Sunset ^beta

Surrounded by flower petals falling like rain, Sakura dreamed.

She followed a forest path, flowers dancing in the wind as thorny vines lay underfoot. The path stretched further than the eye would see among the ageless trees, but she was undeterred. A voice called to her, singing sweet words, and she couldn't stop until she reached her beloved.

Once upon a time, there was a girl in love…

The sky darkened as the winds howled more strongly, scattering fallen, wilted petals. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the rainfall was like needles against Sakura's skin. The forest was dying, and more and more she felt hope slip from her fingers. Yet that voice still sang, each note clear as crystal.

Her love was hopeless, and eventually she fell into a deep, deep sleep, dreaming of a kiss from her beloved…

"Please, wait for me," Sakura said, her teeth clattering against the bitter cold of the rain. "I'll find you, I promise…"

She pushed onward, and no longer could she tell if it was day or night. The rain began to soften, and eventually she found herself in a clearing, and her heart soared as tears mingled with the raindrops on her cheeks. She took a step forward, and upon the bed of roses was…

Sakura's alarm blared, and as she opened her eyes, the familiar face of her companion Kero hovered above her. "Ah, Kero-chan!" she exclaimed with a jolt.

Kero simply sighed. "You might wanna turn off your alarm before your brother gets on your case."

"Oh, right!" Sakura turned to switch off her alarm, and she felt her cheeks flush upon seeing the time. Since entering middle school, she had resolved to wake up on time, and today she would be cutting things close.

Kero flew over to Sakura and patted her hair. "So what's wrong, kid? Didn't sleep good last night?"

Sakura let her face fall, momentarily forgetting what time it was. "I think… I had a strange dream. I was in a forest, looking for someone, and then…" She shook her head. "I don't remember."

"I see." Kero folded his arms, as if deep in thought, but then grinned. "Well, don't worry 'bout it for now. Just get ready for school, and when you get home, we'll discuss it, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine!" Sakura replied with a nod. And maybe, she privately hoped, the dream was simply that - just a dream.

While waiting for Tomoyo, Sakura stared at the trees outside the classroom window. Or rather, one tree in particular. It didn't look any different from the other trees, being completely unremarkable, and yet she couldn't stop staring at that specific tree. If Kero was here, would he say it was a premonition? Or was she simply still unsettled from the strange dream she had this morning?

"Hey, did you hear?" one classmate said to her friend. "Satomi-chan from Class 1-B said she saw a ghost!"

"She told me that too!" the other girl said in a hushed whisper. "Apparently it's the ghost of a girl who confessed her love to another girl under one of trees right outside our classroom!"

Sakura's blood ran cold. Ghosts. Barely even a month into her new middle school life, and already people were worrying about ghosts. But maybe it was just a rumor, she tried to tell herself. Middle and high schools usually had a list of seven mysteries that went around as rumors, after all. Trying to ignore her classmates' conversation, she refocused her attention on that one particular yet unremarkable tree outside the window.

But her classmates had said something else too, hadn't she? That the ghost was a girl who had confessed her love to another girl…

"Sakura-chan?" came Tomoyo's voice as she stood beside Sakura's desk. "Is there something outside the window?"

"Oh, nothing!" Sakura said quickly, and she felt her cheeks redden. "Did you turn in your club application form?"

Tomoyo nodded. "The advisor for the choir club seems really kind too. It's all so exciting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it really is!" Sakura tried to smile, but again she felt her attention pulled by that unremarkable tree. Maybe Tomoyo had heard those rumors too, even if Sakura was loath to talk about ghosts. "Hey, Tomoyo-chan—"

"All right, class, time to take your seats," said the teacher as she entered the classroom.

Tomoyo flashed a soft smile at Sakura. "Let's meet after school," she said as she took a seat at her own desk.

Throughout the lessons, Sakura tried to pay attention, she really did, but her mind kept wandering, sometimes to Tomoyo and sometimes to that tree. So much had changed; Syaoran and Meiling had returned to Hong Kong and Eriol and his friends to England, and Sakura and her friends had entered middle school -although Rika attended a different school - but some things remained the same. Tomoyo was still beside her, and more than once she found herself simply watching Tomoyo, wishing.

But wishing for what?

When the final bell rang, as Sakura and Tomoyo left the building, she tried to find that tree that had kept demanding her attention for some inexplicable reason. She found it soon enough, and it looked as ordinary as it did before. With a shaking hand she touched the rough bark, but sensed nothing strange.

