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     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/dearsakura-08.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
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     1.4 +Dear Sakura
     1.5 +After the Banquet
     1.6 +by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
     1.7 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.8 +
     1.9 +
    1.10 +
    1.11 +Tomoyo stood alone for a long moment, looking for all the world like
    1.12 +a beautifully dressed up china doll. Her body was tired, sleep
    1.13 +tugging at her weary soul with the help of a full stomach. But her
    1.14 +mind was still busily going over things. The banquet really had been
    1.15 +spectacular. It would have been nice to be closer to Sakura, but she
    1.16 +looked very happy next to her husband. If only she had been able to
    1.17 +bring her camcorder... Those would have been images she would have
    1.18 +enjoyed watching again and again. Not only had Sakura been enjoying
    1.19 +herself, something Tomoyo always loved to see, but she had looked
    1.20 +simply gorgeous. With a sharp pang, she could remember the last time
    1.21 +Sakura had looked so stunning. At her wedding. Tomoyo had taken hours
    1.22 +to prepare Sakura for the big day. So she had thrown her all into
    1.23 +making sure that Sakura looked perfect for her wedding. The dress had
    1.24 +been of her design, the last complete costume she had made for
    1.25 +Sakura. Part of her had been overjoyed to be a part of Sakura’s
    1.26 +wedding, but the other part had felt like she was giving Sakura away.
    1.27 +Like she was stepping away from her life. That Syaoran would now be
    1.28 +the one to help the Cardmistress with all of her problems and joys.
    1.29 +To protect her and give her the happiness that she never could.
    1.30 +During those long hours that she had readied Sakura she had felt like
    1.31 +she was saying goodbye. Yet here she was. 	A soft giggle lit the
    1.32 +empty room. She should have known that escaping Sakura wouldn’t be
    1.33 +quite so easy. Sakura had infiltrated her heart and soul, filling her
    1.34 +thoughts and dreams completely. Everything she did, she did for
    1.35 +Sakura. And now... Could she ever say goodbye again? Could she ever
    1.36 +completely slip out of Sakura’s life? She had thought that it would
    1.37 +be for the best. Sakura didn’t need her, after all, so it seemed less
    1.38 +painful for everyone if she faded from Sakura’s life. It was too
    1.39 +painful watching it all, knowing that the brunette could never know
    1.40 +her heart’s desire. But now, after this visit to Hong Kong, she
    1.41 +wasn’t so sure that she could fade from Sakura’s life so completely.
    1.42 +She needed Sakura. Like a flower without sunlight, she would die
    1.43 +without the warmth her best friend bestowed upon her. And after the
    1.44 +miraculous kiss the night before, it seemed that Sakura’s feelings
    1.45 +were more entwined with her own than she had thought. She still
    1.46 +hadn’t completely understood why Sakura had shared in it as deeply as
    1.47 +she had, but Sakura’s love had been unmistakable. What that love
    1.48 +meant, Tomoyo wasn’t fully sure of either, but it seemed that she was
    1.49 +still important to Sakura. And that knowledge made the idea of
    1.50 +leaving Sakura’s life unbearably painful. She felt like a puppet,
    1.51 +caught up in the strings Sakura had wrapped tightly around her soul.
    1.52 +Everything Sakura did tugged at her, drawing her one way or another,
    1.53 +making her dance for the amusement of her audience, always hoping
    1.54 +that it would make the brunette happy. And so everything she did was
    1.55 +for Sakura, but her smiling doll exterior hid the pain in her heart.
    1.56 +	For a brief moment, the lavender haired designer considered what
    1.57 +Fanren had said. Loneliness consumed her, a constant companion that
    1.58 +haunted her every waking moment and often caught her in the midst of
    1.59 +even her happiest dreams. For once, it would be so nice not to wake
    1.60 +up alone, crying in bed in a haze of lavender curls. Someone to talk
    1.61 +to, to hold on to, to be able to share her inner turmoil. The idea
    1.62 +was certainly tempting. Sakura would never be hers, of course. So why
    1.63 +was she still giving her heart to a married woman that would never
    1.64 +know her feelings? Everyone she knew was falling in love, finding
    1.65 +their special someone. She had already fallen in love before any of
    1.66 +them. But she was denied her special person. So while they were all
    1.67 +building their relationships, Tomoyo was very much alone. The
    1.68 +beautiful heiress to the Daidouji fortunes, wasting away as she kept
    1.69 +her heart locked up and away from view.
