rlm@0: Dear Sakura rlm@0: by Amazoness Duo and G.P. rlm@0: amazonessduo@hotmail.com rlm@0: pearsong1954@yahoo.com rlm@0: rlm@0: Dear Sakura-chan, rlm@0: How are you? I didn’t want to wait for our phone call this week so rlm@0: I tried to get back to you as quickly as I could. Though I’ll rlm@0: probably hear from you on the phone before I can get a reply anyway. rlm@0: But that’s all right because I’m just happy to write you. I like rlm@0: knowing that as soon as I send this off it will be on its way to rlm@0: Sakura-chan’s door, that the letter I wrote will end up in her hands rlm@0: before too long. So I always have plenty of motivation to write you rlm@0: back. I’m writing this in my office at work while I’m waiting for a rlm@0: phone call. I hope I can finish it all in one sitting. I have a rlm@0: picture of you in my office. You’re only eleven or twelve in the rlm@0: picture, but you have the cutest smile on your face. So I see you rlm@0: smiling with me at work while I try to finish Hanako-chan. Meishi- rlm@0: chan, a coworker, joked that you were my girlfriend because she has a rlm@0: picture of her fiancee on rlm@0: her desk and because of how much I talk about you. We laughed for a rlm@0: bit about that. She’s getting married next month so we want to finish rlm@0: the project in time for her honeymoon. Hanako-chan still has a bit to rlm@0: go before she’s finished, so that means she’ll need extra hard work rlm@0: for the next few weeks. But I’m really happy with how she’s coming rlm@0: along. I finally decided on long violet hair for the doll so that rlm@0: little girls can style it however they want. I hope she gets the love rlm@0: of many young girls. I want them to have lots of fun with her, just rlm@0: like I had lots of fun dressing and videotaping Sakura-chan. If I can rlm@0: get even a portion of that fun into the doll, then I know it will be rlm@0: perfect. rlm@0: Oh, Sakura-chan, I’m sorry things have been so hectic for you rlm@0: lately. I know how that can be what with all of the deadlines we’ve rlm@0: been having lately. It almost reminds me of when we were studying for rlm@0: the high school entrance exams. But I really enjoyed spending all rlm@0: that time studying with you. My camera tripod got a lot of use that rlm@0: year when we’d sit in your room and go over everything. I was so rlm@0: proud of you when it was all over. So sometimes hectic can be a very rlm@0: happy thing. I hope that your hectic life is like that or that thing rlm@0: slow down for you soon. Don’t work yourself too hard or poor Sakura- rlm@0: chan rlm@0: won’t be able to show off all of the wonderful energy she has rlm@0: inside. It really does sound like you’ve been busy lately, so don’t rlm@0: worry about getting back to me or calling if you need the rest. So rlm@0: make sure that you get plenty of rest. That way you can still be the rlm@0: pretty, genki woman that I last saw. rlm@0: I’m so sorry for your mathematics teacher friend. That sounds so rlm@0: awful. To lose touch with your special someone like that after all rlm@0: that time has to be heart wrenching. I feel so sorry for her. I can rlm@0: see why she’s still hurt about it. When love grips onto your heart, rlm@0: it’s impossible to ever completely get rid of it’s tugging. Mother rlm@0: still thinks about Nadeshiko-san every day, so I guess she went rlm@0: through something similar to your friend. I wish that people didn’t rlm@0: have to go through things that painful, especially such sweet people rlm@0: as mother and your friend. I was really worried that we would drift rlm@0: after you married Li-kun as well. I thought that now that you have a rlm@0: new family and a loving husband and a life of your own that I rlm@0: wouldn’t be as necessary anymore. Now that Sakura-chan’s in Hong rlm@0: Kong, I’m not as much a part of her life anymore. Even with all of my rlm@0: videotapes and pictures of you, it wouldn’t be enough for me if we rlm@0: lost touch. The only thing that makes it enough to bear is the rlm@0: thought that you’re happy out there. So I know you’ll be all right rlm@0: with or without me. And I know everything will work out. So even if rlm@0: you’re so far away, I’m happy. rlm@0: Sakura-chan, I promise I will always be here for you as long as you rlm@0: need me. And I will always remember you. Nothing could ever take the rlm@0: beautiful memories of you from my heart. I promise. So please don’t rlm@0: feel sad. It makes me feel awful to know that Sakura-chan is sad. I rlm@0: promise that I’ll stay as long as you need me. I’ll always think of rlm@0: you as my very best friend. I can’t get Sakura-chan out of my mind rlm@0: for even a minute, so I don’t think I could ever forget my sweet rlm@0: Cardmistress. rlm@0: You must make a wonderful P.E. teacher. I’ll need to watch you some rlm@0: day when you’re teaching one of your classes. You should teach them rlm@0: all a little something about cheerleading someday, too. They could rlm@0: use a few lessons from the best cheerleader in Tomoeda. And it would rlm@0: be so kawaii with Sakura-chan giving lessons these days. But I’m sure rlm@0: that all of those girls are very lucky to have you as their teacher. rlm@0: Some must feel the same way about you that Rika-chan felt towards rlm@0: Terrada-sensei. It would be easy to enjoy learning from Sakura- rlm@0: sensei! I’m sure you make them all very eager for class. I would have rlm@0: loved to have you as my P.E. teacher when I was younger. And with rlm@0: your loving heart, you’ll be able to reach out to the girls and draw rlm@0: the best