1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/stories/dearsakura-10.txt	Fri Feb 19 06:24:59 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,358 @@
     1.4 +Dear Sakura
     1.5 +by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
     1.6 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.7 +pearsong1954@yahoo.com
     1.8 +
     1.9 +
    1.10 +	“When was the last time we went to the beach together?” Sakura
    1.11 +asked curiously. Sand crunched underneath her sandals as she and
    1.12 +Tomoyo looked for a nice spot on the beach. She turned to make sure
    1.13 +the dark haired woman was still there, even though they were holding
    1.14 +hands. Tomoyo’s snow white skin looked so out of place on the beach.
    1.15 +Sakura was almost afraid the poor woman would get burnt to a cinder
    1.16 +in the bright late morning sun. The toy designer smiled back happily
    1.17 +to Sakura, seeming far removed from any such worries. Tomoyo wore a
    1.18 +simple white sundress, her bathing suit underneath. A wide-brimmed
    1.19 +hat lay atop her head, a blue ribbon trailing from it. Her hair
    1.20 +underneath was done up in buns. She wore large sunglasses tinted a
    1.21 +rosy pink color. They looked cute on Tomoyo, but Sakura was a little
    1.22 +disappointed that she couldn’t catch the enticing stormy blue of her
    1.23 +best friend’s eyes because of them. Sakura was already in her bathing
    1.24 +suit, a red two piece that she was currently wearing a blue jacket
    1.25 +with. 
    1.26 +	“A year and a half ago when mother invited you to come with us out
    1.27 +to the beach house,” Tomoyo replied without a moment’s hesitation, as
    1.28 +if all facts regarding Sakura were relevant to keep track of at all
    1.29 +time. She pushed the sunglasses up from the tip of her nose, smiling
    1.30 +cheerfully at the Cardmistress. Despite being able to embarrass
    1.31 +Sakura with some of the things she said and did, it always delighted
    1.32 +her to know that Sakura was completely at ease with her. If it
    1.33 +weren’t for that, she would have quit making such embarrassing
    1.34 +comments years ago. But Sakura took it all in stride, blushing
    1.35 +considerably but never feeling awkward in Tomoyo’s presence. That had
    1.36 +allowed her to remain close to Sakura over the years, to treasure the
    1.37 +brunette’s company like the finest wine and the world’s greatest
    1.38 +riches. It had also given her best friend status some perks as well.
    1.39 +She knew firsthand how beautiful Sakura had grown over the years,
    1.40 +never actually outgrowing the cuteness about her, but gaining a
    1.41 +completely new aspect as well. Though at the moment, Tomoyo didn’t
    1.42 +need years of close hand study to know such on obvious fact. “You
    1.43 +look gorgeous in that, Sakura-chan,” her musical voice practically
    1.44 +sang, followed quickly by a happily contented sigh. “I can’t wait to
    1.45 +start videotaping you.”
    1.46 +	Blushing faintly, Sakura smiled in return. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan.
    1.47 +I’m glad you think so.” Brushing fingers back through her brunette
    1.48 +hair, Sakura scanned the area for a nice place to put their towel and
    1.49 +basket. A picnic lunch had been Tomoyo’s idea. Seeing Tomoyo standing
    1.50 +with the basket reminded her of all the picnics they used to go on
    1.51 +when they were younger. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought.
    1.52 +Now these picnics were such a special occasion, something that
    1.53 +happened only very rarely now that they no longer lived in the same
    1.54 +country. Once upon a time she had taken those wonderful moments
    1.55 +together for granted, assuming that they, like Tomoyo, would simply
    1.56 +always be there. Something she could always enjoy. She knew now that
    1.57 +that wasn’t the case and that she would have to burn these memories
    1.58 +into her soul while she could. 
    1.59 +	“Right here looks nice, Sakura-chan.” Drawing the cute gym
    1.60 +teacher’s attention, Tomoyo motioned towards a fairly empty section
    1.61 +of beach. Of course, that wasn’t Tomoyo’s main reasoning for
    1.62 +selecting it. The light was perfect at that spot to videotape Sakura.
