Dear Sakura:

 On Angel's Wings

 by The Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 	“Tomoyo-chan, are you sure you won’t come with me? The cabin will

 be lonely without you. You could bring some of your videotapes and we

 could watch them while we’re up there. And the weather is going to be

 gorgeous. We could go for a picnic,” Sonomi Daidouji suggested to her

 daughter as the younger of the two continued packing. 

 	“I would love to come with, Okaa-sama, but I couldn’t stand to

 disappoint Sakura-chan. You should have heard her on the phone last

 night. She sounds so excited. I haven’t heard her like that since the

 night she told me that Li-kun had proposed to her.” What she didn’t

 have to add was that she and Syaoran had been planning to for weeks

 but he couldn’t work up the courage or make up his mind so she had to

 follow him around and nudge him ever closer into finally proposing.

 It had been one of the most heartbreaking things she had done for

 Sakura’s happiness, but it had to be done. What if he hadn’t proposed

 otherwise? Tomoyo smiled her trademark smile as she placed in some

 more clothing. Sakura had told her to pack light clothes, so she was

 going for a slightly different style than the usual dresses she wore.

 Her camcorder was already packed up in it’s case, ready for the long

 trip to Hong Kong.

 	Sonomi sighed exasperatedly. Even if she could see past her

 daughter’s almost impenetrable emotional masks, she still wished that

 she would let them down more often around her. And that she would

 listen to reason. “I just don’t think this is a good idea. Sakura-

 chan already went off and got married right in front of you. Does she

 really need to throw it in your face? No good can come from this.

 Just tell her that as your mother and your boss, I forced you to come

 along to the mountains with me.” The older woman took out the blouse

 Tomoyo had just placed in the suitcase, laying it back on the bed. 

 	Looking back to her mother, Tomoyo smiled cheerfully again as she

 repacked the offending blouse. “Sakura-chan wouldn’t do that. She’s

 lonely up in Hong Kong all by herself. She needs some help getting

 settled. So I’ll go and help her. I think she’ll be happy to get a

 little piece of home in her new life. It will help her to move on

 with her life.” Tilting her head to the side thoughtfully, she

 glanced around for anything she may be missing.

 	Her lithe hands taking her daughter’s shoulders, Sonomi turned the

 younger woman to face her. “But what about you, Tomoyo-chan? Maybe

 Sakura-chan does need this. But I really don’t think you do. It’s not

 wise for you to go back for more pain. Darling, don’t you think she’s

 hurt you enough? Do you need to see her with him now? For the past

 few years I’ve seen you suffer in silence as you watched them

 together. I don’t want you going off so she can blindly break my

 little girl’s heart again.” She frowned, brushing away some of

 Tomoyo’s lavender hair from her stormy blue eyes. Her heart was

 tearing itself in two. She knew first hand how painful it was to

 watch one’s true love marry another. And there had been nothing she

 could do about it. And now she was equally helpless to stop the pain

 in her daughter. Through the weak smile Tomoyo was keeping up, she

 could see the shimmer of tears in her daughter’s eyes and the deep

 pain behind it. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” Pulling the smaller woman

 closer, the businesswoman held onto her tightly, stroking her back

 the way she had when she was little. 

 	Tomoyo closed her eyes as her mother held onto her, letting the

 comforting embrace relax her. “Please don’t worry about me, Okaa-

 sama. I’ll be fine. I really will be happy to see Sakura-chan again.

 I’ve missed her so much lately. Hearing her on the phone and writing

 her isn’t enough. I need to see her. To be with her. Even if it’s for

 the last time,” her musical voice whispered softly, barely

 restraining the emotion underneath. She hugged her mother back, her

 eyes still shut. This whole visit had brought up so many mixed

 emotions in her. She dearly wanted to see her precious Sakura again,

 but the prospect of interrupting her new life with her husband was

 painful. She knew that Syaoran was probably taking good care of

 Sakura and providing her with things she never could. And in turn, he

 was rewarded with something Sakura could never give her. Her sweet,

 innocent love. And what a reward at that. But if he could make her

 happy, then he more than deserved it. But going in and seeing her

 beloved with her husband was a painful thought indeed. And after

 Sakura got settled, there really wouldn’t be much of a need for her

 anymore. Syaoran had already replaced her at Sakura’s side as the

 most important person in her life. He would love and support her the

 way she always had. She would go to him with her problems. And Sakura

 could forget about her. So in that sense, this trip was extremely

 bittersweet for the young heiress. This truly could be the last time

 she ever saw Sakura. But she had to. For Sakura’s sake. As well as

 her own. If this was her last chance to spend time with Sakura, she

 would have to treasure the moments for eternity. 

