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     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,455 @@
     1.4 +Hello! ^-^ This is a CCS fic set an indefinite amount of time in the
     1.5 +future. All 
     1.6 +characters are copyright CLAMP except for Bara-chan. I really hope
     1.7 +you enjoy 
     1.8 +the fic. ^-^ Please tell me what you think if you get the chance.
     1.9 +
    1.10 +
    1.11 +
    1.12 +Final Heaven
    1.13 +by Amazoness Duo
    1.14 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.15 +
    1.16 +
    1.17 +
    1.18 +	“Tomoyo-chan...”
    1.19 +	“But Sakura-chan like’s pink,” Tomoyo chides gently, as if reminding 
    1.20 +me of something I had forgotten. I just blush fiercely in response.
    1.21 +She’s always 
    1.22 +had this affect on me, from when we were young girls. She has a way
    1.23 +of getting 
    1.24 +me to go along with whatever it is she thinks. Yes, I do like pink.
    1.25 +And I trust 
    1.26 +Tomoyo-chan’s judgement with things like that. I mean, she probably
    1.27 +knows me 
    1.28 +better than I do. But the cloth is so ethereal. It almost sparkles
    1.29 +in her hands. And 
    1.30 +I can see right through it. After all these years, I know what she
    1.31 +must be 
    1.32 +thinking. Tomoyo-chan has a dirty mind. These days she makes almost
    1.33 +all of my 
    1.34 +clothes. But I can only think of one place where I’d wear something
    1.35 +made out of 
    1.36 +that. And it probably wouldn’t stay on for long at that. 
    1.37 +	Hoe... I’m blushing even deeper now. And she knows it. Sometimes I 
    1.38 +think she can read my mind. I wouldn’t be surprised. She seems to be
    1.39 +able to 
    1.40 +pick up on everything. It’s her own kind of magic. I have no idea
    1.41 +how she 
    1.42 +knows so much. But that really doesn’t help me right now because
    1.43 +that just 
    1.44 +makes it even more embarrassing. And I know she’ll get me to wear
    1.45 +whatever 
    1.46 +she’ll make from that cloth, too. 
    1.47 +	“Tomoyo-chan...” I say again, helplessly. I know it won’t change 
    1.48 +anything. I’ve known her far too long to think that. I’m just no
    1.49 +good at arguing 
    1.50 +anything with her. She has this sweet way of always getting me to go
    1.51 +along with 
    1.52 +what she has in mind. She always seems to know what she’s doing. And
    1.53 +with 
    1.54 +her soft voice and her pretty blue eyes, she can be so persuasive.
    1.55 +It’s like with 
    1.56 +her costumes. I can’t help going along with her when she looks so
    1.57 +determined. 
    1.58 +	Tomoyo pauses for a moment, her stormy blue eyes closed. She looks 
    1.59 +so deep in thought. It takes me a moment before I realize that I’m
    1.60 +leaning closer, 
    1.61 +curiously. I sweatdrop and stand back up, still watching her. What
    1.62 +could she be 
    1.63 +thinking? Her eyes flutter open, locking with mine. “Even Bara-chan
    1.64 +likes it. 
    1.65 +She’s kicking for you, Sakura.” She smiles that sweet, loving smile
    1.66 +that she’s 
    1.67 +been showering on me since I was young. I smile back excitedly,
    1.68 +feeling a thrill 
    1.69 +shoot through me. 
    1.70 +	“She is? Really?!” I ask anxiously, my body wanting to go in
    1.71 +different 
    1.72 +directions all at once. Tomoyo-chan takes my hand gently and places
    1.73 +it on the 
    1.74 +growing swell of her stomach. She’s right. I can feel our little
    1.75 +daughter kicking 
    1.76 +inside of her. I can’t contain myself at that. It’s just so...
    1.77 +right. My blush fades 
    1.78 +quickly, my mind focussing on our daughter. Our daughter. The symbol
    1.79 +of our 
    1.80 +love. Well, that miracle took a little push from my magic, but she’s
    1.81 +still our 
    1.82 +daughter. I blush again at Tomoyo’s loving gaze and return it,
    1.83 +smiling happily at 
    1.84 +my wife. Oh, my knees are feeling week. This whole thing is just...
