I notice someone commented on the lack of Sakura in "For Those Left Behind". That's because the fic wasn't about Sakura - it was about those left behind. In that case, Yue and Touya. Tomoyo, I thought, deserved her own story. Meiling too. Fujitaka sort of got his say in "Reflections of the Moon". Anyway, this is set in For Those Left Behind universe, but other than that they won't have too much in common. That was a Touya/Yukito fic. This is All About Tomoyo.
This version of the story has changed slightly (but not too much) from the version I posted in... oh, god. January, 2002? I suck! I'm so sorry!
Paragraphs in italics are text from letters. Apologies if this confuses anybody, but ff.net doesn't allow blockquote tags.
LEARNING TO LET GO
A sequel to "For Those Left Behind"
By Flamebyrd
So, Sakura-chan was getting married. Syaoran had proposed to her the very night before they left to return to Japan and they were aiming for a Spring wedding under the falling sakura petals.
This was a good thing, wasn't it? She should be happy, shouldn't she?
I'm sure by now you've already received Sakura's invitation. I hope that you are as delighted as I am that Sakura and Syaoran have finally set a date for the wedding. They really are a lovely couple.
At the airport Sakura had hugged her tightly and shared her news, and told Tomoyo she definitely wanted her friend to design the clothing for the wedding party.
Tomoyo took the invitation to be involved and, like it was a special gift, she held it close to her heart.
But still, I find myself wondering how this will affect our friendship.
Sakura-chan would absolutely have the most special wedding in the world.
Because after that, Tomoyo would have no place in Sakura's life any more.
It's not that I think Sakura-chan will deliberately cut off contact between us, or that it will be a conscious decision on anyone's part. But we will drift apart. A girl like I am has no place in a married woman's life, she will simply come to realise this - childhood friends are best left to the children.
She paused in her letter, twirling her hair around a finger in thought. Once, not long after she had turned sixteen, her mother had taken her aside and told her she didn't have to keep her hair long for her mother any more. She had thought it odd at the time, and assured her mother that she liked her hair this way and wouldn't dream of changing it. It wasn't until a year later that she realised the meaning of the statement: her mother had finally moved on.
It's odd that I think to move on and lose this special feeling would be a greater tragedy than falling in love with her in the first place. Naturally, it was never meant to be - even if Syaoran-kun had never arrived in Tomoeda, Sakura-chan was meant for Yukito-san. I never had a chance. That is sad, but it would be sadder still to never have had this feeling, or to have had it and lost it.
Or so I feel.
And it was what she felt was right for her that was important, wasn't it? That was what she told Sakura - if the person she loved was happy then so was she.
But... was she really happy?
She had written to Eriol the year before, sharing news of Sakura's imminent departure. He had, ever the observant young man, read carefully between the lines of everything she wrote and written back in words of concern for happiness.
He was generous, she thought, to be so concerned for her. And she was not unhappy. How could she have been unhappy, when Sakura-chan had been so overjoyed at this opportunity to live with Syaoran's family and get to know them like he knew her?
Not unhappy at all...
But enough on me. You will be coming over for the wedding, will you not? Since Syaoran-kun will undoubtedly be staying with Sakura-chan's family, would you like to stay at my house for the duration? You should know that we are not lacking for space and I would be glad for your company.
At least, she mused, there was one person out there who knew what she was going through.
She had received a letter from Nakuru not long after Eriol's, and after that a note of apology from Eriol for having left her letter open on his writing desk.
Tomoyo-chan, (the letter had said), "I am Ever So Sorry you have to go through this, and I assure you I know All About Unrequited Love and I hope you will find a way to achieve Ground In-between what you Feel and what the Person you Love feels. That is the Best Way to live." [1]
The note at the bottom to glomp Touya for her had made Tomoyo smile, although she could never bring herself to actually do it. Still, she tried to take the note in the way it was meant: Nakuru was simply being herself and far too enthusiastic for her own good. She didn't take it seriously.
She found herself wondering if Nakuru had grown up the way Yukito had, and what Eriol looked like now. It had been so many years...
I hope Sakura-chan remembers to invite Hiiragizawa-kun. I believe you two would get along very well. Although I do suppose he will turn up anyway - it would be very unlike him to not know of an event like this. In fact, it would be like him to know Sakura-chan was going to get married before she did herself. He is like that.
Perhaps it would be best to subtly mention Hiiragizawa-kun to Sakura-chan next time they spoke. If nothing else, it would do to keep Li-kun from becoming too nervous on his wedding day.
Which reminded her...
On a completely different note, what colour do you think would look best on Syaoran-kun for his wedding day? I was thinking of pink for Sakura-chan, but then I remembered the cherry trees, so perhaps blue would be more in order. If I make his suit navy blue, I think they would compliment each other quite nicely.
But you have known him far longer than I have, what do you think would suit him? And, just in case, what do you think he would absolutely refuse to wear?
Tomoyo wasn't used to dressing boys. And she didn't have a clue what size Syaoran would be now, so she made a note to call him and ask him to come around some day so she could measure him.
He'd said something cryptic at the airport about wanting to speak to her alone sometime, so this would be the perfect way to get both things done at once.
That decided, she picked up her pen again and continued writing.
I hope this letter finds you in good health and that your family is well. Please be sure to write back and tell me when you will be arriving. If you make it a few weeks early we can have some fun before the wedding, ne?
Sincerely,
Daidouji Tomoyo
Tomoyo hid a smile behind her hand as she sealed the letter and addressed it. She left the letter on the bench, awaiting a stamp before she posted it.
TO BE CONTINUED
Comments appreciated.
