Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/sttail.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
| author | rlm |
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| date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
| parents | |
| children |
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| 1:dbe144217c71 | 2:fc00894c1d4a |
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| 1 Author’s note: Hello everyone! ^-^ This is Heather of the Amazoness Duo | |
| 2 again. ^-^ This is my first Kaitou Saint Tail fanfic, though I hope to write more | |
| 3 soon. I just love Seira & Meimi. ^,^ Anyway, if you could spare a moment, | |
| 4 please tell me what you think. ^-^ Thanks! *hugs* | |
| 5 | |
| 6 Kiss Me Sunlights | |
| 7 By Amazoness Duo | |
| 8 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
| 9 | |
| 10 | |
| 11 The night air felt cool against Meimi’s bare skin, the moonlight lighting | |
| 12 the path she’d traveled time and time again. Pulling her jacket closer to her as | |
| 13 the wind picked up, she wondered what Seira needed her to do this time. A car | |
| 14 drove by a short distance away, startling her. It seemed to be the only sound she | |
| 15 had heard that night aside from her own footsteps. Along with a nervous feeling | |
| 16 growing in her stomach, she was starting to get anxious. Seira had been her best | |
| 17 friend for years now. They had gone through a lot together. She thought she | |
| 18 knew the other girl rather well. Something had been off in Seira’s voice when | |
| 19 she had called a short time ago, urging her to come meet her. Meimi only hoped | |
| 20 it wasn’t anything bad. | |
| 21 “There you are. I was starting to think that you wouldn’t come,” a | |
| 22 gentle voice said from a bench near the church. Seira mustered up a smile for | |
| 23 her friend, but it didn’t much help quell the tumultuous feelings inside of her. | |
| 24 She almost wished that something had happened and Meimi hadn’t been able to | |
| 25 make it. Then things would be so much easier. But that was the point, wasn’t it? | |
| 26 She was tired of leaving things the way they were. Wasn’t it better to get things | |
| 27 out in the open and hope for some sort of happy resolution to it all? The sister- | |
| 28 in-training had spent over two hours trying to decide if she should call at all and | |
| 29 the past half hour worrying about what a mistake she may have made. The cold | |
| 30 bench under her had offered little sympathy to her worries. The cold night air | |
| 31 seeped right through the thin white fabric. | |
| 32 “I’m always here if you ask me, Seira. You know that.” Meimi tilted | |
| 33 her head to the side and laughed a bit. “But sometimes it seems like you know | |
| 34 everything anyway.” Brushing back her long her, she joined the short haired girl | |
| 35 on the bench. A leaf fell slowly between the two before landing on the cold dew | |
| 36 of the grass. The wind served to accentuate the silence as the two girls sat there | |
| 37 quietly. Meimi was starting to feel more nervous at each passing second, | |
| 38 wondering what was going on. Seira was acting strangely. If this was just like | |
| 39 every other time she had called her to do something as Saint Tail, then why was | |
| 40 she so quiet? | |
| 41 Seira didn’t answer for a long moment, looking out into the darkness. | |
| 42 Her night vision wasn’t as good as Meimi’s, but she wasn’t looking for anything | |
| 43 in particular. She had prayed about what to do about this for a while now and it | |
| 44 seemed that this was the best course of action. Not telling Meimi was almost as | |
| 45 bad as lying to her. “Meimi-chan, I thought there was something you should | |
| 46 know. I don’t like hiding anything from you. You’re my best friend and you’ve | |
| 47 always been very special to me so I feel horrible when I keep something from | |
| 48 you.” The wind seemed to die down for a moment. Seira reached out and placed | |
| 49 her hand over Meimi’s. Her hand felt warm to the touch, Seira’s hand holding it | |
| 50 tighter. She didn’t know if she could find the strength to say what she wanted to. | |
| 51 Her heart pounding in her chest, Meimi didn’t say anything. Seira | |
| 52 sounded so serious. What could be so important that she wouldn’t have told her | |
| 53 already? There was a touch of sadness laced in the sister-in-training’s voice as | |
| 54 well. Was she going away? To another school or church? Somewhere where | |
| 55 they wouldn’t see each other again? She moved her hand around so that she was | |
| 56 holding Seira’s as well and squeezed back, urging her to go on. “What is it, | |
| 57 Seira?” | |
| 58 It took all of Seira’s willpower to look Meimi in the eyes. What lovely | |
| 59 blue gray eyes they were... It was all she could do to keep from losing herself in | |
| 60 their depths. Her free hand held the small cross on her necklace, trying to find | |
| 61 the strength to go on from up above. “Meimi-chan, I know that someone’s in | |
| 62 love with you. They have been for a very long time. You’re like an angel to | |
| 63 them, a sweet and shining flower in their life that makes them happier than you | |
| 64 could ever know. They love you so much but they’re afraid to say anything. | |
| 65 Their life is already planned out. They know how things are supposed to be. | |
| 66 They don’t want to frighten you or risk losing you.” She was shaking now, | |
| 67 almost too afraid to go on but unsure if she could stop herself now that she’d | |
| 68 said as much as she had. Meimi’s warm hand squeezed her own shaking one | |
| 69 softly. Pulling it into both of her own, she held it on her lap as she tried to calm | |
| 70 down. | |
| 71 Meimi was still in shock over what Seira had said. So many people | |
| 72 went to the short haired girl with their problems day in and day out. Had | |
| 73 someone come to her saying all of this? Was someone really this worried about | |
| 74 her finding out he was in love with her? Was it... Was it Asuka Jr.? Had he come | |
| 75 to Seira about all of this? Her heart was pounding even harder in her chest now. | |
| 76 “It’s Asuka Jr., isn’t it? He was the one who said all that, wasn’t he? I knew he | |
| 77 could be romantic. He’s afraid of telling me? Is that why he’s always so mean?” | |
| 78 she got out in a blur. Everything was so strange, like her heart was being pulled | |
| 79 in different directions. That was so sweet that he thought of her that way, like an | |
| 80 angel. And here she thought he was just being a jerk about everything. Wait, | |
| 81 something was wrong. Seriously wrong. “Seira, are you crying?” | |
| 82 The slightly smaller girl shuddered in the cold night air, choking back a | |
| 83 sob as she pulled her hand away from Meimi’s. No, it wasn’t supposed to be this | |
| 84 way. She had been wrong to have thought she should ever have said anything. | |
| 85 Her life was already planned out for her. It was a mistake to think that she | |
| 86 should say anything at all. She could barely hear Meimi asking again and again | |
| 87 what was wrong, but she was having a hard enough time trying to pull herself | |
| 88 back together. Right now all she wanted was to cry herself to sleep. To get | |
| 89 away. But she couldn’t. Even if she could try, Meimi was much faster than her. | |
| 90 The wind started to pick up again, leaves swirling around the two girls. Seira | |
| 91 wiped at her eyes with her palms, shaking her head in answer to Meimi’s | |
| 92 repeated question. Whenever she tried to speak, all she could do was choke out | |
| 93 another sob. It took her several minutes before she could get anything out, her | |
| 94 throat now painful. “No, it’s nothing, Meimi-chan. It really doesn’t matter. It | |
| 95 doesn’t matter at all. Just forget about it. Please forget about it for me.” | |
| 96 Meimi didn’t know what to say to her best friend. Watching Seira | |
| 97 sitting right next to her, hunched over and sobbing, her face buried in her hands. | |
| 98 It sent an icy blade through her heart. What had she done? How had she hurt | |
| 99 her? “Seira?” she asked quietly, but it was too late. The damage was done and | |
