The sun and breeze danced through the dark green leaves that warm summer day.
Seijyu High School's graduation ceremony had just reached its end and the future of Tomoeda was emptying into the courtyard with excited chatter. What would they do now? Where would they go? Would they ever see each other again?
Syaoran Li and Sakura Kinomoto posed happily, albeit a little awkwardly as Tomoyo snapped pictures of them in their graduation attire under a tree near the front gates.
"Tomoyo, don't you think you have enough?" asked Kero from inside her long locks of dark hair.
"Just a few more…" she said, trying to make every angle count."Now that school is over and Sakura is going to Hong Kong to visit Li-kun's family, I have to make sure I have enough fresh scrapbook material to keep me busy. They'll thank me for putting this all together someday," she said confidently.
Sakura looked over to where the rest of their friends were talking. "Hey you guys, come here! Let's take a group shot!" she called, waving to them.
The conversation between Chiharu, Yamazaki, Rika, and Naoko paused as they all looked up. Chiharu pointed to where Sakura was beckoning, and they all made their way over.
Tomoyo desperately tried to take a few last pictures of her favorite couple before the rest of the group arrived. Syaoran was giving Sakura an exceptionally affectionate look as she called all of their friends over, and Tomoyo most certainly did not want to miss capturing it on camera.
"Okay, just let me get my tripod," she said as the others arrived. "I want to be in the shot too... Oh! Wait!"
She just noticed Terada leave a group of students he had been talking with. "Terada-sensei!" she called. "Would you mind helping me? We're trying to take a group photo, and…"
Rika's heart suddenly jolted. After all these years, she still had the same reaction to Terada's presence, especially when she was with the rest of her friends.
She watched as Terada came over and Tomoyo showed him how to work the different controls on her camera. She tried to shake the blood out of her cheeks as she did not want to be bright red for the picture.
"Rika-chan, are you okay? You're not getting a cold are you?" Chiharu asked, noticing the feverish look on her friend's face.
"No, I'm alright. Just tired. It's was a long ceremony," Rika replied. It was half-true. They had a large graduating class, and sitting through all those names on a warm afternoon had left her a bit sleepy.
"Just press the button in slightly at first so it focuses and adjusts its settings to the light, and then press it in the rest of the way to take the picture, okay?" Tomoyo hurried to join the rest of her friends.
"I think I've got it Daidouji-san. Your cameras always do a wonderful job. I don't think I could mess it up if I tried!"
Tomoyo positioned herself next to Rika as they all squeezed in for the picture.
"You know, people used to fear having their pictures taken because they thought – "
"Not NOW, Yamazaki!" Chiharu snapped at the same time as the camera. The rest of the group must have been wearing some great smiles, but Terada decided to give it one more go for a nicer picture.
"Alright…and…" The camera flashed. "Done!" Terada said.
"Thank you so much, Terada-sensei!" Tomoyo said jubilantly, taking her camera back.
"I hope they turned out alright!" he said as he joined his former students to look at the camera's screen as they reviewed the shots.
While everyone was busy talking animatedly about how funny the first picture turned out (everyone in the picture was laughing except for Chiharu who was fake-strangling Yamazaki), Tomoyo inched a little closer to Rika.
"He does take nice pictures, doesn't he?" Tomoyo said, grinning at Rika's renewed flushed expression.
"Yes." Rika said, trying to hide her face under her curls of hair by looking down.
Terada noticed Rika out of the corner of his eye; noticed the way she was trying hide her face, and noticed how Tomoyo was giving her such a kind smile. She was always so perceptive, as he had noted countless times before.
Tomoyo felt him looking at Rika and her and glanced in his direction. His cheeks took on a pink hue of their own as he averted his eyes and walked over to a group of other teachers to join their conversation. She smiled quietly to herself.
"These pictures are really cute, aren't they Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura said, beaming.
"Yes! They're splendid!"
"Thanks for showing them to us, Daidouji-san. I hope you'll remember to send us copies," said Syaoran as he gave her camera back.
