Author’s note: Hello everyone! ^-^ This is Heather of the Amazoness Duo 

 again. ^-^ This is my first Kaitou Saint Tail fanfic, though I hope to write more 

 soon. I just love Seira & Meimi. ^,^ Anyway, if you could spare a moment, 

 please tell me what you think. ^-^ Thanks! *hugs*

 

 Kiss Me Sunlights

 By Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 	The night air felt cool against Meimi’s bare skin, the moonlight lighting 

 the path she’d traveled time and time again. Pulling her jacket closer to her as 

 the wind picked up, she wondered what Seira needed her to do this time. A car 

 drove by a short distance away, startling her. It seemed to be the only sound she 

 had heard that night aside from her own footsteps. Along with a nervous feeling 

 growing in her stomach, she was starting to get anxious. Seira had been her best 

 friend for years now. They had gone through a lot together. She thought she 

 knew the other girl rather well. Something had been off in Seira’s voice when 

 she had called a short time ago, urging her to come meet her. Meimi only hoped 

 it wasn’t anything bad.

 	“There you are. I was starting to think that you wouldn’t come,” a 

 gentle voice said from a bench near the church. Seira mustered up a smile for 

 her friend, but it didn’t much help quell the tumultuous feelings inside of her. 

 She almost wished that something had happened and Meimi hadn’t been able to 

 make it. Then things would be so much easier. But that was the point, wasn’t it? 

 She was tired of leaving things the way they were. Wasn’t it better to get things 

 out in the open and hope for some sort of happy resolution to it all? The sister-

 in-training had spent over two hours trying to decide if she should call at all and 

 the past half hour worrying about what a mistake she may have made. The cold 

 bench under her had offered little sympathy to her worries. The cold night air 

 seeped right through the thin white fabric.

 	“I’m always here if you ask me, Seira. You know that.” Meimi tilted 

 her head to the side and laughed a bit. “But sometimes it seems like you know 

 everything anyway.” Brushing back her long her, she joined the short haired girl 

 on the bench. A leaf fell slowly between the two before landing on the cold dew 

 of the grass. The wind served to accentuate the silence as the two girls sat there 

 quietly. Meimi was starting to feel more nervous at each passing second, 

 wondering what was going on. Seira was acting strangely. If this was just like 

 every other time she had called her to do something as Saint Tail, then why was 

 she so quiet?

 	Seira didn’t answer for a long moment, looking out into the darkness. 

 Her night vision wasn’t as good as Meimi’s, but she wasn’t looking for anything 

 in particular. She had prayed about what to do about this for a while now and it 

 seemed that this was the best course of action. Not telling Meimi was almost as 

 bad as lying to her. “Meimi-chan, I thought there was something you should 

 know. I don’t like hiding anything from you. You’re my best friend and you’ve 

 always been very special to me so I feel horrible when I keep something from 

 you.” The wind seemed to die down for a moment. Seira reached out and placed 

 her hand over Meimi’s. Her hand felt warm to the touch, Seira’s hand holding it 

 tighter. She didn’t know if she could find the strength to say what she wanted to.

 	Her heart pounding in her chest, Meimi didn’t say anything. Seira 

 sounded so serious. What could be so important that she wouldn’t have told her 

 already? There was a touch of sadness laced in the sister-in-training’s voice as 

 well. Was she going away? To another school or church? Somewhere where 

 they wouldn’t see each other again? She moved her hand around so that she was 

 holding Seira’s as well and squeezed back, urging her to go on. “What is it, 

 Seira?”

 	It took all of Seira’s willpower to look Meimi in the eyes. What lovely 

 blue gray eyes they were... It was all she could do to keep from losing herself in 

 their depths. Her free hand held the small cross on her necklace, trying to find 

 the strength to go on from up above. “Meimi-chan, I know that someone’s in 

 love with you. They have been for a very long time. You’re like an angel to 

 them, a sweet and shining flower in their life that makes them happier than you 

 could ever know. They love you so much but they’re afraid to say anything. 

 Their life is already planned out. They know how things are supposed to be. 

 They don’t want to frighten you or risk losing you.” She was shaking now, 

 almost too afraid to go on but unsure if she could stop herself now that she’d 

 said as much as she had. Meimi’s warm hand squeezed her own shaking one 

 softly. Pulling it into both of her own, she held it on her lap as she tried to calm 

 down.

 	Meimi was still in shock over what Seira had said. So many people 

 went to the short haired girl with their problems day in and day out. Had 

 someone come to her saying all of this? Was someone really this worried about 

 her finding out he was in love with her? Was it... Was it Asuka Jr.? Had he come 

 to Seira about all of this? Her heart was pounding even harder in her chest now. 

 “It’s Asuka Jr., isn’t it? He was the one who said all that, wasn’t he? I knew he 

 could be romantic. He’s afraid of telling me? Is that why he’s always so mean?” 

 she got out in a blur. Everything was so strange, like her heart was being pulled 

 in different directions. That was so sweet that he thought of her that way, like an 

 angel. And here she thought he was just being a jerk about everything. Wait, 

 something was wrong. Seriously wrong. “Seira, are you crying?”

 	The slightly smaller girl shuddered in the cold night air, choking back a 

 sob as she pulled her hand away from Meimi’s. No, it wasn’t supposed to be this 

 way. She had been wrong to have thought she should ever have said anything. 

 Her life was already planned out for her. It was a mistake to think that she 

 should say anything at all. She could barely hear Meimi asking again and again 

 what was wrong, but she was having a hard enough time trying to pull herself 

 back together. Right now all she wanted was to cry herself to sleep. To get 

 away. But she couldn’t. Even if she could try, Meimi was much faster than her. 

 The wind started to pick up again, leaves swirling around the two girls. Seira 

 wiped at her eyes with her palms, shaking her head in answer to Meimi’s 

 repeated question. Whenever she tried to speak, all she could do was choke out 

 another sob. It took her several minutes before she could get anything out, her 

 throat now painful. “No, it’s nothing, Meimi-chan. It really doesn’t matter. It 

 doesn’t matter at all. Just forget about it. Please forget about it for me.” 

 	Meimi didn’t know what to say to her best friend. Watching Seira 

 sitting right next to her, hunched over and sobbing, her face buried in her hands. 

 It sent an icy blade through her heart. What had she done? How had she hurt 

 her? “Seira?” she asked quietly, but it was too late. The damage was done and 

 she knew that no amount of questioning would get whatever she’d done out of 

 Seira. Her shoulders slumped sadly as she looked at her feet. She felt... empty. 

 She wished she had kept her mouth shut. 

 	“A girl came to me with a problem. She had accidentally given a video 

 tape to her best friend with some things on it that she doesn’t want her to see 

 instead of another tape she was going to give her. She’s afraid that her friend 

 will see the tape before she’s ready to understand how she feels. Saint Tail needs 

 to get it back for her,” Seira explained, her voice barely masking the pain she 

 was in. 