| 100 she knew that no amount of questioning would get whatever she’d done out of | |
| 101 Seira. Her shoulders slumped sadly as she looked at her feet. She felt... empty. | |
| 102 She wished she had kept her mouth shut. | |
| 103 “A girl came to me with a problem. She had accidentally given a video | |
| 104 tape to her best friend with some things on it that she doesn’t want her to see | |
| 105 instead of another tape she was going to give her. She’s afraid that her friend | |
| 106 will see the tape before she’s ready to understand how she feels. Saint Tail needs | |
| 107 to get it back for her,” Seira explained, her voice barely masking the pain she | |
| 108 was in. | |
| 109 Meimi nodded weakly, sighing. “Hai, I’ll get it back for her, Seira. I’ll | |
| 110 go get it tomorrow.” An uneasy silence blanketed the two for a long moment. | |
| 111 Meimi tried to take Seira’s hand again, but the nun girl stood up quickly. “Seira, | |
| 112 I don’t have to go. Can you tell me what’s wrong? I’m really sorry if it’s | |
| 113 something I said.” Getting to her feet, she took a step towards the short haired | |
| 114 girl, but Seira took a step away, her back to her. | |
| 115 “No, it’s not important. I was mistaken to think it was. I’m extremely | |
| 116 sorry for getting you out here so late. I’ll try to be more considerate next time.” | |
| 117 Seira held as still as she could, unsure of how long she could keep from crying | |
| 118 in front of her friend. | |
| 119 “But... Why are you so sad, Seira? Maybe I should stay with you. You | |
| 120 don’t have to tell me anything,” Meimi offered hopefully. Anything to make up | |
| 121 for putting her best friend through any pain. If she couldn’t know what was | |
| 122 going on, at least she could be there for her. | |
| 123 “Thank you, but I have some things I need to do in the church. I | |
| 124 promised one of the Sisters. Goodnight, Meimi-chan.” Her hands clasped in | |
| 125 front of her, Seira didn’t look back. ‘Please don’t go. Please stay with me. I | |
| 126 don’t want to be alone right now,’ she thought frantically, but no words would | |
| 127 come out. | |
| 128 “Oh... okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sleep well, Seira.” | |
| 129 Meimi offered a weak smile before disappearing the way she had come. | |
| 130 Seira collapsed to her knees seconds later, shaking her head as icy tears | |
| 131 fell to the ground. “But... Meimi, I love you.” The wind scattered her tears as the | |
| 132 night moved inexorably onward towards the coming dawn. | |
| 133 | |
| 134 Meimi yawned tiredly as she trudged her way to school the next | |
| 135 morning. She had spent half the night tossing and turning, her mind constantly | |
| 136 returning to Seira. The lonely look in her eyes that she’d barely managed to | |
| 137 catch a glimpse of before the nun-in-training had turned away haunted her every | |
| 138 time she closed her eyes. How could she have hurt her that badly? It could have | |
| 139 been something else that hurt her. Maybe whatever it was that Seira wasn’t | |
| 140 telling her. But Meimi had a hard time believing that. Seira had seemed nervous, | |
| 141 but it wasn’t until she’d started ranting about what she thought it could be that | |
| 142 the glow in the young Sister’s eyes had shattered. But no matter how many | |
| 143 times she went over it in her mind, she couldn’t figure out what had happened. | |
| 144 A sigh escaped the mysterious thief’s lips as she hoisted her bookbag | |
| 145 higher. All she had to do was ask Seira about it before class. Unless Seira tried | |
| 146 to change the subject like she did often enough when she would ask about just | |
| 147 what Seira’s sources of information were. No, she wouldn’t let her off that easy. | |
| 148 If Seira was hurting, then she had to know why. She couldn’t leave her best | |
| 149 friend like that. It tore her up inside to think that it was her fault. That she was | |
| 150 the reason for those crystal tears in Seira’s indigo eyes. This was something | |
| 151 Kaitou Saint Tail would have to put right if she was ever going to get a good | |
| 152 night’s sleep again. | |
| 153 A rustling sound in the bushes off to the right startled Meimi. To her | |
| 154 surprise, Ryoko and Kyoko stepped out. The two girls’ uniforms were both | |
| 155 rather disheveled and they were both blushing a deep scarlet. Brushing back | |
| 156 some hair from her eyes, Meimi took a deep breath. “Oh, it’s you. You two | |
| 157 frightened me.” She tilted her head to the side, watching Kyoko fidget as she | |
| 158 tried to snag something that seemed to be made from white cloth in Ryoko’s | |
| 159 hand. Ryoko only grinned as she kept it away from the smaller girl. | |
| 160 “Meimi-chan!! What a surprise to see you here. I mean, on your way to | |
| 161 school and all. You’re usually to school just a little earlier than us,” Kyoko got | |
| 162 out quickly. She offered a nervous laugh after a brief second. “Well, you better | |
| 163 get going if you don’t want to be late for class.” | |
| 164 “Un, you’re right.” Meimi nodded as she took a step forward. She | |
| 165 paused when she noticed that neither Kyoko nor Ryoko had made a move to | |
| 166 follow her. “What about you two? Shouldn’t you get going, too?” | |
| 167 Kyoko cast a sidelong glance at Ryoko before replying. “I would, but I | |
| 168 need to get something that was stolen from me before I can go.” As the wind | |
| 169 picked up, her blush grew darker, her hands going down immediately to hold | |
| 170 down her skirt. | |
| 171 Ryoko just giggled as she began to follow Meimi. “You’ll have to ask | |
| 172 Saint Tail if you want it back that badly, Kyoko-chan. Or you can come over | |
| 173 tonight. I’m sure you could get whatever it is back then.” She smiled innocently | |
| 174 as the other girl gave her a deadly glare. One she might actually worry about if | |
| 175 she didn’t know what a kitten Kyoko was. | |
| 176 “Hmph...” Kyoko crossed her arms as she followed the two girls ahead | |
| 177 of her. “I guess I’ll just have to do that then.” She made extra sure to give Ryoko | |
| 178 another disapproving glare before melting into a bright smile when she finally | |
| 179 caught her eyes. “Maybe we could study... or something.” | |
| 180 “Or something,” Ryoko repeated in agreement, returning the smile. | |
| 181 Meimi sweatdropped fiercely as they walked along. She had no idea | |
| 182 what they were talking about. Unless... No, she was just having a hard time | |
| 183 thinking correctly after the night before with Seira. Her mind wasn’t working | |
| 184 now and she needed to speak with her best friend soon so things could go back | |
| 185 to normal. Lonely, tear filled eyes greeted her when her eyes closed, sending a | |
| 186 shiver through her soul. She needed to see Seira. Soon. But where was she? | |
| 187 Seira usually met her on the way to school, but the brunette was nowhere to be | |
| 188 seen. Was she waiting for her? She picked up her pace as she the school came | |
| 189 into site. | |
| 190 | |
| 191 Setting her bookbag next to her desk, Haneoka Meimi glanced around | |
| 192 the room for her best friend, hoping to see her amongst the small groups of | |
| 193 students. After a few tense moments, she still couldn’t spot the sister-in-training. | |
| 194 A long sigh escaped her lips as she sat down. This was starting to worry her. | |
| 195 First the weird way Seira had been acting the night before and now her not | |
| 196 showing up for class. It didn’t seem like her at all. Something was most certainly | |
| 197 wrong. | |
| 198 “So you really almost caught her this time, Asuka Jr.?” one of the boys | |
| 199 asked eagerly as the detectives son walked into class. | |
| 200 “Yeah, not like the last thirty seven times. This time she was looking | |
| 201 right at me. If I hadn’t been blinded by Mimori holding a flashlight, I would | |
| 202 have seen who she was,” Asuka Jr. responded, a mix of anguish and hope in his | |
| 203 voice. “One of these days... I will be the one to catch Saint Tail!” | |
| 204 The other boys crowded around him with their usual casual amusement. | |
| 205 Whether it was for the recent news on Asuka Jr.’s quest to catch Saint Tail or if | |
