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     1.2 +++ b/stories/ccs-cinderella.txt	Fri Feb 19 06:24:59 2010 -0500
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     1.4 +Author’s notes: Hello, minna-san! ^-^ This is a short story that I
     1.5 +wrote in one night, so I apologize if it jumps around too much. ^^;;;
     1.6 +I wrote this after someone mentioned that I should write another
     1.7 +fairy tale based CCS story. I thought that Cinderella would fit
     1.8 +perfectly. ^-^ As always, the story didn’t always go where I intended
     1.9 +it to. ^^;; But I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out. ^-^ I
    1.10 +don’t own these characters, but if I did, I certainly wouldn’t have
    1.11 +left poor Tomoyo without her Sakura, so that’s why I’m writing these.
    1.12 +^-^ If you have any comments, please e-mail me. ^-^ I hope you like
    1.13 +it! 
    1.14 +
    1.15 +
    1.16 +If the Shoe Fits
    1.17 +by Amazoness Duo
    1.18 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.19 +
    1.20 +
    1.21 +	“Hurray! Hurray! Tomoeda!” schoolgirls chorused together, batons
    1.22 +whirling in the air above before landing in deft hands. The sun beat
    1.23 +down on the group of cheerleaders, the heat of the warm spring day
    1.24 +taking away most of the cheer and exuberance of the girls, leaving
    1.25 +their chants somewhat lifeless. But still the pressed on, the
    1.26 +oppressive heat taking its toll on the weary students. They had a lot
    1.27 +of practice left to do in order to have some of their routines ready
    1.28 +for the next school game. Their timing would have to be perfect in
    1.29 +order to captivate their audience. But for the time being, they
    1.30 +needed only a single cheerleader to delight their audience of one. 
    1.31 +	Tomoyo watched the cheerleading practice from the grass a short
    1.32 +distance away. Her dark skirt fluttered lazily in the meandering
    1.33 +breeze that brought the only relief to the afternoon sun. Her
    1.34 +attention rested solely on a cute brunette who was still struggling
    1.35 +with the last bit of the routine. Camcorder in hand, the pale heiress
    1.36 +dedicatedly recorded her best friend’s every move on videotape. The
    1.37 +better to watch and rewatch it all later, of course! She didn’t often
    1.38 +get a chance to watch Sakura’s cheerleading practice what with her
    1.39 +own choir practice at the same time. But her choir teacher was sick
    1.40 +for the day. Rather than going home early, Tomoyo was happy to stay
    1.41 +and watch Sakura’s practice. The way Sakura moved was simply
    1.42 +breathtaking. Every twirl of the baton, every cartwheel, every swish
    1.43 +of pompoms fascinated the dark haired girl. Sakura moved so lithely,
    1.44 +so gracefully. And more than that, Sakura genuinely enjoyed such
    1.45 +things. Tomoyo had decided that it must give all of Sakura’s energy
    1.46 +someplace to go, which was why Sakura always seemed happy while she
    1.47 +was being athletic. The auburn haired girl was a sight to behold at
    1.48 +whatever she was applying herself to, whether it be track or
    1.49 +cheerleading or soccer. Well, except when she got distracted. Which
    1.50 +Sakura was prone to doing. Then she’d often lost track of what she
    1.51 +was doing. But even that was incredibly cute in Tomoyo’s eyes. 
    1.52 +	Shifting on the dry grass, Tomoyo felt the hot sun against her pale
    1.53 +skin. She was vaguely concerned about getting sunburned, not because
    1.54 +it would be painful but mostly because she knew it would concern her
    1.55 +lovingly overprotective mother if she found out. She knew she should
    1.56 +probably move, but she was reluctant to give up such a perfect spot
    1.57 +to videotape her beloved Sakura. Setting her school hat on her pale
    1.58 +thighs, the dark haired heiress continued capturing her friend on
    1.59 +film. Zooming in on Sakura’s content face, Tomoyo let out a blissful
    1.60 +sigh. While most of the other girls were ready to quit, Sakura was
    1.61 +enjoying the chance to move her body, even under the merciless sun.
    1.62 +It was just one of many things Tomoyo loved about her best friend.
    1.63 +And besides, Sakura made such a cute cheerleader. Every little
    1.64 +beautiful movement by the Cardmistress made Tomoyo’s heart dance.
    1.65 +Resting a hand on her cheek, she followed Sakura as the other girl
    1.66 +went into a cartwheel. From the rustle of skirt to Sakura’s legs in
    1.67 +the air to her tousled hair as she returned to her feet, Tomoyo
    1.68 +captured it all. Her favorite part of all was the small, sweet smile
    1.69 +of success on Sakura’s lips as she finished. Sakura wasn’t out here
    1.70 +to compete or to show off. She was out here to have fun. She liked
    1.71 +being able to see what she could do. And Tomoyo loved being able to
    1.72 +watch. 
    1.73 +	‘If only I could videotape Sakura-chan all the time. If I could
    1.74 +catch every precious second of her life on videotape, then I could
    1.75 +treasure every shining moment forever,’ the dark haired girl thought
    1.76 +with a sigh. ‘But then if I was videotaping every second of her life,
    1.77 +I would never have time to watch it all. Hmmm... I’d have to watch it
    1.78 +while she slept,’ Tomoyo decided at last. She continued to follow
    1.79 +Sakura as the brunette got into formation with Rika and Naoko. Taking
    1.80 +a moment away from her assigned task, Sakura waved her fingers at
    1.81 +Tomoyo, a cute smile on her lips. Tomoyo returned the smile warmly,
    1.82 +her heart lighting up at the small gesture. She waved back, panning
    1.83 +out to get a better view of Sakura. Though she did love choir, Tomoyo
    1.84 +was grateful to have the day off to record Sakura’s practice. No
    1.85 +matter how much she loved singing, it couldn’t begin to compare to
    1.86 +her love for the auburn haired girl. “You can do it, Sakura-chan!”
    1.87 +Tomoyo called to her friend as Sakura prepared herself. Sakura may be
    1.88 +the one cheerleading, but Tomoyo was Sakura’s personal cheerleader.
    1.89 +She was there to support the auburn haired girl through everything,
    1.90 +to give her the confidence she needed to overcome anything. She was
    1.91 +always there to help her beloved Sakura. 
    1.92 +	Looking more sure of herself, Sakura took a few steps back to get
    1.93 +ready for her running start. Tomoyo watched quietly, eager to see
    1.94 +Sakura succeed. Even if she failed, Tomoyo knew that Sakura wouldn’t
    1.95 +give up on it. It just wasn’t the brunette’s style. Sakura had a
    1.96 +burning determination within her that just waited for the right times
    1.97 +to come out. And it always thrilled Tomoyo when she could see it make
    1.98 +its way to the surface. It burned with an emerald fire in Sakura’s
    1.99 +eyes. Sighing again, Tomoyo raised the camcorder to get a good
   1.100 +glimpse of Sakura’s face. ‘Sakura-chan is so beautiful,’ she thought
   1.101 +dreamily, tracing the athletic girl’s face in her memory as she
   1.102 +lowered it back to prepare for Sakura’s movement. 
   1.103 +	Sakura was everything to Tomoyo. She was a beautiful, gentle
   1.104 +princess. She was a brave and courageous prince. She was a fun and
   1.105 +energetic best friend. She was Tomoyo’s one and only true love. The
   1.106 +dark haired girl had fallen in love with Sakura shortly after first
   1.107 +meeting her. It was almost a love at first sight. And what had
   1.108 +started out as tentative feelings for this genki girl who had
   1.109 +befriended her grew stronger and deeper with each passing day.
   1.110 +Everything they had been through had made the heiress love her friend
   1.111 +ever more and more. Sakura was Tomoyo’s most cherished treasure, her
   1.112 +heart’s single desire. Whether it was fate that she fall for the
   1.113 +daughter of her own mother’s lost love or if it was simply an amazing
   1.114 +coincidence, Tomoyo knew that she had fallen deeply in love with her
   1.115 +energetic best friend. And it was something that held Tomoyo
   1.116 +helplessly caught in its strength. But even with her whole heart
   1.117 +singing to her beautiful best friend, she could not yet speak it to
   1.118 +the brunette. Sakura wouldn’t yet understand her feelings, wouldn’t
   1.119 +begin to comprehend how she felt. So she would wait for now. Someday,
   1.120 +somewhere, she would explain her heart to the Cardmistress. Maybe
   1.121 +after Sakura was happily married or maybe when she would ask Sakura
   1.122 +out herself if things didn’t pan out with Syaoran. But for the time
   1.123 +being, she would live her life as one huge ‘I love you’ to Sakura.
   1.124 +The brunette might not hear the words, but Tomoyo put her love into
   1.125 +everything she did. And someday, maybe Sakura would hear the song
   1.126 +from her heart. 
