view old/stories/dearsakura-26.txt @ 4:69f0191c9016 moonlitnights tip

added error.log and access.log
author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:42:35 -0400
parents fc00894c1d4a
children
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1 Dear Sakura
2 Dream Angel
3 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
5 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
7 Sakura hopped lithely from cloud to cloud, wearing only her
8 pajamas. But somehow they seemed like a fittingly appropriate attire
9 for the task at hand. Her bare feet were tickled by the soft and
10 fluffy clouds, their material similar to some of the clothes Tomoyo
11 had had her in over the years. Beautiful pastel blue skies surrounded
12 her on all sides as she continued walking along the clouds. A dove
13 darted past Sakura’s shoulder, drawing the Cardmistress’s attention.
14 It arched through the air gracefully, without a care in the world.
15 Sakura giggled in amazement as she watched the beautiful creature
16 soaring high above the clouds.
17 But it wasn’t flying above the clouds anymore. And it didn’t appear
18 to be a dove any longer, either. Gentle waves rocked the boat she was
19 on as passengers looked out at the stunning vista of Hong Kong
20 beyond. “Mr. Seagull!” an energetic young voice yelled out as the
21 former dove turned seagull teased the water playfully. Sakura glanced
22 around for the voice. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn’t quite
23 place it. Her emerald eyes finally fell upon a small brunette that
24 was looking out at the captivating ocean and the brave little seagull
25 with a bright earnestness. She was being playfully teased by her
26 older brother as a white haired boy with glasses looked on with a
27 smile.
28 “Hoe..?” Sakura took a few awkward steps forward, her mind
29 swirling. This had happened years ago, hadn’t it? This was her first
30 trip to Hong Kong, when she had been but a child. What had happened
31 to the clouds and the beautiful blue sky? Not that this was any less
32 gorgeous, but just what was going on?
33 Sakura’s questing eyes finally came to a stop when they reached a
34 not so familiar part of this fateful voyage. There was Tomoyo, ever
35 vigilant to capture every precious memory of their time together on
36 videotape. Sakura could remember that vaguely. She had known Tomoyo
37 was videotaping her, but her mind had been on other things. And quite
38 frankly, she had gotten so used to the lavender haired girl
39 videotaping her back then that sometimes she simply didn’t realize
40 when she was being taped and when she wasn’t. Sakura felt a pang of
41 guilt at having taken those little eccentricities for granted. She
42 missed the knowledge that her beautiful friend was catching her on
43 videotape. But that wasn’t what surprised Sakura. What the brunette
44 couldn’t remember at all was the pair of gorgeous, ethereal angel
45 wings that graced her dark haired friend’s young back. More beautiful
46 than Sakura’s own wings when she used the Fly Card, these wings
47 shimmered with their own inner light. They almost looked out of
48 place, surreal in this foreign landscape. But on Tomoyo, they fit
49 perfectly. The young heiress’s pale features and long spools of hair
50 just made her look even more angelic. Like a little lost angel, she
51 watched Sakura closely, with a heartfelt intensity that Sakura never
52 would have noticed back when the memory had first taken place. The
53 cute little angel smiled serenely as she continued videotaping her
54 clueless best friend, the iridescent wings on her back moving slowly
55 and gracefully.
56 Entranced by the spectacle before her, Sakura continued forward,
57 her bare feet moving quietly across the bottom of the boat. “Tomoyo-
58 chan..?” she whispered softly, almost afraid that the quiet angel
59 would fly away if she made too much noise. After all, such things
60 were always fleeting, weren’t they? It was best that she treat the
61 situation as delicately as possible lest her skittish angel leave her
62 side. The eighteen year old Sakura continued quietly towards the ten
63 year old vision of an angelic Tomoyo.
