Learning to Fly

 Chapter 1

 by

 The Amazoness Duo- amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 G.P.- pearsong1954@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 The breeze off of the nearby ocean meandered playfully about on a path it neither knew nor

 understood. It was free in a way that Syaoran Li, the heir to the illustrious Li Clan, could

 never be. He felt some contempt for it as it's gentle, invisible fingers caressed his shirt to

 his chest. What made it worse was that the breeze didn't know, nor care, for his jealous regards.

 With all the power his position levelled him, with all the magical strength he possessed, he was

 still as nothing to the wind. Oh, to be that free...

 

 “You haven't said a word since the banquet. I hope it didn't fry your brain. And you were doing

 so well, too. I had you all trained and everything.” A snap of fingers and an exhale of breath

 followed a dark haired woman's exclamation as she feigned frustration. “Ieran is going to be so

 disappointed that I broke her son.” Meiling Li, one time fiancee of Syaoran, walked along the

 small stone fence aside and above her cousin. Long wisps of beautiful raven hair trailed behind

 her, almost as one with the wind. 

 

 Whereas the wind seemed to fight against Syaoran, finding a barrier in him, it seemed to flow

 effortlessly about his female companion, offering her no barriers. Perhaps it was because she was

 at peace with the wind, with the very nature of the world we live in. Or at least at peace with

 herself and her place within the world. Syaoran still found himself trying to find his place in

 it all, which seemed unneccessary what with his destiny as the head of the Li Clan preordained.

 Yet still he found himself unsure of his future and his place within it. 

 

 “I'm fine.” His voice was rough, strong. He liked how it sounded. No longer the child he had been

 back during his time assisting with the Clow Cards, he was a man now. It was known throughout

 China that he was the premiere wizard, nearly as strong as his mother in the ways of his families

 mystical arts. With a lean body, handsome looks, and enormous potential as the next heir to the

 most powerful family of magicians in China, he was heavily sought after to wed the daughters of

 many different influential families. Yet none of them managed to sway the admittedly headstrong

 young master of the Li Clan. The one and only Cardmistress was his lover, the one who would one

 day join him. He was happy with his strength, with the man he was now. 

 

 In many ways, Meiling had made his transformation possible. Or was transformation too strong of a

 word? It was more subtle than that. He held a confidence he had been lacking when he was younger.

 No longer was he a slave to his fears of not being good enough for his mother, for the Li Clan.

 It had taken all of his courage to tell his mother that he was dating the Cardmistress. Back

 then, he had been afraid she would turn her icy, disappointed eyes into him and the small amount

 of love he had garnered from her over the years would wither and die. But the great and all

 powerful Ieran had simply agreed and asked him if there was anything else of import he wished to

 discuss. Perhaps it was then that he discovered his mother had never expected him to be stronger

 than Sakura. She had never expected him to be the one to take back the cards of their ancestor,

 Clow Reed. Anger and relief in equal parts had flooded him until he had been almost unable to

 excuse himself and collapse on his bed back in his room. His whole life, he had been the only boy

 in his family, the heir to the head of the household, the one expected to handle the family's

 problems despite being the youngest. All that time, his mother had treated his sisters with

 warmth and caring while she had granted him a somewhat disappointed indifference. He had thought

 it was because he hadn't been strong enough, that she had expected more from him, that he had to

 be better to gain her approval. But it seemed to be something altogether different. Perhaps she

 had only been preparing him for the harsh life that awaited him as the head of the Li Clan. 

 

 With that experience, Syaoran had slowly taken up more and more responsibilities within the

 household. Oddly enough, it had been Meiling who stood behind him throughout it all. His

 beautiful, dark haired cousin had given him the confidence in himself to perform his duties as

 well as to cultivate an air of authority he had long lacked. When other family members had

 giggled at his attempts to take charge of a situation, Meiling had barked at them to listen to

 him. Meiling had supported him unfalteringly every day for the past few years, despite the fact

 that she knew he had cancelled their engagement. Even then, she was always the first to support

 him, the first to tell him how great he was, how strong and smart and capable he was. She was the

 one to make him feel as if he could accomplish anything.

