Dear Sakura

 Dream Angel

 by Amazoness Duo and G.P.

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 pearsong1954@yahoo.com

 

 	Sakura hopped lithely from cloud to cloud, wearing only her

 pajamas. But somehow they seemed like a fittingly appropriate attire

 for the task at hand. Her bare feet were tickled by the soft and

 fluffy clouds, their material similar to some of the clothes Tomoyo

 had had her in over the years. Beautiful pastel blue skies surrounded

 her on all sides as she continued walking along the clouds. A dove

 darted past Sakura’s shoulder, drawing the Cardmistress’s attention.

 It arched through the air gracefully, without a care in the world.

 Sakura giggled in amazement as she watched the beautiful creature

 soaring high above the clouds. 

 	But it wasn’t flying above the clouds anymore. And it didn’t appear

 to be a dove any longer, either. Gentle waves rocked the boat she was

 on as passengers looked out at the stunning vista of Hong Kong

 beyond. “Mr. Seagull!” an energetic young voice yelled out as the

 former dove turned seagull teased the water playfully. Sakura glanced

 around for the voice. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn’t quite

 place it. Her emerald eyes finally fell upon a small brunette that

 was looking out at the captivating ocean and the brave little seagull

 with a bright earnestness. She was being playfully teased by her

 older brother as a white haired boy with glasses looked on with a

 smile. 

 	“Hoe..?” Sakura took a few awkward steps forward, her mind

 swirling. This had happened years ago, hadn’t it? This was her first

 trip to Hong Kong, when she had been but a child. What had happened

 to the clouds and the beautiful blue sky? Not that this was any less

 gorgeous, but just what was going on? 

 	Sakura’s questing eyes finally came to a stop when they reached a

 not so familiar part of this fateful voyage. There was Tomoyo, ever

 vigilant to capture every precious memory of their time together on

 videotape. Sakura could remember that vaguely. She had known Tomoyo

 was videotaping her, but her mind had been on other things. And quite

 frankly, she had gotten so used to the lavender haired girl

 videotaping her back then that sometimes she simply didn’t realize

 when she was being taped and when she wasn’t. Sakura felt a pang of

 guilt at having taken those little eccentricities for granted. She

 missed the knowledge that her beautiful friend was catching her on

 videotape. But that wasn’t what surprised Sakura. What the brunette

 couldn’t remember at all was the pair of gorgeous, ethereal angel

 wings that graced her dark haired friend’s young back. More beautiful

 than Sakura’s own wings when she used the Fly Card, these wings

 shimmered with their own inner light. They almost looked out of

 place, surreal in this foreign landscape. But on Tomoyo, they fit

 perfectly. The young heiress’s pale features and long spools of hair

 just made her look even more angelic. Like a little lost angel, she

 watched Sakura closely, with a heartfelt intensity that Sakura never

 would have noticed back when the memory had first taken place. The

 cute little angel smiled serenely as she continued videotaping her

 clueless best friend, the iridescent wings on her back moving slowly

 and gracefully. 

 	Entranced by the spectacle before her, Sakura continued forward,

 her bare feet moving quietly across the bottom of the boat. “Tomoyo-

 chan..?” she whispered softly, almost afraid that the quiet angel

 would fly away if she made too much noise. After all, such things

 were always fleeting, weren’t they? It was best that she treat the

 situation as delicately as possible lest her skittish angel leave her

 side. The eighteen year old Sakura continued quietly towards the ten

 year old vision of an angelic Tomoyo. 

 	Turning gracefully, the young angel smiled sweetly at the older

 woman, pulling down the camcorder for a moment. “An older Sakura-chan

 is also very cute,” she said in her soft, harmonious voice. She

 giggled softly as Sakura nearly fell back in fright. Her camcorder

 came up swiftly, to forever catch the shocked look on her beloved’s

 face. “Sakura-chan is so gorgeous when she’s older.” A delicious sigh

 escaped her flushed cheeks as she rested a hand on one of them.

 Camcorder still glued tightly to one lavender eye, this ethereal

 sprite watched Sakura’s forward advance. “My beautiful Sakura-chan,

 growing lovelier and wiser as the years grace her lovely form.”

 	“Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura repeated, now inches from Tomoyo. Her

 hesitant fingers reached out slowly, almost afraid that they would go

 straight through this sparkling apparition. This was all from her

 memory, what had happened back on her first trip to Hong Kong. All of

 it except for the charming angel in front of her. Tomoyo had been

 there, of course, but she certainly didn’t remember her with angel

 wings. And besides, she was the only part of this memory that seemed

 to acknowledge that she was there. So just what was going on?

