Dear Sakura

 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 pearsong1954@yahoo.com

 

 

 	“When was the last time we went to the beach together?” Sakura

 asked curiously. Sand crunched underneath her sandals as she and

 Tomoyo looked for a nice spot on the beach. She turned to make sure

 the dark haired woman was still there, even though they were holding

 hands. Tomoyo’s snow white skin looked so out of place on the beach.

 Sakura was almost afraid the poor woman would get burnt to a cinder

 in the bright late morning sun. The toy designer smiled back happily

 to Sakura, seeming far removed from any such worries. Tomoyo wore a

 simple white sundress, her bathing suit underneath. A wide-brimmed

 hat lay atop her head, a blue ribbon trailing from it. Her hair

 underneath was done up in buns. She wore large sunglasses tinted a

 rosy pink color. They looked cute on Tomoyo, but Sakura was a little

 disappointed that she couldn’t catch the enticing stormy blue of her

 best friend’s eyes because of them. Sakura was already in her bathing

 suit, a red two piece that she was currently wearing a blue jacket

 with. 

 	“A year and a half ago when mother invited you to come with us out

 to the beach house,” Tomoyo replied without a moment’s hesitation, as

 if all facts regarding Sakura were relevant to keep track of at all

 time. She pushed the sunglasses up from the tip of her nose, smiling

 cheerfully at the Cardmistress. Despite being able to embarrass

 Sakura with some of the things she said and did, it always delighted

 her to know that Sakura was completely at ease with her. If it

 weren’t for that, she would have quit making such embarrassing

 comments years ago. But Sakura took it all in stride, blushing

 considerably but never feeling awkward in Tomoyo’s presence. That had

 allowed her to remain close to Sakura over the years, to treasure the

 brunette’s company like the finest wine and the world’s greatest

 riches. It had also given her best friend status some perks as well.

 She knew firsthand how beautiful Sakura had grown over the years,

 never actually outgrowing the cuteness about her, but gaining a

 completely new aspect as well. Though at the moment, Tomoyo didn’t

 need years of close hand study to know such on obvious fact. “You

 look gorgeous in that, Sakura-chan,” her musical voice practically

 sang, followed quickly by a happily contented sigh. “I can’t wait to

 start videotaping you.”

 	Blushing faintly, Sakura smiled in return. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan.

 I’m glad you think so.” Brushing fingers back through her brunette

 hair, Sakura scanned the area for a nice place to put their towel and

 basket. A picnic lunch had been Tomoyo’s idea. Seeing Tomoyo standing

 with the basket reminded her of all the picnics they used to go on

 when they were younger. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought.

 Now these picnics were such a special occasion, something that

 happened only very rarely now that they no longer lived in the same

 country. Once upon a time she had taken those wonderful moments

 together for granted, assuming that they, like Tomoyo, would simply

 always be there. Something she could always enjoy. She knew now that

 that wasn’t the case and that she would have to burn these memories

 into her soul while she could. 

 	“Right here looks nice, Sakura-chan.” Drawing the cute gym

 teacher’s attention, Tomoyo motioned towards a fairly empty section

 of beach. Of course, that wasn’t Tomoyo’s main reasoning for

 selecting it. The light was perfect at that spot to videotape Sakura.

 And she just so happened to have brought her camcorder along with

 lunch. Her poor, abused camcorder had been relegated to the attic for

 quite some time, Tomoyo having lost the will to videotape anymore

 after Sakura’s departure. It had gained renewed life when she had

 pulled it out to use in her cooking lessons for her friend. But this

 was what it existed for, in much the same way Tomoyo existed for

 these special moments with Sakura. A hand went absentmindedly to her

 right cheek as she watched Sakura start to spread out the beach

 blanket. Love was a cruel mistress, but she wouldn’t give it up for

 the countless stars in the sky. She couldn’t live without the

 wonderfully sweet caress that thoughts of Sakura sent fluttering

 across her heart. 

