1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/dearsakura-27.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,477 @@
     1.4 +Dear Sakura
     1.5 +by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
     1.6 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.7 +pearsong1954@yahoo.com
     1.8 +
     1.9 +Sakura smiled at her brother as he drove in front of the Daidouji
    1.10 +mansion. The young woman nervously gathered up her purse and a bag
    1.11 +with the newly finished costume inside. Her brother eyed her
    1.12 +carefully and asked,
    1.13 +
    1.14 +“You have my cell phone number?” She nodded, and he answered in his
    1.15 +big-brother-casual voice, “Call me when you need a ride back. Or for
    1.16 +whatever. I took the day off” 
    1.17 +
    1.18 +Sensing her mood, his voice softened and he spoke quietly, “Don’t be
    1.19 +so worried. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. And tell her I say
    1.20 +hello.” 
    1.21 +
    1.22 +Sakura seemed ready to cry, but instead leaned over and wrapped her
    1.23 +arms around him. He squeezed back as she whispered, “Thank you”, and
    1.24 +slipped out the door without looking back. He watched her run up to
    1.25 +the gate, his eternal little sister. Driving there in the car he
    1.26 +almost told her about Tomoyo's love. But Sakura loved surprises, and
    1.27 +this figured to be the biggest one in her life. Besides, Tomoyo had
    1.28 +waited all these years, so she should be the one to tell. He shook
    1.29 +his head as he drove away, secretly thrilled that his sister had
    1.30 +finally found love. 
    1.31 +
    1.32 +Sakura’s hand shook as she rang the buzzer of the intercom. The last
    1.33 +time she felt so nervous was the wedding. Tomoyo was there, too,
    1.34 +guiding her every step of the way, consoling and calming, a mother
    1.35 +and sister and confidante. But this was something she would have to
    1.36 +do on her own. She was thrilled, excited, and scared to death. What
    1.37 +would Tomoyo say? Would she be embarrassed, or amused, or upset?
    1.38 +Tomoyo would never say or do anything to hurt her. But she worried
    1.39 +that this revelation might be bothersome for her friend, who would
    1.40 +bear her feelings in silence as she had born the pain of her special
    1.41 +someone for years. Maybe there was no place for Sakura’s love in her
    1.42 +heart. The pale woman already had her special someone, and Sakura
    1.43 +could no more take the place of that person than anyone could replace
    1.44 +Tomoyo in her own heart. Sakura sighed and shook her head, and then
    1.45 +was startled by a voice bursting from the intercom,
    1.46 +
    1.47 +“Daidouji residence”.
    1.48 +
    1.49 +Sakura recovered from her surprise and answered, “Oh, hello, yes,
    1.50 +I’m sorry. This is Kinomoto Sakura. I’m here to see Tomoyo-chan, I
    1.51 +mean, Daidouji Tomoyo”. 
    1.52 +
    1.53 +During the lengthy pause her thoughts returned to Tomoyo. Since
    1.54 +realizing her love for the beautiful woman, Sakura had slowly
    1.55 +determined what to do. She would tell Tomoyo of her love. She could
    1.56 +no more keep that a secret than she could stop breathing. Just last
    1.57 +night on the phone she nearly blurted out, “Tomoyo-chan, I love you!”
    1.58 +So she had to tell her. But what then? If Tomoyo-chan’s special
    1.59 +someone would not have her, well... Well what? Well, she thought,
    1.60 +distracted at her own uncertainty, she can have me. A surge of
    1.61 +determination rippled through her body as she clenched her fists.. I
    1.62 +may not be her True Love, but at least I love her. I can be with her,
    1.63 +and make her as happy as I can. It’s the least I can do, after all
    1.64 +she’s done for me. And after what I did to her. Sakura felt heartsick
    1.65 +about the way she had ignored her friend for all those years. She
    1.66 +could not change the past, but she could be a loving part of Tomoyo’s
    1.67 +future. She smiled and whispered to herself, “I’ll live my life for
    1.68 +her, if she’ll have me”.
