Learning to Fly Chapter Four

 by 

 The Amazoness Duo 

 and

 G.P. 

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 pearsong1954@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 "Where is he?" Sakura whined, hugging herself in an attempt to fight

 off the cold evening that was settling in. "He's always late. It's

 because he works so much. How does Yukito put up with him?" the

 brunette asked, turning to her elegantly dressed friend. As usual,

 Sakura thought Tomoyo put her to shame. Though they'd both dressed up

 for dinner, Tomoyo's lavender ensemble seemed more refined than

 Sakura's more simple green dress. Her pale friend was absolutely

 gorgeous. Sakura's heart raced at the memory of helping Tomoyo braid

 her beautiful dark tresses before they left. Momentarily forgetting

 her complaints, the Cardmistress could only stop and stare. She shot

 an angry look at two older boys who were gawking at Tomoyo, stepping

 closer to the shorter girl protectively. Ignoring most of the stares

 that came her way, with the obvious exception of Sakura's glances,

 Tomoyo smiled. "Yukito-san must have boundless patience, then." The

 occasion for the night's outing was a dinner with Sakura's brother

 and his boyfriend, the object of Sakura's childhood affection. Now

 that Sakura no longer lived with her brother, his busy lifestyle made

 it hard to stay in touch with him. Little things like going out for

 dinner helped keep them close. 

 

 "You must be even more patient than Yuki if you can somehow put up

 with the monster," Touya deadpanned from behind the two girls, his

 white haired lover in tow.

 

 "I'm not a little girl! You can't call me a monster anymore!" Sakura

 argued, clenching her fists and shaking them at the imposing image of

 her tall, dark haired brother. 

 

 The tall man shrugged. "If it looks like a monster and acts like a

 monster...""It's good to see you both again," Yukito cut in, smiling

 pleasantly at the younger girls. 

 

 Lightening up visibly, Sakura smiled and nodded in agreement. "It's

 good to see you, too.""Now she's calm. Let's get something to eat

 before she snaps again," Touya suggested, pushing the restaurant door

 open. Harumphing, Sakura led Tomoyo past Touya and into the warmth of

 the restaurant beyond. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 The restaurant was spacious but crowded. The group of four sat in a

 back corner, a myriad sampling of food spread out before them. "Too

 bad Kero-chan's not here. He'd love this," Sakura mused, reaching

 over with her chopsticks indecisively. So much food. It was difficult

 to decide where to begin."Yuki will be sure to eat enough for him,

 too," Touya promised, watching some of the food before him disappear

 thanks to his ever hungry boyfriend. 

 

 "What have you been doing lately, onii-chan?" Chestnut hair fell to

 one side as Sakura tilted her head curiously. "I haven't seen you on

 campus much. I hoped I'd get to see more of you.""He's been working

 mostly. When he's not in class, he's at work. You know Touya. He has

 to keep busy or he's not happy," Yukito replied between mouthfuls.

 "Onii-chan is ever happy?" Sakura asked, blinking incredulously. "I

 thought that was impossible." She couldn't help but smile as Tomoyo

 giggled beside her. "You always look so grumpy.""I'm plenty happy.

 It's better than being so excitable. You end up crying over the

 simplest things or you're excited over the tiniest details. I'd

 rather just sail smoothly through everything," Touya countered."But

 it's cute that Sakura-chan's so excitable! It means everything she

 encounters affects her in some way. She's so emotive. That's why it's

 so much fun to watch her." Sighing dreamily, Tomoyo cast her eyes on

 Sakura, watching her friend blush and fumble with her napkin. Sakura

 was always so cute when she was embarrassed. And if Syaoran wasn't

 going to be around to embarrass her, then it was Tomoyo's duty to get

 a blush on Sakura's cheeks whenever possible. Hoping to change the

 subject, Sakura looked up at her brother. "So... ummm... What jobs

 are you working this week? You're not going ot have to run off to

 wait tables in a minute, are you?" 

 

 Touya shook his head, sipping some tea before replying. "No, I don't

 work here. It's just a nice restaurant. Yuki and I came here to

 celebrate some things a while back. I'm working at a bar now.""A

 bar?" Sakura repeated.

 

 "He's a bartender there. He's getting pretty good at it, too,"

 Yukito answered. "I'll go just to watch him make the drinks. He has

 very nimble hands.""So does Sakura-chan." Taking one of Sakura's

 hands in her own, Tomoyo let her fingers trace over Sakura's creamy

 skin. She could tell Sakura's blush worsened, but the other girl

 didn't pull her hand away. Smiling, Tomoyo continued to caress

 Sakura's hand. To the heiress's surprise, Sakura's fingers curled

 around her own, holding on warmly. Her heart swooned at the

 feeling.Raising an eyebrow, Touya watched the two girls for a moment.