 	When Sakura was finished with the beach blanket, Tomoyo knelt down

 gingerly on it, placing the basket next to her before smoothing out

 the skirt of her sundress. Sakura sat next to her, the white jacket

 hanging from around the Cardmistress’s shoulders. Sakura watched

 Tomoyo for a long moment, her legs curled up under her. The dark

 haired woman always told her how pretty she was or how beautiful she

 looked or any number of other things. But Tomoyo was truly stunning,

 her elegant beauty always shining through whatever myriad styles she

 used. Tomoyo always kept her hair long for her mother’s sake, who

 treasured it as a reminder of Sakura’s own mother’s beautiful long

 hair. But even keeping it long, Tomoyo always seemed to have

 something she could do with it, as the pretty buns they were in now

 attested to. As the almost deathly pale woman began to take off her

 sundress, Sakura stared transfixed. Tomoyo looked like the goddess

 Venus ascending from the waves, her white sundress that fell next to

 her feet the sea foam around her. She was clad in a black and gray

 one piece bathing suit. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to sparkle when

 she finally pulled away the rose sunglasses and laid them next to her

 hat. Realizing that she had been staring, Sakura turned abruptly,

 pretending to busy herself with... anything. She stared at the ocean

 while she tried to sort through her tousled thoughts. Unbeknownst to

 Sakura, Tomoyo had noticed her friend’s gaze. She was a little

 surprised by it, but thrilled nonetheless. To capture Sakura’s

 attention so was truly a wonderful prize. She smiled happily, even

 more thrilled to be there with the one person who was always in her

 thoughts.

 	Turning her gaze back to Tomoyo, Sakura looked up as the dark

 haired woman sat down next to her. Memories from times long forgotten

 came flooding back to her. Not just of trips to beaches or picnics.

 But of all the wonderful times they had spent together. They weren’t

 the little girls they had once been. Sakura was married now and a gym

 teacher. Tomoyo was becoming a successful toy designer. But at the

 moment, none of that mattered. Tomoyo was still the sweet and gentle

 best friend that had always been by her side. They were still just

 out for the day to spend time together and to enjoy themselves. For a

 brief moment, the hands of time ticked backwards. They were sitting

 in a park in Tomoeda discussing the recent events at school while

 Tomoyo videotaped her with her camcorder, the future blissfully out

 of the way. The moment evaporated as quickly as it had arrived

 despite Sakura’s attempts at grasping onto it. What had Eriol told

 her long ago? Something about a long absence showing her true

 feelings. She couldn’t quite remember exactly. She had always

 expected Tomoyo to be there, but now this was an all too brief visit

 before Tomoyo was gone once again. And Tomoyo’s absence was pulling

 at her heart, making her realize just how much she needed the

 beautiful heiress. It seemed Eriol had been right after all. 

 	Tomoyo searched through the picnic basket, finally uncovering the

 suntan lotion. She didn’t get out very often except when she was with

 Sakura and she had always had an extremely pale complexion. Without

 some form of protection, she would easily bake out in the hot sun. 

 	“I’ll get that for you, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura offered helpfully. At

 Tomoyo’s soft thanks, she took the bottle and began to rub some into

 her hands. She knelt next to her best friend as Tomoyo lay down on

 her back, her stormy blue eyes slipping shut. Sakura got a little

 more of the lotion in her hands before trying to decide where to

 start. Watching Tomoyo lying in front of her with her eyes closed,

 images of the dark haired woman’s sleeping form filled Sakura’s mind.

 So peaceful and calm, as if all of her dreams were beautiful. Tomoyo

 looked that way now, except for a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

 She definitely looked happy. 

 	Trying to lie perfectly still, Tomoyo felt her heart pounding

 rapidly in her chest, ignoring her attempts to stay calm. She tried

 to tell herself that this was just a kind act on Sakura’s part and

 that it didn’t mean anything, but she didn’t care. She was too happy

 to worry about such trivial things. It was Sakura, that’s all that

 mattered. And she would be more than happy to have Sakura apply the

 suntan lotion if it only meant she could feel her touch. For a

 moment, Tomoyo felt like a teenager again, anxiously waiting during

 some of the awkward moments she and Sakura had while growing up.

