Author’s notes: Hello, minna-san! ^-^ This is a short story that I

 wrote in one night, so I apologize if it jumps around too much. ^^;;;

 I wrote this after someone mentioned that I should write another

 fairy tale based CCS story. I thought that Cinderella would fit

 perfectly. ^-^ As always, the story didn’t always go where I intended

 it to. ^^;; But I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out. ^-^ I

 don’t own these characters, but if I did, I certainly wouldn’t have

 left poor Tomoyo without her Sakura, so that’s why I’m writing these.

 ^-^ If you have any comments, please e-mail me. ^-^ I hope you like

 it! 

 

 

 If the Shoe Fits

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 	“Hurray! Hurray! Tomoeda!” schoolgirls chorused together, batons

 whirling in the air above before landing in deft hands. The sun beat

 down on the group of cheerleaders, the heat of the warm spring day

 taking away most of the cheer and exuberance of the girls, leaving

 their chants somewhat lifeless. But still the pressed on, the

 oppressive heat taking its toll on the weary students. They had a lot

 of practice left to do in order to have some of their routines ready

 for the next school game. Their timing would have to be perfect in

 order to captivate their audience. But for the time being, they

 needed only a single cheerleader to delight their audience of one. 

 	Tomoyo watched the cheerleading practice from the grass a short

 distance away. Her dark skirt fluttered lazily in the meandering

 breeze that brought the only relief to the afternoon sun. Her

 attention rested solely on a cute brunette who was still struggling

 with the last bit of the routine. Camcorder in hand, the pale heiress

 dedicatedly recorded her best friend’s every move on videotape. The

 better to watch and rewatch it all later, of course! She didn’t often

 get a chance to watch Sakura’s cheerleading practice what with her

 own choir practice at the same time. But her choir teacher was sick

 for the day. Rather than going home early, Tomoyo was happy to stay

 and watch Sakura’s practice. The way Sakura moved was simply

 breathtaking. Every twirl of the baton, every cartwheel, every swish

 of pompoms fascinated the dark haired girl. Sakura moved so lithely,

 so gracefully. And more than that, Sakura genuinely enjoyed such

 things. Tomoyo had decided that it must give all of Sakura’s energy

 someplace to go, which was why Sakura always seemed happy while she

 was being athletic. The auburn haired girl was a sight to behold at

 whatever she was applying herself to, whether it be track or

 cheerleading or soccer. Well, except when she got distracted. Which

 Sakura was prone to doing. Then she’d often lost track of what she

 was doing. But even that was incredibly cute in Tomoyo’s eyes. 

 	Shifting on the dry grass, Tomoyo felt the hot sun against her pale

 skin. She was vaguely concerned about getting sunburned, not because

 it would be painful but mostly because she knew it would concern her

 lovingly overprotective mother if she found out. She knew she should

 probably move, but she was reluctant to give up such a perfect spot

 to videotape her beloved Sakura. Setting her school hat on her pale

 thighs, the dark haired heiress continued capturing her friend on

 film. Zooming in on Sakura’s content face, Tomoyo let out a blissful

 sigh. While most of the other girls were ready to quit, Sakura was

 enjoying the chance to move her body, even under the merciless sun.

 It was just one of many things Tomoyo loved about her best friend.

 And besides, Sakura made such a cute cheerleader. Every little

 beautiful movement by the Cardmistress made Tomoyo’s heart dance.

 Resting a hand on her cheek, she followed Sakura as the other girl

 went into a cartwheel. From the rustle of skirt to Sakura’s legs in

 the air to her tousled hair as she returned to her feet, Tomoyo

 captured it all. Her favorite part of all was the small, sweet smile

 of success on Sakura’s lips as she finished. Sakura wasn’t out here

 to compete or to show off. She was out here to have fun. She liked

 being able to see what she could do. And Tomoyo loved being able to

 watch. 

 	‘If only I could videotape Sakura-chan all the time. If I could

 catch every precious second of her life on videotape, then I could

 treasure every shining moment forever,’ the dark haired girl thought

 with a sigh. ‘But then if I was videotaping every second of her life,

 I would never have time to watch it all. Hmmm... I’d have to watch it

 while she slept,’ Tomoyo decided at last. She continued to follow

 Sakura as the brunette got into formation with Rika and Naoko. Taking

 a moment away from her assigned task, Sakura waved her fingers at

 Tomoyo, a cute smile on her lips. Tomoyo returned the smile warmly,

 her heart lighting up at the small gesture. She waved back, panning

 out to get a better view of Sakura. Though she did love choir, Tomoyo

 was grateful to have the day off to record Sakura’s practice. No

 matter how much she loved singing, it couldn’t begin to compare to

 her love for the auburn haired girl. “You can do it, Sakura-chan!”

 Tomoyo called to her friend as Sakura prepared herself. Sakura may be

 the one cheerleading, but Tomoyo was Sakura’s personal cheerleader.

 She was there to support the auburn haired girl through everything,

 to give her the confidence she needed to overcome anything. She was

 always there to help her beloved Sakura. 

 	Looking more sure of herself, Sakura took a few steps back to get

 ready for her running start. Tomoyo watched quietly, eager to see

 Sakura succeed. Even if she failed, Tomoyo knew that Sakura wouldn’t

 give up on it. It just wasn’t the brunette’s style. Sakura had a

 burning determination within her that just waited for the right times

 to come out. And it always thrilled Tomoyo when she could see it make

 its way to the surface. It burned with an emerald fire in Sakura’s

 eyes. Sighing again, Tomoyo raised the camcorder to get a good

 glimpse of Sakura’s face. ‘Sakura-chan is so beautiful,’ she thought

 dreamily, tracing the athletic girl’s face in her memory as she

 lowered it back to prepare for Sakura’s movement. 

 	Sakura was everything to Tomoyo. She was a beautiful, gentle

 princess. She was a brave and courageous prince. She was a fun and

 energetic best friend. She was Tomoyo’s one and only true love. The

 dark haired girl had fallen in love with Sakura shortly after first

 meeting her. It was almost a love at first sight. And what had

 started out as tentative feelings for this genki girl who had

 befriended her grew stronger and deeper with each passing day.

 Everything they had been through had made the heiress love her friend

 ever more and more. Sakura was Tomoyo’s most cherished treasure, her

 heart’s single desire. Whether it was fate that she fall for the

 daughter of her own mother’s lost love or if it was simply an amazing

 coincidence, Tomoyo knew that she had fallen deeply in love with her

 energetic best friend. And it was something that held Tomoyo

 helplessly caught in its strength. But even with her whole heart

 singing to her beautiful best friend, she could not yet speak it to

 the brunette. Sakura wouldn’t yet understand her feelings, wouldn’t

 begin to comprehend how she felt. So she would wait for now. Someday,

 somewhere, she would explain her heart to the Cardmistress. Maybe

 after Sakura was happily married or maybe when she would ask Sakura

 out herself if things didn’t pan out with Syaoran. But for the time

 being, she would live her life as one huge ‘I love you’ to Sakura.

 The brunette might not hear the words, but Tomoyo put her love into

 everything she did. And someday, maybe Sakura would hear the song

 from her heart. 

 	Girls clapped cheerfully as Sakura landed lithely on her feet.

