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     1.2 +++ b/stories/xmas-carol.txt	Fri Feb 19 06:24:59 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,1925 @@
     1.4 +
     1.5 +
     1.6 +All I want for Christmas is You
     1.7 +by Amazoness Duo
     1.8 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com 
     1.9 +
    1.10 +
    1.11 +	Her name was Sakura Kinomoto. Sweet, lovable, and very energetic,
    1.12 +Christmas was one of her favorite times of the year. Her emerald
    1.13 +green eyes sparkled as all sorts of Christmas decorations caught her
    1.14 +their notice. “Sugoi! Tomoyo-chan, look!” The Twin Bells shop was
    1.15 +putting up a cute little Christmas tree right outside, decorated
    1.16 +festively with all sorts of beautiful decorations, lights flashing on
    1.17 +and off in spectacular patterns. Sakura giggled happily. She had gone
    1.18 +out shopping with her best friend to get a few last minute Christmas
    1.19 +gifts. 
    1.20 +	Tomoyo smiled cheerfully as she watched her genki best friend. Her
    1.21 +hand was on her ever trusty camcorder, capturing every second of
    1.22 +enthusiastic Sakura on videotape. Sakura was trussed up in an outfit
    1.23 +Santa Claus would have envied. Tomoyo had finished it just that
    1.24 +morning and was eager to see the Cardmistress in it. Despite her
    1.25 +initial embarrassment, Sakura didn’t even seem to notice the garment
    1.26 +was there anymore, walking around with her usual flourish. The little
    1.27 +white ball at the end of the red cap on her head bobbed back and
    1.28 +forth as she walked. Her feet were covered with little red shoes,
    1.29 +also with little white balls. Long white stockings kept Sakura’s legs
    1.30 +warm. Those ran up into a small red skirt that was trimmed with
    1.31 +white. Her red coat was held closed against the cold with green lace.
    1.32 +In both gloved hands, Sakura held shopping bags filled with her
    1.33 +latest gifts. Tomoyo sighed to herself. “The tree looks very nice,
    1.34 +Sakura-chan, but it’s not nearly as cute or as festive as you are.”
    1.35 +	Sakura blushed at the remark, sweatdropping at Tomoyo’s usual
    1.36 +bluntness about such things. She didn’t think she’d ever understand
    1.37 +why she said those kinds of things, but she had come to accept it.
    1.38 +She should see it coming by now, she told herself, but she always got
    1.39 +caught by surprise. Tomoyo was dressed all in green, with a beautiful
    1.40 +green bow in her hair. She said that she was dressed as ‘Sakura-
    1.41 +chan’s helper’. It looked pretty on her regardless, Tomoyo’s snow
    1.42 +white skin almost seeming to be an addition to the costume. Sakura
    1.43 +went back to looking at the tree, her fingers brushing through some
    1.44 +of the tinsel. “It’s so pretty! I hope Onii-chan and dad get the
    1.45 +Christmas tree up before I get back. I hope it’s big with lots of
    1.46 +lights and decorations.” She balled her fists up in anticipation,
    1.47 +already seeing the tree in her mind. 
    1.48 +	Giggling softly, Tomoyo led Sakura inside the shop, walking
    1.49 +carefully backwards so that she could get Sakura’s entrance. “Sakura-
    1.50 +chan enters the store, ready for more holiday gift giving. Like a
    1.51 +kawaii Santa Claus, she comes bearing gifts.” She barely noticed the
    1.52 +running commentary she was providing, lost up in the sheer perfection
    1.53 +that was Sakura. The holiday season could be one of the most
    1.54 +depressing times of the year, but right now that hardly seemed to
    1.55 +matter. It was as if she was too busy partaking of Sakura to allow
    1.56 +any other thoughts into her head. 
    1.57 +	Blushing again, Sakura went back to the task at hand, glancing
    1.58 +around the store for anything someone might like. “Let’s see... I
    1.59 +already have Onii-chan’s present. He’s getting that sweater. And I
    1.60 +got Yukito-san that basket of food you pointed out. Naoko-chan got
    1.61 +the book of scary stories.” Sakura paused for a moment to shudder.
    1.62 +That book sure had a spooky ghost on the cover of it. And Sakura
    1.63 +hated ghosts. Especially after Touya spent his youth telling her
    1.64 +scary stories about them. “And Chiharu-chan has those ribbons for her
    1.65 +hair. Rika-chan got that cute broach. Father has the scarf I made.”
    1.66 +Biting her lip, her mind went through the possibilities. What else
    1.67 +did she need for Christmas? Her eyes caught on something near the
    1.68 +back of the shop, drawing her towards it. “Kawaii!” It was a cute
    1.69 +angel doll, it’s wings folded beautifully behind it, it’s white silk
    1.70 +shining in the store light. It held a small candle in its hands, its
    1.71 +eyes closed as if in prayer. Her mind raced. Yes, she knew exactly
    1.72 +what she would get it for. A giggle escaped her lips as she picked it
    1.73 +up. “Wai! I have just enough for it. And it’s the last thing I need.
    1.74 +I’m going to get it for Syaoran-kun.” 
    1.75 +	Tomoyo’s sweet voice reached out to Sakura from behind Tomoyo’s
    1.76 +camcorder. Her smile was genuine, but Tomoyo couldn’t tell if she was
    1.77 +hiding behind the camcorder or not, using it to distance herself from
    1.78 +the situation. She wasn’t part of this. She was an observer. So there
    1.79 +was no reason to be sad about Sakura picking out a nice gift for the
    1.80 +boy she would one day marry. When she spoke, it was with all honesty.
    1.81 +“I’m sure that Li-kun will be thrilled to get such a lovely present
    1.82 +from Sakura-chan. Though being with Sakura-chan would be present
    1.83 +enough for anyone.”
    1.84 +	Smiling brightly, Sakura headed to the counter to make her
    1.85 +purchase. “Tomoyo-chan, arigato! I really hope so. It’s the last of
    1.86 +my money. I want it to be something special.” 
    1.87 +	“It is special. An angel from an angel.” Tomoyo sighed happily, a
    1.88 +light blush on her cheeks as she continued recording Sakura. The
    1.89 +brunette sweatdropped again, waving off the idea, but Tomoyo just
    1.90 +went around to get another angle of her angel.
    1.91 +	“I’m not an angel, Tomoyo-chan. I just want to make this a good
    1.92 +Christmas for everyone,” the Cardmistress explained, accepting the
    1.93 +bag with the angel inside from the shop owner before turning back to
    1.94 +her eccentric best friend. She was happy to have found it. It was
    1.95 +absolutely perfect. She couldn’t wait to wrap it up. Yes, this
    1.96 +Christmas would be perfect indeed.
    1.97 +	“You’re an angel to me, Sakura-chan. Floating down gingerly from
    1.98 +the sky, filling up the lives of all you meet with love, capturing
    1.99 +their hearts with your beauty and cute personality, making everyday
   1.100 +feel special. Sakura-chan’s my Christmas angel.” Another smile
   1.101 +crossed her lips as she continued filming, following the embarrassed
   1.102 +Sakura out of the store. Everyone knew, most of all Tomoyo, that an
   1.103 +embarrassed Sakura was a very cute Sakura. 
   1.104 +	“Thank you very much, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura got out, smiling despite
   1.105 +her blush. She knew that Tomoyo was a very wise person and took what
   1.106 +she said to heart. Tomoyo always seemed to be looking out for her and
   1.107 +she appreciated that. Even if some of what she said was strange,
   1.108 +Sakura knew that the dark haired girl meant it. That was part of why
   1.109 +it was so embarrassing to hear, actually. Because she knew that
   1.110 +Tomoyo was always being honest about it. She was always very happy to
   1.111 +hear it regardless. It made her feel warm inside, like when you would
   1.112 +sit right in front of a fire or it would wash over you or when you
   1.113 +had a nice cup of hot chocolate that swirled and heated you up
   1.114 +inside. It was much the same being with Tomoyo. 
   1.115 +	When they had finally reached Sakura’s house, they found that
   1.116 +everyone else seemed to be out for the moment. Sakura grinned as she
   1.117 +lugged in her bags. That meant no big brothers to get in the way of
   1.118 +her Christmas wrapping. A nearly forgotten thought struck her
   1.119 +suddenly and she turned back to Tomoyo. “Oh, wait right there, Tomoyo-
   1.120 +chan! I need to go get your Christmas present.” She motioned towards
   1.121 +the living room and began for the stairs. She was happy to note that
   1.122 +the Christmas tree was up and that it was beautiful. Underneath, she
   1.123 +could see some of the presents already. Spotting Tomoyo’s present to
   1.124 +her that Tomoyo had given her before they had left this morning,
   1.125 +Sakura grinned and rushed up the stairs. She couldn’t wait to give
   1.126 +Tomoyo her present. 
   1.127 +	Tomoyo waited patiently, sitting in front of the large Christmas
   1.128 +tree. She knew her mother had already purchased the largest Christmas
   1.129 +tree imaginable. They had spent the night before decorating it. She
   1.130 +had been happy to spend the time with her mother, worrying about
   1.131 +nothing other than a large tree. They had stayed up long after the
   1.132 +tree was finished, Tomoyo’s head on her mother’s lap. Her mother
   1.133 +would gently play with her hair while they both stared at the glow
   1.134 +from the Christmas tree, all the other lights in the house off. They
   1.135 +had talked late into the night, her mother telling her all sorts of
   1.136 +stories, most having to do with her sweet cousin, Nadeshiko. She had
   1.137 +finally fallen asleep, curled up and with her head still on her
   1.138 +mother’s lap. Looking at the Christmas tree brought back all of those
   1.139 +memories, diffused with other thoughts of Sakura and her family
   1.140 +around it, enjoying the holiday together. Still deep in thought,
   1.141 +Tomoyo pulled up her cell phone to call her bodyguards to pick her
   1.142 +up. Her mother was a very protective woman and wanted to make sure
   1.143 +that she was safe. Tomoyo didn’t really mind and the bodyguards were
   1.144 +all very nice, even if they all hid that under a mask of
   1.145 +professionalism. 
   1.146 +	Finally finished and with some tape still stuck to her now
   1.147 +gloveless hands, Sakura hurried down the stairs. She found Tomoyo on
   1.148 +her knees in front of the Christmas tree, the lights shining onto her
   1.149 +pale skin making it look like she was changing color herself in front
   1.150 +of Sakura. Sakura shook her head and approached the dark haired girl.
   1.151 +“Here it is. I had to wrap it really quickly, so I’m sorry if it’s a
   1.152 +little messy.” She hung her head apologetically as she held it out as
   1.153 +an offering to her best friend. 
   1.154 +	“I’d rather have Sakura-chan wrap it than any store,” Tomoyo said
   1.155 +happily as she stood up, taking the slightly rushed package. The
   1.156 +paper was crinkled and the tape was all over the wrapping paper,
   1.157 +which was a cream color with cute teddy bears holding hearts all over
   1.158 +it. Tomoyo hugged it to her chest, thrilled to receive a gift from
   1.159 +the girl she loved. 
   1.160 +	“Are you still having that Christmas party tonight, Tomoyo-chan?”
   1.161 +Sakura asked curiously, brushing some stray locks of hair from her
   1.162 +eyes.
   1.163 +	Watching Sakura carefully, Tomoyo nodded. Something was bothering
   1.164 +the brunette, she could tell. “Yes, it’s still tonight. I’ve already
   1.165 +passed out all the invitations at school. I’m going to make a cake
   1.166 +for it myself after I get home. Mother has to be at some business
   1.167 +party, but she promised that we’ll spend all of Christmas day
   1.168 +together. The house is decorated very prettily. I can’t wait for you
   1.169 +to see it, Sakura-chan. Sense mother owns a toy company, she made
   1.170 +sure that the house was perfect for Christmas.” Tomoyo’s smile came
   1.171 +easily, though a warning at the back of her mind made her cautious. 
   1.172 +	Sakura’s shoulder’s slumped visibly. There was obvious
   1.173 +disappointment in her voice. “Gomen nasai, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t think
   1.174 +I can come to your party. My family was all going out to dinner
   1.175 +tonight.” She had completely forgot that the two events would be
   1.176 +happening at the same time. To her surprise, Tomoyo’s smile never
   1.177 +faded, though her eyes closed.
   1.178 +	“That’s all right, Sakura-chan. Family is more important than a
   1.179 +Christmas party. Please have fun at dinner. I promise I’ll save some
   1.180 +of the cake for you and Kero-chan.” Tomoyo was the mask of
   1.181 +unconcerned sweetness to her friend, but inside she was heartbroken.
   1.182 +What was a Christmas party without Sakura? The biggest thrill would
   1.183 +be to see her best friend there, to enjoy Christmas Eve with her. And
   1.184 +if her mother was already gone, what was she to do? They were the two
   1.185 +most important people to her, yet she would be spending Christmas Eve
   1.186 +without them. But she still had a party that she was responsible for.
   1.187 +An idea struck her and the heartache dulled slightly, though it
   1.188 +refused to disappear. Images of Sakura in her cute Christmas outfit
   1.189 +and gift giving and Christmas carols with her lingered in her mind
   1.190 +like the events from something that now would not be. “I’ll videotape
   1.191 +the party for you so you won’t have to miss it. I’ll give it to you
   1.192 +as soon as I can.”
   1.193 +	“Great idea, Tomoyo-chan! I can’t wait to see it. I’ll be able to
   1.194 +pretend that I actually went.” Sakura smiled at the idea, still
   1.195 +unaware of the heartache behind her friend’s smile. It seemed like a
   1.196 +wonderful idea. What better way to handle both events? A car out
   1.197 +front pulled her from her thoughts.
   1.198 +	“It must be my bodyguards. I have to go home now and get ready for
   1.199 +the party. Sakura-chan, thank you so much for the present. Whatever
   1.200 +it is, I will cherish it always,” Tomoyo said sweetly. ‘Just like
   1.201 +I’ll always cherish you,’ she added to herself. 
   1.202 +	The two friends walked towards the door, Sakura following a little
   1.203 +behind Tomoyo. “I hope the party goes well, Tomoyo-chan. I bet it’ll
   1.204 +be lots of fun.” Sakura grinned as they reached the door. “You’ll
   1.205 +have to tell me how it all went later.”
   1.206 +	Smiling back, Tomoyo wasn’t so sure herself, but she hid her
   1.207 +concern. After all, it wouldn’t be the same without Sakura. But she
   1.208 +could still record it for her and try to make it a nice party for
   1.209 +everyone. It should be a nice way to spend Christmas Eve. The special
   1.210 +cake she was planning to make wouldn’t be for Sakura, but she could
   1.211 +still keep her in her thoughts while she baked it and got everything
   1.212 +ready. Yes, even if Sakura and her mother couldn’t be there, she
   1.213 +could throw a nice Christmas party for her friends and record it for
   1.214 +the two absent women. “I will, Sakura-chan. I’ll wrap up the video
   1.215 +and bring it by tomorrow afternoon when most of the Christmas
   1.216 +festivities are out of the way. And you’ll have to tell me how your
   1.217 +Christmas goes. I’m sure it will be lovely.” 
   1.218 +	“Tomoyo-chan, arigato,” Sakura said happily as she stood in the
   1.219 +doorway. She was very excited about the coming Christmas. She had
   1.220 +presents to wrap and she had to get changed before dinner. Not that
   1.221 +Tomoyo’s costume for her wasn’t cute, but it would look a little
   1.222 +strange at a restaurant. The brunette was nearly giddy with
   1.223 +excitement. Christmas Eve was always a time of great anticipation for
   1.224 +her. 
   1.225 +	Pausing for just a moment as she considered it, Tomoyo leaned
   1.226 +forward and planted a small, delicate kiss on Sakura’s pink lips. Her
   1.227 +own petal soft lips remained there for a brief second, thrilling in
   1.228 +the delightful feel of the sweet kiss. It was over in an instant, but
   1.229 +it felt like it had lasted much longer. The dark haired girl smiled
   1.230 +brightly, her eyes closing as she tilted her head to the side.
   1.231 +“Sakura-chan looks cute under the mistletoe,” she stated simply
   1.232 +before turning towards the waiting limousine. Her bodyguards watched
   1.233 +impassively as she walked back towards the vehicle. She was nearly
   1.234 +glowing as she walked, entranced by the wonderfully soft kiss she had
   1.235 +managed to give Sakura. She licked her lips while her back was still
   1.236 +to the brunette, savoring the flavor of Sakura’s strawberry flavored
   1.237 +lip balm. Her smile grew as she reached the door that one of the
   1.238 +bodyguards was holding open. She loved the holidays. “Merry
   1.239 +Christmas, Sakura-chan!”
   1.240 +
   1.241 +	Sakura was still in the doorway sometime later, her cheeks a bright
   1.242 +scarlet and her hands held tightly against her chest. Tomoyo had been
   1.243 +gone for several minutes already. But the kiss from the other girl
   1.244 +still lingered in her mind like a lazy butterfly moving slowly
   1.245 +through a meadow. Looking straight up, she saw the mistletoe hanging
   1.246 +above the threshold. Her brother had placed it up the week before.
   1.247 +She frowned, balling her fists as she got ready to blame her brother
   1.248 +as he often did. But for what? She really didn’t feel like it anyway.
