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date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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1 Dear Sakura
2 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
3 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
4 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
5
6
7 Life is a mixture of good and bad. Delightfully joyous
8 circumstances plagued by the most exquisite pain. Biting cold and
9 burning heart. In some ways, the very talons of sorrow and defeat
10 were what made joy taste all the sweeter to the lips, a fruit that
11 one was lucky to find but was gone all too quickly. While in the
12 shadows, waiting and lurking was the despair, eager to reclaim its
13 prize once delight and happiness had all but faded. Happiness was an
14 escape that faded all too quickly in the dim lights that filled one’s
15 life. That was not to say that they were any less spectacular. It
16 served to make them even more treasured in the hearts of those who
17 knew how rare such things really were. How cherished they should be
18 for simply being there. The sweetest joys were often tinged with the
19 bittersweet aftertaste of sadness. And through it all, life continued
20 it’s inexhaustible march forward. As a lone toy designer waited
21 patiently for the giant metal beast she was riding to make its way
22 back to Japan, her thoughts were filled with musings on her own
23 recent joy and pain.
24 Tomoyo found herself staring into the eyes of the teddy bear that
25 Sakura had made her. It was beautiful, if a little messy. But that
26 was something the dark haired woman loved about it. It was obviously
27 Sakura’s doing. She remembered one time when Sakura had made a yukata
28 for Syaoran. She had spent so long working on it, despite her
29 difficulty with sewing. And even if it hadn’t been the best looking
30 yukata, it had been crafted carefully and delicately with Sakura’s
31 warm and loving heart. Tomoyo understood this all too well. After
32 all, every costume she made and all of the outfits she would sew for
33 the brunette came from the bottom of her heart. The level of one’s
34 skill with thread and needle didn’t matter; it was what lay in one’s
35 heart while creating that truly brought out the beauty within. And
36 Tomoyo saw that reflecting back at her through the violet eyes of the
37 teddy bear she was holding. The bear was pink and white with a large
38 purple bow. It was stained with Tomoyo’s tears as she had held it
39 tightly to her, Sakura’s scent still clinging stubbornly to it.
40 Turning the bear over in her hands, the pale heiress ran her
41 fingers over a small dark patch that she had identified as some of
42 Sakura’s blood. She knew very well that Sakura had difficulty with
43 such tasks and the bandages on her fingers had been testament to
44 this. The thought of Sakura pricking herself while making the bear
45 was both sad and heartwarming at the same time. Knowing that Sakura
46 was in pain, physical or emotional, had always hurt Tomoyo infinitely
47 more than her own pain. Seeing Sakura hurting and knowing that she
48 was helpless to stop it dug into her heart. She would give anything
49 to take all of the brunette’s pain for herself, to suffer with all of
50 it if only it meant that Sakura would no longer feel it’s heavy
51 burden. But knowing that despite hurting herself, Sakura had
52 continued to pour her genki heart out into the teddy bear almost left
53 Tomoyo breathless. Surely she wasn’t worthy of such shining devotion.
54 It made the bear in her arms a truly wonderful gift, one that came
55 from the deep spring of love that Tomoyo had nearly tumbled into
56 during her visit. And just like in real water, she couldn’t swim in
57 it. She had found herself floundering, awash in the waves of
58 confusion that kept pushing her under. But that was one sea that she
59 would have been happy to drown in, the deep ocean of Sakura’s love.
60 Her fingers passed once more over the small dried patch of blood, a
61 small sacrifice from Sakura that left itself as a tiny badge on the
62 bear.
