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     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/thejealousycard.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
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     1.4 + 
     1.5 +
     1.6 +
     1.7 +The Jealousy Card:
     1.8 +
     1.9 +By Stirling Twilight and Amazoness Duo
    1.10 +stirling_9@hotmail.com
    1.11 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.12 +
    1.13 +     Sakura took a deep breath of fresh air as she started 
    1.14 +rollerblading down the street. It was a beautiful day, and the sun 
    1.15 +was shining brightly. A soft breeze gently blew over her as she 
    1.16 +made her way to school. She blushed lightly at the thought of 
    1.17 +Yukito waiting where he usually did before school. Sighing, she 
    1.18 +felt a pang of sadness at the thought of who he was waiting for. 
    1.19 +She slowed down, finally coming to a stop, as her brother rode by 
    1.20 +on his bike.  As long as he was happy, right? Tomoyo had once 
    1.21 +told her that what really mattered was that the one you loved was 
    1.22 +happy, even if they weren’t with you. 
    1.23 +     Waiting a few moments to make sure her brother and Yukito 
    1.24 +were well on their way, Sakura started rollerblading again, a little 
    1.25 +slower this time. She was glad Yukito had found love, but would 
    1.26 +she ever find it herself? She had thought she loved the older boy, 
    1.27 +but after her talk with him, she wasn't so sure anymore. He had 
    1.28 +told her that her feelings for him were like the ones she had for her 
    1.29 +father. Oddly enough, besides short bouts of sadness over him, she 
    1.30 +seemed to be doing pretty well. Maybe she was just being mature 
    1.31 +about it. But could there be something else to it? Could it be that 
    1.32 +maybe she was falling for someone else? Thinking for a moment, 
    1.33 +Sakura tried to figure who such a person could possibly be, but 
    1.34 +ended up dismissing the idea. She was happy for Yukito, Sakura 
    1.35 +decided, and that was all.
    1.36 +     Her spirits noticeably higher, Sakura flashed a smile at the dark-
    1.37 +haired girl waiting for her at the front gate of their school. "Hi, 
    1.38 +Tomoyo-chan!" she said, skidding to a stop in front of her best 
    1.39 +friend.
    1.40 +     "Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said happily. "How 
    1.41 +did you sleep last night?"
    1.42 +     "Pretty well.  I had a strange dream, but I can't remember it 
    1.43 +now. You were in it. And Li-kun.  And I was worried about you 
    1.44 +for some reason," Sakura trailed off, trying to remember more of 
    1.45 +her dream.
    1.46 +     "I'm very glad I was in your dreams, Sakura-chan, but don't be 
    1.47 +worried about me," Tomoyo said thoughtfully. "It was just a 
    1.48 +dream. And, in any case, worrying about it won't do any good. You 
    1.49 +should try to relax."
    1.50 +     "You're right," Sakura agreed. "I wish I could remember the rest 
    1.51 +of it, though. I feel like I’ve forgotten an important warning about 
    1.52 +something. Like it was a premonition." She pulled off her 
    1.53 +rollerblades along with the rest of her protective gear. Standing 
    1.54 +back up, she walked side by side with Tomoyo towards their 
    1.55 +classroom.
    1.56 +     "If your dream was a warning about something, I'm certain that 
    1.57 +you will eventually figure it out," Tomoyo said with a reassuring 
    1.58 +smile.
    1.59 +     Sakura found herself smiling back. 'I always do feel better after 
    1.60 +talking to Tomoyo,' she thought to herself. "Thank you, Tomoyo-
    1.61 +chan."
    1.62 +     "Whenever you want to talk, Sakura-chan, I’m always here for 
    1.63 +you. I love talking to you, and if it helps you, I'm happy." Tomoyo 
    1.64 +took her seat next to Sakura's and started pulling out what she 
    1.65 +would need for class from her backpack.
    1.66 +     Sitting down in her desk, Sakura grinned to herself. She felt a 
    1.67 +lot better about things now.  She wasn't worrying about her dream 
    1.68 +or her sadness over Yukito for the moment. Looking through the 
    1.69 +window, she watched the late students getting to school. She 
    1.70 +closed her eyes, basking in the warm sunlight as she waited for 
    1.71 +class to begin. This day could be a good one after all.
    1.72 +
    1.73 +     "How does this look?" Tomoyo asked tentatively as she handed 
    1.74 +Sakura a sheet of paper from her notebook. Sakura carefully took 
    1.75 +the paper, finishing up another bite of her lunch at the same time. 
    1.76 +She sweatdropped when she saw the sketch of herself in a costume. 
    1.77 +There were several different views to show the whole costume, 
    1.78 +including the large bow in back.  "What do you think?"
    1.79 +     "It's... nice," Sakura said, not quite knowing what else to say.
    1.80 +     "I think it would look really cute on you, Sakura-chan." 
    1.81 +Tomoyo grew starry eyed as she blushed at she thought of Sakura 
    1.82 +in the finished costume. "Do you think it could use more lace?"
    1.83 +     "No, no, I think it's fine the way it is," Sakura said hastily. Her 
    1.84 +troubles with wild Clow Cards had ended when she became the 
    1.85 +Card Mistress, and now with things settling down after Eriol, there 
    1.86 +really wasn't much of a need for her to go out as a Card Captor
    1.87 +anymore. But Tomoyo still made plenty of costumes for her, 
    1.88 +getting Sakura to come over to her house and try them on so the 
    1.89 +dark-haired girl could at least videotape her in them. She was 
    1.90 +happy to humor the dark haired girl, even if it was a bit strange 
    1.91 +wearing all the different costumes. Tomoyo seemed to love 
    1.92 +videotaping her in them so much that it was the least she could do 
    1.93 +for all the help and friendship the dark haired girl had given her.
    1.94 +     "Every time I finish a new costume, when I look at it, I get the 
    1.95 +feeling that something isn't right. It doesn't seem really finished. 
    1.96 +But when I finally see you wearing it, Sakura-chan, it's like the last 
    1.97 +piece of a puzzle has fallen into place. You complete them."
    1.98 +You complete me, Tomoyo wanted to add.
    1.99 +     Sakura blushed as Tomoyo smiled gently at her. For a second, it 
   1.100 +felt like she and Tomoyo were the only ones there. The feeling 
   1.101 +slowly faded and Sakura noticed all her classmates busily chatting 
   1.102 +through lunch. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or saddened that 
   1.103 +the moment had ended so quickly.
   1.104 +     "I'll start working on this one when I get home," Tomoyo 
   1.105 +finished. Her head tilted to the side, a worried look spreading over 
   1.106 +her face. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"
   1.107 +     "Hai… I'm fine," Sakura said, laughing nervously. For some 
   1.108 +reason, she felt awkward all of a sudden. Glancing around a bit 
   1.109 +while she ate some more of her lunch, she noticed Syaoran walking 
   1.110 +by, on his own as he often was. "Li-kun! Why don't you have lunch 
   1.111 +with us?" she asked happily. Syaoran paused for a moment before 
   1.112 +accepting, sitting beside the two girls.
   1.113 +     "I really hope we don't have much homework tonight," Sakura 
   1.114 +said conversationally. "It's my night to make dinner."
   1.115 +     "I hope so, too. If you need to pick up ingredients or anything, I 
   1.116 +could come with you before you go home," Tomoyo offered 
   1.117 +helpfully.
   1.118 +     Sakura smiled at her. "Thanks, Tomoyo-chan. I don't think I 
   1.119 +need anything, though." She placed a hand on her chin, trying to 
   1.120 +make sure.
   1.121 +     "Sakura..." Syaoran interrupted.
