Story: Darkest Before the Dawn (all chapters)
Authors: Shanejayell
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Chapter 1
Cardcaptor Sakura: Darkest before the Dawn
The cab pulled up to the curbside, and a young woman slowly climbed out, carrying a child's backpack. The evening's rain drove down, nearly pushing the unsteady woman off her feet. She moved very stiffly, and the cab driver looked on in concern.
He asked her worriedly "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital instead? If you can't afford it, I'll drive you there for free."
"I'll be all right," she answered the cabby softly. He waited a moment, then with a shrug he drove off, as the young woman walked slowly over to the building. She peered at the intercom system, then with a shaking hand pressed a series of keys.
"Hello?" the voice from the intercom asked, so distorted that the young woman could barely recognize her friend's voice.
"Tomoyo," Sakura weakly said in reply, slumping against the wall as pain and exhaustion began to overwhelm her, "help me..."
Tomoyo looked in astonishment at the phone, then she slammed it down on it's cradle and rushed out of her small apartment. Only minutes later, she found Sakura leaning against the wall, and gently slipped her arm around the shaky girl's shoulders. Sakura tried to turn her face away, but Tomoyo could still see the vivid bruises that ran down the side of her face.
"What happened?" Tomoyo asked her in a shocked whisper, reaching out to softly touch the dark blue skin.
A single tear trickled down Sakura's cheek as she whispered her answer, "Li." She seemed to want to say more, but before she could, she slumped in Tomoyo's grip, unconscious.
Shortly, Tomoyo had Sakura upstairs in bed, fast asleep, while she paced the comfortable living room angrily. 'How could he?' Tomoyo fumed to herself. The bruises on her face was the least of what he had done! Sakura was black and blue all the way down her torso, wherever the bruises wouldn't normally show.
Tomoyo suddenly kicked at an inoffensive cushion and sent it flying across the room to slap against the wall, but it didn't really help calm her anger any. What she really wanted was Li Syaoran standing in front of her, but...
Her eyes fell on the small bag Sakura had brought in with her, and she carefully pulled it open. "My god!" she said softly.
As Tomoyo carefully pulled it out of the bag, the Book of Clow felt warm in her hands, and seemed to be filled with a lot of restless movement. A charm spell, looking like the ones Li normally used, rested on the top of the book, and she could see the engraving of Keroberos underneath it, glowing bright red. Tomoyo grabbed the charm and suddenly cried out in pain. It flared with mystic energy and scalded her unprotected flesh, but she held on, pulled with all her might, and with a flash of light and fire, it came free!
The golden winged lion exploded from the front of the book, materializing right in front of her. Flames danced all around his body, mirroring his barely restrained rage. Keroberos' eyes glowed redly and his fur stood on end as he growled at her furiously "Where is he hiding?" Looking about angrily, he quickly loped over to the closed door, only to come to a sudden stop as Tomoyo planted herself right in front of him!
"If you don't find him quickly, who will be here to protect Sakura?" Tomoyo asked him in a fierce but quiet whisper. Keroberos stopped to look at her steadily for a moment, still growling softly in the back of his throat, and then he slumped. He quickly shrank, shifting to his smaller form right before her very eyes.
"I didn't do too good a job protecting her the first time," Kero said, and sighed softly. "I'm really sorry, Tomoyo."
"What happened to her?" Tomoyo asked him, whispering softly so as to not awake Sakura in the next room. Of course, with all she had been through lately, Tomoyo doubted an explosion would wake her, but still.
"I think we all underestimated how angry the kid really felt about his losing the Clow cards to Sakura," Kero said to her quietly. "He started drinking a lot shortly after they got married, and that seemed to give him an excuse to let that anger out."
"Does he still have his magic, too?" Tomoyo asked him softly, lost in dark thoughts as she began to plan for the future.
"Yeah, and it's stronger than ever, too," Kero sighed. "He ambushed me, and sealed me and the cards away in the book so we couldn't get out to help Sakura."
Tomoyo picked up the nearby cellphone and after a moment's thought dialed a number quickly. "Who ya calling?" Kero asked her curiously.
"Some reinforcements," Tomoyo calmly answered. Into the phone she said "Hello, Toya? Can you put Yukito on? Thanks. Sakura's in danger, as well as the cards. Can you get Yue over here quickly? Good, and bring Toya along too."
"I don't need Yue's help to protect Sakura!" Kero growled at her angrily, puffing up his fur and trying to look bigger.
"Yue beat Li easily during the final judgment," Tomoyo said to him coldly, and suddenly she seemed so very different from the quiet little girl Kero had known only a few years before. "Hopefully, he can still hold his own against Li now. You listen to me, Kero, I won't let your wounded pride get in the way of keeping Sakura safe!"
He looked at her in a great deal of surprise and just nodded quietly, for once shocked totally silent. It was less than ten minutes later that the intercom loudly buzzed again, and Tomoyo let them both into the building. "They must have broken some of the speed limits getting here," a subdued Kero commented quietly.
The two young men came in, rushed right by Tomoyo and straight to the bedroom to check on Sakura. A white faced Toya and Yue emerged, both of them nearly shaking with rage. "When I get my hands on him I'll.." Toya started to say.
Tomoyo cut him off, "...get thrown into jail, where you can't help Sakura at all?" He looked over at her in surprise, and nodded slowly. She'd made her point. "I want you all to stay here and keep an eye on her. Don't let Li near her, whatever the cost! Understood?"
"And what are you going to be doing?" Yue asked her very meekly, folding his wings back in deference to her. Tomoyo the dragon lady was somebody he hadn't seen very often, but he didn't want to cross her!
Tomoyo smiled humorlessly, "Calling on the one person I swore I never would again." At their questioning looks she softly elaborated, "My mother."
Sonomi groaned loudly as the ringing phone brought her back to wakefulness. She rolled over in her bed, saw how dark it was outside and picked up the bedside phone, barking "This had better be good!"
"Hello, Mother," Tomoyo answered softly.
Sonomi held the phone away from her a moment, looking at it with an expression of total and utter disbelief. She brought it back to her ear and quietly said to her "I seem to remember you told me you never wanted to hear from me again, Tomoyo, for as long as you lived." With some sarcasm she asked "What in the world could change my stubborn daughter's mind?"
Tomoyo swallowed the angry words that first occurred to her and instead answered her with just one word, "Sakura."
Sonomi's eyes widened as she heard the name, her face growing pale, and she answered Tomoyo softly, "I'll be right over."
She was as good as her word, and strode into the apartment with her typical self confidence. She completely ignored a surprised Kero, Yue and Toya and instead headed straight for Tomoyo's bedroom. She stopped and stood there at the doorway looking in, and her one hand clenched and unclenched in her anger.
"Oh, god. Sakura, she looks so much like Nadeshiko," Sonomi whispered as a single tear trickled down her face.
Tomoyo's eyes widened as she realized how Sonomi must feel, looking at the beaten form of the daughter of her lost love, and she felt her heart soften towards her mother a bit. "Let's let her sleep," Tomoyo said softly, gently led her mother out of the room and over to the kitchen. She sat Sonomi down there and poured tea for them both, giving her time to regain her composure.
Sonomi looked into the distance, then down into her cup before finally drinking her tea. "When we were kids I promised I would watch over our children," Sonomi finally said softly. She shook her head sadly, "It seems I didn't keep that promise too well." She looked up at Tomoyo, asking "What can I do to help?"
"Our children?" a surprised Tomoyo asked her mother, an eyebrow raised and a quirky smile on her face.
Sonomi blushed a bit as she explained, "When I was little, I thought we'd have kids together, like when we played house and I was the husband and Nadeshiko was my wife." She smiled sadly, remembering those days.
Tomoyo looked down into her teacup, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable as she broached the reason for her call. "Our last big fight was over your shadier business associates," Tomoyo said softly, "and I feel awfully hypocritical now that I might need their help." She looked up at Sonomi and said very quietly, "I need to hire a hitman."
Sonomi smiled, an odd little smile on her face, "I did listen to you then, you know. I'm just glad I got myself out before I was in too deep to escape." She saw the look of dismay on Tomoyo's face and reached out to lightly pat her on the hand. She asked her gently, "Tomoyo, are you sure you need to use such extreme measures?"
