rlm@0: Author’s note: Hello everyone! ^-^ This is Heather of the Amazoness Duo 
rlm@0: again. ^-^ This is my first Kaitou Saint Tail fanfic, though I hope to write more 
rlm@0: soon. I just love Seira & Meimi. ^,^ Anyway, if you could spare a moment, 
rlm@0: please tell me what you think. ^-^ Thanks! *hugs*
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Kiss Me Sunlights
rlm@0: By Amazoness Duo
rlm@0: amazonessduo@hotmail.com
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	The night air felt cool against Meimi’s bare skin, the moonlight lighting 
rlm@0: the path she’d traveled time and time again. Pulling her jacket closer to her as 
rlm@0: the wind picked up, she wondered what Seira needed her to do this time. A car 
rlm@0: drove by a short distance away, startling her. It seemed to be the only sound she 
rlm@0: had heard that night aside from her own footsteps. Along with a nervous feeling 
rlm@0: growing in her stomach, she was starting to get anxious. Seira had been her best 
rlm@0: friend for years now. They had gone through a lot together. She thought she 
rlm@0: knew the other girl rather well. Something had been off in Seira’s voice when 
rlm@0: she had called a short time ago, urging her to come meet her. Meimi only hoped 
rlm@0: it wasn’t anything bad.
rlm@0: 	“There you are. I was starting to think that you wouldn’t come,” a 
rlm@0: gentle voice said from a bench near the church. Seira mustered up a smile for 
rlm@0: her friend, but it didn’t much help quell the tumultuous feelings inside of her. 
rlm@0: She almost wished that something had happened and Meimi hadn’t been able to 
rlm@0: make it. Then things would be so much easier. But that was the point, wasn’t it? 
rlm@0: She was tired of leaving things the way they were. Wasn’t it better to get things 
rlm@0: out in the open and hope for some sort of happy resolution to it all? The sister-
rlm@0: in-training had spent over two hours trying to decide if she should call at all and 
rlm@0: the past half hour worrying about what a mistake she may have made. The cold 
rlm@0: bench under her had offered little sympathy to her worries. The cold night air 
rlm@0: seeped right through the thin white fabric.
rlm@0: 	“I’m always here if you ask me, Seira. You know that.” Meimi tilted 
rlm@0: her head to the side and laughed a bit. “But sometimes it seems like you know 
rlm@0: everything anyway.” Brushing back her long her, she joined the short haired girl 
rlm@0: on the bench. A leaf fell slowly between the two before landing on the cold dew 
rlm@0: of the grass. The wind served to accentuate the silence as the two girls sat there 
rlm@0: quietly. Meimi was starting to feel more nervous at each passing second, 
rlm@0: wondering what was going on. Seira was acting strangely. If this was just like 
rlm@0: every other time she had called her to do something as Saint Tail, then why was 
rlm@0: she so quiet?
rlm@0: 	Seira didn’t answer for a long moment, looking out into the darkness. 
rlm@0: Her night vision wasn’t as good as Meimi’s, but she wasn’t looking for anything 
rlm@0: in particular. She had prayed about what to do about this for a while now and it 
rlm@0: seemed that this was the best course of action. Not telling Meimi was almost as 
rlm@0: bad as lying to her. “Meimi-chan, I thought there was something you should 
rlm@0: know. I don’t like hiding anything from you. You’re my best friend and you’ve 
rlm@0: always been very special to me so I feel horrible when I keep something from 
rlm@0: you.” The wind seemed to die down for a moment. Seira reached out and placed 
rlm@0: her hand over Meimi’s. Her hand felt warm to the touch, Seira’s hand holding it 
rlm@0: tighter. She didn’t know if she could find the strength to say what she wanted to.
rlm@0: 	Her heart pounding in her chest, Meimi didn’t say anything. Seira 
rlm@0: sounded so serious. What could be so important that she wouldn’t have told her 
rlm@0: already? There was a touch of sadness laced in the sister-in-training’s voice as 
rlm@0: well. Was she going away? To another school or church? Somewhere where 
rlm@0: they wouldn’t see each other again? She moved her hand around so that she was 
rlm@0: holding Seira’s as well and squeezed back, urging her to go on. “What is it, 
rlm@0: Seira?”
rlm@0: 	It took all of Seira’s willpower to look Meimi in the eyes. What lovely 
rlm@0: blue gray eyes they were... It was all she could do to keep from losing herself in 
rlm@0: their depths. Her free hand held the small cross on her necklace, trying to find 
rlm@0: the strength to go on from up above. “Meimi-chan, I know that someone’s in 
rlm@0: love with you. They have been for a very long time. You’re like an angel to 
rlm@0: them, a sweet and shining flower in their life that makes them happier than you 
rlm@0: could ever know. They love you so much but they’re afraid to say anything. 
rlm@0: Their life is already planned out. They know how things are supposed to be. 
rlm@0: They don’t want to frighten you or risk losing you.” She was shaking now, 
rlm@0: almost too afraid to go on but unsure if she could stop herself now that she’d 
rlm@0: said as much as she had. Meimi’s warm hand squeezed her own shaking one 
rlm@0: softly. Pulling it into both of her own, she held it on her lap as she tried to calm 
rlm@0: down.
rlm@0: 	Meimi was still in shock over what Seira had said. So many people 
rlm@0: went to the short haired girl with their problems day in and day out. Had 
rlm@0: someone come to her saying all of this? Was someone really this worried about 
rlm@0: her finding out he was in love with her? Was it... Was it Asuka Jr.? Had he come 
rlm@0: to Seira about all of this? Her heart was pounding even harder in her chest now. 
rlm@0: “It’s Asuka Jr., isn’t it? He was the one who said all that, wasn’t he? I knew he 
rlm@0: could be romantic. He’s afraid of telling me? Is that why he’s always so mean?” 
rlm@0: she got out in a blur. Everything was so strange, like her heart was being pulled 
rlm@0: in different directions. That was so sweet that he thought of her that way, like an 
rlm@0: angel. And here she thought he was just being a jerk about everything. Wait, 
rlm@0: something was wrong. Seriously wrong. “Seira, are you crying?”
rlm@0: 	The slightly smaller girl shuddered in the cold night air, choking back a 
rlm@0: sob as she pulled her hand away from Meimi’s. No, it wasn’t supposed to be this 
rlm@0: way. She had been wrong to have thought she should ever have said anything. 
rlm@0: Her life was already planned out for her. It was a mistake to think that she 
rlm@0: should say anything at all. She could barely hear Meimi asking again and again 
rlm@0: what was wrong, but she was having a hard enough time trying to pull herself 
rlm@0: back together. Right now all she wanted was to cry herself to sleep. To get 
rlm@0: away. But she couldn’t. Even if she could try, Meimi was much faster than her. 
rlm@0: The wind started to pick up again, leaves swirling around the two girls. Seira 
rlm@0: wiped at her eyes with her palms, shaking her head in answer to Meimi’s 
rlm@0: repeated question. Whenever she tried to speak, all she could do was choke out 
rlm@0: another sob. It took her several minutes before she could get anything out, her 
rlm@0: throat now painful. “No, it’s nothing, Meimi-chan. It really doesn’t matter. It 
rlm@0: doesn’t matter at all. Just forget about it. Please forget about it for me.” 
rlm@0: 	Meimi didn’t know what to say to her best friend. Watching Seira 
rlm@0: sitting right next to her, hunched over and sobbing, her face buried in her hands. 
rlm@0: It sent an icy blade through her heart. What had she done? How had she hurt 
rlm@0: her? “Seira?” she asked quietly, but it was too late. The damage was done and 
rlm@0: she knew that no amount of questioning would get whatever she’d done out of 
rlm@0: Seira. Her shoulders slumped sadly as she looked at her feet. She felt... empty. 
rlm@0: She wished she had kept her mouth shut. 
