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     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/CCScharity.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,523 @@
     1.4 +Learning to Fly
     1.5 +Chapter 1
     1.6 +by
     1.7 +The Amazoness Duo- amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.8 +G.P.- pearsong1954@yahoo.com
     1.9 +
    1.10 +
    1.11 +
    1.12 +The breeze off of the nearby ocean meandered playfully about on a path it neither knew nor
    1.13 +understood. It was free in a way that Syaoran Li, the heir to the illustrious Li Clan, could
    1.14 +never be. He felt some contempt for it as it's gentle, invisible fingers caressed his shirt to
    1.15 +his chest. What made it worse was that the breeze didn't know, nor care, for his jealous regards.
    1.16 +With all the power his position levelled him, with all the magical strength he possessed, he was
    1.17 +still as nothing to the wind. Oh, to be that free...
    1.18 +
    1.19 +“You haven't said a word since the banquet. I hope it didn't fry your brain. And you were doing
    1.20 +so well, too. I had you all trained and everything.” A snap of fingers and an exhale of breath
    1.21 +followed a dark haired woman's exclamation as she feigned frustration. “Ieran is going to be so
    1.22 +disappointed that I broke her son.” Meiling Li, one time fiancee of Syaoran, walked along the
    1.23 +small stone fence aside and above her cousin. Long wisps of beautiful raven hair trailed behind
    1.24 +her, almost as one with the wind. 
    1.25 +
    1.26 +Whereas the wind seemed to fight against Syaoran, finding a barrier in him, it seemed to flow
    1.27 +effortlessly about his female companion, offering her no barriers. Perhaps it was because she was
    1.28 +at peace with the wind, with the very nature of the world we live in. Or at least at peace with
    1.29 +herself and her place within the world. Syaoran still found himself trying to find his place in
    1.30 +it all, which seemed unneccessary what with his destiny as the head of the Li Clan preordained.
    1.31 +Yet still he found himself unsure of his future and his place within it. 
    1.32 +
    1.33 +“I'm fine.” His voice was rough, strong. He liked how it sounded. No longer the child he had been
    1.34 +back during his time assisting with the Clow Cards, he was a man now. It was known throughout
    1.35 +China that he was the premiere wizard, nearly as strong as his mother in the ways of his families
    1.36 +mystical arts. With a lean body, handsome looks, and enormous potential as the next heir to the
    1.37 +most powerful family of magicians in China, he was heavily sought after to wed the daughters of
    1.38 +many different influential families. Yet none of them managed to sway the admittedly headstrong
    1.39 +young master of the Li Clan. The one and only Cardmistress was his lover, the one who would one
    1.40 +day join him. He was happy with his strength, with the man he was now. 
    1.41 +
    1.42 +In many ways, Meiling had made his transformation possible. Or was transformation too strong of a
    1.43 +word? It was more subtle than that. He held a confidence he had been lacking when he was younger.
    1.44 +No longer was he a slave to his fears of not being good enough for his mother, for the Li Clan.
    1.45 +It had taken all of his courage to tell his mother that he was dating the Cardmistress. Back
    1.46 +then, he had been afraid she would turn her icy, disappointed eyes into him and the small amount
    1.47 +of love he had garnered from her over the years would wither and die. But the great and all
    1.48 +powerful Ieran had simply agreed and asked him if there was anything else of import he wished to
    1.49 +discuss. Perhaps it was then that he discovered his mother had never expected him to be stronger
    1.50 +than Sakura. She had never expected him to be the one to take back the cards of their ancestor,
    1.51 +Clow Reed. Anger and relief in equal parts had flooded him until he had been almost unable to
    1.52 +excuse himself and collapse on his bed back in his room. His whole life, he had been the only boy
    1.53 +in his family, the heir to the head of the household, the one expected to handle the family's
    1.54 +problems despite being the youngest. All that time, his mother had treated his sisters with
    1.55 +warmth and caring while she had granted him a somewhat disappointed indifference. He had thought
    1.56 +it was because he hadn't been strong enough, that she had expected more from him, that he had to
    1.57 +be better to gain her approval. But it seemed to be something altogether different. Perhaps she
    1.58 +had only been preparing him for the harsh life that awaited him as the head of the Li Clan. 
    1.59 +
    1.60 +With that experience, Syaoran had slowly taken up more and more responsibilities within the
    1.61 +household. Oddly enough, it had been Meiling who stood behind him throughout it all. His
    1.62 +beautiful, dark haired cousin had given him the confidence in himself to perform his duties as
    1.63 +well as to cultivate an air of authority he had long lacked. When other family members had
    1.64 +giggled at his attempts to take charge of a situation, Meiling had barked at them to listen to
    1.65 +him. Meiling had supported him unfalteringly every day for the past few years, despite the fact
    1.66 +that she knew he had cancelled their engagement. Even then, she was always the first to support
    1.67 +him, the first to tell him how great he was, how strong and smart and capable he was. She was the
    1.68 +one to make him feel as if he could accomplish anything.
