Something More (Tomoyo/Sakura, Tomoyo/OC)

[storypaint]

Comm: 1fandom
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Theme Set: 5
Rating: G
Author Notes: Set way post canon, and involves some important original characters. More of a story than a character study.
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.
Summary: A failed marriage results in Daisuke, and Tomoyo vows that her son's life won't be overshadowed by her unrequited love.

01. Raise
Tomoyo was pretty good at raising herself, since her mother was rarely around to do it; her only mistake was falling in love when it was hopeless.

02. Yes
"Don't you have someone you love most of all?" Sakura said, and Tomoyo said, "Yes," but nothing more.

03. Layer
People have so many interesting layers, Tomoyo thought placidly, watching Syaoran glare at Eriol, though I wonder why Eriol looks at Sakura like a daughter.

04. Sign
The first time Tomoyo signed her new last name, it felt strange, but she was sure she'd get used to it eventually.

05. Try
Try to move on, her mother told her one night, her voice full of old pain, and Tomoyo considered it for a while.

06. Give
Tomoyo gave everything of herself to whatever she was doing: a devoted singer, student, photographer, Sakura-lover.

07. Great
He was a great guy-- not Sakura, but he would work, she supposed, to make her mother happy.

08. Compare
The relationship didn't last too long, with Sakura's ghost in the bed between them.

09. Listen
It was long enough for nature to take its course, however (perhaps her daughter would listen, like she should have).

10. Choice
"Are you sure about this?" Sonomi pressed, but Tomoyo was devoted to everything she did (except that man).

11. Pale
Her son had the same beautiful skin as Sakura, but Daisuke's eyes were the deep blue of her ex-husband's.

12. Tough
She wanted to be tough for him-- no more mooning around over Sakura (if history repeated again, she would die even more broken-hearted).

13. Risk
There was a risk, of course, that he would fall in love with Auntie Sakura, or her children, but to Tomoyo's relief her son was a happy, flighty child (no life-long devotion to impossible love for him).

14. Name
She named him after her father, praying that the name wouldn't be prophetic and he would stay.

15. Tall
One day she noticed he was taller than her, and it made her a little sad, but also proud.

16. Price
The price for her devotion to her son was her love for Sakura, and he filled the hole in a more fulfilling way (it was more of a prize than a price).

17. High
His first day of high school, he came home with a girl on his mind, and Tomoyo smiled, washed the dishes, and listened to him talk about her.

18. Hello
It was just a friendly hello in passing, and it took her a couple of minutes to remember who it was-- Eriol (but she never saw him again after that).

19. Own
When her son began to have his own life and his own concerns, Tomoyo began to feel lonely again.

20. New
She met a coworker for coffee and to talk about the project, but when the woman's heel brushed her calf, Tomoyo felt something new.

21. Keep
When Daisuke told her he wanted to get married, she repressed the maternal urge to keep him forever.

22. Under
The ceremony was over in under an hour, and Tomoyo felt quite lost (but at least he was happy, the curse was broken).

23. Compliment
Naru complimented Tomoyo's shoes, and then asked her to dinner; to Tomoyo's surprise, she accepted.

24. Summer
She didn't see Sakura that summer at all.

25. Red
Tomoyo wore a red dress to the office Christmas party, and when Naru saw her, she blushed.

26. Dance
She'd never danced the tango before, and it was invigorating.

27. Reflect
In retrospect, that's probably when everything began to change.

28. Nail
One of Tomoyo's favorite things to do was lay in bed on Sunday mornings and paint her toenails; the wild splashes of color made Naru laugh when she saw the formerly white sheets.

29. Remove
It would be hard to remove excess baggage, so Tomoyo was honest one evening in a three-hour conversation that ended in tears.

30. Hands
Naru put her hands on the small of Tomoyo's back when she held her, letting her cry, and somehow the gentle touch made her cry more.

31. Stop
It was uncertain and fumbling, but Tomoyo never wanted to say stop.

32. Noise
Sometimes Tomoyo said Sakura's name in her sleep, but Naru never told her.

33. Job
When Naru was promoted, Tomoyo left her job, in order to avoid charges of nepotism.

34. Open
When Daisuke was twenty-five, Tomoyo was open with him, and he told her that he admired her strength.

35. Touch
His hug and his touch were so much different than Naru's (and Sakura's barely remembered affection).

36. Water
A strange coincidence brought Tomoyo, Naru, Sakura, and Syaoran to the seashore at the same time; Tomoyo stared off into the water, hoping that the glare off the ocean could account for her sudden tears.

37. Save
Naru found an excuse to get them away; Tomoyo felt ashamed of the old memories (Naru said it was okay).

38. Sell
Selling Tomoyo's house was an ordeal, but it was so much nicer to be living in a place they had picked out together.

39. Next
The next generation referred to them as Grandma Tomoyo and Grandma Naru, which tickled them to no end.

40. Please
Her son never had to say please to get Tomoyo to babysit.

41. Pet
Babysitting the family dog was another matter entirely, but Naru always managed to talk her into it.

42. Shadow
Tomoyo sorted through her videotapes and was surprised to find that the stack labeled "Cardcaptor Sakura" was much smaller than the stack of tapes labeled "Daisuke."

43. Always
Naru somehow accepted the fact that there would always be another woman in Tomoyo's life, but Tomoyo had enough love for both.

44. Content
Contentness crept in on Tomoyo, surprising her with the idea that maybe she could be happy, she and Naru.

45. Certain
The ring made it certain.

46. Scorch
When Tomoyo absentmindedly scorched their first anniversary dinner, they had to go out for pizza, and it became a tradition.

47. Bore
When Tomoyo was bored, she used to write letters to Sakura and throw them away; nowadays, she shopped for her grandchildren or tickled Naru to death.

48. Study
She'd always wanted a study in which to archive all of her videotapes; when Naru surprised her with the makeover in their little-used back room, she grinned like a child.

49. Minute
When you get old, every minute counts, but time flies when you're having fun, Tomoyo thinks.

50. Limit
Luckily for Tomoyo, there was no upper limit on happiness.