped away from the counter, wiping her hands off on her apron. “It
|
|
rlm@0
|
519 is one of Sonomi-sama’s cakes. She gave me the recipe yesterday when
|
|
rlm@0
|
520 I asked what Tomoyo might like to eat.” Smiling happily, she took a
|
|
rlm@0
|
521 quick glance at the timer and nodded to herself. So far so good. As
|
|
rlm@0
|
522 soon as she was finished, she could go take it to Tomoyo-chan. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
523 sighed, placing both hands on her cheeks. She felt so warm inside,
|
|
rlm@0
|
524 and it had nothing to do with spending so much time in the kitchen.
|
|
rlm@0
|
525 Finding out how Tomoyo felt about her had brightened every aspect of
|
|
rlm@0
|
526 her life. She was no longer so confused about her feelings and her
|
|
rlm@0
|
527 own heart. Before, she had listened to others about what her heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
528 wanted, unsure of what she wanted herself. But now it all made sense.
|
|
rlm@0
|
529 She just wanted to be with Tomoyo. More than anything. “Hanyaan...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
530 she whispered joyously.
|
|
rlm@0
|
531 Everything just made so much more sense now. She had always felt so
|
|
rlm@0
|
532 good around Tomoyo, but now she knew what it all meant. And the
|
|
rlm@0
|
533 thought that she’d been so close to the one she loved all this time
|
|
rlm@0
|
534 left her heart spinning. She wanted to be with the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
535 all the time. She never wanted to leave her side. When she would lie
|
|
rlm@0
|
536 in bed at night, her last thoughts would be of Tomoyo before she
|
|
rlm@0
|
537 slipped into a peaceful sleep. Tomoyo was the first thing she thought
|
|
rlm@0
|
538 about when she got up, usually while hugging her pillow. It was a
|
|
rlm@0
|
539 poor substitute for her best friend, though. But she had to hug
|
|
rlm@0
|
540 something, to imagine Tomoyo was with her. And she certainly wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
541 about to hug her mean older brother.
|
|
rlm@0
|
542 It was amazing how things had changed so quickly. But at the same
|
|
rlm@0
|
543 time, it didn’t feel like much had changed at all. Tomoyo was just as
|
|
rlm@0
|
544 warm and loving as she had always been, because she had always loved
|
|
rlm@0
|
545 her, which Sakura now realized. And Sakura’s feelings were still the
|
|
rlm@0
|
546 same. She just understood them now. Tomoyo always brought a blush to
|
|
rlm@0
|
547 her cheeks with some of what she would say. She always made her feel
|
|
rlm@0
|
548 good inside. She’d always been the most important person in Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
549 life. So in many ways, it just felt natural. As if things had finally
|
|
rlm@0
|
550 taken their proper course.
|
|
rlm@0
|
551 “How long do you plan on letting that thing burn?” Touya asked
|
|
rlm@0
|
552 curiously, his arms crossed. He watched his little sister blush
|
|
rlm@0
|
553 furiously and hurry to the oven, nearly dropping the cake as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
554 pulled it out.
|
|
rlm@0
|
555 Embarrassed, Sakura tried to salvage her slightly burnt cake. Just
|
|
rlm@0
|
556 how long had she been out of it? Things like this always happened
|
|
rlm@0
|
557 when she was distracted. But it was so easy to get lost in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
558 different thoughts and feelings that swept through her heart! At
|
|
rlm@0
|
559 least Tomoyo understood. And she thought it was cute when Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
560 would daydream like that. Shaking her head, Sakura fought back her
|
|
rlm@0
|
561 blush as she concentrated on the cake. Of course Tomoyo thought it
|
|
rlm@0
|
562 was cute. Tomoyo thought everything she did was cute. Her blush
|
|
rlm@0
|
563 darkened as she realized that line of thought wasn’t helping. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
564 just hoped Touya would leave the kitchen soon. Being embarrassed was
|
|
rlm@0
|
565 so much worse when people were around. “Hoe... Now it’s ruined.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
566 Stepping up to the cake dutifully, Kero took a nice long sniff. He
|
|
rlm@0
|
567 looked at it thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head. “No,
|
|
rlm@0
|
568 it’s not ruined. It’s just a little burnt. Put some extra topping on
|
|
rlm@0
|
569 it and it’ll be fine. It won’t be as good as Tomoyo’s mama’s cakes,
|
|
rlm@0
|
570 but I still won’t mind having a nice big slice or two,” the Seal
|
|
rlm@0
|
571 Beast said hopefully.
|
|
rlm@0
|
572 Sakura pulled the cake away from Kero, shielding it with her body.
|
|
rlm@0
|
573 “You still can’t have any of it. I already told you I’d make you
|
|
rlm@0
|
574 something later.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
575 “Then who is it for?” Touya asked, raising an eyebrow.
|
|
rlm@0
|
576 Shaking her head quickly, Sakura sweatdropped. “No one,” she said
|
|
rlm@0
|
577 quickly, busying herself with lathering on a thick layer of icing on
|
|
rlm@0
|
578 top of the cake. She shot Kero a glare when she saw half of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
579 strawberries already eaten. Sighing, she started placing the
|
|
rlm@0
|
580 remaining ones on the cake.
|
|
rlm@0
|
581 “It’s for Yuki, isn’t it?” Touya asked, grinning. Though he’d been
|
|
rlm@0
|
582 dating Yukito for some time now, he still teased his younger sister
|
|
rlm@0
|
583 about him. Besides, he thought, it’s better she have a crush on him
|
|
rlm@0
|
584 than on the brat. It was easier for him to keep an eye on her that
|
|
rlm@0
|
585 way.
|
|
rlm@0
|
586 “No, it’s not for Yukito-san,” Sakura said, raising her head as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
587 continued to place the strawberries in a pattern across the cake. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
588 felt a happy trill resonate through her heart. She didn’t just have a
|
|
rlm@0
|
589 crush on somebody. This wasn’t some schoolgirl crush. It wasn’t her
|
|
rlm@0
|
590 going after someone she couldn’t have. She was making a cake for her
|
|
rlm@0
|
591 girlfriend. This was for her special someone. And she really, really
|
|
rlm@0
|
592 wanted to tell Touya that, to wipe that smirk off his face, to show
|
|
rlm@0
|
593 him that she was dating, too. She bit her lip before she could say
|
|
rlm@0
|
594 anything, trying to focus on the cake. “It’s for someone very, very
|
|
rlm@0
|
595 special,” she said, smiling. “It’s to show much I like them,” she
|
|
rlm@0
|
596 added, her cheeks warming.
|
|
rlm@0
|
597 “It’s not for the brat, is it? Is he back in town?” Touya asked,
|
|
rlm@0
|
598 trying to mask his concern.
|
|
rlm@0
|
599 “No, it’s not for Syaoran,” Sakura replied, putting the finishing
|
|
rlm@0
|
600 touches on her cake. “There,” she said proudly, taking a step back to
|
|
rlm@0
|
601 admire her handiwork. It wasn’t perfect, but it looked pretty. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
602 maybe Tomoyo wouldn’t taste the burnt part with all the icing she put
|
|
rlm@0
|
603 on it. She wanted to get it to Tomoyo as soon as possible. Then she
|
|
rlm@0
|
604 could try to get her to eat. But that was just her ulterior motive.
|
|
rlm@0
|
605 She just wanted to be with Tomoyo again. Giving her the cake was just
|
|
rlm@0
|
606 a happy plus.
|
|
rlm@0
|
607 “Sugoi!” Kero said excitedly, his beady eyes growing as he looked
|
|
rlm@0
|
608 at the cake. “It looks so good!” His paw went forward to touch the
|
|
rlm@0
|
609 icing, but before he could get a hold of it Sakura had pulled it away.
|
|
rlm@0
|
610 “Kero-chan, you can’t have any of Tomoyo-chan’s cake,” Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
611 scolded. She held the cake, ignoring the Seal Beast and his pleading
|
|
rlm@0
|
612 eyes. It took her a moment to realize two other sets of eyes were on
|
|
rlm@0
|
613 her as well. She turned slowly, noticing her brother and Yukito
|
|
rlm@0
|
614 staring at her. Yukito must have entered while they were talking. He
|
|
rlm@0
|
615 did spend a lot of time over with Touya. Her cheeks darkened quickly
|
|
rlm@0
|
616 as the sudden realization hit her. She hadn’t meant to say that. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
617 stared back down at the cake, blushing a deep scarlet.
|
|
rlm@0
|
618 “That’s great!” Yukito exclaimed. “Isn’t that cute, To-ya? I knew
|
|
rlm@0
|
619 you’d find someone special, Sakura-chan. It looks like To-ya had been
|
|
rlm@0
|
620 right all along. I’m still a little surprised. I didn’t know you
|
|
rlm@0
|
621 liked girls.” He tilted his head to the side, still smiling.
|
|
rlm@0
|
622 “Thank God,” Touya said in relief, his hands on his face. “I was so
|
|
rlm@0
|
623 sure you were going to marry the brat. Then I’d always be worrying
|
|
rlm@0
|
624 about you. I don’t have to worry about Tomoyo-chan. I know she’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
625 actually take care of you.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
626 Blushing even deeper, Sakura began making her way to the door. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
627 would’ve been easier if they hadn’t said anything at all. But then,
|
|
rlm@0
|
628 she had accidentally blurted it out. She hadn’t quite expected Touya
|
|
rlm@0
|
629 to be so thrilled by the whole thing. But it’s better to have your
|
|
rlm@0
|
630 family like the one you love, she decided. Whatever the case, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
631 just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. “I’m gonna go
|
|
rlm@0
|
632 take Tomoyo-chan her cake,” she said quickly, heading for her roller
|
|
rlm@0
|
633 blades near the front door. She ignored the rest of their comments as
|
|
rlm@0
|
634 she slipped them on and hurried outside.
|
|
rlm@0
|
635 “I guess I won’t have to worry about her giving me a heart attack
|
|
rlm@0
|
636 after all,” Touya said thoughtfully. It wasn’t what he’d been
|
|
rlm@0
|
637 expecting, although he had known Tomoyo was in love with his sister.
|
|
rlm@0
|
638 And though Yukito thought Syaoran was good for Sakura, he didn’t. He
|
|
rlm@0
|
639 had always thought Tomoyo would make a much better significant other
|
|
rlm@0
|
640 for his overemotional younger sister. He looked at the other two in
|
|
rlm@0
|
641 the kitchen when he got no response. Both Kero and Yukito were
|
|
rlm@0
|
642 staring at him.
|
|
rlm@0
|
643 “I’m hungry,” Kero whined.
|
|
rlm@0
|
644 “That cake really did look good,” Yukito added, nodding his
|
|
rlm@0
|
645 agreement.
|
|
rlm@0
|
646 Touya sighed as the two continued to stare at him. Preheating the
|
|
rlm@0
|
647 oven, he wished Sakura had picked something less edible as a gift for
|
|
rlm@0
|
648 her sweetheart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
649
|
|
rlm@0
|
650 “Hi, Tomo...” Sakura cut herself off, a hand going to her mouth as
|
|
rlm@0
|
651 she watched Tomoyo’s sleeping form in bed. She quietly closed the
|
|
rlm@0
|
652 door behind her as she stepped into the room. One of the maids had
|
|
rlm@0
|
653 let her enter. She had been disappointed to find out that Sonomi was
|
|
rlm@0
|
654 still at work. She had hoped that she could thank her for the recipe.
|
|
rlm@0
|
655 But there would always be time for that later. She smiled as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
656 walked to the side of the bed, watching Tomoyo. The pale girl was
|
|
rlm@0
|
657 beautiful, even in her sleep. Long lavender hair lay spilt about her
|
|
rlm@0
|
658 pale frame. Bandages still adorned much of her injured body. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
659 large blankets were pulled up around her, either by a worried mother
|
|
rlm@0
|
660 or an attentive maid.
|
|
rlm@0
|
661 Setting the cake down on an empty spot on Tomoyo’s desk, Sakura sat
|
|
rlm@0
|
662 down. The desk was cluttered with all sorts of costume designs and
|
|
rlm@0
|
663 several sheets of music. But even then, it was organized chaos.
|
|
rlm@0
|
664 Everything was placed somewhere for a reason. Tomoyo always did have
|
|
rlm@0
|
665 a good eye for details. It looked like the objects on her desk hadn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
666 been touched since the accident. Which made sense because the heiress
|
|
rlm@0
|
667 couldn’t even get to her desk at the moment.
|
|
rlm@0
|
668 Sitting at the desk, Sakura tried to lay out her options. She could
|
|
rlm@0
|
669 wake Tomoyo up, but the other girl probably needed her sleep. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
670 could always go home, but that thought was instantly rejected.
|
|
rlm@0
|
671 Leaving Tomoyo’s side wasn’t an option she wanted to consider. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
672 could always just wait for her to wake up. Deciding that was the best
|
|
rlm@0
|
673 course of action, the brunette looked back to the sleeping girl,
|
|
rlm@0
|
674 smiling. Tomoyo looked so peaceful now, lost in her own beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
675 dreams. Not at all like the scared, distant look her sleeping face
|
|
rlm@0
|
676 had held during her stay at the hospital. Shuddering, Sakura rubbed
|
|
rlm@0
|
677 her shoulders. Tomoyo was better now. That was the important thing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
678 Turning back to the desk, Sakura glanced through some of the sheets
|
|
rlm@0
|
679 of paper on top of it. Emerald eyes skimmed over some lyrics to a
|
|
rlm@0
|
680 song Tomoyo was practicing for choir. She probably wouldn’t have the
|
|
rlm@0
|
681 chance to sing it with the rest of the choir now, though. But maybe
|
|
rlm@0
|
682 she could still sing it sometime. Sakura always loved to listen to
|
|
rlm@0
|
683 Tomoyo singing. It was so entrancing to listen to her best friend’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
684 ethereal voice. She would be the pale girl’s audience. That thought
|
|
rlm@0
|
685 lifted her mood considerably. Tomoyo had such a gorgeous voice.