    1.85 +hanyaa. I 
    1.86 +almost lunge forward at the growing warmth in my heart, hugging my
    1.87 +very 
    1.88 +pregnant best friend as tightly as I can. 
    1.89 +	“I love you, Sakura-chan,” she says in that gentle, sweet voice of
    1.90 +hers. 
    1.91 +It sounds like she’s singing to me. I always feel so happy when I
    1.92 +hear her say 
    1.93 +that. I always have. I just didn’t always understand them. But now I
    1.94 +do.
    1.95 +	“I love you, too,” I say, pouring my whole heart into those few
    1.96 +words. 
    1.97 +
    1.98 +	I think the baby is finally resting. She has so much energy. Just
    1.99 +like her 
   1.100 +mother. I can’t wait to see her. I have to wonder if she’ll take
   1.101 +more after me or 
   1.102 +Sakura-chan. I took a lot after Sakura’s mother and she took a lot
   1.103 +after mine, 
   1.104 +which is a little strange if you don’t realize how much the cousins
   1.105 +missed each 
   1.106 +other. So we were there way of remembering each other. But it
   1.107 +doesn’t matter to 
   1.108 +me who Bara-chan looks like or which of us she takes after. I’m very
   1.109 +happy to 
   1.110 +know that she’s our daughter. I’ll be happy as long as Sakura-chan
   1.111 +and I can 
   1.112 +raise her together. I’m sure she’ll grow up to be a remarkable girl.
   1.113 +Just like her 
   1.114 +mother. 
   1.115 +	I continue to sing softly to the unborn child within me. I want her
   1.116 +to 
   1.117 +feel safe, to feel loved. So I’ll continue singing to her, hoping
   1.118 +that she can hear 
   1.119 +me somewhere in there. I want her to know how happy I am to be
   1.120 +carrying her, 
   1.121 +our sweet daughter. To have something that’s ours, the product of my
   1.122 +love for 
   1.123 +Sakura and hers for me, grow and develop inside of me. It’s a
   1.124 +wonderful feeling. 
   1.125 +I have to admit that I never really thought about it much before. I
   1.126 +just never 
   1.127 +thought I would wind up pregnant. I know mother was lonely when she
   1.128 +had me 
   1.129 +and that I helped alleviate some of that, but I never thought that
   1.130 +I’d wind up 
   1.131 +having a child of my own. That she could be Sakura’s. So despite the
   1.132 +morning 
   1.133 +sickness and the mood swings and all of the doctor’s appointments,
   1.134 +I’m 
   1.135 +deliriously happy to be having her. 
   1.136 +	My hands rest on my stomach as I whisper soothingly to my baby girl. 
   1.137 +“I think you’ll like it here, Bara-chan. Sometimes it can be a
   1.138 +little cold and a 
   1.139 +little lonely, but there is such beauty out there if you can only
   1.140 +find it. And it will 
   1.141 +capture your entire soul. It’s breathtaking to behold. That
   1.142 +something so perfect 
   1.143 +can exist is almost unbelievable. Please look for the beauty that’s
   1.144 +out there, 
   1.145 +Bara-chan. I think you’ll be surprised. Especially if it looks back
   1.146 +at you.” I smile 
   1.147 +at the thought, my eyes falling closed for a second. I’ve been much
   1.148 +too tired 
   1.149 +lately. But I’m sure it’s easier for Bara to rest if I’m not busy
   1.150 +running around. 
   1.151 +And why follow Sakura-chan around when she can come to me? Almost as
   1.152 +if on 
   1.153 +cue, Sakura enters the room carrying a small bowl of soba. She looks
   1.154 +so 
   1.155 +adorable in the floral design apron she has on with the big, pink
   1.156 +house slippers 
   1.157 +on her feet. We have a chef for such things, of course, but Sakura
   1.158 +insists on 
   1.159 +cooking herself from time to time. Even more so lately. I can't tell
   1.160 +which of us is 
   1.161 +more anxious about the baby.
