Dear Sakura
by Amazoness Duo and G.P.
amazonessduo@hotmail.com
pearsong1954@yahoo.com


	“When was the last time we went to the beach together?” Sakura
asked curiously. Sand crunched underneath her sandals as she and
Tomoyo looked for a nice spot on the beach. She turned to make sure
the dark haired woman was still there, even though they were holding
hands. Tomoyo’s snow white skin looked so out of place on the beach.
Sakura was almost afraid the poor woman would get burnt to a cinder
in the bright late morning sun. The toy designer smiled back happily
to Sakura, seeming far removed from any such worries. Tomoyo wore a
simple white sundress, her bathing suit underneath. A wide-brimmed
hat lay atop her head, a blue ribbon trailing from it. Her hair
underneath was done up in buns. She wore large sunglasses tinted a
rosy pink color. They looked cute on Tomoyo, but Sakura was a little
disappointed that she couldn’t catch the enticing stormy blue of her
best friend’s eyes because of them. Sakura was already in her bathing
suit, a red two piece that she was currently wearing a blue jacket
with. 
	“A year and a half ago when mother invited you to come with us out
to the beach house,” Tomoyo replied without a moment’s hesitation, as
if all facts regarding Sakura were relevant to keep track of at all
time. She pushed the sunglasses up from the tip of her nose, smiling
cheerfully at the Cardmistress. Despite being able to embarrass
Sakura with some of the things she said and did, it always delighted
her to know that Sakura was completely at ease with her. If it
weren’t for that, she would have quit making such embarrassing
comments years ago. But Sakura took it all in stride, blushing
considerably but never feeling awkward in Tomoyo’s presence. That had
allowed her to remain close to Sakura over the years, to treasure the
brunette’s company like the finest wine and the world’s greatest
riches. It had also given her best friend status some perks as well.
She knew firsthand how beautiful Sakura had grown over the years,
never actually outgrowing the cuteness about her, but gaining a
completely new aspect as well. Though at the moment, Tomoyo didn’t
need years of close hand study to know such on obvious fact. “You
look gorgeous in that, Sakura-chan,” her musical voice practically
sang, followed quickly by a happily contented sigh. “I can’t wait to
start videotaping you.”
	Blushing faintly, Sakura smiled in return. “Arigato, Tomoyo-chan.
I’m glad you think so.” Brushing fingers back through her brunette
hair, Sakura scanned the area for a nice place to put their towel and
basket. A picnic lunch had been Tomoyo’s idea. Seeing Tomoyo standing
with the basket reminded her of all the picnics they used to go on
when they were younger. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought.
Now these picnics were such a special occasion, something that
happened only very rarely now that they no longer lived in the same
country. Once upon a time she had taken those wonderful moments
together for granted, assuming that they, like Tomoyo, would simply
always be there. Something she could always enjoy. She knew now that
that wasn’t the case and that she would have to burn these memories
into her soul while she could. 
	“Right here looks nice, Sakura-chan.” Drawing the cute gym
teacher’s attention, Tomoyo motioned towards a fairly empty section
of beach. Of course, that wasn’t Tomoyo’s main reasoning for
selecting it. The light was perfect at that spot to videotape Sakura.
And she just so happened to have brought her camcorder along with
lunch. Her poor, abused camcorder had been relegated to the attic for
quite some time, Tomoyo having lost the will to videotape anymore
after Sakura’s departure. It had gained renewed life when she had
pulled it out to use in her cooking lessons for her friend. But this
was what it existed for, in much the same way Tomoyo existed for
these special moments with Sakura. A hand went absentmindedly to her
right cheek as she watched Sakura start to spread out the beach
blanket. Love was a cruel mistress, but she wouldn’t give it up for
the countless stars in the sky. She couldn’t live without the
wonderfully sweet caress that thoughts of Sakura sent fluttering
across her heart. 