   1.249 +She just felt... strange. It had been awkward, getting kissed by
   1.250 +Tomoyo under the mistletoe. But she found the idea returning again
   1.251 +and again in her mind like a light bulb that wouldn’t stay off. It
   1.252 +had been... pleasant. Warm. And very soft. Almost fragile. It took
   1.253 +her a moment to notice that she was breathless. A small laugh escaped
   1.254 +her, sounding tiny and distorted in the empty house. Such a silly
   1.255 +thing. No wonder people kept mistletoe around. For odd occasions like
   1.256 +that. She decided that it was a good thing, whatever it was. A nice
   1.257 +little holiday ritual. She found herself almost disappointed that
   1.258 +Christmas would be over soon and that she wouldn’t have a chance to
   1.259 +do that again. Maybe Tomoyo would kiss her again the next day when
   1.260 +she came by. Or maybe she could kiss her. Under the mistletoe. With
   1.261 +snow outside and Christmas music in the background. It almost sounded
   1.262 +romantic. Sakura tried to force away her blush.  
   1.263 +	The thought still replaying in her mind’s eye, Sakura made her way
   1.264 +back to her room upstairs. She had to hurry up and call Syaoran
   1.265 +before her father and brother got home. She wanted to wish him a
   1.266 +merry Christmas while she still had the chance on Christmas Eve. She
   1.267 +had already sent out his present the week before and she wanted to
   1.268 +know what he thought of it. “Hanyaa...” Life was good. Even if her
   1.269 +boyfriend lived so far away, she was still lucky to have him. And she
   1.270 +had a wonderful friend to help her through everything back home. And
   1.271 +soon enough she would be off for Christmas dinner with her family. 
   1.272 +	A low, desolate howl carried to Sakura over the wind. It was both
   1.273 +intensely close and extremely distant at the same time. But the
   1.274 +desperate hopelessness to it made the brunette shiver terribly, her
   1.275 +skin prickling into goosebumps. She told herself that it must have
   1.276 +merely been the wind, that it was nothing more. But there had been
   1.277 +something remotely human in the despair she had heard. It sent a
   1.278 +chill through her that she couldn’t shake. 
   1.279 +	Trying to ignore the eerie feeling that she was getting, Sakura
   1.280 +made her way over to the fireplace to warm herself. She was felt as
   1.281 +if she had waiting out in the snow for hours without the warm
   1.282 +protection of Tomoyo’s costume. Kneeling down in front of the fire,
   1.283 +she basked in the warm glow, its cheery heat spreading across her
   1.284 +cheeks, almost painfully at first. But despite the warmth it gave
   1.285 +off, Sakura couldn’t get warm enough. It never seemed to dispel the
   1.286 +cold that hung about her. Rubbing her hands together, Sakura knelt
   1.287 +closer. The flames flickered and faded. The howl returned, closer
   1.288 +this time, as if it were right over her shoulder. Any warmth the
   1.289 +flames had been giving off to Sakura dissipated quickly, her heart
   1.290 +pounding nervously in her chest. The cold winter outside seemed no
   1.291 +match for the frigid shroud that was gripping at her like thousands
   1.292 +of frozen hands. As the brunette stared uneasily into the flames, the
   1.293 +flames began to stare back at her, taking shape. A feminine figure
   1.294 +began to appear, long hair flickering as the flames danced lazily
   1.295 +about the fireplace. Screaming, Sakura fell backwards, kicking away
   1.296 +from the fire. Without a glance back, she ran up stairs. Her fingers
   1.297 +fumbled around her doorknob as they shook, the sound growing louder
   1.298 +and closer. She barely got the door open as the sound reached the
   1.299 +stairs, slipping in and slamming the door closed behind her.
   1.300 +Backpedaling in her frightened state, Sakura fell back on her bed,
   1.301 +staring at her door. 
   1.302 +If there was one thing that really frightened the magical girl, it
   1.303 +was ghosts. Everything else was tangible, something that she could
   1.304 +eventually overcome with support from Tomoyo or help from Syaoran or
   1.305 +Yue. Ghosts were just... They were scary. They always had been to
   1.306 +her. Touya had told her many ghost stories as a child and now she was
   1.307 +simply terrified of the very idea. She usually found herself gripping
   1.308 +onto Tomoyo when Naoko would start a scary story or when they were
   1.309 +walking through some dark shadows. But now she was all alone in her
   1.310 +room, the sound growing ever closer. Her shaking hands reached out
   1.311 +for the pink cell phone Tomoyo had given her so long ago, punching in
   1.312 +familiar numbers in a desperate attempt to reach her best friend. It
   1.313 +was all right. This was probably all in her mind. She just needed
   1.314 +Tomoyo to tell her that. She could trust her dark haired friend much
   1.315 +more than her own jumpy mind. -“Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered
   1.316 +nervously. She never finished dialing. The cell phone clattered
   1.317 +uselessly to the floor. “Hoe...” Now Sakura’s whole body had begun to
   1.318 +shake. A woman was walking through her door. At first, it appeared to
   1.319 +be gathering mist, pooling out through the closed door. But it slowly
   1.320 +began to take shape, features growing more defined in the dim light
   1.321 +of Sakura’s room. She had never hit the light switch upon entering
   1.322 +the room, but the woman before her was glowing softly in the
   1.323 +darkness. Her eyes were closed, long gray hair fluttering around her
   1.324 +as if in a breeze that Sakura could not feel. Sakura slowly felt her
   1.325 +fear melt away in this angelic woman’s presence. There was nothing
   1.326 +frightening about her, only a deep sadness that surrounded the woman.
   1.327 +It took Sakura a moment to realize she had seen this woman before.
   1.328 +Every day in pictures around the house. The last time she had seen
   1.329 +her alive was when she was only three years old. “Mama?” she asked
   1.330 +quietly, her voice wavering.
   1.331 +Nadeshiko smiled warmly at her daughter, drifting closer. She didn’t
   1.332 +seem to be moving at all as she did so, the distance dropping away
   1.333 +between them. Her jade eyes, the same green as her daughters, shone
   1.334 +brightly in the darkness like twin moons. They were gentle and
   1.335 +loving, just the way Sakura remembered her mother. Her dark hair
   1.336 +continued to flow about her in a breeze that was not there. “Sakura-
   1.337 +chan...” Her soft voice was achingly beautiful, wrapping around
   1.338 +Sakura like a time machine as years slipped away from her like grains
   1.339 +of sand. For a brief moment, she was three years old again, together
   1.340 +with her mother.
   1.341 +“Mama!” Sakura cried out, tears spilling down her cheeks as she
   1.342 +lunged forward to hug the spirit before her. Her arms encountered
   1.343 +nothing, moving through Nadeshiko as if she were never there.
   1.344 +“Mama..?” Sakura stepped back in confusion, watching her mother.
   1.345 +Nadeshiko closed her eyes sadly, her bright light fading ever so
   1.346 +slightly. It looked like an ancient pain had overtaken her, one that
   1.347 +she was all too familiar with. 
   1.348 +“Sakura-chan...” Nadeshiko whispered again. Her fingers brushed past
   1.349 +Sakura’s cheek and for a second the brunette could feel a light
   1.350 +breeze along her cheek, though the fingers were curiously absent. “My
   1.351 +baby girl. I’m always watching over you, Sakura-chan. I couldn’t
   1.352 +leave you all behind.” She smiled beautifully and for a moment,
   1.353 +Sakura was reminded of Tomoyo. They both shared a loving smile and
   1.354 +nearly the same long, dark hair. ‘And she watches over me, too,’
   1.355 +Sakura added to herself. She quickly pushed the thought away. Now
   1.356 +wasn’t the time. But if now wasn’t the time, when was? Unable to
   1.357 +answer her own question, Sakura merely shook her head, watching the
   1.358 +glowing woman. “But I can’t share in your joys or your sorrows. I
   1.359 +can’t be part of your lives anymore. I can only watch. And offer my
   1.360 +love across the distance. I can only hope that you all feel it.” The
   1.361 +pained look overtook her again and the hurt in her voice was evident. 
   1.362 +Sakura could never remember her mother looking so sad. The older
   1.363 +woman had always been happy during the short time Sakura had known
   1.364 +her, even up to her death. It seemed like nothing could hurt her.
   1.365 +Life itself seemed to thrill her and fill her with exuberance. But
   1.366 +now she hadn’t moved on, still holding herself close to the family
   1.367 +she loved so dearly. Only being able to watch them, unable to share
   1.368 +in their lives must have been painful for her. All she could do was
   1.369 +wait to be with them once more. But there seemed to be something else
   1.370 +as well. “We can..” Sakura offered, taking a step closer to her
   1.371 +mother. It had been so many years. Several crystalline tears dripped
   1.372 +unnoticed past her chin. “Sometimes I’ll feel it. It’s like you’re
   1.373 +there beside me. It feels warm and safe. And it makes me smile to
   1.374 +know that you’re watching. Because I know that you’re out there.”
   1.375 +A smile crossed Nadeshiko’s lips and the light surrounding her grew
   1.376 +in intensity. “My little girl... You’ve grown into such a beautiful
   1.377 +woman. I knew my little Sakura would do great things as she grew
   1.378 +older.” Her smile faded, as did her glow. She grew serious, her eyes
   1.379 +locking with Sakura’s. “It’s great to see you again, Sakura-chan, but
   1.380 +I can’t stay for long. I came to warn you.”
   1.381 +“Warn me?” Sakura asked worriedly. The ominous tone in her mother’s
   1.382 +voice didn’t help her state of mind. Oh, and the fact that she was
   1.383 +dead. From the stories she had heard, that usually meant she was back
   1.384 +for a very important reason. But what could that be? She had already
   1.385 +captured all of the Clow Cards and made them her own Sakura Cards.
   1.386 +She had faced Eriol and overcome the Catastrophe. What could be worse
   1.387 +than any of that that her mother would need to come warn her about?
   1.388 +Nadeshiko nodded gravely. “Sakura-chan, you’re at a very important
   1.389 +time in your life. Your decisions will affect a great deal of what is
   1.390 +to come for you. You need to make sure that they are the right
   1.391 +decisions.” A soft, wisp of a sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes fell
   1.392 +shut as her mind drifted back to some of her own decisions. “I have
   1.393 +only one regret from my life. The rest was wonderful. Having you and
   1.394 +Touya, the joys I was witness to, all of it. Even watching your lives
   1.395 +as I wait is a blessing. But there’s one thing that haunts me.
   1.396 +Everyday I see the pain that I’ve caused when I watch her. I can feel
   1.397 +her agony, but I’m helpless to ease its burden. I had no idea how
   1.398 +much I had hurt her.” Her voice choked off as tears threatened to
   1.399 +overwhelm her, but she forced forward. She hadn’t much time left. She
   1.400 +shook her head and continued. “You’re in that same position now,
   1.401 +Sakura-chan. We both overlooked the love that sustained us throughout
   1.402 +our lives. You can’t make the same mistake I made. Tasting her pain
   1.403 +is just too horrible. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”
   1.404 +Tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she paid them no attention,
   1.405 +fixing her gaze on her daughter. “During my lifetime, I didn’t allow
   1.406 +myself time to worry about much of anything. I simply enjoyed the
   1.407 +beauty that existed in life. One of the most beautiful things I was
   1.408 +witness to was the love of my cousin, Sonomi. She was my best friend,
   1.409 +my guardian, and so much more. But I never realized the extent of her
   1.410 +love. I never knew how much I had hurt her when I got married. Losing
   1.411 +her was the most painful thing in my life.” A soft, warm smile
   1.412 +crossed her lips as she drew closer to Sakura. “Much worse than my
   1.413 +death. It never really did concern me. I had lived a happy life.
   1.414 +Death was just a crossroads. It even brought Sonomi back to me, if
   1.415 +only for a short time, so I was glad for that. But now... I watch her
   1.416 +every day. I watch over her in the same way I watch over you and
   1.417 +Touya. I’ve seen the pain she’s endured. And I know that I’m the
   1.418 +cause behind it. All because I failed her. I failed to see what was
   1.419 +right in front of me for all those years. And now she lives on in
   1.420 +pain that I can only watch. And wait. One day, I will make it up for
   1.421 +her. But that could be many years from now. I have to wait until her
   1.422 +own death for us to be reunited again. Sakura-chan, you’re travelling
   1.423 +the same path I did. And I’m afraid for you, my daughter. I don’t
   1.424 +want you to have to see that pain yourself.” Her teary eyes fluttered
   1.425 +for a moment, but remained fixed on Sakura’s green orbs. Sakura could
   1.426 +only look back, unsure of what to say. “Tonight, you will be visited
   1.427 +by three spirits. Listen to them. Learn their lessons well. The rest
   1.428 +is up to you, Sakura-chan. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t
   1.429 +wait until your death to see the errors in your life. Don’t lose the
   1.430 +most beautiful thing in your life before you truly have the chance to
   1.431 +appreciate it.” She smiled softly, kissing Sakura’s forehead. Sakura
   1.432 +only felt a gentle breeze as her mother pulled away. “Remember,
   1.433 +Sakura-chan, I’ll always be watching over you. Please make sure she
   1.434 +doesn’t join me too soon. You only need one guardian angel.” Her
   1.435 +voice faded, becoming nothing more than a faint whisper. The room was
   1.436 +once again plunged into darkness.
   1.437 +Sakura sat in silence, and for a moment she wondered if her mother
   1.438 +had truly been there at all. Was it just some delusion? Had she been
   1.439 +dreaming? No, she had been there. It was her mother. She had to be.
   1.440 +Her voice still lingered in Sakura’s ears. But what had she meant?
   1.441 +What was awaiting her? Who was she hurting? Tomoyo, a voice in the
   1.442 +back of her mind supplied. But how? She would never hurt Tomoyo
   1.443 +intentionally. She was her best friend. The dark haired girl was
   1.444 +always there for Sakura. She would never dream of harming her pale
   1.445 +friend. But if she was doing it unknowingly... Sakura slumped back on
   1.446 +her bed, hugging herself tightly. “Mama...”
   1.447 +	
   1.448 +	Dinner came and went all too swiftly for Sakura. Her mind was too
   1.449 +focused on her mother’s words to really enjoy herself. Her brother
   1.450 +had noticed that something seemed wrong with her, but she quickly
   1.451 +explained that she was fine. He didn’t look like he believed her, but
   1.452 +he let it drop. The whole thing had been disturbing. But had it
   1.453 +really happened? She hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and
   1.454 +Christmas was only a few short hours away, so she could have just
   1.455 +dreamt the whole thing. She had nearly gotten herself to believe that
   1.456 +by the time she was back home in her room. Kero was still
   1.457 +mysteriously absent, but she figured he was probably out looking at
   1.458 +all of the pretty lights decorating the city for Christmas. Or
   1.459 +getting something to eat. He did have a pretty one track mind
   1.460 +sometimes. 
   1.461 +	Sakura had contemplated calling Tomoyo several times, but she
   1.462 +couldn’t quite bring herself to finish dialing Tomoyo’s number. This
   1.463 +had to do with Tomoyo, didn’t it? That’s what the small voice in the
   1.464 +back of her mind had said at least. She didn’t know how to ask the
   1.465 +dark haired girl about it. ‘Besides,’ she rationalized, ‘Tomoyo-
   1.466 +chan’s busy with her party. I’ll just call her tomorrow. By then that
   1.467 +dream should have stopped bothering me anyway.’ Setting down the pink
   1.468 +cell phone near her bed, Sakura tried to ignore the area where her
   1.469 +mother had been standing not so long ago. It was just a dream. It had
   1.470 +to be. 
   1.471 +	Lying on her stomach, Sakura held onto a doll in front of her. The
   1.472 +doll looked quite a bit like Cardcaptor Sakura, even though she had
   1.473 +gotten it a while before she had ever found out about the Clow Cards.
   1.474 +Tomoyo had sewn it and given it to her a few weeks after they had
   1.475 +met. She had kept it near her bed ever since. She had plenty of
   1.476 +stuffed animals and dolls around her room, but this one was probably
   1.477 +her favorite. Maybe even more so than the teddy bear Syaoran had
   1.478 +given her. The teddy bear was sweet and she was happy to have
   1.479 +received it from him, but the little stuffed Sakura had been hers for
   1.480 +so long. It was always a comforting reminder of Tomoyo whether she
   1.481 +was doing homework or worrying about magical happenings or just lying
   1.482 +in her bed at night waiting for sleep to take her. Pulling it closer
   1.483 +to her face, Sakura could still faintly smell Tomoyo on the cute
   1.484 +little doll. Squeezing its soft fabric between her fingers, she let
   1.485 +her eyes fall closed peacefully. If she couldn’t call Tomoyo, this
   1.486 +was the second best thing. It almost felt like she was there with
   1.487 +her, soothing Sakura’s worried spirit the way she always did. She
   1.488 +felt herself drifting off, her worries dissipating in the calm that
   1.489 +slowly began to envelop the Cardmistress. Tomoyo’s gentle caress
   1.490 +seemed to spread through her soul, washing her worries away. She
   1.491 +could almost feel Tomoyo’s fingers brushing softly through her hair
   1.492 +and gave a content sigh, hugging the stuffed Sakura against her
   1.493 +chest. Her relationship with Syaoran could be a little strange at
   1.494 +times, but she could always count on Tomoyo in her life. Syaoran
   1.495 +wasn't very good at expressing his emotions so she didn’t know how he
   1.496 +felt very often. That coupled with his irrational jealousy at times
   1.497 +made things difficult. But they were made for each other, right? So
   1.498 +it didn’t matter. Sakura was almost the opposite. She couldn’t help
   1.499 +showing her emotions. It was just that she didn’t always understand
   1.500 +them. Like her feelings for Syaoran. She never would have understood
   1.501 +them if Tomoyo and everyone else hadn’t told her. Tomoyo was always
   1.502 +there for her, never too busy to help Sakura or just to spend time
   1.503 +with her. Tomoyo understood her feelings perfectly, even better than
   1.504 +Sakura herself did. The dark haired girl was the eye of the storm in
   1.505 +her life when everything else became overwhelming. She was the one
   1.506 +Sakura always turned to for comfort when she needed it. It was
   1.507 +strange how it differed from her relationship with her boyfriend. And
   1.508 +now that everything had gotten so confusing for her, it was Tomoyo
   1.509 +she had reached out for, if only in the form of the doll she had
   1.510 +given Sakura. 