 	Meimi nodded weakly, sighing. “Hai, I’ll get it back for her, Seira. I’ll 

 go get it tomorrow.” An uneasy silence blanketed the two for a long moment. 

 Meimi tried to take Seira’s hand again, but the nun girl stood up quickly. “Seira, 

 I don’t have to go. Can you tell me what’s wrong? I’m really sorry if it’s 

 something I said.” Getting to her feet, she took a step towards the short haired 

 girl, but Seira took a step away, her back to her.

 	“No, it’s not important. I was mistaken to think it was. I’m extremely 

 sorry for getting you out here so late. I’ll try to be more considerate next time.” 

 Seira held as still as she could, unsure of how long she could keep from crying 

 in front of her friend. 

 “But... Why are you so sad, Seira? Maybe I should stay with you. You 

 don’t have to tell me anything,” Meimi offered hopefully. Anything to make up 

 for putting her best friend through any pain. If she couldn’t know what was 

 going on, at least she could be there for her.

 “Thank you, but I have some things I need to do in the church. I 

 promised one of the Sisters. Goodnight, Meimi-chan.” Her hands clasped in 

 front of her, Seira didn’t look back. ‘Please don’t go. Please stay with me. I 

 don’t want to be alone right now,’ she thought frantically, but no words would 

 come out. 

 “Oh... okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sleep well, Seira.” 

 Meimi offered a weak smile before disappearing the way she had come.

 Seira collapsed to her knees seconds later, shaking her head as icy tears 

 fell to the ground. “But... Meimi, I love you.” The wind scattered her tears as the 

 night moved inexorably onward towards the coming dawn.

 

 	Meimi yawned tiredly as she trudged her way to school the next 

 morning. She had spent half the night tossing and turning, her mind constantly 

 returning to Seira. The lonely look in her eyes that she’d barely managed to 

 catch a glimpse of before the nun-in-training had turned away haunted her every 

 time she closed her eyes. How could she have hurt her that badly? It could have 

 been something else that hurt her. Maybe whatever it was that Seira wasn’t 

 telling her. But Meimi had a hard time believing that. Seira had seemed nervous, 

 but it wasn’t until she’d started ranting about what she thought it could be that 

 the glow in the young Sister’s eyes had shattered. But no matter how many 

 times she went over it in her mind, she couldn’t figure out what had happened.

 	A sigh escaped the mysterious thief’s lips as she hoisted her bookbag 

 higher. All she had to do was ask Seira about it before class. Unless Seira tried 

 to change the subject like she did often enough when she would ask about just 

 what Seira’s sources of information were. No, she wouldn’t let her off that easy. 

 If Seira was hurting, then she had to know why. She couldn’t leave her best 

 friend like that. It tore her up inside to think that it was her fault. That she was 

 the reason for those crystal tears in Seira’s indigo eyes. This was something 

 Kaitou Saint Tail would have to put right if she was ever going to get a good 

 night’s sleep again.

 	A rustling sound in the bushes off to the right startled Meimi. To her 

 surprise, Ryoko and Kyoko stepped out. The two girls’ uniforms were both 

 rather disheveled and they were both blushing a deep scarlet. Brushing back 

 some hair from her eyes, Meimi took a deep breath. “Oh, it’s you. You two 

 frightened me.” She tilted her head to the side, watching Kyoko fidget as she 

 tried to snag something that seemed to be made from white cloth in Ryoko’s 

 hand. Ryoko only grinned as she kept it away from the smaller girl. 

 	“Meimi-chan!! What a surprise to see you here. I mean, on your way to 

 school and all. You’re usually to school just a little earlier than us,” Kyoko got 

 out quickly. She offered a nervous laugh after a brief second. “Well, you better 

 get going if you don’t want to be late for class.”

 	“Un, you’re right.” Meimi nodded as she took a step forward. She 

 paused when she noticed that neither Kyoko nor Ryoko had made a move to 

 follow her. “What about you two? Shouldn’t you get going, too?”

 	Kyoko cast a sidelong glance at Ryoko before replying. “I would, but I 

 need to get something that was stolen from me before I can go.” As the wind 

 picked up, her blush grew darker, her hands going down immediately to hold 

 down her skirt. 

 	Ryoko just giggled as she began to follow Meimi. “You’ll have to ask 

 Saint Tail if you want it back that badly, Kyoko-chan. Or you can come over 

 tonight. I’m sure you could get whatever it is back then.” She smiled innocently 

 as the other girl gave her a deadly glare. One she might actually worry about if 

 she didn’t know what a kitten Kyoko was. 

 	“Hmph...” Kyoko crossed her arms as she followed the two girls ahead 

 of her. “I guess I’ll just have to do that then.” She made extra sure to give Ryoko 

 another disapproving glare before melting into a bright smile when she finally 

 caught her eyes. “Maybe we could study... or something.”

 	“Or something,” Ryoko repeated in agreement, returning the smile.

 	Meimi sweatdropped fiercely as they walked along. She had no idea 

 what they were talking about. Unless... No, she was just having a hard time 

 thinking correctly after the night before with Seira. Her mind wasn’t working 

 now and she needed to speak with her best friend soon so things could go back 

 to normal. Lonely, tear filled eyes greeted her when her eyes closed, sending a 

 shiver through her soul. She needed to see Seira. Soon. But where was she? 

 Seira usually met her on the way to school, but the brunette was nowhere to be 

 seen. Was she waiting for her? She picked up her pace as she the school came 

 into site. 

 

 	Setting her bookbag next to her desk, Haneoka Meimi glanced around 

 the room for her best friend, hoping to see her amongst the small groups of 

 students. After a few tense moments, she still couldn’t spot the sister-in-training. 

 A long sigh escaped her lips as she sat down. This was starting to worry her. 

 First the weird way Seira had been acting the night before and now her not 

 showing up for class. It didn’t seem like her at all. Something was most certainly 

 wrong.

 	“So you really almost caught her this time, Asuka Jr.?” one of the boys 

 asked eagerly as the detectives son walked into class.

 	“Yeah, not like the last thirty seven times. This time she was looking 

 right at me. If I hadn’t been blinded by Mimori holding a flashlight, I would 

 have seen who she was,” Asuka Jr. responded, a mix of anguish and hope in his 

 voice. “One of these days... I will be the one to catch Saint Tail!”

 	The other boys crowded around him with their usual casual amusement. 

 Whether it was for the recent news on Asuka Jr.’s quest to catch Saint Tail or if 

 it was just to watch him make an ass out of himself, none of the girls really 

 knew. Nor cared. 

