A Weekend in the Sky
By John C Fiala
(Revised: Many spelling errors fixed.)
Friday night, and it was snowing in Sapporo. There wasn't a
lot of wind, but the snow fell in thick flakes that quickly built up
into drifts. Daidouji Tomoko didn't envy the pedestrians that she
passed as she drove home to her apartment.
She could have a chauffer like her mother, but she liked
driving around and the few times she needed to work on something while
traveling the car's AI could handle the work. But tonight she drove,
hoping that the work would distract her from what would be waiting at
the apartment when she got home. Or rather, what wouldn't be.
It wasn't working.
She made the right-hand turn into the apartment building's
private garage area, the door's systems recognizing her car and letting
her in. After that she let the car park itself and took the lift up to
her apartment on the top floor. It was more of a penthouse, as Sumire
had said, but she liked to think of it as an apartment. She had no
desire to grow old in a cavernous vault like her mother was, no matter
how nice the vault may be.
Entering her apartment, she stopped and listened to the
silence. There was a note on the wall, but a quick glance showed that
it wouldn't say any more than the other notes had: Tomoyo was very
nice, but never fully committed to the relationship, always seemed
apart when they should have been closer. She crumpled the note in her
hand, and then just let it drop to the floor.
Tomoyo jumped when the intercom signaled, playing the notes
to a classical symphony that she had forgotten the name of. Overcome
with the thought that Sumire may have returned, she had to steady her
voice before she could tell the apartment to show the visitor.
Li Sakura's face filled the screen. Tomoyo's heart took off
as she saw her friend's face, so long only seen in flat photographs.
But then she noticed that Sakura's eyes were red and teary, and that
her friend was sniffling.
"Open voice and video."
"Tomoyo! Uh, Daidouji-san. Um..."
Tomoyo smiled. "You can still call me Tomoyo, if I can call
you Sakura."
Sakura gave her a tear-stained smile. "I... can I come in?"
"Yes, yes, certainly." She walked over to the console and
pressed the entrance button, connecting herself with one of the lobby
bioroid guards, Bertrand. "Hello, Bertrand. I have an unexpected
guest. Could you escort her up to my room? She hasn't been here
before."
The guard nodded, his face in 'helpful' mode. "Certainly,
ma'am. And may I say, both Ernest and myself are again grateful for
the Christmas gift."
Tomoyo grinned. "No problem," and cut the link. Bioroids
were technically property of the building, but most of them were just
as much people as herself, and she saw no reason not to treat them
like people.
She hadn't seen Sakura since just before college. They'd just
taken their finals, and had both done well enough to get into the
college they wanted. So that night had been a big party, going from
bar to bar and then ending up at Tomoyo's house.
Sakura had been teasing Tomoyo about how she had never been
kissed, and Tomoyo had replied that she didn't know how.
Sakura had blinked at her for a moment, letting that sink in,
and then smiled. "It's easy! Like this!" And then she kissed her.
And Tomoyo had kissed back with all her heart.
Sakura was drunk enough for this not to bother her, and they
had gone on to several interesting activities that Tomoyo had
fantasized about before they passed out from the alcohol and the
exertion.
Unfortunately, Tomoyo awoke with Sakura gone. In several
confused conversations between her, Syaoran and Sakura it was quickly
established that Sakura was completely freaked over what had happened,
and so Tomoyo switched her college to a different one. There were a
few tries at rekindling the old friendship at the old level, but
Sakura was uncomfortable, and Tomoyo found it harder than ever to
keep her distance.
She had gone to Sakura's wedding, but left the reception early.
Tomoyo was interrupted in her musing by the elevator arriving
at her floor, and found to her surprise that she had stepped out of the
apartment to wait for her friend.
As the doors opened she was shocked at what she heard.
"Get away from me you thing!" Sakura's voice was shrill and
fearful as she ran out of the elevator towards Tomoyo, who caught the
woman in her arms. Sakura burst out crying again.
Tomoyo sighed, and breathed a 'sorry' to Bertrand, who gave
her a sad look back and told the elevator to take him back down.
Helping Sakura into her apartment, she made a mental note to give him
a thank you gift. "Sakura, why?"
"They're all, they're all thieves." Sakura said with a
heaving voice. "She took, she took Syaoran away from me. She's just
supposed to sit there and be a Secretary, not to be a real person!"
Her voice raised into a wail, and Tomoyo hugged her old friend,
trying to give her some comfort.
"Look, you're soaked. Did you run here through the snow?"
Sakura nodded.
"Here, get out of these sopping wet clothes and take a shower.
I'll set out a robe for you, and make some hot chocolate. Then we can
talk some more."
Sakura sniffled, and nodded. "Okay." She looked left and
right, confused.
Tomoyo gave a slight giggle. "Oh, right. This way." She led
her friend through her bedroom, and into the bath. "Here we go. You
can just drop your clothes into the laundroid."
Sakura had just walked through her large bedroom quietly, but
now spoke. "Are you married?"
Tomoyo shook her head as she set the shower to a warm
temperature. "No."
Sakura nodded, and Tomoyo left her to her shower.
There's something comforting about making hot chocolate, Tomoyo
always thought. Heating the milk, but making sure it didn't boil,
mixing the chocolate, and making sure it doesn't clump. It wasn't a
tea ceremony, but it was enough of something to do that it allowed
her to get her thoughts in order.
So, when Sakura shuffled out in one of Tomoyo's robes, Tomoyo
gave her a sunny smile and a mug, and brought her to her couch. A
moment, and the fireplace started up, a roaring fire warming the room.
"Now, who is this?"
Sakura took a sip of her chocolate milk, and sighed.
"Syaoran's office bought a bunch of bioroid secretaries two years
ago. They can't strike, they don't take nine months off to have
children, and they can legally be told to wear makeup."
Tomoyo nodded. Several companies were doing this, which
had been leading to a number of people losing their jobs. The
government was implementing educational programs to get the
ex-secretaries into new jobs, in fact.
"Well, I think... no, I know that Syaoran is having an
affair with his. She's stealing him away from me!"
"Are you sure?"
Sakura nodded emphatically. "I found lipstick stains."
"Well, that could be something innocent?" Tomoyo said
hopefully.
"On his underwear?"
"oh"
Sakura took a long pull of the chocolate.
