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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 Sakura smiled at her brother as he drove in front of the Daidouji
7 mansion. The young woman nervously gathered up her purse and a bag
8 with the newly finished costume inside. Her brother eyed her
9 carefully and asked,
10
11 “You have my cell phone number?” She nodded, and he answered in his
12 big-brother-casual voice, “Call me when you need a ride back. Or for
13 whatever. I took the day off”
14
15 Sensing her mood, his voice softened and he spoke quietly, “Don’t be
16 so worried. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. And tell her I say
17 hello.”
18
19 Sakura seemed ready to cry, but instead leaned over and wrapped her
20 arms around him. He squeezed back as she whispered, “Thank you”, and
21 slipped out the door without looking back. He watched her run up to
22 the gate, his eternal little sister. Driving there in the car he
23 almost told her about Tomoyo's love. But Sakura loved surprises, and
24 this figured to be the biggest one in her life. Besides, Tomoyo had
25 waited all these years, so she should be the one to tell. He shook
26 his head as he drove away, secretly thrilled that his sister had
27 finally found love.
28
29 Sakura’s hand shook as she rang the buzzer of the intercom. The last
30 time she felt so nervous was the wedding. Tomoyo was there, too,
31 guiding her every step of the way, consoling and calming, a mother
32 and sister and confidante. But this was something she would have to
33 do on her own. She was thrilled, excited, and scared to death. What
34 would Tomoyo say? Would she be embarrassed, or amused, or upset?
35 Tomoyo would never say or do anything to hurt her. But she worried
36 that this revelation might be bothersome for her friend, who would
37 bear her feelings in silence as she had born the pain of her special
38 someone for years. Maybe there was no place for Sakura’s love in her
39 heart. The pale woman already had her special someone, and Sakura
40 could no more take the place of that person than anyone could replace
41 Tomoyo in her own heart. Sakura sighed and shook her head, and then
42 was startled by a voice bursting from the intercom,
43
44 “Daidouji residence”.
45
46 Sakura recovered from her surprise and answered, “Oh, hello, yes,
47 I’m sorry. This is Kinomoto Sakura. I’m here to see Tomoyo-chan, I
48 mean, Daidouji Tomoyo”.
49
50 During the lengthy pause her thoughts returned to Tomoyo. Since
51 realizing her love for the beautiful woman, Sakura had slowly
52 determined what to do. She would tell Tomoyo of her love. She could
53 no more keep that a secret than she could stop breathing. Just last
54 night on the phone she nearly blurted out, “Tomoyo-chan, I love you!”
55 So she had to tell her. But what then? If Tomoyo-chan’s special
56 someone would not have her, well... Well what? Well, she thought,
57 distracted at her own uncertainty, she can have me. A surge of
58 determination rippled through her body as she clenched her fists.. I
59 may not be her True Love, but at least I love her. I can be with her,
60 and make her as happy as I can. It’s the least I can do, after all
61 she’s done for me. And after what I did to her. Sakura felt heartsick
62 about the way she had ignored her friend for all those years. She
63 could not change the past, but she could be a loving part of Tomoyo’s
64 future. She smiled and whispered to herself, “I’ll live my life for
65 her, if she’ll have me”.
66
67 Finally, the intercom spoke up in a metallic, somewhat officious
68 voice, “You may enter”. As the buzzer sounded, she pushed the gate
69 open and walked onto the grounds of the mansion. There were so many
70 memories that lingered here, but she was too caught up by the thrill
71 of being close to Tomoyo to feel them. The pathway seemed terribly
72 long, and Sakura’s excitement mounted with every step. It was as if
73 her entire life had led up to this one point, to three simple words:
74 I love you. Near the end of the walkway she was running, desperate to
75 close the last remaining distance between her and the woman she
76 loved. Sakura wanted to hold the lavender-haired beauty in her arms,
77 to comfort and be comforted. Nearing the door, she felt a wave of
78 delirious happiness as she dashed forward in a final burst of speed.
