comparison old/stories/ccs-whatis.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights

[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
author rlm
date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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1 Author’s notes: Hello! ^-^ I’m sorry this took so long. ^^;; I’d
2 wanted to write this for a while, so I’m glad to have finally written
3 it. ^-^ It’s basically a chance for me to show two ideas that have
4 been on my mind a lot lately. The first is that Tomoyo would love
5 Sakura no matter what, because her love is so sweet and pure. I think
6 she’s a lesbian, yes, but I think she would love Sakura even if
7 Sakura were a boy. Her love isn’t just a trivial thing. And the
8 second thing is that I think most of Sakura’s denseness about Tomoyo
9 lies in the fact that she plays into her gender role. Sakura can be
10 incredibly naïve about things, especially Tomoyo’s feelings for her.
11 For Sakura, she knows that boys get with girls and girls get with
12 boys. Because it’s just the way things work. She has no problem with
13 it when it doesn’t work that way like with Yukito and Touya, but she
14 doesn’t realize that she could love a girl, hence why she never
15 realizes Tomoyo’s perfect for her. ^^;; But anyway, I think that
16 would be different if she were a boy because she would see very early
17 on that Tomoyo was a potential love interest. Anyway, that’s enough
18 of my rambling. ^-^;; I’ve been having a lot of trouble lately, so
19 I’ve been writing this in the meantime. If you have any comments, I
20 would love to hear them. ^-^ Thank you! Oh, and I modeled the end
21 after the episodes of the series, right down to the Kero-chan’s
22 Corner and the Next Episode spot. ^-^;;; I just thought it would be
23 fun to add. ^-^
24
25
26 What is Love
27 by the Amazoness Duo
28 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
29
30
31
32 Cherry blossoms swirled about above the ground as if dancing to a
33 tune that only they could hear. A single auburn haired boy moved
34 along to the silent music as he made his way to school, skating along
35 gracefully. Skidding in a slow circle, he continued backwards for a
36 moment. There was something about the morning that made him feel
37 peaceful inside. School couldn’t dampen his spirits any. How could it
38 when it meant he’d get to see his friends and play soccer that
39 afternoon? And, of course, she would be there. A light blush crossed
40 his cheeks at the thought. He tried to force it away but he couldn’t
41 help it. “Hanyaan...” he sighed happily to himself. She always made
42 school worthwhile. She made everything seem worthwhile. Even the
43 crazy costumes she made him wear. But if it made her happy, he’d
44 gladly wear whatever she wanted.
45 Smiling to himself, Sakura hurried with renewed determination to
46 reach school, ignoring his dancing namesake along the way. School was
47 a much more pleasant experience when a pretty girl was waiting for
48 you. His hands on the straps of his backpack, Sakura skidded towards
49 the large gates. “Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura called brightly,
50 slowing to a stop near his friend.
51 “Ohayo, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo replied, smiling her trademark smile.
52 “A perfect arrival, as usual. The girls must all be thrilled with
53 Sakura-chan’s cute and cool arrival.”
54 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura blushed and rubbed the back of his head,
55 averting his gaze. Why did she have to say so many embarrassing
56 things all the time? He should get used to it, but she always managed
57 to embarrass him anyway. Ignoring that for the moment, he glanced
58 back at the pale girl to see what hairstyle she had for the day. Her
59 hair was done up in two highly decorated pigtails, blue ribbons
60 adorning them. One pigtail fell in front of her while the other lay
61 draped over her backpack. Absolutely beautiful. Smiling and blushing
62 faintly, Sakura slowly skated alongside his friend towards the front
63 doors.
64 “Sakura-chan looks so cute like that,” Tomoyo said with a sigh, a
65 hand resting on her cheek. “I got some more videotape last night.
66 Would you mind letting me videotape you some more later?” she asked
67 eagerly.
68 Sakura sweatdropped at his eccentric friend’s enthusiasm. “Sure, I
69 guess. But I don’t know why you’d want to videotape me. You should
70 really videotape something a little more interesting.”
71 “But there isn’t anything more interesting or more handsome than
72 Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo smiled brightly, a slight blush on her cheeks as
73 she looked off distantly. She could see Sakura looking around in
74 embarrassment, but that only served to spur her on. He looked so cute
75 when he was embarrassed. If only she could catch that on video. Oh
76 well, there was always next time. “I have the cutest costume for you,
77 too. I can’t wait to see you try it on. My inspiration for this one
78 was seeing you waving at those penguins at the zoo.” Seeing Sakura
79 blink in response, Tomoyo continued. “Sakura-chan will make the
80 cutest penguin.” ‘There,’ the pale girl thought to herself happily as
81 Sakura shook his arms, his embarrassment growing. Tomoyo simply
82 sighed delightedly as she continued towards her locker.
83 “Hoe... A penguin?” Sakura sighed in defeat. He had learned long
84 ago that it was pointless to argue about the costumes. Tomoyo knew
85 him far too well. The pale girl easily got him to wear whatever she
86 wanted him to. Besides, he’d worn worse than a penguin costume
87 before. And at least he wouldn’t be capturing Cards in this one. And
88 Tomoyo would be the only one to see it, so it wouldn’t be that big a
89 deal. “When do you want me to come over?” he asked, getting over his
90 initial shock swiftly.
91 “After soccer practice would be nice. You’ll probably be tired
92 after that, so I’ll call and make sure the limousine’s ready. I
93 already brought a fresh videotape to catch your soccer game today, so
94 I’ll record everything on the new tape. From Sakura-chan darting
95 across the field in his handsome soccer uniform to Sakura playing by
96 the poolside in his cute penguin costume, I will catch every precious
97 moment on videotape, and seal it all forever in my heart.” Tomoyo
98 tilted her head to the side, starry eyed. Today was already turning
99 out to be a wonderful day. She always loved going to Sakura’s soccer
100 games. She never really cared what was happening in the game itself.
101 Her eyes never left the auburn haired boy on the field anyway. It was
102 just fun to watch him with such determination, running all about. It
103 was much the same when she got to watch him capture Cards, though
104 that was even more fun because Sakura got to double as a life-sized
105 doll to dress up as well. But not only did she get to record his
106 soccer game, but she would also get to dress him up in her newest
107 costume. Tomoyo got out her books in a state of bliss.
108 “If you say so, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said quickly, a hand behind
109 his head. Tomoyo had him wrapped around her little finger and he knew
110 it. But what could he do about it? Not that he wanted to do anything
111 about it anyway. He was very comfortable this way. Even if Tomoyo did
112 delight in making him blush. “Oh, good morning, Li-kun!” Sakura waved
113 brightly to his perpetually scowling rival. He was happy to be
114 friends with the other boy now, though Syaoran was very difficult to
115 get close to. The other boy blushed and went the other way in a
116 hurry. “Hmm... I wonder what’s wrong with Li-kun. I hope he’s not
117 sick.”
118 Giggling next to her naïve friend, Tomoyo smiled sweetly. “Sakura-
119 chan’s so handsome and cool that even the boys like him,” she
120 explained, watching her cute friend intently with her lavender eyes.
121 Sakura simply blinked in confusion at her statement. “Maybe I’ll tell
122 Sakura-chan when he’s older,” she said reassuringly as she hoisted up
123 her backpack.
124 “Let me get that for you, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura said quickly after
125 shaking off his confusion. He took Tomoyo’s backpack, following her
126 to class. The dark haired girl always looked so fragile, so petite.
127 So Sakura was happy to carry her bags for her. Tomoyo was like a
128 beautiful princess, kind and sweet to everyone, especially Sakura.
129 And princesses shouldn’t have to worry about things like bookbags.
130 “Thank you, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said in her pretty, singsong
131 voice. Walking slowly, she made her way to class. If the athletic boy
132 noticed her slowed pace, he didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to
133 miss a moment of his presence.
134
135 Pulling on the shirt of his soccer uniform, Sakura looked down at
136 the gym bag next to him. Inside was a beautifully crafted pink and
137 violet teddy bear. It was Sakura’s good luck charm. He picked up the
138 small teddy bear and held it close. It still smelled of lavenders,
139 just like Tomoyo. Sighing softly, the Master of the Cards closed his
140 eyes. Tomoyo had given him this lovely gift several weeks ago. He had
141 taken it with him to every one of his games sense, and kept it with
142 him in bed every night. He was almost worried that it would start to
143 get frayed if he kept that up. But he wanted it there with him
144 wherever he went. It was his most precious gift, something that was
145 very dear to him. He had treasured it from the instant Tomoyo had
146 given it to him.
147 The myth of the teddy bears kept coming back to Sakura when he
148 would think about the little teddy bear. He had heard that if you
149 made a teddy bear and gave it to the person you liked, then if they
150 named it after you, you would both fall in love. It was a very cute
151 myth, and something he had heard Tomoyo explain before. So did that
152 mean this was for that purpose? Just in case, Sakura had immediately
153 named it after the pale girl. So her little teddy bear, Tomoyo, was
154 with her whenever her best friend, Tomoyo, couldn’t be. But was their
155 truth to the myth?
