Author’s notes: Hello! ^-^ I’m sorry this took so long. ^^;; I’d

 wanted to write this for a while, so I’m glad to have finally written

 it. ^-^ It’s basically a chance for me to show two ideas that have

 been on my mind a lot lately. The first is that Tomoyo would love

 Sakura no matter what, because her love is so sweet and pure. I think

 she’s a lesbian, yes, but I think she would love Sakura even if

 Sakura were a boy. Her love isn’t just a trivial thing. And the

 second thing is that I think most of Sakura’s denseness about Tomoyo

 lies in the fact that she plays into her gender role. Sakura can be

 incredibly naïve about things, especially Tomoyo’s feelings for her.

 For Sakura, she knows that boys get with girls and girls get with

 boys. Because it’s just the way things work. She has no problem with

 it when it doesn’t work that way like with Yukito and Touya, but she

 doesn’t realize that she could love a girl, hence why she never

 realizes Tomoyo’s perfect for her. ^^;; But anyway, I think that

 would be different if she were a boy because she would see very early

 on that Tomoyo was a potential love interest. Anyway, that’s enough

 of my rambling. ^-^;; I’ve been having a lot of trouble lately, so

 I’ve been writing this in the meantime. If you have any comments, I

 would love to hear them. ^-^ Thank you! Oh, and I modeled the end

 after the episodes of the series, right down to the Kero-chan’s

 Corner and the Next Episode spot. ^-^;;; I just thought it would be

 fun to add. ^-^

 

 

 What is Love

 by the Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 	Cherry blossoms swirled about above the ground as if dancing to a

 tune that only they could hear. A single auburn haired boy moved

 along to the silent music as he made his way to school, skating along

 gracefully. Skidding in a slow circle, he continued backwards for a

 moment. There was something about the morning that made him feel

 peaceful inside. School couldn’t dampen his spirits any. How could it

 when it meant he’d get to see his friends and play soccer that

 afternoon? And, of course, she would be there. A light blush crossed

 his cheeks at the thought. He tried to force it away but he couldn’t

 help it. “Hanyaan...” he sighed happily to himself. She always made

 school worthwhile. She made everything seem worthwhile. Even the

 crazy costumes she made him wear. But if it made her happy, he’d

 gladly wear whatever she wanted. 

 	Smiling to himself, Sakura hurried with renewed determination to

 reach school, ignoring his dancing namesake along the way. School was

 a much more pleasant experience when a pretty girl was waiting for

 you. His hands on the straps of his backpack, Sakura skidded towards

 the large gates. “Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura called brightly,

 slowing to a stop near his friend. 

 	“Ohayo, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo replied, smiling her trademark smile.

 “A perfect arrival, as usual. The girls must all be thrilled with

 Sakura-chan’s cute and cool arrival.”

 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura blushed and rubbed the back of his head,

 averting his gaze. Why did she have to say so many embarrassing

 things all the time? He should get used to it, but she always managed

 to embarrass him anyway. Ignoring that for the moment, he glanced

 back at the pale girl to see what hairstyle she had for the day. Her

 hair was done up in two highly decorated pigtails, blue ribbons

 adorning them. One pigtail fell in front of her while the other lay

 draped over her backpack. Absolutely beautiful. Smiling and blushing

 faintly, Sakura slowly skated alongside his friend towards the front

 doors. 

 	“Sakura-chan looks so cute like that,” Tomoyo said with a sigh, a

 hand resting on her cheek. “I got some more videotape last night.

 Would you mind letting me videotape you some more later?” she asked

 eagerly. 

 	Sakura sweatdropped at his eccentric friend’s enthusiasm. “Sure, I

 guess. But I don’t know why you’d want to videotape me. You should

 really videotape something a little more interesting.”

 	“But there isn’t anything more interesting or more handsome than

 Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo smiled brightly, a slight blush on her cheeks as

 she looked off distantly. She could see Sakura looking around in

 embarrassment, but that only served to spur her on. He looked so cute

 when he was embarrassed. If only she could catch that on video. Oh

 well, there was always next time. “I have the cutest costume for you,

 too. I can’t wait to see you try it on. My inspiration for this one

 was seeing you waving at those penguins at the zoo.” Seeing Sakura

 blink in response, Tomoyo continued. “Sakura-chan will make the

 cutest penguin.” ‘There,’ the pale girl thought to herself happily as

 Sakura shook his arms, his embarrassment growing. Tomoyo simply

 sighed delightedly as she continued towards her locker. 

 	“Hoe... A penguin?” Sakura sighed in defeat. He had learned long

 ago that it was pointless to argue about the costumes. Tomoyo knew

 him far too well. The pale girl easily got him to wear whatever she

 wanted him to. Besides, he’d worn worse than a penguin costume

 before. And at least he wouldn’t be capturing Cards in this one. And

 Tomoyo would be the only one to see it, so it wouldn’t be that big a

 deal. “When do you want me to come over?” he asked, getting over his

 initial shock swiftly.

 	“After soccer practice would be nice. You’ll probably be tired

 after that, so I’ll call and make sure the limousine’s ready. I

 already brought a fresh videotape to catch your soccer game today, so

 I’ll record everything on the new tape. From Sakura-chan darting

 across the field in his handsome soccer uniform to Sakura playing by

 the poolside in his cute penguin costume, I will catch every precious

 moment on videotape, and seal it all forever in my heart.” Tomoyo

 tilted her head to the side, starry eyed. Today was already turning

 out to be a wonderful day. She always loved going to Sakura’s soccer

 games. She never really cared what was happening in the game itself.

 Her eyes never left the auburn haired boy on the field anyway. It was

 just fun to watch him with such determination, running all about. It

 was much the same when she got to watch him capture Cards, though

 that was even more fun because Sakura got to double as a life-sized

 doll to dress up as well. But not only did she get to record his

 soccer game, but she would also get to dress him up in her newest

 costume. Tomoyo got out her books in a state of bliss. 

 	“If you say so, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said quickly, a hand behind

 his head. Tomoyo had him wrapped around her little finger and he knew

 it. But what could he do about it? Not that he wanted to do anything

 about it anyway. He was very comfortable this way. Even if Tomoyo did

 delight in making him blush. “Oh, good morning, Li-kun!” Sakura waved

 brightly to his perpetually scowling rival. He was happy to be

 friends with the other boy now, though Syaoran was very difficult to

 get close to. The other boy blushed and went the other way in a

 hurry. “Hmm... I wonder what’s wrong with Li-kun. I hope he’s not

 sick.”

 	Giggling next to her naïve friend, Tomoyo smiled sweetly. “Sakura-

 chan’s so handsome and cool that even the boys like him,” she

 explained, watching her cute friend intently with her lavender eyes.

 Sakura simply blinked in confusion at her statement. “Maybe I’ll tell

 Sakura-chan when he’s older,” she said reassuringly as she hoisted up

 her backpack.

 	“Let me get that for you, Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura said quickly after

 shaking off his confusion. He took Tomoyo’s backpack, following her

 to class. The dark haired girl always looked so fragile, so petite.

 So Sakura was happy to carry her bags for her. Tomoyo was like a

 beautiful princess, kind and sweet to everyone, especially Sakura.

 And princesses shouldn’t have to worry about things like bookbags. 

 	“Thank you, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said in her pretty, singsong

 voice. Walking slowly, she made her way to class. If the athletic boy

 noticed her slowed pace, he didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to

 miss a moment of his presence. 

 

 	Pulling on the shirt of his soccer uniform, Sakura looked down at

 the gym bag next to him. Inside was a beautifully crafted pink and

 violet teddy bear. It was Sakura’s good luck charm. He picked up the

 small teddy bear and held it close. It still smelled of lavenders,

 just like Tomoyo. Sighing softly, the Master of the Cards closed his

 eyes. Tomoyo had given him this lovely gift several weeks ago. He had

 taken it with him to every one of his games sense, and kept it with

 him in bed every night. He was almost worried that it would start to

 get frayed if he kept that up. But he wanted it there with him

 wherever he went. It was his most precious gift, something that was

 very dear to him. He had treasured it from the instant Tomoyo had

 given it to him.

 	The myth of the teddy bears kept coming back to Sakura when he

 would think about the little teddy bear. He had heard that if you

 made a teddy bear and gave it to the person you liked, then if they

 named it after you, you would both fall in love. It was a very cute

 myth, and something he had heard Tomoyo explain before. So did that

 mean this was for that purpose? Just in case, Sakura had immediately

 named it after the pale girl. So her little teddy bear, Tomoyo, was

 with her whenever her best friend, Tomoyo, couldn’t be. But was their

 truth to the myth?

