CHAPTER 9

Oh goodness me, aren't I slightly evil, putting the rest of the last chapter into a new one? Moo-ha-ha, I say to you.

Tomoyo's mind cleared, and she couldn't help but smile. Sakura was cheerful again and she had held her a party for her belated birthday, as Tomoyo had been on auto-pilot then, and a "Thank you" party. Tomoyo then lowered her head, becoming paranoid. Did she deserve such a party?

She looked over to Sakura. Sakura was still holding her hand and although she wasn't smiling, Tomoyo saw Sakura's cheerful self in her eyes.

They stopped in the middle of the park's field, close to where they had seen the cherry blossoms bloom many springs ago together. Sakura didn't let go of Tomoyo, and Tomoyo didn't complain.

"Tomoyo…" Sakura said, looking to the sky.

Tomoyo became scared. Sakura was now serious, and will now reject Tomoyo…however. Sakura's eyes were still full of contentment. There was nothing to fear…not yet, at least.

"Yes?"

"Thanks." Sakura looked at Tomoyo and smiled softly once again. That one soft smile let Tomoyo's heart soar, as if she herself could fly to the heavens…"For everything", Sakura continued.

Tomoyo shook her head lightly to come back to reality. Sakura grinned again and continued. "No matter what happened to me, you never backed down. You were never afraid of anything except if I got hurt. You always sympathized and stood by me when I liked Yukito. You didn't mention Shaoran's love so I could figure it out for myself…and all this time…I had never noticed…and I'm sorry for that…"

Tomoyo cocked her head to one side. Never noticed what?

Sakura looked Tomoyo directly into her eyes, as if past her eyes and into her very being, to look into Tomoyo and say sorry, even though Tomoyo didn't know why. "I never noticed that this whole time…you loved me."

Tomoyo jumped. Oh…that "never noticed"…

"Tomoyo…I'm sorry. It was plain and obvious…I felt that after Shaoran confessed I had noticed loves around me easily…I noticed Yukito's extreme feelings for onii-chan…and onii-chan's feelings back. I never thought to look in front of my eyes…"

Tomoyo kept quiet and did not speak. If she did now, she might never stop talking. She wanted to tell Sakura everything that she had felt for the past while, but knew she could not. She had to wait.

"You were always there. You even told me that you loved me, but I thought platonic. You said that the one you loved could be happy…and you always asked if I was happy…" Sakura didn't stop smiling, which surprised Tomoyo. Usually rejection is not happy…unless she was enjoying it. Tomoyo bit her lip as Sakura continued.

"I had always assumed you were a devoted friend. Just a friend. Then Shaoran came and…well, you never spoke up, and Shaoran told me himself that you said that some feelings are meant to stay in the heart and not be said, but others have to be said, like his…" Sakura turned towards Tomoyo and hugged her. "And when your heart could not take it any longer, you told me as well."

Tomoyo struggled, suddenly angry at herself again. "Why did I have to hurt you? Why did I have to shout at you….and why are you forgiving me?"

Sakura patted Tomoyo on the head softly, as if caressing a cat. "Because I don't have a reason to hate you."

Tomoyo lowered her head and knew that it was now her time to speak. "I always…I always…" No! She cried in her head. Come on, I have to speak and tell Sakura! Don't die out on me, brain!! "…I knew I always loved you, Sakura-chan, but for some reason…when you were with Li-kun it came out wrong in my head…and then I knew I loved you deeper than before. It just wasn't right, and I panicked. I'm…I'm sorry…"

She listened to a response, but none came. Tomoyo took a deep breath.

"Meiling-chan loved Li-kun for a while after you two were together, but when I told her that as hard as she would try, Li-kun wouldn't love her back and she listened, I couldn't believe it myself. For a while I wanted you to love me…but I knew it wasn't possible…

"I tried to ignore it and revert back to my ways of knowing that I'm happy when you are…but it didn't come…my mind went away from shock and I couldn't live with myself. When I came back and you showed me Li-kun's letter…all I thought was that if I told you, my suffering would be gone and I could be free. But I was horrible. Everything that happened was only for my self-gain. I was incredibly selfish and jealous….and didn't think of you…by the time I figured it out, I thought you hated me for what I did to you…and…" Tomoyo looked up with tears in her eyes. "I was afraid you were going to leave me…"

Sakura hugged Tomoyo again, but sat down on the soft grass to comfort Tomoyo in her lap. Tomoyo did not cry hard, but did sniffle as she was cradled by Sakura.

"What is worst is that now you have to reject me and I don't know what will happen when you do! I don't want to go into that vacant place in my brain! It's saddening and—"

"You'll be alright"

Tomoyo gasped and looked up at Sakura's gentle face. She'll…be okay?

"You'll definitely be alright."

As Tomoyo's eyes grew wider, Sakura pulled out her star key.

"The Key which hides the power of the Stars,

Show your true form before me,

I, Sakura, command you under our contract,

RELEASE!"

The Star wand glowed in Sakura's hands and she smiled gently at Tomoyo, who hadn't moved.

Tomoyo now realized what Sakura was doing. "I will," she replied.

"Sakura smiled and they both replied in unison "I/you will definitely be alright"

Sakura lifted the card Tomoyo had only seen once and lifted it above her head. Throwing it into the sky, she uttered one word and Tomoyo had no doubts. She was going to be absolutely fine.

"HOPE!"

Oh diddly-dang gee. Did I do that? Did I just finish that story? Silly me, I didn't even make it to chapter 10.

I can tell you that I could make a chapter 10 (some sort of Epilogue maybe) if I ever thought of anything to finish this off, or if you could just support me. Say please and maybe, maybe a suggestion or two. I had a lot of fun writing this, even though I had writer's block more than once. I'm sorry, I really am, but when I realized that I had to pick it up, I watched all ofCardcaptor Sakura again to kick me in the butt to get going.

I have been waiting for a TomoyoxSakura but not really TomoyoxSakura fanfic for a long time so I just wrote it myself.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you again in Chapter 10 if it ever exists!

Toodlepip,

Metherine