	When Sakura was finished with the beach blanket, Tomoyo knelt down
gingerly on it, placing the basket next to her before smoothing out
the skirt of her sundress. Sakura sat next to her, the white jacket
hanging from around the Cardmistress’s shoulders. Sakura watched
Tomoyo for a long moment, her legs curled up under her. The dark
haired woman always told her how pretty she was or how beautiful she
looked or any number of other things. But Tomoyo was truly stunning,
her elegant beauty always shining through whatever myriad styles she
used. Tomoyo always kept her hair long for her mother’s sake, who
treasured it as a reminder of Sakura’s own mother’s beautiful long
hair. But even keeping it long, Tomoyo always seemed to have
something she could do with it, as the pretty buns they were in now
attested to. As the almost deathly pale woman began to take off her
sundress, Sakura stared transfixed. Tomoyo looked like the goddess
Venus ascending from the waves, her white sundress that fell next to
her feet the sea foam around her. She was clad in a black and gray
one piece bathing suit. Her stormy blue eyes seemed to sparkle when
she finally pulled away the rose sunglasses and laid them next to her
hat. Realizing that she had been staring, Sakura turned abruptly,
pretending to busy herself with... anything. She stared at the ocean
while she tried to sort through her tousled thoughts. Unbeknownst to
Sakura, Tomoyo had noticed her friend’s gaze. She was a little
surprised by it, but thrilled nonetheless. To capture Sakura’s
attention so was truly a wonderful prize. She smiled happily, even
more thrilled to be there with the one person who was always in her
thoughts.
	Turning her gaze back to Tomoyo, Sakura looked up as the dark
haired woman sat down next to her. Memories from times long forgotten
came flooding back to her. Not just of trips to beaches or picnics.
But of all the wonderful times they had spent together. They weren’t
the little girls they had once been. Sakura was married now and a gym
teacher. Tomoyo was becoming a successful toy designer. But at the
moment, none of that mattered. Tomoyo was still the sweet and gentle
best friend that had always been by her side. They were still just
out for the day to spend time together and to enjoy themselves. For a
brief moment, the hands of time ticked backwards. They were sitting
in a park in Tomoeda discussing the recent events at school while
Tomoyo videotaped her with her camcorder, the future blissfully out
of the way. The moment evaporated as quickly as it had arrived
despite Sakura’s attempts at grasping onto it. What had Eriol told
her long ago? Something about a long absence showing her true
feelings. She couldn’t quite remember exactly. She had always
expected Tomoyo to be there, but now this was an all too brief visit
before Tomoyo was gone once again. And Tomoyo’s absence was pulling
at her heart, making her realize just how much she needed the
beautiful heiress. It seemed Eriol had been right after all. 
	Tomoyo searched through the picnic basket, finally uncovering the
suntan lotion. She didn’t get out very often except when she was with
Sakura and she had always had an extremely pale complexion. Without
some form of protection, she would easily bake out in the hot sun. 
	“I’ll get that for you, Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura offered helpfully. At
Tomoyo’s soft thanks, she took the bottle and began to rub some into
her hands. She knelt next to her best friend as Tomoyo lay down on
her back, her stormy blue eyes slipping shut. Sakura got a little
more of the lotion in her hands before trying to decide where to
start. Watching Tomoyo lying in front of her with her eyes closed,
images of the dark haired woman’s sleeping form filled Sakura’s mind.
So peaceful and calm, as if all of her dreams were beautiful. Tomoyo
looked that way now, except for a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
She definitely looked happy. 
	Trying to lie perfectly still, Tomoyo felt her heart pounding
rapidly in her chest, ignoring her attempts to stay calm. She tried
to tell herself that this was just a kind act on Sakura’s part and
that it didn’t mean anything, but she didn’t care. She was too happy
to worry about such trivial things. It was Sakura, that’s all that
mattered. And she would be more than happy to have Sakura apply the
suntan lotion if it only meant she could feel her touch. For a
moment, Tomoyo felt like a teenager again, anxiously waiting during
some of the awkward moments she and Sakura had while growing up.
