Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/Bara.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
| author | rlm |
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| date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
| parents | |
| children |
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| 1 Author’s notes: This story is set in the future of Cardcaptor | |
| 2 Sakura. ^-^ Tomoyo & Sakura are married and have a child named Bara. | |
| 3 This is just a cute little story that I’ve been wanting to write for | |
| 4 a while now. If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail | |
| 5 me. ^-^ I always love to hear what people think. ^-^ The characters | |
| 6 are not my own (with the exception of Bara). They are property of | |
| 7 CLAMP. | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 Be My Teddy Bear | |
| 11 by Amazoness Duo | |
| 12 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 “How kawaii!! I finally get the chance to videotape the two most | |
| 16 beautiful women in my life,” Tomoyo exclaimed ecstatically, zooming | |
| 17 in on the subjects of her camcorder. A pale hand went to the slightly | |
| 18 eccentric woman’s cheek as she focused the image. Her long, dark | |
| 19 hair, done up in two pigtails with some aquamarine ribbons, stirred | |
| 20 lightly in the gentle afternoon breeze that meandered through the | |
| 21 garden bringing with it the sweet fragrance of flowers in bloom. | |
| 22 The two women who were as always the focus of Tomoyo’s wholehearted | |
| 23 attention blushed simultaneously as they found themselves caught on | |
| 24 video. “Tomoyo-chan...” The taller of the two said nervously as she | |
| 25 placed her hand behind her head. Her fingers brushed chestnut hair | |
| 26 away from her eyes as the gentle breeze began to pick up. After over | |
| 27 a decade of marriage, Sakura still couldn’t hide her embarrassment | |
| 28 over some of her wife’s obsessive remarks. Of course, knowing what | |
| 29 was behind her best friend’s words actually made it all the more | |
| 30 embarrassing. These weren’t just strange comments as she’d thought | |
| 31 when they were children. She knew very well just how much Tomoyo | |
| 32 meant every one of them. Of course, even if they were a little | |
| 33 embarrassing to hear at the end of a meeting at Daidouji Inc., she | |
| 34 could never bring herself to ask Tomoyo to stop. She wouldn’t want | |
| 35 the dark haired woman to cease such things, after all. Besides, | |
| 36 wasn’t that sweet devotion part of why she had married her in the | |
| 37 first place? So even if it always started Sakura blushing, she was | |
| 38 always happy to hear her wife’s strange remarks. | |
| 39 The younger girl, not much older than Sakura had been back when she | |
| 40 had begun her own adventure with the Cards, sweatdropped herself. | |
| 41 Daidouji Bara was a small, pale girl with short, midnight hair. While | |
| 42 not quite as easily embarrassed as her more athletic mother, she | |
| 43 still found herself blushing at some of Tomoyo’s comments. Certainly | |
| 44 not starved for attention, she once again whiled away her afternoon | |
| 45 by having a picnic with her parents. The daughter of Sakura and | |
| 46 Tomoyo was an energetic and gentle girl. While not being as | |
| 47 athletically inclined as Sakura, she did find herself becoming more | |
| 48 and more interested in the magical workings of her mother’s own | |
| 49 Sakura Cards. Part of that was because of her friendship with several | |
| 50 of the Cards, including the Flower and Mirror. Brave and determined, | |
| 51 there was little that frightened her and so magic had quickly become | |
| 52 something that captivated her attention. Unfortunately, through some | |
| 53 twist of nature, or perhaps an inheritance from Nadeshiko, the poor | |
| 54 girl was terribly accident prone. This kept her loving parents and | |
| 55 guardians ever vigilant, but even then she often got herself hurt. | |
| 56 While not quite as overprotective as Tomoyo’s mother, they still | |
| 57 tried to keep a careful eye on their bubbly daughter. “Okaa-sama...” | |
| 58 Bara said, nearly mimicking Sakura. This only brought a giggle from | |
| 59 Tomoyo and yet more videotaping. | |
| 60 Bara didn’t really mind her mother’s videotaping hobby. In fact, | |
| 61 she had grown up with that particular facet of life. So it hardly | |
| 62 seemed strange when the dark haired woman pulled out her camcorder to | |
| 63 record just about any event. It seemed that the only prerequisite for | |
| 64 Tomoyo’s camcorder was that Sakura or Bara had to be present. The | |
| 65 loving wife and mother was always happy to videotape one or the other | |
| 66 for her ever expanding collection of videotape. Bara herself enjoyed | |
| 67 watching through her mother’s older videotapes so aptly entitled | |
| 68 ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’ or ‘Sakura-chan’s Kawaii and Magical Adventures’. | |
| 69 It always fascinated her to watch her parents in their younger days | |
| 70 and the exciting escapades they had found themselves in. She had even | |
| 71 worn some of the costumes that Sakura had worn in the videotapes. | |
| 72 Tomoyo had kept nearly every costume, so when Bara had asked her | |
| 73 about them she had been more than happy to go through the vast | |
| 74 collection. The designer of the costumes had fixed up some of them to | |
| 75 fit Bara and had taped her running around in them. Bara had been | |
| 76 awestruck at the wide variety of beautiful designs that her mother | |
| 77 had sewn over the years. The gorgeous outfits had all been eye candy | |
| 78 for the hungry girl. Sharing her mother’s flare for the artistic, she | |
| 79 had easily been lost in the wide array of clothes kept in pristine | |
| 80 condition. In recent years she had even begun helping Tomoyo with | |
| 81 some of the costumes that she still made for an embarrassed but | |
| 82 willing Sakura. She was always thrilled to see the finished designs | |
| 83 on their auburn haired model, something she shared with her pale | |
| 84 mother. | |
| 85 “Oh, Bara-chan,” Tomoyo began thoughtfully, pulling herself from | |
| 86 her Sakura induced daydreams. Her hand went to her chin as she placed | |
| 87 the camcorder on her lap. “I picked up some materials for you on the | |
| 88 way home. I put them on your bed. If you want a different design for | |
| 89 the cloth I can go through my closet and see if there’s anything you | |
| 90 like.” Her trademark smile graced her lips as she watched her | |
| 91 daughter’s face light up. It was such a wonderful feeling to see her | |
| 92 daughter enjoying some of the same things that had always brought joy | |
| 93 to her own heart. Tomoyo’s mother had taught her simple things like | |
| 94 sewing and even videotaping when she had been a child herself and she | |
| 95 had fallen in love with these seemingly simple activities. Mostly | |
| 96 because the woman she loved was always the focus of her work. Seeing | |
| 97 her daughter grow up was equally thrilling but was slightly | |
| 98 bittersweet. She knew that her child would one day grow up and find | |
| 99 her own way in the world, but part of her wanted to cling on to the | |
| 100 baby girl that she and Sakura had raised together, to never let her | |
| 101 grow up. But watching her blossom into a beautiful woman, seeing the | |
| 102 result of her love for Sakura grow was a gift that she would never | |
| 103 let go of. | |
| 104 “Really?! Okaa-sama, arigato!” Bara nearly squealed. Pushing off | |
| 105 the picnic blanket, she hugged the older woman tightly. Tomoyo hugged | |
| 106 her back for a moment before the younger girl got to her feet. | |
| 107 Excitement tingled through her mind as the half-forgotten thought | |
| 108 from earlier once gained her full attention. Bowing to both of her | |
| 109 parents, she smoothed down her sunflower yellow sundress as the wind | |
| 110 played with the edges. “Dinner was wonderful. It was a lot of fun. I | |
| 111 think I’m going to go to my room to start right now. Thank you again, | |
| 112 mother!” She smiled happily as she turned on a sandalled foot and | |
| 113 hurried towards the large mansion. Despite her frail body, the | |
| 114 younger girl took off like a shot, anticipation evident in her eager | |
| 115 strides. | |
| 116 Sweatdropping, Sakura watched her daughter disappear into the | |
| 117 house, wincing as the younger girl nearly fell on her face, barely | |
| 118 recovering herself. The door finally swung shut, bringing forth a | |