79 Nothing mattered but Tomoyo; not the past, or the future, not her
80 failed marriage or the magic or even life itself. Catching her
81 breath, she knocked excitedly on the door, her heart flooded with a
82 giddy mix of joy, anticipation, and desire. When the door opend she
83 let out a curious little yelp, and nearly flew into the arms of a
84 waiting Sonomi.
85
86 At the last second she pulled back, nearly tumbling backwards. Still
87 staggering, she grinned sheepishly, bowing low and apologizing,
88 “Gomenesai, Sonomi-sama. I, I thought you were Tomoyo-chan. Ohayo.
89 Ohayogozaimasu”.
90
91 Sakura looked up cheerfully and saw Sonomi regarding her with quiet
92 reserve. For the longest time she was silent as Sakura stood and
93 smiled. Finally, the woman bowed politely and spoke in a flat tone of
94 voice, “Come in”.
95
96 Sakura entered, feeling a warm glow at the sight of Tomoyo’s
97 gorgeous mother. She remembered their delightful talks about life at
98 school, her friendship with Tomoyo, and her own mother. She was a
99 supurb cook, and delighted in having the daughter of Nadeshiko over
100 for luncheons and dinners. Sakura always felt a maternal love and
101 concern from Sonomi that wrapped her like a blanket, happy and snug.
102 With an odd pang, she thought how lucky Tomoyo was to have had such a
103 wonderful mother. Sonomi indicated a seat, and they both sat down.
104 Smoothing her skirt, Sakura glanced at her host, wondering why she
105 was so silent. Nervously, the young woman peeked at her watch and
106 looked up, smiling and speaking anxiously,
107
108 “I’m sorry. I hope I’m not too early?”
109
110 Sonomi glared in righteous anger at the Cardmistress. Finally, the
111 older woman broke the uneasy silence. “How could you do that to my
112 baby girl? How could you hurt her so terribly? She trusted you! She
113 loved you!” Sonomi turned on the younger woman, her dark blue eyes
114 looking like the sky before a terrifying storm hits. “My little girl
115 gave you everything and you disregarded her as nothing more than a
116 plaything that you had grown tired of! She sacrificed her happiness
117 for you, but even that wasn’t good enough! You couldn’t even thank
118 her for that!” The business woman was now shaking with fury, hatred
119 boiling up at this spawn of Fujitaka. The man had managed to ruin her
120 life and now his daughter was having a delightful time ruining the
121 life of her own child. “Get the hell out of my house, Sakura. And if
122 I ever see you again...” She balled up her fists, her whole body
123 shaking. Her soul felt scalded by the rage boiling over inside of
124 her. “You stay away from my daughter!” Part of her cried out in pain,
125 in regret for saying such things to the girl her daughter loved, to
126 the child of her own love, to this sweet and naďve girl. But her
127 anger had finally gotten the best of her. She could no longer sit by
128 while Sakura slowly killed her daughter. She wasn't about to let the
129 Cardmistress hurt her darling Tomoyo any longer. It no longer
130 mattered to her that Sakura was Nadeshiko’s daughter or that Tomoyo
131 wanted her to be happy. “Tomoyo-chan always wanted you to be happy,
132 but what about her happiness? She suffered and strived so that you
133 would be happy, Sakura, and what did you do? Nothing. You never
134 thanked her. You never tried to return the favor. It was as if you
135 simply expected it of her. She devoted herself to you, but you gave
136 her nothing in return. You never once concerned yourself with her
137 happiness. You’re selfish, Sakura-chan. You went off to live your
138 happy life without a look back to see if Tomoyo was equally happy, if
139 your best friend was also living a happy life. Tomoyo-chan needed you
140 and you abandoned her. You failed her. She always thought you would
141 come back and save her, but you never did. And I hate you for that.”