 "I'm so glad you finally started dating Tomoyo. She's much better for

 you than the brat ever was. I've been waiting for you two to get

 together since you were kids. It was so obvious."Sakura's faint blush

 escalated to near crimson. "Obvious? But..."Touya nodded,

 interrupting. "Very obvious. How you were always blushing around her

 and getting moony about things. I'm surprised it took you so

 long."Simply watching the exchange, Tomoyo continued to nibble on her

 food. This was certainly interesting. "But we're not dating..."

 Sakura got out at last, her heart pounding. Why did the mention of

 them dating get her so excited? Why was her heart beating so fast?

 Hoe... Why was this all so confusing? Touya's eyes were still staring

 in her direction. She followed his gaze to her hand, still

 interlocked with Tomoyo's. Pulling her hand away in a hurry, she

 placed both hands on her lap, staring at her plate. Stupid Touya. Why

 did he have to mention anything? It felt so nice to hold Tomoyo's

 hand like that. 

 

 "Oh..." Touya rolled this news over for a moment in his head before

 continuing. "So you are still dating the brat?""Yeah..." Sakura

 responded, still staring at the table. Why was that answer so

 dissatisfying to say? It didn't hold the magic it once did, and none

 of the excitement that even her denial of a relationship with Tomoyo

 had held. Syaoran was overseas. He was her boyfriend. She felt safe

 with him. But Tomoyo... A surge of emotions came at the thought of

 her friend, the thoughts exciting and delicious and terrifying all at

 once. Tomoyo made her feel so alive. So warm. So loved. It was such a

 completely different feeling from the relative safety that Syaoran

 offered.

 

 Tomoyo was her best friend. Syaoran was her boyfriend. So why

 couldn't she be happy with the way things were? That question haunted

 her throughout the rest of the dinner. 

 

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

 

 The cold night air blanketed the dark haired pair, a stark contrast

 to the warmth held inside the restaurant. Keeping an eye on the

 fragile seeming heiress, Touya offered his jacket. Smiling, she

 accepted gratefully, sliding her arms into the protective warmth of

 the much too large coat. She was absolutely stunning, a beautiful

 princess shimmering under the glow of the moonlight. The years had

 been kind on the Daidouji girl. At one time Touya had considered her

 a cute kid, but now he had to admit that she was gorgeous. It was a

 similar beauty to what he had seen when his mother's ghost had

 visited him, ethereal and angelic. He wondered if Sakura was as

 blinded to the angel that never left her side as she had been to her

 mother's ghost when she was a child. 

 

 "I wonder why Sakura-chan wanted to speak with Yuki," Touya stated

 after a moment's silence. 

 

 Her eyes cast skyward at the glittering jewels that were the stars,

 Tomoyo spoke, her soft voice carrying on the crisp night air. "Sakura-

 chan is full of mysteries."This caused Touya to furrow an eyebrow. "I

 don't think the monster could be mysterious if she tried." He nearly

 smiled at the giggle his comment drew forth from the heiress. He

 always enjoyed Tomoyo's company. If he'd been Sakura's age, they

 would have made great friends. 

 

 "I think Sakura-chan's asking for advice about something," Tomoyo

 ammended her previous statement, her hands disappearing inside the

 long jacket sleeves. A shake of her head freed her face from her long

 dark hair, letting the breeze caress her cheeks. "She's asking Yuki's

 advice?" Touya glanced questioningly at the short girl. Her silence

 told him all he needed to know. "Yue's advice." Nodding, he returned

 his gaze to the late traffic. "I wonder what she wants from Yue.

 Unless she just wants to see how cute he is one last time before she

 runs off and gets married to the brat.""I don't think you have to

 worry about that," Tomoyo assured the dark haired man. "Yue-san is

 very beautiful, but I think Sakura-chan just wants help figuring

 something out." Her mind was drifting elsewhere, back to the dinner.

 Sakura had been somewhat distracted. Hopefully Sakura's chat with Yue

 would fix things, though Tomoyo doubted it. What was bothering Sakura

 was more complex than something she could simply ask the answer to.

 Some answers only come to us when we have exhausted all other

 possibilities. Some wait til we have nowhere left to turn but inward.

 And Sakura's inner world was something that the brunette had always

 had trouble understanding.Touya slipped his hands into his pockets,

 shaking his head. "Then why isn't Sakura-chan going to you? She's

 always run to you whenever she has a problem. Especially when she

 needs help figuring things out." Turning to look at the heiress, he

 could see that her pale features were set in a serious, somewhat sad

 look. "Because I can't help her this time," Tomoyo said simply.

 Licking her lips, she busied herself with trying to spot where her

 bodyguards had hidden themselves away this time. A helpless feeling

 bubbled up, encasing her heart. It was the same feeling she'd always

 had whenever Sakura had been in physical danger, the knowledge that

 she was helpless to protect Sakura. It was icy cold and devestating.

 That feeling was one of the primary reasons she had pushed Sakura

 towards Syaoran. Syaoran could protect her from whatever magical

 dangers came her way, something Tomoyo couldn't do. But with matters

 of the heart, Tomoyo had always been able to comfort Sakura in some

 way. Not this time. That thought left her feeling useless to the girl

 she loved. Sakura needed her and yet she couldn't lift a finger to

 help. 