156 Sakura had been trying to ask Tomoyo out for the past week. But
157 every time he wanted to, he lost the nerve. He could talk to Tomoyo
158 about anything, but seeing her smile so prettily and asking what he
159 wanted to talk about always made him nervous when he was about to ask
160 her. What would she say? Did she like him? Well, that one kind of
161 seemed a given with how she talked about him. Actually, he was pretty
162 sure of that. And that gave him some courage to ask Tomoyo, but he
163 still couldn’t quite figure out what to say. She always had such
164 faith in him. What if it sounded stupid? Or worse, what if he
165 couldn’t get it out at all? He wanted to tell her how he felt before
166 someone else did, but he didn’t know how.
167 Sighing, Sakura placed his teddy bear back in his gym bag. Emerald
168 eyes sparkling determinedly, Sakura hurried towards the field. Tomoyo
169 would be watching, so he had to try his hardest for her. And then,
170 tonight, maybe he could tell her that he liked her. Besides, Tomoyo
171 was always there supporting him. She would help him through it, no
172 matter how nervous he could get looking into those stormy blue eyes.
173 Vowing to himself that he would tell Tomoyo that night, he ran the
174 rest of the way to the soccer field.
175
176 “Sakura-chan looks so cute!!” Tomoyo squealed delightedly as she
177 zoomed in on her best friend. Before her stood a forlorn looking
178 penguin, it’s arms hanging at its sides. Sakura was looking back at
179 the camcorder, his face a mask of embarrassment. Tomoyo took a few
180 steps to the side to get another viewpoint. Reaching forward, she put
181 a finger on Sakura’s lips, drawing them up into a smile. “Much better!”
182 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura mumbled as Tomoyo’s finger pressed near his
183 lips. How did he let himself get talked into this? Oh yeah, Tomoyo
184 thought it was a good idea. That was generally all it took for Sakura
185 to do what Tomoyo wanted. Tomoyo was so nice and sweet that it was
186 hard not to do what she wanted. And the pale girl’s beautiful smile
187 more than made up for the discomfort of wearing a penguin costume. As
188 long as no one at school ever saw this videotape.
189 “Mr. Penguin sure has come a long way from the south pole. But I
190 hope he never has to leave.” Stepping around the embarrassed Sakura,
191 Tomoyo continued to videotape her friend. “Sakura-chan is such a shy
192 boy, isn’t he? But I don’t mind. It means he gets to be my model
193 alone.”
194 “Ano.. Tomoyo-chan, was there anything else you wanted me to try on
195 while I’m here?” Sakura interrupted. Though he wouldn’t admit it
196 unless Tomoyo prodded him, he did enjoy being Tomoyo’s model. His
197 mother had been a model for many years. Though he was a lot shyer
198 than his mother, he did enjoy modeling the pale girl’s outfits for
199 her. Especially with how thrilled Tomoyo always was to videotape him
200 in new things. It made him feel special to hear her in such delight.
201 Tomoyo made him feel special with everything she said and did.
202 Her hand on her chin, Tomoyo stood in thought for a moment. “Well,
203 there is one more costume that I’ve nearly finished. It wouldn’t take
204 more than a few minutes to sew on the last bit.” She continued to
205 scratch her chin thoughtfully as she recorded her cute penguin
206 attired best friend.
207 “That sounds great. I’ll just change out of this while I wait for
208 you to finish, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said energetically. It would be a
209 little awkward, he was sure, but it couldn’t be worse than the
210 penguin costume, adorable as it was. And if it made Tomoyo happy, so
211 much the better. Besides, he just wanted to do everything he could
212 for his eccentric friend. His heart swelled as he replayed the words
213 again and again in his head. ‘Tomoyo-chan, I have something I want to
214 tell you..’ he began again.
215 “All right. Thank you so much, Sakura-chan. I can’t wait to see you
216 in it! You’ll be so cute, I know it.” Bowing to Sakura, the pale girl
217 turned and led Sakura back into the house before disappearing into
218 her room. She was eager to see Sakura in her new costume. It was a
219 little different from the other ones she had made over the years, but
220 she had no doubt that Sakura would pull it off perfectly.
221 Sakura headed to the bathroom where his school uniform was still
222 waiting. He pulled the shorts on first, glad to be out of the goofy
223 albeit extremely cute penguin costume. It was nice to be a normal boy
224 again and not a lost penguin. Smiling, he pulled on his shirt as he
225 wondered what exotic design Tomoyo’s new design would be.
226
227 “Kawaii!! Sakura-chan is so pretty! You put all the girls to shame,
228 Sakura-chan!”
229 Sakura stared at the videocamera with a mortified look on his face.
230 He was in a beautiful blue dress with a long white apron, a la Alice
231 in Wonderland. Long, white stocking ran up his legs, disappearing
232 under the frilly skirt. He had cute pink ribbons in his hair and
233 small, pale blue gloves. “To..To..moyo-chan...” he got out weakly,
234 his face crimson as he finally worked up enough thought to try and
235 cover himself from the relentless camcorder. Tomoyo simply
236 sidestepped, getting a good look at his side.
237 “I knew you’d make a beautiful girl, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said
238 excitedly, a hand resting on her cheek. “You’re even prettier than
239 all of the girls at school.” Sighing happily to herself, Tomoyo
240 reached down and smoothed out the skirt a little more. Her darling
241 Sakura made a very handsome boy, but he also made a gorgeous girl.
242 Blushing, Tomoyo stood back up to videotape some more. She wanted to
243 have plenty of this for later. Sakura was just too cute not to
244 capture every instant.
245 “Do.. Do you really think so?” Sakura asked curiously, turning his
246 face to watch the pale girl. He blushed deeper when he saw her nod.
247 It was bizarre, certainly, but he found himself very happy to hear
248 that she thought he was prettier than the girls at school. It wasn’t
249 something he had ever thought about before, but it was nice to know
250 all the same. Especially if Tomoyo thought so. The lavender haired
251 girl disappeared out of his line of sight after a moment and he
252 whirled to catch sight of her, the long skirt flowing around him. He
253 blushed and held it down tightly, not wanting anything to get caught
254 on videotape. Tomoyo had given him a pair of panties to wear as well,
255 saying that it was to keep everything authentic. He blushed deeper as
256 he wondered if they were Tomoyo’s. He shook his head quickly, trying
257 to concentrate on the moment. But that wasn’t helping either. He was
258 currently dressed up in girls’ clothes, so thinking about the moment
259 probably wasn’t the way to go.
260 “Of course I do. You’re so beautiful, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo whispered
261 gently, brushing Sakura’s bangs away from his eyes. She smiled at
262 him, no more than a few inches away. He really did look like a girl.
263 If Tomoyo didn’t know better, she would have been sure he was. Her
264 mind was already fast at work on other cute designs for her friend.
265 This little experiment had proven a brilliant success. Sakura was
266 cute in boys’ clothes and girls’ clothes. It opened up Tomoyo’s
267 costume designs to as of yet unknown heights. She was already excited
268 with the possibilities. “You’ll have to let me videotape you wearing
269 one of my school uniforms sometime,” Tomoyo stated simply, drawing
270 another dark blush from the boy she loved. He was just so cute.
271 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whined, unable to look away from Tomoyo’s
272 pretty lavender eyes. There was a small thrill about the whole thing.
273 Tomoyo obviously seemed to like it. Besides, wasn’t this the whole
274 reason he dressed up in Tomoyo’s designs anyway, because the dark
275 haired girl wanted him to? So how was this different from dressing up
276 as a penguin? Because he wasn’t crossdressing as the penguin! “This
277 isn’t much like dressing up as a penguin, Tomoyo-chan,” he said weakly.
278 The heiress looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling. “I never
279 said if you were a boy penguin or a girl penguin. You could have been
280 dressed as a girl penguin. In which case, it’s exactly the same
281 thing, Tomoyo surmised. Sakura simply sweatdropped as her reply.
282 Tomoyo sighed exquisitely at the beautiful sight before her. “I
283 always knew you were handsome, Sakura-chan. But you’re also gorgeous.”
284 Sakura could only blush deeper in response, finally pulling his eyes
285 away from Tomoyo as he stared down at stocking clad legs and cute
286 buckled shoes. He could hear Tomoyo walking around him, videotaping
287 this whole disturbing event for later viewing. “Could you lay down on
288 your stomach? If you could lift a leg into the air and place your
289 chin in your hands when you do, that would be so cute!” she heard
290 Tomoyo say. Sighing deeply, Sakura went to comply with his best
291 friend’s request. At least no one would ever see this. His brother
292 would never let him hear the end of it if he only knew.
293
294 Finally back in his school uniform, Sakura sat on Tomoyo’s bed while
295 the lavender haired girl busily set about labeling her tape and
296 finding a spot for it amongst her huge collection of Sakura tapes.
297 Sakura was a little surprised to see himself all over his friend’s
298 room. This wasn’t his first time there, but he always found himself
299 surprised to see more and more of himself up whenever he went. There
300 were pictures of him all over as well as Tomoyo’s expansive videotape
301 collection. Her otherwise pristine desk was cluttered in only one
302 place, on Tomoyo desk with all of her costume designs. And even that
303 was an organized chaos. Everything seemed in place even as design
304 after design got stacked up on her desk. Sakura smiled as he saw a
305 picture of himself and Tomoyo in kimonos next to Tomoyo’s bed.
