With All My Heart

Disclaimer from Chapter 1 applies to all chapters. 

Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews!  You people are so nice! ^_^

Chapter 4: Simple Gifts

"That was a really wonderful dinner," Sonomi said as they all finished the last bites of the cake she had brought.

"This cake was wonderful too," Fujitaka told her. 

Sonomi smiled at him.  "Well, it is getting late.  We should be going."  She got up and pushed in her chair.  "But before we do, I have some things for you."

"Me too!" Tomoyo exclaimed, almost forgetting the presents she had brought.  She disappeared out of the room with her mother, coming back in a few moments later with a bag in one hand and a video camera in the other.  Sakura groaned softly as she saw the camera.

Sonomi was first to pull out a present, handing Sakura and Touya presents.  She even handed a small wrapped bundle to Yukito. 

"Can we open these now?" Yukito asked her.  Sonomi nodded.  He was the first to open his gift, untying a small ribbon to reveal a lovely set of homemade cookies.  He smiled widely at the present, taking one and tasting it. 

"Wow, these are really good. Thank you," he said, bowing slightly to the pretty lady before him.  She smiled back.  "You're welcome."

Touya opened his present to find a small box with a set of keys.  He looked questioningly at Sonomi, who laughed gently at his expression.  "Those keys are for your new motorcycle."

Touya's eyes widened, as did all the others'.  "You're joking, right?"

She shook her head.  "We didn't bring it today, but it's sitting outside of our home."

He just stared at her.

"I hope you don't mind that's it's a motorcycle," she said.

"Of…of course not!  But I can't possibly accept something like that," he replied, still shocked.

"Of course you can.  You've been taking care of this family and my own daughter for so many years now.  You deserve to have something like this.  And I know you've been needing a car," she told him. 

"But…" he began.

"I will not allow you to not accept it," she said.  She smiled at his expression once more before turning to Sakura, who had still not opened her present.

Sakura, noticing Sonomi's gaze, looked down at her own present and carefully unwrapped it.  She opened the long, narrow box she held in her hand slowly, gasping as she saw the pretty gold necklace inside.

"It's pretty…" she muttered softly, taking the necklace out of the box and holding it in her hand.  She opened the heart-shaped locket at the end of the chain, to find a small picture of her mother and herself as a baby. 

Sonomi smiled gently at her.  "It was the necklace I gave to Nadeshiko the Christmas the year you were born."

Sakura looked up surprised at her.  "I can't take this.  It must be very special for you."

Sonomi walked up slowly to her, pulling her into a tight hug.  "It's okay.  It must have been difficult for you to not have her with you.  I really think you should have this."

Sakura slowly wrapped her own arms around Sonomi, tears flowing down her cheeks.  "Thank you…"

Once again, tears also began to fall down Sonomi's own face.  She hugged Sakura tighter to her. 

The three men all watched, smiling.  Tomoyo held her camera up shakily to her eye, recording the sweet moment between her mother and her best friend, tears falling down her own cheeks as well.

Sonomi finally pulled away, taking the necklace from Sakura's hands and putting it around Sakura's neck.  Sakura looked down at the gold necklace, running her hands over the heart-shaped locket.  She smiled up at Sonomi. 

"Oh! I still have a present for you, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "And Kero and Yue…" she continued.  She looked over at Yukito who was smiling at them.  She handed a small box to him.  "Yue can have this whenever he wants."  Yukito just stared at it for a moment then smiled.

"Where's Kero-chan?" she asked.

"He's in my room, I think," Sakura replied.  "Let's go and see.  Your present is up there too."

With that, Sakura followed Tomoyo up the stairs to her room, finding Kero asleep on her bed full from the cake that he had eaten earlier. 

"Kero-chan, wake up," Sakura said, shaking the little guardian gently.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the two girls hovering over him.  "Why did you wake me up?  I was having such a good dream…so much cake…"

Tomoyo giggled and handed him a small gift.  His eyes grew big as he held it in his hand, but then he excitedly tore off the wrapper and opened the box.  He screamed in happiness as he saw the big cake sitting before him.  "This is for me!?" he asked her.  "All for me?"