63 Sakura. That’s what she had named the bear. The name had flown into
64 her mind the instant she had received it. After all, you were
65 supposed to name your teddy bear after the one you loved. If you were
66 lucky, it meant that they would fall in love with you as well. Tomoyo
67 had explained that to Sakura years earlier. Sakura had been about to
68 make one for Yukito when she asked why Tomoyo wasn’t making a bear
69 for her special someone. The dark haired woman had replied that she
70 only wanted the one she loved to be happy. But she had wanted so
71 dearly to make a bear for Sakura, to give it to her along with her
72 love. Instead, she had sat by while Syaoran made one for Sakura and
73 Sakura eventually gave hers to the Chinese boy. She had never made a
74 bear for anyone and she found herself regretting that. Even if Sakura
75 hadn’t been able to understand, even if she had never known why,
76 Tomoyo wished that she had been able to make one for her beautiful
77 friend. But her love had to be locked away, unable to come forth in
78 such an obvious display. Not that she hadn’t been obvious enough at
79 other times, now that she thought about it, but after explaining the
80 bear in relation to her special someone, even dense Sakura would have
81 been able to figure out that she was the one who held Tomoyo’s heart
82 by strings. And up till now she had never received a teddy bear. Not
83 that she had minded at all. Just like the boys she had turned down in
84 high school when they had asked for dates, it just didn’t matter. Her
85 one, true love was the only one in her heart. She was all right if
86 that meant never getting flowers, or teddy bears, or chocolates as
87 tokens of love. She could be happy as long as she knew her true love
88 was. Even if she wasn’t with her.
89 But now Sakura had gone back and made her a teddy bear, something
90 that Tomoyo had long given up on back in her youth. The gesture had
91 surprised and amazed her. It was supposed to be from her special
92 someone, Sakura had said. It _was_ from her special someone. It was a
93 gift that she had never even allowed herself to hope for. The very
94 thought that Sakura had made it specifically for her, that she had
95 given her such an incredible gift was almost too much to handle. She
96 hoped that Sakura would find her final costume soon after she left.
97 She had left it on the bed in the small room she had occupied. It was
98 still unfinished, but she wanted Sakura to have it regardless. She
99 didn’t think she would make another costume after the wedding dress,
100 so she would leave it unfinished for Sakura to do with as she pleased.
101 Hugging the bear closer, Tomoyo hardly seemed to notice the
102 turbulence that suddenly began to buffet the plane. Such things were
103 trivial and didn’t matter much to her in her current frame of mind.
104 Part of her cried out, hoping that the plane would crash into the
105 waves beneath them, slipping into the rough waters below. It would be
106 a fitting end to her visit. The image of herself still strapped to
107 her chair, eyes closed serenely, her hair fluttering about in the
108 water as she held the bear beneath the waves entered her mind. She
109 took the thoughts in stride, the dark imagery failing to worry her.
110 If she were to die in such a way, then she would be happy. She would
111 have seen her darling Sakura one last time in life and would be ready
112 to fade from her life. But her mother was still waiting for her back
113 home and Sakura would undoubtedly hear about such a disaster. No, she
114 would have to find a quieter way to slip out of Sakura’s life. She
115 knew that she had to fade away. And soon. This trip had been a
116 blessing, but it had frightened her at times. Her continued presence
117 in Sakura’s life could have drastic consequences if Sakura were to
118 ever discover who her special someone was. The love that she had felt
119 from Sakura had been intoxicating, wrapping around her like silk
120 spider webs, unable and unwilling to get free from their hold. But if
121 that love were to continue developing, it could be disastrous not
122 only for Sakura’s marriage, but her entire new life as well. It was
123 too dangerous. And far too painful. Being so close to Sakura, feeling
124 the warmth in her heart, it was maddening for Tomoyo. So close yet so
125 far. She knew that she could never be with the smiling brunette,
126 could never love her the way she wanted to. Being so close was an
127 exquisitely delightful torture, giving her secret thrills at sharing
128 so much with Sakura, but with a heavy undercurrent of frozen icicles
129 of pain slashing mercilessly at her heart. Her masks had become
130 ineffectual, leaving her completely defenseless in Sakura’s presence.
131 Watching Sakura’s marriage so closely, never being able to truly be a
132 part of Sakura’s happiness, it would quickly destroy her. She was
133 already broken. Tomoyo knew that. The cracks were becoming evident in
134 her surface, the underlying structure starting to buckle. She would
135 not last much longer in Sakura’s life, especially after the moments
136 they had shared. The pain, the loneliness would quickly consume her.