142 Her voice was laced with venom, tears falling unnoticed down her
143 cheeks. Sonomi was crying, but it hardly concerned her. “You
144 destroyed her just as surely as your father destroyed me all those
145 years ago. I never wanted Tomoyo-chan to live through what I have. I
146 never wanted her to feel the pain of losing the only one she could
147 ever love. But you dashed my baby girl’s hopes and dreams right in
148 front of me. And I did nothing. I let you hurt her because I thought
149 that it was just like my love for Nadeshiko, that it was the way
150 things were. But you’re just like your father. You smile, happy in
151 what you have, but you disregard the pain you bring to others,
152 ignoring what you have taken from them. Whether it be my dearest
153 Nadeshiko or Tomoyo-chan’s loving heart, it doesn’t matter. You have
154 what you want, so why should you care that you hurt others through
155 your ignorance? You can smile blissfully while Tomoyo-chan cries
156 herself to sleep. I will never forgive you for that.”
157
158 Sakura was dumbstruck, caught completely off guard by Sonomi’s
159 sudden outburst. Her mouth opened and closed as words escaped her.
160 Tears began to trickle down her cheeks at Tomoyo’s mother’s words.
161 The look that Sonomi was giving Sakura broke her heart. This woman
162 had always looked at her with such love and kindness. But now, that
163 warmth was completely missing, replaced instead by a burning anger
164 that seared Sakura in her seat. Sonomi’s words played over and over
165 again in her head, a haunting chorus of guilt and anger as Sakura
166 realized her own voice was mixed into the painful truths. “I.. I
167 didn’t mean to..” Sakura got out weakly.
168
169 Getting out of her seat, Sonomi brushed back some dark hair from her
170 eyes with the same irritated presence of mind one might use to crush
171 a fly. Sakura’s tears, something that would at one time have brought
172 a deep and motherly sympathy from her, now only managed to fuel the
173 rage inside her battered and broken heart. “My baby girl has suffered
174 through hardships unnumbered for you. She has sailed a sea of
175 loneliness all by herself simply because she wanted to for her
176 princess. You don’t deserve all that she’s given you. You’re a
177 pathetic excuse for a friend. And if you don’t get out of my home,
178 Sakura-chan, I swear I’ll make you regret ever meeting my daughter.”
179 Her voice was low and menacing and it was with a measure of
180 satisfaction that she noted Sakura tremble. All the years of pent up
181 frustration, anger, and pain finally seemed to find a single focal
182 point. Nadeshiko had left her all those years ago for a man that had
183 taken everything from a younger Sonomi. But there had been nothing
184 she could do. She had only been able to run away. Run away and try to
185 mend her own broken heart. Part of that had been having a daughter of
186 her own. But she had been forced to watch her daughter also lose the
187 one she loved. It had all been maddening to Sonomi, a woman who
188 generally liked to take action. Now she finally had the object of her
189 current frustration, the person who had caused such terrible anguish
190 in her daughter’s heart. It wasn’t Fujitaka, but it sure was a good
191 enough second. All of her righteous fury was brought to bear upon the
192 Cardmistress and Sakura found her defenses against Sonomi severely
193 lacking.
194
195 Shaking her head, Sakura tried to swallow back her tears, her fists
196 balling at her sides as she tried to get a grip on the situation. She
197 couldn’t go now. If she left, then how could she ever tell Tomoyo
198 before she left? How could she finally fix things? How could she make
199 amends for her terrible mistake? “Sonomi-sama... Please, don’t... I
200 need to see Tomoyo-chan,” she pleaded desperately, getting to her
201 feet as well. She was less than an inch smaller than Sonomi, no
202 longer the little girl she once was. Yet even then, Sonomi still
203 towered over her, the pillar of strength that she had always been in
204 Sakura’s eyes. Part of her felt sick at a sudden realization. Tomoyo
205 had always said that Sakura would protect her, but now that wasn’t
206 the case. Tomoyo’s mother had come to her rescue, and she had come to
207 protect her from any more pain that Sakura could deliver. This role
208 reversal didn’t sit well at all with the Cardmistress. She wanted to
209 be the one protecting Tomoyo’s precious heart, not the one it was
210 being protected from.
