1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/dearsakura-25.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,442 @@
     1.4 +"Ouch!" Sakura shook her finger in the air and then sucked on the
     1.5 +fingertip, tasting the salty tang of her own blood. How did Tomoyo do
     1.6 +all that sewing without ending up like a pincushion? Smiling
     1.7 +ruefully, she realized that her sewing skills were lacking because
     1.8 +she always depended on Tomoyo, her father, and even her brother for
     1.9 +most thread and needlework. She could mend a tear and put on a patch,
    1.10 +but the tailoring that her best friend did was simply beyond her. She
    1.11 +remembered early on as a Cardcaptor peeking into a company van and
    1.12 +seeing the spectacular wardrobe Tomoyo had prepared for her.  At the
    1.13 +time, she concluded the massive resources of the Daidouji household,
    1.14 +or even Daidouji Toys, Ltd., had been marshaled and deployed to clad
    1.15 +her in a parade of kawaii regalia. Only later did she learn that
    1.16 +Tomoyo did every stitch herself. Through the years that followed, the
    1.17 +two girls spent hours together, talking and drinking tea while Tomoyo
    1.18 +fitted and altered the amazing creations. Being with the little
    1.19 +seamstress made precious an experience that would otherwise have been
    1.20 +tedious as Sakura stretched and posed while Tomoyo snipped and sewed.
    1.21 +For the Card Mistress it was a chance to talk about her loves and
    1.22 +fears and joys while the dark-haired girl listened, solemn and cheery
    1.23 +in turn. Tomoyo was as careful with her heart as with the delicate
    1.24 +fabrics that made up the costumes, and her carefully considered
    1.25 +advice and reassurance helped Sakura through many a difficult time.
    1.26 +As she sewed a strip of satin to trim the hem of the little yellow
    1.27 +dress Tomoyo had left in Hong Kong, Sakura began to grasp the
    1.28 +countless hours of labor that the quiet, pale girl had spent just to
    1.29 +make her look special.
    1.30 +
    1.31 +Again she remembered that truck full of outfits Tomoyo unveiled
    1.32 +before they went to capture the Shadow card. There was a spectacular
    1.33 +array of over 50 costumes that ranged from the cute to the dramatic,
    1.34 +with the occasional practical piece thrown in for good measure. After
    1.35 +the terrifying exertions of capturing Shadow, Sakura had asked Tomoyo
    1.36 +how she got so many costumes ready so quickly. Tomoyo smiled
    1.37 +enigmatically and replied,
    1.38 +
    1.39 +"Oh, I've been working on them for over a year".
    1.40 +
    1.41 +Sakura gave the girl a baffled look and blurted out, "But you only
    1.42 +found out about me and Clow Cards a few days ago."
    1.43 +
    1.44 +Tomoyo tilted her head, lavender hair blending into the dark,
    1.45 +moonless night as she answered in a musical voice, "I've always known
    1.46 +Sakura-chan was a magical girl.”
