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     1.4 +Hello minna-san! ^-^ I’ve wanted to write this story for a long time now. ^-^ I thought it would be fun to 
     1.5 +play on an old fairytale and force Sakura to figure out her feelings at the same time. If you have any 
     1.6 +suggestions, comments, or questions, please e-mail me. ^-^ Thanks for reading! *hugs*
     1.7 +
     1.8 +
     1.9 +Sleeping Beauty
    1.10 +By Amazoness Duo
    1.11 +Amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.12 +
    1.13 +
    1.14 +	Gazing down at her sleeping form in the dark, I smile gently, lifting the blanket to cover her. Its 
    1.15 +times like this that make me realize how lonely my room normally is. The spacious confines where I keep 
    1.16 +my things seems like a bare cavern without her here. The darkness surrounding my bed in the large room is 
    1.17 +almost intimidating on its own. I usually have a video of her playing while I sleep. My room is practically a 
    1.18 +shrine to her, a constant reminder of her to me. Having her here… I quell the sudden wave of dizziness that 
    1.19 +threatens to overwhelm me just by her presence. She could never know the joy I felt just by her accepting 
    1.20 +my offer to spend the night. My fingers ever so gently brush through her beautiful short hair. She’s sleeping 
    1.21 +so peacefully. Lying next to her, I can’t help but feel some anxiety building at the bottom of my stomach. 
    1.22 +She is so perfect. Why can’t anyone see that? Never mind that; Li-kun already seems to notice. So the real 
    1.23 +question is why can’t I be the one to be there for her? A soft sigh escapes my lips. Of course not. I already 
    1.24 +got lucky enough to have her as my best friend. What are the chances that I could get that lucky again? 
    1.25 +Still… 
    1.26 +	Sakura-chan looks like an angel. No, a goddess. Her gorgeous face looks up towards the heavens 
    1.27 +in its quiet slumber. It must have taken all of the artists in those same heavens to create such a beautiful 
    1.28 +creature as she. Dazedly, I find my fingers wandering across her warm cheek, pressing softly against it. 
    1.29 +There’s so much to say to her. But I already told her I’d explain when we were older. Anything I say would 
    1.30 +just confuse her. Or worse. So I’ll just let you sleep a little longer, Sakura-chan. When you’re older… My 
    1.31 +mind races for a moment, wondering if that day will ever come. Or maybe I was just fooling myself that I’d 
    1.32 +ever be able to truly explain to you how I feel. Leaning closer to her, I release another sigh. I can feel her 
    1.33 +breath against my face. You’re so wonderful, Sakura-chan. Oh, how I love you…
    1.34 +	My lips are almost touching hers now. Just another inch. Those lips… I’ve dreamt about them, 
    1.35 +about her. Licking my suddenly dry lips, that anxious feeling increasing by leaps and bounds. So close… 
    1.36 +My hand gently strokes her soft cheek. Eyes flutter shut as I lean forward…
    1.37 +	Sitting back up, I let out a frustrated cry. I can’t bring myself to do it. How can I steal her first 
    1.38 +kiss? No matter how much I want to, I can’t do that to her, even if she would never know. Just like how 
    1.39 +she’ll never know about how I feel. Shaking my head, I try to stop that line of thought before it gets any 
    1.40 +further.
    1.41 + Whenever she’s around, my world feels complete. Whenever she’s not there, she’s all I can think 
    1.42 +about. I need her to live. I need her to be there, just as I need her as my best friend. I couldn’t live without 
    1.43 +that. But I want… I want her to hold me. I want to fall asleep in her arms, to wake up by her side, to tell her 
    1.44 +everything with a smile. 
    1.45 +	Sitting on the edge of my bed, it seems like hours have passed. I’m not thinking about anything in 
    1.46 +particular. At least, nothing I can quite recall. My thoughts are on her. Its tempting to wake her up here and 
    1.47 +now and pour it all out to her, let her know once and for all exactly how I feel. Does she suspect it at all? Or 
    1.48 +does she just think I act strangely. A giggle almost surfaces at that. Maybe I do act a little strangely, but 
    1.49 +that’s just because no one understands to what extent Sakura-chan’s wonder lies. If they did, they’d do the 
    1.50 +same. She’s the most beautiful thing I could videotape. She dwarfs everything else I possibly could catch 
    1.51 +on film. She makes the costumes I sew look alive. They’re spectacular when they’re on her. She gives life 
    1.52 +to my designs. Everything about her touches me to the farthest reaches of my soul. How could I not treat 
    1.53 +her the way I do? How could I ever love someone else?
    1.54 +	She looks so radiant lying there in the pale moonlight. So peaceful. I can’t disturb that. Tomorrow. 
    1.55 +I’ll tell her tomorrow. Or the next day…
    1.56 +
    1.57 +	I shift around under silky sheets, trying to get comfortable again so I can get back to sleep. The 
    1.58 +bright light filtering through curtained windows makes that almost impossible. Finally giving in to the 
    1.59 +inevitable, I yawn tiredly, sitting up in bed. A moment of disorientation hits me before I remember where I 
    1.60 +am. This is Tomoyo’s room and I’d been spending the night. I yawn again and stretch, wondering if maybe 
    1.61 +I should go back to sleep. Nah, that would be rude. And now that I’m up, I’m not that tired anyway. 
    1.62 +	Scooting over to the edge of the bed, I swing my legs over the side. My bare feet brush against the 
    1.63 +soft carpeting, feeling soft and warm under my toes. Glancing around, I notice that the only thing missing 
    1.64 +from Tomoyo’s room seems to be Tomoyo. She had been right here last night. Did she already go for 
    1.65 +breakfast? I finally spot her asleep at her desk, her head on her arms. How long has she been there? Not all 
    1.66 +night, I hope. Poor girl. Getting up, I pad along the soft carpet to her side, careful not to wake her. Her long 
    1.67 +white nightgown looks much more elegant than my pajamas, I note. But then, Tomoyo always has been 
    1.68 +more elegant. Sometimes I envied that. From her beautiful singing to the designs she made to the way she 
    1.69 +acted. Her mother made her keep her hair long, but that didn’t keep her from pulling off some ravishing 
    1.70 +hairstyles. The boys must be crazy for her. 