    1.69 +
    1.70 + Meiling was his backup when he couldn't finish things on his own. When he had been told to
    1.71 +search through some family records for an important document, she had stayed up all night with
    1.72 +him, helping him through all the large, musty volumes that filled the huge library. Bringing them
    1.73 +tea every few hours, Meiling had been right alongside him as they poured through the thick,
    1.74 +boring manuscripts. 
    1.75 +
    1.76 +So much of his newfound sense of self, his gained self-confidence, came from Meiling's unwavering
    1.77 +support. He felt like he could handle taking over the household, which was slowly becoming a
    1.78 +reality. All thanks to the help of his strongwilled cousin. All of his self-doubts, his fears and
    1.79 +weaknesses, felt as if they were being ironed away, smoothed out of himself. He was pleased with
    1.80 +what he saw in the mirror and what he heard when he spoke. It was strong and honorable and he
    1.81 +liked it. Sakura would be so glad when she saw him again. He would show her how he had grown, how
    1.82 +much more in control he was. He would sweep her off her feet. 
    1.83 +
    1.84 +“So you can speak!” Meiling clapped her hands delightedly, grinning as she startled Syaoran from
    1.85 +her thoughts. From personal experience, she knew she was one of a few lucky people who could drag
    1.86 +Syaoran from his moody thoughts. He came kicking and screaming sometimes, but she could force him
    1.87 +into the here and now nonetheless. It was for his own good, she always told herself. Better to
    1.88 +make him pay attention than to be ignored. 
    1.89 +
    1.90 +Glancing up at his cousin, resplendant in her beautiful red and yellow dress, he nodded. “Thanks
    1.91 +for your help at the banquet, Meiling. I really thought Fanren was going to argue about my idea
    1.92 +for a minute.”
    1.93 +
    1.94 +Amber eyes seemed to sparkle gleefully as slim shoulders shrugged. “She was going to. But she
    1.95 +wasn't going to fight the both of us. She still doesn't like the idea, but she doesn't have to.
    1.96 +You're the new head of the household, not her. Besides, if she really wants to fight over it, you
    1.97 +can always bring up her plethora of lovers. That would shut her up real quick. Your mother
    1.98 +tolerates it because she keeps it quiet. You could make a big fuss over it once you're in charge
    1.99 +though. She'd stop fighting with you just so you'd leave her alone about it.
   1.100 +
   1.101 +”Silence followed for
   1.102 +a moment. It was at this moment that Syaoran realized Meiling could fight extremely dirty when
   1.103 +she wanted to. The revelation was both exciting and frightening at the same time. He decided to
   1.104 +push that away for the moment. “I'd... rather not piss off Fanren if I can help it. She's still
   1.105 +my big sister. If we can resolve it without her hating me for the rest of my life, I'm happier.
   1.106 +Besides, it all seemed to get resolved when you threw in with me. She didn't want to have to
   1.107 +argue with both of us.”
   1.108 +
   1.109 +“If you say so. She'll have to get used to you being in charge sooner or
   1.110 +later, no matter how much older she is,” Meiling stated. Her arms spread out like wings, keeping
   1.111 +her balance despite the increasingly harsh sea wind. 
   1.112 +
   1.113 +A part of Syaoran's mind flinched at the thought. Fanren was his eldest sister. Memories of his
   1.114 +older sisters dressing him in their old clothes, going through their makeup to make him look like
   1.115 +their pretty little sister, their personal dress up doll, made his cheeks turn a light shade of
   1.116 +crimson. The thought of threatening Fanren with the knowledge of her many lovers seemed
   1.117 +impossible in the light of those memories. She was still his older sister. He'd always be the
   1.118 +baby to her, which was why it was so hard for her to entirely defer to him. But at least Fanren
   1.119 +had given in with Meiling's help. The thought of trying to force his fiery older sister to submit
   1.120 +in any situation didn't strike him as pleasant. Whereas his mother had an icy strength to her,
   1.121 +Fanren's spirit was fiery. He liked to think that he himself held his mother's reserve of ice
   1.122 +cold strength, but he couldn't be entirely sure. 
   1.123 +
   1.124 +“....ting engaged soon. He's from that Chang family. That one with all the scholars? I hear
   1.125 +they've got some magic in the family, too. So I guess it makes sense,” Meiling was finishing, a
   1.126 +few paces ahead of Syaoran by now. The wind continued to play with her hair, sending the pigtails
   1.127 +trailing behind her, almost far enough out for Syaoran to reach if he tried. 
   1.128 +
   1.129 +“Hmm?” Syaoran gathered himself, looking up to his slightly younger cousin. Thoughts swirled in a
   1.130 +fragmented pattern as they tried to piece themselves back together. What had she been saying? A
   1.131 +touch of anxiety began eating at him. He quashed it immediately. If there was anything he hated
   1.132 +with a passion, it was fear. He never wanted to fear, to worry, again. Such a feeling was
   1.133 +unfitting someone of his post. But all the same, Meiling's next words left him shaken.
   1.134 +
   1.135 +“What are
   1.136 +you going to do when I'm not here to force you out of your thoughts? You'll never go do anything
   1.137 +fun. I'm the one who drags you out to go dancing or to see movies or even to go to the park.