Though Sakura would never have known, there were some times when
Tomoyo had found herself equally as embarrassed as her brunette
friend. One time she had almost kissed Sakura during a festival. They
could only have been twelve or thirteen at the time. Sakura’s eyes
had been closed as they sat facing each other, a content look across
her features. Tomoyo’s heart had pounded much as it was now as she
watched that cute face for what had felt like an eternity. Her hand
finally going to Sakura’s cheek, she had drawn closer, caught more
deeply by Sakura than she could by any Syren’s call. Their lips
almost touching, Tomoyo had finally pulled away, blushing
considerably herself at what had almost happened. Sakura had smiled
when her eyes opened, unaware of the kiss she had almost received
from her best friend. And so on through the years as they grew up
together, Tomoyo’s love for Sakura barely hidden. And now she was
once again nearly overcome by the surge of emotions the Cardmistress
always managed to lure out of her. She idly wondered if Sakura could
see her beating heart or feel the heat of her blush. She had to ask
herself if Sakura had even the slightest idea of how even these
simple little moments with her were like pieces of heaven. 
	Reaching out slowly, Sakura began to massage the suntan lotion into
Tomoyo’s right shoulder, marveling at the exquisitely soft feeling of
the skin under her touch. Syaoran’s skin wasn’t nearly so soft and
enticing. Sakura shoved the thought away. Of course it wasn’t. This
was a completely different situation anyway. When she felt his skin,
it meant they were usually going to sleep or... She was glad that
Tomoyo still had her eyes closed as she slowly forced her blush away.
Her fingers followed along Tomoyo’s shoulder, trailing over the silky
smooth skin again and again as she rubbed the lotion in. After
watching Tomoyo’s elegant form for years, Sakura found it a pleasant
experience to actually feel the silken skin and soft contours of her
limbs. Her fingers slowly moved down the dark haired woman’s arm,
careful to cover every inch of her. A soft smile played at her lips
as she looked down at Tomoyo’s resting form. She wanted to gather up
the other woman in her arms and hold her tightly, just to enjoy her
presence as much as she could. That lost and lonely feeling that had
enveloped her for the past several months had all but disappeared
since the dark haired woman’s arrival. Tomoyo brought out feelings in
her heart that she thought had faded away since her arrival in Hong
Kong. Being with her again was like the sweetest dream imaginable.
Sakura’s hand finally stopped at Tomoyo’s. She merely held onto it
for a long moment. Tomoyo’s hand turned in her grasp, gently clasping
Sakura’s hand. Sakura smiled again as the surprise wore off. She felt
Tomoyo’s thumb slowly rubbing her palm. Watching Tomoyo with her own
heart tangled in a web of confusion, Sakura tried to decide what to
say. Once again, her mind returned to something she felt ashamed of
for hoping. Could Tomoyo love someone else? There had to be someone
who could make her happy if her special person couldn’t know of her
feelings. But was that Sakura’s real reason behind wanting to know so
badly? She couldn’t possibly think that she could take all of
Tomoyo’s love. What a silly idea. She laughed off the thought, but it
stubbornly refused to leave her completely. She was getting jealous.
Tomoyo’s special person was the most important person to her. Sakura
had at one time held that spot, she knew. And Tomoyo’s special person
was hurting her, no less. It wasn’t fair that he could be her most
important person and cause her so much agony. “Tomoyo-chan? What type
of boys do you like?”
	Blinking in confusing, Tomoyo squinted in the bright light to catch
sight of Sakura, the beautiful brunette sitting by her side in the
cool ocean breeze. Her eyes closed again as the light got too bright
for her. “I don’t think I understand, Sakura-chan. There’s only one
person I’ve ever been in love with. I don’t think I could describe
any specific type. Because even someone similar to my special person
wouldn’t be able to take my heart from them.”
	Sakura considered this for a moment before nodding. That should be
answer enough. It wasn’t like she knew of any boys to try to set up
Tomoyo with anyway. Maybe Touya, but he was already with Yukito. But
the question still lingered in Sakura’s mind. “Un, I understand. You
must love him very much. But if you had a type of boy, what would it
be?” she asked curiously. Who could be deserving of Tomoyo’s
seemingly boundless love? What man could possibly be wonderful enough
for her?