   1.127 +	Girls clapped cheerfully as Sakura landed lithely on her feet.
   1.128 +Smiling, the brunette put a hand behind her head. She smiled over at
   1.129 +the girl who was videotaping her. She always felt like she could
   1.130 +accomplish anything when Tomoyo was around. Tomoyo always gave her
   1.131 +that extra little bit of encouragement she needed. Just knowing that
   1.132 +the dark haired girl was around made her feel like she could do more
   1.133 +than she could on her own. Maybe it was because Tomoyo had so much
   1.134 +confidence in her. Or maybe it was because she knew that she had all
   1.135 +of Tomoyo’s support behind her, no matter what she did. Whatever the
   1.136 +case, Sakura was grateful for it all the same. 
   1.137 +	The coach finally called an end to the days practices, sending the
   1.138 +gathered girls holding pompoms and batons on their way. Sakura
   1.139 +hurried over to her pale friend, still smiling happily. She had been
   1.140 +trying to get that last jump right for the past week. “Arigato,
   1.141 +Tomoyo-chan! Thanks for staying to watch!”
   1.142 +	“You were amazing, Sakura-chan! You moved like a beautiful jungle
   1.143 +cat, so graceful on your feet,” Tomoyo replied, slowly getting up and
   1.144 +smoothing out her skirt. “I was happy to watch you, Sakura-chan. I
   1.145 +wish I had the chance to more often.”
   1.146 +	“You already watch Sakura-chan almost all the time, Tomoyo-chan,”
   1.147 +Chiharu added, followed by Rika and Naoko.
   1.148 +	Tomoyo sighed, a hand resting on her cheek as she gazed longingly
   1.149 +at Sakura. “Almost all the time isn’t enough. I want to watch Sakura-
   1.150 +chan all the time.” The gathered girls laughed while Sakura blushed a
   1.151 +dark red, sweatdropping. Tomoyo merely smiled sweetly, Her stormy
   1.152 +blue eyes never leaving her cutely blushing beloved. 
   1.153 +	“Tomoyo-chan... Why do you want to watch me all the time, anyway?
   1.154 +There are lots of more interesting things out there,” Sakura
   1.155 +ventured, holding her pompoms behind her head. It always embarrassed
   1.156 +her to hear Tomoyo say such things. She always thought it was sweet
   1.157 +of the dark haired girl, even if it was strange. But she’d known
   1.158 +Tomoyo was a little strange for nearly as long as she had known her.
   1.159 +What she didn’t know what why Tomoyo thought so highly of her. She
   1.160 +couldn’t quite understand it. 
   1.161 +	“Some people go to movies, some people read books, other people
   1.162 +watch sports. They do these things because it makes them happy. I
   1.163 +watch Sakura-chan. That makes me happy.” Tomoyo placed her camcorder
   1.164 +in it’s carrying case and smiled as she turned back to Sakura. “And
   1.165 +there isn’t anything more interesting to me than Sakura-chan.”
   1.166 +	“I wish Yamazaki-kun was that loyal. I don’t even know how he feels
   1.167 +half the time because he’s always making up stories.” Chiharu
   1.168 +frowned, her hands on her hips.
   1.169 +	“So you’d rather Yamazaki-kun talk about you all the time like
   1.170 +Tomoyo-chan instead of telling tall tales?” Rika teased.
   1.171 +	“That would be much better than him spending all his time lying
   1.172 +about everything. Then I’d at least know he liked me. I’m tired of
   1.173 +having to guess all the time.” Sighing, Chiharu scratched the back of
   1.174 +her leg with her shoe. “So who are you going with to the masquerade?”
   1.175 +she asked curiously.
   1.176 +	Rika blushed faintly, smiling nonetheless. “Oh, I’m not going with
   1.177 +anyone. I think I’m just going to help Terrada-sensei with the food
   1.178 +and drinks and all.”
   1.179 +	“I’m not going with anyone either. I’ll just go by myself. Maybe
   1.180 +I’ll meet my prince charming there,” Naoko answered. “You never know.”
   1.181 +	“What about you, Sakura-chan?” Chiharu asked, turning to the
   1.182 +puzzled brunette.
   1.183 +	“Hoe... Masquerade? When is that?” Sakura asked in confusion. She
   1.184 +couldn’t remember anything about that. When had all this happened?
   1.185 +	“You didn’t know? Terrada-sensei mentioned it this morning,” Rika
   1.186 +supplied, pushing back some hair from her eyes. 
   1.187 +	“Sakura-chan was catching a quick nap. She was up late last night
   1.188 +so I didn’t want to wake her,” Tomoyo answered, smiling softly. 
   1.189 +	“Oh. Well, it’s this Sunday at the school. I heard it’s going to be
   1.190 +romantic. It’s supposed to be for couples, so there’s going to be
   1.191 +dances and games and things. I’m going with Yamazaki-kun.” Chiharu
   1.192 +glanced around for the boy in question, but her boyfriend didn’t seem
   1.193 +to be anywhere in sight. She sighed, frustrated. She would just have
   1.194 +to call him that night. Ignoring her frustration, she turned her
   1.195 +attention back to Sakura. “So who are you going with?”
   1.196 +	“I don’t know,” Sakura answered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by
   1.197 +the whole situation. It wasn’t fair that they spring something like
   1.198 +this on her at the last moment. And even worse, she didn’t have
   1.199 +anyone to go with. What was the good of having a nice romantic
   1.200 +masquerade ball when she had no one to go with? 
   1.201 +	Tomoyo watched Sakura thoughtfully, a hand on her chin. Sakura
   1.202 +didn’t look too happy about this turn of events. And she certainly
   1.203 +couldn’t blame her. It would be too sad for Sakura not to be able to
   1.204 +go to the ball. Her mind worked quickly. There had to be something
   1.205 +she could do for Sakura.
   1.206 +	“What about Li-kun, Sakura-chan? You could always ask him,” Rika
   1.207 +suggested hopefully. 
   1.208 +	“He’s already going with Meiling-chan,” Tomoyo said absentmindedly,
   1.209 +her mind still puzzling over the matter. “She got him to promise just
   1.210 +after the announcement.”
   1.211 +	Chiharu giggled, grinning. “She probably threatened to hurt him if
   1.212 +he didn’t take her.”
   1.213 +	“That’s probably what you’ll do to poor Yamazaki-kun if he doesn’t
   1.214 +go with you, too,” Rika added, giggling herself.
   1.215 +	Chiharu ‘harumphed’, crossing her arms. 
   1.216 +	“I have to get home. It’s my night to make dinner,” Sakura said,
   1.217 +feeling a little dazed. The other girls waved to her as she got her
   1.218 +bag, heading out past the front gate. A nice romantic ball. And she
   1.219 +had no one to go with. Her shoulders slumped at the thought. There
   1.220 +was always the hope that someone might ask her, but who would? It
   1.221 +wasn’t like Yukito would ask her to a dance at her school. 
   1.222 +	“Sakura-chan, are you all right?” Tomoyo asked concernedly,
   1.223 +startling her auburn haired friend. 
   1.224 +	“Tomoyo-chan... I didn’t see you there. Gomen nasai.” Sakura smiled
   1.225 +weakly, the smile fading quickly. “I don’t think I’m going to the
   1.226 +masquerade. It sounds like fun, but I don’t have anyone to go with.”
   1.227 +Sighing, the brunette, blinked back the wet sting of tears. She felt
   1.228 +Tomoyo take her hand, the dark haired girl’s gentle fingers entwining
   1.229 +with her own. She wasn’t feeling well at all. Her heart had dropped
   1.230 +after finding out about the ball. It reminded her too much of how she
   1.231 +didn’t have anyone to be with. Everyone else was falling in love, but
   1.232 +she was all alone. Where was her prince? 
   1.233 +	“I’m sorry, Sakura-chan. I really think you should go. I think
   1.234 +you’ll have fun. You may not have anyone to go with, but I know
   1.235 +you’ll meet someone there who would be more than happy to spend some
   1.236 +time with you,” Tomoyo offered, squeezing Sakura’s hand softly. It
   1.237 +was horrible to see Sakura like this, to see her genki spirit so sad.
   1.238 +Sakura was very emotional, so everything affected her greatly. And
   1.239 +Tomoyo always watched the rise and fall of Sakura’s heart. It hurt
   1.240 +her to think of Sakura being sad for long. Even seeing Sakura near
   1.241 +tears now was like a painful stab to her heart. She stopped where she
   1.242 +was, still holding Sakura’s hand. “I know you will. So please don’t
   1.243 +be sad. It makes me sad to see you like this, Sakura-chan. I want to
   1.244 +see you smile. I want to see your eyes sparkle.”
