"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo came running up to Sakura, her arms full
of packages and books. "Wait, wait!" Sakura stopped as she made her way
down the road from the school, turning around.
"Slow down, Tomoyo!" she called, but it was too late. In her haste, Tomoyo tripped over a crack in the road, and went sprawling headfirst before her friend. "Ahhh."
"Hoe! Tomoyo, are you all right?" Kneeling down, Sakura reached out a hand to help Tomoyo up.
"Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine, thank you. Sorry." Scrambling to her knees, Tomoyo began to collect up her fallen things. Sakura helped, piling the many packages on top of each other, and handing them to Tomoyo.
"What is all this?" she asked, as she worked.
"It's for you!" Smiling widely, Tomoyo thrust the stacked parcels back at Sakura, who dazedly accepted them.
"What.all of them?" Blinking, Sakura stumbled back and forth, trying to balance the weight of her many gifts. "But.Tomoyo-chan."
"It's your birthday, isn't it?" Collecting up her schoolbooks, Tomoyo stood, still smiling. "And you're my best friend. So I'm giving you presents. What's wrong with that?"
"You're giving me so many!" Sakura exclaimed, trying not to sound ungrateful. "I mean, thank you.thank you so much, but.did you spend a lot of money? Please say you didn't, it's not worth it."
"It is," was all Tomoyo said. Then, "Can I come to your house? I'm not doing anything, and tomorrow is the weekend. We can celebrate!"
Shaking her head in exasperation, Sakura smiled. "Of course, Tomoyo-chan. You're always welcome to come home with me. And tonight, daddy is making me a special birthday dinner. He hasn't said what it is yet, but I'm there will be enough for all. But.can I open some of these first? They might be easier to carry, then."
Leaving the road, Tomoyo and Sakura found a bench outside a little shop, and sat down. Sakura took the first present off the pile and began to pull off the wrapping. It turned out to be a little basket of chocolates, covered with little heart and flower stickers.
"I made them myself," Tomoyo commented with pride.
The next few were all little things, little handmade necklaces, and a bottle of perfume. The perfume looked like it had been expensive, and Sakura wanted to comment, but Tomoyo just looked so happy, that she couldn't really find the words to do so. Resignedly, she picked up the largest parcel, and began to carefully peel away the paper, careful not to damage what was inside.
Giving an appreciative gasp, Sakura reached in and pulled out a shimmery, gossamer thing, that ran through her fingers smoothly as she held it up before her. Unfolding it, she shook it out, and saw that it was a beautiful dress, undoubtedly also of Tomoyo's own creation. It was a delicate cream color, tied with red ribbons around the waist and hem.
Tomoyo sighed as well, satisfied. "Do you like it?" She asked, when Sakura couldn't seem to find a way to say anything. "It took so long to make.but it will look so cute on you! You can wear it for our birthday celebration!"
"Ahhh, Tomoyo." Unable to express her gratitude, Sakura threw her arms around her friend.
"There, there," Tomoyo said, patting Sakura's head. "You're welcome. Now, we'd best get home, right? Then we can see how it looks on you!"
Hand in hand, the two girls set off on their rollerblades for the Kinomoto residence. Sakura couldn't help remember the countless times she and Tomoyo had gone home this way, and how Touya and Yukito had almost always been waiting there with her father. Touya would help make dinner, and Yukito would help finish eating it. They'd all been a sort of extended family together, Touya, Fujitaka, Yukito, Tomoyo, and herself. Now that Touya and his friend were gone, it just wasn't quite right.
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo's voice broke through her reverie. "Are you quite all right? You look sad."
"It's nothing," Sakura responded, with a little smile. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?" Tomoyo cocked her head to one side and regarded her friend. "It's not good to be sad on your birthday."
"I'm not sad," Sakura said, but left it at that. She trusted Tomoyo, and she'd always been able to talk to her. Still, she wasn't quite sure how to express her thoughts correctly. Tomoyo seemed to accept that, because she didn't continue with her queries, but simply smiled, and nodded, and looked ahead as they made their way up the driveway and towards the door.
"Daddy, I'm home!" Sakura called, kneeling down to take off her skates. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, and, dropping her skates into a corner, looked up, smiling.
"Hi Dad...dy." Trailing off, Sakura widened her eyes, as Tomoyo gave a little surprised, "Oh."
"Sakura-chan," smiled Tsukishiro Yukito, bending down to help her up. "Happy Birthday!"
"Yeah," Kinomoto Touya agreed, grinning widely from the threshold to the kitchen. "Ditto."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Seated at the table, a few minutes later, Sakura's mouth was still partially hanging open.