306 Tomoyo’s mother, Sonomi, had taken that picture a while back. Sakura
307 had been worried about how it would turn out, but Tomoyo had told him
308 that he was always cute so he shouldn’t worry about it. Turning to
309 look for his eccentric best friend, he could spy her kneeling before
310 her videotape collection, looking for the spot for her newest tape.
311 Tomoyo really was beautiful. Everything about her was so graceful,
312 almost as if it were all planned out. The pale girl looked so
313 delicate, her long lavender hair flowing behind her in those
314 beautiful pigtails. Sakura felt happy to be able to spend this time
315 with his friend.
316 “When do you have to be home, Sakura-chan?” Tomoyo asked curiously
317 as she stood up and walked back towards the auburn haired boy. She
318 had known he was watching her, but hadn’t wanted to embarrass him
319 about it. And she was thrilled to have his eyes on her. She was
320 always happy to have his attention.
321 “Probably pretty soon. It’s my night to cook because onii-chan has
322 to work.” Sakura sighed, his hands behind his head. He didn’t want to
323 go home. Staying with Tomoyo sounded infinitely better than making
324 dinner.
325 “I’ll make sure the limousine can take you back home, then. You ran
326 so hard at soccer that I’m surprised you can move at all anymore.”
327 Tomoyo smiled at her weary best friend, rubbing his shoulders gently.
328 Sakura blushed at Tomoyo’s touch, looking around the large room.
329 “Un, but I wanted to play my best because you were watching me. I
330 wanted it to be a good game for you.” Fidgeting a bit, Sakura looked
331 down at his shoe, trying to concentrate on anything other than the
332 girl behind him.
333 “You played really well, Sakura-chan. But I like watching all of
334 your games, even when you’re distracted,” Tomoyo chirped up brightly.
335 “You’re always so cute out there on the field, kicking the ball
336 around everywhere. I love watching you.” A soft sigh drifted to the
337 auburn haired boy’s ear as Tomoyo continued rubbing his shoulders.
338 “Tomoyo-chan, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a
339 while,” Sakura got out nervously, finally getting himself to look up.
340 He turned to face Tomoyo, looking into her sparkling blue eyes. “I..
341 You’ve always been my best friend and.. It’s always so nice when
342 you..” Sakura bit his lip, trying to decide what to say. It had all
343 sounded so much easier in his thoughts on the drive up.
344 Tomoyo tilted her head to the side thoughtfully as she watched
345 Sakura struggling. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a cloud of
346 butterflies as she slowly realized what Sakura was trying to say.
347 “Yes, Sakura-chan?” she asked helpfully. “You know you can tell me
348 anything.” ‘And if you want to tell me what I think you do, then
349 there is absolutely nothing for you to fear because I love you with
350 all of my heart.’
351 “I really, really like you, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura got out at last,
352 his cheeks flushing as he looked at her. It took all of his will to
353 keep from averting his gaze. “More than anything or anyone. I’m just
354 so happy when I’m with you. I always feel so.. hanyaan. And I’ve been
355 thinking a lot since you gave me the teddy bear and all and I was
356 hoping that you might feel the same way and..” Sakura finally paused
357 to take a breath. “Will you go out with me, Tomoyo-chan?” His heart
358 froze as he waited for a reply. His reply came in the form of
359 Tomoyo’s arms wrapping tightly around him. A slow smile spread across
360 his face as he relaxed against the lavender haired girl.
361 “I would love to go out with you, Sakura-chan! More than anything
362 else in the world. Of course I like you. I always have. I’ve always
363 loved you, Sakura-chan.” Tomoyo’s heart nearly burst with the love
364 that wanted to escape to Sakura at the auburn haired boy’s lovely
365 words. She hugged him tightly, sighing. It was like the most
366 beautiful dream imaginable come true. She had hoped that she might be
367 Sakura’s special someone, that she might be the one to make him
368 happy. And now that he had spoken it, she felt deliriously happy, as
369 if she had been placed directly in the path of a tornado. It swept
370 her up with rapid and intense force, throwing her around in its
371 strength and ferocity. “Oh, Sakura-chan..” Tomoyo whispered
372 delightedly.
373 “Tomoyo-chan.. Arigato gozimasu!” Sakura stood up quickly, smiling
374 brightly. “I’ll try to come up with some place nice to take you, I
375 promise,” he said, bowing.
376 “I’ll be happy to go anywhere with you,” Tomoyo responded with her
377 trademark smile.
378 Sakura blushed and nodded quickly. “Un.. I’ll see you tomorrow,
379 Tomoyo-chan! Thank you!!” He hugged the pale girl again, fighting the
380 urge to stay that way when Tomoyo’s hands began stroking his back
381 warmly. But he knew if he stayed he would never be home in time to
382 finish dinner. And he was had to find the perfect place to take
383 Tomoyo on their date. Determination glinting in his eyes, he smiled
384 to Tomoyo before heading to the door. “Bye, Tomoyo-chan!!”
385 “Goodnight, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo waved to the athletic boy as he
386 hurried out her door. Sighing deliciously, Tomoyo collapsed on her
387 bed. Sakura had asked her out. He had finally asked her out. Her one,
388 true love liked her. Life was, indeed, full of very pleasant
389 surprises, especially when Sakura was involved. “Hanyaan,” she
390 whispered, taking a cue from Sakura.
391
392 “He really is cute in a dress,” Sonomi admitted, tilting her head to
393 the side. “He doesn’t look much like Nadeshiko-chan, but those eyes
394 are so much like hers. You can tell he’s her daughter. I mean, her
395 son.” The elder Daidouji woman shook her head as she sat with her
396 daughter, watching the younger girl’s latest tape. Sonomi often
397 enjoyed watching them with Tomoyo, thrilled to get a glimpse of
398 Nadeshiko’s youngest son. Nadeshiko’s curious eccentricities even
399 showed through in her son’s strange name. And aside from getting
400 glimpses of Nadeshiko’s child, it was the perfect time to spend
401 together with her own daughter.
402 “Hai, very cute. I want to see if he’ll let me videotape him in my
403 school uniform,” Tomoyo commented, brushing back some dark hair from
404 her eyes. She was still in a daze about earlier, but she had been
405 eager to show her latest video to her mother. She was certain Sonomi
406 would enjoy it the same way she did. “He makes a very cute girl.” Her
407 hand went to her chin thoughtfully. “He makes a very cute girl and a
408 very cute boy. Sakura-chan is cute no matter which gender he is.”
409 Sonomi laughed softly as she watched the camera angle change. “I’d
410 have to say he’s a little cuter as a girl. If he wasn’t standing so
411 awkwardly it would be impossible to tell. Maybe you can make him
412 dress that way after you start dating. And I think it would be
413 adorable if you can videotape him in your school uniform. You’ll have
414 to show me that tape as soon as you get it.”
415 “Hai, okaa-sama. I hope I can get it soon myself. And it would be
416 cute if he’d let me dress him like that on our dates. But I’ll
417 probably have to wait a little while before he will. Sakura-chan can
418 be so shy, so I want to wait a little while. I’m just so happy to be
419 dating him in the first place. He’s so perfect. I love him so much.”
420 Watching her lovesick daughter, Sonomi smiled. She was happy to see
421 Tomoyo in love. It reminded her so much of when she had been younger
422 with her cousin, Sakura’s mother, Nadeshiko. And seeing her daughter
423 so excited did her heart good. Her daughter’s happiness was one of
424 the most important things to her. It was so nice to see her about to
425 start dating. And Nadeshiko’s son, no less. It was almost like Fate
426 had arranged the whole thing. So maybe Sonomi could stop hating Fate
427 so much. Maybe just a little bit. “I know, dear. I know.” Sonomi
428 pulled Tomoyo to her side, feeling Tomoyo’s heart beating swiftly.
429 Bending down, she kissed her daughter’s forehead, resting her head on
430 Tomoyo’s as she went back to watching the tape.
431
432 “Hoe...” Pacing the length of his room, Sakura nearly walked
433 directly into the wall. Reeling back, the startled boy’s shoulders
434 slumped and a sigh escaped him. His thoughts were moving along the
435 same lines as his body, moving all around but getting nowhere but
436 dead ends. Flopping down on his bed, the auburn haired boy stared up
437 at the rood. He’d been struggling with his thoughts for the past two
438 hours. Giddiness still burst through him whenever he thought back to
439 the fact that his angelic best friend had agreed to go out with him.
440 But that only strengthened his determination to find the perfect
441 place to take her. But where? What could be perfect for a date with
442 such a perfect girl? ‘I’ll be happy to go anywhere with you,’ Tomoyo
443 had said. And Sakura didn’t doubt the eccentric heiress for a moment.
444 But he couldn’t let that stop him from finding out where to take his
445 new girlfriend. Clenching his fists and narrowing his vision, Sakura
446 got back to work.