 	Meimi rested her chin on her hands, waiting to see how Asuka Jr.’s 

 account of events would conflict with reality. All he cared about was catching 

 Saint Tail. How could he be so single minded? And thinking that she couldn’t be 

 Saint Tail, at that! Oh, when he found out, she needed to give him a piece of her 

 mind. Seira’s warning came to mind again, snapping her out of it. She had to be 

 very careful about who could know that. So far only Seira knew that she was the 

 Mysterious Thief Saint Tail. But that was because she could always trust Seira 

 with anything. Seira was the entire reason she was Saint Tail. Asuka Jr. chasing 

 her was just a side of it that managed to keep her entertained as she kept going 

 on whatever missions Seira had for her. She enjoyed the chase. It was fun to 

 play cat and mouse, like a game. 

 	“She’s practically begging for me to catch her now. I can tell. I bet that 

 I can catch her by the next time I see her,” Asuka Jr. bragged, leaning against his 

 desk.

 	Meimi stood up immediately, a certain nun-in-training not there to stop 

 her anger from boiling over. “I am not...” She clenched her fists, barely keeping 

 herself from saying something she would regret later on. It was so much easier 

 when Seira was there to drag her off. “Saint Tail is not begging for you to catch 

 her! I don’t see why she’d pick such an inept person to be the one to figure out 

 who she is.”

 	The green haired boy frowned as he turned to face the (unbeknownst to 

 him) mysterious thief. “How would you know, Haneoka? You’re not there when 

 I match wits with Saint Tail again and again. You wouldn’t understand this sort 

 of thing. It’s part of criminal mentality, Saint Tail’s in particular. She wants me 

 to catch her.”

 	Fuming, Meimi reduced the distance between her and her rival in an 

 instant. “You match wits with her? So that’s why you always lose. I knew there 

 had to be some reason.”

 	“Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!” the boy said angrily as he 

 matched her glare. Why was she always shooting him down? Especially about 

 Saint Tail? He was the expert on the thief, not her. She should know her place!

 	Before Meimi could shoot something back that would have stunned her 

 classmates and, in particular, Asuka Jr., their teacher was upon them. And 

 apparently, Meimi had said it because after the room fell deathly silent as 

 everyone’s attention had focussed on her, she spent the rest of that morning 

 outside holding two buckets of water. 

 

 	By lunchtime, Meimi was still embarrassed about her little outburst 

 earlier. She was still getting freaked out looks from Asuka Jr. and Lina was 

 giving her the evil eye. Seira had yet to make an appearance and that was really 

 starting to worry her. She couldn’t remember Seira ever missing a full day of 

 school. The clouds were starting to darken and the wind was picking up, 

 blowing back her long hair. It even smelled like rain. She really didn’t feel like 

 going through the effort of giving Asuka Jr. a challenge, but she knew she had 

 to. A promise was a promise, after all. Patting him on the back as she passed, he 

 stared at her oddly. She murmured something as she headed for the church to 

 see if her friend had taken refuge there. 

 

 	Haneoka sure was acting strangely. Even more so than normal. And he 

 still couldn’t believe what she’d said earlier this morning. The things that had 

 come out of that girl’s mouth... He shook his head and continued eating his 

 lunch. 

 	“Good luck tonight!” a boy said as he passed by. 

 	Asuka Jr. raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy until he was out of 

 sight. Freak. He went back to eating his lunch.

 	“Oh, I’ll bet Kaitou Saint Tail’s going to perform her greatest heist,” a 

 girl said as she and her friends came from behind. 

 	“I wonder what she wants this time,” another girl said thoughtfully as 

 she came from his other side. 

 	“What’s going on?!” The young detective wannabe stood up in 

 frustration. A slip of paper came floating down off of his back. “Huh?” Plucking 

 it from the ground, he quickly skimmed over it. 

 	“Tonight I will come to steal an important videotape from Kinomoto 

 Sakura. Not even the coming storm can stop me. ~ St. Tail”

 	“Saint Tail?!” The green haired boy’s eyes went wide at the letter. 

 Another challenge! This time, he would prove Haneoka-san wrong. Leaving the 

 rest of his lunch, he ran off to call the Inept Police Force for backup.

 

 	The door flew open as Haneoka Meimi entered her house. She barely 

 had the willpower to take off her shoes. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she 

 collapsed onto the couch, her bookbag dropping next to her. Try as she might, 

 she had been unable to locate her missing best friend and none of the nuns 

 would tell her where she was. It was like some huge conspiracy was keeping her 

 from seeing Seira. Okay, maybe not. But it was still frustrating after seeing her 

 best friend crying the night before. She wanted to be there, to help her. Just like 

 how Seira had always helped her when things were bad. She couldn’t get the 

 nun girl off her mind all day. Her worrying was just getting worse. She still 

 didn’t quite know why Seira had wanted to see her the night before. I certainly 

 wasn’t just to tell her what she needed to do. And she was really starting to fear 

 that it had something to do with her. Why else would Seira be avoiding her this 

 way? 

 	“Meimi, are you alright?” her father asked, pushing up his glasses with 

 his index finger.

 	“No.” 

 	“Would you like to see a magic trick? It’ll cheer you up.” He smiled as 

 he entered the living room. 

 	“No.”

 	He frowned as he went back to the kitchen. “I’m worried about Meimi-

 chan, Mama. She seems so troubled, but she won’t let me cheer her up.”

 	Eimi smiled as she hugged her magician husband. “That’s okay. I’m 

 supposed to be your special assistant, so she doesn’t need to see the magic trick 

 anyway. Besides, Meimi’s in love,” she stated quite positively. Meimi 

 sweatdropped, still within earshot of her parents. 

 	Genichirou turned around, looking at the back of his daughter’s head. 

 “In love? Are you sure? I think she’s just troubled about school.”

 	“No, she’s in love. Sitting there that way reminds me just how I was at 

 her age.” 

 	“Like you? That’s what I’m worried about.”

 	“Then stop worrying about it and we’ll go rehearse that magic trick of 

 yours. I’m sure I’ll make a good special assistant,” Eimi said suggestively.

 	“Oh, practice _that_ part. Yeah, I always love _that_ part.”

 	Meimi blushed profusely at her parents’ plans. At least they weren’t 

 worrying about her anymore. She didn’t feel like explaining as it was. In love. 

 Ha! If only. That would be easier than this. Sweatdropping at a strange noise 

 coming from the kitchen, she quickly excused herself and hurried upstairs. 

 

 	“Ruby? Why is Seira avoiding me? Why is she acting so strangely?” 