"What's Syaoran doing at a corporation?"
Sakura sighed, and drank again. "The magic's gone away."
"What?"
"It started ten years ago. Magic stopped working so well.
It's always been fairly weak in America and Europe, but suddenly
China, Hong Kong and Japan started to fade as well. Kero said he
thought this had happened before - that that was the reason that he'd
been asleep in the book so long." She sighed. "That was before he
had to sleep again."
"I'm sorry."
"Without magic, we had to get normal jobs. He works at a
corporation, I do some photography. I started out modeling, but I'm
no longer able to compete with the looks of bioroids grown to look
glamorous."
Tomoyo nodded. Another strike against bioroids, from Sakura's
point of view.
"So we settled down to be normal, and things were fine for a
while. But lately he's been growing away, coming home very late. Not
wanting, you know, sex."
Tomoyo blushed slightly.
"I didn't want to think... but he is. And she is!"
Tomoyo put down her mug and gave Sakura a hug while she cried,
and they sat before the fire and Sakura let out all of the pain and
frustration she was feeling.
Later that night, Tomoyo realized that Sakura had fallen
asleep. She stood without waking her, shifted her to lay out on the
couch, and then went to get a blanket for her friend. As she tucked
Sakura in, the woman rolled over slightly. "Tomoyo, is it okay for me
to stay here tonight?"
"Of course."
Tomoyo expected to have a hard time sleeping that night, with
the focus of so much of her life sleeping in the next room, but found
that Sakura caused the opposite: The fact that she was not alone in
the apartment helped her fall asleep quickly.
A sleep that was interrupted by a gentle shake. Her eyes
opened, and she made out Sakura's shadow against the dim lights from
the window. "Sakura?"
"Can I sleep with you?"
Tomoyo nodded, not trusting her voice. She tried not to watch
Sakura as she peeled off her robe and climbed into bed, but caught
herself watching the reflection in a mirror.
There was a moment of absolute silence. And then Sakura's
hand touched her shoulder. "Tomoyo, do you still love me?"
Tomoyo bit her lip. "yes" It was barely a whisper.
"I need some love."
Tomoyo almost cried. This wasn't right. Sakura wasn't
turning to her out of love, but out of need, a reaction to what
Syaoran had done to her.
But she wasn't made out of stone, and when Sakura's hand
slid down to cup her right breast, she turned towards her and gave
her a kiss that contained two decades of pent-up desires.
It went on from there.
Tomoyo was tempted awake by the smell of bacon frying. Eyes
open, she tried to remember who could possibly be cooking for her,
but it came back in a rush when Sakura walked in, holding a bed tray
piled with breakfast.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Sakura was dressed in an old
Tokyo Giants T-Shirt that she must have found in Tomoyo's dresser,
and a pair of frayed jeans that Sumire must have left behind. Tomoyo
suppressed a brief spike of pain at the thought, and then sat up in
bed to eat. Sakura joined her on the bed, and they shared the plate
of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.
"Mmmm. That was pretty good, Sakura. When did you learn to
cook American food?"
Sakura laughed. "College. After a few years I had to wake
myself up, feed myself, and get to morning classes on time. And Dad
wasn't able to give me enough money to eat breakfast from restaurants
every morning."
"Weren't you able to eat in the dorms?"
"Well, yes, but I wasn't supposed to have guys in the dorm,
and after they caught me with Syaoran for the fourth time," Sakura's
voice trailed off.
"Sorry."
Sakura shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's not *your*
fault." She busied herself with picking up the breakfast dishes, and
took the mess back to the kitchen, letting Tomoyo get out of bed and
ready for the day.
Tomoyo later stepped out of her bedroom, still busy brushing
her long black hair. She caught Sakura looking at her photographs.
Sakura looked up. "Hey, your mom's still looking pretty good!"
"Oh, yes. She's still living at the old place."
"Who's this with you?" Sakura held up a larger picture.
Tomoyo didn't have to look long. "Oh," she sighed, "that's
Sumire. She used to live here with me."
Sakura blushed slightly, and looked at the picture. Sumire
was tall, with dirty brown hair, a cute but pugnacious face, and was
wearing a pair of muddy overalls over a violet shirt. She was
leaning against an equally muddy motorbike, and had a friendly arm
wrapped around Tomoyo, who didn't look like she minded the mud that
was getting on her clothes. "Where is she?"
Tomoyo sat on the couch, wishing briefly that it would
swallow her up. "She... she's been in the middle of moving out for
a few weeks. Yesterday, she finished."
Sakura saw Tomoyo's face, and put the picture back hastily.
"Oh god, Tomoyo, I'm sorry." She ran over and gave Tomoyo a tight
hug, burying her face into the girl's neck. "I'm so sorry."
Tomoyo drew in a ragged breath, and then let it out. "It's
okay. She was with me for eight months, almost."
"What happened?"
"I don't know," Tomoyo lied. Sumire had told her flat out
that she was tired of waiting for Tomoyo to stop dividing her love
between her and Sakura, but she didn't want to say that. "I'm okay."
She wasn't, but Sakura held her until she was better.
"All right," said Sakura, "this is getting entirely too morose.
We've got to go and get our minds off of this. What do you think?"
Tomoyo nodded, and thought about it. "How about we go out for
a walk?"
"In this weather?" Sakura pointed out the window. Although
the snow had stopped falling, the skies were still dark and snow
coated the sidewalks.
"I was thinking the National Conservatory. I'm a member in
good standing, and we'll have the place pretty much to ourselves
this early in the morning."
Sakura grinned, and grabbed her coat.
"You weren't kidding about being in good standing!" exclaimed
Sakura as the two of them walked through the Orchid Room. The
Conservatory wouldn't actually open for a few more hours, and from
time to time they encountered people working on the plants.
"Well, my mother keeps giving them a healthy donation every
year. She loves this place, both personally and for business
meetings." Tomoyo took a moment to smell the flower she was passing,
and then continued, "and I plan to follow her example." They walked
along for a few moments. "So, what have you been up to?"
Sakura nodded. "Well, after college Syaoran and myself
started traveling through Hong Kong and China, with his skills and
my magic. We had a number of adventures, until we started to notice
the magic fading. After that we had to return to Japan and get
real jobs."
"Must have reassured your father."