 

  Meiling was his backup when he couldn't finish things on his own. When he had been told to

 search through some family records for an important document, she had stayed up all night with

 him, helping him through all the large, musty volumes that filled the huge library. Bringing them

 tea every few hours, Meiling had been right alongside him as they poured through the thick,

 boring manuscripts. 

 

 So much of his newfound sense of self, his gained self-confidence, came from Meiling's unwavering

 support. He felt like he could handle taking over the household, which was slowly becoming a

 reality. All thanks to the help of his strongwilled cousin. All of his self-doubts, his fears and

 weaknesses, felt as if they were being ironed away, smoothed out of himself. He was pleased with

 what he saw in the mirror and what he heard when he spoke. It was strong and honorable and he

 liked it. Sakura would be so glad when she saw him again. He would show her how he had grown, how

 much more in control he was. He would sweep her off her feet. 

 

 “So you can speak!” Meiling clapped her hands delightedly, grinning as she startled Syaoran from

 her thoughts. From personal experience, she knew she was one of a few lucky people who could drag

 Syaoran from his moody thoughts. He came kicking and screaming sometimes, but she could force him

 into the here and now nonetheless. It was for his own good, she always told herself. Better to

 make him pay attention than to be ignored. 

 

 Glancing up at his cousin, resplendant in her beautiful red and yellow dress, he nodded. “Thanks

 for your help at the banquet, Meiling. I really thought Fanren was going to argue about my idea

 for a minute.”

 

 Amber eyes seemed to sparkle gleefully as slim shoulders shrugged. “She was going to. But she

 wasn't going to fight the both of us. She still doesn't like the idea, but she doesn't have to.

 You're the new head of the household, not her. Besides, if she really wants to fight over it, you

 can always bring up her plethora of lovers. That would shut her up real quick. Your mother

 tolerates it because she keeps it quiet. You could make a big fuss over it once you're in charge

 though. She'd stop fighting with you just so you'd leave her alone about it.

 

 ”Silence followed for

 a moment. It was at this moment that Syaoran realized Meiling could fight extremely dirty when

 she wanted to. The revelation was both exciting and frightening at the same time. He decided to

 push that away for the moment. “I'd... rather not piss off Fanren if I can help it. She's still

 my big sister. If we can resolve it without her hating me for the rest of my life, I'm happier.

 Besides, it all seemed to get resolved when you threw in with me. She didn't want to have to

 argue with both of us.”

 

 “If you say so. She'll have to get used to you being in charge sooner or

 later, no matter how much older she is,” Meiling stated. Her arms spread out like wings, keeping

 her balance despite the increasingly harsh sea wind. 

 

 A part of Syaoran's mind flinched at the thought. Fanren was his eldest sister. Memories of his

 older sisters dressing him in their old clothes, going through their makeup to make him look like

 their pretty little sister, their personal dress up doll, made his cheeks turn a light shade of

 crimson. The thought of threatening Fanren with the knowledge of her many lovers seemed

 impossible in the light of those memories. She was still his older sister. He'd always be the

 baby to her, which was why it was so hard for her to entirely defer to him. But at least Fanren

 had given in with Meiling's help. The thought of trying to force his fiery older sister to submit

 in any situation didn't strike him as pleasant. Whereas his mother had an icy strength to her,

 Fanren's spirit was fiery. He liked to think that he himself held his mother's reserve of ice

 cold strength, but he couldn't be entirely sure. 

 

 “....ting engaged soon. He's from that Chang family. That one with all the scholars? I hear

 they've got some magic in the family, too. So I guess it makes sense,” Meiling was finishing, a

 few paces ahead of Syaoran by now. The wind continued to play with her hair, sending the pigtails

 trailing behind her, almost far enough out for Syaoran to reach if he tried. 

 

 “Hmm?” Syaoran gathered himself, looking up to his slightly younger cousin. Thoughts swirled in a

 fragmented pattern as they tried to piece themselves back together. What had she been saying? A

 touch of anxiety began eating at him. He quashed it immediately. If there was anything he hated

 with a passion, it was fear. He never wanted to fear, to worry, again. Such a feeling was

 unfitting someone of his post. But all the same, Meiling's next words left him shaken.

 

 “What are

 you going to do when I'm not here to force you out of your thoughts? You'll never go do anything

 fun. I'm the one who drags you out to go dancing or to see movies or even to go to the park.