 Meimi asked as she tossed her school blouse vaguely in the hedgehog’s 

 direction. Of course, she got no answer. “I mean, we’ve been best friends for 

 years. We’re always together. So why would she just leave me out of things 

 now? We’re partners. She’s the only reason I’m Saint Tail anyway. Maybe I 

 shouldn’t go until she explains things to me. I need to know what hurt her so I 

 can try to fix it. I really hope it wasn’t me. If I hurt her...” Sighing, her skirt 

 joined the blouse as she dug through her closet. Not that it mattered what she 

 picked out as it was because she would soon be running across rooftops as Saint 

 Tail. “She’s acting strangely. Something about all this just makes me nervous. I 

 need to see her smile again before I can rest easily. I can’t get her out of my 

 mind. But that doesn’t help any if she’s not there. I missed her all day.” Pausing 

 for a moment, she shook her head. “No, since last night. I never should have left 

 her. I should have stayed with her. I was stupid to leave after seeing those tears 

 in her eyes.” She clutched a sweater to her chest, her eyes falling closed as guilt 

 grabbed at her soul. Regret at failing Seira when she knew Seira would have 

 stayed with her no matter what preyed on her mind, visions of what might have 

 been running over and over. 

 	Ruby made a small sound as she stood up and tilted her head to the 

 side, poking out of Meimi’s school clothes. 

 	Smiling, Meimi picked up her small pet. “Thanks, Ruby. You’re right. I 

 need to go work all of this out with Seira. Neither of us can be happy until we’ve 

 put things right.” She kissed the hedgehog’s forehead and set it back down. Her 

 thoughts grew more determined to fix things as she slipped out the window. 

 “Seira.”

 

 	Seira heard her coming long before she could see her. Her eyes were 

 still closed as she stay kneeling in prayer. Her heart was racing as she tried to 

 stay calm, praying for the strength to keep going. If only things could work out... 

 But no, she had decided a long time ago that they wouldn’t. That’s why she had 

 chosen this life. She had things planned. A hand on her shoulder startled her out 

 of her thoughts and what little concentration she had gathered. Attempting a 

 smile, she turned to face her friend, the look of concern on Meimi’s face wiping 

 the smile away. The silence lasted for a few moments before she stood up. 

 Meimi’s blue eyes tried to catch her own gray blue eyes, but she couldn’t meet 

 her gaze. “Hello, Meimi-chan.”

 	“Seira, where were you? I couldn’t find you at all at school. None of 

 the Sisters would tell me where you were, either.” Meimi took a step closer to 

 the brunette. “I was worried about you. I missed you. And after last night... It 

 scared me. All of those things you said last night and then you up and disappear 

 today. I didn’t know what to think.”

 	Clasping her hands together, the nun-in-training looked away. “I’m 

 sorry, Meim-chan. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just didn’t feel well today. I 

 couldn’t go to school.” Her heart twisted at the half truth. A sigh escaped her 

 lips. She had already tried to tell Meimi the night before. It was pointless to try 

 again. She would just have to hold those feelings inside. Forever. Because she 

 knew they would never go away. She had been so scared of them at first. She 

 had been raised by nuns. It was completely improper to feel that way. But as 

 time went by, she realized that she couldn’t help it. It was part of who she was. 

 She couldn’t keep herself from loving Meimi. She could merely keep herself 

 from expressing it. And if she couldn’t, then it was best for her to go into the 

 convent. It would be a way to repay the church for raising a lonely orphan girl 

 like herself. If she couldn’t be with the one she loved, at least she could do that.

 	“Why? Were you sick? Or was it because of last night?” Meimi 

 demanded. Taking Seira’s arm, she turned the slightly smaller girl to face her. 

 Her face was still marked with concern. “Seira, whatever it was last night, I 

 shouldn’t have left. And I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I 

 don’t ever want to hurt you. Please tell me what’s going on.” Her fingers lightly 

 brushed Seira’s puffy red cheeks. Sadness welled up in her at that. It was 

 obvious that she’d been crying earlier. 

 	Seira blushed a bit at the feeling of Meimi’s fingers against her cheek. 

 Her eyes fell closed, the frightened girl torn between pulling away and melting 

 into the warm touch. Why did she have to do this to her? She was helping her by 

 keeping it all inside, by not burdening her with these feelings that she could 

 never return. Her eyes started to sting again but she fought to hold the tears 

 back. “Meimi-chan... Please just go and get the tape.. Please...” she pleaded with 

 the mysterious thief, unsure of how much more she could take before breaking 

 down. The young Sister-in-training shuddered as Meimi’s fingers brushed some 

 tears away from her cheeks. It hadn’t occurred to her until then that she’d begun 

 to cry.

 	“Seira, please tell me what’s going on. I don’t know if it’s my fault or 

 not, but I want to help you,” Meimi whispered softly, feeling horrible at seeing 

 the other girl in such pain. If only there was some way for her to alleviate it. To 

 take it on herself. “Please, Seira-chan.” Seira tried to respond a few times, but 

 only sobs escaped her. Meimi pulled her shuddering body close, hugging her as 

 warmly as she could. The brunette slumped against her, choked sobs coming 

 from her as she held on. The poor girl seemed so tiny and frail in her grasp. “No. 

 I’m going to do what I should have done last time. I’m going to stay with you. 

 I’ll always be there for you, Seira-chan. I’ll always protect you.” Hugging the 

 other girl tighter, Meimi closed her blue eyes. ‘Not Saint Tail, but me. I’ll 

 always be there to help her. I don’t need a flashy alter-ego to be there for Seira.’

 	This wasn’t fair! How could she be so close and yet so far? It was like a 

 taste of heaven. All she ever wanted, but she knew it would be snatched from 

 her at any moment. This wasn’t really hers. She was only getting Meimi’s 

 warmth, her loving embrace because of their friendship. It would never be what 

 she really wanted. This was only a mirage. She had to keep her mind from 

 giving in. But it felt so nice, Meimi’s arms around her. She couldn’t help but rest 

 her head on the magical girl’s shoulder. If she had to endure much more of this, 

 it would be far too much for her to handle. “You have to help that girl. I’ll be 

 here when you’re finished. I promise,” she whispered softly into Meimi’s ear.

 	Meimi hesitated, biting her lip. Could she really just abandon her again 

 the way she had the night before? What if it made things worse? Seira was much 

 more important to her than Saint Tail. Her choice between the two was clear.

 	“Please. She needs your help. She’ll be hurt badly if you don’t get that 

 videotape back. It’s important.” Seira wiped at her eyes as she took a step away 

 from Meimi’s warm embrace. “She’s in love with the girl she gave that tape to. 

 If you don’t get it back, it could ruin everything.”

 	That startled her. The girl she gave it to? So she... was in love with 

 her...? Alright, this was starting to get confusing. “You’ll still be here?” Meimi 

 repeated, sounding unsure. 

 	Nodding, Seira hugged herself. “I’ll still be here, Meimi. I promise you. 