    1.47 +
    1.48 +Sakura merely sweatdropped, dismissing this as one of her adoring
    1.49 +friend's many eccentricities. But now, years later, she was quietly
    1.50 +astonished. Long before the creations of Clow Reed had found her,
    1.51 +Tomoyo saw her as magical. Not for her power, or the cards she
    1.52 +captured, but for herself. Sakura smiled as she worked the needle
    1.53 +carefully through the gossamer material. From the day they met in
    1.54 +that third grade classroom, Tomoyo's love had been ever-present,
    1.55 +wrapped around Sakura’s heart like a comforting cocoon. She was
    1.56 +always special to the sapphire-eyed girl, long before she was the
    1.57 +Mistress of the Cards. Sakura paused, puzzled, the silver needle
    1.58 +poised in midair as she softly whispered,
    1.59 +
    1.60 +"It's as if I was always her special person". She felt her face
    1.61 +flush scarlet: that wonderful flustery feeling of being loved by
    1.62 +Tomoyo. How she missed that in Hong Kong. The longing grew worse
    1.63 +every day without her. The ache in her breast was finally assuaged by
    1.64 +that enchanting visit, but her heart shattered watching the aircraft
    1.65 +spirit Tomoyo away. Her special person. Sakura stared at the fabric
    1.66 +in her lap, the last, unfinished design of her best friend. With a
    1.67 +grin, she shook her head and thought a little sadly, oh, to be her
    1.68 +special person for just one day! Sakura had been slow to realize the
    1.69 +depths of Tomoyo's love. Only distance, which clove the two friends
    1.70 +as nothing before, revealed how cruel separation could be. Without
    1.71 +the constant presence of that fulsome love, Sakura felt hopelessly
    1.72 +adrift. She tumbled into dark despair, with only her unrealized love
    1.73 +to light the way. Glowing like a little candle in the blackest night,
    1.74 +that love for Tomoyo finally blazed forth when she at last understood
    1.75 +her heart. And though she was not Tomoyo's special someone, that did
    1.76 +not affect her own love in the least. Even if Tomoyo did end up
    1.77 +happily with her special person, Sakura's love would shine forth like
    1.78 +a beacon through the pain of not having her. I'll love her no matter
    1.79 +what, she thought to herself. But I'll die if she leaves me.  
    1.80 +
    1.81 +Remembering the chilling farewell in Tomoyo’s last letter, Sakura
    1.82 +teetered on the brink of tears. If she leaves me. Taking a deep
    1.83 +breath, Sakura buried the thought, for she could not face such a
    1.84 +wretched possibility. "Buttons", she said suddenly, "I need buttons
    1.85 +for this dress".  Rising, she carefully placed the dress on the desk,
    1.86 +slipping off the thimble and absent-mindedly massaging her pin-
    1.87 +pricked hands. Stretching, she felt the fatigue fall from her body as
    1.88 +muscles tensed and relaxed. The buttons would be upstairs, in the
    1.89 +attic, with the sewing supplies she had packed away before moving to
    1.90 +Hong Kong. She walked from the room, down the hall past her sleeping
    1.91 +brother, and climbed the ladder to the trap door. Emerging into the
    1.92 +darkness, she carefully felt her way along the wall and then
    1.93 +hesitated as a fear of the dark bubbled up from long ago. Slowly
    1.94 +letting out a breath she grimaced, ashamed at such a childish worry.
    1.95 +Inching her way forward, her nimble fingers finally brushed against
    1.96 +the light switch and clicked it on. The naked bulb starkly
    1.97 +illuminated the maze of tightly stacked boxes and trunks. Sakura
    1.98 +realized her father or brother had rearranged things since she left,
    1.99 +for the sewing things were nowhere to be seen. 
   1.100 +
   1.101 +With a shrug she began to move boxes, coughing in the billowing
   1.102 +dust. Finally, on the verge of giving up, she uncovered a small
   1.103 +shoebox with the word, "notions" written on the side. The writing
   1.104 +puzzled her, for she did not recognize the almost childish script.
   1.105 +With a tug, she pulled it out from the little nook it was wedged
   1.106 +into. Opening the lid, she found a box full of buttons- perfect! She
   1.107 +smiled and carried the little treasure over to the light, examining
   1.108 +the varied circles and squares of plastic and metal. Spilling some
   1.109 +out onto the lid, she nodded happily. These would do just fine. Then,
   1.110 +Sakura's attention was caught by something at the bottom. She poured
   1.111 +more buttons out in a little pile, and gingerly pulled out a faded
   1.112 +photograph. 
   1.113 +
   1.114 +The colors had washed out over the years, but the figures were
   1.115 +instantly recognizable. Tomoyo’s mother was dressed in a schoolgirl's
   1.116 +sailor suit. Draped over the young Sonomi was Sakura's mother,
   1.117 +similarly clad in a dark blue dress, a red bow around her collar.
