Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison stories/dearsakura-10.txt @ 0:ed1308d04df2 moonlitnights
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author | rlm |
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date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:24:59 -0500 |
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1 Dear Sakura | |
2 by Amazoness Duo and G.P. | |
3 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
4 pearsong1954@yahoo.com | |
5 | |
6 | |
7 “When was the last time we went to the beach together?” Sakura | |
8 asked curiously. Sand crunched underneath her sandals as she and | |
9 Tomoyo looked for a nice spot on the beach. She turned to make sure | |
10 the dark haired woman was still there, even though they were holding | |
11 hands. Tomoyo’s snow white skin looked so out of place on the beach. | |
12 Sakura was almost afraid the poor woman would get burnt to a cinder | |
13 in the bright late morning sun. The toy designer smiled back happily | |
14 to Sakura, seeming far removed from any such worries. Tomoyo wore a | |
15 simple white sundress, her bathing suit underneath. A wide-brimmed | |
16 hat lay atop her head, a blue ribbon trailing from it. Her hair | |
17 underneath was done up in buns. She wore large sunglasses tinted a | |
18 rosy pink color. They looked cute on Tomoyo, but Sakura was a little | |
19 disappointed that she couldn’t catch the enticing stormy blue of her | |
20 best friend’s eyes because of them. Sakura was already in her bathing | |
21 suit, a red two piece that she was currently wearing a blue jacket | |
22 with. | |
23 “A year and a half ago when mother invited you to come with us out | |
24 to the beach house,” Tomoyo replied without a moment’s hesitation, as | |
25 if all facts regarding Sakura were relevant to keep track of at all | |
26 time. She pushed the sunglasses up from the tip of her nose, smiling | |
27 cheerfully at the Cardmistress. Despite being able to embarrass | |
28 Sakura with some of the things she said and did, it always delighted | |
29 her to know that Sakura was completely at ease with her. If it | |
30 weren’t for that, she would have quit making such embarrassing | |
31 comments years ago. But Sakura took it all in stride, blushing | |
32 considerably but never feeling awkward in Tomoyo’s presence. That had | |
33 allowed her to remain close to Sakura over the years, to treasure the | |
34 brunette’s company like the finest wine and the world’s greatest | |
35 riches. It had also given her best friend status some perks as well. | |
36 She knew firsthand how beautiful Sakura had grown over the years, | |
37 never actually outgrowing the cuteness about her, but gaining a | |
38 completely new aspect as well. Though at the moment, Tomoyo didn’t | |
39 need years of close hand study to know such on obvious fact. “You | |
40 look gorgeous in that, Sakura-chan,” her musical voice practically | |
41 sang, followed quickly by a happily contented sigh. “I can’t wait to | |
42 start videotaping you.” | |
43 Blushing faintly, Sakura smiled in return. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. | |
44 I’m glad you think so.” Brushing fingers back through her brunette | |
45 hair, Sakura scanned the area for a nice place to put their towel and | |
46 basket. A picnic lunch had been Tomoyo’s idea. Seeing Tomoyo standing | |
47 with the basket reminded her of all the picnics they used to go on | |
48 when they were younger. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought. | |
49 Now these picnics were such a special occasion, something that | |
50 happened only very rarely now that they no longer lived in the same | |
51 country. Once upon a time she had taken those wonderful moments | |
52 together for granted, assuming that they, like Tomoyo, would simply | |
53 always be there. Something she could always enjoy. She knew now that | |
54 that wasn’t the case and that she would have to burn these memories | |
55 into her soul while she could. | |
56 “Right here looks nice, Sakura-chan.” Drawing the cute gym | |
57 teacher’s attention, Tomoyo motioned towards a fairly empty section | |
58 of beach. Of course, that wasn’t Tomoyo’s main reasoning for | |
59 selecting it. The light was perfect at that spot to videotape Sakura. | |
60 And she just so happened to have brought her camcorder along with | |