 Smiling, the brunette put a hand behind her head. She smiled over at

 the girl who was videotaping her. She always felt like she could

 accomplish anything when Tomoyo was around. Tomoyo always gave her

 that extra little bit of encouragement she needed. Just knowing that

 the dark haired girl was around made her feel like she could do more

 than she could on her own. Maybe it was because Tomoyo had so much

 confidence in her. Or maybe it was because she knew that she had all

 of Tomoyo’s support behind her, no matter what she did. Whatever the

 case, Sakura was grateful for it all the same. 

 	The coach finally called an end to the days practices, sending the

 gathered girls holding pompoms and batons on their way. Sakura

 hurried over to her pale friend, still smiling happily. She had been

 trying to get that last jump right for the past week. “Arigato,

 Tomoyo-chan! Thanks for staying to watch!”

 	“You were amazing, Sakura-chan! You moved like a beautiful jungle

 cat, so graceful on your feet,” Tomoyo replied, slowly getting up and

 smoothing out her skirt. “I was happy to watch you, Sakura-chan. I

 wish I had the chance to more often.”

 	“You already watch Sakura-chan almost all the time, Tomoyo-chan,”

 Chiharu added, followed by Rika and Naoko.

 	Tomoyo sighed, a hand resting on her cheek as she gazed longingly

 at Sakura. “Almost all the time isn’t enough. I want to watch Sakura-

 chan all the time.” The gathered girls laughed while Sakura blushed a

 dark red, sweatdropping. Tomoyo merely smiled sweetly, Her stormy

 blue eyes never leaving her cutely blushing beloved. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan... Why do you want to watch me all the time, anyway?

 There are lots of more interesting things out there,” Sakura

 ventured, holding her pompoms behind her head. It always embarrassed

 her to hear Tomoyo say such things. She always thought it was sweet

 of the dark haired girl, even if it was strange. But she’d known

 Tomoyo was a little strange for nearly as long as she had known her.

 What she didn’t know what why Tomoyo thought so highly of her. She

 couldn’t quite understand it. 

 	“Some people go to movies, some people read books, other people

 watch sports. They do these things because it makes them happy. I

 watch Sakura-chan. That makes me happy.” Tomoyo placed her camcorder

 in it’s carrying case and smiled as she turned back to Sakura. “And

 there isn’t anything more interesting to me than Sakura-chan.”

 	“I wish Yamazaki-kun was that loyal. I don’t even know how he feels

 half the time because he’s always making up stories.” Chiharu

 frowned, her hands on her hips.

 	“So you’d rather Yamazaki-kun talk about you all the time like

 Tomoyo-chan instead of telling tall tales?” Rika teased.

 	“That would be much better than him spending all his time lying

 about everything. Then I’d at least know he liked me. I’m tired of

 having to guess all the time.” Sighing, Chiharu scratched the back of

 her leg with her shoe. “So who are you going with to the masquerade?”

 she asked curiously.

 	Rika blushed faintly, smiling nonetheless. “Oh, I’m not going with

 anyone. I think I’m just going to help Terrada-sensei with the food

 and drinks and all.”

 	“I’m not going with anyone either. I’ll just go by myself. Maybe

 I’ll meet my prince charming there,” Naoko answered. “You never know.”

 	“What about you, Sakura-chan?” Chiharu asked, turning to the

 puzzled brunette.

 	“Hoe... Masquerade? When is that?” Sakura asked in confusion. She

 couldn’t remember anything about that. When had all this happened?

 	“You didn’t know? Terrada-sensei mentioned it this morning,” Rika

 supplied, pushing back some hair from her eyes. 

 	“Sakura-chan was catching a quick nap. She was up late last night

 so I didn’t want to wake her,” Tomoyo answered, smiling softly. 

 	“Oh. Well, it’s this Sunday at the school. I heard it’s going to be

 romantic. It’s supposed to be for couples, so there’s going to be

 dances and games and things. I’m going with Yamazaki-kun.” Chiharu

 glanced around for the boy in question, but her boyfriend didn’t seem

 to be anywhere in sight. She sighed, frustrated. She would just have

 to call him that night. Ignoring her frustration, she turned her

 attention back to Sakura. “So who are you going with?”

 	“I don’t know,” Sakura answered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by

 the whole situation. It wasn’t fair that they spring something like

 this on her at the last moment. And even worse, she didn’t have

 anyone to go with. What was the good of having a nice romantic

 masquerade ball when she had no one to go with? 

 	Tomoyo watched Sakura thoughtfully, a hand on her chin. Sakura

 didn’t look too happy about this turn of events. And she certainly

 couldn’t blame her. It would be too sad for Sakura not to be able to

 go to the ball. Her mind worked quickly. There had to be something

 she could do for Sakura.

 	“What about Li-kun, Sakura-chan? You could always ask him,” Rika

 suggested hopefully. 

 	“He’s already going with Meiling-chan,” Tomoyo said absentmindedly,

 her mind still puzzling over the matter. “She got him to promise just

 after the announcement.”

 	Chiharu giggled, grinning. “She probably threatened to hurt him if

 he didn’t take her.”

 	“That’s probably what you’ll do to poor Yamazaki-kun if he doesn’t

 go with you, too,” Rika added, giggling herself.

 	Chiharu ‘harumphed’, crossing her arms. 

 	“I have to get home. It’s my night to make dinner,” Sakura said,

 feeling a little dazed. The other girls waved to her as she got her

 bag, heading out past the front gate. A nice romantic ball. And she

 had no one to go with. Her shoulders slumped at the thought. There

 was always the hope that someone might ask her, but who would? It

 wasn’t like Yukito would ask her to a dance at her school. 

 	“Sakura-chan, are you all right?” Tomoyo asked concernedly,

 startling her auburn haired friend. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan... I didn’t see you there. Gomen nasai.” Sakura smiled

 weakly, the smile fading quickly. “I don’t think I’m going to the

 masquerade. It sounds like fun, but I don’t have anyone to go with.”

 Sighing, the brunette, blinked back the wet sting of tears. She felt

 Tomoyo take her hand, the dark haired girl’s gentle fingers entwining

 with her own. She wasn’t feeling well at all. Her heart had dropped

 after finding out about the ball. It reminded her too much of how she

 didn’t have anyone to be with. Everyone else was falling in love, but

 she was all alone. Where was her prince? 

 	“I’m sorry, Sakura-chan. I really think you should go. I think

 you’ll have fun. You may not have anyone to go with, but I know

 you’ll meet someone there who would be more than happy to spend some

 time with you,” Tomoyo offered, squeezing Sakura’s hand softly. It

 was horrible to see Sakura like this, to see her genki spirit so sad.

 Sakura was very emotional, so everything affected her greatly. And

 Tomoyo always watched the rise and fall of Sakura’s heart. It hurt

 her to think of Sakura being sad for long. Even seeing Sakura near

 tears now was like a painful stab to her heart. She stopped where she

 was, still holding Sakura’s hand. “I know you will. So please don’t

 be sad. It makes me sad to see you like this, Sakura-chan. I want to

 see you smile. I want to see your eyes sparkle.”

 	Sakura looked down for a long moment. She wiped at her eyes with

 the back of her hand. Smiling slowly, she looked up to meet Tomoyo’s

 pretty indigo eyes. Yes, Tomoyo was right. This wasn’t anything to be

 sad about. And maybe she would meet someone while she was there. Like

 Naoko had said, you never know. “Un. You’re right, Tomoyo-chan. And

 you’ll be there with me, so even if I can’t go with the one I love,

 we can at least have fun.”