    1.71 +	Of course, there were rumors from time to time. I always tried to quash them, but Tomoyo never 
    1.72 +seemed to mind. ‘Scary Tomoyo’. I hate when schoolmates would say things like that about her. She’s 
    1.73 +just… unique. That’s all. When it comes down to it, she’s the most trustworthy, sweetest person I know. 
    1.74 +But that never protected anyone from nasty rumors.  
    1.75 +	I can’t help but sweatdrop when I see the half finished sketch peeking out from under her arms of 
    1.76 +me in another costume. It really does look beautiful from what I can see. She puts so much into them. 
    1.77 +Wearing them is the least I can do for all her help. Brushing some of her silky dark hair away from her 
    1.78 +face, I smile down at her. My smile fades immediately when I see her. Something’s wrong. Her normally 
    1.79 +serene face looks troubled, almost painfully so. That’s something I don’t really see much on her, and never 
    1.80 +this bad before. Her pale cheeks are red and puffy, as if she’d been crying. Did she cry herself to sleep? But 
    1.81 +why? And why didn’t she wake me up? She knows I’d try to help. “Tomoyo-chan…” I let out sadly. My 
    1.82 +hand goes to her shoulder, but I don’t know if I should wake her or just wait. 
    1.83 +Tomoyo stirs against my touch, making the decision for me. Sitting up, her dark hair cascades 
    1.84 +down her back. She blinks sleepily, a hand going to her face as she brushes some hair from her eyes. 
    1.85 +“Sakura-chan? I’m sorry. I wanted to wake up before you so I could get breakfast ready. I must have slept 
    1.86 +in,” she says in her normally soft voice. She attempts to stand up, but I keep my hand gently on her 
    1.87 +shoulder to make sure she stays put.
    1.88 +“Tomoyo-chan, what happened last night? Were you crying?” I ask quickly, urgently.
    1.89 +The dark haired girl blinks a few times, apparently caught off guard. Her fingers brush past her 
    1.90 +cheek as if she’s trying to recall the events of the night before. Her face sinks into an almost desperate look 
    1.91 +before her smile that I know so well returns. Tilting her head to the side, she flashes me that smile, her eyes 
    1.92 +closed and her hands on her lap. “I’m so happy Sakura-chan was concerned for me. Arigato, Sakura-chan.”
    1.93 +I shake my head, concern still gripping me. “But why, Tomoyo-chan? Why were you crying? Why 
    1.94 +didn’t you wake me? I’d have wanted to help,” I argue. “I’m your best friend. Whatever it is, I’m always 
    1.95 +here to help you. You’re very important to me. I don’t want to see you sad. You can always tell me 
    1.96 +anything.”
    1.97 +Tomoyo looks away for a long moment. Silence envelops us as I await her answer. When she 
    1.98 +looks back at me, she’s smiling again. “It was nothing. I was watching an old video I have of you that 
    1.99 +always gets to me. That’s why I didn’t wake you up, because I was watching you bravely capturing Clow 
   1.100 +Cards despite your life being in danger.” She sighs dreamily as she often does, a hand going to her cheek. 
   1.101 +I’d usually blush, but right now there are more important things to worry about. “Sakura-chan makes such a 
   1.102 +wonderful magical girl.”
   1.103 +“I’m serious, Tomoyo-chan. What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me? And don’t tell me that 
   1.104 +you were just crying over a videotape of me,” I say sternly, trying to force the point. I don’t want to, but I 
   1.105 +need to know. What’s she hiding from me? I thought I was her best friend.
   1.106 +
   1.107 +I sit there, blinking uncomprehendingly at Sakura as my mind races to find a suitable explanation. 
   1.108 +Why isn’t she believing me? Whenever I pretend that I’m happy like this she’s fallen for it. Every single 
   1.109 +time. She never realizes that I’m hurting, that I’m masking how I truly feel. Because I don’t want to burden 
   1.110 +her with that. Because I don’t want her to have to deal with my problems. She’s my best friend. That’s 
   1.111 +good enough for me. If she knew when I was hurting inside, if she knew that it was always about her…. So 
   1.112 +why now? How did she all of the sudden see through my illusions this time? Sakura, this would be so much 
   1.113 +easier if you’d only let me pretend that everything was alright all the time. I do it for you. Why can’t you 
   1.114 +let me have that at least? Please, please don’t ask much further. I don’t know if I could ever say no to you.
   1.115 +What I’d told her wasn’t truly a lie. It was more a slight bending of the truth. I had watched one of 
   1.116 +my videos of her last night. My favorite one. I believe it truly shows how wonderful she is. But that wasn’t 
   1.117 +why I was crying. I’d been crying since a while before that as I’d watched her blissfully sleeping form. It 
   1.118 +was about whether I’ll ever be able to tell her how I really feel. And if it even matters. I used to be able to 
   1.119 +tell myself that as long as she was happy, I would be as well. But now… The thought of forever being 
   1.120 +forced to watch her from afar, to never be able to have what I so dream of almost tears me apart. The 
   1.121 +knowledge that all of my dreams are nothing more than that. Maybe I’d been fooling myself just as much 
   1.122 +as I’d been fooling her that I was happy. 
   1.123 +I’d finally fallen asleep while trying to draw a new costume for her. I think it would have come out 
   1.124 +better if I’d been able to see through the tears. I’ll need to start it over again. Sakura deserves better than 
   1.125 +that. She deserves the best. How I wish I could be the one to give her the best. But I’ll always be there for 
   1.126 +her. I’ll help her through whatever I can, so I can make sure she winds up happy, no matter the results. I’ll 
   1.127 +be your guardian angel, Sakura.
   1.128 +Sakura’s still staring at me expectantly, a little worriedly. I smile a little more, hoping that she will 
   1.129 +believe in me this time. “Its nothing, Sakura-chan. I was thinking too much about the future is all. It was 
   1.130 +late and I hadn’t had much sleep from all the costumes I had been working on this week. I guess it was just 
   1.131 +too much for some reason.”
   1.132 +She looks disappointed at my answer. Her shoulder’s slump as she rubs one of her arms. 
   1.133 +“Tomoyo-chan…” Sakura pleads, her emerald green eyes begging me to be honest with her. Why are you 
   1.134 +doing this to me? I’m trying to protect you, Sakura. I don’t want to put you through this. At least not until 
   1.135 +you’re older. Don’t make me tell you now. Not now.
   1.136 +
   1.137 +	Why is she lying to me? Tomoyo won’t tell me why she was crying. But she can tell me anything. 
