Tomoe
(To My Only Friend)
--
Tomoyo picked up the phone, resting her arm over her book to keep its place.
"Moshi-moshi? Oh, konnichiwa Sakura-chan! Kero-chan ate the cookies Syaoran-kun made for you? He does eat way too many sweets, does he brush his teeth enough? ...a picnic?
Tomoyo looked at her watch, Sakura's smiling face shining from between the hands which said "7:00."
"Don't you think it's too late in the day?"
Sakura laughed, her voice slightly obscured by Tomoyo's mother's cell phone. "Come on Tomoyo, it's summer and the sun is setting very late. We're having yakisoba. Besides, school starts back up in three days and we should enjoy the last of vacation. Meiling-chan said she didn't feel like coming, and if you don't come it will just be me and Syaoron-kun..."
Tomoyo smiled at Sakura's slight nervousness, as she hadn't seen Syaoron-kun since the capture of the Void Card. She was nowhere near as nervous, however, as she would have been about a week ago. Tomoyo knew Meiling wasn't coming for a reason, not just because she had something to do. Meiling was that sort of person. Anyway, Sakura did seem very happy under the nervousness...happy Syaoron had agreed to come, maybe?
"I can come, Sakura-chan. Oneesan and I made a cake yesterday, is it all right if I bring it? Is Kero coming?"
"Arigatou Tomoyo-chan! Kero isn't coming, I think he's in a bakery window somewhere eating danishes. Better not to disturb him. The picnic is in the playground where we always swing, near the elementary school.
"Hai, Sakura-chan. I'll come over right now! Ja ne!"
"Ja ne, Tomoyo-chan!" She hung up.
Tomoyo bookmarked page 114 of "Useful Video Making Tips," lifted her camera from its familiar resting place next to her bed, and walked down two flights of stairs to her kitchen.
"Oneesan, I'm at the playground near the school having a picnic with Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun. I will be back before eight thirty. I have taken the cake we made a while ago. Kero-chan hasn't snuck in and eaten it again. I hope you have had good luck at your meeting today! Keigu, Tomoyo"
Tomoyo wrote a quick note to her mother and took the cake from the fridge. She walked outside into the warm late August air, and opened the black iron gates, trying to balance the cake on top of the camera and open the gate at the same time. She walked to the playground. The sun was in that beautiful position a while before it sets, when it tinged everything in a slight red quality. It would compliment Ruby Moon's hair very well had she been here, thought Tomoyo.
She pieced together costume ideas for Ruby Moon (and a very cute pink costume for Supi-chan) as she walked, and eventually she reached the playground.
--
Sakura and Syaoran had already spread out the red gingham picnic blanket over the sandbox. Apparently they were waiting for her, as all they had out was Lamune soda. Tomoyo waved.
"Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan! Konnichiwa, Syaoran-kun!" She set the cake down on the edge of the sandbox, next to Sakura's picnic basket.
"Konnichiwa, Tomoyo-chan!"
"Konnichiwa, Daidouji-chan."
They opened the yakisoba, Syaoran serving it, and talked about school and things like that. Would Yamazaki lie more in sixth grade or seventh grade? Oh no, Sakura had lost her school skirt over vacation. (Tomoyo could make her another one.) Whether Yamazaki had any powers....after all, he HAD been strangled more than twenty times and never even been hospitalized. Tomoyo got lots of great Sakura moments on tape, and one or two perfect Sakura and Syaoran moments. Sakura passing the bowl of yakisoba to Syaoran, their hands touching and their faces going bright red, for one. The redness was enhanced by the great effect of the sun on their faces, Tomoyo taped the entire thing. It was easily her best movie yet.
Things really hadn't changed a whole lot.
The sun was beginning to set, and they finished dinner and opened the cake. Sakura took out some strawberry Pocky sticks, and Tomoyo got some great "Sakura eating strawberry Pocky" footage. As usual, Sakura blushed a bit when she was being taped. Tomoyo cut three pieces of cake, and they sat eating the cake in the twilight, Sakura and Syaoran's faces tinted light blue from the setting sun.