   1.511 +	Nearly asleep, Sakura began to feel the imaginary fingers brushing
   1.512 +her hair from her eyes. A sleepy part of her mind mused that the
   1.513 +fingers were longer than Tomoyo’s. But that hardly seemed to matter
   1.514 +at the moment. In her dreamy state, she could see when Tomoyo had
   1.515 +first given her the Sakura doll. Tomoyo had given it to Sakura after
   1.516 +school. She couldn’t remember if it was near Christmas or not at the
   1.517 +time, but there was a light snow in Sakura’s dream and Tomoyo was
   1.518 +wearing their school’s winter uniform. The dark haired girl smiled
   1.519 +pleasantly as she gave Sakura the gift, telling her that she was so
   1.520 +happy to have met Sakura and that she wanted to thank her for being
   1.521 +her friend. Tomoyo had been new at the time, Sakura knew that. No one
   1.522 +else seemed to want to be friends with the slightly introverted,
   1.523 +eccentric heiress. But Sakura had quickly found her to be the best
   1.524 +friend she could have hoped for. She had been thrilled with the gift,
   1.525 +though a little puzzled that it was a doll of her. Despite her
   1.526 +friend’s obvious talent the doll showcased, Tomoyo mentioned that it
   1.527 +wasn’t as cute as the real Sakura. Sakura had blushed as she often
   1.528 +did when Tomoyo would say such embarrassing things. Tomoyo looked
   1.529 +incredibly happy, her hands on her cheeks as she simply watched the
   1.530 +brunette contently. It was strange. The oddest things could bring
   1.531 +such joy to Sakura’s dark haired friend. It usually had to do with
   1.532 +when they were together, Sakura realized sleepily. The thought
   1.533 +lingered for a moment, as if it wanted to say more to Sakura before
   1.534 +it drifted off to wherever dreams disappear to upon awaking. 
   1.535 +	The fingers in Sakura’s hair were still there as she finally began
   1.536 +to stir. Had she fallen asleep? She hadn’t been that tired, had she?
   1.537 +A wave of disorientation spun her around and around as her mind
   1.538 +slowly began to concentrate on the present again. It felt like she
   1.539 +was thinking through a heavy blanket, her thoughts muffled and
   1.540 +distant. Her whereabouts took a minute to come to her. Her room, of
   1.541 +course. Where else would she be? It slowly dawned upon her that that
   1.542 +was an awkward place to find fingers in her hair. Sometimes when she
   1.543 +would sit in the park with Tomoyo or when she would sit at her desk
   1.544 +before class started she would find the other girl’s pale fingers in
   1.545 +her hair, but Tomoyo would hardly be in her room right now, would
   1.546 +she? For a few moments, that was the perfect answer. Of course it was
   1.547 +Tomoyo. She must have come by after the party and was watching Sakura
   1.548 +sleep. The explanation sounded plausible enough, but once again she
   1.549 +was reminded that the fingers were longer, not quite as gentle as
   1.550 +Tomoyo’s. They were still soft and smooth in her hair, though the
   1.551 +overall feel was beginning to strike Sakura as different. Almost like
   1.552 +a woman stroking the hair of a cute child, unlike Tomoyo’s... Just
   1.553 +how did Tomoyo run her hands through her hair anyway? Like a best
   1.554 +friend? Sakura hadn’t seen many other best friends doing quite the
   1.555 +same thing. Tomoyo was loving and gentle about it, her fingers
   1.556 +playfully running through Sakura’s hair as they envisioned different
   1.557 +hairstyles. This thought brought an image of Tomoyo’s own beautiful
   1.558 +hair and how often she styled it differently. She found herself
   1.559 +embarrassed to be drifting so far from the topic at hand. Someone was
   1.560 +there with her. That realization finally shook the last vestiges of
   1.561 +sleep from her. 	Her eyes blinked rapidly as she sat up. Darkness
   1.562 +surrounded her in all directions, seeming to stretch off eternally.
   1.563 +Was this the Dark Card again? No, she could feel her bed underneath
   1.564 +her, her blanket twisted between her legs. After what seemed like
   1.565 +eons, Sakura’s eyes finally began adjusting to the darkness. What
   1.566 +looked to be a woman was sitting next to her on the edge of her bed,
   1.567 +long hair falling past her shoulders. Was it pink? She couldn’t tell
   1.568 +the exact shade in the darkness of her room. “Ruby Moon?!” The sound
   1.569 +of her voice scared her. She hadn’t noticed how silent it was. How
   1.570 +eerily silent. There was no snoring from Kero, no sounds of her
   1.571 +brother busily finishing some sort of work in his room, which she
   1.572 +would have counted on with it being Christmas Eve, no sound at all.
   1.573 +Her voice rang shaky and frightened in her ears. She tried to push
   1.574 +back her fears and confusion, gripping onto the stuffed Sakura in her
   1.575 +arms. ‘Everything will always be all right,’ Tomoyo’s voice whispered
   1.576 +in her mind. “What are you doing here?” she asked at last. Her voice
   1.577 +sounded less afraid now, simply curious. What reason did she have to
   1.578 +fear Ruby Moon anyway? But wasn’t she with Eriol in England now?
   1.579 +	Ruby Moon stood up and stretched extravagantly. Her butterfly wings
   1.580 +shimmered in the darkened room. Her long gloved fingers beckoned for
   1.581 +Sakura as she ignored her question. “Come. You have much to see. And
   1.582 +I don’t have much time to show you.”
   1.583 +	Sakura merely sat in confused silence, staring at the beautiful
   1.584 +crossdressing magical being. “What?” Sakura repeated, blinking. This
   1.585 +wasn’t registering in her sleep addled mind. Her mother’s words
   1.586 +slowly began to surface in the mist that shrouded her thoughts. Was
   1.587 +this one of the spirits she had been talking about? 
   1.588 +	Ruby Moon sighed, her hands on her hips. “We have to get going,
   1.589 +Sakura-chan. We don’t have all night. Besides, as soon as I finish
   1.590 +this, I’m gonna go watch Touya while he sleeps. I bet he looks
   1.591 +completely darling.” A grin crossed her lips, but she quickly forced
   1.592 +it away. Business before pleasure, she reminded herself. Taking
   1.593 +Sakura’s hand, she led her to the window. The Cardmistress followed
   1.594 +docilely, still completely confused by the situation. “I’m the Ghost
   1.595 +of Christmas Past. I’m here to show you your past holidays. Much was
   1.596 +left unseen their first time through, so this is your chance to see
   1.597 +the truth behind them. Keep your eyes open, Sakura-chan,” she
   1.598 +finished cordially. Her wings spread as she placed her hand on the
   1.599 +window. Soft, white snow fell outside, blanketing the city. Ruby
   1.600 +Moon’s hand slid through the glass as if it were nothing more than
   1.601 +water. 
   1.602 +	Amazement crept up on Sakura as she watched the pink haired woman
   1.603 +start to shift through the window. Amazement turned to shock as she
   1.604 +found herself getting pulled along through as well. She had time only
   1.605 +to get out a short yelp before she was on the other side, floating
   1.606 +above the fallen snow. Ruby Moon’s giggle fell on her ears, grabbing
   1.607 +her attention. Even though Sakura was only in her pajamas, the wind
   1.608 +and the cold moved past her as if she were being protected. “Hoe...
   1.609 +What’s going on?” Sakura asked again quietly. But she already knew.
   1.610 +They were going to see the past. With the soft smile that Ruby Moon
   1.611 +was wearing, it almost felt like a jolly idea. It was Christmas,
   1.612 +after all. Why not go and see the pretty decorations of years gone
   1.613 +by? But a chill went through Sakura, creeping through her whole body.
   1.614 +She was afraid of what she might find on the other side. 
   1.615 +
   1.616 +	When Sakura opened her eyes again, they were indoors. Murmuring
   1.617 +could be heard somewhere behind her, voices upon voices piled on top
   1.618 +of each other, all trying to be vaguely quiet but rising together in
   1.619 +a swell that was nearly deafening in itself. Sakura turned around,
   1.620 +trying to spot anything that would help tell her where she was. Her
   1.621 +bare feet moved against the carpet, though the carpet didn’t shift at
   1.622 +all. It was as if she weren’t there at all. Her eyes finally fell
   1.623 +upon something that rose her heart high up in her chest. “Tomoyo-
   1.624 +chan!!” The dark haired girl was wearing a beautiful dress with a
   1.625 +long white ribbon in her hair. If Tomoyo was here, then she didn’t
   1.626 +have to worry. Whenever Tomoyo was with her, everything seemed more
   1.627 +bearable. She felt at ease now that she wasn’t all alone in this
   1.628 +strange place. “Tomoyo-chan!” she called again, running to the other
   1.629 +girl. It was then that Sakura noticed that she was taller than
   1.630 +Tomoyo. That wasn’t strange in and of itself, she had always been
   1.631 +slightly taller than Tomoyo, more so in recent years. But she was too
   1.632 +much taller than her best friend. Tomoyo’s gentle curves were much
   1.633 +less defined, her face more childish. “Hoe?” It took Sakura a moment
   1.634 +to understand. Tomoyo was younger than she was. Just how much, she
   1.635 +couldn’t be sure. So she was in the past. “Tomoyo-chan..?” But Tomoyo
   1.636 +couldn’t hear her. She looked nervous as she kept looking into the
   1.637 +mirror, adjusting her ribbon one way or the other. It was strange to
   1.638 +see her like that. In all the time that Sakura had known Tomoyo, she
   1.639 +couldn’t remember one instance when the dark haired girl had looked
   1.640 +nervous. Tomoyo was obviously about to go onstage to sing. But she
   1.641 +had told Sakura before that she wasn’t nervous when she was singing
   1.642 +because she got lost in the music. So what was worrying her?
   1.643 +	“Tomoyo-chan!” Another voice called out, drawing both Sakura and
   1.644 +Tomoyo’s attention. In a fraction of a second, all of the worry
   1.645 +Sakura had seen on Tomoyo face dissolved as if it had never been
   1.646 +there at all. Tomoyo was once again her normal smiling self. Sakura
   1.647 +was a little surprised. Had she seen it at all or were her eyes only
   1.648 +playing tricks on her? Tomoyo looked completely fine now, smiling her
   1.649 +usual sweet smile. The owner of the voice turned out to be none other
   1.650 +than Sakura herself, albeit her younger self. 
   1.651 +	“Sakura-chan, I’m glad to see you,” Tomoyo said in her gentle, warm
   1.652 +voice. She took Sakura’s hands in her own, smiling happily, no trace
   1.653 +left of whatever was plaguing her moments before. “Thank you so much
   1.654 +for coming. Did you get a good seat?”
   1.655 +	Sakura returned the smile, shifting on the souls of her feet as
   1.656 +Tomoyo held onto her hands. She felt a gentle squeeze but that
   1.657 +nothing of it. “The seats are great. I’m right next to Rika-chan and
   1.658 +Naoko-chan.” She frowned slightly. “But Onii-chan and Yukito-san are
   1.659 +a few rows back. Onii-chan wouldn’t switch with me.” She sweatdropped.
   1.660 +	A soft giggle came from Tomoyo. “If poor Tsukishiro-san can’t have
   1.661 +Sakura-chan’s company then I’m sure he must be very sad. He’ll have
   1.662 +to make do with Touya-san instead. I’d be happy to be sitting out
   1.663 +there with Sakura-chan if I could.” Her stormy blue eyes sparkled in
   1.664 +the backstage light, their bright intensity never leaving Sakura. 
   1.665 +	Shaking her head swiftly, Sakura took a step closer to Tomoyo. The
   1.666 +dark haired girl began to smile even brighter at the close proximity
   1.667 +to her best friend. “No, you can’t do that, Tomoyo-chan. You need to
   1.668 +be up on stage singing. You’re the best in the choir. Everyone will
   1.669 +be so happy to hear you sing.”
   1.670 +	“There’s only one person I want to sing for. The person I love. I
   1.671 +want everything I sing to be for them. I want every word to go
   1.672 +straight to their heart. I want them to feel my love. When I’m
   1.673 +singing, I can see them in my mind. It’s like I’m with them, like
   1.674 +we’re together. So I sing with all my heart for them. When I think of
   1.675 +them, my love bubbles up inside my heart and it feels like it’s going
   1.676 +to burst. But when I sing, I can let all of my love out, I can pour
   1.677 +it into my singing. It’s how I express my love,” Tomoyo explained, a
   1.678 +distant look in her eyes. They held Sakura’s gaze, saying so much
   1.679 +more than her words could hint at. 
   1.680 +	“Hanyaa... Tomoyo-chan, no wonder your singing is so gorgeous! It
   1.681 +has to be if you’re singing for the one you love.” Sakura watched
   1.682 +Tomoyo with equal parts joy and admiration. “That’s wonderful. I wish
   1.683 +I could sing like you. I would sing for Yukito-san.” Her cheeks
   1.684 +flushed darkly at the thought, her eyes closing as she imagined
   1.685 +herself on stage singing to an audience consisting of only her
   1.686 +brother’s friend. Tomoyo must do the same thing, picturing only her
   1.687 +love listening happily to her beautiful music. 
   1.688 +	Tomoyo’s smile continued on as before, still bright and cheery, but
   1.689 +she let go of her grip on Sakura’s hands, pulling her own hands up to
   1.690 +her chest. “I’m sure your singing would be very cute, Sakura-chan.
   1.691 +Tsukishiro-san would love to hear it, I’m sure. You have such a
   1.692 +pretty voice that I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to hear
   1.693 +you sing. Like a beautiful Siren, Sakura-chan would lure everyone
   1.694 +close by, taking a place in all of their hearts.” The older Sakura
   1.695 +could almost see hearts in Tomoyo’s eyes as the dark haired girl
   1.696 +spoke fervently to her younger self. It was cute to see her with such
   1.697 +pure enthusiasm. Sakura had seen Tomoyo act that way often when she
   1.698 +would talk about the Cardmistress or about her true love. 
   1.699 +	The younger Sakura found herself blushing again at Tomoyo’s kind
   1.700 +words. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. But you have such a beautiful voice.
   1.701 +You’ll make the Christmas pageant wonderful. I can’t wait to see it.” 
   1.702 +Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, smiling at the brunette. Her
   1.703 +dark hair fell past her cheeks, contrasting starkly with her snow
   1.704 +white skin. She should be feeling nervous, a thought occurred to her.
   1.705 +But she wasn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to be. She merely felt
   1.706 +absorbed in Sakura’s presence, as she often did. It surrounded her
   1.707 +and held tightly to her heart. Her heart was trussed up with a
   1.708 +beautiful red bow, ready and waiting to be Sakura’s Christmas
   1.709 +present. “I’m going to be singing for you, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo
   1.710 +explained. Her voice was soft and loving, directed fully to her
   1.711 +friend. “I want you to be the only one I’m singing for tonight. I’ll
   1.712 +sing with my entire heart for you, Sakura-chan.”
   1.713 +Sakura’s face lit up. Oh, what a wonderful Christmas present!
   1.714 +“You’re always so good with gifts, Tomoyo-chan. They’re always so
   1.715 +special. Thank you so much!” Sakura clasped her hands in front of
   1.716 +her, anxious to hear Tomoyo sing again. Whenever Tomoyo would sing,
   1.717 +it felt like the dark haired girl was singing directly to her. Her
   1.718 +melodious, gentle voice swept her away to warm and loving
   1.719 +destinations each time. She always looked forward to listening to her
   1.720 +sing. Her friends agreed that Tomoyo had an amazing voice and was a
   1.721 +wonderful singer, but it went beyond that for Sakura. She truly loved
   1.722 +listening to her friend’s melodies. She almost found herself lost in
   1.723 +them when Tomoyo would sing, but she was never afraid because she
   1.724 +knew Tomoyo would lead her back safely. Her eyes closed slowly as she
   1.725 +imagined the songs that often played in her heart, sung always by
   1.726 +Tomoyo. She would sneak by the choir room when she could, listening
   1.727 +to her best friend’s practices, forgetting everything else in the
   1.728 +world when she would. Her voice was encompassing, rolling emotions
   1.729 +through her body, drawing out the feelings deep in her heart. It was
   1.730 +Tomoyo’s special brand of magic and Sakura always found it enchanting. 