   1.138 +She knows that, doesn’t she? Her stormy blue eyes betray her soft smile, the turmoil in them leaping out to 
   1.139 +me. I reach out to her, but for once she shies away. I swiftly bring my hand back as if singed. How could 
   1.140 +this be happening? Whatever it is, it must be pretty bad if she won’t tell me. If she won’t trust me. I feel 
   1.141 +tears of my own welling up, but I can’t let those fall. Tomoyo needs me, even if she won’t tell me what’s 
   1.142 +going on. I sigh, frustrated. “Alright, Tomoyo-chan. You don’t have to say anything. Maybe this is another 
   1.143 +one of those things I won’t understand till I’m older.” 
   1.144 +	Tomoyo blinks those stormy blue eyes of hers at me, watching me intently, quizzically. “Sakura-
   1.145 +chan?” her soft voice ringing in my ears. 
   1.146 +	Even with that fragile look on her ivory face, I can’t help but ball my fists in anger. “I’m sure 
   1.147 +you’ll have a whole lot to tell me when I’m older, huh? I guess I’m still too much of a child to understand 
   1.148 +anything, huh? I’m just too immature for you to trust, is that it?” As soon as those words are out, I instantly 
   1.149 +regret them. I open my mouth to apologize, but the damage is already done. My heart breaks in two as I see 
   1.150 +those hurt blue eyes turned up at me as if asking how I could say such things. My heart catches in my throat 
   1.151 +as I take a step back, trying desperately to put right what had gone wrong. 
   1.152 +
   1.153 +	How could she say that? I’m doing this for her. I don’t want to hurt her. Does she really think I 
   1.154 +don’t trust her? Oh, Sakura-chan, I just don’t want to hurt you… Hot tears roll down my face as Sakura 
   1.155 +stares at me from a few feet away, her mouth finally closing after trying to say something. Wiping at my 
   1.156 +stinging eyes, I bolt past her to my door. It surprises me that she doesn’t try to stop me from leaving. That 
   1.157 +just makes it hurt even more as I head barefoot down the stairs, my tears making everything a blur as I try 
   1.158 +desperately to get away. I love you. Don’t you know that? I’d do anything for you. I never want to hurt 
   1.159 +you…
   1.160 +
   1.161 +	What have I done? I slump back on Tomoyo’s bed, burying my face in my hands. What I’d give to 
   1.162 +take that back. The Time Card? No, I probably couldn’t just stop myself from saying something. It looks 
   1.163 +like I’m on my own this time. Why did that have to slip out? Of course she trusts me. Whatever they are, 
   1.164 +she has her reasons for keeping them from me. Lashing out at her like that must have hurt her terribly. I 
   1.165 +just… I wanted to know what she won’t tell me. What can it be that she’d go to the lengths of hiding it 
   1.166 +from me? And she was pretending to be happy so I wouldn’t know she was hurt. But why? We’re supposed 
   1.167 +to be there for each other. She’s always there for me. Why can’t I be there for her? Why won’t she let me?
   1.168 +	I sigh as I sit up on the bed, trying to think of where Tomoyo may have gone. Her mom was way 
   1.169 +too overly protective of her, so I doubt she left the house without her bodyguards. So she was probably still 
   1.170 +here somewhere. But it’s such a big place. The thought of looking for her through the whole place seems 
   1.171 +daunting. I have to find her and apologize. I need to make things better between us. She means too much to 
   1.172 +me. I can’t lose her. Taking a quick glance around her room, I take in the many costume designs, videos, 
   1.173 +and unfinished costumes. All for me. 
   1.174 +	Kami-sama, what did I do?
   1.175 +
   1.176 +	Its cold out here. My feet are already numb from walking across the cold damp grass. I hug myself 
   1.177 +tightly, my body still wracked with sobs as her words come back to haunt me. It wasn’t supposed to be this 
   1.178 +way. She wasn’t supposed to know I hurt. She should have just waited until she was older and happy with 
   1.179 +someone else so I could watch her, be there for her, and completely forget about that little promise that I’d 
   1.180 +tell her that I love her. 
   1.181 +Uncertainty crashes over me like a wave breaking against the shore. Should I have just stayed and 
   1.182 +told her? Get this out in the open once and for all? It would prove that I still trust her and once and for all 
   1.183 +she’d know exactly how I felt. But would she understand? Would she understand the depth of how I feel? 
   1.184 +Just how much she means to me? How much I love her? A moment with her is worth a thousand deaths. 
   1.185 +Her smile is worth all the pain and misery this world has to offer. She’s and angel that lights my life from 
   1.186 +the midnight darkness that encompasses me. I want her to know that, but I fear that it would ruin things. 
   1.187 +That my angel would be frightened of me, no longer shining her light upon me. If I put it off, told her when 
   1.188 +she was older, then I could hope she’d understand more fully how I felt, even if it was from her love for 
   1.189 +someone else. Then maybe it wouldn’t ruin everything. I can’t live without her friendship. Like a flower 
   1.190 +without water, I’d shrivel up and die. I need you, Sakura… Please…
   1.191 +Tears drip down off my chin. There’s so much to say, but its as if I can’t find my voice. I want to 
   1.192 +tell her with every piece of my soul, but I’m so afraid I’ll lose her. I’ve been paralyzed with indecision for 
   1.193 +so long and now I’ve ruined everything. If only I’d said something sooner. But then, would I still have lost 
   1.194 +her? Sakura-chan…
   1.195 +Sakura thinks I don’t trust her, that I won’t tell her because I can’t use her help. I have to prove to 
   1.196 +her that that’s not the case. I have to let her know. Will that make things better? Please let it make things 
   1.197 +better. I just want to be your friend again. Forever.
   1.198 +Standing up slowly, I shiver in the cold morning air. I gather my resolve and turn back to the 
   1.199 +house. This is it. I’ll tell you everything, Sakura-chan. I’ll finally tell you just how much you mean to me. 
   1.200 +For a long moment, I wonder if my tears are still blinding me. That can’t be her, can it? But it is. 
   1.201 +Sakura’s heading towards me, a worried expression etched on her face. I muster up a smile to try to 
   1.202 +convince her everything’s alright. I start running towards her. “Sakura-chan!”