| 206 it was just to watch him make an ass out of himself, none of the girls really | |
| 207 knew. Nor cared. | |
| 208 Meimi rested her chin on her hands, waiting to see how Asuka Jr.’s | |
| 209 account of events would conflict with reality. All he cared about was catching | |
| 210 Saint Tail. How could he be so single minded? And thinking that she couldn’t be | |
| 211 Saint Tail, at that! Oh, when he found out, she needed to give him a piece of her | |
| 212 mind. Seira’s warning came to mind again, snapping her out of it. She had to be | |
| 213 very careful about who could know that. So far only Seira knew that she was the | |
| 214 Mysterious Thief Saint Tail. But that was because she could always trust Seira | |
| 215 with anything. Seira was the entire reason she was Saint Tail. Asuka Jr. chasing | |
| 216 her was just a side of it that managed to keep her entertained as she kept going | |
| 217 on whatever missions Seira had for her. She enjoyed the chase. It was fun to | |
| 218 play cat and mouse, like a game. | |
| 219 “She’s practically begging for me to catch her now. I can tell. I bet that | |
| 220 I can catch her by the next time I see her,” Asuka Jr. bragged, leaning against his | |
| 221 desk. | |
| 222 Meimi stood up immediately, a certain nun-in-training not there to stop | |
| 223 her anger from boiling over. “I am not...” She clenched her fists, barely keeping | |
| 224 herself from saying something she would regret later on. It was so much easier | |
| 225 when Seira was there to drag her off. “Saint Tail is not begging for you to catch | |
| 226 her! I don’t see why she’d pick such an inept person to be the one to figure out | |
| 227 who she is.” | |
| 228 The green haired boy frowned as he turned to face the (unbeknownst to | |
| 229 him) mysterious thief. “How would you know, Haneoka? You’re not there when | |
| 230 I match wits with Saint Tail again and again. You wouldn’t understand this sort | |
| 231 of thing. It’s part of criminal mentality, Saint Tail’s in particular. She wants me | |
| 232 to catch her.” | |
| 233 Fuming, Meimi reduced the distance between her and her rival in an | |
| 234 instant. “You match wits with her? So that’s why you always lose. I knew there | |
| 235 had to be some reason.” | |
| 236 “Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!” the boy said angrily as he | |
| 237 matched her glare. Why was she always shooting him down? Especially about | |
| 238 Saint Tail? He was the expert on the thief, not her. She should know her place! | |
| 239 Before Meimi could shoot something back that would have stunned her | |
| 240 classmates and, in particular, Asuka Jr., their teacher was upon them. And | |
| 241 apparently, Meimi had said it because after the room fell deathly silent as | |
| 242 everyone’s attention had focussed on her, she spent the rest of that morning | |
| 243 outside holding two buckets of water. | |
| 244 | |
| 245 By lunchtime, Meimi was still embarrassed about her little outburst | |
| 246 earlier. She was still getting freaked out looks from Asuka Jr. and Lina was | |
| 247 giving her the evil eye. Seira had yet to make an appearance and that was really | |
| 248 starting to worry her. She couldn’t remember Seira ever missing a full day of | |
| 249 school. The clouds were starting to darken and the wind was picking up, | |
| 250 blowing back her long hair. It even smelled like rain. She really didn’t feel like | |
| 251 going through the effort of giving Asuka Jr. a challenge, but she knew she had | |
| 252 to. A promise was a promise, after all. Patting him on the back as she passed, he | |
| 253 stared at her oddly. She murmured something as she headed for the church to | |
| 254 see if her friend had taken refuge there. | |
| 255 | |
| 256 Haneoka sure was acting strangely. Even more so than normal. And he | |
| 257 still couldn’t believe what she’d said earlier this morning. The things that had | |
| 258 come out of that girl’s mouth... He shook his head and continued eating his | |
| 259 lunch. | |
| 260 “Good luck tonight!” a boy said as he passed by. | |
| 261 Asuka Jr. raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy until he was out of | |
| 262 sight. Freak. He went back to eating his lunch. | |
| 263 “Oh, I’ll bet Kaitou Saint Tail’s going to perform her greatest heist,” a | |
| 264 girl said as she and her friends came from behind. | |
| 265 “I wonder what she wants this time,” another girl said thoughtfully as | |
| 266 she came from his other side. | |
| 267 “What’s going on?!” The young detective wannabe stood up in | |
| 268 frustration. A slip of paper came floating down off of his back. “Huh?” Plucking | |
| 269 it from the ground, he quickly skimmed over it. | |
| 270 “Tonight I will come to steal an important videotape from Kinomoto | |
| 271 Sakura. Not even the coming storm can stop me. ~ St. Tail” | |
| 272 “Saint Tail?!” The green haired boy’s eyes went wide at the letter. | |
| 273 Another challenge! This time, he would prove Haneoka-san wrong. Leaving the | |
| 274 rest of his lunch, he ran off to call the Inept Police Force for backup. | |
| 275 | |
| 276 The door flew open as Haneoka Meimi entered her house. She barely | |
| 277 had the willpower to take off her shoes. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she | |
| 278 collapsed onto the couch, her bookbag dropping next to her. Try as she might, | |
| 279 she had been unable to locate her missing best friend and none of the nuns | |
| 280 would tell her where she was. It was like some huge conspiracy was keeping her | |
| 281 from seeing Seira. Okay, maybe not. But it was still frustrating after seeing her | |
| 282 best friend crying the night before. She wanted to be there, to help her. Just like | |
| 283 how Seira had always helped her when things were bad. She couldn’t get the | |
| 284 nun girl off her mind all day. Her worrying was just getting worse. She still | |
| 285 didn’t quite know why Seira had wanted to see her the night before. I certainly | |
| 286 wasn’t just to tell her what she needed to do. And she was really starting to fear | |
| 287 that it had something to do with her. Why else would Seira be avoiding her this | |
| 288 way? | |
| 289 “Meimi, are you alright?” her father asked, pushing up his glasses with | |
| 290 his index finger. | |
| 291 “No.” | |
| 292 “Would you like to see a magic trick? It’ll cheer you up.” He smiled as | |
| 293 he entered the living room. | |
| 294 “No.” | |
| 295 He frowned as he went back to the kitchen. “I’m worried about Meimi- | |
| 296 chan, Mama. She seems so troubled, but she won’t let me cheer her up.” | |
| 297 Eimi smiled as she hugged her magician husband. “That’s okay. I’m | |
| 298 supposed to be your special assistant, so she doesn’t need to see the magic trick | |
| 299 anyway. Besides, Meimi’s in love,” she stated quite positively. Meimi | |
| 300 sweatdropped, still within earshot of her parents. | |
| 301 Genichirou turned around, looking at the back of his daughter’s head. | |
| 302 “In love? Are you sure? I think she’s just troubled about school.” | |
| 303 “No, she’s in love. Sitting there that way reminds me just how I was at | |
| 304 her age.” | |
| 305 “Like you? That’s what I’m worried about.” | |
| 306 “Then stop worrying about it and we’ll go rehearse that magic trick of | |
| 307 yours. I’m sure I’ll make a good special assistant,” Eimi said suggestively. | |
| 308 “Oh, practice _that_ part. Yeah, I always love _that_ part.” | |
| 309 Meimi blushed profusely at her parents’ plans. At least they weren’t | |
| 310 worrying about her anymore. She didn’t feel like explaining as it was. In love. | |
| 311 Ha! If only. That would be easier than this. Sweatdropping at a strange noise | |
| 312 coming from the kitchen, she quickly excused herself and hurried upstairs. | |
| 313 | |
| 314 “Ruby? Why is Seira avoiding me? Why is she acting so strangely?” | |
| 315 Meimi asked as she tossed her school blouse vaguely in the hedgehog’s | |
| 316 direction. Of course, she got no answer. “I mean, we’ve been best friends for | |
| 317 years. We’re always together. So why would she just leave me out of things | |
| 318 now? We’re partners. She’s the only reason I’m Saint Tail anyway. Maybe I | |