61 lunch. Her poor, abused camcorder had been relegated to the attic for | |
62 quite some time, Tomoyo having lost the will to videotape anymore | |
63 after Sakura’s departure. It had gained renewed life when she had | |
64 pulled it out to use in her cooking lessons for her friend. But this | |
65 was what it existed for, in much the same way Tomoyo existed for | |
66 these special moments with Sakura. A hand went absentmindedly to her | |
67 right cheek as she watched Sakura start to spread out the beach | |
68 blanket. Love was a cruel mistress, but she wouldn’t give it up for | |
69 the countless stars in the sky. She couldn’t live without the | |
70 wonderfully sweet caress that thoughts of Sakura sent fluttering | |
71 across her heart. | |
72 When Sakura was finished with the beach blanket, Tomoyo knelt down | |
73 gingerly on it, placing the basket next to her before smoothing out | |
74 the skirt of her sundress. Sakura sat next to her, the white jacket | |
75 hanging from around the Cardmistress’s shoulders. Sakura watched | |
76 Tomoyo for a long moment, her legs curled up under her. The dark | |
77 haired woman always told her how pretty she was or how beautiful she | |
78 looked or any number of other things. But Tomoyo was truly stunning, | |
79 her elegant beauty always shining through whatever myriad styles she | |
80 used. Tomoyo always kept her hair long for her mother’s sake, who | |
81 treasured it as a reminder of Sakura’s own mother’s beautiful long | |
82 hair. But even keeping it long, Tomoyo always seemed to have | |
83 something she could do with it, as the pretty buns they were in now | |
84 attested to. As the almost deathly pale woman began to take off her | |
85 sundress, Sakura stared transfixed. Tomoyo looked like the goddess | |
86 Venus ascending from the waves, her white sundress that fell next to | |
87 her feet the sea foam around her. She was clad in a black and gray | |
88 one piece bathing suit. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to sparkle when | |
89 she finally pulled away the rose sunglasses and laid them next to her | |
90 hat. Realizing that she had been staring, Sakura turned abruptly, | |
91 pretending to busy herself with... anything. She stared at the ocean | |
92 while she tried to sort through her tousled thoughts. Unbeknownst to | |
93 Sakura, Tomoyo had noticed her friend’s gaze. She was a little | |
94 surprised by it, but thrilled nonetheless. To capture Sakura’s | |
95 attention so was truly a wonderful prize. She smiled happily, even | |
96 more thrilled to be there with the one person who was always in her | |
97 thoughts. | |
98 Turning her gaze back to Tomoyo, Sakura looked up as the dark | |
99 haired woman sat down next to her. Memories from times long forgotten | |
100 came flooding back to her. Not just of trips to beaches or picnics. | |
101 But of all the wonderful times they had spent together. They weren’t | |
102 the little girls they had once been. Sakura was married now and a gym | |
103 teacher. Tomoyo was becoming a successful toy designer. But at the | |
104 moment, none of that mattered. Tomoyo was still the sweet and gentle | |
105 best friend that had always been by her side. They were still just | |
106 out for the day to spend time together and to enjoy themselves. For a | |
107 brief moment, the hands of time ticked backwards. They were sitting | |
108 in a park in Tomoeda discussing the recent events at school while | |
109 Tomoyo videotaped her with her camcorder, the future blissfully out | |
110 of the way. The moment evaporated as quickly as it had arrived | |
111 despite Sakura’s attempts at grasping onto it. What had Eriol told | |
112 her long ago? Something about a long absence showing her true | |
113 feelings. She couldn’t quite remember exactly. She had always | |
114 expected Tomoyo to be there, but now this was an all too brief visit | |
115 before Tomoyo was gone once again. And Tomoyo’s absence was pulling | |
116 at her heart, making her realize just how much she needed the | |
117 beautiful heiress. It seemed Eriol had been right after all. | |
118 Tomoyo searched through the picnic basket, finally uncovering the | |
119 suntan lotion. She didn’t get out very often except when she was with | |
120 Sakura and she had always had an extremely pale complexion. Without | |