   1.122 +     "Hoe?" Sakura turned to Syaoran who was now staring straight 
   1.123 +ahead. Tomoyo turned to look at him as well, putting aside the 
   1.124 +sketches.
   1.125 +     "There's something I want to tell you," Syaoran said slowly.  He 
   1.126 +was really nervous, even though he'd probably never admit it to 
   1.127 +himself.
   1.128 +     "What is it?" Sakura asked curiously. Tomoyo smiled at him, 
   1.129 +knowing what it was that he wanted to say. She nodded slightly, as 
   1.130 +if urging him to go on.
   1.131 +     "I... I..."
   1.132 +     "Syaoran-kun, are you feeling okay?" Sakura asked worriedly.
   1.133 +     "It's about Sakura-chan, right, Li-kun?" Tomoyo suggested 
   1.134 +gently, trying to help him along.
   1.135 +     Syaoran nodded emphatically.  Sakura looked more and more 
   1.136 +interested as she waited to hear what he had to say. 
   1.137 +Syaoran rounded on Tomoyo and asked her pointedly, 
   1.138 +“Can you go?”  He wanted to be alone with Sakura if he was going 
   1.139 +to tell her. 
   1.140 +	The dark haired girl smiled and nodded. Picking up her 
   1.141 +notebook, she walked over to a nearby tree. She felt almost as 
   1.142 +nervous inside as the Chinese boy. This was it. He would finally 
   1.143 +tell Sakura, wouldn’t he? Maybe it was about time she did as 
   1.144 +well…
   1.145 +     Syaoran watched her go before turning back, to meet the green 
   1.146 +eyes that were watching him in confusion.  He gathered his breath 
   1.147 +and in one long exhale managed to force out, "I... I... I like you!" 
   1.148 +     Sakura blinked in confusion several times. "You what?"
   1.149 +     Syaoran stood up, made an obvious effort to composes himself, 
   1.150 +lost the battle and made a hasty retreat back towards the classroom. 
   1.151 +He nearly bumped into Naoko in his hurry.
   1.152 +     "What did he mean?" Sakura asked aloud. She just couldn't 
   1.153 +figure out what on earth Syaoran was trying to do, telling her that 
   1.154 +he liked her and then running away.
   1.155 +Tomoyo leaned towards her, having returned unnoticed.
   1.156 +     "I think Li-kun was trying to say that he loves you," Tomoyo 
   1.157 +explained in a soft whisper.
   1.158 +     Sakura's face turned a deep shade of crimson as realization hit. 
   1.159 +She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but nothing came out. 
   1.160 +After a few false starts she finally got out, "But... but... how?"
   1.161 +     Tomoyo smiled brightly at her friend. "That's not hard, Sakura-
   1.162 +chan. It's easy to fall in love with you. It's telling you that’s the 
   1.163 +hard part."  Standing up as the bell rang for the end of lunch, 
   1.164 +Tomoyo offered Sakura her hand. Sakura, still in shock, let the 
   1.165 +other girl help her stand. She tried to walk, but stumbled a bit. 
   1.166 +Tomoyo arms went gently around her waist, steadying the 
   1.167 +brunette. Smiling gently, she helped her back towards the 
   1.168 +classroom, not letting her own inner turmoil show.
   1.169 +
   1.170 +     It was a bit colder after school, but the weather was still 
   1.171 +pleasant. A gentle breeze meandered past the two girls on their 
   1.172 +way home. Sakura was still having trouble coming to grips with 
   1.173 +what had happened earlier with Syaoran. She was so worried, she 
   1.174 +wasn't really aware of where they were going. Tomoyo was 
   1.175 +silently leading her home, trying to give her best friend time to 
   1.176 +think.  Though it was still early in the evening, Sakura felt
   1.177 +tired, exhausted. She just wanted to lie down so that she wouldn't 
   1.178 +have to think about anything. Questions kept racing through her 
   1.179 +mind. How could he? Was he serious?
   1.180 +What should she do now?
   1.181 +     Sakura, walking slowly, noticed all of a sudden that Tomoyo 
   1.182 +wasn't at her side anymore. She turned around and saw the other 
   1.183 +girl standing there, her long, dark hair
   1.184 +fluttering behind her. Sakura looked at her with surprise.  Her 
   1.185 +friend seemed deep in thought.
   1.186 +     "Tomoyo-chan?"
   1.187 +     Tomoyo looked at her, but didn't answer right away.  Sakura 
   1.188 +felt a pang of nervousness. It was such an unusual attitude in her 
   1.189 +friend...
   1.190 +     "Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said at last, startling Sakura a little, "do 
   1.191 +you remember when I said that I loved you?"
   1.192 +     That was an easy one, Sakura thought. Tomoyo had told her 
   1.193 +that many, many times. "Un!" she nodded.
   1.194 +     "You looked happy, Sakura-chan, and you said that you loved 
   1.195 +me too. And I said: 'But Sakura-chan doesn't mean the same thing 
   1.196 +as me.' Do you remember?"
   1.197 +     Again, Sakura nodded. 
   1.198 + "After that, I told you that I'd explain everything later. Isn't that 
   1.199 +right?"
   1.200 +     Sakura's eyes lit up with remembrance. "Oh yes, I remember! I 
   1.201 +wondered so much about that, I couldn't figure what in the world 
   1.202 +you were talking about."
   1.203 +     Tomoyo smiled gently. "Well, I think I will tell you now, 
   1.204 +Sakura-chan," she said. "Truth is, I'm a little nervous about this. I 
   1.205 +don't know if the time is right, I'm not sure you will understand." 
   1.206 +She paused for a moment, and then added softly, "But I'm going to 
   1.207 +give it a try anyway."
   1.208 +     Sakura looked at Tomoyo intently.  She felt very excited all of a 
   1.209 +sudden. The dark-haired girl sounded so serious it was a bit scary, 
   1.210 +but an overwhelming curiosity gnawed at her.  After all, she 
   1.211 +thought, this was Tomoyo.  Whatever she had to say, it couldn't be 
   1.212 +anything bad, could it?
   1.213 +     "What is it? Please, Tomoyo-chan, tell me!" Sakura begged, her 
   1.214 +face bright with eagerness.
   1.215 +     Tomoyo took a deep breath and slowly released it. She gazed 
   1.216 +deeply into Sakura's beautiful green eyes. "Sakura-chan, we've 
   1.217 +been very close for a long time now, and I want you to know that 
   1.218 +you've always been the most important thing in the world to me."
   1.219 +     Sakura smiled happily at her. "You are a very important friend 
   1.220 +to me too, Tomoyo-chan." She let out a sigh. She was glad it 
   1.221 +hadn’t been anything big. She’d had enough surprises for one day.
   1.222 +     Tomoyo sweatdropped and decided to try a different approach. 
   1.223 +     "Whatever I do, wherever I go, I'm always thinking about you, 
   1.224 +Sakura-chan. It's like..." she was having trouble finding the right 
   1.225 +words. "You make me think of an angel, Sakura-chan. You are like 
   1.226 +a heavenly angel sent down to this earthly realm to fill the lives of 
   1.227 +humans with light. I feel like I would never be able to repay you 
   1.228 +for the joy you've brought into mine.  That's the way I feel, in my 
   1.229 +heart, when I think about you."
   1.230 +     Sakura felt a rosy blush spread all over her cheeks.  She 
   1.231 +lowered her gaze, forced out a shaky little laugh and rubbed the 
   1.232 +back of her head. "I... I... Oh, Tomoyo-chan, it's nothing like that! I 
   1.233 +mean, I'm not an angel. I'm not heavenly or anything. I'm just..."  