    1.70 +	As Fanren had shown, it wasn’t impossible for her to find someone.
    1.71 +A relationship would not be impossible. Besides, with her masks and
    1.72 +perception she could easily manage a relationship. And for once she
    1.73 +wouldn’t be completely alone. Fanren herself was an extremely pretty
    1.74 +woman, and she was very kind. Spending time with her would be
    1.75 +infinitely better than being alone. But there was one thing she
    1.76 +couldn’t offer the Chinese beauty. Her heart. It didn’t matter if she
    1.77 +could manage a relationship or not. Or even if she could find someone
    1.78 +to be with. It was that her heart, her soul already belonged to
    1.79 +another. She could never love her, or anyone else for that matter,
    1.80 +with the same fervor, the same boundless passion that she held for
    1.81 +Sakura. The Cardmistress was what made an eternity of loneliness seem
    1.82 +livable. The very thought of her sent a surge through Tomoyo’s body,
    1.83 +her hands going over her heart as the feeling that she always had
    1.84 +when she was around Sakura shot through her. Yes, another
    1.85 +relationship would never be anything more than an escape from the
    1.86 +loneliness and a need for comfort. Her heart would always belong to
    1.87 +Sakura. A small smile crossed the dark haired woman’s lips. If she
    1.88 +had to be alone, it was worth it to be in love with her sweet best
    1.89 +friend. “Sakura-chan...” she whispered lovingly. 
    1.90 +
    1.91 +	Watching Tomoyo from the doorway, Sakura found herself entranced by
    1.92 +the almost ethereal beauty of her best friend. She really didn’t know
    1.93 +how long she had been standing there. Blushing a bit, she realized
    1.94 +that she had been staring the entire time. But oddly enough, Tomoyo
    1.95 +didn’t seem to notice. The pale woman seemed lost in thought, far
    1.96 +away from the dark banquet room in Hong Kong. Some of the thoughts
    1.97 +seemed to be troubling her. Sakura wondered if Tomoyo was once again
    1.98 +thinking about her special someone. The young designer thought about
    1.99 +them often. They had to be an extremely lucky person to be in her
   1.100 +thoughts so often. 
   1.101 +	A soft sigh escaped Sakura as she leaned against the door frame.
   1.102 +She couldn’t help being a little jealous about Tomoyo’s special
   1.103 +person. When they were younger, it seemed that she was the one who
   1.104 +was always in Tomoyo’s thoughts. She had been the lead in the play of
   1.105 +Tomoyo’s life, always the center of attention to the slightly odd
   1.106 +dark haired girl. And it had been very embarrassing at times. But she
   1.107 +had enjoyed it immensely, knowing because of that that she was
   1.108 +important to her best friend. It had always made her feel good.
   1.109 +Special. Loved. She knew that she couldn’t be as important to Tomoyo
   1.110 +anymore. After all, she was married herself and knew how important
   1.111 +finding one’s love was. But she loved being so important to Tomoyo.
   1.112 +Was she being selfish still wanting that? Tomoyo had grown up. Her
   1.113 +special person was the most important person to her now. And whoever
   1.114 +that person was, they were making Tomoyo sad. Which made the whole
   1.115 +thing even worse for Sakura. The brunette had rarely ever seen Tomoyo
   1.116 +sad. It was like those stormy blue eyes were always glowing warmly.
   1.117 +The thought of Tomoyo being so sad like this left Sakura feeling weak
   1.118 +and helpless. There had to be something, anything that she could do.