    1.69 +
    1.70 +Finally, the intercom spoke up in a metallic, somewhat officious
    1.71 +voice, “You may enter”. As the buzzer sounded, she pushed the gate
    1.72 +open and walked onto the grounds of the mansion. There were so many
    1.73 +memories that lingered here, but she was too caught up by the thrill
    1.74 +of being close to Tomoyo to feel them. The pathway seemed terribly
    1.75 +long, and Sakura’s excitement mounted with every step. It was as if
    1.76 +her entire life had led up to this one point, to three simple words:
    1.77 +I love you. Near the end of the walkway she was running, desperate to
    1.78 +close the last remaining distance between her and the woman she
    1.79 +loved. Sakura wanted to hold the lavender-haired beauty in her arms,
    1.80 +to comfort and be comforted. Nearing the door, she felt a wave of
    1.81 +delirious happiness as she dashed forward in a final burst of speed.
    1.82 +Nothing mattered but Tomoyo; not the past, or the future, not her
    1.83 +failed marriage or the magic or even life itself. Catching her
    1.84 +breath, she knocked excitedly on the door, her heart flooded with a
    1.85 +giddy mix of joy, anticipation, and desire. When the door opend she
    1.86 +let out a curious little yelp, and nearly flew into the arms of a
    1.87 +waiting Sonomi.
    1.88 +
    1.89 +At the last second she pulled back, nearly tumbling backwards. Still
    1.90 +staggering, she grinned sheepishly, bowing low and apologizing,
    1.91 +“Gomenesai, Sonomi-sama. I, I thought you were Tomoyo-chan. Ohayo.
    1.92 +Ohayogozaimasu”.
    1.93 +
    1.94 +Sakura looked up cheerfully and saw Sonomi regarding her with quiet
    1.95 +reserve. For the longest time she was silent as Sakura stood and
    1.96 +smiled. Finally, the woman bowed politely and spoke in a flat tone of
    1.97 +voice, “Come in”.
    1.98 +
    1.99 +Sakura entered, feeling a warm glow at the sight of Tomoyo’s
   1.100 +gorgeous mother. She remembered their delightful talks about life at
   1.101 +school, her friendship with Tomoyo, and her own mother. She was a
   1.102 +supurb cook, and delighted in having the daughter of Nadeshiko over
   1.103 +for luncheons and dinners. Sakura always felt a maternal love and
   1.104 +concern from Sonomi that wrapped her like a blanket, happy and snug.
   1.105 +With an odd pang, she thought how lucky Tomoyo was to have had such a
   1.106 +wonderful mother. Sonomi indicated a seat, and they both sat down.
   1.107 +Smoothing her skirt, Sakura glanced at her host, wondering why she
   1.108 +was so silent. Nervously, the young woman peeked at her watch and
   1.109 +looked up, smiling and speaking anxiously,
   1.110 +
   1.111 +“I’m sorry. I hope I’m not too early?” 
   1.112 +
   1.113 +Sonomi glared in righteous anger at the Cardmistress. Finally, the
   1.114 +older woman broke the uneasy silence. “How could you do that to my
   1.115 +baby girl? How could you hurt her so terribly? She trusted you! She
   1.116 +loved you!” Sonomi turned on the younger woman, her dark blue eyes
   1.117 +looking like the sky before a terrifying storm hits. “My little girl
   1.118 +gave you everything and you disregarded her as nothing more than a
   1.119 +plaything that you had grown tired of! She sacrificed her happiness
   1.120 +for you, but even that wasn’t good enough! You couldn’t even thank
   1.121 +her for that!” The business woman was now shaking with fury, hatred
   1.122 +boiling up at this spawn of Fujitaka. The man had managed to ruin her
   1.123 +life and now his daughter was having a delightful time ruining the
   1.124 +life of her own child. “Get the hell out of my house, Sakura. And if
   1.125 +I ever see you again...” She balled up her fists, her whole body
   1.126 +shaking. Her soul felt scalded by the rage boiling over inside of
   1.127 +her. “You stay away from my daughter!” Part of her cried out in pain,
   1.128 +in regret for saying such things to the girl her daughter loved, to
   1.129 +the child of her own love, to this sweet and naďve girl. But her
   1.130 +anger had finally gotten the best of her. She could no longer sit by
   1.131 +while Sakura slowly killed her daughter. She wasn't about to let the
   1.132 +Cardmistress hurt her darling Tomoyo any longer. It no longer
   1.133 +mattered to her that Sakura was Nadeshiko’s daughter or that Tomoyo
   1.134 +wanted her to be happy. “Tomoyo-chan always wanted you to be happy,
   1.135 +but what about her happiness? She suffered and strived so that you
   1.136 +would be happy, Sakura, and what did you do? Nothing. You never
   1.137 +thanked her. You never tried to return the favor. It was as if you
   1.138 +simply expected it of her. She devoted herself to you, but you gave
   1.139 +her nothing in return. You never once concerned yourself with her
   1.140 +happiness. You’re selfish, Sakura-chan. You went off to live your
   1.141 +happy life without a look back to see if Tomoyo was equally happy, if
   1.142 +your best friend was also living a happy life. Tomoyo-chan needed you
   1.143 +and you abandoned her. You failed her. She always thought you would
   1.144 +come back and save her, but you never did. And I hate you for that.”
