Author’s note: Hello everyone! ^-^ This is Heather of the Amazoness Duo again. ^-^ This is my first Kaitou Saint Tail fanfic, though I hope to write more soon. I just love Seira & Meimi. ^,^ Anyway, if you could spare a moment, please tell me what you think. ^-^ Thanks! *hugs* Kiss Me Sunlights By Amazoness Duo amazonessduo@hotmail.com The night air felt cool against Meimi’s bare skin, the moonlight lighting the path she’d traveled time and time again. Pulling her jacket closer to her as the wind picked up, she wondered what Seira needed her to do this time. A car drove by a short distance away, startling her. It seemed to be the only sound she had heard that night aside from her own footsteps. Along with a nervous feeling growing in her stomach, she was starting to get anxious. Seira had been her best friend for years now. They had gone through a lot together. She thought she knew the other girl rather well. Something had been off in Seira’s voice when she had called a short time ago, urging her to come meet her. Meimi only hoped it wasn’t anything bad. “There you are. I was starting to think that you wouldn’t come,” a gentle voice said from a bench near the church. Seira mustered up a smile for her friend, but it didn’t much help quell the tumultuous feelings inside of her. She almost wished that something had happened and Meimi hadn’t been able to make it. Then things would be so much easier. But that was the point, wasn’t it? She was tired of leaving things the way they were. Wasn’t it better to get things out in the open and hope for some sort of happy resolution to it all? The sister- in-training had spent over two hours trying to decide if she should call at all and the past half hour worrying about what a mistake she may have made. The cold bench under her had offered little sympathy to her worries. The cold night air seeped right through the thin white fabric. “I’m always here if you ask me, Seira. You know that.” Meimi tilted her head to the side and laughed a bit. “But sometimes it seems like you know everything anyway.” Brushing back her long her, she joined the short haired girl on the bench. A leaf fell slowly between the two before landing on the cold dew of the grass. The wind served to accentuate the silence as the two girls sat there quietly. Meimi was starting to feel more nervous at each passing second, wondering what was going on. Seira was acting strangely. If this was just like every other time she had called her to do something as Saint Tail, then why was she so quiet? Seira didn’t answer for a long moment, looking out into the darkness. Her night vision wasn’t as good as Meimi’s, but she wasn’t looking for anything in particular. She had prayed about what to do about this for a while now and it seemed that this was the best course of action. Not telling Meimi was almost as bad as lying to her. “Meimi-chan, I thought there was something you should know. I don’t like hiding anything from you. You’re my best friend and you’ve always been very special to me so I feel horrible when I keep something from you.” The wind seemed to die down for a moment. Seira reached out and placed her hand over Meimi’s. Her hand felt warm to the touch, Seira’s hand holding it tighter. She didn’t know if she could find the strength to say what she wanted to. Her heart pounding in her chest, Meimi didn’t say anything. Seira sounded so serious. What could be so important that she wouldn’t have told her already? There was a touch of sadness laced in the sister-in-training’s voice as well. Was she going away? To another school or church? Somewhere where they wouldn’t see each other again? She moved her hand around so that she was holding Seira’s as well and squeezed back, urging her to go on. “What is it, Seira?” It took all of Seira’s willpower to look Meimi in the eyes. What lovely blue gray eyes they were... It was all she could do to keep from losing herself in their depths. Her free hand held the small cross on her necklace, trying to find the strength to go on from up above. “Meimi-chan, I know that someone’s in love with you. They have been for a very long time. You’re like an angel to them, a sweet and shining flower in their life that makes them happier than you could ever know. They love you so much but they’re afraid to say anything. Their life is already planned out. They know how things are supposed to be. They don’t want to frighten you or risk losing you.” She was shaking now, almost too afraid to go on but unsure if she could stop herself now that she’d said as much as she had. Meimi’s warm hand squeezed her own shaking one softly. Pulling it into both of her own, she held it on her lap as she tried to calm down. Meimi was still in shock over what Seira had said. So many people went to the short haired girl with their problems day in and day out. Had someone come to her saying all of this? Was someone really this worried about her finding out he was in love with her? Was it... Was it Asuka Jr.? Had he come to Seira about all of this? Her heart was pounding even harder in her chest now. “It’s Asuka Jr., isn’t it? He was the one who said all that, wasn’t he? I knew he could be romantic. He’s afraid of telling me? Is that why he’s always so mean?” she got out in a blur. Everything was so strange, like her heart was being pulled in different directions. That was so sweet that he thought of her that way, like an angel. And here she thought he was just being a jerk about everything. Wait, something was wrong. Seriously wrong. “Seira, are you crying?” The slightly smaller girl shuddered in the cold night air, choking back a sob as she pulled her hand away from Meimi’s. No, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. She had been wrong to have thought she should ever have said anything. Her life was already planned out for her. It was a mistake to think that she should say anything at all. She could barely hear Meimi asking again and again what was wrong, but she was having a hard enough time trying to pull herself back together. Right now all she wanted was to cry herself to sleep. To get away. But she couldn’t. Even if she could try, Meimi was much faster than her. The wind started to pick up again, leaves swirling around the two girls. Seira wiped at her eyes with her palms, shaking her head in answer to Meimi’s repeated question. Whenever she tried to speak, all she could do was choke out another sob. It took her several minutes before she could get anything out, her throat now painful. “No, it’s nothing, Meimi-chan. It really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all. Just forget about it. Please forget about it for me.” Meimi didn’t know what to say to her best friend. Watching Seira sitting right next to her, hunched over and sobbing, her face buried in her hands. It sent an icy blade through her heart. What had she done? How had she hurt her? “Seira?” she asked quietly, but it was too late. The damage was done and she knew that no amount of questioning would get whatever she’d done out of Seira. Her shoulders slumped sadly as she looked at her feet. She felt... empty. She wished she had kept her mouth shut. “A girl came to me with