   1.138 +You're hopeless.” The smile on her lips didn't meet her eyes as she walked backwards along the
   1.139 +fence, eyeing her onetime fiancee. “I'm getting married,” she said after a brief pause. She
   1.140 +hurried before Syaoran could respond. “I'm my mother's oldest daughter and I'm unmarried. Mom
   1.141 +doesn't have as many kids as your mother has, so she can't afford to squander her bargaining
   1.142 +chips. She's been looking for someone for me to marry for a while now. To 'bolster the strength
   1.143 +of the Li Clan' is how she put it, I think.” Another shrug of her athletic shoulders. “It got to
   1.144 +the point where she began to arrange my marriage to the only son of the Chang family. I think
   1.145 +we're getting married in August.”
   1.146 +
   1.147 +“But... you can't!” His voice wasn't as controlled as he wanted it to be. When upset or angry, he
   1.148 +still lost a bit of that vital control he longed for. His voice had come out harsh, too harsh.
   1.149 +Too... afraid? No, it was Meiling's life. It didn't concern him. Maybe it was that she was
   1.150 +getting married off. But hadn't she always been in a situation where she would be married off?
   1.151 +First him and now this Chang boy. His stomach clenched at the thought of this person taking away
   1.152 +his... best friend. Another realization. Meiling was his best friend. Perhaps his only friend.
   1.153 +And she was being taken away from him. Fear and anger and frustration all threatened, crashing
   1.154 +like stormy waves against the walls of control he had so diligently crafted. Now he wasn't so
   1.155 +sure they would hold. His mind raced desperately for a way to solve the problem. “You don't have
   1.156 +to have an arranged marriage. I stepped out of mine. I told mother I was going to be with
   1.157 +Sakura.” As soon as it was out of his mouth, he immediately regretted it. In an unspoken pact, he
   1.158 +and Meiling rarely discussed his love life with Sakura. Meiling didn't want to hear about it,
   1.159 +didn't want to think about it. And this scenario was infinitely worse. He had stepped out of his
   1.160 +engagement to Meiling in order to be with Sakura. Unlike himself, Meiling had not wanted to end
   1.161 +their engagement. 
   1.162 +
   1.163 +Amber eyes that would be beautiful in almost any light got incredibly frosty in the blink of an
   1.164 +eye. Though Syaoran couldn't tell what had changed about Meiling's posture or demeanor, her aura
   1.165 +was much, much crisper now, matching the biting wind that had risen. “This is political. The
   1.166 +family is strengthened from my marriage to the heir to the Chang Clan. And, whether you want to
   1.167 +believe it or not, you being with Sakura is also political. You want to know why your mother
   1.168 +didn't put up so much as an argument for why you couldn't be with her? Because she's the
   1.169 +Cardmistress. She has the book that belonged to our ancestor. Having you marry her, to bring both
   1.170 +her magic and her Sakura Cards back into our family, is the next best thing to if you had managed
   1.171 +to get the Cards in the first place.” Turning to look forward, she continued to walk briskly
   1.172 +along the stone fence. Syaoran had to hurry to keep up. “So my mother probably wouldn't care even
   1.173 +if I told her I 'didn't want to' marry him. And I have no reason not to marry him.”
   1.174 +
   1.175 +Continuing on
   1.176 +in silence for a moment, the sounds of the street beneath his shoes sounded distant and false.
   1.177 +Not only had he lost his precious control for a brief moment, but he had also hurt Meiling with a
   1.178 +stupid comment he should have known better than to let slip out of his mouth. “Do you love him?”
   1.179 +It took all his effort to make the question sound casual, to keep it from revealing how concerned
   1.180 +he was for its answer. If she didn't have a reason to not marry him, then maybe...
   1.181 +
   1.182 +“No. I haven't even met him. But what do I have to wait around for? Your sisters are starting to
   1.183 +get married off. My brother's already engaged. I don't want to be the only daughter sitting
   1.184 +around here like a dusty old maid. Then what? I get to sit around and watch you and Sakura get
   1.185 +married and have kids while I sit at home? At least I'm doing the family some good by marrying
   1.186 +him. I don't have to like him to have his kids. Who knows. Maybe I'll fall for him.” The last was
   1.187 +mean and she knew it. Part of her still wanted to make him jealous. The rest of her was just
   1.188 +tired and lonely and exhausted. The love she held for Syaoran had blossomed when she had been a
   1.189 +small child. The seedling had grown into something that filled her entire being. And yet, the
   1.190 +past few years she had watched him in love with another. Never once had he seen her crying over
   1.191 +him, tearry eyed in her bed, wishing they had never gone to Japan. She had waited and hoped that
   1.192 +maybe, just maybe, he would eventually choose her. But now that seemed unlikely. She would never
   1.193 +love anyone the way she loved Syaoran, but she wouldn't sit and wait like an old pet. 
   1.194 +
   1.195 +There was nothing he could say at this point. Words would fail him and he knew it. They had never
   1.196 +been his strong point anyway. Almost all of their arguments were won by Meiling because of that.