   1.145 +Her voice was laced with venom, tears falling unnoticed down her
   1.146 +cheeks. Sonomi was crying, but it hardly concerned her. “You
   1.147 +destroyed her just as surely as your father destroyed me all those
   1.148 +years ago. I never wanted Tomoyo-chan to live through what I have. I
   1.149 +never wanted her to feel the pain of losing the only one she could
   1.150 +ever love. But you dashed my baby girl’s hopes and dreams right in
   1.151 +front of me. And I did nothing. I let you hurt her because I thought
   1.152 +that it was just like my love for Nadeshiko, that it was the way
   1.153 +things were. But you’re just like your father. You smile, happy in
   1.154 +what you have, but you disregard the pain you bring to others,
   1.155 +ignoring what you have taken from them. Whether it be my dearest
   1.156 +Nadeshiko or Tomoyo-chan’s loving heart, it doesn’t matter. You have
   1.157 +what you want, so why should you care that you hurt others through
   1.158 +your ignorance? You can smile blissfully while Tomoyo-chan cries
   1.159 +herself to sleep. I will never forgive you for that.”
   1.160 +
   1.161 +Sakura was dumbstruck, caught completely off guard by Sonomi’s
   1.162 +sudden outburst. Her mouth opened and closed as words escaped her.
   1.163 +Tears began to trickle down her cheeks at Tomoyo’s mother’s words.
   1.164 +The look that Sonomi was giving Sakura broke her heart. This woman
   1.165 +had always looked at her with such love and kindness. But now, that
   1.166 +warmth was completely missing, replaced instead by a burning anger
   1.167 +that seared Sakura in her seat. Sonomi’s words played over and over
   1.168 +again in her head, a haunting chorus of guilt and anger as Sakura
   1.169 +realized her own voice was mixed into the painful truths. “I.. I
   1.170 +didn’t mean to..” Sakura got out weakly. 
   1.171 +
   1.172 +Getting out of her seat, Sonomi brushed back some dark hair from her
   1.173 +eyes with the same irritated presence of mind one might use to crush
   1.174 +a fly. Sakura’s tears, something that would at one time have brought
   1.175 +a deep and motherly sympathy from her, now only managed to fuel the
   1.176 +rage inside her battered and broken heart. “My baby girl has suffered
   1.177 +through hardships unnumbered for you. She has sailed a sea of
   1.178 +loneliness all by herself simply because she wanted to for her
   1.179 +princess. You don’t deserve all that she’s given you. You’re a
   1.180 +pathetic excuse for a friend. And if you don’t get out of my home,
   1.181 +Sakura-chan, I swear I’ll make you regret ever meeting my daughter.”
   1.182 +Her voice was low and menacing and it was with a measure of
   1.183 +satisfaction that she noted Sakura tremble. All the years of pent up
   1.184 +frustration, anger, and pain finally seemed to find a single focal
   1.185 +point. Nadeshiko had left her all those years ago for a man that had
   1.186 +taken everything from a younger Sonomi. But there had been nothing
   1.187 +she could do. She had only been able to run away. Run away and try to
   1.188 +mend her own broken heart. Part of that had been having a daughter of
   1.189 +her own. But she had been forced to watch her daughter also lose the
   1.190 +one she loved. It had all been maddening to Sonomi, a woman who
   1.191 +generally liked to take action. Now she finally had the object of her
   1.192 +current frustration, the person who had caused such terrible anguish
   1.193 +in her daughter’s heart. It wasn’t Fujitaka, but it sure was a good
   1.194 +enough second. All of her righteous fury was brought to bear upon the
   1.195 +Cardmistress and Sakura found her defenses against Sonomi severely
   1.196 +lacking. 