 You're hopeless.” The smile on her lips didn't meet her eyes as she walked backwards along the

 fence, eyeing her onetime fiancee. “I'm getting married,” she said after a brief pause. She

 hurried before Syaoran could respond. “I'm my mother's oldest daughter and I'm unmarried. Mom

 doesn't have as many kids as your mother has, so she can't afford to squander her bargaining

 chips. She's been looking for someone for me to marry for a while now. To 'bolster the strength

 of the Li Clan' is how she put it, I think.” Another shrug of her athletic shoulders. “It got to

 the point where she began to arrange my marriage to the only son of the Chang family. I think

 we're getting married in August.”

 

 “But... you can't!” His voice wasn't as controlled as he wanted it to be. When upset or angry, he

 still lost a bit of that vital control he longed for. His voice had come out harsh, too harsh.

 Too... afraid? No, it was Meiling's life. It didn't concern him. Maybe it was that she was

 getting married off. But hadn't she always been in a situation where she would be married off?

 First him and now this Chang boy. His stomach clenched at the thought of this person taking away

 his... best friend. Another realization. Meiling was his best friend. Perhaps his only friend.

 And she was being taken away from him. Fear and anger and frustration all threatened, crashing

 like stormy waves against the walls of control he had so diligently crafted. Now he wasn't so

 sure they would hold. His mind raced desperately for a way to solve the problem. “You don't have

 to have an arranged marriage. I stepped out of mine. I told mother I was going to be with

 Sakura.” As soon as it was out of his mouth, he immediately regretted it. In an unspoken pact, he

 and Meiling rarely discussed his love life with Sakura. Meiling didn't want to hear about it,

 didn't want to think about it. And this scenario was infinitely worse. He had stepped out of his

 engagement to Meiling in order to be with Sakura. Unlike himself, Meiling had not wanted to end

 their engagement. 

 

 Amber eyes that would be beautiful in almost any light got incredibly frosty in the blink of an

 eye. Though Syaoran couldn't tell what had changed about Meiling's posture or demeanor, her aura

 was much, much crisper now, matching the biting wind that had risen. “This is political. The

 family is strengthened from my marriage to the heir to the Chang Clan. And, whether you want to

 believe it or not, you being with Sakura is also political. You want to know why your mother

 didn't put up so much as an argument for why you couldn't be with her? Because she's the

 Cardmistress. She has the book that belonged to our ancestor. Having you marry her, to bring both

 her magic and her Sakura Cards back into our family, is the next best thing to if you had managed

 to get the Cards in the first place.” Turning to look forward, she continued to walk briskly

 along the stone fence. Syaoran had to hurry to keep up. “So my mother probably wouldn't care even

 if I told her I 'didn't want to' marry him. And I have no reason not to marry him.”

 

 Continuing on

 in silence for a moment, the sounds of the street beneath his shoes sounded distant and false.

 Not only had he lost his precious control for a brief moment, but he had also hurt Meiling with a

 stupid comment he should have known better than to let slip out of his mouth. “Do you love him?”

 It took all his effort to make the question sound casual, to keep it from revealing how concerned

 he was for its answer. If she didn't have a reason to not marry him, then maybe...

 

 “No. I haven't even met him. But what do I have to wait around for? Your sisters are starting to

 get married off. My brother's already engaged. I don't want to be the only daughter sitting

 around here like a dusty old maid. Then what? I get to sit around and watch you and Sakura get

 married and have kids while I sit at home? At least I'm doing the family some good by marrying

 him. I don't have to like him to have his kids. Who knows. Maybe I'll fall for him.” The last was

 mean and she knew it. Part of her still wanted to make him jealous. The rest of her was just

 tired and lonely and exhausted. The love she held for Syaoran had blossomed when she had been a

 small child. The seedling had grown into something that filled her entire being. And yet, the

 past few years she had watched him in love with another. Never once had he seen her crying over

 him, tearry eyed in her bed, wishing they had never gone to Japan. She had waited and hoped that

 maybe, just maybe, he would eventually choose her. But now that seemed unlikely. She would never

 love anyone the way she loved Syaoran, but she wouldn't sit and wait like an old pet. 

 

 There was nothing he could say at this point. Words would fail him and he knew it. They had never

 been his strong point anyway. Almost all of their arguments were won by Meiling because of that.