| 119 relieved sigh from the two parents as their baby remained unscathed | |
| 120 for the time being. Turning to her still smiling wife, the auburn | |
| 121 haired woman raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Bara-chan sure was eager. I | |
| 122 think she would have even given Sonomi-sama some trouble in a race | |
| 123 just now.” | |
| 124 “And Sakura-chan, too, if that’s the case,” Tomoyo added, sipping | |
| 125 some tea delicately, her stormy blue eyes never leaving the Mistress | |
| 126 of the Cards. Dark lashes fluttered half closed as she savored the | |
| 127 bitter taste of the tea, watching Sakura through long lashes. “She | |
| 128 may not be very fast but she can’t help speeding off with her whole | |
| 129 heart blazing.” | |
| 130 “Well, she might not be fast, but she has your cute feet,” Sakura | |
| 131 replied thoughtfully, resting back on her hands. Her eyes went to | |
| 132 Tomoyo’s pale bare feet, her unused sandals lying next to the picnic | |
| 133 basket. The pale girl had always been beautiful, but as she had grown | |
| 134 into a woman she had become absolutely stunning, and it was something | |
| 135 that Sakura was easily reminded of. Her mind would have happily | |
| 136 lingered on such warm thoughts had something Tomoyo said hadn’t | |
| 137 suddenly replayed through her mind like one of Tomoyo’s tapes on | |
| 138 replay. Sitting up, the brunette shifted her legs under her. Her | |
| 139 throat had suddenly gone dry and she had to lick her lips before | |
| 140 continuing. Bara was still her little girl in her mind and it was | |
| 141 difficult to imagine her growing up so quickly. Sakura had always | |
| 142 tried to protect those she loved and she had come to understand just | |
| 143 why Sonomi had been so overprotective now that she had a daughter of | |
| 144 her own. “Wait, with ‘her whole heart blazing’?” Years ago, the | |
| 145 brunette had written off a lot of Tomoyo’s strange comments as just | |
| 146 her friend’s cute but bizarre eccentricity. But as she had learned | |
| 147 from their time dating and years of marriage, what Tomoyo said should | |
| 148 always be given careful consideration. Certain things still slipped | |
| 149 past her at times, but she wasn’t nearly as dense as she once had | |
| 150 been, especially when it came to the dark haired woman. | |
| 151 Smiling to herself, Tomoyo again sipped at her tea. She had | |
| 152 wondered if Sakura would catch that. Setting down the tea cup, the | |
| 153 pale woman brushed some grass away from her long skirt. “She may have | |
| 154 my feet, but she definitely has Sakura-chan’s adorable ears.” Pausing | |
| 155 for a moment, Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, dark hair spilling | |
| 156 past her shoulder in a shadowy cascade. “And Sakura-chan’s nose. And | |
| 157 your sparkling emerald eyes, always so full of energy and | |
| 158 determination.” Sighing sweetly, Tomoyo placed a hand on her cheek. A | |
| 159 soft giggle escaped her lips as a slightly flustered Sakura continued | |
| 160 to watch her intently. Shifting on the blanket, the dark haired woman | |
| 161 felt her bare feet brush against the soft fabric. Tilting her head | |
| 162 back, Tomoyo brushed a long, dark pigtail over her shoulder. She | |
| 163 waited for Sakura to comment, but the brunette just waited, her hands | |
| 164 now on the blanket in front of her. Sighing to herself at the | |
| 165 gorgeous sight before her, Tomoyo almost forgot what had been on her | |
| 166 mind. Pale fingers reached out, gently playing with Sakura’s auburn | |
| 167 hair. The soft strands swayed at her touch, tickling playful fingers. | |
| 168 The shorter haired woman held her breath for a moment as Tomoyo | |
| 169 brushed through the luxurious hair. Her heart swelled happily as she | |
| 170 looked into the eyes of her genki wife. Her love for Sakura had only | |
| 171 grown stronger as the Cardmistress’s presence nurtured it. That train | |
| 172 of thought reminded her of the purpose of Sakura’s intent gaze, but | |
| 173 it could have easily been her touch that drew Sakura nearer. And | |
| 174 almost subconsciously, the brunette was getting ever closer. A | |
| 175 delicious warmth spread through Tomoyo’s soul despite the cool breeze | |
| 176 swirling around them. Her daughter’s company was always wonderful to | |
| 177 have, but time alone with Sakura was it’s own reward. “You haven’t | |
| 178 noticed? Bara-chan has been extra genki lately. And very dreamy.” She | |
| 179 paused, waiting for Sakura’s reaction. | |
| 180 “Un... I guess so. But what does that have to do with her heart?” | |
| 181 Sakura asked curiously, her own hand coming to a rest atop Tomoyo’s. | |
| 182 She could still feel Tomoyo’s fingers in her hair, moving through the | |
| 183 short hair slowly. The sensation was certainly a pleasant one as they | |
| 184 sat under the sinking sun. The Mistress of the Cards would have been | |
| 185 happy to simply bask in Tomoyo’s gentle touch, but her curiosity had | |
| 186 been piqued. Sakura herself had never been very good at reading | |
| 187 hearts, whether it be her own or someone else’s. But her nearly | |
| 188 constantly smiling wife could read hearts with an ease that had | |
| 189 always surprised Sakura. Tomoyo seemed to know them inside and out, | |
| 190 Sakura’s in specific. But the pale woman seemed to be able to read | |
| 191 her daughter equally as well. Sakura knew her daughter well, but | |
| 192 there were some things that slipped past her. She was glad that her | |
| 193 more perceptive wife always picked up on them. | |
| 194 “Bara-chan is making a teddy bear to give to someone very important | |
| 195 to her,” Tomoyo said simply, watching Sakura’s reaction. For a | |
| 196 moment, the auburn haired mage said nothing, emerald eyes sparkling | |
| 197 with their own inner radiance. Sakura looked as if she may be | |
| 198 dreaming, still drifting closer to the warmth of her wife’s embrace | |
| 199 as Tomoyo continued toying with her hair. After a long moment, the | |
| 200 jade orbs widened perceptibly, shock registering on Sakura’s pretty | |
| 201 face. | |
| 202 “A teddy bear..?” Sakura asked, trailing off. She shook her head | |
| 203 quickly, still holding Tomoyo’s hand to the side of her head. “But | |
| 204 she’s just... How can she be making one... She’s making a teddy bear | |
| 205 for the person she likes?” the surprised Cardmistress got out at | |
| 206 last. The dark haired woman nodded, still smiling sweetly. The fact | |
| 207 that Tomoyo didn’t seem fazed at all by this turn of events didn’t | |
| 208 immediately soothe Sakura’s frazzled nerves. After all, the lavender | |
| 209 haired businesswoman rarely seemed shaken by anything that didn’t | |
| 210 have to do with her. And even then, Tomoyo had hidden it from her for | |
| 211 the longest time whenever she would worry. Any arguments Sakura could | |
| 212 think of died before they made their way to her mouth. Age couldn’t | |
| 213 be a problem. Tomoyo had been in love with her since the third grade. | |
| 214 Sakura couldn’t even argue about Bara sewing because Tomoyo had been | |
| 215 teaching her how. Besides, even if Bara was accident prone, she never | |
| 216 seemed to have trouble with artistic endeavors. The fact that her | |
| 217 daughter was in love with someone wasn’t such a big deal, but she was | |
| 218 hit with the sudden realization that her baby girl wasn’t quite so | |
| 219 little anymore. “Hoe...” she got out weakly. | |
| 220 “Sakura-chan makes such a cute mother,” Tomoyo whispered softly as | |
| 221 she closed the remaining distance between herself and her still | |
| 222 bewildered wife. Her lips pressed lightly against Sakura’s, drawing | |
| 223 the brunette from her jumbled thoughts to a much more pressing here | |
| 224 and now. Tomoyo had known all about the teddy bear and had actually | |
| 225 been the one to tell Bara about the legend behind giving one to the | |
| 226 person you liked. She was even fairly confident that she knew the | |
| 227 focus of Bara’s attention. Of course, there would be time to explain | |
| 228 the intricacies to Sakura later on. For now it was much nicer to just | |
| 229 enjoy the distinct taste of Sakura’s kisses. Sakura apparently | |
| 230 thought so as well, her arms sliding around Tomoyo’s waist and | |
| 231 pulling her closer as their kiss deepened. Letting her eyes fall | |
| 232 closed, Tomoyo sighed inwardly. Love wrapped her heart like a heavy | |