   1.203 +
   1.204 +There she is! She was in the backyard the whole time. Poor thing, its far too cold for that right 
   1.205 +now. I need to get her inside and apologize quickly. I just hope she’ll listen. Of course she will. This is 
   1.206 +Tomoyo, afterall. And she’s.. smiling? I can’t help but return the smile. Maybe I didn’t screw things up as 
   1.207 +badly as I’d thought. Maybe… 
   1.208 +I stumble forward as I sense the Clow Card moments before it hits. The glow envelopes Tomoyo 
   1.209 +in a bright blue hue. It slowly fades away as Tomoyo drops to the cold grass in a jumble of ribbons and 
   1.210 +dark hair. “Tomoyo-chan!!” I yell as I run up beside her, falling to my knees. Grabbing her shoulder, I give 
   1.211 +her a shake, hoping she’ll open those pretty dark blue eyes of hers again, smile her usual smile at me and 
   1.212 +everything will be back to normal. 
   1.213 +She lays there almost deathly still in front of me. My heart thunders in my chest as my hopes are 
   1.214 +dashed. “Tomoyo-chan, please get up. Please…” My arms go around her as I pull her close to me, tears 
   1.215 +spilling from my eyes onto her cold cheek. I sit up suddenly, wiping at my tears. I felt her breathing. Softly, 
   1.216 +almost sleepily. Is that… Is she asleep? Almost in answer, Tomoyo rolls over on her side. A sigh of relief 
   1.217 +escapes my lips. I was so worried that she’d been hurt. But what did the Clow Card do? Is she okay? Will 
   1.218 +she be alright? 
   1.219 +	I shake her again hoping she’ll wake up, but nothing happens. It figures. Clow Cards can never be 
   1.220 +simple. Neither can my life, it seems. Right when things looked like they would work out for the best, this 
   1.221 +had to jump in the way. 
   1.222 +	I softly brush my fingers through her dark hair. Don’t worry, Tomoyo-chan. I won’t let anything 
   1.223 +happen to you. I’ll find a way to help you. No matter what.
   1.224 +
   1.225 +	I can hear Kero yawn tiredly after he picks up the phone Tomoyo had given me to keep us in 
   1.226 +touch. She always seems to call when I’m feeling bad. I wonder how she does that. The irate voice of the 
   1.227 +Seal Beast calls me back from my wandering thoughts. “Sakura-chan, what is it? I was having the most 
   1.228 +wonderful dream. There was this giant cake and I…”
   1.229 +	“A Clow Card got Tomoyo-chan,” I say quickly, cutting him off. I know that will just irritate him 
   1.230 +even more, but I don’t have time. Tomoyo needs my help. 
   1.231 +	“It had this giant strawberry on to…”
   1.232 +	“Kero-chan!” 
   1.233 +	The Seal Beast finally stops relating his dream to me over the phone. I can hear him yawn tiredly 
   1.234 +again before answering. “A Clow Card? Which one? What’d it do?”
   1.235 +	In a rush of words, I pour out what had happened to Kero, praying that he’ll know what I need to 
   1.236 +do to save Tomoyo. There has to be something to wake her up. I wait silently on my side of the phone, 
   1.237 +waiting anxiously for his answer. It takes me a long moment to realize that I’m holding my breath.
   1.238 +	“Hmm…” I can see him scratching his chin on the other side of the phone in my mind. I almost 
   1.239 +smile for a moment before the gravity of the situation forces the thought away. “It sounds like the Sleep 
   1.240 +Card. It must have been drawn to her for some reason. I’d say it’s got its love spell on her.”
   1.241 +	“What? What’s that supposed to mean?” I switch the phone to my other ear as I pace back and 
   1.242 +forth worriedly. Glancing down at Tomoyo, I sigh, closing my eyes.
   1.243 +	“It put her to an eternal sleep to keep her from the pain of love. That’s its way of helping people 
   1.244 +that are being caused too much anguish by those sorts of things, ya know?” The Seal Beast yawns again on 
   1.245 +the other side of the phone.
   1.246 +	“But… How could it… Why did…” I take a deep breath, trying to get a clear grasp on my 
   1.247 +thoughts. “So Tomoyo-chan was…..” My eyes go wide as realization dawns on me. “That’s why she was 
   1.248 +crying last night. It was over who she’s in love with.”
   1.249 +	“Tomoyo-chan was crying over it? But she never seems to get affected by anything. Well, 
   1.250 +anything but you,” Kero corrects himself. “That must be it. It really must have been hurting her, so sleep 
   1.251 +thought her eternal slumber would be much more peaceful for her, where she could dream of her love and 
   1.252 +won’t get hurt.”
   1.253 +	“Poor Tomoyo-chan,” I whisper softly. I had no idea she had been hurting so badly. My fingers 
   1.254 +gently brush past her pale cheek. She looks so peaceful lying there, dreaming sweet dreams. But I need to 
   1.255 +wake her up. Because I need her here with me. “But how do I help her, Kero-chan?” I demand, my voice 
   1.256 +quavering.
   1.257 +	“Oh, that one’s easy,” the Seal Beast assures me. 
   1.258 +	“Yeah?” My voice nearly fails me as I hang on to his words.
   1.259 +	“You just have to get her true love to kiss her. She’ll wake up as soon as that happens, her stormy 
   1.260 +heart finally calmed.”
   1.261 +	Standing there, I stare at the phone. Her true love? How am I supposed to find that? She never 
   1.262 +talks about any of the boys at school, or anybody else for that matter. Who could it be? “But I have no idea 
   1.263 +who that is!” 
   1.264 +	Silence reigns over the phone for what seems like an eternity. “Can I go back to sleep then?”
   1.265 +
   1.266 +	I slump heavily back on Tomoyo’s bed after I finally reach her room, her body lying on top of me. 
   1.267 +Her long dark hair goes everywhere, some of it blinding me as it covers my face. I have Tomoyo’s pale, 
   1.268 +cold body in my arms. It had been a struggle getting her all the way here from outside, but I couldn’t leave 
   1.269 +her where she was. It just hits me as a lie here that I should have used the Power Card before attempting to 
   1.270 +carry her to her room. I gently try to push her off of me onto the bed but it proves more difficult than I 
   1.271 +thought it would be. 
   1.272 +After a few tries, I finally roll her onto her back on the soft bed. As I sit up and catch my breath, I 
   1.273 +silently watch her peacefully sleeping form. My eyes start to blur, a tear trickling down my cheek. I just 
   1.274 +want her to wake up and be alright. But that won’t happen, will it? She’ll only wake up if I can help her. 