    1.63 +And she just so happened to have brought her camcorder along with
    1.64 +lunch. Her poor, abused camcorder had been relegated to the attic for
    1.65 +quite some time, Tomoyo having lost the will to videotape anymore
    1.66 +after Sakura’s departure. It had gained renewed life when she had
    1.67 +pulled it out to use in her cooking lessons for her friend. But this
    1.68 +was what it existed for, in much the same way Tomoyo existed for
    1.69 +these special moments with Sakura. A hand went absentmindedly to her
    1.70 +right cheek as she watched Sakura start to spread out the beach
    1.71 +blanket. Love was a cruel mistress, but she wouldn’t give it up for
    1.72 +the countless stars in the sky. She couldn’t live without the
    1.73 +wonderfully sweet caress that thoughts of Sakura sent fluttering
    1.74 +across her heart. 
    1.75 +	When Sakura was finished with the beach blanket, Tomoyo knelt down
    1.76 +gingerly on it, placing the basket next to her before smoothing out
    1.77 +the skirt of her sundress. Sakura sat next to her, the white jacket
    1.78 +hanging from around the Cardmistress’s shoulders. Sakura watched
    1.79 +Tomoyo for a long moment, her legs curled up under her. The dark
    1.80 +haired woman always told her how pretty she was or how beautiful she
    1.81 +looked or any number of other things. But Tomoyo was truly stunning,
    1.82 +her elegant beauty always shining through whatever myriad styles she
    1.83 +used. Tomoyo always kept her hair long for her mother’s sake, who
    1.84 +treasured it as a reminder of Sakura’s own mother’s beautiful long
    1.85 +hair. But even keeping it long, Tomoyo always seemed to have
    1.86 +something she could do with it, as the pretty buns they were in now
    1.87 +attested to. As the almost deathly pale woman began to take off her
    1.88 +sundress, Sakura stared transfixed. Tomoyo looked like the goddess
    1.89 +Venus ascending from the waves, her white sundress that fell next to
    1.90 +her feet the sea foam around her. She was clad in a black and gray
    1.91 +one piece bathing suit. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to sparkle when
    1.92 +she finally pulled away the rose sunglasses and laid them next to her
    1.93 +hat. Realizing that she had been staring, Sakura turned abruptly,
    1.94 +pretending to busy herself with... anything. She stared at the ocean
    1.95 +while she tried to sort through her tousled thoughts. Unbeknownst to
    1.96 +Sakura, Tomoyo had noticed her friend’s gaze. She was a little
    1.97 +surprised by it, but thrilled nonetheless. To capture Sakura’s
    1.98 +attention so was truly a wonderful prize. She smiled happily, even
    1.99 +more thrilled to be there with the one person who was always in her
   1.100 +thoughts.
   1.101 +	Turning her gaze back to Tomoyo, Sakura looked up as the dark
   1.102 +haired woman sat down next to her. Memories from times long forgotten
   1.103 +came flooding back to her. Not just of trips to beaches or picnics.
   1.104 +But of all the wonderful times they had spent together. They weren’t
   1.105 +the little girls they had once been. Sakura was married now and a gym
   1.106 +teacher. Tomoyo was becoming a successful toy designer. But at the
   1.107 +moment, none of that mattered. Tomoyo was still the sweet and gentle
   1.108 +best friend that had always been by her side. They were still just
   1.109 +out for the day to spend time together and to enjoy themselves. For a
   1.110 +brief moment, the hands of time ticked backwards. They were sitting
   1.111 +in a park in Tomoeda discussing the recent events at school while
   1.112 +Tomoyo videotaped her with her camcorder, the future blissfully out
   1.113 +of the way. The moment evaporated as quickly as it had arrived
   1.114 +despite Sakura’s attempts at grasping onto it. What had Eriol told
   1.115 +her long ago? Something about a long absence showing her true
   1.116 +feelings. She couldn’t quite remember exactly. She had always
   1.117 +expected Tomoyo to be there, but now this was an all too brief visit
   1.118 +before Tomoyo was gone once again. And Tomoyo’s absence was pulling
   1.119 +at her heart, making her realize just how much she needed the
   1.120 +beautiful heiress. It seemed Eriol had been right after all. 
   1.121 +	Tomoyo searched through the picnic basket, finally uncovering the
   1.122 +suntan lotion. She didn’t get out very often except when she was with
   1.123 +Sakura and she had always had an extremely pale complexion. Without
   1.124 +some form of protection, she would easily bake out in the hot sun. 