 But he felt incredibly empty as he watched her ahead of him.

 

 Hopping off the low fence, Meiling landed lightly in her sandals. “I need to get home to help

 mother for the preparations. I'll stop by tomorrow to see how things are going. Goodnight,

 Syaoran.” With that, she left, not bothering to look back over her shoulder.

 

 “Goodnight, Meiling.” The words were not enough and they sounded tiny and irrelevant in his ears.

 The hollow, empty sounds plagued him as he watched her receding back. He should have said

 something, done something to make it better. Instead, he had succeeded only in sticking his foot

 in his mouth. He was about to lose his best friend to some boy she didn't even know because of

 the family honor he had devoted his life to. He felt weak. The support for everything he had

 built was suddenly slipping away. He would be strong enough on his own, wouldn't he? Without her,

 he could still handle it, right? Doubts nagged at him, doubts he had long suppressed. The girl he

 had long depended on without realizing was suddenly getting ready to leave. And there was nothing

 he could do about it. 

 

 “Fuck!!” Fist cracked against stone in a battle that was shortlived. Pain

 crackling through his knuckles, Syaoran hoped Meiling had been far enough away not to hear him.

 He hit the stone again. And again. He didn't want to let her go. It was like losing the one

 pillar he had to keep things together. But it wasn't his choice to make. 

 

 Slumping against the wall, he slid down into a sitting position. 'Don't go, Meiling,' he wanted

 to say. 'Stay with me,' his younger voice pleaded. Tears built in his eyes, damned tears he had

 long thought dried out. His sisters had been playing with him again, something he had always

 loved when he was a child. They'd dressed him up in their most beautiful old clothes, made him as

 pretty as any young girl his age, and had played with him all afternoon. And then his mother had

 come. His mother never told his sisters to leave him alone back then, never scolded them for

 playing with him in such ways. She simply sent them away. It was time for some of Syaoran's

 lessons. He had to learn to be strong. He had to learn to be a man because he would one day lead

 the Li Clan. And his older sisters all bowed to their mother and made their hasty retreat.

 Leaving him with his mother's cold, disapproving glare. That glare was so different from the

 smiles and giggles of his sisters as they played with him. He hated it. And he had begged his

 fleeing sisters to stay. To not leave him alone with those cold, disappointed eyes. But they

 always left. And he was always alone with her. Fighting his dragons. Trying to be the man his

 mother demanded him to be. And now, when he was fighting again for control of the Li Clan, the

 brilliant smile and light that Meiling bestowed upon him was about to flee. And he knew he would

 be left in darkness again. 'Don't go...' his voice from years long gone cried out. Sakura. He

 still had Sakura. Pulling out his cell phone, her number was speed dialed in seconds. 

 

 Trrrrrrriiiiil. Trrrrrrrrrrrriiiil. Trrr.... “Hello?” Her soft voice was still as bright and warm

 as it had been when he had fallen for her as a child. “Hello? Syaoran?”

 

 “Sakura...” His voice was

 steady, calm, and for that he was glad. His earlier signs of weakness had been erased. He barely

 felt the tears trickling down his cheeks. He was in control again. 

 

 “Syaoran! How are you? I was

 just talking to Tomoyo-chan about you.” A pause. “I miss you.”

 

 “Mmm... I miss you, too. I'm fine.”

 His voice was sounding better by the minute. “Just wanted to check up on you. How've things been

 going?”

 

 “Oh, they're fine. We've finally got everything moved in. Oh, Syaoran, you should see the place!

 It's so cute! I really, really have to thank Sonomi-san for finding us such a nice place. And

 it's really close to the campus, too, kind of between my campus and Tomoyo's. I still have to

 take the tram, but... well, I could take the limo that Sonomi has take Tomoyo-chan to school, but

 then I'd feel even guiltier. I mean, she already got this place for us. Hoe... I need to find a

 way to thank her. Can you think of anything?” Sakura finally paused for a breath. 

 

 “No,

 nothing.”

 

 “Well, I'll have to think of something.” Then, away from the phone. “Yeah, right there

 is fine, Tomoyo-chan.” Back to the phone. “You really should come out soon, Syaoran. It's such a

 nice place. The view at night is gorgeous. Tomoyo-chan and I stayed up last night and the city

 looks so beautiful. It's lit up like a thousand different stars. The cars look like little

 shooting stars under us.”