"I had nothing to do with it," Fujitaka insisted, beaming at his son. "They just showed up on our doorstep."
"Forgive us for intruding," Yukito said, with a small bow. Fujitaka waved his hand in dismissal.
"Of course, it's no intrusion. It's good to see you both. And you, Tomoyo, sorry, I haven't greeted you properly yet." It was Fujitaka's turn to bow.
"It's not a problem," Tomoyo said complacently.
"H-how long will you be staying?" Sakura said finally, looking over at Touya.
He shrugged, and glanced at Yuki, whose just smiled. "I don't know. A few days, at least. But enough about us. It's Sakura-chan's birthday celebration!" Digging in to his food, he winked over at the birthday girl.
"Yeah," Touya agreed. "Let's eat!"
* * * * * *
Late that night, not everyone in the house was asleep. Kerberos perched, in his smaller form, on the railing downstairs, talking to a tall, silver- haired figure.
"Why now, Yue? I thought everything was going smoothly," he said, sounding troubled.
Yue snorted. "It's not," he replied curtly. "I gave her as long as I could. I assumed she would need some time to recuperate. But then, Tsukishiro wished to come here, and I decided not to dissuade him."
"What's the problem then?" Kero fidgeted with his paws as he spoke, worrying, despite himself. Yue's visits, rare enough as they were, were not usually filled with good tidings. "And, as before, why now?"
"I don't know 'why now,'" the humanoid replied, irritated. "It's impossible to avoid it any more. The girl has to know. She fought and obtained the original set of Clow Cards at the age of ten. Today is her sixteenth birthday, and she's certainly old enough to deal with whatever they throw at her. Besides," and he drew himself up, "She's not alone."
"True," murmured Kero, with a little sigh. "I suppose a six-year respite is enough."
Chuckling darkly, Yue nodded. "Undoubtedly. The girl probably needs some excitement in her life."
There was a pause, and then Kero looked up, a puzzled look on his face. "Snow rabbit wanted to come here? Why? I'd think it was Touya who'd be eager to see his family again."
"He was," Yue agreed. "But Tsukishiro missed the girl."
"Oh. Well." And that was all that was said between them that night. But Kero couldn't help feeling a little foreboding about the whole thing. He wasn't even sure why, or where it came from. It was perfectly natural for old friends to wish to see each other again, wasn't it?
So what was wrong?
"Slow down, Tomoyo!" she called, but it was too late. In her haste, Tomoyo tripped over a crack in the road, and went sprawling headfirst before her friend. "Ahhh."
"Hoe! Tomoyo, are you all right?" Kneeling down, Sakura reached out a hand to help Tomoyo up.
"Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine, thank you. Sorry." Scrambling to her knees, Tomoyo began to collect up her fallen things. Sakura helped, piling the many packages on top of each other, and handing them to Tomoyo.
"What is all this?" she asked, as she worked.
"It's for you!" Smiling widely, Tomoyo thrust the stacked parcels back at Sakura, who dazedly accepted them.
"What.all of them?" Blinking, Sakura stumbled back and forth, trying to balance the weight of her many gifts. "But.Tomoyo-chan."
"It's your birthday, isn't it?" Collecting up her schoolbooks, Tomoyo stood, still smiling. "And you're my best friend. So I'm giving you presents. What's wrong with that?"
"You're giving me so many!" Sakura exclaimed, trying not to sound ungrateful. "I mean, thank you.thank you so much, but.did you spend a lot of money? Please say you didn't, it's not worth it."
"It is," was all Tomoyo said. Then, "Can I come to your house? I'm not doing anything, and tomorrow is the weekend. We can celebrate!"
Shaking her head in exasperation, Sakura smiled. "Of course, Tomoyo-chan. You're always welcome to come home with me. And tonight, daddy is making me a special birthday dinner. He hasn't said what it is yet, but I'm there will be enough for all. But.can I open some of these first? They might be easier to carry, then."
Leaving the road, Tomoyo and Sakura found a bench outside a little shop, and sat down. Sakura took the first present off the pile and began to pull off the wrapping. It turned out to be a little basket of chocolates, covered with little heart and flower stickers.
"I made them myself," Tomoyo commented with pride.
The next few were all little things, little handmade necklaces, and a bottle of perfume. The perfume looked like it had been expensive, and Sakura wanted to comment, but Tomoyo just looked so happy, that she couldn't really find the words to do so. Resignedly, she picked up the largest parcel, and began to carefully peel away the paper, careful not to damage what was inside.