   1.234 +Sakura paused briefly, as if gathering her thoughts, then looked 
   1.235 +back up and smiled at her friend, a genuine smile this time. "You 
   1.236 +say the nicest things, Tomoyo-chan. I feel all warm and mushy 
   1.237 +inside when you say that kind of thing, even though I'm not the 
   1.238 +way you say. Thank you so much! You're my best friend in the 
   1.239 +whole wide world, and I'm really, really glad that you're happy 
   1.240 +when I'm around."
   1.241 +     Tomoyo sighed softly. This was sooo much harder than she 
   1.242 +thought it would be. Part of her just wanted to stop, put on her 
   1.243 +trademark happy smile and tell Sakura that they were late and that 
   1.244 +they should be hurrying. She knew Sakura would then dismiss 
   1.245 +everything Tomoyo had just said as "some more of Tomoyo's 
   1.246 +weird stuff", and things
   1.247 +between them would return to normal. It would be so easy, she 
   1.248 +thought, backing off and leaving love confessions for another day. 
   1.249 +But she couldn't do that, not this time.
   1.250 +Not when she had already come this far.
   1.251 +     "Sakura-chan," she started again, trying to find stronger words 
   1.252 +to express the feelings in her heart, "I'm always happiest when 
   1.253 +we’re spending time together. And whenever I'm unhappy, all I 
   1.254 +have to do is think about you to feel better. When I see you 
   1.255 +wearing one of the dresses I make for you, my heart feels like it's 
   1.256 +going to pound out of my chest in joy. Being with you, doing 
   1.257 +things with you is my idea of heaven. You mean so much to me. I 
   1.258 +can't bear the thought of not being able to see you. I want to be 
   1.259 +with you, always, forever."
   1.260 +     Sakura blushed again, redder this time. Tomoyo was always 
   1.261 +saying strange things around her, and she knew she should be used 
   1.262 +to it by now, but this... this was like all of them rolled into one. She 
   1.263 +wasn't sure what to say, or if she should just wait for her friend to 
   1.264 +continue.
   1.265 +     Tomoyo was blushing a little, too. She had said so much, and 
   1.266 +yet, she could tell, just by looking at Sakura, that she still hadn't 
   1.267 +gotten her point across. "I know you were surprised, today, when 
   1.268 +you found out about Li-kun's love for you, but I understand his 
   1.269 +feelings all too well.  Since the day I met you, you have been like 
   1.270 +the sun in my life, outshining everything else. Sakura-chan, cards 
   1.271 +aren't the only magic you have at your command.  I've been under 
   1.272 +your spell for a long time."
   1.273 +     Sakura didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until her 
   1.274 +lungs started to ache for air. She was blushing as red as a peony 
   1.275 +now, and she was starting to find it difficult to stand still. She felt 
   1.276 +weak in the knees from the nervousness building up inside her.
   1.277 +     "Sakura-chan, daisuki desu wa," Tomoyo declared with earnest 
   1.278 +feeling, and then, before her innocent cousin could once again 
   1.279 +misunderstand those three simple words,
   1.280 +she continued, "And I don't mean just as a friend. I love you so 
   1.281 +much more than that. Sakura-chan, I'm in love. I'm in love with 
   1.282 +you, I love you. Do you understand what I'm
   1.283 +trying to say?"  Tomoyo took Sakura's hands in her own and gazed 
   1.284 +again into those dazzling emerald green eyes.  "I love you," she 
   1.285 +repeated softly, her own stormy blue eyes trying to convey every 
   1.286 +bit of the feelings inside of her.
   1.287 +     "To... To... Tomoyo-chan..."  Sakura barely managed to get out. 
   1.288 +Her heart was thudding a mad tempo in her chest, and she was sure 
   1.289 +her eyes looked like saucers. The shock of Syaoran's confession 
   1.290 +felt like nothing compared to what she was feeling at this moment.  
   1.291 +She had thought that, after Syaoran, nothing in the world could 
   1.292 +surprise her anymore. Oh god, had she been wrong!  She knew that 
   1.293 +she had to say something, she could tell the other girl was waiting 
   1.294 +for her to say something, but her mind had gone completely blank. 
   1.295 +First Syaoran and now Tomoyo? It was too much for her. She felt 
   1.296 +like her whole world had been turned upside down.
   1.297 +     "Tomoyo-chan,” she stammered, “I... I... I'll talk to you later," 
   1.298 +Sakura finished, a little lamely. Turning around too quickly, she 
   1.299 +almost stumbled. Tomoyo's hand on her shoulder barely helped her 
   1.300 +regain her balance in time.
   1.301 +     Waving to Sakura while the brown-haired girl hurried off, 
   1.302 +Tomoyo called, "Bye, Sakura-chan! Sleep well!"
   1.303 +     Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura caught a glimpse of 
   1.304 +Tomoyo's smiling face. She managed a faint smile of her own and 
   1.305 +waved back weakly before turning back around.
   1.306 +Her mind felt sluggish as she tried to sort things out.
   1.307 +     What was she supposed to do? Nothing in her life seemed to 
   1.308 +make sense anymore. Breaking into a fast sprint after turning a 
   1.309 +corner, Sakura ran all the way back home, totally unaware of the 
   1.310 +fading glow that followed her.
   1.311 +
   1.312 +     “Oh, so the monster’s home,” Touya said conversationally as 
   1.313 +her heard Sakura come
   1.314 +in through the front door. He put down the job ads he’d been 
   1.315 +reading, ready to see his
   1.316 +sister’s angry face.  He was shocked to see her disappearing up the 
   1.317 +stairs.  “Sakura?” The
   1.318 +small glimpse of her hadn’t offered much of an explanation as to 
   1.319 +why she hadn’t argued
   1.320 +with him, but she had looked rather distraught. Worse than he’d 
   1.321 +seen her in a long, long
   1.322 +time. The house was silent again, except for the rustling of the 
   1.323 +newspaper on his lap.
   1.324 +“Well, she’s heading into high school now.  She’s probably just 
   1.325 +getting overemotional about 
   1.326 +something,” he told himself, not quite believing it. Telling himself 
   1.327 +not to worry, he went
   1.328 +back to looking for another job, but he kept glancing up towards 
   1.329 +her room, wondering
   1.330 +what was really wrong.
   1.331 +
   1.332 +
   1.333 +
   1.334 +"Kero-chan?" 
   1.335 +"Hmm?" 
   1.336 +Sakura shifted her arms on the open window ledge trying to get 
   1.337 +comfortable. She could see the moon behind the leaves and the 
   1.338 +Jade Plate swam for a moment in the wetness that suddenly 
   1.339 +appeared in her eyes. 
   1.340 +"Kero-chan...." 
   1.341 +Kero-chan clicked his tongue and glided to her side. 
   1.342 +"Sakura" he chided, "You haven’t finished a sentence yet 
   1.343 +tonight.  What's happened?" 
   1.344 +She sighed and pressed her eyes against her pajama sleeve. 
   1.345 +"Kero-chan, I had a dream last night." 
   1.346 +"Ah", the Seal Beast breathed in pleasure.  Sakura's dreams 
   1.347 +always carried a great deal of portent.  He drifted to where he 
   1.348 +could look at her. "What did you dream?" 
   1.349 +"I dreamt that Tomoyo-chan and Li-kun were in danger, and it 
   1.350 +was because of me."  She paused, breathing hard, and then the dam 
   1.351 +broke.  "I was so upset, and all through the dream I kept talking 
   1.352 +and nothing was coming out of my mouth. I wanted to tell them 
   1.353 +today at school, but I didn't know how, and I thought that maybe I 
   1.354 +would find a way, but every time I tried the time was wrong, and 
   1.355 +then Li-kun wanted to talk to me alone, and then Tomoyo-chan 
   1.356 +said..." 