64 Turning gracefully, the young angel smiled sweetly at the older
65 woman, pulling down the camcorder for a moment. “An older Sakura-chan
66 is also very cute,” she said in her soft, harmonious voice. She
67 giggled softly as Sakura nearly fell back in fright. Her camcorder
68 came up swiftly, to forever catch the shocked look on her beloved’s
69 face. “Sakura-chan is so gorgeous when she’s older.” A delicious sigh
70 escaped her flushed cheeks as she rested a hand on one of them.
71 Camcorder still glued tightly to one lavender eye, this ethereal
72 sprite watched Sakura’s forward advance. “My beautiful Sakura-chan,
73 growing lovelier and wiser as the years grace her lovely form.”
74 “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura repeated, now inches from Tomoyo. Her
75 hesitant fingers reached out slowly, almost afraid that they would go
76 straight through this sparkling apparition. This was all from her
77 memory, what had happened back on her first trip to Hong Kong. All of
78 it except for the charming angel in front of her. Tomoyo had been
79 there, of course, but she certainly didn’t remember her with angel
80 wings. And besides, she was the only part of this memory that seemed
81 to acknowledge that she was there. So just what was going on?
82 Before Sakura could touch the phantom of Tomoyo in front of her,
83 the younger girl hopped gracefully backwards. Sakura’s Tomoyo was
84 certainly not athletic, but she didn’t have big shimmering wings
85 either. The angel Tomoyo smiled at Sakura as she pulled up her
86 camcorder. The brunette felt as if she was being drawn into the
87 camcorder, as it seemed to see her for all that she was. The feeling
88 was disconcerting. She had about made her way to the angel’s new
89 location before her wings lifted up into the air. With a giant flap,
90 sparkling feathers surrounded Sakura, dancing around her in exotic
91 combinations before they finally faded away.
92 Looking around, the Mistress of the Cards found that she was no
93 longer on the boat in Hong Kong. Her emerald orbs searched intently
94 for the small yet elegant angel, but at first there was no trace. It
95 took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. She was still mildly
96 confused as to what was going on, but she was far more concerned with
97 important matters like finding Tomoyo to worry about the details.
98 “Tomoyo-chan?” It was dark around her, but she soon discovered the
99 reason. She was outside, at a festival back home in Japan. People
100 dressed up in a myriad of different designs and colors of kimonos
101 walked through the dimly lit festival, all contributing to the cheery
102 atmosphere.
103 Walking through the crowd of people, Sakura searched valiantly for
104 her pale angel, moving past the unseeing throng of people. They paid
105 her no mind as she continued forward, her pajamas looking oddly out
106 of place in contrast to the dazzling kimonos passing her. A sudden
107 flash hit Sakura as she reached the center of the festivities. She
108 remembered this night. Tomoyo had taken her someplace away from all
109 of this, all of the crowds and busy people trying to enjoy
110 themselves. Had taken her someplace quiet and romantic. As if drawn
111 by some unseen force, Sakura hurried to the place of memories and
112 dreams, to one of many sweet and precious moments that she had
113 forgotten over the years but that she would give anything to relive.
114 With the sculpted speed of an athlete, the auburn haired woman made
115 her way through the trees. The sounds of the festival grew more
116 distant as she followed the traces of her memory like a treasure map.
117 And sure enough, she found her treasure at the center. There they
118 were, a younger Sakura and Tomoyo, sitting together in pretty kimonos
119 on the grass under the moonlight. They were leaning against each
120 other, alone except for the cheshire cat smile of the moon. Sakura
121 remembered that Tomoyo had made that kimono for her; had in fact
122 given it to her that very day. Their small, sandalled feet brushed
123 together as they sat together in a comfortable silence. The two girls
124 had been thirteen at the time. Little moments like this with Tomoyo
125 were the few times that she had completely forgotten about Syaoran
126 during his absence. They were precious little moments that had been
127 like tiny diamonds sewn into her life. They had made the potentially
128 painful time during Syaoran’s absence a joyous part of her life.
129 The older Sakura blushed as she watched Tomoyo gently placing a
130 flower in her short auburn hair, her fingers caressing her ear.