   1.275 +But I don’t know how. She’s never told me about anyone she likes, let alone loves. She’s hinted at it, sure. 
   1.276 +Like when she told me she’d be happy as long as the one she loved was happy, but she’s never told me who 
   1.277 +that was.
   1.278 +Pacing frantically around her room, ignoring the cold in my own body, I search for anything that 
   1.279 +could provide me with a clue as to who she loves. I go through all the things on her desk, but there are just 
   1.280 +pictures of costumes for me and some cloth and things. Nothing. Part of me worries that I shouldn’t be 
   1.281 +digging through her things, but this situation calls for it. Besides, I know she trusts me. There’s nothing 
   1.282 +here she couldn’t tell me. ‘I’ll tell you when you’re older…’ I wince as that thought goes through my head. 
   1.283 +What had she meant? She doesn’t really think I’m immature enough that I won’t understand, does she? 
   1.284 +What did she want me to wait for? I push the thought away. Of course she trusts me. She’s always told me 
   1.285 +how important I was to her.
   1.286 +My search becomes more harried and desperate as everything I find turns out to be a dead end. 
   1.287 +Sifting through a neatly stacked pile of her tapes turns up nothing. All the titles are just about me. Sighing, I 
   1.288 +run both hands through my hair, trying to think of something, anything, that will show who Tomoyo’s love 
   1.289 +is. A diary? Does she keep a diary? Or maybe in her notebooks. I used to draw pictures of Yukito in my 
   1.290 +notebooks. Maybe she’s done the same. Could it be onii-chan? She used to blush around him. 
   1.291 +No matter how hard I look, I can’t find a diary. I thought she might have a video diary, but all the 
   1.292 +titles for the videos I could find didn’t sound like it. When she told me I was the only thing she liked to 
   1.293 +videotape, I guess she was serious. I spent a while looking for it, but I’m not sure if she has one. I’ll have to 
   1.294 +ask her if she wakes up. When she wakes up. Because she will. I’ll find out who she loves if it kills me. 
   1.295 +And I’ll make him kiss her if I have to.  
   1.296 +Her notebooks didn’t really help, either. They’re filled with her notes and pictures of me as 
   1.297 +Cardcaptor Sakura. I recognize some of the costumes I’m wearing in them, actually. Some of the ones I 
   1.298 +don’t recognize seem to be design sketches for when she finally does make the costume. I sweatdrop as I 
   1.299 +flip through the notebook, noticing some of the odd costumes she has in mind. Shaking my head, I try to be 
   1.300 +more serious. I promise I’ll wear ever single one of the costumes Tomoyo makes as long as she wakes up. 
   1.301 +The only thing left that I can think of is that its onii-chan. But that doesn’t feel right. And I know 
   1.302 +Touya doesn’t feel that way about Tomoyo. But if I figure out that he is the one she loves, I’ll make him. I 
   1.303 +shiver a little at the thought of someone else having to kiss Tomoyo to wake her up. I wish there was 
   1.304 +another way. But then, why should I feel bad about it if the person kissing her is the one she loves? Hoe… 
   1.305 +This is all so confusing.
   1.306 +Reaching out, I brush her dark hair away from her face, smiling tearfully at my best friend. She 
   1.307 +looks at rest this time, not the sad look on her face she had when I’d woken her up the first time this 
   1.308 +morning. The Sleep Card seems to think this is for the best, that she won’t hurt anymore this way, but it 
   1.309 +hurts me looking at her like this. The thought that I’ll never be able to have her with me again sends shivers 
   1.310 +down my spine. Am I being selfish? Is she really better off this way? Wiping my tears from my eyes with 
   1.311 +my pajama sleeve, I shake my head. I need her. I don’t want to go on without her like this. “Oh, Tomoyo-
   1.312 +chan,” I whisper. “Please wake up. Please just open your eyes and tell me it’s alright like you do so often. I 
   1.313 +need to hear that. I need to know you’re there. I need you.” I bury my head against her side, hot tears 
   1.314 +rolling down my cheeks. Sobbing against my unconscious best friend, I wind up falling asleep myself.
   1.315 +
   1.316 +What? Where am I? I feel disoriented. Blinking tiredly, I try to get a look around the room but I 
   1.317 +can’t see past the soft white cloth in front of me. For a moment I think it’s my pillow before its movement 
   1.318 +startles me. I stay deathly still, not quite awake enough to grasp what’s going on. The cloth keeps moving 
   1.319 +up and down in a soft, relaxing rhythm. Yawning, I almost allow the gentle motion to lull me back to sleep 
   1.320 +before a sense of urgency starts gnawing at me. There’s something I need to do, but what? And why is it so 
   1.321 +important. Trying to wake myself up, I stretch out with a yawn. My hand travel’s across the soft cloth 
   1.322 +before the texture changes. Its smoother, warmer now. Blinking curiously, I sit up, wiping some saliva from 
   1.323 +the edge of my mouth. It feels as if the whole world has come crashing down on me at the sight. Tomoyo-
   1.324 +chan… She’s still asleep, breathing gently as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. Part of me clings to 
   1.325 +the idea that it was all a dream, that she’s really just fine, but after shaking her for over a minute with no 
   1.326 +response I have to give up on that hope.
   1.327 +My shoulder’s slump as I watch her sleeping peacefully. I should be out doing something to save 
   1.328 +her but all I’ve done for the past two hours was sleep. Two hours? I glance over at her clock and push the 
   1.329 +sleeve of a costume out of the way to make sure I hadn’t mistaken the time. I haven’t. How could I have 
   1.330 +been out for two hours? She needs me and I wasn’t even doing anything to help her. But she felt so nice, so 
   1.331 +warm. I was so sad and worried, but when I was lying there against her, it all seemed... peaceful. Warm. 