   1.357 +"Clow Card!" Kero-chan yelled spinning towards the open 
   1.358 +window.  "Hurry!" 
   1.359 +“Card?” she stammered in surprise.  Obviously this was the day 
   1.360 +for it, and how very like her dream it all seemed… her talking and 
   1.361 +no one was hearing her.  With a sigh she gathered a few things and 
   1.362 +climbed out onto the tree.  It occurred to her as she descended that 
   1.363 +she should call Li and Tomoyo, but she also felt that being alone 
   1.364 +would be nice too.  At least with a Card to capture she wasn't just 
   1.365 +sitting and thinking. How long had it been since she’d been out 
   1.366 +Card Capting anyway?
   1.367 +Once out of sight of her house Sakura drew out the Key and 
   1.368 +joined Kero-chan in the air.  He flew purposefully, as if he knew 
   1.369 +where he was going.  Sakura saw, in her mind's eye, the many 
   1.370 +videos Tomoyo had taken of the Seal Beast.  Smiling at the 
   1.371 +thought she was suddenly very sorry she didn't call the dark hair 
   1.372 +girl.  Tomoyo would forgive her, there was no question, but at the 
   1.373 +same time Sakura also knew that no matter what her mood, 
   1.374 +Tomoyo would never exclude Sakura from something that would 
   1.375 +give her pleasure.  Before she realized what was happening the 
   1.376 +phone was in her hand, and the redial pressed.  But what to tell 
   1.377 +her?  Sakura had no idea where they were going. 
   1.378 +"Look!" Kero-chan cried, stabbing a paw downwards.  Sakura, 
   1.379 +phone to her head, looked down, and saw Li running in the same 
   1.380 +direction they were flying in, his glowing Lasin Board held before 
   1.381 +him. 
   1.382 +"Sakura-chan?" 
   1.383 +Momentarily disoriented Sakura realized the voice was 
   1.384 +Tomoyo's and the source was the phone.  "Tomoyo-chan!" she 
   1.385 +yelled over the wind, "We're near the clock tower, after a Card...." 
   1.386 +"I'm on my way," and she was gone. 
   1.387 +Sakura tucked the phone back into her pocket and drew closer to 
   1.388 +Kero-chan. "What should we do?" she mused aloud. 
   1.389 +Kero-chan turned towards her, smiling broadly, "Card Capture 
   1.390 +Sakura..." 
   1.391 +And he was gone. 
   1.392 +Sakura suddenly found herself standing in a room. The Key was 
   1.393 +in her hand. The room, a sort of box,  had no door, no windows 
   1.394 +and the walls were a sickly green.  Across from her Li stood, 
   1.395 +looking equally as surprised and Kero-chan was nowhere to be 
   1.396 +seen. 
   1.397 +"Li-kun?" she began, but no sound reached her ears.  He too 
   1.398 +opened his mouth, but she heard nothing.  Stepping back she 
   1.399 +pulled out the Sword Card, exchanged the Key for the Sword and 
   1.400 +swiped at the nearest wall.  It had no effect. Li also began trying 
   1.401 +attacks on the room, with the same effect. She moved closer to 
   1.402 +him, her hand reaching for him, and just as she touched his arm her 
   1.403 +hand went threw his as if he were a ghost.  Alarmed she drew 
   1.404 +back...he didn't seem to be aware of her.  He suddenly turned and 
   1.405 +appeared to be smiling at someone behind her.  Sakura looked back 
   1.406 +and saw Tomoyo, video camera in hand, looking at Li with a look 
   1.407 +that sent a chill through Sakura.   Rushing to her side Sakura was 
   1.408 +almost weak with relief.  She called Tomoyo's name, heard 
   1.409 +nothing, and stopped short.  Slowly she extended a hand… it 
   1.410 +passed threw Tomoyo without any resistance. Tomoyo and Li 
   1.411 +crossed the small room, intent it seemed, only on each other.  
   1.412 +Sakura drew back in confusion as the two came together in a 
   1.413 +passionate kiss. 
   1.414 +Nothing more than shock made Sakura sit down heavily.  Sword 
   1.415 +slipped silently from her fingers.  What did this mean?  What was 
   1.416 +happening? Her mind reeled at the sight.  Closing her eyes for a 
   1.417 +moment, hoping it was a dream, she opened them again.  In the 
   1.418 +center of the room stood Tomoyo and Yukito, kissing. 
   1.419 +"This is a dream," she screamed soundlessly, desperately, 
   1.420 +"Tomoyo-chan loves me and only me, she told me so!  Only me!  
   1.421 +None of this is real!" 
   1.422 +Raising her head once more she found herself confronted by Li, 
   1.423 +sword in hand, and Tomoyo clinging to his side.  Li was looking at 
   1.424 +her with unhidden hatred.  He raised the sword, and Sakura had 
   1.425 +just enough time to exchange the Sword for Shield as he swung at 
   1.426 +her.  The sword rebounded, sending a shock through his arm.  He 
   1.427 +staggered back, disbelief evident on his face. 
   1.428 +"Why?!" Sakura screamed mentally, her mouth forming the 
   1.429 +word.  Drawing herself up to her knees she studied Li.  He was 
   1.430 +panting, and still looked angry, but he didn't continue to fight.  
   1.431 +Could it be that he knew he was fighting a Card?  That had to be 
   1.432 +the answer. They were trapped within an uncaptured Card, and she 
   1.433 +had to figure out what the Card was. 
   1.434 +Suddenly the pieces were fitting.  She was seeing something 
   1.435 +that would make her… what?  Angry?  Jealous?  They must be 
   1.436 +experiencing something similar.  Li would see… 
   1.437 +Sakura sucked in her breath.  Li would see Sakura and Tomoyo!  
   1.438 +No wonder he turned on her!  But no, why fight Sakura, unless 
   1.439 +Sakura looked like Tomoyo to him.  That would explain his 
   1.440 +surprised look at being rebuffed by Shield.  Sakura acted quickly, 
   1.441 +bringing out Mirror, "Show me what Li-kun is seeing" she 
   1.442 +commanded.  In the disc Mirror held Sakura saw exactly what she 
   1.443 +expected.  In the place where she knelt on the floor cowered 
   1.444 +Tomoyo; a Sakura, assumably Tomoyo, was being crushed to Li’s 
   1.445 +side by his arm around her waist, and she looking horrified, weakly 
   1.446 +fighting to reach the figure on the floor. 
   1.447 +She locked eyes with Mirror and felt the color drain from 
   1.448 +her face, "Show me what Tomoyo-chan sees," she mouthed.  A 
   1.449 +chill went through her at the thought of what she was about to see. 
   1.450 +The first thing she saw was herself. She was smiling 
   1.451 +happily, seemingly without a care in the world. Two arms were 
   1.452 +around her waist, holding her tight. They belonged to Syaoran, 
   1.453 +who was uncharacteristically grinning. Lying on the floor in shreds 
   1.454 +was one of Tomoyo’s costumes for Sakura. Sakura instantly 
   1.455 +remembered it as the design Tomoyo had shown her earlier that 
   1.456 +day. Syaoran pulled up an ofuda, chanting briefly before throwing 
   1.457 +it on the tattered costume. Sakura’s counterpart in the Mirror just 
   1.458 +laughed as the costume burned, snuggling closer to Syaoran. She 
   1.459 +stopped watching when the images kissed. 
   1.460 +   Tears ran down Tomoyo’s pale cheeks as she looked on 
   1.461 +helplessly.   A steel band crushed Sakura heart at the sight and she 
   1.462 +lashed out at Mirror, blinded by tears of rage and sorrow.  "No!" 