a problem. She had accidentally given a video tape to her best friend with some things on it that she doesn’t want her to see instead of another tape she was going to give her. She’s afraid that her friend will see the tape before she’s ready to understand how she feels. Saint Tail needs to get it back for her,” Seira explained, her voice barely masking the pain she was in. Meimi nodded weakly, sighing. “Hai, I’ll get it back for her, Seira. I’ll go get it tomorrow.” An uneasy silence blanketed the two for a long moment. Meimi tried to take Seira’s hand again, but the nun girl stood up quickly. “Seira, I don’t have to go. Can you tell me what’s wrong? I’m really sorry if it’s something I said.” Getting to her feet, she took a step towards the short haired girl, but Seira took a step away, her back to her. “No, it’s not important. I was mistaken to think it was. I’m extremely sorry for getting you out here so late. I’ll try to be more considerate next time.” Seira held as still as she could, unsure of how long she could keep from crying in front of her friend. “But... Why are you so sad, Seira? Maybe I should stay with you. You don’t have to tell me anything,” Meimi offered hopefully. Anything to make up for putting her best friend through any pain. If she couldn’t know what was going on, at least she could be there for her. “Thank you, but I have some things I need to do in the church. I promised one of the Sisters. Goodnight, Meimi-chan.” Her hands clasped in front of her, Seira didn’t look back. ‘Please don’t go. Please stay with me. I don’t want to be alone right now,’ she thought frantically, but no words would come out. “Oh... okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sleep well, Seira.” Meimi offered a weak smile before disappearing the way she had come. Seira collapsed to her knees seconds later, shaking her head as icy tears fell to the ground. “But... Meimi, I love you.” The wind scattered her tears as the night moved inexorably onward towards the coming dawn. Meimi yawned tiredly as she trudged her way to school the next morning. She had spent half the night tossing and turning, her mind constantly returning to Seira. The lonely look in her eyes that she’d barely managed to catch a glimpse of before the nun-in-training had turned away haunted her every time she closed her eyes. How could she have hurt her that badly? It could have been something else that hurt her. Maybe whatever it was that Seira wasn’t telling her. But Meimi had a hard time believing that. Seira had seemed nervous, but it wasn’t until she’d started ranting about what she thought it could be that the glow in the young Sister’s eyes had shattered. But no matter how many times she went over it in her mind, she couldn’t figure out what had happened. A sigh escaped the mysterious thief’s lips as she hoisted her bookbag higher. All she had to do was ask Seira about it before class. Unless Seira tried to change the subject like she did often enough when she would ask about just what Seira’s sources of information were. No, she wouldn’t let her off that easy. If Seira was hurting, then she had to know why. She couldn’t leave her best friend like that. It tore her up inside to think that it was her fault. That she was the reason for those crystal tears in Seira’s indigo eyes. This was something Kaitou Saint Tail would have to put right if she was ever going to get a good night’s sleep again. A rustling sound in the bushes off to the right startled Meimi. To her surprise, Ryoko and Kyoko stepped out. The two girls’ uniforms were both rather disheveled and they were both blushing a deep scarlet. Brushing back some hair from her eyes, Meimi took a deep breath. “Oh, it’s you. You two frightened me.” She tilted her head to the side, watching Kyoko fidget as she tried to snag something that seemed to be made from white cloth in Ryoko’s hand. Ryoko only grinned as she kept it away from the smaller girl. “Meimi-chan!! What a surprise to see you here. I mean, on your way to school and all. You’re usually to school just a little earlier than us,” Kyoko got out quickly. She offered a nervous laugh after a brief second. “Well, you better get going if you don’t want to be late for class.” “Un, you’re right.” Meimi nodded as she took a step forward. She paused when she noticed that neither Kyoko nor Ryoko had made a move to follow her. “What about you two? Shouldn’t you get going, too?” Kyoko cast a sidelong glance at Ryoko before replying. “I would, but I need to get something that was stolen from me before I can go.” As the wind picked up, her blush grew darker, her hands going down immediately to hold down her skirt. Ryoko just giggled as she began to follow Meimi. “You’ll have to ask Saint Tail if you want it back that badly, Kyoko-chan. Or you can come over tonight. I’m sure you could get whatever it is back then.” She smiled innocently as the other girl gave her a deadly glare. One she might actually worry about if she didn’t know what a kitten Kyoko was. “Hmph...” Kyoko crossed her arms as she followed the two girls ahead of her. “I guess I’ll just have to do that then.” She made extra sure to give Ryoko another disapproving glare before melting into a bright smile when she finally caught her eyes. “Maybe we could study... or something.” “Or something,” Ryoko repeated in agreement, returning the smile. Meimi sweatdropped fiercely as they walked along. She had no idea what they were talking about. Unless... No, she was just having a hard time thinking correctly after the night before with Seira. Her mind wasn’t working now and she needed to speak with her best friend soon so things could go back to normal. Lonely, tear filled eyes greeted her when her eyes closed, sending a shiver through her soul. She needed to see Seira. Soon. But where was she? Seira usually met her on the way to school, but the brunette was nowhere to be seen. Was she waiting for her? She picked up her pace as she the school came into site. Setting her bookbag next to her desk, Haneoka Meimi glanced around the room for her best friend, hoping to see her amongst the small groups of students. After a few tense moments, she still couldn’t spot the sister-in-training. A long sigh escaped her lips as she sat down. This was starting to worry her. First the weird way Seira had been acting the night before and now her not showing up for class. It didn’t seem like her at all. Something was most certainly wrong. “So you really almost caught her this time, Asuka Jr.?” one of the boys asked eagerly as the detectives son walked into class. “Yeah, not like the last thirty seven times. This time she was looking right at me. If I hadn’t been blinded by Mimori holding a flashlight, I would have seen who she was,” Asuka Jr. responded, a mix of anguish and hope in his voice. “One of these days... I will be the one to catch Saint Tail!” The other boys crowded around him with their usual casual amusement. Whether it was for the recent news on Asuka Jr.’s quest to catch Saint Tail or if it was just to watch him make an ass out of himself, none of the girls really knew. Nor cared. Meimi rested her chin on her hands, waiting to see how Asuka Jr.’s