   1.197 +
   1.198 +Shaking her head, Sakura tried to swallow back her tears, her fists
   1.199 +balling at her sides as she tried to get a grip on the situation. She
   1.200 +couldn’t go now. If she left, then how could she ever tell Tomoyo
   1.201 +before she left? How could she finally fix things? How could she make
   1.202 +amends for her terrible mistake? “Sonomi-sama... Please, don’t... I
   1.203 +need to see Tomoyo-chan,” she pleaded desperately, getting to her
   1.204 +feet as well. She was less than an inch smaller than Sonomi, no
   1.205 +longer the little girl she once was. Yet even then, Sonomi still
   1.206 +towered over her, the pillar of strength that she had always been in
   1.207 +Sakura’s eyes. Part of her felt sick at a sudden realization. Tomoyo
   1.208 +had always said that Sakura would protect her, but now that wasn’t
   1.209 +the case. Tomoyo’s mother had come to her rescue, and she had come to
   1.210 +protect her from any more pain that Sakura could deliver. This role
   1.211 +reversal didn’t sit well at all with the Cardmistress. She wanted to
   1.212 +be the one protecting Tomoyo’s precious heart, not the one it was
   1.213 +being protected from. 
   1.214 +
   1.215 +With a swift motion of her head, Sonomi cut Sakura’s request short.
   1.216 +“I’m not about to let you go hurt her anymore than you already have,
   1.217 +Kinomoto-san. Now if you’ll excuse me, I had some work I must attend
   1.218 +to. Good day.” Turning curtly on her heel, Sonomi took a few steps
   1.219 +towards the entrance to the room. She decided to give Sakura several
   1.220 +minutes to leave before she had one of her bodyguards escort the
   1.221 +younger woman off the premises. Her heart regretted having to be so
   1.222 +cold to Sakura, but deep down she felt immense relief to finally be
   1.223 +able to affect the situation. She wasn’t idly sitting by while her
   1.224 +daughter crumpled in front of her. She would make this up to Tomoyo.
   1.225 +Somehow. She would piece her daughter back together, piece by piece
   1.226 +if need be. Her baby girl would be happy again one day. And if she
   1.227 +had anything to say about it, Sakura would never again be able to
   1.228 +pain her daughter anymore. 
   1.229 +
   1.230 +“Sonomi-sama!” Sakura yelled out, stumbling a few feet towards the
   1.231 +business woman. Her heart felt as if it had been torn out and left to
   1.232 +bleed on the floor. Tears dripped down her chin to the floor below,
   1.233 +some falling down to Sakura’s shaking hands. Despite the severity of
   1.234 +Sonomi’s words, Sakura couldn’t argue with the conviction behind
   1.235 +them. Deep down, she realized that they were right, that she had
   1.236 +slighted her best friend horrifically over the years. Tomoyo had
   1.237 +suffered immeasurably in her wake. She couldn’t blame Sonomi at all.
   1.238 +The woman was just trying to protect her precious daughter. Moreover,
   1.239 +she was correct. That realization sent Sakura reeling. She had
   1.240 +suspected for some time that she had hurt Tomoyo, that her ignorance
   1.241 +had pained her best friend. Ever since discovering her love for the
   1.242 +pale girl, that thought had gained strength. But never before had she
   1.243 +seen such furious intensity, such a glimpse into the pain that she
   1.244 +had unwittingly caused. And it was frightening. Not in her darkest
   1.245 +nightmares had she suspected that she could have done such damage.
