Hello! ^-^ This is a CCS fic set an indefinite amount of time in the future. All characters are copyright CLAMP except for Bara-chan. I really hope you enjoy the fic. ^-^ Please tell me what you think if you get the chance.

“Tomoyo-chan...”

“But Sakura-chan like’s pink,” Tomoyo chides gently, as if reminding me of something I had forgotten. I just blush fiercely in response. She’s always had this affect on me, from when we were young girls. She has a way of getting me to go along with whatever it is she thinks. Yes, I do like pink. And I trust Tomoyo-chan’s judgement with things like that. I mean, she probably knows me better than I do. But the cloth is so ethereal. It almost sparkles in her hands. And I can see right through it. After all these years, I know what she must be thinking. Tomoyo-chan has a dirty mind. These days she makes almost all of my clothes. But I can only think of one place where I’d wear something made out of that. And it probably wouldn’t stay on for long at that.

Hoe... I’m blushing even deeper now. And she knows it. Sometimes I think she can read my mind. I wouldn’t be surprised. She seems to be able to pick up on everything. It’s her own kind of magic. I have no idea how she knows so much. But that really doesn’t help me right now because that just makes it even more embarrassing. And I know she’ll get me to wear whatever she’ll make from that cloth, too.

“Tomoyo-chan...” I say again, helplessly. I know it won’t change anything. I’ve known her far too long to think that. I’m just no good at arguing anything with her. She has this sweet way of always getting me to go along with what she has in mind. She always seems to know what she’s doing. And with her soft voice and her pretty blue eyes, she can be so persuasive. It’s like with her costumes. I can’t help going along with her when she looks so determined.

Tomoyo pauses for a moment, her stormy blue eyes closed. She looks so deep in thought. It takes me a moment before I realize that I’m leaning closer, curiously. I sweatdrop and stand back up, still watching her. What could she be thinking? Her eyes flutter open, locking with mine. “Even Bara-chan likes it. She’s kicking for you, Sakura.” She smiles that sweet, loving smile that she’s been showering on me since I was young. I smile back excitedly, feeling a thrill shoot through me.

“She is? Really?!” I ask anxiously, my body wanting to go in different directions all at once. Tomoyo-chan takes my hand gently and places it on the growing swell of her stomach. She’s right. I can feel our little daughter kicking inside of her. I can’t contain myself at that. It’s just so... right. My blush fades quickly, my mind focussing on our daughter. Our daughter. The symbol of our love. Well, that miracle took a little push from my magic, but she’s still our daughter. I blush again at Tomoyo’s loving gaze and return it, smiling happily at my wife. Oh, my knees are feeling week. This whole thing is just... hanyaa. I almost lunge forward at the growing warmth in my heart, hugging my very pregnant best friend as tightly as I can.

“I love you, Sakura-chan,” she says in that gentle, sweet voice of hers. It sounds like she’s singing to me. I always feel so happy when I hear her say that. I always have. I just didn’t always understand them. But now I do.

“I love you, too,” I say, pouring my whole heart into those few words.

I think the baby is finally resting. She has so much energy. Just like her mother. I can’t wait to see her. I have to wonder if she’ll take more after me or Sakura-chan. I took a lot after Sakura’s mother and she took a lot after mine, which is a little strange if you don’t realize how much the cousins missed each other. So we were there way of remembering each other. But it doesn’t matter to me who Bara-chan looks like or which of us she takes after. I’m very happy to know that she’s our daughter. I’ll be happy as long as Sakura-chan and I can raise her together. I’m sure she’ll grow up to be a remarkable girl. Just like her mother.