|
|
rlm@0
|
686 Setting the music sheet aside, Sakura began to look through
|
|
rlm@0
|
687 Tomoyo’s costume designs. It was strange looking at pictures of
|
|
rlm@0
|
688 herself in different costumes. Tomoyo really was a good artist. Each
|
|
rlm@0
|
689 picture looked just like herself, decked out in some imaginary outfit
|
|
rlm@0
|
690 that Tomoyo would bring into existence with her own form of magic.
|
|
rlm@0
|
691 Occasionally she would see Kero in the picture as well, with little
|
|
rlm@0
|
692 matching outfits to go along with Sakura’s. The brunette was
|
|
rlm@0
|
693 surprised that Tomoyo could make so many varied costumes. And even
|
|
rlm@0
|
694 though Sakura had caught the last of the Cards years ago, she still
|
|
rlm@0
|
695 found herself modeling the costumes for Tomoyo. Which always sent a
|
|
rlm@0
|
696 certain thrill through her, being Tomoyo’s very special model. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
697 couldn’t model the way her mother did. She was too embarrassed for
|
|
rlm@0
|
698 that. But if it was for Tomoyo, then it was okay. Because she felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
699 safe with Tomoyo. Because she knew that Tomoyo enjoyed it so much.
|
|
rlm@0
|
700 Because she liked being the center of Tomoyo’s attention.
|
|
rlm@0
|
701 ‘Kawaii!’ Sakura thought, pulling up one of the costume designs. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
702 looked like some sort of living rainbow, something belonging up near
|
|
rlm@0
|
703 the clouds. She would gladly wear it for the heiress when she
|
|
rlm@0
|
704 finished it, twirling about it in just as she always did. She could
|
|
rlm@0
|
705 already imagine Tomoyo’s voice praising her as she hurried to get
|
|
rlm@0
|
706 shots from different angles. Sweatdropping at the thought, Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
707 continued. The next one was of some kind of fairy. She saw herself in
|
|
rlm@0
|
708 a small, cute sleeveless dress, with tiny little shoes on and
|
|
rlm@0
|
709 beautiful butterfly wings. Two little antenna hung from a hair band.
|
|
rlm@0
|
710 Her ears were a little longer and pointed, giving her an elven
|
|
rlm@0
|
711 appearance. Now that she looked at it more closely, the antenna
|
|
rlm@0
|
712 weren’t part of the hair band after all. So maybe not all of Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
713 costume designs were based in reality. Glancing over to the dark
|
|
rlm@0
|
714 haired girl’s bed again, Sakura smiled at her. It was sweet to think
|
|
rlm@0
|
715 the other girl would draw her as a sprite.
|
|
rlm@0
|
716 Flipping to the next one, Sakura could see that it wasn’t quite
|
|
rlm@0
|
717 finished yet. Parts of the costume were missing. There was only one
|
|
rlm@0
|
718 thigh high stocking, with plenty of lace at the end. Her other leg
|
|
rlm@0
|
719 was bare. The skirt was short and looked like it was made of several
|
|
rlm@0
|
720 layers. Ribbons raced up from the skirt over her bare stomach,
|
|
rlm@0
|
721 leading up to a large bow at her neck. She had long, frilled gloves
|
|
rlm@0
|
722 leading up past her elbows. Beautiful ribbons hung from her hair.
|
|
rlm@0
|
723 There didn’t seem to be any blouse except for the ribbons, and they
|
|
rlm@0
|
724 didn’t even cover up anything. Sakura blushed at how... detailed it
|
|
rlm@0
|
725 was. It took her a moment to realize the costume wasn’t half-finished
|
|
rlm@0
|
726 at all. This was exactly how Tomoyo had planned the costume. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
727 certainly hadn’t ever worn anything like _that_ before. At first she
|
|
rlm@0
|
728 didn’t know what to think. It was a surprise to know that Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
729 thought about that. About her like that. It gave the thought of
|
|
rlm@0
|
730 modeling for Tomoyo a new twist. Sakura’s cheeks darkened
|
|
rlm@0
|
731 considerably. ‘Don’t think like that!’ she chided herself. ‘Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@0
|
732 chan probably just... just...’ Her thoughts trailed off. Even if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
733 could be rather naïve about things, this was rather self-evident. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
734 really was flattering, in an embarrassing sort of way. And that
|
|
rlm@0
|
735 really wasn’t new at all, coming from Tomoyo. That helped Sakura get
|
|
rlm@0
|
736 some sort of grip on the situation.
|
|
rlm@0
|
737 What would it be like to actually wear that for Tomoyo? Somehow she
|
|
rlm@0
|
738 didn’t think it would be all that different from when she modeled
|
|
rlm@0
|
739 other costumes for Tomoyo. The heiress would want to take pictures
|
|
rlm@0
|
740 from every angle, sighing happily and telling Sakura how great she
|
|
rlm@0
|
741 was the whole time. It was what happened afterwards that would
|
|
rlm@0
|
742 probably be different. Blushing a cherry red, Sakura pushed the
|
|
rlm@0
|
743 thought aside. This was no time to be thinking about such things,
|
|
rlm@0
|
744 while poor Tomoyo was stuck in bed. Or maybe that was the perfect
|
|
rlm@0
|
745 time to be thinking about it. Sakura shook her head quickly. “Hoe...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
746 Besides, Tomoyo had been the one to draw it, so it wasn’t like she
|
|
rlm@0
|
747 was completely innocent there. Glancing back at the bed, Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
748 looked right into a silent, stormy blue orb. Bolting upright, Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
749 stumbled backwards, her ankle catching on the chair leg. Her arms
|
|
rlm@0
|
750 pinwheeled as she tried to maintain her balance, her heart beating
|
|
rlm@0
|
751 rapidly in shock. The paper fluttered out of her hand, landing slowly
|
|
rlm@0
|
752 on the floor between the two of them. Sakura barely managed to keep
|
|
rlm@0
|
753 her balance, grasping onto the chair. “Tomoyo-chan!” she said
|
|
rlm@0
|
754 quickly, her eyes wide. The other girl had been completely silent,
|
|
rlm@0
|
755 leaving Sakura completely unaware to her presence. “You’re awake!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
756 she stated obviously. Laughing nervously, she put a hand behind her
|
|
rlm@0
|
757 head. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
758 The dark haired girl bent down, wincing slightly as her injured body
|
|
rlm@0
|
759 moved. Reaching down, she picked up the piece of paper, being careful
|
|
rlm@0
|
760 not to crumple it. She still wanted to finish it one of those days.
|
|
rlm@0
|
761 Sitting back in bed with the paper, she simply smiled at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
762 Cardmistress. “I like watching Sakura-chan,” she said matter-of-
|
|
rlm@0
|
763 factly. “When I woke up, I saw that you were here. I was so happy to
|
|
rlm@0
|
764 see you. I just wanted to lie there and watch you for as long as I
|
|
rlm@0
|
765 could. You’re much better to watch in person than in any of my
|
|
rlm@0
|
766 videos. I can only capture your image and your sound. I can’t capture
|
|
rlm@0
|
767 that wonderfully genki spark that is Sakura-chan.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
768 “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said, blushing from the praise. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
769 cast her eyes down for a moment, standing in silence. Her eyes slowly
|
|
rlm@0
|
770 returned to the paper that Tomoyo had on her lap. “Ano...” she began
|
|
rlm@0
|
771 nervously. “What’s that costume for?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
772 “This one? I have a cat one that I’m working on, too. It’s from
|
|
rlm@0
|
773 the ‘Sekushi Sakura-chan Collection’ I’m working on,” Tomoyo replied
|
|
rlm@0
|
774 excitedly, as she always did when talking about her Sakura costumes.
|
|
rlm@0
|
775 “But why?” Sakura asked, sweatdropping.
|
|
rlm@0
|
776 Tomoyo smiled happily. “Because Sakura-chan’s getting older. So
|
|
rlm@0
|
777 someday she’s going to want to do more adult things. And when you do,
|
|
rlm@0
|
778 I want to have costumes ready for you to use. Costumes are for
|
|
rlm@0
|
779 special occasions. Catching Cards aren’t the only good occasions for
|
|
rlm@0
|
780 them,” the heiress explained, watching Sakura’s growing blush.
|
|
rlm@0
|
781 “That sounds like you’d need to take videotape, too,” Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
782 replied, her cheeks red.
|
|
rlm@0
|
783 “Lots of videotape,” Tomoyo agreed, nodding.
|
|
rlm@0
|
784 “Oh, I almost forgot!” Sakura turned, grabbing the cake. Whether she
|
|
rlm@0
|
785 was just changing the subject or if she’d honestly gotten caught up
|
|
rlm@0
|
786 in something else wasn’t certain. “I made this for you. It’s from
|
|
rlm@0
|
787 Sonomi-sama’s recipe.” She held out the cake for the dark haired girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
788 to see, walking closer to the bed. “I left it in the oven a little
|
|
rlm@0
|
789 too long, though. I hope it still tastes all right.” She sighed,
|
|
rlm@0
|
790 still a little disappointed that she had made that mistake. She had
|
|
rlm@0
|
791 so wanted it to come out perfectly for Tomoyo.
|
|
rlm@0
|
792 “It’s lovely, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo stated happily, taking a long
|
|
rlm@0
|
793 look at the cake before looking up to the even more lovely cake
|
|
rlm@0
|
794 bearer. She smiled sweetly. “I’m sure it will be great. Even if it
|
|
rlm@0
|
795 isn’t perfect, I wouldn’t trade it for a cake made by the world’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
796 best pastry chef. Because it doesn’t matter if things are perfect.
|
|
rlm@0
|
797 What matters is that you made it. Even those little imperfections are
|
|
rlm@0
|
798 filled with your love and care. That’s what makes it so delicious.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
799 She could see that Sakura didn’t completely believe her yet, so she
|
|
rlm@0
|
800 continued. “It’s like when you made that yukata for Li-kun. You
|
|
rlm@0
|
801 didn’t know how to sew very well, but you tried your hardest anyway.
|
|
rlm@0
|
802 Even though it wasn’t perfect, it didn’t matter. Because you had gone
|
|
rlm@0
|
803 through all that trouble to make it. Everything we do, we leave a
|
|
rlm@0
|
804 piece of our hearts in. Everything we touch has a little bit of us.
|
|
rlm@0
|
805 So something that you put your heart into means the world to me.
|
|
rlm@0
|
806 Because it has little bits of Sakura-chan’s soul mixed in.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
807 Sakura thought this over for a moment before nodding. “Like your
|
|
rlm@0
|
808 costumes,” she said at last. Tomoyo had always put so much loving
|
|
rlm@0
|
809 care into her costumes, making each and every one for Sakura to wear.
|
|
rlm@0
|
810 But the costumes weren’t important alone. It was that Tomoyo had made
|
|
rlm@0
|
811 them specifically for her, that she had spent all that time on them,
|
|
rlm@0
|
812 just so she could wear them. That made Sakura feel a lot better about
|
|
rlm@0
|
813 the cake, even with the imperfections. It suddenly didn’t matter so
|
|
rlm@0
|
814 much that she had made the mistake. She smiled brightly as she set
|
|
rlm@0
|
815 the cake back down. “Let me go get some plates.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
816
|
|
rlm@0
|
817 The two girls sat together on Tomoyo’s bed, eating slices of
|
|
rlm@0
|
818 Sakura’s cake. They had decided to leave a slice for Sonomi to try
|
|
rlm@0
|
819 later, as a thank you for the recipe. To Sakura’s delight, it had
|
|
rlm@0
|
820 turned out pretty well, the frosting masking the slightly burnt
|
|
rlm@0
|
821 parts. She was glad to see Tomoyo eating. Sonomi had been very
|
|
rlm@0
|
822 worried about her daughter not eating, so Sakura was glad to do her
|
|
rlm@0
|
823 part to get something in Tomoyo’s stomach.
|
|
rlm@0
|
824 The pale girl took a small bite of Sakura’s beautiful cake, her eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
825 never wandering far from the girl she loved. She let the sweet flavor
|
|
rlm@0
|
826 roll across her tongue. She hadn’t been very hungry lately, but she
|
|
rlm@0
|
827 couldn’t resist having a piece of Sakura’s cake, especially if Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
828 was right there with her. She sighed happily, taking a small bite of
|
|
rlm@0
|
829 one of the strawberries. The knowledge that it was made for her by
|
|
rlm@0
|
830 Sakura followed every delicious bite. Sakura scooted closer to her on
|
|
rlm@0
|
831 the bed, eating her own slice of cake. She could tell that Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
832 watching her. It was like a beautiful dream to have Sakura’s eyes on
|
|
rlm@0
|
833 her. “It’s very good, Sakura-chan.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
834 Sakura smiled at Tomoyo’s comment. Finally seeing Tomoyo eating the
|
|
rlm@0
|
835 cake, hearing that she liked it, it made the whole process of making
|
|
rlm@0
|
836 it worthwhile. It had all led up to this point. Just like her life
|
|
rlm@0
|
837 had led up to this point, as if everything had built up to this
|
|
rlm@0
|
838 moment in time with Tomoyo. Sure, it had taken a few twists to get
|
|
rlm@0
|
839 there, but everything had worked out in the end. And she could have
|
|
rlm@0
|
840 her fairy tale ending. They both could. She took another bite of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
841 cake, feeling excited about the future, the possibilities, and most
|
|
rlm@0
|
842 importantly, the here and now.
|
|
rlm@0
|
843 ‘Please don’t look at me that way. Please don’t taunt me like this,
|
|
rlm@0
|
844 Sakura-chan. Because I don’t know if I could ever resist you. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
845 when this is all over, when that look fades from your eyes, the sun
|
|
rlm@0
|
846 will stop shining on my world,’ Tomoyo thought desperately. Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
847 was looking at her with such love and adoration in her eyes, an
|
|
rlm@0
|
848 unbridled passion that she had never seen before in those emerald
|
|
rlm@0
|
849 gems. It was exactly what she had always wished to see, a love as
|
|
rlm@0
|
850 deep and endless as her own. But now it was frightening. It would be
|
|
rlm@0
|
851 gone before she could ever fully taste their depths. It would be
|
|
rlm@0
|
852 taken from her in the blink of an eye.
