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     1.2 +++ b/stories/CCScharity_4.txt	Fri Feb 19 06:24:59 2010 -0500
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     1.4 +Learning to Fly Chapter Four
     1.5 +by 
     1.6 +The Amazoness Duo 
     1.7 +and
     1.8 +G.P. 
     1.9 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.10 +pearsong1954@yahoo.com
    1.11 +
    1.12 +
    1.13 +
    1.14 +"Where is he?" Sakura whined, hugging herself in an attempt to fight
    1.15 +off the cold evening that was settling in. "He's always late. It's
    1.16 +because he works so much. How does Yukito put up with him?" the
    1.17 +brunette asked, turning to her elegantly dressed friend. As usual,
    1.18 +Sakura thought Tomoyo put her to shame. Though they'd both dressed up
    1.19 +for dinner, Tomoyo's lavender ensemble seemed more refined than
    1.20 +Sakura's more simple green dress. Her pale friend was absolutely
    1.21 +gorgeous. Sakura's heart raced at the memory of helping Tomoyo braid
    1.22 +her beautiful dark tresses before they left. Momentarily forgetting
    1.23 +her complaints, the Cardmistress could only stop and stare. She shot
    1.24 +an angry look at two older boys who were gawking at Tomoyo, stepping
    1.25 +closer to the shorter girl protectively. Ignoring most of the stares
    1.26 +that came her way, with the obvious exception of Sakura's glances,
    1.27 +Tomoyo smiled. "Yukito-san must have boundless patience, then." The
    1.28 +occasion for the night's outing was a dinner with Sakura's brother
    1.29 +and his boyfriend, the object of Sakura's childhood affection. Now
    1.30 +that Sakura no longer lived with her brother, his busy lifestyle made
    1.31 +it hard to stay in touch with him. Little things like going out for
    1.32 +dinner helped keep them close. 
    1.33 +
    1.34 +"You must be even more patient than Yuki if you can somehow put up
    1.35 +with the monster," Touya deadpanned from behind the two girls, his
    1.36 +white haired lover in tow.
    1.37 +
    1.38 +"I'm not a little girl! You can't call me a monster anymore!" Sakura
    1.39 +argued, clenching her fists and shaking them at the imposing image of
    1.40 +her tall, dark haired brother. 
    1.41 +
    1.42 +The tall man shrugged. "If it looks like a monster and acts like a
    1.43 +monster...""It's good to see you both again," Yukito cut in, smiling
    1.44 +pleasantly at the younger girls. 
    1.45 +
    1.46 +Lightening up visibly, Sakura smiled and nodded in agreement. "It's
    1.47 +good to see you, too.""Now she's calm. Let's get something to eat
    1.48 +before she snaps again," Touya suggested, pushing the restaurant door
    1.49 +open. Harumphing, Sakura led Tomoyo past Touya and into the warmth of
    1.50 +the restaurant beyond. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1.51 +
    1.52 +The restaurant was spacious but crowded. The group of four sat in a
    1.53 +back corner, a myriad sampling of food spread out before them. "Too
    1.54 +bad Kero-chan's not here. He'd love this," Sakura mused, reaching
    1.55 +over with her chopsticks indecisively. So much food. It was difficult
    1.56 +to decide where to begin."Yuki will be sure to eat enough for him,
    1.57 +too," Touya promised, watching some of the food before him disappear
    1.58 +thanks to his ever hungry boyfriend. 
    1.59 +
    1.60 +"What have you been doing lately, onii-chan?" Chestnut hair fell to
    1.61 +one side as Sakura tilted her head curiously. "I haven't seen you on
    1.62 +campus much. I hoped I'd get to see more of you.""He's been working
    1.63 +mostly. When he's not in class, he's at work. You know Touya. He has
    1.64 +to keep busy or he's not happy," Yukito replied between mouthfuls.
    1.65 +"Onii-chan is ever happy?" Sakura asked, blinking incredulously. "I
    1.66 +thought that was impossible." She couldn't help but smile as Tomoyo
    1.67 +giggled beside her. "You always look so grumpy.""I'm plenty happy.
    1.68 +It's better than being so excitable. You end up crying over the
    1.69 +simplest things or you're excited over the tiniest details. I'd
    1.70 +rather just sail smoothly through everything," Touya countered."But
    1.71 +it's cute that Sakura-chan's so excitable! It means everything she
    1.72 +encounters affects her in some way. She's so emotive. That's why it's
    1.73 +so much fun to watch her." Sighing dreamily, Tomoyo cast her eyes on
    1.74 +Sakura, watching her friend blush and fumble with her napkin. Sakura
    1.75 +was always so cute when she was embarrassed. And if Syaoran wasn't
    1.76 +going to be around to embarrass her, then it was Tomoyo's duty to get
    1.77 +a blush on Sakura's cheeks whenever possible. Hoping to change the
    1.78 +subject, Sakura looked up at her brother. "So... ummm... What jobs
    1.79 +are you working this week? You're not going ot have to run off to
    1.80 +wait tables in a minute, are you?" 
    1.81 +
    1.82 +Touya shook his head, sipping some tea before replying. "No, I don't
    1.83 +work here. It's just a nice restaurant. Yuki and I came here to
    1.84 +celebrate some things a while back. I'm working at a bar now.""A
    1.85 +bar?" Sakura repeated.
    1.86 +
    1.87 +"He's a bartender there. He's getting pretty good at it, too,"
    1.88 +Yukito answered. "I'll go just to watch him make the drinks. He has
    1.89 +very nimble hands.""So does Sakura-chan." Taking one of Sakura's
    1.90 +hands in her own, Tomoyo let her fingers trace over Sakura's creamy
    1.91 +skin. She could tell Sakura's blush worsened, but the other girl
    1.92 +didn't pull her hand away. Smiling, Tomoyo continued to caress
    1.93 +Sakura's hand. To the heiress's surprise, Sakura's fingers curled
    1.94 +around her own, holding on warmly. Her heart swooned at the
    1.95 +feeling.Raising an eyebrow, Touya watched the two girls for a moment.