rlm@0: 	“A girl came to me with a problem. She had accidentally given a video 
rlm@0: tape to her best friend with some things on it that she doesn’t want her to see 
rlm@0: instead of another tape she was going to give her. She’s afraid that her friend 
rlm@0: will see the tape before she’s ready to understand how she feels. Saint Tail needs 
rlm@0: to get it back for her,” Seira explained, her voice barely masking the pain she 
rlm@0: was in. 
rlm@0: 	Meimi nodded weakly, sighing. “Hai, I’ll get it back for her, Seira. I’ll 
rlm@0: go get it tomorrow.” An uneasy silence blanketed the two for a long moment. 
rlm@0: Meimi tried to take Seira’s hand again, but the nun girl stood up quickly. “Seira, 
rlm@0: I don’t have to go. Can you tell me what’s wrong? I’m really sorry if it’s 
rlm@0: something I said.” Getting to her feet, she took a step towards the short haired 
rlm@0: girl, but Seira took a step away, her back to her.
rlm@0: 	“No, it’s not important. I was mistaken to think it was. I’m extremely 
rlm@0: sorry for getting you out here so late. I’ll try to be more considerate next time.” 
rlm@0: Seira held as still as she could, unsure of how long she could keep from crying 
rlm@0: in front of her friend. 
rlm@0: “But... Why are you so sad, Seira? Maybe I should stay with you. You 
rlm@0: don’t have to tell me anything,” Meimi offered hopefully. Anything to make up 
rlm@0: for putting her best friend through any pain. If she couldn’t know what was 
rlm@0: going on, at least she could be there for her.
rlm@0: “Thank you, but I have some things I need to do in the church. I 
rlm@0: promised one of the Sisters. Goodnight, Meimi-chan.” Her hands clasped in 
rlm@0: front of her, Seira didn’t look back. ‘Please don’t go. Please stay with me. I 
rlm@0: don’t want to be alone right now,’ she thought frantically, but no words would 
rlm@0: come out. 
rlm@0: “Oh... okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sleep well, Seira.” 
rlm@0: Meimi offered a weak smile before disappearing the way she had come.
rlm@0: Seira collapsed to her knees seconds later, shaking her head as icy tears 
rlm@0: fell to the ground. “But... Meimi, I love you.” The wind scattered her tears as the 
rlm@0: night moved inexorably onward towards the coming dawn.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Meimi yawned tiredly as she trudged her way to school the next 
rlm@0: morning. She had spent half the night tossing and turning, her mind constantly 
rlm@0: returning to Seira. The lonely look in her eyes that she’d barely managed to 
rlm@0: catch a glimpse of before the nun-in-training had turned away haunted her every 
rlm@0: time she closed her eyes. How could she have hurt her that badly? It could have 
rlm@0: been something else that hurt her. Maybe whatever it was that Seira wasn’t 
rlm@0: telling her. But Meimi had a hard time believing that. Seira had seemed nervous, 
rlm@0: but it wasn’t until she’d started ranting about what she thought it could be that 
rlm@0: the glow in the young Sister’s eyes had shattered. But no matter how many 
rlm@0: times she went over it in her mind, she couldn’t figure out what had happened.
rlm@0: 	A sigh escaped the mysterious thief’s lips as she hoisted her bookbag 
rlm@0: higher. All she had to do was ask Seira about it before class. Unless Seira tried 
rlm@0: to change the subject like she did often enough when she would ask about just 
rlm@0: what Seira’s sources of information were. No, she wouldn’t let her off that easy. 
rlm@0: If Seira was hurting, then she had to know why. She couldn’t leave her best 
rlm@0: friend like that. It tore her up inside to think that it was her fault. That she was 
rlm@0: the reason for those crystal tears in Seira’s indigo eyes. This was something 
rlm@0: Kaitou Saint Tail would have to put right if she was ever going to get a good 
rlm@0: night’s sleep again.
rlm@0: 	A rustling sound in the bushes off to the right startled Meimi. To her 
rlm@0: surprise, Ryoko and Kyoko stepped out. The two girls’ uniforms were both 
rlm@0: rather disheveled and they were both blushing a deep scarlet. Brushing back 
rlm@0: some hair from her eyes, Meimi took a deep breath. “Oh, it’s you. You two 
rlm@0: frightened me.” She tilted her head to the side, watching Kyoko fidget as she 
rlm@0: tried to snag something that seemed to be made from white cloth in Ryoko’s 
rlm@0: hand. Ryoko only grinned as she kept it away from the smaller girl. 
rlm@0: 	“Meimi-chan!! What a surprise to see you here. I mean, on your way to 
rlm@0: school and all. You’re usually to school just a little earlier than us,” Kyoko got 
rlm@0: out quickly. She offered a nervous laugh after a brief second. “Well, you better 
rlm@0: get going if you don’t want to be late for class.”
rlm@0: 	“Un, you’re right.” Meimi nodded as she took a step forward. She 
rlm@0: paused when she noticed that neither Kyoko nor Ryoko had made a move to 
rlm@0: follow her. “What about you two? Shouldn’t you get going, too?”
rlm@0: 	Kyoko cast a sidelong glance at Ryoko before replying. “I would, but I 
rlm@0: need to get something that was stolen from me before I can go.” As the wind 
rlm@0: picked up, her blush grew darker, her hands going down immediately to hold 
rlm@0: down her skirt. 
rlm@0: 	Ryoko just giggled as she began to follow Meimi. “You’ll have to ask 
rlm@0: Saint Tail if you want it back that badly, Kyoko-chan. Or you can come over 
rlm@0: tonight. I’m sure you could get whatever it is back then.” She smiled innocently 
rlm@0: as the other girl gave her a deadly glare. One she might actually worry about if 
rlm@0: she didn’t know what a kitten Kyoko was. 
rlm@0: 	“Hmph...” Kyoko crossed her arms as she followed the two girls ahead 
rlm@0: of her. “I guess I’ll just have to do that then.” She made extra sure to give Ryoko 
rlm@0: another disapproving glare before melting into a bright smile when she finally 
rlm@0: caught her eyes. “Maybe we could study... or something.”
rlm@0: 	“Or something,” Ryoko repeated in agreement, returning the smile.
rlm@0: 	Meimi sweatdropped fiercely as they walked along. She had no idea 
rlm@0: what they were talking about. Unless... No, she was just having a hard time 
rlm@0: thinking correctly after the night before with Seira. Her mind wasn’t working 
rlm@0: now and she needed to speak with her best friend soon so things could go back 
rlm@0: to normal. Lonely, tear filled eyes greeted her when her eyes closed, sending a 
rlm@0: shiver through her soul. She needed to see Seira. Soon. But where was she? 
rlm@0: Seira usually met her on the way to school, but the brunette was nowhere to be 
rlm@0: seen. Was she waiting for her? She picked up her pace as she the school came 
rlm@0: into site. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Setting her bookbag next to her desk, Haneoka Meimi glanced around 
rlm@0: the room for her best friend, hoping to see her amongst the small groups of 
rlm@0: students. After a few tense moments, she still couldn’t spot the sister-in-training. 
rlm@0: A long sigh escaped her lips as she sat down. This was starting to worry her. 
rlm@0: First the weird way Seira had been acting the night before and now her not 
rlm@0: showing up for class. It didn’t seem like her at all. Something was most certainly 
rlm@0: wrong.
rlm@0: 	“So you really almost caught her this time, Asuka Jr.?” one of the boys 
rlm@0: asked eagerly as the detectives son walked into class.
rlm@0: 	“Yeah, not like the last thirty seven times. This time she was looking 
rlm@0: right at me. If I hadn’t been blinded by Mimori holding a flashlight, I would 
rlm@0: have seen who she was,” Asuka Jr. responded, a mix of anguish and hope in his 
rlm@0: voice. “One of these days... I will be the one to catch Saint Tail!”
rlm@0: 	The other boys crowded around him with their usual casual amusement. 
rlm@0: Whether it was for the recent news on Asuka Jr.’s quest to catch Saint Tail or if 
rlm@0: it was just to watch him make an ass out of himself, none of the girls really 
rlm@0: knew. Nor cared. 