131 Sakura remembered that vividly, Tomoyo’s delicate touch burned into
132 her senses. She could still feel it even now, soft fingers running
133 through her hair and gently tracing her ear. Sakura shuddered at the
134 strength of the memory. It was as if she was the younger Sakura,
135 leaning against her gorgeous dark haired friend. She crept forward,
136 her eyes never leaving the two girls from years long past. This whole
137 memory played out exactly as she remembered it. Well, with one
138 noticeable exception. Cute and blossoming Tomoyo once again had long,
139 glimmering angel wings. They sparkled like thousands of energetic
140 fireflies, shifting behind her elegantly in the night breeze. Sakura
141 knelt behind the two girls, watching them eagerly as they sat
142 together, bathed in moonlight and warm feelings that washed over them
143 like an ocean current. Not to her surprise, her younger self had a
144 scarlet blush across her cheeks as Tomoyo’s fingers played with her
145 ear. It had been a wonderful escape, that night. They had been lost
146 in each other. Sakura had forgotten all of her cares, all of her
147 worries as Tomoyo’s sweet and loving presence had almost a hypnotic
148 affect on her. Even now, Sakura felt her cheeks warm at the memory.
149 How long had they spent out there that night? It had been late, the
150 festival long finished when the two had finally shaken the trance
151 that settled over them and had gone home.
152 Even now, Sakura could remember that sweet caress. She could feel
153 Tomoyo’s light but sensuous touch gently following the curves of her
154 face. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t just memory, but
155 that the delicate angel was tracing her face in her smaller hands.
156 She blushed deeply as she watched the younger Tomoyo smile her
157 trademark smile, both pale hands resting on the older Sakura’s
158 cheeks. “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered quietly, as if afraid she
159 would awaken her younger self from her near trance. She had
160 remembered that one of the few thoughts that had gone through her
161 head that night had seemed entirely nonsensical. As they sat together
162 in an all encompassing silence, lost to each other, Sakura had
163 wondered if Tomoyo was going to kiss her. She had almost asked the
164 other girl that same question, but had been too embarrassed to say
165 anything. Besides, why would Tomoyo do such a thing? But now Sakura
166 found that same thought running through her mind as she watched the
167 younger angel before her, soft palms pressed against her cheeks. She
168 could smell Tomoyo’s intoxicating lavender scent that had entranced
169 her that night, holding her spellbound in a way her magic was
170 incapable of.
171 Tomoyo giggled softly as she watched the bewildered look on
172 Sakura’s face. “If my darling Sakura-chan wants a kiss, she only
173 needs but ask for one,” her soft voice sang out like a charming song.
174 The older woman’s blush deepened considerably, which only seemed to
175 further the warm smile on Tomoyo’s face. The ethereal ghost’s fingers
176 ran up her cheeks and through Sakura’s still short auburn hair,
177 brushing through her soft strands. Sakura didn’t realize she was
178 holding her breath until the gentle spirit's fingers began to trace
179 the curves of her ears. “I always liked your ears, Sakura-chan. They
180 were always so adorable. Just like you.”
181 Taking a quick gasp of air, Sakura felt as if she were drowning in
182 the deep blue pools of Tomoyo’s eyes. She certainly didn’t remember
183 this part of that night, no matter how romantic it had been. Their
184 first kiss had not been with a thirteen year old Tomoyo, but an
185 eighteen year old Tomoyo back in Hong Kong not that long ago. But the
186 delightfully sweet apparition didn’t seem to plan on playing her
187 allotted part in these memories, changing the script as she pleased.
188 Tomoyo’s words burned through her mind like chain lightening, blazing
189 forth even in the darkness. To her surprise, Sakura found herself
190 nodding slowly, her cheeks a bright stripe of crimson. Even as this
191 younger angel, Tomoyo did an excellent job of embarrassing her.