   1.197 +But he felt incredibly empty as he watched her ahead of him.
   1.198 +
   1.199 +Hopping off the low fence, Meiling landed lightly in her sandals. “I need to get home to help
   1.200 +mother for the preparations. I'll stop by tomorrow to see how things are going. Goodnight,
   1.201 +Syaoran.” With that, she left, not bothering to look back over her shoulder.
   1.202 +
   1.203 +“Goodnight, Meiling.” The words were not enough and they sounded tiny and irrelevant in his ears.
   1.204 +The hollow, empty sounds plagued him as he watched her receding back. He should have said
   1.205 +something, done something to make it better. Instead, he had succeeded only in sticking his foot
   1.206 +in his mouth. He was about to lose his best friend to some boy she didn't even know because of
   1.207 +the family honor he had devoted his life to. He felt weak. The support for everything he had
   1.208 +built was suddenly slipping away. He would be strong enough on his own, wouldn't he? Without her,
   1.209 +he could still handle it, right? Doubts nagged at him, doubts he had long suppressed. The girl he
   1.210 +had long depended on without realizing was suddenly getting ready to leave. And there was nothing
   1.211 +he could do about it. 
   1.212 +
   1.213 +“Fuck!!” Fist cracked against stone in a battle that was shortlived. Pain
   1.214 +crackling through his knuckles, Syaoran hoped Meiling had been far enough away not to hear him.
   1.215 +He hit the stone again. And again. He didn't want to let her go. It was like losing the one
   1.216 +pillar he had to keep things together. But it wasn't his choice to make. 
   1.217 +
   1.218 +Slumping against the wall, he slid down into a sitting position. 'Don't go, Meiling,' he wanted
   1.219 +to say. 'Stay with me,' his younger voice pleaded. Tears built in his eyes, damned tears he had
   1.220 +long thought dried out. His sisters had been playing with him again, something he had always
   1.221 +loved when he was a child. They'd dressed him up in their most beautiful old clothes, made him as
   1.222 +pretty as any young girl his age, and had played with him all afternoon. And then his mother had
   1.223 +come. His mother never told his sisters to leave him alone back then, never scolded them for
   1.224 +playing with him in such ways. She simply sent them away. It was time for some of Syaoran's
   1.225 +lessons. He had to learn to be strong. He had to learn to be a man because he would one day lead
   1.226 +the Li Clan. And his older sisters all bowed to their mother and made their hasty retreat.
   1.227 +Leaving him with his mother's cold, disapproving glare. That glare was so different from the
   1.228 +smiles and giggles of his sisters as they played with him. He hated it. And he had begged his
   1.229 +fleeing sisters to stay. To not leave him alone with those cold, disappointed eyes. But they
   1.230 +always left. And he was always alone with her. Fighting his dragons. Trying to be the man his
   1.231 +mother demanded him to be. And now, when he was fighting again for control of the Li Clan, the
   1.232 +brilliant smile and light that Meiling bestowed upon him was about to flee. And he knew he would
   1.233 +be left in darkness again. 'Don't go...' his voice from years long gone cried out. Sakura. He
   1.234 +still had Sakura. Pulling out his cell phone, her number was speed dialed in seconds. 
   1.235 +
   1.236 +Trrrrrrriiiiil. Trrrrrrrrrrrriiiil. Trrr.... “Hello?” Her soft voice was still as bright and warm
   1.237 +as it had been when he had fallen for her as a child. “Hello? Syaoran?”
   1.238 +
   1.239 +“Sakura...” His voice was
   1.240 +steady, calm, and for that he was glad. His earlier signs of weakness had been erased. He barely
   1.241 +felt the tears trickling down his cheeks. He was in control again. 
   1.242 +
   1.243 +“Syaoran! How are you? I was
   1.244 +just talking to Tomoyo-chan about you.” A pause. “I miss you.”
   1.245 +
   1.246 +“Mmm... I miss you, too. I'm fine.”
   1.247 +His voice was sounding better by the minute. “Just wanted to check up on you. How've things been
   1.248 +going?”
   1.249 +
   1.250 +“Oh, they're fine. We've finally got everything moved in. Oh, Syaoran, you should see the place!
   1.251 +It's so cute! I really, really have to thank Sonomi-san for finding us such a nice place. And
   1.252 +it's really close to the campus, too, kind of between my campus and Tomoyo's. I still have to
   1.253 +take the tram, but... well, I could take the limo that Sonomi has take Tomoyo-chan to school, but
   1.254 +then I'd feel even guiltier. I mean, she already got this place for us. Hoe... I need to find a
   1.255 +way to thank her. Can you think of anything?” Sakura finally paused for a breath. 
   1.256 +
   1.257 +“No,
   1.258 +nothing.”
   1.259 +
   1.260 +“Well, I'll have to think of something.” Then, away from the phone. “Yeah, right there
   1.261 +is fine, Tomoyo-chan.” Back to the phone. “You really should come out soon, Syaoran. It's such a
   1.262 +nice place. The view at night is gorgeous. Tomoyo-chan and I stayed up last night and the city
   1.263 +looks so beautiful. It's lit up like a thousand different stars. The cars look like little
   1.264 +shooting stars under us.”