 	Sakura had been trying to ask Tomoyo out for the past week. But

 every time he wanted to, he lost the nerve. He could talk to Tomoyo

 about anything, but seeing her smile so prettily and asking what he

 wanted to talk about always made him nervous when he was about to ask

 her. What would she say? Did she like him? Well, that one kind of

 seemed a given with how she talked about him. Actually, he was pretty

 sure of that. And that gave him some courage to ask Tomoyo, but he

 still couldn’t quite figure out what to say. She always had such

 faith in him. What if it sounded stupid? Or worse, what if he

 couldn’t get it out at all? He wanted to tell her how he felt before

 someone else did, but he didn’t know how. 

 	Sighing, Sakura placed his teddy bear back in his gym bag. Emerald

 eyes sparkling determinedly, Sakura hurried towards the field. Tomoyo

 would be watching, so he had to try his hardest for her. And then,

 tonight, maybe he could tell her that he liked her. Besides, Tomoyo

 was always there supporting him. She would help him through it, no

 matter how nervous he could get looking into those stormy blue eyes.

 Vowing to himself that he would tell Tomoyo that night, he ran the

 rest of the way to the soccer field.

 

 	“Sakura-chan looks so cute!!” Tomoyo squealed delightedly as she

 zoomed in on her best friend. Before her stood a forlorn looking

 penguin, it’s arms hanging at its sides. Sakura was looking back at

 the camcorder, his face a mask of embarrassment. Tomoyo took a few

 steps to the side to get another viewpoint. Reaching forward, she put

 a finger on Sakura’s lips, drawing them up into a smile. “Much better!”

 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura mumbled as Tomoyo’s finger pressed near his

 lips. How did he let himself get talked into this? Oh yeah, Tomoyo

 thought it was a good idea. That was generally all it took for Sakura

 to do what Tomoyo wanted. Tomoyo was so nice and sweet that it was

 hard not to do what she wanted. And the pale girl’s beautiful smile

 more than made up for the discomfort of wearing a penguin costume. As

 long as no one at school ever saw this videotape.

 	“Mr. Penguin sure has come a long way from the south pole. But I

 hope he never has to leave.” Stepping around the embarrassed Sakura,

 Tomoyo continued to videotape her friend. “Sakura-chan is such a shy

 boy, isn’t he? But I don’t mind. It means he gets to be my model

 alone.”

 	“Ano.. Tomoyo-chan, was there anything else you wanted me to try on

 while I’m here?” Sakura interrupted. Though he wouldn’t admit it

 unless Tomoyo prodded him, he did enjoy being Tomoyo’s model. His

 mother had been a model for many years. Though he was a lot shyer

 than his mother, he did enjoy modeling the pale girl’s outfits for

 her. Especially with how thrilled Tomoyo always was to videotape him

 in new things. It made him feel special to hear her in such delight.

 Tomoyo made him feel special with everything she said and did. 

 	Her hand on her chin, Tomoyo stood in thought for a moment. “Well,

 there is one more costume that I’ve nearly finished. It wouldn’t take

 more than a few minutes to sew on the last bit.” She continued to

 scratch her chin thoughtfully as she recorded her cute penguin

 attired best friend. 

 	“That sounds great. I’ll just change out of this while I wait for

 you to finish, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura said energetically. It would be a

 little awkward, he was sure, but it couldn’t be worse than the

 penguin costume, adorable as it was. And if it made Tomoyo happy, so

 much the better. Besides, he just wanted to do everything he could

 for his eccentric friend. His heart swelled as he replayed the words

 again and again in his head. ‘Tomoyo-chan, I have something I want to

 tell you..’ he began again.

 	“All right. Thank you so much, Sakura-chan. I can’t wait to see you

 in it! You’ll be so cute, I know it.” Bowing to Sakura, the pale girl

 turned and led Sakura back into the house before disappearing into

 her room. She was eager to see Sakura in her new costume. It was a

 little different from the other ones she had made over the years, but

 she had no doubt that Sakura would pull it off perfectly.

 Sakura headed to the bathroom where his school uniform was still

 waiting. He pulled the shorts on first, glad to be out of the goofy

 albeit extremely cute penguin costume. It was nice to be a normal boy

 again and not a lost penguin. Smiling, he pulled on his shirt as he

 wondered what exotic design Tomoyo’s new design would be. 

 

 “Kawaii!! Sakura-chan is so pretty! You put all the girls to shame,

 Sakura-chan!”

 Sakura stared at the videocamera with a mortified look on his face.

 He was in a beautiful blue dress with a long white apron, a la Alice

 in Wonderland. Long, white stocking ran up his legs, disappearing

 under the frilly skirt. He had cute pink ribbons in his hair and

 small, pale blue gloves. “To..To..moyo-chan...” he got out weakly,

 his face crimson as he finally worked up enough thought to try and

 cover himself from the relentless camcorder. Tomoyo simply

 sidestepped, getting a good look at his side. 

 “I knew you’d make a beautiful girl, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo said

 excitedly, a hand resting on her cheek. “You’re even prettier than

 all of the girls at school.” Sighing happily to herself, Tomoyo

 reached down and smoothed out the skirt a little more. Her darling

 Sakura made a very handsome boy, but he also made a gorgeous girl.

 Blushing, Tomoyo stood back up to videotape some more. She wanted to

 have plenty of this for later. Sakura was just too cute not to

 capture every instant. 

 “Do.. Do you really think so?” Sakura asked curiously, turning his

 face to watch the pale girl. He blushed deeper when he saw her nod.

 It was bizarre, certainly, but he found himself very happy to hear

 that she thought he was prettier than the girls at school. It wasn’t

 something he had ever thought about before, but it was nice to know

 all the same. Especially if Tomoyo thought so. The lavender haired

 girl disappeared out of his line of sight after a moment and he

 whirled to catch sight of her, the long skirt flowing around him. He

 blushed and held it down tightly, not wanting anything to get caught

 on videotape. Tomoyo had given him a pair of panties to wear as well,

 saying that it was to keep everything authentic. He blushed deeper as

 he wondered if they were Tomoyo’s. He shook his head quickly, trying

 to concentrate on the moment. But that wasn’t helping either. He was

 currently dressed up in girls’ clothes, so thinking about the moment

 probably wasn’t the way to go. 

 “Of course I do. You’re so beautiful, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo whispered

 gently, brushing Sakura’s bangs away from his eyes. She smiled at

 him, no more than a few inches away. He really did look like a girl.

 If Tomoyo didn’t know better, she would have been sure he was. Her

 mind was already fast at work on other cute designs for her friend.

 This little experiment had proven a brilliant success. Sakura was

 cute in boys’ clothes and girls’ clothes. It opened up Tomoyo’s

 costume designs to as of yet unknown heights. She was already excited

 with the possibilities. “You’ll have to let me videotape you wearing

 one of my school uniforms sometime,” Tomoyo stated simply, drawing

 another dark blush from the boy she loved. He was just so cute.

 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whined, unable to look away from Tomoyo’s

 pretty lavender eyes. There was a small thrill about the whole thing.

 Tomoyo obviously seemed to like it. Besides, wasn’t this the whole

 reason he dressed up in Tomoyo’s designs anyway, because the dark

 haired girl wanted him to? So how was this different from dressing up

 as a penguin? Because he wasn’t crossdressing as the penguin! “This

 isn’t much like dressing up as a penguin, Tomoyo-chan,” he said weakly.

 The heiress looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling. “I never

 said if you were a boy penguin or a girl penguin. You could have been

 dressed as a girl penguin. In which case, it’s exactly the same

 thing, Tomoyo surmised. Sakura simply sweatdropped as her reply.

 Tomoyo sighed exquisitely at the beautiful sight before her. “I

 always knew you were handsome, Sakura-chan. But you’re also gorgeous.” 

 Sakura could only blush deeper in response, finally pulling his eyes

 away from Tomoyo as he stared down at stocking clad legs and cute

 buckled shoes. He could hear Tomoyo walking around him, videotaping

 this whole disturbing event for later viewing. “Could you lay down on

 your stomach? If you could lift a leg into the air and place your

 chin in your hands when you do, that would be so cute!” she heard

 Tomoyo say. Sighing deeply, Sakura went to comply with his best

 friend’s request. At least no one would ever see this. His brother

 would never let him hear the end of it if he only knew.

 

 Finally back in his school uniform, Sakura sat on Tomoyo’s bed while

 the lavender haired girl busily set about labeling her tape and

 finding a spot for it amongst her huge collection of Sakura tapes.

 Sakura was a little surprised to see himself all over his friend’s

 room. This wasn’t his first time there, but he always found himself

 surprised to see more and more of himself up whenever he went. There

 were pictures of him all over as well as Tomoyo’s expansive videotape

 collection. Her otherwise pristine desk was cluttered in only one

 place, on Tomoyo desk with all of her costume designs. And even that

 was an organized chaos. Everything seemed in place even as design

 after design got stacked up on her desk. Sakura smiled as he saw a

 picture of himself and Tomoyo in kimonos next to Tomoyo’s bed.