 	Before Sakura could touch the phantom of Tomoyo in front of her,

 the younger girl hopped gracefully backwards. Sakura’s Tomoyo was

 certainly not athletic, but she didn’t have big shimmering wings

 either. The angel Tomoyo smiled at Sakura as she pulled up her

 camcorder. The brunette felt as if she was being drawn into the

 camcorder, as it seemed to see her for all that she was. The feeling

 was disconcerting. She had about made her way to the angel’s new

 location before her wings lifted up into the air. With a giant flap,

 sparkling feathers surrounded Sakura, dancing around her in exotic

 combinations before they finally faded away.

 	Looking around, the Mistress of the Cards found that she was no

 longer on the boat in Hong Kong. Her emerald orbs searched intently

 for the small yet elegant angel, but at first there was no trace. It

 took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. She was still mildly

 confused as to what was going on, but she was far more concerned with

 important matters like finding Tomoyo to worry about the details.

 “Tomoyo-chan?” It was dark around her, but she soon discovered the

 reason. She was outside, at a festival back home in Japan. People

 dressed up in a myriad of different designs and colors of kimonos

 walked through the dimly lit festival, all contributing to the cheery

 atmosphere. 

 	Walking through the crowd of people, Sakura searched valiantly for

 her pale angel, moving past the unseeing throng of people. They paid

 her no mind as she continued forward, her pajamas looking oddly out

 of place in contrast to the dazzling kimonos passing her. A sudden

 flash hit Sakura as she reached the center of the festivities. She

 remembered this night. Tomoyo had taken her someplace away from all

 of this, all of the crowds and busy people trying to enjoy

 themselves. Had taken her someplace quiet and romantic. As if drawn

 by some unseen force, Sakura hurried to the place of memories and

 dreams, to one of many sweet and precious moments that she had

 forgotten over the years but that she would give anything to relive.

 With the sculpted speed of an athlete, the auburn haired woman made

 her way through the trees. The sounds of the festival grew more

 distant as she followed the traces of her memory like a treasure map.

 And sure enough, she found her treasure at the center. There they

 were, a younger Sakura and Tomoyo, sitting together in pretty kimonos

 on the grass under the moonlight. They were leaning against each

 other, alone except for the cheshire cat smile of the moon. Sakura

 remembered that Tomoyo had made that kimono for her; had in fact

 given it to her that very day. Their small, sandalled feet brushed

 together as they sat together in a comfortable silence. The two girls

 had been thirteen at the time. Little moments like this with Tomoyo

 were the few times that she had completely forgotten about Syaoran

 during his absence. They were precious little moments that had been

 like tiny diamonds sewn into her life. They had made the potentially

 painful time during Syaoran’s absence a joyous part of her life. 

 	The older Sakura blushed as she watched Tomoyo gently placing a

 flower in her short auburn hair, her fingers caressing her ear.

 Sakura remembered that vividly, Tomoyo’s delicate touch burned into

 her senses. She could still feel it even now, soft fingers running

 through her hair and gently tracing her ear. Sakura shuddered at the

 strength of the memory. It was as if she was the younger Sakura,

 leaning against her gorgeous dark haired friend. She crept forward,

 her eyes never leaving the two girls from years long past. This whole

 memory played out exactly as she remembered it. Well, with one

 noticeable exception. Cute and blossoming Tomoyo once again had long,

 glimmering angel wings. They sparkled like thousands of energetic

 fireflies, shifting behind her elegantly in the night breeze. Sakura

 knelt behind the two girls, watching them eagerly as they sat

 together, bathed in moonlight and warm feelings that washed over them

 like an ocean current. Not to her surprise, her younger self had a

 scarlet blush across her cheeks as Tomoyo’s fingers played with her

 ear. It had been a wonderful escape, that night. They had been lost

 in each other. Sakura had forgotten all of her cares, all of her

 worries as Tomoyo’s sweet and loving presence had almost a hypnotic

 affect on her. Even now, Sakura felt her cheeks warm at the memory.

 How long had they spent out there that night? It had been late, the

 festival long finished when the two had finally shaken the trance

 that settled over them and had gone home. 

 	Even now, Sakura could remember that sweet caress. She could feel

 Tomoyo’s light but sensuous touch gently following the curves of her

 face. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t just memory, but

 that the delicate angel was tracing her face in her smaller hands.