rlm@0: 	Meimi rested her chin on her hands, waiting to see how Asuka Jr.’s 
rlm@0: account of events would conflict with reality. All he cared about was catching 
rlm@0: Saint Tail. How could he be so single minded? And thinking that she couldn’t be 
rlm@0: Saint Tail, at that! Oh, when he found out, she needed to give him a piece of her 
rlm@0: mind. Seira’s warning came to mind again, snapping her out of it. She had to be 
rlm@0: very careful about who could know that. So far only Seira knew that she was the 
rlm@0: Mysterious Thief Saint Tail. But that was because she could always trust Seira 
rlm@0: with anything. Seira was the entire reason she was Saint Tail. Asuka Jr. chasing 
rlm@0: her was just a side of it that managed to keep her entertained as she kept going 
rlm@0: on whatever missions Seira had for her. She enjoyed the chase. It was fun to 
rlm@0: play cat and mouse, like a game. 
rlm@0: 	“She’s practically begging for me to catch her now. I can tell. I bet that 
rlm@0: I can catch her by the next time I see her,” Asuka Jr. bragged, leaning against his 
rlm@0: desk.
rlm@0: 	Meimi stood up immediately, a certain nun-in-training not there to stop 
rlm@0: her anger from boiling over. “I am not...” She clenched her fists, barely keeping 
rlm@0: herself from saying something she would regret later on. It was so much easier 
rlm@0: when Seira was there to drag her off. “Saint Tail is not begging for you to catch 
rlm@0: her! I don’t see why she’d pick such an inept person to be the one to figure out 
rlm@0: who she is.”
rlm@0: 	The green haired boy frowned as he turned to face the (unbeknownst to 
rlm@0: him) mysterious thief. “How would you know, Haneoka? You’re not there when 
rlm@0: I match wits with Saint Tail again and again. You wouldn’t understand this sort 
rlm@0: of thing. It’s part of criminal mentality, Saint Tail’s in particular. She wants me 
rlm@0: to catch her.”
rlm@0: 	Fuming, Meimi reduced the distance between her and her rival in an 
rlm@0: instant. “You match wits with her? So that’s why you always lose. I knew there 
rlm@0: had to be some reason.”
rlm@0: 	“Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!” the boy said angrily as he 
rlm@0: matched her glare. Why was she always shooting him down? Especially about 
rlm@0: Saint Tail? He was the expert on the thief, not her. She should know her place!
rlm@0: 	Before Meimi could shoot something back that would have stunned her 
rlm@0: classmates and, in particular, Asuka Jr., their teacher was upon them. And 
rlm@0: apparently, Meimi had said it because after the room fell deathly silent as 
rlm@0: everyone’s attention had focussed on her, she spent the rest of that morning 
rlm@0: outside holding two buckets of water. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	By lunchtime, Meimi was still embarrassed about her little outburst 
rlm@0: earlier. She was still getting freaked out looks from Asuka Jr. and Lina was 
rlm@0: giving her the evil eye. Seira had yet to make an appearance and that was really 
rlm@0: starting to worry her. She couldn’t remember Seira ever missing a full day of 
rlm@0: school. The clouds were starting to darken and the wind was picking up, 
rlm@0: blowing back her long hair. It even smelled like rain. She really didn’t feel like 
rlm@0: going through the effort of giving Asuka Jr. a challenge, but she knew she had 
rlm@0: to. A promise was a promise, after all. Patting him on the back as she passed, he 
rlm@0: stared at her oddly. She murmured something as she headed for the church to 
rlm@0: see if her friend had taken refuge there. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Haneoka sure was acting strangely. Even more so than normal. And he 
rlm@0: still couldn’t believe what she’d said earlier this morning. The things that had 
rlm@0: come out of that girl’s mouth... He shook his head and continued eating his 
rlm@0: lunch. 
rlm@0: 	“Good luck tonight!” a boy said as he passed by. 
rlm@0: 	Asuka Jr. raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy until he was out of 
rlm@0: sight. Freak. He went back to eating his lunch.
rlm@0: 	“Oh, I’ll bet Kaitou Saint Tail’s going to perform her greatest heist,” a 
rlm@0: girl said as she and her friends came from behind. 
rlm@0: 	“I wonder what she wants this time,” another girl said thoughtfully as 
rlm@0: she came from his other side. 
rlm@0: 	“What’s going on?!” The young detective wannabe stood up in 
rlm@0: frustration. A slip of paper came floating down off of his back. “Huh?” Plucking 
rlm@0: it from the ground, he quickly skimmed over it. 
rlm@0: 	“Tonight I will come to steal an important videotape from Kinomoto 
rlm@0: Sakura. Not even the coming storm can stop me. ~ St. Tail”
rlm@0: 	“Saint Tail?!” The green haired boy’s eyes went wide at the letter. 
rlm@0: Another challenge! This time, he would prove Haneoka-san wrong. Leaving the 
rlm@0: rest of his lunch, he ran off to call the Inept Police Force for backup.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	The door flew open as Haneoka Meimi entered her house. She barely 
rlm@0: had the willpower to take off her shoes. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she 
rlm@0: collapsed onto the couch, her bookbag dropping next to her. Try as she might, 
rlm@0: she had been unable to locate her missing best friend and none of the nuns 
rlm@0: would tell her where she was. It was like some huge conspiracy was keeping her 
rlm@0: from seeing Seira. Okay, maybe not. But it was still frustrating after seeing her 
rlm@0: best friend crying the night before. She wanted to be there, to help her. Just like 
rlm@0: how Seira had always helped her when things were bad. She couldn’t get the 
rlm@0: nun girl off her mind all day. Her worrying was just getting worse. She still 
rlm@0: didn’t quite know why Seira had wanted to see her the night before. I certainly 
rlm@0: wasn’t just to tell her what she needed to do. And she was really starting to fear 
rlm@0: that it had something to do with her. Why else would Seira be avoiding her this 
rlm@0: way? 
rlm@0: 	“Meimi, are you alright?” her father asked, pushing up his glasses with 
rlm@0: his index finger.
rlm@0: 	“No.” 
rlm@0: 	“Would you like to see a magic trick? It’ll cheer you up.” He smiled as 
rlm@0: he entered the living room. 
rlm@0: 	“No.”
rlm@0: 	He frowned as he went back to the kitchen. “I’m worried about Meimi-
rlm@0: chan, Mama. She seems so troubled, but she won’t let me cheer her up.”
rlm@0: 	Eimi smiled as she hugged her magician husband. “That’s okay. I’m 
rlm@0: supposed to be your special assistant, so she doesn’t need to see the magic trick 
rlm@0: anyway. Besides, Meimi’s in love,” she stated quite positively. Meimi 
rlm@0: sweatdropped, still within earshot of her parents. 
rlm@0: 	Genichirou turned around, looking at the back of his daughter’s head. 
rlm@0: “In love? Are you sure? I think she’s just troubled about school.”
rlm@0: 	“No, she’s in love. Sitting there that way reminds me just how I was at 
rlm@0: her age.” 
rlm@0: 	“Like you? That’s what I’m worried about.”
rlm@0: 	“Then stop worrying about it and we’ll go rehearse that magic trick of 
rlm@0: yours. I’m sure I’ll make a good special assistant,” Eimi said suggestively.
rlm@0: 	“Oh, practice _that_ part. Yeah, I always love _that_ part.”
rlm@0: 	Meimi blushed profusely at her parents’ plans. At least they weren’t 
rlm@0: worrying about her anymore. She didn’t feel like explaining as it was. In love. 
rlm@0: Ha! If only. That would be easier than this. Sweatdropping at a strange noise 
rlm@0: coming from the kitchen, she quickly excused herself and hurried upstairs. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	“Ruby? Why is Seira avoiding me? Why is she acting so strangely?” 