 Tomoyo’s mother, Sonomi, had taken that picture a while back. Sakura

 had been worried about how it would turn out, but Tomoyo had told him

 that he was always cute so he shouldn’t worry about it. Turning to

 look for his eccentric best friend, he could spy her kneeling before

 her videotape collection, looking for the spot for her newest tape.

 Tomoyo really was beautiful. Everything about her was so graceful,

 almost as if it were all planned out. The pale girl looked so

 delicate, her long lavender hair flowing behind her in those

 beautiful pigtails. Sakura felt happy to be able to spend this time

 with his friend. 

 “When do you have to be home, Sakura-chan?” Tomoyo asked curiously

 as she stood up and walked back towards the auburn haired boy. She

 had known he was watching her, but hadn’t wanted to embarrass him

 about it. And she was thrilled to have his eyes on her. She was

 always happy to have his attention. 

 “Probably pretty soon. It’s my night to cook because onii-chan has

 to work.” Sakura sighed, his hands behind his head. He didn’t want to

 go home. Staying with Tomoyo sounded infinitely better than making

 dinner.

 “I’ll make sure the limousine can take you back home, then. You ran

 so hard at soccer that I’m surprised you can move at all anymore.”

 Tomoyo smiled at her weary best friend, rubbing his shoulders gently.

 Sakura blushed at Tomoyo’s touch, looking around the large room.

 “Un, but I wanted to play my best because you were watching me. I

 wanted it to be a good game for you.” Fidgeting a bit, Sakura looked

 down at his shoe, trying to concentrate on anything other than the

 girl behind him.

 “You played really well, Sakura-chan. But I like watching all of

 your games, even when you’re distracted,” Tomoyo chirped up brightly.

 “You’re always so cute out there on the field, kicking the ball

 around everywhere. I love watching you.” A soft sigh drifted to the

 auburn haired boy’s ear as Tomoyo continued rubbing his shoulders. 

 “Tomoyo-chan, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a

 while,” Sakura got out nervously, finally getting himself to look up.

 He turned to face Tomoyo, looking into her sparkling blue eyes. “I..

 You’ve always been my best friend and.. It’s always so nice when

 you..” Sakura bit his lip, trying to decide what to say. It had all

 sounded so much easier in his thoughts on the drive up. 

 Tomoyo tilted her head to the side thoughtfully as she watched

 Sakura struggling. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a cloud of

 butterflies as she slowly realized what Sakura was trying to say.

 “Yes, Sakura-chan?” she asked helpfully. “You know you can tell me

 anything.” ‘And if you want to tell me what I think you do, then

 there is absolutely nothing for you to fear because I love you with

 all of my heart.’

 “I really, really like you, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura got out at last,

 his cheeks flushing as he looked at her. It took all of his will to

 keep from averting his gaze. “More than anything or anyone. I’m just

 so happy when I’m with you. I always feel so.. hanyaan. And I’ve been

 thinking a lot since you gave me the teddy bear and all and I was

 hoping that you might feel the same way and..” Sakura finally paused

 to take a breath. “Will you go out with me, Tomoyo-chan?” His heart

 froze as he waited for a reply. His reply came in the form of

 Tomoyo’s arms wrapping tightly around him. A slow smile spread across

 his face as he relaxed against the lavender haired girl.

 “I would love to go out with you, Sakura-chan! More than anything

 else in the world. Of course I like you. I always have. I’ve always

 loved you, Sakura-chan.” Tomoyo’s heart nearly burst with the love

 that wanted to escape to Sakura at the auburn haired boy’s lovely

 words. She hugged him tightly, sighing. It was like the most

 beautiful dream imaginable come true. She had hoped that she might be

 Sakura’s special someone, that she might be the one to make him

 happy. And now that he had spoken it, she felt deliriously happy, as

 if she had been placed directly in the path of a tornado. It swept

 her up with rapid and intense force, throwing her around in its

 strength and ferocity. “Oh, Sakura-chan..” Tomoyo whispered

 delightedly. 

 “Tomoyo-chan.. Arigato gozimasu!” Sakura stood up quickly, smiling

 brightly. “I’ll try to come up with some place nice to take you, I

 promise,” he said, bowing.

 “I’ll be happy to go anywhere with you,” Tomoyo responded with her

 trademark smile. 

 Sakura blushed and nodded quickly. “Un.. I’ll see you tomorrow,

 Tomoyo-chan! Thank you!!” He hugged the pale girl again, fighting the

 urge to stay that way when Tomoyo’s hands began stroking his back

 warmly. But he knew if he stayed he would never be home in time to

 finish dinner. And he was had to find the perfect place to take

 Tomoyo on their date. Determination glinting in his eyes, he smiled

 to Tomoyo before heading to the door. “Bye, Tomoyo-chan!!”

 “Goodnight, Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo waved to the athletic boy as he

 hurried out her door. Sighing deliciously, Tomoyo collapsed on her

 bed. Sakura had asked her out. He had finally asked her out. Her one,

 true love liked her. Life was, indeed, full of very pleasant

 surprises, especially when Sakura was involved. “Hanyaan,” she

 whispered, taking a cue from Sakura. 

 

 “He really is cute in a dress,” Sonomi admitted, tilting her head to

 the side. “He doesn’t look much like Nadeshiko-chan, but those eyes

 are so much like hers. You can tell he’s her daughter. I mean, her

 son.” The elder Daidouji woman shook her head as she sat with her

 daughter, watching the younger girl’s latest tape. Sonomi often

 enjoyed watching them with Tomoyo, thrilled to get a glimpse of

 Nadeshiko’s youngest son. Nadeshiko’s curious eccentricities even

 showed through in her son’s strange name. And aside from getting

 glimpses of Nadeshiko’s child, it was the perfect time to spend

 together with her own daughter. 

 “Hai, very cute. I want to see if he’ll let me videotape him in my

 school uniform,” Tomoyo commented, brushing back some dark hair from

 her eyes. She was still in a daze about earlier, but she had been

 eager to show her latest video to her mother. She was certain Sonomi

 would enjoy it the same way she did. “He makes a very cute girl.” Her

 hand went to her chin thoughtfully. “He makes a very cute girl and a

 very cute boy. Sakura-chan is cute no matter which gender he is.”

 Sonomi laughed softly as she watched the camera angle change. “I’d

 have to say he’s a little cuter as a girl. If he wasn’t standing so

 awkwardly it would be impossible to tell. Maybe you can make him

 dress that way after you start dating. And I think it would be

 adorable if you can videotape him in your school uniform. You’ll have

 to show me that tape as soon as you get it.”

 “Hai, okaa-sama. I hope I can get it soon myself. And it would be

 cute if he’d let me dress him like that on our dates. But I’ll

 probably have to wait a little while before he will. Sakura-chan can

 be so shy, so I want to wait a little while. I’m just so happy to be

 dating him in the first place. He’s so perfect. I love him so much.”

 Watching her lovesick daughter, Sonomi smiled. She was happy to see

 Tomoyo in love. It reminded her so much of when she had been younger

 with her cousin, Sakura’s mother, Nadeshiko. And seeing her daughter

 so excited did her heart good. Her daughter’s happiness was one of

 the most important things to her. It was so nice to see her about to

 start dating. And Nadeshiko’s son, no less. It was almost like Fate

 had arranged the whole thing. So maybe Sonomi could stop hating Fate

 so much. Maybe just a little bit. “I know, dear. I know.” Sonomi

 pulled Tomoyo to her side, feeling Tomoyo’s heart beating swiftly.

 Bending down, she kissed her daughter’s forehead, resting her head on

 Tomoyo’s as she went back to watching the tape. 

 

 “Hoe...” Pacing the length of his room, Sakura nearly walked

 directly into the wall. Reeling back, the startled boy’s shoulders

 slumped and a sigh escaped him. His thoughts were moving along the

 same lines as his body, moving all around but getting nowhere but

 dead ends. Flopping down on his bed, the auburn haired boy stared up

 at the rood. He’d been struggling with his thoughts for the past two

 hours. Giddiness still burst through him whenever he thought back to

 the fact that his angelic best friend had agreed to go out with him.

 But that only strengthened his determination to find the perfect

 place to take her. But where? What could be perfect for a date with

 such a perfect girl? ‘I’ll be happy to go anywhere with you,’ Tomoyo

 had said. And Sakura didn’t doubt the eccentric heiress for a moment.

 But he couldn’t let that stop him from finding out where to take his

 new girlfriend.  Clenching his fists and narrowing his vision, Sakura

 got back to work.