   1.118 +With one arm she embraced her cousin, while the other was held up,
   1.119 +triumphantly showing two bandaged fingers in a little "V" for
   1.120 +victory. Both girls were smiling merrily, surrounded by the supplies
   1.121 +and equipment of what looked like a Home Economics classroom. Sakura
   1.122 +turned the picture over, and written in that same childish
   1.123 +handwriting that adorned the box were four lines:
   1.124 +
   1.125 +"Hiroji-sensei's class
   1.126 +7th grade
   1.127 +I passed!
   1.128 +Thank you, Sonomi-chan"
   1.129 +
   1.130 +The back was decorated with odd little doodles of hearts and
   1.131 +flowers. Sakura looked again at the picture and smiled, thanking her
   1.132 +mother for the little present that had waited so patiently. Tomoyo's
   1.133 +costume could have no better buttons than these. Emptying them back
   1.134 +into the box, the auburn-haired woman carefully placed the photograph
   1.135 +on top and replaced the lid, tucking the package under her arm.
   1.136 +Turning off the light, she moved to the entranceway of the attic and
   1.137 +climbed down to the hall. Returning to her room, she placed the
   1.138 +shoebox on the desk, took up the fabric and began to sew again. She
   1.139 +was startled when a familiar voice called out from the shadows behind
   1.140 +her,
   1.141 +
   1.142 +"What are you doing?"
   1.143 +
   1.144 +She turned quickly, and saw Syaoran standing up against the wall,
   1.145 +arms crossed and scowling. She rose and took one step towards him,
   1.146 +but something in his manner froze her. In a meek tone she answered,
   1.147 +
   1.148 +"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before I left, but I had to hurry. I
   1.149 +called Ieran-sama when my flight arrived. Didn't she tell you"?
   1.150 +
   1.151 +Syaoran looked away with barely suppressed anger, as if he were
   1.152 +addressing a hopelessly slow child. Then he nodded to the pile of
   1.153 +fabric on the floor and impatiently repeated himself, "What-are-you-
   1.154 +doing"?
   1.155 +
   1.156 +"Oh", Sakura glanced at the dress she had dropped to the floor. She
   1.157 +scurried to pick it up, and held it in front of her husband. Her
   1.158 +smile faltered as he recoiled in horror at the unfinished costume he
   1.159 +had seen in his Mother’s magic. He yelled at her,
   1.160 +
   1.161 +“Put that damn thing away. Where did you get it? What is it?”
   1.162 +
   1.163 +Neatly folding the costume, she placed it back on the desk, then
   1.164 +faced Syaoran, her hands held to her breast as she replied,
   1.165 +
   1.166 +"I, I wanted to make something for Tomoyo-chan. Well, actually, she
   1.167 +made it, the design, I mean, I could never do something like this.
   1.168 +And she started it, but because of the wedding dress being the last
   1.169 +thing she would make for me she didn't finish, and I thought I could,
   1.170 +well, finish it for her, and I found some of mother's buttons in the
   1.171 +attic and..." Her voice trailed off into silence. Caught by her
   1.172 +husband's withering stare, she felt small and foolish.
   1.173 +
   1.174 +As he calmed down, Syaoran struggled to keep his sense of gravity.
   1.175 +As if impressed by his own cleverness, he sneered, “I knew that crazy
   1.176 +girl had something to do with all this. All right, get your things
   1.177 +together and let’s go.”
   1.178 +
   1.179 +But instead of compliance, Sakura stood with her hands clasped and
   1.180 +head bowed. Syaoran stepped towards her, irritated at this unusual
   1.181 +hesitation. In a soft but firm voice she broke the silence, “I’m not
   1.182 +going. I have to see Tomoyo-chan”.
   1.183 +
   1.184 +He stopped short, flabbergasted. All he could manage was a hoarse,
   1.185 +“What”?
   1.186 +
   1.187 +Sakura looked up at him, jade eyes flashing a fiery determination he
   1.188 +had rarely seen since the days of card capturing. But her voice was
   1.189 +calm as she continued, “Tomoyo-chan said she is going to leave. I
   1.190 +have to see her.”