| 233 quilt. Love spun her around, leaving her ever thirsty for more of | |
| 234 it’s intoxicating and endless depths. It was for this reason that she | |
| 235 was so pleased to see her daughter falling in love. Her love for | |
| 236 Sakura, and in later years Sakura’s love for her, had been life’s | |
| 237 greatest joy and deepest amazement. If her daughter could experience | |
| 238 that same warm and all encompassing feeling then it was with great | |
| 239 joy that she watched her growing into a beautiful young woman. | |
| 240 Curling up with Sakura on the blanket, the two women quickly lost | |
| 241 themselves to each other, lost to a deep and endless love that had | |
| 242 captured them both long ago. As the heavy sun began sinking beyond | |
| 243 the horizon, the two women continued to kiss, embracing warmly under | |
| 244 the darkening sky. | |
| 245 | |
| 246 Blushing at her parents’ sudden display of affection, Bara closed | |
| 247 the blinds to her window. She had been about to call down to Tomoyo | |
| 248 to thank her again for the materials for her teddy bear, but the | |
| 249 older woman looked like she had her mind on other things. Not that | |
| 250 Sakura was ever far from her mind. Deciding it might be best to thank | |
| 251 her mother later, the younger girl hurried to her bed. Surveying the | |
| 252 items on her bed, the materials all looked perfect for what she had | |
| 253 in mind. A beautiful peach and white cloth would make up the body of | |
| 254 the bear. A lavender bow would clad the small teddy bear when it was | |
| 255 finished while tiny little green orbs would make up the eyes. Tomoyo | |
| 256 had insisted upon that small touch. | |
| 257 “After all, if the one you like is going to name it after you, it | |
| 258 should have your eyes,” Tomoyo had said earlier. “That way, they will | |
| 259 always see you when they look into its eyes.” | |
| 260 Sitting on her bed next to the pile of supplies, the dark haired | |
| 261 girl pulled her legs up to her chest. The bear was already fully | |
| 262 assembled in her head, but she didn’t know where to start. Her heart | |
| 263 still beat in her chest like a swarm of angry honey bees, startling | |
| 264 her. She was a little embarrassed about making such an obvious | |
| 265 declaration of her feelings, but she knew it was what she wanted to | |
| 266 do. It was too difficult to not say anything at all. And this would | |
| 267 finally give her a chance to tell the person she liked how she felt. | |
| 268 She still wasn’t sure how they felt, but as long as she didn’t have | |
| 269 to hide her feelings anymore, it would be worth it. She hoped. | |
| 270 “I need the scissors,” Bara said, thinking aloud. Slipping off the | |
| 271 bed, the dark haired girl hurried out of her room, her mind already | |
| 272 two steps ahead of her body. When would she give her gift? What | |
| 273 should she say? Should she offer anything else with it? Too lost in | |
| 274 her own thoughts while on the way to her mothers’ room for the | |
| 275 supplies she needed, Bara didn’t see the little table in the hallway. | |
| 276 It had been there for nearly as long as she could remember, but she | |
| 277 simply wasn’t paying enough attention to notice it. Her bare foot | |
| 278 snagged the table leg, throwing her off balance as her forward | |
| 279 momentum kept her sailing forward. Arms pinwheeling, the pale girl | |
| 280 fell forward, the world seeming to tumble around her. A short yelp | |
| 281 escaped her lips before arms grasped her waist, keeping her from | |
| 282 falling face first into the floor. The situation not being very new | |
| 283 to the accident prone girl, she didn’t find herself very startled by | |
| 284 the whole situation. Smiling, she turned in the arms of her rescuer. | |
| 285 Moving in the tight embrace, she came face to face with herself. | |
| 286 Emerald green eyes looked at her in concern from underneath midnight | |
| 287 hair. Pale skin offset the darkness, pressed against Bara’s own pale | |
| 288 skin. “Mirra-chan!” Bara exclaimed happily. | |
| 289 The Sakura Card let out a sigh, slowly letting go of the | |
| 290 Cardmistress’s daughter. As usual, the dark haired girl hardly seemed | |
| 291 fazed by yet another accident she nearly got herself into. Mirror was | |
| 292 starting to wonder if the human girl cared at all about such trivial | |
| 293 things as pain or injuries. She tried to frown, but Bara’s smile was | |
| 294 contagious. She found herself returning it before too long. “You | |
| 295 really need to be more careful, Bara-chan. You’re cuter when you | |
| 296 aren’t all bruise covered,” she said quietly. | |
| 297 The two Baras looked at each other for a moment before the real one | |
| 298 giggled in reply. “But with you and mother and everyone around | |
| 299 there’s no reason to worry about it.” Turning back to the task at | |
| 300 hand, the pale girl began again towards her parents’ large room, | |
| 301 slipping lithely into the room through the half open door. | |
| 302 Emerald eyes began searching for what she needed, looking past a sea | |
| 303 of portraits and picture frames, labels and videotapes that were all | |
| 304 somehow in perfect order. Tomoyo’s large desk lay in one corner, | |
| 305 several costume designs and a half finished costume resting on top of | |
| 306 it. Some stuffed animals lay on the bed, all from Sakura’s | |
| 307 collection, which had grown in recent years even as she gave some of | |
| 308 her long held ones to Bara. One of the centerpieces to the group of | |
| 309 stuffed dolls was a little Sakura doll that Tomoyo had made for the | |
| 310 brunette back when they has still been children. The fabric was a | |
| 311 little frayed and it’s age was showing, but Sakura took it wherever | |
| 312 she went, and always held onto it when Tomoyo was gone on a business | |
| 313 trip. | |
| 314 A television lay in one corner of the room, obviously for Tomoyo to | |
| 315 view her tapes, even though she had a viewing room for such things | |
| 316 with a much better setup. Bara’s questing eyes finally came to a halt | |
| 317 on the desk. It looked like her mother had been busy at work on a | |
| 318 costume the night before, so all of the materials she needed were | |
| 319 there. Grabbing several of them, she turned to leave the room. | |
| 320 “I’ll carry that,” Mirror said quickly, taking the scissors from | |
| 321 Bara’s hands. The last thing she needed was for Bara to trip while | |
| 322 holding something like that. The midnight haired girl simply smiled | |
| 323 in gratitude as she headed back for her room. Following behind her, | |
| 324 the Sakura Card watched as the Cardmistress’s daughter sat back on | |
| 325 the bed. “What are you doing?” she asked curiously. | |
| 326 Looking up from the assortment of items she had gathered along with | |
| 327 those her mother had already lain out for her, Bara spotted Mirror in | |
| 328 the doorway. Smiling cutely, the dark haired girl shook her head | |
| 329 emphatically. “I can’t tell you. I’m making something, but it’s going | |
| 330 to be a surprise for someone.” She turned back to the items, shifting | |
| 331 through them. After a second, she walked over to a still confused | |
| 332 Mirror and took the scissors slowly from her hand. “I’ll tell you all | |
| 333 about it later,” she said reassuringly. | |
| 334 Mirror sighed as Bara returned to the bed. “Why can’t you tell me | |
| 335 now? You know I won’t tell anyone. It will just be our secret.” The | |
| 336 Sakura Card tried to catch Bara’s gaze as she herself reached the | |
| 337 bed. Her own eyes tried to lock onto Bara’s jade eyes, but the human | |
| 338 girl seemed intent on her thoughts. Shifting to her normal form for a | |
| 339 brief second, the magical creature quickly returned to being Bara’s | |
| 340 lookalike. Something she had learned over time was that it was easier | |
| 341 for someone to trust themselves than to trust anyone else. This | |
| 342 helped her at times because she could be them. It was, in a sense, as | |
| 343 if they were looking into a mirror. Unfortunately, this trick rarely | |
| 344 seemed to work on the Cardmistress’s daughter. Bara generally trusted | |
| 345 her with most things as it was. But when the dark haired girl wanted | |
| 346 to keep something from her, it was very difficult to drag it out. | |
| 347 Tilting her head to the side in thought, Bara paused for a moment. | |
| 348 “Well, mother, for one. Maybe Flower. Oh, and uncle Touya if he stops | |
| 349 by. Am I missing anyone?” Smiling sweetly, the magical girl finally | |