192 “Un... I want to kiss you, Tomoyo-chan..” she whispered above the
193 soft rustle of the trees. Her own younger self sat silently next to
194 Tomoyo, the wind playing with her hair as the angelic Tomoyo
195 continued to play with the older Sakura’s ears.
196 Smiling serenely, Tomoyo leaned forwards, her wings spreading out
197 behind her in all of their glorious wingspan. Her smaller, soft lips
198 pressed against Sakura’s like freshly fallen cherry blossoms. Her
199 pale hands continued to trail through Sakura’s hair lovingly. The
200 long sleeves of her kimono fell against Sakura’s shoulders,
201 blanketing the pajama top in the expensive cloth. Her dark hair, done
202 up in two buns on top of her head, fell luxuriously past her own
203 small shoulders as Sakura’s fingers undid the delicate hairstyle. The
204 dark hair fell about her like streaks of midnight, draping Tomoyo
205 like a second garment.
206 Sakura kissed the angelic Tomoyo back with all of the passion that
207 she wished she could have kissed Tomoyo with on that same night years
208 ago. It felt a little differently from her recent kisses with Tomoyo,
209 but it was still deliciously Tomoyo. There was that same gentle, slow
210 feeling to it as the dark haired angel kissed her back. It was so
211 different from Syaoran’s brusque kissing style. It was so drawn out,
212 as if Tomoyo wished to savor every possible second, drawing it into
213 something very near heavenly bliss. Sakura held the younger girl
214 tightly as they continued to kiss in the moonlight, her hands on
215 Tomoyo’s slender shoulders. The soft fabric yielded to her fingers,
216 her fingertips pressing against the soft flesh underneath. The fabric
217 seemed to give more as Sakura’s lips brushed again against Tomoyo’s
218 feathery kisses. Then the soft lips seemed to tickle her own lips.
219 Sakura’s eyes blinked lazily open as the dark haired girl disappeared
220 in a flutter of feathers, blinding her in a storm of the iridescent
221 objects. “Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura called out, struggling to her feet as
222 she hurried through the glittering feathers. Her heart pounded as she
223 gazed desperately for her elegant specter.
224 She was on a bridge, with sounds far in the distance, but she
225 couldn’t make them out. Her eyes finally landed on Tomoyo who was
226 standing on the edge of the bridge, holding tightly to her cell
227 phone. The memory came back slowly to Sakura. “Illusion... So that
228 means younger me is in the water. And Illusion is pretending to by my
229 mother.”
230 “Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo cried out, her eyes widening as she heard the
231 Cardcaptor struggling for breath underwater. She ran to the railing,
232 getting her leg over the side, her dark hair trailing behind her in
233 the night’s breeze.
234 Sakura had never seen this side of things before. She had been
235 underwater at the time, passing out from inhaling too much water. She
236 never knew that her pale friend had tried to rescue her. It had never
237 crossed her mind. Tomoyo couldn’t swim and still hadn’t learnt how
238 even in Sakura’s time, yet the delicate little heiress had been ready
239 to jump in after Sakura even then. Sakura yanked her small, delicate
240 friend away from the edge, her heart pounding in her chest as she
241 held the ten year old Tomoyo. Her fingers brushed down the ruffled
242 feathers of Tomoyo’s angel wings, the one constant in this trip
243 through her memories. Yukito leapt over the bridge railing seconds
244 later, and if Sakura remembered correctly, she would wake up at his
245 house to hear that Tomoyo had been worried about her. But she would
246 never discover that the dark haired girl had been about to follow her
247 to the depths. The sheer selflessness of the young girl’s act
248 startled Sakura. Tomoyo hadn’t waited before getting ready to jump in
249 after Sakura, hadn’t paused to worry about her inability to swim. If
250 Yukito hadn’t jumped in before Tomoyo, Tomoyo would have quickly
251 joined her. Sakura simply held the younger girl, fingers trailing
252 over satin soft feathers. “Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered, unsure of
253 what to say.