|
|
rlm@0
|
853 Which left Tomoyo with a very difficult decision. How should she
|
|
rlm@0
|
854 take this? Sakura had given her the most precious gift she could
|
|
rlm@0
|
855 imagine, her warm and beautiful heart. But soon she would have to
|
|
rlm@0
|
856 give it back, to part from it. And that seemed unbearable. But she
|
|
rlm@0
|
857 would have to. She understood that. But in the meantime, Sakura loved
|
|
rlm@0
|
858 her. For now, she had the love she had always longed for. Could she
|
|
rlm@0
|
859 give in to it? Was it right to? Sakura’s love was only magic, a work
|
|
rlm@0
|
860 of Sakura’s Cards. Would she be taking advantage of Sakura if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
861 allowed herself to get closer to the Cardmistress while she had this
|
|
rlm@0
|
862 chance? Or should she just wait it out, not allowing anything to
|
|
rlm@0
|
863 happen in the next week for Sakura’s sake? It was a maddening
|
|
rlm@0
|
864 question. Her heart and mind were torn in completely different
|
|
rlm@0
|
865 directions. She didn’t want to give in to Sakura’s love only to have
|
|
rlm@0
|
866 it taken away. She didn’t want to use Sakura’s well intentioned wish
|
|
rlm@0
|
867 to fill her own lonely heart. It didn’t seem right to be in a
|
|
rlm@0
|
868 relationship with Sakura when it was all simply done by Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
869 magic. On the other hand, the brunette had given this gift to her,
|
|
rlm@0
|
870 wanting her to be happy. It would be a shame to not accept Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
871 gift. She had always known that one day Sakura would fall in love
|
|
rlm@0
|
872 with another. At least she could have a week full of memories of
|
|
rlm@0
|
873 their time together, memories of being loved by Sakura, right? And so
|
|
rlm@0
|
874 her heart continued its tug of war as she finished her slice of cake.
|
|
rlm@0
|
875 It had been delicious, but now it was all gone. Just like this would
|
|
rlm@0
|
876 be. She set the plate to the side, folding her hands on her lap.
|
|
rlm@0
|
877 Unaware of Tomoyo’s troubled thoughts, Sakura finished her own slice
|
|
rlm@0
|
878 of cake. She went back to watching Tomoyo, trying to decide what to
|
|
rlm@0
|
879 say. Her heart moved this way and that, swaying about. There were so
|
|
rlm@0
|
880 many feelings inside of her, all meshing and struggling to come
|
|
rlm@0
|
881 forth. She wanted to tell Tomoyo, to explain them all, to hold them
|
|
rlm@0
|
882 out to her, but she couldn’t find the words. After a moment of
|
|
rlm@0
|
883 hesitation, she leant forward swiftly, hugging the pale girl tightly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
884 Tomoyo seemed surprised by Sakura’s sudden move, but Sakura just
|
|
rlm@0
|
885 continued to hold onto her. “Tomoyo-chan!” She could feel Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
886 soft lavender hair brushing past her cheek, tickling her. “I love you
|
|
rlm@0
|
887 so much!” She closed her eyes tightly, blushing a bit as she held
|
|
rlm@0
|
888 onto the heiress. It was the best way she could think of to express
|
|
rlm@0
|
889 the feelings surging through her heart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
890 Tomoyo felt a thundering heartbeat against her breast, but she
|
|
rlm@0
|
891 couldn’t tell if it was Sakura’s heartbeat or her own. She could feel
|
|
rlm@0
|
892 Sakura’s arms holding her tightly, encircling her in their warmth.
|
|
rlm@0
|
893 This was where she had wanted to be for so long, in Sakura’s arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
894 She closed her eyes, giving in, at least for the moment. It was too
|
|
rlm@0
|
895 much to fight off both her own love and Sakura’s, no matter how
|
|
rlm@0
|
896 magically induced the latter may be. Leaning into the brunette,
|
|
rlm@0
|
897 Tomoyo curled up against her beloved. Her head slid down against
|
|
rlm@0
|
898 Sakura’s chest, her hands resting against Sakura’s stomach. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
899 listened intently to the beat of the Cardmistress’s heart, her stormy
|
|
rlm@0
|
900 blue eyes closing. Her concerns faded away like a child’s bad dream
|
|
rlm@0
|
901 when in her mother’s arms. “Please don’t ever let me go,” Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
902 pleaded quietly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
903 Resting her chin on the top of Tomoyo’s head, Sakura sighed softly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
904 All the chaotic feelings in her heart were still there, but Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
905 soothed them, calming them, bringing them all together. She suddenly
|
|
rlm@0
|
906 wasn’t so worried about trying to describe them to Tomoyo. Tomoyo was
|
|
rlm@0
|
907 always so good about understanding her heart. She felt that she
|
|
rlm@0
|
908 didn’t need to say it all out loud. It was there. They could both
|
|
rlm@0
|
909 feel it. “I won’t,” Sakura promised, wishing with all her heart that
|
|
rlm@0
|
910 she could prove it, prove that she would hold onto her forever and
|
|
rlm@0
|
911 ever.
|
|
rlm@0
|
912
|
|
rlm@0
|
913 “It’s so beautiful,” Tomoyo whispered. It was snowing lightly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
914 small white crystals dancing their way through the air around her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
915 Some settled in her long, lavender hair, others dropping gingerly
|
|
rlm@0
|
916 onto her lap. She felt Sakura’s hands on her shoulders from behind
|
|
rlm@0
|
917 and turned to smile at the Cardmistress. Sakura had come over earlier
|
|
rlm@0
|
918 that day and Sonomi had suggested that Sakura take Tomoyo outside for
|
|
rlm@0
|
919 a bit. Tomoyo still couldn’t get very far on her own, so Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
920 pushing her in a wheelchair. The heiress didn’t mind relying on
|
|
rlm@0
|
921 Sakura for her mobility. It meant she couldn’t be far from the girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
922 she loved. And that was perfectly fine by her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
923 Returning Tomoyo’s smile, Sakura watched the snowflakes falling
|
|
rlm@0
|
924 about her dark haired friend. ‘She’s so beautiful,’ Sakura thought to
|
|
rlm@0
|
925 herself, her fingers trailing through some lavender curls. She sighed
|
|
rlm@0
|
926 happily her arms wrapping around Tomoyo’s shoulders.
|
|
rlm@0
|
927 Tomoyo blushed faintly, her heartbeat quickening in her chest.
|
|
rlm@0
|
928 Having Sakura so close, holding her so lovingly, it was a dream come
|
|
rlm@0
|
929 true. Despite the snow surrounding them, the heiress felt warm
|
|
rlm@0
|
930 inside. Reaching up with her good hand, she rested it on one of
|
|
rlm@0
|
931 Sakura’s arms. She held onto it as if to keep Sakura from ever
|
|
rlm@0
|
932 releasing her hold on her. She felt so peaceful like this, alone with
|
|
rlm@0
|
933 Sakura. If only it could always be this was... She closed her eyes,
|
|
rlm@0
|
934 ceasing that thought. There was only now. There was only Sakura. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
935 rested back into the brunette’s loving embrace.
|
|
rlm@0
|
936 “Tomoyo-chan, when you get better, let’s go rollerblading together,
|
|
rlm@0
|
937 okay?” Sakura asked suddenly, her eyes lighting up. She shifted
|
|
rlm@0
|
938 against Tomoyo, leaning over enough to see the other girl’s pale
|
|
rlm@0
|
939 face. It seemed like such a good idea. She wanted to do everything
|
|
rlm@0
|
940 with Tomoyo, to spend every moment with her, to share everything with
|
|
rlm@0
|
941 her. Rollerblading had always been fun for her and it seemed even
|
|
rlm@0
|
942 better with Tomoyo. And why not? Yukito and Touya were always off on
|
|
rlm@0
|
943 long bike rides together. Or so Touya said.
|
|
rlm@0
|
944 Tomoyo’s stormy blue eyes met Sakura’s shining emeralds. A sad
|
|
rlm@0
|
945 smile crossed her lips. That was so sweet of Sakura to want to share
|
|
rlm@0
|
946 that with her. But by then, it would be too late. They wouldn’t be
|
|
rlm@0
|
947 going together as a couple. They would just be two friends again by
|
|
rlm@0
|
948 the time Tomoyo was better. But nonetheless, she found herself
|
|
rlm@0
|
949 nodding. She couldn’t bear to disappoint Sakura. And it would still
|
|
rlm@0
|
950 be fun to skate with her, even if it wouldn’t be the same. “Hai, I’d
|
|
rlm@0
|
951 like that, Sakura-chan,” the dark haired girl replied softly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
952 Sakura smiled brightly at Tomoyo’s response. “Sugoi!” She hugged
|
|
rlm@0
|
953 the wheelchair bound girl even tighter. “That will be fun! I’ll teach
|
|
rlm@0
|
954 you how to rollerblade. It’s really not that hard. And you’re always
|
|
rlm@0
|
955 so good at everything, so you’ll pick it up in no time.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
956 “But now I have incentive not to learn how. If I don’t learn to
|
|
rlm@0
|
957 skate on my own, I have to keep holding onto Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
958 reasoned thoughtfully, her bandaged head tilted to the side. Why
|
|
rlm@0
|
959 would she want to learn how to skate when it was so much more fun to
|
|
rlm@0
|
960 have Sakura skate around with her? It was like learning how to dance
|
|
rlm@0
|
961 on your own. Why let go of your partner?
|
|
rlm@0
|
962 Blushing profusely at Tomoyo’s words, Sakura looked down. That
|
|
rlm@0
|
963 didn’t help avert her gaze from the dark haired girl, though, as the
|
|
rlm@0
|
964 heiress was so close to her, taking up all of her attention. Still
|
|
rlm@0
|
965 blushing, she rested her head against Tomoyo’s soft shoulder. “Ano...
|
|
rlm@0
|
966 We.. we can still hold hands... Even if you do learn.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
967 Resting her head against Sakura’s, Tomoyo nodded slowly. “Learning
|
|
rlm@0
|
968 to skate, with Sakura-chan as my beautiful teacher... Watching you
|
|
rlm@0
|
969 move about so gracefully in your rollerblades, trying to help me
|
|
rlm@0
|
970 learn how to use them, it sounds so cute!” The heiress sighed
|
|
rlm@0
|
971 dreamily, already imagining it. Of course, the idea of rollerblading
|
|
rlm@0
|
972 was far from her mind. It was simply doing anything with Sakura hand
|
|
rlm@0
|
973 in hand that left her breathless. She could feel Sakura’s heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
974 beating against her back. Listening to its lovely rhythm, Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
975 began to breathe slowly along with it, their hearts beating in
|
|
rlm@0
|
976 tandem. Tomoyo’s heart called out to Sakura’s with each staccato
|
|
rlm@0
|
977 beat. She could feel Sakura’s warm cheek against her neck as Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
978 blushed. That only managed to lift her spirits even higher. Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
979 blush felt as cute as it looked. She rested into it, blushing
|
|
rlm@0
|
980 herself. The hot skin against her neck sent a shiver through her
|
|
rlm@0
|
981 body. She held her breath, almost afraid the moment would end if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
982 made any sudden moves. She wanted to hold onto it as long as
|
|
rlm@0
|
983 possible.
|
|
rlm@0
|
984 Still a little embarrassed, Sakura finally pulled away. She didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
985 notice Tomoyo’s soft sigh as she stood back up, brushing away her
|
|
rlm@0
|
986 auburn hair. Smiling enthusiastically, she stepped in front of
|
|
rlm@0
|
987 Tomoyo’s wheelchair. “Do we have all the things for our snowman?” she
|
|
rlm@0
|
988 asked curiously.
|
|
rlm@0
|
989 “Hai!” Tomoyo responded, lifting up the small bundle she had with
|
|
rlm@0
|
990 her. “But we could always just dress up Sakura-chan instead. You’re
|
|
rlm@0
|
991 much cuter than anything made of snow.” She simply smiled as the
|
|
rlm@0
|
992 blush returned to Sakura's cheeks. How could she possibly not love
|
|
rlm@0
|
993 the auburn haired girl? She was just so perfect.
|
|
rlm@0
|
994 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura got out nervously, a hand resting behind
|
|
rlm@0
|
995 her head. She didn’t know if it was more embarrassing that Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
996 said such things or that she honestly meant them. But it was way too
|
|
rlm@0
|
997 cold out to let Tomoyo dress her up instead of a snowman. Not that
|
|
rlm@0
|
998 she would choose that option anyway, right. ‘Hoe...’ Sakura shook her
|
|
rlm@0
|
999 head, closing her eyes as she tried to clear her thoughts. When she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1000 opened her eyes, she saw Tomoyo still smiling at her, watching her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1001 with that loving gaze she always had. And Sakura wasn’t so worried
|
|
rlm@0
|
1002 anymore. “We’ll make the cutest snowman we can.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1003 Nodding her agreement, Tomoyo began to shift through the small bag,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1004 pulling out little articles for their snowman. She sighed sadly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1005 placing a hand on her cheek. “Our poor little snowman won’t be able
|
|
rlm@0
|
1006 to be on video with Sakura-chan. And worse yet, I can’t record Sakura-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1007 chan making a snowman in the first place.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1008 Sakura laughed nervously. “It’s all right, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1009 think the snowman will mind,” she said reassuringly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1010 “But you look so cute playing in the snow!” Tomoyo insisted,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1011 watching her friend kneeling in the snow in front of her. That would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1012 make such a cute image on videotape, something to play over and over
|
|
rlm@0
|
1013 again. What sweet torture this was! She had Sakura’s love for a whole
|
|
rlm@0
|
1014 week, but she couldn’t record a single second of it because she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1015 yet to replace her camcorder. In the end, it would be like one long,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1016 beautiful dream. It was probably better that she couldn’t have
|
|
rlm@0
|
1017 videotape of it. It was brought about by magic. It wasn’t really her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1018 Sakura to have. So it would only be recording a charade. But if it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1019 was just a charade, it would be so much easier to ignore Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1020 affections. It didn’t feel like that. Sakura felt so genuine, as if
|
|
rlm@0
|
1021 it was really her and not some magic spell causing this. ‘So this is
|
|
rlm@0
|
1022 what it would be like to have her love? It’s better than I could have
|
|
rlm@0
|
1023 ever imagined,’ Tomoyo thought to herself. ‘Sakura’s love is magical.’