   1.332 +Like everything was perfect. She always makes me feel that way. That’s part of why I want her to wake up 
   1.333 +so badly. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan... What am I supposed to do? I usually have you here to help me when 
   1.334 +dealing with things like this. I don’t know if I can do it on my own.” Brushing back some of her long 
   1.335 +grayish black hair from her shoulder, I stop at the curls at the end of the lock of hair I’m holding. I move 
   1.336 +the soft hair around between my fingers as I take a deep breath. “I never did get to cut your hair like you 
   1.337 +wanted me to after Yukito cut Touya’s hair. And there are a lot of costumes I haven’t been able to where 
   1.338 +for you. And you haven’t been able to videotape all those things you said you wanted to, like me getting 
   1.339 +married and all. If you wake up, I promise I’ll do it all for you. I’ll cut your hair, I’ll wear the costumes,   
   1.340 +I’ll let you videotape whatever you want. Just please wake up, Tomoyo-chan.” I clasp one of her snow 
   1.341 +white hands with both of my own and bring it up to my cheek, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill 
   1.342 +out anew. “There was so much you seemed to have planned. For me, for the both of us. You can’t just sleep 
   1.343 +forever. You can’t.” Part of me wants to demand to know who she loves so I can save her but the other part 
   1.344 +knows it would be pointless. I’ve wracked my brain over and over again and I can’t think of anyone. 
   1.345 +Except Touya, but she blushes that same way around me even more often, so I don’t have much hope in 
   1.346 +that. I lightly stroke her pale cheek, vowing to find out who it is. She smiles softly in her sleep, shifting 
   1.347 +around to get more comfortable. If only I knew what she was thinking.
   1.348 +This is like a fairy tale gone horribly wrong. Tomoyo’s been placed in a deep sleep until she gets 
   1.349 +kissed by her one true love. Unless I can find her prince charming, she’ll sleep forever. But every time I try 
   1.350 +to get myself to go looking, I can’t force myself to leave her side. I could always use the Mirror or the 
   1.351 +Illusion to stay here so her mother and her bodyguards won’t get suspicious, but I can’t even convince 
   1.352 +myself to do that. Fairy tale’s always have a happy ending, don’t they? So things should work out in the 
   1.353 +end, right? But what if this is like those one’s where it’s a painful lesson learned and it turns out horribly? 
   1.354 +What if Tomoyo never wakes up? Taking a deep breath, I try to force back those thoughts, but it’s so hard. 
   1.355 +On the verge of tears, I grasp onto my sleeping best friend looking for the comfort she always manages to 
   1.356 +provide me. For a long moment, I just lie there holding onto her as I try to pull myself back together. 
   1.357 +“Tomoyo-chan..” I whisper softly. “Come back to me.” Maybe it is selfish to want her back, but I don’t 
   1.358 +care anymore. It hurts too much inside. I just want her here with me. I’d do anything to have her back.
   1.359 +Fairy tale... This is like a fairy tale... Sitting up on my knees on her bed, an idea starts to come to 
   1.360 +me. If this is like a fairy tale, why can’t I play along? Fumbling for the key around my neck, I can see 
   1.361 +Tomoyo holding up a new costume ready to videotape my escapades. Part of me is glad that she can’t 
   1.362 +record this because I feel pretty foolish that I’m actually going to go through with it. But right now I’m 
   1.363 +willing to try anything.
   1.364 +Holding my staff in front of me, I can’t shake the feeling that this is all just wrong. Tomoyo-chan 
   1.365 +should be over there videotaping me, not asleep on the bed. I should be in some extravagant costume for 
   1.366 +her, not in my pajamas. But I don’t really have much choice in any of that at the moment. I’ll let her tape 
   1.367 +whatever she wants with me in whatever costumes she wants when this is all over and done with, even if it 
   1.368 +all is embarrassing. 
   1.369 +Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I bring down the staff onto the floating form of the Card 
   1.370 +I’ve chosen. “Mirror!” A small mirror appears floating in front of me. I sweatdrop and look around before 
   1.371 +getting closer to it. “Mirror, show me who Tomoyo loves the most.” Hey, it worked for the evil queen, it 
   1.372 +should work for me. The image in the mirror shifts for a long moment. I clutch the staff to my chest 
   1.373 +nervously as I await the results. Now I’ll just have to drag him here and get him to kiss Tomoyo. Well, at 
   1.374 +least the hard part’s done. Thought I can’t help but feel a little jealous at the thought. Why should anyone 
   1.375 +be kissing Tomoyo like that? I can’t see anyone who should be with her in my mind’s eye. It doesn’t feel 
   1.376 +right to be finding someone to kiss her. But I don’t have time to worry about that. The image is almost clear 
   1.377 +now. I push those thoughts out of my head as I prepare to catch a glimpse of this mystery man. 
   1.378 +I can make out some of it, but it’s still not clear enough. Could it be Li-kun? No, it’s not him. The 
   1.379 +boy in the mirror has short brown hair and vibrant green eyes. It looks like he likes to smile. It’s most 
   1.380 +certainly not Touya. I allow myself a breath of relief at that. For some reason, I never did like it when she’d 
   1.381 +blush around him. Tomoyo had told me that it was only because he reminded her of me, but still… The boy 
   1.382 +in the mirror’s image begins to sharpen ever so slightly. He’s not quite as handsome as I thought he’d be. 
   1.383 +I’d say he’s more pretty than handsome. I feel bad that I don't know Tomoyo as well as I’d hoped. Why 
   1.384 +wouldn’t she tell me something this important? Why don’t I know what taste in boys she has? I’ll have to 
   1.385 +make that all up to her later. The boy’s really starting to look familiar now, but he’s not fitting any of the 
   1.386 +boys I can think of right now. Maybe someone keeps slipping my mind. As the image finally becomes 
   1.387 +clear, I gasp in shock. The ‘boy’ in the mirror... It’s me... 
   1.388 +	My knees go weak at the sudden revelation. It can’t be, can it? But I’m a girl. She wouldn’t... How 
   1.389 +could she... I slump to the ground, sitting down hard. The world feels like its spinning around me. There’s 
   1.390 +no way that can be right. The Mirror must be wrong. Or maybe it’s trying to tell me something else. But 
   1.391 +what? 
   1.392 +	“Tomoyo-chan?” Looking at Tomoyo’s sleeping body, a nervous pit starts to form in my stomach 
   1.393 +as I try to figure out the odd answer that Mirror gave me. She knows the answer. I want to ask her to make 
   1.394 +sense of it for me, to tell me what it means. But she can’t. And won’t, unless I can figure it out on my own. 
   1.395 +And I think I already have. 