 But please, help her first. I... I understand what she’s going through. She needs 

 your help.” When she’d first stumbled upon the pale, dark haired girl, she had 

 been outside the church, some bodyguards following nearby. Something about 

 her, maybe the sad look in her stormy blue eyes, had drawn Seira closer. She 

 had learned of the girl’s True Love, her best friend who hadn’t caught on about 

 how she felt despite numerous hints. She had videotaped a confession of her 

 love and had accidentally given it to the other girl by mistake rather than the 

 video she had meant to give her, something showing off a costume. Now she 

 was afraid that the other girl would find out before she was ready. She still 

 remembered the dark haired girl’s words. 

 	“When I close my eyes, I can see her smiling at me. So warmly, so 

 tenderly. Yet she doesn't see the yearning, doesn't notice the depths of my love 

 for her. It flows deeply through me, cradling my soul when things get too 

 painful to move on. Her very essence, all that she is forces me to carry on when 

 I don't think I can anymore. I would do anything for her. I would give her the 

 world if I could. I would give her my heart, but she already has it. Does she 

 know that? Is it just an accepted fact or does she still think that maybe I'm just a 

 little strange? That my reasoning for acting the way I do can't possibly be 

 because I'm in love with her. So in love with her. I would die for her. This life is 

 only a cruel joke without her so my own life can't be worth very much at all. But 

 her... She’s an angel. I don't regret a single day, a single second that was spent 

 with her, no matter the pain it would cause later. Even if I had known, I wouldn't 

 give it away for the world. Because on cold, lonely nights like tonight, I can 

 close my eyes and see her through the tears, waiting for me. Sometimes that's 

 the only way I can get to sleep. In her arms, I know that I would be able to 

 finally sleep peacefully. But that will never happen, will it? I'll have to keep 

 pretending, keep yearning for her, even if it hurts. I can't show her the tears, the 

 rips in my soul. I can't let her know that I'm bleeding inside. That every smile 

 hides the sobs I keep from her. But that's the way it has to be. How would she 

 handle the knowledge that being with her is both the most wonderful, warm 

 feeling in my heart, and the most painful, cold torment? I can't take that 

 innocence away from her. She would lose something. And then our friendship 

 would suffer for it. She wouldn't act the same way around me anymore and I 

 would hate myself for that.” Tomoyo closed her eyes and sighed. “I want her to 

 know, but it shouldn’t be this way. She wouldn’t understand if she finds out on 

 her own.”

 	‘I want to tell you, too, Meimi. But I can’t... I tried, but I can’t. I’m 

 sorry,’ Seira thought to herself sadly. 

 	Finally nodding assent, Meimi crossed her arms. “Alright, but I’ll be 

 right back. I can’t stand to see you like this Seira. I need to know what’s hurting 

 you.”

 	Seira smiled softly, taking Meimi’s hand. “Thank you, Meimi-chan. 

 I’m sure the girl will be very happy to receive God’s protection with the help of 

 Saint Tail.” 

 

 	Sakura Kinomoto sweatdropped as her older brother, Touya once again 

 argued with the younger, green haired boy about just why he needed to be there. 

 Just half an hour ago, a boy named Asuka Jr. had arrived with several police 

 officers and had demanded that they let him in, showing off some sort of trinket 

 as if it were a badge and an excellent reason for them to comply with his 

 demands. Touya had not been about to, but his friend, the bespectacled white 

 haired boy had managed to calm him down long enough for the green haired boy 

 to slip past and explain his case. Apparently, the mysterious thief Saint Tail had 

 pegged their house for her next heist and would be there that night. And even 

 more of a shock to the young Cardmistress was that she was after a videotape 

 that Tomoyo had given her. That just didn’t make sense. Why would a thief 

 want to steal something that her friend had given her? Especially something of 

 no actual value like a videotape. The green haired boy had shrugged off her 

 question, merely stating that ‘Saint Tail’s like that. I’m sure she has a reason.”

 	But that wasn’t a good enough explanation to the brunette. 

 Unfortunately, he seemed to be in no mood to explain, busying himself with 

 planning some sort of trap for the mysterious thief. So Sakura sat alone in her 

 room, her brother’s irritated voice coming upstairs through the door as he 

 hounded the younger boy at every step. Sakura was thankful that her father was 

 gone for the night. Of course, that meant Touya had to cook. And he had 

 expressed no interest whatsoever at feeding the hungry looking officers 

 downstairs. 

 	Why did she want the videotape? What could be so important that 

 she’d sneak in to steal it? It was just a videotape of her in various costumes with 

 some action sequences at the end to appease Kero-chan. Maybe she should call 

 Tomoyo. Tomoyo always made things seem better, especially when she was 

 confused like this. Her hand reached out instinctively for the pink cell phone 

 Tomoyo had given her so long ago. Her fingers paused just over the speed dial 

 button. The dark haired girl loved taking videos of her. Wouldn’t it worry her if 

 Sakura told her someone was trying to steal it? No, she couldn’t worry Tomoyo 

 like that. The other girl was rather... eccentric. Especially when it came to her. 

 But she’d never really seen her worried about anything that didn’t have to do 

 with her. Still, she didn’t want to press her luck and worry Tomoyo 

 unnecessarily. This matter would likely be solved soon enough.

 	But what was on that videotape?

 

 	Touya spent a long time preparing dinner, making sure that everything 

 was just perfect. The intoxicating smells wafted through the house, seeming to 

 draw everyone towards the kitchen. Yukito watched intently as he went about 

 pouring in some water. The taller boy made absolutely sure that he had just 

 enough food for himself, Yukito, and his little sister. Of course, it was a rather 

 difficult job discerning just how much the white haired boy would eat. 	

 “So what are you making?” one of the officers asked curiously. He and 

 two others had gathered to watch Touya cook. They all looked starving. But the 

 teenage boy still wasn’t pleased about this intrusion into his home. 

 Pointedly ignoring them, Touya went back to preparing the food. It was 

 with some satisfaction that he noticed someone’s stomach growling. 

 

 Asuka Jr. paced the living room nervously. It was starting to grow late 

 out and there had still been no sign of Saint Tail. She was coming. He knew she 

 was. He knew it at his very core. Because she always did. There was something 

 in that line of thought that comforted the boy. It was reassuring; a constant in an 

 otherwise always shifting world. And for that, he thanked Saint Tail. But he was 

 still going to catch her and find out just who she was! This game of theirs had 

 gone on long enough. He wouldn’t allow himself to be fooled by anymore of her 

 tricks. This time all of the cards were on the table and he was determined to win. 

 “Take your shoes off,” the older boy of the house demanded, his eyes 

 following Asuka Jr.’s every move. The officers that had come with Asuka Jr. 

 had already complied. 

 “What?” The green haired boy asked, turning around for the hundredth 

 time on the plush carpet as he continued his pacing.

 “I said, take your shoes off,” Touya repeated firmly. 