   1.246 +The pure, unadulterated joy that had coated Sakura’s heart such a
   1.247 +short time before was now replaced with a deeply disturbing sorrow
   1.248 +that encompassed her soul. If she had broken her poor best friend
   1.249 +then she simply couldn’t leave. There had to be some way that she
   1.250 +could fix the damage she had done. She had to at least try to make up
   1.251 +for what she had done. If she left... “I can’t leave, Sonomi-sama...
   1.252 +I have to apologize to Tomoyo-chan..”
   1.253 +
   1.254 +Turning back to face the younger woman, Sonomi’s face held a mixture
   1.255 +of hatred and pity for the brunette. She could hear the anguish in
   1.256 +Sakura’s voice, the pain that now gripped the Cardmistress. But
   1.257 +Sonomi couldn’t leave it that easily. She was quick to anger and slow
   1.258 +to forgive. Especially when it came to the few that she allowed
   1.259 +herself to love so completely. Her daughter and Nadeshiko were the
   1.260 +only women she allowed such a high place in her heart. She had seen
   1.261 +firsthand the pain Sakura had caused her only child and no amount of
   1.262 +apology could ever make up for that. “Get out, Kinomoto. I never want
   1.263 +to see you again,” she said coldly, her finger pointing to the door. 
   1.264 +
   1.265 +Sakura’s head drooped on her shoulders, sniffles coming up from the
   1.266 +crying brunette. She had caused everyone such trouble by her
   1.267 +naivette. Syaoran through their failed marriage, Sonomi by forcing
   1.268 +her to relive her own pain, and most of all, Tomoyo for taking her
   1.269 +for granted for all these years. All because she had failed to find
   1.270 +the love in her heart so many years ago. She had left a trail of bad
   1.271 +feelings and broken hearts in her wake. But there had to be some way
   1.272 +that she could make it all better. That she could somehow make things
   1.273 +all right. “I didn’t mean to...” Sakura sobbed weakly. ‘If you cry,
   1.274 +you won’t be able to solve anything,’ a voice whispered in Sakura’s
   1.275 +heart. ‘Sakura shouldn’t look so sad. That just makes me sad,’
   1.276 +another voice added. Sakura blinked through her tears, her vision
   1.277 +slowly clarifying as she looked up to Sonomi. “I never wanted to hurt
   1.278 +Tomoyo-chan. She’s the last person I ever wanted to hurt. I’m so, so
   1.279 +sorry, Sonomi-sama... I never wanted to hurt Tomoyo-chan. I love
   1.280 +her... I just want to make her happy...” she got out weakly. 
   1.281 +
   1.282 +Sonomi froze at Sakura’s words, her arm falling slowly to her side.
   1.283 +Those words that she had long ago wished to hear from a woman named
   1.284 +Nadeshiko played through her mind amidst Sakura’s sobs. ‘I love her,’
   1.285 +the younger woman had said. There had been genuine regret in her
   1.286 +voice, along with something else. Something that Sonomi knew full too
   1.287 +well. The unrequited love from the depths of one’s heart. The
   1.288 +business woman’s cold glare softened and finally melted away
   1.289 +altogether as she watched the crying form of her own love’s daughter.
   1.290 +Standing there, her fists clenched and head bowed, she looked like
   1.291 +the child that Sonomi remembered so vividly. The girl that had
   1.292 +captured her own daughter’s heart so many years ago. It was with some
   1.293 +surprise that Sonomi realized Sakura wasn’t here for a simple apology
   1.294 +or to take anything else from her daughter. She was here to give of
   1.295 +herself. The brunette may not be able to fix the damage she had
   1.296 +caused, but that didn’t matter. She had come to offer of herself for
   1.297 +the sake of the future, not for the ruins of the past. 