   1.396 +	“Hoe…” 
   1.397 +	Before I have a chance to figure out my feelings on the subject other than the shock and denial, a 
   1.398 +knock at the door frightens me worse than any ghost story Touya or Naoko-chan have ever told me. And I 
   1.399 +don’t have Tomoyo-chan to comfort me this time. Looking around the room, I try desperately to keep from 
   1.400 +panicking. Another knock at the door almost gives me a heart attack after I finally stand up. Licking my dry 
   1.401 +lips nervously, I open my mouth with an almost convincing lie to cover up the fact that its almost noon and 
   1.402 +Tomoyo’s still asleep but it dies before I can say anything as I see the doorknob moving. 
   1.403 +	“Tomoyo-chan? Sakura-chan? Are you two still in here?” Tomoyo’s mother, Sonomi, asks as she 
   1.404 +prepares to enter. Is that a playful note in her voice? Nah, that can’t be. Why would she have any clue about 
   1.405 +this whole thing with Tomoyo-chan? Touya told me that Tomoyo was just as eccentric as her mother, but I 
   1.406 +could never see it. Well, she does videotape me almost constantly and has had a costume ready for any 
   1.407 +conceivable occasion I may need one. Oh, and the unshakable faith she has in me. And the… Okay, maybe 
   1.408 +Touya was right. But I don’t have time for this right now.
   1.409 +	Pulling up the sheet over Tomoyo-chan’s head, I whisper an apology to her before pulling out one 
   1.410 +of my Cards. “Illusion! Show Sonomi-san that Tomoyo-chan’s awake and just fine,” I say quickly, almost 
   1.411 +tripping over the words. 
   1.412 +	“Sakura-chan? I thought I heard you in there,” Sonomi says with a smile that only seems to show 
   1.413 +up when she’s talking about me or my mother. Or how much I’m like or not like my mother. My eyes go as 
   1.414 +wide as dinner plates as I see her standing there in Tomoyo’s bedroom doorway. Did she see me using the 
   1.415 +Card? Does she already know? How am I supposed to explain that her daughter’s going to sleep for an 
   1.416 +eternity and it’s all my fault? She’ll hate me for taking away her daughter the way she says my dad took 
   1.417 +away her Nadeshiko. My fears start to lessen as she walks into the room, seemingly unconcerned about 
   1.418 +having possibly seen me doing any sort of magic. “I was wondering where the two of you were. You’ve 
   1.419 +been cooped up here all day. But that’s completely all right. I used to spend hours in dear Nadeshiko-chan’s 
   1.420 +room when we were your age, talking about all sorts of things.” The older woman sighs dreamily, brushing 
   1.421 +some of her oddly cut hair out of her eyes. She’s always so much happier when talking about my mother 
   1.422 +than any other time I see her. For some reason something Tomoyo had once said about her mother’s 
   1.423 +preferences when I’d asked about her female bodyguards comes to mind for a brief instant, but I shrug it 
   1.424 +off.  “It’s so nice to see the two of you spending so much time together. Sakura-chan, you really do make 
   1.425 +Tomoyo-chan so happy whenever you visit. The house is always so much livelier when you’re here. You 
   1.426 +must come visit us more often. It’s like having a little bit of dear Nadeshiko-chan with us.”
   1.427 +	Tomoyo smiles and nods to the left of me, scaring me senseless as it sets in that she’s there. A 
   1.428 +hand on my chest, I try to keep myself from being to obvious. It’s only Illusion doing just what I told it to. 
   1.429 +“Hai.. Hai! I’m really happy to be here! I’m glad Tomoyo-chan’s happy to have me here!” I blurt out 
   1.430 +nervously, hoping Tomoyo’s mother doesn’t notice how nervous I am.
   1.431 +	Sonomi laughs a little as she gives a conspiratorial wink to her ‘daughter’. “More than you know, 
   1.432 +Sakura-chan.” I blush deeply at that. No, I think I might know that. She must think I’m nervous because of 
   1.433 +some of Tomoyo’s weird stuff that I never have really gotten used to. For the most part, I just classify 
   1.434 +everything strange she does as that and ignore it. Her hobbies of videotaping me and making costumes for 
   1.435 +me, the chocolates on Valentine’s Day, the weird things she says that don’t make sense because they seem 
   1.436 +to suggest that she’s in love with me, all of it. Now I wish that I’d paid more attention to it all. 
   1.437 +	Sonomi’s voice cuts through my thoughts like a knife, bringing me back to reality. “Are either of 
   1.438 +you hungry? You haven’t had anything all morning and I’ve had the chef cook up something extra special 
   1.439 +sense you’re staying with us, Sakura-chan. And for after that there’s some cake, too. I don’t know if you’re 
   1.440 +watching your figure, but I sure am.”
   1.441 +	As I’m about to explain why Tomoyo can’t come down for what sounds like a great lunch (and 
   1.442 +I’m sooooo hungry right now, too…), I hear a thud at the window. Glancing over at it, I see the familiar 
   1.443 +form of Kero-chan with his face pressed against the window. I yelp before I can help myself. Nearly 
   1.444 +stumbling through the illusion of Tomoyo, I pop up in front of the window, hoping that Sonomi didn’t see 
   1.445 +the Seal Beast. “It.. It sounds great, Sonomi-san, but I think... Umm… Tomoyo-chan and I had something 
   1.446 +we need to talk about before lunchtime. Thanks so much, though.” I smile widely, hoping she bought it. 
   1.447 +Tomoyo nods happily, still smiling. I have to admit, Illusion did a wonderful job of recreating her, even 
   1.448 +down to that beautiful nigh constant smile of hers. 
   1.449 +	Sonomi pouts a bit, looking disappointed. It seems that she really did want to have lunch with us. I 
   1.450 +know she doesn’t get to see Tomoyo-chan often with how busy she is with her job, and I seem to remind 
   1.451 +her of my mother because she always starts talking about her when I’m around. I feel bad about having to 
   1.452 +get out of it, but she’d probably be even more disappointed if her daughter never wakes up. Her expression 
   1.453 +quickly changes as she smiles at the image of Tomoyo-chan. “Alright. You two have fun then. Good luck, 
   1.454 +Tomoyo-chan.” What was she wishing her luck with? Maybe with.. me? Does she think this is about 
   1.455 +Tomoyo-chan telling me how she feels? She already has more times than I can count. I just never 
   1.456 +understood. “Remember to come down as soon as you’re done talking. Or as soon as you get hungry. Bye, 
   1.457 +girls!” With that, she leaves for the moment. 
   1.458 +	Sighing nervously, I lean back against the window. “Kero-chan!” I whirl around as I remember. 