 “I need to be able to catch Saint Tail! This is official business. You can 

 take it up with the mayor,” Asuka Jr. argued, his frustration building. He would 

 be the one to catch Saint Tail! Why did everyone insist upon getting in his way? 

 Didn’t they understand? It was his quest! He just had to catch her! It was the 

 natural order of things. Yet people still insisted upon interfering. Right now it 

 was his time. As soon as his business with Saint Tail was concluded, it could go 

 back to being Torga’s time. Or whatever his name was. But the look on the older 

 boys face told an entirely different story. Grumbling to himself, Asuka Jr. finally 

 left his shoes by the door. 

 Crossing his arms angrily, the junior detective returned to his pacing, 

 oblivious to anything but his sole purpose in life. Where had he been, again? Oh 

 yes. She would be here. And when she did...

 “Hello! I’m here to see Kinomoto-san. Is she here?” A cute girl in a 

 black and white school uniform asked. It was the same uniform he’d seen that 

 Sakura girl wearing earlier. Must be a classmate. He couldn’t quite see her face 

 under shadows cast by the slightly larger than usual hat she was wearing. “Yeah, 

 she’s upstairs. But make it quick. This is official police business.” A giggle 

 escaped the girl as she headed for the stairs. Stupid girl. She didn’t understand 

 what she was in the middle of. He continued his pacing, waiting for just the right 

 moment to pounce on Saint Tail. It couldn’t be much longer now.

 

 Confusion. That was the first response that came to Sakura’s mind as 

 she sat in stunned silence, her television currently showing static. Two hours. 

 The tape had been two hours long. How do you take two hours to confess your 

 love to someone? Tomoyo had found an excellent way. And she’d made perfect 

 use of the new editing system her mother had given her, splicing in scenes from 

 earlier tapes and cute background music as she all the while narrated the video, 

 giving an explanation of her feelings and what Sakura meant to her. It was 

 certainly the oddest declaration of love that Sakura had ever been witness to, but 

 it had definitely been done well. 

 But for some reason, the brunette just couldn’t work herself up to be 

 surprised. It made sense. Even if she hadn’t really understood a lot of what the 

 dark haired girl had said before or some of the hints she had given, this just 

 seemed to clear up everything, giving her an insight into her best friend that 

 she’d never thought to look for. Of course Tomoyo loved her. In hindsight, it 

 was blindingly obvious. Looking back, everything took on a whole new light. 

 Things made more sense now. Tomoyo made more sense now. 

 And in some ways, Sakura made more sense now. The video had really 

 gotten her to think. Every little confession Tomoyo had made, every explanation 

 that had drawn Sakura closer to the screen, wanting to know what the pale girl 

 was about to say next, had started to confuse her more and more as the video 

 went on. But now...  What Tomoyo had explained had sounded so familiar. The 

 feelings she had described and the emotions that coursed through her had all felt 

 so close to her. As if she understood what Tomoyo had meant. But she couldn’t 

 possibly understand, could she? Those feelings weren’t anything like what she 

 had felt for Yukito. Yet Tomoyo was most positively in love. So where had 

 those feelings, or the memories of those feelings, been to have come unbidden to 

 her mind? 

 And then, she understood. Just as those stormy blue eyes had conveyed 

 the feelings deep within Tomoyo, she knew that she’d felt them everyday 

 herself. How far did it go back? How long had she felt this way? She couldn’t 

 tell for sure. But those safe, warm feelings had bathed her for quite a while now. 

 That soft thrill, the yearning, and the jumbled thoughts. The hot blushes and the 

 embarrassing moments. She had felt this way about Tomoyo for a mystifying 

 amount of time. She just hadn’t realized it. “Hoe...” 

 	Tomoyo had been too close to her. Sakura had never been able to 

 understand because those feelings were always there. She had come to take them 

 for granted, just as she had taken Tomoyo for granted. As if they’d always be 

 there the same way that Tomoyo would always be there. So she had never taken 

 the time to actually look at those feelings, to see that Tomoyo was their source. 

 That Tomoyo made her happy. Just like what Tomoyo had said. ‘I’ll be happy as 

 long as the person I like is happy.’ Those words had comforted her slightly 

 when she was trying to get over Yukito. But now she understood the warmth 

 behind Tomoyo’s voice when she’d said it. This time she knew what Tomoyo 

 had truly meant. “But Tomoyo-chan... You make me happy,” Sakura whispered. 

 Her head cocked to the side in thought, she realized that it was true. Tomoyo did 

 make her happy. She was the one thing in this world that she always knew could 

 make things seem better. 

 	She had had these feelings for a long time now. But it took two hours 

 tape to make her realize what they were.

 

 	Closing the door quietly behind her, Sakura’s ‘friend’ was pleased to 

 note that Sakura looked to be completely out of it. She was looking off into 

 space, deep in thought. With a skillful hop, the girl was on the other side of the 

 bed, quickly making her way to the television and the video. Had her mind been 

 on the situation at hand rather than on Seira and what could be troubling the 

 poor nun girl, she would have scene the cord running from the gaming system to 

 the controller. And with her above average reflexes, she probably wouldn’t have 

 stumbled and come crashing to the ground with a loud thump. 

 	Sakura’s attention shifted to the unexpected girl in her room, cutting 

 through her introspection like a knife. “Who are you?” She asked curiously as 

 she stood up. Why would anyone from school be over here now? Except... Her 

 voice grew shaky as her knees threatened to give out. This was too sudden! She 

 had to have a moment to compose herself. “Tomoyo-chan?” she asked 

 hesitantly. Sure the girl didn’t seem to have Tomoyo’s usual grace, but everyone 

 had their off days. 

 	Meimi sweatdropped as she scrambled to her feet. She could already 

 hear Asuka Jr.’s footsteps as her ran up the stairs, followed closely by the Inept 

 Police Force and Sakura’s big brother. She silently cursed as she glanced around 

 hurriedly for the videotape. This wouldn’t be happening if her mind didn’t keep 

 wandering elsewhere. She told Seira that they needed to talk. She doubted she’d 

 be able to get anything done at this rate. The cold worrying about Seira was 

 weighing heavily upon her soul. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura started nervously, taking a step forward. In the 

 dim room, it was hard to make out any features of the girl ahead of her, the 

 oversized hat still shadowing her face. “I... I want you to know that...” To 

 Sakura’s embarrassment, Asuka Jr. and the rest of the boys chose that moment 

 to bust into her room. Her face turned a bright shade of crimson as her hands 

 went to her chest. What had she been about to say anyway? Could she work up 

 the strength to say it after they all left again?

 	“I know it’s you, Saint Tail! I’m not letting you get away this time,” 

 Asuka Jr. stated as he and the others rushed into the room. His eyes never left 

 her. He knew what a mistake that could be. He was the leading expert on Saint 

 Tail, after all. 