I continue to sing softly to the unborn child within me. I want her to feel safe, to feel loved. So I’ll continue singing to her, hoping that she can hear me somewhere in there. I want her to know how happy I am to be carrying her, our sweet daughter. To have something that’s ours, the product of my love for Sakura and hers for me, grow and develop inside of me. It’s a wonderful feeling. I have to admit that I never really thought about it much before. I just never thought I would wind up pregnant. I know mother was lonely when she had me and that I helped alleviate some of that, but I never thought that I’d wind up having a child of my own. That she could be Sakura’s. So despite the morning sickness and the mood swings and all of the doctor’s appointments, I’m deliriously happy to be having her. My hands rest on my stomach as I whisper soothingly to my baby girl.

“I think you’ll like it here, Bara-chan. Sometimes it can be a little cold and a little lonely, but there is such beauty out there if you can only find it. And it will capture your entire soul. It’s breathtaking to behold. That something so perfect can exist is almost unbelievable. Please look for the beauty that’s out there, Bara-chan. I think you’ll be surprised. Especially if it looks back at you.”

I smile at the thought, my eyes falling closed for a second. I’ve been much too tired lately. But I’m sure it’s easier for Bara to rest if I’m not busy running around. And why follow Sakura-chan around when she can come to me? Almost as if on cue, Sakura enters the room carrying a small bowl of soba. She looks so adorable in the floral design apron she has on with the big, pink house slippers on her feet. We have a chef for such things, of course, but Sakura insists on cooking herself from time to time. Even more so lately. I can't tell which of us is more anxious about the baby.

“Singing to the baby again, Tomoyo-chan?” Sakura asks with a warm smile as she kneels next to the bed, blowing on the soba to cool it down.

“She must love when you do that. It’s always so pretty.” She finally helps me up, handing me the bowl of soba. The sparkle in her emerald eyes hasn’t decreased in the slightest from when she was a child. In fact, sometimes it seems even brighter these days.

I smile in return, glad to have her help with anything as I lean back against the head of the bed.

“Arigato gozimasu, Sakura. I want her to know that we’re waiting for her. And that she has much to look forward to.”

I reach out and stroke Sakura’s cheek softly. She blushes a bit but doesn’t avert her gaze. I can see all of the love I’ve always wanted to pour into her reflected back at me. That feeling warms me more than the soba possibly could. She takes the chopsticks and brings a bit to my mouth. It’s still a little hot, but it goes down well.

“It’s delicious, Sakura-chan. I’m sure Bara-chan would like to thank you, too. She must be getting hungry. And what better than a dish cooked with Sakura’s special ingredient?”

Sakura giggles at that, nodding as she takes another bit of the soba with the chopsticks and brings it back to my mouth.

“A healthy dose of love for my sweet best friend and our cute little daughter. That’s why I sent the chef home for the day. I used to cook for my family back home a lot, even if it was a chore. So now I want to cook for my family here.” A happy smile crosses her lips, along with that spectacularly determined look in her eyes that I’ve always loved seeing. When Sakura-chan finally gets her mind set on something, she throws her whole heart into it. I’m so happy to be the focus of that determination now.

“I’d be delighted to eat Sakura’s cooking for as long as she’ll make it. Or as long as you keep feeding it to me,” I state with another smile.

She looks a little flustered as she gets another biteful and brings it up to my mouth. She’s so easy to embarrass. And she’s so kawaii when she blushes. I wonder if she knows that. I’ve told her enough by now that she has to. She blushed a whole lot back when we were dating. Whereas it doesn’t happen quite as much anymore, it’s still easy enough to bring a flush to her cheeks.

“If you say so, Tomoyo. I still think the chef is better, but I wanted to make something for you and the baby myself. It may not be as good, but I feel better that way.” Sakura looks so emotional as her jade eyes watch me on the bed.

I haven’t seen her this emotional since the morning of our wedding. And that’s quite a bit for her because she’s always a rather emotional woman. Which is one of the many, many things I love about her. I try to pick out all of the emotions I see in her at the moment. Joy, anticipation, anxiety, fear, happiness, contentment, wonder. All of them performing their wild dance through Sakura. I stroke her cheek again, my fingers trailing across the silky smooth skin. I smile up at her reassuringly, brushing back a lock of her brunette hair behind one cute ear. I always loved her ears. They’re just so kawaii. My fingers linger behind her left ear for a moment, her body relaxing slightly.