| 319 shouldn’t go until she explains things to me. I need to know what hurt her so I | |
| 320 can try to fix it. I really hope it wasn’t me. If I hurt her...” Sighing, her skirt | |
| 321 joined the blouse as she dug through her closet. Not that it mattered what she | |
| 322 picked out as it was because she would soon be running across rooftops as Saint | |
| 323 Tail. “She’s acting strangely. Something about all this just makes me nervous. I | |
| 324 need to see her smile again before I can rest easily. I can’t get her out of my | |
| 325 mind. But that doesn’t help any if she’s not there. I missed her all day.” Pausing | |
| 326 for a moment, she shook her head. “No, since last night. I never should have left | |
| 327 her. I should have stayed with her. I was stupid to leave after seeing those tears | |
| 328 in her eyes.” She clutched a sweater to her chest, her eyes falling closed as guilt | |
| 329 grabbed at her soul. Regret at failing Seira when she knew Seira would have | |
| 330 stayed with her no matter what preyed on her mind, visions of what might have | |
| 331 been running over and over. | |
| 332 Ruby made a small sound as she stood up and tilted her head to the | |
| 333 side, poking out of Meimi’s school clothes. | |
| 334 Smiling, Meimi picked up her small pet. “Thanks, Ruby. You’re right. I | |
| 335 need to go work all of this out with Seira. Neither of us can be happy until we’ve | |
| 336 put things right.” She kissed the hedgehog’s forehead and set it back down. Her | |
| 337 thoughts grew more determined to fix things as she slipped out the window. | |
| 338 “Seira.” | |
| 339 | |
| 340 Seira heard her coming long before she could see her. Her eyes were | |
| 341 still closed as she stay kneeling in prayer. Her heart was racing as she tried to | |
| 342 stay calm, praying for the strength to keep going. If only things could work out... | |
| 343 But no, she had decided a long time ago that they wouldn’t. That’s why she had | |
| 344 chosen this life. She had things planned. A hand on her shoulder startled her out | |
| 345 of her thoughts and what little concentration she had gathered. Attempting a | |
| 346 smile, she turned to face her friend, the look of concern on Meimi’s face wiping | |
| 347 the smile away. The silence lasted for a few moments before she stood up. | |
| 348 Meimi’s blue eyes tried to catch her own gray blue eyes, but she couldn’t meet | |
| 349 her gaze. “Hello, Meimi-chan.” | |
| 350 “Seira, where were you? I couldn’t find you at all at school. None of | |
| 351 the Sisters would tell me where you were, either.” Meimi took a step closer to | |
| 352 the brunette. “I was worried about you. I missed you. And after last night... It | |
| 353 scared me. All of those things you said last night and then you up and disappear | |
| 354 today. I didn’t know what to think.” | |
| 355 Clasping her hands together, the nun-in-training looked away. “I’m | |
| 356 sorry, Meim-chan. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just didn’t feel well today. I | |
| 357 couldn’t go to school.” Her heart twisted at the half truth. A sigh escaped her | |
| 358 lips. She had already tried to tell Meimi the night before. It was pointless to try | |
| 359 again. She would just have to hold those feelings inside. Forever. Because she | |
| 360 knew they would never go away. She had been so scared of them at first. She | |
| 361 had been raised by nuns. It was completely improper to feel that way. But as | |
| 362 time went by, she realized that she couldn’t help it. It was part of who she was. | |
| 363 She couldn’t keep herself from loving Meimi. She could merely keep herself | |
| 364 from expressing it. And if she couldn’t, then it was best for her to go into the | |
| 365 convent. It would be a way to repay the church for raising a lonely orphan girl | |
| 366 like herself. If she couldn’t be with the one she loved, at least she could do that. | |
| 367 “Why? Were you sick? Or was it because of last night?” Meimi | |
| 368 demanded. Taking Seira’s arm, she turned the slightly smaller girl to face her. | |
| 369 Her face was still marked with concern. “Seira, whatever it was last night, I | |
| 370 shouldn’t have left. And I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I | |
| 371 don’t ever want to hurt you. Please tell me what’s going on.” Her fingers lightly | |
| 372 brushed Seira’s puffy red cheeks. Sadness welled up in her at that. It was | |
| 373 obvious that she’d been crying earlier. | |
| 374 Seira blushed a bit at the feeling of Meimi’s fingers against her cheek. | |
| 375 Her eyes fell closed, the frightened girl torn between pulling away and melting | |
| 376 into the warm touch. Why did she have to do this to her? She was helping her by | |
| 377 keeping it all inside, by not burdening her with these feelings that she could | |
| 378 never return. Her eyes started to sting again but she fought to hold the tears | |
| 379 back. “Meimi-chan... Please just go and get the tape.. Please...” she pleaded with | |
| 380 the mysterious thief, unsure of how much more she could take before breaking | |
| 381 down. The young Sister-in-training shuddered as Meimi’s fingers brushed some | |
| 382 tears away from her cheeks. It hadn’t occurred to her until then that she’d begun | |
| 383 to cry. | |
| 384 “Seira, please tell me what’s going on. I don’t know if it’s my fault or | |
| 385 not, but I want to help you,” Meimi whispered softly, feeling horrible at seeing | |
| 386 the other girl in such pain. If only there was some way for her to alleviate it. To | |
| 387 take it on herself. “Please, Seira-chan.” Seira tried to respond a few times, but | |
| 388 only sobs escaped her. Meimi pulled her shuddering body close, hugging her as | |
| 389 warmly as she could. The brunette slumped against her, choked sobs coming | |
| 390 from her as she held on. The poor girl seemed so tiny and frail in her grasp. “No. | |
| 391 I’m going to do what I should have done last time. I’m going to stay with you. | |
| 392 I’ll always be there for you, Seira-chan. I’ll always protect you.” Hugging the | |
| 393 other girl tighter, Meimi closed her blue eyes. ‘Not Saint Tail, but me. I’ll | |
| 394 always be there to help her. I don’t need a flashy alter-ego to be there for Seira.’ | |
| 395 This wasn’t fair! How could she be so close and yet so far? It was like a | |
| 396 taste of heaven. All she ever wanted, but she knew it would be snatched from | |
| 397 her at any moment. This wasn’t really hers. She was only getting Meimi’s | |
| 398 warmth, her loving embrace because of their friendship. It would never be what | |
| 399 she really wanted. This was only a mirage. She had to keep her mind from | |
| 400 giving in. But it felt so nice, Meimi’s arms around her. She couldn’t help but rest | |
| 401 her head on the magical girl’s shoulder. If she had to endure much more of this, | |
| 402 it would be far too much for her to handle. “You have to help that girl. I’ll be | |
| 403 here when you’re finished. I promise,” she whispered softly into Meimi’s ear. | |
| 404 Meimi hesitated, biting her lip. Could she really just abandon her again | |
| 405 the way she had the night before? What if it made things worse? Seira was much | |
| 406 more important to her than Saint Tail. Her choice between the two was clear. | |
| 407 “Please. She needs your help. She’ll be hurt badly if you don’t get that | |
| 408 videotape back. It’s important.” Seira wiped at her eyes as she took a step away | |
| 409 from Meimi’s warm embrace. “She’s in love with the girl she gave that tape to. | |
| 410 If you don’t get it back, it could ruin everything.” | |
| 411 That startled her. The girl she gave it to? So she... was in love with | |
| 412 her...? Alright, this was starting to get confusing. “You’ll still be here?” Meimi | |
| 413 repeated, sounding unsure. | |
| 414 Nodding, Seira hugged herself. “I’ll still be here, Meimi. I promise you. | |
| 415 But please, help her first. I... I understand what she’s going through. She needs | |
| 416 your help.” When she’d first stumbled upon the pale, dark haired girl, she had | |
| 417 been outside the church, some bodyguards following nearby. Something about | |