121 some form of protection, she would easily bake out in the hot sun. | |
122 “I’ll get that for you, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura offered helpfully. At | |
123 Tomoyo’s soft thanks, she took the bottle and began to rub some into | |
124 her hands. She knelt next to her best friend as Tomoyo lay down on | |
125 her back, her stormy blue eyes slipping shut. Sakura got a little | |
126 more of the lotion in her hands before trying to decide where to | |
127 start. Watching Tomoyo lying in front of her with her eyes closed, | |
128 images of the dark haired woman’s sleeping form filled Sakura’s mind. | |
129 So peaceful and calm, as if all of her dreams were beautiful. Tomoyo | |
130 looked that way now, except for a slight blush coloring her cheeks. | |
131 She definitely looked happy. | |
132 Trying to lie perfectly still, Tomoyo felt her heart pounding | |
133 rapidly in her chest, ignoring her attempts to stay calm. She tried | |
134 to tell herself that this was just a kind act on Sakura’s part and | |
135 that it didn’t mean anything, but she didn’t care. She was too happy | |
136 to worry about such trivial things. It was Sakura, that’s all that | |
137 mattered. And she would be more than happy to have Sakura apply the | |
138 suntan lotion if it only meant she could feel her touch. For a | |
139 moment, Tomoyo felt like a teenager again, anxiously waiting during | |
140 some of the awkward moments she and Sakura had while growing up. | |
141 Though Sakura would never have known, there were some times when | |
142 Tomoyo had found herself equally as embarrassed as her brunette | |
143 friend. One time she had almost kissed Sakura during a festival. They | |
144 could only have been twelve or thirteen at the time. Sakura’s eyes | |
145 had been closed as they sat facing each other, a content look across | |
146 her features. Tomoyo’s heart had pounded much as it was now as she | |
147 watched that cute face for what had felt like an eternity. Her hand | |
148 finally going to Sakura’s cheek, she had drawn closer, caught more | |
149 deeply by Sakura than she could by any Syren’s call. Their lips | |
150 almost touching, Tomoyo had finally pulled away, blushing | |
151 considerably herself at what had almost happened. Sakura had smiled | |
152 when her eyes opened, unaware of the kiss she had almost received | |
153 from her best friend. And so on through the years as they grew up | |
154 together, Tomoyo’s love for Sakura barely hidden. And now she was | |
155 once again nearly overcome by the surge of emotions the Cardmistress | |
156 always managed to lure out of her. She idly wondered if Sakura could | |
157 see her beating heart or feel the heat of her blush. She had to ask | |
158 herself if Sakura had even the slightest idea of how even these | |
159 simple little moments with her were like pieces of heaven. | |
160 Reaching out slowly, Sakura began to massage the suntan lotion into | |
161 Tomoyo’s right shoulder, marveling at the exquisitely soft feeling of | |
162 the skin under her touch. Syaoran’s skin wasn’t nearly so soft and | |
163 enticing. Sakura shoved the thought away. Of course it wasn’t. This | |
164 was a completely different situation anyway. When she felt his skin, | |
165 it meant they were usually going to sleep or... She was glad that | |
166 Tomoyo still had her eyes closed as she slowly forced her blush away. | |
167 Her fingers followed along Tomoyo’s shoulder, trailing over the silky | |
168 smooth skin again and again as she rubbed the lotion in. After | |
169 watching Tomoyo’s elegant form for years, Sakura found it a pleasant | |
170 experience to actually feel the silken skin and soft contours of her | |
171 limbs. Her fingers slowly moved down the dark haired woman’s arm, | |
172 careful to cover every inch of her. A soft smile played at her lips | |
173 as she looked down at Tomoyo’s resting form. She wanted to gather up | |
174 the other woman in her arms and hold her tightly, just to enjoy her | |
175 presence as much as she could. That lost and lonely feeling that had | |
176 enveloped her for the past several months had all but disappeared | |
177 since the dark haired woman’s arrival. Tomoyo brought out feelings in | |
178 her heart that she thought had faded away since her arrival in Hong | |