“I love you, Sakura. I’m glad that you’d cook for the baby and me. That’s so sweet of you.” I watch her for a long time, her hands taking one of mine, giving it a squeeze. She leans down after a moment’s hesitation and kisses me. It’s a short but entirely sweet kiss and like always, it leaves me a little breathless with its implications. Her love is much more potent to me than anything I’ve ever felt. It laps at my soul like gentle waves. It’s just the way she is, a kind and gentle soul that tries so hard even when she has no idea what to do. That determined, genki spirit of hers has always quenched my thirsty soul. How could I not love her. My fingers slip from her cheek, but my eyes never leave her own.

“Aishiteru, Tomoyo. I’m really happy that you like it. I’ll try to make some dessert in a bit.” Sakura scoots down across the bed as I start to take a few bites myself. Her hands run down my pale legs before stopping at my feet, making little swirls with her fingers before gently massaging them. It feels so perfect, having the Card Mistress right here with me, throughout all of this. We were trying to decide who should have the baby for a while when we first decided we wanted one. At first, we’d thought that it should be Sakura-chan. After all, she’s not as busy at Daidouji Toys as I usually am and it would be a wonderful experience. But the more we thought about it, the more I thought that I should carry our baby. It’s Sakura-chan’s magic at work, so I’d rather she use it on me anyway. And it gives her a chance to learn more about the company, even though mother still wants me to take it over when she retires. Besides all that, I’m overjoyed to be able to have this experience. To feel our baby inside of me fills me with a wonderfully indescribable feeling. It’s similar to the warmth that I feel from Sakura.

I yawn tiredly, Sakura’s nimble fingers starting to relax me more than I’d realized. I move my foot in her hand, marveling at the feel of her soft fingers against my skin.

“I’m sure Bara-chan will love dessert. But I’d rather have you here with me for now.”

My eyes meet hers again. She crawls up along the bed as I set the soba bowl down, her arms wrapping around me. Her head rests on the pillow next to mine, dark gray hair right next to sweet brunette. My heart skips a beat at having my one, True Love so close to me. It yearns for her, as always, and so she complies, her warm heart beating next to my own.

“Okay, Tomoyo-chan. I’ll wait until after you fall asleep before I go start on dessert. Just promise me you won’t come downstairs to try and videotape me this time. You need your rest. And I’ll go pick up some more videos to record more of the pregnancy when I go out tomorrow.”

Sakura looks thoughtful for a moment, trying to go over anything she might be missing in her head. I disturb her thoughts with a quick kiss.

“I promise, Sakura.” Her bright smile is all of the reward I need to convince me to stay in bed. Gazing into those beautiful emerald eyes, I slowly slip off to sleep, dreaming of our beautiful baby girl and my gorgeous wife.

“But I don’t wanna be in the play. I’ll forget my lines and everyone will laugh.”

I sigh, brushing some dark brown hair from my eyes. This is just awful. Awful. I don’t wanna be part of some stupid play at school. Why can’t I just help backstage where I don’t have to be out in front of everybody? I get stage fright too easily.

“Bara-chan, you shouldn’t worry about that. I can help you learn your lines if you want. And I’m certain that you’ll do perfectly well in the play. Your mother made a spectacular prince in a play back when she was your age.” Tomoyo-mama smiles sweetly, that same smile she always has when talking about Sakura-mama.

“It doesn’t matter if anyone laughs. I won’t. And I’ll be videotaping the whole thing.”

She kneels down next to me, forgetting whatever it was she was sewing for the time being. Her pale hands brush my messy hair from my eyes where it had fallen again.

“And Sakura will be there, too. We’ll be cheering for you.”

I smile a bit at that. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be all bad. They would be there for the whole thing and at least I’d have help learning the lines. I sigh in defeat.