    1.96 +"I'm so glad you finally started dating Tomoyo. She's much better for
    1.97 +you than the brat ever was. I've been waiting for you two to get
    1.98 +together since you were kids. It was so obvious."Sakura's faint blush
    1.99 +escalated to near crimson. "Obvious? But..."Touya nodded,
   1.100 +interrupting. "Very obvious. How you were always blushing around her
   1.101 +and getting moony about things. I'm surprised it took you so
   1.102 +long."Simply watching the exchange, Tomoyo continued to nibble on her
   1.103 +food. This was certainly interesting. "But we're not dating..."
   1.104 +Sakura got out at last, her heart pounding. Why did the mention of
   1.105 +them dating get her so excited? Why was her heart beating so fast?
   1.106 +Hoe... Why was this all so confusing? Touya's eyes were still staring
   1.107 +in her direction. She followed his gaze to her hand, still
   1.108 +interlocked with Tomoyo's. Pulling her hand away in a hurry, she
   1.109 +placed both hands on her lap, staring at her plate. Stupid Touya. Why
   1.110 +did he have to mention anything? It felt so nice to hold Tomoyo's
   1.111 +hand like that. 
   1.112 +
   1.113 +"Oh..." Touya rolled this news over for a moment in his head before
   1.114 +continuing. "So you are still dating the brat?""Yeah..." Sakura
   1.115 +responded, still staring at the table. Why was that answer so
   1.116 +dissatisfying to say? It didn't hold the magic it once did, and none
   1.117 +of the excitement that even her denial of a relationship with Tomoyo
   1.118 +had held. Syaoran was overseas. He was her boyfriend. She felt safe
   1.119 +with him. But Tomoyo... A surge of emotions came at the thought of
   1.120 +her friend, the thoughts exciting and delicious and terrifying all at
   1.121 +once. Tomoyo made her feel so alive. So warm. So loved. It was such a
   1.122 +completely different feeling from the relative safety that Syaoran
   1.123 +offered.
   1.124 +
   1.125 +Tomoyo was her best friend. Syaoran was her boyfriend. So why
   1.126 +couldn't she be happy with the way things were? That question haunted
   1.127 +her throughout the rest of the dinner. 
   1.128 +
   1.129 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.130 +
   1.131 +The cold night air blanketed the dark haired pair, a stark contrast
   1.132 +to the warmth held inside the restaurant. Keeping an eye on the
   1.133 +fragile seeming heiress, Touya offered his jacket. Smiling, she
   1.134 +accepted gratefully, sliding her arms into the protective warmth of
   1.135 +the much too large coat. She was absolutely stunning, a beautiful
   1.136 +princess shimmering under the glow of the moonlight. The years had
   1.137 +been kind on the Daidouji girl. At one time Touya had considered her
   1.138 +a cute kid, but now he had to admit that she was gorgeous. It was a
   1.139 +similar beauty to what he had seen when his mother's ghost had
   1.140 +visited him, ethereal and angelic. He wondered if Sakura was as
   1.141 +blinded to the angel that never left her side as she had been to her
   1.142 +mother's ghost when she was a child. 
   1.143 +
   1.144 +"I wonder why Sakura-chan wanted to speak with Yuki," Touya stated
   1.145 +after a moment's silence. 
   1.146 +
   1.147 +Her eyes cast skyward at the glittering jewels that were the stars,
   1.148 +Tomoyo spoke, her soft voice carrying on the crisp night air. "Sakura-
   1.149 +chan is full of mysteries."This caused Touya to furrow an eyebrow. "I
   1.150 +don't think the monster could be mysterious if she tried." He nearly
   1.151 +smiled at the giggle his comment drew forth from the heiress. He
   1.152 +always enjoyed Tomoyo's company. If he'd been Sakura's age, they
   1.153 +would have made great friends. 
   1.154 +
   1.155 +"I think Sakura-chan's asking for advice about something," Tomoyo
   1.156 +ammended her previous statement, her hands disappearing inside the
   1.157 +long jacket sleeves. A shake of her head freed her face from her long
   1.158 +dark hair, letting the breeze caress her cheeks. "She's asking Yuki's
   1.159 +advice?" Touya glanced questioningly at the short girl. Her silence
   1.160 +told him all he needed to know. "Yue's advice." Nodding, he returned
   1.161 +his gaze to the late traffic. "I wonder what she wants from Yue.
   1.162 +Unless she just wants to see how cute he is one last time before she
   1.163 +runs off and gets married to the brat.""I don't think you have to
   1.164 +worry about that," Tomoyo assured the dark haired man. "Yue-san is
   1.165 +very beautiful, but I think Sakura-chan just wants help figuring
   1.166 +something out." Her mind was drifting elsewhere, back to the dinner.
   1.167 +Sakura had been somewhat distracted. Hopefully Sakura's chat with Yue
   1.168 +would fix things, though Tomoyo doubted it. What was bothering Sakura
   1.169 +was more complex than something she could simply ask the answer to.
   1.170 +Some answers only come to us when we have exhausted all other
   1.171 +possibilities. Some wait til we have nowhere left to turn but inward.
   1.172 +And Sakura's inner world was something that the brunette had always
   1.173 +had trouble understanding.Touya slipped his hands into his pockets,
   1.174 +shaking his head. "Then why isn't Sakura-chan going to you? She's
   1.175 +always run to you whenever she has a problem. Especially when she
   1.176 +needs help figuring things out." Turning to look at the heiress, he
   1.177 +could see that her pale features were set in a serious, somewhat sad
   1.178 +look. "Because I can't help her this time," Tomoyo said simply.
   1.179 +Licking her lips, she busied herself with trying to spot where her
   1.180 +bodyguards had hidden themselves away this time. A helpless feeling
   1.181 +bubbled up, encasing her heart. It was the same feeling she'd always
   1.182 +had whenever Sakura had been in physical danger, the knowledge that
   1.183 +she was helpless to protect Sakura. It was icy cold and devestating.