out of them. rlm@0: Thank you very much for the book, Sakura-chan. It’s very pretty and rlm@0: I’ve already gone through it twice. Its must be gorgeous to see it rlm@0: all up close in Hong Kong. The photography was really nice throughout rlm@0: the whole book. The Engrish can be a little tricky at times, but it’s rlm@0: still nice to go through. Flower has wonderful choices in gifts. rlm@0: Thank you rlm@0: again for sending it. I think I like videotaping people dancing a rlm@0: little more than dancing myself because I love how cute Sakura-chan rlm@0: looks while she’s dancing. The look on her face is just adorable and rlm@0: the way she moves is very dreamlike. Dancing can be fun, too, but I’d rlm@0: much rather videotape it. The prom was fun, but I spent most of it rlm@0: videotaping Sakura-chan and Li-kun dancing. rlm@0: The tea set you bought sounds very pretty. And with you working on rlm@0: your tea making, I’m certain that it will be wonderful to have tea rlm@0: with Sakura-chan. I’m glad that it reminds you of me. But you really rlm@0: shouldn’t leave it just for me. I’m sure Li-kun and Ieran-sama and rlm@0: the others would enjoy it very much if you used it for them. But I rlm@0: would rlm@0: love to have tea with you and the tea set when I come to visit. rlm@0: After I finish Hanako-chan should be perfect. I’ll have to ask mother rlm@0: about it, but I don’t see why not. Mother should know of some good rlm@0: hotels in Hong Kong because of all of her business trips, so I’ll rlm@0: need to start looking for information so I can come out and visit rlm@0: Sakura-chan. Maybe I could bring my camcorder with us while we went rlm@0: shopping and I could make sure to get lots of souvenirs of my trip to rlm@0: visit you. And here I thought that I would have to wait for Sakura- rlm@0: chan to have a baby to have an excuse to come see her. rlm@0: I’m very glad that you like the videotapes. I’ll make sure that I rlm@0: keep making more. If you ever have any requests, please just ask. We rlm@0: have a very well trained chef and she says that she would be more rlm@0: than happy to help me learn how to make whatever dishes I need to for rlm@0: my videos. I finished the cake with strawberries tape last night so rlm@0: I’ll be sure to add that to the package I send. I can even make rlm@0: copies of some of my old tapes if you would ever like to see your rlm@0: adventures for the past eight years. I’m so very glad that you think rlm@0: I look pretty in the cooking tapes. Thank you very much for saying rlm@0: so. That means rlm@0: so much to me coming from you. And I’m glad you think I’m a lot like rlm@0: your mother. With all that my mother has said about Nadeshiko-san, I rlm@0: take that as one of the highest compliments I could receive. Mother rlm@0: said that you and I must have been switched at birth because I seem rlm@0: to take more after Nadeshiko-san than her. I’ll send a photo along rlm@0: with the letter, but it will probably be about a year old or so. I rlm@0: haven’t had many pictures taken recently. But I’ll be happy to know rlm@0: that I’ll be by Sakura-chan’s bedside, watching over her. rlm@0: Oh, I need to get going. It looks like I have to get back to work rlm@0: now that I know when the meeting is. And I can’t finish this right rlm@0: after work because I’m giving my mother’s secretary’s daughter rlm@0: singing lessons. But that shouldn’t be more than an hour or two, so rlm@0: I’ll finish this tonight and send everything to you as soon as I can. rlm@0: rlm@0: Hello again, Sakura-chan! I’m writing this in the limousine, so I rlm@0: apologize if my writing looks messy. Megumi-chan has a very beautiful rlm@0: voice. I’m very glad that she decided to take singing lessons. I rlm@0: think the only thing she’s lacking is someone or something to sing rlm@0: for. Once she finds that, she’ll be alluring to listen to. She’s only rlm@0: a little rlm@0: older than I was when I started singing, so it’s interesting rlm@0: watching her as she works on her singing. Megumi-chan is very earnest rlm@0: about learning to sing. I wonder if there’s a special someone out rlm@0: there that she’s learning for. We have lessons on Mondays, rlm@0: Wednesdays, and Fridays, and every other Saturday. rlm@0: I’m glad that your dream is slowly starting to reveal itself to rlm@0: you. I knew with time it would begin to unfold. It sounds like it’s rlm@0: still too vague for you to understand now, but I think that soon rlm@0: enough it will begin to make sense. I hope it means you'll be coming rlm@0: back to Japan sometime soon. And the person on the Tokyo Tower could rlm@0: be Sakura-chan’s daughter. I could be wrong, not being a magical girl rlm@0: and all, but I think that would all be a very nice way for the dream rlm@0: to turn out. rlm@0: I was pretty sure that it was Sakura-chan dressed in cute boy’s rlm@0: clothes. You’ve been so worried about me with not having a koibito rlm@0: and you’ve heard me talking about my special someone for a very long rlm@0: time. So you already saw yourself close to the situation. And what rlm@0: better way to see things end happily for your best friend than as rlm@0: Sakura-chan the boy? Then you get a perfect glimpse of things because rlm@0: you’re right in the middle of it all. So I thought that it was you. rlm@0: I’m sure you looked remarkably handsome. Hai, proposing must be a rlm@0: very difficult thing to do. It took Li-kun three weeks after buying rlm@0: your wedding ring to finally ask you to marry him and that was after rlm@0: quite a bit of convincing, so it must be