 “This is too hard! I can’t think of anything. Tomoyo-chan is so much

 better at these things than I am,” Sakura lamented just a short time

 later. And it was true. Tomoyo was usually the one to invite him

 places or the one who could figure out difficult details such as the

 one Sakura found himself pondering. He knew that she could think up

 someplace for the two of them to go. But that was his job, wasn’t it?

 Or was it? The lavender haired girl always did such a better job at

 figuring these kinds of things out, even if it did get him in some

 awkward situations like the penguin fiasco earlier. But still... He

 had asked her out. He should come up with where he was going to take

 her. He couldn’t exactly call her up and ask her to decide for him. 

 Rolling onto his stomach, Sakura hugged his pillow, his legs moving

 absentmindedly in the air. A movie? No, that didn’t sound good. How

 often did they really go to movies anyway? Dinner? Where would they

 go? Touya might know a few good places with how often he worked at

 restaurants, but Sakura doubted he had the money to afford anything

 really nice. A picnic in the park? But they already did that all the

 time. What would be special about that? Only... It always felt

 special when they would go together, just the two of them. They would

 sit and talk for hours, watching the beautiful world around them and

 just enjoying each other’s company. And Tomoyo was so sweet and

 gentle. She would listen carefully to everything Sakura had to say,

 always helpful with whatever was on his mind. And she always said the

 nicest things, even if they were embarrassing. 

 “I said, ‘What’s too hard?’. You know I can figure it out, whatever

 it is. I’m good at these things,” Kero stated confidently as he

 floated down onto Sakura’s bed, his arms crossed. “C’mon, Sakura-

 chan. You can tell me.”

 Sweatdropping, Sakura looked back at the Seal Beast curiously. Is

 help generally wasn’t as helpful as Tomoyo’s. What he lacked in

 genuine helpfulness, he sure made up for with self-confidence. “I’m

 trying to decide where to take Tomoyo-chan on our date,” he said

 quickly, his cheeks reddening as he buried his face into her pillow. 

 “Huh? I have no idea how you can make Tomoyo-chan late. Hmm...” The

 Seal Beast contemplated Sakura’s muffled concerns, scratching his

 chin with one tiny paw. “You could always steal her shoes. Or lock

 her in a broom closet. Or I could distract her. Depends what you need

 her late for.”

 “Date! Date!! I need to decide where to take Tomoyo-chan on our

 date!” Sakura repeated, sitting up and hoisting the pillow above his

 head in case the floating teddy bear decided to joke about the

 situation. His cheeks darkened considerably as he saw the sly grin

 spread across Kero’s face. 

 “Date, you say? Well, if there’s one thing the mighty Cereberus

 knows, it’s a thing or two about love. Just listen to me and you’ll

 be reaching first, second, and third base in no time! Hell, with my

 advice, you’ll be hitting field goals and scoring bogeys!” Kero

 grinned as he walked up to Sakura, nudging him in the side. The

 Cardmaster had no idea what Kero was talking about, but his blush

 worsened nonetheless. “Boy, have you come to the right place. Because

 I’m not only the Beast of the Seal, I’m the Beast of Love.” His tiny

 eyebrows raised up and down suggestively as he looked up at the green

 eyed boy.

 Before Sakura could respond to Kero’s delusions of grandeur, the

 door burst open. Touya looked into the room, spotting Sakura on the

 bed. Kero collapsed by Sakura’s side, lying lifeless in the hopes

 that Sakura’s older brother hadn’t heard them talking. “Umm... Hi,

 onii-chan. What’s wrong? If this is about the dishes, it’s your day.

 I checked.” He smiled, pulling Kero onto his lap as he waited for his

 older brother to either agree or make some outrageous claim about it

 being Sakura’s day for the dishes. But he’d glanced at the schedule

 and he was sure. Reasonably sure, at any rate.

 Touya closed the door behind him after he entered the room. He paced

 back and forth for a moment as if trying to decide what to say. He

 finally sat on the bed and stared at his younger brother fixedly for

 a long moment. Sakura returned his gaze uneasily for a bit before

 looking away. “So you’re going on a date?”

 Sakura’s face immediately darkened once more at Touya’s question. It

 sounded more like an accusation than a question at the moment. He

 looked around, his cheeks flushed as he tried to think of a suitable

 answer. Finally giving up that venue, Sakura nodded in agreement. He

 needed to remember not to talk so loud with Kero when Touya was home.

 “With Tomoyo-chan?”

 Again Sakura nodded, feeling more and more embarrassed as time went

 by. What did Touya want? Was he there to tease him about it? Why did

 he care who his younger brother was dating? 

 “I thought so. It’s obvious she likes you. I was waiting for you to

 get the hint,” Touya said matter-of-factly. He watched in amusement

 as Sakura’s embarrassment quickly changed to a frown, his younger

 brother squeezing the stuffed animal in his arms tightly.

 “I’m not that dense. I’ve known it for a while. She did give me that

 teddy bear and all,” Sakura argued, squeezing poor Kero in his

 frustration. His brother always got him riled up like this. Oh, if he

 was only taller than him...

 “Sure...” Touya said unconvincingly, raising an eyebrow. He knew how

 dense his little brother could be at times. It was a surprise that he

 ever figured it out. But that wasn’t the point at the moment.

 “Doesn’t matter. You finally figured it out. I’m proud of you,

 monsters. And you asked her out at that? So you’re ready to go on

 your first date?” Despite his usual arguments with Sakura, he really

 did care for his little brother’s well being. He just showed it in an

 odd way at times. And since his father wasn’t here to offer Sakura

 some friendly dating advice, he would have to fill in. At Sakura’s

 quick nods, Touya continued. “So you don’t know where to take her?”

 Again, a nod. “Here.” The older boy tossed a paper to Sakura, the

 auburn haired boy immediately picking it up. “It’s a festival. Tomoyo-

 chan probably would’ve invited you there in a few days anyway. She

 always does. Why not make it a date? Besides, she’ll look cute all

 dressed up in a yukata, so you might as well have an excuse for

 whatever you wind up doing with her behind the trees.” Touya smirked

 before pain shot through his leg. Sakura’s foot remained planted

 against his leg where he had kicked him. 

 “Onii-chan...” Sakura growled, his eyes narrowed. Touya’s eyes

 narrowed as well as the two brothers stared each other down, one

 being considerably taller than the other. But Sakura either didn’t

 notice or didn’t care. Just as quickly as his ire had appeared, it

 faded away as Sakura took another glance at the flier. “That might be

 a good idea. It would be fun. And it would be a nice place to take

 Tomoyo-chan. Maybe I can win her a prize or something, too.”

 “Yeah, you never know. Yuki and I already planned on going, so I

 figured the two of you would probably be there as well. And it works

 well enough. Maybe if you’re busy making eyes at Tomoyo, you’ll stop

 making them at Yuki,” Touya reasoned, his head tilted to the side for

 a moment. He grinned as Sakura crossed his arms, fuming.

 “It’s not like that! Yukito-san’s just... Ohhh!! Onii-chan!!” Sakura

 humphed and stared at his older brother again. He didn’t know why his

 older brother always teased him about Yukito. The older boy was very

 nice, much nicer than his older brother, and it was fun to be around

 him. Not unlike Tomoyo, in fact. But it wasn’t the exact same thing.

 Aside from Yukito being a boy, he didn’t have that same feeling of

 love and warmth that encompassed Sakura whenever he was with Tomoyo.

 But it was pointless explaining it all to Touya, especially when he

 was too embarrassed about the whole thing to come up with a good

 argument. 

 Putting an arm around his younger brother, Touya drew the younger

 boy closer. “All right, you better listen up, Sakura-chan. There are

 some things you need to know before your date.”

 Sweatdropping, Sakura wondered if he would’ve been better off with

 Kero’s talk. 

 

 Licking his dry lips, Sakura slowly reached out for the doorknob.

 His hand shook lightly as he grasped the doorknob, his palms sweaty.

 His brows furrowed as he tried to concentrate, to push off the

 nervousness that toyed with him. This was his first date. He was

 about to go out with his best friend. What would change after this?

 What would happen? Well, only one way to find out, right? Steeling

 himself, Sakura opened the door. The sight that awaited him took his

 breath away. “Tomoyo-chan...” he whispered, catching eye of the pale

 beauty before him. “You’re... gorgeous...” Emerald eyes studied the

 stunning figure before him. Beautiful pale skin looked to have an

 ethereal glow all it’s own wherever it peaked out of the yukata, both

 at Tomoyo’s arms and her pretty face. Her long, lavender hair was

 done up in elegant braids, spilling down her back. Shimmering stormy

 blue eyes shined luminously. Her small body shifted gracefully as the

 angelic girl bowed before Sakura. Her long hair pooled to one side

 before she stood back up, the precious silken strands falling back

 into place. 