   1.298 +
   1.299 +Tears fell quietly to the floor as Sakura choked back her sobs, her
   1.300 +athletic body shaking with each attempt. How could she have been so
   1.301 +careless with the greatest gift she had ever received? Tomoyo had
   1.302 +given so much to her, but she had taken such a wonderful gift for
   1.303 +granted. She had ignored her darling friend and now she deserved
   1.304 +Sonomi’s anger. She deserved far worse than that. How could Tomoyo
   1.305 +accept her heart after what she had done? A hand on her shoulder
   1.306 +slowly drew Sakura’s attention. Was it a maid or a bodyguard to lead
   1.307 +her away? A hand on her chin rose her tear streaked eyes slowly until
   1.308 +she met Sonomi’s dark blue orbs. The older woman smiled gently at
   1.309 +her, soothingly. With a small hiccup as she suppressed another sob,
   1.310 +Sakura through herself into the older woman’s arms. Sonomi held onto
   1.311 +her like her own mother had an almost forgotten amount of time
   1.312 +before. Sakura’s heart felt some of the pain flutter away, though
   1.313 +some of it continued to cling deep inside of her. The knowledge of
   1.314 +just how badly she had hurt Tomoyo refused to give up the refuge of
   1.315 +her heart. But at least Sonomi wasn’t angry with her anymore. Maybe
   1.316 +there was still hope that she could make things all right after all.
   1.317 +
   1.318 +Standing with the younger brunette in her arms, Sonomi let her own
   1.319 +eyes fall closed. “You’re not like your father. I was wrong. You’re
   1.320 +like Nadeshiko. You didn’t see the love your friend held for you and
   1.321 +didn’t realize what it would do. But you’re also like me, Sakura-
   1.322 +chan. You follow your impulses. You act on instinct. And sometimes
   1.323 +that hurts people. Neither of us give it enough time to really think
   1.324 +things through before we jump into action. We can only hope that it’s
   1.325 +not too late to fix our mistakes.” Standing at arms length, the
   1.326 +business woman smiled softly. “So I want to apologize. You’re a sweet
   1.327 +girl, Sakura-chan. And I’m sorry for letting myself forget that.”
   1.328 +Sonomi had mixed feelings about admitting to herself that Nadeshiko
   1.329 +herself had hurt her, that it hadn’t simply been Sakura’s father that
   1.330 +had caused her such pain, but she was glad to see that perhaps all
   1.331 +wasn’t lost with Nadeshiko’s daughter. She realized that she must
   1.332 +have known more how Tomoyo felt than she had realized. Sakura had
   1.333 +hurt Tomoyo in the same way that Nadeshiko had hurt her, through
   1.334 +ignorance and naivette. But Sonomi had never allowed herself to see
   1.335 +any of the pain Nadeshiko had caused her, unable to place any such
   1.336 +blame on her sweet and kind cousin. Just as Tomoyo could never blame
   1.337 +Sakura for the pain in her heart. Had that been part of the
   1.338 +frustration in Sonomi’s heart at watching Sakura so blatantly hurting
   1.339 +her daughter? It didn’t matter. Even in death, Sonomi could never
   1.340 +quit loving Nadeshiko. Something so trivial may explain a few things,
   1.341 +but it didn’t affect her feelings in the least. It only served to
   1.342 +make the business woman even more lonely for her cousin’s presence.
   1.343 +But if she couldn’t be reunited with her darling Nadeshiko at the
   1.344 +moment, at least she could help bring their daughters together. “I
   1.345 +was a bit hasty about you leaving. I couldn’t let you go without
   1.346 +seeing Tomoyo-chan. She should be in her room right now.”
   1.347 +
   1.348 +Nodding eagerly, Sakura wiped away the last remnants of tears from
   1.349 +her eyes. “H..Hai!!” she said quickly, smiling at the head of the
   1.350 +Daidouji household. Her heart began to pound again as she followed
   1.351 +behind the older woman. She once again realized just how close she
   1.352 +was to seeing Tomoyo again, to being once again in her best friend’s
   1.353 +presence. It was a delightful feeling, but it was agonizing at the
   1.354 +same time. Would Tomoyo even be happy to see her? Would she accept
   1.355 +her heart when she offered it up? Sakura almost felt dizzy at the
   1.356 +possibilities as Sonomi led her upstairs. 