 	Tomoyo shook her head, her long, dark hair swishing from side to

 side. “Gomen, Sakura-chan. I won’t be able to go that day. I need to

 help mother with something.” She caught Sakura’s eye before Sakura

 could look down again. “But please go, Sakura-chan. I know you’ll

 have fun. I promise. I’d love to go with you more than anything, but

 I can’t this time.”

 	Sighing, Sakura nodded. “If you say so, Tomoyo-chan. But I still

 don’t think it’ll be any fun without you there.” She squeezed

 Tomoyo’s soft hand back. If Tomoyo thought so, then she would go,

 even if she was doubtful. She sighed again, brushing back her hair.

 “Tomoyo-chan, you’re so lucky that you haven’t fallen in love with

 someone who didn’t love you back. I still feel bad about Yukito-san.” 

 	Tomoyo hugged Sakura warmly. “I know exactly how you feel, Sakura-

 chan. It’s a lonely feeling, isn’t it? You want to be with them with

 all your heart, but you know you can’t. All you can do is pray for

 the best for them. And love them with all your heart.” The young

 heiress slowly pulled away. “Arigato, Sakura-chan. Please enjoy

 yourself. And if someone asks you to dance, please do.” Tomoyo smiled

 brightly before letting go of Sakura’s hand. Her limousine was

 waiting back near the school. “Bye, Sakura-chan!”

 	Sakura blinked in confusion, waving to her eccentric friend. “Bye,

 Tomoyo-chan!” She didn’t know what Tomoyo was suddenly so

 enthusiastic about. Well, she better hurry home to finish dinner.

 Shaking her head, she went about deciding what to make for dinner. 

 

 	“Hmmm...” Sonomi took a step back from her daughter, looking at the

 younger girl thoughtfully. With a sigh, she set the needle she was

 holding down. “Tomoyo-chan, you do not make a very good boy. You’re

 just too feminine to make a decent boy.”

 	Looking down at her mother’s handiwork, Tomoyo shifted a bit. “I

 think you’ve done a wonderful job, okaa-sama. I don’t think Sakura-

 chan will notice.” She smiled appreciatively, looking back up at her

 mother.

 	“If she needs a date for the dance, I don’t see why you can’t take

 her as a girl. You would look so much prettier in a nice dress

 instead of a tuxedo.” Picking up the needle again, Sonomi knelt in

 front of her daughter, going back to her sewing. It was difficult for

 her to see Tomoyo as a boy even in the outfit. She tried to tell

 herself that it was simply because she had known Tomoyo for the

 younger girl’s entire life, but she doubted it. 

 	“I’d rather go in a dress, too. But then Sakura-chan would just

 think it was us going as friends. I want her to have a nice, romantic

 ball that she’ll remember forever.” Tomoyo clasped her hands

 together, looking off into the distance. A soft sigh escaped her as

 she came back to the present. “Sakura-chan’s lonely now. She needs a

 nice romantic moment to spark the love that’s held deep in her heart.

 And I can’t do that if I go as myself. Sakura-chan doesn’t understand

 about girls liking girls yet.”

 	Sonomi chuckled softly, pulling the thread through again. “I didn’t

 understand it myself back when I was her age. All I knew was that

 Nadeshiko-chan was the most wonderful person I could think of. I knew

 I felt very strongly about her, but I didn’t know that I was in love

 with her back then.” Sonomi sighed, her eyes closing as she brought

 up an image of her beautiful cousin, a perpetual smile on her

 eternally young face, as if she had been frozen in amber. 

 	“You didn’t understand back when you were our age?” Tomoyo asked

 curiously. She had heard stories of her aunt, her mother’s only love,

 for her entire life. But she had always assumed that her mother had

 always known of her love for the other woman. Tomoyo herself had

 known rather early on that she was in love with Sakura. It was a

 surprise to hear that it had taken her mother a while to understand

 what these feelings were. Those beautiful feelings of love. The most

 lovely torture imaginable. Tomoyo had always held them close to her

 heart, cherishing the love she had for Sakura.

 	“We’re not all as perceptive as you, Tomoyo-chan. It took me a

 while to find out what those feelings were. So I wouldn’t be

 surprised if it takes Sakura-chan a little while to figure it out

 herself. She reminds me a lot more of myself than of Nadeshiko-chan,

 even if she is Nadeshiko-chan’s daughter.” Sonomi finished her

 sewing, stretching as she stood up. ‘Hopefully Sakura-chan will

 figure it out before it’s too late. I know that I didn’t. Maybe if I

 had...’ Ending that thought, the businesswoman smiled at her

 daughter. 

 	Tomoyo tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. It had taken her

 mother some time before she had understood her feelings for her

 cousin. Could the same be true of Sakura? She knew that Sakura was

 too young to understand her feelings for her, but did this mean

 Sakura may not understand her own feelings as well? Sakura did often

 get confused about such things. She was very emotional, but the poor

 brunette often had a difficult time understanding her own heart. The

 possibility left Tomoyo’s heart weak at the prospect of being the one

 to make Sakura happy. If only...

 	“It’s so cute. Most girls fall for people like their father. Now my

 little girl’s falling in love with someone like her mother. How

 sweet.” Sonomi grinned, brushing back some of her daughter’s hair.

 She didn’t get to spend much time with her darling daughter because

 of her job, but she was always happy when she got the chance to be

 with her. She didn’t get nearly enough time to tease the younger girl

 about Sakura. Of course, she understood exactly how Tomoyo felt about

 the brunette. It reminded her so much of herself and Nadeshiko when

 they had been younger. Which is why it always pained her to see

 Tomoyo ready to let someone else be with Sakura. Her daughter had

 told her that it was so Sakura would be happy, but Sonomi could think

 of no one better suited to that job than Tomoyo. No one knew Sakura

 better than Tomoyo. None of them had a better understanding of

 Sakura’s heart, not even Sakura herself. If anyone could make Sakura

 happy, Sonomi was sure it was her daughter. 

 	Tomoyo giggled in response. “She even runs like you. And she’s so

 cute when she does. She has this beautiful determined look in her

 eyes.” Sighing deliciously, Tomoyo stepped down from the pedestal she

 was standing on while her mother had fixed her outfit. “How is it?”

 she asked, turning around. 

 	“You look like my precious Tomoyo-chan in a tuxedo,” Sonomi

 answered truthfully, raising an eyebrow. “But I guess that can’t be

 helped. I wouldn’t want you to look like anyone else anyway. If you

 keep your hat on, then you should be able to pass for a boy at least.

 Hopefully Sakura-chan won’t notice that it’s you. Or maybe she will

 and she’ll still spend the night dancing with you.”

 	“Arigato, okaa-sama,” Tomoyo said at last, taking a look in the

 mirror. Closing her stormy blue eyes, the young heiress clasped her

 hands together. “This is perfect. Even if it’s for only one night, I

 can try to make Sakura-chan happy.” 