 She blushed deeply as she watched the younger Tomoyo smile her

 trademark smile, both pale hands resting on the older Sakura’s

 cheeks. “Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered quietly, as if afraid she

 would awaken her younger self from her near trance. She had

 remembered that one of the few thoughts that had gone through her

 head that night had seemed entirely nonsensical. As they sat together

 in an all encompassing silence, lost to each other, Sakura had

 wondered if Tomoyo was going to kiss her. She had almost asked the

 other girl that same question, but had been too embarrassed to say

 anything. Besides, why would Tomoyo do such a thing? But now Sakura

 found that same thought running through her mind as she watched the

 younger angel before her, soft palms pressed against her cheeks. She

 could smell Tomoyo’s intoxicating lavender scent that had entranced

 her that night, holding her spellbound in a way her magic was

 incapable of. 

 	Tomoyo giggled softly as she watched the bewildered look on

 Sakura’s face. “If my darling Sakura-chan wants a kiss, she only

 needs but ask for one,” her soft voice sang out like a charming song.

 The older woman’s blush deepened considerably, which only seemed to

 further the warm smile on Tomoyo’s face. The ethereal ghost’s fingers

 ran up her cheeks and through Sakura’s still short auburn hair,

 brushing through her soft strands. Sakura didn’t realize she was

 holding her breath until the gentle spirit's fingers began to trace

 the curves of her ears. “I always liked your ears, Sakura-chan. They

 were always so adorable. Just like you.”

 	Taking a quick gasp of air, Sakura felt as if she were drowning in

 the deep blue pools of Tomoyo’s eyes. She certainly didn’t remember

 this part of that night, no matter how romantic it had been. Their

 first kiss had not been with a thirteen year old Tomoyo, but an

 eighteen year old Tomoyo back in Hong Kong not that long ago. But the

 delightfully sweet apparition didn’t seem to plan on playing her

 allotted part in these memories, changing the script as she pleased.

 Tomoyo’s words burned through her mind like chain lightening, blazing

 forth even in the darkness. To her surprise, Sakura found herself

 nodding slowly, her cheeks a bright stripe of crimson. Even as this

 younger angel, Tomoyo did an excellent job of embarrassing her.

 “Un... I want to kiss you, Tomoyo-chan..” she whispered above the

 soft rustle of the trees. Her own younger self sat silently next to

 Tomoyo, the wind playing with her hair as the angelic Tomoyo

 continued to play with the older Sakura’s ears. 

 	Smiling serenely, Tomoyo leaned forwards, her wings spreading out

 behind her in all of their glorious wingspan. Her smaller, soft lips

 pressed against Sakura’s like freshly fallen cherry blossoms. Her

 pale hands continued to trail through Sakura’s hair lovingly. The

 long sleeves of her kimono fell against Sakura’s shoulders,

 blanketing the pajama top in the expensive cloth. Her dark hair, done

 up in two buns on top of her head, fell luxuriously past her own

 small shoulders as Sakura’s fingers undid the delicate hairstyle. The

 dark hair fell about her like streaks of midnight, draping Tomoyo

 like a second garment. 

 	Sakura kissed the angelic Tomoyo back with all of the passion that

 she wished she could have kissed Tomoyo with on that same night years

 ago. It felt a little differently from her recent kisses with Tomoyo,

 but it was still deliciously Tomoyo. There was that same gentle, slow

 feeling to it as the dark haired angel kissed her back. It was so

 different from Syaoran’s brusque kissing style. It was so drawn out,

 as if Tomoyo wished to savor every possible second, drawing it into

 something very near heavenly bliss. Sakura held the younger girl

 tightly as they continued to kiss in the moonlight, her hands on

 Tomoyo’s slender shoulders. The soft fabric yielded to her fingers,

 her fingertips pressing against the soft flesh underneath. The fabric

 seemed to give more as Sakura’s lips brushed again against Tomoyo’s

 feathery kisses. Then the soft lips seemed to tickle her own lips.

 Sakura’s eyes blinked lazily open as the dark haired girl disappeared

 in a flutter of feathers, blinding her in a storm of the iridescent

 objects. “Tomoyo-chan!” Sakura called out, struggling to her feet as

 she hurried through the glittering feathers. Her heart pounded as she

 gazed desperately for her elegant specter. 

 	She was on a bridge, with sounds far in the distance, but she

 couldn’t make them out. Her eyes finally landed on Tomoyo who was

 standing on the edge of the bridge, holding tightly to her cell

 phone. The memory came back slowly to Sakura. “Illusion... So that

 means younger me is in the water. And Illusion is pretending to by my

 mother.”