 

 “Yeah, I'd like that, Sakura. Maybe I can check it out soon.”

 

 “Really?

 I'd love that, Syaoran. It's been so long. It'd be so great to see you again.” Sakura sighed

 softly, the sigh she always gave when she was lonely. He got it a lot on their phone calls. 

 

 “I'll try to see what I can do, then,” he promised. 

 

 “Thanks, Syaoran,” her cheerful voice responded. “Ack... I have to go now. Tomoyo-chan needs my

 help to move something. Well, she didn't say she needs my help, but you know how skinny and

 fragile she is. She's trying to lift it herself, but....” Away from the phone, he can still hear

 her voice. “Tomoyo-chan, let me help you with that. You're going to get hurt if you try to carry

 that by yourself.” Pulling the phone to her ear, her voice was clear again. “We sent the

 bodyguards her mother had sent home after they helped get everything up to the apartment. We

 didn't want them to have to wait for us to figure out how we want the layout.”

 

 “Go

 ahead and help Daidouji. I'll call you later.”

 

 “Syaoan, I hope I can see you soon,” Sakura said,

 her voice a lot whisper.“Me too, Sakura-chan.” Maybe if she were near, he could stave off this

 collapse. And then the phone went silent as he let it turn off.Nothing was better. Icy tears

 rolled down his cheeks as the wind got more and more violently, making the leaves scractch

 against anything like distant, insane laughter. No one heard the cries in his head. Or perhaps

 they didn't care. Nonetheless, he was left all alone in the cold. 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 “And that one? Does it have a name?” After all of her years as the head of a large toy company,

 Sonomi Daidouji still managed to hold onto an almost childlike glee at times. Her harshly cut

 diagonal hairstyle and her business suit seemed at odds with the thin violet bow she had tied

 around her neck. She was, as her employees would attest, eccentric. As Tomoyo would be quick to

 add, she was also an extremely caring woman. Like a lioness, she would care for her cubs with the

 utmost care. But if ever any harm threatened one of her love ones, she would sink her claws in

 faster than the blink of an eye. 

 

 Currently, the brunette was in one of her former moods, as she often was when around her lovely

 daughter. The particular business they were doing could have been delegated to others, but Sonomi

 hadn't assigned anyone to that particular task yet, so she had decided to do it herself. It was

 well known that she was the hardest worker at Daidouji Toys. And since she was never one to miss

 out on time she could spend with her daughter, Tomoyo, she had dragged her daughter along. 

 

 “Yes,

 this one is to an Inaka Tsushimoto,” Tomoyo soft, singsong voice replied, reading off the list.

 “It's one of the working toy camcorders. It fits with the hobbies she listed. I think she'll like

 it.” The pale girl smiled beautifuly when she looked up, a sight that always stunned her mother

 for a second or two. Tomoyo bore a stunning resemblence to the late love of Sonomi's life. 

 

 “I'm sure she will,” Sonomi replied, pulling up the next box. They were getting toys ready for

 delivery to a children's hospital. Children's hospitals were not an unfamiliar sight to the elder

 Daidouji woman. Her cousin, Nadeshiko, ever accident-prone and always eager to try anything,

 despite the danger involved, mixed with a weak constitution to begin with, sat in the small

 hospital beds more times than Sonomi would like to count. But being her protective older cousin,

 Sonomi had always been there, sometimes staying the night with Nadeshiko when they would let her.

 'I don't want Nadeshiko-chan to stay here alone,' she had once told her mother. 'She'll get bad

 dreams.' And so Sonomi had stayed to protect her darling cousin from the specter of bad dreams.

 'The shot doesn't hurt so bad, but I don't like to look at it,' Nadeshiko had once told her, eyes

 tearing up even as she smiled, holding onto Sonomi's hand with a death grip as the doctor gave

 her the injection. Sonomi's hand tightened on the box reflexively, almost thinking she would find

 her small cousin's hand in her grip. But as had been the case for too many years now, it wasn't

 so.