   1.119 +	Thinking back on things, it now looked like Tomoyo had planned on
   1.120 +being alone from the beginning. That thought sent a chill down
   1.121 +Sakura’s spine. How could such a loving, gentle girl like Tomoyo be
   1.122 +alone forever? What had been the first clue? When they had bought
   1.123 +materials to make teddy bears for someone special. Rika had made one
   1.124 +(that she now knew had been for Terrada-sensie) and Tomoyo had
   1.125 +explained how you were supposed to make one for the person you like.
   1.126 +Sakura had been overjoyed at the prospect and hurried to get the
   1.127 +materials. Strangely enough, Tomoyo didn’t buy any to make one for
   1.128 +the person she liked. That had surprised Sakura who had thought
   1.129 +Tomoyo would finally get to show her special person her feelings for
   1.130 +them. But Tomoyo had explained that what she wanted the most was for
   1.131 +her love to be happy, even if it wasn’t with her. Sakura hadn’t
   1.132 +understood at the time, but Tomoyo was telling her that she couldn’t
   1.133 +be with her special person so she couldn’t make them a teddy bear
   1.134 +because she didn’t think they could return her feelings. The pale
   1.135 +girl had only been ten at the time. Only ten years old. She should
   1.136 +have been dreaming about when she would marry her true love, sure
   1.137 +that everything would work out in the end. But Tomoyo had always been
   1.138 +a little odd, and much of what she did only made sense to Sakura in
   1.139 +hindsight. Tomoyo had known back then that she would be all alone.
   1.140 +And Sakura hadn’t had a clue. Her heart sank in her chest at the
   1.141 +painful realization. Was there anything she could have done? Was
   1.142 +there a way she could have helped Tomoyo? It was heartbreaking to see
   1.143 +Tomoyo alone after all these years. If the love that she showed
   1.144 +Sakura was anything like the love for her special someone, then it
   1.145 +must tear Tomoyo apart inside to be without them.
   1.146 +Later, when everyone started dating, Chiharu once asked why Tomoyo
   1.147 +wasn’t dating anyone. Tomoyo replied that she couldn’t date the
   1.148 +person she wanted to so she felt that dating wouldn’t be right. Then
   1.149 +she quickly added that it left in more time to videotape Sakura.
   1.150 +Sakura had blushed at the time and had brushed it off, but now she
   1.151 +felt horrible. Everyone had been so busy trying to balance
   1.152 +relationships back then but Tomoyo had always been with her. She had
   1.153 +been happy about that, but now she saw that she had been pouring
   1.154 +herself into her own relationship right in front of Tomoyo, glad to
   1.155 +have Tomoyo there, but not seeing how lonely it must have made her. 
   1.156 +Now Sakura had a dilemma. More than ever, she wanted to find
   1.157 +Tomoyo’s true love and help her with it. It wasn’t right that
   1.158 +Tomoyo’s beautiful love be kept locked away. But Tomoyo didn’t want
   1.159 +her to find out for some reason. And Sakura wasn’t sure she wanted to
   1.160 +know who it was. After that kiss they had shared in the garden, the
   1.161 +thought of all of Tomoyo’s love going to another frightened her.
   1.162 +Feeling that warmth encompass her, the kiss, the embrace, the gentle
   1.163 +immersion in Tomoyo’s love, she didn’t want to let that go. She
   1.164 +wanted it all for herself, not to see it all given to someone who
   1.165 +couldn't appreciate her lovely best friend.
   1.166 +Her emerald eyes shot open when she heard Tomoyo whisper her name.
   1.167 +The sound of Tomoyo’s melodious voice quickly brought her back to her
   1.168 +senses. Had Tomoyo seen her? A blush crept across her cheeks. She had
   1.169 +just been standing there and staring for a while now. No, it looked
   1.170 +like Tomoyo had just said it. But why? Maybe she wasn’t thinking
   1.171 +about her special someone at the moment. Stepping forward, Sakura
   1.172 +smiled. “You look so gorgeous, Tomoyo-chan! Syaoran’s sisters really
   1.173 +did a great job. Not that you aren’t always pretty. You’re probably
   1.174 +the most beautiful woman I know,” the brunette said quickly.