 “Thank you very much, Sakura-chan. You look very handsome. I wish I

 had my camcorder with me.” One of Tomoyo’s pale hands went to her

 flushed cheeks as she sighed, watching Sakura intently. She had

 struggled with the decision of whether or not to take the camcorder

 with her for the past few days but had finally decided against it.

 She immediately regretted it upon seeing her prince all dressed up in

 a yukata. What a darling picture it would have made!

 “You look just like mother,” Touya said after a moment’s pause. He

 had come to the door to wish the two a goodnight as he waited for

 Yukito to arrive, but had been astonished by the figure at the door.

 It was like one of the pictures of his mother from long ago brought

 to life. He had originally thought it was his mother’s spirit

 visiting them again, but only the stormy blue eyes had given away the

 figure’s true identity. 

 Sakura was about to protest his brother’s statement, but he had to

 admit that Tomoyo certainly looked similar to the photos he had seen.

 He couldn’t remember his mother well, as she had died when he had

 only been three years old, but Tomoyo had the same captivating

 appeal, the same delicate beauty. “Hai...” Sakura shook himself out

 of his trance quickly, noticing the odd way Touya was staring at

 Tomoyo. Taking Tomoyo’s hand quickly, Sakura stared at her brother

 before stepping outside with her. “Bye, onii-chan!” he said quickly.

 He didn’t want to share Tomoyo with anyone tonight, not even for

 glimpses of their mother. He wanted to be alone with her on this

 special night of theirs. He smiled softly at the beautiful girl in

 front of him, nearly melting at the pretty smile she granted him in

 return. “Tomoyo-chan.” It took him a long moment to realize he was

 staring again. Looking down sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his

 head. “We should probably get going now, huh?”

 “If that’s what Sakura-chan wants to do,” Tomoyo replied, soft

 fingers entwining with the auburn haired boy’s. He was so cute. And

 the way he had looked at her sent a trill through Tomoyo’s heart. A

 date with Sakura. It was finally happening. The heiress had to

 struggle to remain in the here and now, already thinking about things

 like marriage and children and mountain sized piles of videotape. But

 even with the sweet little secrets the future hinted at, the present

 was a very pleasant place to be. It was right with Sakura, right

 where she always wanted to be. 

 Sakura nodded quickly, his cheeks still tinted pink. “Yeah, we’ll

 just go.” He laughed a little nervously, but it slowly began to fade

 away as Tomoyo nodded her agreement, still holding his hand. He

 smiled happily at his best friend, for once feeling the genuine

 elation of the night in full without the worrisome nervousness that

 had accompanied so much of the past several days. The two slowly

 began walking, leaving the limousine that had dropped Tomoyo off at

 Sakura’s house as well as Tomoyo’s bodyguards far behind. Sakura was

 surprised at how easy this all felt. He had thought that this would

 be such a difficult thing, being on a date with Tomoyo. But it was

 still Tomoyo. He still felt comfortable with her, happy and warm.

 Things had changed only subtly. He saw Tomoyo in a new light, not

 just as his kindly best friend, but as his beautiful angel. Yes, they

 were on a date. But that really wasn’t all that different from what

 they had been doing all of these years. The only difference was that

 now Sakura knew where his heart lay. And it was an intoxicating

 experience. He could feel Tomoyo’s love for what it was rather than

 the curious thing he had wondered about for so long. And his own

 heart reveled under the attention, blooming like a lovely flower

 under its tender yet deep touch. It all gave so many new layers to

 just being with Tomoyo, all of them exciting for the master of the

 Cards.

 Tomoyo once again bemoaned her lack of a camcorder as she watched

 Sakura out of the corner of her eye. Her free hand rested on her

 cheek as she sighed joyously. Had she died? Was she dreaming? Or was

 this a taste of heaven? If it was, Tomoyo could think of no better

 way to spend eternity than with the boy who had so effortlessly

 captured her heart. She would have to personally thank whatever God

 or Goddess reigned over this world for crafting such a lovely soul as

 her darling Sakura. Usually content simply with recording Sakura’s

 life, Tomoyo found herself exhilarated at the prospect of actually

 sharing in it, tasting it so closely rather than from behind the

 camera. It was new and uncharted territory, something that existed

 only in her dreams up till now. But with Sakura gently leading her,

 she had no fear as she stepped out hand in hand with her love into

 the movie of Sakura’s life. Not being born with magic, the lavender

 haired girl couldn’t sense it the way her best friend could. But she

 felt a different magic as they continued along, one that immersed her

 heart and soul deeper than any other form of magic ever could. Like

 an entire ocean, it swelled and encompassed her, holding her tightly

 in its depths. It was almost too much, an emotional overload of pure,

 unadulterated joy. Tomoyo felt as if she were drowning in it, her

 heart nearly ready to burst. Smiling a sparkling, genuine smile,

 Tomoyo rested her head on Sakura’s shoulder, her long braids draping

 down across the two of them. 

 Blushing faintly, Sakura continued along towards the festival, his

 mind going blank. Tomoyo’s long, dark hair lay across his shoulder

 and down the left side of his back, swaying gently as they moved. The

 heiress’s cute head was resting pleasantly on his shoulder,

 distracting him. The two walked along, hand in hand in a much closer

 proximity that they usually did. The poor auburn hair kept blushing

 as he tried to get a handle on his thoughts. It certainly felt nice

 to have Tomoyo so close, to have his best friend so near. He could

 hear his heartbeat ringing in his ears, almost frightening him that

 it would give away his nervousness. But even faced with such a new

 and potentially terrifying situation, Sakura could still feel

 Tomoyo’s effusive love wrapping like silk ribbons around his heart,

 binding his soul as thoroughly as he himself bound the Cards. It

 was... wonderful. Having Tomoyo so close was a new experience, but it

 was a beautiful one. The heiress felt so soft and delicate next to

 him. ‘I knew Sakura-chan would come and save me,’ Tomoyo had once

 said. ‘Of course I would. I’d always have to save my Tomoyo-chan. I

 can’t ever let anything bad happen to her,’ Sakura thought to

 himself. ‘Besides, if I didn’t, Sonomi-sama would kill me.’ He

 sweatdropped at the latter, remembering Tomoyo’s mother’s phone call

 the night before. Sakura had lost track of how many times he had

 promised to look after Tomoyo for the elder of the Daidouji women. 

 Almost too soon, the young lovers finally came across the festival.

 Lights sparkled brightly against the dark backdrop of the darkening

 night as elegantly dressed boys and girls hurried about, playing

 games and enjoying themselves about the festival grounds. It was

 something the two had gone to often enough before, but never under

 the context of a date. It left Sakura with a puzzled feeling of where

 to begin and what to do. Tomoyo simply smiled at Sakura’s curious

 look, squeezing his hand gently with her soft fingers. That lessened

 the genki boy’s nerves as he returned her smile. People moved past

 the cute couple like a busy stream, flowing past them on all sides.

 Sakura pulled Tomoyo closer as people swept past, trying not to get

 pulled along in the current. Still trying to decide where to go,

 Sakura’s jade eyes fell upon a booth selling food. His stomach seemed

 to think it was a great idea. While nowhere near as bad as the

 perpetually hungry Kero and Yukito, Sakura had forsaken eating

 earlier when his nervous stomach had refused to hold anything. But

 now that he was finally with Tomoyo, his stomach reawakened. “Would

 you like something to eat?” Sakura asked, turning to the dark haired

 girl. 

 The petite girl shook her head prettily, her dark hair moving back

 and forth as she did. She wasn’t hungry herself, but she could

 practically hear Sakura’s stomach even above the cacophony of the

 festival. “No, that’s all right, Sakura-chan. I’m not very hungry.

 What would you like to eat?” She followed emerald eyes to one of the

 stands and slowly began towards it when a small gap in the large

 crowd formed. The two waited, pressed tightly together as other

 people continued to line up at the delicious smell wafting out from

 the stand. Tomoyo brushed back lavender hair from her eyes with her

 free hand to get a better look of her companion. Stormy blue eyes

 watched the energetic auburn haired boy as he looked around

 curiously. The heiress sighed happily, taking Sakura’s hand with both

 of her own. Her fingers trailed over their entwined fingers, enjoying

 the soft skin under her touch. He was so cute. There was something

 almost feminine about him, which the heiress found very adorable.

 Tomoyo loved to watch him, as evidenced by her collection of

 videotape. She loved everything about the overemotional boy and

 wanted to capture it all on film. As Sakura finally got the food he’d

 been waiting for, the two began to move along through the beautiful

 festival grounds. Sakura looked around at the well decorated

 surroundings while Tomoyo’s attention remained solely captive of the

 green eyed boy. After all, she thought to herself, he was far more

 fascinating than the most amazing festival. 