very tough. I think the most rlm@0: frightening part of it all must be the thought of rejection. Whenever rlm@0: you bare your feelings to the world, you have a chance of getting rlm@0: hurt and rejected. Holding out your love to your special someone is a rlm@0: very dangerous thing. What if they don’t feel the same way about you rlm@0: or if it hurts them to hear it or if it changes things? So I can rlm@0: understand why he was so worried and why cute boy Sakura-chan must rlm@0: have been worried in the dream. But if my one True Love proposed to rlm@0: me, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. And if I had to sacrifice rlm@0: myself for my love, as you said it, Sakura-chan, I would gladly do rlm@0: that, too. Sometimes it’s just safer to keep your love close to your rlm@0: heart, protecting it from the pain that rejection or the hurt could rlm@0: cause. So it’s very brave for Li-kun and you in the dream to propose. rlm@0: You really are a wonderful best friend, Sakura-chan, and you have rlm@0: never failed me. You’ve always saved me when I needed it with the rlm@0: Cards and have been so sweet to me over the years. I’ll always keep rlm@0: my love close to my heart, where I know it will be safe. I’ll always rlm@0: love my special someone. And please don’t worry. I don’t mind if my rlm@0: true love is with me or not. It would make me happy, but that’s not rlm@0: half as important to me as whether or not they are happy. And they rlm@0: seem to be, so I’m perfectly content. rlm@0: You have such a warm, loving heart that it’s always so sad for me rlm@0: to read about you in pain. I’m so sorry about the fight and that you rlm@0: almost got into another. I can see you sitting up sweetly, waiting rlm@0: for your love to come through the door. I don’t see how anyone could rlm@0: leave you waiting. You and Li-kun have been dating for years, but rlm@0: life as a rlm@0: married couple is different. It must be the difficulties you’re both rlm@0: experiencing as you’re adjusting to it that’s causing the trouble. rlm@0: I’m sure that Li-kun knows that you care about him and love him very rlm@0: much. He just has a lot of trouble expressing his emotions sometimes, rlm@0: Sakura-chan. I’m glad you had Touya-san to talk to about it. He’s rlm@0: right, those rlm@0: types of jobs often require a lot of socialization like that. If you rlm@0: ever need to talk like that again, you can call me at any time. I’m rlm@0: always here for you, Sakura-chan. It sounds like Li-kun is very rlm@0: protective of you. That’s a wonderful quality for your husband to rlm@0: have rlm@0: because I know he’ll keep you safe. I know that he’ll protect you, rlm@0: no matter what happens. rlm@0: Sakura-chan, I’m very glad that you’re concerned about me, but I rlm@0: don’t ever want you to be sad for me. That just makes me sadder. I rlm@0: want to know that my Sakura-chan is happy. I’m sorry that I can’t rlm@0: tell you who my special person is. I want to. I would love to. But I rlm@0: can’t. I think you should probably stop looking, Sakura-chan. I think rlm@0: it could only make things more difficult if you found out and I would rlm@0: hate myself for ever causing you anything to worry about. Please, rlm@0: Sakura-chan... You’re my best friend. I don’t think you should look rlm@0: any closer. Just know that I’m happy as long as my special person is rlm@0: happy. rlm@0: I’m sorry for my writing getting worse. We’re going over some tough rlm@0: road. But please, Sakura-chan, don’t worry about it. It really rlm@0: doesn’t matter who I love anymore. I don’t think I’m ever going to rlm@0: tell them now. It’s just not worth causing the trouble it would take rlm@0: to tell them. I'm happy with the way things are. I really am. It rlm@0: doesn't matter who they are because my love won’t change. But I think rlm@0: that it would be a bad idea to pursue it, Sakura-chan. You don’t want rlm@0: to know who it is. Please... rlm@0: It’s not Touya-san. He’s a wonderful person and he really does look rlm@0: out for you. I think he and Yukito-san are a wonderful couple. They rlm@0: look so happy together. I think he knows who I love. We’ve talked rlm@0: several times and it sounds like he does. But even for all of his rlm@0: great qualities, they only serve to remind me of my beloved. And I rlm@0: always blushed when I watched him at soccer practice because he rlm@0: reminded me of you, Sakura-chan. You both have the same ears. It's rlm@0: very cute. Hai, it’s much better if I keep my love silent. Close to rlm@0: my heart, it can do no harm. It doesn’t matter if I have a wedding. rlm@0: They’re beautiful events, but I’m content being Daidouji Tomoyo as rlm@0: long as my love is out there with the one they truly love. Even if I rlm@0: have to keep my love locked away for all eternity, it will always be rlm@0: all right. You can’t force someone to love you. All you can do is rlm@0: love them. So doesn’t it make sense to let them love who they shall, rlm@0: always holding on to that warm feeling the thought of them causes in rlm@0: your heart? You’re right, I’ll be all right. I always have been. I’ll rlm@0: be just fine, Sakura-chan. Trust me. rlm@0: I’m sorry to end this so abruptly, but I really must go. Mother rlm@0: needs me to help with something. Sakura-chan, I’ll always treasure rlm@0: the time I got to spend with you. You were the best friend I could rlm@0: possibly have. Thank you for that. I hope everything is well in China rlm@0: and that this letter gets to you safely. rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: All my