   1.731 +	“Sakura-chan...” Tomoyo whispered. Sakura looked absolutely serene
   1.732 +as she stood quietly with her eyes closed. Tomoyo found her fingers
   1.733 +moving as if with a will of their own, lightly stroking Sakura’s warm
   1.734 +cheek. That wasn’t her full Christmas gift. There had been something
   1.735 +else she had wanted to give Sakura this Christmas. An explanation. A
   1.736 +sign. Her heart. Christmas was a time of giving and she wanted to
   1.737 +give Sakura her entire heart and soul. What the brunette would do
   1.738 +with them, Tomoyo did not know, but she would just be happy to let
   1.739 +her know that they were hers. She wanted to make Sakura happy with
   1.740 +every ounce of her being. Sakura was so intoxicating. Everything
   1.741 +about her only served to strengthen Tomoyo’s love for the girl. She
   1.742 +licked her lips, the soft pink rose petals suddenly dry. This would
   1.743 +be the perfect way to show Sakura what she meant with her present, to
   1.744 +show Sakura why she would be the only one Tomoyo was singing for. She
   1.745 +wanted Sakura to know what was behind the music when she was out on
   1.746 +stage. She drew nearer to Sakura, the beautiful brunette still
   1.747 +smiling with her eyes closed. Yukito was only a crush, Tomoyo knew
   1.748 +Sakura well enough to know that. Besides, she already had a good idea
   1.749 +who Yukito himself was interested in. She wanted to spare Sakura that
   1.750 +pain. She wanted to be the one who sheltered her heart and labored
   1.751 +all her days to brighten Sakura’s heart. Her lips were now inches
   1.752 +from Sakura’s. Delicate inches that felt both indescribably distant
   1.753 +and incredibly nearby. The Cardmistress’s spell had worked it’s magic
   1.754 +on her long ago, back before Sakura had ever been a magical girl. A
   1.755 +sweet, gentle kiss, one that would explain her love better than any
   1.756 +of her words ever could for her sweet yet naïve best friend. 
   1.757 +	“So what were you going to tell me, Tomoyo-chan? You told me you
   1.758 +wanted to see me before the pageant started.” Sakura’s emerald green
   1.759 +eyes fluttered open slowly. Tomoyo was surprisingly close, but that
   1.760 +just made her smile. She felt nice when Tomoyo was near her. 
   1.761 +	No, maybe Sakura wasn’t old enough yet after all. There would
   1.762 +always be other Christmases. One day Sakura would understand her
   1.763 +heart. But not yet. “I’ll tell you when you’re older, Sakura-chan,”
   1.764 +Tomoyo said softly, taking Sakura’s hands again. She gave them a
   1.765 +gentle squeeze and began leading Sakura after her. A smile crossed
   1.766 +her lips. Yes, her love could wait an eternity for this girl. She
   1.767 +didn’t need to tell her now. She could wait for Sakura. When Sakura
   1.768 +was ready, that’s when she would tell her. In the meantime, she might
   1.769 +as well work out her crush on Yukito. It was cute watching Sakura
   1.770 +chase after him as it was. The magical girl was always so determined,
   1.771 +her eyes burning with their own jade fire. “I’ll be singing for you,
   1.772 +Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo promised as they reached the exit. 
   1.773 +	Sakura nodded, a little confused. “Un, if you say so, Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.774 +Confusion gave way to concern. That Syaoran boy was probably trying
   1.775 +to steal Yukito away from her again while she was busy. She returned
   1.776 +Tomoyo’s smile as she got ready to slip out the door. “I have to go
   1.777 +keep an eye on Yukito-san. Merri Kurisumasu, Tomoyo-chan! I’ll be
   1.778 +watching!” Sakura called before ducking out. 
   1.779 +	Tomoyo stood alone with her hands held to her chest for a long
   1.780 +moment, staring at the space that Sakura had previously occupied. A
   1.781 +soft sigh escaped her lips. She slowly began to fade away in front of
   1.782 +the observing Sakura’s eyes, growing faint and dim. Sakura reached
   1.783 +out for her, her fingers finding nothing but a patch of cold air.
   1.784 +“Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered, thought whether it ever got out of
   1.785 +her mouth, she didn’t know. Even she couldn’t hear it. Her eyes
   1.786 +stayed on the solemn figure until long after the last trace of her
   1.787 +pale best friend was gone. 
   1.788 +	“She’s a brave little girl. You’re happiness meant the world to
   1.789 +her. So little things like that didn’t seem to matter to her. But it
   1.790 +grew more difficult as time went by. The hope of youth slowly slips
   1.791 +away from you as the harshness of reality sets in. I think she truly
   1.792 +believed that you would rescue her for quite some time,” Ruby Moon
   1.793 +said, startling Sakura as she appeared by her side. 
   1.794 +	“She was going to kiss me...” Sakura mumbled, a hand going to her
   1.795 +lips. She could remember that night, with her eyes closed. She had
   1.796 +had no idea that Tomoyo had been so close. That the dark haired girl
   1.797 +had another piece to her present. Her mind shot back to the kiss
   1.798 +under the mistletoe not that long before. So Tomoyo had some other
   1.799 +reason behind it other than just some holiday tradition. A shiver
   1.800 +went through her as the cold emptiness once again surrounded them.
   1.801 +She longed to see Tomoyo again, to see the warmth and brightness the
   1.802 +other girl seemed to give off. Anything but this expanse of nothing. 
   1.803 +	Ruby Moon nodded. “She was. That was back before she had given up
   1.804 +on being your special someone. There was still hope in her heart that
   1.805 +she could be the one you would love in the end. But that dwindled
   1.806 +away as time went by. She convinced herself that it wasn’t that way,
   1.807 +that you would love another. That someone else would be the one to
   1.808 +make you happy.”
   1.809 +	Sakura shook her head quickly, trying desperately to get a grasp on
   1.810 +everything that was piling up on her. “What? But why? I mean, I
   1.811 +didn’t... Everyone had to tell me about Syaoran-kun. I had no idea
   1.812 +about my feelings before he wound up telling me. And without everyone
   1.813 +else pushing us together, I might never have known. Why would she
   1.814 +decide that we could never...” She trailed off, having trouble
   1.815 +wrapping her mind around the thoughts that followed. Her cheeks
   1.816 +blushed stubbornly. 
   1.817 +	“If they’re your feelings to begin with,” Ruby Moon stated
   1.818 +enigmatically. She sighed, shaking her head. “Sakura-chan, she has
   1.819 +poured her love out to you for a very long time now. It stays
   1.820 +unwaveringly with you through all that you do. It’s left open and
   1.821 +obvious to the world. But you have never seen past Tomoyo to the love
   1.822 +that lies in her heart. You have ignored it, taking it for granted
   1.823 +that her love would always be there to nourish you as it was in the
   1.824 +past. Years of this have taken their toll on Tomoyo. She no longer
   1.825 +believes that you can love her because of it. So she contents herself
   1.826 +with waiting in the background and trying to help you with someone
   1.827 +she thinks you do love.”
   1.828 +	“I do love him,” Sakura said, suddenly feeling defensive. But why?
   1.829 +It had never been an issue to her before. But what troubled Sakura
   1.830 +was that after witnessing her best friend’s love for her from another
   1.831 +point of view, actually seeing it perhaps for the first time in her
   1.832 +life, she wasn’t so sure anymore. A blindfold had been pulled from
   1.833 +her eyes, allowing her to see the pulsing love the dark haired girl
   1.834 +held for her in all its glorious colors and magnitude. This left her
   1.835 +feeling on very shaky ground. It was nothing like how she felt for
   1.836 +Syaoran. It was almost intense enough for her to smell, taste, or
   1.837 +touch. A tangible object that Sakura could feel entwining around her
   1.838 +like so many flowing ribbons. She hugged herself tightly as she tried
   1.839 +to get a grasp on the overwhelming feelings surging through her. “I
   1.840 +don’t ignore her,” Sakura whispered, less sure of herself. Tomoyo had
   1.841 +been her best friend for years now. They had shared so much together.
   1.842 +She was always the focus of Tomoyo’s life. But Sakura found herself
   1.843 +caught up in so many things, always expecting Tomoyo to be there when
   1.844 +she needed her. And the dark haired girl always was. She had insight
   1.845 +into Sakura that shone a bright light into even the darkest areas of
   1.846 +her life that Sakura herself was clueless about. Yet Sakura had
   1.847 +missed so much about her friend. She always wrote it off as just more
   1.848 +of Tomoyo’s normally eccentric behavior. It was right there in front
   1.849 +of her and she continued to miss it. She just always expected that
   1.850 +love and warmth and support that Tomoyo always selflessly offered up
   1.851 +to her to be there in her life. 
   1.852 +	Ruby Moon offered a small, comforting smile to the Cardmistress
   1.853 +before putting a hand on your shoulder. “The past is filled with
   1.854 +beautiful memories, but life continues onward. You have to cherish
   1.855 +them as you life moves onward. Never forget their lessons or their
   1.856 +simple joys.” She paused for a moment. “We have to go, Sakura-chan.
   1.857 +There’s still much for you to see tonight.” Pity crept up on her for
   1.858 +the brunette girl, but she knew there was little she could do. 
   1.859 +Sakura followed along helplessly, trailing slightly behind as she
   1.860 +tried to get a grasp on the situation.  “Tomoyo-chan...” she
   1.861 +whispered again. Right now she desperately needed the dark haired
   1.862 +girl’s love and support. Whenever things were difficult for her,
   1.863 +Tomoyo was always there to soothe her battered spirit and warm the
   1.864 +cold inside of her. Tomoyo rarely dealt with the problem itself. No,
   1.865 +that was something for people like Syaoran to attack. Tomoyo’s
   1.866 +specialty was Sakura. Sakura was always the focus of her
   1.867 +concentration whenever Sakura needed help. And the Cardmistress found
   1.868 +herself realizing how much more important that was to her. She could
   1.869 +handle any problems when Tomoyo was there to bolster her heart and
   1.870 +soul. The world began to shift around Sakura, but she barely noticed
   1.871 +until they shown like Christmas lights all around her. In the eerie
   1.872 +lighting, she thought she saw Tomoyo standing alone before the
   1.873 +pageant once more, a phantom amongst the gathering lights. But before
   1.874 +Sakura could call out to the lonely shadow, she was gone.
   1.875 +
   1.876 +“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura called out, her hand reaching forward. Her
   1.877 +fingers laced around a bed sheet, pulling it close. “Hoe?” Blinking
   1.878 +confusedly, the brunette found herself back in bed, her blanket
   1.879 +pulled oddly around her. Her hand clutched for her cell phone
   1.880 +instinctively. “Tomoyo-chan…” she got out as it began ringing. There
   1.881 +was a long pause as Sakura waited. What if she wasn’t there? She had
   1.882 +to speak with her. She almost hung up when she heard it connect.
   1.883 +“Tomoyo-chan?!” 
   1.884 +There was a moment of silence before Sakura got her reply. “Sakura-
   1.885 +chan? Are you all right?” Tomoyo asked concernedly. “Is anything
   1.886 +wrong?” Her voice was gentle and soothing as always and Sakura could
   1.887 +feel her worries begin to melt away. Tomoyo waited patiently for an
   1.888 +answer. 
   1.889 +Sakura could picture Tomoyo sitting on her bed in her nightgown,
   1.890 +holding the phone in her soft, pale hands and felt herself relax.
   1.891 +“I’m.. I’m all right, I think. I just had a weird dream, that’s all.”
   1.892 +It had all been a dream, hadn’t it? Her mother, Ruby Moon, the past.
   1.893 +It was all just one big dream. She sighed. “It’s good to hear your
   1.894 +voice, Tomoyo-chan.” 
   1.895 +“You can always call me if you want to talk, Sakura-chan. I’m glad
   1.896 +that you’re doing all right. Please don’t let a dream worry you too
   1.897 +much. Sakura-chan should only have the prettiest, sweetest dreams of
   1.898 +all on Christmas Eve.” Tomoyo shifted on the other side of the phone.
   1.899 +It sounded like she was sitting up. “Whatever’s troubling you, I’m
   1.900 +sure it won’t affect your Christmas. Christmas won’t be the same for
   1.901 +your family if Sakura-chan isn’t bright and happy for it.”
   1.902 +	For a second, Sakura considered asking Tomoyo about her feelings.
   1.903 +Was the dream right about them? Did Tomoyo really love her? Looking
   1.904 +back on memories of past Christmases and just about any other time
   1.905 +she had spent with the dark haired girl, Sakura could only come to a
   1.906 +resounding yes as the conclusion. But that was something she would
   1.907 +have to ask her about in person. She smiled a little, feeling better
   1.908 +now that she was talking to her best friend. “You’re right, Tomoyo-
   1.909 +chan.” She giggled softly. “You’re always right. You always seem to
   1.910 +know what’s going on.”
   1.911 +	“I don’t know everything. I just have a good idea about Sakura-chan
   1.912 +because she’s my absolute favorite subject,” Tomoyo said matter-of-
   1.913 +factly. 
   1.914 +	“Arigato gozimasu, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said into the phone. The
   1.915 +dreams were all just getting to her because it was almost Christmas
   1.916 +and she was stressing out way too much about everything. Tomoyo’s
   1.917 +soft voice was already making the odd tone of the dreams seem far
   1.918 +off. Something over near the door caught her attention. Kero was
   1.919 +floating there in a top hat, wearing a green and red checkered scarf
   1.920 +and mittens with little snowmen on them. “Oh, Kero-chan’s here.
   1.921 +That’s a cute outfit you made him, Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.922 +	“Kero-chan’s wearing an outfit? I didn’t make him one. I gave him a
   1.923 +video game for Christmas. I’m sure it’s cute, though.” Tomoyo sounded
   1.924 +a bit confused, but it quickly disappeared. It was probably just
   1.925 +something he’d cobbled together himself. “And your welcome, Sakura-
   1.926 +chan. I always love hearing from you.”
   1.927 +	Sakura smiled as she slipped her legs over the side of the bed,
   1.928 +waving at the Seal Beast. Kero waited impatiently, his arms crossed.
   1.929 +“I’ve got to go now, Tomoyo-chan. I think Kero wants something.”
   1.930 +	“All right. Tell him I said ‘Merry Christmas’ for me, please. And
   1.931 +sleep well, Sakura-chan. Have the dreams of angels.”
   1.932 +	Sakura froze, her hand tightly on the phone. Angels... Her mother
   1.933 +had mentioned that earlier. But it had only been a dream. Still, the
   1.934 +coincidence was enough to shake her. “I will. Thanks again, Tomoyo-
   1.935 +chan! Sleep well!” Sakura hung up and set the cell phone back down.
   1.936 +Her emerald eyes went back up to Kero. “Where have you been, Kero-
   1.937 +chan?” she asked curiously. 
   1.938 +	Striking as cool a pose as he could possibly attain in his current
   1.939 +attire, Kero whipped his scarf back over his shoulder. “I am the
   1.940 +Ghost of Christmas Presents. I am here to show you all the great
   1.941 +stuff you’re gonna get!” Kero nodded triumphantly, transcendental
   1.942 +light starting to glow behind him. Ruby Moon’s hand snaked out from
   1.943 +the light and dragged Kero back through it. Sakura stared in
   1.944 +disbelief as she heard a muffled argument through the light. After a
   1.945 +long moment, Kero popped back into sight. He cleared his throat
   1.946 +loudly and began again. “I am the Ghost of Christmas Present! The
   1.947 +here and now. Today.” He glared back at the light before continuing.
   1.948 +“And I’m here to show you Christmas, Sakura-chan!”
   1.949 +	“What?” It took a moment for Kero’s words to register in Sakura’s
   1.950 +still clouded mind. Her head shook quickly, her eyes going wide as
   1.951 +realization struck her forcefully. “Oh, no! Kero-chan, I’ve already
   1.952 +seen Ruby Moon and my mother. It’s late. I’m tired. Can’t we do this
   1.953 +later?” Or better yet, not at all? A voice in the back of her mind
   1.954 +asked. She gave a wary smile to the oddly dressed Seal Beast. “It’s
   1.955 +almost Christmas, Kero-chan. And it’s late. And I understand. Tomoyo-
   1.956 +chan likes me.” A small blush started to spread across her cheeks.
   1.957 +“What else do I need to know?”
   1.958 +	“Plenty,” Kero said quickly. He looked at Sakura with his tiny
   1.959 +black eyes, studying her. “And I have no idea who this ‘Kero-chan’
   1.960 +is. I am the ghost of Christmas Presents.” He paused for a moment
   1.961 +before correcting himself. “Present.” 
   1.962 +	Sakura suppressed a giggle and nodded. “All right, Kero-chan. Where
   1.963 +do we go?”
   1.964 +	With a flourish of his scarf, Kero fluttered up to the
   1.965 +Cardmistress. “To a place you know well. Though this time you’ll be
   1.966 +seeing it in a different light. Finding out Tomoyo’s feelings isn’t
   1.967 +the only thing you’re supposed to learn, Sakura-chan. There’s much
   1.968 +more for you to discover tonight.” 
   1.969 +	But what more could there be? Sakura couldn’t come up with
   1.970 +anything. She had missed Tomoyo’s hints and gestures of love and
   1.971 +affection over the years, but now they made sense to her. That was
   1.972 +what her mother had meant about her overlooking something, right?
