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Sakura stared at her reflection in the café window as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Sweat pooled at the back of her neck, and not simply because of the summer heat. She inhaled a deep breath to calm her racing heart - it didn't help much - and tore her gaze from her reflection and toward the bustling street. Again she glanced down at her watch; Tomoyo should be arriving soon.
Her cheeks grew warm. Today was her first date with Tomoyo, her best friend and now girlfriend, and they planned to meet at this newly opened café. Nothing too out of the ordinary, Sakura told herself, but still her stomach was filled with butterflies. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, which had grown warmer than the summer air, and sighed. In a moment of weakness, she had considered asking Touya for advice, but no, her brother was the absolute last person she wanted to ask about this sort of thing. Yukito would probably be a better choice, but when she remembered Yue's blank, icy stare, she thought better of it.
She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her magical necklace underneath her shirt, and she couldn't help but smile. After capturing all the Clow Cards and turning them into Sakura Cards and Syaoran and Meiling returning to Hong Kong, she'd worried that there would no longer be much excitement in her life as she entered middle school, but then on the first day of summer break, Tomoyo had finally confessed her feelings to Sakura.
The sound of glass falling echoed in Sakura's ears, and she jerked her head up, but saw nothing out of the ordinary as she glanced around. "Just my imagination…?" she said aloud.
"Oh, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura turned her head at the sound of that familiar voice and saw Tomoyo approaching her. "Tomoyo-chan!" she exclaimed. "You're right on time!"
Tomoyo giggled. "Of course! I would never be late for my very first date with you!" she said, a pink blush crossing her fair cheeks.
A blush crept to Sakura's cheeks as well; Tomoyo looked especially beautiful today. "Well, shall we head inside?" she said, extending her hand to Tomoyo.
Tomoyo's blush deepened, and she smiled as she took Sakura's hand, and then the world froze.
Light, blindingly brilliant white light filled Sakura's vision, like sunlight reflecting off a mirror. She still felt Tomoyo's hand in hers, which gave her some small measure of relief, as did the fact she heard no screaming. Was this magic? It didn't feel much like Clow Reed's magic, but it was clearly something supernatural. She tried to open her eyes, but still all she saw was an endlessly clear white.
"Sakura-chan…" Tomoyo said somewhere nearby, her fingers tightening around Sakura's.
"I'm here, don't worry." Sakura returned that gentle squeeze with one of her own, and with her free hand pulled her pendant out of her shirt. "Key that hides the forces of the star, show me your true form! By the covenant, I, Sakura, command you! Release!" she chanted, reciting the familiar words. She couldn't see the key transform, but she held out her hand and felt the familiar weight of her precious wand.
She guided Tomoyo's arms around her waist, and with her other hand now free, she slipped it into pocket with her Sakura Cards. Which card would be best to use now? How would she be able to see which one she chose in this absolute brightness? She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself, deciding to trust in her instincts, as Kero often encouraged her.
"Cards created by Clow and transformed by me, share with me your knowledge!" she cried, tossing out two cards, and magic swelled within her wand.
A gentle fog begun to settle over the area, and while the mist might have glistened over the reflective surfaces, that was tempered by cloudlike smoke. Eventually Sakura was able to see without squinting, and in her hand she held the Mist and Cloud cards. Before her and Tomoyo was a maze of mirrors, and she saw nothing of the bustling street from earlier.
"Is this magic?" Tomoyo said quietly, but still her voice echoed in this sterile stillness.
"I think so," Sakura replied, her voice just as quiet. "It isn't Clow's magic, but it still feels kind of familiar."
Tomoyo smiled as she patted the bag at her side. "Well, good thing I brought my camera! This is just like old times, huh?"
Despite herself, Sakura couldn't help but smile too. "Stay close to me, all right?"
Tomoyo nodded as she linked her arm with Sakura's.
Thanks to the Mist and Cloud cards reducing the reflective brightness, Sakura was able to see where she and Tomoyo were going, although the resulting fog gave everything an eerie quality. Slabs of mirrors erupted from the ground in no apparent pattern, and it was too cloudy to make out their reflections. Still, every so often she caught a flash of color, and a feeling like nostalgia filled her chest.
"This is like the Maze, isn't it?" Tomoyo said, breaking the silence. "Do you think it'll count as cheating if you used the Fly card…?"
Sakura fingers tightened around her wand. "If everything gets all distorted again, we don't have Mizuki-sensei to help us this time…" She looked up at the sky, but saw only a crystalline gleam, as if they were in some kind of dome or snow globe. What kind of magic could create something like this? She bit her lip, realizing how little she actually knew of magic outside that of Clow Reed's.
They walked a while in silence, with Tomoyo keeping close to Sakura. What a thing to happen on their first date together, Sakura thought to herself, but maybe it wasn't so unexpected either. Tomoyo had always been by her side as she captured the Clow Cards and transformed them into Sakura Cards, with a new costume for every occasion. Sakura might've laughed at herself; when had she begun to miss Tomoyo's overzealous passion for dressing her up?
Of course, every one of those costumes had been made specifically for her, with Tomoyo's eyes only on her…
How long they walked, Sakura could no longer tell. The scenery around them didn't seem to change, with the misted mirrors looming over the two of them like monoliths. Sakura reached into her pocket, pulling out the Maze card. "I could try fighting this maze with another maze," she said.
Tomoyo touched Sakura's arm. "I trust you, Sakura-chan," she said with a faint smile.
Inhaling deeply, Sakura tossed the card forward and struck it with her wand. "Show us the true path!" she chanted.
A beam of light shot forth, zigzagging around the monoliths, and Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what she would've done if this maze had grown distorted.
Tomoyo giggled. "That's my Sakura-chan!"
"But is it really this simple…?" Sakura muttered to herself.