   1.459 +Pulling Tomoyo’s window open, the Seal Beast flies in. “Where have you been!? I’ve been sitting here 
   1.460 +worried sick! I don’t know what to do about Tomoyo-chan and you leave me here all by myself. I don’t 
   1.461 +even have her to help me this time so I was all alone.” I lower my voice so Sonomi won’t accidentally hear 
   1.462 +us. Kero winces and floats over to the bed. “I’m sorry, Kero-chan. I’m just so worried about Tomoyo-
   1.463 +chan.” With a thought, Illusion returns to her Card form. 
   1.464 +	Kero smiles and shrugs. “It’s okay, Sakura-chan. Just get me some of that cake later and I’ll be 
   1.465 +fine. Sonomi-san has the best cakes. I need to meet her chef.” He crosses his arms thoughtfully for a 
   1.466 +moment as he floats over Tomoyo-chan. I slip the sheets off of her and sit down on her bedside. 
   1.467 +	“I can’t get the cake if Tomoyo-chan doesn’t wake up. And what took you so long to get here?” I 
   1.468 +ask again. It doesn’t seem like him to wait that long. 
   1.469 +	“Actually, I thought you would have solved the problem by now,” Kero says matter-of-factly. “I 
   1.470 +thought this would be easier for you if I wasn’t here. But it’s a good thing I got here when I did. I’d hate to 
   1.471 +miss the cake when you do wake her up.”
   1.472 +	I blush inwardly at the thought of waking her up. That’s right, isn’t it? In order to wake her up, she 
   1.473 +needs a kiss from me... I clutch my hands to my cheeks in embarrassment. “Hoe...”
   1.474 +	“So did you figure out how to wake her up yet?” Kero asks anxiously.
   1.475 +	I nod slowly. “Hai. But you knew I would, didn’t you.” He just smiles and crosses his small arms 
   1.476 +over his chest sagely. Taking a deep breath, I like my lips nervously. “Isn’t there another way? I never 
   1.477 +thought I’d be kissing her...” I blush again at that. 
   1.478 +	“What?!” Kero asks in shock. One of Kero’s eyes seems to be larger than the other. “You? But I 
   1.479 +thought...”
   1.480 +	I cross my own arms as I stare at the floating bear. “And why not me? I’m not good enough for 
   1.481 +her?” He sure seemed shocked by the idea that I could be the one she was in love with. But now it seems 
   1.482 +completely obvious.
   1.483 +	Kero shakes his head quickly. “No, it’s not that, it’s just…”
   1.484 +	“Besides, I thought you knew. Right now it feels like I’m the only one who didn’t know about it.” 
   1.485 +A sigh escapes my lips as I look down at her. “I was mad that she wouldn’t tell me, but she kept telling me. 
   1.486 +I just didn’t listen. She wanted to wait till I was older because she thought I wouldn’t understand. And I 
   1.487 +didn’t. It took this to show me.” My arms wrap around my peacefully sleeping best friend tightly as I hug 
   1.488 +her close to me. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out, Tomoyo-chan.”
   1.489 +	Sitting up next to her, I look down at her soft ivory skin and pale lips. She looks so sweet 
   1.490 +slumbering there. My fingers go to her forehead, brushing some of her dark hair from her face. I’ve never 
   1.491 +felt so nervous in my life. And I don’t have her to comfort me yet. But I will as soon as I manage to pull 
   1.492 +this off. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. “I love you, too,” I whisper softly. It sounds like Kero takes 
   1.493 +that even worse than finding out that she loves me. My lips press softly against hers a split second 
   1.494 +afterwards, nervously at first, but their warm inviting feel quickly draws me in. My heart starts pounding in 
   1.495 +my chest as I hold the kiss. It takes me a long moment before I realize that she’s kissing me back.  
   1.496 +	“Tomoyo-chan!” I yell excitedly as I throw my arms around her again, this time greeted by her 
   1.497 +own pulling me closer. Tears of joy start dripping down my cheeks as the realization that she’s back 
   1.498 +shatters all the grief that I’d been holding. She smiles gently at me, our faces inches from each other. “I’m 
   1.499 +so sorry…” 
   1.500 +Tomoyo silences me with a soft kiss. “Don’t ever feel sorry, Sakura-chan. I knew you would 
   1.501 +rescue me in the end. I just thought it was a little too much to hope for that you could feel the same way.” 
   1.502 +She smiles up at me, fat crystalline tears dripping down her cheeks from her perfect blue eyes. The turmoil 
   1.503 +of emotions flooding through her must be horrible. Yet I’ve never seen her this happy before. I can’t help 
   1.504 +but smile myself as I hug her closer. Her long dark hair smells wonderful even while it tickles my nose. “I 
   1.505 +love you, Sakura-chan,” she whispers happily in her wonderfully sweet voice, holding onto me as if she’s 
   1.506 +afraid that I’ll disappear as quickly as a dream. I can’t blame her. I’ve never felt like this before. It’s all 
   1.507 +almost overwhelming. I blush as I feel her fingers gently brushing the hair from my teary eyes. 
   1.508 +My throat starts to swell as I look down at her, my best friend. She’s always been by my side, 
   1.509 +there to help me through anything. I always knew she was important to me, but I’d never figured out just 
   1.510 +how important. But now that I have, I’ll never let her go again. “I love you, too, Tomoyo-chan.” I yawn 
   1.511 +tiredly as my eyes start to flutter closed. I try to keep them open on the blurry image of Tomoyo, but the 
   1.512 +fall shut again heavily. Leaning my head against her shoulder, I snuggle closer, her arms around me lulling 
   1.513 +me to sleep. “Hanya…”
   1.514 +
   1.515 +Shaking my head sadly, I watch Sakura and Tomoyo pass out in each other’s arms. I wanted to 
   1.516 +warn Sakura to catch the Sleep Card, but I couldn’t interrupt. Besides, no one ever listens to me as it is. 
   1.517 +Why would they? I’m just Keroberas, the Seal Beast. Ah well, they’ll wake up in a few hours now that 
   1.518 +they’ve both found their true love. Still, it gave Sleep a good getaway by putting them to sleep like that. 
   1.519 +That just means more cake for me! Grinning to myself, I head for the door. It looks like today turned out 
   1.520 +pretty well after all. Daidouji-san always has great cake!
   1.521 +
   1.522 +	
   1.523 +
   1.524 +