447 “This is too hard! I can’t think of anything. Tomoyo-chan is so much
448 better at these things than I am,” Sakura lamented just a short time
449 later. And it was true. Tomoyo was usually the one to invite him
450 places or the one who could figure out difficult details such as the
451 one Sakura found himself pondering. He knew that she could think up
452 someplace for the two of them to go. But that was his job, wasn’t it?
453 Or was it? The lavender haired girl always did such a better job at
454 figuring these kinds of things out, even if it did get him in some
455 awkward situations like the penguin fiasco earlier. But still... He
456 had asked her out. He should come up with where he was going to take
457 her. He couldn’t exactly call her up and ask her to decide for him.
458 Rolling onto his stomach, Sakura hugged his pillow, his legs moving
459 absentmindedly in the air. A movie? No, that didn’t sound good. How
460 often did they really go to movies anyway? Dinner? Where would they
461 go? Touya might know a few good places with how often he worked at
462 restaurants, but Sakura doubted he had the money to afford anything
463 really nice. A picnic in the park? But they already did that all the
464 time. What would be special about that? Only... It always felt
465 special when they would go together, just the two of them. They would
466 sit and talk for hours, watching the beautiful world around them and
467 just enjoying each other’s company. And Tomoyo was so sweet and
468 gentle. She would listen carefully to everything Sakura had to say,
469 always helpful with whatever was on his mind. And she always said the
470 nicest things, even if they were embarrassing.
471 “I said, ‘What’s too hard?’. You know I can figure it out, whatever
472 it is. I’m good at these things,” Kero stated confidently as he
473 floated down onto Sakura’s bed, his arms crossed. “C’mon, Sakura-
474 chan. You can tell me.”
475 Sweatdropping, Sakura looked back at the Seal Beast curiously. Is
476 help generally wasn’t as helpful as Tomoyo’s. What he lacked in
477 genuine helpfulness, he sure made up for with self-confidence. “I’m
478 trying to decide where to take Tomoyo-chan on our date,” he said
479 quickly, his cheeks reddening as he buried his face into her pillow.
480 “Huh? I have no idea how you can make Tomoyo-chan late. Hmm...” The
481 Seal Beast contemplated Sakura’s muffled concerns, scratching his
482 chin with one tiny paw. “You could always steal her shoes. Or lock
483 her in a broom closet. Or I could distract her. Depends what you need
484 her late for.”
485 “Date! Date!! I need to decide where to take Tomoyo-chan on our
486 date!” Sakura repeated, sitting up and hoisting the pillow above his
487 head in case the floating teddy bear decided to joke about the
488 situation. His cheeks darkened considerably as he saw the sly grin
489 spread across Kero’s face.
490 “Date, you say? Well, if there’s one thing the mighty Cereberus
491 knows, it’s a thing or two about love. Just listen to me and you’ll
492 be reaching first, second, and third base in no time! Hell, with my
493 advice, you’ll be hitting field goals and scoring bogeys!” Kero
494 grinned as he walked up to Sakura, nudging him in the side. The
495 Cardmaster had no idea what Kero was talking about, but his blush
496 worsened nonetheless. “Boy, have you come to the right place. Because
497 I’m not only the Beast of the Seal, I’m the Beast of Love.” His tiny
498 eyebrows raised up and down suggestively as he looked up at the green
499 eyed boy.
500 Before Sakura could respond to Kero’s delusions of grandeur, the
501 door burst open. Touya looked into the room, spotting Sakura on the
502 bed. Kero collapsed by Sakura’s side, lying lifeless in the hopes
503 that Sakura’s older brother hadn’t heard them talking. “Umm... Hi,
504 onii-chan. What’s wrong? If this is about the dishes, it’s your day.
505 I checked.” He smiled, pulling Kero onto his lap as he waited for his
506 older brother to either agree or make some outrageous claim about it
507 being Sakura’s day for the dishes. But he’d glanced at the schedule
508 and he was sure. Reasonably sure, at any rate.
509 Touya closed the door behind him after he entered the room. He paced
510 back and forth for a moment as if trying to decide what to say. He
511 finally sat on the bed and stared at his younger brother fixedly for
512 a long moment. Sakura returned his gaze uneasily for a bit before
513 looking away. “So you’re going on a date?”
514 Sakura’s face immediately darkened once more at Touya’s question. It
515 sounded more like an accusation than a question at the moment. He
516 looked around, his cheeks flushed as he tried to think of a suitable
517 answer. Finally giving up that venue, Sakura nodded in agreement. He
518 needed to remember not to talk so loud with Kero when Touya was home.
519 “With Tomoyo-chan?”
520 Again Sakura nodded, feeling more and more embarrassed as time went
521 by. What did Touya want? Was he there to tease him about it? Why did
522 he care who his younger brother was dating?
523 “I thought so. It’s obvious she likes you. I was waiting for you to
524 get the hint,” Touya said matter-of-factly. He watched in amusement
525 as Sakura’s embarrassment quickly changed to a frown, his younger
526 brother squeezing the stuffed animal in his arms tightly.
527 “I’m not that dense. I’ve known it for a while. She did give me that
528 teddy bear and all,” Sakura argued, squeezing poor Kero in his
529 frustration. His brother always got him riled up like this. Oh, if he
530 was only taller than him...
531 “Sure...” Touya said unconvincingly, raising an eyebrow. He knew how
532 dense his little brother could be at times. It was a surprise that he
533 ever figured it out. But that wasn’t the point at the moment.
534 “Doesn’t matter. You finally figured it out. I’m proud of you,
535 monsters. And you asked her out at that? So you’re ready to go on
536 your first date?” Despite his usual arguments with Sakura, he really
537 did care for his little brother’s well being. He just showed it in an
538 odd way at times. And since his father wasn’t here to offer Sakura
539 some friendly dating advice, he would have to fill in. At Sakura’s
540 quick nods, Touya continued. “So you don’t know where to take her?”
541 Again, a nod. “Here.” The older boy tossed a paper to Sakura, the
542 auburn haired boy immediately picking it up. “It’s a festival. Tomoyo-
543 chan probably would’ve invited you there in a few days anyway. She
544 always does. Why not make it a date? Besides, she’ll look cute all
545 dressed up in a yukata, so you might as well have an excuse for
546 whatever you wind up doing with her behind the trees.” Touya smirked
547 before pain shot through his leg. Sakura’s foot remained planted
548 against his leg where he had kicked him.
549 “Onii-chan...” Sakura growled, his eyes narrowed. Touya’s eyes
550 narrowed as well as the two brothers stared each other down, one
551 being considerably taller than the other. But Sakura either didn’t
552 notice or didn’t care. Just as quickly as his ire had appeared, it
553 faded away as Sakura took another glance at the flier. “That might be
554 a good idea. It would be fun. And it would be a nice place to take
555 Tomoyo-chan. Maybe I can win her a prize or something, too.”
556 “Yeah, you never know. Yuki and I already planned on going, so I
557 figured the two of you would probably be there as well. And it works
558 well enough. Maybe if you’re busy making eyes at Tomoyo, you’ll stop
559 making them at Yuki,” Touya reasoned, his head tilted to the side for
560 a moment. He grinned as Sakura crossed his arms, fuming.
561 “It’s not like that! Yukito-san’s just... Ohhh!! Onii-chan!!” Sakura
562 humphed and stared at his older brother again. He didn’t know why his
563 older brother always teased him about Yukito. The older boy was very
564 nice, much nicer than his older brother, and it was fun to be around
565 him. Not unlike Tomoyo, in fact. But it wasn’t the exact same thing.
566 Aside from Yukito being a boy, he didn’t have that same feeling of
567 love and warmth that encompassed Sakura whenever he was with Tomoyo.
568 But it was pointless explaining it all to Touya, especially when he
569 was too embarrassed about the whole thing to come up with a good
570 argument.
571 Putting an arm around his younger brother, Touya drew the younger
572 boy closer. “All right, you better listen up, Sakura-chan. There are
573 some things you need to know before your date.”
574 Sweatdropping, Sakura wondered if he would’ve been better off with
575 Kero’s talk.
576
577 Licking his dry lips, Sakura slowly reached out for the doorknob.
578 His hand shook lightly as he grasped the doorknob, his palms sweaty.
579 His brows furrowed as he tried to concentrate, to push off the
580 nervousness that toyed with him. This was his first date. He was
581 about to go out with his best friend. What would change after this?
582 What would happen? Well, only one way to find out, right? Steeling
583 himself, Sakura opened the door. The sight that awaited him took his
584 breath away. “Tomoyo-chan...” he whispered, catching eye of the pale
585 beauty before him. “You’re... gorgeous...” Emerald eyes studied the
586 stunning figure before him. Beautiful pale skin looked to have an
587 ethereal glow all it’s own wherever it peaked out of the yukata, both
588 at Tomoyo’s arms and her pretty face. Her long, lavender hair was
589 done up in elegant braids, spilling down her back. Shimmering stormy
590 blue eyes shined luminously. Her small body shifted gracefully as the
591 angelic girl bowed before Sakura. Her long hair pooled to one side
592 before she stood back up, the precious silken strands falling back
593 into place.