 

 "Why not? You've always steered Sakura well so far. I swear she

 would've ended up running into a wall without you there. You've made

 my duties as a big brother a lot easier. I can actually get some

 sleep when I know you're around to keep her out of trouble." Touya

 was grateful for all Tomoyo had done for his sister. Though he teased

 her, he was intensely protective of Sakura. Tomoyo had been Sakura's

 safety net from almost the day they met. It relieved him to know that

 Tomoyo was there for Sakura when he couldn't be. "Because I think I'm

 involved." A breeze played with the jacket, making it sway around the

 delicate heiress, her long, dark hair following suit. Her pale

 fingers peaked out of the sleeves as she held the jacket closer. "I

 can't give Sakura any advice on this if it's about me. I have to let

 her decide. I can't tell her what's in her heart. Not this time.

 Because I'm too close. I made a mistake last time. I won't do that

 again. I have to let Sakura find out for herself what's in her

 heart.""You were only looking out for her. Few people would have done

 what you did, trying to get her with someone else so she'd be happy."

 Placing a hand on her shoulder, he looked down into her stormy blue

 eyes. "You've always been looking out for her. You've always been

 working for her best interests, even when she didn't see that. You've

 sacrificed so that she'd be happy. If that doesn't make you worthy of

 her love, I don't know what does." Squeezing her shoulder lightly for

 emphasis, he continued. "If I'd been the one trying to push her in

 anyone's direction, I'd have wanted her with you over the brat

 anyday. Don't scare yourself with thoughts of whether or not you're

 good enough for her, Tomoyo-chan. Because I know you are. You'd be my

 first choice for her."Slowly, a smile spread across Tomoyo's face.

 Looking up, she brushed back her hair. "Thank you, Touya-san.""Don't

 mention it. I should thank you for trying to take the monster off my

 hands." Touya let go, glancing once again around the parking lot.

 "Now where are those two? Some lovers they turn out to be, making us

 wait in the cold like this."Smiling, Tomoyo cast her eyes to the

 stars once more. Touya was right. It was up to Sakura now. And

 whatever Sakura decided, she would always be by her side. Doubts

 would only hold her back.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Sakura walked nervously alongside her onetime crush and protector,

 Yukito. The older man smiled at her, but this only served to make the

 young Cardmistress fidget even more. Snow the color of Yukito's hair

 began to dance around them, swirling lazily about the two. Hugging

 her jacket closer, the athletic girl struggled to make sense of the

 maelstrom in her head. She couldn't talk to Tomoyo about this because

 Tomoyo was the whole reason her heart was flittering so wildly. She

 surely couldn't ask Syaoran. How would the proud future leader of the

 Li Clan react to his girlfriend asking him about her feelings towards

 another girl? Kero's advice was suspect at best. Her brother's

 preferences over the two closest to Sakura's heart was obvious. That

 left her stoic guardian, the Judgement himself. "Yukito-san," Sakura

 finally got out through numb lips. "I need to speak to Yue."

 

 In a dazzling display of cool light and wings, the man who had stood

 next to her was replaced by his counterpart, the long haired

 guardian, Yue. "Yes, Sakura-sama."

 

 That title always made Sakura want to squirm. It felt too heavy

 resting on her shoulders. She didn't like the thought of being in

 charge. She just wanted to be friends with her 'subjects'. But now

 wasn't the time for her discomfort over titles. How was she supposed

 to begin? She'd never been good at talking about love. It left her

 feeling confused and tongue-tied. The words finally escaped her in a

 rush. "How do you know you're in love?"Silence surrounded the

 ethereal pair for a long moment. When Yue spoke, he arched an eyebrow

 curiously. "Isn't this better asked of Tomoyo? Or perhaps Dark and

 Light? Love has never really been my strong point.""But you and Touya

 seem so happy. You look like you belong together. When I'm with

 Syaoran..." Sakura trailed off, looking down at the gathering snow

 for a moment. "It doesn't feel that way. And I can't ask Tomoyo.

 She's... I..." The Carmistress blushed and held her hands to her

 heart. "Tomoyo's in love with me. But I don't know how I feel. I

 thought I was in love with Syaoran. But now I don't know anymore.

 Tomoyo makes me feel so... hanyan... When I'm with her, my heart

 starts pounding. It's like I'm short of breath. And the things she

 says... The thought of her finding someone else, of someone else

 getting Tomoyo's love, it makes me feel miserable. I don't know what

 I'd do without her."Yue smirked, crossing his arms regally. "It

 sounds to me like you've answered your own questions, Sakura-sama.

 Perhaps you just needed someone to listen.""What? No, I..." Sakura's

 blush deepened as she shook her head. "That wasn't what I meant.

 I..." But her words did ring with a certain truth, didn't they? The

 way Tomoyo made her feel was something she had taken for granted as a

 child. But now that she understood how her friend felt, it made

 Sakura wonder about her own feelings. Were they the same? 