rlm@0: Meimi asked as she tossed her school blouse vaguely in the hedgehog’s 
rlm@0: direction. Of course, she got no answer. “I mean, we’ve been best friends for 
rlm@0: years. We’re always together. So why would she just leave me out of things 
rlm@0: now? We’re partners. She’s the only reason I’m Saint Tail anyway. Maybe I 
rlm@0: shouldn’t go until she explains things to me. I need to know what hurt her so I 
rlm@0: can try to fix it. I really hope it wasn’t me. If I hurt her...” Sighing, her skirt 
rlm@0: joined the blouse as she dug through her closet. Not that it mattered what she 
rlm@0: picked out as it was because she would soon be running across rooftops as Saint 
rlm@0: Tail. “She’s acting strangely. Something about all this just makes me nervous. I 
rlm@0: need to see her smile again before I can rest easily. I can’t get her out of my 
rlm@0: mind. But that doesn’t help any if she’s not there. I missed her all day.” Pausing 
rlm@0: for a moment, she shook her head. “No, since last night. I never should have left 
rlm@0: her. I should have stayed with her. I was stupid to leave after seeing those tears 
rlm@0: in her eyes.” She clutched a sweater to her chest, her eyes falling closed as guilt 
rlm@0: grabbed at her soul. Regret at failing Seira when she knew Seira would have 
rlm@0: stayed with her no matter what preyed on her mind, visions of what might have 
rlm@0: been running over and over. 
rlm@0: 	Ruby made a small sound as she stood up and tilted her head to the 
rlm@0: side, poking out of Meimi’s school clothes. 
rlm@0: 	Smiling, Meimi picked up her small pet. “Thanks, Ruby. You’re right. I 
rlm@0: need to go work all of this out with Seira. Neither of us can be happy until we’ve 
rlm@0: put things right.” She kissed the hedgehog’s forehead and set it back down. Her 
rlm@0: thoughts grew more determined to fix things as she slipped out the window. 
rlm@0: “Seira.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Seira heard her coming long before she could see her. Her eyes were 
rlm@0: still closed as she stay kneeling in prayer. Her heart was racing as she tried to 
rlm@0: stay calm, praying for the strength to keep going. If only things could work out... 
rlm@0: But no, she had decided a long time ago that they wouldn’t. That’s why she had 
rlm@0: chosen this life. She had things planned. A hand on her shoulder startled her out 
rlm@0: of her thoughts and what little concentration she had gathered. Attempting a 
rlm@0: smile, she turned to face her friend, the look of concern on Meimi’s face wiping 
rlm@0: the smile away. The silence lasted for a few moments before she stood up. 
rlm@0: Meimi’s blue eyes tried to catch her own gray blue eyes, but she couldn’t meet 
rlm@0: her gaze. “Hello, Meimi-chan.”
rlm@0: 	“Seira, where were you? I couldn’t find you at all at school. None of 
rlm@0: the Sisters would tell me where you were, either.” Meimi took a step closer to 
rlm@0: the brunette. “I was worried about you. I missed you. And after last night... It 
rlm@0: scared me. All of those things you said last night and then you up and disappear 
rlm@0: today. I didn’t know what to think.”
rlm@0: 	Clasping her hands together, the nun-in-training looked away. “I’m 
rlm@0: sorry, Meim-chan. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just didn’t feel well today. I 
rlm@0: couldn’t go to school.” Her heart twisted at the half truth. A sigh escaped her 
rlm@0: lips. She had already tried to tell Meimi the night before. It was pointless to try 
rlm@0: again. She would just have to hold those feelings inside. Forever. Because she 
rlm@0: knew they would never go away. She had been so scared of them at first. She 
rlm@0: had been raised by nuns. It was completely improper to feel that way. But as 
rlm@0: time went by, she realized that she couldn’t help it. It was part of who she was. 
rlm@0: She couldn’t keep herself from loving Meimi. She could merely keep herself 
rlm@0: from expressing it. And if she couldn’t, then it was best for her to go into the 
rlm@0: convent. It would be a way to repay the church for raising a lonely orphan girl 
rlm@0: like herself. If she couldn’t be with the one she loved, at least she could do that.
rlm@0: 	“Why? Were you sick? Or was it because of last night?” Meimi 
rlm@0: demanded. Taking Seira’s arm, she turned the slightly smaller girl to face her. 
rlm@0: Her face was still marked with concern. “Seira, whatever it was last night, I 
rlm@0: shouldn’t have left. And I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I 
rlm@0: don’t ever want to hurt you. Please tell me what’s going on.” Her fingers lightly 
rlm@0: brushed Seira’s puffy red cheeks. Sadness welled up in her at that. It was 
rlm@0: obvious that she’d been crying earlier. 
rlm@0: 	Seira blushed a bit at the feeling of Meimi’s fingers against her cheek. 
rlm@0: Her eyes fell closed, the frightened girl torn between pulling away and melting 
rlm@0: into the warm touch. Why did she have to do this to her? She was helping her by 
rlm@0: keeping it all inside, by not burdening her with these feelings that she could 
rlm@0: never return. Her eyes started to sting again but she fought to hold the tears 
rlm@0: back. “Meimi-chan... Please just go and get the tape.. Please...” she pleaded with 
rlm@0: the mysterious thief, unsure of how much more she could take before breaking 
rlm@0: down. The young Sister-in-training shuddered as Meimi’s fingers brushed some 
rlm@0: tears away from her cheeks. It hadn’t occurred to her until then that she’d begun 
rlm@0: to cry.
rlm@0: 	“Seira, please tell me what’s going on. I don’t know if it’s my fault or 
rlm@0: not, but I want to help you,” Meimi whispered softly, feeling horrible at seeing 
rlm@0: the other girl in such pain. If only there was some way for her to alleviate it. To 
rlm@0: take it on herself. “Please, Seira-chan.” Seira tried to respond a few times, but 
rlm@0: only sobs escaped her. Meimi pulled her shuddering body close, hugging her as 
rlm@0: warmly as she could. The brunette slumped against her, choked sobs coming 
rlm@0: from her as she held on. The poor girl seemed so tiny and frail in her grasp. “No. 
rlm@0: I’m going to do what I should have done last time. I’m going to stay with you. 
rlm@0: I’ll always be there for you, Seira-chan. I’ll always protect you.” Hugging the 
rlm@0: other girl tighter, Meimi closed her blue eyes. ‘Not Saint Tail, but me. I’ll 
rlm@0: always be there to help her. I don’t need a flashy alter-ego to be there for Seira.’
rlm@0: 	This wasn’t fair! How could she be so close and yet so far? It was like a 
rlm@0: taste of heaven. All she ever wanted, but she knew it would be snatched from 
rlm@0: her at any moment. This wasn’t really hers. She was only getting Meimi’s 
rlm@0: warmth, her loving embrace because of their friendship. It would never be what 
rlm@0: she really wanted. This was only a mirage. She had to keep her mind from 
rlm@0: giving in. But it felt so nice, Meimi’s arms around her. She couldn’t help but rest 
rlm@0: her head on the magical girl’s shoulder. If she had to endure much more of this, 
rlm@0: it would be far too much for her to handle. “You have to help that girl. I’ll be 
rlm@0: here when you’re finished. I promise,” she whispered softly into Meimi’s ear.
rlm@0: 	Meimi hesitated, biting her lip. Could she really just abandon her again 
rlm@0: the way she had the night before? What if it made things worse? Seira was much 
rlm@0: more important to her than Saint Tail. Her choice between the two was clear.
rlm@0: 	“Please. She needs your help. She’ll be hurt badly if you don’t get that 
rlm@0: videotape back. It’s important.” Seira wiped at her eyes as she took a step away 
rlm@0: from Meimi’s warm embrace. “She’s in love with the girl she gave that tape to. 
rlm@0: If you don’t get it back, it could ruin everything.”
rlm@0: 	That startled her. The girl she gave it to? So she... was in love with 
rlm@0: her...? Alright, this was starting to get confusing. “You’ll still be here?” Meimi 
rlm@0: repeated, sounding unsure. 
rlm@0: 	Nodding, Seira hugged herself. “I’ll still be here, Meimi. I promise you. 