“Hai, I know. I’m just so scared about being in front of everyone.”

Tomoyo-mama smiles again, standing up. “You’ll do just fine, Bara- chan. How about after dinner we’ll start practicing your lines and I can try to give you some tips on stage fright? I was in choir for years and Sakura was in cheerleading, so maybe we can help.” She tilts my chin up so I meet her gaze, still smiling.

I nod, more hair getting in my eyes. “That sounds good, Tomoyo- mama. Thanks! I’ll go get my script for the play.” With an approving nod from my mom, I dart off to my room at a slight limp. I’m still a little nervous about the whole thing, but maybe she’s right. It can’t be all bad, especially if I have people to do it for. And now that I’m not in dance class until my ankle heals, it would be nice to have something to show them. It’s just so much easier when I’m dancing. You don’t have to think about anything. You just dance. It doesn’t matter who’s watching. Too bad I hadn’t noticed Chisa dancing so close. Oh well. The doctor said it should just be a few weeks until my ankle’s back to normal.

Grabbing my bookbag from my bed, I start sifting through it. It has to be in here somewhere. Plenty of notebooks, some pictures I drew in class, a few notes...

“What are you looking for?” a voice asks from behind me. I turn quickly, startled. Why does she always have to surprise me like that? I face my mirror image for a moment and smile brightly before going back to searching. It’s nice to see her at least. I was wondering where she’d gone off to. I’m a little awkward at school and I’m shy so it’s hard for me to make friends. At least with normal girls my age. Then again, I guess I’m not really normal with my parents. The head of the Daidouji Corporation and the world’s strongest magician. It’s so much easier to make friends with mom’s Sakura Cards.

“Just the script for the play. Tomoyo-mama said we could go through it after dinner and she could help me with it,” I explain as I finally find the stapled together script.

“Found it!”

My ‘twin’ looks thoughtful for a moment as she sits down next to me. She has the same dark brown hair and lavender eyes that I do. She’s even wearing my school uniform, though I changed out of that a few minutes ago.

“Oh yeah, that was today, wasn’t it? I could always go for you if you want. I wouldn’t want you to get too nervous about it.”

“That’s okay, Mirror. I’d hate to disappoint Sakura-mama and Tomoyo-mama if they’re going to come to it. I could use the help going over my lines for the next few days, though,” I explain, sitting on my bed.

She sits next to me after a moment. The only real difference in her appearance is that she doesn’t have the cast on her ankle. I sigh, flipping through the pages.

“I’d love to help,” Mirror says with a smile, reading bits and pieces over my shoulder.

“I hope I can go and watch you, too. I’m sure you’ll be great.”

A knock on the door grabs my attention before I can reply. Sakura- mama sticks her head in, her brunette hair near her shoulders. “It’s dinner time, Bara-chan.” She waits for me as I tuck the script under my arm and hurry over.

“And Tomoyo said that you got a part in the play. I can’t wait to see it.”

I nod quickly, holding out the script. “I get to be Juliet. But they must have picked the wrong person. Misato or Ming Pha would both make much better Juliets.”

Sakura-mama shakes her head, helping me down the stairs. “I don’t think so. Sometimes we get surprised by things like that, but it doesn’t mean we’re wrong for the part.”

“Hai. Like Sakura as the prince. She made an absolutely darling prince at that,” Tomoyo-mama adds, sparkles in her eyes. Something tells me I’ll be watching a tape of the whole play tonight. I smile and nod, taking my seat. Yeah, if Sakura-mama made a good prince, maybe I can make a good Juliet.

“Thanks, Tomoyo-mama, Sakura-mama. I’d really appreciate the help.” I take a bite of the meal that Tomoyo-mama made for dinner, feeling more at ease. I spot Mirror watching me from the stairs and wave at her. She blushes a bit when she realizes I spotted her and waves back. I still don’t really know how it will all turn out, but maybe that doesn’t matter. There’s still so much waiting for me. I just know it.
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