   1.245 +	Sakura looked down for a long moment. She wiped at her eyes with
   1.246 +the back of her hand. Smiling slowly, she looked up to meet Tomoyo’s
   1.247 +pretty indigo eyes. Yes, Tomoyo was right. This wasn’t anything to be
   1.248 +sad about. And maybe she would meet someone while she was there. Like
   1.249 +Naoko had said, you never know. “Un. You’re right, Tomoyo-chan. And
   1.250 +you’ll be there with me, so even if I can’t go with the one I love,
   1.251 +we can at least have fun.”
   1.252 +	Tomoyo shook her head, her long, dark hair swishing from side to
   1.253 +side. “Gomen, Sakura-chan. I won’t be able to go that day. I need to
   1.254 +help mother with something.” She caught Sakura’s eye before Sakura
   1.255 +could look down again. “But please go, Sakura-chan. I know you’ll
   1.256 +have fun. I promise. I’d love to go with you more than anything, but
   1.257 +I can’t this time.”
   1.258 +	Sighing, Sakura nodded. “If you say so, Tomoyo-chan. But I still
   1.259 +don’t think it’ll be any fun without you there.” She squeezed
   1.260 +Tomoyo’s soft hand back. If Tomoyo thought so, then she would go,
   1.261 +even if she was doubtful. She sighed again, brushing back her hair.
   1.262 +“Tomoyo-chan, you’re so lucky that you haven’t fallen in love with
   1.263 +someone who didn’t love you back. I still feel bad about Yukito-san.” 
   1.264 +	Tomoyo hugged Sakura warmly. “I know exactly how you feel, Sakura-
   1.265 +chan. It’s a lonely feeling, isn’t it? You want to be with them with
   1.266 +all your heart, but you know you can’t. All you can do is pray for
   1.267 +the best for them. And love them with all your heart.” The young
   1.268 +heiress slowly pulled away. “Arigato, Sakura-chan. Please enjoy
   1.269 +yourself. And if someone asks you to dance, please do.” Tomoyo smiled
   1.270 +brightly before letting go of Sakura’s hand. Her limousine was
   1.271 +waiting back near the school. “Bye, Sakura-chan!”
   1.272 +	Sakura blinked in confusion, waving to her eccentric friend. “Bye,
   1.273 +Tomoyo-chan!” She didn’t know what Tomoyo was suddenly so
   1.274 +enthusiastic about. Well, she better hurry home to finish dinner.
   1.275 +Shaking her head, she went about deciding what to make for dinner. 
   1.276 +
   1.277 +	“Hmmm...” Sonomi took a step back from her daughter, looking at the
   1.278 +younger girl thoughtfully. With a sigh, she set the needle she was
   1.279 +holding down. “Tomoyo-chan, you do not make a very good boy. You’re
   1.280 +just too feminine to make a decent boy.”
   1.281 +	Looking down at her mother’s handiwork, Tomoyo shifted a bit. “I
   1.282 +think you’ve done a wonderful job, okaa-sama. I don’t think Sakura-
   1.283 +chan will notice.” She smiled appreciatively, looking back up at her
   1.284 +mother.
   1.285 +	“If she needs a date for the dance, I don’t see why you can’t take
   1.286 +her as a girl. You would look so much prettier in a nice dress
   1.287 +instead of a tuxedo.” Picking up the needle again, Sonomi knelt in
   1.288 +front of her daughter, going back to her sewing. It was difficult for
   1.289 +her to see Tomoyo as a boy even in the outfit. She tried to tell
   1.290 +herself that it was simply because she had known Tomoyo for the
   1.291 +younger girl’s entire life, but she doubted it. 
   1.292 +	“I’d rather go in a dress, too. But then Sakura-chan would just
   1.293 +think it was us going as friends. I want her to have a nice, romantic
   1.294 +ball that she’ll remember forever.” Tomoyo clasped her hands
   1.295 +together, looking off into the distance. A soft sigh escaped her as
   1.296 +she came back to the present. “Sakura-chan’s lonely now. She needs a
   1.297 +nice romantic moment to spark the love that’s held deep in her heart.
   1.298 +And I can’t do that if I go as myself. Sakura-chan doesn’t understand
   1.299 +about girls liking girls yet.”
   1.300 +	Sonomi chuckled softly, pulling the thread through again. “I didn’t
   1.301 +understand it myself back when I was her age. All I knew was that
   1.302 +Nadeshiko-chan was the most wonderful person I could think of. I knew
   1.303 +I felt very strongly about her, but I didn’t know that I was in love
   1.304 +with her back then.” Sonomi sighed, her eyes closing as she brought
   1.305 +up an image of her beautiful cousin, a perpetual smile on her
   1.306 +eternally young face, as if she had been frozen in amber. 
   1.307 +	“You didn’t understand back when you were our age?” Tomoyo asked
   1.308 +curiously. She had heard stories of her aunt, her mother’s only love,
   1.309 +for her entire life. But she had always assumed that her mother had
   1.310 +always known of her love for the other woman. Tomoyo herself had
   1.311 +known rather early on that she was in love with Sakura. It was a
   1.312 +surprise to hear that it had taken her mother a while to understand
   1.313 +what these feelings were. Those beautiful feelings of love. The most
   1.314 +lovely torture imaginable. Tomoyo had always held them close to her
   1.315 +heart, cherishing the love she had for Sakura.
   1.316 +	“We’re not all as perceptive as you, Tomoyo-chan. It took me a
   1.317 +while to find out what those feelings were. So I wouldn’t be
   1.318 +surprised if it takes Sakura-chan a little while to figure it out
   1.319 +herself. She reminds me a lot more of myself than of Nadeshiko-chan,
   1.320 +even if she is Nadeshiko-chan’s daughter.” Sonomi finished her
   1.321 +sewing, stretching as she stood up. ‘Hopefully Sakura-chan will
   1.322 +figure it out before it’s too late. I know that I didn’t. Maybe if I
   1.323 +had...’ Ending that thought, the businesswoman smiled at her
   1.324 +daughter. 
   1.325 +	Tomoyo tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. It had taken her
   1.326 +mother some time before she had understood her feelings for her
   1.327 +cousin. Could the same be true of Sakura? She knew that Sakura was
   1.328 +too young to understand her feelings for her, but did this mean
   1.329 +Sakura may not understand her own feelings as well? Sakura did often
   1.330 +get confused about such things. She was very emotional, but the poor
   1.331 +brunette often had a difficult time understanding her own heart. The
   1.332 +possibility left Tomoyo’s heart weak at the prospect of being the one
   1.333 +to make Sakura happy. If only...
   1.334 +	“It’s so cute. Most girls fall for people like their father. Now my
   1.335 +little girl’s falling in love with someone like her mother. How
   1.336 +sweet.” Sonomi grinned, brushing back some of her daughter’s hair.
   1.337 +She didn’t get to spend much time with her darling daughter because
   1.338 +of her job, but she was always happy when she got the chance to be
   1.339 +with her. She didn’t get nearly enough time to tease the younger girl
   1.340 +about Sakura. Of course, she understood exactly how Tomoyo felt about
   1.341 +the brunette. It reminded her so much of herself and Nadeshiko when
   1.342 +they had been younger. Which is why it always pained her to see
   1.343 +Tomoyo ready to let someone else be with Sakura. Her daughter had
   1.344 +told her that it was so Sakura would be happy, but Sonomi could think
   1.345 +of no one better suited to that job than Tomoyo. No one knew Sakura
   1.346 +better than Tomoyo. None of them had a better understanding of
   1.347 +Sakura’s heart, not even Sakura herself. If anyone could make Sakura
   1.348 +happy, Sonomi was sure it was her daughter. 
   1.349 +	Tomoyo giggled in response. “She even runs like you. And she’s so
   1.350 +cute when she does. She has this beautiful determined look in her
   1.351 +eyes.” Sighing deliciously, Tomoyo stepped down from the pedestal she
   1.352 +was standing on while her mother had fixed her outfit. “How is it?”
   1.353 +she asked, turning around. 
   1.354 +	“You look like my precious Tomoyo-chan in a tuxedo,” Sonomi
   1.355 +answered truthfully, raising an eyebrow. “But I guess that can’t be
   1.356 +helped. I wouldn’t want you to look like anyone else anyway. If you
   1.357 +keep your hat on, then you should be able to pass for a boy at least.
   1.358 +Hopefully Sakura-chan won’t notice that it’s you. Or maybe she will
   1.359 +and she’ll still spend the night dancing with you.”
   1.360 +	“Arigato, okaa-sama,” Tomoyo said at last, taking a look in the
   1.361 +mirror. Closing her stormy blue eyes, the young heiress clasped her
   1.362 +hands together. “This is perfect. Even if it’s for only one night, I
   1.363 +can try to make Sakura-chan happy.” 