   1.125 +	“I’ll get that for you, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura offered helpfully. At
   1.126 +Tomoyo’s soft thanks, she took the bottle and began to rub some into
   1.127 +her hands. She knelt next to her best friend as Tomoyo lay down on
   1.128 +her back, her stormy blue eyes slipping shut. Sakura got a little
   1.129 +more of the lotion in her hands before trying to decide where to
   1.130 +start. Watching Tomoyo lying in front of her with her eyes closed,
   1.131 +images of the dark haired woman’s sleeping form filled Sakura’s mind.
   1.132 +So peaceful and calm, as if all of her dreams were beautiful. Tomoyo
   1.133 +looked that way now, except for a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
   1.134 +She definitely looked happy. 
   1.135 +	Trying to lie perfectly still, Tomoyo felt her heart pounding
   1.136 +rapidly in her chest, ignoring her attempts to stay calm. She tried
   1.137 +to tell herself that this was just a kind act on Sakura’s part and
   1.138 +that it didn’t mean anything, but she didn’t care. She was too happy
   1.139 +to worry about such trivial things. It was Sakura, that’s all that
   1.140 +mattered. And she would be more than happy to have Sakura apply the
   1.141 +suntan lotion if it only meant she could feel her touch. For a
   1.142 +moment, Tomoyo felt like a teenager again, anxiously waiting during
   1.143 +some of the awkward moments she and Sakura had while growing up.
   1.144 +Though Sakura would never have known, there were some times when
   1.145 +Tomoyo had found herself equally as embarrassed as her brunette
   1.146 +friend. One time she had almost kissed Sakura during a festival. They
   1.147 +could only have been twelve or thirteen at the time. Sakura’s eyes
   1.148 +had been closed as they sat facing each other, a content look across
   1.149 +her features. Tomoyo’s heart had pounded much as it was now as she
   1.150 +watched that cute face for what had felt like an eternity. Her hand
   1.151 +finally going to Sakura’s cheek, she had drawn closer, caught more
   1.152 +deeply by Sakura than she could by any Syren’s call. Their lips
   1.153 +almost touching, Tomoyo had finally pulled away, blushing
   1.154 +considerably herself at what had almost happened. Sakura had smiled
   1.155 +when her eyes opened, unaware of the kiss she had almost received
   1.156 +from her best friend. And so on through the years as they grew up
   1.157 +together, Tomoyo’s love for Sakura barely hidden. And now she was
   1.158 +once again nearly overcome by the surge of emotions the Cardmistress
   1.159 +always managed to lure out of her. She idly wondered if Sakura could
   1.160 +see her beating heart or feel the heat of her blush. She had to ask
   1.161 +herself if Sakura had even the slightest idea of how even these
   1.162 +simple little moments with her were like pieces of heaven. 
   1.163 +	Reaching out slowly, Sakura began to massage the suntan lotion into
   1.164 +Tomoyo’s right shoulder, marveling at the exquisitely soft feeling of
   1.165 +the skin under her touch. Syaoran’s skin wasn’t nearly so soft and
   1.166 +enticing. Sakura shoved the thought away. Of course it wasn’t. This
   1.167 +was a completely different situation anyway. When she felt his skin,
   1.168 +it meant they were usually going to sleep or... She was glad that
   1.169 +Tomoyo still had her eyes closed as she slowly forced her blush away.
   1.170 +Her fingers followed along Tomoyo’s shoulder, trailing over the silky
   1.171 +smooth skin again and again as she rubbed the lotion in. After
   1.172 +watching Tomoyo’s elegant form for years, Sakura found it a pleasant
   1.173 +experience to actually feel the silken skin and soft contours of her
   1.174 +limbs. Her fingers slowly moved down the dark haired woman’s arm,
   1.175 +careful to cover every inch of her. A soft smile played at her lips
   1.176 +as she looked down at Tomoyo’s resting form. She wanted to gather up
   1.177 +the other woman in her arms and hold her tightly, just to enjoy her
   1.178 +presence as much as she could. That lost and lonely feeling that had
   1.179 +enveloped her for the past several months had all but disappeared
   1.180 +since the dark haired woman’s arrival. Tomoyo brought out feelings in
   1.181 +her heart that she thought had faded away since her arrival in Hong
   1.182 +Kong. Being with her again was like the sweetest dream imaginable.