	A melodious giggle escaped the ivory skinned woman as she lay next
to Sakura. One of Sakura’s letters came to mind as she finally
answered. “If I had a type of boy I liked, I would want a boy just
like Sakura-chan. I would want him to be cute and brave and very
energetic. He would have to be warm and very emotional. He would have
to be a little shy, too, because blushing is a very cute habit and
it’s always fun to embarrass Sakura-chan if it means I’ll get a blush
out of it. But even then, he would still want to make others happy,
wearing kawaii costumes or enduring me videotaping him even if he
thought it was strange.” Her smile grew as she moved her head towards
where she new Sakura to be, her dark hair fluttering softly in the
light breeze. “And even if he could be rather dense sometimes, I
would love him all the more for it, because he would be my cute
Sa...” Tomoyo trailed off for a moment, correcting herself. The last
few days had been extremely difficult on keeping up her masks. “The
boy I liked.”
	Sakura blushed yet again as she tried to make sense of Tomoyo’s
description. It didn’t exactly sound like the manliest of men. A boy
like her? Sakura couldn’t think of any boys like her. It was
extremely flattering of Tomoyo to say. The dream she had had months
ago tugged at her mind, an image of herself in boys clothes sharing
an intimate moment with Tomoyo seeming to fit with the dark haired
woman’s explanation. ‘If I were a boy, would I have married Tomoyo-
chan?’ Sakura asked herself. A crimson blush began to flare across
her cheeks as she imagined the idea, coming home to her gorgeous wife
every night, sharing her life with her enigmatic best friend. Her
heart began to beat faster in her chest. She almost felt dizzy as she
tried to get a grasp on her thoughts. She stood up a little shakily,
having finished with the suntan lotion during Tomoyo’s explanation.
“Thanks, Tomoyo-chan,” she got out less sure of herself than she
would have liked. She was still confused by all this. If she had been
born a boy, would Tomoyo be her bride right now? Would they be on
this beach as husband and wife instead of as best friends? “I think
I’m going to take a swim.” That would be nice. It would clear her
thoughts. Glancing back at Tomoyo sent another image through her
mind, the two of them in bed after a long day. Wait, she wasn’t a boy
in this one. “Hoe...” Yes, a swim would definitely help. She heard
Tomoyo sitting up behind her, pulling her camcorder out dutifully to
record the Cardmistress’s swimming. Sakura waved to her pale friend
as she reached the water’s edge. Tomoyo’s voice called out to Sakura
from years earlier when Sakura had asked why she didn’t videotape
more interesting things than the brunette. ‘There’s nothing more
interesting or prettier than Sakura-chan.’ Sakura felt a smile cross
her lips at the memory. Tomoyo was always so sweet about things like
that. She decided that that was the reason she let Tomoyo videotape
her. Not because she felt she had to. But because Tomoyo was always
so enthusiastic about it and honestly believed that she was the best
thing to videotape. Now, that thought that had long ago confused her
so utterly sent a small thrill through her. 
	Watching from the beach blanket, Tomoyo zoomed in with her
camcorder. Sakura seemed to lose whatever she had been thinking about
as she began to swim through the gentle waves. From experience,
Tomoyo knew that probably wouldn’t last long. Sakura often got
sidetracked by things, but it often caught back up with her. Like
when she used to be on cheerleading. A soft giggle joined the ocean
breeze as she kept the camcorder trained on Sakura. She hoped that
Sakura still occasionally got sidetracked while teaching her
cheerleading club. It would be nice for them to see her like that,
even if it did mean flying pompoms. Two beautiful pink dolphins leapt
into the air some distance behind Sakura. The wonderful creatures
were new to Tomoyo. “They must live in Hong Kong. Just like Sakura-
chan. Hong Kong has some cute residents.” Her free hand went to her
cheek as she continued to watch her best friend in the lapping waves.
“Kawaii...”
	“Tomoyo-chan!! Come swim with me, Tomoyo-chan!!” Sakura yelled from
waist deep in the water. She had come back closer to shore after
thoroughly drenching herself in the ocean. Now that she was thinking
more clearly, she knew that she would be much happier to be spending
her time at the beach with Tomoyo than swimming alone. 
