moonlitnights: old/stories/dearsakura-04.txt comparison

comparison old/stories/dearsakura-04.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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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Dear Sakura:
+On Angel's Wings
+by The Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+	“Tomoyo-chan, are you sure you won’t come with me? The cabin will
+be lonely without you. You could bring some of your videotapes and we
+could watch them while we’re up there. And the weather is going to be
+gorgeous. We could go for a picnic,” Sonomi Daidouji suggested to her
+daughter as the younger of the two continued packing.
+	“I would love to come with, Okaa-sama, but I couldn’t stand to
+disappoint Sakura-chan. You should have heard her on the phone last
+night. She sounds so excited. I haven’t heard her like that since the
+night she told me that Li-kun had proposed to her.” What she didn’t
+have to add was that she and Syaoran had been planning to for weeks
+but he couldn’t work up the courage or make up his mind so she had to
+follow him around and nudge him ever closer into finally proposing.
+It had been one of the most heartbreaking things she had done for
+Sakura’s happiness, but it had to be done. What if he hadn’t proposed
+otherwise? Tomoyo smiled her trademark smile as she placed in some
+more clothing. Sakura had told her to pack light clothes, so she was
+going for a slightly different style than the usual dresses she wore.
+Her camcorder was already packed up in it’s case, ready for the long
+trip to Hong Kong.
+	Sonomi sighed exasperatedly. Even if she could see past her
+daughter’s almost impenetrable emotional masks, she still wished that
+she would let them down more often around her. And that she would
+listen to reason. “I just don’t think this is a good idea. Sakura-
+chan already went off and got married right in front of you. Does she
+really need to throw it in your face? No good can come from this.
+Just tell her that as your mother and your boss, I forced you to come
+along to the mountains with me.” The older woman took out the blouse
+Tomoyo had just placed in the suitcase, laying it back on the bed.
+	Looking back to her mother, Tomoyo smiled cheerfully again as she
+repacked the offending blouse. “Sakura-chan wouldn’t do that. She’s
+lonely up in Hong Kong all by herself. She needs some help getting
+settled. So I’ll go and help her. I think she’ll be happy to get a
+little piece of home in her new life. It will help her to move on
+with her life.” Tilting her head to the side thoughtfully, she
+glanced around for anything she may be missing.
+	Her lithe hands taking her daughter’s shoulders, Sonomi turned the
+younger woman to face her. “But what about you, Tomoyo-chan? Maybe
+Sakura-chan does need this. But I really don’t think you do. It’s not
+wise for you to go back for more pain. Darling, don’t you think she’s
+hurt you enough? Do you need to see her with him now? For the past
+few years I’ve seen you suffer in silence as you watched them
+together. I don’t want you going off so she can blindly break my
+little girl’s heart again.” She frowned, brushing away some of
+Tomoyo’s lavender hair from her stormy blue eyes. Her heart was
+tearing itself in two. She knew first hand how painful it was to
+watch one’s true love marry another. And there had been nothing she
+could do about it. And now she was equally helpless to stop the pain
+in her daughter. Through the weak smile Tomoyo was keeping up, she
+could see the shimmer of tears in her daughter’s eyes and the deep
+pain behind it. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” Pulling the smaller woman
+closer, the businesswoman held onto her tightly, stroking her back
+the way she had when she was little.
+	Tomoyo closed her eyes as her mother held onto her, letting the
+comforting embrace relax her. “Please don’t worry about me, Okaa-
+sama. I’ll be fine. I really will be happy to see Sakura-chan again.
+I’ve missed her so much lately. Hearing her on the phone and writing
+her isn’t enough. I need to see her. To be with her. Even if it’s for
+the last time,” her musical voice whispered softly, barely
+restraining the emotion underneath. She hugged her mother back, her
+eyes still shut. This whole visit had brought up so many mixed
+emotions in her. She dearly wanted to see her precious Sakura again,
+but the prospect of interrupting her new life with her husband was
+painful. She knew that Syaoran was probably taking good care of
+Sakura and providing her with things she never could. And in turn, he
+was rewarded with something Sakura could never give her. Her sweet,
+innocent love. And what a reward at that. But if he could make her
+happy, then he more than deserved it. But going in and seeing her
+beloved with her husband was a painful thought indeed. And after
+Sakura got settled, there really wouldn’t be much of a need for her
+anymore. Syaoran had already replaced her at Sakura’s side as the
+most important person in her life. He would love and support her the
+way she always had. She would go to him with her problems. And Sakura
+could forget about her. So in that sense, this trip was extremely
+bittersweet for the young heiress. This truly could be the last time
+she ever saw Sakura. But she had to. For Sakura’s sake. As well as
+her own. If this was her last chance to spend time with Sakura, she
+would have to treasure the moments for eternity.