"Yeah. Sakura turned backwards to face Tomoyo, walking
backwards. "Syaoran got a good job at Sony, based on his ability
with languages. I started to get into modeling, with a hand from
my brother."
Tomoyo had seen Touya's pictures in various advertisements
for years. "And then into the photography end of the business?"
"Yeah. I was getting a bit old for modeling after a few
years, and the pay is a lot more dependable." She smiled. "I just
remembered everything you did back in high school, and I was fine.
Even then, you were helping me out."
"So, does it pay well? I thought of running off and doing
that for a living a few times back when I was in school."
"Pretty good. Quite often I bring home more than Syaoran."
Silence grew after the absent member of the trio was spoken,
as if he had somehow stepped onto the path with them. The two of
them continued along silently.
Sakura grew embarrassed, and tried to think of a new topic,
any new topic. "So, why did you leave us?" She winced, hearing
the words escape her mouth. Smooth, she chided herself.
"Do you remember the graduation party?" Tomoyo's voice was
even, as if she was talking about the price of a trinket.
Sakura nodded, blushing. "Uh, yeah."
"After that party, things went back to normal. It was you
and Syaoran together, and me following behind."
"But, I didn't want to shut you out!" Sakura's eyes
glimmered with unshed tears.
"It's okay, Sakura. I wanted the two of you together. I'd
hoped you would find someone. But, I'd been in love with you for
years."
"I know. I never knew what to do."
Tomoyo nodded, trying to reassure her friend. "After having
had you, though, I wasn't able to just sit there and watch you two
together. It was too much. So, I switched schools, and tried to
forget you." Unsuccessfully, she didn't add. Sakura had had a
presence in her life even after Tomoyo had tried to leave her behind.
Tomoyo stopped, and remembered Sumire from two weeks ago, the
girl pleading with her to drop this obsession with Sakura, although
Sumire hadn't known the girl's name. Sumire had only known that
there was something that Tomoyo was keeping between them. She had
demanded that Tomoyo choose between her and Sakura, and when Tomoyo
had not been able to, had left.
She looked up, and saw Sakura looking at her. Was Sakura
really willing to live with Tomoyo like this? Or was it just a
retreat that would end with Tomoyo being left behind again?
Or was the question this: Should Tomoyo try to take Sakura
away from a husband that at one time had dearly loved her, or should
she mend what she once helped build?
"Are you okay, Tomoyo?" Sakura looked a little worried.
Tomoyo nodded, and flashed a smile. "Yeah. Just my mind
wandering." A pause. "Sakura?"
"Mmmm?"
"Do you have any kids?"
Sakura shook her head. "No. We've tried," and here a blush
again crept across her face, "but Syaoran has a low sperm count."
The blush intensified, and Tomoyo could feel her own cheeks
reddening. "I guess that's a good thing, now."
Tomoyo bit her lip. Was it?
For lunch, they picked up some Chinese takeout, and took it
back to Tomoyo's apartment. As she drove, Tomoyo kept one eye on the
sidewalks, looking for a particular face.
A rush of warmth flooded her when she saw it. 'Good boy,' she
thought to herself as she saw Syaoran trudging along the sidewalk,
huddled in the warmth of his jacket as he searched the face of each
person he passed. 'You've come looking for her.'
They stepped into her apartment, and soon had the chicken lo
mein and pork dumplings spread out. Tomoyo waited until the meal
was over.
"Sakura, you and Syaoran belong together. I saw that back
when you two first became close. He used to make you happy, and vice
versa."
Sakura frowned. "If he wanted to make me happy, he wouldn't
have started an affair with that... artificial bitch!"
The slur echoed somewhat in the empty apartment.
Tomoyo took a deep breath. "I know. But, he was threatened,
I think."
"Threatened?" Sakura's voice was doubtful, almost scornful.
"First, he loses his magic, that his family has stressed the
importance of since he was two. Then he's not even as good at
supporting a family as you are. And on top of that, he's not even
as.. potent as he should be. Every step of the way, his masculinity
is eroded..."
Sakura's eyes widened for a moment. "But it's still his damn
fault!" she responded, her voice thick with anger.
Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, I know. But you've got to understand
what he's feeling. He's not sleeping with his secretary because he
doesn't love you. He's doing it because with her he is undisputedly
in charge, in control." She took her friend's hand in hers. "I'm
sure he still loves you deeply."
Sakura sighed, torn. "If he does, then where is he?"
The silence after her question was broken by the buzzing of
the security system. Tomoyo gave her friend's hand a squeeze, and
ran off to the door, flipping a switch to bring up the visitor's face,
without revealing her own.
Syaoran stood there, nervously looking around and twisting
one foot back and forth. Tomoyo let loose a breath that she hadn't
known she was holding in. "He's here."
Sakura ran over, and looked. "He's..." Her voice trailed
off. "I don't know what to do. I'm still angry at him, but I..."
She looked at Tomoyo. "And I don't want to lose you again!"
Tomoyo smiled. "You won't be. But we need to get you both
together again." She reached for the comm switch, and pressed it.
"Hello, Syaoran." She let her voice carry a faint rebuke.
The man jumped, and spun to face the screen. "Ah, Tomoyo!
Is Sakura here?"
"She is."
"I, I need to see her. I need to apologize. I'm an idiot..."
Tomoyo cut him off. "Come on up, then. Top floor." She
pressed the door release button.
Syaoran jumped at the sound of the door's buzzer, and jerked
it open and ran through, quickly leaving the camera's field of
vision. Tomoyo turned off the console, and turned to see Sakura
looking apprehensive.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know what to do!"
Tomoyo walked over and gave Sakura a quick hug. "What do you
want to do?"
"Hit him!"
Tomoyo took a step back and looked at her seriously.
"Really?"
"Well, no." Sakura sighed, and then went rigid when a knock
came on the door. "WhatDoIDo?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Why don't you go wait in another
room until you're ready?"
Sakura disappeared into Tomoyo's bedroom, slamming the door
behind her. But Tomoyo noticed the door swinging slightly open as
she walked to let Syaoran in.
Tomoyo opened the door, and smiled at Syaoran. "Good
evening."
He looked about. "Is the entire floor yours?"
Tomoyo stepped back, holding the door open. "Come on in.
Yes, it's all mine."
