Sakura at 18
A CCS fanfic by Michael Hopcroft
Part 3: Ya Gotta Put On That Party Dress

Special thanks to Dimitri Ashling for inspiring some of this section.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea?” asked Sakura as she and Tomoyo approached the shopping district. Much as she loved shopping,
Sakura for some reason felt a bit nervous about doing it right after school.

“It’s OK, Sakura-chan. We have plenty of time. It’s not as I we’re going t\places they don’t let high school students into.”

Sakura wondered for a moment just what those places would be like, but let the thought pass as they approached a shop. “Is this the place?”
she said, pointing at a shop window where a long dress was hanging on a form in the window.

“Hai! This is where my mother likes to buy me party dresses. It’s her way to try and convince me to go to parties.”

“I don’t know, this place looks awful expensive. My family isn’t poor, but I’m not sure we can afford this kind of….”

“MY family, on the other hand, has money galore. And mother buys things for me here all the time. I know she won’t mind an item on her bill for
you.”

Sakura stammered at the thought of Tomoyo spending this much money. This would be almost as bad as Tomoyo making the party dress
herself. No, worse. Now in addition to being embarrassed by wearing something much too fancy for her, she’d have to deal with the guilt of not
liking a dress Tomoyo had spent the equivalent of three month’s allowance on. “I. . . I don’t think we could do this, Tomoyo-chan. I can wear
something that’s….”

Tomoyo pouted. The pout did not look good on her. “Sakura-chan! It’s your birthday! A big night! Besides, you can wear it to the senior formal
too! You need to look nice.”

Sakura thought about raising another objection, but the sad look on Tomoyo’s face made her think better of it. For some reason she couldn’t
identify, she had never figured out how to say no to Tomoyo, especially when she was persistent like this. With a hand tugging her by the arm,
Sakura entered the shop.

Inside the shop was a surprisingly small selection of dresses. “These are the style models.” Tomoyo explained. “The dress you’ll be getting will
be custom-made to your measurements.”

“You mean some guy is going to measure me?”

“It’s a woman, silly! I’ll get her now.” Tomoyo walked over to the counter and rang the bell. “Itsukake-san! It’s me!”

A middle-aged woman peeked out from the back of the shop. “Oh, Daidoji-san! Welcome! Sorry I wasn’t out there. I was busy sewing. How can
I help you today.”

“This is the girl I was telling you about. I wanted you to make a dress for her.”

“You’re not doing it yourself?” The woman walked over to Sakura and began looking her up and down. “So you’re Sakura-chan? Daidoji-sama
told me so much about you. What were you looking for?”

“Tomoyo-san says I need a party dress. I’m not sure about….”

“I know just what you need then!” The woman went over to a rack and pulled out a long, red dress with a surprisingly low cut. “This is perfect.
Your young man will be amazed. Syaoran, was it?”

“Hoeee….”

The fitting had not taken all that long, but Sakura had been rather uncomfortable throughout. Being fitted by Tomoyo, she realized, was not nearly
as bad as being fitted by a total stranger, especially a chatty stranger who was constantly trying to draw her into conversation.

“His jaw will drop clear to the floor when he sees this! Don’t you think so, Sakura-chan?”

Sakura started to ponder just how Syaoran would react to this dress. Sakura had never really dressed to make an impression on him; she
hadn’t felt the need to and Syaoran had never asked her to. On reflection, it seemed a little odd. Chiharu liked to talk sometimes about how she
dressed up for dates, and while Sakura had always dressed nicely when she went out with Syaoran she’d never dressed like this. What would
he think? What would he DO?

What did she want him o do?

The more she thought about Tomoyo’s party, the more it smelled like a setup.

The fitting was finally over. Tomoyo agreed to pick up the dress and made the down payment. She smiled at Sakura, but could tell something
was wrong. So she immediately declared they were getting ice cream.

“Cheer up, Sakura! The dress will be lovely.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. I just don’t know if it’s me. And what if Syaoran think I’m trying to –“ she stopped, shocked at what she
almost said. “I’m sorry”, she blurted out. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“It’s all right, Sakura. You’re just afraid of being too forward with Li-kun, aren’t you?”

Sakura nodded.

“You dream about it, don’t you? Being with him that way, I mean. It’s OK, you can tell me.”

“That way? Yes, I suppose I do. I spend a lot of time with Syaoran, we see each other a lot, but….”

“Look, it’s OK. If you two want to, it’s fine. Nobody’s telling you to wait until you get married or something. Unless you family is saying
anything….”

“Oniichan would mind. He’d try to kill Syaoran if he found out we did something like that.”

“Then he’s being a bit of a hypocrite, isn’t he? Don’t pay any attention to him. Listen to yourself – that’s all the guidance you need. Ah, here
we are. I love Bobson’s. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Mint chocolate chip. If Syaoran were here he’s want the double chocolate fudge. I’ll get a scoop of that in his honor.”

“You know, if Li-kun had been listening to us he’d be glowing a fiery red right now – if he hadn’t fainted.”

The next day, Tomoyo had done quite a bit of searching trying to track down Rika. Nobody at the school had known where she had gone to
school. Her parents didn’t answer her query. Finally, she made a desperation move and checked their old elementary school. There she got a
most surprising answer.

Which brought her to the door of a little house in Tomoeda. She rang the bell, not quite knowing what to expect. “Hai!” came a voice from inside
that Tomoyo almost recognized. Footsteps approached and Tomoyo wondered what she would do once the person answered the door.

A young woman answered the door. The figure was a bit fuller than she expected and Tomoyo could detect an early bulge in the woman’s belly,
but the face and smile were unmistakable. It was Rika.

“Tomoyo-chan!” said Rika. “It’s been so long! Come in! Come in!”

“Rika-san? I don’t believe it!” Rika took her by the arm and led her to the living room, where there was already tea waiting. “I can’t believe
you’re married.”

“Didn’t my parents tell you?”

“Your parents didn’t tell me anything.”

“They must be in one of their disapproving phases again. They expected me to go to college and do all that, but I just couldn’t wait any longer.”

“When did you get married to….”?

“Terada? Last year. I wanted to have a formal wedding but we couldn’t pay for it. We got married at the registrar and settled down here. I’ve
been out of touch ever since. I sort of feel bad about that.”

“You must have been wrapped up in things. So, is it working?”

“Splendidly. He’s a wonderful husband, and he’ll make a wonderful father, He’s working hard to get ready.”

“Why did you marry him? And why so soon? He was our fourth grade teacher, after all. Did you meet him again after all that time?”

“Not exactly. It’s a long story, but ever since we met the first time there’s been a strong connection between us – I’d call it a spiritual thing.
We’re like a pair of joined souls who need each other to be whole. Everything else is the details. I waited until I was old enough to marry, but I
knew all along that he was the one.”

Tomoyo sipped her tea, reminded of her own unrequited love.

“So, how is the old gang?” asked Rika. “How is Sakura doing?”

“That’s why I’m here. Sakura is having a birthday party this week at my house. Did you want to come?”

“I wish I could. But I’m at an awkward stage of my pregnancy right now. If I leave the house, I throw up. Papa-chan has to do everything for me..
Sakura needs to know how I’m doing though. I’ll send her a gift. I hope this isn’t a downer for you.”
“Not at all, Rika-chan. I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I am happy. And looking forward to being a mother. Wish them all luck for me.”

AUTHOR’S NOTES: This has been the most awkward chapter to write so far, almost all “girl-talk”. I’m sure many of you will disagree with my
speculation on Rika’s situation I’m sure I’ll get a lot of disagreement on how I handled it.