   1.184 +That feeling was one of the primary reasons she had pushed Sakura
   1.185 +towards Syaoran. Syaoran could protect her from whatever magical
   1.186 +dangers came her way, something Tomoyo couldn't do. But with matters
   1.187 +of the heart, Tomoyo had always been able to comfort Sakura in some
   1.188 +way. Not this time. That thought left her feeling useless to the girl
   1.189 +she loved. Sakura needed her and yet she couldn't lift a finger to
   1.190 +help. 
   1.191 +
   1.192 +"Why not? You've always steered Sakura well so far. I swear she
   1.193 +would've ended up running into a wall without you there. You've made
   1.194 +my duties as a big brother a lot easier. I can actually get some
   1.195 +sleep when I know you're around to keep her out of trouble." Touya
   1.196 +was grateful for all Tomoyo had done for his sister. Though he teased
   1.197 +her, he was intensely protective of Sakura. Tomoyo had been Sakura's
   1.198 +safety net from almost the day they met. It relieved him to know that
   1.199 +Tomoyo was there for Sakura when he couldn't be. "Because I think I'm
   1.200 +involved." A breeze played with the jacket, making it sway around the
   1.201 +delicate heiress, her long, dark hair following suit. Her pale
   1.202 +fingers peaked out of the sleeves as she held the jacket closer. "I
   1.203 +can't give Sakura any advice on this if it's about me. I have to let
   1.204 +her decide. I can't tell her what's in her heart. Not this time.
   1.205 +Because I'm too close. I made a mistake last time. I won't do that
   1.206 +again. I have to let Sakura find out for herself what's in her
   1.207 +heart.""You were only looking out for her. Few people would have done
   1.208 +what you did, trying to get her with someone else so she'd be happy."
   1.209 +Placing a hand on her shoulder, he looked down into her stormy blue
   1.210 +eyes. "You've always been looking out for her. You've always been
   1.211 +working for her best interests, even when she didn't see that. You've
   1.212 +sacrificed so that she'd be happy. If that doesn't make you worthy of
   1.213 +her love, I don't know what does." Squeezing her shoulder lightly for
   1.214 +emphasis, he continued. "If I'd been the one trying to push her in
   1.215 +anyone's direction, I'd have wanted her with you over the brat
   1.216 +anyday. Don't scare yourself with thoughts of whether or not you're
   1.217 +good enough for her, Tomoyo-chan. Because I know you are. You'd be my
   1.218 +first choice for her."Slowly, a smile spread across Tomoyo's face.
   1.219 +Looking up, she brushed back her hair. "Thank you, Touya-san.""Don't
   1.220 +mention it. I should thank you for trying to take the monster off my
   1.221 +hands." Touya let go, glancing once again around the parking lot.
   1.222 +"Now where are those two? Some lovers they turn out to be, making us
   1.223 +wait in the cold like this."Smiling, Tomoyo cast her eyes to the
   1.224 +stars once more. Touya was right. It was up to Sakura now. And
   1.225 +whatever Sakura decided, she would always be by her side. Doubts
   1.226 +would only hold her back.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.227 +
   1.228 +Sakura walked nervously alongside her onetime crush and protector,
   1.229 +Yukito. The older man smiled at her, but this only served to make the
   1.230 +young Cardmistress fidget even more. Snow the color of Yukito's hair
   1.231 +began to dance around them, swirling lazily about the two. Hugging
   1.232 +her jacket closer, the athletic girl struggled to make sense of the
   1.233 +maelstrom in her head. She couldn't talk to Tomoyo about this because
   1.234 +Tomoyo was the whole reason her heart was flittering so wildly. She
   1.235 +surely couldn't ask Syaoran. How would the proud future leader of the
   1.236 +Li Clan react to his girlfriend asking him about her feelings towards
   1.237 +another girl? Kero's advice was suspect at best. Her brother's
   1.238 +preferences over the two closest to Sakura's heart was obvious. That
   1.239 +left her stoic guardian, the Judgement himself. "Yukito-san," Sakura
   1.240 +finally got out through numb lips. "I need to speak to Yue."
   1.241 +
   1.242 +In a dazzling display of cool light and wings, the man who had stood
   1.243 +next to her was replaced by his counterpart, the long haired
   1.244 +guardian, Yue. "Yes, Sakura-sama."
   1.245 +
   1.246 +That title always made Sakura want to squirm. It felt too heavy
   1.247 +resting on her shoulders. She didn't like the thought of being in
   1.248 +charge. She just wanted to be friends with her 'subjects'. But now
   1.249 +wasn't the time for her discomfort over titles. How was she supposed
   1.250 +to begin? She'd never been good at talking about love. It left her
   1.251 +feeling confused and tongue-tied. The words finally escaped her in a
   1.252 +rush. "How do you know you're in love?"Silence surrounded the
   1.253 +ethereal pair for a long moment. When Yue spoke, he arched an eyebrow
   1.254 +curiously. "Isn't this better asked of Tomoyo? Or perhaps Dark and
   1.255 +Light? Love has never really been my strong point.""But you and Touya
   1.256 +seem so happy. You look like you belong together. When I'm with
   1.257 +Syaoran..." Sakura trailed off, looking down at the gathering snow
   1.258 +for a moment. "It doesn't feel that way. And I can't ask Tomoyo.
   1.259 +She's... I..." The Carmistress blushed and held her hands to her
   1.260 +heart. "Tomoyo's in love with me. But I don't know how I feel. I
   1.261 +thought I was in love with Syaoran. But now I don't know anymore.
   1.262 +Tomoyo makes me feel so... hanyan... When I'm with her, my heart
   1.263 +starts pounding. It's like I'm short of breath. And the things she
   1.264 +says... The thought of her finding someone else, of someone else
   1.265 +getting Tomoyo's love, it makes me feel miserable. I don't know what
   1.266 +I'd do without her."Yue smirked, crossing his arms regally. "It
   1.267 +sounds to me like you've answered your own questions, Sakura-sama.
   1.268 +Perhaps you just needed someone to listen.""What? No, I..." Sakura's
   1.269 +blush deepened as she shook her head. "That wasn't what I meant.
   1.270 +I..." But her words did ring with a certain truth, didn't they? The
   1.271 +way Tomoyo made her feel was something she had taken for granted as a
   1.272 +child. But now that she understood how her friend felt, it made
   1.273 +Sakura wonder about her own feelings. Were they the same? 