love, rlm@0: Daidouji Tomoyo rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: Dear Tomoyo-chan, rlm@0: rlm@0: I was so excited to read in your letter that you will be able to rlm@0: come to Hong Kong soon to visit. Did you ask your Mother yet? When do rlm@0: you think Haneko-chan will be done? She sounds very lovely, by the rlm@0: way. I am planning on taking her to school, so that my students can rlm@0: see the beautiful work my best friend does in far away Japan. When I rlm@0: read that you were looking for a hotel, I went to Ieran-sama, to beg rlm@0: her to let you stay here. The house is quite large, and there are rlm@0: several guest rooms. I was afraid she would say no, but when I told rlm@0: her she actually smiled and said it would be an honor to have you rlm@0: stay. I asked her if I could prepare your room, and she said yes. rlm@0: It's a beautiful room overlooking the garden, and I am already fixing rlm@0: it up special just for Tomoyo-chan. There is a lovely red and gold rlm@0: brocade Chinese rug in the room, which Ieran-sama says is very rlm@0: ancient. I have been dusting and cleaning, thinking about you while I rlm@0: work. After reading that you might come soon, I can barely sleep at rlm@0: night. Waiting for you makes every day seem so long. rlm@0: rlm@0: I am so very happy that you have a picture of me on your desk at rlm@0: work. One reason I was always smiling was that you were so close to rlm@0: me. I always felt good when you were around, sort of peaceful and rlm@0: content. Everything just seemed so right when we were together. rlm@0: Please tell Meishi-san that your girlfriend in the picture sends rlm@0: congratulations on the upcoming wedding. I hope and pray she will be rlm@0: very happy. I hope Haneko-chan is finished in time. So Meishi-san is rlm@0: another reason for the doll to be finished quickly, and then you can rlm@0: come to visit. Oh, but I do not mean to rush you or anything like rlm@0: that. I am sure you are under great pressure as it is, so I hope rlm@0: everything goes well. Designing a doll sounds like a lot of work, but rlm@0: I'm sure it will be delightful when it is finished. I think you made rlm@0: a good choice with the hair, and am certain little girls will have a rlm@0: wonderful time playing with it. I know that I loved brushing and rlm@0: braiding your beautiful lavender hair when we were young. It's kind rlm@0: of funny, but I dreamt of this not too long ago. We were back in the rlm@0: 5th grade, and you were sleeping over at my house. We were both in rlm@0: our nightclothes in my room, and I was brushing your hair with long, rlm@0: careful strokes. Only the little nightlight was on, but your hair rlm@0: glistened in the soft, pale glow of the moon. You were silent, and rlm@0: sitting away from me, so I couldn't see your face. The only sound was rlm@0: the soft swish of the brush. Then I made two long braids, and tied rlm@0: them together with pink ribbons. When I finished, you started to turn rlm@0: around, and my heart beat faster. I felt such an intense love for you rlm@0: that it woke me up. And sitting in bed, with Sayoran-chan asleep next rlm@0: to me, I missed you so much. My heart ached for you to be with me so rlm@0: I could hold my Tomoyo-chan close again. rlm@0: rlm@0: I talked with my sensei friend yesterday and told her about rlm@0: missing you so much. She smiled, and said she looked forward to rlm@0: meeting you. She said no matter what we do or where we are, our rlm@0: special person follows us like a gentle little ghost haunting our rlm@0: hearts. She quoted from a poem in English, and translated it for me. rlm@0: It was: rlm@0: rlm@0: "Parting is all we know of Heaven, rlm@0: And all we need of Hell." rlm@0: rlm@0: She said that is how she always feels about her special person being rlm@0: gone. She said that person is still with her, and that there is no rlm@0: pain greater or sweeter. I feel very sad for her, and for your rlm@0: Mother, and for my Father. I guess it's something you can never get rlm@0: over. rlm@0: rlm@0: I'm glad you liked the book on local flowers. We can go and see some rlm@0: of the gardens and wildflowers on the islands when you come. I told rlm@0: Flower you liked the book, and she was very pleased. When I said her rlm@0: you were coming to visit, she said she wanted to dance with you. I rlm@0: think that would be a very sweet to see. Oh, and the tea set is for rlm@0: you, a "Welcome Back to Hong Kong" present, I guess. Sorry it's not a rlm@0: surprise, but I was so excited I couldn't keep it secret. It is in rlm@0: the room now on a little mahogany table, waiting for you. And thank rlm@0: you for the videotapes. The strawberry cake was a bit of a problem. rlm@0: It was so good there was none left over for Kero-chan, and he was rlm@0: quite put out about that. I had to promise to make one just for him. rlm@0: Tomoyo-chan, you looked so beautiful in that video. I loved the rlm@0: costume you wore, and the apron with little strawberry designs was so rlm@0: kawaii. And thank you also for the lovely picture. I bought a little rlm@0: silver frame so now I can see your smile every night. It really makes rlm@0: me feel so much better to have you there, and to know that maybe you rlm@0: are thinking sweet thoughts about me from far away. rlm@0: rlm@0: I liked your ideas about cheerleading at the school. Cheerleading is rlm@0: not as popular in Hong Kong as back home, though it is catching on. rlm@0: Some of the girls I talked with were very enthusiastic and want to rlm@0: start a club. I told them I would