   1.357 +
   1.358 +“Tomoyo-chan? You have a visitor,” Sonomi said cheerfully from the
   1.359 +doorway. She waited a moment, expecting a response from her
   1.360 +introverted daughter. When none came, she frowned and knocked on the
   1.361 +door. Perhaps Tomoyo had fallen asleep watching one of her videos
   1.362 +again. But as no answer seemed forthcoming, Sonomi began to worry
   1.363 +that that wasn’t the case. Her naturally protective instincts finally
   1.364 +got the best of her and she pushed the door open, hurrying inside her
   1.365 +daughter’s room. Sakura followed right behind her. The business
   1.366 +woman’s stormy eyes darted across the room for any sign of her pale
   1.367 +daughter, but the dark haired girl seemed to have gone missing. Her
   1.368 +eyes settled on Tomoyo’s bags for a second, but the items were still
   1.369 +there, half packed. Tomoyo hadn’t been scheduled to leave for another
   1.370 +few days at the least. Sonomi’s eyes frantically scanned the large
   1.371 +room for any sign of her child. Pictures of Sakura adorned the room
   1.372 +like a religious shrine, the occupant having grown only more
   1.373 +obsessive in recent years. That didn’t particularly surprise Sonomi,
   1.374 +as she had seen Tomoyo’s room often enough over the years to know
   1.375 +just how much of it was dedicated to the brunette. Something on
   1.376 +Tomoyo’s desk finally caught the worried mother’s eye and she hurried
   1.377 +over, Sakura just steps behind. “Oh God...” Sonomi got out weakly.
   1.378 +Her knees felt like they were about to collapse, the blood slowly
   1.379 +draining from her body. On Tomoyo’s desk lay a bloody shard of glass,
   1.380 +dried blood covering the wood finish of the desk. Nearby rested a
   1.381 +crumpled costume design. Sonomi’s heart felt like it had stopped with
   1.382 +all the suddenness of an explosion. Her mind raced back to just
   1.383 +several days earlier, to her daughter’s carefully bandaged hand. Her
   1.384 +head shook slowly in shock as she picked up the shard of glass. “No,
   1.385 +Tomoyo-chan...” ‘I want you to see a doctor about that,’ her own
   1.386 +voice rang in her ears. And Tomoyo had agreed, but she had looked
   1.387 +so... different. As if a part of her had been missing. Or killed.
   1.388 +Sonomi continued to shake her head, holding the blood stained shard
   1.389 +of glass to her chest. “Tomoyo-chan...” Her heart felt like the glass
   1.390 +shard had been wedged inside of it. Not now. Not when Sakura had
   1.391 +finally come to rescue her baby. She couldn’t be too late to rescue
   1.392 +her child. But all of the signs were pointing to that. Images of her
   1.393 +broken child plagued Sonomi’s mind like a horrific vision of the
   1.394 +future. Her sweet, darling child lying broken and lifeless on the
   1.395 +floor. What made it all the worse was that Sonomi could remember her
   1.396 +own failed suicide attempt from years earlier. How close had she
   1.397 +herself come to dying back then? And Tomoyo was a much more
   1.398 +meticulous planner than she herself had been. If Tomoyo intended to
   1.399 +go through with it, she would very well go through with it. Tomoyo
   1.400 +had been the only thing that had made Sonomi’s life worth living for
   1.401 +so many years. The idea of losing her only child in such a violent
   1.402 +fashion froze her heart. Her mind tried desperately to locate her
   1.403 +child, but nothing came to mind. She was blank. 
   1.404 +
   1.405 +Sakura looked from the distraught Sonomi to the desk and back. Her
   1.406 +fingers traced slowly over the blood stains on Tomoyo’s desk, her
   1.407 +heart pounding desperately in her chest. Part of her didn’t want to
   1.408 +admit that anything was wrong, the idea of Tomoyo disappearing
   1.409 +completely from her life seeming as absurd as a life without water or
   1.410 +air. Her trembling fingers grappled around the crumpled costume
   1.411 +design when her eyes caught sight of Tomoyo’s handwriting on the
   1.412 +back. She quickly smoothed out the piece of paper on top of the
   1.413 +bloodstained desk, her mind frantically searching for any clues to
   1.414 +her friend’s sudden disappearance. Suddenly Tomoyo’s aversion to
   1.415 +meeting her last night began to make sense. She hadn’t intended on
   1.416 +ever seeing Sakura again. She had played her final part the night
   1.417 +before, pretending to be her happy and pleasant best friend one last
   1.418 +time. Sakura silently cursed herself for not having seen through
   1.419 +Tomoyo’s cracks, to seeing the lost and lonely little girl
   1.420 +underneath. 