 	The girl in the school uniform just grinned at the intruders. Pulling the 

 oversized hat to the side, her long pony tail fell out and down her back. With 

 another swift movement, the school fuku was gone, replaced by the magician’s 

 tuxedo based costume she wore. “One.”

 	“Not this time!” The green haired boy thrust himself over the bed, 

 slumping on the floor in time to hear the word ‘two’. “I won’t let you escape 

 until I know who you are, Saint Tail!” He yelled as he leapt forward. 

 	“Three!!” Sakura blossoms flew out of the large hat, starting to whip 

 around the room, blinding the group with the onslaught of petals. She had 

 thought it appropriate. 

 	“Block off all the exits! Don’t let her out of the house!” Asuka Jr. 

 yelled as he made his way towards the mysterious thief. He held his blazer over 

 his head, trying to block the storm of flower petals. Almost there...

 	Sakura vaguely remembered her fight with the Flower Card as all of 

 this went on, the whole thing not making much sense, especially after her recent 

 revelation. Just what was going on? That girl... She was the one trying to steal 

 Tomoyo’s video! Her video! That was only for her!! 

 	Meimi hurriedly searched for the video. To her dismay, there were two 

 tapes on top of the television. Blinking through the swirl of petals, she saw 

 labels on the two. ‘Sakura’s Exhausting Day at the Park’ was half way through 

 and the other label was blank. She snagged that one, praying that she had chosen 

 the right one. But by then it was too late. As she turned to head for the door, a 

 hand gripped her bare arm just above her long gloves. Tightly. 

 	“I won’t let you go!” Determination flared in the junior detectives eyes 

 as he held tightly to his prize. This was it. He would finally know once and for 

 all. He squinted, trying to see through the haze of flowers. She looked so 

 familiar. He knew her, he was certain of that. He couldn’t quite make out who. 

 His heart skipped a beat as he realized how close he was to finally attaining his 

 goal. “I’ve caught you, Saint Tail.” 

 	Meimi’s eyes went wide as she froze where she stood. Was this the 

 end? Was he finally going to find out who she was? What would he think? What 

 would Seira think? What could she do? She looked away, unsure of herself. 

 Suddenly this wasn’t a game. It wasn’t just cat and mouse anymore. It was over. 

 She couldn’t help but feel like she’d failed Seira. She knew the other girl would 

 be fine with whatever happened, but could she even go out as Saint Tail after 

 this? No, not if he found out. And she was Saint Tail for Seira. So she could help 

 her. No, this wasn’t fair. It couldn’t end now. 

 Suddenly, something jostled into Asuka Jr. and, to his sheer horror, he 

 lost his grip on the mysterious thief. Mortified, he looked up to see Touya 

 blindly stumbling through the raining petals. That moron! How could he ruin 

 this!

 The grip was gone. It... It wasn’t over, was it? The game was still afoot. 

 Her heart began beating again, a smile returning to her lips as she felt warmth 

 rush through her previously cold body. Looking up, she saw the tall boy from 

 downstairs, fumbling through the flower petals. No, that wasn’t it. He knew full 

 well where he was going. He had saved her. She smiled broader before dashing 

 towards the door. 

 Touya grabbed Asuka Jr.’s arm as he tried to get past him and after the 

 mysterious thief. “What the hell’s going on here?” he asked, his eyebrows 

 arching. The junior detective still looked like he was suffering from shock. 

 Touya hid a smirk. He really didn’t like this kids methods. Too much like the 

 brat for his liking. And he didn’t like the idea of the brat with his sister at all. 

 Speaking of which, where was Sakura?

 

 Meimi bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time as she gauged 

 the distance to the door. She was sure that Asuka Jr. was right behind her as he 

 often was and every little second counted. In the kitchen, she could dimly hear 

 someone with an Osaka dialect and the white haired boy arguing over the last of 

 the food. Ignoring it, mysterious thief Saint Tail broke out into the inky black 

 night, broken only by tiny pinpricks of light through the velvet. The cool air felt 

 refreshing against her skin, the tense moment back in the house getting to her 

 much worse than she’d thought. After a brief second, she leapt up onto the 

 rooftop, bounding to another one a short distance away. All that was left was to 

 return the videotape and return to Seira. All in a night’s work for Kaitou Saint 

 Tail. Grinning to herself, she had no idea that she was being watched. 

 

 Sakura stared in stunned amazement as the magician girl cleared 

 another building.  She idly wondered if Tomoyo had felt that same amazement 

 at seeing her bounding along rooftops similarly. But that had been a magical 

 event. This was more like professional curiosity. After all, she had met her share 

 of magical people. Pulling out a Sakura Card, Sakura quickly shouted ‘Release’ 

 and used the Jump to catch up, leaping effortlessly along behind the other girl. 

 That was her video. And she was going to get it back. 

 

 Her mind still focussing on the sad looking nun girl, it took Meimi a 

 moment to notice that someone was following her. Frowning, she turned to see 

 who it was, expecting the young junior detective to be on her trail. To her 

 surprise, the younger brunette girl had given chase and was doing a wonderful 

 job of keeping pace with her. There weren’t that many people who could. In 

 fact, it seemed like the wings on her feet were practically carrying her along. 

 “Stop!” Sakura yelled, a Card in her hands in case her call was ignored. 

 “I want that videotape back. It’s mine.”

 Meimi shook her head, turning around towards the younger girl. “I’m 

 afraid it’s not. I was sent here to return it to a girl who had misplaced it. It’s 

 really hers.”

 Sakura was silent for a moment, biting the inside of her lip. “Misplaced 

 it?” Had Tomoyo not meant to give it to her yet? Was she still worried about 

 what Sakura would think if she found out? Had she gotten it by accident?

 Nodding, the pony tailed girl took a step backwards. Pausing for just a 

 second, she took another. “Of course. So it seems that it’s not your tape after all. 

 But don’t worry. It will be back in it’s rightful owner’s hands soon enough.”

 Sakura sighed. This was still too much for her to take all at once. So if 

 Tomoyo hadn’t meant for her to see the tape, if it had been a way for the dark 

 haired girl to get out all of that pent up emotion inside, should she just pretend 

 she hadn’t seen it? But then she would have to ignore Tomoyo’s feelings as well 

 as her own. She couldn’t do that to her friend. Sakura knew that she had to go 

 talk to Tomoyo. “So you’re just returning it to Tomoyo-chan?” she asked 

 reluctantly.

 Meimi nodded again. “And whatever’s on the tape, if it’s that 

 important, hopefully she’ll show you someday.” She smiled as she took another 

 step. “And if you’re that important to her, I’m sure she will.” The pony tailed 

 girl couldn’t help but wonder why Seira was so involved in this mission, but she 

 sure hoped things worked out for the two girls.