 	When Tomoyo finally stepped away from her mother, she smiled

 softly, composed once again. “I’ll be fine, Okaa-sama. I’ll give

 Sakura-chan your love.”

 	Sonomi seemed to consider that for a moment. Did she really want

 Sakura even hearing from her after the hell she had been forcing her

 daughter through? Not that there was any use arguing the point with

 Tomoyo. The younger Daidouji already had enough to worry about

 without her mother’s anger at Sakura. Sighing, she crossed her arms.

 “But promise that you’ll call me while you’re up there. Everyday. I

 want to know how things are going.”

 	Tomoyo giggled softly and  nodded. “Hai, Okaa-sama. I’ll be sure to

 call you. Please have fun on your vacation, too.” A melodious beeping

 interrupted the two from Tomoyo’s watch. Pink and cute with intricate

 and colorful designs on it, it was most obviously a product of

 Daidouji Toys. “I’m going to be late if I don’t hurry.” She glanced

 back at her mother after picking up her small bag with the camcorder

 in it. Two darkly clad bodyguards picked up her two other suitcases.

 “Everything will be fine. Please don’t worry. You’ve been so busy

 with work that you really need to relax on this vacation. And how can

 I enjoy my time with Sakura-chan if I know Okaa-sama’s busy worrying

 about me?”

 	The older woman couldn’t help but smile. Just like Nadeshiko. Her

 daughter had always been such a sweet girl, much like her cousin. But

 that concern for her loved ones came from Sonomi herself, even if

 Tomoyo managed to be more subtle about it. “Let’s hurry. The

 limousine’s waiting.” 

 	Taking one last look at her room, Tomoyo tried to spot anything

 that she might be missing. She was usually very good at organizing

 things, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing

 something. Her eyes finally settled on the half-finished costume she

 had once been working on for Sakura. Folding it over her arm, she

 hurriedly followed her mother out the door.

 

 	Stormy blue eyes watched with a mild curiosity as the lighter blue

 skies slowly filtered past outside the window. It wouldn’t take too

 long before she was in Hong Kong. But Tomoyo hadn’t fully sorted out

 her feelings on the situation. Which was very difficult for her. She

 knew how she should feel about the whole thing. She should be happy

 for Sakura, that she was with the one she loved and that she was

 happily on the road to her new life. But it hurt her terribly that

 their roads had veered from one another’s. Her heart longed for

 Sakura. Her determined spirit, her genki attitude, her sweet smile.

 Everything about her. So it was with some delight that she had gotten

 the chance to fly out to see her so soon. And without the pretext of

 Sakura being with child as well. But how did she fit into Sakura’s

 new life? As nothing more than a relic from the past, sadly. And this

 trip was just making her realize that cold fact more and more. The

 trip was not much more than an attempt to curb Sakura’s homesickness

 so that she could move on with her new life. Seeing Sakura would be

 both the most pleasant part of the trip and the most painful. Part of

 her had wanted to accept her mother’s offer to go on vacation with

 her at a cabin in the mountains. But she needed to see Sakura again.

 To see that she had done the right thing in getting her beloved with

 another. Of that she was fairly certain, but she wanted to see Sakura

 happy with her special person. Seeing that making Sakura happy would

 make it all worth it. The she could go back to Japan and Sakura could

 forget all about her. But her final memories of Sakura, the knowledge

 that Sakura was finally happy would carry her through it. 

 	Tomoyo needed to see Sakura if for no other reason than to be with

 her true love just once more. She needed to see the girl that she had

 fallen in love with all those years ago. Sakura always filled her

 heart with such warmth just being near her. That had been missing

 from her life for too long now. Her heart soared at the thought of

 seeing her dear Sakura again, of being able to experience those

 wonderful sensations without the aid of videotape or her own

 memories. To feel the sheer and utter warmth she had for this girl at

 its strongest, the way she always was when she was in Sakura’s

 presence. 