|
|
rlm@0
|
1024 Sakura, meanwhile, was getting over her embarrassment by starting
|
|
rlm@0
|
1025 the snowman, scooping the snow together into some vague shape. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1026 looked up to see Tomoyo still watching her from her wheelchair. This
|
|
rlm@0
|
1027 didn’t seem right. She knew that Tomoyo liked to watch her, but she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1028 wanted to do this together. Looking from the beginnings of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1029 snowman and back to Tomoyo, she thought for a moment. Standing up,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1030 the auburn haired girl wiped her hands off on her skirt. The snow
|
|
rlm@0
|
1031 continued to drift around them, beautiful pieces of clouds falling
|
|
rlm@0
|
1032 from above. Sakura took a step forward before pausing, trying to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1033 decide exactly what to do. She reached forward and paused again,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1034 still unsure of herself. Tomoyo’s eye caught her own, looking at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1035 with a look of complete faith. That strengthened her resolve.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1036 Reaching forward, Sakura gently wrapped her arms around Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1037 waist. She could feel Tomoyo so close to her, could feel her breath
|
|
rlm@0
|
1038 against her cheek. Tomoyo felt so soft, so fragile. Sakura was almost
|
|
rlm@0
|
1039 afraid she would break the heiress if she moved wrong. Getting a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1040 better grip, the Cardmistress lifeted her best friend, walking back
|
|
rlm@0
|
1041 to the start of her snowman.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1042 Tomoyo’s breath caught in her chest as she felt Sakura holding her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1043 tightly, carrying her. Her cheeks flushed as she rested in Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1044 arms. For a moment, she worried that Sakura would feel the frenzied
|
|
rlm@0
|
1045 beating of her heart. But then it dawned on her that Sakura’s heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
1046 was beating just as rapidly against her. Sakura’s arms protected her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1047 from everything in life, shielding her from everything but the warmth
|
|
rlm@0
|
1048 of her heart. She held on as well as she could with her working arm,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1049 feeling dizzy with the joy bubbling over in her heart. She didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1050 want it to stop ever, to ever be anywhere else but Sakura’s warm
|
|
rlm@0
|
1051 embrace. There was no place sweeter in Heaven or on earth than that
|
|
rlm@0
|
1052 wonderful spot nestled between Sakura’s outstretched arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1053 Sakura paused for a long moment, Tomoyo held tightly in her arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1054 She pulled her closer, her eyes falling closed. The heiress’s long,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1055 beautiful hair fluttered around her like a cloak. “Tomoyo-chan,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1056 Sakura thought she whispered. She slowly sat down in the snow with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1057 Tomoyo, not letting go of the pale girl in her grasp. She couldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1058 bring herself to pull away. It felt so nice to be so close to Tomoyo.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1059 To know that Tomoyo was right there with her, that their hearts were
|
|
rlm@0
|
1060 beating together. She didn’t want that to stop. Blushing, she brushed
|
|
rlm@0
|
1061 back some of Tomoyo’s silky hair so that she could see her face
|
|
rlm@0
|
1062 better. Tomoyo looked back at her, little strands of lavender framing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1063 her pretty face as their eyes met. Sakura brushed more hair away,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1064 Tomoyo still cradled against her. This time, her fingers lingered on
|
|
rlm@0
|
1065 Tomoyo’s soft cheek. They stayed there for a long time, reveling in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1066 the feel of her friend’s warm skin. She swallowed, trying to stop the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1067 spinning of her heart. It did little to help. She was drawn in my
|
|
rlm@0
|
1068 Tomoyo’s beautiful features, by the feelings in her heart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1069 Tomoyo gazed into Sakura’s eyes, her cheeks scarlet under Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1070 touch. She breathed slowly, simply watching her green eyed goddess.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1071 Her soul swirled inside of her in a cacophony of emotions, wanting to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1072 entwine with Sakura’s beautiful soul. Was she really awake? Was she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1073 dreaming? Did it matter? For so long, she had dreamt of this moment,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1074 of being this close to Sakura, of being together. This single moment
|
|
rlm@0
|
1075 made those dreams feel like nothing. She could feel Sakura’s warm
|
|
rlm@0
|
1076 breath against her skin, her fingers still pressed against her cheek.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1077 Her heart cried out in joy. This was it. This was her what she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1078 been wishing for through the years of their friendship. Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1079 almost upon her, their lips inches apart, their bodies together in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1080 the snow. Tomoyo could barely move, though whether that was from her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1081 injured body or the spell Sakura held on her, she couldn’t say. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1082 cheeks darkened as Sakura finally cupped her cheek, leaning in.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1083 Sakura leant in, her heart pounding inside of her as she kissed
|
|
rlm@0
|
1084 Tomoyo. She felt lush hair under her lips, shifting against her. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1085 blinked curiously, pulling back slightly. Tomoyo was looking to the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1086 side, her cheeks crimson and her hair shifting around her. “Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1087 chan?” Sakura asked sheepishly. She had been about to kiss her best
|
|
rlm@0
|
1088 friend. But she loved Tomoyo. She did want to kiss her. She felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
1089 disappointed that she hadn’t been able to. She wanted to feel
|
|
rlm@0
|
1090 Tomoyo’s lips, to pull her close again. ‘Hanyaa...’ she thought,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1091 blushing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1092 “So shall we get started?” Tomoyo asked her friend, smiling
|
|
rlm@0
|
1093 sweetly. But inside, she felt very different. Her thoughts spun
|
|
rlm@0
|
1094 around in circles, relief mixing with deep regret. She had missed out
|
|
rlm@0
|
1095 on a dream she had carried with her for years, to kiss her beloved
|
|
rlm@0
|
1096 Sakura. But she just couldn’t bring herself to take advantage of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1097 Sakura like that. The auburn haired girl had wanted to make her feel
|
|
rlm@0
|
1098 better. She hadn’t known that she would fall in love with Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1099 because of it. Tomoyo didn’t feel right taking a kiss from Sakura if
|
|
rlm@0
|
1100 the brunette was a victim of her own magic. But still, her heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
1101 longed for that sweet kiss, the feel of Sakura near her again. As it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1102 is, she could barely move away at all anyway. So she was stuck right
|
|
rlm@0
|
1103 next to a very loving Sakura. That wasn’t fair. It was so tempting to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1104 just give in, to immerse herself in Sakura’s love for the week. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
1105 she just couldn’t do that to Sakura. She sighed inwardly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1106 The Cardmistress slowly nodded in agreement, still confused. Hadn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1107 they been about to kiss? What happened? Sakura felt as if she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1108 missing some vital link,. It was like she had seen some pictures out
|
|
rlm@0
|
1109 of order. It didn’t make sense. Maybe it was just Tomoyo being
|
|
rlm@0
|
1110 eccentric again. But that didn’t really fit. Tomoyo’s eccentricity
|
|
rlm@0
|
1111 always had to do with being closer to her in some way, especially in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1112 loving ways. Like kissing. Sakura came back to the present as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1113 felt Tomoyo shifting on her lap. Sweatdropping, she slowly helped the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1114 other girl to her side. “Un!” she responded, nodding. Trying to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1115 ignore the past few moments, which was incredibly hard to forget, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1116 began to shovel more snow onto the snowman with her gloved hands.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1117 Tomoyo slowly began to help her with her free hand, adding to their
|
|
rlm@0
|
1118 snowman.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1119 The two worked together quietly on their snowman, both girls
|
|
rlm@0
|
1120 concentrating on it. Every once in a while, their hands would touch
|
|
rlm@0
|
1121 and linger before one or the other would slowly pull away. They
|
|
rlm@0
|
1122 shared warm smiles and long glances, soft giggles and comments on
|
|
rlm@0
|
1123 their snowman as it progressed. The snow slowly began to take shape
|
|
rlm@0
|
1124 under their collective hands, forming into a cute little snowman
|
|
rlm@0
|
1125 before them.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1126 Looking through the little bag next to her, Tomoyo began to cloth
|
|
rlm@0
|
1127 their little snowman. She wrapped a shawl around it, tying red
|
|
rlm@0
|
1128 ribbons around the arms. Sakura busied herself with the shiny buttons
|
|
rlm@0
|
1129 Tomoyo had decided on for the eyes. Finally satisfied with their
|
|
rlm@0
|
1130 work, Tomoyo sat back in the snow, smiling. She gazed over at Sakura,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1131 brushing some dark hair from her eyes. “It’s so kawaii. Our little
|
|
rlm@0
|
1132 snowman, formed from our hearts coming together. It’s like having a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1133 baby with Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said delightedly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1134 “Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura blushed a deep crimson, both hands going to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1135 her cheeks. A baby? She wasn’t ready to think about babies yet. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1136 looked down, blushing. A weight rested against her side, something
|
|
rlm@0
|
1137 long draping across her back. Forgetting all about her embarrassment,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1138 she looked over to find Tomoyo leaning against her side. Smiling
|
|
rlm@0
|
1139 softly, Sakura’s arm went around the pale girl, pulling her closer.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1140 She felt Tomoyo sigh happily against her, sending a trill through her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1141 soul. Together they sat there, watching their snowbaby, holding onto
|
|
rlm@0
|
1142 each other. Snowflakes fell around the two, showering them with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1143 beautiful crystal gifts for their baby shower.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1144
|
|
rlm@0
|
1145 Sakura sighed softly as she slid into the warm water of the bath.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1146 She nearly started at the nearly unbearable heat scorching her skin,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1147 but slowly relaxed into it. “I was out in the snow longer than I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1148 thought,” she said aloud to no one in particular, her voice echoing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1149 through the otherwise empty bathroom.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1150 Closing her eyes, she slipped deeper into the water, its soft caress
|
|
rlm@0
|
1151 lapping over her shoulders. She would be lucky if she didn’t catch a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1152 cold from all the time she spent in the snow. But it had been worth
|
|
rlm@0
|
1153 every moment. Her cheeks darkened slightly at the thought. She had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1154 lost track of time with Tomoyo by her side. Just how long had they
|
|
rlm@0
|
1155 sat out there together, anyway? It could only have been hours, but it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1156 had felt like it stretched on for days. Even then, it still wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1157 enough time for the Cardmistress. She pouted, resting her head back.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1158 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered longingly. Whenever they were
|
|
rlm@0
|
1159 apart, Tomoyo was all that she could think about. But then, Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1160 was all she could think about when she was with the heiress, too. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
1161 was like Tomoyo’s touch had been imprinted on her soul, leaving its
|
|
rlm@0
|
1162 mark in everything Sakura did.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1163 How she could have missed these feelings for so long, she didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1164 know. But now that she had uncovered them, they were almost
|
|
rlm@0
|
1165 overpowering.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1166 As she lay there, immersed in the warm water, she could see Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1167 in her mind’s eye. The sweet, angelic girl so close, her stormy blue
|
|
rlm@0
|
1168 eyes sparkling, her pale skin so soft, her dark hair framing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1169 beautifully. Without realizing it, Sakura leant forward, her lips
|
|
rlm@0
|
1170 puckered as if to kiss her pretty best friend. Blushing and blinking
|
|
rlm@0
|
1171 rapidly, the auburn haired girl gave up her attempt. A sigh escaped
|
|
rlm@0
|
1172 her as she sunk lower in the water. They had been so close! Just a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1173 few more inches and she would know what those cute lips felt like
|
|
rlm@0
|
1174 against her own, what it felt like to kiss Tomoyo. If only she could
|
|
rlm@0
|
1175 go back in time and get those extra few inches... The love in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1176 heart was glowing with a singular intensity, nearly ready to burst.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1177 She felt like that love had nowhere else to go but through her lips,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1178 right into Tomoyo, as if she could use that to show the other girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
1179 the raging feelings inside of her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1180 Well, there would always be other times. But she didn’t want to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1181 wait for some other time! Patience wasn’t Sakura’s strong point. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1182 mind delighted in the sweet torture of imagining kissing a slightly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1183 surprised Tomoyo over and over again. She sighed again. So close, yet
|
|
rlm@0
|
1184 so far away. Those inches might well have been miles.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1185 All she wanted to do was to hold Tomoyo close, to kiss her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1186 repeatedly, to feel the pale girl against her again, to experience
|
|
rlm@0
|
1187 every unique little thing about her, to take it all in and immerse
|
|
rlm@0
|
1188 herself in it all.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1189 The only thing troubling her was that she still couldn’t understand
|
|
rlm@0
|
1190 why Tomoyo had withdrawn from her when she had been about to kiss the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1191 heiress. Tomoyo was usually so warm and affectionate with her. She’d
|
|
rlm@0
|
1192 almost expected the pale girl to kiss her instead. So what had gone
|
|
rlm@0
|
1193 wrong? Maybe Tomoyo had just been too shy. But that didn’t seem like
|
|
rlm@0
|
1194 the other girl at all. Tomoyo certainly didn’t shy away from showing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1195 her love in any number of other ways.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1196 Sakura couldn’t get her mind off of the thought. Her mind spun with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1197 possibilities. But none of them adequately explained why Tomoyo would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1198 have turned away from her. None of them seemed quite right. None of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1199 them really fit Tomoyo.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1200 Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about