| 350 turned her gaze back to the Sakura Card. She liked to tease her | |
| 351 friend from time to time. Mirror got riled up so easily. Never did | |
| 352 her teasing get mean spirited, but she did like to see how Mirror | |
| 353 reacted. The midnight haired girl already knew that she wouldn’t be | |
| 354 telling her friend about what she was making anyway. So she was only | |
| 355 having some fun while Mirror was continuing to be stubborn. Besides, | |
| 356 Bara’s mind was already busy trying to decide exactly how she wanted | |
| 357 the teddy bear to end up. But the image she had in her mind slowly | |
| 358 faded away. ‘I can’t force it. Just like mother’s costume designs and | |
| 359 her videotape. You have to let things flow on their own, to see where | |
| 360 they take you.’ Her hands gently trailed over the cloth. ‘There’s a | |
| 361 teddy bear in here and she wants to come out. I’m just going to help | |
| 362 her. How she comes out is up to her,’ she thought to herself, a small | |
| 363 smile spreading across her lips. An important lesson that she had | |
| 364 learned from her mother was not to force things. Bara had learned | |
| 365 that after coming to Tomoyo with tears in her eyes over an accident | |
| 366 she had while painting. Her inspiration had been nonexistent and when | |
| 367 she had tried to finish a painting she had started several days | |
| 368 before, it wound up being ruined. Tomoyo had held onto her and | |
| 369 brushed back her shorter, dark hair, whispering softly. She had | |
| 370 explained to Bara that forcing things didn’t let them grow as they | |
| 371 wanted to, and it forced them to be a certain way. To bring them out, | |
| 372 to truly see them for what they were, they had to be nurtured and | |
| 373 loved. It was a lesson that Bara saw in many aspects of life. Whether | |
| 374 it be painting or videotaping or falling in love. It was still | |
| 375 difficult sometimes to banish a finished mental image from her mind, | |
| 376 but she was much happier with how things turned out. | |
| 377 Unaware that Bara was deep in thought, Mirror found herself | |
| 378 blushing deeply. She had indeed had a crush on Touya long ago. And | |
| 379 she was still delighted to see him whenever he stopped by to visit | |
| 380 his little sister and her wife. But that hardly mattered. He had | |
| 381 Yukito, after all. And she was only a Card as it was, so it couldn’t | |
| 382 have worked out between them, even if Touya had returned her | |
| 383 feelings. A sigh escaped her lips as she let her eyes slip closed. | |
| 384 Still, did Bara have to keep teasing her about it? It had been a | |
| 385 lifetime before. Bara hadn’t even been born back then. But Tomoyo had | |
| 386 to be right about one thing. There was definitely something cute | |
| 387 about those ears. For some time now, she had continually noticed how | |
| 388 Bara’s were the same. The cute little ears jutted out of short, black | |
| 389 hair in the same way that Sakura’s did. Mirror had found it quite an | |
| 390 endearing aspect of her friend. And it certainly added to Bara’s | |
| 391 already considerable cuteness. Shaking her head and attempting to | |
| 392 banish the blush, Mirror replied. “You know I wouldn’t tell any of | |
| 393 them. Even Touya-san.” | |
| 394 “I know,” Bara answered simply, emerald eyes glittering as she | |
| 395 looked up from her thoughts. Pale fingers brushed dark hair away from | |
| 396 her jade orbs. “But I still can’t tell you. You’ll find out sooner or | |
| 397 later. You always do.” Winking at the Sakura Card, the pale girl | |
| 398 giggled. “So just be patient.” | |
| 399 “If you say so, Bara-chan,” Mirror said in defeat. She knew it was | |
| 400 pointless to continue arguing to be told. Much like Tomoyo, Bara | |
| 401 could keep a very tight lip about such things. Even if she didn’t | |
| 402 want to wait to find out what her friend was up to, it didn’t seem | |
| 403 like she had a choice. Sitting on the bed, the Sakura Card watched | |
| 404 the pale girl continue to dreamily go over ideas in her head. | |
| 405 Blushing a bit from the direction her thoughts were headed about | |
| 406 giving her teddy bear to the one she loved, Bara quickly shook her | |
| 407 head. “Ano... I think you should probably go for now, Mira-chan. I | |
| 408 need to get started on this.” Hopping off of the bed, Bara put her | |
| 409 hands on the Sakura Card’s back, gently pushing her mirror image | |
| 410 towards the door. “If you stay, I’ll get distracted and then I’ll | |
| 411 never finish up. And if I don’t ever finish, you’ll never find out | |
| 412 what it is.” Smiling sweetly, the Cardmistress’s daughter closed the | |
| 413 door. | |
| 414 Mirror blinked as she found herself outside of Bara’s room. What | |
| 415 had just happened? “Well, I guess. But I hope it won’t take too | |
| 416 long,” Mirror said through the door, pressing her ear up against it | |
| 417 as she waited for a reply. Curiosity gnawed at her magical core. She | |
| 418 couldn’t begin to guess what her human best friend was up to, and the | |
| 419 dark haired girl’s strange behavior was only strengthening her desire | |
| 420 to know what Bara was up to. She could hear movement on the other | |
| 421 side of the door, strange noises that met her ears as she tried to | |
| 422 discern them. Just what was the slightly eccentric girl doing? | |
| 423 Pushing the side of her face against the door, she strained to make | |
| 424 out what was happening. Suddenly, the door fell away from her and she | |
| 425 nearly came crashing to the ground. Pinwheeling, the Card barely | |
| 426 regained her balance in Bara’s doorway. She looked up to see Bara | |
| 427 smiling at her. | |
| 428 “Well, the sooner you stop listening in, the sooner I can start. | |
| 429 Honestly, Mira-chan, how can I ever do anything surprising if you | |
| 430 won’t let me hide a few things from you now and then?” the pale girl | |
| 431 gently chided, tucking some strands of black hair behind her ear. She | |
| 432 could only smile at the childish look of embarrassment flashing | |
| 433 across Mirror’s face, an exact copy of her own face. Did she really | |
| 434 look like that when she was caught embarrassed? The fact that Mirror | |
| 435 often looked like her wasn’t at all awkward for her. She had actually | |
| 436 grown accustomed to seeing that pale face and dark hair greeting her | |
| 437 when she saw her best friend. Like looking into an actual mirror, she | |
| 438 could always see herself in it, but unlike those constructs of glass, | |
| 439 she could see the girl underneath her visage. Mirror was always her | |
| 440 Mira-chan, no matter what she looked like. The Sakura Card looked | |
| 441 very lovely in her normal form, very formal with pretty pale green | |
| 442 hair, but she didn’t get to see Mirror like that very often. It was a | |
| 443 shame, but Bara didn’t mind very much. It didn’t matter how Mirror | |
| 444 looked so long as she was there. “Now scoot,” she commanded, putting | |
| 445 on as serious a look as her near giggly heart could allow. It came | |
| 446 out sounding silly, even to her. She placed her hands on her hips and | |
| 447 gave Mirror a mock stern look before bursting out laughing. Mirror | |
| 448 joined her a second later, forgetting her earlier embarrassment. | |
| 449 “I can’t let you hide things from me,” Mirror said after they both | |
| 450 regained some measure of composure. “Because I’m you.” Striking her | |
| 451 best imitation of the young heiress, she watched the human girl. That | |
| 452 was what she was after all, a reflection. She had been created to be | |
| 453 a mirror, to reflect things back. She was more comfortable looking | |
| 454 like Bara than she was looking like herself. It was easier for her | |
| 455 that way, to assume someone else’s identity, to simply reflect what | |
| 456 she saw. And she could think of no one she would rather be a | |
| 457 reflection of than the Cardmistress’s daughter. Bara’s shimmering | |
| 458 spirit and sweet nature made her a perfect choice for Mirror’s new | |
| 459 guise. She had spent more time as the dark haired girl’s twin over | |
| 460 the past few years than she had as herself. And that’s the way she | |
| 461 liked it. “So it’s not fair if you know things about you that I | |
| 462 don’t,” Mirror argued. | |
| 463 “Nice try, Mira-chan. I’ll see you in a bit.” The pale girl gave | |
| 464 her magically created friend a quick hug before once again closing | |