 Nibbling on the meat bun he had bought, Sakura walked hand in hand

 with Tomoyo past the different festivities. His mind wandered as they

 walked. He could remember some exciting things that had happened at

 festivals in his life, but this was completely different. It seemed

 that important things often happened at them, several Clow Cards

 having shown up nearby over the time he had been capturing them.

 Throughout it all, Tomoyo had been his constant companion and

 confidante, helping him and videotaping him and outfitting him with

 the cutest and most ridiculous looking costumes imaginable. And here

 they were once more. But this wasn’t exactly the same thing as it had

 once been. He felt a warm glow inside of himself at the thought. No,

 this wasn’t the same old thing at all. He felt overwhelmed by the

 moment, by his beautiful best friend holding his hand. He felt energy

 welling up inside with nowhere to go. He felt so happy to be there

 with her. Squeezing Tomoyo’s hand tightly, Sakura grinned at the pale

 girl. All of the concern he’d had about this night felt completely

 worth it if only for that single moment. “Tomoyo-chan, I...” Sakura

 began, unsure of exactly what he wanted to say, but knowing he needed

 to do something before his heart burst. 

 “Hi, Sakura-chan! Tomoyo-chan!” Chiharu called out to the two,

 Yamazaki in tow. She waved to the two as she approached, glad to see

 someone that she recognized amongst the sea of people. “How are you

 doing?” she asked as they came to a stop in front of them. 

 “Hi, Chiharu-chan!” Sakura intoned happily. “We’re fine. We’re just

 trying to decide what to do now.” Finishing off his meat bun, he

 licked his fingers clean before smiling at the two. 

 “Sakura-chan’s never been on a date before and neither have I, so

 we’re both trying to figure things out. Do you have any suggestions,

 Chiharu-chan?” Tomoyo’s melodious voice sang amidst the banter of the

 crowd. Smiling politely, the pale girl tilted her head to the side.

 Even with her eyes close, she could tell that Sakura was blushing

 deeply. Yes, life was good indeed. 

 “Oh, so Sakura-chan finally asked you out? What a shame. I heard

 that Li-kun was going to ask you. But that’s not a problem. In

 Antarctica, women can have as many as ten husbands at a time. So you

 just have to move there, Tomoyo-chan.” Yamazaki nodded, his ever-

 present smile plastered on his face despite the look that Chiharu

 shot him. He hugged a pink rabbit tightly and grinned more, waiting

 for Chiharu to either correct him or hit him in the arm. He was used

 to it by now. She’d been doing it since they were little kids anyway.

 Besides, it was cute. 

 “Really? That’s all right, though. Sakura-chan’s the only husband I

 want, so I think I’ll stay here in Japan,” Tomoyo replied, her stormy

 blue eyes blinking open as she continued smiling her trademark smile.

 She turned to Sakura, delighting at his ever darker blush.

 “So you’re finally dating? Darn. Rika-chan wins the pool, then. We

 were wondering when you finally would.” Chiharu frowned for a moment,

 staring at Yamazaki before turning back to the other couple. “I don’t

 think I can give any advice. Things just kinda happen. That’s how

 relationships go, I suppose. Even if it would be nice if they made

 more sense sometimes.” Sighing, she brushed back some curly hair. 

 Watching the pink bunny in Yamazaki’s arms, Sakura felt his

 curiosity gnawing at him. “Where did you get that, Yamazaki-kun?”

 	“This? His name is ‘Elephant’. Chiharu-chan won it for me at that

 booth over there. Chiharu-chan is very good at hitting things.” 

 	Chiharu sweatdropped. Yamazaki was very often a pathological liar,

 but for once she didn’t need to correct him. Of course, she could

 detect a hint of humor in his voice about the last part of it. “Yeah,

 it’s not that hard. They have some nice prizes back there. I collect

 stuffed animals, so I like to pick up some things whenever I go to

 places like this.”

 	“Sugoi! Thanks!” Sakura smiled as he waved to the two, hurrying

 with Tomoyo close behind. It sounded perfect. What better way to

 remember their first date than a cute little stuffed animal? It did

 sound romantic. All he had to do was win something cute for the pale

 heiress. His emerald eyes burned with an enthusiastic determination

 as they hurried towards the booth. Unfortunately, someone was already

 there, a large pile of stuffed animals next to him. 

 	“I want that one next, Syaoran!” A Chinese girl pointed excitedly

 towards a large bear in the back of the booth. Meiling stood guard

 over the large pile of stuffed animals at her feet. She didn’t notice

 the approaching couple, nor did she care. She was on a date with

 Syaoran. That was all that mattered to her at the moment. And woe to

 anyone who decided to get in her way. But for the moment, her

 attention was focussed specifically on her fiance winning another

 prize for her. She could easily win them herself, but what was the

 point in that? She wanted them to come from Syaoran. Then they would

 be fit to decorate her room because they would come from the boy she

 loved. “Great job, Syaoran!” she cried out as the bear quickly joined

 the rest of the captive stuffed animals. She hugged the boy from

 behind, squeezing him tightly. 

 	Syaoran sighed as he pulled up a handful of rings again. “Which one

 do you want this time, Meiling?” He didn’t like being out here with

 all these people. He wasn’t an overly social person. Staying home

 would have been a perfectly fine night for him, but Meiling had

 insisted they go to the festival. She did seem to be enjoying

 herself. And she did look cute in the small, blue Chinese dress she

 wore. So maybe it wasn’t all bad. But Syaoran found himself pouring

 himself into the games rather than bothering with the social part of

 the whole setting. It was much easier to focus on the competition

 than the people. “Hello, Li-kun!” a voice piped up cheerfully near

 his ear. Turning to spy the owner of the voice, Syaoran frowned in

 irritation. Who was trying to distract him? He didn’t feel like

 dealing with whoever it was at the moment. He turned to glare at the

 intruder, but his cheeks flushed as he saw Sakura’s smiling face. He

 quickly looked away, back towards the booth. Sakura was one of his

 only friends at the school. Meiling was his best friend, of course,

 but Sakura was one of his only male friends. Sure, there was

 Yamazaki, but they were more acquaintances than friends. But Sakura

 was nice to him. Even after he had been such an asshole to the naïve

 Cardcaptor at first. And his increase in magical power had attracted

 him the same way Yukito’s magic had. Tomoyo must have noticed,

 because she had mentioned it every now and then. It embarrassed him

 greatly, though not quite as much as some of what Meiling did at

 school. 

 	“Wow!! You’ve done a great job, Li-kun!” Sakura looked at the huge

 pile of prizes Syaoran had won and the nearly bare walls of the booth

 he was playing at. “Could I try? I want to win something for Tomoyo-

 chan.” He smiled happily at the Chinese boy, Tomoyo by her side. He

 finally had some idea of where all that energy could go, of what to

 do about the building feelings inside of himself. And he could get

 something for Tomoyo on top of all that. Apparently Syaoran had

 thought the same thing. And Meiling looked very happy about it all.

 Sakura could see a superdeformed Tomoyo in his mind, hugging some

 cute stuffed animal tightly. Smiling determinedly, Sakura tried to

 spot something to aim for. 

 	Syaoran nodded dumbly, handing the rings over to Sakura. He thought

 about trying to win a prize to give to the other boy, but with

 Meiling present, he estimated that he would only live approximately

 two seconds after giving it to Sakura. Hardly enough time to see how

 the other boy would react. Sighing, he let his fiance drag him back

 from the booth and into a tight embrace. Feeling his frown disappear

 as Meiling rested against him, Syaoran watched the auburn haired boy

 getting ready to try. He would move to the next booth himself, but he

 didn’t know if Meiling was done with this one or not. 

 	Focusing on the task at hand, Sakura gripped onto one of the rings

 in front of him. Being pretty athletic, he was pretty good with most

 physical things. Tomoyo had once said that he could have even made

 the cheerleading team had he wanted to. Sakura was happy on the track

 team, though, so he had blushingly told the eccentric girl that he

 wouldn’t be switching anytime soon. But all of that didn’t make him

 any less nervous. He wasn’t just playing around with this. It wasn’t

 simply a diversion. It was for Tomoyo. That spurred him forward, as

 well as seeing the heiress watching from his right. Feeling the

 bubbling energy inside of him, Sakura tossed the ring. The small area

 around him went silent as it flew into the wall, bouncing off

 speedily. “Gomen nasai!” he apologized quickly, bowing. He wanted to

 use this as a chance to use all of those energetic feelings inside,

 but that had been a little too much. 

