Key:
() = hand-written text (not printed)
** = action/description
[] = clarification
{} = editorial comments

Color picture: Tomoyo, ribbons, and cute birdies. ^_^;

pg. 3

Sakura is back in her room, opening the package from Mizuki-sensei.

Kero: Is that the present the Tsukimine Shrine chick gave you?

Sakura: Uh-huh! WOW!

pg. 4

From inside the bag she pulls a small, teddy bear-shaped pin.

Sakura: It's a bear pin! Soooo cute!

Kero: (Aw, man, so it's not food... SHUCKS...)

As she fastens the pin to her shirt, Sakura looks up toward two other bears sitting side-by-side on the cabinet by her desk.

Sakura [thinking]: That's the bear I meant to give to Yukito-san.

pg. 5

She takes it in her arms and hugs it.

Sakura [thinking]: I guess he's just ended up staying here at my house.

She looks with wide eyes at the other bear.

Sakura [thinking]: The bear that Shaoran-kun forgot...

pg. 6

[She remembers his confession.]

Shaoran [memory]: I... like you.

Sakura blushes violently, then goes to her desk and picks up the remaining present, thinking of Mizuki-sensei's words.

Mizuki [memory]: And this one's for Ri-kun.

pg. 7

Sakura looks again at the dark bear.

Sakura [thinking]: Shaoran-kun...

pg. 8

Kero has flown over to peer at her up close.

Kero: What is it, Sakura? You're turning red. (You got a fever or something?)

Sakura: *shaking head vigorously* N-no! (OH!)

The force of her sudden memory sends Kero tumbling.

Kero: (WAA-!)

Sakura: I'm all out of notepads! Gotta go buy more!

She grabs her bag and dashes from the room, leaving Kero flat on the ground and dizzy. The door slams behind her.

pg. 9

He gets up and goes to examine the dark teddy bear.

Kero: Lately she keeps staring at this guy and blushing. Is he really all THAT handsome? *puffing up* (And when I'm a jillion times cooler!)

The bear sits innocently, expression unchanged.

pg. 10

As she walks down the street, Sakura is still bright red, now partly with embarrassment.

Sakura: Somehow I just keep blushing so easily!

She touches the brooch on her shirt and remembers the time when Shaoran gave her the bear, and how he, too, had been blushing.

Shaoran [memory]: The person I l-like... is s... somebody else. ...Keep it.

pg. 11

Sakura [thinking]: Shaoran-kun said for me to keep the bear... I guess that means that even then, he...

She stops in her tracks as another memory assails her.

Sakura [memory]: Since you're really nice and a cool person, I'm sure the person you like will like you back, too. Don't give up!

Sakura [thinking]: At that time... Shaoran-kun knew I liked Yukito-san, didn't he?

pg. 12

She remembers his expression as he listened to her words then.

Sakura: *closing her eyes in pain* And in spite of that, I.....

pg. 13

A call suddenly startles her.

Voice: Sakura-chaaaaaan!

Sakura: Huh?

She whirls, searching for the source, and sees two figures sitting on a blanket in the nearby park.

Sakura: Chiharu-chan! Yamazaki-kun!

Chiharu: *as Sakura comes closer* Is something wrong? It looked like you were wandering around and making all kinds of faces.

Sakura: Eh!? Was I!? (Did I look weird?)

Yamazaki: Not so much 'weird' as 'troubled,' maybe.

Sakura: Wha...

He smiles.

Yamazaki: I'll go get some juice. Kinomoto-san, what would you like?

pg. 14

Sakura: B-but--

Chiharu: Come on, let him treat us! Peach for me.

Sakura: O-okay, then, lemon.

Yamazaki: SPEAKING OF JUICE, YOU KNOW--!

Chiharu: (Yeah, yeah.) *shoving him off* Save it for after you come back.

Yamazaki: ..........

Sakura sweatdrops. After he is out of earshot, Chiharu turns to her.

Chiharu: Is there something that's worrying you?

pg. 15

Sakura looks down.