   1.175 +Tomoyo smiled giddily as she saw the object of her thoughts
   1.176 +approaching. “Sakura-chan must not look in mirrors very often,” she
   1.177 +stated softly. She delighted in the blush it brought upon Sakura. No,
   1.178 +there was no way she could truly love anyone besides the woman in
   1.179 +front of her. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. To love Sakura
   1.180 +was both the most wonderful feeling in the world and also the most
   1.181 +painful. She had thought the pain would lessen as she grew older, but
   1.182 +the loneliness only became more acute as time went by, her longing
   1.183 +for Sakura growing stronger by the day. And now she had actually
   1.184 +kissed Sakura. It had been Tomoyo’s first real kiss. That intimate
   1.185 +moment with the Cardmistress had thrown off everything she had been
   1.186 +sure about. Her visit to Hong Kong was supposed to help her distance
   1.187 +herself from Sakura so she could fade away from her life. Now she
   1.188 +felt even more attached. She had come with the intention of hiding
   1.189 +her feelings for Sakura now that she was married, but they had burst
   1.190 +forward in a torrential outpouring. She had been drowning without
   1.191 +Sakura. She needed her just as surely as she needed air. Living
   1.192 +without her was becoming more and more difficult. That all too brief
   1.193 +moment with Sakura had been a tantalizing piece of Heaven.
   1.194 +Giggling slightly, Sakura brushed some hair back from her shimmering
   1.195 +jade eyes. “Most people save that sort of thing for the banquet,
   1.196 +Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.197 +“But if it’s equally true during the banquet and after, I should be
   1.198 +sure to let Sakura-chan know,” Tomoyo pointed out. It took every
   1.199 +ounce of her remaining strength to stand still as Sakura took both of
   1.200 +her hands in her own. For a moment’s time, Tomoyo wondered feverishly
   1.201 +if Sakura was going to kiss her again. Sakura was very close to her.
   1.202 +The pale woman’s heart stopped in her chest as eternity seemed to
   1.203 +stretch on endlessly before her. She ultimately dismissed the thought
   1.204 +as wishful thinking. She had been lucky that Sakura hadn’t acted
   1.205 +adversely to the first kiss. The fact that Sakura kissed back with
   1.206 +nearly the same passion in Tomoyo’s heart made the event one she
   1.207 +would both treasure and try to understand. Why had Sakura given so
   1.208 +freely of herself? Why had she kissed back so lovingly? Perhaps she
   1.209 +had misjudged how important she was to Sakura. If Sakura’s letters
   1.210 +were any indication, the brunette missed her greatly. So was the kiss
   1.211 +merely Sakura returning it with all of the love she held for her best
   1.212 +friend and nothing more? But there had been so much behind the kiss.
   1.213 +The entire thing sent Tomoyo’s head spinning. Sakura still didn’t
   1.214 +seem to know that she was the object of Tomoyo’s affections, so she
   1.215 +must not have understood completely why the toy designer had kissed
   1.216 +her in the first place. Tomoyo understood Sakura better than anyone
   1.217 +else did, but this was confusing her. She didn’t know how to act
   1.218 +about it or what masks she should wear. If she could manage the
   1.219 +strength to wear any at all.
   1.220 +Sakura watched Tomoyo intently. Was the pale woman shivering? It was
   1.221 +hard to tell in the dark. Squeezing Tomoyo’s soft, ivory hands
   1.222 +gently, Sakura asked, “Tomoyo-chan, are you cold? Maybe we should go
   1.223 +get you a blanket or something.”
   1.224 +“No, I’m not cold at all. I feel very warm being here with you,
   1.225 +Sakura-chan. You’re the bright, shining sun that lights up my world,”
   1.226 +Tomoyo explained, her soft voice barely above a whisper. She brought
   1.227 +her hands up, Sakura’s hands still holding onto them as she rested
   1.228 +them on Sakura’s cheeks. She could feel the hot blush under the
   1.229 +brunette’s cheeks and the soft feel of her skin. Tomoyo sighed
   1.230 +happily, meeting Sakura’s eyes with her stormy blue ones. Yes, it was
   1.231 +certainly nice to be with Sakura again, even if Sakura was married
   1.232 +now. She was happy just to be there with her best friend. 