Tomoyo sighed softly, "If he was just an ordinary man, I'd hire all my old bodyguards, get a restraining order against him and then press assault charges. But he's terribly powerful, and I don't think the law could stop him."
"Not to mention the magical powers," Sonomi sighed. At Tomoyo's surprised look, she added a bit crossly, "I'm not blind, you know."
Tomoyo blushed, and asked "How did you know?"
Sonomi blushed a bit, "I stumbled on one of your videos, actually. Remember when my VCR broke and I asked to borrow yours? You left the tape in."
"Oh," Tomoyo said quietly.
Sonomi thoughtfully continued "There are still some people in, shall we say, the underground economy who owe me a few favors, big favors." She looked across the table with great intensity as she finished, "Let me handle this, please, Tomoyo."
Tomoyo wanted to argue with her, to insist that she'd handle it herself but she stopped when she looked into her mother's sad eyes. Sonomi honestly wanted to help, despite all the bitter fights between the two of them. "Thank you," Tomoyo said in a whisper. Sonomi rose, Tomoyo got up as well and with a step moved to give her mother a hug. They were a bit stiff at first, but after a moment Sonomi hugged her back.
After Sonomi had left, Tomoyo sat on a chair opposite Toya and Yue, while Kero had a small snack on a nearby table. "So what's the story between the two of you?" Toya asked, pointing to the door Sonomi had just left by.
Tomoyo looked a bit surprised at the question, quickly answering "I'm not sure that's any of your business, actually."
Toya smiled at her wryly, "Look, you and her are both back in my little sister's life now. I'd like to know about any metaphorical landmines before I step on them, OK?" He finished with a smile on his handsome face, and Tomoyo felt his practiced charm wash over her. A gift he shared with Sakura, though she was most unaware of her own charm.
"Good point," Tomoyo admitted to him softly. "Here's the Reader's Digest version, then: after my parents were finally divorced, Mom threw herself obsessively into her work, and I ended up spending the next few years in the primary care of the housemaids and bodyguards. Before I decided to leave home, my Mom made some very ethically dubious business dealings, and to top it all off, I accidentally walked in on her and a... paramour."
"I bet he was embarrassed," Yue said with a slight smile on his pale face. Even as he talked to them, his hawk like eyes scanned outside the nearby window for any potential signs of trouble, his body tensed and ready to move.
"No, but she and the young lady she had in her bed were," Tomoyo said, smiling ruefully. "It was shortly after that brow-up I moved out."
Toya looked over at her thoughtfully, and then quietly said "Why do I get the feeling you left some things out?"
Tomoyo shook her head, "Sorry, that's a little too personal."
She remembered the sounds first, going upstairs and opening the unlocked bedroom door. She had screamed, thinking it was Sakura laying there in Sonomi's arms, and then Sonomi's own panicked realization of the resemblance. The poor girl had quickly grabbed her clothes and run out of the bedroom as the last, big, Daidouji "Mother/ Daughter" fight had begun. She had called her mother everything from a bitch to a pervert, and Sonomi had shot back as good as she got. Finally, Tomoyo had walked out, a few bags and her camcorder case in hand.
Only much later did Tomoyo see that the poor girl looked much more like Nadeshiko, but by then too many harsh words had been said between them for either one to take them back or to gloss over. Sonomi and Tomoyo saw each other only at rare family events, where they kept their distance and maintained the peace.
Yue interrupted her train of thought, and said "We should take shifts while we watch over Sakura. As the night is my element, I'll take the first turn." He stood, and seemed to shine from within, an aura of power forming around him, "Toya, you're on guard second, and Kero can start his shift with the dawn."
"But what about me?" Tomoyo protested.
"You get to keep an eye on the squirt directly," Toya said to her gently. They split up, Toya and Kero to bed, Yue guarding from the living room, and Tomoyo returned to her bedroom to watch over the sleeping Sakura there.
Chapter 2
Cardcaptor Sakura: Darkest before the Dawn
Part Two
She awoke to the familiar feeling of gentle fingers running through her short black hair. Her eyes slowly opened to see a sadly smiling Sakura looking down at her, Tomoyo's head resting in her lap like they had done so many times when they were younger.
"Good morning," Sakura said to Tomoyo softly, "and thank you."
Tomoyo sat up in her chair beside the bed, blushing slightly as she looked Sakura over. She felt so relieved to see that the bruises on Sakura's face and shoulder were almost completely gone. "Your welcome," Tomoyo said gently. "You look... a lot better, Sakura."
"My link to the cards, I think. I can feel them again, and their power is helping me," Sakura said in a awed tone of voice. Her eyes widened and she began to struggle to get out of bed, "I've got to get out of here. If he finds me here with you, you could be hurt!"
"Don't worry, Sakura," Tomoyo urged, putting her hands gently on her shoulders and trying to get her to lay back down, "I'm certain we can handle him."
"We? What do you mean, we?" Sakura asked her in surprise, when they both heard a loud, joyful cry come from the other room.
"Sakura!" Kero yelled out happily, zipping into the room and bobbing happily in the air around Sakura.
"Oh, Kero," Sakura said happily, "you're all right! Li said he'd killed you!" She grabbed him in a fierce hug, both of them laughing and crying happily.
"No way the kid could do that." Kero said to her indignantly, "He just trapped me in the book with the cards. I'm fine."
Sakura turned to Tomoyo, smiling happily, "You freed them, didn't you? Oh, thank you Tomoyo. Your the best friend I've ever had." She reached over and pulled the surprised Tomoyo into a bone-crushing hug, too.
'Best friend,' Tomoyo thought to herself with a small sigh, 'I guess that's all I'll ever be to her. It's enough for me, though.' Before Tomoyo could say anything in response, the bedside phone rang shrilly, making them both start.
"Hello?" Tomoyo said into the phone cautiously, while Sakura gazed at her fearfully. 'She probably thinks it's Li,' Tomoyo thought angrily.
"They tell me it's been done," Sonomi said to Tomoyo wearily. She sounded like she had been up for much of the night before. "I was just informed by my... associate to check with the local news this morning," she finished.
Tomoyo blinked back tears as she said "Thank you, Mom."
Sonomi sounded a little choked up as well as she answered, "I was glad to help, dear. Can I... come over to see the two of you later?"
"Please!" Tomoyo said happily, "I'll see you this afternoon, OK?"
"Who was that?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"My mom," Tomoyo answered. At Sakura's surprised look, Tomoyo remembered telling Sakura an somewhat edited version of their falling out. "She says there's something on the news we need to see," she said frowning a bit. She picked up a remote control and turned on the TV across from the bed, putting on a regional news station.
The news reader: "Repeating our top news story, there has been another drunk driving fatality in the greater city of Tokyo. A Mr. Li Sayoran was killed earlier this morning after running a red light. His vehicle was broadsided by a delivery truck and the car's driver side was crushed. His blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit and he was speeding."
The news reader stopped a moment to check his script before adding quietly, "Strangely, the driver of the other vehicle fled the accident scene, and the police would like to contact him regarding the circumstances of the accident..."
Sakura looked at the screen in absolute shock for a moment, then softly and silently began to cry, tears of relief more than grief. She fell into a surprised Tomoyo's arms, who held her gently while she cried. "There, there," Tomoyo said to her softly, "there, there." There wasn't much else Tomoyo could bring herself to say.
Sakura cried herself to exhaustion, and then just collapsed back into a deep sleep. Kero volunteered to stay with her, and curled up on the bed right beside her. Tomoyo felt a small stab of jealousy towards Kero, and quickly fought it back. 'I can't believe I'm feeling jealous of somebody who looks like a stuffed toy,' Tomoyo thought to herself tiredly.
Toya and Yukito shut the news off when Tomoyo came back into the living room, and then quickly got up from where they were sitting together on the large couch. "How is she?" Toya asked Tomoyo quietly.
"She's asleep again," Tomoyo sighed. "Li's death has hit her hard, no matter how much he may have deserved it."
Toya nodded softly, grabbing his coat. "We've both got jobs we've got to go to," Toya said a bit apologetically, "but can you call us as soon as she wakes?"