137 Watching Sakura and smiling, trying so hard to pretend that she was
138 all right, she couldn’t keep it up anymore. She was tired. Oh, so
139 tired. Her masks lay heavy on her shoulders and she could no longer
140 work up the will to wear them as she once had. Yet she would continue
141 to as well as she could for Sakura’s sake… until she could fade away.
142 She was nothing more than a specter from Sakura’s past. It was about
143 time that she made her exit.
144 Her current train of thought sent fresh tears streaming down her
145 ivory cheeks, falling helplessly to the teddy bear in her arms. She
146 didn’t want to leave Sakura. She didn’t want to fade out of her life.
147 After this trip, all she wanted was to be with her, to hold on to the
148 woman she loved with all of her heart. But she knew she couldn’t. And
149 she wouldn’t last much longer in Sakura’s life. Her pain had built up
150 intensely inside of her for years now, growing steadily as she kept
151 it all inside, never once showing her friend the torment in her
152 heart. And it was rapidly becoming too much for her. Staying in
153 Sakura’s life was making it grow stronger, the longing for Sakura
154 becoming more painful, the pain as she watched Sakura’s marriage even
155 more acute. She had to fade away. For herself and for Sakura. It was
156 the only way. Staying would only bring more heartache and pain. There
157 was still a chance that she could survive with only her memories of
158 Sakura. Her mother had lasted all these years with memories of
159 Nadeshiko. Perhaps she could do the same. The pain would never lessen
160 in her heart and her love would never fade in the slightest, but she
161 would know that Sakura was happy and that she was only a distant
162 memory to her. No matter how much that hurt Tomoyo, she knew it was
163 quickly becoming the only way out.
164 Wiping her tears away with shaking fingers, Tomoyo smiled softly
165 and politely turned down a flight attendants offer of help. Looking
166 out the small window near her seat, the dark haired woman watched the
167 clouds beneath them. The sun gleamed brightly from behind them,
168 coloring the sky in beautiful oranges and pinks as it slowly began to
169 fade away. “The sun is the most beautiful before it disappears,”
170 Tomoyo whispered softly to the teddy bear. “That is what this trip
171 was for. My beautiful memories of Sakura-chan before I fade away. At
172 least we got to be together one last time. I’ll always cherish those
173 memories and the time we spent together.” A soft smile crossed her
174 lips. It was a heartfelt smile. Yes, this would be the last time she
175 would see Sakura, but like the setting sun, it was gorgeous. Tomoyo
176 had no regrets about the trip or her time spent with Sakura. It had
177 been a beautiful gift that was bestowed upon her and she thanked
178 whoever it was that had blessed her with Sakura’s friendship in the
179 first place for the wonderful memories that would always be etched
180 into her soul. Every second with Sakura had reminded her of just how
181 much she loved the brunette. It had shown her once again that all she
182 really wanted was for Sakura to be happy. Each magical moment had
183 been like the sweetest dream, even down to their parting. It had been
184 terribly painful to leave Sakura. Her legs had nearly refused to take
185 her away from the other woman. But even then, Sakura’s gift had
186 shined through the darkness of the moment. It had been as if Sakura
187 had wrapped her battered heart gently in a soft quilt, cradling it
188 from the pain. Yes, she would always treasure this trip and the
189 pieces of Sakura’s heart that she held close to her own. When they
190 were together, it had felt like all of the pieces to the puzzle had
191 been brought together. Sakura had fit all of the missing pieces in
192 her heart and soul. Tomoyo had felt complete. The loneliness was
193 gone, the void in her heart was answered. She felt happy when she was
194 with Sakura. Even if she couldn’t be the one to make Sakura happy,
195 Sakura certainly was the one who made her happy.
196 “I could never thank you enough for this trip, Sakura-chan. It was
197 the most wonderful time of my life. Being with you must be a glimpse
198 of Heaven,” Tomoyo whispered as she held the teddy bear in her lap.