 

 	Sakura sighed inwardly, leaning against the wall. She wanted to

 apologize to Tomoyo. Here she was in a gorgeous ball gown Tomoyo had

 made for her, and she was spending the whole time just watching the

 other couples enjoy themselves. It felt like such a waste of Tomoyo’s

 beautiful gown. She really hadn’t wanted to go at all, but she had

 promised her best friend that she would. And seeing the gown that

 Tomoyo had spent so much time working on made sure she couldn’t back

 out of it. But now that she was at the ball, she just wanted to go

 home. She didn’t even have Tomoyo to talk to. It just made the whole

 thing feel pointless. She didn’t know if she could take another

 friend walking by and asking if she was having fun. Rika was dancing

 with Terrada-sensei at the moment and even Naoko was dancing with

 someone. She tried not to watch as Meiling and Syaoran danced by.

 Oddly enough, she didn’t really mind that Syaoran was there with

 Meiling. She seemed much happier to have him, really. But it was

 exactly that type of love that left Sakura feeling so desolate. She

 didn’t have that, not even with Yukito anymore. She didn’t like not

 being in love. It was too lonely. It was like living life without a

 dream in one’s heart, no light at the end of the tunnel. 

 	The doors to the gym slowly opened, a boy Sakura didn’t recognize

 entering the room. She couldn’t say what caught her attention, but

 only that there was something different about him. Pushing up the

 small mask around her eyes, she took a closer look. He was very pale,

 with some dark hair showing from underneath his hat. He worse a mask

 like everyone else at the ball, so it was difficult to tell if she

 knew him or not. He did look familiar, though she couldn’t place him

 exactly. She looked away when she saw his eyes meet her own, a faint

 blush on her cheeks. She felt embarrassed to have been caught

 staring. 

 	“Hello,” a soft voice said, catching Sakura’s attention.

 	Looking up, Sakura saw the pale boy in front of her. He smiled a

 warm, soft smile, his eyes closed as he did. Sakura felt herself

 relax in his presence, not feeling as embarrassed anymore. “Hi,” she

 replied, pushing her mask back up. She still didn’t know who he was.

 Her mind hurried to figure it out. He was pale and had dark hair. Was

 it Eriol? But didn’t he need glasses? Maybe he was wearing contacts

 or something. But it didn’t feel like Eriol.

 	“Would you like to dance?” the mysterious boy asked, holding out an

 ivory hand to the Cardmistress. He blinked his stormy blue eyes open,

 watching Sakura’s hopefully. 

 	It took Sakura a moment to realize she had accepted. By the time

 she did, they were already hand in hand, headed for the dance floor

 with the other students. She forced away a faint blush that darkened

 her cheeks. This was just one dance. She didn’t have to feel

 embarrassed about it. But she couldn’t help but be a little nervous

 as they passed the other dancing, costumed students. Why wouldn’t she

 be? Some mysterious boy had just asked her to dance. As if it wasn’t

 bad enough just to be asked to go dancing in the first place.

 Glancing over at him again, he smiled softly, taking away Sakura’s

 worry. She returned the smile as they reached the dance floor. 

 	Slowly, the two began to dance, moving about the dance floor in

 tandem. Sakura was amazed by the boy’s grace, his movements drawing

 her along fluidly. She quickly lost herself to their dance, a

 beautiful dream of swirling and movement that captured her soul. All

 nervousness she had had earlier fled as they moved about together.

 She didn’t know what it was about him that put her at ease, but it

 certainly did its job. She found herself enjoying the dance

 immensely, fluttering about in the beautiful gown Tomoyo had made for

 her. They moved fluidly together, as if their thoughts were one.

 Sometimes he would lead and sometimes Sakura would lead, switching

 every so often as they did. 

 	The other students faded away as they danced, becoming nothing more

 than part of the backdrop of the dance. The lights receded into the

 barest hints of stardust, swirling around them as they continued to

 dance. Sakura watched him as they swayed about, finding herself at

 ease even so near to him. His eyes were warm, his smile so charming.

 It wasn’t like Syaoran’s scowl at all. In fact, it was almost like

 Yukito’s smile, soft and caring. But there was something else in it,

 too, something that Sakura couldn’t quite put her finger on. It made

 her feel happy and content. As if it filled her up with some unknown

 energy. She couldn’t quite understand what it was, but she liked it.

 She sighed happily to herself. 

 	When the next song finally ended, Sakura got ready to take the lead

 again. She was a little disappointed when he smiled apologetically at

 her. She felt ready to dance the night away. It was so much fun,

 letting her body move about in time with the music, following and

 leading this mysterious boy. “Gomen nasai,” he said in his soft,

 musical voice. “I would love to dance with you forever. You’re so

 cute when you’re dancing. But I think I need to take a break for just

 a bit. My feet need a short rest.” 

 	Sakura blinked herself out of the dreamy haze she had been lost in,

 focussing on the pale boy in front of her. A slow ache worked its way

 from her own abused feet and sore legs. Just how long had they been

 dancing? She smiled in response and nodded. “That’s a good idea. I

 could probably use a break, too.” She felt silly for having been so

 lost in their dance. How could she have lost track of everything like

 that? But somehow it didn’t really seem to matter with him. She

 followed the dark haired boy outside, the realization of the pain in

 her feet suddenly making it much more acute. Stepping outside, she

 took a seat next to him. To her surprise, the moon was out, the stars

 shining brightly. They had been dancing for hours. No wonder she was

 so sore. Slipping her shoes off with her feet, she rubbed them

 together through the stockings she was wearing. 

 	“You’re so pretty in the moonlight,” The boy said happily, his

 stormy blue eyes watching Sakura intently. “Especially when you

 smile. You don’t know how glad I am to have seen you smiling

 tonight.” His stormy blue eyes sparkled in the dim light, his hand

 lying on top of Sakura’s. 

 	Blushing faintly, Sakura looked down at her feet. It was

 embarrassing, but she liked hearing him say that. It made her feel

 good inside. Somehow, she knew that he meant every word of it. She

 graced him with another smile, looking back up at him. “Thank you,”

 she replied. She wasn’t concerned with who he was anymore. That was

 in the back of her mind by now. She was just happy to be spending the

 dance with him. She had to remember to thank Tomoyo when she saw her

 later. She had been right, as always. “I had a lot of fun tonight.

 You’re a really good dancer. I didn’t know dancing could be so much

 fun.”

 	He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Dancing is a wonderful

 thing. It lets you lose yourself in the music, to move along with it.

 It really helps the music to touch your soul. It’s a lot more fun

 when you can dance with someone you like.”

 	Sakura blushed brighter at his words. Looking down at their hands,

 she took a deep breath. She felt so nice with him. It made her feel

 special, magical in a way that the Cards couldn’t make her feel. This

 boy made her feel like she was a treasure to be cherished. She loved

 that feeling. It made her feel dizzy and ecstatic. She didn’t feel

 awkward with him. She liked talking to him, liked seeing him smile at

 her. “Do you like me?” she asked, looking down immediately, her

 cheeks burning. That was what he had implied, right? But maybe she

 shouldn’t have said anything. She didn’t even know who the mystery

 boy was. But that didn’t seem to matter. There was just something

 about him. It felt so familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger

 on it. 

 	The boy blinked for a moment as if taken by surprise. The surprise

 quickly went away though, and he smiled. “Yes. I like Sakura-chan

 very much. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t.” 