| 465 the door. She waved to her slowly before it closed shut. Pressing her | |
| 466 own ear against the door, she waited until she heard the Sakura Card | |
| 467 walking away before hurrying back to her bed. Her heart fluttered in | |
| 468 her chest like a hummingbird, her jade eyes flashing with | |
| 469 determination to finish her teddy bear as quickly as possible. Pale | |
| 470 fingers began sifting through the materials spread out on her bed, | |
| 471 shaking in their eagerness. The young girl had to force herself to | |
| 472 slow down, lest she make any mistakes with her new little friend. The | |
| 473 teddy bear should be perfect after all. Her heart’s desire deserved | |
| 474 nothing less. Humming softly to herself, the pale waif started her | |
| 475 work. | |
| 476 | |
| 477 “Hoe...” a flustered voice rang through the spacious wardrobe room | |
| 478 that Tomoyo had insisted on having when the house had been built. It | |
| 479 was right across the hallway from Sakura’s Magician’s Workshop, | |
| 480 another room Tomoyo had decided on having. The whole house was almost | |
| 481 dreamy, very beautiful and elegant yet with an almost absurdly cute | |
| 482 feel to things. It lingered in the background, never entirely | |
| 483 prominent but there just the same. And it was in Tomoyo’s wardrobe | |
| 484 room, or rather, Sakura’s wardrobe room as the costumes inside all | |
| 485 fit her snugly, that the two childhood friends once again found | |
| 486 themselves. “Isn’t it a bit...” Sakura trailed off, at a loss for | |
| 487 words. Here she was, a grown woman, and Tomoyo could still get her | |
| 488 into crazy costumes with little more than a few words. Her cheeks | |
| 489 flushed as she looked down at the outfit she was wearing this time. | |
| 490 She wore a man’s suit and tie, a very dressy outfit. The polished | |
| 491 white and black shoes shown back up at her. She would think Tomoyo | |
| 492 had gone shopping in the men’s section on accident if it weren’t for | |
| 493 the fact that it fit her measurements exactly. | |
| 494 “Handsome? I certainly think so,” Tomoyo put in, finished Sakura’s | |
| 495 sentence in a way Sakura herself wasn’t likely to have. Reaching | |
| 496 forward, the lavender haired businesswoman readjusted Sakura’s white | |
| 497 dress shirt. “There. See? I think children will love this design for | |
| 498 the Kenji doll. He’s handsome and dashing with just a touch of | |
| 499 innocent vulnerability in him. It’s a nice outfit for if he’s going | |
| 500 out on a date with one of our other dolls or if he’s just going out | |
| 501 for a night at the theater.” Smiling happily, Tomoyo was in her | |
| 502 element. Dressing up Sakura and working out new designs. Turning her | |
| 503 shy wife around, the eccentric woman sighed contentedly. Yes, this | |
| 504 was exactly what she lived for. “After this, you can try on the two | |
| 505 new designs we have for the Hanako doll.” | |
| 506 “Ano... Tomoyo, do you really have to make life-size versions of | |
| 507 all the costumes you design for the toys?” Sakura asked as her | |
| 508 lovably obsessive wife fixed the costume here and there on her. | |
| 509 “Yes, of course. Because it makes a much better impact if I can | |
| 510 have Sakura-chan sport our new designs at the meetings before they go | |
| 511 into production. Seeing you walk around the room like a model | |
| 512 showcasing the new designs is always much better than simply showing | |
| 513 the costumes for our dolls on paper,” Tomoyo explained, turning | |
| 514 Sakura so that the auburn haired woman faced the camcorder on it’s | |
| 515 tripod more directly. | |
| 516 “But Tomoyo-chan, you’re the president of the company. You don’t | |
| 517 need to sell everyone on the designs.” Sakura sweatdropped as she | |
| 518 looked over at the camcorder. Even after over a decade of marriage, | |
| 519 the lavender haired woman still managed to confuse Sakura at times. | |
| 520 But it was always a sweet confusion that didn’t generally last long. | |
| 521 Tomoyo’s motives were, after all, beautifully simplistic. | |
| 522 “It makes the meetings much more fun if Sakura-chan’s dressed up | |
| 523 like our new products,” Tomoyo added, smiling her trademark smile as | |
| 524 she looked at the brunette. Sakura simply watched her as she | |
| 525 readjusted the camcorder. Her long, dark hair was done up in a high | |
| 526 ponytail now, draped down over one shoulder. That had always been her | |
| 527 ulterior motive, but it had been one that served her well. She liked | |
| 528 designing, but she found that Sakura was always at the root of her | |
| 529 inspiration. Working for her mother and later taking over the | |
| 530 Daidouji Toys company, she had to design for many of the toys the | |
| 531 company produced. It was fun to work on them, but she much preferred | |
| 532 to be designing costumes and outfits for her beloved Sakura. She had | |
| 533 found a way around this by making life-size versions of her designs | |
| 534 for Sakura to traipse around in for her. This allowed her to design | |
| 535 for the brunette even while she was working on dolls and their | |
| 536 wardrobe. Besides, who could resist seeing Sakura wearing her | |
| 537 company’s newest designs at important meetings? | |
| 538 Sighing in defeat, Sakura’s shoulders slumped. Wasn’t this the way | |
| 539 things had always worked? No matter how embarrassingly cute the | |
| 540 design, Sakura had always wound up wearing whatever Tomoyo made for | |
| 541 her. How could she not when the lavender haired woman had poured so | |
| 542 much of her love and effort into creating these beautiful clothes for | |
| 543 Sakura? Even as she stood in the man’s clothes for the Kenji doll, | |
| 544 the Mistress of the Cards knew that she did enjoy the attention | |
| 545 Tomoyo blanketed her with. Her mother had been a famous model, but | |
| 546 Sakura was Tomoyo’s model alone. And that was the way she liked it. | |
| 547 Sure, it was embarrassing. Sure, Tomoyo had some bizarre designs and | |
| 548 things that Sakura would never wear without a promise that the | |
| 549 videotape of her in such things would never be viewed by anyone but | |
| 550 her wife. But it was simply part of life with Tomoyo. Who else would | |
| 551 treat her like a movie star? Who else would give her all the | |
| 552 attention in the world? Who else could love her the way Tomoyo did? | |
| 553 “Besides, Sakura is very handsome like this,” Tomoyo stated, | |
| 554 placing her hands on Sakura’s shoulders. Her stormy blue eyes gazed | |
| 555 lovingly into their emerald partners, sending a spark through her | |
| 556 that had only grown stronger and more acute as the years had gone by. | |
| 557 It always thrilled her to dress Sakura up in all manner of clothing | |
| 558 and styles, eager to see how her energetic wife would look in them | |
| 559 all. It was like having her own live KiSS doll. The lavender haired | |
| 560 woman’s hobbies were very much centered around the one she loved. Her | |
| 561 videotaping was always of Sakura, her costume designs were made | |
| 562 specifically for her wife, and her singing was for the one she loved. | |
| 563 But what better way to spend her free time than with her beautiful | |
| 564 wife, no matter what they did? Her hands squeezed Sakura’s shoulders | |
| 565 slightly, delighting at the feel of Sakura underneath her fingertips. | |
| 566 Sakura looked nearly as cute in men’s clothes as she did in women’s | |
| 567 clothes. Even if it wasn’t as lacy or as frilly as Tomoyo would like, | |
| 568 it was still her gorgeous Sakura. And she pulled off the dress suit | |
| 569 perfectly. Though it helped that Tomoyo had designed it with Sakura | |
| 570 in mind. | |
| 571 Sakura blushed at Tomoyo’s compliment, her eyes unable to escape | |
| 572 that azure gaze. Her hands slowly went to Tomoyo’s slender waist. | |
| 573 “Arigato, Tomoyo... You’re gorgeous,” Sakura breathed quietly as she | |
| 574 raised on of her hands up to the lavender haired woman’s snow white | |
| 575 cheek. The pale skin was offset wonderfully by the cascade of dark | |
| 576 hair down her shoulder. That long ponytail hung between them as the | |
| 577 two women inched closer. The Mistress of the Cards had the | |
| 578 overwhelming urge to ask Tomoyo to dance. They were surrounded by | |
| 579 racks of costumes and mannequins sporting some of Sakura’s old battle | |
| 580 costumes, but even in the quiet room it seemed like an excellent | |
| 581 idea. “Will you dance with me, Tomoyo?” Sakura asked at last, unable | |