211
212 With a swift motion of her head, Sonomi cut Sakura’s request short.
213 “I’m not about to let you go hurt her anymore than you already have,
214 Kinomoto-san. Now if you’ll excuse me, I had some work I must attend
215 to. Good day.” Turning curtly on her heel, Sonomi took a few steps
216 towards the entrance to the room. She decided to give Sakura several
217 minutes to leave before she had one of her bodyguards escort the
218 younger woman off the premises. Her heart regretted having to be so
219 cold to Sakura, but deep down she felt immense relief to finally be
220 able to affect the situation. She wasn’t idly sitting by while her
221 daughter crumpled in front of her. She would make this up to Tomoyo.
222 Somehow. She would piece her daughter back together, piece by piece
223 if need be. Her baby girl would be happy again one day. And if she
224 had anything to say about it, Sakura would never again be able to
225 pain her daughter anymore.
226
227 “Sonomi-sama!” Sakura yelled out, stumbling a few feet towards the
228 business woman. Her heart felt as if it had been torn out and left to
229 bleed on the floor. Tears dripped down her chin to the floor below,
230 some falling down to Sakura’s shaking hands. Despite the severity of
231 Sonomi’s words, Sakura couldn’t argue with the conviction behind
232 them. Deep down, she realized that they were right, that she had
233 slighted her best friend horrifically over the years. Tomoyo had
234 suffered immeasurably in her wake. She couldn’t blame Sonomi at all.
235 The woman was just trying to protect her precious daughter. Moreover,
236 she was correct. That realization sent Sakura reeling. She had
237 suspected for some time that she had hurt Tomoyo, that her ignorance
238 had pained her best friend. Ever since discovering her love for the
239 pale girl, that thought had gained strength. But never before had she
240 seen such furious intensity, such a glimpse into the pain that she
241 had unwittingly caused. And it was frightening. Not in her darkest
242 nightmares had she suspected that she could have done such damage.
243 The pure, unadulterated joy that had coated Sakura’s heart such a
244 short time before was now replaced with a deeply disturbing sorrow
245 that encompassed her soul. If she had broken her poor best friend
246 then she simply couldn’t leave. There had to be some way that she
247 could fix the damage she had done. She had to at least try to make up
248 for what she had done. If she left... “I can’t leave, Sonomi-sama...
249 I have to apologize to Tomoyo-chan..”
250
251 Turning back to face the younger woman, Sonomi’s face held a mixture
252 of hatred and pity for the brunette. She could hear the anguish in
253 Sakura’s voice, the pain that now gripped the Cardmistress. But
254 Sonomi couldn’t leave it that easily. She was quick to anger and slow
255 to forgive. Especially when it came to the few that she allowed
256 herself to love so completely. Her daughter and Nadeshiko were the
257 only women she allowed such a high place in her heart. She had seen
258 firsthand the pain Sakura had caused her only child and no amount of
259 apology could ever make up for that. “Get out, Kinomoto. I never want
260 to see you again,” she said coldly, her finger pointing to the door.
261
262 Sakura’s head drooped on her shoulders, sniffles coming up from the
263 crying brunette. She had caused everyone such trouble by her
264 naivette. Syaoran through their failed marriage, Sonomi by forcing
265 her to relive her own pain, and most of all, Tomoyo for taking her
266 for granted for all these years. All because she had failed to find
267 the love in her heart so many years ago. She had left a trail of bad
268 feelings and broken hearts in her wake. But there had to be some way
269 that she could make it all better. That she could somehow make things
270 all right. “I didn’t mean to...” Sakura sobbed weakly. ‘If you cry,
271 you won’t be able to solve anything,’ a voice whispered in Sakura’s
272 heart. ‘Sakura shouldn’t look so sad. That just makes me sad,’
273 another voice added. Sakura blinked through her tears, her vision
274 slowly clarifying as she looked up to Sonomi. “I never wanted to hurt
275 Tomoyo-chan. She’s the last person I ever wanted to hurt. I’m so, so
276 sorry, Sonomi-sama... I never wanted to hurt Tomoyo-chan. I love
277 her... I just want to make her happy...” she got out weakly.