"Tomoyo-chan, do you have the time?" asked Sakura.
Tomoyo looked at her watch. Sakura's face looked out. "Eight o'clock."
"...Hoe? EIGHT? I told Otosan I'd be home at 7:45 and it's a fifteen minute walk to my house! I'd better go now."
Sakura hurriedly put the empty yakisoba dish and the unopened Pocky in the basket and folded it up.
"I'm sorry I have to leave so early! Please finish dessert, don't let me leaving make you leave too! Gomen ne!!!"
Sakura took the basket and stood up.
"Ja ne minna! Syaoran-kun, could you bring the blanket to me in school next week?"
"...Hai." Syaoran blushed softly. It was too dark to use the camera, or she would have caught every millisecond.
"..." Syaoran seemed to be grasping for something to say. He quickly picked up an empty Pocky bag from the dirt. He slowly reached up, embarrassed.
"You shouldn't litter." Their hands touched a bit, and they both went crimson and smiled. Sakura seemed reluctant to leave, but she took the Pocky bag and put it inside the basket.
"Sayonara Syaoran, Tomoyo! See you in school!" She ran, bouncing, in the direction of her house. Tomoyo was reminded of something she'd said to Sakura a long, long time ago.
[If the one you love is happy, you can be happy too.]
Syaoran sat still on the sandbox edge. Tomoyo quickly looked away. Everything seemed to turn a dark, dark blue. Her hair covered her face, and she heard Syaoran lifting the plates from the picnic blanket, cake forgotten. She ate the strawberry from her slice, and absentmindedly folded the plastic wrap back over the cake to take home to her mother. She thought of the wonderful Sakura and Syaoran footage she had gotten. She thought of how cute they were together.
[..you can be happy too.]
She felt lonely for some reason and she didn't know why. It had been one of the best days for a picnic in her life, and it had been so fun seeing her friends again. Sakura had seemed so happy sitting next to Syaoran, passing the yakisoba, Tomoyo had even asked Syaoran to pass it to her because he would need to hand it to Sakura to get it where she was sitting. She wished it could stay that way. That after they were married with children, he would still smile at her, and blush when she touched his hand. And give her presents, and make her cookies and scarves and candy.
Cookies, and scarves. Candy, fruity candy like the candy she and Sakura had made once a long time ago. That when they invited her over, and she gave them the photos she'd taken of them together, they'd put them on their wall and look at them and laugh and smile. They'd give each other bears every single Valentine's Day, and remember each one by name and keep them around their room, so when you walked in you'd see about sixteen bears everywhere.
That they'd never fight, even after their children had been born. Only small, insignificant quarrels, and a few hours after them Syaoran would show up with flowers, hug her, and say "I love you. Let's not fight anymore," or something like that. That they'd eat yakisoba together and think back to today and say "I remember when we were just starting seventh grade, we had a picnic with Tomoyo..." They'd still buy each other bears, and not think anything of it when the forty bears they had in their room began to cover the desk, the bed, the chair, the bookshelves, the bureau...
[...happy too.]
A tear blinked its way out of her eye, hidden by her extensive hair. She tried to swallow and look busy cleaning.
"Syaoran. Do you love Sakura?" The words seemed to spill out of her mouth, she had never meant to say them, that was so scary, it was as if they had been hiding under her tongue for soso long and oh my god, kami...
"Hai..." Tomoyo didn't look up. "Um...why?" Syaoran was obviously crimson, why was she making him go through this, she was so mean...
"...Don't...make her cry." Two more tears flowed down her cheek. "...take care of her. make her cookies. Don't love anyone else. Promise me."