   1.463 +she screamed over and over, "It's not like that."  She rose to her 
   1.464 +feet, picked up Sword and continued to rampage about the little 
   1.465 +green room.  Li and Tomoyo ignored her and again embraced as if 
   1.466 +nothing had happened.  Sakura stopped at the sight, and a sob 
   1.467 +escaped her. 
   1.468 +   "Tomoyo-chan…" 
   1.469 +     As if she had heard her name the ghost Tomoyo turned her head 
   1.470 +and smiled at Sakura, Li too smiled at her, but then the couple 
   1.471 +locked eyes again and kissed.  Sakura decided that this had gone 
   1.472 +on long enough.  She pulled out Darkness.  If they couldn't see 
   1.473 +each other the spell just might be broken. 
   1.474 +   "Surround Li-kun, Tomoyo-chan and myself in a darkness that 
   1.475 +we cannot see through." 
   1.476 +Instantly the room was gone and she stood alone in a vast night.  
   1.477 +Hesitantly she tested to see if the Card was still working. 
   1.478 +   "Tomoyo-chan?" she said, and heard nothing.  It was still 
   1.479 +working.  Obviously she had to name this Card to overpower it, 
   1.480 +like she had had to do with Mirror.  Drawing herself upright she 
   1.481 +closed her eyes and yelled with all her might, "Jealousy!" and the 
   1.482 +sound broke on her deafened ears like a storm.  Suddenly the green 
   1.483 +room broke like glass into a million tiny pieces.  Before she could 
   1.484 +do anything they gathered to her right, and were gone.  She quickly 
   1.485 +recalled Darkness and found herself on the street below the clock 
   1.486 +tower facing both Li and Tomoyo, who were looking around 
   1.487 +dazed.  Li seemed to come back to himself first and turned to 
   1.488 +Sakura with a look of raw hatred.  Sakura, shocked, took a step 
   1.489 +back in alarm.  Li looked from her to Tomoyo, and Sakura 
   1.490 +instantly knew she had to act, and quickly. 
   1.491 +   Sakura was fast, but Li was faster. 
   1.492 +   Li drew out an ofuda and threw it at Sakura even as she invoked 
   1.493 +Shield.  The glowing paper landed on her arm and she couldn't 
   1.494 +move.  Li grabbed Tomoyo roughly by the arm and began dragging 
   1.495 +her away. 
   1.496 +   Tomoyo looked back at Sakura, who was struggling against the 
   1.497 +spell.  "Sakura-chan!" she yelled helplessly. “Sakura-chan!”
   1.498 +   "Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura screamed back in anger and frustration.  
   1.499 +"TOMOYO-CHAN!"
   1.500 +
   1.501 +   Syaoran landed on a rooftop far away from the immobilized 
   1.502 +Sakura. He shoved Tomoyo from him when they landed. She tried 
   1.503 +to keep her balance but fell to her hands and knees. “You…” he 
   1.504 +growled. “You’re what’s keeping me from her. You’re what’s 
   1.505 +standing in my way.  She and I are supposed to be together, but 
   1.506 +you keep getting in the way.”
   1.507 +   “No… That’s not it. I just want Sakura-chan to be happy.” 
   1.508 +Tomoyo looked up at the angry gaze he directed at her and shrank 
   1.509 +back. “I love her. I just hope she would be happy with me.”   She 
   1.510 +knew it was the wrong thing to say to the enraged boy even before 
   1.511 +she uttered it, but it was the truth. 
   1.512 +   “How could she ever be happy with you?” Syaoran sneered. 
   1.513 +“You just get in her way. She’s only your friend because she pities 
   1.514 +you.”
   1.515 +   Tomoyo shook her head. “No, she’s my best friend. We care 
   1.516 +about each other. We’ll always be friends…” Her mind raced. 
   1.517 +Nothing seemed certain to her anymore. The horrible images of 
   1.518 +Sakura and Syaoran came flooding back to her mind, threatening 
   1.519 +to overwhelm her. Syaoran’s hand grabbed her arm, hauling her 
   1.520 +back to her feet. The dark haired girl winced at the sudden 
   1.521 +explosion of pain the cruel movement brought. She flinched as he 
   1.522 +clutched her arm tightly.
   1.523 +	“I want you to leave her alone. To leave us alone. Do you 
   1.524 +understand?” Syaoran hissed angrily. He dragged the limp girl 
   1.525 +against his chest, shaking her hard.	Tomoyo, her dark hair flying 
   1.526 +wildly about her, closed her eyes tightly.  This only brought back 
   1.527 +earlier images. “No,” she said, trying to make him understand,  “I 
   1.528 +won’t leave unless Sakura tells me too. She means everything to 
   1.529 +me. I love her!” Looking at him defiantly, she tried desperately to 
   1.530 +bring up happier images of Sakura, ones she treasured and kept 
   1.531 +dear to her heart.
   1.532 +	Angrily, Syaoran shoved the dark haired girl backwards. 
   1.533 +Tomoyo gasped as she fell, landing hard on her side. “Don’t you 
   1.534 +dare stand in my way. She will be mine!” he howled.
   1.535 +	Keeping her eyes clamped shut, Tomoyo desperately ran 
   1.536 +memories over and over in her mind. When she first met Sakura, 
   1.537 +when Sakura had come to her house for the first time, when Sakura 
   1.538 +had first worn one of the costumes she made, the first time she’d 
   1.539 +videotaped Sakura with her camcorder. She waited quietly for what 
   1.540 +Syaoran would say next, but nothing came. Cautiously, she opened 
   1.541 +her eyes and looked around. “Sakura-chan!” she yelled, catching a 
   1.542 +glimpse of the brown haired girl. Forcing herself to her feet, she 
   1.543 +couldn’t help but smile as she ran to her friend. She stopped dead 
   1.544 +in her tracks, her eyes growing wide, when she saw Syaoran 
   1.545 +standing behind her. 
   1.546 +Tomoyo’s spirits sank as the two kissed.  Somewhere, in 
   1.547 +the back of her mind she could hear someone scream, “NO!”   She 
   1.548 +shut her eyes, wishing the vision would disappear, but it remained 
   1.549 +when she looked again.  She took a few slow steps towards them, 
   1.550 +her heart aching with each step. “Sakura-chan…. I’m… I’m happy 
   1.551 +for you,” she said quietly.  Sakura looked directly at her, giving her 
   1.552 +an icy stare that chilled Tomoyo to the bone. “Sakura-chan?” she 
   1.553 +asked weakly, “Why?”
   1.554 +	Sakura didn’t find her worthy of her notice as she bestowed 
   1.555 +all her attention on Syaoran. The two shared a deep kiss, ignoring 
   1.556 +the forlorn Tomoyo, as if she had simply ceased to exist. 
   1.557 +	Dropping to her already scratched knees, Tomoyo’s small 
   1.558 +body was wracked with sobs. “Sakura-chan….”, she whimpered, 
   1.559 +clutching her stomach.  She couldn’t bear it. Why was this 
   1.560 +happening?  Glancing back up, Tomoyo saw things had changed.  
   1.561 +Sakura was wearing a wedding dress and Syaoran a tuxedo.  A stab 
   1.562 +of pain shot through Tomoyo’s heart.  Sakura had promised her 
   1.563 +that she could make her wedding dress when they day finally 
   1.564 +came, but that wasn’t anything she’d make for Sakura.  Looking 
   1.565 +through her tear blurred vision, she could see her camcorder 
   1.566 +smashed on the floor near them, the film pulled out.  Blinking back 
   1.567 +her tears, Tomoyo could see things had shifted once again. Sakura 
   1.568 +now held a baby.  Sakura and Syaoran’s baby. 