278
279 Sonomi froze at Sakura’s words, her arm falling slowly to her side.
280 Those words that she had long ago wished to hear from a woman named
281 Nadeshiko played through her mind amidst Sakura’s sobs. ‘I love her,’
282 the younger woman had said. There had been genuine regret in her
283 voice, along with something else. Something that Sonomi knew full too
284 well. The unrequited love from the depths of one’s heart. The
285 business woman’s cold glare softened and finally melted away
286 altogether as she watched the crying form of her own love’s daughter.
287 Standing there, her fists clenched and head bowed, she looked like
288 the child that Sonomi remembered so vividly. The girl that had
289 captured her own daughter’s heart so many years ago. It was with some
290 surprise that Sonomi realized Sakura wasn’t here for a simple apology
291 or to take anything else from her daughter. She was here to give of
292 herself. The brunette may not be able to fix the damage she had
293 caused, but that didn’t matter. She had come to offer of herself for
294 the sake of the future, not for the ruins of the past.
295
296 Tears fell quietly to the floor as Sakura choked back her sobs, her
297 athletic body shaking with each attempt. How could she have been so
298 careless with the greatest gift she had ever received? Tomoyo had
299 given so much to her, but she had taken such a wonderful gift for
300 granted. She had ignored her darling friend and now she deserved
301 Sonomi’s anger. She deserved far worse than that. How could Tomoyo
302 accept her heart after what she had done? A hand on her shoulder
303 slowly drew Sakura’s attention. Was it a maid or a bodyguard to lead
304 her away? A hand on her chin rose her tear streaked eyes slowly until
305 she met Sonomi’s dark blue orbs. The older woman smiled gently at
306 her, soothingly. With a small hiccup as she suppressed another sob,
307 Sakura through herself into the older woman’s arms. Sonomi held onto
308 her like her own mother had an almost forgotten amount of time
309 before. Sakura’s heart felt some of the pain flutter away, though
310 some of it continued to cling deep inside of her. The knowledge of
311 just how badly she had hurt Tomoyo refused to give up the refuge of
312 her heart. But at least Sonomi wasn’t angry with her anymore. Maybe
313 there was still hope that she could make things all right after all.
314
315 Standing with the younger brunette in her arms, Sonomi let her own
316 eyes fall closed. “You’re not like your father. I was wrong. You’re
317 like Nadeshiko. You didn’t see the love your friend held for you and
318 didn’t realize what it would do. But you’re also like me, Sakura-
319 chan. You follow your impulses. You act on instinct. And sometimes
320 that hurts people. Neither of us give it enough time to really think
321 things through before we jump into action. We can only hope that it’s
322 not too late to fix our mistakes.” Standing at arms length, the
323 business woman smiled softly. “So I want to apologize. You’re a sweet
324 girl, Sakura-chan. And I’m sorry for letting myself forget that.”
325 Sonomi had mixed feelings about admitting to herself that Nadeshiko
326 herself had hurt her, that it hadn’t simply been Sakura’s father that
327 had caused her such pain, but she was glad to see that perhaps all
328 wasn’t lost with Nadeshiko’s daughter. She realized that she must
329 have known more how Tomoyo felt than she had realized. Sakura had
330 hurt Tomoyo in the same way that Nadeshiko had hurt her, through
331 ignorance and naivette. But Sonomi had never allowed herself to see
332 any of the pain Nadeshiko had caused her, unable to place any such
333 blame on her sweet and kind cousin. Just as Tomoyo could never blame
334 Sakura for the pain in her heart. Had that been part of the
335 frustration in Sonomi’s heart at watching Sakura so blatantly hurting
336 her daughter? It didn’t matter. Even in death, Sonomi could never
337 quit loving Nadeshiko. Something so trivial may explain a few things,
338 but it didn’t affect her feelings in the least. It only served to
339 make the business woman even more lonely for her cousin’s presence.
340 But if she couldn’t be reunited with her darling Nadeshiko at the
341 moment, at least she could help bring their daughters together. “I
342 was a bit hasty about you leaving. I couldn’t let you go without
343 seeing Tomoyo-chan. She should be in her room right now.”