"Of course," Tomoyo said with a nod. "Thank you both for coming, Toya, Yukito, I'm not sure what might have happened if you hadn't come."
Toya paused at the door, and turned to ask her softly, "I was wondering if you and your mother had anything to do with what happened to him?" His dark eyes looked into her own calmly, not judging her or her possible actions.
For just a moment, Tomoyo wanted to tell him, to lessen the weight of responsibility she felt herself carrying, but she quickly regained her self control. "Even if I did," Tomoyo said to him equally softly, "I'd still have to answer you 'No', Toya. Why do you ask?"
With a slight smile on his face Toya simply said to her, "Good job." He then patted her gently on the shoulder.
Yukito smiled at her gently, "Please, take good care of her for us, Tomoyo."
With that, both young men left the apartment together. She watched them leave arm in arm and thought with a bit of envy what good partners they were for each other, the shy, innocent Yukito and the strong, outgoing Toya. Of course, both of them had to deal with Yukito also being Yue and Toya's returning second sight, but still...
Tomoyo smiled across the kitchen table at her mother. "Sakura's been out like a light since this morning," she finished telling the tale with a weary sigh. Tomoyo really didn't look like she had gotten much rest yet.
Sonomi drank a bit more of her tea, "It can't have been easy for her." She smiled a bit wryly, "Sakura must have felt such relief that he's dead, and then the guilt she must have felt over feeling so relieved." She shrugged eloquently. What Sonomi really found herself wondering was if Tomoyo was still in love with Sakura. It had hurt her daughter so much, letting her go the first time, she didn't want to see her go through that again.
"Hmm," Tomoyo agreed softly. She looked across the table at her mother curiously. Finally, she just decided to ask, "So, are you dating anybody?"
Sonomi blushed redly, and for a moment looked like she was going to choke on her mouth full of tea. "Ah, no, I'm not," she said softly. She smiled a bit as she looked over at her daughter and chided her gently, "That's not a typical daughter to mother question."
"No, I guess not," Tomoyo agreed, blushing a bit herself. She smiled across at Sonomi, "But we're not the typical mother and daughter, either."
They heard sounds from the other room, and Sakura stumbled into the kitchen, brushing at her eyes tiredly. Kero was doing his best stuffed toy impression on her shoulder. A little smile quirked Sonomi's lips as she thought of all the times he had pulled that on her.
Sonomi raised her tea cup to him in a toast, "Kero, I know about you. You don't have to do that anymore." She smiled a bit as both Sakura and Kero both looked startled. Sakura shot Tomoyo a suspicious glance.
Tomoyo flushed a bit under Sakura's glare. "She found one of my video tapes of you," she explained quickly. As they were talking, Kero landed on the table and began to demolish the plate of cookies sitting there.
"How are you feeling?" Sonomi asked Sakura softly, pouring her a cup of tea and pushing it across the table to her.
"Better, thank you," Sakura said to her a bit stiffly.
From the guilty glance Tomoyo gave her Sonomi suspected that Sakura had gotten an edited version of their last big fight. Not that she could blame her, Sonomi would have told her best friend if she had one.
Tomoyo smiled at Sakura tiredly, "A crisis does wonders for our family dynamic." She nodded to Sonomi, "We've declared a truce and are well on our way to a formal cease fire."
Sonomi snorted in amusement over the military metaphor, and even Sakura smiled a bit at that. "I'm glad," Sakura said with a warmer smile. She took a seat and drank some tea, smiling fondly as she watched Kero scarf down the cookies.
Sonomi was also watching the mini-lion with wings eat with no little awe. "Where does it all go?" she mock whispered to Sakura and Tomoyo, getting a smile from both of them.
"I've wondered that myself," Tomoyo answered, rolling her eyes.
"Hey," Kero protested, "I'm a growing guardian beast, here!" He tried to look wounded as he added, "I need my energy."
Sakura smiled, but her eyes filled with tears. She got up out of her chair with a choked out apology, fleeing the room. Tomoyo was up after her in a moment, but Sonomi grabbed Kero before he could chase after the two girls.
"Give them a moment," Sonomi said to Kero quietly.
Sakura curled on the couch, crying softly. Tomoyo gently eased herself down, silently cursing Li's ghost as Sakura flinched from her in reflexive fear. She patted her on the shoulder, gently, "Is there anything I can do, Sakura?" She winced at asking such a dumb question, but she couldn't think of anything else at the moment.
Sakura uncurled a bit, turning a little to seek the safety of Tomoyo's arms. "I'm sorry," she got out between the sobs, "I know he's gone, but I still..." she trailed off, weeping softly. Tomoyo tightened her arms around her.
"You don't need to be scared anymore, Sakura," Tomoyo vowed to her quietly, "I'll be right here to protect you, I promise."
Sonomi watched them a bit sadly from the kitchen door. 'Tomoyo loves Sakura so much' she thought with a sigh, 'if only she could see it.'
Chapter 3
Part Three
The geomancer looked up at the young woman before calmly saying, "I'm sorry, but his death was not an accident."
Mei-Lin visibly stiffened. "You're certain?" she asked him with a great deal of intensity, her eyes blazing even in the shadows of the chamber.
The robed figure just nodded calmly before rising to slowly walk out of the chamber. Mei-Lin waited a few moments, then got up herself, leaving at a much faster pace. She strode by servants and other family members before she reached... her room.
Li's Mother looked at Mei-Lin sadly. "You know, then?" she asked her calmly.
Mei-Lin nodded firmly. "I want permission to go to Japan, to find out the circumstances of his death," she said calmly.
"I suspect you would go even if I refused you permission," the older woman said calmly. She tilted her head to the side, "Are you sure you are ready?"
Mei-Lin easily hefted a long sword that was a near perfect replica of the one that had once belonged to Li. Lightning crackled along it's blade as she answered in a cold tone of voice, "I'm far more than merely ready."
A light dusting of snow covered the ground as Sakura made her way to Tomoyo's apartment building. She smiled happily as a few flakes fell, only to melt against her cheeks. She looked up only to notice a figure standing by the building, and for just a moment felt afraid.
Sonomi looked up just in time to see Sakura slow, then continue onward to Sonomi's side. "Good to see you, Sakura," Sonomi said with a smile.
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you for a moment," Sakura said to Sonomi with a sad smile and a little shrug of her shoulders.
Sonomi saw how quiet Sakura still was, how hesitant, and she silently cursed Li Sayoran. The man had done the girl much more damage than the physical, he had hurt her spirit as well. "That's all right," Sonomi said to her gently.
Sakura hit the intercom keys to let Tomoyo know they were coming up, then she took one end of the large box that Sonomi was trying to carry. It was surprisingly heavy. "What's in this thing?" she gasped out breathlessly.
Sonomi laughed, "All my old Christmas decorations." She said it a bit breathlessly, as they made their way over to the elevator, only to see the out of order sign posted there. She groaned loudly and shook her head, "Tomoyo, you had better appreciate this." They huffed and puffed their way up the stairwell then down the hall to Tomoyo's door.
Standing in the doorway, Tomoyo said "Sorry guys. Someone put an 'out of order' sign on the elevator as a prank,", and then she waved around the official looking sign that they had seen hanging on the elevator doors earlier.
Sonomi and Sakura silently exchanged a long suffering look. "I'm gonna kill her," Sakura said with a sigh, adding as an aside to Sonomi "you'd better cover your eyes. It's not going to be very pretty."
Sonomi shook her head firmly. "You don't get to kill her, I get first dibs," Sonomi said calmly, a merry twinkle in her eye.
Tomoyo looked at the two of them with a fond smile. "While you two debate who gets to kill me," she said cheerfully, "who wants eggnog?"
The two women got the box inside the apartment while still cheerfully debating who got to kill Tomoyo first. "Eggnog, please," Sakura said, collapsing into what had become over the last few months her favorite chair.
Sonomi folded her elegant frame down onto one of the couches. "And one here, too," she cried, pretending a great deal of weariness. She grinned over at Sakura, "Hey, I had to haul that box all the way here."