   1.364 +
   1.365 +	Sakura sighed inwardly, leaning against the wall. She wanted to
   1.366 +apologize to Tomoyo. Here she was in a gorgeous ball gown Tomoyo had
   1.367 +made for her, and she was spending the whole time just watching the
   1.368 +other couples enjoy themselves. It felt like such a waste of Tomoyo’s
   1.369 +beautiful gown. She really hadn’t wanted to go at all, but she had
   1.370 +promised her best friend that she would. And seeing the gown that
   1.371 +Tomoyo had spent so much time working on made sure she couldn’t back
   1.372 +out of it. But now that she was at the ball, she just wanted to go
   1.373 +home. She didn’t even have Tomoyo to talk to. It just made the whole
   1.374 +thing feel pointless. She didn’t know if she could take another
   1.375 +friend walking by and asking if she was having fun. Rika was dancing
   1.376 +with Terrada-sensei at the moment and even Naoko was dancing with
   1.377 +someone. She tried not to watch as Meiling and Syaoran danced by.
   1.378 +Oddly enough, she didn’t really mind that Syaoran was there with
   1.379 +Meiling. She seemed much happier to have him, really. But it was
   1.380 +exactly that type of love that left Sakura feeling so desolate. She
   1.381 +didn’t have that, not even with Yukito anymore. She didn’t like not
   1.382 +being in love. It was too lonely. It was like living life without a
   1.383 +dream in one’s heart, no light at the end of the tunnel. 
   1.384 +	The doors to the gym slowly opened, a boy Sakura didn’t recognize
   1.385 +entering the room. She couldn’t say what caught her attention, but
   1.386 +only that there was something different about him. Pushing up the
   1.387 +small mask around her eyes, she took a closer look. He was very pale,
   1.388 +with some dark hair showing from underneath his hat. He worse a mask
   1.389 +like everyone else at the ball, so it was difficult to tell if she
   1.390 +knew him or not. He did look familiar, though she couldn’t place him
   1.391 +exactly. She looked away when she saw his eyes meet her own, a faint
   1.392 +blush on her cheeks. She felt embarrassed to have been caught
   1.393 +staring. 
   1.394 +	“Hello,” a soft voice said, catching Sakura’s attention.
   1.395 +	Looking up, Sakura saw the pale boy in front of her. He smiled a
   1.396 +warm, soft smile, his eyes closed as he did. Sakura felt herself
   1.397 +relax in his presence, not feeling as embarrassed anymore. “Hi,” she
   1.398 +replied, pushing her mask back up. She still didn’t know who he was.
   1.399 +Her mind hurried to figure it out. He was pale and had dark hair. Was
   1.400 +it Eriol? But didn’t he need glasses? Maybe he was wearing contacts
   1.401 +or something. But it didn’t feel like Eriol.
   1.402 +	“Would you like to dance?” the mysterious boy asked, holding out an
   1.403 +ivory hand to the Cardmistress. He blinked his stormy blue eyes open,
   1.404 +watching Sakura’s hopefully. 
   1.405 +	It took Sakura a moment to realize she had accepted. By the time
   1.406 +she did, they were already hand in hand, headed for the dance floor
   1.407 +with the other students. She forced away a faint blush that darkened
   1.408 +her cheeks. This was just one dance. She didn’t have to feel
   1.409 +embarrassed about it. But she couldn’t help but be a little nervous
   1.410 +as they passed the other dancing, costumed students. Why wouldn’t she
   1.411 +be? Some mysterious boy had just asked her to dance. As if it wasn’t
   1.412 +bad enough just to be asked to go dancing in the first place.
   1.413 +Glancing over at him again, he smiled softly, taking away Sakura’s
   1.414 +worry. She returned the smile as they reached the dance floor. 
   1.415 +	Slowly, the two began to dance, moving about the dance floor in
   1.416 +tandem. Sakura was amazed by the boy’s grace, his movements drawing
   1.417 +her along fluidly. She quickly lost herself to their dance, a
   1.418 +beautiful dream of swirling and movement that captured her soul. All
   1.419 +nervousness she had had earlier fled as they moved about together.
   1.420 +She didn’t know what it was about him that put her at ease, but it
   1.421 +certainly did its job. She found herself enjoying the dance
   1.422 +immensely, fluttering about in the beautiful gown Tomoyo had made for
   1.423 +her. They moved fluidly together, as if their thoughts were one.
   1.424 +Sometimes he would lead and sometimes Sakura would lead, switching
   1.425 +every so often as they did. 
   1.426 +	The other students faded away as they danced, becoming nothing more
   1.427 +than part of the backdrop of the dance. The lights receded into the
   1.428 +barest hints of stardust, swirling around them as they continued to
   1.429 +dance. Sakura watched him as they swayed about, finding herself at
   1.430 +ease even so near to him. His eyes were warm, his smile so charming.
   1.431 +It wasn’t like Syaoran’s scowl at all. In fact, it was almost like
   1.432 +Yukito’s smile, soft and caring. But there was something else in it,
   1.433 +too, something that Sakura couldn’t quite put her finger on. It made
   1.434 +her feel happy and content. As if it filled her up with some unknown
   1.435 +energy. She couldn’t quite understand what it was, but she liked it.
   1.436 +She sighed happily to herself. 
   1.437 +	When the next song finally ended, Sakura got ready to take the lead
   1.438 +again. She was a little disappointed when he smiled apologetically at
   1.439 +her. She felt ready to dance the night away. It was so much fun,
   1.440 +letting her body move about in time with the music, following and
   1.441 +leading this mysterious boy. “Gomen nasai,” he said in his soft,
   1.442 +musical voice. “I would love to dance with you forever. You’re so
   1.443 +cute when you’re dancing. But I think I need to take a break for just
   1.444 +a bit. My feet need a short rest.” 
   1.445 +	Sakura blinked herself out of the dreamy haze she had been lost in,
   1.446 +focussing on the pale boy in front of her. A slow ache worked its way
   1.447 +from her own abused feet and sore legs. Just how long had they been
   1.448 +dancing? She smiled in response and nodded. “That’s a good idea. I
   1.449 +could probably use a break, too.” She felt silly for having been so
   1.450 +lost in their dance. How could she have lost track of everything like
   1.451 +that? But somehow it didn’t really seem to matter with him. She
   1.452 +followed the dark haired boy outside, the realization of the pain in
   1.453 +her feet suddenly making it much more acute. Stepping outside, she
   1.454 +took a seat next to him. To her surprise, the moon was out, the stars
   1.455 +shining brightly. They had been dancing for hours. No wonder she was
   1.456 +so sore. Slipping her shoes off with her feet, she rubbed them
   1.457 +together through the stockings she was wearing. 
   1.458 +	“You’re so pretty in the moonlight,” The boy said happily, his
   1.459 +stormy blue eyes watching Sakura intently. “Especially when you
   1.460 +smile. You don’t know how glad I am to have seen you smiling
   1.461 +tonight.” His stormy blue eyes sparkled in the dim light, his hand
   1.462 +lying on top of Sakura’s. 
   1.463 +	Blushing faintly, Sakura looked down at her feet. It was
   1.464 +embarrassing, but she liked hearing him say that. It made her feel
   1.465 +good inside. Somehow, she knew that he meant every word of it. She
   1.466 +graced him with another smile, looking back up at him. “Thank you,”
   1.467 +she replied. She wasn’t concerned with who he was anymore. That was
   1.468 +in the back of her mind by now. She was just happy to be spending the
   1.469 +dance with him. She had to remember to thank Tomoyo when she saw her
   1.470 +later. She had been right, as always. “I had a lot of fun tonight.
   1.471 +You’re a really good dancer. I didn’t know dancing could be so much
   1.472 +fun.”
   1.473 +	He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Dancing is a wonderful
   1.474 +thing. It lets you lose yourself in the music, to move along with it.
   1.475 +It really helps the music to touch your soul. It’s a lot more fun
   1.476 +when you can dance with someone you like.”
   1.477 +	Sakura blushed brighter at his words. Looking down at their hands,
   1.478 +she took a deep breath. She felt so nice with him. It made her feel
   1.479 +special, magical in a way that the Cards couldn’t make her feel. This
   1.480 +boy made her feel like she was a treasure to be cherished. She loved
   1.481 +that feeling. It made her feel dizzy and ecstatic. She didn’t feel
   1.482 +awkward with him. She liked talking to him, liked seeing him smile at
   1.483 +her. “Do you like me?” she asked, looking down immediately, her
   1.484 +cheeks burning. That was what he had implied, right? But maybe she
   1.485 +shouldn’t have said anything. She didn’t even know who the mystery
   1.486 +boy was. But that didn’t seem to matter. There was just something
   1.487 +about him. It felt so familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger
   1.488 +on it. 
   1.489 +	The boy blinked for a moment as if taken by surprise. The surprise
   1.490 +quickly went away though, and he smiled. “Yes. I like Sakura-chan
   1.491 +very much. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t.” 