344
345 Nodding eagerly, Sakura wiped away the last remnants of tears from
346 her eyes. “H..Hai!!” she said quickly, smiling at the head of the
347 Daidouji household. Her heart began to pound again as she followed
348 behind the older woman. She once again realized just how close she
349 was to seeing Tomoyo again, to being once again in her best friend’s
350 presence. It was a delightful feeling, but it was agonizing at the
351 same time. Would Tomoyo even be happy to see her? Would she accept
352 her heart when she offered it up? Sakura almost felt dizzy at the
353 possibilities as Sonomi led her upstairs.
354
355 “Tomoyo-chan? You have a visitor,” Sonomi said cheerfully from the
356 doorway. She waited a moment, expecting a response from her
357 introverted daughter. When none came, she frowned and knocked on the
358 door. Perhaps Tomoyo had fallen asleep watching one of her videos
359 again. But as no answer seemed forthcoming, Sonomi began to worry
360 that that wasn’t the case. Her naturally protective instincts finally
361 got the best of her and she pushed the door open, hurrying inside her
362 daughter’s room. Sakura followed right behind her. The business
363 woman’s stormy eyes darted across the room for any sign of her pale
364 daughter, but the dark haired girl seemed to have gone missing. Her
365 eyes settled on Tomoyo’s bags for a second, but the items were still
366 there, half packed. Tomoyo hadn’t been scheduled to leave for another
367 few days at the least. Sonomi’s eyes frantically scanned the large
368 room for any sign of her child. Pictures of Sakura adorned the room
369 like a religious shrine, the occupant having grown only more
370 obsessive in recent years. That didn’t particularly surprise Sonomi,
371 as she had seen Tomoyo’s room often enough over the years to know
372 just how much of it was dedicated to the brunette. Something on
373 Tomoyo’s desk finally caught the worried mother’s eye and she hurried
374 over, Sakura just steps behind. “Oh God...” Sonomi got out weakly.
375 Her knees felt like they were about to collapse, the blood slowly
376 draining from her body. On Tomoyo’s desk lay a bloody shard of glass,
377 dried blood covering the wood finish of the desk. Nearby rested a
378 crumpled costume design. Sonomi’s heart felt like it had stopped with
379 all the suddenness of an explosion. Her mind raced back to just
380 several days earlier, to her daughter’s carefully bandaged hand. Her
381 head shook slowly in shock as she picked up the shard of glass. “No,
382 Tomoyo-chan...” ‘I want you to see a doctor about that,’ her own
383 voice rang in her ears. And Tomoyo had agreed, but she had looked
384 so... different. As if a part of her had been missing. Or killed.
385 Sonomi continued to shake her head, holding the blood stained shard
386 of glass to her chest. “Tomoyo-chan...” Her heart felt like the glass
387 shard had been wedged inside of it. Not now. Not when Sakura had
388 finally come to rescue her baby. She couldn’t be too late to rescue
389 her child. But all of the signs were pointing to that. Images of her
390 broken child plagued Sonomi’s mind like a horrific vision of the
391 future. Her sweet, darling child lying broken and lifeless on the
392 floor. What made it all the worse was that Sonomi could remember her
393 own failed suicide attempt from years earlier. How close had she
394 herself come to dying back then? And Tomoyo was a much more
395 meticulous planner than she herself had been. If Tomoyo intended to
396 go through with it, she would very well go through with it. Tomoyo
397 had been the only thing that had made Sonomi’s life worth living for
398 so many years. The idea of losing her only child in such a violent
399 fashion froze her heart. Her mind tried desperately to locate her
400 child, but nothing came to mind. She was blank.