   1.265 +
   1.266 +“Yeah, I'd like that, Sakura. Maybe I can check it out soon.”
   1.267 +
   1.268 +“Really?
   1.269 +I'd love that, Syaoran. It's been so long. It'd be so great to see you again.” Sakura sighed
   1.270 +softly, the sigh she always gave when she was lonely. He got it a lot on their phone calls. 
   1.271 +
   1.272 +“I'll try to see what I can do, then,” he promised. 
   1.273 +
   1.274 +“Thanks, Syaoran,” her cheerful voice responded. “Ack... I have to go now. Tomoyo-chan needs my
   1.275 +help to move something. Well, she didn't say she needs my help, but you know how skinny and
   1.276 +fragile she is. She's trying to lift it herself, but....” Away from the phone, he can still hear
   1.277 +her voice. “Tomoyo-chan, let me help you with that. You're going to get hurt if you try to carry
   1.278 +that by yourself.” Pulling the phone to her ear, her voice was clear again. “We sent the
   1.279 +bodyguards her mother had sent home after they helped get everything up to the apartment. We
   1.280 +didn't want them to have to wait for us to figure out how we want the layout.”
   1.281 +
   1.282 +“Go
   1.283 +ahead and help Daidouji. I'll call you later.”
   1.284 +
   1.285 +“Syaoan, I hope I can see you soon,” Sakura said,
   1.286 +her voice a lot whisper.“Me too, Sakura-chan.” Maybe if she were near, he could stave off this
   1.287 +collapse. And then the phone went silent as he let it turn off.Nothing was better. Icy tears
   1.288 +rolled down his cheeks as the wind got more and more violently, making the leaves scractch
   1.289 +against anything like distant, insane laughter. No one heard the cries in his head. Or perhaps
   1.290 +they didn't care. Nonetheless, he was left all alone in the cold. 
   1.291 +
   1.292 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.293 +
   1.294 +“And that one? Does it have a name?” After all of her years as the head of a large toy company,
   1.295 +Sonomi Daidouji still managed to hold onto an almost childlike glee at times. Her harshly cut
   1.296 +diagonal hairstyle and her business suit seemed at odds with the thin violet bow she had tied
   1.297 +around her neck. She was, as her employees would attest, eccentric. As Tomoyo would be quick to
   1.298 +add, she was also an extremely caring woman. Like a lioness, she would care for her cubs with the
   1.299 +utmost care. But if ever any harm threatened one of her love ones, she would sink her claws in
   1.300 +faster than the blink of an eye. 
   1.301 +
   1.302 +Currently, the brunette was in one of her former moods, as she often was when around her lovely
   1.303 +daughter. The particular business they were doing could have been delegated to others, but Sonomi
   1.304 +hadn't assigned anyone to that particular task yet, so she had decided to do it herself. It was
   1.305 +well known that she was the hardest worker at Daidouji Toys. And since she was never one to miss
   1.306 +out on time she could spend with her daughter, Tomoyo, she had dragged her daughter along. 
   1.307 +
   1.308 +“Yes,
   1.309 +this one is to an Inaka Tsushimoto,” Tomoyo soft, singsong voice replied, reading off the list.
   1.310 +“It's one of the working toy camcorders. It fits with the hobbies she listed. I think she'll like
   1.311 +it.” The pale girl smiled beautifuly when she looked up, a sight that always stunned her mother
   1.312 +for a second or two. Tomoyo bore a stunning resemblence to the late love of Sonomi's life. 
   1.313 +
   1.314 +“I'm sure she will,” Sonomi replied, pulling up the next box. They were getting toys ready for
   1.315 +delivery to a children's hospital. Children's hospitals were not an unfamiliar sight to the elder
   1.316 +Daidouji woman. Her cousin, Nadeshiko, ever accident-prone and always eager to try anything,
   1.317 +despite the danger involved, mixed with a weak constitution to begin with, sat in the small
   1.318 +hospital beds more times than Sonomi would like to count. But being her protective older cousin,
   1.319 +Sonomi had always been there, sometimes staying the night with Nadeshiko when they would let her.
   1.320 +'I don't want Nadeshiko-chan to stay here alone,' she had once told her mother. 'She'll get bad
   1.321 +dreams.' And so Sonomi had stayed to protect her darling cousin from the specter of bad dreams.
   1.322 +'The shot doesn't hurt so bad, but I don't like to look at it,' Nadeshiko had once told her, eyes
   1.323 +tearing up even as she smiled, holding onto Sonomi's hand with a death grip as the doctor gave
   1.324 +her the injection. Sonomi's hand tightened on the box reflexively, almost thinking she would find
   1.325 +her small cousin's hand in her grip. But as had been the case for too many years now, it wasn't
   1.326 +so.