Tomoyo knelt down to open the top of the box and began to pull items out, occasionally exclaiming over an particularly sentimental item. "Thank you for saving these," she said as her smile beamed over to Sonomi.
Sonomi smiled slightly, glad that she hadn't thrown they out after the last fight they had. "You're welcome," she said softly. She tilted her head and asked "So are you doing the artificial tree with all the trimmings this year?"
"I think so," Tomoyo said with a nod. She looked a bit nervous as she looked over at Sakura and Sonomi, "I'd like to have everybody over here this Christmas, if you wouldn't mind."
Sakura smiled happily, "I'd love to!"
Sonomi looked at her daughter, wondering if she was included in the invitation. She was reassured by the warmth of Tomoyo's smile. "Me, too. Would it be all right if I brought somebody?" she asked tentatively.
Both Sakura and Tomoyo sat right up in their chairs at the last question, making Sonomi chuckle. "Do you have a guest in mind?" Tomoyo asked with an impish smile.
Sonomi shook her head with a sigh, "Not really. But a lot can happen in three weeks." She said the last with a grin on her face.
Sakura smiled at Tomoyo, "We got the artificial tree yesterday. Do you want to set it up and start decorating?"
Tomoyo laughed, "Why not. We'll start Christmas a bit early." She turned to her mother, "Would you like to help?"
Sonomi grinned, "I'd love to." She watched Sakura and Tomoyo work together setting up the tree while she continued to unpack the box of decorations. 'They work well together, and they seem really happy. I wonder if Sakura's still living here? It might be a bit tactless to ask,' she thought to herself, then gave a small sigh.
It wasn't until later on that evening that Sonomi finally had a chance to talk to Tomoyo alone. After a bit of internal debate, she had decided to be frank. "Is Sakura still living here?" she asked her a bit tentatively.
Tomoyo nodded, "I set up the spare bedroom for her." Sonomi winced visibly at that, and Tomoyo smiled at her gently. "It's what she's comfortable with," she said softly, "and I'm not going to press her into doing something she regrets."
Sonomi nodded in acceptance, before she asked Tomoyo softly, "Just don't let her break your heart again, please?"
Tomoyo smiled wryly as she said, "I'm a documentary filmmaker. I always try to keep some distance between me and my subjects."
"I've noticed you don't manage that too well with her," Sonomi said softly in reply.
Tomoyo just shrugged a bit uncomfortably. Before she could say anything more Sakura pushed the kitchen door open. "If you could stop being serious for a moment," she said, noting the long faces they both had, "I could use some help with the angel."
"I'll try to reach it," Sonomi volunteered quickly.
Tomoyo laughed softly, only sounding a little forced as she offered "I'll go get the ladder."
Sonomi stretched out at her desk a few days later, trying to get the kinks of a long day's work out of her stiff, aching muscles. She was determined to maintain the hours of the other employees, despite her being company president. She found that they were more willing to work if they knew she was suffering, too.
'Besides,' she thought a bit sadly, 'it's not like there's anyone to come home to, anyway.' It was the one thing she really missed. Before her divorce she had her no-good-husband, and even after she still had Tomoyo there. But after she left, the house lost much of it's life.
Sonomi looked up at the clock and decided that enough was enough. She packed up her desk, locked up the files, and left. She waved to the security guards as she left, then stood outside to ponder what to do for the rest of the evening.
'Where was that,' Sonomi pondered, remembering something she had seen on a on-line search. A club, not far from her office. She waved down a cab and with a smile gave the young man the directions. A few minutes later and she was sitting in a very comfortable seat in front of the bar at Arisugawa's Locket.
"What would you like?" the young woman said with a friendly smile. Twin crescent scars marked either side of her face, and long, blue-gray hair flowed down her back.
"Rum and eggnog, I think. For the season." Sonomi said with a smile. The girl in front of her seemed to disappear, reappearing in front of a freezer not far down the bar. She mixed quickly and carefully, only to reappear in front of Sonomi with the full glass.
"Sip first," she suggested with that same cheery smile. Sonomi took a sip, and sighed in contentment. "Looks like I got it right," the bartender smiled.
Down the bar a woman cried, "Hey, Minagi!"
"Sorry, gotta go," Minagi said to Sonomi, and promptly disappeared again.
Sonomi shook her head in wonder, turning to look across the bar. The dance floor was filled with young woman swaying closely together, enjoying the music. The dining tables weren't filled yet, but a fair number were taken. A red light was on above a door marked 'Karaoke' and she felt some relief she couldn't hear what was going on in there. Her eyes widened as she saw something else, in her surprise speaking aloud "Is that a library?"
An slightly amused voice said, "Yes, it is." Sonomi turned sideways to see a tall young woman standing beside her, her red gold hair falling down her back in waves. She wasn't classically beautiful, but instead had the feral beauty of a panther. She smiled at Sonomi, "I'm Arisugawa Juri, the owner of this loony bin."
"Daidouji Sonomi," she answered reflexedly, offering her hand. The woman named Juri took it to shake gently.
"I noticed it's your first time here," Juri said with a smile, "and I just wanted to wish you a good time, tonight." With that she waved and disappeared into the crowd.
Sonomi got up, skirting the dancefloor to the dining tables. She took a seat, and picked up a menu off the tabletop. A few moments to read, and a server appeared at Sonomi's side. She looked up to order, and smiled at the girl's costume.
"Can I take your order?" the auburn hared girl in a maid's uniform asked her pleasantly.
"Sure," Sonomi answered, looking at the girl curiously. She noticed a descrete nametag reading 'May' on the front of her dress. "Miss May," she started to say.
"You don't need to say Miss," May answered her with a smile, "just May is fine." She quickly jotted down Sonomi's order and then radioed it off to a kitchen before trotting off to answer another customer's waves.
In a surprisingly short time her meal was served, at it was delicious. 'I ought to take Sakura and Tomoyo here. It might give Sakura some ideas about Tomoyo, maybe,' she thought to herself with a little smile.
A figure went by her table, only to stop and return. Sonomi looked up from her plate, and saw a beautiful younger woman standing by her table with an odd expression on her face. She thought she should recognize her, but she couldn't quite place her.
"You're Tomoyo's mother, aren't you?" she asked softly. Sonomi nodded to her cautiously, and the woman smiled charmingly, "We met only the one time. I'm Mitsuki Kaho, I taught your daughter and her friend Sakura for awhile."
Looking around them, Sonomi noticed that most of the tables were occupied, so she quickly took the opportunity to offer, "Would you care to eat with me?" She held her breath unconsciously, hoping that Kaho would accept.
Kaho smiled at her warmy, "Thank you very much. I'd be glad too."
Chapter 4
Part Four
The apartment was cozy and warm, even as gusts of snow blew outside the insulated windows. Sakura was curled up in her favorite chair, fast asleep, after eating a good meal and a long day at work. Thankfully, the term was over and the holiday beginning, so Sakura's duties as a teacher would be less pressing.
Tomoyo's latest documentary was completed, and she had decided it was time to take a little break between her almost continuous film projects. 'Be honest with yourself,' Tomoyo thought a bit sadly, 'you're taking a break to keep an eye on Sakura.' She leaned back in her own chair, looking across at Sakura.
Sakura's business wear looked more like a costume on the young woman, and Tomoyo almost expected her to cast it off to reveal one of her own designs beneath it. Her red/auburn hair fell into her eyes, occasionally shifted by a sleepy sigh. She was tall and thin, but she was regaining all the muscle and flesh she lost under Li's harsh treatment.
Sakura shifted, then stretched, returning to the land of the waking. She smiled across at Tomoyo, "You should have woke me up."
Tomoyo smiled and shrugged, "But you looked so cute asleep." Sakura blushed, and she laughed softly, "You're cute when you blush, too."
"Don't tease me," Sakura protested weakly.
"But it's so fun," Tomoyo added, getting up out of her chair and stretching. "Besides," she said a bit more seriously, "it's the truth."
"Thank you," Sakura said softly. She quickly tried to change the subject, "Did your mother say who she was bringing to Christmas, tomorrow?"
"Not yet, just that it'd be a surprise," Tomoyo said with a little frown.