|
|
rlm@0
|
1201 it from where she was. But maybe if she tried again, whatever had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1202 gone wrong the last time wouldn’t be present. Or maybe it would and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1203 Sakura could actually figure out what it was. It felt like some
|
|
rlm@0
|
1204 complicated puzzle, but the answer shone brightly in her mind. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1205 would kiss Tomoyo soon, sealing their love with a soul binding kiss.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1206 “Hanyaan...” she said aloud at the thought.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1207 The reason that it was getting to her the most was that she truly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1208 did want to kiss her dark haired friend, to be next to her, holding
|
|
rlm@0
|
1209 her, feeling her delicate skin against her own. She wanted to hold
|
|
rlm@0
|
1210 onto Tomoyo and to never let go again. To experience every little bit
|
|
rlm@0
|
1211 of her eccentric best friend.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1212 Her eyes closed, Sakura slid deeper into the water. A hand slid down
|
|
rlm@0
|
1213 her leg, hesitant. But her insistent thoughts were getting the better
|
|
rlm@0
|
1214 of her. She could already see herself kissing Tomoyo in her mind,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1215 could practically feel the pale girl next to her. She could see
|
|
rlm@0
|
1216 Tomoyo’s pale skin as clothes seemed to melt away, their lips meeting
|
|
rlm@0
|
1217 again and again. Tomoyo’s costume design returned to mind, her cheeks
|
|
rlm@0
|
1218 warming at the thought. She could see Tomoyo watching her excitedly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1219 videotaping her, telling her how cute she was. And she could see
|
|
rlm@0
|
1220 Tomoyo coming closer, setting the camcorder down, kissing her again,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1221 her hands going across Sakura’s barely clothed body.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1222 Sakura made a small sound, shifting in the water. Her legs spread
|
|
rlm@0
|
1223 apart, water splashing about her. Her hands were moving in time with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1224 her thoughts, making it almost like Tomoyo was actually with her for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1225 a split second. She could almost feel Tomoyo's hands caressing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1226 skin, Tomoyo’s soft voice echoing in her ears as the heiress became
|
|
rlm@0
|
1227 more insistent. She held herself open for a moment, almost expecting
|
|
rlm@0
|
1228 Tomoyo to accept the invitation. And the Tomoyo in her thoughts did
|
|
rlm@0
|
1229 just that, Sakura’s fingers mimicking her friend’s imaginary
|
|
rlm@0
|
1230 movements.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1231 Hunched over in the bath, Sakura took a quick breath, still lost in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1232 her fantasy. The water lapped around her body, but she could hardly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1233 notice it. All she could think about was Tomoyo. Everywhere. Always.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1234 Tomoyo. Her eyes were clenched tightly, painfully. She shook slightly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1235 and then slumped in the water, breathing heavily. Her cheek lay
|
|
rlm@0
|
1236 against the surface of the water, wet and warm. She tried to catch
|
|
rlm@0
|
1237 her breath, feeling almost feverish in the bath. The Cardmistress
|
|
rlm@0
|
1238 tried to collect her thoughts, but they were distant, fragmented. All
|
|
rlm@0
|
1239 she knew was that Tomoyo smiled back at her from every one of them.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1240 “Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered. She felt like she had been caught in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1241 a tsunami, torrents of emotion buffeting against her soul again and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1242 again. But she was slowly releasing their was no release from that
|
|
rlm@0
|
1243 feeling. It was still wrapped tightly around her heart. And Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1244 was at the center of it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1245
|
|
rlm@0
|
1246 “Kawaii!” Tomoyo watched excitedly as Sakura stood before her in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1247 one of her costumes. The Cardmistress had visited again a short time
|
|
rlm@0
|
1248 ago and had agreed to try out several of Tomoyo’s costumes while she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1249 was there. This was the fourth costume she had worn. Only three more
|
|
rlm@0
|
1250 to go and Tomoyo would be all out of new costumes for Sakura to wear.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1251 She wanted to slow down time and speed it up at the same time. If she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1252 could slow it down, she could have even more time watching Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
1253 model her costumes. But she wanted to see what Sakura looked like in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1254 the others as well.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1255 One of the reasons she had so many costumes was that there simply
|
|
rlm@0
|
1256 wasn’t as much a reason for Sakura to wear her costumes anymore.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1257 Before when Sakura had been catching the Cards, she had needed a new
|
|
rlm@0
|
1258 costume for each of her adventures. Now that it was over, Tomoyo had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1259 to find a good time for her friend to come and model for her. So the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1260 costumes weren’t as necessary anymore, but Tomoyo did like being able
|
|
rlm@0
|
1261 to have Sakura wear them personally for her. And Sakura was sweet
|
|
rlm@0
|
1262 enough to do just that for her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1263 Sakura still looked a little embarrassed, but she was starting to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1264 forget her nervousness. Everything affected her easily, but she moved
|
|
rlm@0
|
1265 on to other thoughts just as quickly. And it was hard not to get
|
|
rlm@0
|
1266 caught up in Tomoyo’s exuberance. The pale girl was usually so quiet
|
|
rlm@0
|
1267 and thoughtful, but when she was interested in something, like Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
1268 herself for interest, she made it abundantly clear. The Cardmistress
|
|
rlm@0
|
1269 wondered how she ever could have missed it before.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1270 Twirling in the long, multi-layered skirt she was currently in,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1271 Sakura could hear Tomoyo clapping. A smile lit up Sakura’s lips as
|
|
rlm@0
|
1272 she turned to face the heiress again. Taking the long skirt in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1273 hands, Sakura curtsied to her audience of one.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1274 Back when Tomoyo had first made costumes for her, she had always
|
|
rlm@0
|
1275 worn them when she was busy with the Cards. She hadn’t had time to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1276 really appreciate them. Or the attention Tomoyo gave her when she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1277 wearing them. After the whole debacle with the Cards was finally
|
|
rlm@0
|
1278 over, she had thought it would be the end of silly things like
|
|
rlm@0
|
1279 costumes. But Tomoyo kept making them regardless. Sakura had been a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1280 little baffled at first, but if her eccentric friend wanted to see
|
|
rlm@0
|
1281 her in them, she couldn’t refuse. If Tomoyo spent so much time on the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1282 costumes, it seemed only right to wear them. So she had begun
|
|
rlm@0
|
1283 modeling them for Tomoyo back then. It had been embarrassing at
|
|
rlm@0
|
1284 first, and still was to some extent, because she wasn’t busy with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1285 other things while wearing the costumes. It made her self-conscious
|
|
rlm@0
|
1286 knowing that she was being videotaped in the many different designs
|
|
rlm@0
|
1287 like that. But Tomoyo’s obvious excitement when she would wear them
|
|
rlm@0
|
1288 for her began to make her worry less. Tomoyo loved it so much when
|
|
rlm@0
|
1289 she would. And there was something about that that Sakura liked. Just
|
|
rlm@0
|
1290 knowing she had all of her friend’s attention, that Tomoyo’s eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
1291 were on her and only her then. Though she had trouble admitting it,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1292 she did enjoy modeling for Tomoyo. In a way, it made her feel closer
|
|
rlm@0
|
1293 to her mother. But unlike her mother, she only wanted to model for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1294 Tomoyo. She was too shy to do that for anyone else. And she knew how
|
|
rlm@0
|
1295 happy it made the heiress. So slowly she began to do more in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1296 costumes, actually modeling them, letting Tomoyo direct her where she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1297 would, taking snapshots and videotape of her in whatever costume came
|
|
rlm@0
|
1298 out next. It became a fun little thing they did together, an excuse
|
|
rlm@0
|
1299 to stay over for the weekend or to stop by after school.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1300 ‘Sakura, I have a new costume finished. Could you wear it for me?’
|
|
rlm@0
|
1301 ‘Sure, Tomoyo-chan! Just let me drop off my things at home.’
|
|
rlm@0
|
1302 And so it went. Days and weeks and months and finally years of lace
|
|
rlm@0
|
1303 and ribbons and videotape. Sakura looked forward to it more than the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1304 soccer practice she had been taking lately. Part of that was just
|
|
rlm@0
|
1305 seeing the smile and starry eyed looks Tomoyo gave her. But it was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1306 just fun. She loved being with her best friend, and dressing up for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1307 her was exciting. Slipping into a new outfit, anxious to see what
|
|
rlm@0
|
1308 Tomoyo thought, to hear her words on it, to see what poses she would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1309 want to see her in. It was exhilarating. And now it seemed to make
|
|
rlm@0
|
1310 more sense. Of course she liked Tomoyo watching her. Of course she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1311 wanted to model for her. Because Tomoyo’s never wavering love and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1312 attention meant everything to her. And she wasn’t taking it for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1313 granted anymore. And she could feel it so strongly when she would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1314 dress up for her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1315 Her cheeks a little red, Sakura put a hand behind her head. “So
|
|
rlm@0
|
1316 what do you think?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1317 “I think you look gorgeous in it, Sakura-chan. Like a beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
1318 dancer who wants to let go of everything and dance the night away,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1319 Tomoyo stated dreamily, a hand on her cheek. Sighing contentedly, the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1320 heiress was in Heaven. What could possibly be more wonderful than
|
|
rlm@0
|
1321 Sakura modeling specifically for her? The athletic young girl was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1322 already so beautiful. Seeing her all dressed up in the costumes she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1323 made for her was stunning. And watching her pose and move about for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1324 her eyes only... Tomoyo sighed again, her stormy blue eye never
|
|
rlm@0
|
1325 leaving Sakura.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1326 The Cardmistress blushed at Tomoyo comment. Tomoyo always said
|
|
rlm@0
|
1327 rather complimentary things to her, but she always accepted them
|
|
rlm@0
|
1328 shyly. Part of her just couldn’t understand how Tomoyo thought so.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1329 The other part was just flattered to hear the other girl say it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1330 Nonetheless, she always loved hearing her. It was like a puppy doing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1331 tricks for its mistress to hear loving words of praise. But with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1332 Tomoyo she never even had to do anything, or at least not knowingly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1333 The dark haired girl seemed to find everything about her wonderful.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1334 “Which one should I wear next?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1335 Tomoyo looked towards her desk where the other costumes were
|
|
rlm@0
|
1336 waiting. Placing her hand on her chin, she thought carefully. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1337 would eventually see Sakura in all of them, but she still treated it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1338 like an important decision. It was all a matter of what would look
|
|
rlm@0
|
1339 best after the one Sakura was currently wearing. “I think you would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1340 look very pretty in the red one with the ribbons,” she said at last,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1341 indicating one near the bottom of the small pile of clothes. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1342 watched Sakura walk over to claim the costume. “You are so cute in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1343 that,” she breathed happily, gazing at Sakura.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1344 The girl in question blushed again at hearing Tomoyo’s soft voice.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1345 It made her happy to know Tomoyo thought so. It sent warm waves
|
|
rlm@0
|
1346 lapping all across her soul. Quickly sifting through the costumes,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1347 she came about the red one in question. Turning to Tomoyo, she held
|
|
rlm@0
|
1348 it closely to her chest. “I’ll be right back, Tomoyo-chan!” she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1349 promised. The thought of being gone for too long was something she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1350 didn’t want to deal with. More than anything, she just wanted to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
1351 there with her dark haired girlfriend. Tomoyo merely smiled at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1352 promise as she hurried out the door to change.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1353 Standing in the rather luxurious bathroom, Sakura began to pull off
|
|
rlm@0
|
1354 the costume she was wearing. She wanted to hurry up and return to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1355 Tomoyo, but she was afraid of ruining Tomoyo’s costume. ‘Each costume
|
|
rlm@0
|
1356 is stitched with love,’ she could remember Tomoyo saying. So she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1357 always very wary about getting a stitch out of place. She didn’t want
|
|
rlm@0
|
1358 to ruin anything Tomoyo worked so hard on. Finally slipping out of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1359 the long skirts of her previous costume, Sakura examined the new one.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1360 It did look cute, like everything Tomoyo designed. It was very soft
|
|
rlm@0
|
1361 to the touch, and very pretty. It looked almost like something she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1362 would wear out on a date. Well, nothing she could afford to have in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1363 her own wardrobe, but something she could see herself dating in. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1364 shifted around on her feet as if she were dancing, holding the dress
|
|
rlm@0
|
1365 tightly. Yes, it would be beautiful to wear out on a date with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1366 Tomoyo. It was a beautiful red dress with a large red ribbon in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1367 back. It had black stockings and black gloves that went along with it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1368 as well as a red ribbon for her hair. The small red shoes had small
|
|
rlm@0
|
1369 ribbons on them as well. She smiled at the details. Tomoyo and her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1370 ribbon fetish. But it was very cute. She couldn’t wait to wear it for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1371 her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1372 Tomoyo waited patiently in her room, staring at the spot where
|
|
rlm@0
|
1373 Sakura had been moments before, swishing about in the twirling skirts
|
|
rlm@0
|
1374 she had made for her. It wasn’t fair that her camcorder had been
|
|
rlm@0
|
1375 broken. This little fashion show would have made such a lovely tape!