| 582 to find a single reason not to. It felt a little strange to still be | |
| 583 in the awkward clothes Tomoyo had given her to wear, but it clung to | |
| 584 her perfectly, showcasing her wife’s talent for costume design. | |
| 585 “I would love to, Sakura,” Tomoyo whispered in reply, smiling | |
| 586 brilliantly. Leaning ever closer, her petal soft lips brushed | |
| 587 Sakura’s. Her heart ached longingly as their lips touched again, | |
| 588 longer this time. These little touches of heaven were pure bliss to | |
| 589 the lavender haired businesswoman. They were like the sweetest of | |
| 590 dreams brought magically to life. This was the magic she saw in a | |
| 591 life with Sakura. It wasn’t the Cards or any of the power Sakura had. | |
| 592 It was the brunette’s ability to bring out a sheer, unadulterated joy | |
| 593 inside of her. It was the warmth that shivered through her heart as | |
| 594 it waited bedecked with ribbons and lace for Sakura to simply hold it | |
| 595 close. Dancing with Sakura anywhere sounded like a wondrous idea, but | |
| 596 dancing with her among the flurry of cute and dreamlike costumes felt | |
| 597 like a trip through some distant wonderland. And her trusty camcorder | |
| 598 was set up to record the glorious moment. Tomoyo sighed rapturously | |
| 599 as their lips slowly parted, both women reluctant to end the kiss. | |
| 600 But there would be many more. There always were. | |
| 601 Drawn forward as if by a magnet, the dazed Sakura barely stopped | |
| 602 herself before initiating another long kiss. Shaking her head, she | |
| 603 tried to think coherently, but thought was rendered all but | |
| 604 impossible as the lavender haired woman caught her near kiss and | |
| 605 returned it with her own. Holding onto Tomoyo, Sakura felt feather | |
| 606 soft lips deliciously meeting her own. The fairy tale kiss came to a | |
| 607 slow end after Sakura got a taste of Tomoyo’s tongue in her mouth. | |
| 608 Her own tongue tried to follow Tomoyo’s, but her wife had already | |
| 609 begun to pull away. Still leaning forward, Sakura blushed as she felt | |
| 610 the lavender haired woman’s lips around the tip of her tongue. They | |
| 611 stayed that way for a moment, Tomoyo sliding closer for another | |
| 612 simmering kiss before pulling away once more. Slowly remembering | |
| 613 where she was and the promised dance that awaited them, a dreamy | |
| 614 Sakura pulled out a pink Card and twirled it between her fingers. | |
| 615 “Song! Please give us some music to dance to!” The Sakura Card | |
| 616 flashed and music slowly began to filter through the room, Tomoyo’s | |
| 617 voice singing softly with the music. The Song Card had long ago | |
| 618 chosen Tomoyo’s voice for the one it would use, just as the Voice | |
| 619 Card had sought her out as the most beautiful voice it could find. | |
| 620 And Sakura certainly agreed with the both of them. Hearing Tomoyo’s | |
| 621 voice sing to the both of them, the two woman slowly began to dance | |
| 622 through the costumes. “Hanyaan,” Sakura whispered. | |
| 623 | |
| 624 “So okaa-sama couldn’t have caught it without you?” Bara asked | |
| 625 curiously as she flipped through the Book of Sakura. Several of the | |
| 626 Cards were elsewhere at the moment, such as Mirror and Song, but the | |
| 627 majority of the pink Sakura Cards were in their matching book. Bara | |
| 628 was currently looking through the Cards, trying to get a feel for | |
| 629 them. She was leaning absentmindedly against the upstairs railing, | |
| 630 overlooking the large entrance hall to the house. While sifting | |
| 631 through the Cards, she was listening to Kero’s stories about his | |
| 632 adventures during her mother’s days of card capturing. His stories | |
| 633 weren’t always entirely factual as Tomoyo’s videos had shown when | |
| 634 Bara watched them after listening to the Seal Beast, but she loved to | |
| 635 hear them all the same. Magic fascinated her and she always yearned | |
| 636 to find out more about it. | |
| 637 “You got it, kid. Had I not been there, we might not be standing | |
| 638 here today havin’ this little chat.” Kero nodded, his arms crossed. | |
| 639 He was standing on the railing, recounting his tales of wonder to | |
| 640 Sakura’s daughter. At least the dark haired girl appreciated him. | |
| 641 Sakura had never quite believed in how truly amazing he was. The kid, | |
| 642 on the other hand, would hang onto his every word. It had been a | |
| 643 mighty good thing that Sakura and Tomoyo had gotten hitched after | |
| 644 all. He was finally getting some appreciation. | |
| 645 “Then I’m sure Tomoyo-mama must have thanked you many times over | |
| 646 for saving Sakura-mama.” Smiling, Bara continued to flip through the | |
| 647 Cards, trying to feel them with her own slowly growing magic. It was | |
| 648 difficult for her, but she was pleased to see that she was making | |
| 649 some progress. Her left foot moved about playfully behind her. She | |
| 650 had finished the teddy bear a short time ago and now all she had to | |
| 651 do was wait for a good opportunity to give it to her special someone. | |
| 652 These things needed to be planned carefully if they were to come out | |
| 653 perfectly. One wouldn’t want to give something important like a teddy | |
| 654 bear to their true love during an inconsequential moment. So while | |
| 655 she waited for inspiration to strike on how to go about giving away | |
| 656 her heart in the guise of a trussed up bear, she spent some time with | |
| 657 the Seal Beast, gleaning up on her knowledge of the Sakura Cards. Her | |
| 658 mother didn’t really mind when she borrowed the Sakura Book to look | |
| 659 through the Cards, so she tried to go through them when she could. | |
| 660 The Cards were all so amazing to the pale girl. Her best friend was | |
| 661 one of them as well. They all had such neat things they could do and | |
| 662 they all had their own distinct personalities. Some had become good | |
| 663 friends, like Mirror and Flower, others seemed rather mischievous | |
| 664 like Jump, and some had an air of respect about them that had Bara | |
| 665 bowing whenever in their presence, as was the case with Dark and | |
| 666 Light. And the Seal Beast was just funny. She always enjoyed Kero’s | |
| 667 company. | |
| 668 “Yep! She made such a delicious cake as a thank you...” Kero sighed | |
| 669 dreamily, remembering the cake Tomoyo had made in more detail than he | |
| 670 could remember the actual event in question. “Hey, let’s ask Tomoyo- | |
| 671 chan to bake a nice big dessert for everybody when we finally find | |
| 672 her. If this place wasn’t so big, I’d go look for her right now. As | |
| 673 it is, I’d probably get lost and starve to death.” The Seal Beast | |
| 674 looked down at his stomach, putting both hands on it. “I’m already | |
| 675 wasting away.” | |
| 676 “I’ll bake you something if you want, Kero-chan,” Bara offered, | |
| 677 looking over to the flying teddy bear. She idly wondered if she | |
| 678 should have based her teddy bear off of the Seal Beast, but decided | |
| 679 she was happier having something original. It felt more from the | |
| 680 heart that way. Besides, no stuffed animal could take Kero’s place. | |
| 681 “Would you?” Kero’s eyes sparkled as he flew up next to the dark | |
| 682 haired girl. Yes, this was definitely Tomoyo’s daughter. “Wai!! Wai!! | |
| 683 Arigato, Bara-chan!!” Visions of cakes and sweets encircled his head | |
| 684 while he alighted next to the young heiress’s elbow. | |
| 685 Giggling at Kero’s enthusiasm, Bara nodded quickly. “Un, Kero-chan. | |
| 686 It sounds like fun.” There were very few instances when Kero wasn’t | |
| 687 hungry and this didn’t appear to be one of them. The dark haired girl | |
| 688 had plenty of time to waste as it was and if the Seal Beast was | |
| 689 hungry, she was more than happy to cook for him. He was always very | |
| 690 complimentary about such things, so she didn’t have to worry overtly | |
| 691 about ruining a recipe while she was at it. Besides, cooking was an | |
| 692 art form in itself. So with enough patience, it could be a very | |
| 693 lovely thing. Bara enjoyed cooking nearly as much as she enjoyed | |
| 694 painting. They had a chef for such things, if they so needed it, but | |
| 695 Tomoyo and Sakura often cooked dinner together, and Bara had learned | |
| 696 from the two of them. She was slowly making her way through some of | |
| 697 the cookbooks in the kitchen along with Kero, though she needed | |