199 For a moment, she saw it as her own child, coming with her on some
200 business trip. Is that what would happen? Would she find herself with
201 a child to ease her loneliness and to try to fill the void in her
202 life as her mother had? She knew that her mother had been happy to
203 have her, Tomoyo’s young life giving her own meaning. The idea was
204 very tempting, to raise a child of her own. Perhaps she could even
205 convince Touya to supply the sperm for the child. She could get a
206 very skilled doctor for the procedure. After all, she didn’t need to
207 be with anyone to have a child. There were other procedures for that.
208 In Vitro-Fertilization. And if half of it was coming from Touya, then
209 it would be very close to the child she and Sakura would have had
210 they been able to conceive one. A faint smile crossed her lips at the
211 thought, images of Sakura in boys’ clothes once again filling her
212 mind. A cute little girl. A child all her own. Yes, she’d have to
213 look into it. She held the teddy bear closer.
214 The entire trip had left her small and relatively weak body
215 exhausted, but sleep seemed light years away. Tomoyo’s mind was far
216 too consumed by the trip itself and it’s implications to worry about
217 such things as sleep. It had fulfilled one of her fondest dreams, to
218 kiss Sakura with all of the love she could muster. And even more
219 surprisingly, Sakura had returned it with a fervor she never would
220 have imagined in the brunette. It had been a magical, fairy tale like
221 kiss and that alone stood out as a symbol in her mind of the
222 affection Sakura had showered upon her during her visit. She still
223 found herself confused by it, but now there was nothing she could do
224 about it. She would soon be back home in Japan, far away from the
225 beautiful bride and her sweet and soul stirring kisses. But it left
226 Tomoyo a little uneasy. Behind the confusion surrounding Sakura’s
227 love, she saw something that resembled her own love remarkably. Like
228 a crystal clear mirror, it seemed to reflect her own love, beaming
229 from within Sakura. As if the Red String of Fate that was heavily
230 knotted around her heart also tugged at Sakura’s. This gave Tomoyo
231 pause, considering Sakura’s words on the night before she left. Even
232 Sakura’s confession had sounded like one confessing a secret love.
233 More than anything, she wanted to take that love and nurture it with
234 her own, delighting in its shimmering radiance.
235 Tomoyo wasn’t used to being confused. In fact, she very rarely was.
236 Her mother loved her dearly, but she was gone often with her work so
237 Tomoyo had relied heavily on her keen perception of people and their
238 hearts for most of her life which is why she was having such a
239 difficult time lying to herself that Sakura’s love was anything else.
240 Tomoyo was a terrible liar, especially to herself. But if it was
241 love, then what could she do? She had already wasted her chance to be
242 with Sakura. Sakura was already married and in a new life. She
243 couldn’t interfere. She just wanted Sakura to be happy and getting
244 involved would just make things difficult for the poor magical girl.
245 Her thoughts were finally interrupted by the pilot announcing their
246 descent into Tokyo. Tomoyo was glad for the distraction. She held her
247 teddy bear close as the plane made its way towards the airport below.
248 “I love you, Sakura-chan,” she said out loud, half hoping that it
249 would be heard and answered from across the sea.
250
251 Sonomi Daidouji looked down at her watch impatiently. “It’s been
252 half an hour. What if something’s happened to my darling little
253 Tomoyo-chan?” she asked no one in particular. Her voice held a tinge
254 of mania in it, an overprotective quality within her that had only
255 grown stronger since the loss of her beloved Nadeshiko. Her daughter
256 was the only person that mattered in her life anymore and she
257 couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to the pale girl. “I
258 knew I should have sent the bodyguards with her.”
259 Looking down at her laptop, the businesswoman sighed. She was too
260 flustered to attempt to get any work done. Her mind was concentrating
261 on other things. Her finger lingered over the shut down command, her
262 attention on the picture of Nadeshiko that she used as a background.