be happy to be their advisor. A rlm@0: father of one of the girls is a tailor, and offered to make the rlm@0: uniforms for a good price, but said we need some sort of design. I rlm@0: told the girls about the outfits you designed for me, and they got rlm@0: very excited. I know you are busy with Haneko-chan, but would it be rlm@0: possible when you are finished with the project to design an outfit rlm@0: for the club? We would not need the design until late summer. Of rlm@0: course, I know you are very busy with work, and do not want to impose rlm@0: on you, so please tell me if it would at all be a bother. Of course, rlm@0: we would pay you whatever you thought a fair price for the work. The rlm@0: girls are already planning ways to raise money. They really are very rlm@0: cute. rlm@0: rlm@0: One of the girls reminds me of you, Tomoyo-chan. She is very quiet rlm@0: and sweet, and one of the best students in the 4th grade. She has rlm@0: long hair that curls at the end, and is as pretty as can be. She is rlm@0: not particularly athletic, so I have worked with her extra so she can rlm@0: pass all of her tests. Sometimes she comes after school for practice, rlm@0: so I stay and take a later bus. In return, she insists on helping me rlm@0: with my Chinese, which is just like her. I noticed that she is always rlm@0: looking very dreamily at one of the other 4th grade girls, but that rlm@0: the other girl does not seem to notice. It is so kawaii to see her rlm@0: all -hanyaan- rlm@0: rlm@0: Tomoyo-chan, please don't ever think that you are not an important rlm@0: part of my life anymore, or not necessary, or that I would be all rlm@0: right without you. It's really the very opposite, because I need you rlm@0: more than ever. Or, maybe, I just never realized before how much my rlm@0: best friend meant to me. I love Sayoran-chan so very much. But, I rlm@0: can't really talk with him about many things. He is very busy, and rlm@0: even when he is home he is such a private person. We are not together rlm@0: as much as I would like, but then, I guess we never could be, since rlm@0: there are not enough hours in the day. But for the first time since I rlm@0: met you, I feel lonely. rlm@0: rlm@0: When it started, I thought I was just homesick, and missed rlm@0: everybody. And I do miss everyone, in a way. But not the way I miss rlm@0: you. Not being with you hurts me. I don't want to make you sad, so rlm@0: please don't worry. But Tomoyo-chan, not having you to talk with, to rlm@0: see, and to hold is so much more painful than I ever thought. It's rlm@0: like breathing. You don't think about the air until it's gone, and rlm@0: then you are desperate. When I was with you, I felt that everything rlm@0: was all right. I -knew- it was. Tomoyo-chan, I don't think I feel rlm@0: that way anymore. I feel so apart from you, and sometimes I miss you rlm@0: so much I just start to cry. I don't understand this at all. I am rlm@0: with the man I love in a beautiful new place on my life's adventure. rlm@0: But I feel so sad. I feel just like sensei, like my special person is rlm@0: far away. And I don't want to tell you this, because it makes me so rlm@0: ashamed, but when you told me that Oniichan was not your special rlm@0: person, part of me was happy. I hate myself for feeling that way, and rlm@0: am so, so sorry. But I had to tell you, because I do not want to keep rlm@0: any secrets. Part of me was happy that you are not with your special rlm@0: person. I -hate- that part of me. I do so want you to be happy, and rlm@0: would do anything I could for you. So why do I feel this way? I rlm@0: should be happy if you could be with your special someone. It's so rlm@0: sad you are not, and that your love must be kept deep within your rlm@0: heart. But if you were with someone else, I would feel farther away rlm@0: from you than ever. It's almost as if you -were- my special person, rlm@0: which of course must be ridiculous. But it's just how I feel, no rlm@0: matter how many times I tell myself I don't. Gomenesai, Tomoyo-chan. rlm@0: rlm@0: Last night something strange happened. It was the dream again, the rlm@0: one in Tokyo. It was so windy that I could barely stand. I was rlm@0: straining to see the figure on Tokyo Tower. The figure on the tower rlm@0: was still vague, and I do not know who it was. The wind howled, and rlm@0: almost knocked me off the roof of the building we were on. In fact, rlm@0: just then a real wind woke me up, and I was surprised to find I was rlm@0: not in my bed at all. I had wandered in my sleep, and awoke on the rlm@0: edge of a steep cliff overlooking the ocean. I was facing east, rlm@0: toward Japan, and the moon was setting over the water. I was scared, rlm@0: and then very embarrassed, being in my nightgown outdoors. rlm@0: Fortunately nobody was around so I was able to sneak back home. On rlm@0: the way back I ran into Kero-chan, who noticed I was gone and came to rlm@0: look for me. I told him about the dream, and he seemed quite rlm@0: concerned. He said I should tie a string around my finger when I rlm@0: sleep and attach it to a little bell or something so I don’t wander rlm@0: in my sleep anymore. But that seemed silly, and I would probably just rlm@0: get all tangled up. Fortunately, Sayoran-chan slept through the whole rlm@0: thing. rlm@0: rlm@0: I have been visiting with the Cards a lot lately. I had a long rlm@0: conversation with Light-sama and Dark-sama Sunday night. Tomoyo-chan, rlm@0: they are so sweet together. I never knew. They are a beautiful rlm@0: couple, and even though