   1.162 +	“Singing to the baby again, Tomoyo-chan?” Sakura asks with a warm 
   1.163 +smile as she kneels next to the bed, blowing on the soba to cool it
   1.164 +down. “She 
   1.165 +must love when you do that. It’s always so pretty.”  She finally
   1.166 +helps me up, 
   1.167 +handing me the bowl of soba. The sparkle in her emerald eyes hasn’t
   1.168 +decreased 
   1.169 +in the slightest from when she was a child. In fact, sometimes it
   1.170 +seems even 
   1.171 +brighter these days. 
   1.172 +	I smile in return, glad to have her help with anything as I lean
   1.173 +back 
   1.174 +against the head of the bed. “Arigato gozimasu, Sakura. I want her
   1.175 +to know that 
   1.176 +we’re waiting for her. And that she has much to look forward to.” I
   1.177 +reach out 
   1.178 +and stroke Sakura’s cheek softly. She blushes a bit but doesn’t
   1.179 +avert her gaze. I 
   1.180 +can see all of the love I’ve always wanted to pour into her
   1.181 +reflected back at me. 
   1.182 +That feeling warms me more than the soba possibly could. She takes
   1.183 +the 
   1.184 +chopsticks and brings a bit to my mouth. It’s still a little hot,
   1.185 +but it goes down 
   1.186 +well. “It’s delicious, Sakura-chan. I’m sure Bara-chan would like to
   1.187 +thank you, 
   1.188 +too. She must be getting hungry. And what better than a dish cooked
   1.189 +with 
   1.190 +Sakura’s special ingredient?”
   1.191 +	Sakura giggles at that, nodding as she takes another bit of the
   1.192 +soba with 
   1.193 +the chopsticks and brings it back to my mouth. “A healthy dose of
   1.194 +love for my 
   1.195 +sweet best friend and our cute little daughter. That’s why I sent
   1.196 +the chef home 
   1.197 +for the day. I used to cook for my family back home a lot, even if
   1.198 +it was a chore. 
   1.199 +So now I want to cook for my family here.” A happy smile crosses her
   1.200 +lips, 
   1.201 +along with that spectacularly determined look in her eyes that I’ve
   1.202 +always loved 
   1.203 +seeing. When Sakura-chan finally gets her mind set on something, she
   1.204 +throws 
   1.205 +her whole heart into it. I’m so happy to be the focus of that
   1.206 +determination now.
   1.207 +	“I’d be delighted to eat Sakura’s cooking for as long as she’ll
   1.208 +make it. 
   1.209 +Or as long as you keep feeding it to me,” I state with another
   1.210 +smile. She looks a 
   1.211 +little flustered as she gets another biteful and brings it up to my
   1.212 +mouth. She’s so 
   1.213 +easy to embarrass. And she’s so kawaii when she blushes. I wonder if
   1.214 +she knows 
   1.215 +that. I’ve told her enough by now that she has to. She blushed a
   1.216 +whole lot back 
   1.217 +when we were dating. Whereas it doesn’t happen quite as much
   1.218 +anymore, it’s 
   1.219 +still easy enough to bring a flush to her cheeks. 
   1.220 +	“If you say so, Tomoyo. I still think the chef is better, but I
   1.221 +wanted to 
   1.222 +make something for you and the baby myself. It may not be as good,
   1.223 +but I feel 
   1.224 +better that way.” Sakura looks so emotional as her jade eyes watch
   1.225 +me on the 
   1.226 +bed. I haven’t seen her this emotional since the morning of our
   1.227 +wedding. And 
   1.228 +that’s quite a bit for her because she’s always a rather emotional
   1.229 +woman. Which 
   1.230 +is one of the many, many things I love about her. I try to pick out
   1.231 +all of the 
   1.232 +emotions I see in her at the moment. Joy, anticipation, anxiety,
   1.233 +fear, happiness, 
   1.234 +contentment, wonder. All of them performing their wild dance through
   1.235 +Sakura. I 
   1.236 +stroke her cheek again, my fingers trailing across the silky smooth
   1.237 +skin. I smile 
   1.238 +up at her reassuringly, brushing back a lock of her brunette hair
   1.239 +behind one cute 
   1.240 +ear. I always loved her ears. They’re just so kawaii. My fingers
   1.241 +linger behind her 
   1.242 +left ear for a moment, her body relaxing slightly. 