rlm@0: But please, help her first. I... I understand what she’s going through. She needs 
rlm@0: your help.” When she’d first stumbled upon the pale, dark haired girl, she had 
rlm@0: been outside the church, some bodyguards following nearby. Something about 
rlm@0: her, maybe the sad look in her stormy blue eyes, had drawn Seira closer. She 
rlm@0: had learned of the girl’s True Love, her best friend who hadn’t caught on about 
rlm@0: how she felt despite numerous hints. She had videotaped a confession of her 
rlm@0: love and had accidentally given it to the other girl by mistake rather than the 
rlm@0: video she had meant to give her, something showing off a costume. Now she 
rlm@0: was afraid that the other girl would find out before she was ready. She still 
rlm@0: remembered the dark haired girl’s words. 
rlm@0: 	“When I close my eyes, I can see her smiling at me. So warmly, so 
rlm@0: tenderly. Yet she doesn't see the yearning, doesn't notice the depths of my love 
rlm@0: for her. It flows deeply through me, cradling my soul when things get too 
rlm@0: painful to move on. Her very essence, all that she is forces me to carry on when 
rlm@0: I don't think I can anymore. I would do anything for her. I would give her the 
rlm@0: world if I could. I would give her my heart, but she already has it. Does she 
rlm@0: know that? Is it just an accepted fact or does she still think that maybe I'm just a 
rlm@0: little strange? That my reasoning for acting the way I do can't possibly be 
rlm@0: because I'm in love with her. So in love with her. I would die for her. This life is 
rlm@0: only a cruel joke without her so my own life can't be worth very much at all. But 
rlm@0: her... She’s an angel. I don't regret a single day, a single second that was spent 
rlm@0: with her, no matter the pain it would cause later. Even if I had known, I wouldn't 
rlm@0: give it away for the world. Because on cold, lonely nights like tonight, I can 
rlm@0: close my eyes and see her through the tears, waiting for me. Sometimes that's 
rlm@0: the only way I can get to sleep. In her arms, I know that I would be able to 
rlm@0: finally sleep peacefully. But that will never happen, will it? I'll have to keep 
rlm@0: pretending, keep yearning for her, even if it hurts. I can't show her the tears, the 
rlm@0: rips in my soul. I can't let her know that I'm bleeding inside. That every smile 
rlm@0: hides the sobs I keep from her. But that's the way it has to be. How would she 
rlm@0: handle the knowledge that being with her is both the most wonderful, warm 
rlm@0: feeling in my heart, and the most painful, cold torment? I can't take that 
rlm@0: innocence away from her. She would lose something. And then our friendship 
rlm@0: would suffer for it. She wouldn't act the same way around me anymore and I 
rlm@0: would hate myself for that.” Tomoyo closed her eyes and sighed. “I want her to 
rlm@0: know, but it shouldn’t be this way. She wouldn’t understand if she finds out on 
rlm@0: her own.”
rlm@0: 	‘I want to tell you, too, Meimi. But I can’t... I tried, but I can’t. I’m 
rlm@0: sorry,’ Seira thought to herself sadly. 
rlm@0: 	Finally nodding assent, Meimi crossed her arms. “Alright, but I’ll be 
rlm@0: right back. I can’t stand to see you like this Seira. I need to know what’s hurting 
rlm@0: you.”
rlm@0: 	Seira smiled softly, taking Meimi’s hand. “Thank you, Meimi-chan. 
rlm@0: I’m sure the girl will be very happy to receive God’s protection with the help of 
rlm@0: Saint Tail.” 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Sakura Kinomoto sweatdropped as her older brother, Touya once again 
rlm@0: argued with the younger, green haired boy about just why he needed to be there. 
rlm@0: Just half an hour ago, a boy named Asuka Jr. had arrived with several police 
rlm@0: officers and had demanded that they let him in, showing off some sort of trinket 
rlm@0: as if it were a badge and an excellent reason for them to comply with his 
rlm@0: demands. Touya had not been about to, but his friend, the bespectacled white 
rlm@0: haired boy had managed to calm him down long enough for the green haired boy 
rlm@0: to slip past and explain his case. Apparently, the mysterious thief Saint Tail had 
rlm@0: pegged their house for her next heist and would be there that night. And even 
rlm@0: more of a shock to the young Cardmistress was that she was after a videotape 
rlm@0: that Tomoyo had given her. That just didn’t make sense. Why would a thief 
rlm@0: want to steal something that her friend had given her? Especially something of 
rlm@0: no actual value like a videotape. The green haired boy had shrugged off her 
rlm@0: question, merely stating that ‘Saint Tail’s like that. I’m sure she has a reason.”
rlm@0: 	But that wasn’t a good enough explanation to the brunette. 
rlm@0: Unfortunately, he seemed to be in no mood to explain, busying himself with 
rlm@0: planning some sort of trap for the mysterious thief. So Sakura sat alone in her 
rlm@0: room, her brother’s irritated voice coming upstairs through the door as he 
rlm@0: hounded the younger boy at every step. Sakura was thankful that her father was 
rlm@0: gone for the night. Of course, that meant Touya had to cook. And he had 
rlm@0: expressed no interest whatsoever at feeding the hungry looking officers 
rlm@0: downstairs. 
rlm@0: 	Why did she want the videotape? What could be so important that 
rlm@0: she’d sneak in to steal it? It was just a videotape of her in various costumes with 
rlm@0: some action sequences at the end to appease Kero-chan. Maybe she should call 
rlm@0: Tomoyo. Tomoyo always made things seem better, especially when she was 
rlm@0: confused like this. Her hand reached out instinctively for the pink cell phone 
rlm@0: Tomoyo had given her so long ago. Her fingers paused just over the speed dial 
rlm@0: button. The dark haired girl loved taking videos of her. Wouldn’t it worry her if 
rlm@0: Sakura told her someone was trying to steal it? No, she couldn’t worry Tomoyo 
rlm@0: like that. The other girl was rather... eccentric. Especially when it came to her. 
rlm@0: But she’d never really seen her worried about anything that didn’t have to do 
rlm@0: with her. Still, she didn’t want to press her luck and worry Tomoyo 
rlm@0: unnecessarily. This matter would likely be solved soon enough.
rlm@0: 	But what was on that videotape?
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Touya spent a long time preparing dinner, making sure that everything 
rlm@0: was just perfect. The intoxicating smells wafted through the house, seeming to 
rlm@0: draw everyone towards the kitchen. Yukito watched intently as he went about 
rlm@0: pouring in some water. The taller boy made absolutely sure that he had just 
rlm@0: enough food for himself, Yukito, and his little sister. Of course, it was a rather 
rlm@0: difficult job discerning just how much the white haired boy would eat. 	
rlm@0: “So what are you making?” one of the officers asked curiously. He and 
rlm@0: two others had gathered to watch Touya cook. They all looked starving. But the 
rlm@0: teenage boy still wasn’t pleased about this intrusion into his home. 
rlm@0: Pointedly ignoring them, Touya went back to preparing the food. It was 
rlm@0: with some satisfaction that he noticed someone’s stomach growling. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Asuka Jr. paced the living room nervously. It was starting to grow late 
rlm@0: out and there had still been no sign of Saint Tail. She was coming. He knew she 
rlm@0: was. He knew it at his very core. Because she always did. There was something 
rlm@0: in that line of thought that comforted the boy. It was reassuring; a constant in an 
rlm@0: otherwise always shifting world. And for that, he thanked Saint Tail. But he was 
rlm@0: still going to catch her and find out just who she was! This game of theirs had 
rlm@0: gone on long enough. He wouldn’t allow himself to be fooled by anymore of her 
rlm@0: tricks. This time all of the cards were on the table and he was determined to win. 
rlm@0: “Take your shoes off,” the older boy of the house demanded, his eyes 
rlm@0: following Asuka Jr.’s every move. The officers that had come with Asuka Jr. 
rlm@0: had already complied. 
rlm@0: “What?” The green haired boy asked, turning around for the hundredth 
rlm@0: time on the plush carpet as he continued his pacing.
rlm@0: “I said, take your shoes off,” Touya repeated firmly. 