   1.421 +
   1.422 +
   1.423 +‘Dear Sakura-chan,
   1.424 +As I sit here writing this, I see your beautiful face in my mind’s
   1.425 +eye, your sweet smile sending ripples throughout the stormy ocean of
   1.426 +my soul. I know that you may hate me for this, and though I could
   1.427 +hardly bear the thought of you ever hating me, I know that I must go
   1.428 +through with this. I’m not sure if I can explain why, but it doesn’t
   1.429 +really matter. Please know that you have always been the most
   1.430 +treasured thing in my life. I would never wish to hurt you. That’s
   1.431 +why I have to say goodbye.’
   1.432 +
   1.433 +Swallowing painfully, Sakura forced her way through the rest of this
   1.434 +unsent letter, forcing back tears as she tried to make out Tomoyo’s
   1.435 +beautiful strokes. Every word struck her with deadly precision, every
   1.436 +revelation shaking the beliefs she had once held in her heart. But
   1.437 +despite the truths they revealed, Sakura could find no comfort in
   1.438 +them. They only seemed to add up to a desperate and frantic Tomoyo
   1.439 +who was determined to escape Sakura’s life for Sakura’s sake and her
   1.440 +own. That Tomoyo had been so hell bent on Sakura’s happiness even to
   1.441 +the bitter end both astonished and frightened Sakura. It seemed that
   1.442 +Tomoyo was always proving just how deep her love ran. Halfway through
   1.443 +the letter, Sakura read and reread through the dark haired girl’s
   1.444 +confessions in a near delirious frenzy. “She loves me...” Sakura
   1.445 +whispered, her eyes skimming the passage again. “She loves me. That’s
   1.446 +why she left. She left... for me..” She shook her head, as if unable
   1.447 +to comprehend the logic behind such an action. But in Tomoyo’s
   1.448 +eccentric way, it made perfect sense. Tomoyo had left to save
   1.449 +Sakura’s marriage, to protect Sakura’s new life. She had no way of
   1.450 +knowing that Sakura had thrown it all away for her, had perhaps left
   1.451 +to keep that from happening. The brunette felt a chill run up and
   1.452 +down her spine. Because she had been too late, she may have lost
   1.453 +Tomoyo forever. In a final desperate attempt to save everything,
   1.454 +Tomoyo had left after Sakura’s phone call the night before. Where she
   1.455 +was now, Sakura couldn’t hope to guess. She had been too late to
   1.456 +rescue her princess after all. She had failed Tomoyo. Tears stung her
   1.457 +eyes like liquid fire, her body begging her to collapse as the
   1.458 +strength drained away from her. 
   1.459 +
   1.460 +“Everything will always be all right,” Sakura whispered to herself.
   1.461 +Sonomi turned to look at her in confusion, but Sakura stood up as
   1.462 +strength rushed in to fill the vacuum. With a thought, brilliant blue
   1.463 +wings unfurled from Sakura’s back, nearly sending Sonomi sprawling.
   1.464 +There had to be time. Sakura could still find Tomoyo. She could still
   1.465 +put things right. She had to. This was her final test, the test of
   1.466 +her heart. Tomoyo believed in her. She believed that Sakura would
   1.467 +come and save her. Sakura couldn’t disappoint her. She couldn’t fail
   1.468 +Tomoyo. “I love her,” Sakura whispered determinedly, her long wings
   1.469 +spreading behind her. 
   1.470 +
   1.471 +Sonomi watched in awe as an angelic Sakura darted out the window,
   1.472 +glass shards glinting in the early morning light like shooting stars.
   1.473 +“Sakura-chan...” Sonomi watched as Sakura flew away, as angelic as
   1.474 +she had always imagined Nadeshiko’s angel. “Find her, Sakura-chan.
   1.475 +Find my baby girl before it’s too late. Please help her be on time,
   1.476 +Nadeshiko-chan,” Sonomi pleaded as she clutched onto the blood
   1.477 +sullied piece of glass that warned of a tragic fate for her daughter.
   1.478 +Exhausted, the business woman collapsed to her knees, praying
   1.479 +desperately that her daughter wouldn’t be joining the woman she loved
   1.480 +so soon.