   1.243 +	“I love you, Sakura. I’m glad that you’d cook for the baby and me. 
   1.244 +That’s so sweet of you.” I watch her for a long time, her hands
   1.245 +taking one of 
   1.246 +mine, giving it a squeeze. She leans down after a moment’s
   1.247 +hesitation and kisses 
   1.248 +me. It’s a short but entirely sweet kiss and like always, it leaves
   1.249 +me a little 
   1.250 +breathless with its implications. Her love is much more potent to me
   1.251 +than 
   1.252 +anything I’ve ever felt. It laps at my soul like gentle waves. It’s
   1.253 +just the way she 
   1.254 +is, a kind and gentle soul that tries so hard even when she has no
   1.255 +idea what to 
   1.256 +do. That determined, genki spirit of hers has always quenched my
   1.257 +thirsty soul. 
   1.258 +How could I not love her. My fingers slip from her cheek, but my
   1.259 +eyes never 
   1.260 +leave her own. 
   1.261 +	“Aishiteru, Tomoyo. I’m really happy that you like it. I’ll try to
   1.262 +make 
   1.263 +some dessert in a bit.” Sakura scoots down across the bed as I start
   1.264 +to take a few 
   1.265 +bites myself. Her hands run down my pale legs before stopping at my
   1.266 +feet, 
   1.267 +making little swirls with her fingers before gently massaging them.
   1.268 +It feels so 
   1.269 +perfect, having the Card Mistress right here with me, throughout all
   1.270 +of this. We 
   1.271 +were trying to decide who should have the baby for a while when we
   1.272 +first 
   1.273 +decided we wanted one. At first, we’d thought that it should be
   1.274 +Sakura-chan. 
   1.275 +After all, she’s not as busy at Daidouji Toys as I usually am and it
   1.276 +would be a 
   1.277 +wonderful experience. But the more we thought about it, the more I
   1.278 +thought that 
   1.279 +I should carry our baby. It’s Sakura-chan’s magic at work, so I’d
   1.280 +rather she use 
   1.281 +it on me anyway. And it gives her a chance to learn more about the
   1.282 +company, 
   1.283 +even though mother still wants me to take it over when she retires.
   1.284 +Besides all 
   1.285 +that, I’m overjoyed to be able to have this experience. To feel our
   1.286 +baby inside of 
   1.287 +me fills me with a wonderfully indescribable feeling. It’s similar
   1.288 +to the warmth 
   1.289 +that I feel from Sakura. 
   1.290 +	I yawn tiredly, Sakura’s nimble fingers starting to relax me more
   1.291 +than 
   1.292 +I’d realized. I move my foot in her hand, marveling at the feel of
   1.293 +her soft fingers 
   1.294 +against my skin. “I’m sure Bara-chan will love dessert. But I’d
   1.295 +rather have you 
   1.296 +here with me for now.” My eyes meet hers again. She crawls up along
   1.297 +the bed as 
   1.298 +I set the soba bowl down, her arms wrapping around me. Her head
   1.299 +rests on the 
   1.300 +pillow next to mine, dark gray hair right next to sweet brunette. My
   1.301 +heart skips a 
   1.302 +beat at having my one, True Love so close to me. It yearns for her,
   1.303 +as always, 
   1.304 +and so she complies, her warm heart beating next to my own.
   1.305 +	“Okay, Tomoyo-chan. I’ll wait until after you fall asleep before I
   1.306 +go 
   1.307 +start on dessert. Just promise me you won’t come downstairs to try
   1.308 +and 
   1.309 +videotape me this time. You need your rest. And I’ll go pick up some
   1.310 +more 
   1.311 +videos to record more of the pregnancy when I go out tomorrow.”