 

 "Yuki, we need to get going or I'll be late for work." Turning at

 the sound of her brother's voice, Sakura saw Touya and Tomoyo walking

 towards them. Yukito walked past to join Touya, already having

 reverted back from his true form. Questions still lingered in the

 Cardmistress's mind even as Tomoyo approached her. A smile spread

 across her lips nonetheless as she took the few steps to reach her

 beautiful friend. Even if questions lingered, she still loved being

 with her friend. And that was enough for now.

 

 "Touya wanted to know if we wanted to go to the bar he worked at

 with them," Tomoyo explained, brushing back her dark hair from her

 pale face. She felt better after talking to Touya and could only hope

 that Sakura felt the same way after her conversation with Yukito. She

 couldn't help but return the smile Sakura gave her, falling alongside

 her athletic friend. "Unless the monster is too little," Touya added,

 slipping an arm around Yukito as they walked. Sakura's fists balled

 up as she followed her elder brother. "I am not! I'm plenty old

 enough to go to the bar." Her dreams of one day growing up and being

 taller than him were hampered by the fact that he was still

 incredibly taller than her. Sakura could only claim to be taller than

 Tomoyo, and even then it was only by a few inches. "Come on, Tomoyo-

 chan. We don't have work tomorrow. It'll be fun." Whether she really

 thought it would be fun or she was just trying to prove her brother

 wrong, Sakura couldn't rightly say. The two thoughts bled together

 until they were practically the same thing. 

 

 Still, seeing her brother with his arm around the slender white

 haired man made her own heart years. Her fists unclenched as she

 found herself gazing sidelong at her friend. It would feel so nice to

 hold Tomoyo like that, to feel the soft, frail girl in her arm,

 moving against her as they walked. The heiress was so elegent, so

 gorgeous. Her steps seemed almost perfect, making her seem to glide

 along barely touching the floor. How would it feel to hold onto her,

 to feel Tomoyo melt against her side? "Are you coming with us or are

 you going to walk the whole way?" Touya asked, shattering Sakura's

 thoughts. "What?" Embarrassment colored the brunette's cheeks as she

 saw Touya and Yukito getting on their bikes. Tomoyo slid up behind

 her brother, her arms going around his waist to hold on. "Oh... Yeah,

 I'm coming." Sakura climbed up behind Yukito, holding on as the

 taller boy pushed the bike into motion. For some reason this didn't

 hold the excitement it once had. Her eyes found their way back to

 Tomoyo, the heiress sitting demurely on the back of Touya's bike just

 as she had once sat on the back of Sakura's staff when they would fly

 through the night. A pang of loss struck Sakura as those memories

 resurfaced. She missed gliding through the air with Tomoyo so close

 to her. When she flew with her wings, it could feel so lonely. But

 when she had flown on her staff with Tomoyo, they were sharing the

 night sky together. But now that seemed so long ago. They weren't

 children anymore. That magic seemed far away. She longed to be on the

 bike near Tomoyo, the two of them free as the wind. Catching Sakura's

 gaze, Tomoyo smiled at her friend. Sakura's nostalgic look was

 replaced by a smile of her own. They watched each other for a long

 time as the snow and lit up streets zipped past around them. The

 beauty around them couldn't compare with the beauty of her best

 friend, the wind and snow playing through her hair. For a moment,

 Tomoyo wished that she had her camcorder with her. But Sakura was

 always a beautiful sight. For now she was content to simply watch,

 their eyes never breaking for more than a few seconds. Did Sakura

 have any idea how she affected her? How her heart would swell just by

 being near the brunette? Even the Cardmistress couldn't know just how

 strong her spells could be. "I love you, Sakura," she whispered to

 her friend, knowing Sakura couldn't hear her as they sped along on

 the bikes. She thought she saw Sakura's mouth move shortly afterwards.

 

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

 "I think you've just been around your sisters so long that you don't

 know how to treat a girl's heart," Fanren explained, sitting on an

 ornamental stone as Syaoran continued practicing, his limbs moving

 nimbly about in the different poses. "And what makes you think that?"

 Syaoran asked dryly, switching his balance as he moved. Martial arts

 was one thing he could count on. Overemotional girlfriends and pissed

 off cousins were far away when he was training. Unfortunately, his

 big sister wasn't about to let him escape completely."Because Meiling

 hasn't been here in days." She leaned forward and spoke in a

 conspiratorial whisper. "I heard she punched a whole in her wall."

 Sweatdropping, Syaoran tried not to lose his balance. "That's just a

 rumor. So what can't I figure out a girl's heart if I grew up with so

 many girls, huh?"Fanren grinned, watching her intent little brother.

 "Because you think like a girl, silly."