 	“Don’t you make me happy... Don’t you have a good time...” Tomoyo

 sung softly as she watched the clouds outside. One big fluffy one

 looked just like Kero-chan. And in another wispier one, she could see

 Sakura on her old staff. Smiling softly, she took a small bite of her

 meal. It was nice, but she wasn’t very hungry. 

 	“Can I get you anything, ma’am?” the waitress asked pleasantly.

 Tomoyo just smiled in response and shook her head politely. 

 	After months and months of struggling, Tomoyo had finally managed

 to watch the videotape of the wedding ceremony all the way through.

 She had left right near the end, unable to stay and watch the entire

 event. That fact weighed heavily upon her. She had wanted to stay for

 Sakura, but watching her love get married off and taken away from her

 for good was too much for her to bear. And that had been the last she

 had seen of Sakura. They had left for their honeymoon after that and

 then to Hong Kong. She was truly grateful that Sakura had sent her

 the bouquet from her wedding. She had felt devastated for not being

 there near the end, but it made her feel better to have the pretty

 flowers that symbolized Sakura’s new union. Now it was right next to

 her mother’s bouquet from Nadeshiko’s wedding. It really made her

 wonder if maybe it was Fate at work. Her mother obviously loved

 Nadeshiko with the same passion that she held for Sakura, yet she was

 denied that love. Just as she was denied the chance to be with

 Sakura. Even though they both went about their love in very different

 ways. But it was all right. Her mother might not understand exactly,

 but it really was more important that Sakura be happy than with her.

 That your loved one was happy, even if you weren’t together, truly

 was the most vital thing. 

 	That fact had been what she had tried to explain many times to

 Sakura. But what she hadn’t told Sakura was that even if she was

 pleased for her special someone to be happy with someone else, there

 was also a lot of hurt inside. Yes, she was happy for Sakura. That

 was the truth. It was also true that she cried herself to sleep at

 night, lonely and sad that she would never be able to let her

 feelings for Sakura out of the cage of her heart. But sometimes

 Sakura only needed the half truth. Especially when the whole truth

 would hurt her. And Tomoyo had been very careful in all the time that

 she had known Sakura to not hurt her. Even if it meant being creative

 about the truth at times and not always showing her true feelings. 

 	A mixture of pain and warmth, longing and loneliness filled the

 young businesswoman’s heart. Her own heart used to be so open to her.

 She had understood it implicitly. But now it was so confused by all

 the conflicting thoughts and emotions that she didn’t know if she

 could fit some of the conflicting emotions together. Which meant she

 had to be even more careful while in Hong Kong. She needed to be

 happy for Sakura. She couldn’t let Sakura see that she was hurting or

 it might ruin things. At the very least, it would make Sakura sad and

 she couldn’t have that. 

 	Tomoyo smiled gently as she closed her eyes, envisioning the cute

 brunette. “I love you, Sakura-chan. Let’s enjoy this trip. There will

 be time for tears later.”

 

 	Sakura sighed as she stared blankly at the magazine on her lap. Her

 mind was refusing to concentrate on anything. Tomoyo’s flight was

 overdue and she was starting to get worried. She had gotten to the

 airport early in her enthusiasm to see her sweet friend again. A yawn

 escaped her lips which she tried to cover quickly. Sleep hadn’t been

 very generous in coming for the past few nights. And the closer it

 got to Tomoyo’s arrival, the more difficult it became for her to get

 any rest. Last night had seemed like an eternity. Sleep had eluded

 her for hours. She spent most of it in the room she had prepared for

 Tomoyo, tidying things up one last time. When she had finally fallen

 asleep, she had found herself passed out at the desk in that room.

 Embarrassed and still a little sleepy, she had slipped back into bed

 with her husband, but sleep once again taunted her. All sorts of

 memories kept coming to her when she was about to nod off. The dress

 Tomoyo had made her for one of the school dances had come to mind.

 Then the lavender haired girl had asked her to the dance when she

 found out that Syaoran couldn’t be there to take her. That had been a

 lot of fun, even if it had seemed a little awkward at the time. When

 Tomoyo had practiced with her for her auditions in Drama Club, which

 had been the dark haired angel’s idea in the first place, had also

 drifted into her head. When Tomoyo had shown her the videotape of her

 flying on her magic staff and had found out that she was a magical

 girl played over and over again in her mind.