   1.492 +	Looking up quickly, Sakura’s emerald eyes caught with his own
   1.493 +indigo ones. She found herself captured by them, frozen in their
   1.494 +gaze. She hadn’t known what to expect as his answer, but it shook her
   1.495 +nonetheless. At the same time, she couldn’t really imagine him saying
   1.496 +anything else. It just felt right. She felt like she had known him
   1.497 +for years. Which she may well have. Whoever he was, he made her feel
   1.498 +so special, like a real live princess. She smiled happily, but she
   1.499 +felt another wave of embarrassment hit as she ventured forward. “I..
   1.500 +I like you, too,” she replied, surprised to find that no blush came
   1.501 +to her cheeks this time. Perhaps it was because she knew she had no
   1.502 +reason to worry. His eyes held onto hers with a loving care. He would
   1.503 +hold her heart preciously. There was no fear of offering it to him,
   1.504 +of him rejecting it. It was surprising. She finally met the boy she
   1.505 +liked and she didn’t even know who he was. She had to have met him
   1.506 +before, but which boy in her class he was, she wasn’t certain. But
   1.507 +she couldn’t help how she felt. Sometimes one’s heart and mind
   1.508 +weren’t always in the same place. For Sakura, her heart was much more
   1.509 +important than her mind.
   1.510 +	This seemed to stun the boy much more than Sakura’s previous
   1.511 +question. He watched her for a long moment, his stormy blue eyes
   1.512 +almost afraid. He stood up quickly, bringing up Sakura’s hand with
   1.513 +both of his own. “Thank you very much, Sakura-chan. I’m so glad you
   1.514 +had fun at the dance. But you don’t even know who I am. You really
   1.515 +shouldn’t say that,” he explained, looking down into her emerald eyes
   1.516 +worriedly. The worry faded away behind a soft smile, as if it hadn’t
   1.517 +been there at all. So familiar. Just like... Sakura still couldn’t
   1.518 +place him.
   1.519 +	Shaking her head swiftly, Sakura watched the mysterious boy. “No, I
   1.520 +do. I know I do. I feel like I’ve known you forever. You’re so sweet
   1.521 +and kind. You make me feel happy. I like being with you. I like you,”
   1.522 +Sakura repeated, looking up at him hopefully. “It doesn’t matter who
   1.523 +you are. I’ll still like you, no matter who it is. You must know me
   1.524 +pretty well, but I can’t tell who you are. But that isn’t important.
   1.525 +Right?”
   1.526 +	The boy looked back down into Sakura’s pleading eyes. He smiled
   1.527 +more, placing his hands on her cheeks. “Sakura-chan, I’ll always love
   1.528 +you. If you still feel that way about me when you know who I am, then
   1.529 +that would be the sweetest dream come true. But I can’t tell you who
   1.530 +I am yet. I don’t think it’s the right time. I don’t know if you’re
   1.531 +ready. But you’ve given me a wonderful gift tonight. Hope. That hope
   1.532 +will burn brightly in my heart as I wait for you, Sakura-chan. I’ll
   1.533 +always wait for you.” 
   1.534 +	Sakura placed her hands on top of his, lost in his deep indigo
   1.535 +eyes. She felt her cheeks flushed against his hands, but she could
   1.536 +only look up at him. She wanted to protest, to tell him it wasn’t so,
   1.537 +but she could only meet his gaze. Slowly, he leant towards her. The
   1.538 +brunette’s heart started pounding faster in her heart, a sweet
   1.539 +longing overtaking her as the soft lips brushed her own. Silky lips
   1.540 +touched gently against her own, leaving her with a petal soft kiss.
   1.541 +She could only sit and watch as he pulled away, the kiss lingering on
   1.542 +her lips. It was so delicate, but she could feel its aftereffects
   1.543 +throughout her body and soul. 
   1.544 +	“I love you, Sakura-chan,” he whispered, smiling at the dazed
   1.545 +Cardmistress as he let his hands drop from her cheeks. Turning, he
   1.546 +headed towards the parking lot.
   1.547 +	‘He kissed me,’ Sakura thought, her fingers moving to her lips. It
   1.548 +was much softer than she would’ve imagined, just a delicate little
   1.549 +thing, but it was infinitely more powerful than anything she could
   1.550 +have dreamt of. Closing her eyes, she could still feel the soft kiss
   1.551 +against her lips, could feel the spark in her heart. Blinking
   1.552 +quickly, the brunette forced herself out of her daze in time to see
   1.553 +the pale boy’s retreating form. ‘If he leaves now, how will I ever
   1.554 +see him again? How will I know who he is?’ Sliding on her shoes
   1.555 +quickly, Sakura ran after the boy. “Wait! Please don’t go yet! You
   1.556 +have to tell me your name! I know I’ll like you, whoever you are!”
   1.557 +She called after him. But the boy didn’t stop. He looked back
   1.558 +apologetically and climbed into a black car. Sakura hurried to him,
   1.559 +hoping to reach the car in time. But obviously the car was in a hurry
   1.560 +of it’s own, zipping past her. 
   1.561 +	Sakura slowed to a halt, her heart drooping in her chest. Her
   1.562 +shoulders slumped as she watched the car fade into the distance. She
   1.563 +didn’t even know his name. When school came the next day, she
   1.564 +wouldn’t have any idea which of the boys he was. She was stuck. She
   1.565 +was back in love, but she didn’t even know with who. She couldn’t
   1.566 +tell if that was better or worse than her earlier predicament of not
   1.567 +being in love at all. She sniffled, alone in the moonlight. How would
   1.568 +she find him again? She just wanted to be with him, to talk to him,
   1.569 +to know he was there. But now she was lost.
   1.570 +	 Just when she was about to give up hope, something caught her eye.
   1.571 +A shoe lay on the floor near where the car had been parked. A surge
   1.572 +of hope flooded through her. He must have lost it before getting in
   1.573 +the car. He hadn’t been able to retrieve it because Sakura had been
   1.574 +right behind him. He would have had to stay if he had waited to get
   1.575 +the shoe. She picked it up quickly, holding it tightly to her chest.
   1.576 +It was her only possession of his, her only clue. The small shoe was
   1.577 +her only proof that he had been there at all, that her mystery boy
   1.578 +had been more than just a dream. But what could she do with it? How
   1.579 +could she find out who he was with this simple hint? 
   1.580 +	‘Onii-chan!’ her mind supplied frantically. Her older brother had
   1.581 +worked every part-time job known to man. He would know about the
   1.582 +shoe! He had to. Pulling out her key, Sakura flew home. There was no
   1.583 +reason to stay at the dance anymore. Her prince charming had fled and
   1.584 +she had to find him. 
   1.585 +
   1.586 +	“Onii-chan! Onii-chan!” Sakura called out, nearly tripping on the
   1.587 +long gown as she pushed through the door. Her eyes quickly scanned
   1.588 +for her older brohter, desperate to find him. “Onii-chan!!” she
   1.589 +called out, frustrated. He had to be around somewhere. She didn’t
   1.590 +feel like waiting. Her heart was still beating rapidly, her mind
   1.591 +still stuck on her mysterious love. Love. Yes, that was it. She did
   1.592 +love him. She hadn’t felt this way about Syaoran. Or even Yukito.
   1.593 +This was stronger than her crushes in the past. This left her head
   1.594 +over heals, her whole soul longing to see him again. He made her feel
   1.595 +complete. Whoever he was. “Onii-chan!!!”
   1.596 +	“What is it, monster? This better be good. You’re going to wake up
   1.597 +the whole neighborhood with your wailing,” Touya said exasperatedly
   1.598 +as he made his way downstairs. His younger sister hurried to his
   1.599 +side, holding up a shoe in her hands. He smiled inwardly. She really
   1.600 +was growing up. She wasn’t just a little girl anymore. She actually
   1.601 +looked pretty in the gown she was wearing, nearly grown up. But he
   1.602 +would never tell her that, of course.
   1.603 +	“I need you to tell me about this shoe. It’s very important that I
   1.604 +find out who it belongs to. This boy..” Sakura trailed off, blushing.
   1.605 +“I just need to know about it.”
   1.606 +	“About a shoe?” he replied, skeptically. 
   1.607 +	“Please, onii-chan?” Sakura begged, clasping her hands together.
   1.608 +She was desperate. She usually wouldn’t bother with Touya, but she
   1.609 +needed his help. She had to find the pale boy again. She needed to
   1.610 +tell him that nothing would change her feelings, that she just wanted
   1.611 +to see him again. That she couldn’t be happy without him.
   1.612 +	Touya was surprised by Sakura’s eagerness. He nodded slowly, taking
   1.613 +the shoe before sitting down. “Let’s see..” He frowned, turning it
   1.614 +over. “Who’s shoe did you say this was again?”