   1.569 +	Unable to stand watching anymore, Tomoyo struggled to 
   1.570 +her feet.  She stumbled away from the scene, half delirious from 
   1.571 +the power of the Card and her visions.  “You don’t need me 
   1.572 +anymore, do you, Sakura-chan?” she asked the thin air.  Again, 
   1.573 +from somewhere, came the same scream of “No!”  Had she 
   1.574 +dreamed it?  Tomoyo felt numb all over.  Nothing seemed to 
   1.575 +matter anymore.  The person that mattered most didn’t care about 
   1.576 +her at all.  And she’d lost to Syaoran.  She felt… jealous of him.  
   1.577 +She wished she could be the one to make Sakura that happy.  She 
   1.578 +just prayed Sakura would always be happy as she stepped up on 
   1.579 +the ledge of the rooftop. “You don’t need me anymore, Sakura-
   1.580 +chan.  You don’t even want me as a friend.  But you’re happy.”  
   1.581 +She smiled sadly, blinded by her tears.  “I’m glad. I’m glad that 
   1.582 +Sakura-chan is happy.  Please stay that way, Sakura-chan.  I love 
   1.583 +you.  Forever.  Maybe I can be your guardian angel,” she added 
   1.584 +hopefully.  With that, Tomoyo stepped off the ledge into 
   1.585 +nothingness.  She kept her eyes shut tight as the ground raced to 
   1.586 +meet her.
   1.587 +
   1.588 +	Syaoran watched, shocked by the sudden turn of events. 
   1.589 +He’d intended to make his point clear with Tomoyo, that she never 
   1.590 +get in his way with Sakura, but she had turned suddenly and started 
   1.591 +looking off at something only she could see. After talking to 
   1.592 +herself, the dark haired girl had thrown herself off the rooftop. The 
   1.593 +screams of the Seal Beast had surprised him, but Syaoran couldn’t 
   1.594 +locate the magical animal no matter where he looked.  He blinked 
   1.595 +several times, still confused, and unsure about what had just 
   1.596 +happened. “At least she won’t get in my way anymore,” he said to 
   1.597 +no one in particular.
   1.598 +
   1.599 +	The world seemed to slow as a small dark haired girl 
   1.600 +plummeted through the air. Further and further she went, the brief 
   1.601 +amount of time slowing to a near stop for the girl as everything 
   1.602 +seemed to move in slow motion. “Sakura-chan...” she whispered, 
   1.603 +one last time, her eyes shut tight. Her heart felt as if it had been 
   1.604 +ripped out of her chest. Her whole world, her whole reason to live, 
   1.605 +had been crushed in the matter of minutes. She was looking 
   1.606 +forward to an end to her pain, to the end of her torment, to 
   1.607 +oblivion. And Sakura, her dear Sakura, would be happy. 
   1.608 +	A sudden impact shocked Tomoya back from her thoughts 
   1.609 +and her fall was suddenly interrupted as two arms wrapped around 
   1.610 +her tightly, fumbling desperately to hold on to her, gripping her 
   1.611 +like a pair of steel bars. “Tomoyo-chan!” a voice cried in terror, 
   1.612 +over and over in a hysterical pitch.  Her mind wondered what was 
   1.613 +happening, as the wind on her face gave her the impression of 
   1.614 +climbing upwards. The voice, close to her ear and frantically 
   1.615 +calling her name, was Sakura’s.  Tomoyo could feel her friend’s 
   1.616 +breathing coming in a labored pant as they raced skyward.
   1.617 + Opening her eyes slowly, Tomoyo blinked several times in 
   1.618 +confusion. Wasn’t she supposed to be dead by now?  She took a 
   1.619 +second to glance around, and found herself in the arms of the Card 
   1.620 +Mistress, whose wings were working hard to finish the arc of 
   1.621 +Saukar’s dive.  Seconds later Saukar touched down on a rooftop, 
   1.622 +deposited Tomoyo on her feet and dropped to her hands and knees 
   1.623 +beside the dark haired girl.
   1.624 + Maybe she was dead, Tomoyo thought.  Maybe this was 
   1.625 +heaven. “Sakura-chan?  Why?  Why did you save me, Sakura-
   1.626 +chan?” Tomoyo asked, her mind reeling.  “I did this for you.  
   1.627 +You’re happy.  That’s all I wanted.  You didn’t need me anymore.”
   1.628 +“No, Tomoyo-chan.”  Sakura heaved herself into a kneeling 
   1.629 +position, her hands clutching for the small girl.  She embraced her 
   1.630 +friend, crushing her to her chest, “I always need you,” she sobbed, 
   1.631 +“You’re my best friend. You mean so much to me. I don’t know 
   1.632 +what I’d do if you were gone.”  She blinked back the stinging tears 
   1.633 +in her eyes as she looked up at the dark haired girl.  Her body felt 
   1.634 +cold all over from the recent shock.
   1.635 +	“But, Sakura-chan, you… I would only get in the way.  
   1.636 +You aren’t even happy as friends anymore. You have what you 
   1.637 +want.  I hope you and Li-kun are very happy.” Tomoyo mustered a 
   1.638 +pained smile before turning away. 
   1.639 +	Sakura bolted to her feet and seizing her friend, shook her 
   1.640 +hard. “No! Tomoyo-chan, listen to me, it’s the Clow Card.  The 
   1.641 +Jealousy Card it’s still affecting you!  We’re best friends, nothing 
   1.642 +will ever change that. I know you want me to be happy, but losing 
   1.643 +you would definitely not make me happy. And I want you to be 
   1.644 +happy, too.”  The Card Mistress sighed, looking deeply into 
   1.645 +Tomoyo’s stormy blue eyes. “Tomoyo-chan, you have to fight this.  
   1.646 +Please?  For me?”
   1.647 +	Tomoyo held her head, confusion flooding her mind. 
   1.648 +Glancing towards the roof’s edge, to Sakura and back, she 
   1.649 +shuddered, unsure of herself.  Finally giving out a small cry, 
   1.650 +Tomoyo threw herself into Sakura’s arms. “Oh, Sakura-chan, I’m 
   1.651 +so sorry….” The dark haired girl sobbed. “I just… I thought you 
   1.652 +hated me… that you didn’t need me anymore… and that you were 
   1.653 +happy with, with…  him…”  Her sobs overwhelmed her and she 
   1.654 +feel silent, leaning heavily against Sakura. 
   1.655 +	“Tomoyo-chan, it’s going to be okay,” Sakura said 
   1.656 +soothingly, hugging the limp girl close to her. Tomoyo’s hot tears 
   1.657 +rolled onto her shoulder, soaking into the cloth of her pajamas. 
   1.658 +“It’s just the Card.  I could never hate you, Tomoyo-chan.  You 
   1.659 +know that.  You’re my very important person.”  For a second, 
   1.660 +Sakura wondered where she had heard that before, but she quickly 
   1.661 +shrugged it off, not having time to worry about it. “Please, 
   1.662 +Tomoyo-chan, don’t cry.  It’s alright now.”
   1.663 +	The dark haired girl took another shuddering breath before 
   1.664 +standing up on her own. “Thank you, Sakura-chan.”  A small, 
   1.665 +genuine smile formed on her soft lips. “I always knew you would 
   1.666 +come save me if anything happened.”
   1.667 +	Sakura smiled back, relief filling her soul. “Of course I 
   1.668 +would, Tomoyo-chan.  I’m not about to let you get hurt by 
   1.669 +something like this. Or anything, for that matter.  I don’t want to 
   1.670 +see you hurt, Tomoyo-chan.” 
   1.671 +	Before the Card Mistress could think to ask Tomoyo if she 
   1.672 +was ready to go home, a sword slashed the air between both girls. 