 	Looking up quickly, Sakura’s emerald eyes caught with his own

 indigo ones. She found herself captured by them, frozen in their

 gaze. She hadn’t known what to expect as his answer, but it shook her

 nonetheless. At the same time, she couldn’t really imagine him saying

 anything else. It just felt right. She felt like she had known him

 for years. Which she may well have. Whoever he was, he made her feel

 so special, like a real live princess. She smiled happily, but she

 felt another wave of embarrassment hit as she ventured forward. “I..

 I like you, too,” she replied, surprised to find that no blush came

 to her cheeks this time. Perhaps it was because she knew she had no

 reason to worry. His eyes held onto hers with a loving care. He would

 hold her heart preciously. There was no fear of offering it to him,

 of him rejecting it. It was surprising. She finally met the boy she

 liked and she didn’t even know who he was. She had to have met him

 before, but which boy in her class he was, she wasn’t certain. But

 she couldn’t help how she felt. Sometimes one’s heart and mind

 weren’t always in the same place. For Sakura, her heart was much more

 important than her mind.

 	This seemed to stun the boy much more than Sakura’s previous

 question. He watched her for a long moment, his stormy blue eyes

 almost afraid. He stood up quickly, bringing up Sakura’s hand with

 both of his own. “Thank you very much, Sakura-chan. I’m so glad you

 had fun at the dance. But you don’t even know who I am. You really

 shouldn’t say that,” he explained, looking down into her emerald eyes

 worriedly. The worry faded away behind a soft smile, as if it hadn’t

 been there at all. So familiar. Just like... Sakura still couldn’t

 place him.

 	Shaking her head swiftly, Sakura watched the mysterious boy. “No, I

 do. I know I do. I feel like I’ve known you forever. You’re so sweet

 and kind. You make me feel happy. I like being with you. I like you,”

 Sakura repeated, looking up at him hopefully. “It doesn’t matter who

 you are. I’ll still like you, no matter who it is. You must know me

 pretty well, but I can’t tell who you are. But that isn’t important.

 Right?”

 	The boy looked back down into Sakura’s pleading eyes. He smiled

 more, placing his hands on her cheeks. “Sakura-chan, I’ll always love

 you. If you still feel that way about me when you know who I am, then

 that would be the sweetest dream come true. But I can’t tell you who

 I am yet. I don’t think it’s the right time. I don’t know if you’re

 ready. But you’ve given me a wonderful gift tonight. Hope. That hope

 will burn brightly in my heart as I wait for you, Sakura-chan. I’ll

 always wait for you.” 

 	Sakura placed her hands on top of his, lost in his deep indigo

 eyes. She felt her cheeks flushed against his hands, but she could

 only look up at him. She wanted to protest, to tell him it wasn’t so,

 but she could only meet his gaze. Slowly, he leant towards her. The

 brunette’s heart started pounding faster in her heart, a sweet

 longing overtaking her as the soft lips brushed her own. Silky lips

 touched gently against her own, leaving her with a petal soft kiss.

 She could only sit and watch as he pulled away, the kiss lingering on

 her lips. It was so delicate, but she could feel its aftereffects

 throughout her body and soul. 

 	“I love you, Sakura-chan,” he whispered, smiling at the dazed

 Cardmistress as he let his hands drop from her cheeks. Turning, he

 headed towards the parking lot.

 	‘He kissed me,’ Sakura thought, her fingers moving to her lips. It

 was much softer than she would’ve imagined, just a delicate little

 thing, but it was infinitely more powerful than anything she could

 have dreamt of. Closing her eyes, she could still feel the soft kiss

 against her lips, could feel the spark in her heart. Blinking

 quickly, the brunette forced herself out of her daze in time to see

 the pale boy’s retreating form. ‘If he leaves now, how will I ever

 see him again? How will I know who he is?’ Sliding on her shoes

 quickly, Sakura ran after the boy. “Wait! Please don’t go yet! You

 have to tell me your name! I know I’ll like you, whoever you are!”

 She called after him. But the boy didn’t stop. He looked back

 apologetically and climbed into a black car. Sakura hurried to him,

 hoping to reach the car in time. But obviously the car was in a hurry

 of it’s own, zipping past her. 

 	Sakura slowed to a halt, her heart drooping in her chest. Her

 shoulders slumped as she watched the car fade into the distance. She

 didn’t even know his name. When school came the next day, she

 wouldn’t have any idea which of the boys he was. She was stuck. She

 was back in love, but she didn’t even know with who. She couldn’t

 tell if that was better or worse than her earlier predicament of not

 being in love at all. She sniffled, alone in the moonlight. How would

 she find him again? She just wanted to be with him, to talk to him,

 to know he was there. But now she was lost.

 	 Just when she was about to give up hope, something caught her eye.

 A shoe lay on the floor near where the car had been parked. A surge

 of hope flooded through her. He must have lost it before getting in

 the car. He hadn’t been able to retrieve it because Sakura had been

 right behind him. He would have had to stay if he had waited to get

 the shoe. She picked it up quickly, holding it tightly to her chest.

 It was her only possession of his, her only clue. The small shoe was

 her only proof that he had been there at all, that her mystery boy

 had been more than just a dream. But what could she do with it? How

 could she find out who he was with this simple hint? 

 	‘Onii-chan!’ her mind supplied frantically. Her older brother had

 worked every part-time job known to man. He would know about the

 shoe! He had to. Pulling out her key, Sakura flew home. There was no

 reason to stay at the dance anymore. Her prince charming had fled and

 she had to find him. 

 

 	“Onii-chan! Onii-chan!” Sakura called out, nearly tripping on the

 long gown as she pushed through the door. Her eyes quickly scanned

 for her older brohter, desperate to find him. “Onii-chan!!” she

 called out, frustrated. He had to be around somewhere. She didn’t

 feel like waiting. Her heart was still beating rapidly, her mind

 still stuck on her mysterious love. Love. Yes, that was it. She did

 love him. She hadn’t felt this way about Syaoran. Or even Yukito.

 This was stronger than her crushes in the past. This left her head

 over heals, her whole soul longing to see him again. He made her feel

 complete. Whoever he was. “Onii-chan!!!”

 	“What is it, monster? This better be good. You’re going to wake up

 the whole neighborhood with your wailing,” Touya said exasperatedly

 as he made his way downstairs. His younger sister hurried to his

 side, holding up a shoe in her hands. He smiled inwardly. She really

 was growing up. She wasn’t just a little girl anymore. She actually

 looked pretty in the gown she was wearing, nearly grown up. But he

 would never tell her that, of course.

 	“I need you to tell me about this shoe. It’s very important that I

 find out who it belongs to. This boy..” Sakura trailed off, blushing.

 “I just need to know about it.”

 	“About a shoe?” he replied, skeptically. 

 	“Please, onii-chan?” Sakura begged, clasping her hands together.

 She was desperate. She usually wouldn’t bother with Touya, but she

 needed his help. She had to find the pale boy again. She needed to

 tell him that nothing would change her feelings, that she just wanted

 to see him again. That she couldn’t be happy without him.

 	Touya was surprised by Sakura’s eagerness. He nodded slowly, taking

 the shoe before sitting down. “Let’s see..” He frowned, turning it

 over. “Who’s shoe did you say this was again?”

 	“Some boy from the dance,” Sakura replied quickly, pressing her

 fingers together in embarrassment. The last thing she needed was for

 Touya to play the concerned big brother and worry about some boy she

 met. 