"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked. "Is something wrong?"

Sakura tried to speak, to tell Tomoyo what she'd heard earlier, the story of a ghost girl confessing her love to another girl underneath one of these trees, but her throat closed and she couldn't force the words. Her mind wouldn't stop fixating on that part of the rumor, and her heart began to race. Finally she said, "It's just my imagination, I think."

For a brief, fleeting moment, Tomoyo's smile seemed to vanish. "If you say so, Sakura-chan."

Later that evening, when her father and brother were out working, Sakura told Kero more of what she remembered of her dream and the rumor she'd heard from her classmates, although for reasons she herself didn't fully understand, she didn't mention the part that the girl from the rumor had been confessing to another girl.

Kero tapped his chin thoughtfully. "So you dream of a forest and then a certain tree catches your attention, and said tree might be where a girl confessed her feelings. It's hard to say if it's all connected."

Sakura felt a shiver jolt down her spine. "You don't think the tree is haunted, do you?"

"Wow, you really ain't good with ghosts, are you?" Yet Kero's chuckle was gentle. "But it might not even be a ghost."

"Really?!"

"If you're drawn to it, it might actually be magic. In this day and age, most people go their whole lives without realizin' their own magical potential. But somethin' like a love confession can be really stressful and that can cause a magical outburst, so maybe there's still some kinda magical residue hangin' around."

Sakura laid her hand over her book of transformed magical cards. Since Eriol had explained everything, there hadn't been any strange occurrences lately, so maybe she was overdue for another magical problem, and Kero's explanation made sense. However, she still couldn't help but feel they were missing something. "I should do a reading," she said.

"Oh, you haven't done one of those in a while!" Kero replied, his small wings fluttering in excitement. "You remember what I told you?"

Sakura nodded as she took her cards from the book and began shuffling them. Although she hadn't done a reading since transforming the Clow Cards into her own Sakura Cards, her hands remembered exactly what to do, and when her instincts said the time was right, she lay the chosen cards face-down in position. She turned the top card, and it was the Return.

"Oh, that's an easy one," Kero said. "The Return is the card of the past, so whatever happened in the past is connected to all this. Now flip over the middle three."

"Right." Sakura did so, revealing the Dream, the Voice, and the Shield.

"Huh." Kero observed the cards with a critical stare. "The Dream card can also represent hopes and desires for the future, so it's not surprisin' to see it with the Voice, but the Shield…"

"I got the Shield card when it was protecting something important to Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said with a smile.

"That might have somethin' to do with it. It ain't bad to be protective, but there's also being too protective. What about the last card?"

Sakura flipped, revealing the Song card.

"You heard singin' in your dream, right?" Kero asked. "And Tomoyo likes to sing too."

"But I don't understand." Sakura's fingers tugged at the hem of her skirt. "How is Tomoyo-chan involved in all this?"

"Well, she's your best friend." Kero fell silent, staring at the cards. "And you've been acting kinda strange lately, you know?"

"Huh? I have?" Sakura blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"It ain't suprisin'. You had to say farewell to friends and all, and now you're in a whole new school. You probably don't even realize something's bothering you, and that uncertainty can affect your magic too. But whatever happens, we're here for you - me and Tomoyo. That's somethin' that won't ever change."

"Thanks, Kero-chan." Again Sakura smiled. "Maybe tomorrow night the three of us can investigate, just like old times."

Kero grinned widely. "Now that's the Sakura I know and love!"

That night Sakura dreamed again. A grassy field stretched as far as the eye could see, and she walked toward a certain figure in the far distance. Her heart fluttered; she vaguely recognized silver hair and glasses. She smiled. She hadn't dreamed of Yukito in a long time.

But as she came closer, the figure's silhouette grew clearer, and it wasn't actually Yukito at all. Long, dark hair like waves, gentle violet eyes - Tomoyo turned to face Sakura, and from her bright lips fell a sweet song. Sakura couldn't understand the lyrics; maybe they were in a language that didn't exist in the real world. Tomoyo had something important to tell Sakura, and Sakura only had to listen.

It was supposed to be that simple, wasn't it?