 

 Syaoran nearly stumbled at this bit of news. Whirling about, his

 eyes narrowed. "I what?""You think like a girl. You've grown up with

 all your big sisters and mom. You don't think like a boy. A boy would

 be expected to try to figure out a girl's heart so they could one day

 marry so you'd have someone to help you with the Li Clan. But you

 practically grew up as a girl. Boy's hearts are easier for you to

 understand because they're simpler. Like that boy you had a crush on

 who ate all the time."Syaoran's cheeks flushed as he went back to his

 training. Let Fanren air her crazy theory if it would make her feel

 better. She was his big sister, so he was obligated to at least

 listen. "That was different. I liked him because his magic attracted

 mine."Laughing, Fanren shook her head. "You keep telling yourself

 that, Syaoran. Anyway, it's the same way the rest of your sisters

 think. They don't have to deal with the subtleties of a girl's heart.

 They can work their feminine wiles on a boy and more often than not,

 he'll be theirs. You can't expect the same tricks to work on girls as

 boys.""And just how did you get to be so insightful?" Syaoran asked,

 shooting her a glance.

 

 A smirk crossed the elder siblings lips as she shrugged. "I like

 boys and girls, so I needed to learn the rules for both."

 

 Syaoran didn't know how to answer, his cheeks flushing."So I think

 I'm in a unique position to understand how difficult things must be

 for my little brother. You're having the same problems I did when I

 was first trying to figure out how to go about winning a girl's

 heart. You're still too used to falling for boys, so it's confusing

 you. Meiling doesn't work the way you're used to.""I'm dating

 Sakura!" Syaoran finally shot back. "She's a girl, or did you just

 forget that?" His pride was wounded and he only knew to fight back.

 His sister thought he had grown up as a girl, that he didn't know how

 to figure out a girl's heart. Of course he did. He was dating the

 Cardmistress. "No offense, Syaoran, but that hardly counts. Sakura's

 more tomboyish than you are." She saw him wince at that and quickly

 moved to reassure him. "It's not a problem. It's not like you're any

 less a person for it. You're my wonderful little brother. It's just

 that you grew up more like a little sister, so these things that boys

 have to deal with end up being confusing. But that isn't your fault.

 Who was supposed to explain them to you? One of your sisters? Mom?

 And Wei's too old for that sort of thing."

 

 "So you're supposed to teach me how to be a man?" Syaoran asked

 incredulously. What would she know about being a man? And having the

 nerve to call him, the heir to the Li Clan, her little sister. But he

 couldn't get himself to just leave or to quit listening to her. Maybe

 it was that he felt so off balance with Meiling angry at him. Or

 maybe he sensed some truth in her words. Yukito had been so much

 easier to have a crush on. That had made sense to him. Sakura was a

 little more confusing and it always felt like he was doing the wrong

 things with Meiling. 

 

 "Well, I can't teach you how to be a man. I think you're fine the

 way you are. Though you could smile a bit more." The older girl

 winked at her brother. "I can, on the other hand, help you figure out

 how to understand a girl's heart. Which might help patch things up

 with Meiling. And if you're going to stop her from getting

 married...""That isn't my problem. If she's going to get married,

 that's her business," Syaoran said frostily. 

 

 "It's not her choice, Syaoran," Fanren reminded him gently."She

 could fight it. I know Meiling. She's a fighter. So why would she

 just give up?" Anger fueled his motions as he kicked and punched at

 the air in front of him."Because she doesn't feel like she has

 anything to fight for. Why keep fighting if she has no reason? What

 good would arguing the wedding be? I think she's tired of fighting

 it." A small smile passed across Fanren's lips. "But I'm sure we

 could change that.Syaoran couldn't help himself. He turned quickly,

 his eyes burning with intensity.

 "How?"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Though Tomoyo was fairly certain her mother had ended up in bars

 several times for various reasons, either while talking to business

 associates or lamenting her beloved Nadeshiko, Tomoyo herself had

 never been to one. It was a bit exciting to be in such a different

 atmosphere. She somehow didn't think it would be nearly as exciting

 without Sakura so near. Staying close to the other girl, Tomoyo

 followed right behind Sakura. Touya, meanwhile, took his blace behind

 the bar dressed in his uniform, relieving a fellow employee. He

 wasted no time in getting to work. Sakura slid up onto a stool near

 the bar, followed closely by Tomoyo. Emerald eyes looked all about

 the nicely decorated yet dimly lit bar. People mingled about all

 over. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

 "You have to order something if you're going to sit there," Touya

 cautioned, cleaning out some of the glasses.Nibbling on her lower

 lips, Sakura nodded after a moment. "Okay. Get me whatever the usual

 is.""I'll have one, too," Tomoyo followed. One certainly couldn't

 hurt. And she could call her bodyguards to drive them home. 

 

 "Are you sure?" Touya asked, raising an eyebrow. When the two girls

 nodded, he went about getting them their drinks. Seeing his sister

 drunk was an awkward thought, but if she did anything stupid, at

 least he'd have stories to hold over her for the rest of her life.