 	Shaking his head, Touya looked back at Sakura. “This is a girls’

 shoe, Sakura-chan.”

 “So he has dainty feet!!” Sakura said angrily, kicking her brother

 in the shin. She crossed her arms, glaring at him as she waited for

 him to continue. 

 Gritting his teeth, Touya rubbed his leg. If only Sakura wasn’t so

 athletic, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much when she did things like

 that. It wasn’t so bad when she was a kid, but now he was seriously

 starting to reconsider taunting her. Of course, this time he was

 being serious, so it wasn’t even his own fault. “Alright. So he wears

 girls’ shoes. That’s not my problem.” He gave his younger sister a

 stare of his own before moving on, looking back at the shoe. “It’s

 pretty small, so he has to have small feet. A little smaller than

 yours, actually. It doesn’t look like it’s been used much, so I’m

 guessing it was bought recently. Other than that, there’s not much I

 can tell you.” He looked back up to see Sakura storm over and swipe

 the shoe from him. He let it go, raising an eyebrow. Apparently

 whatever this was had affected Sakura pretty badly. He wanted to ask,

 but he didn’t think this was something she’d want to tell her older

 brother. “Don’t stomp on those stairs so much, monster. Do you want

 the whole house to collapse?” Her only reply was to slam her door.

 Sighing inwardly, Touya rested his head back against the couch.

 

 	Sakura slumped on her bed, cradling the shoe in her arms. So much

 for that avenue. All she knew now was that he had small, dainty feet.

 But who could match that description? Syaoran? No, he didn’t fit. And

 he had been dancing with Meiling anyway. Yamazaki? He should have

 been with Chiharu the whole night, and he was actually pretty tall.

 Eriol? No, Sakura still didn’t think it was him. But then who could

 it belong to? She couldn’t think of any other boys that would match

 her mystery boy either. 

 	Lifting the shoe up in the air, Sakura turned it around, looking at

 it thoughtfully. It was the only thing she had left from the pale

 boy. There had to be something she could do with it to find out who

 he was. But what? It was too bad he didn’t write his name in it or

 his address. Then Sakura could show up with it, giving it back to him

 and explaining that he had no need to worry because she still liked

 him. But she wasn’t that lucky.

 	“Nice shoe,” Kero commented, looking up from his video game. “Looks

 expensive.” Pausing the game, Kero lifted up, floating over to

 Sakura. “How did the dance go?”

 	Sakura rolled onto her side, still clutching the shoe. A faint

 blush colored her cheeks. “It was fantastic. I had so much fun, Kero-

 chan. I danced and danced and danced. And there was this really sweet

 boy there that..” She trailed off, holding the shoe to her chest

 again.

 	“Ohhhh.. So you met a boy you liked there, huh?” Kero asked,

 grinning from ear to ear. “Who was he?” His curiosity piqued, the

 Seal Beast landed next to Sakura, poking her in the side with a

 stubby paw. “You have to tell me.”

 	Sighing, Sakura rolled onto her back again, her legs held up

 against herself. “I would if I could. But I don’t even know his name.

 I just know that this was his. But I can’t even give it back to him

 because I don’t know who he is.” Sighing miserably, Sakura set the

 shoe next to her bed, staring up at her roof. She kept seeing his

 smile, warm and gentle. It taunted her every time she closed her

 eyes, making her miss him even more. 

 	“Hmm.. That is a problem,” Kero said thoughtfully, flying down to

 inspect the shoe. He prodded it with one of his feet, watching the

 delicate thing shift on its side.

 	“I know. But it’s all I have of his. It’s the only thing that I can

 use to find out who he is,” Sakura lamented, hugging a pillow to

 herself. She felt miserable. And alone. She wanted to be with him

 again, dancing and smiling and laughing. Her emerald eyes fell

 closed, her mind half daydreaming about seeing him again. She hugged

 her pillow closer, pretending it was the pale boy. “I miss you

 already,” she whispered to it.

 	“I’ve got it!” Kero called out, popping up right in front of

 Sakura’s face and very nearly startling the poor girl. “You have his

 shoe, right? You know he’s from your class, right? Just try it on

 every boy in your class until you find him.” The Seal Beast crossed

 his arms, proud of himself.

 	Sakura blinked at the absurd thought, still holding tightly onto

 her pillow. What a plan, going from boy to boy and trying on the one

 shoe she had of her mystery boy. It was laughable. And yet, it was

 all she had. And it made sense. If she could find the boy that fit

 the shoe.. “Thank you, Kero-chan!” Sakura said happily, dropping the

 pillow as she got to her knees. She squealed happily at the thought,

 taking Kero’s small hands in her own. “Sugoi! I’ll get to find him

 after all! And I’ll prove to him that I like him just the same, no

 matter who he is!”

 	“I knew it would work. I’m full of good advice. You should turn to

 me more often,” Kero said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. 

 	Sakura picked up her little pink cell phone, ready to call Tomoyo.

 For some reason, she had the strongest urge to call the pale girl, to

 tell her everything that had happened that night. This wasn’t

 particularly unusual because she always talked to Tomoyo about

 everything. But it was already late and Tomoyo was probably in bed.

 Sakura had the urge to call anyway, to wake her up despite it just so

 she could hear her voice, so they could talk it all out. She wanted

 to hear Tomoyo at the moment. She knew it would make her feel better.

 It always did. Or she could even fly to her house. It wouldn’t take

 long. And then Tomoyo would probably get her some tea and they would

 sit and talk all night long. But there was so much she needed to do

 tomorrow. And she would feel awful if she did wake Tomoyo up, even

 though Tomoyo told her she always could if she needed to. Working up

 the will, Sakura finally put the phone down. She would just tell

 Tomoyo all about it the next day. Slipping out of her gown and

 pulling on some pajamas, Sakura quickly got ready for bed, though

 sleep would be long in coming.

 	

 	Tomoyo stirred as light filtered into the Daidouji home, slowly

 pushing away the sleepiness that clouded her mind. She had to be up

 to get to school on time as she always did. Shifting around she found

 that she wasn’t in bed. Her head slowly pulled up, sleep blurred eyes

 blinking tiredly as they struggled to come into focus. She was on the

 couch. A hand in her hair told her that she wasn’t alone. She sighed

 softly, resting her head back on her mother’s lap. She must have

 fallen asleep after telling her mother the whole story the night

 before. And her mother had stayed with her all night long, even in an

 uncomfortable sitting position. She smiled softly, glad to be near

 her mother, even if for only a short time before school. 

 	Memories played back through the young heiress’s mind as if they

 had been recorded on one of her videotapes, each image crystal clear.

 She could remember dancing the whole night with Sakura, could

 remember Sakura telling her that she liked her, could remember the

 deliciously soft kiss they had shared. She blushed, a hand going to

 her cheek as she replayed that memory again and again. Now only if

 she could have gotten that memory on videotape. 

 	All in all, the night had been very nearly perfect. She had

 accomplished what she had set out to do. Sakura had had a nice,

 romantic night. She had healed some of the loneliness in her best

 friend’s heart. But the only problem that lingered was Sakura’s

 profession of love. That hadn’t been part of the plan at all. Tomoyo

 was supposed to go to the ball as a boy. Check. She was supposed to

 make sure Sakura enjoyed herself. Check. Then she was supposed to

 leave, giving Sakura renewed confidence that she would find love.