they are so different, they are very much in rlm@0: love. Dark-sama is more quiet and shy, but very tender and gentle. rlm@0: Light-sama is funny sometimes, though she is always very dignified. I rlm@0: talked with them about many things, and felt so much better rlm@0: afterwards. I told them you are coming to visit, and they both looked rlm@0: very pleased and wish to meet you. Tomoyo-chan, I also asked them rlm@0: about you, and your special someone. Dark-sama almost seemed to rlm@0: blush, and Light-sama laughed in her Lady-like way. They said I rlm@0: should trust more in my special power, and then everything will be rlm@0: all right. rlm@0: rlm@0: Gomenesai, Tomoyo-chan. I will stop asking about who your special rlm@0: person is. I had no right to try and find out. I would never, ever rlm@0: want to hurt you. Even though a part of me would miss you so very rlm@0: much, I do wish you could be with your beloved. I know you are happy rlm@0: for him, and I do hope that makes you happy, too. I have never known rlm@0: anybody quite like you, Tomoyo-chan. You are kind, gentle, loving, rlm@0: and caring. You were always the smartest person I ever knew. Even rlm@0: though Naoko-chan read more books, you were smart about -everything-, rlm@0: like sewing and people and tea. And you are so beautiful. Seeing you rlm@0: in those videos sometimes takes my breath away. I read in a magazine rlm@0: once that angels are celestial visitors who come to Earth. They bring rlm@0: love and peace to all the fortunate people they touch. It's funny, rlm@0: because when I read this, I thought of you. I thought, maybe Tomoyo- rlm@0: chan is an angel, because she is not like anyone else. She is so rlm@0: special. So, I believe that someday, somehow, you will be with your rlm@0: special person. Everything -cannot- be all right if you are alone. If rlm@0: I could have one wish, it would be that you and your love would be rlm@0: together, forever. rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: Love, rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: Sakura rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: PS- Kero chan says thank you for the strawberry cake recipe, but rlm@0: please make the recipes bigger next time. He made me write this. rlm@0: rlm@0: PPS- Syaoran-chan says hello. rlm@0: rlm@0: PPSS- I have enclosed some more pictures for you. One is of the rlm@0: school from the front, and one is of the gym where I teach. Fanren rlm@0: took the picture of me baking the strawberry cake. It looks a bit rlm@0: messy, but the cake really did turn out well. rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: Dear Sakura-chan, rlm@0: I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to reply to your rlm@0: wonderful letter. I always love hearing from you and writing to you rlm@0: makes me very happy. But the past week and a half have been very rlm@0: hectic. Hanako-chan is just about finished. It took a lot of work, rlm@0: but I’m very happy with her. I think she’s a doll that young girls rlm@0: will be able to love dearly. It’s my gift to all of the poor little rlm@0: girls out there who don’t have their own Sakura-chan to dress in cute rlm@0: costumes and play with. We had a lot of meetings lately so that we rlm@0: could solve all of the problems with Hanako-chan so that she would rlm@0: come out smoothly. I have one of the prototypes for her on my rlm@0: desk right now. I’m going to send her to you along with this letter. rlm@0: I really hope that you like her. I know that she’ll be happy to be rlm@0: with Sakura-chan. rlm@0: Meishi-san had her wedding early, so I went to that several rlm@0: days ago. It was a beautiful ceremony. She and her husband are rlm@0: very much in love. I’m very happy for them to be spending the rest rlm@0: of their lives together. They had an enormous cake that Kero-chan rlm@0: would have loved to see. I would get the recipe, but it looked too rlm@0: big for me to bake. The wedding reminded me of Sakura-chan’s, so rlm@0: I thought of you throughout the ceremony. I think Meishi-san and rlm@0: her husband are already planning on children. She’ll make an rlm@0: excellent mother. The smile on her face looked so joyous. It was rlm@0: the same as yours at your wedding. It must be such a wonderful rlm@0: feeling to know that you will forever be with your true love. I’m rlm@0: very happy for the both of you. Meishi-san asked me when I was rlm@0: going to ask my girlfriend in the photo to marry me. She’s always rlm@0: joking about those sorts of things. I told her I would as soon as I rlm@0: knew she would say yes. We laughed a bit and went back to the rlm@0: party. Meishi-san left for her honeymoon that night, so she’s still rlm@0: gone right now. After all of the hard work on Hanako-chan, she rlm@0: deserves the rest with her beloved. rlm@0: I’ve been practicing longer with Megumi-chan after work. rlm@0: She really has a lovely voice. And she certainly has the rlm@0: determination to be a very good singer. All she needs is a little rlm@0: patience and it will come perfectly to her. I brought up her singing rlm@0: in a competition a short time ago, but she seemed a little nervous. rlm@0: She asked me about the awards I’d won, but I told her that that was rlm@0: never what mattered to me when singing. Singing lets you express rlm@0: the feelings in your soul. It lets you serenade your one, true love, rlm@0: even if they can’t hear you. Singing is a way to say what you cannot rlm@0: with simple words. Megumi-chan seemed a little surprised by that, rlm@0: so I asked her why