   1.973 +That had to be it. So she’d have to ask Tomoyo about it later. The
   1.974 +dark haired girl seemed to be fine with the way things were, so it
   1.975 +couldn’t be bad enough to warrant all this. In fact, this just
   1.976 +managed to make everything even more confusing than it already had
   1.977 +been. Now how was she supposed to treat Tomoyo? She already had
   1.978 +Syaoran as her boyfriend. She didn’t know what to do or even what to
   1.979 +say to Tomoyo about it. She could see herself in her mind’s eye
   1.980 +smiling at the pale girl upon arriving at her house. ‘Hi, Tomoyo-
   1.981 +chan! So you like me, huh? Well, we can still be friends, but I’ve
   1.982 +got Syaoran-kun. Did you want to go on a picnic?’ A small shiver went
   1.983 +through her. Just what was she supposed to say, anyway? Oddly enough,
   1.984 +she could see Tomoyo smiling her same sweet smile even after cruel
   1.985 +words like those and agreeing that a picnic would be lovely. It
   1.986 +didn’t make sense, but it was perfect Tomoyo. A lot about Tomoyo
   1.987 +didn’t make sense, but Sakura had always been happy to be her best
   1.988 +friend. At least now a little more about the dark haired girl was
   1.989 +clear. Even if it meant Sakura would eventually have to figure out
   1.990 +what to say to her about it. Or if she should. A sigh escaped her
   1.991 +lips as she took Kero’s small paw. She wanted to see Tomoyo, to tell
   1.992 +her everything. Tomoyo always managed to make her feel better. 
   1.993 +	“We’re here,” Kero said casually as he let go of Sakura’s hand.
   1.994 +They were standing in front of the Daidouji mansion, the lawn and
   1.995 +walls decorated extravagantly with Christmas decorations. 
   1.996 +	“Huh? Ah!” Sakura pulled a foot up, staring at the ground. Snow was
   1.997 +underneath her bare foot, but she couldn’t feel the cold. It was
   1.998 +distant, like walking through a video recording. The snow didn’t even
   1.999 +shift under her feet as if it didn’t recognize that Sakura was
  1.1000 +standing there. Being set apart from the world that way sent a chill
  1.1001 +down Sakura’s spine. She hadn’t even noticed that they had gone
  1.1002 +anywhere until the top hatted Seal Beast had pointed it out to her.
  1.1003 +The sudden transition made it difficult for her to get her bearings.
  1.1004 +“Tomoyo-chan’s house,” she said at last, her eyes heading towards
  1.1005 +Tomoyo’s bedroom window. “Oh! She’s having her party!” A small thrill
  1.1006 +counteracted the creepy feelings that had been preying on her and a
  1.1007 +smile crossed her face. “So I can see her party after all!”
  1.1008 +	Kero nodded eagerly, hugging himself tightly as a look of pure joy
  1.1009 +crossed his teddy bear face. “I LOVE Christmas parties! And ‘cause
  1.1010 +it’s Tomoyo-chan’s, you just know there’s gonna be lots of cakes and
  1.1011 +puddings and deserts and yummy stuff to eat. And games! I bet she’d
  1.1012 +have plenty of games, too! Of course she would. It’s Christmas!”
  1.1013 +Floating as if on a cloud of sheer ecstasy, the Ghost of Christmas
  1.1014 +Present started flying circles around Sakura.
  1.1015 +	Sweatdropping, Sakura wondered how the Ghost could possibly be
  1.1016 +anyone but the Seal Beast with the Osaka dialect that she had known
  1.1017 +for some time. He may have denied being Kero, but he wasn’t doing a
  1.1018 +very good job of disguising himself. “So where is Tomoyo-chan having
  1.1019 +her party then? I don’t see any lights.” The brunette held her hands
  1.1020 +near her eyes, trying to get a better look. Sure enough, the only
  1.1021 +lights coming from the mansion were from the many Christmas lights
  1.1022 +generously positioned around the building. 
  1.1023 +	Finally managing to get a hold of himself, though still seeing
  1.1024 +visions of candy and deserts, the little bear in the top hat, began
  1.1025 +to lead the way towards the house. “Christmas is a wondrous time,
  1.1026 +Sakura-chan. People everywhere find themselves sharing food and gifts
  1.1027 +with family and friends. Even if it’s cold outside, the warmth from
  1.1028 +the hearts of those celebrating more than make up for it. Lovers kiss
  1.1029 +under mistletoe. Friends exchange gifts with each other. Families
  1.1030 +come together for generous meals to share. Big meals. With lots of
  1.1031 +seconds. And plenty of deserts.”
  1.1032 +	“Kero-chan...” 
  1.1033 +	“Oh!” Kero shook his head, trying to get the images out of his
  1.1034 +mind. He hadn’t noticed until then that he had begun salivating.
  1.1035 +Dabbing at his mouth with his scarf, he continued on. “No matter who
  1.1036 +you are or where you are, the most important thing about Christmas is
  1.1037 +love. Sharing the holidays with the ones you love is what makes it
  1.1038 +great. Giving of your heart, adding to a feast of warmth that you all
  1.1039 +can share. Sure, there’s cool presents that I could be showing you
  1.1040 +right now...” he glared off into the distance for a moment before
  1.1041 +continuing, “but right now I have to show you the hidden parts of
  1.1042 +this Christmas. Maybe when we’re done...” He nodded to himself,
  1.1043 +pleased. “Well, we’ll see about that. But for right now, let’s go see
  1.1044 +the party!”
  1.1045 +	Sakura nodded eagerly, following Kero’s receding form into the
  1.1046 +mansion. Wouldn’t Tomoyo be surprised when she knew what happened
  1.1047 +even without the videotape!
  1.1048 +
  1.1049 +	The house really was entirely dark. Sakura could only see by the
  1.1050 +light of the Christmas lights, and with them flickering on and off in
  1.1051 +intricate patterns, it certainly made things difficult. She
  1.1052 +considered using the Sakura Cards to light her path, but her nervous
  1.1053 +hand couldn’t find the key. Everything felt wrong. Houses generally
  1.1054 +held some feelings to them. Her own house felt comfortable and
  1.1055 +loving. Tomoyo’s home had a warmth and sweetness to it that she had
  1.1056 +always liked. But this time was different. It was like she was
  1.1057 +walking through some sort of twisted version of the mansion. She
  1.1058 +couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong. Only that she could
  1.1059 +feel it. The shadows seemed to stick out at all angles, almost moving
  1.1060 +from the sporadic Christmas light patterns. Sakura swallowed
  1.1061 +nervously but found her mouth had gone dry. ‘Ghosts!’ her mind kept
  1.1062 +crying out when a shadow would loom near her for a moment before
  1.1063 +shifting in shades of green, red, and blue. She found herself wishing
  1.1064 +not for the first time that night that Tomoyo could be there. Tomoyo
  1.1065 +never seemed afraid, except when she was worried about Sakura. Ghosts
  1.1066 +just didn’t seem to bother her, though the brunette couldn’t figure
  1.1067 +out how anybody could not be afraid of ghosts. So she would always
  1.1068 +clutch onto Tomoyo when she was worried about them. And she would
  1.1069 +feel better, holding onto Tomoyo, because she knew the other girl was
  1.1070 +there with her. But now...
  1.1071 +	“I think it’s this way,” Kero said after a moment, completely
  1.1072 +hidden in the darkness in front of Sakura. His voice didn’t sound
  1.1073 +quite so sure. The place was so big! He had come with Sakura
  1.1074 +occasionally, but he never got to do any exploring. He should be
  1.1075 +making Sakura lead the way. After all, she knew the place better than
  1.1076 +he did. But his keen Seal Beast pride got in the way as he floundered
  1.1077 +about in the dark. He barely noticed Sakura’s shriek at his sudden
  1.1078 +comment. 
  1.1079 +	Catching her breath, Sakura followed the jolly ghost further into
  1.1080 +the darkness. Her eyes caught on the flickering lights coming from a
  1.1081 +large Christmas tree standing on the far side of a room she was about
  1.1082 +to pass. Forgetting about all about Kero for the moment, Sakura
  1.1083 +slowly entered the room. Wouldn’t this be where Tomoyo would have her
  1.1084 +party? The large room could easily fit all of her friends and was
  1.1085 +very well decorated. Finding herself drawn to the sparkling Christmas
  1.1086 +tree, Sakura’s fingers reached out to touch a few of the ornaments.
  1.1087 +They were all very beautiful. Some looked like priceless antiques,
  1.1088 +placed with ginger care upon the branches. Glimmering crystal angels,
  1.1089 +sparkling icicles, glass bells, and so much more festooned the tree.
  1.1090 +Placed just as gingerly but with perhaps even more love, were small,
  1.1091 +worn out trinkets from years long past. Sakura could see a small
  1.1092 +snowman that’s seems were starting to show. It had Tomoyo’s name on
  1.1093 +the back with a date. It didn’t surprise Sakura that Tomoyo had made
  1.1094 +several other ornaments on the tree as well. Some were from nearly a
  1.1095 +decade before. Yet these old ornaments, some quite obviously made by
  1.1096 +a child (a skilled child, but a child nonetheless), appeared to be
  1.1097 +some of the most cherished objects adorning the tree. “So you get to
  1.1098 +be dressed up by Tomoyo-chan, too, Mr. Tree?” she asked quietly. Some
  1.1099 +other ornaments appeared to be from a time even further back, the
  1.1100 +grasp of age touching on them. Family heirlooms, Sakura supposed.
  1.1101 +Several appeared to come from Tomoyo’s mother’s childhood, others
  1.1102 +from further back than that. She caught sight of her mother in one of
  1.1103 +them, a beautiful young girl around Sakura’s age at the time the
  1.1104 +picture was taken. She was lying in the snow next to a brunette woman
  1.1105 +that Sakura recognized instantly. ‘Sonomi and Nadeshiko’, it read on
  1.1106 +the back. The two looked so happy in the picture. Her mother’s words
  1.1107 +once again whispered in her ear. Tomoyo had once told her that all of
  1.1108 +her mother’s employees were female because of her preference. And
  1.1109 +Sonomi always talked about Sakura’s mother so dreamily. Was that what
  1.1110 +her mother had meant about what happened to her? Sonomi did seem to
  1.1111 +be in a lot of pain over her death. ‘But I would never hurt Tomoyo-
  1.1112 +chan. I couldn’t stand to know she was in pain. So I shouldn’t have
  1.1113 +to worry about it. But still...’ Her eyes couldn’t leave the picture.
  1.1114 +The two best friends, happily together. One of them so in love with
  1.1115 +the other. For a moment, the picture shifted and she saw herself and
  1.1116 +Tomoyo in it. She backed away quickly, nearly tripping over a
  1.1117 +Christmas present. 
  1.1118 +Presents lay scattered underneath the tree, all done up in festive
  1.1119 +wrapping paper with plenty of bows and ribbons. Sakura had to
  1.1120 +suppress a laugh. She could definitely tell which were from Tomoyo to
  1.1121 +her mother. Only two names alternated on them all. Sonomi and Tomoyo.
  1.1122 +Her laughter was short lived when she read Sonomi’s name. No, she
  1.1123 +wouldn’t hurt Tomoyo. She couldn’t. But the thought frightened her.
  1.1124 +Her mother had warned her that she was making the same mistake she
  1.1125 +had. But what? 
  1.1126 +A sound from the other side of the room caught Sakura’s attention.
  1.1127 +Her ears perked up as she peered into the shadows engulfing the rest
  1.1128 +of the room starting just a few feet in front of her. She waited in
  1.1129 +the darkness, holding her breath, waiting for it to happen again.
  1.1130 +Lights shifted on the floor in front of her. Red, blue, green,
  1.1131 +orange, violet. Blinking on and off in their continuing patterns.
  1.1132 +Staring at the shapes they cast on the floor, Sakura began to wonder
  1.1133 +if it had just been her imagination. A muffled sob reached Sakura’s
  1.1134 +ears, quiet but unmistakable in the silent room. The voice behind the
  1.1135 +pain racked cry was equally unmistakable to Sakura. That voice that
  1.1136 +always soothed her soul, that carried her away to distant locales
  1.1137 +when in verse, that made embarrassing comments about how cute she was
  1.1138 +or how talented. 
  1.1139 +“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered into the darkness. Her body went
  1.1140 +as cold as if she had just awoken in the snow. Her heart felt just as
  1.1141 +numb. She walked forward slowly, her emerald eyes questing valiantly
  1.1142 +for any sign of her dark haired best friend. She could by now dimly
  1.1143 +make out a large couch facing the Christmas tree with some pillows or
  1.1144 +a large sheet lying over it. She couldn’t quite make it all out in
  1.1145 +the dim light of the Christmas tree. A long table rested near the
  1.1146 +couch. A delicious looking cake was set atop it, beautifully
  1.1147 +decorated for the occasion. That must have been the cake Tomoyo had
  1.1148 +hurried home to make. But it hardly looked touched, not a single
  1.1149 +piece removed. Cups lay nearby, along with holiday themed napkins and
  1.1150 +a large pitcher of spiced cider. This had to be where Tomoyo had
  1.1151 +planned to have the party! But what had happened? It didn't look like
  1.1152 +anyone had been here. 
  1.1153 +“Sakura-chan...” Tomoyo’s weak voice got out before another sob
  1.1154 +broke through. The sheet shifted on the couch, darkness cascading
  1.1155 +down around the top of it. The form shuddered, crying quietly in the
  1.1156 +empty room. She had mistaken the dark haired girl at first, but now
  1.1157 +her eyes began to adjust. From what little she could see, Tomoyo was
  1.1158 +wearing a beautiful green and rust red party dress, her dark hair
  1.1159 +done up in pigtails. Her tears sparkled in the darkness, reflecting
  1.1160 +the colored lights as they slid down her cheeks. Her pale skin made
  1.1161 +her look eerily ghostlike in the dim light, almost an apparition of
  1.1162 +her normal self. 
  1.1163 +Sakura’s heart broke in two to hear the strangled, miserable sobs
  1.1164 +that broke free while Tomoyo cried, alone. The brunette was caught
  1.1165 +completely off guard. She had never seen Tomoyo like this before.
  1.1166 +“What happened?” she asked, hoping that Tomoyo would somehow hear
  1.1167 +her. “Tomoyo-chan.” Her own voice was shaky in her ears. 
  1.1168 +Tomoyo curled up into a tight little ball on the couch, hugging her
  1.1169 +legs to her chest. Her head ached from crying too much. Her body felt
  1.1170 +sick and exhausted. But she couldn't stop the tears. She should go to
  1.1171 +her room before her mother got home so she wouldn’t see her like
  1.1172 +this. She should clean up her little ‘party’ before she would have to
  1.1173 +explain what had happened. But she couldn’t will herself to get off
  1.1174 +the couch. She didn’t want to leave the dark confines of the room
  1.1175 +that she had waited hours in. Hours all alone. She had the sinking
  1.1176 +feeling that this is how it would always be. This was what awaited
  1.1177 +her in her not so distant future. Alone, alone, always alone. She had
  1.1178 +made the cake hours earlier, in preparation for her Christmas party.
  1.1179 +Everything had been set up. She had done a meticulous job of making
  1.1180 +sure everything would be perfect. Sakura would be there, after all.
  1.1181 +And she wanted to spend a perfect Christmas Eve with her darling
  1.1182 +Sakura. Finding out Sakura couldn’t be there had been a bit of a
  1.1183 +shock, and a rather painful one. She wanted nothing else for
  1.1184 +Christmas than to spend it in the glowing presence of her beloved
  1.1185 +best friend. But she had hidden all that away. She couldn’t let
  1.1186 +Sakura see how disappointed she was. No, she had to make sure that
  1.1187 +Sakura enjoyed her night with her family. After all, that was an
  1.1188 +important part of Christmas, too. But her family, her only family
  1.1189 +could not be there for Christmas Eve. Her mother was far too busy
  1.1190 +finishing things at work for the Holiday. She had understood that
  1.1191 +when her mother had explained. Sonomi had been hesitant to go, making
  1.1192 +sure that it was all right with Tomoyo if she did. Tomoyo knew how
  1.1193 +busy her work could be and told her that it was quite all right, that
  1.1194 +they would spend Christmas Day together, so it wasn’t a problem. The
  1.1195 +two women that meant the most in Tomoyo’s life couldn’t be there for
  1.1196 +Christmas Eve. But that was all right. She would be strong for them.
  1.1197 +She had guests to attend to as it was. So she had finished the last
  1.1198 +of her preparations for the party and then waited. And waited. And
  1.1199 +decorated a little more before waiting. She didn’t know when it had
  1.1200 +finally struck her that no one was coming. Minutes after the start of
  1.1201 +the party? Hours? She couldn’t be sure. But it had all become too
  1.1202 +much for her to bear. Here she was, all alone on Christmas Eve, like
  1.1203 +some forgotten Christmas present that wouldn’t be found till the next
  1.1204 +year. Tears fell past her ivory skin to the couch underneath her. 
  1.1205 +Sakura was surprised when she felt a tear of her own slipping down
  1.1206 +her cheek. Her eyes were starting to sting as she sat watching her
  1.1207 +best friend crying softly. “Tomoyo-chan... What happened? Please..”
  1.1208 +she pleaded with the dark haired girl to no avail. She felt so
  1.1209 +helpless. There wasn’t anything she could do. She had been so sure
  1.1210 +that nothing could faze Tomoyo, that she always managed to have the
  1.1211 +gentle smile no matter the circumstances. Seeing her like this was a
  1.1212 +wake up call for Sakura, shaking away the illusions that had
  1.1213 +surrounded her friend. Suddenly Sakura started to wonder if she
  1.1214 +actually had hurt Tomoyo before, not seeing behind the dark haired
  1.1215 +girl’s smile to the pain she had caused. Her mind began pouring
  1.1216 +through memories, but she quickly gave up that search. It would do no
  1.1217 +good. Not now. 