   1.274 +
   1.275 +"Yuki, we need to get going or I'll be late for work." Turning at
   1.276 +the sound of her brother's voice, Sakura saw Touya and Tomoyo walking
   1.277 +towards them. Yukito walked past to join Touya, already having
   1.278 +reverted back from his true form. Questions still lingered in the
   1.279 +Cardmistress's mind even as Tomoyo approached her. A smile spread
   1.280 +across her lips nonetheless as she took the few steps to reach her
   1.281 +beautiful friend. Even if questions lingered, she still loved being
   1.282 +with her friend. And that was enough for now.
   1.283 +
   1.284 +"Touya wanted to know if we wanted to go to the bar he worked at
   1.285 +with them," Tomoyo explained, brushing back her dark hair from her
   1.286 +pale face. She felt better after talking to Touya and could only hope
   1.287 +that Sakura felt the same way after her conversation with Yukito. She
   1.288 +couldn't help but return the smile Sakura gave her, falling alongside
   1.289 +her athletic friend. "Unless the monster is too little," Touya added,
   1.290 +slipping an arm around Yukito as they walked. Sakura's fists balled
   1.291 +up as she followed her elder brother. "I am not! I'm plenty old
   1.292 +enough to go to the bar." Her dreams of one day growing up and being
   1.293 +taller than him were hampered by the fact that he was still
   1.294 +incredibly taller than her. Sakura could only claim to be taller than
   1.295 +Tomoyo, and even then it was only by a few inches. "Come on, Tomoyo-
   1.296 +chan. We don't have work tomorrow. It'll be fun." Whether she really
   1.297 +thought it would be fun or she was just trying to prove her brother
   1.298 +wrong, Sakura couldn't rightly say. The two thoughts bled together
   1.299 +until they were practically the same thing. 
   1.300 +
   1.301 +Still, seeing her brother with his arm around the slender white
   1.302 +haired man made her own heart years. Her fists unclenched as she
   1.303 +found herself gazing sidelong at her friend. It would feel so nice to
   1.304 +hold Tomoyo like that, to feel the soft, frail girl in her arm,
   1.305 +moving against her as they walked. The heiress was so elegent, so
   1.306 +gorgeous. Her steps seemed almost perfect, making her seem to glide
   1.307 +along barely touching the floor. How would it feel to hold onto her,
   1.308 +to feel Tomoyo melt against her side? "Are you coming with us or are
   1.309 +you going to walk the whole way?" Touya asked, shattering Sakura's
   1.310 +thoughts. "What?" Embarrassment colored the brunette's cheeks as she
   1.311 +saw Touya and Yukito getting on their bikes. Tomoyo slid up behind
   1.312 +her brother, her arms going around his waist to hold on. "Oh... Yeah,
   1.313 +I'm coming." Sakura climbed up behind Yukito, holding on as the
   1.314 +taller boy pushed the bike into motion. For some reason this didn't
   1.315 +hold the excitement it once had. Her eyes found their way back to
   1.316 +Tomoyo, the heiress sitting demurely on the back of Touya's bike just
   1.317 +as she had once sat on the back of Sakura's staff when they would fly
   1.318 +through the night. A pang of loss struck Sakura as those memories
   1.319 +resurfaced. She missed gliding through the air with Tomoyo so close
   1.320 +to her. When she flew with her wings, it could feel so lonely. But
   1.321 +when she had flown on her staff with Tomoyo, they were sharing the
   1.322 +night sky together. But now that seemed so long ago. They weren't
   1.323 +children anymore. That magic seemed far away. She longed to be on the
   1.324 +bike near Tomoyo, the two of them free as the wind. Catching Sakura's
   1.325 +gaze, Tomoyo smiled at her friend. Sakura's nostalgic look was
   1.326 +replaced by a smile of her own. They watched each other for a long
   1.327 +time as the snow and lit up streets zipped past around them. The
   1.328 +beauty around them couldn't compare with the beauty of her best
   1.329 +friend, the wind and snow playing through her hair. For a moment,
   1.330 +Tomoyo wished that she had her camcorder with her. But Sakura was
   1.331 +always a beautiful sight. For now she was content to simply watch,
   1.332 +their eyes never breaking for more than a few seconds. Did Sakura
   1.333 +have any idea how she affected her? How her heart would swell just by
   1.334 +being near the brunette? Even the Cardmistress couldn't know just how
   1.335 +strong her spells could be. "I love you, Sakura," she whispered to
   1.336 +her friend, knowing Sakura couldn't hear her as they sped along on
   1.337 +the bikes. She thought she saw Sakura's mouth move shortly afterwards.
   1.338 +
   1.339 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.340 +"I think you've just been around your sisters so long that you don't
   1.341 +know how to treat a girl's heart," Fanren explained, sitting on an
   1.342 +ornamental stone as Syaoran continued practicing, his limbs moving
   1.343 +nimbly about in the different poses. "And what makes you think that?"
   1.344 +Syaoran asked dryly, switching his balance as he moved. Martial arts
   1.345 +was one thing he could count on. Overemotional girlfriends and pissed
   1.346 +off cousins were far away when he was training. Unfortunately, his
   1.347 +big sister wasn't about to let him escape completely."Because Meiling
   1.348 +hasn't been here in days." She leaned forward and spoke in a
   1.349 +conspiratorial whisper. "I heard she punched a whole in her wall."
   1.350 +Sweatdropping, Syaoran tried not to lose his balance. "That's just a
   1.351 +rumor. So what can't I figure out a girl's heart if I grew up with so
   1.352 +many girls, huh?"Fanren grinned, watching her intent little brother.
   1.353 +"Because you think like a girl, silly."