   1.673 +Tomoyo gasped and Sakura jumped back, her staff in hand. She 
   1.674 +got ready to get a Card out just in case. Between them stood 
   1.675 +Syaoran, hatred and jealousy flaring in his eyes. “Li-kun!? Fight it, 
   1.676 +Li-kun! It’s just the Jealousy Card affecting you.”
   1.677 +	“Fight what?” Syaoran spat angrily. “I saw the two of you. 
   1.678 +She’s trying to steal you from me. She’s trying to get in the way.  
   1.679 +To come between us!” Raising the sword, he swiped at a stunned 
   1.680 +Tomoyo. 
   1.681 +	Sakura lunged forward, her eyes wide with fear of what he 
   1.682 +might do. Her staff barely blocked his sword inches from the dark 
   1.683 +haired girl. “Li-kun, don’t do this!” she pleaded as Tomoyo sank to 
   1.684 +her knees.
   1.685 +	He leapt backwards, landing in a fighting stance. He held 
   1.686 +the sword straight up in front of him, his eyes falling closed as he 
   1.687 +began to chant. Energy surrounded the blade.
   1.688 +	Sakura barely had time to throw herself in the way of 
   1.689 +Tomoyo when she realized what he was doing. “Shield!” she 
   1.690 +yelled desperately as his attack came flying towards them. The 
   1.691 +burst of lightening dissipated against Shield, leaving the two girls 
   1.692 +unhurt. Sakura glanced at Tomoyo, assuring herself that her friend 
   1.693 +was unharmed when another attack hit…and another and another. 
   1.694 +“Li-kun! Leave her alone!” she screamed, “Don’t hurt her!!” 
   1.695 +Sakura wondered how his rage could be so focused on the dark 
   1.696 +haired girl behind her.  “She’s never been anything but kind to 
   1.697 +you!”
   1.698 +	Syaoran narrowed his eyes as he began chanting again. 
   1.699 +Sweeping the sword down, a burst of wind struck against Shield. 
   1.700 +“How could you know?” he demanded.  “She blinds you with her 
   1.701 +hero worship, but she keeps coming between us.  She’s why you 
   1.702 +don’t returned my feelings.” 
   1.703 +	‘That’s what this is all about isn’t it?’ Sakura asked herself 
   1.704 +as she braced herself for his next attack. ‘They both… They’re 
   1.705 +both in love with me.”  Then the realization struck her with the 
   1.706 +force of an express train.  It was Sakura herself that had created the 
   1.707 +problem, literally!  As Card Mistress her feelings and desire were 
   1.708 +made manifest in the form of Cards.  Somehow she had created the 
   1.709 +Jealousy Card without even thinking about it.  That’s how Jealousy 
   1.710 +got to them both so easily, and so strongly! ‘This is all my fault.’ 
   1.711 +“Stop this!” the Card Mistress yelled. 
   1.712 +Turning to face him as she rose, Sakura pulled out Windy 
   1.713 +and sent it spilling before her.  “Bind Li-kun!” she yelled, bringing 
   1.714 +the Key down on the Card.  The resulting rush of air quickly 
   1.715 +surrounded the startled boy, pinning his limbs tight against his 
   1.716 +body.  Sakura didn’t hesitate as she twirled the Key over head 
   1.717 +again, Windy almost drowning out her command “…Sakura 
   1.718 +Card!”  The Card Mistress brought the Wand down on the softly 
   1.719 +glowing green dot within the rushing wind.  The Jealously Card 
   1.720 +lifted out of Windy and floated to her waiting hand.
   1.721 +For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the 
   1.722 +wind rustling past them.  Sakura recalled Windy and turned to face 
   1.723 +Syaoran, hoping the danger was now over.  Utter silence claimed 
   1.724 +the rooftop for a moment. Then the clatter of Syaoran’s sword 
   1.725 +against the roof broke the silence.  His mind started to clear from 
   1.726 +the haze of jealousy the Card had managed to place over him. 
   1.727 +“Sakura” he stammered, his faced blossoming to a brilliant 
   1.728 +crimson, “... I… I don’t know how I… I don’t know what to say… 
   1.729 +I’m… I’m sorry.”  He lowered his head.
   1.730 +Sakura let Shield fade away, but remained standing 
   1.731 +protectively in front of Tomoyo. “I’m not the one you intended to 
   1.732 +kill,” she said quietly.  A second silence descended, this one 
   1.733 +fraught with embarrassment.  Sakura looked at her friends and 
   1.734 +came to a decision.
   1.735 + “Fine,” she said, almost to herself.  She was tired of 
   1.736 +fighting. Tomoyo and Syaoran looked back at her quizzically, 
   1.737 +wondering what she meant. “Fine. You both want to know who I 
   1.738 +love, don’t you?  Stop this, then.  I care too much about both of 
   1.739 +you to watch either of you get hurt.  The Jealousy Card was using 
   1.740 +both of you.  And it’s because of me, because of your feelings for 
   1.741 +me!  It’s still getting to you both because of me.  So I want to put 
   1.742 +an end to this.” Sakura took a deep breath before continuing. “I 
   1.743 +will make my decision tonight. I’ll tell you both tomorrow the one 
   1.744 +who I love.”
   1.745 +	Syaoran looked up at her, his face still scarlet, “Tomorrow 
   1.746 +you’ll….”
   1.747 +	Sakura nodded, cutting him off. “Hai. Tomorrow I’ll tell 
   1.748 +you both which one I’m in love with.”
   1.749 +	Bending down, Syaoran retrieved his sword from where it 
   1.750 +had landed. Without a word he turned and leapt into the darkness.
   1.751 +	As soon as he left, Sakura collapsed to her hands and 
   1.752 +knees. The battle, the Card, and her own nervousness about what 
   1.753 +had happened earlier that day had finally taken their toll.  She 
   1.754 +glanced over when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She saw 
   1.755 +Tomoyo’s concerned face looking back down at her. Before the 
   1.756 +dark haired girl could say anything, Sakura threw her arms around 
   1.757 +her friend with a tearful howl. “Tomoyo-chan! Oh God, I almost 
   1.758 +lost you so many times tonight. You had me so worried. I’m so 
   1.759 +sorry you got dragged into all this. If I hadn’t called you, none of 
   1.760 +this would have happened.” She gently rocked back and forth, 
   1.761 +cradling the dark haired girl against her. 
   1.762 +	Tomoyo sighed softly. She liked having the other girl so 
   1.763 +protective of her, but she hated seeing Sakura so worried about 
   1.764 +things. “Sakura-chan, I’m fine. It’s all over now.”
   1.765 +	Sakura scrubbed her face with a free hand, trying to dry the 
   1.766 +tears that continued to threaten.  She untangled her arms from her 
   1.767 +friend’s neck.  Using her wand to help her weary body stand 
   1.768 +upright, Sakura looked out at the dark night sky. “No. Not yet. I 
   1.769 +still have to find out who I…” She blushed at the thought. In her 
   1.770 +mind she could see the boy who had been her rival, but had turned 
   1.771 +out to be her greatest help with the Clow Cards. She could also see 
   1.772 +her best friend, the girl that had always been there for her. She let 
   1.773 +her head drop sadly. She had no idea how she’d make a decision 
   1.774 +by the next morning.
   1.775 +	“Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said softly, her voice barely above 
   1.776 +a whisper. Sakura looked so fragile standing there. “Sakura-chan, 
   1.777 +please don’t worry too much about tomorrow. Just make the 
   1.778 +decision that will make you happy.”
   1.779 +	Sakura turned back to her skeptically. “And I won’t have to 
   1.780 +go rescuing you from jumping off buildings if it’s Li-kun?”
