rlm@2: By Stirling Twilight rlm@2: stirling_9@hotmail.com rlm@2: rlm@2: rlm@2: rlm@2: Reprise rlm@2: rlm@2: Sakura flopped onto her back across the bed, clutching the Key around her neck. Why was this so rlm@2: hard, she wondered again? Tomoyo had told her that she loved her, had been as sincere and rlm@2: honest as a girl could be, and yet… rlm@2: Rolling onto her side Sakura pulled the pillow over her head, hiding from the unknown. In her rlm@2: head music played, over and over. Sakura tried to listen; tried to draw meaning from the words, rlm@2: but it was a confusion of sound that had no logic. She sighed, flipped the pillow off and sat rlm@2: up. Across the room Kero-chan watched an old movie on the TV, occasionally calling her rlm@2: attention to something he had forgotten since the last time he had watched this movie. Sakura rlm@2: smiled, stretched, and moved towards the door. rlm@2: "I'm taking a walk," she announced, not waiting for an answer, and was gone before Kero-chan rlm@2: noticed. rlm@2: She padded softly though the house, knowing she was alone but for the Seal Beast, but enjoying rlm@2: the stillness. Outside the night air was pleasantly cool, the sort of air that made you breathe rlm@2: deeply because the temperature was so comfortable. Smiling to herself Sakura buckled on her rlm@2: roller blades and headed for the park. rlm@2: As she glided along the internal music resumed. It had been gone for just a moment, but now rlm@2: that it was back Sakura realized why she had missed it, and she smiled. Picking up her pace she rlm@2: hurried to the King Penguin, hoping she would be alone for what she wanted to do. Luck was with rlm@2: her as she slowed to a stop just outside of the halo of streetlights. Her hand was in the place rlm@2: she had become accustomed to finding it in…nearly clutching for the Key around her neck. She rlm@2: reached into her shirt and with one fluid motion brought the Key into the night air. rlm@2: "Release!" she yelled, feeling the warm evening air swirl around her. With another equally as rlm@2: practiced motion a Clow Card was in her hand and then spinning before her face. With unhidden rlm@2: joy she brought the Key wand down on the Song Card, and commanded the Card to sing Tomoyo's song rlm@2: for her. rlm@2: Light and sound surged around her and at the first tentative strains of the song Sakura felt rlm@2: herself relax. Here was Tomoyo, singing for her. Singing for her, to please her, and no one rlm@2: else. Sakura leaned back against a tree and let the sound carry her away. She saw in her rlm@2: mind's eye the small group of friends on the rooftop that night, the Clow Card glowing before rlm@2: Tomoyo, and the two of them singing the sweet duet. Almost it seemed she could hear the rlm@2: counter-part in the song, softly, very softly. rlm@2: Closing her eyes she painted for herself an image of silky charcoal grey hair, soft grey eyes, rlm@2: and delicate, graceful hands clasped at her breast. Tomoyo's hands suddenly arrested Sakura's rlm@2: attention. Why hadn't she noticed them before? The recognition of that touch made her sit down rlm@2: heavily, as the song continued around her. The smallest whimper escaped her lips. She suddenly rlm@2: felt a warm wave of the softest caresses wash over and in her. Her heart swelled in her chest as rlm@2: she breathed deeply, remembering. How many times had Tomoyo's hand slipped easily into her own? rlm@2: Had always been there when her own fears had caused her to unconsciously groped for something to rlm@2: hold onto? There suddenly seemed to be no place Tomoyo hadn't touched. She was an invisible rlm@2: lifeline in a chaotic world that Sakura could share with no one. Almost she could feel those rlm@2: hands on her, softly, very softly. rlm@2: The final notes of Tomoyo's song faded away like a splash of cold water on her face causing rlm@2: Sakura to scramble upright, grasping for the Key, desperate for the song to continue. As if in rlm@2: response to her mad rush the Song Card began again, and Sakura sat back again with a sigh. rlm@2: "Keep singing please, I'll tell you when I want you to stop," she whispered dreamily. rlm@2: Lying back again, in a sleepy haze, she saw Tomoyo before her, wearing a long dress Sakura had rlm@2: never seen before. The pure whiteness of it made it glow in the soft light thrown off by Song, rlm@2: surrounding Tomoyo in a soft halo. A perfect angel Sakura thought smiling. Tomoyo's hair was rlm@2: swept up onto the top of her head in a mass of curls, white ribbons, and cherry blossom rlm@2: flowers. Tomoyo's hands came together at her chest and her eyes closed as she joined her voice rlm@2: to that of Song, singing the fairy duet once again. Entranced Sakura found herself watching the rlm@2: apparition's mouth. The lips, as pink as the cherry blossoms in her hair, looked moist and rlm@2: soft, with a promise of heavenly sweetness about them Sakura wanted to taste. She longed to rlm@2: touch the Tomoyo before her but feared breaking the spell. Her lungs suddenly ached in her rlm@2: chest from a lack of air and she drew in a deep breath. Sakura realized her whole being was rlm@2: wound tight, almost to the point of panting. The spectral Tomoyo glided closer as the song rlm@2: reaching its simple climax and slowly she bent over the straining Sakura. The scent of Tomoyo rlm@2: embraced Sakura and she sucked in breath, her eyes growing wide in surprise. Lowering herself rlm@2: to her knees Tomoyo leaned into Sakura, who, unnerved, locked her eyes on the petal like lips rlm@2: before her. For a fleeting moment she was afraid she would speak, but desire won her over and rlm@2: closing her eyes Sakura lifted her face towards the angel who knelt over her. Tomoyo's soft rlm@2: breath caressed Sakura's face with the final words to the song, their lips less than an inch rlm@2: apart, and then, as soft as snowflakes, Tomoyo's mouth came down on Sakura's. For an eternity rlm@2: Sakura fought an urge to stiffen, but the warmth of the angel pressed against her turned her rlm@2: muscles to jelly and her whole body relaxed. Encouraged, Tomoyo gently applied more pressure, rlm@2: and Sakura gave herself over to the sensation, her whole body ringing like the clearest chime. rlm@2: Her arms, moving on their own, came up and wound around the tiny waist, encountering white silk rlm@2: and even softer escaped curls. Sakura pulled her friend in closer, longing to drown in the rlm@2: feelings she was experiencing. And the Song Card sang on.