rlm@0: “I need to be able to catch Saint Tail! This is official business. You can 
rlm@0: take it up with the mayor,” Asuka Jr. argued, his frustration building. He would 
rlm@0: be the one to catch Saint Tail! Why did everyone insist upon getting in his way? 
rlm@0: Didn’t they understand? It was his quest! He just had to catch her! It was the 
rlm@0: natural order of things. Yet people still insisted upon interfering. Right now it 
rlm@0: was his time. As soon as his business with Saint Tail was concluded, it could go 
rlm@0: back to being Torga’s time. Or whatever his name was. But the look on the older 
rlm@0: boys face told an entirely different story. Grumbling to himself, Asuka Jr. finally 
rlm@0: left his shoes by the door. 
rlm@0: Crossing his arms angrily, the junior detective returned to his pacing, 
rlm@0: oblivious to anything but his sole purpose in life. Where had he been, again? Oh 
rlm@0: yes. She would be here. And when she did...
rlm@0: “Hello! I’m here to see Kinomoto-san. Is she here?” A cute girl in a 
rlm@0: black and white school uniform asked. It was the same uniform he’d seen that 
rlm@0: Sakura girl wearing earlier. Must be a classmate. He couldn’t quite see her face 
rlm@0: under shadows cast by the slightly larger than usual hat she was wearing. “Yeah, 
rlm@0: she’s upstairs. But make it quick. This is official police business.” A giggle 
rlm@0: escaped the girl as she headed for the stairs. Stupid girl. She didn’t understand 
rlm@0: what she was in the middle of. He continued his pacing, waiting for just the right 
rlm@0: moment to pounce on Saint Tail. It couldn’t be much longer now.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Confusion. That was the first response that came to Sakura’s mind as 
rlm@0: she sat in stunned silence, her television currently showing static. Two hours. 
rlm@0: The tape had been two hours long. How do you take two hours to confess your 
rlm@0: love to someone? Tomoyo had found an excellent way. And she’d made perfect 
rlm@0: use of the new editing system her mother had given her, splicing in scenes from 
rlm@0: earlier tapes and cute background music as she all the while narrated the video, 
rlm@0: giving an explanation of her feelings and what Sakura meant to her. It was 
rlm@0: certainly the oddest declaration of love that Sakura had ever been witness to, but 
rlm@0: it had definitely been done well. 
rlm@0: But for some reason, the brunette just couldn’t work herself up to be 
rlm@0: surprised. It made sense. Even if she hadn’t really understood a lot of what the 
rlm@0: dark haired girl had said before or some of the hints she had given, this just 
rlm@0: seemed to clear up everything, giving her an insight into her best friend that 
rlm@0: she’d never thought to look for. Of course Tomoyo loved her. In hindsight, it 
rlm@0: was blindingly obvious. Looking back, everything took on a whole new light. 
rlm@0: Things made more sense now. Tomoyo made more sense now. 
rlm@0: And in some ways, Sakura made more sense now. The video had really 
rlm@0: gotten her to think. Every little confession Tomoyo had made, every explanation 
rlm@0: that had drawn Sakura closer to the screen, wanting to know what the pale girl 
rlm@0: was about to say next, had started to confuse her more and more as the video 
rlm@0: went on. But now...  What Tomoyo had explained had sounded so familiar. The 
rlm@0: feelings she had described and the emotions that coursed through her had all felt 
rlm@0: so close to her. As if she understood what Tomoyo had meant. But she couldn’t 
rlm@0: possibly understand, could she? Those feelings weren’t anything like what she 
rlm@0: had felt for Yukito. Yet Tomoyo was most positively in love. So where had 
rlm@0: those feelings, or the memories of those feelings, been to have come unbidden to 
rlm@0: her mind? 
rlm@0: And then, she understood. Just as those stormy blue eyes had conveyed 
rlm@0: the feelings deep within Tomoyo, she knew that she’d felt them everyday 
rlm@0: herself. How far did it go back? How long had she felt this way? She couldn’t 
rlm@0: tell for sure. But those safe, warm feelings had bathed her for quite a while now. 
rlm@0: That soft thrill, the yearning, and the jumbled thoughts. The hot blushes and the 
rlm@0: embarrassing moments. She had felt this way about Tomoyo for a mystifying 
rlm@0: amount of time. She just hadn’t realized it. “Hoe...” 
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo had been too close to her. Sakura had never been able to 
rlm@0: understand because those feelings were always there. She had come to take them 
rlm@0: for granted, just as she had taken Tomoyo for granted. As if they’d always be 
rlm@0: there the same way that Tomoyo would always be there. So she had never taken 
rlm@0: the time to actually look at those feelings, to see that Tomoyo was their source. 
rlm@0: That Tomoyo made her happy. Just like what Tomoyo had said. ‘I’ll be happy as 
rlm@0: long as the person I like is happy.’ Those words had comforted her slightly 
rlm@0: when she was trying to get over Yukito. But now she understood the warmth 
rlm@0: behind Tomoyo’s voice when she’d said it. This time she knew what Tomoyo 
rlm@0: had truly meant. “But Tomoyo-chan... You make me happy,” Sakura whispered. 
rlm@0: Her head cocked to the side in thought, she realized that it was true. Tomoyo did 
rlm@0: make her happy. She was the one thing in this world that she always knew could 
rlm@0: make things seem better. 
rlm@0: 	She had had these feelings for a long time now. But it took two hours 
rlm@0: tape to make her realize what they were.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Closing the door quietly behind her, Sakura’s ‘friend’ was pleased to 
rlm@0: note that Sakura looked to be completely out of it. She was looking off into 
rlm@0: space, deep in thought. With a skillful hop, the girl was on the other side of the 
rlm@0: bed, quickly making her way to the television and the video. Had her mind been 
rlm@0: on the situation at hand rather than on Seira and what could be troubling the 
rlm@0: poor nun girl, she would have scene the cord running from the gaming system to 
rlm@0: the controller. And with her above average reflexes, she probably wouldn’t have 
rlm@0: stumbled and come crashing to the ground with a loud thump. 
rlm@0: 	Sakura’s attention shifted to the unexpected girl in her room, cutting 
rlm@0: through her introspection like a knife. “Who are you?” She asked curiously as 
rlm@0: she stood up. Why would anyone from school be over here now? Except... Her 
rlm@0: voice grew shaky as her knees threatened to give out. This was too sudden! She 
rlm@0: had to have a moment to compose herself. “Tomoyo-chan?” she asked 
rlm@0: hesitantly. Sure the girl didn’t seem to have Tomoyo’s usual grace, but everyone 
rlm@0: had their off days. 
rlm@0: 	Meimi sweatdropped as she scrambled to her feet. She could already 
rlm@0: hear Asuka Jr.’s footsteps as her ran up the stairs, followed closely by the Inept 
rlm@0: Police Force and Sakura’s big brother. She silently cursed as she glanced around 
rlm@0: hurriedly for the videotape. This wouldn’t be happening if her mind didn’t keep 
rlm@0: wandering elsewhere. She told Seira that they needed to talk. She doubted she’d 
rlm@0: be able to get anything done at this rate. The cold worrying about Seira was 
rlm@0: weighing heavily upon her soul. 
rlm@0: 	“Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura started nervously, taking a step forward. In the 
rlm@0: dim room, it was hard to make out any features of the girl ahead of her, the 
rlm@0: oversized hat still shadowing her face. “I... I want you to know that...” To 
rlm@0: Sakura’s embarrassment, Asuka Jr. and the rest of the boys chose that moment 
rlm@0: to bust into her room. Her face turned a bright shade of crimson as her hands 
rlm@0: went to her chest. What had she been about to say anyway? Could she work up 
rlm@0: the strength to say it after they all left again?
rlm@0: 	“I know it’s you, Saint Tail! I’m not letting you get away this time,” 
rlm@0: Asuka Jr. stated as he and the others rushed into the room. His eyes never left 
rlm@0: her. He knew what a mistake that could be. He was the leading expert on Saint 
rlm@0: Tail, after all. 