The two of them followed the beam of light a while, and Sakura noticed the reflections in the mirrors had grown clearer, although she still couldn't make out anything specific. She saw splashes of color and flashes of light that reminded her much of her own magic, but nothing more than that.
She frowned. She kept thinking of them as mirrors, but they were reflecting her and Tomoyo as they were right now, weren't they?
The beam of light suddenly split like cracks in glass, hitting each of the mirrors in sight. The reflections were much clearer now - or rather, the images, as the "mirrors" didn't reflect Sakura and Tomoyo in this moment. One showed Sakura in the costume she wore for the Final Judgement. Another showed her leading the Watery card into a freezer. Another, the thief-inspired costume she wore when she captured the Silence card. Another, the princely costume from her school's performance of Sleeping Beauty. Another, her combining the Nothing card with the nameless card to create the Hope. And another…
"These are all the costumes I've ever designed for you," Tomoyo said, her eyes wide.
"I don't understand…" All around Sakura, the mirrors loomed over her, and she recognized each and every costume depicted. Her cheeks grew warm; when was the last time she had worn one of Tomoyo's costumes? No, that wasn't what was important right now, she tried to tell herself. She had to get herself and Tomoyo out of this strange maze, to have a proper first date…!
Tomoyo wrapped her fingers around Sakura's, slowly and gently. "Sakura-chan, you miss all those magical adventures, don't you?"
She jolted, and again a brilliant white consumed them. She shut her eyes tightly, and on the insides of her eyelids she could still see all the memories reflected in those strange mirrors. With all the cards captured and transformed, things were quiet now, and she appreciated that, she really did. But once, the Clow Cards were a secret she had shared only with Tomoyo, and Tomoyo's support had always been unwavering. Even if Sakura had only just recently realized the depths of Tomoyo's feelings for her, that bond they shared was always what she treasured most.
A card nudged Sakura's hand, and by instinct she activated it with her wand. A gentle darkness embraced her, and she realized what card it was - the Dark. The Light appeared from behind her, and Sakura realized she could still see Tomoyo beside her.
"Have you figured out the truth?" the Dark asked with a soft smile. "Your heart is most powerful, after all."
Sakura clutched her wand tighter, and again Tomoyo put her arms around Sakura's waist. "Magic is a part of me," she said, trying to smile. "And I want to continue sharing that magic with Tomoyo-chan."
The Light reached out her hand. "You know what to do now."
Sakura nodded and raised her wand high. "Release!"
The brilliance began to gather into the form of an unstable crystal, absorbing both light and shadow, and then shattered. Sakura opened her eyes, and again found herself on that busy street with Tomoyo, as if no time had passed at all.
"Is it over?" Tomoyo wondered out loud as she touched Sakura's shoulder.
"Sakura-chan!"
She turned at the sound of her name, and much to her surprise, saw Yukito approaching her and Tomoyo, and a familiar yellow tail poked out of the hood of his shirt. "Oh, Yukito-san!" she exclaimed.
Yukito smiled, that reassuring, gentle smile of his. "My other self sensed something strange. I don't mean to interrupt your date…" Sakura blushed, and Yukito continued, "But could we talk someplace more private?"
Fortunately a park was nearby, so once the group found a spot secluded enough, Kero flew out and Yukito transformed into Yue. Sakura gulped; it must've been serious if the both of them came to check on her. Sakura tried to explain what happened, and Kero seemed to understand.
"…and we both came rushin' as soon as we sensed your magic," Kero said as Sakura finished her explanation. "Though, looks like you managed to get yourself out of this trouble without our help!"
"Of course, she's Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said brightly, and Sakura's blush deepened. "But you think this was caused by her magic?"
Yue nodded. "Based on what you told us, it may have been caused by a subconscious desire."
Kero crossed his paws. "You haven't been using your magic much lately, huh?"
Sakura shook her head. "No, not with all the cards captured and transformed…"
"Magic is a living thing too," Yue said. "If it goes unused, it begins to feel neglected."
"He's right!" Kero added. "Even just usin' your magic for small things is fine too! It's a part of you, after all!"
Sakura's fingers curled around her magical pendant. "Maybe I do miss those kinds of adventures," she whispered. "Tomoyo-chan and I really had a lot of fun, didn't we?"
Tomoyo giggled as she clutched Sakura's arm. "Then I'll just have to come up with even more costumes for you!" Her eyes went wide. "Oh no, I forgot to record you when we were in that maze!"
"Some things never change, huh?" Kero said with a chuckle.
As the sun began to set, Sakura and Tomoyo sat together on a park bench, and it was secluded enough that Sakura had used the Glow and Freeze cards to create glowing bits of crystal to float in the air. Tomoyo laughed and rested her head against Sakura's shoulder. "Today was wonderful, really," she said.
Sakura laid her hand over her chest. "Are you sure? I almost ruined our first date because I couldn't control my magic…"
"But that was the most fun of all!" Tomoyo slipped her hand into Sakura's. "Your magic is a part of you, and I love all of you, Sakura-chan."
"Even with all the trouble I cause?" Yet Sakura couldn't stop her fingers from curling around Tomoyo's.
"I do like peaceful moments like these too, but there's nothing wrong with a little excitement every now and then either." Tomoyo raised her hand to Sakura's cheek and pressed their lips together for a kiss.
Before them, the frozen magical crystals began to glow a deep, vibrant red.
Tomoyo's cellphone rang and she answered it. "Oh, that was my mother's bodyguards," she said to Sakura once she finished the call. "They're waiting at the entrance of the park to pick us up."
Sakura smiled. "I really am glad I can share my magic with you, Tomoyo-chan."
As the crystals vanished, Sakura and Tomoyo stood and took each other's hand, their fingers lacing, and the warmth of Sakura's magic lingered.