   1.183 +Sakura’s hand finally stopped at Tomoyo’s. She merely held onto it
   1.184 +for a long moment. Tomoyo’s hand turned in her grasp, gently clasping
   1.185 +Sakura’s hand. Sakura smiled again as the surprise wore off. She felt
   1.186 +Tomoyo’s thumb slowly rubbing her palm. Watching Tomoyo with her own
   1.187 +heart tangled in a web of confusion, Sakura tried to decide what to
   1.188 +say. Once again, her mind returned to something she felt ashamed of
   1.189 +for hoping. Could Tomoyo love someone else? There had to be someone
   1.190 +who could make her happy if her special person couldn’t know of her
   1.191 +feelings. But was that Sakura’s real reason behind wanting to know so
   1.192 +badly? She couldn’t possibly think that she could take all of
   1.193 +Tomoyo’s love. What a silly idea. She laughed off the thought, but it
   1.194 +stubbornly refused to leave her completely. She was getting jealous.
   1.195 +Tomoyo’s special person was the most important person to her. Sakura
   1.196 +had at one time held that spot, she knew. And Tomoyo’s special person
   1.197 +was hurting her, no less. It wasn’t fair that he could be her most
   1.198 +important person and cause her so much agony. “Tomoyo-chan? What type
   1.199 +of boys do you like?”
   1.200 +	Blinking in confusing, Tomoyo squinted in the bright light to catch
   1.201 +sight of Sakura, the beautiful brunette sitting by her side in the
   1.202 +cool ocean breeze. Her eyes closed again as the light got too bright
   1.203 +for her. “I don’t think I understand, Sakura-chan. There’s only one
   1.204 +person I’ve ever been in love with. I don’t think I could describe
   1.205 +any specific type. Because even someone similar to my special person
   1.206 +wouldn’t be able to take my heart from them.”
   1.207 +	Sakura considered this for a moment before nodding. That should be
   1.208 +answer enough. It wasn’t like she knew of any boys to try to set up
   1.209 +Tomoyo with anyway. Maybe Touya, but he was already with Yukito. But
   1.210 +the question still lingered in Sakura’s mind. “Un, I understand. You
   1.211 +must love him very much. But if you had a type of boy, what would it
   1.212 +be?” she asked curiously. Who could be deserving of Tomoyo’s
   1.213 +seemingly boundless love? What man could possibly be wonderful enough
   1.214 +for her?
   1.215 +	A melodious giggle escaped the ivory skinned woman as she lay next
   1.216 +to Sakura. One of Sakura’s letters came to mind as she finally
   1.217 +answered. “If I had a type of boy I liked, I would want a boy just
   1.218 +like Sakura-chan. I would want him to be cute and brave and very
   1.219 +energetic. He would have to be warm and very emotional. He would have
   1.220 +to be a little shy, too, because blushing is a very cute habit and
   1.221 +it’s always fun to embarrass Sakura-chan if it means I’ll get a blush
   1.222 +out of it. But even then, he would still want to make others happy,
   1.223 +wearing kawaii costumes or enduring me videotaping him even if he
   1.224 +thought it was strange.” Her smile grew as she moved her head towards
   1.225 +where she new Sakura to be, her dark hair fluttering softly in the
   1.226 +light breeze. “And even if he could be rather dense sometimes, I
   1.227 +would love him all the more for it, because he would be my cute
   1.228 +Sa...” Tomoyo trailed off for a moment, correcting herself. The last
   1.229 +few days had been extremely difficult on keeping up her masks. “The
   1.230 +boy I liked.”
   1.231 +	Sakura blushed yet again as she tried to make sense of Tomoyo’s
   1.232 +description. It didn’t exactly sound like the manliest of men. A boy
   1.233 +like her? Sakura couldn’t think of any boys like her. It was
   1.234 +extremely flattering of Tomoyo to say. The dream she had had months
   1.235 +ago tugged at her mind, an image of herself in boys clothes sharing
   1.236 +an intimate moment with Tomoyo seeming to fit with the dark haired
   1.237 +woman’s explanation. ‘If I were a boy, would I have married Tomoyo-
   1.238 +chan?’ Sakura asked herself. A crimson blush began to flare across
   1.239 +her cheeks as she imagined the idea, coming home to her gorgeous wife
   1.240 +every night, sharing her life with her enigmatic best friend. Her
   1.241 +heart began to beat faster in her chest. She almost felt dizzy as she
   1.242 +tried to get a grasp on her thoughts. She stood up a little shakily,
   1.243 +having finished with the suntan lotion during Tomoyo’s explanation.