  1.1218 +Unknowing of the subject of her thoughts presence, Tomoyo continued
  1.1219 +to cry in the darkness. She didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t think
  1.1220 +she could take it. Her heart longed for Sakura, for a love that had
  1.1221 +long been denied, one that she now knew she couldn’t have. Yet her
  1.1222 +heart would not listen. It only called out for Sakura, aching
  1.1223 +painfully for her. And loneliness was the only thing this road
  1.1224 +offered. But she would live with it for Sakura. She didn’t know any
  1.1225 +other way. Tomoyo cried harder, her sides starting to ache. The
  1.1226 +thought of returning to her room, to her personal shrine to Sakura
  1.1227 +just made her feel worse inside. She had no place to go. The
  1.1228 +Christmas tree peeked out at her through her tear blurred vision,
  1.1229 +taunting her with its grim reminder of this painful Christmas Eve.
  1.1230 +Her stormy blue eyes shut tightly, her small body shaking on the
  1.1231 +couch. She just wanted Sakura to hold her close, to feel her warm
  1.1232 +embrace. To hear her beautiful voice. But she knew she couldn’t. This
  1.1233 +was the dark underbelly of Christmas. It had two sides. The bright,
  1.1234 +joyous side. The one she hoped that Sakura would be seeing with her
  1.1235 +family. And the dark, lonely side. The holiday when experienced in
  1.1236 +all of its gruesome torment. Alone. When all it managed to do was
  1.1237 +reinforce how insignificant and lost one is in the wide world. 
  1.1238 +Why had she thrown this party? What had she hoped to accomplish? She
  1.1239 +just wanted to have a wonderful Christmas Eve for everyone. She
  1.1240 +thought it would be perfect to have Sakura and all of her friends
  1.1241 +over. But she knew at the back of her mind that they weren’t her
  1.1242 +friends. They were Sakura’s friends. Like a puppy tagging along
  1.1243 +behind her owner, Tomoyo had never really been befriended by Chiharu
  1.1244 +and the others. She was merely there. Why would they come over for
  1.1245 +Christmas of all days? They had their own families and loved ones.
  1.1246 +They all had people to share the holiday with. Tomoyo felt frozen
  1.1247 +despite the heat being on. Christmas Eve was almost over now. It was
  1.1248 +growing late. The day would soon be over, but the scars on Tomoyo’s
  1.1249 +soul would remain. After all, Today is always built upon Yesterday’s
  1.1250 +ashes. 
  1.1251 +Kero sighed, shaking his head. “Christmas isn’t always happy for
  1.1252 +everyone. Even with a warm heart, with no one to share it with, what
  1.1253 +good is it? It’s like having an oven, but no food to put in it. It’s
  1.1254 +just... empty.” 
  1.1255 +Sakura didn’t even turn to look at the festively dressed Seal Beast,
  1.1256 +her eyes never leaving Tomoyo shuddering form. She looked so weak, so
  1.1257 +frail. As if the slightest touch would shatter her into a thousand
  1.1258 +jagged pieces. She remembered something her father had said to her
  1.1259 +when she had accidentally broken a pot as a child. ‘Sakura-chan, when
  1.1260 +we break things, we can’t always fix them. We can try to put them
  1.1261 +back together, but they’ll never be exactly the way they were,’ he
  1.1262 +had explained while they tried to glue the pot back together. Had she
  1.1263 +broken Tomoyo? Could she pick up all the pieces? “What happened?” she
  1.1264 +asked in a tiny voice.
  1.1265 +Clearing his throat, Kero looked away. He had never seen Tomoyo, or
  1.1266 +anyone that he could remember, looking quite so desolate before. “Her
  1.1267 +mother couldn’t be here because of work. You couldn’t be here because
  1.1268 +of dinner. You friends didn’t show up because they all had things to
  1.1269 +do and they’ve never been Tomoyo friends exactly anyway so they
  1.1270 +didn’t see it as a big deal. She always follows you around so why
  1.1271 +would she care? I don’t think that matters though. The only ones that
  1.1272 +she really wanted to be here were you and her mother.”
  1.1273 +Shaking her head sadly, Sakura reached out hesitantly for Tomoyo
  1.1274 +before stopping, her fingers inches from Tomoyo’s hand. “So this is
  1.1275 +all tonight? This is what happened with her party? Tomoyo-chan...”
  1.1276 +She sniffled, cold tears spilling down her cheeks. “Tomoyo-chan!” she
  1.1277 +buried her face in her hands, crying into them. “It’s not fair! She
  1.1278 +shouldn’t have to be so sad! I... Tomoyo-chan, I’m so sorry...” Her
  1.1279 +mouth opened to say more, but her throat locked up, unable to allow
  1.1280 +her to get anything else out. She just shook her head again, tears
  1.1281 +falling to her pajamas. Painful shards of ice grew into her heart,
  1.1282 +tearing at her with each consecutive sob that came from the dark
  1.1283 +haired girl. She couldn’t help but feel that it was her fault, that
  1.1284 +she had failed Tomoyo. ‘I always knew you would save me,’ Tomoyo’s
  1.1285 +voice echoed in her mind. ‘But I failed her. I never saved her,’ her
  1.1286 +own voice came back accusingly.
  1.1287 +“Sakura-chan, I’m sorry I had to show you this,” Kero apologized. 
  1.1288 +“No... I’m.. I’m glad you did. If I didn’t see this, I’d never know.
  1.1289 +She would just smile when she sees me tomorrow and she’d act like
  1.1290 +everything’s all right. Be..Because I..” Her eyes shut closed as she
  1.1291 +tried to continue, choking back sobs. “Because I can’t see it on my
  1.1292 +own... Kero-chan, I didn’t know..” A small whimper escaped her as she
  1.1293 +fell back on her knees.
  1.1294 +“It’s okay, Sakura-chan. You’ll figure it out. But it’s not over
  1.1295 +yet. There’s still a final spirit to meet. The one who will judge
  1.1296 +you. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” Kero took Sakura’s hand,
  1.1297 +leading her away from Tomoyo’s silent form. Sakura kept watching her
  1.1298 +as she slowly began to walk away. She could see Sonomi enter the
  1.1299 +room, and paused.
  1.1300 +Sonomi brushed back some of Tomoyo’s long dark hair as she knelt
  1.1301 +beside her. Work had gone later than she expected, but she had
  1.1302 +hurried home as quickly as she could. It didn’t take long for her to
  1.1303 +realize what had happened. The cake left untouched, the Christmas
  1.1304 +letter for Sakura still in Tomoyo’s hands, the tears staining her
  1.1305 +daughter’s cheeks. Tomoyo had just passed into a fitful sleep a short
  1.1306 +time before her arrival. She wiped the remaining tear from Tomoyo’s
  1.1307 +pale cheek before gently picking her up. She kissed her forehead
  1.1308 +before walking out of the room with her baby girl. “It will be all
  1.1309 +right, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t know how, but it will be. I’ll be here
  1.1310 +for you when you wake up.”
  1.1311 +‘At least Sonomi-sama tries to protect her!’ Sakura’s mind lashed
  1.1312 +out. ‘And I’m the one she’s trying to protect her from. Oh kami-
  1.1313 +sama... How long have I been hurting her?’ Her legs went numb at the
  1.1314 +thought. Fresh tears burned in her eyes. A weak sob escaped her lips
  1.1315 +and the world went black, plunging her into darkness.
  1.1316 +
  1.1317 +	It was cold. That was the first thing that Sakura noticed. Icy
  1.1318 +hands dragged the breath right out of her, cold daggers lancing into
  1.1319 +her sides as she tried to breathe in the frozen air. In all of the
  1.1320 +other places she had traveled that night, the cold had been a
  1.1321 +distant, forgotten thing as if she were not a part of it. But now it
  1.1322 +surrounded her, grasping onto her, infusing into her body. Clutching
  1.1323 +herself tightly, she struggled to fend off the shaking of her cold
  1.1324 +body. “Kero-chan?” she called into the windswept night. But there was
  1.1325 +no answer. The howl of the wind startled the Cardmistress, snow
  1.1326 +falling about her pajama clad form. Alone and afraid, she started to
  1.1327 +cry, slumping to her knees in the freshly fallen snow. The night had
  1.1328 +take a lot out of her, and upon expecting to find herself in her bed,
  1.1329 +she wound up out in the bleary night without the faintest trace of
  1.1330 +her guardian. Still in anguish over seeing Tomoyo in such pain, pain
  1.1331 +that she had helped to bring to the door of her sweet and gentle best
  1.1332 +friend, Sakura couldn’t work up the strength to get back up. 
  1.1333 +	‘Don’t cry. It won’t get you anywhere,’ a rough voice said from
  1.1334 +nowhere. Sakura’s body shuddered as she was wracked with more sobs. 
  1.1335 +	‘Please don’t cry, Sakura-chan. It just makes me feel sad,’ a
  1.1336 +softer, more gentle voice spoke up from the same spot that was
  1.1337 +nowhere but ever so near to the brunette. 
  1.1338 +Tomoyo... She had heard Tomoyo say that before. She shouldn’t cry
  1.1339 +because it made Tomoyo sad. And she couldn’t make Tomoyo sad anymore.
  1.1340 +The other voice... It had to be Syaoran’s. He had told her that
  1.1341 +crying wouldn’t solve anything, that she needed to face things
  1.1342 +without tears. Yes, he was right. “Everything will always be all
  1.1343 +right,” Sakura whispered to herself. That was her power, right? Her
  1.1344 +special power. It wasn’t magic, it wasn’t strength. It was just a
  1.1345 +tiny phrase in the midst of a snowstorm. But it came with the love
  1.1346 +and support of those that had stood behind her at one point in time.
  1.1347 +It came with the profound faith of those that believed in her. And
  1.1348 +through that belief that they held in her, Sakura could have faith as
  1.1349 +well. That perhaps everything would be. Blinking in the blizzard that
  1.1350 +encompassed her, Sakura tried to look up. The endless white that had
  1.1351 +blanketed everything she could see was replaced in the immediate
  1.1352 +vicinity by a dark black shroud that rose up above her kneeling form.
  1.1353 +The cloak flailed around in the darkness, snow not daring to fall
  1.1354 +upon it’s midnight embrace. Yet Sakura couldn’t see make out whoever
  1.1355 +it was inside of the cloak, only a vague figure that remained
  1.1356 +shrouded in darkness. The figure held out a hand to Sakura, beckoning
  1.1357 +her to follow. “Are you... Are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet to
  1.1358 +Come?” Sakura asked above the rising icy shriek of the wind. Her
  1.1359 +voice trembled, though not entirely from the cold. She was to be
  1.1360 +judged, she knew that. And she was afraid that she would be found
  1.1361 +terribly wanting in the eyes of this macabre judge, jury, and
  1.1362 +executioner. The figure nodded almost imperceptibly, causing Sakura
  1.1363 +to wonder if she had even seen it at all. “There’s so much I’ve
  1.1364 +learned tonight. I... I never knew how much I had ignored Tomoyo-
  1.1365 +chan. I didn’t know how much I had hurt her. Please, show me more. My
  1.1366 +mother said that you could help me. I don’t...” Her voice caught in
  1.1367 +her throat painfully as she tried to speak. It took a moment to
  1.1368 +swallow the burning tears and continue. “I don’t want to hurt anyone
  1.1369 +anymore. I just want everything to be all right.” Tears threatened to
  1.1370 +spill from her jade eyes, but the shadowed figure merely watched in
  1.1371 +silence before beckoning once more. Sakura once again found herself
  1.1372 +wishing Tomoyo was there to clutch onto. Why did they have to be
  1.1373 +ghosts? Why couldn’t they have been the three magical beings of
  1.1374 +Christmas? Or the three Mr. Seagulls? Anything would be better than
  1.1375 +ghosts. But she had already made up her mind. Frightened or not, she
  1.1376 +had to follow. The shadowed figure slowly took her hand. It felt cold
  1.1377 +yet familiar in her grasp, but she couldn’t quite figure out who it
  1.1378 +belonged to. Her mind quickly gave up the futile attempt as the
  1.1379 +snowstorm grew infinitely worse, swallowing up Sakura and the
  1.1380 +mysterious stranger in it’s jagged talons. 
  1.1381 +
  1.1382 +Before the two figures, the snow slowly began to dissipate,
  1.1383 +weakening it’s snow white hold on Sakura’s vision. All around her,
  1.1384 +the snow continued to fall with a silent intensity, but before her it
  1.1385 +dropped in only small groups of snowflakes. She caught one between
  1.1386 +her hands, holding it in her opened palms for a moment. The tiny ice
  1.1387 +crystal was beautiful, a jewel from the sky. But almost immediately,
  1.1388 +it melted into cold water in her hands, not a trace remaining of the
  1.1389 +beauty she had seen moments before. 
  1.1390 +Cold fingers curled under Sakura’s chin, lifting her gaze to the
  1.1391 +glass in front of them. It took all of the brunette’s strength not to
  1.1392 +jump at the sudden touch. The glass looked into a busy office room,
  1.1393 +people hurrying about their business. One woman in a business suit
  1.1394 +looked particularly familiar with her fairly short hair and glasses. 
  1.1395 +“Working on your book, Naoko-san?” one of the women asked as she
  1.1396 +poured herself something warm to drink. She had a warm, friendly air
  1.1397 +about her, but her tone was almost teasing as if she asked the
  1.1398 +question often.
  1.1399 +Naoko frowned, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with
  1.1400 +her index finger. “No, I’m not working on it today,” she stated
  1.1401 +simply, going through some papers shuffled together on her lap.
  1.1402 +“Oh? Why not?” a man asked curiously. Despite the earlier teasing,
  1.1403 +it seemed that they were used to a different answer. “Because it’s
  1.1404 +Christmas Eve?”
  1.1405 +Naoko nodded somberly, looking up again. The light shined off her
  1.1406 +glasses for a moment, frightening Sakura as she watched. “I don’t
  1.1407 +want to anger the spirits, after all. Today’s the anniversary. A girl
  1.1408 +I went to school with for years did something horrific last year. You
  1.1409 +see, she was a very lonely girl. You wouldn’t know that at first, but
  1.1410 +she was. She only had one really good friend. None of us understood
  1.1411 +at first, but as we grew older if became blaringly obvious. She was
  1.1412 +in love with her friend. But it was an unrequited love, one that she
  1.1413 +could never have. Every Christmas, she would try to give her gift of
  1.1414 +love to the one she held dear, but every year it went unreturned. No
  1.1415 +one could see that she was slowly freezing to death from the cruel,
  1.1416 +cold emptiness in her heart. Eventually, you could see the pain in
  1.1417 +her eyes, like cracks running through ice. It was frightening to see.
  1.1418 +It always made me feel cold inside when those eyes would turn to me.”
  1.1419 +Naoko pulled her jacket about her tighter, shivering in her chair. “I
  1.1420 +didn’t hear from her after high school, but I heard stories. She
  1.1421 +withdrew more and more as her lonely heart began to pain her even
  1.1422 +further. Yet every Christmas she would offer up her gift and every
  1.1423 +Christmas it would be denied her. One Christmas years ago, she simply
  1.1424 +died. It was as if her body just couldn’t live with that torment
  1.1425 +anymore. I heard that she looked peaceful, at rest. I guess she
  1.1426 +finally found the rest in death that she couldn’t have in life.” A
  1.1427 +cell phone call interrupted her story. Picking it up, she blushed a
  1.1428 +little upon answering. “Nakuru-san! Hai, of course I’ll be home in
  1.1429 +time for dinner.” The blush turned a little deeper as she whispered
  1.1430 +into the phone. “Of course. You know I love seeing you in that dress.
  1.1431 +Alright. I’ll see you in an hour or two.”
  1.1432 +Sakura could only stare into the office, her hand on the window
  1.1433 +shaking softly. Naoko’s story had sent a splinter of ice deep into
  1.1434 +her soul, chilling her very being. Her mind hurried through images of
  1.1435 +classmates, horrified that such a thing could happen. She abandoned
  1.1436 +the quest immediately when a sweet, gentle voice rang out in her
  1.1437 +mind. ‘You know who it is, Sakura-chan. You know who it is very
  1.1438 +well.’ She couldn’t pinpoint the source of the voice, but the
  1.1439 +unsettling feeling that washed over her kept her from searching for
  1.1440 +it. “No... How can something like that happen? That’s terrible...”
  1.1441 +She turned on the shrouded spirit, nearly hysterical. “How can
  1.1442 +something like that happen on Christmas? Christmas is a time of
  1.1443 +love... and joy and... And that’s too sad. No one should have to be
  1.1444 +that lonely on Christmas. No one should ever have to be that lonely.
  1.1445 +It..” she trailed off, hiccuping. Her tears were starting to build
  1.1446 +again and she found it difficult to fight them off. “Please... Please
  1.1447 +show me that there’s still love left in this desolate place...
  1.1448 +Otherwise, what have I fought for? What good did I do? Please...” Her
  1.1449 +voice quavered as she begged the ominous silhouette.
  1.1450 +The shadow did not move, but the scenery around them did. They were
  1.1451 +indoors at last, finally in a heated room. But the house they were in
  1.1452 +offered little warmth. Sakura recognized it almost immediately.
  1.1453 +“Tomoyo-chan’s house!” She exclaimed, a small yet delighted laugh
  1.1454 +coming from her. Yes, that was exactly what she needed. She could see
  1.1455 +Tomoyo, see the love that always flowed from her heart. The woman’s
  1.1456 +warm and caring nature would help through whatever dark time had
  1.1457 +befallen one of their classmates. She knew that what happened to her
  1.1458 +classmate must be a warning, a sign of where her neglect was leading.