rlm@0: 	The girl in the school uniform just grinned at the intruders. Pulling the 
rlm@0: oversized hat to the side, her long pony tail fell out and down her back. With 
rlm@0: another swift movement, the school fuku was gone, replaced by the magician’s 
rlm@0: tuxedo based costume she wore. “One.”
rlm@0: 	“Not this time!” The green haired boy thrust himself over the bed, 
rlm@0: slumping on the floor in time to hear the word ‘two’. “I won’t let you escape 
rlm@0: until I know who you are, Saint Tail!” He yelled as he leapt forward. 
rlm@0: 	“Three!!” Sakura blossoms flew out of the large hat, starting to whip 
rlm@0: around the room, blinding the group with the onslaught of petals. She had 
rlm@0: thought it appropriate. 
rlm@0: 	“Block off all the exits! Don’t let her out of the house!” Asuka Jr. 
rlm@0: yelled as he made his way towards the mysterious thief. He held his blazer over 
rlm@0: his head, trying to block the storm of flower petals. Almost there...
rlm@0: 	Sakura vaguely remembered her fight with the Flower Card as all of 
rlm@0: this went on, the whole thing not making much sense, especially after her recent 
rlm@0: revelation. Just what was going on? That girl... She was the one trying to steal 
rlm@0: Tomoyo’s video! Her video! That was only for her!! 
rlm@0: 	Meimi hurriedly searched for the video. To her dismay, there were two 
rlm@0: tapes on top of the television. Blinking through the swirl of petals, she saw 
rlm@0: labels on the two. ‘Sakura’s Exhausting Day at the Park’ was half way through 
rlm@0: and the other label was blank. She snagged that one, praying that she had chosen 
rlm@0: the right one. But by then it was too late. As she turned to head for the door, a 
rlm@0: hand gripped her bare arm just above her long gloves. Tightly. 
rlm@0: 	“I won’t let you go!” Determination flared in the junior detectives eyes 
rlm@0: as he held tightly to his prize. This was it. He would finally know once and for 
rlm@0: all. He squinted, trying to see through the haze of flowers. She looked so 
rlm@0: familiar. He knew her, he was certain of that. He couldn’t quite make out who. 
rlm@0: His heart skipped a beat as he realized how close he was to finally attaining his 
rlm@0: goal. “I’ve caught you, Saint Tail.” 
rlm@0: 	Meimi’s eyes went wide as she froze where she stood. Was this the 
rlm@0: end? Was he finally going to find out who she was? What would he think? What 
rlm@0: would Seira think? What could she do? She looked away, unsure of herself. 
rlm@0: Suddenly this wasn’t a game. It wasn’t just cat and mouse anymore. It was over. 
rlm@0: She couldn’t help but feel like she’d failed Seira. She knew the other girl would 
rlm@0: be fine with whatever happened, but could she even go out as Saint Tail after 
rlm@0: this? No, not if he found out. And she was Saint Tail for Seira. So she could help 
rlm@0: her. No, this wasn’t fair. It couldn’t end now. 
rlm@0: Suddenly, something jostled into Asuka Jr. and, to his sheer horror, he 
rlm@0: lost his grip on the mysterious thief. Mortified, he looked up to see Touya 
rlm@0: blindly stumbling through the raining petals. That moron! How could he ruin 
rlm@0: this!
rlm@0: The grip was gone. It... It wasn’t over, was it? The game was still afoot. 
rlm@0: Her heart began beating again, a smile returning to her lips as she felt warmth 
rlm@0: rush through her previously cold body. Looking up, she saw the tall boy from 
rlm@0: downstairs, fumbling through the flower petals. No, that wasn’t it. He knew full 
rlm@0: well where he was going. He had saved her. She smiled broader before dashing 
rlm@0: towards the door. 
rlm@0: Touya grabbed Asuka Jr.’s arm as he tried to get past him and after the 
rlm@0: mysterious thief. “What the hell’s going on here?” he asked, his eyebrows 
rlm@0: arching. The junior detective still looked like he was suffering from shock. 
rlm@0: Touya hid a smirk. He really didn’t like this kids methods. Too much like the 
rlm@0: brat for his liking. And he didn’t like the idea of the brat with his sister at all. 
rlm@0: Speaking of which, where was Sakura?
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Meimi bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time as she gauged 
rlm@0: the distance to the door. She was sure that Asuka Jr. was right behind her as he 
rlm@0: often was and every little second counted. In the kitchen, she could dimly hear 
rlm@0: someone with an Osaka dialect and the white haired boy arguing over the last of 
rlm@0: the food. Ignoring it, mysterious thief Saint Tail broke out into the inky black 
rlm@0: night, broken only by tiny pinpricks of light through the velvet. The cool air felt 
rlm@0: refreshing against her skin, the tense moment back in the house getting to her 
rlm@0: much worse than she’d thought. After a brief second, she leapt up onto the 
rlm@0: rooftop, bounding to another one a short distance away. All that was left was to 
rlm@0: return the videotape and return to Seira. All in a night’s work for Kaitou Saint 
rlm@0: Tail. Grinning to herself, she had no idea that she was being watched. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Sakura stared in stunned amazement as the magician girl cleared 
rlm@0: another building.  She idly wondered if Tomoyo had felt that same amazement 
rlm@0: at seeing her bounding along rooftops similarly. But that had been a magical 
rlm@0: event. This was more like professional curiosity. After all, she had met her share 
rlm@0: of magical people. Pulling out a Sakura Card, Sakura quickly shouted ‘Release’ 
rlm@0: and used the Jump to catch up, leaping effortlessly along behind the other girl. 
rlm@0: That was her video. And she was going to get it back. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Her mind still focussing on the sad looking nun girl, it took Meimi a 
rlm@0: moment to notice that someone was following her. Frowning, she turned to see 
rlm@0: who it was, expecting the young junior detective to be on her trail. To her 
rlm@0: surprise, the younger brunette girl had given chase and was doing a wonderful 
rlm@0: job of keeping pace with her. There weren’t that many people who could. In 
rlm@0: fact, it seemed like the wings on her feet were practically carrying her along. 
rlm@0: “Stop!” Sakura yelled, a Card in her hands in case her call was ignored. 
rlm@0: “I want that videotape back. It’s mine.”
rlm@0: Meimi shook her head, turning around towards the younger girl. “I’m 
rlm@0: afraid it’s not. I was sent here to return it to a girl who had misplaced it. It’s 
rlm@0: really hers.”
rlm@0: Sakura was silent for a moment, biting the inside of her lip. “Misplaced 
rlm@0: it?” Had Tomoyo not meant to give it to her yet? Was she still worried about 
rlm@0: what Sakura would think if she found out? Had she gotten it by accident?
rlm@0: Nodding, the pony tailed girl took a step backwards. Pausing for just a 
rlm@0: second, she took another. “Of course. So it seems that it’s not your tape after all. 
rlm@0: But don’t worry. It will be back in it’s rightful owner’s hands soon enough.”
rlm@0: Sakura sighed. This was still too much for her to take all at once. So if 
rlm@0: Tomoyo hadn’t meant for her to see the tape, if it had been a way for the dark 
rlm@0: haired girl to get out all of that pent up emotion inside, should she just pretend 
rlm@0: she hadn’t seen it? But then she would have to ignore Tomoyo’s feelings as well 
rlm@0: as her own. She couldn’t do that to her friend. Sakura knew that she had to go 
rlm@0: talk to Tomoyo. “So you’re just returning it to Tomoyo-chan?” she asked 
rlm@0: reluctantly.
rlm@0: Meimi nodded again. “And whatever’s on the tape, if it’s that 
rlm@0: important, hopefully she’ll show you someday.” She smiled as she took another 
rlm@0: step. “And if you’re that important to her, I’m sure she will.” The pony tailed 
rlm@0: girl couldn’t help but wonder why Seira was so involved in this mission, but she 
rlm@0: sure hoped things worked out for the two girls.
rlm@0: Sakura blushed a little and smiled. “Hai... I think she will.”