179 Kong. Being with her again was like the sweetest dream imaginable. | |
180 Sakura’s hand finally stopped at Tomoyo’s. She merely held onto it | |
181 for a long moment. Tomoyo’s hand turned in her grasp, gently clasping | |
182 Sakura’s hand. Sakura smiled again as the surprise wore off. She felt | |
183 Tomoyo’s thumb slowly rubbing her palm. Watching Tomoyo with her own | |
184 heart tangled in a web of confusion, Sakura tried to decide what to | |
185 say. Once again, her mind returned to something she felt ashamed of | |
186 for hoping. Could Tomoyo love someone else? There had to be someone | |
187 who could make her happy if her special person couldn’t know of her | |
188 feelings. But was that Sakura’s real reason behind wanting to know so | |
189 badly? She couldn’t possibly think that she could take all of | |
190 Tomoyo’s love. What a silly idea. She laughed off the thought, but it | |
191 stubbornly refused to leave her completely. She was getting jealous. | |
192 Tomoyo’s special person was the most important person to her. Sakura | |
193 had at one time held that spot, she knew. And Tomoyo’s special person | |
194 was hurting her, no less. It wasn’t fair that he could be her most | |
195 important person and cause her so much agony. “Tomoyo-chan? What type | |
196 of boys do you like?” | |
197 Blinking in confusing, Tomoyo squinted in the bright light to catch | |
198 sight of Sakura, the beautiful brunette sitting by her side in the | |
199 cool ocean breeze. Her eyes closed again as the light got too bright | |
200 for her. “I don’t think I understand, Sakura-chan. There’s only one | |
201 person I’ve ever been in love with. I don’t think I could describe | |
202 any specific type. Because even someone similar to my special person | |
203 wouldn’t be able to take my heart from them.” | |
204 Sakura considered this for a moment before nodding. That should be | |
205 answer enough. It wasn’t like she knew of any boys to try to set up | |
206 Tomoyo with anyway. Maybe Touya, but he was already with Yukito. But | |
207 the question still lingered in Sakura’s mind. “Un, I understand. You | |
208 must love him very much. But if you had a type of boy, what would it | |
209 be?” she asked curiously. Who could be deserving of Tomoyo’s | |
210 seemingly boundless love? What man could possibly be wonderful enough | |
211 for her? | |
212 A melodious giggle escaped the ivory skinned woman as she lay next | |
213 to Sakura. One of Sakura’s letters came to mind as she finally | |
214 answered. “If I had a type of boy I liked, I would want a boy just | |
215 like Sakura-chan. I would want him to be cute and brave and very | |
216 energetic. He would have to be warm and very emotional. He would have | |
217 to be a little shy, too, because blushing is a very cute habit and | |
218 it’s always fun to embarrass Sakura-chan if it means I’ll get a blush | |
219 out of it. But even then, he would still want to make others happy, | |
220 wearing kawaii costumes or enduring me videotaping him even if he | |
221 thought it was strange.” Her smile grew as she moved her head towards | |
222 where she new Sakura to be, her dark hair fluttering softly in the | |
223 light breeze. “And even if he could be rather dense sometimes, I | |
224 would love him all the more for it, because he would be my cute | |
225 Sa...” Tomoyo trailed off for a moment, correcting herself. The last | |
226 few days had been extremely difficult on keeping up her masks. “The | |
227 boy I liked.” | |
228 Sakura blushed yet again as she tried to make sense of Tomoyo’s | |
229 description. It didn’t exactly sound like the manliest of men. A boy | |
230 like her? Sakura couldn’t think of any boys like her. It was | |
231 extremely flattering of Tomoyo to say. The dream she had had months | |
232 ago tugged at her mind, an image of herself in boys clothes sharing | |
233 an intimate moment with Tomoyo seeming to fit with the dark haired | |
234 woman’s explanation. ‘If I were a boy, would I have married Tomoyo- | |
235 chan?’ Sakura asked herself. A crimson blush began to flare across | |
236 her cheeks as she imagined the idea, coming home to her gorgeous wife | |
237 every night, sharing her life with her enigmatic best friend. Her | |
238 heart began to beat faster in her chest. She almost felt dizzy as she | |