   1.781 +	Tomoyo shook her head. “You said we’ll always be 
   1.782 +friends, remember? That’s all I need.  It’s what makes me happy.”
   1.783 +	Smiling a little, Sakura felt her spirits lifting. “Thanks, 
   1.784 +Tomoyo-chan. We will always be friends,” she reconfirmed, “It 
   1.785 +makes me happy too.”
   1.786 +	“No matter who you choose tomorrow, I’ll always be there 
   1.787 +for you, Sakura-chan. And I’ll always love you.” 
   1.788 +	Sakura felt her cheeks burn as she blushed.  She was still 
   1.789 +nervous about the idea that her best friend could be in love with 
   1.790 +her.  But, putting that aside she invoked Fly, unfolded her wings 
   1.791 +and turned towards Tomoyo. “Are you ready to go home?”
   1.792 +	“Hai, Sakura-chan.” Tomoyo smiled. 
   1.793 +“I’m so tired, but I doubt I’ll be getting any sleep tonight.” 
   1.794 +Sakura sighed and lifted off into the sky. 
   1.795 +
   1.796 +Once Sakura had left Tomoyo on the terrace outside her 
   1.797 +bedroom the Card Captor rose and allowed herself to drift.  Kero-
   1.798 +chan was still missing, but she had more on her mind than the Seal 
   1.799 +Beast, who was more than capable of taking care of himself.  With 
   1.800 +a soulful sigh she glanced down at the town, with its the clock 
   1.801 +tower silhouetted against the moon.   The clock proclaimed the 
   1.802 +hour to be 1 AM.  Morning already, Sakura realized with a sigh.
   1.803 +With a thought the Sakura Cards in her pocket floated into 
   1.804 +the air, forming a circle around her.  She felt their presence, their 
   1.805 +love for her, and she drew comfort from it.  It was a warm feeling.  
   1.806 +Like when she had her arms around Tomoyo-chan.  
   1.807 +She paused mentally.  
   1.808 +No, not like it.  It was different.  It lacked a sort of 
   1.809 +excitement.  There was more to the feeling of comfort she had 
   1.810 +when she had hugged her friend.  Sakura’s mind raced away, 
   1.811 +trying to put into words the feeling that was suddenly so very 
   1.812 +important.  But try as she might she could not find an expression 
   1.813 +for that feeling.  
   1.814 +With a thought her wings vanished and she began to fall.
   1.815 +“Float!” she cried over the wind, and didn’t wait for the 
   1.816 +Card to answer her command before she turned in the circle of 
   1.817 +Cards, looking for the one she wanted.
   1.818 +“Illusion!” she yelled, as the wand came down on the Card 
   1.819 +named.  “Show me my heart’s desire.”
   1.820 +Even as she said it she knew she was cheating, but her 
   1.821 +mind, exhausted from the earlier battle, and everything else, was 
   1.822 +becoming desperate.  She could fly around all night waiting for the 
   1.823 +lightening bolt that was Tomoyo-chan to strike her…
   1.824 +Sakura sat down hard, in midair, as the air left her body.  
   1.825 +She drew a deep breath, her eyes fighting to focus.  She sat stunned 
   1.826 +for a long moment, trying to mentally collect herself. Before her 
   1.827 +Illusion was beginning to take form, but she no longer cared to 
   1.828 +wait for the outcome.  Recalling the Cards she resumed her wings 
   1.829 +and flew as quickly as possible back the way she came.
   1.830 +
   1.831 +Tomoyo stood right where Sakura had left her.  Her hands 
   1.832 +were pressed to her chest, and her eyes, watching the sky.  At first 
   1.833 +Sakura was unsure that her friend had seen her return, but as she 
   1.834 +alighted Tomoyo turned her face towards the Card Mistress.  She 
   1.835 +bore a look of serene peace that lifted some massive, unknown, 
   1.836 +weight off of Sakura’s shoulders.  Neither one spoke.  Sakura felt 
   1.837 +her wings fade and the weight of the charm around her neck.  
   1.838 +Silently she walked to her friend, who stood unmoving and 
   1.839 +watchful.  When they where within inches of each other Sakura 
   1.840 +stopped, and stood swaying for a moment.  Slowly she sank to her 
   1.841 +knees and slipped her arms around Tomoyo’s small waist.  
   1.842 +Tomoyo’s head fell back as she awaited the words that would 
   1.843 +transform her life.  Sakura, her head pressed against her friend’s 
   1.844 +hip, allowed her mind to express the feelings it couldn’t before. 
   1.845 +“It’s you,” she whispered.
   1.846 +Tomoyo’s eyes rolled closed, tears spilling onto her cheeks.
   1.847 +“It’s you,” Sakura repeated, no longer surprised.  “It will 
   1.848 +always be you, it has always s been you.”
   1.849 +Tomoyo’s fingers unlaced themselves and found a new 
   1.850 +home in Sakura’s hair.  At the contact Sakura looked up at her 
   1.851 +newly discovered lover.  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she wondered 
   1.852 +aloud.
   1.853 +Tomoyo lowered her head to face her friend.  She smiled 
   1.854 +through her tears, “You needed to learn for yourself,” was the 
   1.855 +whispered reply.
   1.856 +“Are you sorry it took me so long to realize?” 
   1.857 +A sad smile played on the dark haired girl’s lips, her voice 
   1.858 +was a mere sigh, “I was willing to wait a lifetime for you… 
   1.859 +Sakura.”
   1.860 +
   1.861 + Kero-chan stood in the air before Li.  They had both seen 
   1.862 +everything that happened, and now Kero-chan was ready to defend 
   1.863 +the lovers if the need arose.  Li watched them for several long 
   1.864 +minutes before he tore his eyes away to look at the Seal Beast.
   1.865 +“I’ve lost,” he whispered, “… everything.  The Cards, the 
   1.866 +girl I love… everything.”  
   1.867 +Kero-chan’s tail whipped menacingly, “And what are you 
   1.868 +going to do?”
   1.869 +Li frowned.  “Do you think I would attack them?” he 
   1.870 +asked, in a sort of shocked anger.
   1.871 +Kero-chan allowed his silence to speak for him.  Li turned 
   1.872 +his back on the scene and disappeared into the night.
   1.873 +
   1.874 +
   1.875 +The day dawned crystal clear and Sakura was out early.  It 
   1.876 +was her morning to clean the classroom, and she knew Tomoyo-
   1.877 +chan would be waiting for her.  
   1.878 +It had been a week since they had come together as a 
   1.879 +couple.  ‘One week, six hours and 15 minutes,’ Sakura thought as 
   1.880 +she pushed herself harder, racing the clock for extra seconds in the 
   1.881 +company of her friend.  More than friend, she corrected herself 
   1.882 +with a smile.  As she rollerbladed, she relived, for the thousandth 
   1.883 +time, the feeling of Tomoyo’s hands on her as the dark haired girl 
   1.884 +helped her to rise from her position of worship at her friend’s 
   1.885 +waist.  Felt, again, as Tomoyo’s hands gathered her own, and then 
   1.886 +drew her into the dark bedroom.  Sakura had wanted, so much, and 
   1.887 +had slept, so long! She blushed, even now, thinking of it.  Not a 
   1.888 +good opening for a lifetime together, she mused, but Tomoyo 
   1.889 +didn’t seem to mind.
   1.890 +As she came within sight of the school Sakura could make 
   1.891 +out the form of Tomoyo waiting for her near the gate.  She raised 
   1.892 +her hand and waved wildly, the joy in her heart becoming one 
   1.893 +thought, one word…
   1.894 +“Tomoyo-chan!”
   1.895 +
   1.896 +
   1.897 + 
   1.898 +
   1.899 +
   1.900 +