   1.354 +
   1.355 +Syaoran nearly stumbled at this bit of news. Whirling about, his
   1.356 +eyes narrowed. "I what?""You think like a girl. You've grown up with
   1.357 +all your big sisters and mom. You don't think like a boy. A boy would
   1.358 +be expected to try to figure out a girl's heart so they could one day
   1.359 +marry so you'd have someone to help you with the Li Clan. But you
   1.360 +practically grew up as a girl. Boy's hearts are easier for you to
   1.361 +understand because they're simpler. Like that boy you had a crush on
   1.362 +who ate all the time."Syaoran's cheeks flushed as he went back to his
   1.363 +training. Let Fanren air her crazy theory if it would make her feel
   1.364 +better. She was his big sister, so he was obligated to at least
   1.365 +listen. "That was different. I liked him because his magic attracted
   1.366 +mine."Laughing, Fanren shook her head. "You keep telling yourself
   1.367 +that, Syaoran. Anyway, it's the same way the rest of your sisters
   1.368 +think. They don't have to deal with the subtleties of a girl's heart.
   1.369 +They can work their feminine wiles on a boy and more often than not,
   1.370 +he'll be theirs. You can't expect the same tricks to work on girls as
   1.371 +boys.""And just how did you get to be so insightful?" Syaoran asked,
   1.372 +shooting her a glance.
   1.373 +
   1.374 +A smirk crossed the elder siblings lips as she shrugged. "I like
   1.375 +boys and girls, so I needed to learn the rules for both."
   1.376 +
   1.377 +Syaoran didn't know how to answer, his cheeks flushing."So I think
   1.378 +I'm in a unique position to understand how difficult things must be
   1.379 +for my little brother. You're having the same problems I did when I
   1.380 +was first trying to figure out how to go about winning a girl's
   1.381 +heart. You're still too used to falling for boys, so it's confusing
   1.382 +you. Meiling doesn't work the way you're used to.""I'm dating
   1.383 +Sakura!" Syaoran finally shot back. "She's a girl, or did you just
   1.384 +forget that?" His pride was wounded and he only knew to fight back.
   1.385 +His sister thought he had grown up as a girl, that he didn't know how
   1.386 +to figure out a girl's heart. Of course he did. He was dating the
   1.387 +Cardmistress. "No offense, Syaoran, but that hardly counts. Sakura's
   1.388 +more tomboyish than you are." She saw him wince at that and quickly
   1.389 +moved to reassure him. "It's not a problem. It's not like you're any
   1.390 +less a person for it. You're my wonderful little brother. It's just
   1.391 +that you grew up more like a little sister, so these things that boys
   1.392 +have to deal with end up being confusing. But that isn't your fault.
   1.393 +Who was supposed to explain them to you? One of your sisters? Mom?
   1.394 +And Wei's too old for that sort of thing."
   1.395 +
   1.396 +"So you're supposed to teach me how to be a man?" Syaoran asked
   1.397 +incredulously. What would she know about being a man? And having the
   1.398 +nerve to call him, the heir to the Li Clan, her little sister. But he
   1.399 +couldn't get himself to just leave or to quit listening to her. Maybe
   1.400 +it was that he felt so off balance with Meiling angry at him. Or
   1.401 +maybe he sensed some truth in her words. Yukito had been so much
   1.402 +easier to have a crush on. That had made sense to him. Sakura was a
   1.403 +little more confusing and it always felt like he was doing the wrong
   1.404 +things with Meiling. 
   1.405 +
   1.406 +"Well, I can't teach you how to be a man. I think you're fine the
   1.407 +way you are. Though you could smile a bit more." The older girl
   1.408 +winked at her brother. "I can, on the other hand, help you figure out
   1.409 +how to understand a girl's heart. Which might help patch things up
   1.410 +with Meiling. And if you're going to stop her from getting
   1.411 +married...""That isn't my problem. If she's going to get married,
   1.412 +that's her business," Syaoran said frostily. 
   1.413 +
   1.414 +"It's not her choice, Syaoran," Fanren reminded him gently."She
   1.415 +could fight it. I know Meiling. She's a fighter. So why would she
   1.416 +just give up?" Anger fueled his motions as he kicked and punched at
   1.417 +the air in front of him."Because she doesn't feel like she has
   1.418 +anything to fight for. Why keep fighting if she has no reason? What
   1.419 +good would arguing the wedding be? I think she's tired of fighting
   1.420 +it." A small smile passed across Fanren's lips. "But I'm sure we
   1.421 +could change that.Syaoran couldn't help himself. He turned quickly,
   1.422 +his eyes burning with intensity.
   1.423 +"How?"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.424 +
   1.425 +Though Tomoyo was fairly certain her mother had ended up in bars
   1.426 +several times for various reasons, either while talking to business
   1.427 +associates or lamenting her beloved Nadeshiko, Tomoyo herself had
   1.428 +never been to one. It was a bit exciting to be in such a different
   1.429 +atmosphere. She somehow didn't think it would be nearly as exciting
   1.430 +without Sakura so near. Staying close to the other girl, Tomoyo
   1.431 +followed right behind Sakura. Touya, meanwhile, took his blace behind
   1.432 +the bar dressed in his uniform, relieving a fellow employee. He
   1.433 +wasted no time in getting to work. Sakura slid up onto a stool near
   1.434 +the bar, followed closely by Tomoyo. Emerald eyes looked all about
   1.435 +the nicely decorated yet dimly lit bar. People mingled about all
   1.436 +over. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
   1.437 +
   1.438 +"You have to order something if you're going to sit there," Touya
   1.439 +cautioned, cleaning out some of the glasses.Nibbling on her lower
   1.440 +lips, Sakura nodded after a moment. "Okay. Get me whatever the usual
   1.441 +is.""I'll have one, too," Tomoyo followed. One certainly couldn't
   1.442 +hurt. And she could call her bodyguards to drive them home. 
   1.443 +
   1.444 +"Are you sure?" Touya asked, raising an eyebrow. When the two girls
   1.445 +nodded, he went about getting them their drinks. Seeing his sister
   1.446 +drunk was an awkward thought, but if she did anything stupid, at
   1.447 +least he'd have stories to hold over her for the rest of her life.