   1.312 +Sakura looks 
   1.313 +thoughtful for a moment, trying to go over anything she might be
   1.314 +missing in her 
   1.315 +head. I disturb her thoughts with a quick kiss. 
   1.316 +	“I promise, Sakura.” Her bright smile is all of the reward I need to 
   1.317 +convince me to stay in bed. Gazing into those beautiful emerald
   1.318 +eyes, I slowly 
   1.319 +slip off to sleep, dreaming of our beautiful baby girl and my
   1.320 +gorgeous wife.
   1.321 +
   1.322 +	“But I don’t wanna be in the play. I’ll forget my lines and
   1.323 +everyone will 
   1.324 +laugh.” I sigh, brushing some dark brown hair from my eyes. This is
   1.325 +just awful. 
   1.326 +Awful. I don’t wanna be part of some stupid play at school. Why
   1.327 +can’t I just 
   1.328 +help backstage where I don’t have to be out in front of everybody? I
   1.329 +get stage 
   1.330 +fright too easily.
   1.331 +	“Bara-chan, you shouldn’t worry about that. I can help you learn
   1.332 +your 
   1.333 +lines if you want. And I’m certain that you’ll do perfectly well in
   1.334 +the play. Your 
   1.335 +mother made a spectacular prince in a play back when she was your
   1.336 +age.” 
   1.337 +Tomoyo-mama smiles sweetly, that same smile she always has when
   1.338 +talking 
   1.339 +about Sakura-mama. “It doesn’t matter if anyone laughs. I won’t. And
   1.340 +I’ll be 
   1.341 +videotaping the whole thing.” She kneels down next to me, forgetting
   1.342 +whatever 
   1.343 +it was she was sewing for the time being. Her pale hands brush my
   1.344 +messy hair 
   1.345 +from my eyes where it had fallen again. “And Sakura will be there,
   1.346 +too. We’ll be 
   1.347 +cheering for you.”
   1.348 +	I smile a bit at that. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be all bad. They
   1.349 +would be 
   1.350 +there for the whole thing and at least I’d have help learning the
   1.351 +lines. I sigh in 
   1.352 +defeat. “Hai, I know. I’m just so scared about being in front of
   1.353 +everyone.”
   1.354 +	Tomoyo-mama smiles again, standing up. “You’ll do just fine, Bara-
   1.355 +chan. How about after dinner we’ll start practicing your lines and I
   1.356 +can try to 
   1.357 +give you some tips on stage fright? I was in choir for years and
   1.358 +Sakura was in 
   1.359 +cheerleading, so maybe we can help.” She tilts my chin up so I meet
   1.360 +her gaze, 
   1.361 +still smiling. 
   1.362 +	I nod, more hair getting in my eyes. “That sounds good, Tomoyo-
   1.363 +mama. Thanks! I’ll go get my script for the play.” With an approving
   1.364 +nod from 
   1.365 +my mom, I dart off to my room at a slight limp. I’m still a little
   1.366 +nervous about 
   1.367 +the whole thing, but maybe she’s right. It can’t be all bad,
   1.368 +especially if I have 
   1.369 +people to do it for. And now that I’m not in dance class until my
   1.370 +ankle heals, it 
   1.371 +would be nice to have something to show them. It’s just so much
   1.372 +easier when 
   1.373 +I’m dancing. You don’t have to think about anything. You just dance.
   1.374 +It doesn’t 
   1.375 +matter who’s watching.  Too bad I hadn’t noticed Chisa dancing so
   1.376 +close. Oh 
   1.377 +well. The doctor said it should just be a few weeks until my ankle’s
   1.378 +back to 
   1.379 +normal. 
   1.380 +	Grabbing my bookbag from my bed, I start sifting through it. It has
   1.381 +to 
   1.382 +be in here somewhere. Plenty of notebooks, some pictures I drew in
   1.383 +class, a few 
   1.384 +notes... 