   1.191 +
   1.192 +The future Head of the House of Li frowned, struggling to suppress
   1.193 +his anger. He snapped at the woman within arm’s reach, “You can call
   1.194 +her on the phone, or write one of your silly letters. We’re going
   1.195 +home- now”. 
   1.196 +
   1.197 +Sakura looked at the floor and slowly shook her head. He felt a wild
   1.198 +urge to strike her, to slap the defiance out of her. Barely in
   1.199 +control of his raging emotions he spluttered, “I can’t believe I’m
   1.200 +hearing this. What kind of garbage did she fill your head up with”?
   1.201 +He paused, and drew a deep breath. This was not like his complacent
   1.202 +wife at all. Very well. The chivalrous husband would try a new tack
   1.203 +and forgive his erring wife. He pronounced in a patronizing and
   1.204 +reassuring tone, “Now let me help you with your bags and we can talk
   1.205 +about it on the plane.”
   1.206 +
   1.207 +But Sakura looked up at him, earnestly gazing at his face. Finally,
   1.208 +she said simply, “No”.
   1.209 +
   1.210 +Fists clenched, shaking with fury, he turned his back on her,
   1.211 +shaking with rage. How dare she defy him! After running off to Japan,
   1.212 +wasting money they did not have, and now refusing to obey. Unable to
   1.213 +contain his anger, he slammed his fist into the door, nearly rattling
   1.214 +it off the hinges. “Damn it!” he yelled, “Who do you think you are?”
   1.215 +
   1.216 +Whirling to face her, falling into a fighting stance, his mind raced
   1.217 +out of control. But the young woman simply stood before him, calm and
   1.218 +unafraid.  Suddenly there came a knock on the door, and a male voice
   1.219 +called out, “Sakura-chan, what’s going on?” The door opened, and a
   1.220 +pajama-clad Touya peered into the room. Seeing Syaoran, he frowned,
   1.221 +and then looked carefully at his younger sister. In as neutral a
   1.222 +voice as he could manage he asked, 
   1.223 +
   1.224 +“Do you need any help”?
   1.225 +
   1.226 +Sakura relaxed, smiled, shook her head and answered sweetly, “No,
   1.227 +everything is fine. I’m sorry we woke you up. We’ll be more quiet”. 
   1.228 +
   1.229 +Touya shot another warning look at his least favorite brother-in-law
   1.230 +before sizing up the seemingly unconcerned young woman. “OK”, he
   1.231 +spoke in his usual laconic voice, as if such domestic squabbles
   1.232 +around the house at 3 A.M were the norm, “But you call me if you need
   1.233 +me. Goodnight.”
   1.234 +
   1.235 +When the door closed, the two stood silent, facing each other for
   1.236 +the longest time. Finally, with an exasperated sigh Syaoran fixed his
   1.237 +wayward wife with a hard stare. His voice was commanding, even
   1.238 +patronizing, as if he would no longer brook her exasperating
   1.239 +insolence, 
   1.240 +
   1.241 +“Sakura, you have to make choices in life. You have to have
   1.242 +priorities. You’re a big girl now, married to the future Head of the
   1.243 +House of Li. I can’t have you running off every time some loopy girl
   1.244 +from the past calls you on the phone. You just can’t do this sort of
   1.245 +thing. It makes me look ridiculous. Tomoeda was nice, but it’s all
   1.246 +over now. You have a new life, with me You’re going to have to choose
   1.247 +between your friend and your true love. Now, go get your things and
   1.248 +we’ll forget all about this”. 
   1.249 +
   1.250 +At first Sakura looked at him with surprise, and then stared at the
   1.251 +floor. The Chinese sorcerer smiled as he detected the glint of tears
   1.252 +welling in her eyes. She looked deep in thought, and after a moment
   1.253 +looked up at him with wet and sparkling eyes. Her voice was brimming
   1.254 +with emotion as she spoke,
   1.255 +
   1.256 +“I’m sorry, Syaoran-chan. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I
   1.257 +guess I knew the choice would come someday soon, just not this soon.