  1.1459 +But she couldn’t believe that Tomoyo would ever do such a thing. The
  1.1460 +notion was abstract to Sakura, beyond rational understanding. It
  1.1461 +would never happen. 
  1.1462 +Jade eyes darted around the large room of the mansion, looking for
  1.1463 +any symbol of her dark haired best friend. It was the same room she
  1.1464 +had seen Tomoyo in just a short time before, but now there was no
  1.1465 +Christmas tree, no lights or decorations. It felt... empty. That
  1.1466 +wasn’t to say the furniture and normal items were not there, but that
  1.1467 +a feeling about the room, one that she associated with the house
  1.1468 +itself was missing. Sakura swallowed painfully and turned to the
  1.1469 +spirit. Her mind raced down a dead end tunnel, afraid of what was
  1.1470 +lurking in the shadows at the end of that path. Turning away, she
  1.1471 +bolted out of the room, hurrying for sanctuary, the one place she
  1.1472 +could be sure she would find that feeling again. Tomoyo’s room. The
  1.1473 +house rushed past her in a blur as she made her way to the lodgings
  1.1474 +of her best friend. The door was already ajar, hanging open as if
  1.1475 +pushed by a ghost. Pausing for only an instant, Sakura rushed in
  1.1476 +headlong, hoping and praying that the pale woman who occupied it
  1.1477 +would be sitting there even now, editing videotape or perhaps working
  1.1478 +on a costume. But it was not to be so. Unable to give up hope, the
  1.1479 +brunette looked around the room. A costume lay half finished on
  1.1480 +Tomoyo’s desk, numerous designs neatly laid out near it. A small
  1.1481 +camcorder was resting near the bed, a small stack of videotapes
  1.1482 +nearby. A picture of the room’s owner, several years older than she
  1.1483 +had been in Sakura’s own time and smiling as she sat next to an older
  1.1484 +Sakura sat on the nightstand. The room looked just how Sakura had
  1.1485 +remembered it, even if a few years change were evident. But it all
  1.1486 +had a dull feeling to it, as if it were merely a moment of the past
  1.1487 +captured inside the room, never moving forward but never holding the
  1.1488 +life it once had. ‘When I videotape, I capture moments of Sakura-chan
  1.1489 +frozen on film. I can watch them forever, cherishing these moments
  1.1490 +even when they have long disappeared into the past,’ Tomoyo’s voice
  1.1491 +echoed in Sakura’ panic driven head. She had spoken those words to
  1.1492 +the Cardmistress not more than a week earlier, but they rang eerily
  1.1493 +true in this room that was not truly a room. It had been turned into
  1.1494 +a museum, a snapshot of it’s former self. Sakura’s knees felt weak
  1.1495 +and wobbly, as if they belonged to someone other than the athletic
  1.1496 +brunette. Her stomach felt sick as she shut her eyes tightly, trying
  1.1497 +to force out the images of the long dead room. 
  1.1498 +A faint, sickly sobbing finally drew Sakura out of her pain induced
  1.1499 +game of hide and seek with reality. Like a Siren’s song, she followed
  1.1500 +it, desperate to find it’s source. The voice behind the pain wracked
  1.1501 +sobs sounded so familiar. Who could be in such terrible agony? The
  1.1502 +cries were hopeless, desolate sounds that sent a chill over Sakura
  1.1503 +that was worse than any of the snowstorm she had witnessed. Her feet
  1.1504 +continued moving her forward even after her mind decided it didn’t
  1.1505 +want to see whatever lay at the end of this path. She passed a framed
  1.1506 +picture of her mother next to one by Tomoyo. They were nearly the
  1.1507 +same age in the pictures. Sakura found herself awestruck by the
  1.1508 +similarities. Tomoyo looked remarkably like her mother, something she
  1.1509 +had never truly noticed before, despite Sonomi’s explanations of it.
  1.1510 +It was almost frightening to see the two side by side. Long, dark
  1.1511 +grayish hair clung around both of their shoulders, falling in
  1.1512 +beautiful waves. Both with such pale complexions and such gentle
  1.1513 +smiles. The biggest difference that Sakura could see were their eyes.
  1.1514 +Nadeshiko’s were the same emerald green as Sakura’s whereas Tomoyo’s
  1.1515 +were a deep, stormy blue. ‘Nadeshiko-chan was an angel I was blessed
  1.1516 +to have met,’ Sonomi had once said. “So is Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura
  1.1517 +whispered softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the photographs.
  1.1518 +‘No!!’ Something inside her screamed. Whatever it was frightened her
  1.1519 +dearly, but it’s message rang clear. No, Tomoyo couldn’t be an angel.
  1.1520 +Not yet. Not yet. Please, not yet...
  1.1521 +Her shaky footsteps finally brought her into the bedroom that housed
  1.1522 +the quiet sobs that filtered through the house like an fine mist,
  1.1523 +blanketing the house in sadness and grief. Sonomi Daidouji, Tomoyo’s
  1.1524 +mother lie on her bed, clutching onto a pillow the way a woman would
  1.1525 +clutch to a life preserver for dear life out in the cold relentless
  1.1526 +ocean. Sonomi had been a beautiful, amazing woman when she was
  1.1527 +younger, of that Sakura was certain. By the time she had met Sonomi,
  1.1528 +something had been stolen from her. Her love remained, but her hope
  1.1529 +and joy had been ripped away from her, leaving her bitter and pained.
  1.1530 +But there was still a warmth in her heart, one that Tomoyo had
  1.1531 +filled. Her daughter had given her some reason to continue on, a
  1.1532 +gentle glow that Sakura had seen time and again in Sonomi’s presence.
  1.1533 +But that was all gone now. Sonomi’s sobs were brittle, broken. There
  1.1534 +was no more joy or warmth inside of her heart. It had all been cut so
  1.1535 +violently away from her. She looked like a woman who had lost
  1.1536 +everything, who had not a soul in the world to hold out for in this
  1.1537 +life. There was a painful resignation in her sobs and Sakura realized
  1.1538 +with shock that it was defeat. Sonomi had always been a firey willed
  1.1539 +woman that continued on despite the pain life had dished out to her.
  1.1540 +But that iron willed determination was gone. Sakura felt a shaky sob
  1.1541 +of her own pass through her body. There was only one thing that this
  1.1542 +could mean. Her mind still refused it with all its might, unable to
  1.1543 +accept it as anything more than a lie. 
  1.1544 +Without warning, the window opened suddenly, spilling white
  1.1545 +crystalline snowflakes about the room. They swirled around Sakura in
  1.1546 +hurried patterns, turning her around as they again filled up her
  1.1547 +vision. 
  1.1548 +
  1.1549 +	When the last of the snow flakes had fallen away from the terrible
  1.1550 +blinding white that had encompassed her, Sakura finally saw that they
  1.1551 +were somewhere that she had not been for quite a long time. Her heart
  1.1552 +froze in her chest, refusing to budge in even the smallest of
  1.1553 +movements. She knew this place from long ago. Memories returned to
  1.1554 +her unbidden, all carrying depths of sadness that she had not dwelled
  1.1555 +on in years. There was not an ounce of snow on the ground. Only a
  1.1556 +dark, dreadful sky that poured down a relentless rain from up above.
  1.1557 +The shadows reached out as if in wait to lurch out and snag
  1.1558 +unsuspecting visitors and lure them to stay in their endless depths.
  1.1559 +This was a cemetery. The last time she had been to one was years
  1.1560 +earlier when she had visited her mother’s grave.  The skies
  1.1561 +themselves had gone from blinding white to an anguished dark indigo,
  1.1562 +almost the same color as Tomoyo’s eyes. The skies above were weeping. 
  1.1563 +	The wet, distraught Cardmistress caught sight of the dark figure
  1.1564 +that was leading her along this dreadful tour up ahead near a
  1.1565 +gravestone. The hand reached out slowly, beckoning her once more.
  1.1566 +Sakura’s legs felt like wet ramen noodles, but somehow she managed to
  1.1567 +close the distance between herself and the cloaked ghost. Her heart
  1.1568 +was pounding in her chest, her mind still trying desperately to
  1.1569 +believe that Tomoyo wasn’t... But Sonomi’s cries were proof enough.
  1.1570 +They gave way the endless torment of a mother who has lost her only
  1.1571 +child. Sakura slowed her pace as she came nearer, holding her hands
  1.1572 +tightly to her chest. “This... This is only a warning, right? I can
  1.1573 +still fix things, can’t I? Please... Please tell me! I can’t... It
  1.1574 +just can’t be this way..” Tears stung her jade eyes, blurring the
  1.1575 +world in front of her, but still it crept forward as her legs moved
  1.1576 +forward of their own will. The ghost just watched her impassively,
  1.1577 +it’s hidden gaze almost unbearable for Sakura. It’s familiar hand
  1.1578 +pointed out to the grave again, demanding Sakura’s attention. The
  1.1579 +Cardmistress balked, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as the rain
  1.1580 +drenched her body and soul. “Please... Please tell me she’ll be all
  1.1581 +right... I need Tomoyo-chan... She can’t...” Her voice choked off
  1.1582 +with a painful sob as her eyes slowly turned to the tombstone. 
  1.1583 +
  1.1584 +‘	Tomoyo Daidouji
  1.1585 +Our dear, sweet angel was here for but a short visit,
  1.1586 +But we will never forget the joy and happiness she brought into our
  1.1587 +lives.
  1.1588 +May she soar in ways that this life denied her.’
  1.1589 +
  1.1590 +	Sakura’s head shook slowly, disbelieving the words at first. It
  1.1591 +couldn’t be. No... Deep, endless regret and sadness gripped Sakura
  1.1592 +tightly, wrenching at her heart. Her body shook with the force of the
  1.1593 +sobs wracking her small body. “Tomoyo-chan... Please, no...” Her wet
  1.1594 +hair fell about her face, obscuring her vision along with her now
  1.1595 +freezing tears. She couldn’t tell what were raindrops and what were
  1.1596 +teardrops anymore. Her fingers slowly brushed across the ingrained
  1.1597 +words, her lips trembling as she did. “It’s not fair!” She screamed
  1.1598 +into the storm, her whole body collapsing against the tombstone.
  1.1599 +“Tomoyo-chan...” her hoarse voice whispered as she clung to the
  1.1600 +tombstone as she would her now dead friend. The angel on top looked
  1.1601 +down sympathetically from it’s statuesque eyes. Sakura clutched
  1.1602 +tighter onto the tombstone, ignoring the biting stone against her
  1.1603 +soft, wet skin. She was lost now. What could she do without Tomoyo?
  1.1604 +Her best friend, her support, her confidant, all gone in one fell
  1.1605 +swoop. And with it, all of the love and support that Tomoyo had
  1.1606 +showered on her since they were in the third grade. Gone. Because of
  1.1607 +her neglect. ‘Sakura-chan, you have to be careful with that flower.
  1.1608 +You have to water it and love it every day or it will shrivel and
  1.1609 +die. You must take good care of it,’ her mother’s voice reached out.
  1.1610 +Sakura’s nodded her three year old head with a happy smile. But the
  1.1611 +flower had died. Sakura had forgotten all about it and it had
  1.1612 +withered. ‘Is that what I did to Tomoyo?’ she asked herself, her mind
  1.1613 +still a shattered mirror of grief and sorrow. ‘Did I forget to water
  1.1614 +her and love her? Did I forget all about her until she shriveled up
  1.1615 +and died?’ Harsh, dark cries escaped Sakura, her head pressed firmly
  1.1616 +against the stone. Her heart felt dead in her chest, nothing more
  1.1617 +than a collapsed black hole of pain and suffering. Every time she
  1.1618 +closed her eyes, she could see Tomoyo’s beautiful smiling face. But
  1.1619 +she would never see that smile again. It had been taken from her. She
  1.1620 +had not appreciated the gift that was bestowed upon her and it had
  1.1621 +been returned. “No! No!! Tomoyo-chan!!” Her fist battered against the
  1.1622 +tombstone to no avail, her wrist screaming in agony as she twisted
  1.1623 +it. But that was hardly of any consequence to her anymore. Despair
  1.1624 +wrapped around her soul like a thick blanket. 
  1.1625 +	“Get away from here!” An angry voice called. It took all of
  1.1626 +Sakura’s will to turn towards the voice. A girl that couldn’t be more
  1.1627 +than eight years old stormed forward through the rain, only a small
  1.1628 +umbrella in her hand there to protect her from it’s biting chill. She
  1.1629 +had short, dark hair, and angry indigo eyes. She looked like she was
  1.1630 +barely holding onto her composure, tears sparkling at the edge of her
  1.1631 +eyes. Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but another spoke up before
  1.1632 +she had the chance. Oddly enough, it was her own voice. Somewhat
  1.1633 +older, dulled from what sounded like years of pain.
  1.1634 +	“What?”
  1.1635 +	The little girl shook her head, rain droplets falling away from
  1.1636 +her. “You! You’re Sakura Li, aren’t you?” Her voice was accusatory,
  1.1637 +hateful. As if the very possibility sickened and dismayed her. 
  1.1638 +	Sakura spotted another woman. Herself, she mused. Though some years
  1.1639 +older by now. “I am,” she whispered softly, looking at the girl
  1.1640 +questioningly.  She was standing near the grave, just inches from
  1.1641 +where the past Sakura was holding onto it. Her finger’s brushed
  1.1642 +brunette hair from her eyes.
  1.1643 +	“Get away from there! You’re not wanted here! Stay away from my
  1.1644 +mama!” The girl yelled, her tears beginning to fall down her pale
  1.1645 +cheeks. She was clearly upset by Sakura’s presence, her little body
  1.1646 +shaking in what looked like rage. 
  1.1647 +	Sakura opened her mouth several times but nothing came out. She had
  1.1648 +only seen Tomoyo’s daughter twice before and once had been at the
  1.1649 +funeral. “I’m sorry,” she stated at last in a voice that was nearly a
  1.1650 +whisper. The girl was living with her grandmother now, though Sakura
  1.1651 +hadn’t spoken to Sonomi in quite some time. Her eyes went back to the
  1.1652 +grave and she choked back the tears that lurked just beneath the
  1.1653 +surface. “She was my best friend. I miss her. I just... I wanted to
  1.1654 +give her a Christmas present.” She held up a small wrapped package in
  1.1655 +her hand, gingerly protecting it from the rain.
  1.1656 +	“You killed her! She doesn’t need anything from you! Haven’t you
  1.1657 +done enough!” The younger girl was crying heavily by now, huge tears
  1.1658 +falling past her cheeks. But she never took her eyes off of Sakura,
  1.1659 +dead intent on protecting her dead mother from any further pain. “She
  1.1660 +loved you! She always pretended that it didn’t hurt her, that she was
  1.1661 +happy, but I could tell... I could tell from the stories she told of
  1.1662 +you and how wonderful you were, the times I saw her crying late at
  1.1663 +night when she thought I was asleep. All you did was hurt her!! Get
  1.1664 +away from my mama!” The girl ran up to Sakura, tears streaming down
  1.1665 +her face. She hit at Sakura weakly, trying to fend off the woman who
  1.1666 +had come to her mother’s grave, but her hands soon fell limply to her
  1.1667 +sides. Her small body shook with her sobs for her mama, the one that
  1.1668 +had been taken from her far too early.
  1.1669 +	Sakura squeezed her jade eyes shut tight, tears spilling across her
  1.1670 +own cheeks, mixing with the rain. Kneeling down, she held the young
  1.1671 +girl close, whispering over and over again, “I’m so sorry.” She
  1.1672 +barely noticed the rain anymore, her arms tightly around the young
  1.1673 +girl before her. Tomoyo’s one and only daughter. Looking into those
  1.1674 +tear filled indigo eyes had been like looking once more into Tomoyo’s
  1.1675 +own eyes and it was too much for the brunette to handle. 
  1.1676 +	“She... She got sick...” the girl sniffled, unable to struggle
  1.1677 +anymore. “She got so sick... But she wasn’t scared. She was never
  1.1678 +afraid of dying. I think... I think part of her wanted to die... The
  1.1679 +part that you had ruined... She said that she’d watch me... That
  1.1680 +she’d keep an eye on me... And that she’d watch you, too... But I
  1.1681 +don’t want her to watch you.. Because you’ll just keep hurting my
  1.1682 +mama the way you always did! I hate you!!” Fresh tears broke free as
  1.1683 +the little girl slumped against Sakura. “She loved you so much, but
  1.1684 +you hated her!! You hated my mama!! When she got sick, she didn’t get
  1.1685 +better because of you! Gramma says that her broken heart wouldn’t
  1.1686 +mend because of you so her body died the same way!” Her cries were
  1.1687 +hysterical now, her small body shuddering against Sakura’s.
  1.1688 +	Sakura could only offer her own muffled sobs in reply, her face
  1.1689 +pressed against the young girl’s dark hair. The jagged pieces of her
  1.1690 +heart that remained felt as if they had been set aflame, left to burn
  1.1691 +away until there was nothing left. “I’m so sorry... So, so sorry...”
  1.1692 +Her eyes blinked open slowly, tears still falling from them. “I... I
  1.1693 +never meant to hurt you mama. I... I loved her...” Her voice cracked
  1.1694 +at the confession, her jade eyes closing tightly again as more tears
  1.1695 +threatened to overwhelm her. Yes, she knew that now. She did love
  1.1696 +Tomoyo. She still did. She always had. But she realized it too late.