|
|
rlm@0
|
1376 The type of thing she would watch again and again late at night and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1377 with her mother when she had some time away from work. But all she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1378 could do was try to remember every beautiful detail. Closing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1379 eyes, she could imagine Sakura posing for her again, right there in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1380 front of her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1381 This was her last night with Sakura. The next day was the end of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1382 their week together and her wish would be over. A bittersweet smile
|
|
rlm@0
|
1383 crossed her lips. She may not be able to have Sakura for forever, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
1384 she did have one beautiful week together with her. Even if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1385 couldn’t be with Sakura, she got to experience her love, got to have
|
|
rlm@0
|
1386 a taste of the heavens. And she would never allow herself to forget
|
|
rlm@0
|
1387 that taste.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1388 Tomoyo had to admit that if she had to decide on an ending for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1389 their short-lived relationship, this was certainly a good one. A
|
|
rlm@0
|
1390 sparkling all-Sakura fashion show all for her. It was much better
|
|
rlm@0
|
1391 than watching Sakura on her videotapes. It was Sakura Live! It was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1392 the brunette in all of her amazing glory, right there for her to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1393 behold.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1394 The pale girl sighed, resting back in her bed. Soon this would all
|
|
rlm@0
|
1395 be over. Nothing but memories and dreams. But what was life without
|
|
rlm@0
|
1396 dreams? The heart can’t live without beautiful dreams to sustain it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1397 She would miss this terribly. It would be unbearably difficult to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1398 just let go of Sakura’s love. But she would have to. And it would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1399 hurt. But she would always have these memories to fall back on. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
1400 wasn’t just a dream anymore. She now knew what it was like to have
|
|
rlm@0
|
1401 Sakura’s love. And it was more amazing than she had dared to imagine.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1402 Now when she saw Sakura married and in love, she would know exactly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1403 how lucky that other person was. And she would still have that little
|
|
rlm@0
|
1404 sliver of when Sakura had loved her that way. That would sustain her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1405 soul. It had to.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1406 The door opened, pulling Tomoyo’s attention away from her thoughts.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1407 In the doorway stood the athletic Cardmistress, resplendent in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1408 red dress. It fit her perfectly, the ribbons making her look like a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1409 beautiful present. The heiress couldn’t say anything, transfixed by
|
|
rlm@0
|
1410 the image of her love. “You look lovely, Sakura-chan,” she said at
|
|
rlm@0
|
1411 last.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1412 Sakura blushed, stepping further into the room. She looked down,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1413 getting a different look at the outfit now that she was wearing it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1414 “Thank you, Tomoyo-chan.” Looking up again, emerald green eyes met
|
|
rlm@0
|
1415 intense stormy blue. She was suddenly very glad Tomoyo picked this
|
|
rlm@0
|
1416 dress. It really was pretty and the heiress seemed to like it quite a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1417 bit. She turned to her side, posing for her friend. If Tomoyo still
|
|
rlm@0
|
1418 had her camcorder and wasn’t bedridden, now would be the time that
|
|
rlm@0
|
1419 the dark haired girl would be directing her, coming up with different
|
|
rlm@0
|
1420 positions for her and what she should be doing. So for now she just
|
|
rlm@0
|
1421 posed as best she could, wanting to do the best she could for her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1422 friend.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1423 Tomoyo wished more than ever that she still had her camcorder as
|
|
rlm@0
|
1424 she watched the Mistress of the Cards before her. She could always
|
|
rlm@0
|
1425 get Sakura to wear them again after her wish, but that just wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1426 be the same. Sakura wouldn’t be wearing it the same way, with the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1427 same loving look in her eyes. It would just be disappointing. No, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1428 would just have to remember this one. So her eye never wavered for a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1429 second, wanting to imprint the image forever in her mind.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1430 As if drawn by Tomoyo’s deep gaze, Sakura found herself nearing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1431 Tomoyo’s bed. Her heart was pounding in her chest more fiercely than
|
|
rlm@0
|
1432 during any of the trials she had faced. It took her a moment to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1433 realize that she had already come to a decision. It was that decision
|
|
rlm@0
|
1434 that had her so nervous. But it held her bound like a magic spell,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1435 pulling her forward. She couldn’t stop now if she wanted to. Sitting
|
|
rlm@0
|
1436 on the edge of the bed, she looked down at her bedridden friend, the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1437 injured girl staring back up at her. Slowly, she reached out and took
|
|
rlm@0
|
1438 Tomoyo’s hand where it stuck out from her cast.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1439 Watching Sakura, Tomoyo felt her cheeks flushing. Sakura was so
|
|
rlm@0
|
1440 close to her, gazing down into her eye. There was something there in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1441 those emerald orbs, something she was struggling to make out. They
|
|
rlm@0
|
1442 were warm, passionate. She could see a hint of nervousness in them as
|
|
rlm@0
|
1443 well. She squeezed Sakura’s hand with her own, trying to assuage the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1444 brunette’s worries. She always wanted to support Sakura, to be there
|
|
rlm@0
|
1445 for her. Even right now. Especially right now. Her fingers laced with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1446 Sakura’s, holding the gloved fingers tightly to her stomach. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1447 heart skipped a beat as she felt Sakura’s grip on her hand tighten.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1448 “Sakura-chan...” she whispered.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1449 The Cardmistress hesitated for a moment, a hurricane of thoughts
|
|
rlm@0
|
1450 swirling through her, all struggling for dominance. Should she? Could
|
|
rlm@0
|
1451 she? And then, a moment of calm. The eye of the storm. Everything was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1452 suddenly clear. Leaning down slowly, she held tightly onto Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1453 hand, ready to kiss the dark haired girl. None of her thoughts
|
|
rlm@0
|
1454 mattered. This was what she wanted. Her shimmering first kiss with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1455 her one, true love. She could feel Tomoyo’s breath against her lips
|
|
rlm@0
|
1456 as she drew near, their hair teasing each other. She could only see
|
|
rlm@0
|
1457 into one of Tomoyo’s eyes, but it was a deep pool of adoration. That
|
|
rlm@0
|
1458 only spurred her on. Their noses touched ever so briefly, sliding
|
|
rlm@0
|
1459 across as she sought out Tomoyo’s lips. Her heart pounded in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1460 chest as she rested half on top of Tomoyo, trying not to place too
|
|
rlm@0
|
1461 much weight on the injured girl. Their lips brushed lightly. Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
1462 felt sparks tingle through her, the feeling of petal soft lips
|
|
rlm@0
|
1463 blanketing her thoughts in a warm bliss.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1464 Tomoyo shuddered at the feeling of Sakura’s lips brushing against
|
|
rlm@0
|
1465 her own. Even that brief contact went straight to her heart. It felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
1466 so nice, so enticing. She pursed her lips, watching Sakura above her,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1467 her heart beating against Sakura’s chest. Feeling Sakura so close to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1468 her, against her, smelling her hair, seeing those large emerald orbs,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1469 it all coalesced around her into a real life fairy tale. But this
|
|
rlm@0
|
1470 wasn’t her fairy tale. No matter how much she wanted it to be.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1471 Closing her eyes, she sighed. Every bit of her wanted so much to give
|
|
rlm@0
|
1472 in, to let this kiss happen. But that wouldn’t be fair to Sakura. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1473 could feel Sakura’s breath against her cheek and her resolve
|
|
rlm@0
|
1474 faltered. She already had a taste of Sakura’s love. Why couldn’t she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1475 have this? Why? Just this little bit of Sakura... In her love clouded
|
|
rlm@0
|
1476 mind, it all made so much sense. Just a kiss. Their first and last
|
|
rlm@0
|
1477 kiss. No one would ever have to know. Not even Sakura. So it wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1478 be betraying Sakura. It would just be one, soft, lovely kiss...
|
|
rlm@0
|
1479 “Sakura-chan, please don’t,” Tomoyo whispered softly, reluctantly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1480 She prayed that Sakura would stop in time. She prayed that Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
1481 wouldn’t listen to her and wouldn’t stop at all. She simply prayed
|
|
rlm@0
|
1482 with all her heart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1483 “Tomoyo-chan?” Sakura asked, blinking slowly as if fighting off a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1484 haze. Why didn’t Tomoyo want to kiss her? Why didn’t she want to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
1485 close like that? Why didn’t she want to share their first kiss? Was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1486 something wrong? Sakura slowly sat up, disentangling herself from
|
|
rlm@0
|
1487 Tomoyo. “Tomoyo-chan, what’s wrong? Are you... not ready?” It was a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1488 silly question. Tomoyo didn’t seem to mind anything as long as it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1489 involved Sakura in some way, shape or form. Sakura couldn’t imagine
|
|
rlm@0
|
1490 her best friend not being ready to kiss. Tomoyo was already more
|
|
rlm@0
|
1491 mature than she was as it was. And if Sakura herself was ready...
|
|
rlm@0
|
1492 “No, it isn’t that, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo replied, her eye slowly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1493 opening. She sighed softly, not wanting to continue. There went her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1494 chance. And it was her own fault for it. “It’s that I don’t want to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1495 take advantage of you.” Explaining things was the only way out now.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1496 If she didn’t, it would only hurt Sakura’s feelings. She wanted
|
|
rlm@0
|
1497 Sakura to know that she wasn’t rejecting her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1498 “Take advantage of me? No, it’s not like that at all. I want this,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1499 too, Tomoyo-chan! I do. With all my heart.” Sakura took Tomoyo’s hand
|
|
rlm@0
|
1500 in both of her own, holding it tightly. “I thought about this for a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1501 long time. It’s what I want. I want you to be my first kiss.” A blush
|
|
rlm@0
|
1502 crossed her cheeks when she finished.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1503 Tomoyo smiled sadly, looking up at the mistress of her heart. “And
|
|
rlm@0
|
1504 I would love to be able to do that for you, Sakura-chan. I want you
|
|
rlm@0
|
1505 to be my first kiss, too. But I can’t do that. I can’t take that away
|
|
rlm@0
|
1506 from you. I want your first kiss to be special. I want it to be with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1507 the one you really love.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1508 “But I love you,” Sakura argued, not understanding. What was Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1509 saying? Her heart began to beat in fright. She didn’t like where this
|
|
rlm@0
|
1510 was going at all. She held onto Tomoyo’s hand tighter, holding it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1511 like a lifeline.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1512 Squeezing Sakura’s hands back, Tomoyo felt her heart shiver within
|
|
rlm@0
|
1513 her. She didn’t want this to end. But she couldn’t hurt Sakura. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1514 could never allow that of herself. “You don’t really love me, Sakura-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1515 chan. You granted me a wish last week. You didn’t know what it was.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1516 It made you fall in love with me,” Tomoyo explained quietly.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1517 “No, that wasn’t it. It was...” Sakura blinked, trying to think
|
|
rlm@0
|
1518 back to that day. She had granted a wish for Tomoyo. She had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1519 forgotten what the wish was. And then she had realized her love for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1520 Tomoyo. A sudden pain shot through her heart. “No!! That’s not it! I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1521 do love you! It wasn’t a wish. It wasn’t...” Sakura sobbed weakly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1522 tears falling onto the injured girl below her. The world had been
|
|
rlm@0
|
1523 pulled out from underneath her. She was falling, unable to grasp onto
|
|
rlm@0
|
1524 anything to slow her descent. This past week had been the best week
|
|
rlm@0
|
1525 of her life. This newfound love had meant everything to her. How
|
|
rlm@0
|
1526 could it only be a wish? Her hands clenched tightly onto Tomoyo’s,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1527 not letting go.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1528 Tomoyo held onto the other girl with her free arm, rubbing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1529 back. “Please don’t cry, Sakura-chan. It makes me sad to see you
|
|
rlm@0
|
1530 cry,” she said softly. “You made my fondest wish come true. For this
|
|
rlm@0
|
1531 past week, you have given me the greatest happiness I could imagine.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1532 I would never want to give that up for anything.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1533 “But I do love you!” Sakura insisted, sniffling. “It’s not just a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1534 spell. I never knew how I felt. But I do now. I love you, Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1535 chan. I love you so much. It’s not just magic. It can’t be. I love
|
|
rlm@0
|
1536 you too much for it to be. I don’t want it to go away. Ever.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1537 “I love you, too, Sakura-chan. With all of my heart. That’s why I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1538 can’t go through with this. It’s only a charade. It was a beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
1539 charade, but I can’t betray you with it. Because it’s not what you’d
|
|
rlm@0
|
1540 really want. It’s only my selfish spell that made you love me. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
1541 it’s over tomorrow. Then you’ll be free to fall in love for real with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1542 someone else,” Tomoyo explained, trying desperately to smile for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1543 Sakura. Tears threatened to overcome her, but she couldn’t stand to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1544 cry in front of Sakura, not when the auburn haired girl needed her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1545 “Then I’ll fall in love with you as soon as the spell wears off,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1546 Sakura replied, wiping angrily at her eyes to get the tears away.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1547 Frustration and helplessness surrounded her, leaving her feeling lost
|
|
rlm@0
|
1548 and lonely. “You aren’t selfish for wanting someone to love you. We
|
|
rlm@0
|
1549 all want that Tomoyo-chan. And you deserve it more than anyone I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1550 know. I want you to have it.” Her voice broke, more tears spilling
|
|
rlm@0
|
1551 down her cheeks. “I want you to have it with me. I love you.” She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1552 held onto the pale girl tightly, not daring to let go.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1553 Closing her eyes tightly, Tomoyo kept rubbing Sakura’s back. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1554 own tears were silent, a quiet backdrop to Sakura’s sobs. ‘I’m so
|
|
rlm@0
|
1555 sorry, Sakura-chan. I want it to be with you, too. More than
|
|
rlm@0
|
1556 anything,’ she thought sadly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1557
|
|
rlm@0
|
1558 “But I do love her, Kero-chan! She just doesn’t believe me. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1559 thinks it’s all some spell. But it can’t be. I know it can’t. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1560 really do love her.” Sakura squeezed her pillow tightly, wishing it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1561 was Tomoyo. She hated this. She felt sick. Ever since she had heard
|
|
rlm@0
|
1562 that her love might all be a dream she might wake up from, she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1563 felt weak and brittle. If something so strong could be fake, then she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1564 had no idea what was real. But she couldn’t believe that. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1565 couldn’t allow herself to.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1566 “...” Came Kero’s reply. He didn’t know what to say. It could very