 Though Sakura would never have known, there were some times when

 Tomoyo had found herself equally as embarrassed as her brunette

 friend. One time she had almost kissed Sakura during a festival. They

 could only have been twelve or thirteen at the time. Sakura’s eyes

 had been closed as they sat facing each other, a content look across

 her features. Tomoyo’s heart had pounded much as it was now as she

 watched that cute face for what had felt like an eternity. Her hand

 finally going to Sakura’s cheek, she had drawn closer, caught more

 deeply by Sakura than she could by any Syren’s call. Their lips

 almost touching, Tomoyo had finally pulled away, blushing

 considerably herself at what had almost happened. Sakura had smiled

 when her eyes opened, unaware of the kiss she had almost received

 from her best friend. And so on through the years as they grew up

 together, Tomoyo’s love for Sakura barely hidden. And now she was

 once again nearly overcome by the surge of emotions the Cardmistress

 always managed to lure out of her. She idly wondered if Sakura could

 see her beating heart or feel the heat of her blush. She had to ask

 herself if Sakura had even the slightest idea of how even these

 simple little moments with her were like pieces of heaven. 

 	Reaching out slowly, Sakura began to massage the suntan lotion into

 Tomoyo’s right shoulder, marveling at the exquisitely soft feeling of

 the skin under her touch. Syaoran’s skin wasn’t nearly so soft and

 enticing. Sakura shoved the thought away. Of course it wasn’t. This

 was a completely different situation anyway. When she felt his skin,

 it meant they were usually going to sleep or... She was glad that

 Tomoyo still had her eyes closed as she slowly forced her blush away.

 Her fingers followed along Tomoyo’s shoulder, trailing over the silky

 smooth skin again and again as she rubbed the lotion in. After

 watching Tomoyo’s elegant form for years, Sakura found it a pleasant

 experience to actually feel the silken skin and soft contours of her

 limbs. Her fingers slowly moved down the dark haired woman’s arm,

 careful to cover every inch of her. A soft smile played at her lips

 as she looked down at Tomoyo’s resting form. She wanted to gather up

 the other woman in her arms and hold her tightly, just to enjoy her

 presence as much as she could. That lost and lonely feeling that had

 enveloped her for the past several months had all but disappeared

 since the dark haired woman’s arrival. Tomoyo brought out feelings in

 her heart that she thought had faded away since her arrival in Hong

 Kong. Being with her again was like the sweetest dream imaginable.

 Sakura’s hand finally stopped at Tomoyo’s. She merely held onto it

 for a long moment. Tomoyo’s hand turned in her grasp, gently clasping

 Sakura’s hand. Sakura smiled again as the surprise wore off. She felt

 Tomoyo’s thumb slowly rubbing her palm. Watching Tomoyo with her own

 heart tangled in a web of confusion, Sakura tried to decide what to

 say. Once again, her mind returned to something she felt ashamed of

 for hoping. Could Tomoyo love someone else? There had to be someone

 who could make her happy if her special person couldn’t know of her

 feelings. But was that Sakura’s real reason behind wanting to know so

 badly? She couldn’t possibly think that she could take all of

 Tomoyo’s love. What a silly idea. She laughed off the thought, but it

 stubbornly refused to leave her completely. She was getting jealous.

 Tomoyo’s special person was the most important person to her. Sakura

 had at one time held that spot, she knew. And Tomoyo’s special person

 was hurting her, no less. It wasn’t fair that he could be her most

 important person and cause her so much agony. “Tomoyo-chan? What type

 of boys do you like?”

 	Blinking in confusing, Tomoyo squinted in the bright light to catch

 sight of Sakura, the beautiful brunette sitting by her side in the

 cool ocean breeze. Her eyes closed again as the light got too bright

 for her. “I don’t think I understand, Sakura-chan. There’s only one

 person I’ve ever been in love with. I don’t think I could describe

 any specific type. Because even someone similar to my special person

 wouldn’t be able to take my heart from them.”

 	Sakura considered this for a moment before nodding. That should be

 answer enough. It wasn’t like she knew of any boys to try to set up

 Tomoyo with anyway. Maybe Touya, but he was already with Yukito. But

 the question still lingered in Sakura’s mind. “Un, I understand. You

 must love him very much. But if you had a type of boy, what would it

 be?” she asked curiously. Who could be deserving of Tomoyo’s

 seemingly boundless love? What man could possibly be wonderful enough

 for her?