Syaoran stepped in, and looked around. "Where's Sakura?"
"She's waiting. I want to talk to you first. Would you like
something to drink?"
"A beer?" Syaoran wilted somewhat, and went to sit on the
couch.
Tomoyo nodded, and went to the kitchen. Returning with a
beer and a glass of water, she set them down on her glass coffee
table and sat in a chair facing Syaoran.
For a moment, they just sat there: Tomoyo getting her thoughts
in order, and Syaoran dreading what would come next.
"Do you love her?"
Tomoyo's voice was so faint, that at first Syaoran wasn't sure
he hadn't imagined it. "Yes!"
"Then why?"
Syaoran flinched at Tomoyo's raised voice. "I dunno." He
looked up from the floor and saw Tomoyo glaring at him, sweet Tomoyo
who never hurt a fly, and felt fear creeping up his spine.
"Do not give me 'I dunno'," Tomoyo's voice mocked his reply,
"Syaoran. I want answers."
A few more seconds of Tomoyo's piercing glare, and his eyes
slid back to the floor. "I'm not a man anymore." A glance upwards
showed that Tomoyo was expecting slightly more. "I used to be one.
But now Sakura earns more money than I could hope to bring in, I
don't have any magic anymore, I can't even give her a son... what
good am I? I wanted to feel like I was important again."
"And your secretary does that?"
Syaoran felt his skin flush. "She has to do what I tell her.
I didn't want to hurt anyone..."
Tomoyo sighed. Syaoran would have to be shown that his
secretary, as artificial as she was, was actually a person - but
that would have to wait until later. "Why didn't you just tell
Sakura?"
Syaoran's eyes widened. "Tell her I was having sex with my
secretary?"
Tomoyo felt a momentary urge to throw her glass at his head.
"No. About how you felt. About what you needed."
Syaoran looked at the floor again. "I... I couldn't."
"Not manly enough?"
Syaoran's eyes met Tomoyo's in anger, and then in
resignation. "Yeah." His voice was so soft that Tomoyo was afraid
it hadn't reached the bedroom, but when she saw the door slowly
opening further she knew it had.
"She still loves you, Syaoran. But you're really going to
have to change some things if you want your marriage to work."
Tomoyo saw Sakura step out, and nod to her. "Are you willing to
do that?"
Syaoran nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, oh god yes!"
Tomoyo smiled, and pointed over his shoulder. "Sakura's here."
Syaoran turned, freezing for just a second as he saw his wife
standing across the room from him. He scrambled across the couch and
ran to her, at the last minute dropping to his knees and hugging her
around the legs. "Oh god, Darling, I'm so sorry. So sorry... please
forgive me. I love you." He felt Sakura's hand on his head, and
looked up, tears blurring his view.
"I love you too. I'm still pretty mad, Li Syaoran, but I
love you." Sakura pulled her husband onto his feet, and hugged him
close.
Tomoyo walked up to them, and put a hand on their shoulders.
"You two have a lot to talk about. Why don't you stay here? There's
food in the fridge, and by the phone there's a number of take out
places that I've got an account with."
Sakura blinked. "But what about you?"
Tomoyo grinned. "I've got someplace else I need to go." She
left them there, and packed a small suitcase. Coming back into the
foyer, she found them still embracing, and the three shared a blush
as the couple broke off a kiss. "Listen to me, both of you.
Anything worth having requires work to get it, and relationships
aren't any different from anything else. Work at this, for me if not
for each other, okay?"
"Tomoyo," Sakura whispered, her eyes tearing up.
"Don't cry for me, Sakura. I'll be fine, now." Tomoyo
kissed her forehead, dropped the extra pair of keys into Syaoran's
hand, and walked out the door.
Sumire walked down the hallway to her apartment, the sight of
the corridor still new enough to her to draw her attention. Her back
hurt, her legs hurt, and her feet hurt: the Tokyo to Las Angeles
flight was always a lot of work, and she was glad to get back home.
She hoped desperately that she'd had the forethought to unpack the
foot massager that Tomoyo had given her already, because she needed
it.
Which is why she didn't notice the gift until she arrived at
her door. There was a single red rose taped to her door, with no note
attached. She searched the floor briefly, but it didn't seem to have
fallen off, so she shrugged, took the rose, and then unlocked and
opened her door.
With a flick of the switch, lights sprung on in her
apartment's brief hallway, and she gasped softly. Every horizontal
surface above the floor in her apartment seemed to be covered with
vases of roses, dozens upon dozens of them crowding the walls. The
fragrance of the flowers was strong, and then she realized that
there was a thick carpet of rose petals leading from her door to her
bedroom.
She slipped off her shoes and stepped on the rose petals,
feeling the softness caress her aching feet. The door shut behind
her, she silently went to her bedroom door, pushing it open.
She did not need to turn on any lights here. Her bedroom
shared the rose bouquets with space cleared for nearly two dozen
candles, each of them burning and shining light on her small bed.
On the bed lay her ex-girlfriend Tomoyo, nude except for a layer of
rose petals providing scant cover. "Tomoyo?"
The woman's eyes opened, although Sumire was sure that she
had heard when the door had opened.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry. I treated your horribly because I was still
infatuated with someone else, and I deserved you walking out on me
like that. But I want to try again, if you'll have me."
Sumire's eyes narrowed. "And how do I know that you won't be
mooning after that.. that..."
"Sakura," Tomoyo volunteered.
"That Sakura?"
Tomoyo nodded. "While you were gone, she came to see me.
And while she was there with me, all I could think of... was you."
Sumire felt herself smile.
"And since I've given her and her husband use of my house, I
had to come here, didn't I?"
Sumire sat down next to Tomoyo. "Thank you for the roses."
"Well?"
"All right. I'll give you another chance."
Tomoyo gave a cry of joy, wrapped her arms around Sumire, and
kissed her. And soon there were many cries of joy, and of love.
Sakura and Syaoran did indeed heal their marriage, although
she did make sure that all of his future bioroid secretaries were
male. Tomoyo and Sumire were wed a year later in a small private
ceremony attended by her aged mother, Sakura, Syaoran, and Sumire's
older brother. And they all lived very happily, although Sumire
kept making fun of Tomoyo's habit of taping her all of the time, to
which Tomoyo only said "I have a lot of tapes that now need to be
filled... with you."