|
|
rlm@0
|
1567 well be a spell for all he knew. Clow Reed had been rather
|
|
rlm@0
|
1568 unscrupulous with some of the spells he had worked in his day. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
1569 Sakura was even more powerful than he was. It sounded likely. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
1570 telling Sakura that didn’t sound like a good idea. He wanted to help
|
|
rlm@0
|
1571 his Mistress, but he didn’t know how.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1572 “I just have to prove it to her,” Sakura went on, ignoring her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1573 plush sidekick. “If I can make it past tomorrow afternoon, she’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
1574 have to believe me. Because the deadline was only one week. And I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1575 know I love her. Because this wouldn’t hurt so much if I didn’t.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1576 Resting her head against the pillow, she felt her tears soaking into
|
|
rlm@0
|
1577 it. She had thought that she had shed all of her tears at Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1578 house, but they just kept coming. She sighed shakily.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1579 “I do love her. It’s not some stupid spell. Because she means
|
|
rlm@0
|
1580 everything to me. Because she makes me happy. I want to be with her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1581 forever. I want to hold her forever, just like I promised. When I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1582 close my eyes, I see her. I can hear her singing to me when I listen
|
|
rlm@0
|
1583 closely enough. When I’m with her, I’m the happiest girl in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1584 world. When I’m away from her, I just want her to be there again.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1585 Sakura held the pillow in a death grip, slumping onto her side in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1586 bed. “I’ve never felt this way before. Not even about Yukito. And not
|
|
rlm@0
|
1587 about Syaoran. She makes me feel better than I am. She makes me
|
|
rlm@0
|
1588 stronger, better, braver... I need her...” Her voice cracked again,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1589 her eyes shutting tightly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1590 Sitting up, she clenched her fists tightly, blinking away her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1591 tears. Determination burned in her eyes. “I’m gonna prove it to her,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1592 Kero-chan. I don’t care if it was a wish or not. I love Tomoyo-chan.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1593 And I’ll love her even after tomorrow. I’ll love her forever.” Sleep
|
|
rlm@0
|
1594 would be long in coming that night, but Sakura focussed completely on
|
|
rlm@0
|
1595 her thoughts, on Tomoyo, on the feelings inside of her. She would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1596 overcome any spell. She wouldn’t let her love die the next day.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1597
|
|
rlm@0
|
1598 “Please, Tomoyo-chan, you need to eat,” Sonomi said worriedly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1599 holding out a bit to her daughter. The girl in question simply lay in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1600 bed, the life once again faded from her eyes. What had happened to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1601 her precious daughter? She had been so vibrant for the past week, so
|
|
rlm@0
|
1602 alive. Even if her body was having trouble recovering, Sonomi had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1603 been thrilled to see the sparkle in her daughter when they would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1604 talk. And now it was all gone again, as if it had never been there at
|
|
rlm@0
|
1605 all.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1606 “I’m sorry, okaa-sama,” Tomoyo said quietly. “I can’t. It hurts too
|
|
rlm@0
|
1607 much.” She closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears
|
|
rlm@0
|
1608 inside. She wanted to eat to appease her mother, but it was too
|
|
rlm@0
|
1609 difficult to work up the strength to eat. The last she had seen of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1610 Sakura was her wiping at her tear streaked cheeks before leaving.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1611 That image, her sad and lonely Sakura, remained with her. She would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1612 lose her the next day and it would all be over. And now Sakura was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1613 hurting because it. All because she wouldn’t kiss her. Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1614 sniffled, closing her eyes tighter until they hurt. It was all her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1615 fault. Now she would be alone forever and her last memories of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1616 time with Sakura would be that she ruined it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1617 “What’s wrong?” Sonomi asked, suddenly concerned. “Where does it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1618 hurt, my little girl?” She set the plate aside, scooting closer to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1619 her daughter. Her heart cried out for Tomoyo, wanting some way to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1620 take away her pain, to wipe away those tears.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1621 “Everywhere,” Tomoyo replied, trying with all her heart not to cry,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1622 not to worry her mother. But it was no use. She felt herself being
|
|
rlm@0
|
1623 cradled in her mother’s arms, could hear her mother’s soft
|
|
rlm@0
|
1624 reassurances. Giving up, she burst into tears against Sonomi, crying
|
|
rlm@0
|
1625 in her arms. Those arms were her only solace. Sakura would soon be
|
|
rlm@0
|
1626 taken away from her and her memories would be marred with the pain
|
|
rlm@0
|
1627 she inadvertently caused. She cried against her mother until all her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1628 tears were gone. Sonomi would not leave her that night. Eventually,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1629 she fell asleep in her mother’s arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1630
|
|
rlm@0
|
1631 Tomoyo lay in bed silently, staring up at her ceiling once more.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1632 She felt drained. Her whole body felt weak, empty. Her mother had
|
|
rlm@0
|
1633 finally gone to work only after Tomoyo had promised her that she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
1634 feeling better and that she would try to eat. And it was true. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1635 was feeling a little better. The night before she had felt hopeless.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1636 Now she could at least be thankful that Sakura would probably forget
|
|
rlm@0
|
1637 all about her pain in just a few short hours and would be back to her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1638 normal, genki self. And her love would be gone forever. She closed
|
|
rlm@0
|
1639 her eyes, not wanting to think about that. A knock at her door drew
|
|
rlm@0
|
1640 her attention. At first she thought it was a maid, but she quickly
|
|
rlm@0
|
1641 changed her mind. The knock was soft and shy. “Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1642 whispered. “Come on in, Sakura-chan,” she said louder. The door
|
|
rlm@0
|
1643 opened to reveal her friend.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1644 Sakura gazed over at Tomoyo for a long minute, feeling a little
|
|
rlm@0
|
1645 awkward. After the day before, she wasn’t quite sure what to say. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1646 entered the room, closing the door behind her. Walking over to the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1647 bed, she sat next to Tomoyo. Her thoughts swirled around her, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
1648 they weren’t the same pleasant thoughts that had assailed her the day
|
|
rlm@0
|
1649 before when they had almost kissed. But she was here for a reason.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1650 She didn’t have much time left before the wish ran out. She took a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1651 deep breath, mustering up her motivation. It wasn’t over yet. “I have
|
|
rlm@0
|
1652 something for you,” she said at last.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1653 “You didn’t have to get me anything,” Tomoyo said quickly. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1654 offered a small smile. “You’re all I ever really wanted. I’m glad
|
|
rlm@0
|
1655 you’re here.” She reached over, taking one of Sakura’s hands in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1656 own. Sakura returned the smile briefly, making her feel a little
|
|
rlm@0
|
1657 better.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1658 Digging around in the bag she had brought with her, Sakura pulled
|
|
rlm@0
|
1659 out a new camcorder. She looked at it for a moment before handing it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1660 out to Tomoyo. “I got it with the money I have saved up. Well, and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1661 I’ll be doing onii-chan’s chores from now until I move out because he
|
|
rlm@0
|
1662 helped with it. But I wanted to get you something.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1663 Tomoyo put a hand on the camcorder, running her fingers over it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1664 Her old one was gone now, but Sakura had gone to get her a new one.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1665 That meant so much to her. She looked up quickly, meeting Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1666 anxious gaze. “Thank you so much, Sakura-chan. It’s wonderful!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1667 Sakura smiled back, obviously pleased. “I know you could buy
|
|
rlm@0
|
1668 another one, but I wanted to get it for you.” She reached out, taking
|
|
rlm@0
|
1669 Tomoyo’s hands. “When you get better... Please use it a lot. To make
|
|
rlm@0
|
1670 up for all the time you’ve been stuck in bed. Whenever you videotape
|
|
rlm@0
|
1671 me, I feel so special. I feel like I’m your movie star. And that.. it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1672 really makes me feel happy. Seeing you smile when you’re watching me,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1673 it makes me want to do everything I can for you in front of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1674 camera.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1675 Nodding solemnly, Tomoyo looks up at Sakura. “I will. I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
1676 videotape as much as I can of you. So I can capture all of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1677 beautiful moments in your life.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1678 “In our life,” Sakura corrects, squeezing Tomoyo’s hands. “I’m not
|
|
rlm@0
|
1679 going anywhere. I love you. I’ll always love you. This isn’t going to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1680 change anything. I want you to videotape all of the wonderful things
|
|
rlm@0
|
1681 in our life. Our first real date. Our first baby. Our wedding.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1682 Everything. I want to sit with you when we’re all grown up and watch
|
|
rlm@0
|
1683 these tapes together. I want to be able to look back and blush at
|
|
rlm@0
|
1684 seeing us together through all the years. And I want to say, ‘See,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1685 Tomoyo-chan? I told you I’d hold you forever.’ And I want you to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1686 smile and..” Sakura closed her eyes, trailing off as tears fell down
|
|
rlm@0
|
1687 her cheeks.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1688 Tomoyo gently brushed Sakura’s tears away with her fingertips. “I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1689 love you so much,” she whispered. “And I will always love you.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1690 Exactly because of things like this. Because Sakura-chan has the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1691 biggest heart I know. And I know I’ll always have an important place
|
|
rlm@0
|
1692 in your heart, even if it’s just as your best friend.” Her heart sung
|
|
rlm@0
|
1693 at Sakura’s devotion, at the hopes and dreams Sakura held for them.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1694 She wished those dreams could come true, that they could spend an
|
|
rlm@0
|
1695 eternity together.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1696 “I will love you!” Sakura shook her head, tears flinging from her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1697 cheeks. “Even if I have to use another magic spell. I’ll always love
|
|
rlm@0
|
1698 you. I need you. I don’t want to lose you after all this.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1699 Smiling softly, Tomoyo trailed her fingers through Sakura’s hair.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1700 “But then you wouldn’t be the Sakura-chan that I’m in love with. You
|
|
rlm@0
|
1701 wouldn’t be able to shine. Because you would be lying to your heart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1702 And I want your heart to be free. I want you to fall in love with the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1703 person who can make you happiest, whoever that may be. Because I love
|
|
rlm@0
|
1704 you.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1705 “How can you say that? How can you let that happen? Because I don’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1706 ever want you being in love with someone else. I love you so much. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1707 couldn’t let you go. You do make me happy. You make me more than I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1708 am. That’s why I don’t want to ever let you go,” Sakura argued, tears
|
|
rlm@0
|
1709 still falling past her chin.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1710 Tomoyo sighed, her eyes closing for a moment. She felt so tired. If
|
|
rlm@0
|
1711 only they could live happily ever after... “If Sakura-chan couldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1712 let me go... That would make me very happy. And I’ll always love you.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1713 I’ll always be yours, Sakura-chan. Whether or not you know that.” It
|
|
rlm@0
|
1714 was hard for her to keep seeing this as magic. Sakura genuinely
|
|
rlm@0
|
1715 seemed to be in love. With her. She really seemed to want to spend
|
|
rlm@0
|
1716 forever with her. It was hard to write it off as just the spell.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1717 Because she knew Sakura. And Sakura was fighting desperately to hold
|
|
rlm@0
|
1718 onto her right now. And she didn’t want to fight against Sakura.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1719 Maybe Sakura really did love her. Her heart skipped a beat at that
|
|
rlm@0
|
1720 thought. Maybe she had been wrong all along.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1721 “I love you, too, Tomoyo-chan. And I always will. No matter what
|
|
rlm@0
|
1722 some stupid spell says. I love you,” Sakura insisted. As if to prove
|
|
rlm@0
|
1723 her point, she leant forward. Her tear-filled eyes closed as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1724 leant over her best friend. Her hands held onto Tomoyo’s sides as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1725 came closer. ‘I love you!’ she wanted to scream with every fiber of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1726 her being. She wasn’t going to let that die. Nothing would kill that.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1727 It may have just been a spell at first, but it was more than that
|
|
rlm@0
|
1728 now. She did love Tomoyo. And nothing would ever take that away from
|
|
rlm@0
|
1729 her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1730 Tomoyo could feel Sakura against her, the Cardmistress’s chest
|
|
rlm@0
|
1731 shaking slightly as her body shook from crying too much. The heiress
|
|
rlm@0
|
1732 held onto the auburn haired girl as best she could, wanting to take
|
|
rlm@0
|
1733 that all away. Her dearest Sakura should never have to be marred by
|
|
rlm@0
|
1734 tears. Her own heart swelled as she saw Sakura leaning towards her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1735 She didn’t want to betray Sakura. But she wasn’t betraying Sakura.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1736 This really was Sakura. These were her feelings, her hopes and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1737 dreams. Tomoyo met Sakura’s lips as they reached hers. That silky
|
|
rlm@0
|
1738 soft feeling melted against her lips, drawing away her breath in a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1739 sensuous kiss. She kissed Sakura back, her working arm going around
|
|
rlm@0
|
1740 Sakura’s waist as they did. Each kiss was like a declaration of love,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1741 a prayer that things would work out, that this wasn’t the end.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1742 Sakura finally felt Tomoyo lips against her own. This time there
|
|
rlm@0
|
1743 was no resistance. Tomoyo was kissing her back softly, sending a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1744 shiver through her body. It felt so nice. ‘I do love you,’ Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
1745 thought again, kissing back with all the strength she could muster.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1746 Tomoyo seemed a bit surprised at first, but quickly matched her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1747 Sakura never wanted their lips to part. It felt intoxicating, like
|
|
rlm@0
|
1748 being bathed in pure love. She snuggled closer to Tomoyo, embracing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1749 her as they kissed again. If only she could keep kissing her until
|
|
rlm@0
|
1750 the deadline, until it was all over. She felt safe with Tomoyo, in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1751 her arms. She felt a dizzying mix of warmth and wonder at each
|
|
rlm@0
|
1752 additional kiss. She would prove to Tomoyo that she would hold her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1753 forever. That they would be together forever. She would make Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1754 happy. They would always.. always... They would always what?