Giving an appreciative gasp, Sakura reached in and pulled out a shimmery, gossamer thing, that ran through her fingers smoothly as she held it up before her. Unfolding it, she shook it out, and saw that it was a beautiful dress, undoubtedly also of Tomoyo's own creation. It was a delicate cream color, tied with red ribbons around the waist and hem.
Tomoyo sighed as well, satisfied. "Do you like it?" She asked, when Sakura couldn't seem to find a way to say anything. "It took so long to make.but it will look so cute on you! You can wear it for our birthday celebration!"
"Ahhh, Tomoyo." Unable to express her gratitude, Sakura threw her arms around her friend.
"There, there," Tomoyo said, patting Sakura's head. "You're welcome. Now, we'd best get home, right? Then we can see how it looks on you!"
Hand in hand, the two girls set off on their rollerblades for the Kinomoto residence. Sakura couldn't help remember the countless times she and Tomoyo had gone home this way, and how Touya and Yukito had almost always been waiting there with her father. Touya would help make dinner, and Yukito would help finish eating it. They'd all been a sort of extended family together, Touya, Fujitaka, Yukito, Tomoyo, and herself. Now that Touya and his friend were gone, it just wasn't quite right.
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo's voice broke through her reverie. "Are you quite all right? You look sad."
"It's nothing," Sakura responded, with a little smile. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?" Tomoyo cocked her head to one side and regarded her friend. "It's not good to be sad on your birthday."
"I'm not sad," Sakura said, but left it at that. She trusted Tomoyo, and she'd always been able to talk to her. Still, she wasn't quite sure how to express her thoughts correctly. Tomoyo seemed to accept that, because she didn't continue with her queries, but simply smiled, and nodded, and looked ahead as they made their way up the driveway and towards the door.
"Daddy, I'm home!" Sakura called, kneeling down to take off her skates. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, and, dropping her skates into a corner, looked up, smiling.
"Hi Dad...dy." Trailing off, Sakura widened her eyes, as Tomoyo gave a little surprised, "Oh."
"Sakura-chan," smiled Tsukishiro Yukito, bending down to help her up. "Happy Birthday!"
"Yeah," Kinomoto Touya agreed, grinning widely from the threshold to the kitchen. "Ditto."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Seated at the table, a few minutes later, Sakura's mouth was still partially hanging open.
"I had nothing to do with it," Fujitaka insisted, beaming at his son. "They just showed up on our doorstep."
"Forgive us for intruding," Yukito said, with a small bow. Fujitaka waved his hand in dismissal.
"Of course, it's no intrusion. It's good to see you both. And you, Tomoyo, sorry, I haven't greeted you properly yet." It was Fujitaka's turn to bow.
"It's not a problem," Tomoyo said complacently.
"H-how long will you be staying?" Sakura said finally, looking over at Touya.
He shrugged, and glanced at Yuki, whose just smiled. "I don't know. A few days, at least. But enough about us. It's Sakura-chan's birthday celebration!" Digging in to his food, he winked over at the birthday girl.
"Yeah," Touya agreed. "Let's eat!"
* * * * * *
Late that night, not everyone in the house was asleep. Kerberos perched, in his smaller form, on the railing downstairs, talking to a tall, silver- haired figure.
"Why now, Yue? I thought everything was going smoothly," he said, sounding troubled.
Yue snorted. "It's not," he replied curtly. "I gave her as long as I could. I assumed she would need some time to recuperate. But then, Tsukishiro wished to come here, and I decided not to dissuade him."
"What's the problem then?" Kero fidgeted with his paws as he spoke, worrying, despite himself. Yue's visits, rare enough as they were, were not usually filled with good tidings. "And, as before, why now?"
"I don't know 'why now,'" the humanoid replied, irritated. "It's impossible to avoid it any more. The girl has to know. She fought and obtained the original set of Clow Cards at the age of ten. Today is her sixteenth birthday, and she's certainly old enough to deal with whatever they throw at her. Besides," and he drew himself up, "She's not alone."
"True," murmured Kero, with a little sigh. "I suppose a six-year respite is enough."
Chuckling darkly, Yue nodded. "Undoubtedly. The girl probably needs some excitement in her life."
There was a pause, and then Kero looked up, a puzzled look on his face. "Snow rabbit wanted to come here? Why? I'd think it was Touya who'd be eager to see his family again."
"He was," Yue agreed. "But Tsukishiro missed the girl."
"Oh. Well." And that was all that was said between them that night. But Kero couldn't help feeling a little foreboding about the whole thing. He wasn't even sure why, or where it came from. It was perfectly natural for old friends to wish to see each other again, wasn't it?
So what was wrong?