   1.615 +	“Some boy from the dance,” Sakura replied quickly, pressing her
   1.616 +fingers together in embarrassment. The last thing she needed was for
   1.617 +Touya to play the concerned big brother and worry about some boy she
   1.618 +met. 
   1.619 +	Shaking his head, Touya looked back at Sakura. “This is a girls’
   1.620 +shoe, Sakura-chan.”
   1.621 +“So he has dainty feet!!” Sakura said angrily, kicking her brother
   1.622 +in the shin. She crossed her arms, glaring at him as she waited for
   1.623 +him to continue. 
   1.624 +Gritting his teeth, Touya rubbed his leg. If only Sakura wasn’t so
   1.625 +athletic, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much when she did things like
   1.626 +that. It wasn’t so bad when she was a kid, but now he was seriously
   1.627 +starting to reconsider taunting her. Of course, this time he was
   1.628 +being serious, so it wasn’t even his own fault. “Alright. So he wears
   1.629 +girls’ shoes. That’s not my problem.” He gave his younger sister a
   1.630 +stare of his own before moving on, looking back at the shoe. “It’s
   1.631 +pretty small, so he has to have small feet. A little smaller than
   1.632 +yours, actually. It doesn’t look like it’s been used much, so I’m
   1.633 +guessing it was bought recently. Other than that, there’s not much I
   1.634 +can tell you.” He looked back up to see Sakura storm over and swipe
   1.635 +the shoe from him. He let it go, raising an eyebrow. Apparently
   1.636 +whatever this was had affected Sakura pretty badly. He wanted to ask,
   1.637 +but he didn’t think this was something she’d want to tell her older
   1.638 +brother. “Don’t stomp on those stairs so much, monster. Do you want
   1.639 +the whole house to collapse?” Her only reply was to slam her door.
   1.640 +Sighing inwardly, Touya rested his head back against the couch.
   1.641 +
   1.642 +	Sakura slumped on her bed, cradling the shoe in her arms. So much
   1.643 +for that avenue. All she knew now was that he had small, dainty feet.
   1.644 +But who could match that description? Syaoran? No, he didn’t fit. And
   1.645 +he had been dancing with Meiling anyway. Yamazaki? He should have
   1.646 +been with Chiharu the whole night, and he was actually pretty tall.
   1.647 +Eriol? No, Sakura still didn’t think it was him. But then who could
   1.648 +it belong to? She couldn’t think of any other boys that would match
   1.649 +her mystery boy either. 
   1.650 +	Lifting the shoe up in the air, Sakura turned it around, looking at
   1.651 +it thoughtfully. It was the only thing she had left from the pale
   1.652 +boy. There had to be something she could do with it to find out who
   1.653 +he was. But what? It was too bad he didn’t write his name in it or
   1.654 +his address. Then Sakura could show up with it, giving it back to him
   1.655 +and explaining that he had no need to worry because she still liked
   1.656 +him. But she wasn’t that lucky.
   1.657 +	“Nice shoe,” Kero commented, looking up from his video game. “Looks
   1.658 +expensive.” Pausing the game, Kero lifted up, floating over to
   1.659 +Sakura. “How did the dance go?”
   1.660 +	Sakura rolled onto her side, still clutching the shoe. A faint
   1.661 +blush colored her cheeks. “It was fantastic. I had so much fun, Kero-
   1.662 +chan. I danced and danced and danced. And there was this really sweet
   1.663 +boy there that..” She trailed off, holding the shoe to her chest
   1.664 +again.
   1.665 +	“Ohhhh.. So you met a boy you liked there, huh?” Kero asked,
   1.666 +grinning from ear to ear. “Who was he?” His curiosity piqued, the
   1.667 +Seal Beast landed next to Sakura, poking her in the side with a
   1.668 +stubby paw. “You have to tell me.”
   1.669 +	Sighing, Sakura rolled onto her back again, her legs held up
   1.670 +against herself. “I would if I could. But I don’t even know his name.
   1.671 +I just know that this was his. But I can’t even give it back to him
   1.672 +because I don’t know who he is.” Sighing miserably, Sakura set the
   1.673 +shoe next to her bed, staring up at her roof. She kept seeing his
   1.674 +smile, warm and gentle. It taunted her every time she closed her
   1.675 +eyes, making her miss him even more. 
   1.676 +	“Hmm.. That is a problem,” Kero said thoughtfully, flying down to
   1.677 +inspect the shoe. He prodded it with one of his feet, watching the
   1.678 +delicate thing shift on its side.
   1.679 +	“I know. But it’s all I have of his. It’s the only thing that I can
   1.680 +use to find out who he is,” Sakura lamented, hugging a pillow to
   1.681 +herself. She felt miserable. And alone. She wanted to be with him
   1.682 +again, dancing and smiling and laughing. Her emerald eyes fell
   1.683 +closed, her mind half daydreaming about seeing him again. She hugged
   1.684 +her pillow closer, pretending it was the pale boy. “I miss you
   1.685 +already,” she whispered to it.
   1.686 +	“I’ve got it!” Kero called out, popping up right in front of
   1.687 +Sakura’s face and very nearly startling the poor girl. “You have his
   1.688 +shoe, right? You know he’s from your class, right? Just try it on
   1.689 +every boy in your class until you find him.” The Seal Beast crossed
   1.690 +his arms, proud of himself.
   1.691 +	Sakura blinked at the absurd thought, still holding tightly onto
   1.692 +her pillow. What a plan, going from boy to boy and trying on the one
   1.693 +shoe she had of her mystery boy. It was laughable. And yet, it was
   1.694 +all she had. And it made sense. If she could find the boy that fit
   1.695 +the shoe.. “Thank you, Kero-chan!” Sakura said happily, dropping the
   1.696 +pillow as she got to her knees. She squealed happily at the thought,
   1.697 +taking Kero’s small hands in her own. “Sugoi! I’ll get to find him
   1.698 +after all! And I’ll prove to him that I like him just the same, no
   1.699 +matter who he is!”
   1.700 +	“I knew it would work. I’m full of good advice. You should turn to
   1.701 +me more often,” Kero said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. 
   1.702 +	Sakura picked up her little pink cell phone, ready to call Tomoyo.
   1.703 +For some reason, she had the strongest urge to call the pale girl, to
   1.704 +tell her everything that had happened that night. This wasn’t
   1.705 +particularly unusual because she always talked to Tomoyo about
   1.706 +everything. But it was already late and Tomoyo was probably in bed.
   1.707 +Sakura had the urge to call anyway, to wake her up despite it just so
   1.708 +she could hear her voice, so they could talk it all out. She wanted
   1.709 +to hear Tomoyo at the moment. She knew it would make her feel better.
   1.710 +It always did. Or she could even fly to her house. It wouldn’t take
   1.711 +long. And then Tomoyo would probably get her some tea and they would
   1.712 +sit and talk all night long. But there was so much she needed to do
   1.713 +tomorrow. And she would feel awful if she did wake Tomoyo up, even
   1.714 +though Tomoyo told her she always could if she needed to. Working up
   1.715 +the will, Sakura finally put the phone down. She would just tell
   1.716 +Tomoyo all about it the next day. Slipping out of her gown and
   1.717 +pulling on some pajamas, Sakura quickly got ready for bed, though
   1.718 +sleep would be long in coming.
   1.719 +	
   1.720 +	Tomoyo stirred as light filtered into the Daidouji home, slowly
   1.721 +pushing away the sleepiness that clouded her mind. She had to be up
   1.722 +to get to school on time as she always did. Shifting around she found
   1.723 +that she wasn’t in bed. Her head slowly pulled up, sleep blurred eyes
   1.724 +blinking tiredly as they struggled to come into focus. She was on the
   1.725 +couch. A hand in her hair told her that she wasn’t alone. She sighed
   1.726 +softly, resting her head back on her mother’s lap. She must have
   1.727 +fallen asleep after telling her mother the whole story the night
   1.728 +before. And her mother had stayed with her all night long, even in an
   1.729 +uncomfortable sitting position. She smiled softly, glad to be near
   1.730 +her mother, even if for only a short time before school. 
   1.731 +	Memories played back through the young heiress’s mind as if they
   1.732 +had been recorded on one of her videotapes, each image crystal clear.
   1.733 +She could remember dancing the whole night with Sakura, could
   1.734 +remember Sakura telling her that she liked her, could remember the
   1.735 +deliciously soft kiss they had shared. She blushed, a hand going to
   1.736 +her cheek as she replayed that memory again and again. Now only if
   1.737 +she could have gotten that memory on videotape. 
   1.738 +	All in all, the night had been very nearly perfect. She had
   1.739 +accomplished what she had set out to do. Sakura had had a nice,
   1.740 +romantic night. She had healed some of the loneliness in her best
   1.741 +friend’s heart. But the only problem that lingered was Sakura’s
   1.742 +profession of love. That hadn’t been part of the plan at all. Tomoyo
   1.743 +was supposed to go to the ball as a boy. Check. She was supposed to
   1.744 +make sure Sakura enjoyed herself. Check. Then she was supposed to
   1.745 +leave, giving Sakura renewed confidence that she would find love.