account of events would conflict with reality. All he cared about was catching Saint Tail. How could he be so single minded? And thinking that she couldn’t be Saint Tail, at that! Oh, when he found out, she needed to give him a piece of her mind. Seira’s warning came to mind again, snapping her out of it. She had to be very careful about who could know that. So far only Seira knew that she was the Mysterious Thief Saint Tail. But that was because she could always trust Seira with anything. Seira was the entire reason she was Saint Tail. Asuka Jr. chasing her was just a side of it that managed to keep her entertained as she kept going on whatever missions Seira had for her. She enjoyed the chase. It was fun to play cat and mouse, like a game. “She’s practically begging for me to catch her now. I can tell. I bet that I can catch her by the next time I see her,” Asuka Jr. bragged, leaning against his desk. Meimi stood up immediately, a certain nun-in-training not there to stop her anger from boiling over. “I am not...” She clenched her fists, barely keeping herself from saying something she would regret later on. It was so much easier when Seira was there to drag her off. “Saint Tail is not begging for you to catch her! I don’t see why she’d pick such an inept person to be the one to figure out who she is.” The green haired boy frowned as he turned to face the (unbeknownst to him) mysterious thief. “How would you know, Haneoka? You’re not there when I match wits with Saint Tail again and again. You wouldn’t understand this sort of thing. It’s part of criminal mentality, Saint Tail’s in particular. She wants me to catch her.” Fuming, Meimi reduced the distance between her and her rival in an instant. “You match wits with her? So that’s why you always lose. I knew there had to be some reason.” “Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!” the boy said angrily as he matched her glare. Why was she always shooting him down? Especially about Saint Tail? He was the expert on the thief, not her. She should know her place! Before Meimi could shoot something back that would have stunned her classmates and, in particular, Asuka Jr., their teacher was upon them. And apparently, Meimi had said it because after the room fell deathly silent as everyone’s attention had focussed on her, she spent the rest of that morning outside holding two buckets of water. By lunchtime, Meimi was still embarrassed about her little outburst earlier. She was still getting freaked out looks from Asuka Jr. and Lina was giving her the evil eye. Seira had yet to make an appearance and that was really starting to worry her. She couldn’t remember Seira ever missing a full day of school. The clouds were starting to darken and the wind was picking up, blowing back her long hair. It even smelled like rain. She really didn’t feel like going through the effort of giving Asuka Jr. a challenge, but she knew she had to. A promise was a promise, after all. Patting him on the back as she passed, he stared at her oddly. She murmured something as she headed for the church to see if her friend had taken refuge there. Haneoka sure was acting strangely. Even more so than normal. And he still couldn’t believe what she’d said earlier this morning. The things that had come out of that girl’s mouth... He shook his head and continued eating his lunch. “Good luck tonight!” a boy said as he passed by. Asuka Jr. raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy until he was out of sight. Freak. He went back to eating his lunch. “Oh, I’ll bet Kaitou Saint Tail’s going to perform her greatest heist,” a girl said as she and her friends came from behind. “I wonder what she wants this time,” another girl said thoughtfully as she came from his other side. “What’s going on?!” The young detective wannabe stood up in frustration. A slip of paper came floating down off of his back. “Huh?” Plucking it from the ground, he quickly skimmed over it. “Tonight I will come to steal an important videotape from Kinomoto Sakura. Not even the coming storm can stop me. ~ St. Tail” “Saint Tail?!” The green haired boy’s eyes went wide at the letter. Another challenge! This time, he would prove Haneoka-san wrong. Leaving the rest of his lunch, he ran off to call the Inept Police Force for backup. The door flew open as Haneoka Meimi entered her house. She barely had the willpower to take off her shoes. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she collapsed onto the couch, her bookbag dropping next to her. Try as she might, she had been unable to locate her missing best friend and none of the nuns would tell her where she was. It was like some huge conspiracy was keeping her from seeing Seira. Okay, maybe not. But it was still frustrating after seeing her best friend crying the night before. She wanted to be there, to help her. Just like how Seira had always helped her when things were bad. She couldn’t get the nun girl off her mind all day. Her worrying was just getting worse. She still didn’t quite know why Seira had wanted to see her the night before. I certainly wasn’t just to tell her what she needed to do. And she was really starting to fear that it had something to do with her. Why else would Seira be avoiding her this way? “Meimi, are you alright?” her father asked, pushing up his glasses with his index finger. “No.” “Would you like to see a magic trick? It’ll cheer you up.” He smiled as he entered the living room. “No.” He frowned as he went back to the kitchen. “I’m worried about Meimi- chan, Mama. She seems so troubled, but she won’t let me cheer her up.” Eimi smiled as she hugged her magician husband. “That’s okay. I’m supposed to be your special assistant, so she doesn’t need to see the magic trick anyway. Besides, Meimi’s in love,” she stated quite positively. Meimi sweatdropped, still within earshot of her parents. Genichirou turned around, looking at the back of his daughter’s head. “In love? Are you sure? I think she’s just troubled about school.” “No, she’s in love. Sitting there that way reminds me just how I was at her age.” “Like you? That’s what I’m worried about.” “Then stop worrying about it and we’ll go rehearse that magic trick of yours. I’m sure I’ll make a good special assistant,” Eimi said suggestively. “Oh, practice _that_ part. Yeah, I always love _that_ part.” Meimi blushed profusely at her parents’ plans. At least they weren’t worrying about her anymore. She didn’t feel like explaining as it was. In love. Ha! If only. That would be easier than this. Sweatdropping at a strange noise coming from the kitchen, she quickly excused herself and hurried upstairs. “Ruby? Why is Seira avoiding me? Why is she acting so strangely?” Meimi asked as she tossed her school blouse vaguely in the hedgehog’s direction. Of course, she got no answer. “I mean, we’ve been best friends for years. We’re always together. So why would she just leave me out of things now? We’re partners. She’s the only reason I’m Saint Tail anyway. Maybe I shouldn’t go until she explains things to me. I need to know what hurt her so I can try to fix it. I really hope it wasn’t me. If I hurt her...” Sighing, her skirt joined the blouse as she dug through her closet. Not that it mattered what she picked out as it was because she would soon be running across rooftops as Saint Tail. “She’s acting strangely. Something about all this just makes me nervous. I need to see her smile again before I can rest easily. I can’t get her out of my mind. But that doesn’t help any if she’s not there. I missed her all day.” Pausing for a moment, she shook her head. “No, since last night. I never should have left her. I should have stayed with her. I was stupid to leave after seeing those tears in her eyes.” She clutched a sweater to her chest, her eyes falling closed as guilt grabbed at her soul. Regret at failing Seira when she knew Seira would have stayed with her no matter what preyed on her mind, visions of what might have been running over and over. Ruby made a small sound as she stood up and tilted her head to the side, poking out of Meimi’s school clothes. Smiling, Meimi picked up her small pet. “Thanks, Ruby. You’re right. I need to go work all of this out with Seira. Neither of us can be happy until we’ve put things right.” She kissed the hedgehog’s forehead and set it back down. Her thoughts grew more determined to fix things as she slipped out the window. “Seira.” Seira heard her coming long before she could see her. Her eyes were still closed as she stay kneeling in prayer. Her heart was racing as she tried to stay calm, praying for the strength to keep going. If only things could work out... But no, she had decided a long time ago that they wouldn’t. That’s why she had chosen this life. She had things planned. A hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts and what little concentration she had gathered. Attempting a smile, she turned to face her friend, the look of concern on Meimi’s face wiping the smile away. The silence lasted for a few moments before she stood up. Meimi’s blue eyes tried to catch her own gray blue eyes, but she couldn’t meet her gaze. “Hello, Meimi-chan.” “Seira, where were you? I couldn’t find you at all at school. None of the Sisters would tell me where you were, either.” Meimi took a step closer to the brunette. “I was worried about you. I missed you. And after last night... It scared me. All of those things you said last night and then you up and disappear today. I didn’t know what to think.” Clasping her hands together, the nun-in-training looked away. “I’m sorry, Meim-chan. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just didn’t feel well today. I couldn’t go to school.” Her heart twisted at the half truth. A sigh escaped her lips. She had already tried to tell Meimi the night before. It was pointless to try again. She would just have to hold those feelings inside. Forever. Because she knew they would never go away. She had been so scared of them at first. She had been raised by nuns. It was completely improper to feel that way. But as time went by, she realized that she couldn’t help it. It was part of who she was. She couldn’t keep herself from loving Meimi. She could merely keep herself from expressing it. And if she couldn’t, then it was best for her to go into the convent. It would be a way to repay the church for raising a lonely orphan girl like herself. If she couldn’t be with the one she loved, at least she could do that. “Why? Were you sick? Or was it because of last night?” Meimi demanded. Taking Seira’s arm, she turned the slightly smaller girl to face her. Her face was still marked with concern. “Seira, whatever it was last night, I shouldn’t have left. And I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I don’t ever want to hurt you. Please tell me what’s going on.” Her fingers lightly brushed Seira’s puffy red cheeks. Sadness welled up in her at that. It was obvious that she’d been crying earlier. Seira blushed a bit at the feeling of Meimi’s fingers against her cheek. Her eyes fell closed, the frightened girl torn between pulling away and melting into the warm touch. Why did she have to do this to her? She was helping her by keeping it all inside, by not burdening her with these feelings that she could never return. Her eyes started to sting again but she fought to hold the tears back. “Meimi-chan... Please just go and get the tape.. Please...” she pleaded with the mysterious thief, unsure of how much more she could take before breaking down. The young Sister-in-training shuddered as Meimi’s fingers brushed some tears away from her cheeks. It hadn’t occurred to her until then that she’d begun to cry. “Seira, please tell me what’s going on. I don’t know if it’s my fault or not, but I want to help you,” Meimi whispered softly, feeling horrible at seeing the other girl in such pain. If only there was some way for her to alleviate it. To take it on herself. “Please, Seira-chan.” Seira tried to respond a few times, but only sobs escaped her. Meimi pulled her shuddering body close, hugging her as warmly as she could. The brunette slumped against her, choked sobs coming from her as she held on. The poor girl seemed so tiny and frail in her grasp. “No. I’m going to do what I should have done last time. I’m going to stay with you. I’ll always be there for you, Seira-chan. I’ll always protect you.” Hugging the other girl tighter, Meimi closed her blue eyes. ‘Not Saint Tail, but me. I’ll always be there to help her. I don’t need a flashy alter-ego to be there for Seira.’ This wasn’t fair! How could she be so close and yet so far? It was like a taste of heaven. All she ever wanted, but she knew it would be snatched from her at any moment. This wasn’t really hers. She was only getting Meimi’s warmth, her loving embrace because of their friendship. It would never be what she really wanted. This was only a mirage. She had to keep her mind from giving in. But it felt so nice, Meimi’s arms around her. She couldn’t help but rest her head on the magical girl’s shoulder. If she had to endure much more of this, it would be far too much for her to handle. “You have to help that girl. I’ll be here when you’re finished. I promise,” she whispered softly into Meimi’s ear. Meimi hesitated, biting her lip. Could she really just abandon her again the way she had the night before? What if it made things worse? Seira was much more important to her than Saint Tail. Her choice between the two was clear. “Please. She needs your help. She’ll be hurt badly if you don’t get that videotape back. It’s important.” Seira wiped at her eyes as she took a step away from Meimi’s warm embrace. “She’s in love with the girl she gave that tape to. If you don’t get it back, it could ruin everything.” That startled her. The girl she gave it to? So she... was in love with her...? Alright, this was starting to get confusing. “You’ll still be here?” Meimi repeated, sounding unsure. Nodding, Seira hugged herself. “I’ll still be here, Meimi. I promise you. But please, help her first. I... I understand what she’s going through. She needs your help.” When she’d first stumbled upon the pale, dark haired girl, she had been outside the church, some bodyguards following nearby. Something about her, maybe the sad look in her stormy blue eyes, had drawn Seira closer. She had learned of the girl’s True Love, her best friend who hadn’t caught on about how she felt despite numerous hints. She had videotaped a confession of her love and had accidentally given it to the other girl by mistake rather than the video she had meant to give her, something showing off a costume. Now she was afraid that the other girl would find out before she was ready. She still remembered the dark haired girl’s words. “When I close my eyes, I can see her smiling at me. So warmly, so tenderly. Yet she doesn't see the yearning, doesn't notice the depths of my love for her. It flows deeply through me, cradling my soul when things get too painful to move on. Her very essence, all that she is forces me to carry on when I don't think I can anymore. I would do anything for her. I would give her the world if I could. I would give her my heart, but she already has it. Does she know that? Is it just an accepted fact or does she still think that maybe I'm just a little strange? That my reasoning for acting the way I do can't possibly be because I'm in love with her. So in love with her. I would die for her. This life is only a cruel joke without her so my own life can't be worth very much at all. But her... She’s an angel. I don't regret a single day, a single second that was spent with her, no matter the pain it would cause later. Even if I had known, I wouldn't give it away for the world. Because on cold, lonely nights like tonight, I can close my eyes and see her through the tears, waiting for me. Sometimes that's the only way I can get to sleep. In her arms, I know that I would be able to finally sleep peacefully. But that will never happen, will it? I'll have to keep pretending, keep yearning for her, even if it hurts. I can't show her the tears, the rips in my soul. I can't let her know that I'm bleeding inside. That every smile hides the sobs I keep from her. But that's the way it has to be. How would she handle the knowledge that being with her is both the most wonderful, warm feeling in my heart, and the most painful, cold torment? I can't take that innocence away from her. She would lose something. And then our friendship would suffer for it. She wouldn't act the same way around me anymore and I would hate myself for that.” Tomoyo closed her eyes and sighed. “I want her to know, but it shouldn’t be this way. She wouldn’t understand if she finds out on her own.” ‘I want to tell you, too, Meimi. But I can’t... I tried, but I can’t. I’m sorry,’ Seira thought to herself sadly. Finally nodding assent, Meimi crossed her arms. “Alright, but I’ll be right back. I can’t stand to see you like this Seira. I need to know what’s hurting you.” Seira smiled softly, taking Meimi’s hand. “Thank you, Meimi-chan. I’m sure the girl will be very happy to receive God’s protection with the help of Saint Tail.” Sakura Kinomoto sweatdropped as her older brother, Touya once again argued with the younger, green haired boy about just why he needed to be there. Just half an hour ago, a boy named Asuka Jr. had arrived with several police officers and had demanded that they let him in, showing off some sort of trinket as if it were a badge and an excellent reason for them to comply with his demands. Touya had not been about to, but his friend, the bespectacled white haired boy had managed to calm him down long enough for the green haired boy to slip past and explain his case. Apparently, the mysterious thief Saint Tail had pegged their house for her next heist and would be there that night. And even more of a shock to the young Cardmistress was that she was after a videotape that Tomoyo had given her. That just didn’t make sense. Why would a thief want to steal something that her friend had given her? Especially something of no actual value like a videotape. The green haired boy had shrugged off her question, merely stating that ‘Saint Tail’s like that. I’m sure she has a reason.” But that wasn’t a good enough explanation to the brunette. Unfortunately, he seemed to be in no mood to explain, busying himself with planning some sort of trap for the mysterious thief. So Sakura sat alone in her room, her brother’s irritated voice coming upstairs through the door as he hounded the younger boy at every step. Sakura was thankful that her father was gone for the night. Of course, that meant Touya had to cook. And he had expressed no interest whatsoever at feeding the hungry looking officers downstairs. Why did she want the videotape? What could be so important that she’d sneak in to steal it? It was just a videotape of her in various costumes with some action sequences at the end to appease Kero-chan. Maybe she should call Tomoyo. Tomoyo always made things seem better, especially when she was confused like this. Her hand reached out instinctively for the pink cell phone Tomoyo had given her so long ago. Her fingers paused just over the speed dial button. The dark haired girl loved taking videos of her. Wouldn’t it worry her if Sakura told her someone was trying to steal it? No, she couldn’t worry Tomoyo like that. The other girl was rather... eccentric. Especially when it came to her. But she’d never really seen her worried about anything that didn’t have to do with her. Still, she didn’t want to press her luck and worry Tomoyo unnecessarily. This matter would likely be solved soon enough. But what was on that videotape? Touya spent a long time preparing dinner, making sure that everything was just perfect. The intoxicating smells wafted through the house, seeming to draw everyone towards the kitchen. Yukito watched intently as he went about pouring in some water. The taller boy made absolutely sure that he had just enough food for himself, Yukito, and his little sister. Of course, it was a rather difficult job discerning just how much the white haired boy would eat. “So what are you making?” one of the officers asked curiously. He and two others had gathered to watch Touya cook. They all looked starving. But the teenage boy still wasn’t pleased about this intrusion into his home. Pointedly ignoring them, Touya went back to preparing the food. It was with some satisfaction that he noticed someone’s stomach growling. Asuka Jr. paced the living room nervously. It was starting to grow late out and there had still been no sign of Saint Tail. She was coming. He knew she was. He knew it at his very core. Because she always did. There was something in that line of thought that comforted the boy. It was reassuring; a constant in an otherwise always shifting world. And for that, he thanked Saint Tail. But he was still going to catch her and find out just who she was! This game of theirs had gone on long enough. He wouldn’t allow himself to be fooled by anymore of her tricks. This time all of the cards were on the table and he was determined to win. “Take your shoes off,” the older boy of the house demanded, his eyes following Asuka Jr.’s every move. The officers that had come with Asuka Jr. had already complied. “What?” The green haired boy asked, turning around for the hundredth time on the plush carpet as he continued his pacing. “I said, take your shoes off,” Touya repeated firmly. “I need to be able to catch Saint Tail! This is official business. You can take it up with the mayor,” Asuka Jr. argued, his frustration building. He would be the one to catch Saint Tail! Why did everyone insist upon getting in his way? Didn’t they understand? It was his quest! He just had to catch her! It was the natural order of things. Yet people still insisted upon interfering. Right now it was his time. As soon as his business with Saint Tail was concluded, it could go back to being Torga’s time. Or whatever his name was. But the look on the older boys face told an entirely different story. Grumbling to himself, Asuka Jr. finally left his shoes by the door. Crossing his arms angrily, the junior detective returned to his pacing, oblivious to anything but his sole purpose in life. Where had he been, again? Oh yes. She would be here. And when she did... “Hello! I’m here to see Kinomoto-san. Is she here?” A cute girl in a black and white school uniform asked. It was the same uniform he’d seen that Sakura girl wearing earlier. Must be a classmate. He couldn’t quite see her face under shadows cast by the slightly larger than usual hat she was wearing. “Yeah, she’s upstairs. But make it quick. This is official police business.” A giggle escaped the girl as she headed for the stairs. Stupid girl. She didn’t understand what she was in the middle of. He continued his pacing, waiting for just the right moment to pounce on Saint Tail. It couldn’t be much longer now. Confusion. That was the first response that came to Sakura’s mind as she sat in stunned silence, her television currently showing static. Two hours. The tape had been two hours long. How do you take two hours to confess your love to someone? Tomoyo had found an excellent way. And she’d made perfect use of the new editing system her mother had given her, splicing in scenes from earlier tapes and cute background music as she all the while narrated the video, giving an explanation of her feelings and what Sakura meant to her. It was certainly the oddest declaration of love that Sakura had ever been witness to, but it had definitely been done well. But for some reason, the brunette just couldn’t work herself up to be surprised. It made sense. Even if she hadn’t really understood a lot of what the dark haired girl had said before or some of the hints she had given, this just seemed to clear up everything, giving her an insight into her best friend that she’d never thought to look for. Of course Tomoyo loved her. In hindsight, it was blindingly obvious. Looking back, everything took on a whole new light. Things made more sense now. Tomoyo made more sense now. And in some ways, Sakura made more sense now. The video had really gotten her to think. Every little confession Tomoyo had made, every explanation that had drawn Sakura closer to the screen, wanting to know what the pale girl was about to say next, had started to confuse her more and more as the video went on. But now... What Tomoyo had explained had sounded so familiar. The feelings she had described and the emotions that coursed through her had all felt so close to her. As if she understood what Tomoyo had meant. But she couldn’t possibly understand, could she? Those feelings weren’t anything like what she had felt for Yukito. Yet Tomoyo was most positively in love. So where had those feelings, or the memories of those feelings, been to have come unbidden to her mind? And then, she understood. Just as those stormy blue eyes had conveyed the feelings deep within Tomoyo, she knew that she’d felt them everyday herself. How far did it go back? How long had she felt this way? She couldn’t tell for sure. But those safe, warm feelings had bathed her for quite a while now. That soft thrill, the yearning, and the jumbled thoughts. The hot blushes and the embarrassing moments. She had felt this way about Tomoyo for a mystifying amount of time. She just hadn’t realized it. “Hoe...” Tomoyo had been too close to her. Sakura had never been able to understand because those feelings were always there. She had come to take them for granted, just as she had taken Tomoyo for granted. As if they’d always be there the same way that Tomoyo would always be there. So she had never taken the time to actually look at those feelings, to see that Tomoyo was their source. That Tomoyo made her happy. Just like what Tomoyo had said. ‘I’ll be happy as long as the person I like is happy.’ Those words had comforted her slightly when she was trying to get over Yukito. But now she understood the warmth behind Tomoyo’s voice when she’d said it. This time she knew what Tomoyo had truly meant. “But Tomoyo-chan... You make me happy,” Sakura whispered. Her head cocked to the side in thought, she realized that it was true. Tomoyo did make her happy. She was the one thing in this world that she always knew could make things seem better. She had had these feelings for a long time now. But it took two hours tape to make her realize what they were. Closing the door quietly behind her, Sakura’s ‘friend’ was pleased to note that Sakura looked to be completely out of it. She was looking off into space, deep in thought. With a skillful hop, the girl was on the other side of the bed, quickly making her way to the television and the video. Had her mind been on the situation at hand rather than on Seira and what could be troubling the poor nun girl, she would have scene the cord running from the gaming system to the controller. And with her above average reflexes, she probably wouldn’t have stumbled and come crashing to the ground with a loud thump. Sakura’s attention shifted to the unexpected girl in her room, cutting through her introspection like a knife. “Who are you?” She asked curiously as she stood up. Why would anyone from school be over here now? Except... Her voice grew shaky as her knees threatened to give out. This was too sudden! She had to have a moment to compose herself. “Tomoyo-chan?” she asked hesitantly. Sure the girl didn’t seem to have Tomoyo’s usual grace, but everyone had their off days. Meimi sweatdropped as she scrambled to her feet. She could already hear Asuka Jr.’s footsteps as her ran up the stairs, followed closely by the Inept Police Force and Sakura’s big brother. She silently cursed as she glanced around hurriedly for the videotape. This wouldn’t be happening if her mind didn’t keep wandering elsewhere. She told Seira that they needed to talk. She doubted she’d be able to get anything done at this rate. The cold worrying about Seira was weighing heavily upon her soul. “Tomoyo-chan,” Sakura started nervously, taking a step forward. In the dim room, it was hard to make out any features of the girl ahead of her, the oversized hat still shadowing her face. “I... I want you to know that...” To Sakura’s embarrassment, Asuka Jr. and the rest of the boys chose that moment to bust into her room. Her face turned a bright shade of crimson as her hands went to her chest. What had she been about to say anyway? Could she work up the strength to say it after they all left again? “I know it’s you, Saint Tail! I’m not letting you get away this time,” Asuka Jr. stated as he and the others rushed into the room. His eyes never left her. He knew what a mistake that could be. He was the leading expert on Saint Tail, after all. The girl in the school uniform just grinned at the intruders. Pulling the oversized hat to the side, her long pony tail fell out and down her back. With another swift movement, the school fuku was gone, replaced by the magician’s tuxedo based costume she wore. “One.” “Not this time!” The green haired boy thrust himself over the bed, slumping on the floor in time to hear the word ‘two’. “I won’t let you escape until I know who you are, Saint Tail!” He yelled as he leapt forward. “Three!!” Sakura blossoms flew out of the large hat, starting to whip around the room, blinding the group with the onslaught of petals. She had thought it appropriate. “Block off all the exits! Don’t let her out of the house!” Asuka Jr. yelled as he made his way towards the mysterious thief. He held his blazer over his head, trying to block the storm of flower petals. Almost there... Sakura vaguely remembered her fight with the Flower Card as all of this went on, the whole thing not making much sense, especially after her recent revelation. Just what was going on? That girl... She was the one trying to steal Tomoyo’s video! Her video! That was only for her!! Meimi hurriedly searched for the video. To her dismay, there were two tapes on top of the television. Blinking through the swirl of petals, she saw labels on the two. ‘Sakura’s Exhausting Day at the Park’ was half way through and the other label was blank. She snagged that one, praying that she had chosen the right one. But by then it was too late. As she turned to head for the door, a hand gripped her bare arm just above her long gloves. Tightly. “I won’t let you go!” Determination flared in the junior detectives eyes as he held tightly to his prize. This was it. He would finally know once and for all. He squinted, trying to see through the haze of flowers. She looked so familiar. He knew her, he was certain of that. He couldn’t quite make out who. His heart skipped a beat as he realized how close he was to finally attaining his goal. “I’ve caught you, Saint Tail.” Meimi’s eyes went wide as she froze where she stood. Was this the end? Was he finally going to find out who she was? What would he think? What would Seira think? What could she do? She looked away, unsure of herself. Suddenly this wasn’t a game. It wasn’t just cat and mouse anymore. It was over. She couldn’t help but feel like she’d failed Seira. She knew the other girl would be fine with whatever happened, but could she even go out as Saint Tail after this? No, not if he found out. And she was Saint Tail for Seira. So she could help her. No, this wasn’t fair. It couldn’t end now. Suddenly, something jostled into Asuka Jr. and, to his sheer horror, he lost his grip on the mysterious thief. Mortified, he looked up to see Touya blindly stumbling through the raining petals. That moron! How could he ruin this! The grip was gone. It... It wasn’t over, was it? The game was still afoot. Her heart began beating again, a smile returning to her lips as she felt warmth rush through her previously cold body. Looking up, she saw the tall boy from downstairs, fumbling through the flower petals. No, that wasn’t it. He knew full well where he was going. He had saved her. She smiled broader before dashing towards the door. Touya grabbed Asuka Jr.’s arm as he tried to get past him and after the mysterious thief. “What the hell’s going on here?” he asked, his eyebrows arching. The junior detective still looked like he was suffering from shock. Touya hid a smirk. He really didn’t like this kids methods. Too much like the brat for his liking. And he didn’t like the idea of the brat with his sister at all. Speaking of which, where was Sakura? Meimi bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time as she gauged the distance to the door. She was sure that Asuka Jr. was right behind her as he often was and every little second counted. In the kitchen, she could dimly hear someone with an Osaka dialect and the white haired boy arguing over the last of the food. Ignoring it, mysterious thief Saint Tail broke out into the inky black night, broken only by tiny pinpricks of light through the velvet. The cool air felt refreshing against her skin, the tense moment back in the house getting to her much worse than she’d thought. After a brief second, she leapt up onto the rooftop, bounding to another one a short distance away. All that was left was to return the videotape and return to Seira. All in a night’s work for Kaitou Saint Tail. Grinning to herself, she had no idea that she was being watched. Sakura stared in stunned amazement as the magician girl cleared another building. She idly wondered if Tomoyo had felt that same amazement at seeing her bounding along rooftops similarly. But that had been a magical event. This was more like professional curiosity. After all, she had met her share of magical people. Pulling out a Sakura Card, Sakura quickly shouted ‘Release’ and used the Jump to catch up, leaping effortlessly along behind the other girl. That was her video. And she was going to get it back. Her mind still focussing on the sad looking nun girl, it took Meimi a moment to notice that someone was following her. Frowning, she turned to see who it was, expecting the young junior detective to be on her trail. To her surprise, the younger brunette girl had given chase and was doing a wonderful job of keeping pace with her. There weren’t that many people who could. In fact, it seemed like the wings on her feet were practically carrying her along. “Stop!” Sakura yelled, a Card in her hands in case her call was ignored. “I want that videotape back. It’s mine.” Meimi shook her head, turning around towards the younger girl. “I’m afraid it’s not. I was sent here to return it to a girl who had misplaced it. It’s really hers.” Sakura was silent for a moment, biting the inside of her lip. “Misplaced it?” Had Tomoyo not meant to give it to her yet? Was she still worried about what Sakura would think if she found out? Had she gotten it by accident? Nodding, the pony tailed girl took a step backwards. Pausing for just a second, she took another. “Of course. So it seems that it’s not your tape after all. But don’t worry. It will be back in it’s rightful owner’s hands soon enough.” Sakura sighed. This was still too much for her to take all at once. So if Tomoyo hadn’t meant for her to see the tape, if it had been a way for the dark haired girl to get out all of that pent up emotion inside, should she just pretend she hadn’t seen it? But then she would have to ignore Tomoyo’s feelings as well as her own. She couldn’t do that to her friend. Sakura knew that she had to go talk to Tomoyo. “So you’re just returning it to Tomoyo-chan?” she asked reluctantly. Meimi nodded again. “And whatever’s on the tape, if it’s that important, hopefully she’ll show you someday.” She smiled as she took another step. “And if you’re that important to her, I’m sure she will.” The pony tailed girl couldn’t help but wonder why Seira was so involved in this mission, but she sure hoped things worked out for the two girls. Sakura blushed a little and smiled. “Hai... I think she will.” With a quick count, Kaitou Saint Tail disappeared in a swirl of doves. . Not long after that, Saint Tail managed to sneak into the Daidouji mansion. Which was no small feat when compared to the Kinomoto residence. There were plenty of well trained guards (all female, curiously enough), and a very well placed security system. It took her over an hour to get inside the huge place. Moving quietly, she looked around for a good place to leave the tape, complete with a cute pink ribbon. “You managed to get it back? Her faith in you is obviously very well founded.” Smiling sweetly, the dark haired girl got out of bed, her long nightgown trailing just above her feet. In the dim light, she could have easily been a ghost, her pale skin sharply contrasted by her dark hair. Kaitou Saint Tail froze. This had never happened before. She wasn’t quite sure how to react. “Who? Oh, Seira-chan. But how did you...” She trailed off, shaking her head. How did she link her to Seira? It must have been the video. Seira had said that God might set things right and now here she was with the tape, playing messenger for Him because of Seira. Tomoyo continued to smile that odd smile of hers, her head tilted to the side. She held the tape to her chest tightly, glad to know that her confession was once again in her hands. She would tell Sakura soon enough. “Arigato gozimasu, Meimi-san.” “All in a days work for...” Meimi trailed off again, sweatdropping. “Wait, what do you mean?” Tomoyo just smiled again. “Seira was talking a lot about you. You have to be the same girl she was talking about. I think that she needed someone to listen just as much as I did. Everyone goes to her with their problems, but no one seems to stop and wonder if she has any.” Of course, no one really asked her, either aside from her mother, but her mother was often times busy. But that’s because she did a good job of pretending to be happy for Sakura’s sake. Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Which was why she had made the videotape in the first place. It was a way of voicing all of the turmoil that the feelings inside of her gave rise to. “She was? I.. Well, I’m really glad I could help. Seira-chan seemed really worried about all of this so if I’ve managed to put it right then maybe that will get me a step closer to fixing things with her.” “I can see why someone’s in love with you. You’re very sweet and caring. A little like someone else I know.” Tomoyo had to force herself not to bring up Sakura. She knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to quit talking about the magnificent Cardmistress for at least half an hour. “Someone?” How much did this strange girl know about her and what was going on? How much had Seira told her? Whatever it was, she was very perceptive. “I think you know who,” was the simple reply. Meimi arched her eyebrows, unsure of what she meant. But before she could say anything, the pieces began to coalesce. Why Seira was so involved with this, why she related to this dark haired girl, why she’d called Meimi out to the church the night before, why she was always willing to do anything for her, why seemed to get jealous of Asuka Jr. from time to time, why she threw herself into their time together with the whole Saint Tail thing. “Seira...” “You should probably get to the church before you keep her waiting for too long,” Tomoyo said thoughtfully, ushering the mysterious thief back towards the window. “I’m sure she’ll want to know how things turned out. Thank you again, Meimi-san. And please tell Seira-san that I’m glad I came to her with my problem.” Meimi nodded weakly before sliding out the window. Seira was deep in prayer again, as she had been since Meimi had left much earlier that afternoon. It was the only way that she could calm herself about the whole situation. She hadn’t felt good at all and this was at least letting her get it all out to someone she knew would listen. She didn’t hear Meimi’s approach this time, but the arms that slowly went around her from behind, shook her out of the near trance-like state that she had been in. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Meimi asked simply, resting her head against Meimi’s back. She could feel the soft rise and fall of Seira’s breathing in her arms. “I... I didn’t know how. I didn’t think I could,” Seira explained, a little thrown off by what was happening. It couldn’t be what she thought it was. “I’m sorry. I should have noticed sooner, Seira.” Sighing, she let her eyes fall closed, still resting against the Sister-in-training. Seira didn’t know what to make out of what was going on. The only thing she was fairly certain of was that Meimi knew her dark little secret. She blinked back painful tears, shaking her head ever so slightly. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Meimi-chan. I just couldn’t help it. You don’t understand. I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. I.. I know I shouldn’t, but...” “Why not?” Meimi asked softly, slowly opening her blue eyes. Pausing for a moment, Seira shook her head in confusion. There were plenty of reasons. Because some of the Sisters said it was wrong, even if she didn’t believe that. Because she was afraid of losing Meimi. Because she didn’t want to hurt the other girl. “Because...” “I love you,” Meimi whispered shyly, embarrassed. It was the first time she’d uttered those words, and to her best friend at that. But she didn’t care if the situation seemed awkward. She was just glad that she understood. Seira’s slightly darker eyes went wide as it ran through her mind. “You... Meimi-chan?” She stopped blinking back the tears, several falling down her delicate features as she turned around in Meimi’s grasp. “You what?” Meimi blushed as she met the other girl’s gaze. “I love you, Seira,” she repeated softly. Why was she still crying? What had she done wrong? She had searched her heart before coming back here. She knew this was what she wanted. But had she made things worse? Smiling through the tears, the nun girl wrapped her arms around the mysterious thief, holding onto her tightly. “Oh, Meimi-chan... I love you, too!” She held on for what seemed like an eternity in the middle of the church, both girls huddled together. “I love you,” she whispered again, not wanting to let go. It felt so nice to finally hold her, especially after hearing that. Meimi was blushing lightly as she rocked back and forth with the slightly smaller girl in her arms. She felt overwhelmed inside. The feelings were almost too much for her. But even exhausted as she was, she felt wonderful. There was no place she'd rather be. Her blush darkened as Meimi’s eyes closed, her lips puckering as she leaned ever so slowly forward. Her own eyes falling closed in the face of sheer exhaustion and in such a warm embrace, she gave in completely to her friend, meeting those lips in a startlingly enrapturing kiss. The waves inside of her heart were no longer crashing, pulling her under in the confusion. The sea was finally calm. “I love you,” she heard whispered softly. Whether she said it or Seira had, it didn’t really matter as she surrendered herself back to the kiss.