 	“That was amazing, Sakura-chan. I’m sure that would have made it

 all the way back home if the wall hadn’t stopped it,” Tomoyo said

 helpfully, as Sakura stood in embarrassment for a moment. She knew

 that Sakura was shy and easily embarrassed, despite his outgoing

 nature. She tried to give him all the support and love she could

 throughout everything he went through. It helped bolster that endless

 determination that welled up within the cute bishounen. 

 	Concentrating once more on the game in front of him, Sakura pulled

 up another ring. This time he would win Tomoyo a cute prize, just

 like Syaoran had for his girlfriend and Chiharu had for her

 boyfriend. He just had to concentrate. Again he saw the cute image of

 Tomoyo holding onto a stuffed animal in his mind, smiling warmly at

 him. His cheeks warm at the thought, Sakura let the ring fly off of

 his fingertips. He remembered the bear that Tomoyo had painstakingly

 crafted for him, that he held onto every night when he went to sleep,

 that went with him to all of his games. He wanted to give Tomoyo a

 cute stuffed animal to keep nearby as well. Something a little softer

 than an eraser. He watched anxiously as the ring appeared to fly in

 slow motion, spinning in the air like some magical disk. Though it

 had left his fingers, his mind and heart never left it as it skimmed

 through the air, begging the disk to make it, to land where it needed

 to. With a clang, it ricocheted past the poor booth owner. 

 

 	“Thank you again, Sakura-chan. It’s so lovely. I think it looks a

 bit like you,” Tomoyo stated thoughtfully, holding up the stuffed

 kangaroo next to Sakura’s embarrassed face. True enough, it did look

 a bit like the auburn haired boy. They stood next to Tomoyo’s

 limousine, her bodyguards waiting to take her back home. She didn't

 want to leave her darling Sakura yet, or ever for that matter. But at

 the same time, she couldn’t wait to recount the night’s wonders to

 her mother who was undoubtedly waiting for her only daughter’s return

 despite the fact that she had work the next day. It was a comforting

 thought to know that she had someone waiting for her to hear of what

 had happened and one of the only things that made the night ending

 bearable. Especially with no videotape to show for it. Tomoyo vowed

 to tape their second date. She would have to keep a record of such

 things. After all, what was more important than Sakura’s love life?

 	“You’re welcome, Tomoyo-chan. I should have just bought you

 something instead. I can’t believe it took me seventeen tries. And

 for just a tiny kangaroo.” Sakura stared at the ground sheepishly. He

 was normally good at such things, but he just couldn’t focus while he

 had been playing the game. His mind kept going back to Tomoyo.

 Despite all of the energy swirling within him and his need to win

 something for the beautiful pale girl, he had kept missing. But that

 had always been a problem for him. He was very good at most athletic

 things he tried, but whenever he was distracted he would make a lot

 of mistakes. Tomoyo had told him it was cute, that she enjoyed that

 as much as she enjoyed when he was doing well. She had said she had a

 tape full of just his cute little mishaps. Somehow he didn’t find

 that very comforting. Tomoyo had a very strange idea of ‘cute’. 

 But other than the trouble he’d had getting a hold of the stuffed

 animal, the night had been magical. He and Tomoyo had spent the whole

 night at the festival, simply enjoying each others company. In

 retrospect, Sakura could hardly remember who else had been there. It

 hardly seemed to matter. After a while, the huge crowds had just

 faded away, leaving the two of them amidst the beautiful night. There

 had been several embarrassing moments, but it had been a wonderful

 first date. Tomoyo had helped him through it all, getting rid of the

 nervousness that went along with a first date, taking that away and

 leaving him with a gloriously warm excitement. Now he again found

 himself unsure of what to say or what to do. He didn’t want Tomoyo to

 go. He didn’t want the night to end, for their date to have to come

 to a close. It was the most spectacular thing that had ever occurred

 in his life. It had a magic that his Cards couldn’t begin to contend

 with. “Tomoyo-chan,” he whispered at last. “I don’t want you to go.”

 “Neither do I, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo replied, hugging the stuffed

 animal in her arms gingerly. “I don’t ever want to be away from

 Sakura-chan. I want to stay with you forever. But if I have to leave

 tonight, it’s only so the next night can come even quicker. Tonight

 was lovelier than anything I could ever have dreamed.  I’m sure that

 hundreds of beautiful nights await you, Sakura-chan. I hope they’ll

 all come quickly.” Brushing Sakura’s cheek, Tomoyo smiled at the

 pretty boy, stormy blue eyes meeting emerald orbs. Her heart fought

 the idea of leaving her dearest Sakura for any reason whatsoever. She

 had to go home, she knew that. But logic didn’t often understand

 love. “The sooner I wake up, the sooner I can see you again. It’s

 like dreaming. The sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you can join

 your shining dreams.”

 “But I don’t want to dream.” Sakura sighed, placing his hand on top

 of Tomoyo’s pale one. He felt Tomoyo’s fingers trailing across his

 cheek. He smiled slowly. He felt bittersweet about the night ending.

 He didn’t want Tomoyo to go, but he couldn’t wait to collapse in bed

 and run it all over in his mind. Maybe he would tell Kero about it.

 And like Tomoyo had said, the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner

 they would be together again. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. For everything.”

 “You don’t have to thank me for anything, Sakura-chan. I love you. I

 only want to see you happy. If I can see you happy with me, then I

 can’t think of a sweeter gift. But this kangaroo comes close.” Tomoyo

 giggled softly as she held the kangaroo up in her other arm. She

 regretted not having such a lovely night on videotape, but it was

 something that she would always have burned into her mind’s eye. She

 wouldn’t be able to play it back on videotape, but that wasn’t so

 bad. It would be in her heart when she needed it. Her fingers slowly

 pulled away from Sakura’s cheek. “You’re so cute, Sakura-chan.” 

 Blushing at Tomoyo’s compliment, the auburn haired boy stared at his

 sandal clad feet for a moment. Looking up again, he smiled at the

 pale girl before him. She was always telling him how cute he was, how

 handsome he looked. But she was easily the most gorgeous girl in

 school, or of anyone Sakura had ever seen. She was exquisitely

 beautiful, like a terribly delicate flower. He wanted to say

 something, to put a nice spin on the end of the night, but words

 stumbled in his mind. Finally, impulsively, he leaned forward and

 kissed the pale girl before him. If Tomoyo was startled, she didn’t

 show it. Sakura felt Tomoyo’s petal soft lips against his own,

 blushing intently at the feel of their kiss. Before he could pull

 away, he felt Tomoyo kiss him back. It was incredibly slow and

 rapturously sweet, taking the genki boy by surprise. His arms went

 around the petite heiress, pulling her closer as he kissed. Long,

 dark tresses brushed past him as Tomoyo’s hair came loose from some

 of the intricate braids. Warm lips kissed for what felt like a

 painfully short eternity before they finally pulled away. Sakura

 blinked as he watched the heiress before him, a red blush on her pale

 cheeks. “I love you, Tomoyo-chan,” he whispered. 

 “I love you, too, Sakura-chan. I always have,” Tomoyo replied,

 giving Sakura a soft kiss once more before crawling back into the

 limousine. Smiling brightly, the overjoyed girl waved to Sakura.

 “Goodnight, Sakura-chan!” And with that, the long black car drove away.

 Sakura watched for a long time, his hand on his lips. “Hanyaan!” He

 smiled happily, his hands held tightly before him. What a perfect

 night! Of course, he doubted he would be able to get to sleep now.

 Especially after that kiss. It had been so... so... Sakura couldn’t

 begin to describe it as anything other than delicious. It had drawn

 him in, wrapping him up in those ribbons from Tomoyo’s heart. He had

 once heard that kissing was how two souls touched and now he was sure

 of it. 

 “It sure looks like you had fun,” a voice said next to Sakura.

 “Onii-chan...!” Sakura turned quickly, his fists balled up, ready to

 explode at his older brother for watching. He immediately stopped

 when he looked. Where Touya should have been stood a large, white

 rabbit. It stared at him for a moment, it’s whiskers shifting as it

 tilted its head to the side. 

 “I still think she looks like mom,” the rabbit was saying as Sakura

 fainted dead away.

 

 

 	“... And then we kissed in the dream,” Sakura finished up, her hair

 a mess and her rollerskating a little off as she and Tomoyo headed

 for school. She shook her head in confusion. It had all felt so real,

 even the slow, soul warming kiss. Blushing, Sakura put a hand to her

 lips as she skated alongside her perceptive best friend. She had

 woken up in a daze, the dream lingering in her mind as she had

 struggled to get dressed. She had almost expected to find the boys’

 school uniform waiting for her. Dressing quickly and ignoring Touya’s

 usual morning taunts, she had hurried to meet with Tomoyo on the way

 to school, eager to tell her friend about the bizarre dream. The

 patient heiress was always the first one she came to with her

 troubles, real or imagined. Like a loving mother or a gentle sister,

 Tomoyo would always help Sakura through whatever it was that had

 gotten to her. She was extremely important to Sakura, probably the

 most important person in her life.