239 tried to get a grasp on her thoughts. She stood up a little shakily, | |
240 having finished with the suntan lotion during Tomoyo’s explanation. | |
241 “Thanks, Tomoyo-chan,” she got out less sure of herself than she | |
242 would have liked. She was still confused by all this. If she had been | |
243 born a boy, would Tomoyo be her bride right now? Would they be on | |
244 this beach as husband and wife instead of as best friends? “I think | |
245 I’m going to take a swim.” That would be nice. It would clear her | |
246 thoughts. Glancing back at Tomoyo sent another image through her | |
247 mind, the two of them in bed after a long day. Wait, she wasn’t a boy | |
248 in this one. “Hoe...” Yes, a swim would definitely help. She heard | |
249 Tomoyo sitting up behind her, pulling her camcorder out dutifully to | |
250 record the Cardmistress’s swimming. Sakura waved to her pale friend | |
251 as she reached the water’s edge. Tomoyo’s voice called out to Sakura | |
252 from years earlier when Sakura had asked why she didn’t videotape | |
253 more interesting things than the brunette. ‘There’s nothing more | |
254 interesting or prettier than Sakura-chan.’ Sakura felt a smile cross | |
255 her lips at the memory. Tomoyo was always so sweet about things like | |
256 that. She decided that that was the reason she let Tomoyo videotape | |
257 her. Not because she felt she had to. But because Tomoyo was always | |
258 so enthusiastic about it and honestly believed that she was the best | |
259 thing to videotape. Now, that thought that had long ago confused her | |
260 so utterly sent a small thrill through her. | |
261 Watching from the beach blanket, Tomoyo zoomed in with her | |
262 camcorder. Sakura seemed to lose whatever she had been thinking about | |
263 as she began to swim through the gentle waves. From experience, | |
264 Tomoyo knew that probably wouldn’t last long. Sakura often got | |
265 sidetracked by things, but it often caught back up with her. Like | |
266 when she used to be on cheerleading. A soft giggle joined the ocean | |
267 breeze as she kept the camcorder trained on Sakura. She hoped that | |
268 Sakura still occasionally got sidetracked while teaching her | |
269 cheerleading club. It would be nice for them to see her like that, | |
270 even if it did mean flying pompoms. Two beautiful pink dolphins leapt | |
271 into the air some distance behind Sakura. The wonderful creatures | |
272 were new to Tomoyo. “They must live in Hong Kong. Just like Sakura- | |
273 chan. Hong Kong has some cute residents.” Her free hand went to her | |
274 cheek as she continued to watch her best friend in the lapping waves. | |
275 “Kawaii...” | |
276 “Tomoyo-chan!! Come swim with me, Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura yelled from | |
277 waist deep in the water. She had come back closer to shore after | |
278 thoroughly drenching herself in the ocean. Now that she was thinking | |
279 more clearly, she knew that she would be much happier to be spending | |
280 her time at the beach with Tomoyo than swimming alone. | |
281 Putting away her camcorder, Tomoyo quickly walked across the hot | |
282 sand to meet up with the energetically waving brunette. The cool | |
283 water felt nice against her feet after the hot walk. She moved her | |
284 toes around in the water, enjoying the soothing feeling on her pale | |
285 skin as she drew closer to Sakura, her dark bathing suit clinging to | |
286 her as it got wet. "I would love to swim with you, Sakura-chan, but I | |
287 never learned how. I can watch you from here, though. As long as I | |
288 don’t go too deep, I’ll be fine.” She smiled at the other woman. She | |
289 was happy to get a closer vantage point, even if it did mean leaving | |
290 her camcorder behind. Being close to Sakura seemed more important | |
291 than getting the other woman alone on video. It surprised Tomoyo at | |
292 how little she had actually videotaped of her visit. It wasn’t for | |
293 lack of wanting to. She still loved catching the Cardmistress on | |
294 video. But rather, it was that she wasn’t behind the camera lens as | |
295 much during her trip. She had always managed to videotape Sakura | |
296 while she was doing other things, but now she was busy doing things | |
297 with Sakura. Now that she thought about it, she had expected to | |