Footnote(s)
[1] Nakuru's letter: Nakuru is writing like Vanyel's mother in The Last Herald-Mage. I did this because it makes me giggle. Since she'd actually be writing in Japanese, however, I assume the capitalised words would have been written in katakana (which, according to Teach Yourself Japanese, can be used for emphasis.)
This version of the story has changed slightly (but not too much) from the version I posted in... oh, god. January, 2002? I suck! I'm so sorry!
Paragraphs in italics are text from letters. Apologies if this confuses anybody, but ff.net doesn't allow blockquote tags.
LEARNING TO LET GO
A sequel to "For Those Left Behind"
By Flamebyrd
So, Sakura-chan was getting married. Syaoran had proposed to her the very night before they left to return to Japan and they were aiming for a Spring wedding under the falling sakura petals.
This was a good thing, wasn't it? She should be happy, shouldn't she?
I'm sure by now you've already received Sakura's invitation. I hope that you are as delighted as I am that Sakura and Syaoran have finally set a date for the wedding. They really are a lovely couple.
At the airport Sakura had hugged her tightly and shared her news, and told Tomoyo she definitely wanted her friend to design the clothing for the wedding party.
Tomoyo took the invitation to be involved and, like it was a special gift, she held it close to her heart.
But still, I find myself wondering how this will affect our friendship.
Sakura-chan would absolutely have the most special wedding in the world.
Because after that, Tomoyo would have no place in Sakura's life any more.
It's not that I think Sakura-chan will deliberately cut off contact between us, or that it will be a conscious decision on anyone's part. But we will drift apart. A girl like I am has no place in a married woman's life, she will simply come to realise this - childhood friends are best left to the children.
She paused in her letter, twirling her hair around a finger in thought. Once, not long after she had turned sixteen, her mother had taken her aside and told her she didn't have to keep her hair long for her mother any more. She had thought it odd at the time, and assured her mother that she liked her hair this way and wouldn't dream of changing it. It wasn't until a year later that she realised the meaning of the statement: her mother had finally moved on.
It's odd that I think to move on and lose this special feeling would be a greater tragedy than falling in love with her in the first place. Naturally, it was never meant to be - even if Syaoran-kun had never arrived in Tomoeda, Sakura-chan was meant for Yukito-san. I never had a chance. That is sad, but it would be sadder still to never have had this feeling, or to have had it and lost it.
Or so I feel.
And it was what she felt was right for her that was important, wasn't it? That was what she told Sakura - if the person she loved was happy then so was she.
But... was she really happy?
She had written to Eriol the year before, sharing news of Sakura's imminent departure. He had, ever the observant young man, read carefully between the lines of everything she wrote and written back in words of concern for happiness.
He was generous, she thought, to be so concerned for her. And she was not unhappy. How could she have been unhappy, when Sakura-chan had been so overjoyed at this opportunity to live with Syaoran's family and get to know them like he knew her?
Not unhappy at all...
But enough on me. You will be coming over for the wedding, will you not? Since Syaoran-kun will undoubtedly be staying with Sakura-chan's family, would you like to stay at my house for the duration? You should know that we are not lacking for space and I would be glad for your company.
At least, she mused, there was one person out there who knew what she was going through.
She had received a letter from Nakuru not long after Eriol's, and after that a note of apology from Eriol for having left her letter open on his writing desk.
Tomoyo-chan, (the letter had said), "I am Ever So Sorry you have to go through this, and I assure you I know All About Unrequited Love and I hope you will find a way to achieve Ground In-between what you Feel and what the Person you Love feels. That is the Best Way to live." [1]
The note at the bottom to glomp Touya for her had made Tomoyo smile, although she could never bring herself to actually do it. Still, she tried to take the note in the way it was meant: Nakuru was simply being herself and far too enthusiastic for her own good. She didn't take it seriously.
She found herself wondering if Nakuru had grown up the way Yukito had, and what Eriol looked like now. It had been so many years...
I hope Sakura-chan remembers to invite Hiiragizawa-kun. I believe you two would get along very well. Although I do suppose he will turn up anyway - it would be very unlike him to not know of an event like this. In fact, it would be like him to know Sakura-chan was going to get married before she did herself. He is like that.
Perhaps it would be best to subtly mention Hiiragizawa-kun to Sakura-chan next time they spoke. If nothing else, it would do to keep Li-kun from becoming too nervous on his wedding day.
Which reminded her...
On a completely different note, what colour do you think would look best on Syaoran-kun for his wedding day? I was thinking of pink for Sakura-chan, but then I remembered the cherry trees, so perhaps blue would be more in order. If I make his suit navy blue, I think they would compliment each other quite nicely.
But you have known him far longer than I have, what do you think would suit him? And, just in case, what do you think he would absolutely refuse to wear?
Tomoyo wasn't used to dressing boys. And she didn't have a clue what size Syaoran would be now, so she made a note to call him and ask him to come around some day so she could measure him.
He'd said something cryptic at the airport about wanting to speak to her alone sometime, so this would be the perfect way to get both things done at once.
That decided, she picked up her pen again and continued writing.
I hope this letter finds you in good health and that your family is well. Please be sure to write back and tell me when you will be arriving. If you make it a few weeks early we can have some fun before the wedding, ne?
Sincerely,
Daidouji Tomoyo
Tomoyo hid a smile behind her hand as she sealed the letter and addressed it. She left the letter on the bench, awaiting a stamp before she posted it.
TO BE CONTINUED
Comments appreciated.
Footnote(s)
[1] Nakuru's letter: Nakuru is writing like Vanyel's mother in The Last Herald-Mage. I did this because it makes me giggle. Since she'd actually be writing in Japanese, however, I assume the capitalised words would have been written in katakana (which, according to Teach Yourself Japanese, can be used for emphasis.)