| 418 her, maybe the sad look in her stormy blue eyes, had drawn Seira closer. She | |
| 419 had learned of the girl’s True Love, her best friend who hadn’t caught on about | |
| 420 how she felt despite numerous hints. She had videotaped a confession of her | |
| 421 love and had accidentally given it to the other girl by mistake rather than the | |
| 422 video she had meant to give her, something showing off a costume. Now she | |
| 423 was afraid that the other girl would find out before she was ready. She still | |
| 424 remembered the dark haired girl’s words. | |
| 425 “When I close my eyes, I can see her smiling at me. So warmly, so | |
| 426 tenderly. Yet she doesn't see the yearning, doesn't notice the depths of my love | |
| 427 for her. It flows deeply through me, cradling my soul when things get too | |
| 428 painful to move on. Her very essence, all that she is forces me to carry on when | |
| 429 I don't think I can anymore. I would do anything for her. I would give her the | |
| 430 world if I could. I would give her my heart, but she already has it. Does she | |
| 431 know that? Is it just an accepted fact or does she still think that maybe I'm just a | |
| 432 little strange? That my reasoning for acting the way I do can't possibly be | |
| 433 because I'm in love with her. So in love with her. I would die for her. This life is | |
| 434 only a cruel joke without her so my own life can't be worth very much at all. But | |
| 435 her... She’s an angel. I don't regret a single day, a single second that was spent | |
| 436 with her, no matter the pain it would cause later. Even if I had known, I wouldn't | |
| 437 give it away for the world. Because on cold, lonely nights like tonight, I can | |
| 438 close my eyes and see her through the tears, waiting for me. Sometimes that's | |
| 439 the only way I can get to sleep. In her arms, I know that I would be able to | |
| 440 finally sleep peacefully. But that will never happen, will it? I'll have to keep | |
| 441 pretending, keep yearning for her, even if it hurts. I can't show her the tears, the | |
| 442 rips in my soul. I can't let her know that I'm bleeding inside. That every smile | |
| 443 hides the sobs I keep from her. But that's the way it has to be. How would she | |
| 444 handle the knowledge that being with her is both the most wonderful, warm | |
| 445 feeling in my heart, and the most painful, cold torment? I can't take that | |
| 446 innocence away from her. She would lose something. And then our friendship | |
| 447 would suffer for it. She wouldn't act the same way around me anymore and I | |
| 448 would hate myself for that.” Tomoyo closed her eyes and sighed. “I want her to | |
| 449 know, but it shouldn’t be this way. She wouldn’t understand if she finds out on | |
| 450 her own.” | |
| 451 ‘I want to tell you, too, Meimi. But I can’t... I tried, but I can’t. I’m | |
| 452 sorry,’ Seira thought to herself sadly. | |
| 453 Finally nodding assent, Meimi crossed her arms. “Alright, but I’ll be | |
| 454 right back. I can’t stand to see you like this Seira. I need to know what’s hurting | |
| 455 you.” | |
| 456 Seira smiled softly, taking Meimi’s hand. “Thank you, Meimi-chan. | |
| 457 I’m sure the girl will be very happy to receive God’s protection with the help of | |
| 458 Saint Tail.” | |
| 459 | |
| 460 Sakura Kinomoto sweatdropped as her older brother, Touya once again | |
| 461 argued with the younger, green haired boy about just why he needed to be there. | |
| 462 Just half an hour ago, a boy named Asuka Jr. had arrived with several police | |
| 463 officers and had demanded that they let him in, showing off some sort of trinket | |
| 464 as if it were a badge and an excellent reason for them to comply with his | |
| 465 demands. Touya had not been about to, but his friend, the bespectacled white | |
| 466 haired boy had managed to calm him down long enough for the green haired boy | |
| 467 to slip past and explain his case. Apparently, the mysterious thief Saint Tail had | |
| 468 pegged their house for her next heist and would be there that night. And even | |
| 469 more of a shock to the young Cardmistress was that she was after a videotape | |
| 470 that Tomoyo had given her. That just didn’t make sense. Why would a thief | |
| 471 want to steal something that her friend had given her? Especially something of | |
| 472 no actual value like a videotape. The green haired boy had shrugged off her | |
| 473 question, merely stating that ‘Saint Tail’s like that. I’m sure she has a reason.” | |
| 474 But that wasn’t a good enough explanation to the brunette. | |
| 475 Unfortunately, he seemed to be in no mood to explain, busying himself with | |
| 476 planning some sort of trap for the mysterious thief. So Sakura sat alone in her | |
| 477 room, her brother’s irritated voice coming upstairs through the door as he | |
| 478 hounded the younger boy at every step. Sakura was thankful that her father was | |
| 479 gone for the night. Of course, that meant Touya had to cook. And he had | |
| 480 expressed no interest whatsoever at feeding the hungry looking officers | |
| 481 downstairs. | |
| 482 Why did she want the videotape? What could be so important that | |
| 483 she’d sneak in to steal it? It was just a videotape of her in various costumes with | |
| 484 some action sequences at the end to appease Kero-chan. Maybe she should call | |
| 485 Tomoyo. Tomoyo always made things seem better, especially when she was | |
| 486 confused like this. Her hand reached out instinctively for the pink cell phone | |
| 487 Tomoyo had given her so long ago. Her fingers paused just over the speed dial | |
| 488 button. The dark haired girl loved taking videos of her. Wouldn’t it worry her if | |
| 489 Sakura told her someone was trying to steal it? No, she couldn’t worry Tomoyo | |
| 490 like that. The other girl was rather... eccentric. Especially when it came to her. | |
| 491 But she’d never really seen her worried about anything that didn’t have to do | |
| 492 with her. Still, she didn’t want to press her luck and worry Tomoyo | |
| 493 unnecessarily. This matter would likely be solved soon enough. | |
| 494 But what was on that videotape? | |
| 495 | |
| 496 Touya spent a long time preparing dinner, making sure that everything | |
| 497 was just perfect. The intoxicating smells wafted through the house, seeming to | |
| 498 draw everyone towards the kitchen. Yukito watched intently as he went about | |
| 499 pouring in some water. The taller boy made absolutely sure that he had just | |
| 500 enough food for himself, Yukito, and his little sister. Of course, it was a rather | |
| 501 difficult job discerning just how much the white haired boy would eat. | |
| 502 “So what are you making?” one of the officers asked curiously. He and | |
| 503 two others had gathered to watch Touya cook. They all looked starving. But the | |
| 504 teenage boy still wasn’t pleased about this intrusion into his home. | |
| 505 Pointedly ignoring them, Touya went back to preparing the food. It was | |
| 506 with some satisfaction that he noticed someone’s stomach growling. | |
| 507 | |
| 508 Asuka Jr. paced the living room nervously. It was starting to grow late | |
| 509 out and there had still been no sign of Saint Tail. She was coming. He knew she | |
| 510 was. He knew it at his very core. Because she always did. There was something | |
| 511 in that line of thought that comforted the boy. It was reassuring; a constant in an | |
| 512 otherwise always shifting world. And for that, he thanked Saint Tail. But he was | |
| 513 still going to catch her and find out just who she was! This game of theirs had | |
| 514 gone on long enough. He wouldn’t allow himself to be fooled by anymore of her | |
| 515 tricks. This time all of the cards were on the table and he was determined to win. | |
| 516 “Take your shoes off,” the older boy of the house demanded, his eyes | |
| 517 following Asuka Jr.’s every move. The officers that had come with Asuka Jr. | |
| 518 had already complied. | |
| 519 “What?” The green haired boy asked, turning around for the hundredth | |
| 520 time on the plush carpet as he continued his pacing. | |
| 521 “I said, take your shoes off,” Touya repeated firmly. | |