| 698 Tomoyo’s help with some of the trickier recipes. | |
| 699 Looking over at the Seal Beast with a smile, she didn’t notice as | |
| 700 the Sakura Book began slipping in her grasp. She barely looked back | |
| 701 in time to see it tumble end over end through space as it plummeted | |
| 702 to the floor below. | |
| 703 “Owww!!” sounded rather than the thud Bara had been waiting for. | |
| 704 Peering over the railing, Bara spotted Mirror sitting on the floor, | |
| 705 rubbing her head, the Sakura Book lying next to her. “Gomen nasai, | |
| 706 Mira-chan!” The dark haired girl darted down the stairs, nearly | |
| 707 tumbling down herself if not for Kero’s grip on her blouse as she | |
| 708 missed a step. Stumbling forward, she didn’t miss a beat as she | |
| 709 hurried to her injured friend’s side. “I’m so sorry, Mira-chan! It | |
| 710 just kinda... fell.” Sweatdropping, the pale heiress bowed | |
| 711 apologetically. “Daijoubu?” | |
| 712 One of the only real downsides to being the sweet, genki young | |
| 713 girl’s best friend was that it seemed her accident proneness had | |
| 714 targeted Mirror as well. As if it wasn’t enough that the pale girl | |
| 715 was always getting herself hurt, it always turned out that she | |
| 716 somehow managed to get Mirror hurt as well. It was as if Fate was | |
| 717 aiming at the poor girl and anyone who got near her. But even then, | |
| 718 the Sakura Card couldn’t imagine giving up her cherished friendship | |
| 719 with the girl for anything. Sighing, she continued to rub her own | |
| 720 dark hair, still a mirror image of Bara Daidouji. “I’m fine. Just a | |
| 721 little dazed. I didn’t expect it to start raining books today.” | |
| 722 “Awww... Gomen, Mira-chan.” Bending over, the pale girl kissed the | |
| 723 spot on Mirror’s head that the Sakura Card had been rubbing. Like a | |
| 724 mother kissing away some phantom pain, she gently pressed her lips | |
| 725 into Mirror’s soft, black hair. She didn’t know if it would do any | |
| 726 good, but it had always comforted her when she was younger, and the | |
| 727 gesture itself always made her feel better. Pulling away, she knelt | |
| 728 next to the fallen Sakura Card, hugging her pale legs to her chest. | |
| 729 She smiled softly at her friend, watching and waiting to see if she | |
| 730 was still in pain. | |
| 731 Blushing, Mirror looked down as Bara sat next to her. For a long | |
| 732 moment, she was silent. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Bara was so | |
| 733 accident prone after all. If that was what she had to look forward to | |
| 734 when she got hurt, it might be worthwhile just to stumble around | |
| 735 blindly and see what happened. The dark haired girl had a very | |
| 736 gentle, loving touch and it shined through in everything she did. The | |
| 737 Cards had all quickly come to love their Mistress’s daughter, keeping | |
| 738 an eye out for her. That was probably the main reason Bara hadn’t | |
| 739 been hurt any worse than she already had over the years. The | |
| 740 embarrassment quickly melted away as Mirror’s eyes shot up eagerly. | |
| 741 “Oh, are you finished yet with whatever it was you were doing? Can | |
| 742 you tell me now?” | |
| 743 Bara giggled and hugged her legs tighter. “Yes, I’m finished with | |
| 744 it. No, I can’t tell you yet.” Letting go of her legs, the heiress | |
| 745 crawled over to Mirror and whispered in her ear so Kero wouldn’t | |
| 746 here. She knew how much he liked to be on the inside of everything. | |
| 747 “I can’t say now, but meet me in the garden tonight at nine. I’ll | |
| 748 explain everything then.” Standing up slowly, the pale girl smoothed | |
| 749 out her long skirt and smiled. “See you then, Mira-chan!” | |
| 750 Blushing once more from Bara’s cute whisper ringing through her | |
| 751 ear, Mirror nodded, now more confused than ever. What was she making? | |
| 752 Why was it so big a deal that she couldn’t simply tell her now? Well, | |
| 753 many things seemed like a big deal to the dark haired girl. Even | |
| 754 small things held a great deal of importance to her. So it didn’t | |
| 755 necessarily mean this was any different. But still, she couldn’t help | |
| 756 but wonder just what this was all about. | |
| 757 “What were you doing? And what are you two talking about?” Kero | |
| 758 demanded, disappointed about being left out of whatever this whole | |
| 759 thing was. | |
| 760 “Come on, Kero-chan. You can decide what we bake,” Bara coaxed, | |
| 761 already on her way to the kitchen. | |
| 762 The Seal Beast fell in with the younger girl, all previous thoughts | |
| 763 replaced with the goodies of what was to come. | |
| 764 Mirror sighed as she watched the two disappear around a corner. | |
| 765 “Bara-chan...” | |
| 766 | |
| 767 Mirror paced nervously in the darkened garden as time slowly ticked | |
| 768 away in her head. There were plenty of lights out in the garden that | |
| 769 could be turned out if someone were so inclined to take a midnight | |
| 770 stroll or to have a late picnic, but aside from the lights of the | |
| 771 mansion, it was dark at the moment. The flustered Sakura Card | |
| 772 couldn’t even understand why she was so nervous. Bara was simply | |
| 773 going to explain whatever it was she had been doing earlier. From the | |
| 774 looks of things, she was probably sewing a yukata or something for | |
| 775 school. But then, maybe she could see the midnight haired girl in it. | |
| 776 That would be a sight to behold in and of itself. Just the same, | |
| 777 Mirror couldn’t completely set her anxiety aside. Bara was treating | |
| 778 this all like some special secret that she was enjoying far too much. | |
| 779 When this all turned out to be nothing more than some school | |
| 780 project... The green haired magical being knew that she should most | |
| 781 likely be in her Card form at the moment, back with the other Sakura | |
| 782 Cards, but she had to know that Bara was so excited about. Her best | |
| 783 friend was a real mystery at times. | |
| 784 A sound from up above tore Mirror from her thoughts. Shifting back | |
| 785 to a reflection of Bara, she watched up above and listened for the | |
| 786 sound to return. A small figure haltingly crawled out of one of the | |
| 787 windows, stepping out onto a nearby tree branch. Mirror could barely | |
| 788 make out the pale girl in the dim moonlight, it’s pale glow | |
| 789 illuminating her faintly. Hurrying over to the tree, the Sakura Card | |
| 790 looked up and tried to spot her Mistress’s daughter. “Bara-chan?” she | |
| 791 called out. | |
| 792 “Shh... I’ll be right down,” came Bara’s whispered reply. The dark | |
| 793 haired girl stepped down to another branch, being careful not to snag | |
| 794 her dress on the tree. Bit by bit, she made her way down the tree. | |
| 795 Nearing the last few branches, she reached out with her foot for the | |
| 796 last one and missed. Losing he footing, the pale girl careened out of | |
| 797 the tree. | |
| 798 Mirror’s eyes went wide as she saw the shape of her best friend | |
| 799 drop out of the tree. Bolting under her, she tried to catch the | |
| 800 falling star, but did little more than break Bara’s fall. Collapsed | |
| 801 under the heiress’s slender weight, Mirror sighed, spitting out some | |
| 802 grass. “You’re going to be the death of me, Bara-chan.” | |
| 803 The pale girl giggled softly as she helped her magical friend back | |
| 804 to her feet. “Gomen nasai, Mira-chan. I’ll try to be more careful. | |
| 805 Thank you for saving me.” Bowing, she glanced up to see Mirror | |
| 806 watching her. Smiling at the Sakura Card, Bara stood up. Her hair in | |
| 807 slight disarray looked like the faintest of shadows, the first | |
| 808 touches of midnight gripping the sleeping world. Her alabaster skin | |
| 809 seemed to sparkle like freshly fallen snow in the dim moonlight. She | |
| 810 wore a stunning ice blue dress that flowed down to her ankles. Her | |
| 811 ears were adorned with two cute teardrop earrings. Slender shoes clad | |
| 812 her delicate little feet while white stockings disappeared underneath | |
| 813 the dress. She held a small pink sack that was drawn closed with some | |
| 814 pull strings. It was all slightly messy from her fall, little blades | |
| 815 of grass here and there and what looked like a leaf stuck in her | |
| 816 hair, but she looked altogether gorgeous nonetheless. | |
| 817 Shaking her head, Mirror tried to find herself, but couldn’t help | |