   1.327 +
   1.328 +Nowadays, Sonomi seldom had occasion to be in a hospital setting herself. She was incredibly
   1.329 +healthy and her daughter was reasonably so. Thought somewhat frail looking, Tomoyo wasn't plagued
   1.330 +by the sicknesses that had occasionally haunted Nadeshiko. For that, Sonomi was grateful. But
   1.331 +nonetheless, Sonomi still had an attachment to the small children locked away in those hospital
   1.332 +rooms, many without loving older cousins to look out for them, getting shots that looked worse
   1.333 +than they felt. So the businesswoman wished to take away a small measure of that pain. In a way,
   1.334 +she was still searching for Nadeshiko, or the memory of the other girl, at any rate. 
   1.335 +
   1.336 +“Sakura-chan loves the appartment. She wanted me to thank you for her. She bowed cutely many
   1.337 +times and said she'd do anything at all to make it up to you,” Tomoyo said excitedly, her stormy
   1.338 +blue eyes sparkling the way they often did when she spoke of Sakura. “I believe her words when
   1.339 +she first saw the appartment were 'Hoe... It's so beautiful! We have to give it back to
   1.340 +Sonomi-san! I can never pay her back for this!' There was lots of cute gesticulating and general
   1.341 +Sakura-chan cuteness, but I'd need to give you the videotape to show it all accurately.” 
   1.342 +
   1.343 +A warm laugh escaped the older woman. Sakura made her happy in two ways. The first was that
   1.344 +Sakura was the daughter of the woman she loved, and through Sakura, Sonomi could she glimpses of
   1.345 +her dear Nadeshiko. The second was that Sakura made her daughter deliriously happy, which was
   1.346 +always a wonderful sight for the elder Daidouji woman to behold. “Anything, huh? Then she'll
   1.347 +finally marry you?”
   1.348 +
   1.349 +“Mother,” Tomoyo chided gently, still going through the list she held,
   1.350 +checking boxes. “Sakura-chan is still dating Li-kun.”
   1.351 +
   1.352 +“Hmph... I never liked that boy,” Sonomi
   1.353 +said, frowning. Pulling another box closer, she began to wrap it, expertly tying a ribbon onto
   1.354 +the present. A present to a girl who didn't have any idea who she was. She hoped the girl would
   1.355 +smile. “Then how about a day... two days...” She shook her head, smiling as she decided. “A week
   1.356 +of passionate sex for my daughter. If Sakura-chan's dating that boy, she could at least make up
   1.357 +for it by making you come into my office with a great, big smile. But you have to tell me how she
   1.358 +moans. She's Nadeshiko-chan's daughter, after all.”
   1.359 +
   1.360 +“She moans very cutely,” Tomoyo stated
   1.361 +matter-of-factly. “Very soft and cute and in little sounds now and then. As if they just bubble
   1.362 +out.” Her mother raised an eyebrow, wondering how Tomoyo was privy to such information. The
   1.363 +heiress smiled. “Sakura-chan thinks about her boyfriend sometimes. I just happen to be near
   1.364 +enough to hear what happens.” Of course, that sometimes took some doing, but it wasn't past the
   1.365 +lavender haired girl. Going back to her list, she shakes her head slightly, her hair swishing
   1.366 +about. “I think by 'repaying you', Sakura-chan doesn't mean 'sleep with your daughter'.”
   1.367 +
   1.368 +“Well,
   1.369 +then what does she mean?” Sonomi asked, sounding mock stern. Tomoyo's giggle undid her facade and
   1.370 +she couldn't help but smile herself. Yawning, Sonomi stretched, letting her weary eyes fall
   1.371 +closed for a moment. She'd worked past a full day at her normal job alone. Now she and Tomoyo had
   1.372 +been at the office for half the night already. 
   1.373 +
   1.374 +Watching her mother for a moment, the lavender haired girl tapped her pen against her lips
   1.375 +thoughtfully. “You really should get some rest, mother. You work yourself too hard. If you keep
   1.376 +this up, you'll be joining Nadeshiko-san too soon and Sakura-chan and I will both miss you too
   1.377 +much.”
   1.378 +
   1.379 +If there was one thing that made her life worth living, it was certainly her daughter. And having
   1.380 +Sakura and Tomoyo so close after all these years was almost like having two daughters. 'Our
   1.381 +daughters,' she sometimes thought, gazing at her portrait of Nadeshiko. “Someone has to get all
   1.382 +this done. Everyone here is too busy to do our charity work as well as their normal work but the
   1.383 +charity work is too off and on for me to hire full time help to do it.”
   1.384 +
   1.385 +Another thoughtful look
   1.386 +from Tomoyo before the pale girl commented. “I can do it for you. I know your office well enough
   1.387 +and you can trust me with handling the charity. You can give me clearance to get whatever toys or
   1.388 +items we need for the different charities and I can get them all together. I'm a student, so I
   1.389 +can't work full time, but I have enough time to devote to the charity.”
   1.390 +
   1.391 +The older woman rolled the
   1.392 +idea over in her head before shaking it. “You couldn't handle it by yourself. It's taking the two
   1.393 +of us to get through it all, Tomoyo-chan. You'd be exhausted by the end of the first night. Then
   1.394 +I'd have to drag you home to bed and fire my precious little girl just so she'd get some sleep.”