 That one was now a little more confusing. She had left Sakura with

 the renewed confidence that she had found her love then and there.

 But where did that leave Tomoyo? Sakura didn’t even know it was her.

 And how could she tell Sakura that it was? Was Sakura even ready for

 that? She had left in the hopes of quelling such problems, but the

 dark haired girl doubted they would go away so easily. Oh well. Maybe

 this meant Sakura could like her after all, that maybe she could

 actually make Sakura happy. In a few years, maybe she could even tell

 Sakura how she felt. Yes, there was always hope. Now more than ever. 

 	Smiling happily, Tomoyo slowly sat up next to her mother. “Okaa-

 sama, it’s time to wake up,” she said softly. 

 The older woman stirred, blinking herself awake. Sonomi stretched,

 her body sore from sleeping so awkwardly. She smiled sleepily at her

 daughter, the younger girl still wearing the shirt from the tuxedo.

 “Good morning, Tomoyo-chan.”

 Tomoyo leant forward and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thank you for

 everything, okaa-sama.” Standing up, the pale girl hurried towards

 the stairs. “I have to hurry if I’m going to get to school on time. I

 want to see how Sakura-chan is doing.”

 Sonomi watched her daughter disappear off to her room. Smiling to

 herself, the older woman finally got up herself. It was so nice to

 see her daughter in love. It did her pained heart good to watch

 Tomoyo so enraptured by Nadeshiko’s daughter. She only hoped Sakura

 would take good care of Tomoyo’s heart. It was a precious gift and

 one that Sonomi tried her hardest to protect. But that was something

 that was ultimately up to Sakura to hold onto.

 

 “Ohayo, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo called out, waiting by the gate at

 school some time later. She smiled pleasantly as the auburn haired

 girl skated up to her. She could tell that Sakura looked much

 happier. That, in turn, made her own heart shine. “You look much

 better today, Sakura-chan. I trust things went well at the dance?”

 Sakura nodded enthusiastically, pulling off her rollerblades. “It

 went perfectly, Tomoyo-chan! You were right. Thank you for getting me

 to go. It was so much fun!” The brunette sighed, her hands on her

 cheeks as she walked towards the school building with Tomoyo. “I met

 this wonderful boy. He was just.. hanyaa.” She blushed at the thought

 of him. Shaking her head, she smiled over at Tomoyo. She had been so

 anxious about the whole thing the entire night before, but now that

 she was with her best friend again, she felt infinitely better. It

 was strange how Tomoyo managed to do that. She made Sakura feel

 better about herself, about everything. Her simple presence was

 enough to do that. 

 “So Sakura-chan met a boy she liked?” Tomoyo asked curiously, her

 hand on her chin. “It definitely sounds like it went well. I’m glad

 you met someone, Sakura-chan. It only shows that your fairy tale

 romance is waiting for you. One day your prince will come and hold

 you close forever. Sakura-chan deserves nothing but the best.” The

 dark haired girl sighed happily, images of Princess Sakura filling

 her mind. Yes, this is what she lived for. 

 Sakura sweatdropped, laughing nervously. “Tomoyo-chan..” Tomoyo was

 always so concerned about her happiness, about Sakura in general. It

 was always comforting to know that some things would never change.

 “But I know that my prince is out there somewhere. I just need to

 find out who he is.”

 Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, thoughtfully. Sakura seemed

 awfully determined. It took all Tomoyo had not to swoon at the sight.

 Sakura was always so adorable when that determined look burned in her

 eyes. It was one of the many, many things that Tomoyo loved about the

 brunette. But why was she so determined all of the sudden? “What do

 you mean, Sakura-chan?”

 Fumbling through her backpack, Sakura pulled out a single black

 shoe. “This was one of his shoes. He accidentally dropped it last

 night. Kero-chan thought I should try it on everyone here to find out

 who he is.” Sakura sweatdropped as she explained her plan. It sounded

 awfully silly. But Tomoyo merely nodded, watching her.

 “That’s a good idea, Sakura-chan. But I’m a little worried. What if

 your prince doesn’t turn out to be a prince at all?” Tomoyo asked,

 walking alongside Sakura. The auburn haired girl looked back at her

 in confusion. Tomoyo smiled and rephrased her question. “What if he

 isn’t who you want him to be?”

 Sakura shook her head, clutching the shoe determinedly. “I don’t

 care who he is. I know I love whoever it is I met last night. I’ve

 never felt that way before. It was just.. just..” Sakura trailed off,

 unable to come up with words to match the storm of emotions in her

 heart. Her hands clenched in front of her, as if she could drag the

 words out of thing air. "It was perfect. I felt so happy with him. So

 peaceful. And for once it didn’t have anything to do with magic. It

 was just him. He was what made me feel that way. I don’t care who he

 is.”

 “That’s so sweet!” Tomoyo exclaimed, a hand on her cheek. “Sakura-

 chan is so cute, lost in her thoughts on love. You really are

 perfect, Sakura-chan. You’re willing to do whatever to you can to be

 with your love again, ready to sacrifice what you have to in order to

 see him again. You’re so romantic.” Letting out a sweet sigh, Tomoyo

 watched Sakura lovingly.

 Sakura sweatdropped. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan.” She should have known

 Tomoyo would react that way. But somehow, it gave her more

 confidence. It made her feel better about her plan. Tomoyo thought it

 was sweet of her, romantic. So it wasn’t just some crazy idea after

 all. Nodding to herself, Sakura hurried into the school, Tomoyo right

 behind her. 

 

  “Maybe if you curl your toys up more,” Tomoyo offered helpfully,

 standing next to a kneeling Sakura as she tried to place the small

 black shoe on yet another boy.

 “Oww.. This thing is too tight. I don’t even know what this is all

 about,” the boy complained, rubbing his foot after he pulled it out

 of the shoe.

 Sighing, Sakura sat back, her hands resting on the ground. “We’ve

 tried just about every boy in class, Tomoyo-chan. I don’t know who he

 could be. It hasn’t fit on any of them. I’m starting to worry. What

 if I don’t find him?” The brunette was suddenly overcome by worry.

 Her plan has seemed so great earlier that day, but now she felt

 hopeless. There weren’t many boys left to try, and none of them

 seemed like good candidates for the mystery boy. The thought of not

 seeing him again was almost physically painful. Sakura sighed,

 holding the shoe. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking,

 up, she saw Tomoyo smiling gently down at her. Her worry ebbed away

 slowly as she looked up into loving stormy blue eyes.

 “It’s all right, Sakura-chan. I know you’ll find him. Just don’t

 give up hope. It doesn’t suit you. Remember, you can do anything.

 Everything will always work out,” Tomoyo said softly, giving Sakura’s

 shoulder a gentle squeeze before pulling her hand away. She was

 rewarded with a soft smile from Sakura.

 “Un, you’re right, Tomoyo-chan. I just have to keep trying. He has

 to be out there somewhere. And I know he’s in the class. He was so

 familiar. I just couldn’t quite remember who he is.” Shaking her

 head, Sakura looked back down at the shoe. There was still a chance.

 They hadn’t tried all the boys yet. Just almost all of them. She

 sighed softly.