   1.448 +And if she was going to try it, he felt a lot better about it being
   1.449 +when he could keep an eye on her rather than somewhere else. "Here
   1.450 +you are, ladies." He produced the two glasses, sliding them to his
   1.451 +sister and her friend. Taking her glass, Sakura examined the amber
   1.452 +liquid for a long moment. Catching sight of her brother watching her
   1.453 +even as he helped another customer, the Cardmistress decided to throw
   1.454 +caution to the wind. She wasn't going to look like a stupid little
   1.455 +kid in front of him. Raising the glass, she took a long drink. And
   1.456 +almost coughed it back up. The liquid tasted vile, almost burning her
   1.457 +throat as it went down. She swore she saw Touya smirk as he walked
   1.458 +past. Harumphing, she tried again, closing her eyes this time as the
   1.459 +liquid burned down into her belly. Having accomplished that much, she
   1.460 +made she he was watching the next time she took a drink. 'I'm not a
   1.461 +little kid anymore, Onii-chan,' she thought triumphantly.
   1.462 +
   1.463 +Tomoyo watched her friend take her first few drinks before trying
   1.464 +her own. Sakura was so cute even while trying to prove that she was a
   1.465 +big girl. The heiress took a sip of her own drink. So that's why
   1.466 +Sakura was having a hard time with it. She could see why businessmen
   1.467 +would talk business over such hearty drinks. It must show how intent
   1.468 +they were to drink such strong things. And if it helped them loosen
   1.469 +up while they were at it, they probably wouldn't complain. Tomoyo
   1.470 +decided on the slow and steady approach to finishing her own drink,
   1.471 +rather than the occasional gulps that Sakura seemed to favor. The two
   1.472 +stayed that way for some time. Tomoyo kept sipping at her drink while
   1.473 +Sakura would take big gulps of hers when Touya would come past. Touya
   1.474 +would occasionally refill Sakura's glass when it would near the
   1.475 +bottom. The music played around them, enveloping them in the almost
   1.476 +mysterious atmosphere around them. Tomoyo kept watching Sakura as she
   1.477 +absentmindedly nursed her drink. Watching Sakura was, after all, her
   1.478 +favorite hobby.Meanwhile, Sakura was getting a bit tipsy. She hadn't
   1.479 +quite gotten used to the taste of the stuff, but it had stopped being
   1.480 +so difficult to drink. By now Touya surely wasn't thinking of her as
   1.481 +a kid. She grinned at the thought. Good. That would show him to treat
   1.482 +her like a child. Her head moved slightly in tune to the music
   1.483 +surrounding her, letting her mind wander. She forgot all about Touya
   1.484 +and trying to prove anything to him. Stormy blue eyes caught her own
   1.485 +emerald eyes like a magnet, reeling her in. She smiled brightly at
   1.486 +Tomoyo, swiveling to look at her friend. It felt so nice to have
   1.487 +Tomoyo's eyes on her, to have all of Tomoyo's attention like that. It
   1.488 +made her feel special. And not special because of any magic or power
   1.489 +she had, but special simply for who she was in the eyes of her best
   1.490 +friend. Tomoyo was so sweet. 
   1.491 +
   1.492 +Her foot swept out, gently pushing against Tomoyo's sandal-clad feet
   1.493 +under the stools. The heiress looked only momentarily puzzled before
   1.494 +her foot pushed back lightly. Giggling, Sakura continued playing with
   1.495 +Tomoyo's foot. Leaning over, she had to speak in a loud whisper to be
   1.496 +heard. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, do you want to dance?" Everyone else was
   1.497 +dancing and it seemed a shame to just sit there all night. Besides,
   1.498 +it would be so nice to feel Tomoyo so close, to move across the floor
   1.499 +holding onto her. 
   1.500 +
   1.501 +"I'd love to, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo replied, sliding gingerly off of
   1.502 +her seat and taking Sakura's hand. Her heartbeat quickened as she
   1.503 +felt Sakura's warm hand holding onto her own, pulling her inexorably
   1.504 +towards the dance floor. She had learned to dance with her mother
   1.505 +when she was young, danding at first on the tall woman's feet to the
   1.506 +music her mother would put on. Being able to dance with Sakura had a
   1.507 +dreamlike quality to it. She almost couldn't believe it was
   1.508 +happening. Little moments like that gave her a taste of what it must
   1.509 +feel like for Syaoran to be dating the beautiful tomboy. She found
   1.510 +those little tastes delicious and treasured them deep within her
   1.511 +heart. A warm smile lit up her face even as her heart played a
   1.512 +staccato beat in her heart while Sakura's arms went around her,
   1.513 +pulling her close. Her mind whirled but she made no attempt to stop
   1.514 +it. Though she hadn't expected to be dancing so very close to Sakura,
   1.515 +she was thankful for the chance to. 
   1.516 +
   1.517 +The music danced around them like The Flower Card as Sakura held her
   1.518 +dark haired friend close. Their bodies moved together under the the
   1.519 +dim lights. Tomoyo's soft figure felt wonderful up close in Sakura's
   1.520 +arms. Tomoyo was just as elegant dancing as she was walking, her
   1.521 +skirt twirling about as they danced. Sakura's own athleticism helped,
   1.522 +though her state of mind made her slip up now and then. Tomoyo hardly
   1.523 +seemed to notice the few mistakes. Had dancing ever felt this good
   1.524 +with Syaoran? When they danced, Syaoran always felt so guarded, as if
   1.525 +he were simply trying to prove his capabilities in the situation. It
   1.526 +never felt like he was simply there, dancing alone with her. But the
   1.527 +people seemed to melt away as she danced with Tomoyo. The heiress's
   1.528 +hands found their way to her back, holding onto her there as they
   1.529 +danced, Tomoyo's body unabashedly hers as she led it this way and
   1.530 +that in their dance. It was a glorious feeling. Tomoyo trusted her
   1.531 +wholeheartedly, adrift in her arms. And Sakura pulled her along,
   1.532 +never letting go. 
   1.533 +
   1.534 +An eternity later, the two pulled themselves away from the dance
   1.535 +floor, finding a nice spot to catch their collective breath. Tomoyo
   1.536 +leaned against the wall, her heart still pounding from the whirlwind
   1.537 +ride it had been on during their dance. Oh, to be able to dance with
   1.538 +Sakura like that whenever. Syaoran was the luckiest boy under the
   1.539 +heavens. Slumping against the wall next to Tomoyo, Sakura's green
   1.540 +eyes refused to leave the flushed heiress. "You're so beautiful,
   1.541 +Tomoyo-chan," Sakura found herself whispering, her fingers stroking
   1.542 +through Tomoyo's luxurious hair. Her worries from earlier that night
   1.543 +felt like that had melted away, evaporating into nothing. She felt
   1.544 +free in that way she'd wished to reclaim with Tomoyo up in the sky.