"Daidouji? Are you all right?" There was a slight bit of concern in his voice. She remembered when Sakura cried, he hugged her and told her it was okay. In a cloak of self-pity, she was sure nobody would ever do the same for her. Nobody would love her like she loved Sakura.
"Of course I'm all right," she said with a slight quiver in her voice. She wrapped up the cake, and picked up her camera. Her steps rung across the empty playground, echoing like it was a huge, empty wooden room.
"..." said Syaoran.
Tomoyo kept walking. When she arrived at her house, she opened the iron gates and saw that lights were on -- her mother was back from her meeting. She walked around to the back of the house, and opened her camera.
The tape was in it. She opened the dumpster.
Her hand hovered there for about a minute, and she jumped at a voice behind her.
"Mistress Daidouji? Mistress?" A butler. "Your mother, Mistress Sonomi, has been looking for you. It's past eight thirty."
"Oh...Okay. Arigatou." Embarrassed at throwing something away in a dirty dumpster when she was rich with butlers to take her trash away, she quickly put the tape back in her camera and walked into her house.
It was full of light, and her mother immediatley swept down on her asking where she was, what happened, and were you sure three people could eat such a big cake or was Kero-chan there too?
The air was cooler than outside. She smiled, only forcing it a little bit, and set down the cake on the kitchen counter.
[Really.]
--
A/N: Corny, yes. Please review. If you review, I will be very happy. Here's a little list of Japanese words I used.
Tomoe - The title of the fic, it means "To my only friend."
Konnichiwa - Hello.
Ja ne - Goodbye.
Oneesan - Mom.
Otosan - Dad.
Yakusoku - Promise
Moshi-moshi - What you say on the phone to mean hello.
Hai - Yes
Minna - everyone
Gomen ne - Sorry
Keigu - What you say in a letter to mean Bye.
Arigatou - Thank you
Yakisoba - Soba noodles with chicken. Very yummy.
Pocky - Sweet pretzel sticks dipped in flavored mousse. Very yummy, a popular snack in Japan. Order them from www.jlist.com.
again, review!
(To My Only Friend)
--
Tomoyo picked up the phone, resting her arm over her book to keep its place.
"Moshi-moshi? Oh, konnichiwa Sakura-chan! Kero-chan ate the cookies Syaoran-kun made for you? He does eat way too many sweets, does he brush his teeth enough? ...a picnic?
Tomoyo looked at her watch, Sakura's smiling face shining from between the hands which said "7:00."
"Don't you think it's too late in the day?"
Sakura laughed, her voice slightly obscured by Tomoyo's mother's cell phone. "Come on Tomoyo, it's summer and the sun is setting very late. We're having yakisoba. Besides, school starts back up in three days and we should enjoy the last of vacation. Meiling-chan said she didn't feel like coming, and if you don't come it will just be me and Syaoron-kun..."
Tomoyo smiled at Sakura's slight nervousness, as she hadn't seen Syaoron-kun since the capture of the Void Card. She was nowhere near as nervous, however, as she would have been about a week ago. Tomoyo knew Meiling wasn't coming for a reason, not just because she had something to do. Meiling was that sort of person. Anyway, Sakura did seem very happy under the nervousness...happy Syaoron had agreed to come, maybe?
"I can come, Sakura-chan. Oneesan and I made a cake yesterday, is it all right if I bring it? Is Kero coming?"
"Arigatou Tomoyo-chan! Kero isn't coming, I think he's in a bakery window somewhere eating danishes. Better not to disturb him. The picnic is in the playground where we always swing, near the elementary school.
"Hai, Sakura-chan. I'll come over right now! Ja ne!"
"Ja ne, Tomoyo-chan!" She hung up.
Tomoyo bookmarked page 114 of "Useful Video Making Tips," lifted her camera from its familiar resting place next to her bed, and walked down two flights of stairs to her kitchen.