 	“Sakura-chan!” Tomoyo cried out, her eyes widening as she heard the

 Cardcaptor struggling for breath underwater. She ran to the railing,

 getting her leg over the side, her dark hair trailing behind her in

 the night’s breeze.

 	Sakura had never seen this side of things before. She had been

 underwater at the time, passing out from inhaling too much water. She

 never knew that her pale friend had tried to rescue her. It had never

 crossed her mind. Tomoyo couldn’t swim and still hadn’t learnt how

 even in Sakura’s time, yet the delicate little heiress had been ready

 to jump in after Sakura even then. Sakura yanked her small, delicate

 friend away from the edge, her heart pounding in her chest as she

 held the ten year old Tomoyo. Her fingers brushed down the ruffled

 feathers of Tomoyo’s angel wings, the one constant in this trip

 through her memories. Yukito leapt over the bridge railing seconds

 later, and if Sakura remembered correctly, she would wake up at his

 house to hear that Tomoyo had been worried about her. But she would

 never discover that the dark haired girl had been about to follow her

 to the depths. The sheer selflessness of the young girl’s act

 startled Sakura. Tomoyo hadn’t waited before getting ready to jump in

 after Sakura, hadn’t paused to worry about her inability to swim. If

 Yukito hadn’t jumped in before Tomoyo, Tomoyo would have quickly

 joined her. Sakura simply held the younger girl, fingers trailing

 over satin soft feathers. “Tomoyo-chan...” she whispered, unsure of

 what to say.

 	“My life’s nothing without you, Sakura-chan. I would do anything

 for you. I didn’t know if I could save you, but I knew I had to try,

 even if I would have drowned,” Tomoyo explained, looking up at the

 older girl. A small, beautiful smile appeared on her lips. “Besides,

 you saved me countless times. I’m still happy you saved me in Hong

 Kong instead of everyone else. I thought that was very romantic, like

 my very own Prince Charming come to the rescue,” her gentle voice

 said happily. 

 	“Oh, Tomoyo-chan...” Sakura whispered, hugging the younger girl.

 She felt a vague blush creeping on her cheeks. Tomoyo had always been

 such a cute girl, always saying such embarrassing things to her. That

 had never changed about her eccentric friend and for that she was

 happy. Even if it embarrassed Sakura, it warmed her heart to hear.

 This dark haired girl had given so much to her, always sweetly

 supportive by her side. In all of her memories, she could remember

 the young heiress behind her, gently pushing Sakura to give

 everything her all, from Card capturing to love to school work. Like

 a loving mother, she had been their to bolster Sakura’s heart, to

 give her a lap to cry on, and an ear to turn to when she needed

 advice. She could see why Sonomi said that Tomoyo was a lot like

 Nadeshiko. But there was something far deeper than just that.

 Tomoyo’s love and support bathed Sakura’s soul in a brilliant light,

 giving Sakura the energy to tackle whatever got in her way. With the

 exception of ghosts. But even then, Tomoyo was her ghost buster,

 protecting her from the shadows and whatever lay in their depths. She

 still remembered Tomoyo pulling a sheet off of her teacher when he

 had tried to scare her in a cave. And another time when Tomoyo hadn’t

 told her about a ghost at the school for fear of worrying her. And

 who knew how many times Sakura had gripped onto the pale girl for

 dear life at the thought of ghosts while Tomoyo merely smiled and

 comforted her. Sakura had to wonder if perhaps Tomoyo was the Prince

 Charming. Tomoyo was everything for Sakura, her all encompassing love

 something that Sakura knew she couldn’t live without any longer. Even

 if Tomoyo loved another, Sakura merely wanted the opportunity to love

 her gentle and giving friend. 

 	But before Sakura could voice her spiderweb of thoughts to the

 young angel in her grasp, Tomoyo disappeared once again in a flurry

 of feathers and light. Sakura sighed, not wanting to lose her grasp

 on Tomoyo again. Without a look back at the last memory, Sakura

 hurried headlong into the storm of feathers, once again seeking out

 the pretty heiress. 

 	And she found herself in a hallway. Sakura glanced one way and the

 other, trying to figure out where she was. It was a very nice

 hallway, if that said anything. Then it struck her with all the

 suddenness of the shot at the beginning of a race. This was where she

 had gotten married. This hadn’t been more than half a year earlier.