+	When Tomoyo finally stepped away from her mother, she smiled
+softly, composed once again. “I’ll be fine, Okaa-sama. I’ll give
+Sakura-chan your love.”
+	Sonomi seemed to consider that for a moment. Did she really want
+Sakura even hearing from her after the hell she had been forcing her
+daughter through? Not that there was any use arguing the point with
+Tomoyo. The younger Daidouji already had enough to worry about
+without her mother’s anger at Sakura. Sighing, she crossed her arms.
+“But promise that you’ll call me while you’re up there. Everyday. I
+want to know how things are going.”
+	Tomoyo giggled softly and  nodded. “Hai, Okaa-sama. I’ll be sure to
+call you. Please have fun on your vacation, too.” A melodious beeping
+interrupted the two from Tomoyo’s watch. Pink and cute with intricate
+and colorful designs on it, it was most obviously a product of
+Daidouji Toys. “I’m going to be late if I don’t hurry.” She glanced
+back at her mother after picking up her small bag with the camcorder
+in it. Two darkly clad bodyguards picked up her two other suitcases.
+“Everything will be fine. Please don’t worry. You’ve been so busy
+with work that you really need to relax on this vacation. And how can
+I enjoy my time with Sakura-chan if I know Okaa-sama’s busy worrying
+about me?”
+	The older woman couldn’t help but smile. Just like Nadeshiko. Her
+daughter had always been such a sweet girl, much like her cousin. But
+that concern for her loved ones came from Sonomi herself, even if
+Tomoyo managed to be more subtle about it. “Let’s hurry. The
+limousine’s waiting.”
+	Taking one last look at her room, Tomoyo tried to spot anything
+that she might be missing. She was usually very good at organizing
+things, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing
+something. Her eyes finally settled on the half-finished costume she
+had once been working on for Sakura. Folding it over her arm, she
+hurriedly followed her mother out the door.
+	Stormy blue eyes watched with a mild curiosity as the lighter blue
+skies slowly filtered past outside the window. It wouldn’t take too
+long before she was in Hong Kong. But Tomoyo hadn’t fully sorted out
+her feelings on the situation. Which was very difficult for her. She
+knew how she should feel about the whole thing. She should be happy
+for Sakura, that she was with the one she loved and that she was
+happily on the road to her new life. But it hurt her terribly that
+their roads had veered from one another’s. Her heart longed for
+Sakura. Her determined spirit, her genki attitude, her sweet smile.
+Everything about her. So it was with some delight that she had gotten
+the chance to fly out to see her so soon. And without the pretext of
+Sakura being with child as well. But how did she fit into Sakura’s
+new life? As nothing more than a relic from the past, sadly. And this
+trip was just making her realize that cold fact more and more. The
+trip was not much more than an attempt to curb Sakura’s homesickness
+so that she could move on with her new life. Seeing Sakura would be
+both the most pleasant part of the trip and the most painful. Part of
+her had wanted to accept her mother’s offer to go on vacation with
+her at a cabin in the mountains. But she needed to see Sakura again.
+To see that she had done the right thing in getting her beloved with
+another. Of that she was fairly certain, but she wanted to see Sakura
+happy with her special person. Seeing that making Sakura happy would
+make it all worth it. The she could go back to Japan and Sakura could
+forget all about her. But her final memories of Sakura, the knowledge
+that Sakura was finally happy would carry her through it.
+	Tomoyo needed to see Sakura if for no other reason than to be with
+her true love just once more. She needed to see the girl that she had
+fallen in love with all those years ago. Sakura always filled her
+heart with such warmth just being near her. That had been missing
+from her life for too long now. Her heart soared at the thought of
+seeing her dear Sakura again, of being able to experience those
+wonderful sensations without the aid of videotape or her own
+memories. To feel the sheer and utter warmth she had for this girl at
+its strongest, the way she always was when she was in Sakura’s
+presence.
+	“Don’t you make me happy... Don’t you have a good time...” Tomoyo
+sung softly as she watched the clouds outside. One big fluffy one
+looked just like Kero-chan. And in another wispier one, she could see
+Sakura on her old staff. Smiling softly, she took a small bite of her
+meal. It was nice, but she wasn’t very hungry.
+	“Can I get you anything, ma’am?” the waitress asked pleasantly.
+Tomoyo just smiled in response and shook her head politely.
+	After months and months of struggling, Tomoyo had finally managed
+to watch the videotape of the wedding ceremony all the way through.
+She had left right near the end, unable to stay and watch the entire
+event. That fact weighed heavily upon her. She had wanted to stay for
+Sakura, but watching her love get married off and taken away from her
+for good was too much for her to bear. And that had been the last she
+had seen of Sakura. They had left for their honeymoon after that and
+then to Hong Kong. She was truly grateful that Sakura had sent her
+the bouquet from her wedding. She had felt devastated for not being
+there near the end, but it made her feel better to have the pretty
+flowers that symbolized Sakura’s new union. Now it was right next to
+her mother’s bouquet from Nadeshiko’s wedding. It really made her
+wonder if maybe it was Fate at work. Her mother obviously loved
+Nadeshiko with the same passion that she held for Sakura, yet she was
+denied that love. Just as she was denied the chance to be with
+Sakura. Even though they both went about their love in very different
+ways. But it was all right. Her mother might not understand exactly,
+but it really was more important that Sakura be happy than with her.
+That your loved one was happy, even if you weren’t together, truly
+was the most vital thing.
+	That fact had been what she had tried to explain many times to
+Sakura. But what she hadn’t told Sakura was that even if she was
+pleased for her special someone to be happy with someone else, there
+was also a lot of hurt inside. Yes, she was happy for Sakura. That
+was the truth. It was also true that she cried herself to sleep at
+night, lonely and sad that she would never be able to let her
+feelings for Sakura out of the cage of her heart. But sometimes
+Sakura only needed the half truth. Especially when the whole truth
+would hurt her. And Tomoyo had been very careful in all the time that
+she had known Sakura to not hurt her. Even if it meant being creative
+about the truth at times and not always showing her true feelings.
+	A mixture of pain and warmth, longing and loneliness filled the
+young businesswoman’s heart. Her own heart used to be so open to her.
+She had understood it implicitly. But now it was so confused by all
+the conflicting thoughts and emotions that she didn’t know if she
+could fit some of the conflicting emotions together. Which meant she
+had to be even more careful while in Hong Kong. She needed to be
+happy for Sakura. She couldn’t let Sakura see that she was hurting or
+it might ruin things. At the very least, it would make Sakura sad and
+she couldn’t have that.
+	Tomoyo smiled gently as she closed her eyes, envisioning the cute
+brunette. “I love you, Sakura-chan. Let’s enjoy this trip. There will
+be time for tears later.”
+	Sakura sighed as she stared blankly at the magazine on her lap. Her
+mind was refusing to concentrate on anything. Tomoyo’s flight was
+overdue and she was starting to get worried. She had gotten to the
+airport early in her enthusiasm to see her sweet friend again. A yawn
+escaped her lips which she tried to cover quickly. Sleep hadn’t been
+very generous in coming for the past few nights. And the closer it
+got to Tomoyo’s arrival, the more difficult it became for her to get
+any rest. Last night had seemed like an eternity. Sleep had eluded
+her for hours. She spent most of it in the room she had prepared for
+Tomoyo, tidying things up one last time. When she had finally fallen
+asleep, she had found herself passed out at the desk in that room.
+Embarrassed and still a little sleepy, she had slipped back into bed
+with her husband, but sleep once again taunted her. All sorts of
+memories kept coming to her when she was about to nod off. The dress
+Tomoyo had made her for one of the school dances had come to mind.
+Then the lavender haired girl had asked her to the dance when she
+found out that Syaoran couldn’t be there to take her. That had been a
+lot of fun, even if it had seemed a little awkward at the time. When
+Tomoyo had practiced with her for her auditions in Drama Club, which
+had been the dark haired angel’s idea in the first place, had also
+drifted into her head. When Tomoyo had shown her the videotape of her
+flying on her magic staff and had found out that she was a magical
+girl played over and over again in her mind.
+	Oddly enough, the one memory that stuck out the most was when
+Tomoyo had been explaining the custom of making a teddy bear for the
+person you like and them naming it after you. When Sakura had asked
+the beautiful heiress about why she wasn't going to make one, Tomoyo
+had smiled at her and explained that she would be happy as long as
+her special person was. At the time, she had seen it as nothing more
+than Tomoyo’s usual eccentricity, but for some reason it was
+bothering her now. Why couldn’t Tomoyo make it for her special
+someone? That wasn’t fair that she’d have to be alone like that, not
+even being able to take part in such a cute little tradition. But
+before she could make any sense of the whole thing, she had hurried
+off to the airport.
+	The plane was still late. Sakura bit her lip anxiously. Her stomach
+was starting to feel sick from all of the anxiety of waiting. She
+kept seeing her pale friend in her mind’s eye, and it just made her
+impatience grow. She missed Tomoyo terribly. They had been best
+friends for years and years now and suddenly she was without her in a
+new country. She was happy to be with her new husband, but the
+loneliness she felt being away from Tomoyo continued to grow while
+she was gone. And that confused her. Now that she was starting her
+new life with Syaoran, she had expected that to diminish as time went
+by. But it had only grown worse. So Tomoyo’s visit came as quite a
+relief. It thrilled her to know that her friend would soon be with
+her again. There was so much to do! So much to say! Her heart pounded
+in her chest in excitement. She couldn’t wait to see the beautiful
+woman again, to laugh with her and know that she was there by her
+side. She hadn’t been this excited since the honeymoon.
+	Sakura paused for a moment, setting the magazine aside. Tomoyo had
+been her best friend for what felt like a lifetime. They had only
+been apart for several months. And she was married to her loving
+husband and living her wonderful new life. Sure, it was great to be
+able to spend time with Tomoyo again, but was that really anywhere on
+par with a honeymoon with the man she had vowed to spend the rest of
+her life with? Oh, it didn’t matter. She missed her friend so dearly
+that it would be great to see her again. Why did it matter if she was
+so exited to see her or not? Tomoyo was very important to her. More
+than she’d ever realized before. But now that she was gone, Sakura
+missed her daily. The dark haired woman’s nigh constant comforting
+presence and warm words were no longer there except in the presence
+of phone calls and letters. And that just wasn’t the same thing. She
+needed the pale woman there with her so that she could feel whole
+again. She knew Tomoyo believed in her, but sometimes she had trouble
+believing in herself. And sometimes it was so hard adjusting to her
+new life. But Tomoyo had always helped her through everything.
+Somehow she knew that it would all be better if her incredibly
+perceptive friend was there to help her.
+	Standing up excitedly, Sakura watched an airplane taxiing up. Was
+that hers? Could that be...? It was!! Sakura clasped her hands
+together happily as she watched it move slowly forward. It moved
+achingly slow in her mind. ‘If only this wasn't for just a visit’.
+That thought saddened her for a moment, but it quickly passed as her
+excitement built to a crescendo. All of the waiting had built up to
+this moment. All of that time apart would be over. At least for now.
+Tomoyo would have to leave again soon enough. That thought alone left
+a pain in her heart. Just like what Tomoyo had said about knowing
+they couldn’t be together forever. The same was true now. They’d only
+be here for a short visit. But that wasn’t for a while yet. And they
+would see each other again in the meantime. Her heart nearly stopped
+as she saw a pale figure walk out of the plane. Long, lavender hair
+was done up in elegant braids, draped past her shoulders, sharply
+contrasting her pale skin. Her short blue and aquamarine dress was
+simple but beautiful. Tomoyo was stunningly beautiful, even more so
+than Sakura had last remembered her. How her special someone could
+ignore her, Sakura could not even begin to comprehend. Joy bubbled up
+in her heart at the very sight of her best friend. It was a far cry
+from their first meeting in class eight years prior. “Tomoyo-chan !!
+Tomoyo-chan!”