   1.258 +If only I’d known. I’m so sorry.”
   1.259 +
   1.260 +The tears coursed down her cheeks as she stood miserably before him.
   1.261 +Well, he thought, at least she’s speaking sense now. He almost felt
   1.262 +pity for her, though his anger was still too fresh and raw for that.
   1.263 +He did care for her, though at times like this love was an ordeal.
   1.264 +Still, he would find it in his heart to forgive her. But he would
   1.265 +make sure she never saw or talked or wrote to that crazy Daidouji
   1.266 +woman ever again. Syaoran’s quiet voice brimmed with magniminity for
   1.267 +a defeated foe, “Come on Sakura-chan. Let’s go home.”
   1.268 +
   1.269 +But the woman did not move, looking at him sadly as she spoke, “I’m
   1.270 +not going.”
   1.271 +
   1.272 +Too baffled to be angry, he gawked at her, mouth open as if his
   1.273 +words were frozen in mid-sentence. Sakura shook her head and spoke
   1.274 +almost pleadingly,
   1.275 +
   1.276 +“It’s my fault. I should have known my own feelings. If I had, all
   1.277 +this would never have happened. I’ve hurt so many people: you, your
   1.278 +mother, Meiling-chan, Tomoyo-chan. All because I was too stupid to
   1.279 +know what was in my heart.”
   1.280 +
   1.281 +Syaoran could only stare in disbelief as the woman hugged herself
   1.282 +tightly for reassurance before continuing, 
   1.283 +
   1.284 +“Syaoran-chan, you were always one of my very best friends. I
   1.285 +couldn’t have done what I did with the cards without you. It meant so
   1.286 +much to me that we were together. And I do love you, as a friend
   1.287 +forever in my heart. But now I know my true love is Tomoyo-chan. I’ve
   1.288 +loved her all along, but just didn’t understand. Not until last
   1.289 +night. Last night. That’s only a day ago.” The woman looked stunned
   1.290 +as she said this, as if an entire life had been lived in only 24
   1.291 +hours. After a brief smile, she spoke again,
   1.292 +
   1.293 +“Last night I finally realized who I love. My one, true love. My
   1.294 +special person. She was so close for so long that I never knew until
   1.295 +she was gone. I could have saved everyone so much pain if I knew.” 
   1.296 +
   1.297 +Pain. Syaoran felt it in a wave, as helpless as when Meiling
   1.298 +connected with his solar plexus earlier that day. Staring at his wife
   1.299 +in dumb incomprehension, he managed to croak out,
   1.300 +
   1.301 +“But Sakura, I love you.”
   1.302 +
   1.303 +She looked at him, and he had the uncomfortable sensation that with
   1.304 +her magic she could see straight to his heart. She smiled and asked
   1.305 +gently, “Do you really love me Syaoran, like that? It really hasn’t
   1.306 +felt that way. Not like I thought it would. Not like what I feel from
   1.307 +her.”
   1.308 +
   1.309 +Indignant and righteous, he made ready to protest. But the auburn-
   1.310 +haired woman held up her hand and commanded his silence. A sudden
   1.311 +wave of something ineffable washed over them both, a shuddering,
   1.312 +prickly sensation that enveloped him like a living fog. He stared at
   1.313 +his wife, for somehow she was changed. It was as if all the magic
   1.314 +were drained out of her like water in broken crockery. She stood
   1.315 +before him, not the Mistress of the Cards, but as little Kinomoto
   1.316 +Sakura, sweet, genki, and horribly ordinary. Her voice was the same
   1.317 +he had heard on a playground long ago, when the Cards were in the
   1.318 +air, and a Japanese schoolgirl had just begun her long journey,
   1.319 +
   1.320 +“You loved Yukito once, like I did. But when my powers grew greater
   1.321 +than his, then your affection for me did, too. Do you really love me,
   1.322 +Syaoran-chan? If I was just plain old Sakura, would you still love me
   1.323 +then?”
   1.324 +
   1.325 +He recoiled at the sight. Stripped her magical glamour she seemed
   1.326 +small and weak. Where was the enchanting woman he had married? Where
   1.327 +was the successor to the famed Clow Reed? Was this some illusion, a
   1.328 +doppelganger that had abducted his precious wife and substituted some
   1.329 +bland and pathetic double? He began to speak, to accuse and threaten
   1.330 +this alien presence, when he heard Sakura’s voice, distant yet
   1.331 +familiar. She stared at him, his mind hers to know. Sadly shaking her
   1.332 +head, she quietly spoke,
   1.333 +
   1.334 + “ I’m not an illusion. It’s just me. It’s just me without my magic.
   1.335 +It’s who I really am. But I don’t think it’s who you really love. Do
   1.336 +you? Do you really love me, Syaoran-chan?”
   1.337 + 
   1.338 +He felt sick as he looked at her. She was nothing, a nobody. In a
   1.339 +bitter tone he declared, “You sound just like Mother.”
   1.340 +
   1.341 +Sakura let out a little sigh and the two stood silent. Finally, she
   1.342 +spoke in a voice etched with the pain of a new found knowledge,
   1.343 +“Ieran-sama is very wise. For all my power, she is much wiser than
   1.344 +me. She was right, Syaoran-chan. We don’t belong together. Now I know
   1.345 +that she didn’t really hate me. She just wanted what was best for
   1.346 +everyone. Even me.”
   1.347 +
   1.348 +With that he looked up and saw her as he knew her, energy flooding
   1.349 +back, filling her pure power. In fear and awe he beheld her, once
   1.350 +again the dread Mistress of the Cards. He reeled backwards, confused
   1.351 +and frightened, his mother’s mocking voice blaring inside his head.
   1.352 +He held his hands to his temples as her piecing words echoed, “You
   1.353 +don’t love her. You love her power.” He felt helpless, a rag doll in
   1.354 +the hands of a blind and savage Fate. Struggling to regain his calm,
   1.355 +he leaned against the wall and whimpered. Sakura stood with her hands
   1.356 +at her side, unable to comfort her shattered husband. Finally he
   1.357 +composed himself enough to turn and face her. He was no man’s fool.
   1.358 +He was not to be trifled with. Trembling, he took an envelope from
   1.359 +his pocket, opened it, and placed a ticket on the nearby dresser. His
   1.360 +face was blank as he spoke,
   1.361 +
   1.362 +“I’m leaving. If you are not on this plane when it departs, then
   1.363 +don’t bother coming back again. Ever.” He felt a surge of power, as
   1.364 +if he, and not this stupid and dangerous woman, was in control. She
   1.365 +bowed low, her sad, verdant eyes locked with his as she answered
   1.366 +softly,
   1.367 +
   1.368 +“Hai, Syaoran. Sayonara.”
   1.369 +
   1.370 +He strode for the door, and then stopped. Turning quickly, he gaped
   1.371 +at her, his face twisted with loathing. He spat out the bitter words,
   1.372 +“I don’t love you. I hate you.” Then he walked through the door and
   1.373 +shut it firmly.
   1.374 +
   1.375 +For a long time, Sakura stared at the closed door. Syaoran’s parting
   1.376 +words stung her, even though she knew they were not true. Consumed
   1.377 +with anger, his words spilled, tainted and colored by out-of-control
   1.378 +emotions. But part of what he said was true: he did not love her. Or,
   1.379 +rather, he loved her as a friend, and no more. Oddly, this was great
   1.380 +consolation for the shattered woman, who saw her marriage of months
   1.381 +implode in minutes. Had Syaoran truly loved her, she would have been
   1.382 +chained to a marriage that was a terrible mistake. For thousands of
   1.383 +years, women have borne loveless matches, and Sakura would have been
   1.384 +one among millions of sad and broken hearts.  Perhaps she could have
   1.385 +found some happiness in children, or teaching, or even magic, all
   1.386 +while her heart longed for her true love. Or she might have died
   1.387 +slowly, longing for a love she could never have. Even leaving him
   1.388 +later was a stark possibility, and could only have made things worse
   1.389 +with the passage of time. 