  1.1697 +She held on desperately to Tomoyo’s only daughter, the two crying
  1.1698 +together in front of an angel’s grave. 
  1.1699 +	“This is what awaits you,” a familiar voice said from behind the
  1.1700 +dark cloak as it stood looming over Sakura. A hand reached down and
  1.1701 +took Sakura’s gently.
  1.1702 +	Sakura shook her head, wiping at her eyes with her cold, frozen
  1.1703 +hands. “Please.. Please say I can fix this. It’s not too late, is
  1.1704 +it?” She looked up tearfully at the shrouded ghost, her eyes
  1.1705 +pleading. “There has to be a way. Tomoyo won’t die like this, will
  1.1706 +she?”
  1.1707 +	The figure reached back and slowly pulled away the dark hood that
  1.1708 +had covered its face. Brunette hair escaped the dark confines,
  1.1709 +followed by emerald eyes. Sakura found herself looking up at her
  1.1710 +mirror image. She herself was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The
  1.1711 +still half shrouded Sakura reached down and took Sakura's hand with
  1.1712 +her own, shaking her head. “I don’t know if you can prolong her life
  1.1713 +or if she will still die at this time. But that doesn’t matter. You
  1.1714 +can make what life she does have beautiful and warm. You can share it
  1.1715 +with her, experiencing the joys and pains it brings together. It
  1.1716 +doesn’t matter how much time she has left. It matters how that time
  1.1717 +is spent. Sakura, don’t be afraid of death. Be afraid of an
  1.1718 +unfulfilled life. Even if Tomoyo still dies and becomes your guardian
  1.1719 +angel, at least she will have the beautiful memories of your life
  1.1720 +together. I’m sure mom will watch out for her up there.” Her hand
  1.1721 +pulled away to rest on Sakura’s heart. “The future is for you to
  1.1722 +decide. Please choose carefully, Sakura. For both of our sakes.”
  1.1723 +
  1.1724 +
  1.1725 +	“No!!!” The earth tilted around Sakura, colors blurring together as
  1.1726 +she hurtled through what must have been an endless void. Her shoulder
  1.1727 +slammed down hard into the floor, her bare feet sticking up in the
  1.1728 +air out of her dry and none the worse for wear pajama pants.
  1.1729 +“Hoe...?” Looking around the room curiously, Sakura found that she
  1.1730 +had fallen out of bed. She quickly shifted to her hands and knees,
  1.1731 +joyous realization slowly dawning upon her. Giggles escaped her lips
  1.1732 +as she rose to her feet, twirling around in the early morning
  1.1733 +sunlight. Her eyes spotted the Sakura doll Tomoyo had made for her
  1.1734 +long ago and she instantly seized upon it, hugging the poor thing
  1.1735 +until she was nearly certain it would pop. “I’m back!! Kero-chan, I’m
  1.1736 +back!” Placing the Sakura doll back on the bed, Sakura lifted up the
  1.1737 +sleeping Seal Beast by his hands, twirling around with him. Another
  1.1738 +laugh escaped her as she spun on her foot. “My mom gave me a second
  1.1739 +chance!” Sakura smiled gloriously as she ran to look out at the
  1.1740 +beautiful sunlight spilling through her window. She basked in it’s
  1.1741 +gentle glow, her eyes closed and her arms wide open. Kero muttered to
  1.1742 +himself as he crawled back into his bed, pulling the blankets up
  1.1743 +around himself. It was too early for crazy things like this. But
  1.1744 +Sakura didn’t hear him, too busy with a hundred different thoughts to
  1.1745 +bother. Her hand reached instinctively for the cell phone, but she
  1.1746 +paused halfway through dialing Tomoyo’s number. No, this was
  1.1747 +something she would have to do in person. And that was exactly what
  1.1748 +she would do!
  1.1749 +	Pulling off her pajama top and kicking her pajama pants off, Sakura
  1.1750 +dug through her closet for something to wear. Her eyes finally caught
  1.1751 +on a brown costume on the bed. With cute little antlers. She left the
  1.1752 +closet and picked up the reindeer costume Tomoyo had made for her a
  1.1753 +short time ago but she hadn’t had the time to wear yet. Well, and she
  1.1754 +hadn’t been in a hurry to dress up like a reindeer. But she pulled it
  1.1755 +on quickly, the jingle from the bells giving her a start. Another
  1.1756 +giggle escaped her lips as she realized what it was. Looking in the
  1.1757 +mirror, she sweatdropped as she saw herself dressed up as a cute
  1.1758 +reindeer. It was most certainly one of Tomoyo’s designs. Plenty of
  1.1759 +bells and cute reindeer paw gloves and boots adorned the costume. 
  1.1760 +A snicker came from Touya who was standing in the doorway, leaning
  1.1761 +against the doorframe casually. “You’re not actually wearing that for
  1.1762 +Christmas Day, are you, kaijuu?” he asked curiously.
  1.1763 +	Sakura whirled on him, her natural response getting the best of
  1.1764 +her. Glaring at Touya, she crossed her arms, a chorus of jingling
  1.1765 +following the simple motion. Her face turned red, but she maintained
  1.1766 +her glare. “Onii-chan!!! Tomoyo-chan made this for me! Of course I’m
  1.1767 +going to wear it for Christmas! She went through a lot of trouble to
  1.1768 +make it and you shouldn’t make fun of it!” Oh, if she were a real
  1.1769 +reindeer, she’d skewer him on her antlers right now. But he just
  1.1770 +grinned and patted her on the head, making the bells shake again.
  1.1771 +	“Be quiet on the way downstairs, kaijuu, or you’ll wake up dad.
  1.1772 +Don’t stay out too long or you’ll miss Christmas Breakfast. Which you
  1.1773 +have to help me cook.” Her turned his back to her, heading back
  1.1774 +presumably to his own room. “But on second thought, I don’t need a
  1.1775 +monster helping me cook. I’ll just make it on my own. So don’t worry
  1.1776 +about breakfast. Tell Tomoyo-chan I said hello.”
  1.1777 +	Sakura blinked in confusion for a moment as he walked off. A smile
  1.1778 +slowly spread across her lips and she ran over and gave him a hug
  1.1779 +from behind, bells jingling all the while. Kero pulled a pillow over
  1.1780 +his head to muffle the noise. “Arigato, Onii-chan!!” 
  1.1781 +	Using the Silent to get downstairs without the bells waking up her
  1.1782 +father, Sakura quickly made her way outside. With a few words, she
  1.1783 +was flying through the air to Tomoyo’s house. 
  1.1784 +
  1.1785 +	Landing in front of the large mansion that Tomoyo lived in with her
  1.1786 +mother, Sakura paused before the large door. She hadn’t called
  1.1787 +beforehand and it was probably too early for Tomoyo or her mother to
  1.1788 +be awake. Maybe she should have waited until.. But before she could
  1.1789 +finish her thought, the door sprung open. Tomoyo stood before Sakura
  1.1790 +in the party dress she had seen her in the night before, clutching
  1.1791 +her camcorder in her hand with a sparkle in her eyes. Sakura had a
  1.1792 +moment to realize that Tomoyo hadn’t changed into her nightgown the
  1.1793 +night before because her mother had carried her off to bed. 
  1.1794 +	“Oh, Sakura-chan, it was so cute! I caught it all on videotape! It
  1.1795 +was like a beautiful Christmas wish come true. Sakura-chan the
  1.1796 +reindeer, flying across the sky in her hurry to bring Christmas joy.”
  1.1797 +Tomoyo sighed extravagantly, her free hand on her cheek. “All you
  1.1798 +needed was a cute little sleigh behind you and it would have been
  1.1799 +perfect.” Her hand went under her chin thoughtfully as her gentle
  1.1800 +smile settled in on her still ecstatic features.
  1.1801 +	Blushing deeply, Sakura looked down. She hadn’t quite realized how
  1.1802 +Tomoyo would react to her arrival this way. She should be used to it
  1.1803 +by now. Part of her wanted to know how Tomoyo had gotten it all on
  1.1804 +tape when she hadn’t known she was coming, but it hardly seemed
  1.1805 +important. She smiled herself, glad to see Tomoyo with sparkles in
  1.1806 +her eyes instead of the tears she had shed the night before. Sakura
  1.1807 +lunged forward, hugging Tomoyo tightly. Her heart was overjoyed to
  1.1808 +see Tomoyo again, to feel Tomoyo again, to smell her sweet scent all
  1.1809 +over again. It was almost too good to be true. 
  1.1810 +	Surprised for a brief moment, Tomoyo wrapped her own arms around
  1.1811 +Sakura, gently rubbing her back as she hugged the brunette. She had
  1.1812 +been thrilled to see Sakura on Christmas morning, showing up right at
  1.1813 +her door like Santa’s cutest reindeer. The pain of the night before
  1.1814 +faded into obscurity in Sakura’s warm embrace, driving back
  1.1815 +everything but the love in her heart for the Cardmistress. “I’m so
  1.1816 +glad to see you, Sakura-chan. I was thinking about you a lot last
  1.1817 +night.”
  1.1818 +	Sakura bit her lip as she pulled back slightly, startling Tomoyo
  1.1819 +with her sudden change of behavior. “I know,” she whispered sadly.
  1.1820 +Her emerald eyes flashed with determination as she smiled once again.
  1.1821 +“But you’ll never have to think of me that way again. I promise.”
  1.1822 +	Tomoyo continued to smile, but she was a bit puzzled by what Sakura
  1.1823 +had meant. She merely took Sakura’s hands and led her inside. “Please
  1.1824 +come in, Sakura-chan. There’s a nice fire going and my favorite
  1.1825 +reindeer shouldn’t have to stay in the cold.” Sakura followed
  1.1826 +obediently as Tomoyo led the way. They finally stopped in the same
  1.1827 +room Tomoyo had occupied the night before, the large Christmas tree
  1.1828 +still flashing it’s lights in wondrous patterns, a large fire blazing
  1.1829 +in a fireplace adorned with two stockings. Tomoyo gently sat Sakura
  1.1830 +down with her hands on her shoulders in front of the fire. There was
  1.1831 +mistletoe hanging just about every conceivable place. Kneeling down
  1.1832 +herself, Tomoyo smoothed out her skirt. “This is a wonderful
  1.1833 +Christmas gift, Sakura-chan. Its so wonderful to see you.”
  1.1834 +	The room looked much warmer and comforting in the early morning
  1.1835 +light and it helped to soothe Sakura’s spirits as the memories of
  1.1836 +Tomoyo crying on the couch the night before pushed at the back of her
  1.1837 +mind. Her emerald eyes looked over shyly but determinedly at Tomoyo.
  1.1838 +“Well, that’s not really my present, Tomoyo-chan. Could you open the
  1.1839 +present I gave you yesterday? I have something I want to say along
  1.1840 +with it.” She blushed a bit, her hand going behind her head
  1.1841 +nervously. But her nervousness slowly dissipated as Tomoyo’s gentle
  1.1842 +smile and nod calmed her. Her heart began to beat steadily again as
  1.1843 +Tomoyo hurried over to the gifts under the tree, gracefully picking
  1.1844 +up the gift she had received from Sakura the day before, having gone
  1.1845 +straight to it.
  1.1846 +	Anticipation filled the air as Tomoyo walked back over to Sakura’s
  1.1847 +side, slowly sitting down next to her once more. Her mind wasn’t
  1.1848 +focussed on what it could be, but simply that it was from Sakura.
  1.1849 +That alone was enough to make it a wonderful Christmas present
  1.1850 +indeed. She would have to find someway to repay Sakura with all her
  1.1851 +heart for whatever the gift may be. Noticing that Sakura herself was
  1.1852 +getting anxious, she decided to spare the poor brunette and began to
  1.1853 +unwrap the present. To he shock and delight, it was the same angel
  1.1854 +doll that she had seen Sakura pick up at the Twin Bells shop only a
  1.1855 +day prior. “Sakura-chan, it’s gorgeous.. A beautiful angel from
  1.1856 +Sakura-chan..” She watched it closely for a long moment, admiring the
  1.1857 +beautiful gift her friend had given her. She hugged it tightly,
  1.1858 +closing her eyes as she did. “It’s beautiful. But Sakura-chan, wasn’t
  1.1859 +it for Li-kun?” Tomoyo’s eyes opened curiously, her dark hair
  1.1860 +fluttering about as she turned her gaze once more to Sakura.
  1.1861 +	Sakura shook her head quickly. “I only said that so it would be a
  1.1862 +surprise. I got him a present a while back. When I saw it, I thought
  1.1863 +‘That’s the perfect gift for Tomoyo-chan. She’s just like an angel,
  1.1864 +so she’ll take great care of it.’” She smiled at the pale girl,
  1.1865 +thrilled to see Tomoyo still delightfully holding the angel doll. To
  1.1866 +her surprise, there were tears in Tomoyo’s eyes as well. They weren’t
  1.1867 +the same bitter tears she had seen the night before, but joyous,
  1.1868 +happy tears that threatened to consume the dark haired girl in what
  1.1869 +amounted to utter bliss. 
  1.1870 +	“It is perfect. Nearly as perfect as you. Thank you so very much,
  1.1871 +Sakura-chan. I will treasure it always,” Tomoyo promised brightly,
  1.1872 +her sweet lips turned into a gorgeous smile. This had to be the
  1.1873 +single greatest Christmas she had ever had. Not only was she spending
  1.1874 +the morning with Sakura, but to receive such a gift from her.. It was
  1.1875 +like the brightest of dreams. 
  1.1876 +	Brushing back her hair, Sakura met Tomoyo’s stormy blue eyes with
  1.1877 +her own emerald green ones. “But I was wrong. It’s not the perfect
  1.1878 +gift for Tomoyo-chan. There’s one thing that could be better. One
  1.1879 +thing that I can give to you that I hope can make up for everything.
  1.1880 +A present that I didn’t even realize I had to give until last night.”
  1.1881 +Swallowing deeply to keep her nerves in check, Sakura leaned forward
  1.1882 +and kissed Tomoyo. The dark haired girl was surprised for only a
  1.1883 +fraction of a second before she melted into Sakura’s kiss, kissing
  1.1884 +back with a gentle yet intense fervor that left Sakura a little
  1.1885 +shaken when she finally pulled away. Tomoyo was sitting next to her
  1.1886 +with her bright, all knowing indigo eyes, a radiant smile on her
  1.1887 +lips. The kiss had been small, but world shaking. Tomoyo simply
  1.1888 +beamed in a light that seemed to burn from her heart. Sakura
  1.1889 +surprised herself when she leaned in for a second kiss. Tomoyo’s lips
  1.1890 +were splendidly soft, coaxing her own lips open into a deeper, more
  1.1891 +drawn out kiss that left both girls breathless. “Tomoyo-chan.. I love
  1.1892 +you,” Sakura said as she finally caught her breath.  She realized
  1.1893 +that her hand was in Tomoyo’s hair and that their noses were pressed
  1.1894 +together, Tomoyo’s hands both on her cheeks. 
  1.1895 +	This time tears did spill from Tomoyo’s stormy eyes, dripping onto
  1.1896 +Sakura’s cheeks as they made their path slowly downward. Those were
  1.1897 +the most beautiful words Tomoyo had ever heard and she knew that they
  1.1898 +were words that she could never possibly grow tired of hearing.
  1.1899 +“Sakura-chan... My Sakura-chan..” she whispered softly in her musical
  1.1900 +voice. “I love you so much.” Her lips lightly brushed Sakura’s again
  1.1901 +as she gingerly pulled Sakura closer. Her eyes slipped closed, tears
  1.1902 +still falling from them as they kissed again and again under the
  1.1903 +mistletoe.
  1.1904 +
  1.1905 +	Years and years later, Sakura decorated a Christmas wreath with a
  1.1906 +young dark haired girl with indigo eyes. The two held hands as they
  1.1907 +walked along beautiful green grass under a frosty blue sky. Sakura
  1.1908 +smiled as she reached her destination. She gently set down the
  1.1909 +Christmas wreath in front of the tombstone. It read:
  1.1910 +
  1.1911 +‘Tomoyo Daidouji-Kinomoto
  1.1912 +Loving wife and devoted mother. Even death can’t keep us apart.
  1.1913 +Please watch over us, my beautiful angel.’
  1.1914 +
  1.1915 +	Sakura’s fingers lightly brushed over the inscription and the name.
  1.1916 +A small tear fell unnoticed down her cheek, but a smile formed across
  1.1917 +her lips. She placed a small present decorated with sakura blossoms
  1.1918 +next to the tombstone.
  1.1919 +The little girl placed her own present next to the tombstone before
  1.1920 +taking Sakura’s hand again. “Merry Christmas, mama!” the girl said to
  1.1921 +the tombstone, placing a small hand on it for a moment.
  1.1922 +Sakura squeezed her daughter’s hand, her eyes still focussed on the
  1.1923 +tombstone in front of her. She could almost feel Tomoyo’s soft
  1.1924 +fingers brush past her cheek comfortingly. Her eyes fell closed and
  1.1925 +she could swear that she could almost smell Tomoyo, could almost feel
  1.1926 +the way her fingers would gently brush against her skin. “I love you,
  1.1927 +Tomoyo. Merry Christmas.” 
  1.1928 + 
  1.1929 \ No newline at end of file