 

 Nowadays, Sonomi seldom had occasion to be in a hospital setting herself. She was incredibly

 healthy and her daughter was reasonably so. Thought somewhat frail looking, Tomoyo wasn't plagued

 by the sicknesses that had occasionally haunted Nadeshiko. For that, Sonomi was grateful. But

 nonetheless, Sonomi still had an attachment to the small children locked away in those hospital

 rooms, many without loving older cousins to look out for them, getting shots that looked worse

 than they felt. So the businesswoman wished to take away a small measure of that pain. In a way,

 she was still searching for Nadeshiko, or the memory of the other girl, at any rate. 

 

 “Sakura-chan loves the appartment. She wanted me to thank you for her. She bowed cutely many

 times and said she'd do anything at all to make it up to you,” Tomoyo said excitedly, her stormy

 blue eyes sparkling the way they often did when she spoke of Sakura. “I believe her words when

 she first saw the appartment were 'Hoe... It's so beautiful! We have to give it back to

 Sonomi-san! I can never pay her back for this!' There was lots of cute gesticulating and general

 Sakura-chan cuteness, but I'd need to give you the videotape to show it all accurately.” 

 

 A warm laugh escaped the older woman. Sakura made her happy in two ways. The first was that

 Sakura was the daughter of the woman she loved, and through Sakura, Sonomi could she glimpses of

 her dear Nadeshiko. The second was that Sakura made her daughter deliriously happy, which was

 always a wonderful sight for the elder Daidouji woman to behold. “Anything, huh? Then she'll

 finally marry you?”

 

 “Mother,” Tomoyo chided gently, still going through the list she held,

 checking boxes. “Sakura-chan is still dating Li-kun.”

 

 “Hmph... I never liked that boy,” Sonomi

 said, frowning. Pulling another box closer, she began to wrap it, expertly tying a ribbon onto

 the present. A present to a girl who didn't have any idea who she was. She hoped the girl would

 smile. “Then how about a day... two days...” She shook her head, smiling as she decided. “A week

 of passionate sex for my daughter. If Sakura-chan's dating that boy, she could at least make up

 for it by making you come into my office with a great, big smile. But you have to tell me how she

 moans. She's Nadeshiko-chan's daughter, after all.”

 

 “She moans very cutely,” Tomoyo stated

 matter-of-factly. “Very soft and cute and in little sounds now and then. As if they just bubble

 out.” Her mother raised an eyebrow, wondering how Tomoyo was privy to such information. The

 heiress smiled. “Sakura-chan thinks about her boyfriend sometimes. I just happen to be near

 enough to hear what happens.” Of course, that sometimes took some doing, but it wasn't past the

 lavender haired girl. Going back to her list, she shakes her head slightly, her hair swishing

 about. “I think by 'repaying you', Sakura-chan doesn't mean 'sleep with your daughter'.”

 

 “Well,

 then what does she mean?” Sonomi asked, sounding mock stern. Tomoyo's giggle undid her facade and

 she couldn't help but smile herself. Yawning, Sonomi stretched, letting her weary eyes fall

 closed for a moment. She'd worked past a full day at her normal job alone. Now she and Tomoyo had

 been at the office for half the night already. 

 

 Watching her mother for a moment, the lavender haired girl tapped her pen against her lips

 thoughtfully. “You really should get some rest, mother. You work yourself too hard. If you keep

 this up, you'll be joining Nadeshiko-san too soon and Sakura-chan and I will both miss you too

 much.”

 

 If there was one thing that made her life worth living, it was certainly her daughter. And having

 Sakura and Tomoyo so close after all these years was almost like having two daughters. 'Our

 daughters,' she sometimes thought, gazing at her portrait of Nadeshiko. “Someone has to get all

 this done. Everyone here is too busy to do our charity work as well as their normal work but the

 charity work is too off and on for me to hire full time help to do it.”

 

 Another thoughtful look

 from Tomoyo before the pale girl commented. “I can do it for you. I know your office well enough

 and you can trust me with handling the charity. You can give me clearance to get whatever toys or

 items we need for the different charities and I can get them all together. I'm a student, so I

 can't work full time, but I have enough time to devote to the charity.”

 

 The older woman rolled the

 idea over in her head before shaking it. “You couldn't handle it by yourself. It's taking the two

 of us to get through it all, Tomoyo-chan. You'd be exhausted by the end of the first night. Then

 I'd have to drag you home to bed and fire my precious little girl just so she'd get some sleep.”