"I certainly will!"
"Well, Syaoran-kun and I made plans to get lunch. We need to settle a few last-minute details before flying to Hong Kong next week. We'll keep in touch!" said Sakura.
"Please do," said Rika. Her face felt like it had gone back to its normal color, so she beamed up at them to say goodbye as they made their way out of the school gate and off to their future, which in Rika's mind, would most certainly be a happy one.
"Yamazaki and I should probably be going as well," said Chiharu.
"Me too," said Naoko. "I have a piano lesson to teach."
"Oh, you're teaching piano?" said Chiharu, surprised. "I always thought you would get into writing."
"That's what I want to do, yes. Teaching piano is helping me make some money for college though. I have a long way to go before I will be able to afford it."
"Good luck!" said Tomoyo.
"Yes, good luck!" said Chiharu and Rika together.
"Thank you very much! Chiharu, do you want to walk together? At least for part of the way?"
"Sure. Bye you two!" She and Naoko walked through the gate that was held open for them by Yamazaki.
"Tomoyo was cute in that picture, wasn't she? I liked the stuffed animal that she had in her hair," Chiharu said as they got further and further away. "I didn't notice that before."
"Me neither. Maybe it's a childhood good luck charm," said Naoko.
"Speaking of good luck charms – "
"Yes, yes, go ahead. Get it out of your system," Chiharu said to an eager looking Yamazaki as they fell out of earshot.
Tomoyo and Rika smiled as they waved goodbye to three more of their friends. Tomoyo put her arm down and glanced toward Rika. She had taken her hand down and stopped it near her shoulder, wearing a somewhat glazed, faraway expression.
"No one noticed, did they?" Tomoyo asked. "Are you disappointed?"
"Noticed what?" Rika said.
"Your ring."
Rika started. It was true she was hoping her friends might notice, but at the same time, she didn't anticipate what she would say if they did.
At the end of the ceremony, their principal had the students stand so he could officially declare them all to be graduates.
At that moment, as the audience of family and friends applauded politely, Rika quietly put her hand into her pocket and retrieved a small, decorated box. It was the same box Terada had taken out of his pocket in the library after she recovered from her memory lapse at Sakura's house.
Opening it carefully and blushing slightly at his own boldness, he told her about his story to the clerk that it was an engagement ring, and that she was to take care of it until it became a wedding ring. Although she was so young, she understood how important this token was and what it meant for both of them.
Now that she was no longer a student, she did not need to worry about people knowing about her engagement. She took the delicate ring out of the box and placed it on her ring finger, right where it always belonged.
"Mmm." Rika nodded.
"Well, may I be honored as the first of your friends to say congratulations!"
"Thank you! Although, knowing you, you've known for some time. Thank you for not saying anything," Rika said bashfully.
Tomoyo didn't deny it. She simply smiled.
When she looked back at Rika, her friend's face wore same distant expression as before. Tomoyo stepped in front of her and took her hands in hers. She looked Rika in the eyes with sympathy, kindness, and warmth.
"If there's anything that you need help with, Rika-chan," she said sincerely, "please don't hesitate to ask." She would never push, but it always difficult for Tomoyo when she wanted to help, but knew she couldn't until asked.
Rika was a little bit surprised. She knew that Tomoyo was kind. She had seen that countless times in the way she would help Sakura, or in how she helped Syaoran when he had been struggling with his feelings for her, but Rika never really thought that that same kindness would ever be extended to her.
She tried to smile in an attempt to put Tomoyo at ease.
"See you later?" Tomoyo asked letting go and stepping back.
"You bet!"
Just then, Tomoyo's car pulled up and a window rolled to down to reveal one of the bodyguards inside.
"After all this time, Mother still worries." Tomoyo said fondly. "Looks like I have to go. Will you be alright by yourself?"
"I'll be fine. Thanks for everything, Tomoyo."
Rika waved as the car rounded the corner and went out of sight.