+	Tomoyo turned to find the source of the voice. Her smile brightened
+immeasurably as she spotted the brunette running towards her. “Sakura-
+chan!” She stepped to the side, trying to get away from the rest of
+the passengers and to her eager friend. “Sakura-chan, I’m so...” The
+breath was knocked out of her as Sakura leapt into an embrace. The
+athletic girl pulled her close, hugging her with all the energy she
+could muster. Tomoyo felt her own heart surge at being so near Sakura
+again. She had been right. Being near her did fill her heart near
+bursting as the love inside struggled to be released. “It’s so good
+to see you, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said sweetly when Sakura finally
+released her grasp ever so slightly. Her eyes lingered on Sakura’s
+shining emeralds. Sakura had grown into quite a pretty young woman.
+She was still Tomoyo’s image of perfection. The bags under Sakura’s
+eyes concerned her, but she knew that the Cardmistress hadn’t been
+sleeping much because of her impending visit.
+	“I’m so happy to see you, too, Tomoyo-chan! I was starting to worry
+that you had been swept up on your way to see me. I couldn’t wait for
+you to get here.” Giving Tomoyo another tight hug, Sakura finally let
+go. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” It had felt like an eternity
+since she had last seen Tomoyo, but now that the dark haired girl was
+here, it felt like it had only been the day before that they had last
+seen each other. This trip was going to be wonderful. She could just
+feel it.
+	Tomoyo giggled softly and shook her head. “Nothing could keep me
+from my Sakura-chan. I had to get here. I’m very sorry to keep you
+waiting.” She hefted the camcorder case up, adjusting the strap. “I
+wanted to come out and record you again but they won’t let me until I
+have it checked with security. It would have been the perfect first
+shot for my ‘Sakura-chan and the Dream Vacation’ videotape!”
+	Now it was Sakura’s turn to laugh. “We’ll have to get you some
+better shots than that. And I’m just glad to see you. I’ve missed you
+so much, Tomoyo-chan. You don’t know how happy I am to have you here
+in Hong Kong. I’ve been waiting the longest time for your visit.”
+	“I missed you, too, Sakura-chan. Nothing’s the same without your
+cute presence to make everything exciting.” Tomoyo couldn’t take her
+eyes off of Sakura. It was like she had been dying of thirst and had
+just found her oasis. She drank up Sakura hungrily, burning her
+precious image into her mind at that very moment as best she could.
+She felt like she had been kept in the dark, blind and deaf to the
+world and that she had just now been returned her senses. For now her
+worries were far away. They hardly seemed to matter in the face of
+the girl she loved.
+	Sakura blushed softly at Tomoyo’s compliment, but smiled. “We
+better go get your bags. There’s so much I need to show you. And I
+can’t wait for you to see your room. I really think you’ll like it.
+I’ll help you unpack.” Taking Tomoyo’s hand, she couldn’t get rid of
+her smile. Not that she wanted to. She was too happy to have her
+friend back with her again. Things finally felt all right.
+	Tomoyo was a little surprised by Sakura’s hand holding her own, but
+she didn’t complain. Squeezing Sakura’s hand gently, she nodded. “I’m
+sure it will be lovely. Anything that Sakura-chan spent so much time
+and effort into must be perfect. I’ll love being able to see it
+without the need of a picture this time.”
+	“I really hope you think so when you see it. I think it’ll be very
+nice for you. I tried to think like Tomoyo-chan while I was fixing up
+the room. I’m afraid it’s not much like your old room, but I still
+think it looks nice. So I’m not sure how good a job I did as you.”
+Sakura looked outside and sweatdropped. Rain plastered the windows
+all around them, casting the girls in shifting shadows.  “I hope you
+brought an umbrella. I was hoping things would at least clear up when
+you arrived.”
+	Leading Sakura towards the baggage check out, Tomoyo’s worries felt
+like they had been left back in the airplane. Being with Sakura again
+really did feel wonderful. “Hai, I did. I tried to pack as best I
+could from what you told me. And I already know that I’ll love the
+room Sakura spent so much time putting together for me. I’m much
+happier than I could be with any hotel room I could have.”
+	Sakura smiled happily and squeezed Tomoyo’s soft hand in return.
+“Good. We’ll need to hurry so that we don’t waste any of your time
+here!”

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/dearsakura-04.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights