Dear Sakura by Amazoness Duo and G.P. amazonessduo@hotmail.com pearsong1954@yahoo.com Dear Sakura-chan, How are you? I didn’t want to wait for our phone call this week so I tried to get back to you as quickly as I could. Though I’ll probably hear from you on the phone before I can get a reply anyway. But that’s all right because I’m just happy to write you. I like knowing that as soon as I send this off it will be on its way to Sakura-chan’s door, that the letter I wrote will end up in her hands before too long. So I always have plenty of motivation to write you back. I’m writing this in my office at work while I’m waiting for a phone call. I hope I can finish it all in one sitting. I have a picture of you in my office. You’re only eleven or twelve in the picture, but you have the cutest smile on your face. So I see you smiling with me at work while I try to finish Hanako-chan. Meishi- chan, a coworker, joked that you were my girlfriend because she has a picture of her fiancee on her desk and because of how much I talk about you. We laughed for a bit about that. She’s getting married next month so we want to finish the project in time for her honeymoon. Hanako-chan still has a bit to go before she’s finished, so that means she’ll need extra hard work for the next few weeks. But I’m really happy with how she’s coming along. I finally decided on long violet hair for the doll so that little girls can style it however they want. I hope she gets the love of many young girls. I want them to have lots of fun with her, just like I had lots of fun dressing and videotaping Sakura-chan. If I can get even a portion of that fun into the doll, then I know it will be perfect. Oh, Sakura-chan, I’m sorry things have been so hectic for you lately. I know how that can be what with all of the deadlines we’ve been having lately. It almost reminds me of when we were studying for the high school entrance exams. But I really enjoyed spending all that time studying with you. My camera tripod got a lot of use that year when we’d sit in your room and go over everything. I was so proud of you when it was all over. So sometimes hectic can be a very happy thing. I hope that your hectic life is like that or that thing slow down for you soon. Don’t work yourself too hard or poor Sakura- chan won’t be able to show off all of the wonderful energy she has inside. It really does sound like you’ve been busy lately, so don’t worry about getting back to me or calling if you need the rest. So make sure that you get plenty of rest. That way you can still be the pretty, genki woman that I last saw. I’m so sorry for your mathematics teacher friend. That sounds so awful. To lose touch with your special someone like that after all that time has to be heart wrenching. I feel so sorry for her. I can see why she’s still hurt about it. When love grips onto your heart, it’s impossible to ever completely get rid of it’s tugging. Mother still thinks about Nadeshiko-san every day, so I guess she went through something similar to your friend. I wish that people didn’t have to go through things that painful, especially such sweet people as mother and your friend. I was really worried that we would drift after you married Li-kun as well. I thought that now that you have a new family and a loving husband and a life of your own that I wouldn’t be as necessary anymore. Now that Sakura-chan’s in Hong Kong, I’m not as much a part of her life anymore. Even with all of my videotapes and pictures of you, it wouldn’t be enough for me if we lost touch. The only thing that makes it enough to bear is the thought that you’re happy out there. So I know you’ll be all right with or without me. And I know everything will work out. So even if you’re so far away, I’m happy. Sakura-chan, I promise I will always be here for you as long as you need me. And I will always remember you. Nothing could ever take the beautiful memories of you from my heart. I promise. So please don’t feel sad. It makes me feel awful to know that Sakura-chan is sad. I promise that I’ll stay as long as you need me. I’ll always think of you as my very best friend. I can’t get Sakura-chan out of my mind for even a minute, so I don’t think I could ever forget my sweet Cardmistress. You must make a wonderful P.E. teacher. I’ll need to watch you some day when you’re teaching one of your classes. You should teach them all a little something about cheerleading someday, too. They could use a few lessons from the best cheerleader in Tomoeda. And it would be so kawaii with Sakura-chan giving lessons these days. But I’m sure that all of those girls are very lucky to have you as their teacher. Some must feel the same way about you that Rika-chan felt towards Terrada-sensei. It would be easy to enjoy learning from Sakura- sensei! I’m sure you make them all very eager for class. I would have loved to have you as my P.E. teacher when I was younger. And with your loving heart, you’ll be able to reach out to the girls