   1.385 +	“What are you looking for?” a voice asks from behind me. I turn 
   1.386 +quickly, startled. Why does she always have to surprise me like
   1.387 +that? I face my 
   1.388 +mirror image for a moment and smile brightly before going back to
   1.389 +searching. 
   1.390 +It’s nice to see her at least. I was wondering where she’d gone off
   1.391 +to. I’m a little 
   1.392 +awkward at school and I’m shy so it’s hard for me to make friends.
   1.393 +At least with 
   1.394 +normal girls my age. Then again, I guess I’m not really normal with
   1.395 +my parents. 
   1.396 +The head of the Daidouji Corporation and the world’s strongest
   1.397 +magician. It’s so 
   1.398 +much easier to make friends with mom’s Sakura Cards. 
   1.399 +	“Just the script for the play. Tomoyo-mama said we could go through
   1.400 +it 
   1.401 +after dinner and she could help me with it,” I explain as I finally
   1.402 +find the stapled 
   1.403 +together script. “Found it!”
   1.404 +	My ‘twin’ looks thoughtful for a moment as she sits down next to me. 
   1.405 +She has the same dark brown hair and lavender eyes that I do. She’s
   1.406 +even 
   1.407 +wearing my school uniform, though I changed out of that a few
   1.408 +minutes ago. 
   1.409 +“Oh yeah, that was today, wasn’t it? I could always go for you if
   1.410 +you want. I 
   1.411 +wouldn’t want you to get too nervous about it.”
   1.412 +	“That’s okay, Mirror. I’d hate to disappoint Sakura-mama and 
   1.413 +Tomoyo-mama if they’re going to come to it. I could use the help
   1.414 +going over my 
   1.415 +lines for the next few days, though,” I explain, sitting on my bed.
   1.416 +She sits next to 
   1.417 +me after a moment. The only real difference in her appearance is
   1.418 +that she 
   1.419 +doesn’t have the cast on her ankle. I sigh, flipping through the
   1.420 +pages. 
   1.421 +	“I’d love to help,” Mirror says with a smile, reading bits and
   1.422 +pieces 
   1.423 +over my shoulder. “I hope I can go and watch you, too. I’m sure
   1.424 +you’ll be 
   1.425 +great.”
   1.426 +	A knock on the door grabs my attention before I can reply. Sakura-
   1.427 +mama sticks her head in, her brunette hair near her shoulders. “It’s
   1.428 +dinner time, 
   1.429 +Bara-chan.” She waits for me as I tuck the script under my arm and
   1.430 +hurry over. 
   1.431 +“And Tomoyo said that you got a part in the play. I can’t wait to
   1.432 +see it.”
   1.433 +	I nod quickly, holding out the script. “I get to be Juliet. But
   1.434 +they must 
   1.435 +have picked the wrong person. Misato or Ming Pha would both make much 
   1.436 +better Juliets.”
   1.437 +	Sakura-mama shakes her head, helping me down the stairs. “I don’t 
   1.438 +think so. Sometimes we get surprised by things like that, but it
   1.439 +doesn’t mean 
   1.440 +we’re wrong for the part.”
   1.441 +	“Hai. Like Sakura as the prince. She made an absolutely darling
   1.442 +prince 
   1.443 +at that,” Tomoyo-mama adds, sparkles in her eyes. Something tells me
   1.444 +I’ll be 
   1.445 +watching a tape of the whole play tonight. I smile and nod, taking
   1.446 +my seat. 
   1.447 +Yeah, if Sakura-mama made a good prince, maybe I can make a good
   1.448 +Juliet. 
   1.449 +	“Thanks, Tomoyo-mama, Sakura-mama. I’d really appreciate the help.” 
   1.450 +I take a bite of the meal that Tomoyo-mama made for dinner, feeling
   1.451 +more at 
   1.452 +ease. I spot Mirror watching me from the stairs and wave at her. She
   1.453 +blushes a 
   1.454 +bit when she realizes I spotted her and waves back. I still don’t
   1.455 +really know how 
   1.456 +it will all turn out, but maybe that doesn’t matter. There’s still
   1.457 +so much waiting 
   1.458 +for me. I just know it.