 Tomoyo nodded, having already thought of that. “Then Sakura-chan can help me. You and I have

 managed to handle most of the charity between the two of us. I can take over for you. I know it

 well enough. I've been helping since you started it. And Sakura-chan and I make a good team. We

 can handle it. Sakura-chan feels guilty that you got her such a nice appartment. She can pay you

 off by working for you on the charity. It gets her job experience and she'll feel a lot better

 about the appartment.”

 

 Leaning back in her chair, the businesswoman considered. A small grin

 played across her face. “Then I get to see the two of you more, too, if you're working here, even

 if it is only part time. All right. Tell Sakura-chan about it later. If she agrees, you two can

 get started tomorrow. For now,” Sonomi stretched, yawning. “Go home and get some sleep,

 Tomoyo-chan.”

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 “Thank you so much, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura hugged her friend tightly for the third time, wearing

 only her green pajama top. “I'd love to work for Sonomi-san! I felt so bad about her letting me

 stay in this nice place.” Her sweatdrop lasts only a moment before she smiles happily again. “Now

 I can finally repay her for all of the kindness she's shown me.”

 

 Returning the smile, Tomoyo stood

 calmly in the dress she'd returned from Daidouji Toys in. “Mother practically sees you as family,

 Sakura-chan. She wants to make sure you're happy. You're very special to her. You're very special

 to many people.” Granted, Sonomi would rather have Sakura as a daughter-in-law than a daughter,

 but Tomoyo decided to leave that fact out.Sakura turned about, looking back towards her room.

 Soft, light blue panties peaked out from under the pajama top as Sakura raised a hand to her

 chin, thinking. Tomoyo continued to smile her patented smile, wishing she had her camcorder. It

 was in her room on her bedside table, right where she'd left it. Damn. 

 

 Her arms dropping

 dramatically, Sakura sighed miserably. “Hoe... I don't have any business clothes. I'll look so

 out of place at Sonomi-san's business.”

 

 “You'll look fine in whatever you wear, Sakura-chan.

 Mother will probably just worry that your beauty will distract the staff.” Tomoyo shrugged

 lightly, her dark hair shifting over her shoulders.

 

 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura laughed nervously,

 rubbing the back of her head. She had known Tomoyo for well over a decade. Despite having heard

 well over a million flattering comments from the pale heiress in the time she had known her,

 Sakura still got flustered every time. She was starting to think she'd never entirely get used to

 it. Deciding to put it aside for now, as she had so often in the past, she changed the subject.

 “So tomorrow's our first day? I should get an outfit ready. This is my first job. Maybe I should

 call onii-chan and ask what you do the first day. But then he might lie and I'll do something

 stupid. Grrrr... Maybe I could ask Yukito to hit him if he lies. Only Yukito-san would never hit

 onii-chan, even though he really should sometimes because...” Light fingers on her cheeks slowed

 down Sakura's thoughts, bringing her back to the present, her anxiety spun through her like a

 spiders web. Tomoyo's soothing, stormy blue eyes met her own shining emeralds, her friend's

 incredibly soft fingers cupping her cheeks. And for a moment, Sakura was breathless, her heart

 still pounding a thousand miles a minute, but her thoughts tapering off into

 nothingness.

 

 “Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo began softly. “Breath.” She didn't start again until she saw

 that Sakura was taking in air through her lips once more. “You're not going in for an interview.

 My mother has known you for almost as long as I have. And she loves you almost as much as I do.

 She's happy that you're working for her. You don't need to wear anything to impress her and you

 don't need to do anything special at all. You're special enough the way you are. Just be you.

 That's all anyone wants.”

 

 Sometimes Sakura wondered if Tomoyo would kiss her. It was a dumb

 thought, she told herself, and something she shouldn't be thinking, but at moments like this, it

 resonated in her head. She had learned years ago when they were teenagers that her best friend

 was in love with her. Though she could be dense, and even Sakura knew that she could be, Tomoyo

 couldn't keep her feelings a secret forever. An embarrassing revelation for Sakura, but not one

 she couldn't accept and move on with. Tomoyo was Tomoyo. And when she stopped and thought about

 it, Tomoyo being in love with her didn't change anything about that. In a way, it just shed light

 on so much that Sakura hadn't understood before. Tomoyo's devotion to her took on a new light. In

 many ways, nothing had changed. Sakura merely had a name for Tomoyo's affection for her. In other

 ways, Sakura was now accutely aware of her best friend's feelings. No longer afraid of Sakura

 finding out, Tomoyo had become more and more generous in how she went about showing her

 affection. No longer confined to vague statements and showings of her love, the lavender haired

 girl could now outright tell her, or show her. It was embarrassing, but Sakura had accepted it as

 she always had Tomoyo affection. With lots of stammering and blushes. Despite being perfectly

 open about her love for the Cardmistress, Tomoyo never once tried to get between Sakura and

 Syaoran. And that puzzled Sakura to some extent. And at times like this, when Tomoyo was so

 close, so soft, so.... so very Tomoyo, Sakura wondered why Tomoyo didn't kiss her. Why her

 beautiful best friend didn't take the kiss she so obviously wanted.Tomoyo's hands were gone and

 Sakura was blushing now, hoping she hadn't looked too goofy for the past moment, staring wide

 eyed at her best friend. “I know, Tomoyo-chan,” she stated quickly. “I just want everything to go

 perfectly. It's my first job and I really don't want to disappoint Sonomi-san. She's been so

 wonderful to me.”

 

 Smiling softly, the pale girl nodded. Sakura was always so cute when she was

 hyper. Which was most of the time. Sakura's emotions were to Tomoyo like vibrant colors to an

 artist or musical notes to a musician, a feast for the sensations. Living with Sakura, being so

 near her, it was like living inside your favorite painting, enveloped in the colors or lost in

 the music. Sakura's emotions hit like a tsunami, and Tomoyo loved to stand outside and let it

 wash over her. “You'll do fine, Sakura-chan. It's just you and me and the charity comittee. We'll

 be putting it together in our spare time after classes. We've been working together for years.

 It's the same thing. It's just that this time we're trying to bring miracles to people who need

 them.”

 

 “Miracles?” That sounded nice. When all was said and done, Sakura had caught the Cards

 because it was her duty. Because she had to stop the Catastrophe. But she had't really been able

 to make anything better because of it, she had only kept things from getting worse. Now she was

 the world's most powerful magician and, as Kero told her, she 'didn't do anything fun' with her

 magic. The chance to actually help people sounded like a welcome change. She nodded swiftly.

 “Hai! We'll bring all sorts of miracles, Tomoyo-chan!”

 

 Taking Sakura's hands, the lavender haired

 girl squeezed them in her own. “I knew you'd want to, Sakura-chan. We'll do even more than mother

 expected. We'll do more than give a few gifts to those in need here and there. We'll bring

 miracles to all sorts of people. We'll be shooting stars for people to wish on. A pair of

 shootings stars high up in the sky.”

 

 The imagery sounded beautiful to Sakura. It seemed fitting

 that she and Tomoyo would be partners in this. Working with Tomoyo always comforted her. No

 matter how hard things got, she knew she could count on her best friend. So it sounded perfect

 that she would be going into her new job with Tomoyo by her side. 

 

 “For now, though, Sakura-chan should get some sleep. You have a test tomorrow that I hope you

 were studying for while I was gone and then we need to head to work to pick up everything,”

 Tomoyo said, slowly letting go of Sakura's hands. 

 

 The brunette nodded slowly. “Yeah, if I can get

 any sleep.” She was far too excited about the new events to be able to shut off her mind for

 sleep. She had hoped to study with Tomoyo a bit for her test the next day, but that thought was

 lost to her. Despite the fact that they went to different Universities, Sakura having not quite

 made it into Tokyo University with her incredibly intelligent and perceptive friend, she still

 felt more at ease when Tomoyo helped her study. For now, that would have to wait. 

 

 “That's all

 right. I don't think I'll be able to sleep, either. I'll have visions of Sakura-chan clad in

 nothing but panties all night long.” Turning to head to her room, Tomoyo sighed dreamily with not

 a sound of distress. Cheeks burning a brilliant rouge, Sakura watched Tomoyo's elegant form

 walking away from her. 

 

 “I'm wearing a shirt,” she squeaked in self-defense.

 

 “Not in my dreams,

 you're not,” Tomoyo replied before she disappeared into her room for the night.