rlm@0: With a quick count, Kaitou Saint Tail disappeared in a swirl of doves. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: .	Not long after that, Saint Tail managed to sneak into the Daidouji 
rlm@0: mansion. Which was no small feat when compared to the Kinomoto residence. 
rlm@0: There were plenty of well trained guards (all female, curiously enough), and a 
rlm@0: very well placed security system. It took her over an hour to get inside the huge 
rlm@0: place. Moving quietly, she looked around for a good place to leave the tape, 
rlm@0: complete with a cute pink ribbon. 
rlm@0: 	“You managed to get it back? Her faith in you is obviously very well 
rlm@0: founded.” Smiling sweetly, the dark haired girl got out of bed, her long 
rlm@0: nightgown trailing just above her feet. In the dim light, she could have easily 
rlm@0: been a ghost, her pale skin sharply contrasted by her dark hair. 
rlm@0: 	Kaitou Saint Tail froze. This had never happened before. She wasn’t 
rlm@0: quite sure how to react. “Who? Oh, Seira-chan. But how did you...” She trailed 
rlm@0: off, shaking her head. How did she link her to Seira? It must have been the 
rlm@0: video. Seira had said that God might set things right and now here she was with 
rlm@0: the tape, playing messenger for Him because of Seira. 
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo continued to smile that odd smile of hers, her head tilted to the 
rlm@0: side. She held the tape to her chest tightly, glad to know that her confession was 
rlm@0: once again in her hands. She would tell Sakura soon enough. “Arigato 
rlm@0: gozimasu, Meimi-san.”
rlm@0: 	“All in a days work for...” Meimi trailed off again, sweatdropping. 
rlm@0: “Wait, what do you mean?”
rlm@0: 	Tomoyo just smiled again. “Seira was talking a lot about you. You 
rlm@0: have to be the same girl she was talking about. I think that she needed someone 
rlm@0: to listen just as much as I did. Everyone goes to her with their problems, but no 
rlm@0: one seems to stop and wonder if she has any.” Of course, no one really asked 
rlm@0: her, either aside from her mother, but her mother was often times busy. But 
rlm@0: that’s because she did a good job of pretending to be happy for Sakura’s sake. 
rlm@0: Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Which was why she had made the 
rlm@0: videotape in the first place. It was a way of voicing all of the turmoil that the 
rlm@0: feelings inside of her gave rise to.
rlm@0: 	“She was? I.. Well, I’m really glad I could help. Seira-chan seemed 
rlm@0: really worried about all of this so if I’ve managed to put it right then maybe that 
rlm@0: will get me a step closer to fixing things with her.”
rlm@0: 	“I can see why someone’s in love with you. You’re very sweet and 
rlm@0: caring. A little like someone else I know.” Tomoyo had to force herself not to 
rlm@0: bring up Sakura. She knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to quit talking 
rlm@0: about the magnificent Cardmistress for at least half an hour. 
rlm@0: 	“Someone?” How much did this strange girl know about her and what 
rlm@0: was going on? How much had Seira told her? Whatever it was, she was very 
rlm@0: perceptive. 
rlm@0: 	“I think you know who,” was the simple reply.
rlm@0: 	Meimi arched her eyebrows, unsure of what she meant. But before she 
rlm@0: could say anything, the pieces began to coalesce. Why Seira was so involved 
rlm@0: with this, why she related to this dark haired girl, why she’d called Meimi out to 
rlm@0: the church the night before, why she was always willing to do anything for her, 
rlm@0: why seemed to get jealous of Asuka Jr. from time to time, why she threw herself 
rlm@0: into their time together with the whole Saint Tail thing. “Seira...”
rlm@0: 	“You should probably get to the church before you keep her waiting for 
rlm@0: too long,” Tomoyo said thoughtfully, ushering the mysterious thief back towards 
rlm@0: the window. “I’m sure she’ll want to know how things turned out. Thank you 
rlm@0: again, Meimi-san. And please tell Seira-san that I’m glad I came to her with my 
rlm@0: problem.”
rlm@0: 	Meimi nodded weakly before sliding out the window. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Seira was deep in prayer again, as she had been since Meimi had left 
rlm@0: much earlier that afternoon. It was the only way that she could calm herself 
rlm@0: about the whole situation. She hadn’t felt good at all and this was at least letting 
rlm@0: her get it all out to someone she knew would listen. She didn’t hear Meimi’s 
rlm@0: approach this time, but the arms that slowly went around her from behind, shook 
rlm@0: her out of the near trance-like state that she had been in. 
rlm@0: 	“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Meimi asked simply, resting her 
rlm@0: head against Meimi’s back. She could feel the soft rise and fall of Seira’s 
rlm@0: breathing in her arms. 
rlm@0: 	“I... I didn’t know how. I didn’t think I could,” Seira explained, a little 
rlm@0: thrown off by what was happening. It couldn’t be what she thought it was. 
rlm@0: 	“I’m sorry. I should have noticed sooner, Seira.” Sighing, she let her 
rlm@0: eyes fall closed, still resting against the Sister-in-training. 
rlm@0: 	Seira didn’t know what to make out of what was going on. The only 
rlm@0: thing she was fairly certain of was that Meimi knew her dark little secret. She 
rlm@0: blinked back painful tears, shaking her head ever so slightly. “No, I’m the one 
rlm@0: who should be sorry, Meimi-chan. I just couldn’t help it. You don’t understand. 
rlm@0: I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. I.. I know I shouldn’t, but...”
rlm@0: 	“Why not?” Meimi asked softly, slowly opening her blue eyes. 
rlm@0: 	Pausing for a moment, Seira shook her head in confusion. There were 
rlm@0: plenty of reasons. Because some of the Sisters said it was wrong, even if she 
rlm@0: didn’t believe that. Because she was afraid of losing Meimi. Because she didn’t 
rlm@0: want to hurt the other girl. “Because...”
rlm@0: 	“I love you,” Meimi whispered shyly, embarrassed. It was the first time 
rlm@0: she’d uttered those words, and to her best friend at that. But she didn’t care if the 
rlm@0: situation seemed awkward. She was just glad that she understood. 
rlm@0: 	Seira’s slightly darker eyes went wide as it ran through her mind. 
rlm@0: “You... Meimi-chan?” She stopped blinking back the tears, several falling down 
rlm@0: her delicate features as she turned around in Meimi’s grasp. “You what?”
rlm@0: 	Meimi blushed as she met the other girl’s gaze. “I love you, Seira,” she 
rlm@0: repeated softly. Why was she still crying? What had she done wrong? She had 
rlm@0: searched her heart before coming back here. She knew this was what she 
rlm@0: wanted. But had she made things worse?
rlm@0: 	Smiling through the tears, the nun girl wrapped her arms around the 
rlm@0: mysterious thief, holding onto her tightly. “Oh, Meimi-chan... I love you, too!” 
rlm@0: She held on for what seemed like an eternity in the middle of the church, both 
rlm@0: girls huddled together. “I love you,” she whispered again, not wanting to let go. 
rlm@0: It felt so nice to finally hold her, especially after hearing that. 
rlm@0: 	Meimi was blushing lightly as she rocked back and forth with the 
rlm@0: slightly smaller girl in her arms. She felt overwhelmed inside. The feelings were 
rlm@0: almost too much for her. But even exhausted as she was, she felt wonderful. 
rlm@0: There was no place she'd rather be. Her blush darkened as Meimi’s eyes closed, 
rlm@0: her lips puckering as she leaned ever so slowly forward. Her own eyes falling 
rlm@0: closed in the face of sheer exhaustion and in such a warm embrace, she gave in 
rlm@0: completely to her friend, meeting those lips in a startlingly enrapturing kiss. The 
rlm@0: waves inside of her heart were no longer crashing, pulling her under in the 
rlm@0: confusion. The sea was finally calm. “I love you,” she heard whispered softly. 
rlm@0: Whether she said it or Seira had, it didn’t really matter as she surrendered 
rlm@0: herself back to the kiss.
rlm@0: 	
rlm@0: