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Birthday

Disclaimer: CLAMP owns Cardcaptor Sakura.

A/N-Why isn't Tomoyo too shaken up in this? She is just naturally serene. You heard how she talked about Sakura (points downwards). It doesn't bother her that much. This is set just after volume one of Cardcaptor Sakura, Master of the Clow.

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In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

In and knot.

She held a lovely little pink teddy bear, all smiling black eyes and soft pink plush and feathery angel wings. Tomoyo had slaved over it for days, ever since Rika had proudly shown them her own. She loved to sew and did it well, but this was special.

Tomoyo wondered if Rika had ever given it to Mr Terada. It was obvious who Rika was in love with. Tomoyo never used the word crush; it was a cruel brush off of a word, becoming a twisted sort of slander as it left the mouth. Love is real if you believe in it.

She remembered when she had borrowed the pattern.

"What did you want to ask me about, Tomoyo?"

"Can I borrow the pattern for the bear you made a few weeks ago, Rika? I can't afford a kit from the shops and I love to make things on my own. It's so much more personal."

"Of course you can Tomoyo, you only have to ask." She paused, smiling. "Will you tell me who it's for? I understand if you won't."

"What if I want to make one for myself?"

"I heard what you said to Sakura. I was at the craft shop at the time and I couldn't help but overhear. I believed that you were content not to tell the person you were in love with how much you loved them."

"What about you, Tomoyo? Are you going to get a bear?"

"I...I want the person I love to be happy more than I want their love returned."

"Then...you don't need the person to love you back?"

"Of course I would be delighted to have their love returned but...if the person I love is happy, that's all I need to be happy."

"I changed my mind. They might not even understand when I give the bear to them, but I'll know I said it, at least in some way."

Tomoyo knocked on Sakura's door. A drooping Touya answered it, with a more awake Yuki poking his head around the side.

"Hi Touya, is Sakura in? I need to give her something."

Touya snapped into wakefulness. "Oh, hi Tomoyo, sure, she's up in her room. Go right ahead." He stumbled back indoors, with Yuki lingering behind and giving her a small smile.

She stood on tiptoes and motioned for him to bend down.

"He does love you, you know, it's just that he's so shy sometimes. You should go for it. He won't laugh."

Yuki stumbled back, flushing. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not in love with Touya!" His voice rose on the last few words, causing Touya to poke his head around the door of the living room.

"Whazzat?" He said sleepily, straightening his shirt.

"NOTHING!" He turned to glare at Tomoyo. She smiled.

"I never said that you were in love with Touya. You just confirmed it." With that she began to climb the stairs, leaving a flustered Yuki standing at the bottom, shaking his head perplexedly.

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Tomoyo rapped on the door to Sakura's room and walked in without waiting for an answer, face as serene as always. Sakura was sprawled on her bed with a manga, giggling and eyes sparkling. Taking a closer look, Tomoyo realised it was called "Eerie Queerie." And rated 16 plus.

"Where on earth did you get that?" She asked sitting on the bed.

"My brother's room. You wouldn't believe some of the ones he has hoarded away under his mattress!"

"Do I want to know?" Tomoyo said, grinning.

Sakura appeared to think for a moment. "No, probably not. This one is quite sweet though. And that Mitsuo, so clueless! Just like Touya and Yuki, really..."

"I thought you had a," she paused, grimacing, "a crush on Yuki."

"Well yeah, I did, but he's never going to notice me and besides, you can tell he and my brother are totally head over heels for each other, even if they won't admit it."

"Sakura..."

"Yes?"

Tomoyo swallowed, feeling just slightly nervous for the first time in her life.

"I have a present for you," she said, taking out a small beribboned bag.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "A present? For me? What is it?"

"Open it." Sakura slid over and sat next to Tomoyo, carefully opening the bag and drawing out her gift.

"A teddy? Wow, it's so cute! Thank you so much Tomoyo! I was going to make one but it went horribly wrong and Kero wanted to have it so..." The bear was stitched in soft pink plush with tiny wings of the same material and beetle black eyes that almost seemed to smile.

Tomoyo smiled hesitantly. "There's something else..."

Sakura noticed the seriousness in her voice. "What?"

Tomoyo felt around in her pocket, drawing out a pale blue ribbon. Sakura's eyes widened in comprehension.

"It's its birthday?" She took the ribbon from the other girl and tied it in a floppy bow around the bear's neck. "What's its name?"

Tomoyo licked her lips. "Um...well...its name is...Tomoyo."

Sakura's jaw dropped.

"What's more, some people believe that if you give the person you love a handmade teddy bear named after yourself, then that person will always return your love."

"You mean..."

"I love you Sakura."

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Yuki sat next to Touya on the sofa, biting his lip. That was close; it was good that he hadn't heard-

"So, Yuki, what were you saying to Tomoyo about not being in love with me?" His half closed eyes sparkled with concealed alertness, his posture rigid while his voice was relaxed and casual.

Yuki blanched. He began to babble.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Me, in love with you? How silly. I could never possibly be in love with you, my best friend, even if you have pretty eyes that I could drown in and smell really nice and-"

Touya kissed him and he continued to talk in a blushing stream for several seconds before he realised what was happening.

"Mmmph!"

Touya was kissing him.

On the lips.

Probably in a non-platonic way. Possibly. But didn't friends do this all the time?

He pulled away in a daze and opened his mouth to ask-

"Yes, in a non-platonic way," his best friend said, grinning. "I can read you like a book, you know."

"Oh. I think my brain just melted." Yuki said, utterly lost.

Nevertheless, he was able to meet Touya's second kiss with a happy sigh.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Obviously."

Yuki rolled his eyes, gaining back some of his poise. "Smartass."

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Sakura reached over tentatively and took Tomoyo's hand, the other girl's downcast eyes lifting.

"So when you said that you wanted the person you loved to be happy..."

"Yes. But I understand if you don't..."

Sakura smiled, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "You've just made me the happiest person in the world."

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End.