   1.746 +That one was now a little more confusing. She had left Sakura with
   1.747 +the renewed confidence that she had found her love then and there.
   1.748 +But where did that leave Tomoyo? Sakura didn’t even know it was her.
   1.749 +And how could she tell Sakura that it was? Was Sakura even ready for
   1.750 +that? She had left in the hopes of quelling such problems, but the
   1.751 +dark haired girl doubted they would go away so easily. Oh well. Maybe
   1.752 +this meant Sakura could like her after all, that maybe she could
   1.753 +actually make Sakura happy. In a few years, maybe she could even tell
   1.754 +Sakura how she felt. Yes, there was always hope. Now more than ever. 
   1.755 +	Smiling happily, Tomoyo slowly sat up next to her mother. “Okaa-
   1.756 +sama, it’s time to wake up,” she said softly. 
   1.757 +The older woman stirred, blinking herself awake. Sonomi stretched,
   1.758 +her body sore from sleeping so awkwardly. She smiled sleepily at her
   1.759 +daughter, the younger girl still wearing the shirt from the tuxedo.
   1.760 +“Good morning, Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.761 +Tomoyo leant forward and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thank you for
   1.762 +everything, okaa-sama.” Standing up, the pale girl hurried towards
   1.763 +the stairs. “I have to hurry if I’m going to get to school on time. I
   1.764 +want to see how Sakura-chan is doing.”
   1.765 +Sonomi watched her daughter disappear off to her room. Smiling to
   1.766 +herself, the older woman finally got up herself. It was so nice to
   1.767 +see her daughter in love. It did her pained heart good to watch
   1.768 +Tomoyo so enraptured by Nadeshiko’s daughter. She only hoped Sakura
   1.769 +would take good care of Tomoyo’s heart. It was a precious gift and
   1.770 +one that Sonomi tried her hardest to protect. But that was something
   1.771 +that was ultimately up to Sakura to hold onto.
   1.772 +
   1.773 +“Ohayo, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo called out, waiting by the gate at
   1.774 +school some time later. She smiled pleasantly as the auburn haired
   1.775 +girl skated up to her. She could tell that Sakura looked much
   1.776 +happier. That, in turn, made her own heart shine. “You look much
   1.777 +better today, Sakura-chan. I trust things went well at the dance?”
   1.778 +Sakura nodded enthusiastically, pulling off her rollerblades. “It
   1.779 +went perfectly, Tomoyo-chan! You were right. Thank you for getting me
   1.780 +to go. It was so much fun!” The brunette sighed, her hands on her
   1.781 +cheeks as she walked towards the school building with Tomoyo. “I met
   1.782 +this wonderful boy. He was just.. hanyaa.” She blushed at the thought
   1.783 +of him. Shaking her head, she smiled over at Tomoyo. She had been so
   1.784 +anxious about the whole thing the entire night before, but now that
   1.785 +she was with her best friend again, she felt infinitely better. It
   1.786 +was strange how Tomoyo managed to do that. She made Sakura feel
   1.787 +better about herself, about everything. Her simple presence was
   1.788 +enough to do that. 
   1.789 +“So Sakura-chan met a boy she liked?” Tomoyo asked curiously, her
   1.790 +hand on her chin. “It definitely sounds like it went well. I’m glad
   1.791 +you met someone, Sakura-chan. It only shows that your fairy tale
   1.792 +romance is waiting for you. One day your prince will come and hold
   1.793 +you close forever. Sakura-chan deserves nothing but the best.” The
   1.794 +dark haired girl sighed happily, images of Princess Sakura filling
   1.795 +her mind. Yes, this is what she lived for. 
   1.796 +Sakura sweatdropped, laughing nervously. “Tomoyo-chan..” Tomoyo was
   1.797 +always so concerned about her happiness, about Sakura in general. It
   1.798 +was always comforting to know that some things would never change.
   1.799 +“But I know that my prince is out there somewhere. I just need to
   1.800 +find out who he is.”
   1.801 +Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, thoughtfully. Sakura seemed
   1.802 +awfully determined. It took all Tomoyo had not to swoon at the sight.
   1.803 +Sakura was always so adorable when that determined look burned in her
   1.804 +eyes. It was one of the many, many things that Tomoyo loved about the
   1.805 +brunette. But why was she so determined all of the sudden? “What do
   1.806 +you mean, Sakura-chan?”
   1.807 +Fumbling through her backpack, Sakura pulled out a single black
   1.808 +shoe. “This was one of his shoes. He accidentally dropped it last
   1.809 +night. Kero-chan thought I should try it on everyone here to find out
   1.810 +who he is.” Sakura sweatdropped as she explained her plan. It sounded
   1.811 +awfully silly. But Tomoyo merely nodded, watching her.
   1.812 +“That’s a good idea, Sakura-chan. But I’m a little worried. What if
   1.813 +your prince doesn’t turn out to be a prince at all?” Tomoyo asked,
   1.814 +walking alongside Sakura. The auburn haired girl looked back at her
   1.815 +in confusion. Tomoyo smiled and rephrased her question. “What if he
   1.816 +isn’t who you want him to be?”
   1.817 +Sakura shook her head, clutching the shoe determinedly. “I don’t
   1.818 +care who he is. I know I love whoever it is I met last night. I’ve
   1.819 +never felt that way before. It was just.. just..” Sakura trailed off,
   1.820 +unable to come up with words to match the storm of emotions in her
   1.821 +heart. Her hands clenched in front of her, as if she could drag the
   1.822 +words out of thing air. "It was perfect. I felt so happy with him. So
   1.823 +peaceful. And for once it didn’t have anything to do with magic. It
   1.824 +was just him. He was what made me feel that way. I don’t care who he
   1.825 +is.”
   1.826 +“That’s so sweet!” Tomoyo exclaimed, a hand on her cheek. “Sakura-
   1.827 +chan is so cute, lost in her thoughts on love. You really are
   1.828 +perfect, Sakura-chan. You’re willing to do whatever to you can to be
   1.829 +with your love again, ready to sacrifice what you have to in order to
   1.830 +see him again. You’re so romantic.” Letting out a sweet sigh, Tomoyo
   1.831 +watched Sakura lovingly.
   1.832 +Sakura sweatdropped. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan.” She should have known
   1.833 +Tomoyo would react that way. But somehow, it gave her more
   1.834 +confidence. It made her feel better about her plan. Tomoyo thought it
   1.835 +was sweet of her, romantic. So it wasn’t just some crazy idea after
   1.836 +all. Nodding to herself, Sakura hurried into the school, Tomoyo right
   1.837 +behind her. 
   1.838 +
   1.839 + “Maybe if you curl your toys up more,” Tomoyo offered helpfully,
   1.840 +standing next to a kneeling Sakura as she tried to place the small
   1.841 +black shoe on yet another boy.
   1.842 +“Oww.. This thing is too tight. I don’t even know what this is all
   1.843 +about,” the boy complained, rubbing his foot after he pulled it out
   1.844 +of the shoe.
   1.845 +Sighing, Sakura sat back, her hands resting on the ground. “We’ve
   1.846 +tried just about every boy in class, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t know who he
   1.847 +could be. It hasn’t fit on any of them. I’m starting to worry. What
   1.848 +if I don’t find him?” The brunette was suddenly overcome by worry.
   1.849 +Her plan has seemed so great earlier that day, but now she felt
   1.850 +hopeless. There weren’t many boys left to try, and none of them
   1.851 +seemed like good candidates for the mystery boy. The thought of not
   1.852 +seeing him again was almost physically painful. Sakura sighed,
   1.853 +holding the shoe. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking,
   1.854 +up, she saw Tomoyo smiling gently down at her. Her worry ebbed away
   1.855 +slowly as she looked up into loving stormy blue eyes.
   1.856 +“It’s all right, Sakura-chan. I know you’ll find him. Just don’t
   1.857 +give up hope. It doesn’t suit you. Remember, you can do anything.
   1.858 +Everything will always work out,” Tomoyo said softly, giving Sakura’s
   1.859 +shoulder a gentle squeeze before pulling her hand away. She was
   1.860 +rewarded with a soft smile from Sakura.
   1.861 +“Un, you’re right, Tomoyo-chan. I just have to keep trying. He has
   1.862 +to be out there somewhere. And I know he’s in the class. He was so
   1.863 +familiar. I just couldn’t quite remember who he is.” Shaking her
   1.864 +head, Sakura looked back down at the shoe. There was still a chance.
   1.865 +They hadn’t tried all the boys yet. Just almost all of them. She
   1.866 +sighed softly.