and draw the best out of them. Thank you very much for the book, Sakura-chan. It’s very pretty and I’ve already gone through it twice. Its must be gorgeous to see it all up close in Hong Kong. The photography was really nice throughout the whole book. The Engrish can be a little tricky at times, but it’s still nice to go through. Flower has wonderful choices in gifts. Thank you again for sending it. I think I like videotaping people dancing a little more than dancing myself because I love how cute Sakura-chan looks while she’s dancing. The look on her face is just adorable and the way she moves is very dreamlike. Dancing can be fun, too, but I’d much rather videotape it. The prom was fun, but I spent most of it videotaping Sakura-chan and Li-kun dancing. The tea set you bought sounds very pretty. And with you working on your tea making, I’m certain that it will be wonderful to have tea with Sakura-chan. I’m glad that it reminds you of me. But you really shouldn’t leave it just for me. I’m sure Li-kun and Ieran-sama and the others would enjoy it very much if you used it for them. But I would love to have tea with you and the tea set when I come to visit. After I finish Hanako-chan should be perfect. I’ll have to ask mother about it, but I don’t see why not. Mother should know of some good hotels in Hong Kong because of all of her business trips, so I’ll need to start looking for information so I can come out and visit Sakura-chan. Maybe I could bring my camcorder with us while we went shopping and I could make sure to get lots of souvenirs of my trip to visit you. And here I thought that I would have to wait for Sakura- chan to have a baby to have an excuse to come see her. I’m very glad that you like the videotapes. I’ll make sure that I keep making more. If you ever have any requests, please just ask. We have a very well trained chef and she says that she would be more than happy to help me learn how to make whatever dishes I need to for my videos. I finished the cake with strawberries tape last night so I’ll be sure to add that to the package I send. I can even make copies of some of my old tapes if you would ever like to see your adventures for the past eight years. I’m so very glad that you think I look pretty in the cooking tapes. Thank you very much for saying so. That means so much to me coming from you. And I’m glad you think I’m a lot like your mother. With all that my mother has said about Nadeshiko-san, I take that as one of the highest compliments I could receive. Mother said that you and I must have been switched at birth because I seem to take more after Nadeshiko-san than her. I’ll send a photo along with the letter, but it will probably be about a year old or so. I haven’t had many pictures taken recently. But I’ll be happy to know that I’ll be by Sakura-chan’s bedside, watching over her. Oh, I need to get going. It looks like I have to get back to work now that I know when the meeting is. And I can’t finish this right after work because I’m giving my mother’s secretary’s daughter singing lessons. But that shouldn’t be more than an hour or two, so I’ll finish this tonight and send everything to you as soon as I can. Hello again, Sakura-chan! I’m writing this in the limousine, so I apologize if my writing looks messy. Megumi-chan has a very beautiful voice. I’m very glad that she decided to take singing lessons. I think the only thing she’s lacking is someone or something to sing for. Once she finds that, she’ll be alluring to listen to. She’s only a little older than I was when I started singing, so it’s interesting watching her as she works on her singing. Megumi-chan is very earnest about learning to sing. I wonder if there’s a special someone out there that she’s learning for. We have lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and every other Saturday. I’m glad that your dream is slowly starting to reveal itself to you. I knew with time it would begin to unfold. It sounds like it’s still too vague for you to understand now, but I think that soon enough it will begin to make sense. I hope it means you'll be coming back to Japan sometime soon. And the person on the Tokyo Tower could be Sakura-chan’s daughter. I could be wrong, not being a magical girl and all, but I think that would all be a very nice way for the dream to turn out. I was pretty sure that it was Sakura-chan dressed in cute boy’s clothes. You’ve been so worried about me with not having a koibito and you’ve heard me talking about my special someone for a very long time. So you already saw yourself close to the situation. And what better way to see things end happily for your best friend than as Sakura-chan the boy? Then you get a perfect glimpse of things because you’re right in the middle of it all. So I thought that it was you. I’m sure you looked remarkably handsome. Hai, proposing must be a very difficult thing to do. It took Li-kun three weeks after buying your wedding ring to finally ask you to marry him and that was after quite a bit of convincing, so it must be very tough. I think the most frightening part of it all must be the thought of rejection. Whenever you bare your feelings to the world, you have a chance of getting hurt and rejected. Holding out your love to your special someone is a very dangerous thing. What if they don’t feel the same way about you or if it hurts them to hear it or if it changes things? So I can understand why he was so worried and why cute boy Sakura-chan must have been worried in the dream. But if my one True Love proposed to me, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. And if I had to sacrifice myself for my love, as you said it, Sakura-chan, I would gladly do that, too. Sometimes it’s just safer to keep your love close to your heart, protecting it from the pain that rejection or the hurt could cause. So it’s very brave for Li-kun and you in the dream to propose. You really are a wonderful best friend, Sakura-chan, and you have never failed me. You’ve always saved me when I needed it with the Cards and have been so sweet to me over the years. I’ll always keep my love close to my heart, where I know it will be safe. I’ll always love my special someone. And please don’t worry. I don’t mind if my true love is with me or not. It would make me happy, but that’s not half as important to me as whether or not they are happy. And they seem to be, so I’m perfectly content. You have such a warm, loving heart that it’s always so sad for me to read about you in pain. I’m so sorry about the fight and that you almost got into another. I can see you sitting up sweetly, waiting for your love to come through the door. I don’t see how anyone could leave you waiting. You and Li-kun have been dating for years, but life as a married couple is different. It must be the difficulties you’re both experiencing as you’re adjusting to it that’s causing the trouble. I’m sure that Li-kun knows that you care about him and love him very much. He just has a lot of trouble expressing his emotions sometimes, Sakura-chan. I’m glad you had Touya-san to talk to about it. He’s right, those types of jobs often require a lot of socialization like that. If you ever need to talk like that again, you can call me at any time. I’m always here for you, Sakura-chan. It sounds like Li-kun is very protective of you. That’s a wonderful quality for your husband to have because I know he’ll keep you safe. I know that he’ll protect you, no matter what happens. Sakura-chan, I’m very glad that you’re concerned about me, but I don’t ever want you to be sad for me. That just makes me sadder. I want to know that my Sakura-chan is happy. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you who my special person is. I want to. I would love to. But I can’t. I think you should probably stop looking, Sakura-chan. I think it could only make things more difficult if you found out and I would hate myself for ever causing you anything to worry about. Please, Sakura-chan... You’re my best friend. I don’t think you should look any closer. Just know that I’m happy as long as my special person is happy. I’m sorry for my writing getting worse. We’re going over some tough road. But please, Sakura-chan, don’t worry about it. It really doesn’t matter who I love anymore. I don’t think I’m ever going to tell them now. It’s just not worth causing the trouble it would take to tell them. I'm happy with the way things are. I really am. It doesn't matter who they are because my love won’t change. But I think that it would be a bad idea to pursue it, Sakura-chan. You don’t want to know who it is. Please... It’s not Touya-san. He’s a wonderful person and he really does look out for you. I think he and Yukito-san are a wonderful couple. They look so happy together. I think he knows who I love. We’ve talked several times and it sounds like he does. But even for all of his great qualities, they only serve to remind me of my beloved. And I always blushed when I watched him at soccer practice because he reminded me of you, Sakura-chan. You both have the same ears. It's very cute. Hai, it’s much better if I keep my love silent. Close to my heart, it can do no harm. It doesn’t matter if I have a wedding. They’re beautiful events, but I’m content being Daidouji Tomoyo as long as my love is out there with the one they truly love. Even if I have to keep my love locked away for all eternity, it will always be all right. You can’t force someone to love you. All you can do is love them. So doesn’t it make sense to let them love who they shall, always holding on to that warm feeling the thought of them causes in your heart? You’re right, I’ll be all right. I always have been. I’ll be just fine, Sakura-chan. Trust me. I’m sorry to end this so abruptly, but I really must go. Mother needs me to help with something. Sakura-chan, I’ll always treasure the time I got to spend with you. You were the best friend I could possibly have. Thank you for that. I hope everything is well in China and that this letter gets to you safely. All my love, Daidouji Tomoyo Dear Tomoyo-chan, I was so excited to read in your letter that you will be able to come to Hong Kong soon to visit. Did you ask your Mother yet? When do you think Haneko-chan will be done? She sounds very lovely, by the way. I am planning on taking her to school, so that my students can see the beautiful work my best friend does in far away Japan. When I read that you were looking for a hotel, I went to Ieran-sama, to beg her to let you stay here. The house is quite large, and there are several guest rooms. I was afraid she would say no, but when I told her she actually smiled and said it would be an honor to have you stay. I asked her if I could prepare your room, and she said yes. It's a beautiful room overlooking the garden, and I am already fixing it up special just for Tomoyo-chan. There is a lovely red and gold brocade Chinese rug in the room, which Ieran-sama says is very ancient. I have been dusting and cleaning, thinking about you while I work. After reading that you might come soon, I can barely sleep at night. Waiting for you makes every day seem so long. I am so very happy that you have a picture of me on your desk at work. One reason I was always smiling was that you were so close to me. I always felt good when you were around, sort of peaceful and content. Everything just seemed so right when we were together. Please tell Meishi-san that your girlfriend in the picture sends congratulations on the upcoming wedding. I hope and pray she will be very happy. I hope Haneko-chan is finished in time. So Meishi-san is another reason for the doll to be finished quickly, and then you can come to visit. Oh, but I do not mean to rush you or anything like that. I am sure you are under great pressure as it is, so I hope everything goes well. Designing a doll sounds like a lot of work, but I'm sure it will be delightful when it is finished. I think you made a good choice with the hair, and am certain little girls will have a wonderful time playing with it. I know that I loved brushing and braiding your beautiful lavender hair when we were young. It's kind of funny, but I dreamt of this not too long ago. We were back in the 5th grade, and you were sleeping over at my house. We were both in our nightclothes in my room, and I was brushing your hair with long, careful strokes. Only the little nightlight was on, but your hair glistened in the soft, pale glow of the moon. You were silent, and sitting away from me, so I couldn't see your face. The only sound was the soft swish of the brush. Then I made two long braids, and tied them together with pink ribbons. When I finished, you started to turn around, and my heart beat faster. I felt such an intense love for you that it woke me up. And sitting in bed, with Sayoran-chan asleep next to me, I missed you so much. My heart ached for you to be with me so I could hold my Tomoyo-chan close again. I talked with my sensei friend yesterday and told her about missing you so much. She smiled, and said she looked forward to meeting you. She said no matter what we do or where we are, our special person follows us like a gentle little ghost haunting our hearts. She quoted from a poem in English, and translated it for me. It was: "Parting is all we know of Heaven, And all we need of Hell." She said that is how she always feels about her special person being gone. She said that person is still with her, and that there is no pain greater or sweeter. I feel very sad for her, and for your Mother, and for my Father. I guess it's something you can never get over. I'm glad you liked the book on local flowers. We can go and see some of the gardens and wildflowers on the islands when you come. I told Flower you liked the book, and she was very pleased. When I said her you were coming to visit, she said she wanted to dance with you. I think that would be a very sweet to see. Oh, and the tea set is for you, a "Welcome Back to Hong Kong" present, I guess. Sorry it's not a surprise, but I was so excited I couldn't keep it secret. It is in the room now on a little mahogany table, waiting for you. And thank you for the videotapes. The strawberry cake was a bit of a problem. It was so good there was none left over for Kero-chan, and he was quite put out about that. I had to promise to make one just for him. Tomoyo-chan, you looked so beautiful in that video. I loved the costume you wore, and the apron with little strawberry designs was so kawaii. And thank you also for the lovely picture. I bought a little silver frame so now I can see your smile every night. It really makes me feel so much better to have you there, and to know that maybe you are thinking sweet thoughts about me from far away. I liked your ideas about cheerleading at the school. Cheerleading is not as popular in Hong Kong as back home, though it is catching on. Some of the girls I talked with were very enthusiastic and want to start a club. I told them I would be happy to be their advisor. A father of one of the girls is a tailor, and offered to make the uniforms for a good price, but said we need some sort of design. I told the girls about the outfits you designed for me, and they got very excited. I know you are busy with Haneko-chan, but would it be possible when you are finished with the project to design an outfit for the club? We would not need the design until late summer. Of course, I know you are very busy with work, and do not want to impose on you, so please tell me if it would at all be a bother. Of course, we would pay you whatever you thought a fair price for the work. The girls are already planning ways to raise money. They really are very cute. One of the girls reminds me of you, Tomoyo-chan. She is very quiet and sweet, and one of the best students in the 4th grade. She has long hair that curls at the end, and is as pretty as can be. She is not particularly athletic, so I have worked with her extra so she can pass all of her tests. Sometimes she comes after school for practice, so I stay and take a later bus. In return, she insists on helping me with my Chinese, which is just like her. I noticed that she is always looking very dreamily at one of the other 4th grade girls, but that the other girl does not seem to notice. It is so kawaii to see her all -hanyaan- Tomoyo-chan, please don't ever think that you are not an important part of my life anymore, or not necessary, or that I would be all right without you. It's really the very opposite, because I need you more than ever. Or, maybe, I just never realized before how much my best friend meant to me. I love Sayoran-chan so very much. But, I can't really talk with him about many things. He is very busy, and even when he is home he is such a private person. We are not together as much as I would like, but then, I guess we never could be, since there are not enough hours in the day. But for the first time since I met you, I feel lonely. When it started, I thought I was just homesick, and missed everybody. And I do miss everyone, in a way. But not the way I miss you. Not being with you hurts me. I don't want to make you sad, so please don't worry. But Tomoyo-chan, not having you to talk with, to see, and to hold is so much more painful than I ever thought. It's like breathing. You don't think about the air until it's gone, and then you are desperate. When I was with you, I felt that everything was all right. I -knew- it was. Tomoyo-chan, I don't think I feel that way anymore. I feel so apart from you, and sometimes I miss you so much I just start to cry. I don't understand this at all. I am with the man I love in a beautiful new place on my life's adventure. But I feel so sad. I feel just like sensei, like my special person is far away. And I don't want to tell you this, because it makes me so ashamed, but when you told me that Oniichan was not your special person, part of me was happy. I hate myself for feeling that way, and am so, so sorry. But I had to tell you, because I do not want to keep any secrets. Part of me was happy that you are not with your special person. I -hate- that part of me. I do so want you to be happy, and would do anything I could for you. So why do I feel this way? I should be happy if you could be with your special someone. It's so sad you are not, and that your love must be kept deep within your heart. But if you were with someone else, I would feel farther away from you than ever. It's almost as if you -were- my special person, which of course must be ridiculous. But it's just how I feel, no matter how many times I tell myself I don't. Gomenesai, Tomoyo-chan. Last night something strange happened. It was the dream again, the one in Tokyo. It was so windy that I could barely stand. I was straining to see the figure on Tokyo Tower. The figure on the tower was still vague, and I do not know who it was. The wind howled, and almost knocked me off the roof of the building we were on. In fact, just then a real wind woke me up, and I was surprised to find I was not in my bed at all. I had wandered in my sleep, and awoke on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the ocean. I was facing east, toward Japan, and the moon was setting over the water. I was scared, and then very embarrassed, being in my nightgown outdoors. Fortunately nobody was around so I was able to sneak back home. On the way back I ran into Kero-chan, who noticed I was gone and came to look for me. I told him about the dream, and he seemed quite concerned. He said I should tie a string around my finger when I sleep and attach it to a little bell or something so I don’t wander in my sleep anymore. But that seemed silly, and I would probably just get all tangled up. Fortunately, Sayoran-chan slept through the whole thing. I have been visiting with the Cards a lot lately. I had a long conversation with Light-sama and Dark-sama Sunday night. Tomoyo-chan, they are so sweet together. I never knew. They are a beautiful couple, and even though they are so different, they are very much in love. Dark-sama is more quiet and shy, but very tender and gentle. Light-sama is funny sometimes, though she is always very dignified. I talked with them about many things, and felt so much better afterwards. I told them you are coming to visit, and they both looked very pleased and wish to meet you. Tomoyo-chan, I also asked them about you, and your special someone. Dark-sama almost seemed to blush, and Light-sama laughed in her Lady-like way. They said I should trust more in my special power, and then everything will be all right. Gomenesai, Tomoyo-chan. I will stop asking about who your special person is. I had no right to try and find out. I would never, ever want to hurt you. Even though a part of me would miss you so very much, I do wish you could be with your beloved. I know you are happy for him, and I do hope that makes you happy, too. I have never known anybody quite like you, Tomoyo-chan. You are kind, gentle, loving, and caring. You were always the smartest person I ever knew. Even though Naoko-chan read more books, you were smart about -everything-, like sewing and people and tea. And you are so beautiful. Seeing you in those videos sometimes takes my breath away. I read in a magazine once that angels are celestial visitors who come to Earth. They bring love and peace to all the fortunate people they touch. It's funny, because when I read this, I thought of you. I thought, maybe Tomoyo- chan is an angel, because she is not like anyone else. She is so special. So, I believe that someday, somehow, you will be with your special person. Everything -cannot- be all right if you are alone. If I could have one wish, it would be that you and your love would be together, forever. Love, Sakura PS- Kero chan says thank you for the strawberry cake recipe, but please make the recipes bigger next time. He made me write this. PPS- Syaoran-chan says hello. PPSS- I have enclosed some more pictures for you. One is of the school from the front, and one is of the gym where I teach. Fanren took the picture of me baking the strawberry cake. It looks a bit messy, but the cake really did turn out well. Dear Sakura-chan, I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to reply to your wonderful letter. I always love hearing from you and writing to you makes me very happy. But the past week and a half have been very hectic. Hanako-chan is just about finished. It took a lot of work, but I’m very happy with her. I think she’s a doll that young girls will be able to love dearly. It’s my gift to all of the poor little girls out there who don’t have their own Sakura-chan to dress in cute costumes and play with. We had a lot of meetings lately so that we could solve all of the problems with Hanako-chan so that she would come out smoothly. I have one of the prototypes for her on my desk right now. I’m going to send her to you along with this letter. I really hope that you like her. I know that she’ll be happy to be with Sakura-chan. Meishi-san had her wedding early, so I went to that several days ago. It was a beautiful ceremony. She and her husband are very much in love. I’m very happy for them to be spending the rest of their lives together. They had an enormous cake that Kero-chan would have loved to see. I would get the recipe, but it looked too big for me to bake. The wedding reminded me of Sakura-chan’s, so I thought of you throughout the ceremony. I think Meishi-san and her husband are already planning on children. She’ll make an excellent mother. The smile on her face looked so joyous. It was the same as yours at your wedding. It must be such a wonderful feeling to know that you will forever be with your true love. I’m very happy for the both of you. Meishi-san asked me when I was going to ask my girlfriend in the photo to marry me. She’s always joking about those sorts of things. I told her I would as soon as I knew she would say yes. We laughed a bit and went back to the party. Meishi-san left for her honeymoon that night, so she’s still gone right now. After all of the hard work on Hanako-chan, she deserves the rest with her beloved. I’ve been practicing longer with Megumi-chan after work. She really has a lovely voice. And she certainly has the determination to be a very good singer. All she needs is a little patience and it will come perfectly to her. I brought up her singing in a competition a short time ago, but she seemed a little nervous. She asked me about the awards I’d won, but I told her that that was never what mattered to me when singing. Singing lets you express the feelings in your soul. It lets you serenade your one, true love, even if they can’t hear you. Singing is a way to say what you cannot with simple words. Megumi-chan seemed a little surprised by that, so I asked her why she wanted me to teach her to sing. She couldn’t answer right away so I told