   1.545 +Tomoyo blushed faintly, unable to pull away from Sakura's emerald
   1.546 +orbs. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. But you're the beautiful one. Even
   1.547 +when you aren't there, your beauty is still burnt into my mind."
   1.548 +Reaching out, her lithe fingers brushed past Sakura's cheek softly.
   1.549 +"You're so gorgeous. It's no wonder everyone loves you. I can't
   1.550 +imagine anyone being able to resist your charms. I know I never
   1.551 +could."Giggling, Sakura slid closer to her friend, twirling Tomoyo's
   1.552 +hair around her fingers. "But you never tried. I'm sure you could if
   1.553 +you wanted to. You're the prettiest, smartest, most talented girl I
   1.554 +know. I'm still surprised you haven't found someone better
   1.555 +yet.""There can't be anyone better than you. You're the one I love.
   1.556 +Everything about you..." Tomoyo kicked herself after the words had
   1.557 +escaped. Yeah, good job. How was Sakura supposed to believe that
   1.558 +Tomoyo would be okay when Sakura married Syaoran if Tomoyo still
   1.559 +believed Sakura was her perfect person? Well, it was out now. Sakura
   1.560 +already knew that she loved her. But Tomoyo didn't want Sakura to
   1.561 +think she could never fall in love with someone else. She didn't want
   1.562 +to make Sakura feel guilty. "Hoe... Tomoyo-chan, you always say the
   1.563 +sweetest things," Sakura crooned, burying her nose in Tomoyo's hair.
   1.564 +Tomoyo's eyes closed while she nuzzled the wonderfully soft hair,
   1.565 +enhaling Tomoyo's wonderful scent. Tomoyo shuddered almost
   1.566 +imperceptibly against her. The Cardmistress loved hearing that, even
   1.567 +if she felt guilty about having Tomoyo's love so completely. But it
   1.568 +was such a wonderful sensation knowing that the other girl loved her
   1.569 +so much, that Tomoyo would see her as an angel. Tomoyo was the most
   1.570 +amazing girl she knew. Having Tomoyo see her like that always made
   1.571 +her feel like she could move mountains. "We should get home, Sakura-
   1.572 +chan," Tomoyo said after taking a moment to compose herself. "It's
   1.573 +getting late." Gracing Sakura with her patented smile, she dug in her
   1.574 +purse to pull out her cellphone, quickly dialing her bodyguards. Even
   1.575 +as she spoke into it, she could feel Sakura's gaze caressing her skin
   1.576 +and her hair being twirled around Sakura's nimble fingers. It took
   1.577 +some effort to keep her voice steady on the phone. "They'll be here
   1.578 +in a few moments," she said at last, turning her eyes once more to
   1.579 +the pretty brunette against her side. Her heart nearly stopped when
   1.580 +Sakura slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "We should
   1.581 +probably go wait outside for them," she suggested. 'Because if we
   1.582 +stay in here, I don't know what will happen. If I can get you home
   1.583 +and in bed, then everything will be fine. You're dating Syaoran. I
   1.584 +will not damage that. I love you too much to damage that,' Tomoyo
   1.585 +thought, even as Sakura walked her to the door. It felt so very good
   1.586 +to be in Sakura's strong arms, held against her side. Tomoyo let
   1.587 +herself give in for the time being, resting her head on Sakura's
   1.588 +shoulder. Sakura smiled happily as she felt Tomoyo's long hair spill
   1.589 +down across her back. The warm breath from the heiress felt so good
   1.590 +on her shoulder. She couldn't resist nuzzling Tomoyo's hair one more
   1.591 +time, enjoying the way it tickled her nose. Stepping out into the now
   1.592 +frigid outdoors, the Cardmistress protectively pulled Tomoyo closer.
   1.593 +Melting into her grasp, the heirss placed a hand against her heart,
   1.594 +standing neslted in Sakura's arms as the snow fell like pieces of
   1.595 +clouds from the heavens. The two stayed that way until the limo
   1.596 +finally arrived, Tomoyo enraptured by the feel of Sakura's heartbeat
   1.597 +against her palm. 
   1.598 +
   1.599 +Climbing in, Tomoyo leaned back against the seat, trying to will her
   1.600 +heart to regain some sense of normalcy. That night had been like a
   1.601 +surreal dream, taking her on a tour of a heaven that could not be. If
   1.602 +only she could have taped it! She sighed, slipping her sandals off
   1.603 +her aching feet. At least there would always be the memories, though
   1.604 +CDs last twice as long and are ten times clearer. She needed to hire
   1.605 +someone to follow them around constantly to get everything on tape.
   1.606 +The best things always happened when she just happened to be away
   1.607 +from her trusty camcorder. Whatever god lived in the heavens above,
   1.608 +he certainly loved irony. 
   1.609 +
   1.610 +Tomoyo was yanked out of her daydream as her bare foot was pulled up
   1.611 +onto Sakura's lap. Staring blankly for a moment, Tomoyo could only
   1.612 +watch as the brunette began to rub her foot and ankle. Her toes
   1.613 +wiggled absentmindedly as she watched Sakura. First priority: Hire
   1.614 +someone to bring her camcorder along at all times so when dreamy
   1.615 +things like this happened, she'd have proof they weren't just a
   1.616 +wonderful dream she was having. "Do your feet hurt?" Sakura asked.