263 Though Nadeshiko had been a model for a number of years, this picture
264 was one of a kind. Nadeshiko had sent it explicitly to her around the
265 time she had been pregnant with Tomoyo. It was almost as if she’d
266 known. There was a sweet, simple letter attached. It mentioned
267 nothing of the man Sonomi had come to hate, Nadeshiko’s husband,
268 Fujitaka, or even of the birth of Sakura that must have been near at
269 the time. It was merely a few words that Sonomi had read over and
270 over until the ink had gotten smeared with her fingerprints and even
271 then, they were vivid in her memory. ‘Thank you for always looking
272 out for me, Sonomi-chan. Even if I don’t see you much anymore, I
273 still hear your voice when I’m going about my day. You’ll always be
274 in my heart.’ Three years later, she had died. Sonomi had never
275 gotten to ask her why she had sent the letter. It just hadn’t seemed
276 important while she was in the hospital. Sonomi’s mind had latched
277 onto other things at the time. Her failure to protect Nadeshiko and
278 the knowledge that she would soon lose her dearest cousin in this
279 life was unbearable. It made everything else seem trivial. It was
280 ironic that the only thing able to bring her back to Nadeshiko after
281 the marriage to Fujitaka was her impending death. And she had once
282 again been left without her.
283 But, as Nadeshiko had said, she was always in her heart. The
284 picture that Sonomi kept on her desktop and by her nightstand was not
285 one of Nadeshiko the model, Nadeshiko the mother, or Nadeshiko the
286 bride. It was simply her beloved Nadeshiko, her sweet little cousin.
287 And that was all Sonomi ever really wanted. She had other pictures of
288 Nadeshiko around the house and at her office, but this was her
289 favorite. The words always followed in Nadeshiko’s gentle voice when
290 she would look upon it. “Nadeshiko-chan, please look out for my
291 daughter,” she said softly.
292 Sonomi had spent the entire trip to the mountains in the vacation
293 house plagued by worries and concerns for her daughter. She felt a
294 little ashamed at what Tomoyo would think if she knew she had been
295 smoking the entire time. But she couldn’t help it. Her mind had been
296 in shambles, a hopelessness that had shrouded her soul sneaking up
297 like a curse to strike down her only daughter. It hardly seemed fair.
298 And Sonomi, the athletic and overprotective woman she was, once again
299 failed to save those close to her. Just like she had been unable to
300 protect Nadeshiko from HIM, she was unable to protect Tomoyo from the
301 pain that had enveloped her own life. Her mind had been consumed with
302 thoughts of her poor Tomoyo in Hong Kong, painfully aware of the boy
303 that had married Sakura. She knew that she herself couldn’t have
304 handled seeing Nadeshiko during her marriage to Fujitaka. It must
305 have been terrible for Tomoyo. Which is why she had tried to get
306 Tomoyo to come up with her to the mountains. She only wanted to
307 protect her daughter from the sorrow and the hurt. Her dreams had all
308 been nightmares during her restless sleep at the vacation home,
309 always reliving either Nadeshiko’s wedding or her funeral. She would
310 wake up screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks to an empty
311 vacation home filled with smoke, silent except for the ghost of her
312 daughter’s musical voice playing at the edge of her thoughts.
313 Tomoyo’s return to Japan filled her with a sense of relief,
314 although an afterthought of dread followed it. She really had no idea
315 what had happened during Tomoyo’s trip and was afraid that her
316 daughter had been thoroughly crushed by it all. Knowing she was
317 coming back let her rest a bit easier because now she could once
318 again keep an eye on the younger woman, trying to help however she
319 could. She needed to know that her baby was all right, that she had
320 survived the painful ordeal. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan, I wish you had come
321 with me instead. I can’t stand to know that Sakura-chan is hurting
322 you.” A sigh escaped her. If there was one thing that Sonomi hated
323 (Fujitaka), it was (Fujitaka) not being able to protect the ones
324 dearest to her. It was that feeling of utter helplessness that held
325 her bound while she desperately wanted to make things better. And it
326 had struck first with Nadeshiko and now with her own daughter. It
327 drove her crazy to be unable to keep her darling daughter safe from
328 the pain and torment she had lived through. Her long fingers wrapped
329 around the last cigarette in her purse. She rolled it over between
330 her fingers thoughtfully. No, being self-destructive certainly
331 wouldn’t help Tomoyo. She could almost hear her daughter’s voice
332 asking her politely not to use the little paper stick. Sighing, she
333 tossed it into the nearest trash can.