   1.390 +
   1.391 +
   1.392 +With a sigh, Sakura sat at her desk and again took up sewing. The
   1.393 +rhythm of needle and thread calmed her heart, for there was stillness
   1.394 +in the motion of every stitch. Suddenly she flinched as the needle
   1.395 +pricked her finger. Gazing at her hand, she put her work on the table
   1.396 +and slipped off the golden wedding ring. Placing it by the ticket on
   1.397 +the desk, she thought, I'll send it to him later. She stared at her
   1.398 +now bare finger. The ring came off so easily, as if their marriage
   1.399 +had never been. But that was not quite true either, for much had
   1.400 +happened in married life  she did not regret, and would never forget.
   1.401 +Picking up the yellow dress and sewing again, she recalled the
   1.402 +exquisite anticipation of her wedding day, and the mystery of the
   1.403 +night that followed. To be in Syaoran’s company, if not quite love,
   1.404 +was pleasant, the companionship of two good friends. "It was my fault
   1.405 +for wanting it to be more, for not knowing my own feelings", she
   1.406 +whispered sadly. Curiously, Sakura felt no regret for the end of her
   1.407 +marriage. But she did feel sorry for the pain she brought Sayoran,
   1.408 +and knew that regret would never leave her.  
   1.409 +
   1.410 +Paradoxically, the greatest gift of her marriage was the misery of
   1.411 +being without Tomoyo. Growing up with the girl, she came to take her
   1.412 +amazing presence for granted. Being so close to that dazzling spirit
   1.413 +had blinded Sakura to her own true feelings. Only in Hong Kong did
   1.414 +she learn the hard lesson of what Tomoyo meant to her. When marriage
   1.415 +pulled them apart, she finally saw that life without the azure-eyed
   1.416 +girl was simply impossible. Accepting Syaoran's proposal, she prayed
   1.417 +marriage would bring her love. It did, but in a way completely
   1.418 +unforseen. Marriage was a strange path leading her far away, yet
   1.419 +bringing her back to where she started. But oh, how diffreent things
   1.420 +were now! When she left, Tomoyo was her friend. But tonight, as her
   1.421 +marriage ended, Tomoyo was her one, true love. And tommorow she would
   1.422 +see her again.
   1.423 +
   1.424 +Sakura felt awash in giddy anticipation. Freedom swept her soul like
   1.425 +a gentle zephyr, a whipsering wind of possibilities and hope. Soon
   1.426 +she would see Tomoyo, lay her love at the dark-haired girl's feet,
   1.427 +and beg her to stay. She gigled, wondering about the woman's reaction
   1.428 +to so stunning a revelation. Perhaps she could never take the place
   1.429 +of that special someone in her friend's gentle heart. But just to be
   1.430 +with her, to feel Tomoyo's love again was enough. Even more, Sakura
   1.431 +wanted to make her happy, to heal the pain in those azure eyes. "I'll
   1.432 +give her everything I have", she thought, stitching the last button
   1.433 +into place, "though she already has my heart." 
   1.434 +
   1.435 +With that, she held up the costume, admiring the work. Well,
   1.436 +admiring Tomoyo's work, anyway, perfect as always. Her own
   1.437 +contribution was flawed: an uneven line here, a too-big button hole
   1.438 +there. But it was her work, and now the costume was theirs. Lovingly
   1.439 +she folded the silken fabric, and suddenly felt very, very  tired.
   1.440 +Resting her head on the desk she whispered dreamily, "Tommorow.
   1.441 +Tommorow  I'll see her. I'll see my angel."
   1.442 +
   1.443 + And so, sleep came at last.  
   1.444 +
   1.445 +