| 522 “I need to be able to catch Saint Tail! This is official business. You can | |
| 523 take it up with the mayor,” Asuka Jr. argued, his frustration building. He would | |
| 524 be the one to catch Saint Tail! Why did everyone insist upon getting in his way? | |
| 525 Didn’t they understand? It was his quest! He just had to catch her! It was the | |
| 526 natural order of things. Yet people still insisted upon interfering. Right now it | |
| 527 was his time. As soon as his business with Saint Tail was concluded, it could go | |
| 528 back to being Torga’s time. Or whatever his name was. But the look on the older | |
| 529 boys face told an entirely different story. Grumbling to himself, Asuka Jr. finally | |
| 530 left his shoes by the door. | |
| 531 Crossing his arms angrily, the junior detective returned to his pacing, | |
| 532 oblivious to anything but his sole purpose in life. Where had he been, again? Oh | |
| 533 yes. She would be here. And when she did... | |
| 534 “Hello! I’m here to see Kinomoto-san. Is she here?” A cute girl in a | |
| 535 black and white school uniform asked. It was the same uniform he’d seen that | |
| 536 Sakura girl wearing earlier. Must be a classmate. He couldn’t quite see her face | |
| 537 under shadows cast by the slightly larger than usual hat she was wearing. “Yeah, | |
| 538 she’s upstairs. But make it quick. This is official police business.” A giggle | |
| 539 escaped the girl as she headed for the stairs. Stupid girl. She didn’t understand | |
| 540 what she was in the middle of. He continued his pacing, waiting for just the right | |
| 541 moment to pounce on Saint Tail. It couldn’t be much longer now. | |
| 542 | |
| 543 Confusion. That was the first response that came to Sakura’s mind as | |
| 544 she sat in stunned silence, her television currently showing static. Two hours. | |
| 545 The tape had been two hours long. How do you take two hours to confess your | |
| 546 love to someone? Tomoyo had found an excellent way. And she’d made perfect | |
| 547 use of the new editing system her mother had given her, splicing in scenes from | |
| 548 earlier tapes and cute background music as she all the while narrated the video, | |
| 549 giving an explanation of her feelings and what Sakura meant to her. It was | |
| 550 certainly the oddest declaration of love that Sakura had ever been witness to, but | |
| 551 it had definitely been done well. | |
| 552 But for some reason, the brunette just couldn’t work herself up to be | |
| 553 surprised. It made sense. Even if she hadn’t really understood a lot of what the | |
| 554 dark haired girl had said before or some of the hints she had given, this just | |
| 555 seemed to clear up everything, giving her an insight into her best friend that | |
| 556 she’d never thought to look for. Of course Tomoyo loved her. In hindsight, it | |
| 557 was blindingly obvious. Looking back, everything took on a whole new light. | |
| 558 Things made more sense now. Tomoyo made more sense now. | |
| 559 And in some ways, Sakura made more sense now. The video had really | |
| 560 gotten her to think. Every little confession Tomoyo had made, every explanation | |
| 561 that had drawn Sakura closer to the screen, wanting to know what the pale girl | |
| 562 was about to say next, had started to confuse her more and more as the video | |
| 563 went on. But now... What Tomoyo had explained had sounded so familiar. The | |
| 564 feelings she had described and the emotions that coursed through her had all felt | |
| 565 so close to her. As if she understood what Tomoyo had meant. But she couldn’t | |
| 566 possibly understand, could she? Those feelings weren’t anything like what she | |
| 567 had felt for Yukito. Yet Tomoyo was most positively in love. So where had | |
| 568 those feelings, or the memories of those feelings, been to have come unbidden to | |
| 569 her mind? | |
| 570 And then, she understood. Just as those stormy blue eyes had conveyed | |
| 571 the feelings deep within Tomoyo, she knew that she’d felt them everyday | |
| 572 herself. How far did it go back? How long had she felt this way? She couldn’t | |
| 573 tell for sure. But those safe, warm feelings had bathed her for quite a while now. | |
| 574 That soft thrill, the yearning, and the jumbled thoughts. The hot blushes and the | |
| 575 embarrassing moments. She had felt this way about Tomoyo for a mystifying | |
| 576 amount of time. She just hadn’t realized it. “Hoe...” | |
| 577 Tomoyo had been too close to her. Sakura had never been able to | |
| 578 understand because those feelings were always there. She had come to take them | |
| 579 for granted, just as she had taken Tomoyo for granted. As if they’d always be | |
| 580 there the same way that Tomoyo would always be there. So she had never taken | |
| 581 the time to actually look at those feelings, to see that Tomoyo was their source. | |
| 582 That Tomoyo made her happy. Just like what Tomoyo had said. ‘I’ll be happy as | |
| 583 long as the person I like is happy.’ Those words had comforted her slightly | |
| 584 when she was trying to get over Yukito. But now she understood the warmth | |
| 585 behind Tomoyo’s voice when she’d said it. This time she knew what Tomoyo | |
| 586 had truly meant. “But Tomoyo-chan... You make me happy,” Sakura whispered. | |
| 587 Her head cocked to the side in thought, she realized that it was true. Tomoyo did | |
| 588 make her happy. She was the one thing in this world that she always knew could | |
| 589 make things seem better. | |
| 590 She had had these feelings for a long time now. But it took two hours | |
| 591 tape to make her realize what they were. | |
| 592 | |
| 593 Closing the door quietly behind her, Sakura’s ‘friend’ was pleased to | |
| 594 note that Sakura looked to be completely out of it. She was looking off into | |
| 595 space, deep in thought. With a skillful hop, the girl was on the other side of the | |
| 596 bed, quickly making her way to the television and the video. Had her mind been | |
| 597 on the situation at hand rather than on Seira and what could be troubling the | |
| 598 poor nun girl, she would have scene the cord running from the gaming system to | |
| 599 the controller. And with her above average reflexes, she probably wouldn’t have | |
| 600 stumbled and come crashing to the ground with a loud thump. | |
| 601 Sakura’s attention shifted to the unexpected girl in her room, cutting | |
| 602 through her introspection like a knife. “Who are you?” She asked curiously as | |
| 603 she stood up. Why would anyone from school be over here now? Except... Her | |
| 604 voice grew shaky as her knees threatened to give out. This was too sudden! She | |
| 605 had to have a moment to compose herself. “Tomoyo-chan?” she asked | |
| 606 hesitantly. Sure the girl didn’t seem to have Tomoyo’s usual grace, but everyone | |
| 607 had their off days. | |
| 608 Meimi sweatdropped as she scrambled to her feet. She could already | |
| 609 hear Asuka Jr.’s footsteps as her ran up the stairs, followed closely by the Inept | |
| 610 Police Force and Sakura’s big brother. She silently cursed as she glanced around | |
| 611 hurriedly for the videotape. This wouldn’t be happening if her mind didn’t keep | |
| 612 wandering elsewhere. She told Seira that they needed to talk. She doubted she’d | |
| 613 be able to get anything done at this rate. The cold worrying about Seira was | |
| 614 weighing heavily upon her soul. | |
| 615 “Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura started nervously, taking a step forward. In the | |
| 616 dim room, it was hard to make out any features of the girl ahead of her, the | |
| 617 oversized hat still shadowing her face. “I... I want you to know that...” To | |
| 618 Sakura’s embarrassment, Asuka Jr. and the rest of the boys chose that moment | |
| 619 to bust into her room. Her face turned a bright shade of crimson as her hands | |
| 620 went to her chest. What had she been about to say anyway? Could she work up | |
| 621 the strength to say it after they all left again? | |
| 622 “I know it’s you, Saint Tail! I’m not letting you get away this time,” | |
| 623 Asuka Jr. stated as he and the others rushed into the room. His eyes never left | |
| 624 her. He knew what a mistake that could be. He was the leading expert on Saint | |
| 625 Tail, after all. | |
| 626 The girl in the school uniform just grinned at the intruders. Pulling the | |
| 627 oversized hat to the side, her long pony tail fell out and down her back. With | |
| 628 another swift movement, the school fuku was gone, replaced by the magician’s | |
| 629 tuxedo based costume she wore. “One.” | |
| 630 “Not this time!” The green haired boy thrust himself over the bed, | |
| 631 slumping on the floor in time to hear the word ‘two’. “I won’t let you escape | |
| 632 until I know who you are, Saint Tail!” He yelled as he leapt forward. | |
| 633 “Three!!” Sakura blossoms flew out of the large hat, starting to whip | |
| 634 around the room, blinding the group with the onslaught of petals. She had | |
| 635 thought it appropriate. | |
| 636 “Block off all the exits! Don’t let her out of the house!” Asuka Jr. | |
| 637 yelled as he made his way towards the mysterious thief. He held his blazer over | |
| 638 his head, trying to block the storm of flower petals. Almost there... | |
| 639 Sakura vaguely remembered her fight with the Flower Card as all of | |
| 640 this went on, the whole thing not making much sense, especially after her recent | |
| 641 revelation. Just what was going on? That girl... She was the one trying to steal | |
| 642 Tomoyo’s video! Her video! That was only for her!! | |
| 643 Meimi hurriedly searched for the video. To her dismay, there were two | |
| 644 tapes on top of the television. Blinking through the swirl of petals, she saw | |
| 645 labels on the two. ‘Sakura’s Exhausting Day at the Park’ was half way through | |
| 646 and the other label was blank. She snagged that one, praying that she had chosen | |
| 647 the right one. But by then it was too late. As she turned to head for the door, a | |
| 648 hand gripped her bare arm just above her long gloves. Tightly. | |
| 649 “I won’t let you go!” Determination flared in the junior detectives eyes | |
| 650 as he held tightly to his prize. This was it. He would finally know once and for | |
| 651 all. He squinted, trying to see through the haze of flowers. She looked so | |
| 652 familiar. He knew her, he was certain of that. He couldn’t quite make out who. | |
| 653 His heart skipped a beat as he realized how close he was to finally attaining his | |
| 654 goal. “I’ve caught you, Saint Tail.” | |
| 655 Meimi’s eyes went wide as she froze where she stood. Was this the | |
| 656 end? Was he finally going to find out who she was? What would he think? What | |
| 657 would Seira think? What could she do? She looked away, unsure of herself. | |
| 658 Suddenly this wasn’t a game. It wasn’t just cat and mouse anymore. It was over. | |
| 659 She couldn’t help but feel like she’d failed Seira. She knew the other girl would | |
| 660 be fine with whatever happened, but could she even go out as Saint Tail after | |
| 661 this? No, not if he found out. And she was Saint Tail for Seira. So she could help | |
| 662 her. No, this wasn’t fair. It couldn’t end now. | |
| 663 Suddenly, something jostled into Asuka Jr. and, to his sheer horror, he | |
| 664 lost his grip on the mysterious thief. Mortified, he looked up to see Touya | |
| 665 blindly stumbling through the raining petals. That moron! How could he ruin | |
| 666 this! | |
| 667 The grip was gone. It... It wasn’t over, was it? The game was still afoot. | |
| 668 Her heart began beating again, a smile returning to her lips as she felt warmth | |
| 669 rush through her previously cold body. Looking up, she saw the tall boy from | |
| 670 downstairs, fumbling through the flower petals. No, that wasn’t it. He knew full | |
| 671 well where he was going. He had saved her. She smiled broader before dashing | |
| 672 towards the door. | |
| 673 Touya grabbed Asuka Jr.’s arm as he tried to get past him and after the | |
| 674 mysterious thief. “What the hell’s going on here?” he asked, his eyebrows | |
| 675 arching. The junior detective still looked like he was suffering from shock. | |
| 676 Touya hid a smirk. He really didn’t like this kids methods. Too much like the | |
| 677 brat for his liking. And he didn’t like the idea of the brat with his sister at all. | |
| 678 Speaking of which, where was Sakura? | |
| 679 | |
| 680 Meimi bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time as she gauged | |
| 681 the distance to the door. She was sure that Asuka Jr. was right behind her as he | |
| 682 often was and every little second counted. In the kitchen, she could dimly hear | |
| 683 someone with an Osaka dialect and the white haired boy arguing over the last of | |
| 684 the food. Ignoring it, mysterious thief Saint Tail broke out into the inky black | |
| 685 night, broken only by tiny pinpricks of light through the velvet. The cool air felt | |
| 686 refreshing against her skin, the tense moment back in the house getting to her | |
| 687 much worse than she’d thought. After a brief second, she leapt up onto the | |
| 688 rooftop, bounding to another one a short distance away. All that was left was to | |
| 689 return the videotape and return to Seira. All in a night’s work for Kaitou Saint | |
| 690 Tail. Grinning to herself, she had no idea that she was being watched. | |
| 691 | |
| 692 Sakura stared in stunned amazement as the magician girl cleared | |
| 693 another building. She idly wondered if Tomoyo had felt that same amazement | |
| 694 at seeing her bounding along rooftops similarly. But that had been a magical | |
| 695 event. This was more like professional curiosity. After all, she had met her share | |
| 696 of magical people. Pulling out a Sakura Card, Sakura quickly shouted ‘Release’ | |
| 697 and used the Jump to catch up, leaping effortlessly along behind the other girl. | |
| 698 That was her video. And she was going to get it back. | |
| 699 | |
| 700 Her mind still focussing on the sad looking nun girl, it took Meimi a | |
| 701 moment to notice that someone was following her. Frowning, she turned to see | |
| 702 who it was, expecting the young junior detective to be on her trail. To her | |
| 703 surprise, the younger brunette girl had given chase and was doing a wonderful | |
| 704 job of keeping pace with her. There weren’t that many people who could. In | |
| 705 fact, it seemed like the wings on her feet were practically carrying her along. | |
| 706 “Stop!” Sakura yelled, a Card in her hands in case her call was ignored. | |
| 707 “I want that videotape back. It’s mine.” | |
| 708 Meimi shook her head, turning around towards the younger girl. “I’m | |
| 709 afraid it’s not. I was sent here to return it to a girl who had misplaced it. It’s | |
| 710 really hers.” | |
| 711 Sakura was silent for a moment, biting the inside of her lip. “Misplaced | |
| 712 it?” Had Tomoyo not meant to give it to her yet? Was she still worried about | |
| 713 what Sakura would think if she found out? Had she gotten it by accident? | |
| 714 Nodding, the pony tailed girl took a step backwards. Pausing for just a | |
| 715 second, she took another. “Of course. So it seems that it’s not your tape after all. | |
| 716 But don’t worry. It will be back in it’s rightful owner’s hands soon enough.” | |
| 717 Sakura sighed. This was still too much for her to take all at once. So if | |
| 718 Tomoyo hadn’t meant for her to see the tape, if it had been a way for the dark | |
| 719 haired girl to get out all of that pent up emotion inside, should she just pretend | |
| 720 she hadn’t seen it? But then she would have to ignore Tomoyo’s feelings as well | |
| 721 as her own. She couldn’t do that to her friend. Sakura knew that she had to go | |
| 722 talk to Tomoyo. “So you’re just returning it to Tomoyo-chan?” she asked | |
| 723 reluctantly. | |
| 724 Meimi nodded again. “And whatever’s on the tape, if it’s that | |
| 725 important, hopefully she’ll show you someday.” She smiled as she took another | |
| 726 step. “And if you’re that important to her, I’m sure she will.” The pony tailed | |
| 727 girl couldn’t help but wonder why Seira was so involved in this mission, but she | |
| 728 sure hoped things worked out for the two girls. | |
| 729 Sakura blushed a little and smiled. “Hai... I think she will.” | |
| 730 With a quick count, Kaitou Saint Tail disappeared in a swirl of doves. | |
| 731 | |
| 732 . Not long after that, Saint Tail managed to sneak into the Daidouji | |
| 733 mansion. Which was no small feat when compared to the Kinomoto residence. | |
| 734 There were plenty of well trained guards (all female, curiously enough), and a | |
| 735 very well placed security system. It took her over an hour to get inside the huge | |
| 736 place. Moving quietly, she looked around for a good place to leave the tape, | |
| 737 complete with a cute pink ribbon. | |
| 738 “You managed to get it back? Her faith in you is obviously very well | |
| 739 founded.” Smiling sweetly, the dark haired girl got out of bed, her long | |
| 740 nightgown trailing just above her feet. In the dim light, she could have easily | |
| 741 been a ghost, her pale skin sharply contrasted by her dark hair. | |
| 742 Kaitou Saint Tail froze. This had never happened before. She wasn’t | |
| 743 quite sure how to react. “Who? Oh, Seira-chan. But how did you...” She trailed | |
| 744 off, shaking her head. How did she link her to Seira? It must have been the | |
| 745 video. Seira had said that God might set things right and now here she was with | |
| 746 the tape, playing messenger for Him because of Seira. | |
| 747 Tomoyo continued to smile that odd smile of hers, her head tilted to the | |
| 748 side. She held the tape to her chest tightly, glad to know that her confession was | |
| 749 once again in her hands. She would tell Sakura soon enough. “Arigato | |
| 750 gozimasu, Meimi-san.” | |
| 751 “All in a days work for...” Meimi trailed off again, sweatdropping. | |
| 752 “Wait, what do you mean?” | |
| 753 Tomoyo just smiled again. “Seira was talking a lot about you. You | |
| 754 have to be the same girl she was talking about. I think that she needed someone | |
| 755 to listen just as much as I did. Everyone goes to her with their problems, but no | |
| 756 one seems to stop and wonder if she has any.” Of course, no one really asked | |
| 757 her, either aside from her mother, but her mother was often times busy. But | |
| 758 that’s because she did a good job of pretending to be happy for Sakura’s sake. | |
| 759 Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Which was why she had made the | |
| 760 videotape in the first place. It was a way of voicing all of the turmoil that the | |
| 761 feelings inside of her gave rise to. | |
| 762 “She was? I.. Well, I’m really glad I could help. Seira-chan seemed | |
| 763 really worried about all of this so if I’ve managed to put it right then maybe that | |
| 764 will get me a step closer to fixing things with her.” | |
| 765 “I can see why someone’s in love with you. You’re very sweet and | |
| 766 caring. A little like someone else I know.” Tomoyo had to force herself not to | |
| 767 bring up Sakura. She knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to quit talking | |
| 768 about the magnificent Cardmistress for at least half an hour. | |
| 769 “Someone?” How much did this strange girl know about her and what | |
| 770 was going on? How much had Seira told her? Whatever it was, she was very | |
| 771 perceptive. | |
| 772 “I think you know who,” was the simple reply. | |
| 773 Meimi arched her eyebrows, unsure of what she meant. But before she | |
| 774 could say anything, the pieces began to coalesce. Why Seira was so involved | |
| 775 with this, why she related to this dark haired girl, why she’d called Meimi out to | |
| 776 the church the night before, why she was always willing to do anything for her, | |
| 777 why seemed to get jealous of Asuka Jr. from time to time, why she threw herself | |
| 778 into their time together with the whole Saint Tail thing. “Seira...” | |
| 779 “You should probably get to the church before you keep her waiting for | |
| 780 too long,” Tomoyo said thoughtfully, ushering the mysterious thief back towards | |
| 781 the window. “I’m sure she’ll want to know how things turned out. Thank you | |
| 782 again, Meimi-san. And please tell Seira-san that I’m glad I came to her with my | |
| 783 problem.” | |
| 784 Meimi nodded weakly before sliding out the window. | |
| 785 | |
| 786 Seira was deep in prayer again, as she had been since Meimi had left | |
| 787 much earlier that afternoon. It was the only way that she could calm herself | |
| 788 about the whole situation. She hadn’t felt good at all and this was at least letting | |
| 789 her get it all out to someone she knew would listen. She didn’t hear Meimi’s | |
| 790 approach this time, but the arms that slowly went around her from behind, shook | |
| 791 her out of the near trance-like state that she had been in. | |
| 792 “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Meimi asked simply, resting her | |
| 793 head against Meimi’s back. She could feel the soft rise and fall of Seira’s | |
| 794 breathing in her arms. | |
| 795 “I... I didn’t know how. I didn’t think I could,” Seira explained, a little | |
| 796 thrown off by what was happening. It couldn’t be what she thought it was. | |
| 797 “I’m sorry. I should have noticed sooner, Seira.” Sighing, she let her | |
| 798 eyes fall closed, still resting against the Sister-in-training. | |
| 799 Seira didn’t know what to make out of what was going on. The only | |
| 800 thing she was fairly certain of was that Meimi knew her dark little secret. She | |
| 801 blinked back painful tears, shaking her head ever so slightly. “No, I’m the one | |
| 802 who should be sorry, Meimi-chan. I just couldn’t help it. You don’t understand. | |
| 803 I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. I.. I know I shouldn’t, but...” | |
| 804 “Why not?” Meimi asked softly, slowly opening her blue eyes. | |
| 805 Pausing for a moment, Seira shook her head in confusion. There were | |
| 806 plenty of reasons. Because some of the Sisters said it was wrong, even if she | |
| 807 didn’t believe that. Because she was afraid of losing Meimi. Because she didn’t | |
| 808 want to hurt the other girl. “Because...” | |
| 809 “I love you,” Meimi whispered shyly, embarrassed. It was the first time | |
| 810 she’d uttered those words, and to her best friend at that. But she didn’t care if the | |
| 811 situation seemed awkward. She was just glad that she understood. | |
| 812 Seira’s slightly darker eyes went wide as it ran through her mind. | |
| 813 “You... Meimi-chan?” She stopped blinking back the tears, several falling down | |
| 814 her delicate features as she turned around in Meimi’s grasp. “You what?” | |
| 815 Meimi blushed as she met the other girl’s gaze. “I love you, Seira,” she | |
| 816 repeated softly. Why was she still crying? What had she done wrong? She had | |
| 817 searched her heart before coming back here. She knew this was what she | |
| 818 wanted. But had she made things worse? | |
| 819 Smiling through the tears, the nun girl wrapped her arms around the | |
| 820 mysterious thief, holding onto her tightly. “Oh, Meimi-chan... I love you, too!” | |
| 821 She held on for what seemed like an eternity in the middle of the church, both | |
| 822 girls huddled together. “I love you,” she whispered again, not wanting to let go. | |
| 823 It felt so nice to finally hold her, especially after hearing that. | |
| 824 Meimi was blushing lightly as she rocked back and forth with the | |
| 825 slightly smaller girl in her arms. She felt overwhelmed inside. The feelings were | |
| 826 almost too much for her. But even exhausted as she was, she felt wonderful. | |
| 827 There was no place she'd rather be. Her blush darkened as Meimi’s eyes closed, | |
| 828 her lips puckering as she leaned ever so slowly forward. Her own eyes falling | |
| 829 closed in the face of sheer exhaustion and in such a warm embrace, she gave in | |
| 830 completely to her friend, meeting those lips in a startlingly enrapturing kiss. The | |
| 831 waves inside of her heart were no longer crashing, pulling her under in the | |
| 832 confusion. The sea was finally calm. “I love you,” she heard whispered softly. | |
| 833 Whether she said it or Seira had, it didn’t really matter as she surrendered | |
| 834 herself back to the kiss. | |
| 835 | |
| 836 |