 “That’s my shoe!” 

 Sakura looked up rapidly, her heart pounding. Who was the shoe’s

 mysterious owner? Where was he? Had she finally found him? Locating

 the source of the voice, she spotted Yamazaki approaching her.

 “Yamazaki-kun? This is your shoe?” she asked in surprise. Could it

 have been him the night before? Was he her mystery boy? The one who

 had so effortlessly captured her heart?

 “Yeah, it’s mine. I always like to wear girls’ shoes. They let you

 hear girl’s thoughts that way. The ancient Aztecs knew this. That’s

 why they invented girls’ shoes back during the 1500s,” Yamazaki

 explained. He pulled the shoe on, the small black shoe reaching

 slightly past half of his foot. “See? Perfect fit. I always wear my

 shoes like this.”

 Sakura blinked in confusion, looking back up at the taller boy. She

 watched as he got bopped in the head by his frustrated girlfriend,

 Chiharu. 

 “Why do you always have to make things up?” Chiharu sighed, dragging

 him off, leaving Sakura alone with her shoe.

 Sakura knelt down next to the shoe again, sighing. “Tomoyo-chan,

 what if I don’t find him? What if I look forever for him and he never

 shoes up? What if he was just a dream?” Sakura was on the verge of

 tears. She felt awful. Her last chance was slowly slipping away from

 her. If she couldn’t find him with his shoe, she didn’t know how she

 could ever find him again. It was her only clue and it didn’t seem to

 be working at all.

 Watching Sakura sadly, Tomoyo stepped closer, trying to figure out

 what to do. Sakura seemed so sad. There had to be some way she could

 help. But what if it only made things worse if she told Sakura? What

 if Sakura couldn’t handle finding out her mystery boy was really a

 mystery girl? “The most important things are worth waiting forever

 for, Sakura-chan. Some things are worth searching an eternity for.

 You just have to find out what these things are. They aren’t always

 where we look. So we have to keep looking, always holding out hope

 that it will be there.” She smiled softly, brushing back some of

 Sakura’s hair from the kneeling girl’s eyes. “He wasn’t a dream,

 Sakura-chan. I know because every time I’m with you, I think ‘Sakura-

 chan is so amazing. She’s so wonderful. I have to be dreaming.’ But

 you’re always there when I wake up. Maybe that’s why I videotape you

 so much. As proof. Evidence that you’re really real.”

 Tomoyo’s gentle words soothed Sakura’s frightened soul like a

 lullaby, playing through her mind again and again. Her musical voice

 calmed Sakura’s worried heart, taking away the pain she felt. It was

 so soft, so gentle. It played through Sakura like a song. Her emerald

 eyes slowly went to Tomoyo’s feet, up her pale legs. An idea struck

 with sudden ferocity. Hope bloomed in her heart, followed by the

 intense fear that she might be wrote. But she had to try. Scooting

 forward, she took Tomoyo’s leg so suddenly that the pale girl almost

 toppled over. “Gomen, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura apologize, the words

 barely escaping her breathless mouth. With trembling fingers, she

 pulled off Tomoyo’s shoe, letting it fall to the floor. Her heart

 pounded in a staccato beat in her chest, her mind focusing on this

 last attempt. It all seemed to lead here, even if it spun Sakura in

 circles to think it all through. She slowly slid the shoe on, waiting

 for it to get stuck or for it to be too big. 

 The shoe fit perfectly. Sakura could only blink in surprise as she

 moved Tomoyo’s foot around in her hand, amazed at the fit. It was

 almost too good to be true. She had found him. He had been right

 there, all along, watching her try it on all the others. Her heart

 pounded in her chest, as she slowly looked up. Tomoyo was looking

 down at her, stormy blue eyes sparkling just as they had the night

 before. “Tomoyo-chan.. It’s you.. You’re him! I mean.. her. I..

 Tomoyo-chan..” Sakura trailed off, unsure of what to say. 

 Smiling down softly, Tomoyo helped Sakura back up. “Gomen nasai,

 Sakura-chan. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to cause any

 trouble for you,” the dark haired girl apologized, looking into

 Sakura’s eyes. She still wasn’t sure how Sakura was taking it, how it

 was affecting the other girl. She nearly shrank back at the

 frustration that briefly flashed in Sakura’s eyes.

 “You were right there all along and you didn’t even tell me? I spent

 all day touching people’s feet just so I could find you and you were

 right there?” Sakura darted forward, hugging Tomoyo tightly. To her

 pleasant surprise, it was much more enjoyable than hugging her

 pillow. “If you didn’t want to cause me trouble, you could have told

 me this morning that it was you I was looking for.”

 Tomoyo giggled softly, her indigo eyes falling shut. Whatever

 concerns she had held earlier dissipated like a fine mist. Sakura

 wasn’t angry with her. She wasn’t even in shock about the whole

 thing. And she seemed to be taking the fact that her mystery prince

 was a princess rather well. “I’ll remember that next time, Sakura-

 chan.”

 “Hoe.. There won’t have to be a next time, will there?” Sakura

 asked, feeling exhausted. She had enough searching for her love for

 any number of lifetimes. 

 “Not if you don’t want there to be, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo replied.

 She sighed, resting against Sakura. “But I still found it incredibly

 romantic that you would look for me with such cute determination. I

 always knew that Sakura-chan could be incredibly romantic at heart.” 

 Sakura blushed, still holding onto Tomoyo. But that just furthered

 to relax her. The dark haired heiress always had been good at making

 her blush, after all. And making her feel loved. She smiled happily,

 holding onto her newly found princess, who just happened to have been

 there all along. “I love you, Tomoyo-chan,” she whispered softly. “I

 told you I didn’t care who you were. I should have known it was you

 all along.”

 “Oh, Sakura-chan..” Tomoyo replied, her heart nearly bursting with

 joy. She hugged the other girl tighter, reveling in the sound of

 Sakura’s beautiful words in her mind. “I love you, too, Sakura-chan.”

 	Sakura sighed happily, not wanting to relinquish their embrace.

 Slowly, she blinked her eyes open. “Ano.. Tomoyo-chan? If you didn’t

 want me to know it was you, why did you kiss me last night?”

 	Tomoyo smiled, her hands on Sakura’s shoulders as she pulled just

 inches away. “Because Sakura-chan looked so cute, but a little

 lonely, too. You looked like you needed a kiss. Just like now.” Using

 Sakura’s blush as her cue, Tomoyo leant forward and gave Sakura

 another soft kiss. This time, however, Sakura responded. Tomoyo

 blushed herself as she felt Sakura return the kiss with her whole

 genki spirit. Closing her eyes tightly, Tomoyo let the world melt

 away as the kiss took her to the brink of heaven. Maybe the dance

 hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but she was more than happy with the

 outcome. If Sakura thought she could make her happy, then she would

 just have to try her hardest.

 	Sakura held onto Tomoyo with all that she had as they kissed. It

 was even more magical than the one the night before. It filled Sakura

 with a swirling typhoon of feelings that threatened to sweep her

 away. But she didn’t care. She would be happy to lose herself in

 them. She felt so happy, so ‘hanyaa’, just to be with Tomoyo, to have

 found her prince. Or princess, as the case may be. Tomoyo had been

 right. Some things were worth searching an eternity for. But she was

 incredibly grateful that she had found it now.