 And if she was going to try it, he felt a lot better about it being

 when he could keep an eye on her rather than somewhere else. "Here

 you are, ladies." He produced the two glasses, sliding them to his

 sister and her friend. Taking her glass, Sakura examined the amber

 liquid for a long moment. Catching sight of her brother watching her

 even as he helped another customer, the Cardmistress decided to throw

 caution to the wind. She wasn't going to look like a stupid little

 kid in front of him. Raising the glass, she took a long drink. And

 almost coughed it back up. The liquid tasted vile, almost burning her

 throat as it went down. She swore she saw Touya smirk as he walked

 past. Harumphing, she tried again, closing her eyes this time as the

 liquid burned down into her belly. Having accomplished that much, she

 made she he was watching the next time she took a drink. 'I'm not a

 little kid anymore, Onii-chan,' she thought triumphantly.

 

 Tomoyo watched her friend take her first few drinks before trying

 her own. Sakura was so cute even while trying to prove that she was a

 big girl. The heiress took a sip of her own drink. So that's why

 Sakura was having a hard time with it. She could see why businessmen

 would talk business over such hearty drinks. It must show how intent

 they were to drink such strong things. And if it helped them loosen

 up while they were at it, they probably wouldn't complain. Tomoyo

 decided on the slow and steady approach to finishing her own drink,

 rather than the occasional gulps that Sakura seemed to favor. The two

 stayed that way for some time. Tomoyo kept sipping at her drink while

 Sakura would take big gulps of hers when Touya would come past. Touya

 would occasionally refill Sakura's glass when it would near the

 bottom. The music played around them, enveloping them in the almost

 mysterious atmosphere around them. Tomoyo kept watching Sakura as she

 absentmindedly nursed her drink. Watching Sakura was, after all, her

 favorite hobby.Meanwhile, Sakura was getting a bit tipsy. She hadn't

 quite gotten used to the taste of the stuff, but it had stopped being

 so difficult to drink. By now Touya surely wasn't thinking of her as

 a kid. She grinned at the thought. Good. That would show him to treat

 her like a child. Her head moved slightly in tune to the music

 surrounding her, letting her mind wander. She forgot all about Touya

 and trying to prove anything to him. Stormy blue eyes caught her own

 emerald eyes like a magnet, reeling her in. She smiled brightly at

 Tomoyo, swiveling to look at her friend. It felt so nice to have

 Tomoyo's eyes on her, to have all of Tomoyo's attention like that. It

 made her feel special. And not special because of any magic or power

 she had, but special simply for who she was in the eyes of her best

 friend. Tomoyo was so sweet. 

 

 Her foot swept out, gently pushing against Tomoyo's sandal-clad feet

 under the stools. The heiress looked only momentarily puzzled before

 her foot pushed back lightly. Giggling, Sakura continued playing with

 Tomoyo's foot. Leaning over, she had to speak in a loud whisper to be

 heard. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, do you want to dance?" Everyone else was

 dancing and it seemed a shame to just sit there all night. Besides,

 it would be so nice to feel Tomoyo so close, to move across the floor

 holding onto her. 

 

 "I'd love to, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo replied, sliding gingerly off of

 her seat and taking Sakura's hand. Her heartbeat quickened as she

 felt Sakura's warm hand holding onto her own, pulling her inexorably

 towards the dance floor. She had learned to dance with her mother

 when she was young, danding at first on the tall woman's feet to the

 music her mother would put on. Being able to dance with Sakura had a

 dreamlike quality to it. She almost couldn't believe it was

 happening. Little moments like that gave her a taste of what it must

 feel like for Syaoran to be dating the beautiful tomboy. She found

 those little tastes delicious and treasured them deep within her

 heart. A warm smile lit up her face even as her heart played a

 staccato beat in her heart while Sakura's arms went around her,

 pulling her close. Her mind whirled but she made no attempt to stop

 it. Though she hadn't expected to be dancing so very close to Sakura,

 she was thankful for the chance to. 

 

 The music danced around them like The Flower Card as Sakura held her

 dark haired friend close. Their bodies moved together under the the

 dim lights. Tomoyo's soft figure felt wonderful up close in Sakura's

 arms. Tomoyo was just as elegant dancing as she was walking, her

 skirt twirling about as they danced. Sakura's own athleticism helped,

 though her state of mind made her slip up now and then. Tomoyo hardly

 seemed to notice the few mistakes. Had dancing ever felt this good

 with Syaoran? When they danced, Syaoran always felt so guarded, as if

 he were simply trying to prove his capabilities in the situation. It

 never felt like he was simply there, dancing alone with her. But the

 people seemed to melt away as she danced with Tomoyo. The heiress's

 hands found their way to her back, holding onto her there as they

 danced, Tomoyo's body unabashedly hers as she led it this way and

 that in their dance. It was a glorious feeling. Tomoyo trusted her

 wholeheartedly, adrift in her arms. And Sakura pulled her along,

 never letting go. 

 

 An eternity later, the two pulled themselves away from the dance

 floor, finding a nice spot to catch their collective breath. Tomoyo

 leaned against the wall, her heart still pounding from the whirlwind

 ride it had been on during their dance. Oh, to be able to dance with

 Sakura like that whenever. Syaoran was the luckiest boy under the

 heavens. Slumping against the wall next to Tomoyo, Sakura's green

 eyes refused to leave the flushed heiress. "You're so beautiful,

 Tomoyo-chan," Sakura found herself whispering, her fingers stroking

 through Tomoyo's luxurious hair. Her worries from earlier that night

 felt like that had melted away, evaporating into nothing. She felt

 free in that way she'd wished to reclaim with Tomoyo up in the sky.