 	Oddly enough, the one memory that stuck out the most was when

 Tomoyo had been explaining the custom of making a teddy bear for the

 person you like and them naming it after you. When Sakura had asked

 the beautiful heiress about why she wasn't going to make one, Tomoyo

 had smiled at her and explained that she would be happy as long as

 her special person was. At the time, she had seen it as nothing more

 than Tomoyo’s usual eccentricity, but for some reason it was

 bothering her now. Why couldn’t Tomoyo make it for her special

 someone? That wasn’t fair that she’d have to be alone like that, not

 even being able to take part in such a cute little tradition. But

 before she could make any sense of the whole thing, she had hurried

 off to the airport.

 	The plane was still late. Sakura bit her lip anxiously. Her stomach

 was starting to feel sick from all of the anxiety of waiting. She

 kept seeing her pale friend in her mind’s eye, and it just made her

 impatience grow. She missed Tomoyo terribly. They had been best

 friends for years and years now and suddenly she was without her in a

 new country. She was happy to be with her new husband, but the

 loneliness she felt being away from Tomoyo continued to grow while

 she was gone. And that confused her. Now that she was starting her

 new life with Syaoran, she had expected that to diminish as time went

 by. But it had only grown worse. So Tomoyo’s visit came as quite a

 relief. It thrilled her to know that her friend would soon be with

 her again. There was so much to do! So much to say! Her heart pounded

 in her chest in excitement. She couldn’t wait to see the beautiful

 woman again, to laugh with her and know that she was there by her

 side. She hadn’t been this excited since the honeymoon. 

 	Sakura paused for a moment, setting the magazine aside. Tomoyo had

 been her best friend for what felt like a lifetime. They had only

 been apart for several months. And she was married to her loving

 husband and living her wonderful new life. Sure, it was great to be

 able to spend time with Tomoyo again, but was that really anywhere on

 par with a honeymoon with the man she had vowed to spend the rest of

 her life with? Oh, it didn’t matter. She missed her friend so dearly

 that it would be great to see her again. Why did it matter if she was

 so exited to see her or not? Tomoyo was very important to her. More

 than she’d ever realized before. But now that she was gone, Sakura

 missed her daily. The dark haired woman’s nigh constant comforting

 presence and warm words were no longer there except in the presence

 of phone calls and letters. And that just wasn’t the same thing. She

 needed the pale woman there with her so that she could feel whole

 again. She knew Tomoyo believed in her, but sometimes she had trouble

 believing in herself. And sometimes it was so hard adjusting to her

 new life. But Tomoyo had always helped her through everything.

 Somehow she knew that it would all be better if her incredibly

 perceptive friend was there to help her. 

 	Standing up excitedly, Sakura watched an airplane taxiing up. Was

 that hers? Could that be...? It was!! Sakura clasped her hands

 together happily as she watched it move slowly forward. It moved

 achingly slow in her mind. ‘If only this wasn't for just a visit’.

 That thought saddened her for a moment, but it quickly passed as her

 excitement built to a crescendo. All of the waiting had built up to

 this moment. All of that time apart would be over. At least for now.

 Tomoyo would have to leave again soon enough. That thought alone left

 a pain in her heart. Just like what Tomoyo had said about knowing

 they couldn’t be together forever. The same was true now. They’d only

 be here for a short visit. But that wasn’t for a while yet. And they

 would see each other again in the meantime. Her heart nearly stopped

 as she saw a pale figure walk out of the plane. Long, lavender hair

 was done up in elegant braids, draped past her shoulders, sharply

 contrasting her pale skin. Her short blue and aquamarine dress was

 simple but beautiful. Tomoyo was stunningly beautiful, even more so

 than Sakura had last remembered her. How her special someone could

 ignore her, Sakura could not even begin to comprehend. Joy bubbled up

 in her heart at the very sight of her best friend. It was a far cry

 from their first meeting in class eight years prior. “Tomoyo-chan !!

 Tomoyo-chan!” 