334 “Okaa-sama?” a tired voice asked behind her. Sonomi whirled around,
335 eyes settling on the visage of her exhausted daughter. Tomoyo had
336 dark bags under her eyes and her body seemed nearly too tired to walk
337 another step. Her smile was soft and sweet, her stormy blue eyes
338 sparkling with a mixture of emotions. Sadness, loss, joy, relief. She
339 seemed far too tired to struggle with her masks, though Sonomi could
340 see through her daughter’s charades easily enough. It looked like the
341 dark haired woman had been crying, her cheeks puffy and red and her
342 eyes bloodshot. She was holding a pink and white teddy bear and one
343 bag she had carried on with her. Sonomi’s arms wrapped around the
344 younger girl, pulling her nearly off her feet. Despite Tomoyo’s
345 exhaustion, the heiress nearly flew into her mother’s arms,
346 collapsing moments afterwards. “Okaa-sama... It’s so good to see
347 you,” she whispered. Her voice was near breaking.
348 “Tomoyo-chan!” Sonomi began smoothing down her daughter’s lavender
349 hair as she held onto the weak figure in her arms. “I was starting to
350 worry. I was starting to think something happened to your plane.”
351 Choking back tears that suddenly threatened the businesswoman, she
352 shook her head, smiling. “I’m just glad to see you, Tomoyo-chan.
353 Here, let the bodyguards get the rest of your bags and we’ll head
354 straight home. You look like you haven’t slept in days. We’ll get you
355 right in bed as soon as we’re home.” Standing back to get a better
356 look at her daughter, Sonomi couldn’t help but smile wider. Her worry
357 seemed to evaporate now that Tomoyo was back in Japan. Now she could
358 protect her again. Now she would be safe. “I’m so glad to have you
359 back, Tomoyo-chan.” Giving her daughter another quick hug, Sonomi
360 finally stepped back.
361 A soft sigh escaped Tomoyo’s lips. She was home now. The whole trip
362 was behind her now. But it still felt fresh and alive in her memory,
363 as if she was reliving it at the very moment. Seeing her mother took
364 away the edge to her pain. It was still there, but much more distant.
365 She always felt safe when her mother was nearby. Her indomitable
366 spirit was something Tomoyo had always admired about her mother, and
367 it always made things feel better when she was there. "Arigato
368 gozaimasu,” Tomoyo said, bowing. One of the darkly dressed women
369 standing behind her mother took her bag, though she held tightly onto
370 the teddy bear. Two others returned with the rest of her luggage.
371 Sonomi led the way towards the limousine, standing very near
372 Tomoyo, half afraid that her daughter would simply collapse. “If
373 you’re too tired, I can carry you the rest of the way,” Sonomi
374 offered, watching her daughter out of the corner of her eyes. “I used
375 to all the time when you were younger, Tomoyo-chan.” A bright smile
376 played across her lips at the memories. Her tiny little daughter
377 asleep in her arms as she would carry her off to bed. She still did
378 that occasionally when she found Tomoyo asleep while watching her
379 videotapes of Sakura. The young woman she saw next to her seemed to
380 be replaced by the tiny daughter of yesteryear, happy to see her
381 mother again after a business trip. But the look in her eyes brought
382 Sonomi back to the present. There was something in those eyes that
383 was far too old for the young woman, an ancient pain and knowledge.
384 She was mature for her years. She always had been. She had always
385 surprised Sonomi, brightening up her otherwise lonely and busy life.