594 “Thank you very much, Sakura-chan. You look very handsome. I wish I
595 had my camcorder with me.” One of Tomoyo’s pale hands went to her
596 flushed cheeks as she sighed, watching Sakura intently. She had
597 struggled with the decision of whether or not to take the camcorder
598 with her for the past few days but had finally decided against it.
599 She immediately regretted it upon seeing her prince all dressed up in
600 a yukata. What a darling picture it would have made!
601 “You look just like mother,” Touya said after a moment’s pause. He
602 had come to the door to wish the two a goodnight as he waited for
603 Yukito to arrive, but had been astonished by the figure at the door.
604 It was like one of the pictures of his mother from long ago brought
605 to life. He had originally thought it was his mother’s spirit
606 visiting them again, but only the stormy blue eyes had given away the
607 figure’s true identity.
608 Sakura was about to protest his brother’s statement, but he had to
609 admit that Tomoyo certainly looked similar to the photos he had seen.
610 He couldn’t remember his mother well, as she had died when he had
611 only been three years old, but Tomoyo had the same captivating
612 appeal, the same delicate beauty. “Hai...” Sakura shook himself out
613 of his trance quickly, noticing the odd way Touya was staring at
614 Tomoyo. Taking Tomoyo’s hand quickly, Sakura stared at her brother
615 before stepping outside with her. “Bye, onii-chan!” he said quickly.
616 He didn’t want to share Tomoyo with anyone tonight, not even for
617 glimpses of their mother. He wanted to be alone with her on this
618 special night of theirs. He smiled softly at the beautiful girl in
619 front of him, nearly melting at the pretty smile she granted him in
620 return. “Tomoyo-chan.” It took him a long moment to realize he was
621 staring again. Looking down sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his
622 head. “We should probably get going now, huh?”
623 “If that’s what Sakura-chan wants to do,” Tomoyo replied, soft
624 fingers entwining with the auburn haired boy’s. He was so cute. And
625 the way he had looked at her sent a trill through Tomoyo’s heart. A
626 date with Sakura. It was finally happening. The heiress had to
627 struggle to remain in the here and now, already thinking about things
628 like marriage and children and mountain sized piles of videotape. But
629 even with the sweet little secrets the future hinted at, the present
630 was a very pleasant place to be. It was right with Sakura, right
631 where she always wanted to be.
632 Sakura nodded quickly, his cheeks still tinted pink. “Yeah, we’ll
633 just go.” He laughed a little nervously, but it slowly began to fade
634 away as Tomoyo nodded her agreement, still holding his hand. He
635 smiled happily at his best friend, for once feeling the genuine
636 elation of the night in full without the worrisome nervousness that
637 had accompanied so much of the past several days. The two slowly
638 began walking, leaving the limousine that had dropped Tomoyo off at
639 Sakura’s house as well as Tomoyo’s bodyguards far behind. Sakura was
640 surprised at how easy this all felt. He had thought that this would
641 be such a difficult thing, being on a date with Tomoyo. But it was
642 still Tomoyo. He still felt comfortable with her, happy and warm.
643 Things had changed only subtly. He saw Tomoyo in a new light, not
644 just as his kindly best friend, but as his beautiful angel. Yes, they
645 were on a date. But that really wasn’t all that different from what
646 they had been doing all of these years. The only difference was that
647 now Sakura knew where his heart lay. And it was an intoxicating
648 experience. He could feel Tomoyo’s love for what it was rather than
649 the curious thing he had wondered about for so long. And his own
650 heart reveled under the attention, blooming like a lovely flower
651 under its tender yet deep touch. It all gave so many new layers to
652 just being with Tomoyo, all of them exciting for the master of the
653 Cards.
654 Tomoyo once again bemoaned her lack of a camcorder as she watched
655 Sakura out of the corner of her eye. Her free hand rested on her
656 cheek as she sighed joyously. Had she died? Was she dreaming? Or was
657 this a taste of heaven? If it was, Tomoyo could think of no better
658 way to spend eternity than with the boy who had so effortlessly
659 captured her heart. She would have to personally thank whatever God
660 or Goddess reigned over this world for crafting such a lovely soul as
661 her darling Sakura. Usually content simply with recording Sakura’s
662 life, Tomoyo found herself exhilarated at the prospect of actually
663 sharing in it, tasting it so closely rather than from behind the
664 camera. It was new and uncharted territory, something that existed
665 only in her dreams up till now. But with Sakura gently leading her,
666 she had no fear as she stepped out hand in hand with her love into
667 the movie of Sakura’s life. Not being born with magic, the lavender
668 haired girl couldn’t sense it the way her best friend could. But she
669 felt a different magic as they continued along, one that immersed her
670 heart and soul deeper than any other form of magic ever could. Like
671 an entire ocean, it swelled and encompassed her, holding her tightly
672 in its depths. It was almost too much, an emotional overload of pure,
673 unadulterated joy. Tomoyo felt as if she were drowning in it, her
674 heart nearly ready to burst. Smiling a sparkling, genuine smile,
675 Tomoyo rested her head on Sakura’s shoulder, her long braids draping
676 down across the two of them.
677 Blushing faintly, Sakura continued along towards the festival, his
678 mind going blank. Tomoyo’s long, dark hair lay across his shoulder
679 and down the left side of his back, swaying gently as they moved. The
680 heiress’s cute head was resting pleasantly on his shoulder,
681 distracting him. The two walked along, hand in hand in a much closer
682 proximity that they usually did. The poor auburn hair kept blushing
683 as he tried to get a handle on his thoughts. It certainly felt nice
684 to have Tomoyo so close, to have his best friend so near. He could
685 hear his heartbeat ringing in his ears, almost frightening him that
686 it would give away his nervousness. But even faced with such a new
687 and potentially terrifying situation, Sakura could still feel
688 Tomoyo’s effusive love wrapping like silk ribbons around his heart,
689 binding his soul as thoroughly as he himself bound the Cards. It
690 was... wonderful. Having Tomoyo so close was a new experience, but it
691 was a beautiful one. The heiress felt so soft and delicate next to
692 him. ‘I knew Sakura-chan would come and save me,’ Tomoyo had once
693 said. ‘Of course I would. I’d always have to save my Tomoyo-chan. I
694 can’t ever let anything bad happen to her,’ Sakura thought to
695 himself. ‘Besides, if I didn’t, Sonomi-sama would kill me.’ He
696 sweatdropped at the latter, remembering Tomoyo’s mother’s phone call
697 the night before. Sakura had lost track of how many times he had
698 promised to look after Tomoyo for the elder of the Daidouji women.
699 Almost too soon, the young lovers finally came across the festival.
700 Lights sparkled brightly against the dark backdrop of the darkening
701 night as elegantly dressed boys and girls hurried about, playing
702 games and enjoying themselves about the festival grounds. It was
703 something the two had gone to often enough before, but never under
704 the context of a date. It left Sakura with a puzzled feeling of where
705 to begin and what to do. Tomoyo simply smiled at Sakura’s curious
706 look, squeezing his hand gently with her soft fingers. That lessened
707 the genki boy’s nerves as he returned her smile. People moved past
708 the cute couple like a busy stream, flowing past them on all sides.
709 Sakura pulled Tomoyo closer as people swept past, trying not to get
710 pulled along in the current. Still trying to decide where to go,
711 Sakura’s jade eyes fell upon a booth selling food. His stomach seemed
712 to think it was a great idea. While nowhere near as bad as the
713 perpetually hungry Kero and Yukito, Sakura had forsaken eating
714 earlier when his nervous stomach had refused to hold anything. But
715 now that he was finally with Tomoyo, his stomach reawakened. “Would
716 you like something to eat?” Sakura asked, turning to the dark haired
717 girl.
718 The petite girl shook her head prettily, her dark hair moving back
719 and forth as she did. She wasn’t hungry herself, but she could
720 practically hear Sakura’s stomach even above the cacophony of the
721 festival. “No, that’s all right, Sakura-chan. I’m not very hungry.
722 What would you like to eat?” She followed emerald eyes to one of the
723 stands and slowly began towards it when a small gap in the large
724 crowd formed. The two waited, pressed tightly together as other
725 people continued to line up at the delicious smell wafting out from
726 the stand. Tomoyo brushed back lavender hair from her eyes with her
727 free hand to get a better look of her companion. Stormy blue eyes
728 watched the energetic auburn haired boy as he looked around
729 curiously. The heiress sighed happily, taking Sakura’s hand with both
730 of her own. Her fingers trailed over their entwined fingers, enjoying
731 the soft skin under her touch. He was so cute. There was something
732 almost feminine about him, which the heiress found very adorable.
733 Tomoyo loved to watch him, as evidenced by her collection of
734 videotape. She loved everything about the overemotional boy and
735 wanted to capture it all on film. As Sakura finally got the food he’d
736 been waiting for, the two began to move along through the beautiful
737 festival grounds. Sakura looked around at the well decorated
738 surroundings while Tomoyo’s attention remained solely captive of the
739 green eyed boy. After all, she thought to herself, he was far more
740 fascinating than the most amazing festival.