Chiharu: It's all right. Yamazaki-kun won't be back for a while.

Sakura: Huh?

Chiharu: If Sakura-chan's having trouble, give her some advice if you can, he said. (Yamazaki-kun.) (It's easier to talk without him here, right?)

Sakura: HUH!? When did he say that!?

Chiharu: Well, he didn't really, but somehow I understood it.

Sakura: (WOAAAH.) Just from when you glanced at each other before!?

Chiharu: *a bit sheepish* Well, we've known each other for a long time---

pg. 16

Chiharu: (So.) Is it something you can talk to me about?

Sakura: U... um, Chiharu-chan, suppose you had said something awful to Yamazaki-kun. What would you do?

She looks blank for a moment.

Chiharu: What kind of awful thing? (Like, "You're a liar" or "You have lines for eyes" or "You're a freak"?)

Sakura: (EHHH?) No... nothing like that....

pg. 17

The other girl smiles.

Chiharu: I'd apologize.

Sakura looks amazed.

pg. 18

Chiharu: Since he and I have known each other for a long time, and since I pretty much say what I feel like saying, sometimes I do say awful things. But since I really like him, since I want to be with him forever, I apologize.

pg. 19

Chiharu: When I've said something, even if it was just from not understanding, and I didn't mean anything by it, still, later I realize that he was hurt and what I did. When it's like that, I apologize and say "I'm sorry."

pg. 20

Chiharu: Because I think he'll probably say "It's okay," and because if he had done something and then apologized to me, I'd want to say "It's okay," too.

Sakura: That's great. Really.

Chiharu: If you apologize, I'm sure the person will say "It's okay" to you, too.

pg. 21

Sakura: *smiling* Yeah... thanks.

pg. 22

Yamazaki: *leaping up* YOU KNOW, THE TRUTH ABOUT JUICE IS--!

Sakura: AAAAAACK!

Chiharu: *holding a hand to her head* Yeah, and how the heck is it that his timing is so good? [to Yamazaki] (DON'T SCARE SAKURA-CHAN LIKE THAT, YOU!)

She grabs and shakes him as Sakura looks on and sweatdrops.

Yamazaki: (Ahahaha!)

pg. 23

Watching them, Sakura can't help but smile.

pg. 24

[As she heads on her way again]

Sakura [thinking]: I have to apologize to Shaoran-kun. To say "I'm sorry" for the things I said back then. And after that, I have to give him an answer. But I still don't even know what this feeling is. I like Shaoran-kun. I like him a lot.

pg. 25

Sakura [thinking]: I think it's different from the kind of liking for a friend. But what kind of liking is it...? Tomoyo-chan said the answer was already within me, but...

pg. 26

She takes the present out of her bag.

Sakura: I have to give Mizuki-sensei's present to him. [thinking] And besides that, since he was gone yesterday too, I'm worried he might have a cold or something... But, but my answer.......

She turns red again.

pg. 27

Arriving at Shaoran's apartment complex, she sees a moving van parked outside, and several men loading boxes into it.

Sakura: Somebody's moving?

Standing between two of the movers, talking with them, is Shaoran. His eyes widen as he notices Sakura.

pg. 28

She comes up to him.

Sakura: Um- um- um! M-Mizuki-sensei said to give you this present from England!

She looks downward and is still blushing as she holds it out to him. Shaoran smiles a very small smile.

Shaoran: Thanks.

He reaches out and takes the package from her.

pg. 29

Sakura opens her mouth as if to speak again, desperately, but then stops, her face flushed. She turns toward the movers and starts babbling.

Sakura: Um... um! It... it looks like somebody's moving, huh! That's a lot of stuff, isn't it!

Shaoran: .......It's me.

pg. 30

She freezes, and slowly turns.

Sakura: ..... Eh?

He looks at her somberly, holding the package against his chest.

pg. 31

Shaoran: I'm going back. To Hong Kong.

Sakura can only stare.

To be continued.

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