254 “My life’s nothing without you, Sakura-chan. I would do anything
255 for you. I didn’t know if I could save you, but I knew I had to try,
256 even if I would have drowned,” Tomoyo explained, looking up at the
257 older girl. A small, beautiful smile appeared on her lips. “Besides,
258 you saved me countless times. I’m still happy you saved me in Hong
259 Kong instead of everyone else. I thought that was very romantic, like
260 my very own Prince Charming come to the rescue,” her gentle voice
261 said happily.
262 “Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered, hugging the younger girl.
263 She felt a vague blush creeping on her cheeks. Tomoyo had always been
264 such a cute girl, always saying such embarrassing things to her. That
265 had never changed about her eccentric friend and for that she was
266 happy. Even if it embarrassed Sakura, it warmed her heart to hear.
267 This dark haired girl had given so much to her, always sweetly
268 supportive by her side. In all of her memories, she could remember
269 the young heiress behind her, gently pushing Sakura to give
270 everything her all, from Card capturing to love to school work. Like
271 a loving mother, she had been their to bolster Sakura’s heart, to
272 give her a lap to cry on, and an ear to turn to when she needed
273 advice. She could see why Sonomi said that Tomoyo was a lot like
274 Nadeshiko. But there was something far deeper than just that.
275 Tomoyo’s love and support bathed Sakura’s soul in a brilliant light,
276 giving Sakura the energy to tackle whatever got in her way. With the
277 exception of ghosts. But even then, Tomoyo was her ghost buster,
278 protecting her from the shadows and whatever lay in their depths. She
279 still remembered Tomoyo pulling a sheet off of her teacher when he
280 had tried to scare her in a cave. And another time when Tomoyo hadn’t
281 told her about a ghost at the school for fear of worrying her. And
282 who knew how many times Sakura had gripped onto the pale girl for
283 dear life at the thought of ghosts while Tomoyo merely smiled and
284 comforted her. Sakura had to wonder if perhaps Tomoyo was the Prince
285 Charming. Tomoyo was everything for Sakura, her all encompassing love
286 something that Sakura knew she couldn’t live without any longer. Even
287 if Tomoyo loved another, Sakura merely wanted the opportunity to love
288 her gentle and giving friend.
289 But before Sakura could voice her spiderweb of thoughts to the
290 young angel in her grasp, Tomoyo disappeared once again in a flurry
291 of feathers and light. Sakura sighed, not wanting to lose her grasp
292 on Tomoyo again. Without a look back at the last memory, Sakura
293 hurried headlong into the storm of feathers, once again seeking out
294 the pretty heiress.
295 And she found herself in a hallway. Sakura glanced one way and the
296 other, trying to figure out where she was. It was a very nice
297 hallway, if that said anything. Then it struck her with all the
298 suddenness of the shot at the beginning of a race. This was where she
299 had gotten married. This hadn’t been more than half a year earlier.
300 Sakura took a moment to catch her bearings before pushing open the
301 door that she hoped was her own. She sighed with relief as she saw
302 herself in the enrapturing wedding dress that Tomoyo had designed for
303 her. Tomoyo was kneeling in front of her, slowly pulling a lacy white
304 stocking up along Sakura’s long bare leg. Sakura would have been
305 blushing terribly at the act by her friend, but Tomoyo had been
306 helping her dress in her costumes for so many years that it was
307 second nature. Of course the fact that Tomoyo had designed everything
308 right down to the white lace panties had been a bit embarrassing at
309 first. But there had been other, more pressing issues on the
310 Cardmistress’s mind, like her own impending marriage.
311 “I can’t believe it’s today, Tomoyo-chan. It’s all so sudden. I
312 didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Hoe...” The only slightly