386 Tomoyo smiled at the offer, but shook her head politely. Long dark
387 hair fluttered from side to side. “No, that’s all right, Okaa-sama. I
388 think I can make it on my own.” She was happy to see that her mother
389 was still as sweetly overprotective as ever. It had always been
390 something she could rely on when she was younger. When she was tucked
391 away in bed, she had always known that her mother would keep an eye
392 on her. And that if anything went wrong, Sonomi would be the first to
393 her rescue. It was a comforting thought. Of course, Tomoyo tried
394 extra hard not to worry her mother because of that overprotective
395 nature. In the same way Tomoyo didn’t want Sakura to feel bad because
396 of her, she tried to do the same for her mother. But Sonomi always
397 foiled her attempts by seeing straight through her masks, looking
398 directly into her soul. She still didn’t know how her mother managed
399 it when no one else seemed capable, but the only answer her mother
400 ever supplied was simply that: She was her mother.
401 The two women and their small entourage finally made it to the
402 limousine out in the airport parking lot. One of the bodyguards
403 opened the door for the two of them and they slid inside the
404 comfortable interior. “How was your trip, Tomoyo-chan?” Sonomi asked
405 at last, almost afraid of the answer. To her surprise, Tomoyo giggled
406 softly, smiling brightly in response.
407 “It was wonderful, Okaa-sama. It was absolutely amazing. Seeing
408 Sakura-chan again was like a fairy tale. She was a beautiful
409 princess, capturing me away in a small tower in her heart during my
410 visit. I don’t think I’ve ever had dreams nearly so pleasant. It was
411 perfect, mother. I thought after so long, I would be in the way while
412 I was there, that I should try to distance myself during the trip.
413 But I couldn’t. Not with Sakura-chan. She pulled me out from behind
414 the curtains and wouldn’t let me go. We talked for hours and hours,
415 her voice is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, and we held
416 onto each other. She did my hair like she used to when we were little
417 girls and we danced late into the night together, all alone amidst
418 the crowd.” Her stormy blue eyes closed as she tilted her head to the
419 side, her cheeks flushing slightly at the memories. “We kissed under
420 the moonlight. She has incredibly soft lips. Sakura-chan is a very
421 good kisser.”
422 Sonomi clasped her hands together, very nearly startling Tomoyo out
423 of her reverie. Her eyes shone like diamonds, an electric thrill
424 coursing up her spine. “Tomoyo-chan, you kissed Sakura-chan?” She
425 couldn’t have been happier if she’d been told that she had kissed
426 Nadeshiko. In fact, it felt almost the same. She saw so much of
427 herself and Nadeshiko in the two girls. These little things between
428 their daughters almost felt like she herself was living through it.
429 For a second, she saw Nadeshiko sitting beside her, a small smile on
430 her lips and beautiful black ribbons in her hair. She looked quite a
431 bit like Tomoyo at that age, actually. And Sakura even resembled
432 herself in some small ways. Sonomi hugged her daughter tightly,
433 delight dancing through her. “Tomoyo-chan, that’s fantastic! You’ll
434 have to tell me every single detail!”
435 Tomoyo giggled softly and nodded. So often she kept her love for
436 Sakura to herself, locked up in her heart. She was very happy to be
437 able to share that with her mother. Her mother was nearly as obsessed
438 with Sakura as she herself was, being Nadeshiko’s daughter and all,
439 and it was wonderful to have someone to talk about it with. If anyone
440 understood her love for Sakura, it was her mother who had gone
441 through much the same thing with Nadeshiko. Smiling happily, Tomoyo
442 added, “And I have plenty of videotape from the trip. Not as much as
443 I would have liked, but I have some nice footage.”
444 “I can’t wait to see it all, Tomoyo-chan,” Sonomi said eagerly. She
445 felt delightfully giddy at the prospects of what had happened during
446 Tomoyo’s trip. There was even a trill of hope in her heart, one she
447 hadn’t felt in an incredibly long time. In a way, her hopes and
448 dreams had been passed on to Tomoyo. She knew that Tomoyo obviously
449 wasn’t with Sakura, but the idea of a kiss was a gripping thought.
450 "But first, you’re going to get some sleep. Then you can tell me all
451 about it.”
452 “I would like that very much, mother,” Tomoyo replied, hugging the
453 bear named Sakura to her chest. Yawning tiredly, she felt her mother
454 pull her closer. Before long, she was asleep with her head on
455 Sonomi’s shoulder.
456