 	A melodious giggle escaped the ivory skinned woman as she lay next

 to Sakura. One of Sakura’s letters came to mind as she finally

 answered. “If I had a type of boy I liked, I would want a boy just

 like Sakura-chan. I would want him to be cute and brave and very

 energetic. He would have to be warm and very emotional. He would have

 to be a little shy, too, because blushing is a very cute habit and

 it’s always fun to embarrass Sakura-chan if it means I’ll get a blush

 out of it. But even then, he would still want to make others happy,

 wearing kawaii costumes or enduring me videotaping him even if he

 thought it was strange.” Her smile grew as she moved her head towards

 where she new Sakura to be, her dark hair fluttering softly in the

 light breeze. “And even if he could be rather dense sometimes, I

 would love him all the more for it, because he would be my cute

 Sa...” Tomoyo trailed off for a moment, correcting herself. The last

 few days had been extremely difficult on keeping up her masks. “The

 boy I liked.”

 	Sakura blushed yet again as she tried to make sense of Tomoyo’s

 description. It didn’t exactly sound like the manliest of men. A boy

 like her? Sakura couldn’t think of any boys like her. It was

 extremely flattering of Tomoyo to say. The dream she had had months

 ago tugged at her mind, an image of herself in boys clothes sharing

 an intimate moment with Tomoyo seeming to fit with the dark haired

 woman’s explanation. ‘If I were a boy, would I have married Tomoyo-

 chan?’ Sakura asked herself. A crimson blush began to flare across

 her cheeks as she imagined the idea, coming home to her gorgeous wife

 every night, sharing her life with her enigmatic best friend. Her

 heart began to beat faster in her chest. She almost felt dizzy as she

 tried to get a grasp on her thoughts. She stood up a little shakily,

 having finished with the suntan lotion during Tomoyo’s explanation.

 “Thanks, Tomoyo-chan,” she got out less sure of herself than she

 would have liked. She was still confused by all this. If she had been

 born a boy, would Tomoyo be her bride right now? Would they be on

 this beach as husband and wife instead of as best friends? “I think

 I’m going to take a swim.” That would be nice. It would clear her

 thoughts. Glancing back at Tomoyo sent another image through her

 mind, the two of them in bed after a long day. Wait, she wasn’t a boy

 in this one. “Hoe...” Yes, a swim would definitely help. She heard

 Tomoyo sitting up behind her, pulling her camcorder out dutifully to

 record the Cardmistress’s swimming. Sakura waved to her pale friend

 as she reached the water’s edge. Tomoyo’s voice called out to Sakura

 from years earlier when Sakura had asked why she didn’t videotape

 more interesting things than the brunette. ‘There’s nothing more

 interesting or prettier than Sakura-chan.’ Sakura felt a smile cross

 her lips at the memory. Tomoyo was always so sweet about things like

 that. She decided that that was the reason she let Tomoyo videotape

 her. Not because she felt she had to. But because Tomoyo was always

 so enthusiastic about it and honestly believed that she was the best

 thing to videotape. Now, that thought that had long ago confused her

 so utterly sent a small thrill through her. 

 	Watching from the beach blanket, Tomoyo zoomed in with her

 camcorder. Sakura seemed to lose whatever she had been thinking about

 as she began to swim through the gentle waves. From experience,

 Tomoyo knew that probably wouldn’t last long. Sakura often got

 sidetracked by things, but it often caught back up with her. Like

 when she used to be on cheerleading. A soft giggle joined the ocean

 breeze as she kept the camcorder trained on Sakura. She hoped that

 Sakura still occasionally got sidetracked while teaching her

 cheerleading club. It would be nice for them to see her like that,

 even if it did mean flying pompoms. Two beautiful pink dolphins leapt

 into the air some distance behind Sakura. The wonderful creatures

 were new to Tomoyo. “They must live in Hong Kong. Just like Sakura-

 chan. Hong Kong has some cute residents.” Her free hand went to her

 cheek as she continued to watch her best friend in the lapping waves.

 “Kawaii...”

 	“Tomoyo-chan!! Come swim with me, Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura yelled from

 waist deep in the water. She had come back closer to shore after

 thoroughly drenching herself in the ocean. Now that she was thinking

 more clearly, she knew that she would be much happier to be spending

 her time at the beach with Tomoyo than swimming alone. 