her to think about the answer until our next lesson. When our next lesson finally arrived, she came out to meet me in front of her house. She smiled a very sweet smile and told me that she wanted to sing because she always loved to and that she wanted to sing like an angel for her special someone. I’m very proud of her. I think before long, her angelic voice will reach out to whoever it is she’s singing for. I’ve spoken with my mother and I have my flight information ready. I should be leaving for Hong Kong late next week. Please tell me if that’s a bother at all. I can always book a different flight. Now that Hanako-chan is done with her design phase, mother said it would be perfectly all right for me to take a break and go visit Sakura- chan. She tried to convince me to go with her on a trip to the mountains instead, but I had to refuse. I know she has the best of intentions, but I would like to see Sakura-chan again in her new married life. Mother sends her love, even if she can’t deliver it herself. Are you sure that it’s all right if I stay at the Li house? There are several hotels around there that I could check into. Though if Sakura-chan has gone through all the trouble, I would most graciously accept your hospitality. Thank you for going through so much trouble just for me, Sakura-chan. The room sounds lovely and it will be very nice to look out on the same garden that Sakura-chan wanders through. I’m sorry that your days seem longer because of this. I’ll have to come out there very soon so that you won’t have to worry anymore. And I would absolutely love to have tea with you and the wonderful tea set while I’m there. Please tell Flower that if she would love to dance, I would be most pleased to. It has been a very long time since I’ve last danced. Sakura-chan sure has been dreaming a lot lately. I’m always very happy to hear about your dreams. There’s always a very sweet quality about them. Maybe it’s the air in Hong Kong that’s giving you so many of them. Or your new life. But they seem very nice. I remember you braiding my hair like that. I was very happy to have you doing that for me. It’s completely different having Sakura-chan do your hair. Not at all like fixing my hair myself. Your hands were so gentle and warm. You were so careful with your brush strokes. I wish I had caught that on videotape, but I’m pleased to hold the memory in my heart for as long as I can. I’m really glad that Sakura-chan remembered it. You were so sweet that night. We stayed up late talking about all kinds of things. And I was so happy when you agreed to fix my hair. Thank you so much for that, Sakura-chan. You don’t have to worry about missing me anymore. I’ll be in Hong Kong soon enough and we can spend some time together like we used to. Of course, I don’t want to interfere with your new life, so I’ll be very careful about that. But there’s no reason to be lonely, Sakura-chan. You have many people who love you very much. And you don’t have to miss me. You’re always in my thoughts and you always have my love. I’m very sorry that you’ve been feeling so lonely lately. I’ll be happy to try and cheer Sakura-chan up while I visit. I’m very happy that you always felt good when I was around. I always wanted Sakura-chan to be happy, so it was a spectacular award to see you smile. I wanted to make you as happy as I could, so that Sakura-chan wouldn’t have to worry. But now that’s Li-kun’s job, so I should be glad that it’s in good hands. It is so horrible that people like your sensei friend and my mother and your father all have to go through so much pain. It must hurt unbearably to lose your special someone. But your sensei friend is right. Even if you are far apart or separated, they will forever dwell in your heart, the impressions of their soul always bringing back the sweetest of memories and the deepest of regrets. But I think as long as you know you have that sliver of their soul, and that your love can encompass it with a warm glow, then you have nothing to fear. No matter how much it hurts, you will always carry slivers of their soul. Your students sound eager and determined just like their sensei. It just seems like fate that Sakura-chan would help them get into cheerleading. I’m sure they will all be adorable. And with you helping them, it will turn out wonderfully. I stayed up a little late a few nights this week and worked on the designs for the uniform. I’ll send it along with this letter. I hope that it works well enough. I think Sakura-chan’s students would look very kawaii in it. Please don’t worry about paying me. As long as Sakura-chan takes some pictures of her students practicing in the uniforms, I’ll be very pleased. Seeing some of your old costumes gave me inspiration for the design. I wanted to make sure that everyone who sees them will know that they’re Sakura-chan’s super cute cheerleaders! I think it’s fitting that the last costume I made for you was your wedding dress, but I’m very glad