   1.244 +“Thanks, Tomoyo-chan,” she got out less sure of herself than she
   1.245 +would have liked. She was still confused by all this. If she had been
   1.246 +born a boy, would Tomoyo be her bride right now? Would they be on
   1.247 +this beach as husband and wife instead of as best friends? “I think
   1.248 +I’m going to take a swim.” That would be nice. It would clear her
   1.249 +thoughts. Glancing back at Tomoyo sent another image through her
   1.250 +mind, the two of them in bed after a long day. Wait, she wasn’t a boy
   1.251 +in this one. “Hoe...” Yes, a swim would definitely help. She heard
   1.252 +Tomoyo sitting up behind her, pulling her camcorder out dutifully to
   1.253 +record the Cardmistress’s swimming. Sakura waved to her pale friend
   1.254 +as she reached the water’s edge. Tomoyo’s voice called out to Sakura
   1.255 +from years earlier when Sakura had asked why she didn’t videotape
   1.256 +more interesting things than the brunette. ‘There’s nothing more
   1.257 +interesting or prettier than Sakura-chan.’ Sakura felt a smile cross
   1.258 +her lips at the memory. Tomoyo was always so sweet about things like
   1.259 +that. She decided that that was the reason she let Tomoyo videotape
   1.260 +her. Not because she felt she had to. But because Tomoyo was always
   1.261 +so enthusiastic about it and honestly believed that she was the best
   1.262 +thing to videotape. Now, that thought that had long ago confused her
   1.263 +so utterly sent a small thrill through her. 
   1.264 +	Watching from the beach blanket, Tomoyo zoomed in with her
   1.265 +camcorder. Sakura seemed to lose whatever she had been thinking about
   1.266 +as she began to swim through the gentle waves. From experience,
   1.267 +Tomoyo knew that probably wouldn’t last long. Sakura often got
   1.268 +sidetracked by things, but it often caught back up with her. Like
   1.269 +when she used to be on cheerleading. A soft giggle joined the ocean
   1.270 +breeze as she kept the camcorder trained on Sakura. She hoped that
   1.271 +Sakura still occasionally got sidetracked while teaching her
   1.272 +cheerleading club. It would be nice for them to see her like that,
   1.273 +even if it did mean flying pompoms. Two beautiful pink dolphins leapt
   1.274 +into the air some distance behind Sakura. The wonderful creatures
   1.275 +were new to Tomoyo. “They must live in Hong Kong. Just like Sakura-
   1.276 +chan. Hong Kong has some cute residents.” Her free hand went to her
   1.277 +cheek as she continued to watch her best friend in the lapping waves.
   1.278 +“Kawaii...”
   1.279 +	“Tomoyo-chan!! Come swim with me, Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura yelled from
   1.280 +waist deep in the water. She had come back closer to shore after
   1.281 +thoroughly drenching herself in the ocean. Now that she was thinking
   1.282 +more clearly, she knew that she would be much happier to be spending
   1.283 +her time at the beach with Tomoyo than swimming alone. 
   1.284 +	Putting away her camcorder, Tomoyo quickly walked across the hot
   1.285 +sand to meet up with the energetically waving brunette. The cool
   1.286 +water felt nice against her feet after the hot walk. She moved her
   1.287 +toes around in the water, enjoying the soothing feeling on her pale
   1.288 +skin as she drew closer to Sakura, her dark bathing suit clinging to
   1.289 +her as it got wet. "I would love to swim with you, Sakura-chan, but I
   1.290 +never learned how. I can watch you from here, though. As long as I
   1.291 +don’t go too deep, I’ll be fine.” She smiled at the other woman. She
   1.292 +was happy to get a closer vantage point, even if it did mean leaving
   1.293 +her camcorder behind. Being close to Sakura seemed more important
   1.294 +than getting the other woman alone on video. It surprised Tomoyo at
   1.295 +how little she had actually videotaped of her visit. It wasn’t for
   1.296 +lack of wanting to. She still loved catching the Cardmistress on
   1.297 +video. But rather, it was that she wasn’t behind the camera lens as
   1.298 +much during her trip. She had always managed to videotape Sakura
   1.299 +while she was doing other things, but now she was busy doing things
   1.300 +with Sakura. Now that she thought about it, she had expected to
   1.301 +videotape Sakura with Syaoran during her trip, once again a
   1.302 +background character in her own life. But Sakura hadn’t allowed that,
   1.303 +dragging her out from behind the camera’s lens and into what was
   1.304 +happening. So even if she didn’t have much videotape of this visit
   1.305 +(which she would still pour over what little she had religiously), it
   1.306 +was hardly a waste. It meant that she would have to hold certain
   1.307 +lovely events solely as memories, but that was more than enough for
   1.308 +the experiences. But still, a videotape of the kiss had to be worth a
   1.309 +king’s ransom...