 Tomoyo blushed faintly, unable to pull away from Sakura's emerald

 orbs. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. But you're the beautiful one. Even

 when you aren't there, your beauty is still burnt into my mind."

 Reaching out, her lithe fingers brushed past Sakura's cheek softly.

 "You're so gorgeous. It's no wonder everyone loves you. I can't

 imagine anyone being able to resist your charms. I know I never

 could."Giggling, Sakura slid closer to her friend, twirling Tomoyo's

 hair around her fingers. "But you never tried. I'm sure you could if

 you wanted to. You're the prettiest, smartest, most talented girl I

 know. I'm still surprised you haven't found someone better

 yet.""There can't be anyone better than you. You're the one I love.

 Everything about you..." Tomoyo kicked herself after the words had

 escaped. Yeah, good job. How was Sakura supposed to believe that

 Tomoyo would be okay when Sakura married Syaoran if Tomoyo still

 believed Sakura was her perfect person? Well, it was out now. Sakura

 already knew that she loved her. But Tomoyo didn't want Sakura to

 think she could never fall in love with someone else. She didn't want

 to make Sakura feel guilty. "Hoe... Tomoyo-chan, you always say the

 sweetest things," Sakura crooned, burying her nose in Tomoyo's hair.

 Tomoyo's eyes closed while she nuzzled the wonderfully soft hair,

 enhaling Tomoyo's wonderful scent. Tomoyo shuddered almost

 imperceptibly against her. The Cardmistress loved hearing that, even

 if she felt guilty about having Tomoyo's love so completely. But it

 was such a wonderful sensation knowing that the other girl loved her

 so much, that Tomoyo would see her as an angel. Tomoyo was the most

 amazing girl she knew. Having Tomoyo see her like that always made

 her feel like she could move mountains. "We should get home, Sakura-

 chan," Tomoyo said after taking a moment to compose herself. "It's

 getting late." Gracing Sakura with her patented smile, she dug in her

 purse to pull out her cellphone, quickly dialing her bodyguards. Even

 as she spoke into it, she could feel Sakura's gaze caressing her skin

 and her hair being twirled around Sakura's nimble fingers. It took

 some effort to keep her voice steady on the phone. "They'll be here

 in a few moments," she said at last, turning her eyes once more to

 the pretty brunette against her side. Her heart nearly stopped when

 Sakura slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "We should

 probably go wait outside for them," she suggested. 'Because if we

 stay in here, I don't know what will happen. If I can get you home

 and in bed, then everything will be fine. You're dating Syaoran. I

 will not damage that. I love you too much to damage that,' Tomoyo

 thought, even as Sakura walked her to the door. It felt so very good

 to be in Sakura's strong arms, held against her side. Tomoyo let

 herself give in for the time being, resting her head on Sakura's

 shoulder. Sakura smiled happily as she felt Tomoyo's long hair spill

 down across her back. The warm breath from the heiress felt so good

 on her shoulder. She couldn't resist nuzzling Tomoyo's hair one more

 time, enjoying the way it tickled her nose. Stepping out into the now

 frigid outdoors, the Cardmistress protectively pulled Tomoyo closer.

 Melting into her grasp, the heirss placed a hand against her heart,

 standing neslted in Sakura's arms as the snow fell like pieces of

 clouds from the heavens. The two stayed that way until the limo

 finally arrived, Tomoyo enraptured by the feel of Sakura's heartbeat

 against her palm. 

 

 Climbing in, Tomoyo leaned back against the seat, trying to will her

 heart to regain some sense of normalcy. That night had been like a

 surreal dream, taking her on a tour of a heaven that could not be. If

 only she could have taped it! She sighed, slipping her sandals off

 her aching feet. At least there would always be the memories, though

 CDs last twice as long and are ten times clearer. She needed to hire

 someone to follow them around constantly to get everything on tape.

 The best things always happened when she just happened to be away

 from her trusty camcorder. Whatever god lived in the heavens above,

 he certainly loved irony. 

 

 Tomoyo was yanked out of her daydream as her bare foot was pulled up

 onto Sakura's lap. Staring blankly for a moment, Tomoyo could only

 watch as the brunette began to rub her foot and ankle. Her toes

 wiggled absentmindedly as she watched Sakura. First priority: Hire

 someone to bring her camcorder along at all times so when dreamy

 things like this happened, she'd have proof they weren't just a

 wonderful dream she was having. "Do your feet hurt?" Sakura asked.