"Good surprise or bad surprise?" Sakura asked curiously. Tomoyo shrugged, eloquently showing her lack of knowledge on that topic.
Tomoyo suddenly yawned involuntarily, blushing a bit. "Sorry," she apologized. "I think we'd better get to bed," she said, and began to slowly walk towards her bedroom, "we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Tomoyo," Sakura started, then stopped. Tomoyo turned, the girl stood there uncomfortably, shifting back and forth.
"What is it?" Tomoyo finally asked her. She tried to meet Sakura's eyes, but the woman was looking down at the carpet nervously.
"Could I sleep with you tonight?" Sakura asked softly. She looked up, and Tomoyo saw the faint glimmer of tears on her cheeks, "I just don't want to be alone."
Tomoyo nodded slightly, moving to Sakura's side and gently leading her down the hallway. They stripped almost silently, and Tomoyo let Sakura climb into bed first. She gave her a moment to get comfortable, then climbed in beside her.
Sakura's eyes were wide with fear, and she was shaking slightly. "Shhh," Tomoyo soothed her, reaching out to gently stroke her hair, "I won't hurt you, I'd never hurt you." She gently slipped her arms around Sakura, just holding her lightly.
"I know," Sakura answered in a whisper, "I trust you, Tomoyo." She tried to slide her hands down Tomoyo's front, only to feel soft hands grasp her own.
'Trust,' Tomoyo thought sadly, 'not love.' She simply held Sakura, gently, "You don't have to do that, Sakura. I'm here for you, if you need me." She closed her eyes, thinking, 'And I don't think I could bear it, having sex with you without your loving me.'
Sakura remained silent, finally relaxing against her breast and falling asleep. Tomoyo lay there awake for a little while longer, silently cursing her more noble instincts.
"That was nice," Kaho sighed softly, lying in a sweaty heap on the bed beside Sonomi.
"Hmmm," Sonomi agreed wordlessly, sex with Kaho was very nice. No bad scenes, no jealously angry ex-girlfriends, just two grown women with mutual needs meeting to satisfy them. It was her fear of disturbing that overall niceness that held Sonomi back from popping the big question. And she was running out of time.
"Would you like your Christmas present early?" Kaho asked her with a contented smile. She wanted to laugh, Sonomi looked so much like a drowsy cat, sprawled out on top of the covers looking so obviously happy.
"I was thinking about something tomorrow, actually," Sonomi said softly. Kaho looked at her questioningly, and Sonomi mustered her nerve to ask, "Would you like to go to a Christmas party with me tomorrow?"
Kaho threw her arms around Sonomi's neck, kissing her vigorously. "I'd love to," she said, her eyes sparkling. "Where is it?"
"Family thing, actually," Sonomi said nervously. "My daughter and Sakura are holding a Christmas party, and she invited me and a guest," she explained.
Kaho chuckled softly, "Bringing me home to meet the family?"
"I guess I am," Sonomi answered with a shy smile. "You don't mind missing the party at Arisugawa's Locket, do you?"
"Maybe we can all go there later," Kaho said thoughtfully. She frowned in memory, "Wasn't Tomoyo always around Sakura?"
"Good memory," Sonomi said with a sad nod. "But as far as I know they've never been together romantically."
"Poor Tomoyo," Kaho sighed, thinking of the glances Tomoyo had been always giving Sakura when she had been teaching the two of them. She looked thoughtfully at Sonomi, "Do you think we should try and help fix them up?"
Sonomi shook her head firmly, "Tomoyo would not appreciate someone interfering with her love life, trust me on that."
Mei-Lin stood in the ankle-deep snow, looking quite miserable as she looked out over the busy intersection. Cars rushed back and forth, people bustled about, and Mei-Lin strode to ignore it all as she focused on the past. Her eyes closed, she softly chanted a carefully chosen spell, and the accident ran across her mind's eye, exactly as it actually happened.
Li's car was still, him sitting unconscious behind the wheel, as he was carefully placed in the intersection before the truck started up. It started from several streets over, building up speed, before striking with bone crushing force.
Mei-Lin's eyes snapped open, and the people nearby scrambled away as she glowed a sullen red. Noticing this, she calms herself, the glow fading. 'A professional team of hitmen,' she thought grimly, 'but who hired them, and why?'
Not long after, the police station bustled, as she carefully navigated to the desk she wanted. "Were you the primary officer in the Li Sayoran investigation?"
"Yeah, who wants to know?" he asked with a frown.
"Friend of the family," Mei-Lin answered him calmly. "I called you earlier, do you have the case files ready?"
"Yes, but they're confidential," he answered sullenly, "I can't let you look at them."
"I'm so sorry," Mei-Lin said quite insincerely, and walked a few steps away. She drew a metallic disk from her clothes, and her sword appeared in her hands.
"Time!" she cried, the sword stabbing at the coin. The letters on the coin blazed as the spell took effect, and time seemed to stop in the station. She snatched the files from the officer's desk, and with a single word copied them, exactly. She hid the copies in her coat, put the originals back, and then released the time spell.
"I didn't mean to waste your time," Mei-Lin said with a little bow, before quickly exiting the police station. She didn't want to give anyone the chance to figure out something was going on.
Back at the hotel room, she went over the documents carefully, tracking the progress of the police investigation. Ruled an accident, they had only done a cursory investigation of the people in Li's life. She frowned, reading a footnote on the bottom of one file.
"Allegations of physical abuse were made by Mrs. Kinomoto-Sayoran, they were investigated and dismissed," it simply read. She involuntarily crushed the papers in her hand as a sudden surge of anger ran through her.
"That's a lie," Mei-Lin cursed under her breath. She looked at the papers a moment, calming herself, "Sakura. Could it have been her?"
She got up, pacing the small hotel room restlessly. She couldn't believe the sweet girl she had known could have ordered the killing of the man she loved. Still, it had been a long time since she had seen her, and people did change.
Mei-Lin looked out the window, at the snow gently falling down outside. Whatever was going on, she needed to see Sakura, to find out what had happened between her and Li before he died. And if Sakura was responsible, she'd make her pay.
Tomoyo smiled happily, picking up the phone early the next morning. She was laying in her bed all alone, Sakura had gotten up before her, and she could smell Sakura puttering about in the apartment's small kitchen.
"Hello," Tomoyo said into the phone.
"Good morning," Sonomi said, sounding quite cheerful, "I'm just making sure you know I'm bringing a guest with me tonight."
"Do you want me to get him or her a gift?" Tomoyo asked curiously, wondering if she could run and get a generic gift or two on Christmas Eve.
"I'm bringing something for her with me," Sonomi answered cheerfully.
Tomoyo looked quite attentive as she asked her, "Is this a date for you two? And are you ever going to tell me who it is?"
"You'll find out tonight," Sonomi chuckled, "and yes, I do think it's a date."
"Congratulations," Tomoyo said happily. She heard Sakura call her name, "Sorry, got to go!" She put the phone down only to see Sakura walk in carrying a tray loaded with two servings of pancakes, bacon and eggs.
They sat down on the bed together, and began to eat. Tomoyo was raising a forkful of pancake to her mouth when she stopped and asked, "Where's Kero?"
Sakura chuckled softly, "I gave him his own plate in the kitchen." They shared a quiet laugh at the appetite of the little guardian beast.
They ate quietly, enjoying each other's company. Tomoyo felt Sakura's eyes resting on her, questioning, but instead she concentrated on eating. Finally, Sakura spoke up, "Tomoyo, why did you stop me, last night?"
Tomoyo blushed softly, "You were so scared. I didn't think you wanted me to..."
Sakura's eyes met Tomoyo's for a moment. "I was scared," she admitted, "and I'm not sure about how I feel." She sighed softly, looking away, "I made such a mistake with Li, I don't trust my own instincts anymore." Tomoyo winced at the sound of her former rival's name, even as she searched for the right thing to say.
Tomoyo gently put her hand on Sakura's, "Give yourself time, please. I don't want you running to... someone just because you're scared of being alone, or rebounding."
"But what if it's love?" Sakura challenged her softly, and Tomoyo sat there, for once at a complete loss for words.