   1.310 +	“Oh, that’s right.” Sakura frowned, disappointed. Tomoyo had never
   1.311 +learned to swim and apparently she hadn’t gotten around to it anytime
   1.312 +recently. Though her lack of ability to swim hadn’t stopped her from
   1.313 +trying to jump into a lake after Sakura when she had been tricked by
   1.314 +Illusion, Kero had later told her. She had been surprised that Tomoyo
   1.315 +was so ready to risk her life for her, even thought she very well
   1.316 +could have died. If Yukito hadn’t happened along, they both could
   1.317 +have died. A shiver went through her at the thought, but she quickly
   1.318 +suppressed it, imagining it as nothing more than the breeze. Her
   1.319 +frown deepened. She had really wanted to go out swimming with her,
   1.320 +not to leave her near the beach. But just because Tomoyo couldn’t
   1.321 +swim didn’t mean they couldn’t still go together. A smile replaced
   1.322 +her frown quickly. “I can take you with me. It might be a little
   1.323 +scary, but I promise that I’ll hold on real tight.”
   1.324 +	“That sounds wonderful, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo’s soft voice said
   1.325 +happily. It sounded like a great idea to her. Instead of only
   1.326 +watching Sakura swimming from a distance, she could actually be apart
   1.327 +of it. Sakura’s arms went around her waist, holding her close. Tomoyo
   1.328 +sighed happily in the near lover’s embrace and wrapped her own arms
   1.329 +around Sakura. As Sakura began to swim with the added weight, Tomoyo
   1.330 +could feel the sandy floor drop away from her. “Sakura-chan is a very
   1.331 +strong swimmer,” Tomoyo remarked enthusiastically, still holding on
   1.332 +tightly. It wasn’t out of fear that she held on. She knew that Sakura
   1.333 +would hold on to her. It was because she just wanted to be near her. 
   1.334 +	Sakura pushed further out into the water, it’s gentle caress
   1.335 +passing over the two women. Tomoyo’s heartbeat felt steady and calm
   1.336 +against her chest, her hands firmly holding onto her, but not
   1.337 +clutching at all. The pale woman wasn’t afraid in the least. She had
   1.338 +no more fear of drowning here than she had on the beach. The thought
   1.339 +surprised Sakura. She had expected something, but Tomoyo seemed
   1.340 +completely peaceful, happy to be out there with her. Another
   1.341 +statement of Tomoyo’s rang in her ears. ‘I knew you would save me.’
   1.342 +That belief had never wavered during the years. Tomoyo still held on
   1.343 +with the same faith she had all those years ago. ‘She’s not scared
   1.344 +because she has faith in me,’ Sakura thought to herself in sudden
   1.345 +realization. She had the thought that if she were holding onto Tomoyo
   1.346 +from above some ledge that Tomoyo’s attitude would be much the same.
   1.347 +There simply wasn’t anything for her to be afraid of because they
   1.348 +were together. Sakura held Tomoyo closer, hugging her as they swam.
   1.349 +It was amazing that she could still have that much faith after all of
   1.350 +those years. Tomoyo’s gentle form against her was a testament to her
   1.351 +belief in the Cardmistress. Sakura had never grasped the full extent
   1.352 +of that faith in her until now.  She swam deeper, but Tomoyo’s
   1.353 +heartbeat didn’t flutter. It amazed Sakura that the dark haired girl
   1.354 +could feel so safe in her arms. ‘I knew you would save me,’ the words
   1.355 +echoed again. Did she deserve that unwavering faith? Tomoyo was still
   1.356 +lonely, her love bound in a cage. ‘I’ll make things all right, Tomoyo-
   1.357 +chan. I will save you. I promise,’ Sakura vowed to herself, before
   1.358 +letting the sweet feelings Tomoyo was projecting encompass her.
   1.359 +
   1.360 +
   1.361 +