	Putting away her camcorder, Tomoyo quickly walked across the hot
sand to meet up with the energetically waving brunette. The cool
water felt nice against her feet after the hot walk. She moved her
toes around in the water, enjoying the soothing feeling on her pale
skin as she drew closer to Sakura, her dark bathing suit clinging to
her as it got wet. "I would love to swim with you, Sakura-chan, but I
never learned how. I can watch you from here, though. As long as I
don’t go too deep, I’ll be fine.” She smiled at the other woman. She
was happy to get a closer vantage point, even if it did mean leaving
her camcorder behind. Being close to Sakura seemed more important
than getting the other woman alone on video. It surprised Tomoyo at
how little she had actually videotaped of her visit. It wasn’t for
lack of wanting to. She still loved catching the Cardmistress on
video. But rather, it was that she wasn’t behind the camera lens as
much during her trip. She had always managed to videotape Sakura
while she was doing other things, but now she was busy doing things
with Sakura. Now that she thought about it, she had expected to
videotape Sakura with Syaoran during her trip, once again a
background character in her own life. But Sakura hadn’t allowed that,
dragging her out from behind the camera’s lens and into what was
happening. So even if she didn’t have much videotape of this visit
(which she would still pour over what little she had religiously), it
was hardly a waste. It meant that she would have to hold certain
lovely events solely as memories, but that was more than enough for
the experiences. But still, a videotape of the kiss had to be worth a
king’s ransom...
	“Oh, that’s right.” Sakura frowned, disappointed. Tomoyo had never
learned to swim and apparently she hadn’t gotten around to it anytime
recently. Though her lack of ability to swim hadn’t stopped her from
trying to jump into a lake after Sakura when she had been tricked by
Illusion, Kero had later told her. She had been surprised that Tomoyo
was so ready to risk her life for her, even thought she very well
could have died. If Yukito hadn’t happened along, they both could
have died. A shiver went through her at the thought, but she quickly
suppressed it, imagining it as nothing more than the breeze. Her
frown deepened. She had really wanted to go out swimming with her,
not to leave her near the beach. But just because Tomoyo couldn’t
swim didn’t mean they couldn’t still go together. A smile replaced
her frown quickly. “I can take you with me. It might be a little
scary, but I promise that I’ll hold on real tight.”
	“That sounds wonderful, Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo’s soft voice said
happily. It sounded like a great idea to her. Instead of only
watching Sakura swimming from a distance, she could actually be apart
of it. Sakura’s arms went around her waist, holding her close. Tomoyo
sighed happily in the near lover’s embrace and wrapped her own arms
around Sakura. As Sakura began to swim with the added weight, Tomoyo
could feel the sandy floor drop away from her. “Sakura-chan is a very
strong swimmer,” Tomoyo remarked enthusiastically, still holding on
tightly. It wasn’t out of fear that she held on. She knew that Sakura
would hold on to her. It was because she just wanted to be near her. 
	Sakura pushed further out into the water, it’s gentle caress
passing over the two women. Tomoyo’s heartbeat felt steady and calm
against her chest, her hands firmly holding onto her, but not
clutching at all. The pale woman wasn’t afraid in the least. She had
no more fear of drowning here than she had on the beach. The thought
surprised Sakura. She had expected something, but Tomoyo seemed
completely peaceful, happy to be out there with her. Another
statement of Tomoyo’s rang in her ears. ‘I knew you would save me.’
That belief had never wavered during the years. Tomoyo still held on
with the same faith she had all those years ago. ‘She’s not scared
because she has faith in me,’ Sakura thought to herself in sudden
realization. She had the thought that if she were holding onto Tomoyo
from above some ledge that Tomoyo’s attitude would be much the same.
There simply wasn’t anything for her to be afraid of because they
were together. Sakura held Tomoyo closer, hugging her as they swam.
It was amazing that she could still have that much faith after all of
those years. Tomoyo’s gentle form against her was a testament to her
belief in the Cardmistress. Sakura had never grasped the full extent
of that faith in her until now.  She swam deeper, but Tomoyo’s
heartbeat didn’t flutter. It amazed Sakura that the dark haired girl
could feel so safe in her arms. ‘I knew you would save me,’ the words
echoed again. Did she deserve that unwavering faith? Tomoyo was still
lonely, her love bound in a cage. ‘I’ll make things all right, Tomoyo-
chan. I will save you. I promise,’ Sakura vowed to herself, before
letting the sweet feelings Tomoyo was projecting encompass her.