   1.395 +Tomoyo nodded, having already thought of that. “Then Sakura-chan can help me. You and I have
   1.396 +managed to handle most of the charity between the two of us. I can take over for you. I know it
   1.397 +well enough. I've been helping since you started it. And Sakura-chan and I make a good team. We
   1.398 +can handle it. Sakura-chan feels guilty that you got her such a nice appartment. She can pay you
   1.399 +off by working for you on the charity. It gets her job experience and she'll feel a lot better
   1.400 +about the appartment.”
   1.401 +
   1.402 +Leaning back in her chair, the businesswoman considered. A small grin
   1.403 +played across her face. “Then I get to see the two of you more, too, if you're working here, even
   1.404 +if it is only part time. All right. Tell Sakura-chan about it later. If she agrees, you two can
   1.405 +get started tomorrow. For now,” Sonomi stretched, yawning. “Go home and get some sleep,
   1.406 +Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.407 +
   1.408 +
   1.409 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.410 +
   1.411 +“Thank you so much, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura hugged her friend tightly for the third time, wearing
   1.412 +only her green pajama top. “I'd love to work for Sonomi-san! I felt so bad about her letting me
   1.413 +stay in this nice place.” Her sweatdrop lasts only a moment before she smiles happily again. “Now
   1.414 +I can finally repay her for all of the kindness she's shown me.”
   1.415 +
   1.416 +Returning the smile, Tomoyo stood
   1.417 +calmly in the dress she'd returned from Daidouji Toys in. “Mother practically sees you as family,
   1.418 +Sakura-chan. She wants to make sure you're happy. You're very special to her. You're very special
   1.419 +to many people.” Granted, Sonomi would rather have Sakura as a daughter-in-law than a daughter,
   1.420 +but Tomoyo decided to leave that fact out.Sakura turned about, looking back towards her room.
   1.421 +Soft, light blue panties peaked out from under the pajama top as Sakura raised a hand to her
   1.422 +chin, thinking. Tomoyo continued to smile her patented smile, wishing she had her camcorder. It
   1.423 +was in her room on her bedside table, right where she'd left it. Damn. 
   1.424 +
   1.425 +Her arms dropping
   1.426 +dramatically, Sakura sighed miserably. “Hoe... I don't have any business clothes. I'll look so
   1.427 +out of place at Sonomi-san's business.”
   1.428 +
   1.429 +“You'll look fine in whatever you wear, Sakura-chan.
   1.430 +Mother will probably just worry that your beauty will distract the staff.” Tomoyo shrugged
   1.431 +lightly, her dark hair shifting over her shoulders.
   1.432 +
   1.433 +“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura laughed nervously,
   1.434 +rubbing the back of her head. She had known Tomoyo for well over a decade. Despite having heard
   1.435 +well over a million flattering comments from the pale heiress in the time she had known her,
   1.436 +Sakura still got flustered every time. She was starting to think she'd never entirely get used to
   1.437 +it. Deciding to put it aside for now, as she had so often in the past, she changed the subject.
   1.438 +“So tomorrow's our first day? I should get an outfit ready. This is my first job. Maybe I should
   1.439 +call onii-chan and ask what you do the first day. But then he might lie and I'll do something
   1.440 +stupid. Grrrr... Maybe I could ask Yukito to hit him if he lies. Only Yukito-san would never hit
   1.441 +onii-chan, even though he really should sometimes because...” Light fingers on her cheeks slowed
   1.442 +down Sakura's thoughts, bringing her back to the present, her anxiety spun through her like a
   1.443 +spiders web. Tomoyo's soothing, stormy blue eyes met her own shining emeralds, her friend's
   1.444 +incredibly soft fingers cupping her cheeks. And for a moment, Sakura was breathless, her heart
   1.445 +still pounding a thousand miles a minute, but her thoughts tapering off into
   1.446 +nothingness.
   1.447 +
   1.448 +“Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo began softly. “Breath.” She didn't start again until she saw
   1.449 +that Sakura was taking in air through her lips once more. “You're not going in for an interview.
   1.450 +My mother has known you for almost as long as I have. And she loves you almost as much as I do.
   1.451 +She's happy that you're working for her. You don't need to wear anything to impress her and you
   1.452 +don't need to do anything special at all. You're special enough the way you are. Just be you.
   1.453 +That's all anyone wants.”