THE END
By John C Fiala
(Revised: Many spelling errors fixed.)
Friday night, and it was snowing in Sapporo. There wasn't a
lot of wind, but the snow fell in thick flakes that quickly built up
into drifts. Daidouji Tomoko didn't envy the pedestrians that she
passed as she drove home to her apartment.
She could have a chauffer like her mother, but she liked
driving around and the few times she needed to work on something while
traveling the car's AI could handle the work. But tonight she drove,
hoping that the work would distract her from what would be waiting at
the apartment when she got home. Or rather, what wouldn't be.
It wasn't working.
She made the right-hand turn into the apartment building's
private garage area, the door's systems recognizing her car and letting
her in. After that she let the car park itself and took the lift up to
her apartment on the top floor. It was more of a penthouse, as Sumire
had said, but she liked to think of it as an apartment. She had no
desire to grow old in a cavernous vault like her mother was, no matter
how nice the vault may be.
Entering her apartment, she stopped and listened to the
silence. There was a note on the wall, but a quick glance showed that
it wouldn't say any more than the other notes had: Tomoyo was very
nice, but never fully committed to the relationship, always seemed
apart when they should have been closer. She crumpled the note in her
hand, and then just let it drop to the floor.
Tomoyo jumped when the intercom signaled, playing the notes
to a classical symphony that she had forgotten the name of. Overcome
with the thought that Sumire may have returned, she had to steady her
voice before she could tell the apartment to show the visitor.
Li Sakura's face filled the screen. Tomoyo's heart took off
as she saw her friend's face, so long only seen in flat photographs.
But then she noticed that Sakura's eyes were red and teary, and that
her friend was sniffling.
"Open voice and video."
"Tomoyo! Uh, Daidouji-san. Um..."
Tomoyo smiled. "You can still call me Tomoyo, if I can call
you Sakura."
Sakura gave her a tear-stained smile. "I... can I come in?"
"Yes, yes, certainly." She walked over to the console and
pressed the entrance button, connecting herself with one of the lobby
bioroid guards, Bertrand. "Hello, Bertrand. I have an unexpected
guest. Could you escort her up to my room? She hasn't been here
before."
The guard nodded, his face in 'helpful' mode. "Certainly,
ma'am. And may I say, both Ernest and myself are again grateful for
the Christmas gift."
Tomoyo grinned. "No problem," and cut the link. Bioroids
were technically property of the building, but most of them were just
as much people as herself, and she saw no reason not to treat them
like people.
She hadn't seen Sakura since just before college. They'd just
taken their finals, and had both done well enough to get into the
college they wanted. So that night had been a big party, going from
bar to bar and then ending up at Tomoyo's house.
Sakura had been teasing Tomoyo about how she had never been
kissed, and Tomoyo had replied that she didn't know how.
Sakura had blinked at her for a moment, letting that sink in,
and then smiled. "It's easy! Like this!" And then she kissed her.
And Tomoyo had kissed back with all her heart.
Sakura was drunk enough for this not to bother her, and they
had gone on to several interesting activities that Tomoyo had
fantasized about before they passed out from the alcohol and the
exertion.
Unfortunately, Tomoyo awoke with Sakura gone. In several
confused conversations between her, Syaoran and Sakura it was quickly
established that Sakura was completely freaked over what had happened,
and so Tomoyo switched her college to a different one. There were a
few tries at rekindling the old friendship at the old level, but
Sakura was uncomfortable, and Tomoyo found it harder than ever to
keep her distance.
She had gone to Sakura's wedding, but left the reception early.
Tomoyo was interrupted in her musing by the elevator arriving
at her floor, and found to her surprise that she had stepped out of the
apartment to wait for her friend.
As the doors opened she was shocked at what she heard.
"Get away from me you thing!" Sakura's voice was shrill and
fearful as she ran out of the elevator towards Tomoyo, who caught the
woman in her arms. Sakura burst out crying again.
Tomoyo sighed, and breathed a 'sorry' to Bertrand, who gave
her a sad look back and told the elevator to take him back down.
Helping Sakura into her apartment, she made a mental note to give him
a thank you gift. "Sakura, why?"
"They're all, they're all thieves." Sakura said with a
heaving voice. "She took, she took Syaoran away from me. She's just
supposed to sit there and be a Secretary, not to be a real person!"
Her voice raised into a wail, and Tomoyo hugged her old friend,
trying to give her some comfort.
"Look, you're soaked. Did you run here through the snow?"
Sakura nodded.
"Here, get out of these sopping wet clothes and take a shower.
I'll set out a robe for you, and make some hot chocolate. Then we can
talk some more."
Sakura sniffled, and nodded. "Okay." She looked left and
right, confused.
Tomoyo gave a slight giggle. "Oh, right. This way." She led
her friend through her bedroom, and into the bath. "Here we go. You
can just drop your clothes into the laundroid."
Sakura had just walked through her large bedroom quietly, but
now spoke. "Are you married?"
Tomoyo shook her head as she set the shower to a warm
temperature. "No."
Sakura nodded, and Tomoyo left her to her shower.
There's something comforting about making hot chocolate, Tomoyo
always thought. Heating the milk, but making sure it didn't boil,
mixing the chocolate, and making sure it doesn't clump. It wasn't a
tea ceremony, but it was enough of something to do that it allowed
her to get her thoughts in order.
So, when Sakura shuffled out in one of Tomoyo's robes, Tomoyo
gave her a sunny smile and a mug, and brought her to her couch. A
moment, and the fireplace started up, a roaring fire warming the room.
"Now, who is this?"
Sakura took a sip of her chocolate milk, and sighed.
"Syaoran's office bought a bunch of bioroid secretaries two years
ago. They can't strike, they don't take nine months off to have
children, and they can legally be told to wear makeup."
Tomoyo nodded. Several companies were doing this, which
had been leading to a number of people losing their jobs. The
government was implementing educational programs to get the
ex-secretaries into new jobs, in fact.
"Well, I think... no, I know that Syaoran is having an
affair with his. She's stealing him away from me!"
"Are you sure?"
Sakura nodded emphatically. "I found lipstick stains."
"Well, that could be something innocent?" Tomoyo said
hopefully.
"On his underwear?"
"oh"
Sakura took a long pull of the chocolate.