"Oneesan, I'm at the playground near the school having a picnic with Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun. I will be back before eight thirty. I have taken the cake we made a while ago. Kero-chan hasn't snuck in and eaten it again. I hope you have had good luck at your meeting today! Keigu, Tomoyo"
Tomoyo wrote a quick note to her mother and took the cake from the fridge. She walked outside into the warm late August air, and opened the black iron gates, trying to balance the cake on top of the camera and open the gate at the same time. She walked to the playground. The sun was in that beautiful position a while before it sets, when it tinged everything in a slight red quality. It would compliment Ruby Moon's hair very well had she been here, thought Tomoyo.
She pieced together costume ideas for Ruby Moon (and a very cute pink costume for Supi-chan) as she walked, and eventually she reached the playground.
--
Sakura and Syaoran had already spread out the red gingham picnic blanket over the sandbox. Apparently they were waiting for her, as all they had out was Lamune soda. Tomoyo waved.
"Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan! Konnichiwa, Syaoran-kun!" She set the cake down on the edge of the sandbox, next to Sakura's picnic basket.
"Konnichiwa, Tomoyo-chan!"
"Konnichiwa, Daidouji-chan."
They opened the yakisoba, Syaoran serving it, and talked about school and things like that. Would Yamazaki lie more in sixth grade or seventh grade? Oh no, Sakura had lost her school skirt over vacation. (Tomoyo could make her another one.) Whether Yamazaki had any powers....after all, he HAD been strangled more than twenty times and never even been hospitalized. Tomoyo got lots of great Sakura moments on tape, and one or two perfect Sakura and Syaoran moments. Sakura passing the bowl of yakisoba to Syaoran, their hands touching and their faces going bright red, for one. The redness was enhanced by the great effect of the sun on their faces, Tomoyo taped the entire thing. It was easily her best movie yet.
Things really hadn't changed a whole lot.
The sun was beginning to set, and they finished dinner and opened the cake. Sakura took out some strawberry Pocky sticks, and Tomoyo got some great "Sakura eating strawberry Pocky" footage. As usual, Sakura blushed a bit when she was being taped. Tomoyo cut three pieces of cake, and they sat eating the cake in the twilight, Sakura and Syaoran's faces tinted light blue from the setting sun.
"Tomoyo-chan, do you have the time?" asked Sakura.
Tomoyo looked at her watch. Sakura's face looked out. "Eight o'clock."
"...Hoe? EIGHT? I told Otosan I'd be home at 7:45 and it's a fifteen minute walk to my house! I'd better go now."
Sakura hurriedly put the empty yakisoba dish and the unopened Pocky in the basket and folded it up.
"I'm sorry I have to leave so early! Please finish dessert, don't let me leaving make you leave too! Gomen ne!!!"
Sakura took the basket and stood up.
"Ja ne minna! Syaoran-kun, could you bring the blanket to me in school next week?"
"...Hai." Syaoran blushed softly. It was too dark to use the camera, or she would have caught every millisecond.
"..." Syaoran seemed to be grasping for something to say. He quickly picked up an empty Pocky bag from the dirt. He slowly reached up, embarrassed.
"You shouldn't litter." Their hands touched a bit, and they both went crimson and smiled. Sakura seemed reluctant to leave, but she took the Pocky bag and put it inside the basket.
"Sayonara Syaoran, Tomoyo! See you in school!" She ran, bouncing, in the direction of her house. Tomoyo was reminded of something she'd said to Sakura a long, long time ago.
[If the one you love is happy, you can be happy too.]
Syaoran sat still on the sandbox edge. Tomoyo quickly looked away. Everything seemed to turn a dark, dark blue. Her hair covered her face, and she heard Syaoran lifting the plates from the picnic blanket, cake forgotten. She ate the strawberry from her slice, and absentmindedly folded the plastic wrap back over the cake to take home to her mother. She thought of the wonderful Sakura and Syaoran footage she had gotten. She thought of how cute they were together.
[..you can be happy too.]