   1.233 +“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura said quietly, unsure of what to say. Her
   1.234 +heart was pounding in her chest like a drum, her feelings swirling
   1.235 +inside her like a tornado. Why couldn’t there be some way for her to
   1.236 +make Tomoyo happy? Tomoyo said she was happy as long as her special
   1.237 +someone was happy, but there had to be some way to make Tomoyo happy
   1.238 +herself. If she were the boy that Tomoyo loved, she would never be
   1.239 +able to leave her all alone. She would be overjoyed to be the focus
   1.240 +of all the love in Tomoyo’s heart. The chiming of an old grandfather
   1.241 +clock nearby rang a reminder through her head. “Oh! I need to call
   1.242 +one of the girls from the cheerleading club. I promised I would give
   1.243 +her mother some information about it tonight.”
   1.244 +Nodding, Tomoyo smiled sweetly at Sakura as her hands slowly trailed
   1.245 +away from the brunette’s cheeks. “All right, Sakura-chan. Those girls
   1.246 +are all very lucky to have you as their sensei. You were always so
   1.247 +cute when you were cheerleading. I loved to watch you when I didn’t
   1.248 +have choir practice. They’ll all look so kawaii training with you.” 
   1.249 +“Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. You always say such nice things. I’m really
   1.250 +sorry for leaving like this. I’ll try not to take too long. I don’t
   1.251 +want to waste any of the time we have together,” Sakura said
   1.252 +hurriedly as she walked backwards towards the door. The two said
   1.253 +goodbye before Sakura made her way back to her room.
   1.254 +
   1.255 +Tomoyo looked up at the stars sparkling in the sky above, like
   1.256 +sparkling pearls resting on a huge velvet cloth. Yet for all of their
   1.257 +beauty, they paled in comparison to her spirited best friend. Her
   1.258 +thoughts kept returning to Sakura as she walked out in the garden
   1.259 +under the moonlight. Thoughts of the night before continued to course
   1.260 +through her, the sweet scent of Sakura and the warm feel of her lips
   1.261 +lingering like a ghost in her mind. That sent another smile across
   1.262 +her lips. She didn’t know if she should thank Touya or not for
   1.263 +frightening Sakura about ghosts. She always loved how Sakura would
   1.264 +grab onto her for comfort when she was scared of ghosts. These days
   1.265 +she must do that with Syaoran. 
   1.266 +Thinking about Syaoran made her feel a little uneasy. Not because of
   1.267 +him. She had grown used to him long ago. And she had chosen him as
   1.268 +the one Sakura’s heart must belong to. But now she was starting to
   1.269 +wonder about that, as well as Ieran’s words. Could it be that she had
   1.270 +been wrong? Had she misjudged Sakura’s heart? She had taken into
   1.271 +account that Syaoran had liked Sakura very much and that he would be
   1.272 +able to take care of her and give her a child. And she seemed rather
   1.273 +close to him. But had she made a terrible mistake? Syaoran always had
   1.274 +difficulty with his emotions and that made things difficult with
   1.275 +Sakura, who was a very emotional woman. She had been surprised to
   1.276 +hear that Sakura had to leave to talk to one of the girls from school
   1.277 +and not to go be with Syaoran. He hadn’t been around very much during
   1.278 +her visit, but whether that was normal or because he didn’t want to
   1.279 +get in the way during the trip, she wasn’t quite sure. And the kiss...
   1.280 +The sounds of heavy breathing up ahead grabbed Tomoyo’s attention.
   1.281 +Stepping forward past a tree, she spotted a Chinese woman around her
   1.282 +age, still dressed in her beautiful dress as her legs whipped through
   1.283 +the air as if fending off invisible attackers. “Hello, Meiling-chan,”
   1.284 +she said pleasantly as she approached the black haired woman. Tomoyo
   1.285 +could tell that the night's festivities had not sat well with her.
   1.286 +Meiling looked rather upset, probably at seeing Syaoran and his new
   1.287 +bride again. She knew how painful that could be. She and Meiling had
   1.288 +been in the same boat, pouring out their heart to the one they loved
   1.289 +but unable to have them. Of course, Meiling had taken a much more
   1.290 +aggressive route than she had. And she had known that she couldn’t
   1.291 +have Sakura for a very long time. It wasn’t until after Sakura had
   1.292 +captured all of the Clow Cards that she realized she wouldn’t be the
   1.293 +one to make Sakura happy. Meiling didn’t seem to realize that, at
   1.294 +least not consciously. 
   1.295 +“Why do you put up with it?” Meiling asked, her leg sweeping through
   1.296 +the shadows. The slit in her long dress shifted again as she kicked
   1.297 +out. She was still upset about the dinner. She had been Syaoran’s
   1.298 +fiancee for years, always by his side when he needed her, there to
   1.299 +love him always. And then he ran off with some girl he met in Japan.
   1.300 +She had not wanted to come tonight at all. Were they trying to rub it
   1.301 +in her face? The only reason she had come was because Ieran told her
   1.302 +to personally. Otherwise she was sure she could find something better
   1.303 +to do than to spend all night watching Syaoran and his bride. Just
   1.304 +about anything. “I mean, all this time you’ve loved her and now she’s
   1.305 +married to my Syaoran and you’re still all smiles and warmth to her.
   1.306 +I don’t get it. If you loved her back then, then why are you
   1.307 +pretending like it’s no big deal?”
   1.308 +“I still love her. I always will. I’m sorry about Li-kun, but I just
   1.309 +want Sakura to be happy. Now that she’s married and starting a new
   1.310 +life, I want her to know that I still care for her. I don’t want her
   1.311 +to have to worry about how the marriage affected me or how I feel
   1.312 +about her.” Tomoyo sighed as she steadied herself against a tree.
   1.313 +“Besides, I can’t be angry with her. Or with him. As long as he takes
   1.314 +care of Sakura, then I’m glad that they got married. Sakura deserves
   1.315 +a happy marriage.”
   1.316 +Meiling finally stopped her assault on the shadows, trying to catch
   1.317 +her breath. She shook her head, clenching her fists. “But she hurt
   1.318 +you. She ran off with some boy from Hong Kong. Leaving you all alone.
   1.319 +How can you sit back and take it? I can’t believe Syaoran did it. He
   1.320 +promised me...” Her amber eyes closed for a moment as she tried to
   1.321 +calm down. She was not going to cry in front of Tomoyo. Today was bad
   1.322 +enough without breaking down in the garden. Indulging her anger a
   1.323 +bit, she found it easier to push the tears away. “Why is it all right
   1.324 +for them to be happy when neither of us can be? Did things really
   1.325 +work out the right way? I loved Syaoran so much and you loved Sakura
   1.326 +and now we’re both left alone like discarded playthings. It feels
   1.327 +like things worked out the wrong way. Why did we both have to get
   1.328 +hurt in the end? Why couldn't we all be happy with the ones we love?”
   1.329 +The garden was silent for a full minute. The pale heiress didn’t
   1.330 +have an answer to Meiling’s question. There had been times when she
   1.331 +was all alone that she found herself asking it to the sky above.
   1.332 +There was never an answer. “I don’t know,” she said at last. Fate had
   1.333 +done a pretty painful job of patching things up, leaving too many
   1.334 +loose ends that refused to heal. She and Meiling seemed to be two
   1.335 +more casualties in Fate’s work.
   1.336 +	Sighing, Meiling toyed with a large bracelet she had on. “Neither
   1.337 +do I. I still don’t see how you can be happy for the both of them.
   1.338 +I’m still pissed about the whole thing. I really did love him,
   1.339 +Tomoyo. I can’t believe that he’d do this to me. Sakura didn’t know
   1.340 +how you felt, but I made sure Syaoran knew everyday just how I felt
   1.341 +about him. And he still went through with it. It’s not right that we
   1.342 +both got left behind like this.” She smiled a little in the dark,
   1.343 +pushing a pigtail over her shoulder. “I wish you had gotten Sakura.
   1.344 +Then neither of us would be in this mess.”
   1.345 +	Returning the smile, Tomoyo hugged herself as the cold began to
   1.346 +settle into her pale body. Meiling was suffering through the same
   1.347 +pain she was, but like always, she was handling it differently.
   1.348 +Almost like her mother. She smiled more at the thought. Of course,
   1.349 +her mother never could have been angry at Nadeshiko. “Sometimes I
   1.350 +wish I could have, too. Thank you, Meiling-chan. I’m very sorry about
   1.351 +how everything turned out.”
   1.352 +	“Me too,” Meiling answered, looking out across the garden. Her eyes
   1.353 +darted around the dimly lit area when she heard someone running
   1.354 +towards them. It was Sakura, hurrying along. She crossed her arms and
   1.355 +frowned.
   1.356 +	“Tomoyo-chan! There you are! I finally finished. I was wondering
   1.357 +where you had gone off to. Oh, hello, Meiling-chan!” Sakura smiled
   1.358 +politely as she reached the two dark haired women. From the distance,
   1.359 +Sakura hadn’t been quite sure which was which. She had almost thought
   1.360 +that Mirror had gone off as Tomoyo. 
   1.361 +	“Hello, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said happily, smiling at the young
   1.362 +bride. “I wanted to come back and take a walk in the garden. It looks
   1.363 +like Meiling-chan had similar ideas.” 
   1.364 +	Meiling brushed past Sakura as she headed for the door. “I really
   1.365 +must be going. I should get home before it gets too late. I have some
   1.366 +things I need to do tomorrow. Goodbye, Tomoyo! Enjoy your visit!”
   1.367 +With that, she disappeared inside the house, leaving Sakura blinking
   1.368 +after her.
   1.369 +	Watching the bewildered look on Sakura’s face, Tomoyo let out a sad
   1.370 +sigh. She could understand Meiling’s pain and her anger, but she
   1.371 +could never be angry at Sakura. Taking one of Sakura’s hands, she
   1.372 +quickly smiled again. “Please don’t worry about it, Sakura-chan. 
   1.373 +Meiling-chan is in a lot of pain and she doesn’t know what to do
   1.374 +about it.”
   1.375 +	Sakura nodded slowly. Meiling hadn’t been very pleased with her at
   1.376 +all during her stay in Hong Kong. But Tomoyo was right. There was no
   1.377 +reason to worry about it. “I’m glad I found you. I was wondering
   1.378 +where you were.”
   1.379 +	“I’ll always be there if you know where to look, Sakura-chan. Even
   1.380 +if it doesn’t seem like I am.” Tomoyo’s smile disappeared for a
   1.381 +moment, her voice sounding earnest. A cloud seemed to pass over her
   1.382 +stormy blue eyes for a moment before it faded away to be replaced
   1.383 +with her nearly ever present smile. 
   1.384 +	Standing with Tomoyo in the dark, Sakura felt her fingers
   1.385 +intertwine with the toy designer’s. Tomoyo’s pale skin seemed to
   1.386 +shine in the luster of the moonlight. “I found some photos you might
   1.387 +like for your photo album, Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.388 +	Tomoyo smiled again happily. “I would love that, Sakura-chan. They
   1.389 +are little frozen moments in Sakura-chan’s life that I can flip
   1.390 +through whenever I want to see her again.”
   1.391 +	“Oh good! I hope you like them. Syaoran-chan and I were going to
   1.392 +make an album ourselves some time, but we haven’t gotten around to
   1.393 +it. I’d be happier if you had the pictures instead of them going to
   1.394 +waste.” Squeezing Tomoyo’s hand, she led her best friend back inside.
   1.395 +