741 Nibbling on the meat bun he had bought, Sakura walked hand in hand
742 with Tomoyo past the different festivities. His mind wandered as they
743 walked. He could remember some exciting things that had happened at
744 festivals in his life, but this was completely different. It seemed
745 that important things often happened at them, several Clow Cards
746 having shown up nearby over the time he had been capturing them.
747 Throughout it all, Tomoyo had been his constant companion and
748 confidante, helping him and videotaping him and outfitting him with
749 the cutest and most ridiculous looking costumes imaginable. And here
750 they were once more. But this wasn’t exactly the same thing as it had
751 once been. He felt a warm glow inside of himself at the thought. No,
752 this wasn’t the same old thing at all. He felt overwhelmed by the
753 moment, by his beautiful best friend holding his hand. He felt energy
754 welling up inside with nowhere to go. He felt so happy to be there
755 with her. Squeezing Tomoyo’s hand tightly, Sakura grinned at the pale
756 girl. All of the concern he’d had about this night felt completely
757 worth it if only for that single moment. “Tomoyo-chan, I...” Sakura
758 began, unsure of exactly what he wanted to say, but knowing he needed
759 to do something before his heart burst.
760 “Hi, Sakura-chan! Tomoyo-chan!” Chiharu called out to the two,
761 Yamazaki in tow. She waved to the two as she approached, glad to see
762 someone that she recognized amongst the sea of people. “How are you
763 doing?” she asked as they came to a stop in front of them.
764 “Hi, Chiharu-chan!” Sakura intoned happily. “We’re fine. We’re just
765 trying to decide what to do now.” Finishing off his meat bun, he
766 licked his fingers clean before smiling at the two.
767 “Sakura-chan’s never been on a date before and neither have I, so
768 we’re both trying to figure things out. Do you have any suggestions,
769 Chiharu-chan?” Tomoyo’s melodious voice sang amidst the banter of the
770 crowd. Smiling politely, the pale girl tilted her head to the side.
771 Even with her eyes close, she could tell that Sakura was blushing
772 deeply. Yes, life was good indeed.
773 “Oh, so Sakura-chan finally asked you out? What a shame. I heard
774 that Li-kun was going to ask you. But that’s not a problem. In
775 Antarctica, women can have as many as ten husbands at a time. So you
776 just have to move there, Tomoyo-chan.” Yamazaki nodded, his ever-
777 present smile plastered on his face despite the look that Chiharu
778 shot him. He hugged a pink rabbit tightly and grinned more, waiting
779 for Chiharu to either correct him or hit him in the arm. He was used
780 to it by now. She’d been doing it since they were little kids anyway.
781 Besides, it was cute.
782 “Really? That’s all right, though. Sakura-chan’s the only husband I
783 want, so I think I’ll stay here in Japan,” Tomoyo replied, her stormy
784 blue eyes blinking open as she continued smiling her trademark smile.
785 She turned to Sakura, delighting at his ever darker blush.
786 “So you’re finally dating? Darn. Rika-chan wins the pool, then. We
787 were wondering when you finally would.” Chiharu frowned for a moment,
788 staring at Yamazaki before turning back to the other couple. “I don’t
789 think I can give any advice. Things just kinda happen. That’s how
790 relationships go, I suppose. Even if it would be nice if they made
791 more sense sometimes.” Sighing, she brushed back some curly hair.
792 Watching the pink bunny in Yamazaki’s arms, Sakura felt his
793 curiosity gnawing at him. “Where did you get that, Yamazaki-kun?”
794 “This? His name is ‘Elephant’. Chiharu-chan won it for me at that
795 booth over there. Chiharu-chan is very good at hitting things.”
796 Chiharu sweatdropped. Yamazaki was very often a pathological liar,
797 but for once she didn’t need to correct him. Of course, she could
798 detect a hint of humor in his voice about the last part of it. “Yeah,
799 it’s not that hard. They have some nice prizes back there. I collect
800 stuffed animals, so I like to pick up some things whenever I go to
801 places like this.”
802 “Sugoi! Thanks!” Sakura smiled as he waved to the two, hurrying
803 with Tomoyo close behind. It sounded perfect. What better way to
804 remember their first date than a cute little stuffed animal? It did
805 sound romantic. All he had to do was win something cute for the pale
806 heiress. His emerald eyes burned with an enthusiastic determination
807 as they hurried towards the booth. Unfortunately, someone was already
808 there, a large pile of stuffed animals next to him.
809 “I want that one next, Syaoran!” A Chinese girl pointed excitedly
810 towards a large bear in the back of the booth. Meiling stood guard
811 over the large pile of stuffed animals at her feet. She didn’t notice
812 the approaching couple, nor did she care. She was on a date with
813 Syaoran. That was all that mattered to her at the moment. And woe to
814 anyone who decided to get in her way. But for the moment, her
815 attention was focussed specifically on her fiance winning another
816 prize for her. She could easily win them herself, but what was the
817 point in that? She wanted them to come from Syaoran. Then they would
818 be fit to decorate her room because they would come from the boy she
819 loved. “Great job, Syaoran!” she cried out as the bear quickly joined
820 the rest of the captive stuffed animals. She hugged the boy from
821 behind, squeezing him tightly.
822 Syaoran sighed as he pulled up a handful of rings again. “Which one
823 do you want this time, Meiling?” He didn’t like being out here with
824 all these people. He wasn’t an overly social person. Staying home
825 would have been a perfectly fine night for him, but Meiling had
826 insisted they go to the festival. She did seem to be enjoying
827 herself. And she did look cute in the small, blue Chinese dress she
828 wore. So maybe it wasn’t all bad. But Syaoran found himself pouring
829 himself into the games rather than bothering with the social part of
830 the whole setting. It was much easier to focus on the competition
831 than the people. “Hello, Li-kun!” a voice piped up cheerfully near
832 his ear. Turning to spy the owner of the voice, Syaoran frowned in
833 irritation. Who was trying to distract him? He didn’t feel like
834 dealing with whoever it was at the moment. He turned to glare at the
835 intruder, but his cheeks flushed as he saw Sakura’s smiling face. He
836 quickly looked away, back towards the booth. Sakura was one of his
837 only friends at the school. Meiling was his best friend, of course,
838 but Sakura was one of his only male friends. Sure, there was
839 Yamazaki, but they were more acquaintances than friends. But Sakura
840 was nice to him. Even after he had been such an asshole to the naïve
841 Cardcaptor at first. And his increase in magical power had attracted
842 him the same way Yukito’s magic had. Tomoyo must have noticed,
843 because she had mentioned it every now and then. It embarrassed him
844 greatly, though not quite as much as some of what Meiling did at
845 school.
846 “Wow!! You’ve done a great job, Li-kun!” Sakura looked at the huge
847 pile of prizes Syaoran had won and the nearly bare walls of the booth
848 he was playing at. “Could I try? I want to win something for Tomoyo-
849 chan.” He smiled happily at the Chinese boy, Tomoyo by her side. He
850 finally had some idea of where all that energy could go, of what to
851 do about the building feelings inside of himself. And he could get
852 something for Tomoyo on top of all that. Apparently Syaoran had
853 thought the same thing. And Meiling looked very happy about it all.
854 Sakura could see a superdeformed Tomoyo in his mind, hugging some
855 cute stuffed animal tightly. Smiling determinedly, Sakura tried to
856 spot something to aim for.
857 Syaoran nodded dumbly, handing the rings over to Sakura. He thought
858 about trying to win a prize to give to the other boy, but with
859 Meiling present, he estimated that he would only live approximately
860 two seconds after giving it to Sakura. Hardly enough time to see how
861 the other boy would react. Sighing, he let his fiance drag him back
862 from the booth and into a tight embrace. Feeling his frown disappear
863 as Meiling rested against him, Syaoran watched the auburn haired boy
864 getting ready to try. He would move to the next booth himself, but he
865 didn’t know if Meiling was done with this one or not.
866 Focusing on the task at hand, Sakura gripped onto one of the rings
867 in front of him. Being pretty athletic, he was pretty good with most
868 physical things. Tomoyo had once said that he could have even made
869 the cheerleading team had he wanted to. Sakura was happy on the track
870 team, though, so he had blushingly told the eccentric girl that he
871 wouldn’t be switching anytime soon. But all of that didn’t make him
872 any less nervous. He wasn’t just playing around with this. It wasn’t
873 simply a diversion. It was for Tomoyo. That spurred him forward, as
874 well as seeing the heiress watching from his right. Feeling the
875 bubbling energy inside of him, Sakura tossed the ring. The small area
876 around him went silent as it flew into the wall, bouncing off
877 speedily. “Gomen nasai!” he apologized quickly, bowing. He wanted to
878 use this as a chance to use all of those energetic feelings inside,
879 but that had been a little too much.
880 “That was amazing, Sakura-chan. I’m sure that would have made it
881 all the way back home if the wall hadn’t stopped it,” Tomoyo said
882 helpfully, as Sakura stood in embarrassment for a moment. She knew
883 that Sakura was shy and easily embarrassed, despite his outgoing
884 nature. She tried to give him all the support and love she could
885 throughout everything he went through. It helped bolster that endless
886 determination that welled up within the cute bishounen.