Chapter 5
Part Five
The lightning exploded outward, throwing them all backward a few steps. Roof tiles flew through the air by them, until Kaho managed to raise some kind of mystic barrier to shield herself, Tomoyo and Sonomi. The black smoke was too thick to see through for a moment, but it gradually cleared enough to reveal the battlefield.
Sakura hovered there in the air, the wings of the Fly card stretched out behind her, the Sword ready in her hand. Mei-Lin looked up at her, coldly furious, as lightning raced up and down her own sword, the strange metal coins she used for her magic clasped in her hand.
'And the Christmas party was going so well, too,' Tomoyo thought to herself wearily, remembering how this evening had started for them, not too long ago.
The doorbell rang, and Tomoyo jumped up to her feet to answer it. She and Sakura had been dancing cautiously around each other all day after what had happened between them last night. 'And our little talk this morning,' Tomoyo thought to herself. She wasn't quite sure what to make of what Sakura had said to her, scared to get her hopes up.
She opened the door to be greeted by Sonomi's wide smile. She saw who was standing just behind her and felt her mouth dropping open in shock. Kaho Mitsuki smiled over at Tomoyo gently, a small pile of gifts cradled in her arms.
Kaho said softly, "Merry Christmas, Tomoyo."
Tomoyo recovered from her surprise enough to invite them both inside, shooting a fierce glare at her mother for keeping it a surprise. "Welcome," she said with a smile, and noticing the pile of gifts added, "here, just put them down by the tree."
Sonomi said softly, "Sorry, I just couldn't resist keeping her a secret." She smiled a bit as she said teasingly, "Forgive me?"
"Oh, I'll think about it," Tomoyo sassed back at her. She saw Sakura step up to greet Kaho and suddenly found herself wondering if Sakura understood what was going on between Kaho and Sonomi, that they were girlfriends.
"It's good to see you again, Ms Mitsuki," Sakura said with a smile, helping her with her packages. "So how long have you and Sonomi been dating?" she asked her cheerfully.
'Yes, she knows,' Tomoyo thought, hiding a smile.
"Call me Kaho," Kaho said with a smile. "We've been seeing each other for a month or so," she explained, "after meeting at a little bar not far from here."
"Thank you, Kaho," Sakura smiled back at her. They spent a few moments arranging the pile of gifts, while Tomoyo and Sonomi busied themselves making everyone drinks.
Sakura and Kaho got up to be met by Tomoyo and Sonomi, each bearing a pair of drinks. Sonomi sat one down for her and one for Tomoyo while Tomoyo herself delivered the drinks to the other two women.
"There's some rum in your eggnog," Tomoyo said to Kaho, then she passed one over to Sakura, "and here's a plain one for you, OK?"
"Thank you, Tomoyo," Sakura said, and then she surprised her with a single gentle kiss on her cheek. Both Kaho and Sonomi looked on with some amusement as Tomoyo went beet red, her mouth partially open in surprise.
They settled down on the two living room couches, Tomoyo and Sakura on one and Kaho and Sonomi cuddling together on the other. The fire burned cheerfully, the lights dimmed to highlight the tree and the gentle flames.
"Sonomi tells me you're a documentary filmmaker," Kaho said to Tomoyo softly. A little smile teased her lips as she added teasingly "No one, of course, was very surprised, I trust?"
"No surprise at all," Tomoyo agreed with a soft laugh.
"Are you still teaching?" Sakura asked Kaho curiously. "I've become a school teacher, myself," she said with a smile, "so I was wondering."
"I got out of teaching," Kaho admitted, "a couple of years ago."
"But you were so good at it," Tomoyo said a bit regretfully.
"After everything that happened to us with the Clow cards," Kaho said softly, "I began to reevaluate certain things in my life. It seemed to me that there might be some better uses to my talents than teaching."
"So she became a ghostbuster," Sonomi said with a quirky little smile.
Kaho shot her a dark look while Sakura and Tomoyo chuckled softly. "It's not quite that simple," she scolded her gently, "I consider myself a paranormal investigator, helping people who have problems that are outside the normal world."
"Ghostbuster," Sonomi repeated with a little shrug. She smiled over at Sakura, "Do you enjoy teaching, then?"
"Very much," Sakura agreed, then she laughed softly. "Except around exam time," she added with a rueful smile.
Kaho laughed softly, nodding her agreement. "I remember exams," she said feelingly. She smiled over at Tomoyo, "I saw your last documentary, the one on Angelic Layer. Is it really that popular here in Tokyo?"
Before she could answer her, there was a soft knock on the door. "I'll get it," Tomoyo said, getting up to go over to the front door. 'No one else was invited tonight,' she thought with a little frown on her pretty face.
She opened the door and gaped in surprise. Mei-Lin looked at her calmly, her long black hair tied back; wearing a costume like the one she once wore chasing the Clow cards. "I need to see Sakura," she said simply to Tomoyo.
"Sakura?' Tomoyo echoed, surprised. She shook herself, "Come in, please. What do you need to see Sakura for?" Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the sheathed sword over the young woman's shoulder.
She barged right by Tomoyo, making a path to Sakura. Sakura got up and walked towards her as she asked, "What can I do for you?"
Before anyone could do anything, the sword appeared in Mei-Lin's hands, and she swung it at Sakura, demanding, "Why did you do it?"
Sakura ducked, barely below the blow, crying out "Did what?!"
"You know!" Mei-Lin cried out, swinging again. Seeing she wasn't going to hit her normally she pulled an odd, metallic coin from her belt. "Element," she cried, "wind!" The sword struck the coin, and Sakura was hit by a massive gust of wind.
Sakura struggled against it for a moment, then she lost her balance and flew right out the apartment window. There was a crash of breaking glass and then Sakura was gone.
"Sakura!" Tomoyo cried, running towards the hole in the wall. Sonomi grabbed at her, holding her back from the edge.
A stunned Sakura fell, the air swirling around her. Her head was ringing, she couldn't seem to concentrate. Strangely, her life didn't run before her eyes, instead her life with Tomoyo did. A moment of clarity came over her, and she understood at last what she had to fight for.
"Fly!" she cried out, her star staff appearing in her hands. Wings appeared from her back, slowing her fall then carrying her back up to the apartment.
A sobbing Tomoyo ran at Mei-Lin, hammering at her with her closed fists, "How could you! She never did anything to you!"
"She killed Li," Mei-Lin answered her coldly, and Tomoyo suddenly felt her blood run cold. A small smile teased her lips as she leveled her sword outside, "And she hasn't paid for it yet."
Tomoyo whirled around, to see Sakura floating out there, her wings beating around her. 'She looks like an angel,' a wondering Tomoyo found herself thinking. She was astonished at how calm Sakura looked, almost like she was at peace.
"If we fight here," Sakura said, holding up a hand to stop Mei-Lin's move to attack, "innocents will be hurt. Let's take this somewhere else."
Mei-Lin paused, then she nodded slightly, admitting, "Li wouldn't have wanted his friends hurt." She quietly suggested, "Shall we go upstairs?"
"Lets," Sakura answered her simply. Mei-Lin ran out the door to the stairs even as Sakura took a moment to fly into the apartment to stand at Tomoyo's side. Sweeping Tomoyo up into her arms she said softly, "I don't know why she's after me, but it doesn't matter now."
Tomoyo opened her mouth to try and say something, and Sakura shushed her.
"When I was falling out there, thinking that I might die, I realized something," Sakura said softly, "I love you, Tomoyo, and I wish I had known sooner."
Tomoyo grabbed at her, but Sakura slipped from her grasp, flying out the window. She stood there, shocked, until Kaho grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her, fiercely asking "What do you want us to do?"
Sonomi looked as shocked as she did, stunned at how their deeds had come back to haunt them. 'I should have thought of this,' she shook her head. "We've got to help, somehow," Tomoyo said softly, aloud. Kaho nodded firmly, and the three of them ran for the stairs.
The stairwell itself shook, the sound of distant explosions ringing through the building. The reached the roof door, discovering it was jammed from the other side. "Let's push together," Sonomi said intensely, leading them, "One! Two! Three!" With a combined shove, the door flopped open, spilling them on the snow-covered roof.