   1.617 +Tomoyo nodded weakly. The brunette rubbed more intently, trying to
   1.618 +massage the tenseness out of them. "Mine would get like that after
   1.619 +lots and lots of track. And yours are so much more delicate. It must
   1.620 +hurt a lot more for you." "It was worth it. I got to dance with you
   1.621 +for so long. I'd do it again even if they'd fall off," Tomoyo
   1.622 +promised, watching the curious Cardmistress. Sakura made a face,
   1.623 +working on Tomoyo's delicate foot with both hands, caressing over the
   1.624 +soft skin and rubbing wherever she could get. "I hope not. You have
   1.625 +such cute feet. I'd hate to see anything happen to them." Tomoyo
   1.626 +stared at the roof of the limo for a moment, borrowing from Sakura's
   1.627 +library a word she thought expressed the situation perfectly.
   1.628 +"Hoe..." Sakura giggled and continued caressing Tomoyo's foot. Her
   1.629 +fingers slowly began making their way upward, over her ankle and up
   1.630 +the back of her leg. "Your skin's so soft, Tomoyo-chan. You feel so
   1.631 +nice. It's not like this when I'm with Syaoran." Sakura giggled,
   1.632 +shaking her head. "I mean, he feels different than you. Well, his
   1.633 +legs, anyway." Her hands continued to climb higher until they were
   1.634 +rubbing the sides of Tomoyo's thighs under the dark haired girl's
   1.635 +lavender skirt, Sakura's body pressed nicely against Tomoyo's.
   1.636 +"Everything feels different with you.""That could be because I'm a
   1.637 +girl. I hear boys and girls do feel a bit different," Tomoyo
   1.638 +reasoned, trying to look as composed as possible under the situation.
   1.639 +Sakura's hands felt deliciously good against her bare skin, warm and
   1.640 +strong against her soft thighs. Little flitters of reason struggled
   1.641 +to take hold, telling her to stop Sakura from doing anything else,
   1.642 +that Sakura was drunk and shouldn't be this close. But it felt so
   1.643 +wonderful. And she hardly had the heart to deny Sakura anything. 
   1.644 +
   1.645 +"You feel so much better. You make me so hanyaan, Tomoyo-chan.
   1.646 +'Everything will always be all right.' But it only feels all right
   1.647 +when I'm with you," Sakura explained, her weight holding Tomoyo's
   1.648 +slender form underneath her. That swirl of feelings that she felt
   1.649 +when Tomoyo was close to her felt like a hurricane now, something
   1.650 +powerful and unstoppable. There was some magic about the heiress that
   1.651 +sparked something deep inside of her that no one else could touch. In
   1.652 +her current state, Sakura's thoughts were a swirl of emotions and
   1.653 +feelings, logic lost somewhere along the way. There was only the
   1.654 +fragile, pale girl undernearth her and the storm of feelings she sent
   1.655 +through her. Tomoyo looked up at her, pink lips and stormy blue eyes
   1.656 +framed by her raven hair. Sakura pressed further into the smaller
   1.657 +girl, her lips finding Tomoyo's. She kissed her friend softly, loving
   1.658 +the way Tomoyo's feathery lips felt under her own. Tomoyo was still
   1.659 +mildly out of it because of her own drink at the bar, but she knew
   1.660 +she was much more lucid than Sakura. Or, rather, she had been before
   1.661 +Sakura had kissed her. Tomoyo was rapidly becoming drunk off of
   1.662 +Sakura, off the taste of Sakura's lips against hers and the feeling
   1.663 +of Sakura's body pressing against hers through their clothes. So she
   1.664 +wasn't overly surprised to find herself kissing back shortly, her
   1.665 +hands climbling up Sakura's back even as Sakura's hands began
   1.666 +questing over her own body. Sakura was kissing her. Sakura was loving
   1.667 +her. And it felt so wonderful. Her body squirmed as the brunette's
   1.668 +hands quested over her thighs, caressing over her panty-clad lower
   1.669 +half. Her own deft fingers were busying themselves with Sakura's top,
   1.670 +sliding it down and exposing the Cardmistress's bra. Tomoyo's eyes
   1.671 +drew in the whole picture before her, her heart jumping with joy at
   1.672 +the sight. 
   1.673 +
   1.674 +Kissing Tomoyo quickly escalated to much more, Sakura was pleased to
   1.675 +see. Though the logic that may have stopped her from all this was
   1.676 +curiously absent, the emotions and feelings that surrounded her
   1.677 +spurred her on further. She blushed slightly as she felt Tomoyo
   1.678 +unclasp her bra, letting it slide forward and out of the way. Her
   1.679 +blush grew as she watched Tomoyo's gaze move over her bare chest. Her
   1.680 +embarrassment was shortlived, however, as Tomoyo's hands swiftly made
   1.681 +their way to Sakura's chest, fingertips caressing over the soft skin.
   1.682 +Sakura purred as she pressed closer to Tomoyo, kissing her pale
   1.683 +friend deeper. She wanted to pull Tomoyo closer, to kiss her more, to
   1.684 +make love to her. She wanted to never let her go. 
   1.685 +
   1.686 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.687 +
   1.688 +"Owwwww..." Sakura awoke the next morning to an angry headache.
   1.689 +Moving made her feel even worse. Her feet ached and the sheets felt
   1.690 +odd against her. Blinking groggily, the Cardmistress forced herself
   1.691 +to sit up. She immediately wished she hadn't. Her head swam and for a
   1.692 +moment she thought she would pass out. It slowly passed, but her
   1.693 +headache returned with a vengence. The sheets rustled against her
   1.694 +bare skin, a strange feeling for her. The only time she'd been in bed
   1.695 +naked, she'd been sleeping with Syaoran. Her eyes slowly widened, the
   1.696 +headache that had been impeding her thinking now being pushed
   1.697 +forcefully to the side. The night before... Tomoyo... in the car... 
   1.698 +
   1.699 +Kero didn't bat an eyebrow as he floated in, carrying a mug of
   1.700 +steaming tea. He'd seen Sakura get dressed enough growing up that
   1.701 +seeing her in just a sheet wasn't particularly bothersome. "Tomoyo-
   1.702 +chan says to drink this. She says it'll make ya feel better." 
   1.703 +
   1.704 +Taking the cup, Sakura held it close in her hands. Did she...? Had
   1.705 +she...? With Tomoyo? The sheets slipped down as she took her first
   1.706 +sip. "Hoe..."
   1.707 \ No newline at end of file