 Tomoyo nodded weakly. The brunette rubbed more intently, trying to

 massage the tenseness out of them. "Mine would get like that after

 lots and lots of track. And yours are so much more delicate. It must

 hurt a lot more for you." "It was worth it. I got to dance with you

 for so long. I'd do it again even if they'd fall off," Tomoyo

 promised, watching the curious Cardmistress. Sakura made a face,

 working on Tomoyo's delicate foot with both hands, caressing over the

 soft skin and rubbing wherever she could get. "I hope not. You have

 such cute feet. I'd hate to see anything happen to them." Tomoyo

 stared at the roof of the limo for a moment, borrowing from Sakura's

 library a word she thought expressed the situation perfectly.

 "Hoe..." Sakura giggled and continued caressing Tomoyo's foot. Her

 fingers slowly began making their way upward, over her ankle and up

 the back of her leg. "Your skin's so soft, Tomoyo-chan. You feel so

 nice. It's not like this when I'm with Syaoran." Sakura giggled,

 shaking her head. "I mean, he feels different than you. Well, his

 legs, anyway." Her hands continued to climb higher until they were

 rubbing the sides of Tomoyo's thighs under the dark haired girl's

 lavender skirt, Sakura's body pressed nicely against Tomoyo's.

 "Everything feels different with you.""That could be because I'm a

 girl. I hear boys and girls do feel a bit different," Tomoyo

 reasoned, trying to look as composed as possible under the situation.

 Sakura's hands felt deliciously good against her bare skin, warm and

 strong against her soft thighs. Little flitters of reason struggled

 to take hold, telling her to stop Sakura from doing anything else,

 that Sakura was drunk and shouldn't be this close. But it felt so

 wonderful. And she hardly had the heart to deny Sakura anything. 

 

 "You feel so much better. You make me so hanyaan, Tomoyo-chan.

 'Everything will always be all right.' But it only feels all right

 when I'm with you," Sakura explained, her weight holding Tomoyo's

 slender form underneath her. That swirl of feelings that she felt

 when Tomoyo was close to her felt like a hurricane now, something

 powerful and unstoppable. There was some magic about the heiress that

 sparked something deep inside of her that no one else could touch. In

 her current state, Sakura's thoughts were a swirl of emotions and

 feelings, logic lost somewhere along the way. There was only the

 fragile, pale girl undernearth her and the storm of feelings she sent

 through her. Tomoyo looked up at her, pink lips and stormy blue eyes

 framed by her raven hair. Sakura pressed further into the smaller

 girl, her lips finding Tomoyo's. She kissed her friend softly, loving

 the way Tomoyo's feathery lips felt under her own. Tomoyo was still

 mildly out of it because of her own drink at the bar, but she knew

 she was much more lucid than Sakura. Or, rather, she had been before

 Sakura had kissed her. Tomoyo was rapidly becoming drunk off of

 Sakura, off the taste of Sakura's lips against hers and the feeling

 of Sakura's body pressing against hers through their clothes. So she

 wasn't overly surprised to find herself kissing back shortly, her

 hands climbling up Sakura's back even as Sakura's hands began

 questing over her own body. Sakura was kissing her. Sakura was loving

 her. And it felt so wonderful. Her body squirmed as the brunette's

 hands quested over her thighs, caressing over her panty-clad lower

 half. Her own deft fingers were busying themselves with Sakura's top,

 sliding it down and exposing the Cardmistress's bra. Tomoyo's eyes

 drew in the whole picture before her, her heart jumping with joy at

 the sight. 

 

 Kissing Tomoyo quickly escalated to much more, Sakura was pleased to

 see. Though the logic that may have stopped her from all this was

 curiously absent, the emotions and feelings that surrounded her

 spurred her on further. She blushed slightly as she felt Tomoyo

 unclasp her bra, letting it slide forward and out of the way. Her

 blush grew as she watched Tomoyo's gaze move over her bare chest. Her

 embarrassment was shortlived, however, as Tomoyo's hands swiftly made

 their way to Sakura's chest, fingertips caressing over the soft skin.

 Sakura purred as she pressed closer to Tomoyo, kissing her pale

 friend deeper. She wanted to pull Tomoyo closer, to kiss her more, to

 make love to her. She wanted to never let her go. 

 

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

 

 "Owwwww..." Sakura awoke the next morning to an angry headache.

 Moving made her feel even worse. Her feet ached and the sheets felt

 odd against her. Blinking groggily, the Cardmistress forced herself

 to sit up. She immediately wished she hadn't. Her head swam and for a

 moment she thought she would pass out. It slowly passed, but her

 headache returned with a vengence. The sheets rustled against her

 bare skin, a strange feeling for her. The only time she'd been in bed

 naked, she'd been sleeping with Syaoran. Her eyes slowly widened, the

 headache that had been impeding her thinking now being pushed

 forcefully to the side. The night before... Tomoyo... in the car... 

 

 Kero didn't bat an eyebrow as he floated in, carrying a mug of

 steaming tea. He'd seen Sakura get dressed enough growing up that

 seeing her in just a sheet wasn't particularly bothersome. "Tomoyo-

 chan says to drink this. She says it'll make ya feel better." 

 

 Taking the cup, Sakura held it close in her hands. Did she...? Had

 she...? With Tomoyo? The sheets slipped down as she took her first

 sip. "Hoe..."