'Which brings us back to the present,' Tomoyo thought, keeping her head down as she watched the battle continue. Sakura dived and weaved, sword swinging to parry all of Mei-Lin's many attacks on her. Lightning, wind, fire, Mei-Lin kept throwing elemental attacks at Sakura, but she agilely dodged them all.
"Why isn't she using the Sword to end this?' Kaho said to herself softly. Getting an inquiring look from Sonomi, she added "Sword should be able to cut anything, even Mei-Lin's sword."
"She's holding back," Tomoyo realized, looking at Sakura, "she doesn't want to hurt her."
"But Mei-Lin's trying to kill her!" Sonomi exclaimed.
The sword clanged together, and for a moment they were face to face. "I can't believe you would pay someone to kill Li," Mei-Lin said to her fiercely. Sakura stopped a moment, her eyes widening for a moment, then they narrowed.
'Tomoyo,' Sakura was suddenly struck by the thought, 'or maybe Sonomi. It had to be.' She remembered coming to Tomoyo for help, her body wracked with pain from Li's last beating, and suddenly was struck by how much it had hurt Tomoyo as well, to see her like that. Before she could consider any more, Mei-Lin attacked!
'I have my own magic now,' Mei-Lin thought to herself fiercely, 'so why can't I hurt her?' She swung again and again, her magics flaring up against Sakura. But each attack she tried, every strike, was stopped cold by the mistress of the Clow cards.
"Stop this, now!" Tomoyo yelled, breaking free of the others to run between Mei-Lin and Sakura, arms spread to stop the battle.
"Tomoyo! No!" Sakura cried out worriedly.
"Out of the way, Tomoyo," Mei-Lin hissed at her harshly.
"No," Tomoyo said calmly. She took a deep breath, to steady her before she said, "Sakura didn't kill Li, Mei-Lin."
"I did," Sonomi softly said, stepping up to stand by Tomoyo. "Or at least, I arranged for it to be done," she clarified.
"You're lying," Mei-Lin said tentatively, sounding quite unsure of the statement. "How could you have done that to him," she said softly, as the possibilities slowly dawned on her. They had the money, the power to do it, but why?.
Tomoyo took a deep breath, knowing that Mei-Lin wouldn't want to hear what she was about to say to her. "Sakura came to me for help," she said softly, calmly meeting Mei-Lin's eyes, "even though she could barely stand up. She was bruised down the side of her body, so much so that her skin was almost black."
"When she finally got to sleep," Sonomi said softly, "she'd turn over in her sleep, and almost every time we'd hear a soft whimper of pain, when she pressed down on a bruise." She looked at Mei-Lin, a fire in her eyes, "After what I saw what he'd done to her," she said in a whisper, "I knew we had to do whatever it took to protect her."
Mei-Lin stood there, reluctant tears trickling down her cheeks, "He couldn't have... wouldn't have." She shook her head, trying to deny their words. "Why..."
A soft but strong voice, familiar to them, all spoke out. "Jealousy," Yue said, his blue wings holding him aloft, "for Sakura's achievement. She claimed the cards, and won in the final judgment, a test Li himself failed at."
"He never got over that anger," Keroberos said sadly, the giant golden lion standing on the snow-covered ledge. "He couldn't seem to let it go," he continued softly.
Sonomi, Tomoyo and Kaho looked at the two of them, wondering where they had come from. Toya stepped out of the snow to Tomoyo's side, a wry smile on his face. "I felt something was happening," he whispered to her, "I hope we were in time."
"Better late than never," Kaho said with a smile. "Nice timing, Toya."
"You could be lying too," Mei-Lin said, tears streaking her face as the words sank in.
Yue smiled at her sadly, "You know me, I think, and you should know that it isn't in my nature to lie." He tilted his head sideways, "So what will you do now?"
Mei-Lin stood there, her shoulders bent. She only loosely held her sword, fingers loose around the hilt. She tensed, looking up to where Tomoyo and Sonomi stood, and pointed her sword towards them. Toya pushed them behind him even as she began to speak.
"The vendetta is over," Mei-Lin said softly, tears streaking her face, "at least it is for me." The sword was quite ceremoniously sheathed over her shoulder, and she slowly began to walk away. Over her shoulder she quietly added, "I would recommend staying away from Hong Kong. Li's family will not be so forgiving."
Before anyone could say anything, Mei-Lin was gone, running down the stairs at breakneck speed. Sakura softly said to Kero, "Could you change form and follow her, please? After what she's just heard, she shouldn't be alone right now."
Kero looked at her a moment, then he smiled. "She just tried to kill you," he said, shaking his head, "and you're worried about her. Classic Sakura." In his small form, he flew off after her.
"Is everyone all right?" Yukito asked them, pushing his glasses up self-consciously. He shivered a bit, and Toya stepped up to wrap his coat around the frail shoulders, receiving a grateful smile in return.
"Everyone's fine," Sakura assured them both, "and thank you, both, for your help."
Toya smiled wryly, looking between Sakura, Sonomi, and Tomoyo. "I suspect you've got some things to talk about," he said softly, "so we'll be going." After delivering Christmas wishes, the two young men walked down the stairs together.
They stood there silently a moment, each waiting for the other to speak. Growing tired of the silence Kaho spoke up, "We probably should go see how damaged the apartment is."
They walked down stairs together, warming up as they went deeper into the building. "You should have told me," Sakura said softly.
"I wanted to," Tomoyo admitted, "every day. I wanted to tell you that I could protect you, watch over you, but that isn't what you needed to hear."
"Oh, really?" Sakura said, looking over at Tomoyo, her expression unreadable.
"After that fight, I'm sure you don't need protecting," Tomoyo continued softly. "You're strong, capable, and well able to take care of yourself," she smiled sadly.
"So why did I get hurt by Li?" Sakura asked softly.
"We make mistakes, occasionally. And maybe if I spoke up a bit stronger, then, it might not have happened," Tomoyo answered. "I guess we all need someone to watch our backs occasionally, even you," she said with a shrug.
Sakura was silent, seemingly weighing those words in light of what she had learned. She reached out to take Tomoyo's hand, "I love you, Tomoyo." She smiled a bit, adding, "Just don't hold things back from me again, please?"
"Deal. And I love you, too," Tomoyo answered her tearfully.
They went through the apartment doors to see a state of complete ruin. The tree was down, fire out, and the pile of presents were soaked by where the rain and snow had blown inside.
"I guess you're moving back home for tonight," Sonomi said, looking around a bit sadly at the ruins of their Christmas party.
"I suppose," Tomoyo said, giving Sakura a sly glance, "we'll have to share a room." Sakura blushed redly, and Sonomi and Kaho laughed softly.
"This party's a bust," Kaho said with a soft sigh. She looked thoughtful, "There is that all night party at the Locket tonight."
Sonomi looked surprised as she said, "We really shouldn't throw the two of them into the deep end so quickly."
"The Locket?" Sakura echoed curiously.
"It's a ladies club," Tomoyo said with a little smile, "not too far from here. I've been once or twice." Both Kaho and Sonomi gave her thoughtful looks, and she blushed.
Sakura surprised them by laughing softly, "I have magic powers, a book full of Clow cards, and all three of you to watch over me. I'm sure it'll be all right."
"You asked for it," Sonomi said dangerously, and they were off.
Chapter 6
Part Six
"Hey, Sonomi, it's nice to see you," the red headed woman said as she watched them approach, leaning up against the wall nearest to the front door.
Kaho smiled at her, "Good evening, Ranma." She looked a bit concerned as she asked her, "Are you still on bouncer duty?"
Ranma smiled and gave a little shrug. "Until we're sure that Vegeta isn't going to be coming back here, we're rotating the duty," she explained.
Ranma's eyes seemed to light up when she noticed Sakura and Tomoyo standing there just behind Sonomi. Kaho hid a smile, while Sonomi just grinned at her.
"Down, girl," Sonomi chuckled softly, adding, "they're both taken, anyway." Ranma sighed out her disappointment, and Kaho chuckled softly. "Sakura, Tomoyo," Sonomi said, "I'd like you to meet Saotome Ranma."
"It's nice to meet you," Sakura said with a smile and little bow, while Tomoyo murmured her greetings as well.
"Just head on inside," Ranma commented, as the winter wind whistled all around them, "we can talk later." She pulled open the door and waved them all inside.
The four went down the short hallway, and then emerged into a much larger room inside. 'Probably was a converted factory,' Tomoyo thought, looking around the massive open space. There was a fancy bar on one side, a group of dining tables, a good sized dance floor, and even a cozy library with comfy couches and endtables!
"Good evening," a pretty brown hared girl in her school uniform said to them with a cheery smile. From a large pile right beside her she passed over a brightly wrapped gift to each of the surprised members of the party.
"Hi, Hitomi," Sonomi smiled. She shook her gift cautiously, "I see Juri's doing Christmas in style this year. Who went out to buy the presents?"
"We split the duty up between everybody," Hitomi explained. A little blush appeared on her cheeks, "I suspect at least some of the gifts are a bit... naughty." A smile, "Would you like a table, or are you visiting the bar first?"
"I think our friends need some relaxation medicine, first,' Kaho said, smiling at Tomoyo and Sakura. "We'll see you later, all right?" Hitomi gave them a wave as they made their way through the crowd to the bar.
"This place is incredible," Sakura said, looking around her in awe. It was packed, women filling all the tables, lined up along the long bar, and covering the dance floor. She carefully shielded Tomoyo from the crush, receiving a grateful smile.
"Oh, yes," Tomoyo said with a smile. A bit more quietly she added, "I came here alone once before, but it was quite a while back."
"Oh, really?" Sonomi said, more than a bit surprised. 'Hope Sakura isn't too bothered by that,' she fretted silently.
"It was long before Sakura moved in with me," Tomoyo said softly, a little bit worried herself at Sakura's silence.
"It's all right," Sakura said, gently taking Tomoyo's hand in her own. "I should know that a beautiful girl like you would have her share of suitors," and she smiled at her widely, "I'm just glad that I've got you now."
"That was so sweet," a red headed girl said, just beside them. All four of them startled slightly at her sudden appearance.
"Asuka," her blue hared companion gently chided her, "I think that was meant to be a private romantic moment."
"You're right, Rei," Asuka said, blushing a bit. "Sorry," she said with a little bow as Rei pulled her aside.
Sonomi and Kaho were fighting a case of giggles. "Sorry," Sonomi said, finally breaking up laughing as Tomoyo glared at both of them.
They finally reached the bar, and in only a few seconds a woman appeared before them. She literally appeared from seeming nowhere, smiling at them all in a friendly sort of way. Her long blue hair reached all the way down her back, her cat-like eyes were striking, and the twin scars on her face looked almost charming.
"What can I get you folks?" Minagi asked them all.
"We'll start with some rum and eggnog, I think," Sonomi said, looking over at the others. She received a chorus of agreeing nods, and Minagi disappeared, reappearing in front of a freezer to pour them their drinks.
"Good evening," a friendly voice said. Sakura turned around to see a striking looking woman standing there. She was tall and lean, athletic looking, and long, orange gold hair cascaded down her back. "I hope you're having a good time?" she asked.
"Yes, I am," Sakura said shyly, wondering who this woman was.
"Turn off the charm, Juri," Sonomi said with a smile, "she's taken." She offered her hand, which Juri took wishing her, "Merry Christmas."
"All the good ones are," Juri said sadly. Tomoyo reflexedly took Sakura's hand, and a little smile teased at Juri's lips as she said, "Don't worry, I'm harmless."
There was a soft snort of laughter from Minagi as she delivered the four drinks. Juri gave her a wounded look, and Kaho fought to hold back a laugh.
"I think I'm not going to get very much respect here tonight," Juri chuckled softly. "I'll see you all later on tonight, maybe," she said with a wave over her shoulder as she went off to mingle with all the other guests.
Sakura smiled, shaking her head admiringly. "Can I be her when I grow up?" she asked no one in particular.
Tomoyo laughed softly, "I'm happy with you just the way you are."
"Do you think they're going to be like this all night?" Kaho asked Sonomi in a stage whisper, smiling at her jokingly.
Sonomi pretended to think about it. "Very probably," she said with a smile. She looked towards the tables, "Hey, there's an opening."
They forged towards the table, when Sakura saw something odd about a couple that was dancing in the corner. Excusing herself for a moment, she crept up behind the two of them and gently tapped one of them on the shoulder.
The Dark turned, looking over at Sakura in honest surprise. The Light peered over the Dark's shoulder, looking kind of startled as well. "Mistress Sakura," the Dark said, and then she asked, "what are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same question," Sakura said dryly, continuing, "How did you get out of the Book of Clow, anyway?"
"You are our Mistress," Light explained, "but that does not prevent us from leaving for short periods of time."
"Let us finish our dance," Dark said, gently stroking at the Light's cheek, "and we will happily return to our place in the Book."
Sakura smiled at them both, "Promise me you won't cause any trouble, and you can keep dancing all night, OK?"
"No trouble," the Light said with a nod, still swaying gently to the music in the Dark's arms. The Dark nodded as well, and Sakura decided that it would have to do.
Sakura turned to go to the table, when she saw Tomoyo standing there with her video camera. "Just like old times," Tomoyo said with a grin.
Sakura sweatdropped, took Tomoyo's hand, and headed to the table.
A odd looking, blonde hared girl was taking Sonomi and Kaho's orders. "So, four dinner specials, and you'd like to book an upstairs room later tonight? No problem!" she said, sounding very hyperactive, but kind of cute.
"Thanks, Excel," Kaho said. She noticed Sakura and Tomoyo standing by the table, Sakura looking confused while Tomoyo was giving them a knowing smirk.
Sonomi blushed faintly. "We ordered dinner for you two," she said quickly.
"Why does a club like this rent out rooms for the night?" Sakura asked them curiously. The other three blushed, while searching for the words to explain. A faint blush began to appear on Sakura's face, as she finally got the idea. "Never mind," she muttered, blushing brighter.
"Sit down for dinner," Kaho invited, blushing a bit herself.
The young woman appeared, rising from the floor like someone coming back from the dead! "Your dinners," Hyatt said, dropping off the plates with a smile. She went green, and fell right over.
A wide eyed Sakura watched her slither away through the bustling crowd. "Is she all right?" she asked them worriedly.
"She's like that all the time," Sonomi said calmly, digging into her dinner.
The food was wonderful, and Sakura enjoyed it. But even more she enjoyed sitting beside Tomoyo, sharing smiles and quiet conversation as they ate their food. Finally, she pushed the plate away, sighing to herself happily.
Tomoyo raised her glass, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Sakura. "To life," she toasted softly, wondering if she would remember the cue.
Sakura smiled, tapping her glass gently against Tomoyo's "To love." They smiled at each other, lost in each other's eyes.
They both drank, then Sakura smiled softly, rising to give Tomoyo her hand. "Would you like to dance?" she invited her.
"I'd love to," Tomoyo answered with a smile.
Kaho and Sonomi watched the two leave hand in hand. "Isn't love grand?" Kaho said with a little sigh. Sonomi surprised her, getting out of her seat to kneel by her side.
"Yes, it is," Sonomi said, taking Kaho's hand. She took a deep breath, and smiled at her wryly, "I was planning to do this after the party." She puled a little box out of her pocket, "I love you, Kaho, and I want you to stay a part of my life." The box opened, and a diamond ring gleams inside, "Will you marry me?"
The bar is nearly silent as everyone hangs on Kaho's answer. Tears streak her face as she wraps her arms around Sonomi, "Yes!"
"Way to go, mom," Tomoyo whispered, a few tears in her eyes. She felt gentle fingers turn her head, and Sakura smiled at her, her eyes serious.
"I don't have a ring to give you," Sakura said softly, "and I don't think I could say it as well as she did." They swayed together slowly, and Tomoyo found herself holding her breath as she waited for what she hoped was coming next. "But I love you, Tomoyo, and I would be honored if you'd consider marrying me."
"I love you, too," Tomoyo said softly, the tears free flowing now, "and the answer is yes." She leaned forward to kiss a slightly surprised Sakura, before pointing above their heads, "Mistletoe," she explained.
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