313 younger Sakura clasped her hands nervously as she looked down at her
314 prettily dressed dark haired friend. Tomoyo wore an elegant white
315 dress of her own, though it in no way matched the spectacular garment
316 Sakura wore. It looked like it had come out of a dream, and it had.
317 Tomoyo’s dreams. Tomoyo had made Sakura promise many years ago to let
318 her make her wedding dress when the day finally came. Sakura had
319 agreed nervously, having been rather embarrassed at the mention of
320 marriage at the time. Tomoyo had been simply delighted and Sakura
321 couldn’t have asked for a prettier wedding dress. It had been
322 Tomoyo’s last complete design for Sakura.
323 The observing Sakura smiled a bit to herself. The wedding dress was
324 no longer Tomoyo’s final costume for her. Sakura had finished
325 Tomoyo’s unfinished costume just a short time before. She had pricked
326 her fingers enough while working on the costume, but it had been
327 worth it to work on the beautiful garment, to seal it with stitches
328 from the both of them. Her friend had such an artistic eye, and it
329 showed through in everything she did. From her costumes to her
330 videotape editing, her singing, and even down to her declarations
331 about Sakura herself, she was an ardent admirer of such beauty,
332 Sakura’s in particular.
333 The slightly distracted Cardmistress watched Tomoyo helping her
334 ever so slightly younger self dress. She noticed that Tomoyo’s wings
335 were jet black this time, like the large and shadowy wings of a
336 raven. The wings accented the gorgeous woman’s pale features
337 perfectly, Tomoyo’s high ponytail falling just above the wings. The
338 engaged Sakura seemed to take no notice of the wings, acting exactly
339 according to the script of Sakura’s memories.
340 “Sakura-chan shouldn’t worry so much. This is supposed to be the
341 most beautiful day of your life.” Tomoyo placed a hand on her own
342 cheek as if to emphasize the point. “You’ve known Li-kun ever since
343 you were ten years old. I was wondering when he would finally ask you
344 to be his gorgeous, blushing bride.” Tomoyo’s gentle fingers followed
345 along Sakura’s strong, smooth legs as she helped Sakura into her
346 thigh high stockings. Her fingers ducked under the lace as they
347 finished adjusting the delicate cloth. Tomoyo sat back with a soft
348 sigh, looking up at her stunning friend. Her eyes sparkled as she
349 looked up at her. Tears of happiness and sorrow mingled in her eyes
350 like raindrops ready to fall from deep, dark storm clouds.
351 Holding her long white dress, Sakura sweatdropped at the attention
352 Tomoyo lathered on her. It managed to soothe her shaken insides. “How
353 do I look, Tomoyo-chan?” she asked tentatively.
354 Tomoyo smiled brightly, her angel wings fluttering softly behind
355 her. “You look gorgeous, Sakura-chan. You look like my very
356 definition of beauty. To be married to Sakura-chan must be a dream
357 come true. Li-kun will wonder how life was breathed into his sweetest
358 dreams.” Her angelic voice was soft, almost like a prayer. Her dark
359 eyes never left the dazzling brunette who stood before her.
360 The pajama clad Sakura felt a little out of place compared to her
361 ornately decorated counterpart, but she forged forward, her heart
362 surging at the sight of her pale angel again. Her own heart had been
363 so confused, so flustered on her wedding day. Tomoyo had soothed her
364 frayed and nervous heart. Just like always, the dark haired woman had
365 been there to help her when she herself wasn’t strong enough. She was
366 braver with Tomoyo, she was more energetic with Tomoyo, she was
367 better because of Tomoyo. Sakura knelt behind the sitting angel, her
368 arms wrapping around her waist. The Mistress of the Cards rested her
369 head on Tomoyo’s back, Tomoyo’s long black wings pressing against her
370 body. “Tomoyo-chan...”
371 “Sakura-chan...” The dark haired woman whispered softly, leaning
372 back into the brunette.
373 “I love you, my sweet angel,” Sakura murmured against Tomoyo’s
374 back. As Tomoyo had wished in their conversation not too long before,
375 Sakura was indeed surrounded by beautiful angels. Beautiful, lavender
376 haired angels. As she held onto her beautiful best friend, Sakura
377 continued to dream.