As rose petals began to fall from the sky like drops of rain, Sakura broke into a run. Tomoyo held out her hand and Sakura grasped it, their fingers lacing. A warm, bubbly feeling filled Sakura, almost like what she had once felt toward Yukito but not quite, and hers and Tomoyo's lips…

Sakura's eyes flew open, her heart racing.

It was still night, and Kero slept soundly at the edge of the bed. Sakura rolled over onto her side, and her eyes fell upon her books of magical cards. She reached for it and opened the cover, and right on top was the Song card. With a shaking hand she raised the card, and it shimmered in the moonlight.

Even as a Clow Card, the Song had always reminded Sakura of Tomoyo, and since transforming it into a Sakura Card, the resemblance had grown stronger. She giggled silently to herself. That wasn't so surprising, as Kero would say that her magic was influenced by her own feelings and desires. Tomoyo was dear to her, so of course her Sakura Cards, the magic of her own creation, would reflect that.

She hugged the Song card to her chest and shut her eyes. As she fell asleep, Tomoyo's dreamlike song filled her ears.

Once upon a time, there was a girl in love…

Deep down, Sakura really did enjoy all of Tomoyo's costumes and how Tomoyo fussed over her, even if Tomoyo's fervor could sometimes be overwhelming. To have Tomoyo's attention focused solely on her was actually rather nice, and as Tomoyo made sure each and every detail was perfect, again Sakura's heart began to race, and she found she kind of liked that feeling.

Tonight's costume had the motif of a fairytale prince, inspired by Lady Oscar and Princess Sapphire, protagonists of two girls' manga Tomoyo loved very much. After all, Tomoyo had explained, this matter involved the heart of a maiden in love, so princely attire was most fitting. She raised her camcorder and flashed Sakura a thumb's-up. "Perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Just like old times, huh?" Kero said, and he wore a miniature cravat Tomoyo had made for him to match Sakura's costume.

Sakura took her key pendant and held it before her, and those familiar summoning words fell from her lips, transforming the pendant into its true form of a star wand. The wand fit perfectly in her hands, like the old friend it was, and carefully she approached the tree in question. Even now she felt something strange tugging at her attention. "Um, what should I do now?" she asked out loud.

"Put your hand on the tree and see if you can sense somethin'," Kero replied. "If nothin' happens, we'll try a Sakura Card."

Nodding, Sakura inhaled a deep breath and placed her hand on the tree, feeling rough bark against her gloved palm. As she felt something like a spark, she couldn't help but smile. So there was something different about this tree after all. She shut her eyes, trying to concentrate her magic.

I wish I had the courage…

A voice filled Sakura's mind, but then she heard a scream behind her. She whirled around, and flower petals surrounded Tomoyo like a whirlwind and Kero had been knocked back. "Tomoyo-chan, Kero-chan!" she exclaimed, but vines shot from the tree to entangle her wrist, and she couldn't move.

"This is no ordinary magic…" Kero muttered as he steadied himself.

Sakura tried to yank her hand free, and that strange vine held fast. She raised her wand, but her Sakura Cards shot from her pocket, each of them glowing. They began to spin around her, Tomoyo, and Kero, and Sakura noticed the Create between the Light and Dark before a blinding flash overtook her vision, and then everything went black.

I love you. Just being by your side is enough. There's no need to confess. I wouldn't have the courage to do so anyway. These feelings can just be my secret.

But still, sometimes I wonder what might have happened if I'd confessed, if only I had the courage to bare my heart to you, my beloved…

When Sakura opened her eyes, she found herself in a fairytale forest. That was the only way she could describe this place, and not only that, it was the forest from her dreams. Trees as tall as the eye could see, vibrant green leaves against a blue sky, and blooming flowers of every color imaginable.

Carefully she stood, and though she still had her transformed wand, her Sakura Cards were missing. She frowned. Her cards hadn't acted on their own in a long time. Did the magic sealed in that tree have some kind of adverse reaction to her own magic? She closed her eyes, recalling the cards from yesterday's reading. The Return, the card of the past. The Dream, the Voice, and the Shield, the cards of the present. And then the final card, the Song…

Sakura's fingers tensed around her wand. "Tomoyo-chan, Kero-chan, where are you?" she called out, but no answer came. Steeling herself, she inhaled a deep breath and began walking this forest path from her dreams.

Maybe this was still a dream, or at least the memory of a dream. A girl had confessed her love under a certain tree, and the magic of memory lingered. But now that Sakura thought about it, the rumors never said if that girl's feelings were requited.