she wanted me to teach her to sing. She rlm@0: couldn’t answer right away so I told her to think about the answer rlm@0: until our next lesson. When our next lesson finally arrived, she came rlm@0: out to meet me in front of her house. She smiled a very sweet smile rlm@0: and told me that she wanted to sing because she always loved to rlm@0: and that she wanted to sing like an angel for her special someone. rlm@0: I’m very proud of her. I think before long, her angelic voice will rlm@0: reach out to whoever it is she’s singing for. rlm@0: I’ve spoken with my mother and I have my flight information ready. rlm@0: I should be leaving for Hong Kong late next week. Please tell me if rlm@0: that’s a bother at all. I can always book a different flight. Now rlm@0: that Hanako-chan is done with her design phase, mother said it would rlm@0: be perfectly all right for me to take a break and go visit Sakura- rlm@0: chan. She tried to convince me to go with her on a trip to the rlm@0: mountains instead, but I had to refuse. I know she has the best of rlm@0: intentions, but I would like to see Sakura-chan again in her new rlm@0: married life. Mother sends her love, even if she can’t deliver it rlm@0: herself. Are you sure that it’s all right if I stay at the Li house? rlm@0: There are several hotels around there that I could check into. Though rlm@0: if Sakura-chan has gone through all the trouble, I would most rlm@0: graciously accept your hospitality. Thank you for going through so rlm@0: much trouble just for me, Sakura-chan. The room sounds lovely and it rlm@0: will be very nice to look out on the same garden that Sakura-chan rlm@0: wanders through. I’m sorry that your days seem longer because of rlm@0: this. I’ll have to come out there very soon so that you won’t have to rlm@0: worry anymore. And I would absolutely rlm@0: love to have tea with you and the wonderful tea set while I’m there. rlm@0: Please tell Flower that if she would love to dance, I would be most rlm@0: pleased to. It has been a very long time since I’ve last danced. rlm@0: Sakura-chan sure has been dreaming a lot lately. I’m always rlm@0: very happy to hear about your dreams. There’s always a very sweet rlm@0: quality about them. Maybe it’s the air in Hong Kong that’s giving rlm@0: you so many of them. Or your new life. But they seem very nice. I rlm@0: remember you braiding my hair like that. I was very happy to have rlm@0: you doing that for me. It’s completely different having Sakura-chan rlm@0: do your hair. Not at all like fixing my hair myself. Your hands were rlm@0: so gentle and warm. You were so careful with your brush strokes. I rlm@0: wish I had caught that on videotape, but I’m pleased to hold the rlm@0: memory in my heart for as long as I can. I’m really glad that rlm@0: Sakura-chan remembered it. You were so sweet that night. We rlm@0: stayed up late talking about all kinds of things. And I was so happy rlm@0: when you agreed to fix my hair. Thank you so much for that, rlm@0: Sakura-chan. You don’t have to worry about missing me anymore. rlm@0: I’ll be in Hong Kong soon enough and we can spend some time rlm@0: together like we used to. Of course, I don’t want to interfere with rlm@0: your new life, so I’ll be very careful about that. But rlm@0: there’s no reason to be lonely, Sakura-chan. You have many people rlm@0: who love you very much. And you don’t have to miss me. You’re rlm@0: always in my thoughts and you always have my love. I’m very sorry rlm@0: that you’ve been feeling so lonely lately. I’ll be happy to try and rlm@0: cheer Sakura-chan up while I visit. I’m very happy that you always rlm@0: felt good when I was around. I always wanted Sakura-chan to be rlm@0: happy, so it was a spectacular award to see you smile. I wanted to rlm@0: make you as happy as I could, so that Sakura-chan wouldn’t have rlm@0: to worry. But now that’s Li-kun’s job, so I should be glad that it’s rlm@0: in good hands. rlm@0: It is so horrible that people like your sensei friend and my rlm@0: mother and your father all have to go through so much pain. It must rlm@0: hurt unbearably to lose your special someone. But your sensei rlm@0: friend is right. Even if you are far apart or separated, they will rlm@0: forever dwell in your heart, the impressions of their soul always rlm@0: bringing back the sweetest of memories and the deepest of regrets. rlm@0: But I think as long as you know you have that sliver of their soul, rlm@0: and that your love can encompass it with a warm glow, then you rlm@0: have nothing to fear. No matter how much it hurts, you will always rlm@0: carry slivers of their soul. rlm@0: Your students sound eager and determined just like their rlm@0: sensei. It just seems like fate that Sakura-chan would help them get rlm@0: into cheerleading. I’m sure they will all be adorable. And with you rlm@0: helping them, it will turn out wonderfully. I stayed up a little rlm@0: late a rlm@0: few nights this week and worked on the designs for the uniform. I’ll rlm@0: send it along with this letter. I hope that it works well enough. I rlm@0: think Sakura-chan’s students would look very kawaii in it. Please rlm@0: don’t worry about paying me. As long as Sakura-chan takes some rlm@0: pictures of her students practicing in the uniforms, I’ll be very rlm@0: pleased. Seeing some of your old costumes gave me inspiration for rlm@0: the design. I wanted to make sure that everyone who sees them will rlm@0: know that they’re Sakura-chan’s super cute cheerleaders! I think rlm@0: it’s fitting that the last costume I made for you was your wedding rlm@0: dress, but I’m very glad to be able to help with this. I’m very rlm@0: excited about their efforts. rlm@0: Thank you very much for helping out the girl that reminds rlm@0: you of me. I would have been so thrilled to have Sakura-sensei’s rlm@0: help back in P.E. so I’m certain that she is in good hands. She’s rlm@0: very lucky to have a teacher like you. It sounds like the girl who rlm@0: manages to capture her attention reminds me of someone else. rlm@0: That’s so sweet to hear. I hope that she can improve with Sakura- rlm@0: sensei’s help and that hopefully the other girl will notice the way rlm@0: she looks at her. rlm@0: Sakura-chan, please know that I’ll always be here for as rlm@0: long as you need me. If you ever need someone to talk to or if Li- rlm@0: kun’s just not around or for any reason, you can always talk to me. rlm@0: I don’t want you to ever have to feel lonely. I’m sure that as time rlm@0: goes by, Sakura-chan won’t feel so lonely anymore as she gets new rlm@0: friends and grows closer to her new family. Please don’t cry over rlm@0: me. It makes me sad knowing that my best friend is sad across the rlm@0: sea. Sakura-chan, I always wanted to comfort you as best I could, rlm@0: to make sure that you knew that everything would be all right. But rlm@0: that was never my doing. Things are all right because I believe in rlm@0: you. And they’ll continue to be. Just believe in yourself. I’ll rlm@0: always rlm@0: be your friend, but you don’t need me to know that things will rlm@0: work out. Everything will always work out for you. I know it will. rlm@0: Please don’t be sad. We’ve been best friends for a very long time. rlm@0: And you’ll always remain my best friend. You shouldn’t feel like rlm@0: sensei when your special person is right next to you. Maybe you rlm@0: need to spend some more time with Li-kun to get your mind off of rlm@0: your worries. Someone needs to cheer you up and if I can’t, then rlm@0: someone else will have to. Sakura-chan, please don’t feel bad about rlm@0: being happy that Touya-san isn’t my special person. If you’re glad rlm@0: for that, then I think that’s a good thing. If it worries you about rlm@0: me rlm@0: being more distant if I did get with my special person, then there’s rlm@0: nothing to concern yourself with. I’m happy as long as they are, so rlm@0: I’m quite content on my own. With Sakura-chan’s friendship and rlm@0: okaa-sama’s support, I know I won’t be alone. You’re the most rlm@0: important person in my life, Sakura-chan, so you don’t have to rlm@0: worry about me putting anyone above you. If I were your special rlm@0: person, then I would want very much for you to smile and laugh rlm@0: again. I would be a very lucky person if I were your special rlm@0: someone. Just like Li-kun. rlm@0: I never knew that Sakura-chan was a sleep walker. It must rlm@0: have been very cute to see you walking around with your eyes rlm@0: closed out there. I’m sure Li-kin would worry if he found out, but I rlm@0: don’t think you would be any danger from that. It’s probably part rlm@0: of your dream. I’m definitely starting to think that it’s pointing to rlm@0: Japan, but I don’t understand why. Maybe there still is some rlm@0: unfinished business with the Cards. My camcorder would be so rlm@0: happy to go back to videotaping Sakura-chan’s adventures! Even if rlm@0: it was only for a short time. But the dream is slowly unfolding to rlm@0: you. I’m sure soon enough it will be clear. rlm@0: I really wish I could tell you who my special someone is, but rlm@0: I think that it would be much better if I didn’t say their name. But rlm@0: I’m very lucky to warrant Sakura-chan’s concern. That’s extremely rlm@0: sweet of you to worry about me like that, Sakura-chan. You make rlm@0: such a perfect best friend. But don’t let it worry you, because that rlm@0: will only make me sad. I need to know that you’re smiling for me. rlm@0: And you don’t ever have to feel lonely over my special someone. rlm@0: Nothing could take you from my thoughts. You’ve burned your rlm@0: cute image into my mind forever. Thank you so much for all of the rlm@0: kind words, Sakura-chan. Hearing you say all that was very rlm@0: flattering. I’m makes me very happy to know that you think about rlm@0: me that way. And it does make me happy when my special someone rlm@0: is happy, so you don’t have to worry about me. If I were an angel, I rlm@0: would want to be Sakura-chan’s guardian angel, to watch over her rlm@0: forever and to take care of her. I heard a sad story some time ago rlm@0: about how angels cannot fall in love with humans because their love rlm@0: could never be. But what a beautiful love it is. As long as the angel rlm@0: can feel that love for the human they gave their heart to, does it rlm@0: really matter that they can’t be together? Even if the red string of rlm@0: fate isn’t wrapped around your finger, it doesn’t mean that you rlm@0: can’t love with all your heart. You may not get their love in return, rlm@0: but you get back so much just being able to have experienced them rlm@0: in your life. So I have no regrets. I wouldn’t take away a single day rlm@0: that I got to spend in the presence of my beloved. And my love will rlm@0: flourish in memories and dreams. Everything can still be all right if rlm@0: I’m alone. Because I am blessed to have been able to touch my rlm@0: special person’s life in some small way. Thank you so much for rlm@0: everything, Sakura-chan. I love you very much. You are my sweet, rlm@0: genki best friend. rlm@0: rlm@0: I’ll see you soon, rlm@0: Daidouji Tomoyo