 Sakura blushed a little and smiled. “Hai... I think she will.”

 With a quick count, Kaitou Saint Tail disappeared in a swirl of doves. 

 

 .	Not long after that, Saint Tail managed to sneak into the Daidouji 

 mansion. Which was no small feat when compared to the Kinomoto residence. 

 There were plenty of well trained guards (all female, curiously enough), and a 

 very well placed security system. It took her over an hour to get inside the huge 

 place. Moving quietly, she looked around for a good place to leave the tape, 

 complete with a cute pink ribbon. 

 	“You managed to get it back? Her faith in you is obviously very well 

 founded.” Smiling sweetly, the dark haired girl got out of bed, her long 

 nightgown trailing just above her feet. In the dim light, she could have easily 

 been a ghost, her pale skin sharply contrasted by her dark hair. 

 	Kaitou Saint Tail froze. This had never happened before. She wasn’t 

 quite sure how to react. “Who? Oh, Seira-chan. But how did you...” She trailed 

 off, shaking her head. How did she link her to Seira? It must have been the 

 video. Seira had said that God might set things right and now here she was with 

 the tape, playing messenger for Him because of Seira. 

 	Tomoyo continued to smile that odd smile of hers, her head tilted to the 

 side. She held the tape to her chest tightly, glad to know that her confession was 

 once again in her hands. She would tell Sakura soon enough. “Arigato 

 gozimasu, Meimi-san.”

 	“All in a days work for...” Meimi trailed off again, sweatdropping. 

 “Wait, what do you mean?”

 	Tomoyo just smiled again. “Seira was talking a lot about you. You 

 have to be the same girl she was talking about. I think that she needed someone 

 to listen just as much as I did. Everyone goes to her with their problems, but no 

 one seems to stop and wonder if she has any.” Of course, no one really asked 

 her, either aside from her mother, but her mother was often times busy. But 

 that’s because she did a good job of pretending to be happy for Sakura’s sake. 

 Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Which was why she had made the 

 videotape in the first place. It was a way of voicing all of the turmoil that the 

 feelings inside of her gave rise to.

 	“She was? I.. Well, I’m really glad I could help. Seira-chan seemed 

 really worried about all of this so if I’ve managed to put it right then maybe that 

 will get me a step closer to fixing things with her.”

 	“I can see why someone’s in love with you. You’re very sweet and 

 caring. A little like someone else I know.” Tomoyo had to force herself not to 

 bring up Sakura. She knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to quit talking 

 about the magnificent Cardmistress for at least half an hour. 

 	“Someone?” How much did this strange girl know about her and what 

 was going on? How much had Seira told her? Whatever it was, she was very 

 perceptive. 

 	“I think you know who,” was the simple reply.

 	Meimi arched her eyebrows, unsure of what she meant. But before she 

 could say anything, the pieces began to coalesce. Why Seira was so involved 

 with this, why she related to this dark haired girl, why she’d called Meimi out to 

 the church the night before, why she was always willing to do anything for her, 

 why seemed to get jealous of Asuka Jr. from time to time, why she threw herself 

 into their time together with the whole Saint Tail thing. “Seira...”

 	“You should probably get to the church before you keep her waiting for 

 too long,” Tomoyo said thoughtfully, ushering the mysterious thief back towards 

 the window. “I’m sure she’ll want to know how things turned out. Thank you 

 again, Meimi-san. And please tell Seira-san that I’m glad I came to her with my 

 problem.”

 	Meimi nodded weakly before sliding out the window. 

 

 	Seira was deep in prayer again, as she had been since Meimi had left 

 much earlier that afternoon. It was the only way that she could calm herself 

 about the whole situation. She hadn’t felt good at all and this was at least letting 

 her get it all out to someone she knew would listen. She didn’t hear Meimi’s 

 approach this time, but the arms that slowly went around her from behind, shook 

 her out of the near trance-like state that she had been in. 

 	“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Meimi asked simply, resting her 

 head against Meimi’s back. She could feel the soft rise and fall of Seira’s 

 breathing in her arms. 

 	“I... I didn’t know how. I didn’t think I could,” Seira explained, a little 

 thrown off by what was happening. It couldn’t be what she thought it was. 

 	“I’m sorry. I should have noticed sooner, Seira.” Sighing, she let her 

 eyes fall closed, still resting against the Sister-in-training. 

 	Seira didn’t know what to make out of what was going on. The only 

 thing she was fairly certain of was that Meimi knew her dark little secret. She 

 blinked back painful tears, shaking her head ever so slightly. “No, I’m the one 

 who should be sorry, Meimi-chan. I just couldn’t help it. You don’t understand. 

 I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. I.. I know I shouldn’t, but...”

 	“Why not?” Meimi asked softly, slowly opening her blue eyes. 

 	Pausing for a moment, Seira shook her head in confusion. There were 

 plenty of reasons. Because some of the Sisters said it was wrong, even if she 

 didn’t believe that. Because she was afraid of losing Meimi. Because she didn’t 

 want to hurt the other girl. “Because...”

 	“I love you,” Meimi whispered shyly, embarrassed. It was the first time 

 she’d uttered those words, and to her best friend at that. But she didn’t care if the 

 situation seemed awkward. She was just glad that she understood. 

 	Seira’s slightly darker eyes went wide as it ran through her mind. 

 “You... Meimi-chan?” She stopped blinking back the tears, several falling down 

 her delicate features as she turned around in Meimi’s grasp. “You what?”

 	Meimi blushed as she met the other girl’s gaze. “I love you, Seira,” she 

 repeated softly. Why was she still crying? What had she done wrong? She had 

 searched her heart before coming back here. She knew this was what she 

 wanted. But had she made things worse?

 	Smiling through the tears, the nun girl wrapped her arms around the 

 mysterious thief, holding onto her tightly. “Oh, Meimi-chan... I love you, too!” 

 She held on for what seemed like an eternity in the middle of the church, both 

 girls huddled together. “I love you,” she whispered again, not wanting to let go. 

 It felt so nice to finally hold her, especially after hearing that. 

 	Meimi was blushing lightly as she rocked back and forth with the 

 slightly smaller girl in her arms. She felt overwhelmed inside. The feelings were 

 almost too much for her. But even exhausted as she was, she felt wonderful. 

 There was no place she'd rather be. Her blush darkened as Meimi’s eyes closed, 

 her lips puckering as she leaned ever so slowly forward. Her own eyes falling 

 closed in the face of sheer exhaustion and in such a warm embrace, she gave in 

 completely to her friend, meeting those lips in a startlingly enrapturing kiss. The 

 waves inside of her heart were no longer crashing, pulling her under in the 

 confusion. The sea was finally calm. “I love you,” she heard whispered softly. 

 Whether she said it or Seira had, it didn’t really matter as she surrendered 

 herself back to the kiss.