A pink flower petal fell and landed on Sakura's arm. Even she knew how hard it was to confess one's feelings. Her crush on Yukito had been just that, a sweet, silly infatuation, but to share those feelings with Yukito had been one of the hardest moments of her life. And this unknown girl had been confessing to another girl…

An image of Tomoyo flashed in Sakura's mind, and her cheeks flushed. "Tomoyo-chan…" she whispered, her voice lost to the gentle breeze.

From the far distance came the faint sound of someone singing, drawing Sakura back to her current situation. The song was familiar, although she couldn't yet make out the lyrics. A gentle, feminine voice beckoned her, just like in her dream, and her dreams were meant to guide her. Kero had made that very clear several times.

"Please, wait for me," she found herself saying, and those nostalgic words echoed in her ears. "I'll find you, I promise…"

Dreams could symbolize both memory and desire, but it wasn't easy to give voice to such secret thoughts. Sakura knew that much at least, and if she was being honest with herself, she could be oblivious about a lot of things. But she wanted to listen. She didn't want to keep memory and desire locked away, shielded from the world.

"But first you must understand your own heart."

Sakura's blood ran cold at the sound of that unfamiliar voice. "Who's there?" she said, glancing around herself, but she saw no one else. Maybe it was just her imagination. No, Kero would say to trust her instincts. Again she inhaled a deep breath to calm herself, and once more she heard that faint, familiar song.

As she walked, leaves rustled in a gentle wind and blooming flowers seemed to follow her path. The only thing missing from this fairytale-esque scene were cute critters like rabbits and foxes. Even so, this forest scene was peaceful, and the soft sunlight seeping through the trees was warm against her skin. The quiet song that echoed was almost like a lullaby, and Sakura knew that if she lay down to rest on this impossibly soft grass, she would fall asleep instantly.

But she also remembered that this quiet peace would not last.

Just as happened in her dream, the sky began to darken as storm clouds gathered, and even the trees seemed to grow more twisted. The wind howled madly, tossing wilted flower petals to the ground, and as lightning flashed across the sky, rain began to fall, so harshly it almost felt as if it was piercing Sakura's skin. Teeth chattering, she wrapped her arms around herself to ward away the chill, wishing she had an umbrella or at least one of her Sakura Cards to help protect against this rain. The singing had also grown louder but also more desperate, and that was a plea Sakura could not ignore. Tomoyo and Kero were waiting for her.

"A girl in love with another girl. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Again a strange voice sounded in Sakura's ears, but again she saw no one else. Not that she could see much, though. It took nearly all of her strength to push against such powerful wind, and she could barely see through the heavy rainfall. As long as Kero could still transform into his true form, he was likely safe, but the idea of Tomoyo alone in such dangerous weather filled Sakura with dread. But she had to be brave, she told herself, even if her Sakura Cards were missing. If she was scared, she wouldn't be able to save Tomoyo.

But that voice still nagged at Sakura, and she didn't understand why. Whenever she thought about Tomoyo, she couldn't help but be reminded of those rumors. Frustration bubbled within Sakura; she knew she could be dense sometimes, but now it felt as if understanding danced just out of reach, mocking her. Tomoyo was her best friend. She'd been with Sakura throughout the capture of the Clow Cards and their transformation into Sakura Cards. Sakura understood that. Things were peaceful now, and they had entered middle school together. Nothing had changed between them.

Nothing had changed…

Sakura touched her face, and she didn't know if she felt tears or rain. Did she want something to change? More and more she simply watched Tomoyo, wishing, and as she had begun to notice Tomoyo's gaze on her, something warm shimmered within her. Tomoyo was always watching Sakura, as she usually did, but now…

For a brief, fleeting moment, Sakura found herself wishing at least for the adoring gaze of Tomoyo's camcorder.

Eventually the rainfall began to ease, but now thorny vines obscured the already-vague path. Sakura tried to step carefully, but more than once her clothes - the clothes Tomoyo had so earnestly made for her - got snagged on the thorns. If she had the Sword card, she could simply transform her wand and cut away these troublesome vines, but as things were now, she had to content herself with just wracking them. It did little good, but it was something to do at least, even if she found herself thankful Kero couldn't see her use her magical wand for something so pointlessly mundane.