 	Putting away her camcorder, Tomoyo quickly walked across the hot

 sand to meet up with the energetically waving brunette. The cool

 water felt nice against her feet after the hot walk. She moved her

 toes around in the water, enjoying the soothing feeling on her pale

 skin as she drew closer to Sakura, her dark bathing suit clinging to

 her as it got wet. "I would love to swim with you, Sakura-chan, but I

 never learned how. I can watch you from here, though. As long as I

 don’t go too deep, I’ll be fine.” She smiled at the other woman. She

 was happy to get a closer vantage point, even if it did mean leaving

 her camcorder behind. Being close to Sakura seemed more important

 than getting the other woman alone on video. It surprised Tomoyo at

 how little she had actually videotaped of her visit. It wasn’t for

 lack of wanting to. She still loved catching the Cardmistress on

 video. But rather, it was that she wasn’t behind the camera lens as

 much during her trip. She had always managed to videotape Sakura

 while she was doing other things, but now she was busy doing things

 with Sakura. Now that she thought about it, she had expected to

 videotape Sakura with Syaoran during her trip, once again a

 background character in her own life. But Sakura hadn’t allowed that,

 dragging her out from behind the camera’s lens and into what was

 happening. So even if she didn’t have much videotape of this visit

 (which she would still pour over what little she had religiously), it

 was hardly a waste. It meant that she would have to hold certain

 lovely events solely as memories, but that was more than enough for

 the experiences. But still, a videotape of the kiss had to be worth a

 king’s ransom...

 	“Oh, that’s right.” Sakura frowned, disappointed. Tomoyo had never

 learned to swim and apparently she hadn’t gotten around to it anytime

 recently. Though her lack of ability to swim hadn’t stopped her from

 trying to jump into a lake after Sakura when she had been tricked by

 Illusion, Kero had later told her. She had been surprised that Tomoyo

 was so ready to risk her life for her, even thought she very well

 could have died. If Yukito hadn’t happened along, they both could

 have died. A shiver went through her at the thought, but she quickly

 suppressed it, imagining it as nothing more than the breeze. Her

 frown deepened. She had really wanted to go out swimming with her,

 not to leave her near the beach. But just because Tomoyo couldn’t

 swim didn’t mean they couldn’t still go together. A smile replaced

 her frown quickly. “I can take you with me. It might be a little

 scary, but I promise that I’ll hold on real tight.”

 	“That sounds wonderful, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo’s soft voice said

 happily. It sounded like a great idea to her. Instead of only

 watching Sakura swimming from a distance, she could actually be apart

 of it. Sakura’s arms went around her waist, holding her close. Tomoyo

 sighed happily in the near lover’s embrace and wrapped her own arms

 around Sakura. As Sakura began to swim with the added weight, Tomoyo

 could feel the sandy floor drop away from her. “Sakura-chan is a very

 strong swimmer,” Tomoyo remarked enthusiastically, still holding on

 tightly. It wasn’t out of fear that she held on. She knew that Sakura

 would hold on to her. It was because she just wanted to be near her. 

 	Sakura pushed further out into the water, it’s gentle caress

 passing over the two women. Tomoyo’s heartbeat felt steady and calm

 against her chest, her hands firmly holding onto her, but not

 clutching at all. The pale woman wasn’t afraid in the least. She had

 no more fear of drowning here than she had on the beach. The thought

 surprised Sakura. She had expected something, but Tomoyo seemed

 completely peaceful, happy to be out there with her. Another

 statement of Tomoyo’s rang in her ears. ‘I knew you would save me.’

 That belief had never wavered during the years. Tomoyo still held on

 with the same faith she had all those years ago. ‘She’s not scared

 because she has faith in me,’ Sakura thought to herself in sudden

 realization. She had the thought that if she were holding onto Tomoyo

 from above some ledge that Tomoyo’s attitude would be much the same.

 There simply wasn’t anything for her to be afraid of because they

 were together. Sakura held Tomoyo closer, hugging her as they swam.

 It was amazing that she could still have that much faith after all of

 those years. Tomoyo’s gentle form against her was a testament to her

 belief in the Cardmistress. Sakura had never grasped the full extent

 of that faith in her until now.  She swam deeper, but Tomoyo’s

 heartbeat didn’t flutter. It amazed Sakura that the dark haired girl

 could feel so safe in her arms. ‘I knew you would save me,’ the words

 echoed again. Did she deserve that unwavering faith? Tomoyo was still

 lonely, her love bound in a cage. ‘I’ll make things all right, Tomoyo-

 chan. I will save you. I promise,’ Sakura vowed to herself, before

 letting the sweet feelings Tomoyo was projecting encompass her.