 Sakura took a moment to catch her bearings before pushing open the

 door that she hoped was her own. She sighed with relief as she saw

 herself in the enrapturing wedding dress that Tomoyo had designed for

 her. Tomoyo was kneeling in front of her, slowly pulling a lacy white

 stocking up along Sakura’s long bare leg. Sakura would have been

 blushing terribly at the act by her friend, but Tomoyo had been

 helping her dress in her costumes for so many years that it was

 second nature. Of course the fact that Tomoyo had designed everything

 right down to the white lace panties had been a bit embarrassing at

 first. But there had been other, more pressing issues on the

 Cardmistress’s mind, like her own impending marriage. 

 	“I can’t believe it’s today, Tomoyo-chan. It’s all so sudden. I

 didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Hoe...” The only slightly

 younger Sakura clasped her hands nervously as she looked down at her

 prettily dressed dark haired friend. Tomoyo wore an elegant white

 dress of her own, though it in no way matched the spectacular garment

 Sakura wore. It looked like it had come out of a dream, and it had.

 Tomoyo’s dreams. Tomoyo had made Sakura promise many years ago to let

 her make her wedding dress when the day finally came. Sakura had

 agreed nervously, having been rather embarrassed at the mention of

 marriage at the time. Tomoyo had been simply delighted and Sakura

 couldn’t have asked for a prettier wedding dress. It had been

 Tomoyo’s last complete design for Sakura.

 	The observing Sakura smiled a bit to herself. The wedding dress was

 no longer Tomoyo’s final costume for her. Sakura had finished

 Tomoyo’s unfinished costume just a short time before. She had pricked

 her fingers enough while working on the costume, but it had been

 worth it to work on the beautiful garment, to seal it with stitches

 from the both of them. Her friend had such an artistic eye, and it

 showed through in everything she did. From her costumes to her

 videotape editing, her singing, and even down to her declarations

 about Sakura herself, she was an ardent admirer of such beauty,

 Sakura’s in particular.

 	The slightly distracted Cardmistress watched Tomoyo helping her

 ever so slightly younger self dress. She noticed that Tomoyo’s wings

 were jet black this time, like the large and shadowy wings of a

 raven. The wings accented the gorgeous woman’s pale features

 perfectly, Tomoyo’s high ponytail falling just above the wings. The

 engaged Sakura seemed to take no notice of the wings, acting exactly

 according to the script of Sakura’s memories.

 	“Sakura-chan shouldn’t worry so much. This is supposed to be the

 most beautiful day of your life.” Tomoyo placed a hand on her own

 cheek as if to emphasize the point. “You’ve known Li-kun ever since

 you were ten years old. I was wondering when he would finally ask you

 to be his gorgeous, blushing bride.” Tomoyo’s gentle fingers followed

 along Sakura’s strong, smooth legs as she helped Sakura into her

 thigh high stockings. Her fingers ducked under the lace as they

 finished adjusting the delicate cloth. Tomoyo sat back with a soft

 sigh, looking up at her stunning friend. Her eyes sparkled as she

 looked up at her. Tears of happiness and sorrow mingled in her eyes

 like raindrops ready to fall from deep, dark storm clouds. 

 	Holding her long white dress, Sakura sweatdropped at the attention

 Tomoyo lathered on her. It managed to soothe her shaken insides. “How

 do I look, Tomoyo-chan?” she asked tentatively.

 	Tomoyo smiled brightly, her angel wings fluttering softly behind

 her. “You look gorgeous, Sakura-chan. You look like my very

 definition of beauty. To be married to Sakura-chan must be a dream

 come true. Li-kun will wonder how life was breathed into his sweetest

 dreams.” Her angelic voice was soft, almost like a prayer. Her dark

 eyes never left the dazzling brunette who stood before her. 

 	The pajama clad Sakura felt a little out of place compared to her

 ornately decorated counterpart, but she forged forward, her heart

 surging at the sight of her pale angel again. Her own heart had been

 so confused, so flustered on her wedding day. Tomoyo had soothed her

 frayed and nervous heart. Just like always, the dark haired woman had

 been there to help her when she herself wasn’t strong enough. She was

 braver with Tomoyo, she was more energetic with Tomoyo, she was

 better because of Tomoyo. Sakura knelt behind the sitting angel, her

 arms wrapping around her waist. The Mistress of the Cards rested her

 head on Tomoyo’s back, Tomoyo’s long black wings pressing against her

 body. “Tomoyo-chan...”

 	“Sakura-chan...” The dark haired woman whispered softly, leaning

 back into the brunette. 

 	“I love you, my sweet angel,” Sakura murmured against Tomoyo’s

 back. As Tomoyo had wished in their conversation not too long before,

 Sakura was indeed surrounded by beautiful angels. Beautiful, lavender

 haired angels. As she held onto her beautiful best friend, Sakura

 continued to dream.