   1.867 +“That’s my shoe!” 
   1.868 +Sakura looked up rapidly, her heart pounding. Who was the shoe’s
   1.869 +mysterious owner? Where was he? Had she finally found him? Locating
   1.870 +the source of the voice, she spotted Yamazaki approaching her.
   1.871 +“Yamazaki-kun? This is your shoe?” she asked in surprise. Could it
   1.872 +have been him the night before? Was he her mystery boy? The one who
   1.873 +had so effortlessly captured her heart?
   1.874 +“Yeah, it’s mine. I always like to wear girls’ shoes. They let you
   1.875 +hear girl’s thoughts that way. The ancient Aztecs knew this. That’s
   1.876 +why they invented girls’ shoes back during the 1500s,” Yamazaki
   1.877 +explained. He pulled the shoe on, the small black shoe reaching
   1.878 +slightly past half of his foot. “See? Perfect fit. I always wear my
   1.879 +shoes like this.”
   1.880 +Sakura blinked in confusion, looking back up at the taller boy. She
   1.881 +watched as he got bopped in the head by his frustrated girlfriend,
   1.882 +Chiharu. 
   1.883 +“Why do you always have to make things up?” Chiharu sighed, dragging
   1.884 +him off, leaving Sakura alone with her shoe.
   1.885 +Sakura knelt down next to the shoe again, sighing. “Tomoyo-chan,
   1.886 +what if I don’t find him? What if I look forever for him and he never
   1.887 +shoes up? What if he was just a dream?” Sakura was on the verge of
   1.888 +tears. She felt awful. Her last chance was slowly slipping away from
   1.889 +her. If she couldn’t find him with his shoe, she didn’t know how she
   1.890 +could ever find him again. It was her only clue and it didn’t seem to
   1.891 +be working at all.
   1.892 +Watching Sakura sadly, Tomoyo stepped closer, trying to figure out
   1.893 +what to do. Sakura seemed so sad. There had to be some way she could
   1.894 +help. But what if it only made things worse if she told Sakura? What
   1.895 +if Sakura couldn’t handle finding out her mystery boy was really a
   1.896 +mystery girl? “The most important things are worth waiting forever
   1.897 +for, Sakura-chan. Some things are worth searching an eternity for.
   1.898 +You just have to find out what these things are. They aren’t always
   1.899 +where we look. So we have to keep looking, always holding out hope
   1.900 +that it will be there.” She smiled softly, brushing back some of
   1.901 +Sakura’s hair from the kneeling girl’s eyes. “He wasn’t a dream,
   1.902 +Sakura-chan. I know because every time I’m with you, I think ‘Sakura-
   1.903 +chan is so amazing. She’s so wonderful. I have to be dreaming.’ But
   1.904 +you’re always there when I wake up. Maybe that’s why I videotape you
   1.905 +so much. As proof. Evidence that you’re really real.”
   1.906 +Tomoyo’s gentle words soothed Sakura’s frightened soul like a
   1.907 +lullaby, playing through her mind again and again. Her musical voice
   1.908 +calmed Sakura’s worried heart, taking away the pain she felt. It was
   1.909 +so soft, so gentle. It played through Sakura like a song. Her emerald
   1.910 +eyes slowly went to Tomoyo’s feet, up her pale legs. An idea struck
   1.911 +with sudden ferocity. Hope bloomed in her heart, followed by the
   1.912 +intense fear that she might be wrote. But she had to try. Scooting
   1.913 +forward, she took Tomoyo’s leg so suddenly that the pale girl almost
   1.914 +toppled over. “Gomen, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura apologize, the words
   1.915 +barely escaping her breathless mouth. With trembling fingers, she
   1.916 +pulled off Tomoyo’s shoe, letting it fall to the floor. Her heart
   1.917 +pounded in a staccato beat in her chest, her mind focusing on this
   1.918 +last attempt. It all seemed to lead here, even if it spun Sakura in
   1.919 +circles to think it all through. She slowly slid the shoe on, waiting
   1.920 +for it to get stuck or for it to be too big. 
   1.921 +The shoe fit perfectly. Sakura could only blink in surprise as she
   1.922 +moved Tomoyo’s foot around in her hand, amazed at the fit. It was
   1.923 +almost too good to be true. She had found him. He had been right
   1.924 +there, all along, watching her try it on all the others. Her heart
   1.925 +pounded in her chest, as she slowly looked up. Tomoyo was looking
   1.926 +down at her, stormy blue eyes sparkling just as they had the night
   1.927 +before. “Tomoyo-chan.. It’s you.. You’re him! I mean.. her. I..
   1.928 +Tomoyo-chan..” Sakura trailed off, unsure of what to say. 
   1.929 +Smiling down softly, Tomoyo helped Sakura back up. “Gomen nasai,
   1.930 +Sakura-chan. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to cause any
   1.931 +trouble for you,” the dark haired girl apologized, looking into
   1.932 +Sakura’s eyes. She still wasn’t sure how Sakura was taking it, how it
   1.933 +was affecting the other girl. She nearly shrank back at the
   1.934 +frustration that briefly flashed in Sakura’s eyes.
   1.935 +“You were right there all along and you didn’t even tell me? I spent
   1.936 +all day touching people’s feet just so I could find you and you were
   1.937 +right there?” Sakura darted forward, hugging Tomoyo tightly. To her
   1.938 +pleasant surprise, it was much more enjoyable than hugging her
   1.939 +pillow. “If you didn’t want to cause me trouble, you could have told
   1.940 +me this morning that it was you I was looking for.”
   1.941 +Tomoyo giggled softly, her indigo eyes falling shut. Whatever
   1.942 +concerns she had held earlier dissipated like a fine mist. Sakura
   1.943 +wasn’t angry with her. She wasn’t even in shock about the whole
   1.944 +thing. And she seemed to be taking the fact that her mystery prince
   1.945 +was a princess rather well. “I’ll remember that next time, Sakura-
   1.946 +chan.”
   1.947 +“Hoe.. There won’t have to be a next time, will there?” Sakura
   1.948 +asked, feeling exhausted. She had enough searching for her love for
   1.949 +any number of lifetimes. 
   1.950 +“Not if you don’t want there to be, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo replied.
   1.951 +She sighed, resting against Sakura. “But I still found it incredibly
   1.952 +romantic that you would look for me with such cute determination. I
   1.953 +always knew that Sakura-chan could be incredibly romantic at heart.” 
   1.954 +Sakura blushed, still holding onto Tomoyo. But that just furthered
   1.955 +to relax her. The dark haired heiress always had been good at making
   1.956 +her blush, after all. And making her feel loved. She smiled happily,
   1.957 +holding onto her newly found princess, who just happened to have been
   1.958 +there all along. “I love you, Tomoyo-chan,” she whispered softly. “I
   1.959 +told you I didn’t care who you were. I should have known it was you
   1.960 +all along.”
   1.961 +“Oh, Sakura-chan..” Tomoyo replied, her heart nearly bursting with
   1.962 +joy. She hugged the other girl tighter, reveling in the sound of
   1.963 +Sakura’s beautiful words in her mind. “I love you, too, Sakura-chan.”
   1.964 +	Sakura sighed happily, not wanting to relinquish their embrace.
   1.965 +Slowly, she blinked her eyes open. “Ano.. Tomoyo-chan? If you didn’t
   1.966 +want me to know it was you, why did you kiss me last night?”
   1.967 +	Tomoyo smiled, her hands on Sakura’s shoulders as she pulled just
   1.968 +inches away. “Because Sakura-chan looked so cute, but a little
   1.969 +lonely, too. You looked like you needed a kiss. Just like now.” Using
   1.970 +Sakura’s blush as her cue, Tomoyo leant forward and gave Sakura
   1.971 +another soft kiss. This time, however, Sakura responded. Tomoyo
   1.972 +blushed herself as she felt Sakura return the kiss with her whole
   1.973 +genki spirit. Closing her eyes tightly, Tomoyo let the world melt
   1.974 +away as the kiss took her to the brink of heaven. Maybe the dance
   1.975 +hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but she was more than happy with the
   1.976 +outcome. If Sakura thought she could make her happy, then she would
   1.977 +just have to try her hardest.
   1.978 +	Sakura held onto Tomoyo with all that she had as they kissed. It
   1.979 +was even more magical than the one the night before. It filled Sakura
   1.980 +with a swirling typhoon of feelings that threatened to sweep her
   1.981 +away. But she didn’t care. She would be happy to lose herself in
   1.982 +them. She felt so happy, so ‘hanyaa’, just to be with Tomoyo, to have
   1.983 +found her prince. Or princess, as the case may be. Tomoyo had been
   1.984 +right. Some things were worth searching an eternity for. But she was
   1.985 +incredibly grateful that she had found it now.
   1.986 \ No newline at end of file