"What's Syaoran doing at a corporation?"
Sakura sighed, and drank again. "The magic's gone away."
"What?"
"It started ten years ago. Magic stopped working so well.
It's always been fairly weak in America and Europe, but suddenly
China, Hong Kong and Japan started to fade as well. Kero said he
thought this had happened before - that that was the reason that he'd
been asleep in the book so long." She sighed. "That was before he
had to sleep again."
"I'm sorry."
"Without magic, we had to get normal jobs. He works at a
corporation, I do some photography. I started out modeling, but I'm
no longer able to compete with the looks of bioroids grown to look
glamorous."
Tomoyo nodded. Another strike against bioroids, from Sakura's
point of view.
"So we settled down to be normal, and things were fine for a
while. But lately he's been growing away, coming home very late. Not
wanting, you know, sex."
Tomoyo blushed slightly.
"I didn't want to think... but he is. And she is!"
Tomoyo put down her mug and gave Sakura a hug while she cried,
and they sat before the fire and Sakura let out all of the pain and
frustration she was feeling.
Later that night, Tomoyo realized that Sakura had fallen
asleep. She stood without waking her, shifted her to lay out on the
couch, and then went to get a blanket for her friend. As she tucked
Sakura in, the woman rolled over slightly. "Tomoyo, is it okay for me
to stay here tonight?"
"Of course."
Tomoyo expected to have a hard time sleeping that night, with
the focus of so much of her life sleeping in the next room, but found
that Sakura caused the opposite: The fact that she was not alone in
the apartment helped her fall asleep quickly.
A sleep that was interrupted by a gentle shake. Her eyes
opened, and she made out Sakura's shadow against the dim lights from
the window. "Sakura?"
"Can I sleep with you?"
Tomoyo nodded, not trusting her voice. She tried not to watch
Sakura as she peeled off her robe and climbed into bed, but caught
herself watching the reflection in a mirror.
There was a moment of absolute silence. And then Sakura's
hand touched her shoulder. "Tomoyo, do you still love me?"
Tomoyo bit her lip. "yes" It was barely a whisper.
"I need some love."
Tomoyo almost cried. This wasn't right. Sakura wasn't
turning to her out of love, but out of need, a reaction to what
Syaoran had done to her.
But she wasn't made out of stone, and when Sakura's hand
slid down to cup her right breast, she turned towards her and gave
her a kiss that contained two decades of pent-up desires.
It went on from there.
Tomoyo was tempted awake by the smell of bacon frying. Eyes
open, she tried to remember who could possibly be cooking for her,
but it came back in a rush when Sakura walked in, holding a bed tray
piled with breakfast.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Sakura was dressed in an old
Tokyo Giants T-Shirt that she must have found in Tomoyo's dresser,
and a pair of frayed jeans that Sumire must have left behind. Tomoyo
suppressed a brief spike of pain at the thought, and then sat up in
bed to eat. Sakura joined her on the bed, and they shared the plate
of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.
"Mmmm. That was pretty good, Sakura. When did you learn to
cook American food?"
Sakura laughed. "College. After a few years I had to wake
myself up, feed myself, and get to morning classes on time. And Dad
wasn't able to give me enough money to eat breakfast from restaurants
every morning."
"Weren't you able to eat in the dorms?"
"Well, yes, but I wasn't supposed to have guys in the dorm,
and after they caught me with Syaoran for the fourth time," Sakura's
voice trailed off.
"Sorry."
Sakura shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's not *your*
fault." She busied herself with picking up the breakfast dishes, and
took the mess back to the kitchen, letting Tomoyo get out of bed and
ready for the day.
Tomoyo later stepped out of her bedroom, still busy brushing
her long black hair. She caught Sakura looking at her photographs.
Sakura looked up. "Hey, your mom's still looking pretty good!"
"Oh, yes. She's still living at the old place."
"Who's this with you?" Sakura held up a larger picture.
Tomoyo didn't have to look long. "Oh," she sighed, "that's
Sumire. She used to live here with me."
Sakura blushed slightly, and looked at the picture. Sumire
was tall, with dirty brown hair, a cute but pugnacious face, and was
wearing a pair of muddy overalls over a violet shirt. She was
leaning against an equally muddy motorbike, and had a friendly arm
wrapped around Tomoyo, who didn't look like she minded the mud that
was getting on her clothes. "Where is she?"
Tomoyo sat on the couch, wishing briefly that it would
swallow her up. "She... she's been in the middle of moving out for
a few weeks. Yesterday, she finished."
Sakura saw Tomoyo's face, and put the picture back hastily.
"Oh god, Tomoyo, I'm sorry." She ran over and gave Tomoyo a tight
hug, burying her face into the girl's neck. "I'm so sorry."
Tomoyo drew in a ragged breath, and then let it out. "It's
okay. She was with me for eight months, almost."
"What happened?"
"I don't know," Tomoyo lied. Sumire had told her flat out
that she was tired of waiting for Tomoyo to stop dividing her love
between her and Sakura, but she didn't want to say that. "I'm okay."
She wasn't, but Sakura held her until she was better.
"All right," said Sakura, "this is getting entirely too morose.
We've got to go and get our minds off of this. What do you think?"
Tomoyo nodded, and thought about it. "How about we go out for
a walk?"
"In this weather?" Sakura pointed out the window. Although
the snow had stopped falling, the skies were still dark and snow
coated the sidewalks.
"I was thinking the National Conservatory. I'm a member in
good standing, and we'll have the place pretty much to ourselves
this early in the morning."
Sakura grinned, and grabbed her coat.
"You weren't kidding about being in good standing!" exclaimed
Sakura as the two of them walked through the Orchid Room. The
Conservatory wouldn't actually open for a few more hours, and from
time to time they encountered people working on the plants.
"Well, my mother keeps giving them a healthy donation every
year. She loves this place, both personally and for business
meetings." Tomoyo took a moment to smell the flower she was passing,
and then continued, "and I plan to follow her example." They walked
along for a few moments. "So, what have you been up to?"
Sakura nodded. "Well, after college Syaoran and myself
started traveling through Hong Kong and China, with his skills and
my magic. We had a number of adventures, until we started to notice
the magic fading. After that we had to return to Japan and get
real jobs."
"Must have reassured your father."