 	Tomoyo turned to find the source of the voice. Her smile brightened

 immeasurably as she spotted the brunette running towards her. “Sakura-

 chan!” She stepped to the side, trying to get away from the rest of

 the passengers and to her eager friend. “Sakura-chan, I’m so...” The

 breath was knocked out of her as Sakura leapt into an embrace. The

 athletic girl pulled her close, hugging her with all the energy she

 could muster. Tomoyo felt her own heart surge at being so near Sakura

 again. She had been right. Being near her did fill her heart near

 bursting as the love inside struggled to be released. “It’s so good

 to see you, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said sweetly when Sakura finally

 released her grasp ever so slightly. Her eyes lingered on Sakura’s

 shining emeralds. Sakura had grown into quite a pretty young woman.

 She was still Tomoyo’s image of perfection. The bags under Sakura’s

 eyes concerned her, but she knew that the Cardmistress hadn’t been

 sleeping much because of her impending visit. 

 	“I’m so happy to see you, too, Tomoyo-chan! I was starting to worry

 that you had been swept up on your way to see me. I couldn’t wait for

 you to get here.” Giving Tomoyo another tight hug, Sakura finally let

 go. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” It had felt like an eternity

 since she had last seen Tomoyo, but now that the dark haired girl was

 here, it felt like it had only been the day before that they had last

 seen each other. This trip was going to be wonderful. She could just

 feel it. 

 	Tomoyo giggled softly and shook her head. “Nothing could keep me

 from my Sakura-chan. I had to get here. I’m very sorry to keep you

 waiting.” She hefted the camcorder case up, adjusting the strap. “I

 wanted to come out and record you again but they won’t let me until I

 have it checked with security. It would have been the perfect first

 shot for my ‘Sakura-chan and the Dream Vacation’ videotape!”

 	Now it was Sakura’s turn to laugh. “We’ll have to get you some

 better shots than that. And I’m just glad to see you. I’ve missed you

 so much, Tomoyo-chan. You don’t know how happy I am to have you here

 in Hong Kong. I’ve been waiting the longest time for your visit.”

 	“I missed you, too, Sakura-chan. Nothing’s the same without your

 cute presence to make everything exciting.” Tomoyo couldn’t take her

 eyes off of Sakura. It was like she had been dying of thirst and had

 just found her oasis. She drank up Sakura hungrily, burning her

 precious image into her mind at that very moment as best she could.

 She felt like she had been kept in the dark, blind and deaf to the

 world and that she had just now been returned her senses. For now her

 worries were far away. They hardly seemed to matter in the face of

 the girl she loved. 

 	Sakura blushed softly at Tomoyo’s compliment, but smiled. “We

 better go get your bags. There’s so much I need to show you. And I

 can’t wait for you to see your room. I really think you’ll like it.

 I’ll help you unpack.” Taking Tomoyo’s hand, she couldn’t get rid of

 her smile. Not that she wanted to. She was too happy to have her

 friend back with her again. Things finally felt all right.

 	Tomoyo was a little surprised by Sakura’s hand holding her own, but

 she didn’t complain. Squeezing Sakura’s hand gently, she nodded. “I’m

 sure it will be lovely. Anything that Sakura-chan spent so much time

 and effort into must be perfect. I’ll love being able to see it

 without the need of a picture this time.” 

 	“I really hope you think so when you see it. I think it’ll be very

 nice for you. I tried to think like Tomoyo-chan while I was fixing up

 the room. I’m afraid it’s not much like your old room, but I still

 think it looks nice. So I’m not sure how good a job I did as you.”

 Sakura looked outside and sweatdropped. Rain plastered the windows

 all around them, casting the girls in shifting shadows.  “I hope you

 brought an umbrella. I was hoping things would at least clear up when

 you arrived.”

 	Leading Sakura towards the baggage check out, Tomoyo’s worries felt

 like they had been left back in the airplane. Being with Sakura again

 really did feel wonderful. “Hai, I did. I tried to pack as best I

 could from what you told me. And I already know that I’ll love the

 room Sakura spent so much time putting together for me. I’m much

 happier than I could be with any hotel room I could have.”

 	Sakura smiled happily and squeezed Tomoyo’s soft hand in return.

 “Good. We’ll need to hurry so that we don’t waste any of your time

 here!”