Tomoyo smiled at him.  "Of course!"

"I love you Tomoyo!" Kero said, already beginning to dig in to the cake. 

Sakura stared at the little yellow guardian.  "How can he eat so much?"  She sighed.

"And this is for you," Tomoyo said, handing her a present.  Sakura smiled and took the gift, reaching for another that was sitting on her bed beside Kero.  She handed it to Tomoyo.  "And this is your present."

The two girls smiled at each other as they opened the presents together.   Sakura smiled as she looked at the three video tapes now sitting on her lap while Tomoyo sighed as she began looking through the scrapbook Sakura had given her.  

"This is so wonderful," Tomoyo said, as she looked at the pictures and clippings that Sakura had placed in the book. 

"I thought since this was our last year in high school, that it would be fun to look back and remember everything.  We've been together for so long…I had so many pictures…" Sakura explained. 

Tomoyo smiled.  "I was thinking the same thing when I made those tapes for you.  One is some clips from when we were in elementary school and before, the second is for middle school, and then the third is stuff taken from high school."

They both became teary-eyed as they remembered all that they had been through together.  Sakura laughed softly.  "I've cried so much today…"  

Tomoyo smiled at her best friend, reaching over and giving her a quick hug.  "We'll always be together, right?"

Sakura nodded as she hugged Tomoyo back.  "Of course."

Kero smiled at the two girls as he continued to eat his cake.  "Don't forget about me!" he said happily.  "I am in those videos, aren't I?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Of course you are.  I could never leave such an important individual like you out of them."  Sakura smiled as Kero grinned with happiness. 

"Well, I guess my mother is waiting for me," Tomoyo said, making her way toward the door. 

"Wait, I need to get your mother's present," Sakura said going over to her desk to find another wrapped gift.  She then followed Tomoyo out of the door and back down the stairs to find the others talking in the living room. 

Sakura walked shyly over to Sonomi and handed her the gift.  Sonomi smiled at Sakura.  "Should I open this now?"

Sakura smiled back.  "If you want."

Sonomi looked down at the rather large but flat package.  She unwrapped it slowly, slowly revealing a frame showing her and Tomoyo at different stages of their growth in a set of 10 pictures.  Sonomi sighed as she looked at the two girls she most loved.  She pulled Sakura close and hugged her once more.  "Thank you, Sakura-chan."  Sakura just hugged her back.

"Well, I suppose it's time for us to go," Sonomi said a few moments later.  She got up and walked with Tomoyo, the others following them, to the door. 

"Thank you for inviting us for dinner," Tomoyo said, bowing slightly. 

"I'm glad you could come," Fujitaka said. 

They watched as the two ladies made their way to a waiting car in front of their house and waved goodbye before they disappeared into the car and drove away. 

"You're staying tonight, right Yukito-san?" Fujitaka asked. 

"If that's okay," he replied.  Fujitaka nodded, smiling.  "It's fine."

"I'll go and start cleaning up," Sakura said. 

"It is getting a little late, I suppose," Fujitaka said looking at his watch.  It was just past nine o'clock.  "We want to get up early and exchange presents tomorrow morning, right?"

Sakura smiled.  Touya and Yukito followed Sakura into the kitchen.  "We'll help you," Touya said as he passed his sister, messing up her hair.

She started to step on his foot, then backed away sweetly as she saw Yukito watching her.  Touya grinned. 

***

~Last call for flight 1783 to Tokyo.  Please approach the gate and prepare your tickets for boarding~

Syoaran sighed as he heard the last call for his flight to Japan.  Wei had done a good job finding available tickets so soon on Christmas Eve.  His plane would reach there at ten that night.  It had been tough getting his sisters to leave him alone long enough to let him pack though.  He smiled thinking about his family as he boarded the plane, making his way to his seat.  They really aren't so bad…they seemed so happy that I was actually able to go… A vision of Sakura entered his thoughts.  I can't wait to see her…

***

End of Chapter 4

Thank you for reading and please review!! I would love to hear your comments!  Thanks!