887 Concentrating once more on the game in front of him, Sakura pulled
888 up another ring. This time he would win Tomoyo a cute prize, just
889 like Syaoran had for his girlfriend and Chiharu had for her
890 boyfriend. He just had to concentrate. Again he saw the cute image of
891 Tomoyo holding onto a stuffed animal in his mind, smiling warmly at
892 him. His cheeks warm at the thought, Sakura let the ring fly off of
893 his fingertips. He remembered the bear that Tomoyo had painstakingly
894 crafted for him, that he held onto every night when he went to sleep,
895 that went with him to all of his games. He wanted to give Tomoyo a
896 cute stuffed animal to keep nearby as well. Something a little softer
897 than an eraser. He watched anxiously as the ring appeared to fly in
898 slow motion, spinning in the air like some magical disk. Though it
899 had left his fingers, his mind and heart never left it as it skimmed
900 through the air, begging the disk to make it, to land where it needed
901 to. With a clang, it ricocheted past the poor booth owner.
902
903 “Thank you again, Sakura-chan. It’s so lovely. I think it looks a
904 bit like you,” Tomoyo stated thoughtfully, holding up the stuffed
905 kangaroo next to Sakura’s embarrassed face. True enough, it did look
906 a bit like the auburn haired boy. They stood next to Tomoyo’s
907 limousine, her bodyguards waiting to take her back home. She didn't
908 want to leave her darling Sakura yet, or ever for that matter. But at
909 the same time, she couldn’t wait to recount the night’s wonders to
910 her mother who was undoubtedly waiting for her only daughter’s return
911 despite the fact that she had work the next day. It was a comforting
912 thought to know that she had someone waiting for her to hear of what
913 had happened and one of the only things that made the night ending
914 bearable. Especially with no videotape to show for it. Tomoyo vowed
915 to tape their second date. She would have to keep a record of such
916 things. After all, what was more important than Sakura’s love life?
917 “You’re welcome, Tomoyo-chan. I should have just bought you
918 something instead. I can’t believe it took me seventeen tries. And
919 for just a tiny kangaroo.” Sakura stared at the ground sheepishly. He
920 was normally good at such things, but he just couldn’t focus while he
921 had been playing the game. His mind kept going back to Tomoyo.
922 Despite all of the energy swirling within him and his need to win
923 something for the beautiful pale girl, he had kept missing. But that
924 had always been a problem for him. He was very good at most athletic
925 things he tried, but whenever he was distracted he would make a lot
926 of mistakes. Tomoyo had told him it was cute, that she enjoyed that
927 as much as she enjoyed when he was doing well. She had said she had a
928 tape full of just his cute little mishaps. Somehow he didn’t find
929 that very comforting. Tomoyo had a very strange idea of ‘cute’.
930 But other than the trouble he’d had getting a hold of the stuffed
931 animal, the night had been magical. He and Tomoyo had spent the whole
932 night at the festival, simply enjoying each others company. In
933 retrospect, Sakura could hardly remember who else had been there. It
934 hardly seemed to matter. After a while, the huge crowds had just
935 faded away, leaving the two of them amidst the beautiful night. There
936 had been several embarrassing moments, but it had been a wonderful
937 first date. Tomoyo had helped him through it all, getting rid of the
938 nervousness that went along with a first date, taking that away and
939 leaving him with a gloriously warm excitement. Now he again found
940 himself unsure of what to say or what to do. He didn’t want Tomoyo to
941 go. He didn’t want the night to end, for their date to have to come
942 to a close. It was the most spectacular thing that had ever occurred
943 in his life. It had a magic that his Cards couldn’t begin to contend
944 with. “Tomoyo-chan,” he whispered at last. “I don’t want you to go.”
945 “Neither do I, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo replied, hugging the stuffed
946 animal in her arms gingerly. “I don’t ever want to be away from
947 Sakura-chan. I want to stay with you forever. But if I have to leave
948 tonight, it’s only so the next night can come even quicker. Tonight
949 was lovelier than anything I could ever have dreamed. I’m sure that
950 hundreds of beautiful nights await you, Sakura-chan. I hope they’ll
951 all come quickly.” Brushing Sakura’s cheek, Tomoyo smiled at the
952 pretty boy, stormy blue eyes meeting emerald orbs. Her heart fought
953 the idea of leaving her dearest Sakura for any reason whatsoever. She
954 had to go home, she knew that. But logic didn’t often understand
955 love. “The sooner I wake up, the sooner I can see you again. It’s
956 like dreaming. The sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you can join
957 your shining dreams.”
958 “But I don’t want to dream.” Sakura sighed, placing his hand on top
959 of Tomoyo’s pale one. He felt Tomoyo’s fingers trailing across his
960 cheek. He smiled slowly. He felt bittersweet about the night ending.
961 He didn’t want Tomoyo to go, but he couldn’t wait to collapse in bed
962 and run it all over in his mind. Maybe he would tell Kero about it.
963 And like Tomoyo had said, the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner
964 they would be together again. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. For everything.”
965 “You don’t have to thank me for anything, Sakura-chan. I love you. I
966 only want to see you happy. If I can see you happy with me, then I
967 can’t think of a sweeter gift. But this kangaroo comes close.” Tomoyo
968 giggled softly as she held the kangaroo up in her other arm. She
969 regretted not having such a lovely night on videotape, but it was
970 something that she would always have burned into her mind’s eye. She
971 wouldn’t be able to play it back on videotape, but that wasn’t so
972 bad. It would be in her heart when she needed it. Her fingers slowly
973 pulled away from Sakura’s cheek. “You’re so cute, Sakura-chan.”
974 Blushing at Tomoyo’s compliment, the auburn haired boy stared at his
975 sandal clad feet for a moment. Looking up again, he smiled at the
976 pale girl before him. She was always telling him how cute he was, how
977 handsome he looked. But she was easily the most gorgeous girl in
978 school, or of anyone Sakura had ever seen. She was exquisitely
979 beautiful, like a terribly delicate flower. He wanted to say
980 something, to put a nice spin on the end of the night, but words
981 stumbled in his mind. Finally, impulsively, he leaned forward and
982 kissed the pale girl before him. If Tomoyo was startled, she didn’t
983 show it. Sakura felt Tomoyo’s petal soft lips against his own,
984 blushing intently at the feel of their kiss. Before he could pull
985 away, he felt Tomoyo kiss him back. It was incredibly slow and
986 rapturously sweet, taking the genki boy by surprise. His arms went
987 around the petite heiress, pulling her closer as he kissed. Long,
988 dark tresses brushed past him as Tomoyo’s hair came loose from some
989 of the intricate braids. Warm lips kissed for what felt like a
990 painfully short eternity before they finally pulled away. Sakura
991 blinked as he watched the heiress before him, a red blush on her pale
992 cheeks. “I love you, Tomoyo-chan,” he whispered.
993 “I love you, too, Sakura-chan. I always have,” Tomoyo replied,
994 giving Sakura a soft kiss once more before crawling back into the
995 limousine. Smiling brightly, the overjoyed girl waved to Sakura.
996 “Goodnight, Sakura-chan!” And with that, the long black car drove away.
997 Sakura watched for a long time, his hand on his lips. “Hanyaan!” He
998 smiled happily, his hands held tightly before him. What a perfect
999 night! Of course, he doubted he would be able to get to sleep now.
1000 Especially after that kiss. It had been so... so... Sakura couldn’t
1001 begin to describe it as anything other than delicious. It had drawn
1002 him in, wrapping him up in those ribbons from Tomoyo’s heart. He had
1003 once heard that kissing was how two souls touched and now he was sure
1004 of it.
1005 “It sure looks like you had fun,” a voice said next to Sakura.
1006 “Onii-chan...!” Sakura turned quickly, his fists balled up, ready to
1007 explode at his older brother for watching. He immediately stopped
1008 when he looked. Where Touya should have been stood a large, white
1009 rabbit. It stared at him for a moment, it’s whiskers shifting as it
1010 tilted its head to the side.
1011 “I still think she looks like mom,” the rabbit was saying as Sakura
1012 fainted dead away.
1013
1014
1015 “... And then we kissed in the dream,” Sakura finished up, her hair
1016 a mess and her rollerskating a little off as she and Tomoyo headed
1017 for school. She shook her head in confusion. It had all felt so real,
1018 even the slow, soul warming kiss. Blushing, Sakura put a hand to her
1019 lips as she skated alongside her perceptive best friend. She had
1020 woken up in a daze, the dream lingering in her mind as she had
1021 struggled to get dressed. She had almost expected to find the boys’
1022 school uniform waiting for her. Dressing quickly and ignoring Touya’s
1023 usual morning taunts, she had hurried to meet with Tomoyo on the way
1024 to school, eager to tell her friend about the bizarre dream. The
1025 patient heiress was always the first one she came to with her
1026 troubles, real or imagined. Like a loving mother or a gentle sister,
1027 Tomoyo would always help Sakura through whatever it was that had
1028 gotten to her. She was extremely important to Sakura, probably the
1029 most important person in her life.