298 videotape Sakura with Syaoran during her trip, once again a | |
299 background character in her own life. But Sakura hadn’t allowed that, | |
300 dragging her out from behind the camera’s lens and into what was | |
301 happening. So even if she didn’t have much videotape of this visit | |
302 (which she would still pour over what little she had religiously), it | |
303 was hardly a waste. It meant that she would have to hold certain | |
304 lovely events solely as memories, but that was more than enough for | |
305 the experiences. But still, a videotape of the kiss had to be worth a | |
306 king’s ransom... | |
307 “Oh, that’s right.” Sakura frowned, disappointed. Tomoyo had never | |
308 learned to swim and apparently she hadn’t gotten around to it anytime | |
309 recently. Though her lack of ability to swim hadn’t stopped her from | |
310 trying to jump into a lake after Sakura when she had been tricked by | |
311 Illusion, Kero had later told her. She had been surprised that Tomoyo | |
312 was so ready to risk her life for her, even thought she very well | |
313 could have died. If Yukito hadn’t happened along, they both could | |
314 have died. A shiver went through her at the thought, but she quickly | |
315 suppressed it, imagining it as nothing more than the breeze. Her | |
316 frown deepened. She had really wanted to go out swimming with her, | |
317 not to leave her near the beach. But just because Tomoyo couldn’t | |
318 swim didn’t mean they couldn’t still go together. A smile replaced | |
319 her frown quickly. “I can take you with me. It might be a little | |
320 scary, but I promise that I’ll hold on real tight.” | |
321 “That sounds wonderful, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo’s soft voice said | |
322 happily. It sounded like a great idea to her. Instead of only | |
323 watching Sakura swimming from a distance, she could actually be apart | |
324 of it. Sakura’s arms went around her waist, holding her close. Tomoyo | |
325 sighed happily in the near lover’s embrace and wrapped her own arms | |
326 around Sakura. As Sakura began to swim with the added weight, Tomoyo | |
327 could feel the sandy floor drop away from her. “Sakura-chan is a very | |
328 strong swimmer,” Tomoyo remarked enthusiastically, still holding on | |
329 tightly. It wasn’t out of fear that she held on. She knew that Sakura | |
330 would hold on to her. It was because she just wanted to be near her. | |
331 Sakura pushed further out into the water, it’s gentle caress | |
332 passing over the two women. Tomoyo’s heartbeat felt steady and calm | |
333 against her chest, her hands firmly holding onto her, but not | |
334 clutching at all. The pale woman wasn’t afraid in the least. She had | |
335 no more fear of drowning here than she had on the beach. The thought | |
336 surprised Sakura. She had expected something, but Tomoyo seemed | |
337 completely peaceful, happy to be out there with her. Another | |
338 statement of Tomoyo’s rang in her ears. ‘I knew you would save me.’ | |
339 That belief had never wavered during the years. Tomoyo still held on | |
340 with the same faith she had all those years ago. ‘She’s not scared | |
341 because she has faith in me,’ Sakura thought to herself in sudden | |
342 realization. She had the thought that if she were holding onto Tomoyo | |
343 from above some ledge that Tomoyo’s attitude would be much the same. | |
344 There simply wasn’t anything for her to be afraid of because they | |
345 were together. Sakura held Tomoyo closer, hugging her as they swam. | |
346 It was amazing that she could still have that much faith after all of | |
347 those years. Tomoyo’s gentle form against her was a testament to her | |
348 belief in the Cardmistress. Sakura had never grasped the full extent | |
349 of that faith in her until now. She swam deeper, but Tomoyo’s | |
350 heartbeat didn’t flutter. It amazed Sakura that the dark haired girl | |
351 could feel so safe in her arms. ‘I knew you would save me,’ the words | |
352 echoed again. Did she deserve that unwavering faith? Tomoyo was still | |
353 lonely, her love bound in a cage. ‘I’ll make things all right, Tomoyo- | |
354 chan. I will save you. I promise,’ Sakura vowed to herself, before | |
355 letting the sweet feelings Tomoyo was projecting encompass her. | |
356 | |
357 | |
358 |