The trees and flowers around her began to wilt, resembling a nightmare more than a fairytale forest. A cold wind echoed, chilling Sakura to her bones, but at least the rain had finally stopped. She wondered what time it was and how long she'd been here - her father and brother were going to be so worried - and her fears grew as the clouds parted and revealed a sky colored in twilight. She gulped; it had been night when she, Tomoyo, and Kero had set out to investigate and then day when she awoke in this strange place, but that was assuming time flowed the same way here, and when magic was involved, that was no guarantee.

However, those worries vanished as a clearing same into sight, and upon an altar surrounded by roses lay a sleeping figure - Tomoyo. Her heart racing, Sakura tried to charge forward, but thorny vines suddenly gathered before her, knocking her onto her rear.

"Ow…" she groaned, rubbing her hips as she slowly got to her feet. The thick vines blocked the only path into clearing, and the surrounding trees were too close to leave any gaps for her to squeeze through. She hit the vines a few times with her wand - "Sorry, Kero-chan," she whispered - and when that failed, she tried to tear apart the vines with her bare hands, but the thorns were too sharp for her to safely do so. She frowned; if only she had her Sakura Cards! And as if to add insult to injury, she could almost sense her cards nearby.

"The path won't open until you understand your heart."

Sakura turned around, clutching her wand protectively, and behind her stood a ghostly figure. The other girl appeared about the same age as Sakura and wore a classical sailor uniform, one that she recognized as a previous version of her middle school uniform. Her blood ran cold, but she resisted the urge to scream. Even if this other girl was a ghost, Sakura had to be brave, for Tomoyo's sake and Kero's.

That the girl looked, well, like a normal girl and not some horrible monster helped a little, though.

The ghostly girl stepped closer, and Sakura tried not to flinch. "You and that other girl are close, aren't you?" she asked.

Sakura swallowed dryly. "A-Are you a g-ghost?" she stammered.

"A ghost?" The girl laughed, but not unkindly. "No, I'm fairly certain 'I' still live. I'm just the fragment of regret given form by the magic I never knew I had."

So Kero was right about that, Sakura thought to herself. "Are you the girl who tried to confess her feelings?"

"Well, that's a vague question. Lots of girls try to confess their love while in middle school. Be more specific."

"I mean…" Sakura's fingers tightened around her wand, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. "I've heard rumors about a girl confessing her feelings to another girl. Was that you? Were you rejected?"

Again the girl laughed, but her smile grew bitter. "Rumors are curious things, aren't they? I was in love with another girl, but I was never rejected because I never confessed."

Startled, Sakura took a step back, body brushing against the thorny vines. "But how—?"

"Oh, I planned to, under our favorite tree, but then I changed my mind at the very last second, and she never, ever knew the truth." The ghostly girl spread her arms, her eyes wide and frantic. "But every day I regretted being a coward, and I suppose my regret began to haunt the schoolyard like a ghost. The 'me' you see now is just a piece of forgotten magic, awakened by your own magic."

Sakura couldn't say she understood everything this other girl was saying, but one thing was clear. "Is that why you dragged me and Tomoyo-chan here?"

The girl frowned. "I only wanted your friend, since we're kindred spirits of sorts. But then your cards interfered, creating this space to protect you. It must be nice, having magic that cares about you."

"My cards did this?" Sakura stared through the thorny vines and still Tomoyo slept upon the altar like a fairytale princess. "But then why can't I reach Tomoyo-chan?"

"Because this is also a world of your own making." The ghostly girl put her hand on her hip. "And until you realize the truth about your heart, you will never wake from this dream."

"My own heart…?" Sakura repeated, laying her hand over her chest, and her heart still beat. She'd dreamed of this forest before, so maybe it wasn't so surprising she had subconsciously created it, but what did her Sakura Cards understand that she didn't?

The girl stepped closer to Sakura, and her expression softened. "About you and your friend. Tomoyo, was it? What is she to you?"

"Tomoyo-chan is my best friend!" Sakura said quickly, too quickly, and her chest ached as she spoke those words. "Ever since we met, we've always been together. She helped me gather all the Clow Cards and never stopped believing in me, even when I didn't know what to do or did something stupid. She's smart and beautiful and really good at singing too—"

With a smile the other girl held a hand to her ear. "Listen."