1030 Tomoyo considered the dream for a long moment, holding her bookbag
1031 in front of her. Her long, high ponytail waved behind her as she
1032 walked. A pale hand rested on her chin as she thought. Sakura had
1033 come to her with strange dreams before, but none quite so bizarre as
1034 this one. “Did you like the kiss?” she asked at last, tilting her
1035 head to the side.
1036 “Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura’s face went crimson at Tomoyo’s words. She
1037 stared down at the street below, watching her rollerblades. How was
1038 she supposed to answer that? She had certainly liked the kiss. It had
1039 been a perfect end to a perfect night. But it had been with Tomoyo.
1040 And that was part of why it had been so perfect. But how was she
1041 supposed to put all of that into words? If only she were a boy things
1042 would make so much more sense. Especially things with Tomoyo. Just
1043 like her dream had shown her. It would be wonderful to be able to
1044 date Tomoyo, to spend all of her time with the pale girl. Too bad the
1045 dream hadn’t been real. Well, except the rabbit part. Sakura sighed
1046 as she continued skating. “Un, I liked the kiss. It was very nice,”
1047 she said quietly, blushing. “You were a really good kisser in the
1048 dream. It felt all.. hanyaan.”
1049 Sakura shuddered as she skated, remembering the kiss as best she
1050 could.
1051 Nodding thoughtfully, Tomoyo followed alongside Sakura. Now whereas
1052 kissing Sakura wasn’t an uncommon dream for Tomoyo, she was surprised
1053 to hear that Sakura had dreamt about it. Of course, dreams often made
1054 little sense, so it could be just about anything. But still...
1055 “Sakura-chan would make a very cute boy. You made a very good prince
1056 in the play last year. But I like you better as a girl. I think it’s
1057 much cuter that way. Besides, I’m not as good at designing boys’
1058 clothes, so it’s easier for me this way. Of course, if Sakura-chan
1059 were a boy, I would just have to try harder with the costumes.”
1060 Tomoyo tilted her head to the side curiously, running the whole
1061 scenario over in her mind. It certainly was an interesting one. She
1062 sighed at last. “It’s too bad I can’t videotape Sakura-chan’s dreams.
1063 That sounds so cute!”
1064 Sakura sweatdropped as she watched her friend’s reaction. Why
1065 should she have guessed that Tomoyo would react that way? But then,
1066 the brunette didn’t think she would ever fully get used to the weird
1067 things Tomoyo said about her. “Even though we were dating? You would
1068 still want to watch that?” Sakura asked curiously.
1069 “Especially if we were dating. I haven’t gotten to record any of
1070 Sakura-chan’s love life other than her crushes. It would be so cute
1071 to record her actually dating and to see what happened. I would love
1072 to record every second of our dates if you asked me out,” Tomoyo
1073 explained, smiling her trademark smile. It sounded like such a lovely
1074 dream. Now why couldn’t she have more like that? It had everything,
1075 especially a cute romance with Sakura with the added allure of a kiss
1076 at the end. She sighed dreamily, gazing at her brunette friend.
1077 Shaking her head, Sakura looked ahead. Cherry blossoms danced and
1078 swirled ahead of them, oddly reminiscent of the dream she had had. It
1079 felt strange to hear that Tomoyo would agree to go out with her. But
1080 she was thrilled to hear it for some reason. Her mind wandered back
1081 to the dream again, to the date. She felt saddened that it had all
1082 been a dream, that they hadn’t shared that time together, that she
1083 couldn’t be with Tomoyo. It felt so empty. “If I were a boy, I would
1084 definitely ask you out, Tomoyo-chan. You’re so smart and pretty and
1085 fun. Whoever you date will be very lucky.” Sakura blinked rapidly,
1086 rubbing at her eyes. She didn’t know why she felt so desolate after
1087 that dream. But now that it was all over, she felt like she had lost
1088 something of vital importance and she couldn’t get it back. If only
1089 she were a boy, then she would ask Tomoyo out and they could relive
1090 all of that beautiful dream and what would have surely been to come.
1091 Tomoyo watched Sakura, stopping along underneath the trees. Sakura
1092 slowly came to a halt as well. Her emerald eyes shimmered with
1093 unspent tears. Tomoyo held Sakura’s hand in her own, looking up at
1094 the girl on rollerblades. “I wouldn’t want to date another boy. Or
1095 another girl. I wouldn’t want to date anyone who isn’t Sakura-chan.”
1096 She smiled sweetly up at the other girl, placing a hand on her cheek.
1097 She could feel a wet trail of a teardrop against her palm. Sakura
1098 sniffled again, another tear sliding down her other cheek. Tomoyo’s
1099 heart nearly snapped in two as she watched the lost and lonely look
1100 on Sakura’s face. She doubted that Sakura even understood why she was
1101 feeling the way she was. It still amazed the pale girl after what she
1102 had heard. It was a dream come true, but it felt unbearably painful
1103 to see it hurting her unknowing Sakura. Leaning forward, Tomoyo
1104 decided to show Sakura what she meant. After all, Sakura could be a
1105 little dense sometimes, but maybe she could find a way to explain
1106 things. She had promised to tell Sakura when they were older.
1107 Tomoyo’s lips kissed Sakura’s softly, her entire body tingling from
1108 the small touch. She slowly kissed the quietly crying girl, brushing
1109 away Sakura’s tears with her fingertips. The brunette’s lips quivered
1110 against her own as Sakura stood on the verge of sobbing openly.
1111 Pulling away after the short kiss, Tomoyo smiled at the brunette,
1112 both hands going to her wet cheeks. “I love you, Sakura-chan.”
1113 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered quietly. Her voice almost caught
1114 in her throat, coming out painfully. It wasn’t until then that she
1115 realized she was crying. Warm tears spilt past her cheeks, dripping
1116 down her chin. She sniffled weakly. “Tomoyo-chan!” She cried out,
1117 grasping onto the pale girl. She hung tightly onto her best friend,
1118 shaking in her grasp. She felt her body begin to relax as Tomoyo
1119 began to rub her back gently. Letting out a choked breath, Sakura
1120 hiccuped, her sobbing slowly trailing off. Hiccuping again, Sakura
1121 stood at arms length from Tomoyo, wiping at her eyes. She smiled
1122 warmly after wiping away her tears. “I.. I love you, too, Tomoyo-
1123 chan.” Tomoyo’s demeanor shifted in those few seconds. Sakura
1124 couldn’t quite tell what had changed about Tomoyo, but the pale girl
1125 seemed to glow with the light of an angel, a radiant joy cascading
1126 off of her. She looked simply gorgeous. Sakura stood in stunned
1127 silence for a moment before shaking her head. Something seemed wrong.
1128 Like she hadn’t quite finished everything. But what...? Oh! “Tomoyo-
1129 chan, I.. umm.. I was wondering..” Sakura took a deep breath. She had
1130 already done this once, even if it had only been a dream. Seeing
1131 those shining stormy blue orbs, Sakura pushed forward. “Tomoyo-chan,
1132 will you go out with me?” she asked quickly.
1133 Tomoyo didn’t miss a beat, though she was wondering how easy it
1134 would be to have a heart attack from what had happened in just the
1135 last few minutes. At least she’d die happy. “I would love to go out
1136 with you, Sakura-chan,” the heiress sang joyously. The look of relief
1137 that spread across Sakura’s face made her heart melt. She would have
1138 been happy to help Sakura throughout her life no matter what
1139 happened, but it seemed infinitely better to be there with Sakura for
1140 it. She wasn’t thinking about where the date would take place or
1141 when. Such things were trivial. It was that Sakura had asked that
1142 mattered. It was that they would.
1143 Smiling delightedly, Sakura once again began for school, skating
1144 alongside Tomoyo, hand in hand. “Hanyaan..” she whispered. The dream
1145 seemed incredibly far away now, only a distant shadow. Life could be
1146 endlessly more fascinating than even the most beautiful dreams.
1147
1148 Kero: Now it’s time for Kero-chan’s Corner!! Hi, everybody! Did you
1149 have fun? Did you all follow the adventures of boy Sakura and his
1150 date with Tomoyo? We all know it would have been better if I had been
1151 able to give Sakura-chan that advice I was talking about earlier. But
1152 maybe this time she’ll ask me about it, ne? Anyway, for today, we’ll
1153 check out Sakura’s clothes. Basically, they were just the boys’
1154 school uniform and a cute shirt and shorts. She also wore her yukata,
1155 but I wasn’t in that scene, so does it even matter? Remember what
1156 happened to the girl who got everything she ever wanted. She lived
1157 happily ever after. Bai bai!!
1158
1159 Next Episode:
1160 Sakura: Syaoran’s lost the engagement ring he was going to give
1161 Meiling. Can I help him find it before Meiling finds out? Also, Kero
1162 eats cake. And lots of it. And will all of this talk of marriage get
1163 Tomoyo thinking? Hoe.. I’m too young to get married! Next on
1164 Cardcaptor Sakura: ‘Sakura and the Engagement Ring’. Let’s watch it
1165 together. Release!!
1166 .