   1.454 +
   1.455 +Sometimes Sakura wondered if Tomoyo would kiss her. It was a dumb
   1.456 +thought, she told herself, and something she shouldn't be thinking, but at moments like this, it
   1.457 +resonated in her head. She had learned years ago when they were teenagers that her best friend
   1.458 +was in love with her. Though she could be dense, and even Sakura knew that she could be, Tomoyo
   1.459 +couldn't keep her feelings a secret forever. An embarrassing revelation for Sakura, but not one
   1.460 +she couldn't accept and move on with. Tomoyo was Tomoyo. And when she stopped and thought about
   1.461 +it, Tomoyo being in love with her didn't change anything about that. In a way, it just shed light
   1.462 +on so much that Sakura hadn't understood before. Tomoyo's devotion to her took on a new light. In
   1.463 +many ways, nothing had changed. Sakura merely had a name for Tomoyo's affection for her. In other
   1.464 +ways, Sakura was now accutely aware of her best friend's feelings. No longer afraid of Sakura
   1.465 +finding out, Tomoyo had become more and more generous in how she went about showing her
   1.466 +affection. No longer confined to vague statements and showings of her love, the lavender haired
   1.467 +girl could now outright tell her, or show her. It was embarrassing, but Sakura had accepted it as
   1.468 +she always had Tomoyo affection. With lots of stammering and blushes. Despite being perfectly
   1.469 +open about her love for the Cardmistress, Tomoyo never once tried to get between Sakura and
   1.470 +Syaoran. And that puzzled Sakura to some extent. And at times like this, when Tomoyo was so
   1.471 +close, so soft, so.... so very Tomoyo, Sakura wondered why Tomoyo didn't kiss her. Why her
   1.472 +beautiful best friend didn't take the kiss she so obviously wanted.Tomoyo's hands were gone and
   1.473 +Sakura was blushing now, hoping she hadn't looked too goofy for the past moment, staring wide
   1.474 +eyed at her best friend. “I know, Tomoyo-chan,” she stated quickly. “I just want everything to go
   1.475 +perfectly. It's my first job and I really don't want to disappoint Sonomi-san. She's been so
   1.476 +wonderful to me.”
   1.477 +
   1.478 +Smiling softly, the pale girl nodded. Sakura was always so cute when she was
   1.479 +hyper. Which was most of the time. Sakura's emotions were to Tomoyo like vibrant colors to an
   1.480 +artist or musical notes to a musician, a feast for the sensations. Living with Sakura, being so
   1.481 +near her, it was like living inside your favorite painting, enveloped in the colors or lost in
   1.482 +the music. Sakura's emotions hit like a tsunami, and Tomoyo loved to stand outside and let it
   1.483 +wash over her. “You'll do fine, Sakura-chan. It's just you and me and the charity comittee. We'll
   1.484 +be putting it together in our spare time after classes. We've been working together for years.
   1.485 +It's the same thing. It's just that this time we're trying to bring miracles to people who need
   1.486 +them.”
   1.487 +
   1.488 +“Miracles?” That sounded nice. When all was said and done, Sakura had caught the Cards
   1.489 +because it was her duty. Because she had to stop the Catastrophe. But she had't really been able
   1.490 +to make anything better because of it, she had only kept things from getting worse. Now she was
   1.491 +the world's most powerful magician and, as Kero told her, she 'didn't do anything fun' with her
   1.492 +magic. The chance to actually help people sounded like a welcome change. She nodded swiftly.
   1.493 +“Hai! We'll bring all sorts of miracles, Tomoyo-chan!”
   1.494 +
   1.495 +Taking Sakura's hands, the lavender haired
   1.496 +girl squeezed them in her own. “I knew you'd want to, Sakura-chan. We'll do even more than mother
   1.497 +expected. We'll do more than give a few gifts to those in need here and there. We'll bring
   1.498 +miracles to all sorts of people. We'll be shooting stars for people to wish on. A pair of
   1.499 +shootings stars high up in the sky.”
   1.500 +
   1.501 +The imagery sounded beautiful to Sakura. It seemed fitting
   1.502 +that she and Tomoyo would be partners in this. Working with Tomoyo always comforted her. No
   1.503 +matter how hard things got, she knew she could count on her best friend. So it sounded perfect
   1.504 +that she would be going into her new job with Tomoyo by her side. 
   1.505 +
   1.506 +“For now, though, Sakura-chan should get some sleep. You have a test tomorrow that I hope you
   1.507 +were studying for while I was gone and then we need to head to work to pick up everything,”
   1.508 +Tomoyo said, slowly letting go of Sakura's hands. 
   1.509 +
   1.510 +The brunette nodded slowly. “Yeah, if I can get
   1.511 +any sleep.” She was far too excited about the new events to be able to shut off her mind for
   1.512 +sleep. She had hoped to study with Tomoyo a bit for her test the next day, but that thought was
   1.513 +lost to her. Despite the fact that they went to different Universities, Sakura having not quite
   1.514 +made it into Tokyo University with her incredibly intelligent and perceptive friend, she still
   1.515 +felt more at ease when Tomoyo helped her study. For now, that would have to wait. 
   1.516 +
   1.517 +“That's all
   1.518 +right. I don't think I'll be able to sleep, either. I'll have visions of Sakura-chan clad in
   1.519 +nothing but panties all night long.” Turning to head to her room, Tomoyo sighed dreamily with not
   1.520 +a sound of distress. Cheeks burning a brilliant rouge, Sakura watched Tomoyo's elegant form
   1.521 +walking away from her. 
   1.522 +
   1.523 +“I'm wearing a shirt,” she squeaked in self-defense.
   1.524 +
   1.525 +“Not in my dreams,
   1.526 +you're not,” Tomoyo replied before she disappeared into her room for the night.
   1.527 \ No newline at end of file