|
|
rlm@0
|
1755 Their lips met in kiss after kiss, turning Tomoyo’s world into a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1756 sea of cherry blossoms. Each lingering kiss felt like a brush of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1757 angel wings against her soul. For once, Tomoyo could fully express
|
|
rlm@0
|
1758 her love for the brunette, and she did so as best she could. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1759 kissed back with all the love in her heart, trying not to think about
|
|
rlm@0
|
1760 tomorrow. There was only now. And now would last forever. She could
|
|
rlm@0
|
1761 slowly feel Sakura lessening the kisses, could feel less coming from
|
|
rlm@0
|
1762 the other girl. Sakura seemed bewildered, out of place. Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1763 stopped immediately. Looking up at her friend. Her heart cried out, a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1764 sharp blade slicing through it. She wanted to deny it, to believe
|
|
rlm@0
|
1765 that it wasn’t true. But Sakura just looked at her in confusion. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
1766 was over. Her blissful week was gone. Sakura’s love was gone. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1767 most treasured gift was now no more than a memory.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1768 “Tomoyo-chan? What happened? I can’t remember anything. It’s all
|
|
rlm@0
|
1769 blurry. Hoe...” Sakura shook her head, trying to focus. But the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1770 harder she focussed, the further away it all got. Like a dream upon
|
|
rlm@0
|
1771 awakening, it all began to fade from her mind as if it had never
|
|
rlm@0
|
1772 been. She shook her head, sitting up. Had she fallen asleep on Tomoyo
|
|
rlm@0
|
1773 or something? “Did I make your wish come true?” she asked hopefully.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1774 That was the last thing she could remember, trying to make Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1775 wish come true.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1776 Tomoyo forced a smile, blinking quickly. “Yes, you did, Sakura-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1777 chan. You did it wonderfully. It was the most beautiful wish I could
|
|
rlm@0
|
1778 ever hope for. Thank you so much for this week,” she said with all
|
|
rlm@0
|
1779 her heart. All her broken heart. Sakura’s love was gone forever now.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1780 Only her memory remained of it. She didn’t even have videos of it to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1781 relive it all. Only the time they shared. Now she would have to give
|
|
rlm@0
|
1782 it all up. And for Sakura, she could. At least Sakura wasn’t scared
|
|
rlm@0
|
1783 about losing her love anymore. Because for her, it had never been.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1784 But for Tomoyo, it would always live on in her heart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1785 “Tomoyo-chan, are you crying?” Sakura asked worriedly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1786 “Everything will always be all right,” Tomoyo whispered.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1787
|
|
rlm@0
|
1788 Several Years Later:
|
|
rlm@0
|
1789
|
|
rlm@0
|
1790 Tomoyo knelt before Sakura, sewing up a few last modifications on
|
|
rlm@0
|
1791 her best friend’s wedding dress. The wedding was only a day away and
|
|
rlm@0
|
1792 Tomoyo wanted everything to be perfect for her dearest Sakura. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1793 had tried her hardest to help Sakura and Syaoran get together. They
|
|
rlm@0
|
1794 really did make such a cute couple. And seeing Sakura about to get
|
|
rlm@0
|
1795 married gave Tomoyo something to latch onto, to pour all of her heart
|
|
rlm@0
|
1796 and soul into. Sakura had given her practically a free reign over the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1797 wedding to do with as she pleased. So the heiress was putting her all
|
|
rlm@0
|
1798 into making sure it was the best wedding ever. She wanted it to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
1799 something Sakura would never forget. It was supposed to be the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1800 happiest moment in Sakura’s life, so it had to be absolutely perfect.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1801 Suppressing a yawn, Tomoyo went back to work on Sakura’s dress. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
1802 had barely gotten any sleep at all in the past week and a half. There
|
|
rlm@0
|
1803 was so much to do and she wanted to finish all of it in time for the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1804 wedding. Her life had been dedicated completely to the wedding, to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1805 the realization of her most cherished wish for Sakura to be happy.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1806 There would be no sleep that night either. She still had to make the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1807 wedding cake and finish the last few modifications on the wedding
|
|
rlm@0
|
1808 dress, which she was doing now. Sleep didn’t matter. Sakura’s wedding
|
|
rlm@0
|
1809 did. There would be plenty of time for sleep when Sakura was off on
|
|
rlm@0
|
1810 her honeymoon. And plenty of time for crying. But that was all for
|
|
rlm@0
|
1811 later. For now she had Sakura’s wedding to look forward to. In many
|
|
rlm@0
|
1812 ways, she had been hoping for it even more than Sakura. Because it
|
|
rlm@0
|
1813 had always been something she fantasized about, Sakura’s gorgeous
|
|
rlm@0
|
1814 wedding. So she had to strive to make that dream a reality.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1815 “Tomoyo-chan, are you okay?” Sakura asked concernedly. “You don’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1816 look so well. You look sick.” She held her hands together in front of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1817 her as she waited for Tomoyo to finish. She felt so nervous.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1818 Smiling weakly, the young businesswoman shook her head. “I’m fine,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1819 Sakura-chan. I’ve just been very busy lately. It will be better after
|
|
rlm@0
|
1820 the wedding. Then I can watch my tape of Sakura-chan’s Happy Wedding
|
|
rlm@0
|
1821 over and over and over again.” Tomoyo sighed dreamily, returning to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1822 the task at hand.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1823 “But.. Tomoyo-chan, aren’t you lonely?” Sakura asked curiously,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1824 looking down at the beautiful heiress kneeling before her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1825 “The best happiness is knowing that the one you love is happy. If
|
|
rlm@0
|
1826 they’re happy, that’s all that truly matters,” Tomoyo replied, not
|
|
rlm@0
|
1827 looking up. Of course she was lonely. But that was all right. Because
|
|
rlm@0
|
1828 Sakura wouldn’t be.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1829 Sweatdropping, Sakura continued to stare down at her friend. “I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1830 must be selfish, then. Because I want to be happy, too.” She sighed,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1831 waiting patiently for her friend to finish. She was used to being
|
|
rlm@0
|
1832 Tomoyo’s model for dresses by now, but the fact that this wasn’t just
|
|
rlm@0
|
1833 some normal costume sent a fresh wave of butterflies through her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1834 stomach.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1835 Tomoyo stopped her work, looking up at last. “You deserve to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
1836 happy, Sakura-chan. That’s not selfish at all. You want to be loved,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1837 to be happy. And that’s what I want for you, too.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1838 “I hope so.” Sakura sighed, her eyes closing for a moment as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
1839 tried to relax. Kneeling down, she looked over at Tomoyo. Reaching
|
|
rlm@0
|
1840 into midair, she summoned a small ring with her magic. Looking into
|
|
rlm@0
|
1841 Tomoyo’s eyes, she took another nervous breath. “Tomoyo-chan, will
|
|
rlm@0
|
1842 you marry me?” she asked, holding out the ring in her hands.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1843 Tomoyo could only stare in shock for a frozen moment. This didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1844 make sense. It didn’t compute for Tomoyo. Sakura plus Syaoran equals
|
|
rlm@0
|
1845 happiness. This wasn’t anything that she had planned. “But.. what
|
|
rlm@0
|
1846 about Syaoran?” she asked desperately, trying to make sense out of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1847 the situation. Her heart was thundering in her chest as she met
|
|
rlm@0
|
1848 Sakura’s gaze. Watching Sakura in her wedding dress, hearing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1849 propose, she felt weak.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1850 Sakura looks down before answering. “I called it off a few nights
|
|
rlm@0
|
1851 ago. He’s already back in Hong Kong. My heart just wasn’t in it. You
|
|
rlm@0
|
1852 wanted this wedding more than I did. That’s why I couldn’t tell you.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1853 I didn’t want to break your heart. I didn’t want this wedding dress
|
|
rlm@0
|
1854 you worked so hard on to go to waste.” She pulled at the dress in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1855 emphasis. “I couldn’t let you do all that for the wedding and then
|
|
rlm@0
|
1856 just call it off. But my heart didn’t belong to him. I didn’t love
|
|
rlm@0
|
1857 him. I’ve been feeling more and more lately like I was just going to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1858 marry him because everyone wanted me to. Like I didn’t have a choice
|
|
rlm@0
|
1859 in the matter, that it was all expected of me. And more and more...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1860 she sighs, looking back up into Tomoyo’s eyes. “I’ve been missing
|
|
rlm@0
|
1861 you. You’ve always been there for me, Tomoyo-chan. But sometimes I
|
|
rlm@0
|
1862 forget that I need to be there for you, too. And I want to be there
|
|
rlm@0
|
1863 for you. Through everything. Because I love you. I finally realized
|
|
rlm@0
|
1864 that. You’re the one who always makes me happy. Not him. Not anyone
|
|
rlm@0
|
1865 else. You do. Making this dress for me, working on my wedding, you
|
|
rlm@0
|
1866 were trying to give me something beautiful. You were trying to make
|
|
rlm@0
|
1867 me happy. I love you, Tomoyo-chan. I want to have this wedding. With
|
|
rlm@0
|
1868 you. It’s just as much your wedding as it is mine. You spent so much
|
|
rlm@0
|
1869 time on it. You deserve a little happiness, too.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1870 “Sakura-chan...” Tomoyo was taken aback by the sudden turn of
|
|
rlm@0
|
1871 events. Sakura’s words had her heart melting. She swallowed back
|
|
rlm@0
|
1872 tears, holding her hands to her chest. Her eyes were lost in emerald
|
|
rlm@0
|
1873 pools. It wasn’t even a question. “Of course I’ll marry you, Sakura-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1874 chan!” Tomoyo watched as Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and giggled
|
|
rlm@0
|
1875 herself, the tension draining from her weary body. Sakura reached out
|
|
rlm@0
|
1876 and took her hand, sliding the small ring on her finger. Such a
|
|
rlm@0
|
1877 delicate act sent ripples through Tomoyo’s heart and soul. Sakura’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1878 hand didn’t leave hers when it was done, instead settling on her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1879 palm. She gazed at Sakura adoringly. This wedding had been all about
|
|
rlm@0
|
1880 Sakura’s happiness. It had been the goal she had striven for. And now
|
|
rlm@0
|
1881 Sakura was sharing that with her. “I’ll need to have someone use my
|
|
rlm@0
|
1882 camcorder to record it all,” she said thoughtfully.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1883 “I’m sure we’ll always remember it, even if it’s not on tape,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1884 Sakura reassured her eccentric fiance.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1885 Tomoyo smiled at the other woman. “I made a promise a long time ago
|
|
rlm@0
|
1886 that I would. And years from now, we’ll sit together and watch it,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1887 those beautiful times we’ve spent together.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1888 Returning the smile, Sakura nodded. “Un! And we’ll always be making
|
|
rlm@0
|
1889 plenty of new memories together, too.” She leant forward, a little
|
|
rlm@0
|
1890 shyly. Tomoyo met her halfway, kissing her. Sakura relaxed into the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1891 kiss, her fingers entwining with Tomoyo. The wedding seemed far off,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1892 like a distant happening. This was what she really wanted. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1893 fingers gently brushed through Tomoyo’s beautiful hair, feeling the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1894 strands between her fingers. She could feel Tomoyo’s warm hand on her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1895 cheek. She sighed happily as she sat back.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1896 Tomoyo watched Sakura, entranced. Her head was still swimming from
|
|
rlm@0
|
1897 their kiss. The wedding she longed for, the girl she loved, the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1898 happiness she didn’t think she could have had all managed to find
|
|
rlm@0
|
1899 their way onto her lap. It was almost too much to bear. Sakura hugged
|
|
rlm@0
|
1900 her tightly, the wedding dress clad woman snuggling against her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1901 Tomoyo sighed deliciously, melting against the auburn haired girl.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1902 “I’ll never let go, Tomoyo-chan, I promise,” Sakura whispered, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1903 eyes closed. Her fingers trailed absentmindedly through Tomoyo’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
1904 silky hair. For the first time in months, she wasn’t worried about
|
|
rlm@0
|
1905 her wedding. Now she couldn’t wait. She didn’t know how she would
|
|
rlm@0
|
1906 explain the change of plans to everyone, but it didn’t seem to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1907 matter. Tomoyo would be there with her. She could do anything with
|
|
rlm@0
|
1908 Tomoyo by her side.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1909 “That’s all I could ever wish for,” Tomoyo replied, resting her
|
|
rlm@0
|
1910 head on Sakura’s shoulder. There was still much to be done for the
|
|
rlm@0
|
1911 wedding. She still needed to finish Sakura’s dress. And she hadn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
1912 even started on the cake. But all of that paled in comparison to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1913 Sakura herself. Tomoyo finally had her wish. Sakura was happy. And in
|
|
rlm@0
|
1914 a beautiful miracle, she got to be the one to make Sakura happy.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1915 There would be time for a big, noisy wedding soon. For now, she just
|
|
rlm@0
|
1916 wanted to be with Sakura. And Sakura felt the same. Sighing happily,
|
|
rlm@0
|
1917 Tomoyo nuzzled Sakura’s neck, her eyes falling shut. “I love you,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1918 she whispered, her voice muffled in Sakura’s dress. She had finally
|
|
rlm@0
|
1919 found the magic. It was there. Everything really would be all right.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1920 Because Sakura brought out that magic. And she could believe that
|
|
rlm@0
|
1921 with Sakura. Because their happiness was intertwined, two beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
1922 red ribbons tied together into a bow. “So what do we name our baby?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1923 Tomoyo asked curiously.
|
|
rlm@0
|
1924 “Tomoyo-chan..” Sakura sweatdropped. “Don’t you think you’re
|
|
rlm@0
|
1925 looking a little too far forward?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1926 “I’ve been planning Sakura-chan’s wedding since I was ten years
|
|
rlm@0
|
1927 old. I like to have everything nice and worked out so that it can go
|
|
rlm@0
|
1928 smoothly,” Tomoyo explains. “And you’ve already granted one of my
|
|
rlm@0
|
1929 wishes. And wishes usually come in threes. My next was to see Sakura-
|
|
rlm@0
|
1930 chan with a beautiful baby.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1931 Sakura giggled softly, nodding. “Hai, I’ll see what I can do about
|
|
rlm@0
|
1932 that one. But later. And what’s your third wish? It has something to
|
|
rlm@0
|
1933 do with ribbons, right?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1934 Tomoyo blinked. “How did you guess?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
1935 Sakura blushed, holding closer to Tomoyo. “I should have known. I
|
|
rlm@0
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1936 think I can make that one come true on the honeymoon.”
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rlm@0
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1937 “See? It’s fun to plan things ahead. And I think Sakura-chan’s
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rlm@0
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1938 getting good at it.” The pale girl giggled, resting against Sakura.
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rlm@0
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1939 Their hearts beat in tandem. And the two held each other, listening
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rlm@0
|
1940 to their very own melody.
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rlm@0
|
1941
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rlm@0
|
1942
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