She felt lonely for some reason and she didn't know why. It had been one of the best days for a picnic in her life, and it had been so fun seeing her friends again. Sakura had seemed so happy sitting next to Syaoran, passing the yakisoba, Tomoyo had even asked Syaoran to pass it to her because he would need to hand it to Sakura to get it where she was sitting. She wished it could stay that way. That after they were married with children, he would still smile at her, and blush when she touched his hand. And give her presents, and make her cookies and scarves and candy.
Cookies, and scarves. Candy, fruity candy like the candy she and Sakura had made once a long time ago. That when they invited her over, and she gave them the photos she'd taken of them together, they'd put them on their wall and look at them and laugh and smile. They'd give each other bears every single Valentine's Day, and remember each one by name and keep them around their room, so when you walked in you'd see about sixteen bears everywhere.
That they'd never fight, even after their children had been born. Only small, insignificant quarrels, and a few hours after them Syaoran would show up with flowers, hug her, and say "I love you. Let's not fight anymore," or something like that. That they'd eat yakisoba together and think back to today and say "I remember when we were just starting seventh grade, we had a picnic with Tomoyo..." They'd still buy each other bears, and not think anything of it when the forty bears they had in their room began to cover the desk, the bed, the chair, the bookshelves, the bureau...
[...happy too.]
A tear blinked its way out of her eye, hidden by her extensive hair. She tried to swallow and look busy cleaning.
"Syaoran. Do you love Sakura?" The words seemed to spill out of her mouth, she had never meant to say them, that was so scary, it was as if they had been hiding under her tongue for soso long and oh my god, kami...
"Hai..." Tomoyo didn't look up. "Um...why?" Syaoran was obviously crimson, why was she making him go through this, she was so mean...
"...Don't...make her cry." Two more tears flowed down her cheek. "...take care of her. make her cookies. Don't love anyone else. Promise me."
"Daidouji? Are you all right?" There was a slight bit of concern in his voice. She remembered when Sakura cried, he hugged her and told her it was okay. In a cloak of self-pity, she was sure nobody would ever do the same for her. Nobody would love her like she loved Sakura.
"Of course I'm all right," she said with a slight quiver in her voice. She wrapped up the cake, and picked up her camera. Her steps rung across the empty playground, echoing like it was a huge, empty wooden room.
"..." said Syaoran.
Tomoyo kept walking. When she arrived at her house, she opened the iron gates and saw that lights were on -- her mother was back from her meeting. She walked around to the back of the house, and opened her camera.
The tape was in it. She opened the dumpster.
Her hand hovered there for about a minute, and she jumped at a voice behind her.
"Mistress Daidouji? Mistress?" A butler. "Your mother, Mistress Sonomi, has been looking for you. It's past eight thirty."
"Oh...Okay. Arigatou." Embarrassed at throwing something away in a dirty dumpster when she was rich with butlers to take her trash away, she quickly put the tape back in her camera and walked into her house.
It was full of light, and her mother immediatley swept down on her asking where she was, what happened, and were you sure three people could eat such a big cake or was Kero-chan there too?
The air was cooler than outside. She smiled, only forcing it a little bit, and set down the cake on the kitchen counter.
[Really.]
--
A/N: Corny, yes. Please review. If you review, I will be very happy. Here's a little list of Japanese words I used.
Tomoe - The title of the fic, it means "To my only friend."
Konnichiwa - Hello.
Ja ne - Goodbye.
Oneesan - Mom.
Otosan - Dad.
Yakusoku - Promise
Moshi-moshi - What you say on the phone to mean hello.
Hai - Yes
Minna - everyone
Gomen ne - Sorry
Keigu - What you say in a letter to mean Bye.
Arigatou - Thank you
Yakisoba - Soba noodles with chicken. Very yummy.
Pocky - Sweet pretzel sticks dipped in flavored mousse. Very yummy, a popular snack in Japan. Order them from www.jlist.com.
again, review!