to be able to help with this. I’m very excited about their efforts. Thank you very much for helping out the girl that reminds you of me. I would have been so thrilled to have Sakura-sensei’s help back in P.E. so I’m certain that she is in good hands. She’s very lucky to have a teacher like you. It sounds like the girl who manages to capture her attention reminds me of someone else. That’s so sweet to hear. I hope that she can improve with Sakura- sensei’s help and that hopefully the other girl will notice the way she looks at her. Sakura-chan, please know that I’ll always be here for as long as you need me. If you ever need someone to talk to or if Li- kun’s just not around or for any reason, you can always talk to me. I don’t want you to ever have to feel lonely. I’m sure that as time goes by, Sakura-chan won’t feel so lonely anymore as she gets new friends and grows closer to her new family. Please don’t cry over me. It makes me sad knowing that my best friend is sad across the sea. Sakura-chan, I always wanted to comfort you as best I could, to make sure that you knew that everything would be all right. But that was never my doing. Things are all right because I believe in you. And they’ll continue to be. Just believe in yourself. I’ll always be your friend, but you don’t need me to know that things will work out. Everything will always work out for you. I know it will. Please don’t be sad. We’ve been best friends for a very long time. And you’ll always remain my best friend. You shouldn’t feel like sensei when your special person is right next to you. Maybe you need to spend some more time with Li-kun to get your mind off of your worries. Someone needs to cheer you up and if I can’t, then someone else will have to. Sakura-chan, please don’t feel bad about being happy that Touya-san isn’t my special person. If you’re glad for that, then I think that’s a good thing. If it worries you about me being more distant if I did get with my special person, then there’s nothing to concern yourself with. I’m happy as long as they are, so I’m quite content on my own. With Sakura-chan’s friendship and okaa-sama’s support, I know I won’t be alone. You’re the most important person in my life, Sakura-chan, so you don’t have to worry about me putting anyone above you. If I were your special person, then I would want very much for you to smile and laugh again. I would be a very lucky person if I were your special someone. Just like Li-kun. I never knew that Sakura-chan was a sleep walker. It must have been very cute to see you walking around with your eyes closed out there. I’m sure Li-kin would worry if he found out, but I don’t think you would be any danger from that. It’s probably part of your dream. I’m definitely starting to think that it’s pointing to Japan, but I don’t understand why. Maybe there still is some unfinished business with the Cards. My camcorder would be so happy to go back to videotaping Sakura-chan’s adventures! Even if it was only for a short time. But the dream is slowly unfolding to you. I’m sure soon enough it will be clear. I really wish I could tell you who my special someone is, but I think that it would be much better if I didn’t say their name. But I’m very lucky to warrant Sakura-chan’s concern. That’s extremely sweet of you to worry about me like that, Sakura-chan. You make such a perfect best friend. But don’t let it worry you, because that will only make me sad. I need to know that you’re smiling for me. And you don’t ever have to feel lonely over my special someone. Nothing could take you from my thoughts. You’ve burned your cute image into my mind forever. Thank you so much for all of the kind words, Sakura-chan. Hearing you say all that was very flattering. I’m makes me very happy to know that you think about me that way. And it does make me happy when my special someone is happy, so you don’t have to worry about me. If I were an angel, I would want to be Sakura-chan’s guardian angel, to watch over her forever and to take care of her. I heard a sad story some time ago about how angels cannot fall in love with humans because their love could never be. But what a beautiful love it is. As long as the angel can feel that love for the human they gave their heart to, does it really matter that they can’t be together? Even if the red string of fate isn’t wrapped around your finger, it doesn’t mean that you can’t love with all your heart. You may not get their love in return, but you get back so much just being able to have experienced them in your life. So I have no regrets. I wouldn’t take away a single day that I got to spend in the presence of my beloved. And my love will flourish in memories and dreams. Everything can still be all right if I’m alone. Because I am blessed to have been able to touch my special person’s life in some small way. Thank you so much for everything, Sakura-chan. I love you very much. You are my sweet, genki best friend. I’ll see you soon, Daidouji Tomoyo