 	Tomoyo considered the dream for a long moment, holding her bookbag

 in front of her. Her long, high ponytail waved behind her as she

 walked. A pale hand rested on her chin as she thought. Sakura had

 come to her with strange dreams before, but none quite so bizarre as

 this one. “Did you like the kiss?” she asked at last, tilting her

 head to the side. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura’s face went crimson at Tomoyo’s words. She

 stared down at the street below, watching her rollerblades. How was

 she supposed to answer that? She had certainly liked the kiss. It had

 been a perfect end to a perfect night. But it had been with Tomoyo.

 And that was part of why it had been so perfect. But how was she

 supposed to put all of that into words? If only she were a boy things

 would make so much more sense. Especially things with Tomoyo. Just

 like her dream had shown her. It would be wonderful to be able to

 date Tomoyo, to spend all of her time with the pale girl. Too bad the

 dream hadn’t been real. Well, except the rabbit part. Sakura sighed

 as she continued skating. “Un, I liked the kiss. It was very nice,”

 she said quietly, blushing. “You were a really good kisser in the

 dream. It felt all.. hanyaan.”

 Sakura shuddered as she skated, remembering the kiss as best she

 could.

 	Nodding thoughtfully, Tomoyo followed alongside Sakura. Now whereas

 kissing Sakura wasn’t an uncommon dream for Tomoyo, she was surprised

 to hear that Sakura had dreamt about it. Of course, dreams often made

 little sense, so it could be just about anything. But still...

 “Sakura-chan would make a very cute boy. You made a very good prince

 in the play last year. But I like you better as a girl. I think it’s

 much cuter that way. Besides, I’m not as good at designing boys’

 clothes, so it’s easier for me this way. Of course, if Sakura-chan

 were a boy, I would just have to try harder with the costumes.”

 Tomoyo tilted her head to the side curiously, running the whole

 scenario over in her mind. It certainly was an interesting one. She

 sighed at last. “It’s too bad I can’t videotape Sakura-chan’s dreams.

 That sounds so cute!”

 	Sakura sweatdropped as she watched her friend’s reaction. Why

 should she have guessed that Tomoyo would react that way? But then,

 the brunette didn’t think she would ever fully get used to the weird

 things Tomoyo said about her. “Even though we were dating? You would

 still want to watch that?” Sakura asked curiously. 

 	“Especially if we were dating. I haven’t gotten to record any of

 Sakura-chan’s love life other than her crushes. It would be so cute

 to record her actually dating and to see what happened. I would love

 to record every second of our dates if you asked me out,” Tomoyo

 explained, smiling her trademark smile. It sounded like such a lovely

 dream. Now why couldn’t she have more like that? It had everything,

 especially a cute romance with Sakura with the added allure of a kiss

 at the end. She sighed dreamily, gazing at her brunette friend. 

 	Shaking her head, Sakura looked ahead. Cherry blossoms danced and

 swirled ahead of them, oddly reminiscent of the dream she had had. It

 felt strange to hear that Tomoyo would agree to go out with her. But

 she was thrilled to hear it for some reason. Her mind wandered back

 to the dream again, to the date. She felt saddened that it had all

 been a dream, that they hadn’t shared that time together, that she

 couldn’t be with Tomoyo. It felt so empty. “If I were a boy, I would

 definitely ask you out, Tomoyo-chan. You’re so smart and pretty and

 fun. Whoever you date will be very lucky.” Sakura blinked rapidly,

 rubbing at her eyes. She didn’t know why she felt so desolate after

 that dream. But now that it was all over, she felt like she had lost

 something of vital importance and she couldn’t get it back. If only

 she were a boy, then she would ask Tomoyo out and they could relive

 all of that beautiful dream and what would have surely been to come. 

 	Tomoyo watched Sakura, stopping along underneath the trees. Sakura

 slowly came to a halt as well. Her emerald eyes shimmered with

 unspent tears. Tomoyo held Sakura’s hand in her own, looking up at

 the girl on rollerblades. “I wouldn’t want to date another boy. Or

 another girl. I wouldn’t want to date anyone who isn’t Sakura-chan.”

 She smiled sweetly up at the other girl, placing a hand on her cheek.

 She could feel a wet trail of a teardrop against her palm. Sakura

 sniffled again, another tear sliding down her other cheek. Tomoyo’s

 heart nearly snapped in two as she watched the lost and lonely look

 on Sakura’s face. She doubted that Sakura even understood why she was

 feeling the way she was. It still amazed the pale girl after what she

 had heard. It was a dream come true, but it felt unbearably painful

 to see it hurting her unknowing Sakura. Leaning forward, Tomoyo

 decided to show Sakura what she meant. After all, Sakura could be a

 little dense sometimes, but maybe she could find a way to explain

 things. She had promised to tell Sakura when they were older.

 Tomoyo’s lips kissed Sakura’s softly, her entire body tingling from

 the small touch. She slowly kissed the quietly crying girl, brushing

 away Sakura’s tears with her fingertips. The brunette’s lips quivered

 against her own as Sakura stood on the verge of sobbing openly.

 Pulling away after the short kiss, Tomoyo smiled at the brunette,

 both hands going to her wet cheeks. “I love you, Sakura-chan.”

 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered quietly. Her voice almost caught

 in her throat, coming out painfully. It wasn’t until then that she

 realized she was crying. Warm tears spilt past her cheeks, dripping

 down her chin. She sniffled weakly. “Tomoyo-chan!” She cried out,

 grasping onto the pale girl. She hung tightly onto her best friend,

 shaking in her grasp. She felt her body begin to relax as Tomoyo

 began to rub her back gently. Letting out a choked breath, Sakura

 hiccuped, her sobbing slowly trailing off. Hiccuping again, Sakura

 stood at arms length from Tomoyo, wiping at her eyes. She smiled

 warmly after wiping away her tears. “I.. I love you, too, Tomoyo-

 chan.” Tomoyo’s demeanor shifted in those few seconds. Sakura

 couldn’t quite tell what had changed about Tomoyo, but the pale girl

 seemed to glow with the light of an angel, a radiant joy cascading

 off of her. She looked simply gorgeous. Sakura stood in stunned

 silence for a moment before shaking her head. Something seemed wrong.

 Like she hadn’t quite finished everything. But what...? Oh! “Tomoyo-

 chan, I.. umm.. I was wondering..” Sakura took a deep breath. She had

 already done this once, even if it had only been a dream. Seeing

 those shining stormy blue orbs, Sakura pushed forward. “Tomoyo-chan,

 will you go out with me?” she asked quickly.

 Tomoyo didn’t miss a beat, though she was wondering how easy it

 would be to have a heart attack from what had happened in just the

 last few minutes. At least she’d die happy. “I would love to go out

 with you, Sakura-chan,” the heiress sang joyously. The look of relief

 that spread across Sakura’s face made her heart melt. She would have

 been happy to help Sakura throughout her life no matter what

 happened, but it seemed infinitely better to be there with Sakura for

 it. She wasn’t thinking about where the date would take place or

 when. Such things were trivial. It was that Sakura had asked that

 mattered. It was that they would. 

 Smiling delightedly, Sakura once again began for school, skating

 alongside Tomoyo, hand in hand. “Hanyaan..” she whispered. The dream

 seemed incredibly far away now, only a distant shadow. Life could be

 endlessly more fascinating than even the most beautiful dreams. 

 

 Kero: Now it’s time for Kero-chan’s Corner!! Hi, everybody! Did you

 have fun? Did you all follow the adventures of boy Sakura and his

 date with Tomoyo? We all know it would have been better if I had been

 able to give Sakura-chan that advice I was talking about earlier. But

 maybe this time she’ll ask me about it, ne? Anyway, for today, we’ll

 check out Sakura’s clothes. Basically, they were just the boys’

 school uniform and a cute shirt and shorts. She also wore her yukata,

 but I wasn’t in that scene, so does it even matter? Remember what

 happened to the girl who got everything she ever wanted. She lived

 happily ever after. Bai bai!! 

 

 Next Episode:

 Sakura: Syaoran’s lost the engagement ring he was going to give

 Meiling. Can I help him find it before Meiling finds out? Also, Kero

 eats cake. And lots of it. And will all of this talk of marriage get

 Tomoyo thinking? Hoe.. I’m too young to get married! Next on

 Cardcaptor Sakura: ‘Sakura and the Engagement Ring’. Let’s watch it

 together. Release!!

 .