Sakura fell silent, and more clearly could she hear that song again. It was most definitely Tomoyo's voice, and Sakura could finally make out the lyrics. Her cheeks flushed; how could she have been so dense? The way Tomoyo watched her, how she would draw closer to Sakura but always leave a little bit of space between them, that look of longing on her face whenever Sakura spoke of Yukito or Syaoran - it was all so clear now. "So that's what you meant by kindred spirits…" Sakura found herself saying.

"Your friend does remind me of myself." The ghostly girl let out a quiet sigh. "But what about you?"

Sakura clutched her wand to her chest, and so clearly could she envision the Song card in her mind. A familiar bubbly feeling filled her, but much stronger than before. "I want… I want to make Tomoyo-chan happy! I want to share my heart with her!"

"Then do what I couldn't," the girl said as she vanished, leaving behind only smiles and tears.

Wand still in hand, Sakura turned toward the clearing, and the thorny vines had parted. In their place stood the feminine forms of the Light and Dark cards, their fingers laced together. Sakura couldn't help but giggle. "I should've known, huh?" she said.

"We apologize for acting on our own," the Light said carefully, "but this was the only way we could protect you both."

"The Create also offers their apologies," the Dark added.

Sakura laughed again, recalling the cards from her reading, and she finally understood how they all fit together. "You're always looking out for me. Thank you."

The Light smiled. "That love you hold in your heart is your greatest magic."

"We love you, dear Master," the Dark said, and as she took her hand from the Light's, they both vanished, granting Sakura passage into the clearing.

As Sakura stepped forward, a ray of sunlight shined upon the sleeping form of Tomoyo, and Tomoyo herself was now dressed in a frilly princess dress, the same pale pink as the roses surrounding the altar. A smile tugged at Sakura's lips; her cards really went all-out on the fairytale theme, didn't they? she thought to herself. But she and Tomoyo had always enjoyed fairytales, after all.

With a careful hand she touched Tomoyo's warm cheek, tracing Tomoyo's lips with her thumb. How long had Tomoyo kept her own feelings locked away in her heart? And that ghostly girl's regrets had caused her latent magic to create rumors of an idealized outcome. Maybe it was because they were both girls Sakura had been so oblivious; unfortunately, there were those who considered romantic love between two girls to be obscene and immoral. But now that Sakura understood the truth, she wanted to share her heart with Tomoyo. Whatever hardships came, they would face together, just as they always had.

So, as was common in fairytales with sleeping princesses, Sakura pressed her lips against Tomoyo's.

Tomoyo's eyes slowly opened, and surprise was clear on her face as she sat up. She touched her lips, and her cheeks grew red. "Sakura-chan?" she said, both hope and hesitation clear in her dark eyes.

Sakura took Tomoyo's face between her hands and felt her own cheeks blush too. "I finally understand," she said softly. "I feel the same way, Tomoyo-chan."

Her eyes watering, Tomoyo threw her arms around Sakura. "Sakura-chan… my sweet Sakura-chan… Is this truly real? I'm not just dreaming?"

"Yes, this is real." Sakura threaded her fingers through Tomoyo's long hair, and she could feel Tomoyo's racing heart against her own. "I promise."

Flowers erupted all around them, petals scattering in the wind. As Sakura held Tomoyo tightly, the world around them began to dissolve into light, and eventually only the two of them remained. Sakura shut her eyes, and the warmth of Tomoyo in her arms was true.

When she finally opened her eyes again, she found herself and Tomoyo on the school grounds near the specific tree that had started everything. Tomoyo was now in her regular clothes and the sky was still night, as if no time had passed at all.

And Kero was right up to them in the blink of an eye. "What was that light?" he exclaimed. "And then—! Wait. Wait a sec. Tomoyo, weren't you just over there a moment ago?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but instead her eyes fell upon her wand and deck of Sakura Cards beside her. She touched the cards and instinctively knew the two on top were the Song and the Create. "Thank you," she whispered.

Tomoyo stared at the tree. "So do you think the spirits here are finally at rest?"

"I'm sure she is," Sakura answered, remembering the smile on the ghostly girl's face before she had vanished. Magic really was a strange, wondrous thing, she thought to herself.

Kero crossed his arms, eying Sakura and Tomoyo closely. "So anyone gonna tell what just happened?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "It's a long story."

Tomoyo took Sakura's hand into hers, letting their fingers intertwine. "Whatever you need to say, I'll listen," she said, giving Sakura a kiss on the cheek.

Kero only smiled, and both he and Tomoyo listened closely as Sakura told a story like a fairytale.