"Yeah. Sakura turned backwards to face Tomoyo, walking
backwards. "Syaoran got a good job at Sony, based on his ability
with languages. I started to get into modeling, with a hand from
my brother."
Tomoyo had seen Touya's pictures in various advertisements
for years. "And then into the photography end of the business?"
"Yeah. I was getting a bit old for modeling after a few
years, and the pay is a lot more dependable." She smiled. "I just
remembered everything you did back in high school, and I was fine.
Even then, you were helping me out."
"So, does it pay well? I thought of running off and doing
that for a living a few times back when I was in school."
"Pretty good. Quite often I bring home more than Syaoran."
Silence grew after the absent member of the trio was spoken,
as if he had somehow stepped onto the path with them. The two of
them continued along silently.
Sakura grew embarrassed, and tried to think of a new topic,
any new topic. "So, why did you leave us?" She winced, hearing
the words escape her mouth. Smooth, she chided herself.
"Do you remember the graduation party?" Tomoyo's voice was
even, as if she was talking about the price of a trinket.
Sakura nodded, blushing. "Uh, yeah."
"After that party, things went back to normal. It was you
and Syaoran together, and me following behind."
"But, I didn't want to shut you out!" Sakura's eyes
glimmered with unshed tears.
"It's okay, Sakura. I wanted the two of you together. I'd
hoped you would find someone. But, I'd been in love with you for
years."
"I know. I never knew what to do."
Tomoyo nodded, trying to reassure her friend. "After having
had you, though, I wasn't able to just sit there and watch you two
together. It was too much. So, I switched schools, and tried to
forget you." Unsuccessfully, she didn't add. Sakura had had a
presence in her life even after Tomoyo had tried to leave her behind.
Tomoyo stopped, and remembered Sumire from two weeks ago, the
girl pleading with her to drop this obsession with Sakura, although
Sumire hadn't known the girl's name. Sumire had only known that
there was something that Tomoyo was keeping between them. She had
demanded that Tomoyo choose between her and Sakura, and when Tomoyo
had not been able to, had left.
She looked up, and saw Sakura looking at her. Was Sakura
really willing to live with Tomoyo like this? Or was it just a
retreat that would end with Tomoyo being left behind again?
Or was the question this: Should Tomoyo try to take Sakura
away from a husband that at one time had dearly loved her, or should
she mend what she once helped build?
"Are you okay, Tomoyo?" Sakura looked a little worried.
Tomoyo nodded, and flashed a smile. "Yeah. Just my mind
wandering." A pause. "Sakura?"
"Mmmm?"
"Do you have any kids?"
Sakura shook her head. "No. We've tried," and here a blush
again crept across her face, "but Syaoran has a low sperm count."
The blush intensified, and Tomoyo could feel her own cheeks
reddening. "I guess that's a good thing, now."
Tomoyo bit her lip. Was it?
For lunch, they picked up some Chinese takeout, and took it
back to Tomoyo's apartment. As she drove, Tomoyo kept one eye on the
sidewalks, looking for a particular face.
A rush of warmth flooded her when she saw it. 'Good boy,' she
thought to herself as she saw Syaoran trudging along the sidewalk,
huddled in the warmth of his jacket as he searched the face of each
person he passed. 'You've come looking for her.'
They stepped into her apartment, and soon had the chicken lo
mein and pork dumplings spread out. Tomoyo waited until the meal
was over.
"Sakura, you and Syaoran belong together. I saw that back
when you two first became close. He used to make you happy, and vice
versa."
Sakura frowned. "If he wanted to make me happy, he wouldn't
have started an affair with that... artificial bitch!"
The slur echoed somewhat in the empty apartment.
Tomoyo took a deep breath. "I know. But, he was threatened,
I think."
"Threatened?" Sakura's voice was doubtful, almost scornful.
"First, he loses his magic, that his family has stressed the
importance of since he was two. Then he's not even as good at
supporting a family as you are. And on top of that, he's not even
as.. potent as he should be. Every step of the way, his masculinity
is eroded..."
Sakura's eyes widened for a moment. "But it's still his damn
fault!" she responded, her voice thick with anger.
Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, I know. But you've got to understand
what he's feeling. He's not sleeping with his secretary because he
doesn't love you. He's doing it because with her he is undisputedly
in charge, in control." She took her friend's hand in hers. "I'm
sure he still loves you deeply."
Sakura sighed, torn. "If he does, then where is he?"
The silence after her question was broken by the buzzing of
the security system. Tomoyo gave her friend's hand a squeeze, and
ran off to the door, flipping a switch to bring up the visitor's face,
without revealing her own.
Syaoran stood there, nervously looking around and twisting
one foot back and forth. Tomoyo let loose a breath that she hadn't
known she was holding in. "He's here."
Sakura ran over, and looked. "He's..." Her voice trailed
off. "I don't know what to do. I'm still angry at him, but I..."
She looked at Tomoyo. "And I don't want to lose you again!"
Tomoyo smiled. "You won't be. But we need to get you both
together again." She reached for the comm switch, and pressed it.
"Hello, Syaoran." She let her voice carry a faint rebuke.
The man jumped, and spun to face the screen. "Ah, Tomoyo!
Is Sakura here?"
"She is."
"I, I need to see her. I need to apologize. I'm an idiot..."
Tomoyo cut him off. "Come on up, then. Top floor." She
pressed the door release button.
Syaoran jumped at the sound of the door's buzzer, and jerked
it open and ran through, quickly leaving the camera's field of
vision. Tomoyo turned off the console, and turned to see Sakura
looking apprehensive.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know what to do!"
Tomoyo walked over and gave Sakura a quick hug. "What do you
want to do?"
"Hit him!"
Tomoyo took a step back and looked at her seriously.
"Really?"
"Well, no." Sakura sighed, and then went rigid when a knock
came on the door. "WhatDoIDo?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Why don't you go wait in another
room until you're ready?"
Sakura disappeared into Tomoyo's bedroom, slamming the door
behind her. But Tomoyo noticed the door swinging slightly open as
she walked to let Syaoran in.
Tomoyo opened the door, and smiled at Syaoran. "Good
evening."
He looked about. "Is the entire floor yours?"
Tomoyo stepped back, holding the door open. "Come on in.
Yes, it's all mine."
Syaoran stepped in, and looked around. "Where's Sakura?"