401
402 Sakura looked from the distraught Sonomi to the desk and back. Her
403 fingers traced slowly over the blood stains on Tomoyo’s desk, her
404 heart pounding desperately in her chest. Part of her didn’t want to
405 admit that anything was wrong, the idea of Tomoyo disappearing
406 completely from her life seeming as absurd as a life without water or
407 air. Her trembling fingers grappled around the crumpled costume
408 design when her eyes caught sight of Tomoyo’s handwriting on the
409 back. She quickly smoothed out the piece of paper on top of the
410 bloodstained desk, her mind frantically searching for any clues to
411 her friend’s sudden disappearance. Suddenly Tomoyo’s aversion to
412 meeting her last night began to make sense. She hadn’t intended on
413 ever seeing Sakura again. She had played her final part the night
414 before, pretending to be her happy and pleasant best friend one last
415 time. Sakura silently cursed herself for not having seen through
416 Tomoyo’s cracks, to seeing the lost and lonely little girl
417 underneath.
418
419
420 ‘Dear Sakura-chan,
421 As I sit here writing this, I see your beautiful face in my mind’s
422 eye, your sweet smile sending ripples throughout the stormy ocean of
423 my soul. I know that you may hate me for this, and though I could
424 hardly bear the thought of you ever hating me, I know that I must go
425 through with this. I’m not sure if I can explain why, but it doesn’t
426 really matter. Please know that you have always been the most
427 treasured thing in my life. I would never wish to hurt you. That’s
428 why I have to say goodbye.’
429
430 Swallowing painfully, Sakura forced her way through the rest of this
431 unsent letter, forcing back tears as she tried to make out Tomoyo’s
432 beautiful strokes. Every word struck her with deadly precision, every
433 revelation shaking the beliefs she had once held in her heart. But
434 despite the truths they revealed, Sakura could find no comfort in
435 them. They only seemed to add up to a desperate and frantic Tomoyo
436 who was determined to escape Sakura’s life for Sakura’s sake and her
437 own. That Tomoyo had been so hell bent on Sakura’s happiness even to
438 the bitter end both astonished and frightened Sakura. It seemed that
439 Tomoyo was always proving just how deep her love ran. Halfway through
440 the letter, Sakura read and reread through the dark haired girl’s
441 confessions in a near delirious frenzy. “She loves me...” Sakura
442 whispered, her eyes skimming the passage again. “She loves me. That’s
443 why she left. She left... for me..” She shook her head, as if unable
444 to comprehend the logic behind such an action. But in Tomoyo’s
445 eccentric way, it made perfect sense. Tomoyo had left to save
446 Sakura’s marriage, to protect Sakura’s new life. She had no way of
447 knowing that Sakura had thrown it all away for her, had perhaps left
448 to keep that from happening. The brunette felt a chill run up and
449 down her spine. Because she had been too late, she may have lost
450 Tomoyo forever. In a final desperate attempt to save everything,
451 Tomoyo had left after Sakura’s phone call the night before. Where she
452 was now, Sakura couldn’t hope to guess. She had been too late to
453 rescue her princess after all. She had failed Tomoyo. Tears stung her
454 eyes like liquid fire, her body begging her to collapse as the
455 strength drained away from her.
456
457 “Everything will always be all right,” Sakura whispered to herself.
458 Sonomi turned to look at her in confusion, but Sakura stood up as
459 strength rushed in to fill the vacuum. With a thought, brilliant blue
460 wings unfurled from Sakura’s back, nearly sending Sonomi sprawling.
461 There had to be time. Sakura could still find Tomoyo. She could still
462 put things right. She had to. This was her final test, the test of
463 her heart. Tomoyo believed in her. She believed that Sakura would
464 come and save her. Sakura couldn’t disappoint her. She couldn’t fail
465 Tomoyo. “I love her,” Sakura whispered determinedly, her long wings
466 spreading behind her.
467
468 Sonomi watched in awe as an angelic Sakura darted out the window,
469 glass shards glinting in the early morning light like shooting stars.
470 “Sakura-chan...” Sonomi watched as Sakura flew away, as angelic as
471 she had always imagined Nadeshiko’s angel. “Find her, Sakura-chan.
472 Find my baby girl before it’s too late. Please help her be on time,
473 Nadeshiko-chan,” Sonomi pleaded as she clutched onto the blood
474 sullied piece of glass that warned of a tragic fate for her daughter.
475 Exhausted, the business woman collapsed to her knees, praying
476 desperately that her daughter wouldn’t be joining the woman she loved
477 so soon.