| 818 but stare in astonishment at the Cardmistress’s stunning daughter. | |
| 819 The small girl was always beautiful, but that night she looked simply | |
| 820 angelic. “It was my pleasure. I’m just glad you’re all right, Bara- | |
| 821 chan. I don’t know what I’d do if you were hurt. I’d be a broken | |
| 822 mirror. It wouldn’t be worth going on if I couldn’t reflect your | |
| 823 beautiful image ever day.” She smiled when the pale girl giggled | |
| 824 softly and hugged her. She returned the hug, the two carbon copy | |
| 825 girls holding each other underneath the moonlit. They stayed that way | |
| 826 for a long time, the cool breeze playing with dark tendrils of black | |
| 827 hair, moonlight shimmering over them. Bara was like a falling star, | |
| 828 carrying her own inner light that cascaded through the darkness. Oh, | |
| 829 and she fell a lot. But Mirror wasn’t about to mention that. It was | |
| 830 nice to simply stand there, hugging the other girl while the night | |
| 831 enveloped them. The pale girl’s steady breathing lulled Mirror into a | |
| 832 peaceful silence. For a moment, she thought that Sakura’s daughter | |
| 833 had fallen asleep in her arms, but Bara slowly stirred and took a | |
| 834 step back. | |
| 835 “This is for you, Mira-chan,” Bara said, smiling cutely. She held | |
| 836 out the small pink bag hopefully, trying to keep her own nervousness | |
| 837 from showing. She didn’t want to pressure Mirror with concern for how | |
| 838 she herself would feel. She simply wanted to express her feelings in | |
| 839 the best way she knew how. As the confused Sakura Card slowly took | |
| 840 the bag, Bara felt as if she were handing over all of her hopes and | |
| 841 dreams in the small sack. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a | |
| 842 cloud of butterflies, yet she continued to smile as best she could. | |
| 843 It was like waiting to see what someone thought of one of her | |
| 844 paintings, only infinitely worse. This time there was a lot more | |
| 845 involved than a simple piece of artwork. Crafted with such care and | |
| 846 love, she could only hope her gift would be given a good home. But it | |
| 847 was more than the gift itself. Wasn’t it her heart in that bag? It | |
| 848 had simply taken the shape of a bear for the night. It’s Fate now | |
| 849 rested in Mirror’s hands. | |
| 850 Looking at Bara and then back at the bag, Mirror began to undo the | |
| 851 pull strings on the pink bundle. She was surprised to see her hands | |
| 852 shaking. She could never remember being this nervous, not even when | |
| 853 she had been confronted by Sakura after getting Touya hurt years and | |
| 854 years earlier. This was altogether different. And much more | |
| 855 frightening for some reason. Something in the back of her mind | |
| 856 whispered to her that it was only Bara. That there was nothing to | |
| 857 fear from this petite, lovely young girl. That eased the Sakura | |
| 858 Card’s nerves and allowed her to work out the last knot. Opening up | |
| 859 the bag, she gazed in to spy its contents. Inside sat a lone teddy | |
| 860 bear, his ‘fur’ a creamy peach and white combination. A cute lavender | |
| 861 bow was tied neatly around his neck, and beautiful emerald eyes | |
| 862 looked up from the teddy bear to the Sakura Card. Mirror stared at | |
| 863 the precious gift, speechless. The bag fluttered to the ground as she | |
| 864 held it up in the moonlight. “For.. me?” | |
| 865 Nodding quickly, Bara smiled, her eyes closed. She wanted to see | |
| 866 every little detail, to know what Mirror thought, to see how she | |
| 867 reacted and her facial expressions and what she did with the bear and | |
| 868 so on, but she couldn’t bring herself to watch. Her nervousness had | |
| 869 finally stepped in and gotten the better of her. She knew that she | |
| 870 couldn’t keep smiling if she watched. It would be too difficult to | |
| 871 keep it up when she was too concerned with how Mirror was taking it. | |
| 872 And if she kept smiling, it wouldn’t matter how Mirror would take it, | |
| 873 because then the Sakura Card wouldn’t have to worry about hurting | |
| 874 her. So she waited in silence, her hands held together in front of | |
| 875 her as the wind whistled in her ear. She wanted to open her eyes, but | |
| 876 she couldn’t quite get them to budge. All the better, she supposed. | |
| 877 She wanted to know exactly how Mirror felt about receiving her heart | |
| 878 in a bear costume, and she certainly wouldn’t know if she was staring | |
| 879 at Mirror and begging for a positive response. The cold wind brushed | |
| 880 her bare skin, as if to tease her about her gift. She felt her dress | |
| 881 flutter about in the wind, her dark hair waving forward. The silence | |
| 882 just made her all the more anxious, but she continued to smile for | |
| 883 what felt like an eternity. Something warm and soft pressed into her, | |
| 884 causing her to take a half step backwards. Blinking her eyes open, | |
| 885 she could see Mirror’s grateful, smiling face in front of her, and | |
| 886 realized that the Sakura Card was hugging her again. She could feel | |
| 887 the bear still in Mirror’s hands pressed against her back. For once, | |
| 888 Mirror was actually herself, her longer green hair tossing about in | |
| 889 the wind. Smiling genuinely now, Bara returned the hug tightly. | |
| 890 “It’s so pretty. Thank you, Bara-chan. I’ve never gotten such a | |
| 891 wonderful gift. It’s perfect.” Elation rose through Mirrors soul as | |
| 892 the two stood under the starlight. Never had she imagined that | |
| 893 something so small yet so important as a little teddy bear would be | |
| 894 her own. That the black haired girl had made it for her was stunning. | |
| 895 She was a magical creation, a Sakura Card. Did she really deserve | |
| 896 something so special? Did it matter? Bara had made it for her. Had | |
| 897 crafted it with her own small, delicate hands. No gift could ever | |
| 898 exceed the small, precious teddy bear that she held. | |
| 899 Relief flooded through Bara’s nervous body, the pale girl relaxing | |
| 900 into the embrace that held them both. And that was really all she | |
| 901 could ask for. Whatever happened in the future, well, hopefully the | |
| 902 legend of the teddy bear was true. “What are you going to name it, | |
| 903 Mira-chan?” the black haired heiress asked after a moment, the wind | |
| 904 dying down around the two of them. | |
| 905 Pausing for a moment, Mirror shifted her grip on the cute bear in | |
| 906 her hand. Her fingers carefully traced the stitches as she held onto | |
| 907 the Cardmistress’s daughter. She remembered once more when she had | |
| 908 first met up with Touya. He had been helping her look for something, | |
| 909 but they had never found it. ‘When you find what you’re looking for.. | |
| 910 Maybe you can go back..’ he had said, referring to heaven. Holding | |
| 911 the teddy bear tighter against Bara as she hugged the smaller girl, | |
| 912 she smiled to herself. She had found what she had been looking for | |
| 913 after all. But she needn’t go anywhere to find heaven. It was right | |
| 914 with her in the form of the darling little angel of a girl before | |
| 915 her. “I’m going to name it Bara-chan,” Mirror whispered. | |
| 916 Bara couldn’t help but smile joyously as the Mirror Card held her. | |
| 917 That had been exactly what she had prayed for. Maybe the legend was | |
| 918 true after all. “Really? There’s a legend that if someone gives you a | |
| 919 teddy bear and you name it after them, the two of you will fall in | |
| 920 love,” the dark haired girl explained quietly. She could feel her | |
| 921 hair moving around, but she couldn’t quite tell if it was the wind or | |
| 922 Mirror that was doing it. She shifted a bit against the now taller | |
| 923 girl, letting her eyes fall closed again. It felt so peaceful. Her | |
| 924 previous worries felt far away, as if they had been from years | |
| 925 before. Now she was just with Mirror. Under the moonlight. Her heart | |
| 926 beat steadily. It was all so sweetly romantic. | |
| 927 Mirror sighed softly, looking down at the younger girl. She kissed | |
| 928 Bara’s forehead gently, brushing back the girl’s short, black hair. | |
| 929 “I sure hope so,” she replied, smiling. Bara blushed and looked away, | |
| 930 burying her head against Mirror. Holding onto the dark haired girl | |
| 931 underneath the night sky, the Sakura Card promised off all of her | |
| 932 magic if only that moment could last forever. | |
| 933 |