"She's waiting. I want to talk to you first. Would you like
something to drink?"
"A beer?" Syaoran wilted somewhat, and went to sit on the
couch.
Tomoyo nodded, and went to the kitchen. Returning with a
beer and a glass of water, she set them down on her glass coffee
table and sat in a chair facing Syaoran.
For a moment, they just sat there: Tomoyo getting her thoughts
in order, and Syaoran dreading what would come next.
"Do you love her?"
Tomoyo's voice was so faint, that at first Syaoran wasn't sure
he hadn't imagined it. "Yes!"
"Then why?"
Syaoran flinched at Tomoyo's raised voice. "I dunno." He
looked up from the floor and saw Tomoyo glaring at him, sweet Tomoyo
who never hurt a fly, and felt fear creeping up his spine.
"Do not give me 'I dunno'," Tomoyo's voice mocked his reply,
"Syaoran. I want answers."
A few more seconds of Tomoyo's piercing glare, and his eyes
slid back to the floor. "I'm not a man anymore." A glance upwards
showed that Tomoyo was expecting slightly more. "I used to be one.
But now Sakura earns more money than I could hope to bring in, I
don't have any magic anymore, I can't even give her a son... what
good am I? I wanted to feel like I was important again."
"And your secretary does that?"
Syaoran felt his skin flush. "She has to do what I tell her.
I didn't want to hurt anyone..."
Tomoyo sighed. Syaoran would have to be shown that his
secretary, as artificial as she was, was actually a person - but
that would have to wait until later. "Why didn't you just tell
Sakura?"
Syaoran's eyes widened. "Tell her I was having sex with my
secretary?"
Tomoyo felt a momentary urge to throw her glass at his head.
"No. About how you felt. About what you needed."
Syaoran looked at the floor again. "I... I couldn't."
"Not manly enough?"
Syaoran's eyes met Tomoyo's in anger, and then in
resignation. "Yeah." His voice was so soft that Tomoyo was afraid
it hadn't reached the bedroom, but when she saw the door slowly
opening further she knew it had.
"She still loves you, Syaoran. But you're really going to
have to change some things if you want your marriage to work."
Tomoyo saw Sakura step out, and nod to her. "Are you willing to
do that?"
Syaoran nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, oh god yes!"
Tomoyo smiled, and pointed over his shoulder. "Sakura's here."
Syaoran turned, freezing for just a second as he saw his wife
standing across the room from him. He scrambled across the couch and
ran to her, at the last minute dropping to his knees and hugging her
around the legs. "Oh god, Darling, I'm so sorry. So sorry... please
forgive me. I love you." He felt Sakura's hand on his head, and
looked up, tears blurring his view.
"I love you too. I'm still pretty mad, Li Syaoran, but I
love you." Sakura pulled her husband onto his feet, and hugged him
close.
Tomoyo walked up to them, and put a hand on their shoulders.
"You two have a lot to talk about. Why don't you stay here? There's
food in the fridge, and by the phone there's a number of take out
places that I've got an account with."
Sakura blinked. "But what about you?"
Tomoyo grinned. "I've got someplace else I need to go." She
left them there, and packed a small suitcase. Coming back into the
foyer, she found them still embracing, and the three shared a blush
as the couple broke off a kiss. "Listen to me, both of you.
Anything worth having requires work to get it, and relationships
aren't any different from anything else. Work at this, for me if not
for each other, okay?"
"Tomoyo," Sakura whispered, her eyes tearing up.
"Don't cry for me, Sakura. I'll be fine, now." Tomoyo
kissed her forehead, dropped the extra pair of keys into Syaoran's
hand, and walked out the door.
Sumire walked down the hallway to her apartment, the sight of
the corridor still new enough to her to draw her attention. Her back
hurt, her legs hurt, and her feet hurt: the Tokyo to Las Angeles
flight was always a lot of work, and she was glad to get back home.
She hoped desperately that she'd had the forethought to unpack the
foot massager that Tomoyo had given her already, because she needed
it.
Which is why she didn't notice the gift until she arrived at
her door. There was a single red rose taped to her door, with no note
attached. She searched the floor briefly, but it didn't seem to have
fallen off, so she shrugged, took the rose, and then unlocked and
opened her door.
With a flick of the switch, lights sprung on in her
apartment's brief hallway, and she gasped softly. Every horizontal
surface above the floor in her apartment seemed to be covered with
vases of roses, dozens upon dozens of them crowding the walls. The
fragrance of the flowers was strong, and then she realized that
there was a thick carpet of rose petals leading from her door to her
bedroom.
She slipped off her shoes and stepped on the rose petals,
feeling the softness caress her aching feet. The door shut behind
her, she silently went to her bedroom door, pushing it open.
She did not need to turn on any lights here. Her bedroom
shared the rose bouquets with space cleared for nearly two dozen
candles, each of them burning and shining light on her small bed.
On the bed lay her ex-girlfriend Tomoyo, nude except for a layer of
rose petals providing scant cover. "Tomoyo?"
The woman's eyes opened, although Sumire was sure that she
had heard when the door had opened.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry. I treated your horribly because I was still
infatuated with someone else, and I deserved you walking out on me
like that. But I want to try again, if you'll have me."
Sumire's eyes narrowed. "And how do I know that you won't be
mooning after that.. that..."
"Sakura," Tomoyo volunteered.
"That Sakura?"
Tomoyo nodded. "While you were gone, she came to see me.
And while she was there with me, all I could think of... was you."
Sumire felt herself smile.
"And since I've given her and her husband use of my house, I
had to come here, didn't I?"
Sumire sat down next to Tomoyo. "Thank you for the roses."
"Well?"
"All right. I'll give you another chance."
Tomoyo gave a cry of joy, wrapped her arms around Sumire, and
kissed her. And soon there were many cries of joy, and of love.
Sakura and Syaoran did indeed heal their marriage, although
she did make sure that all of his future bioroid secretaries were
male. Tomoyo and Sumire were wed a year later in a small private
ceremony attended by her aged mother, Sakura, Syaoran, and Sumire's
older brother. And they all lived very happily, although Sumire
kept making fun of Tomoyo's habit of taping her all of the time, to
which Tomoyo only said "I have a lot of tapes that now need to be
filled... with you."
THE END