laurus_nobilis: (Fluff and happiness)
Laurus Nobilis ([personal profile] laurus_nobilis) wrote2005-06-08 12:12 pm

Giving [Card Captor Sakura; English]

Title: Giving
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic
Characters: Tomoyo, Sonomi
Summary: Tomoyo cooks with her mother.
Notes: Written for Tsukimine Shrine's "Rainy Night" challenge.


Giving

Tomoyo looked through the window, a little worried. It was still raining… The weather reminded her of Sakura and the troubles of the previous night. After all that time at her friend’s side, Tomoyo had begun to understand magic rather well, even though she didn’t have it herself; but what had happened with the Cards now was beyond her understanding. Not even Kero seemed to know what was going on, and that certainly was not a good thing.

She sighed, accidentally pricking herself with the needle in her distraction. Well, at least there was something positive to be said about the new problems: she had started making a new battle suit from Sakura that afternoon. Tomoyo felt like a character from “Little Women”, sewing and thinking of her loved one, “in the falling summer rain”. What a hopeless romantic she was…

The thought of romance sent her into a fit of giggles as she remembered how Li had looked that morning. He couldn’t act to save his life, and it was more than obvious that he was utterly jealous of Hiiragizawa. Tomoyo was certain that Li had no reason to worry about that, but seeing his face was incredibly funny, nevertheless.

As for herself… well, she had always known that she wouldn’t be the one Sakura loved best. Most people would rather give than get affection, and Tomoyo was one of them. To know that she had the power to make Sakura smile was the best she could ask for; so she sewed, and filmed, and smiled. She was happy enough that way.

Suddenly someone knocked at her room’s door.

“Yes?”

“May I come in, Tomoyo?”

“Of course, Mother!” Tomoyo said, quickly hiding the half-made dress before she ran to open the door. “You came home early today!”

Sonomi smiled warmly at her daughter.

“The meeting I had today was shorter than I had expected,” she explained. “I thought we could have some fun- it’s been a long time since I last spent an evening with you. What do you say if we make dinner together?”

“Yes, that would be great!” Tomoyo said cheerfully; but soon her face fell. “Oh… but don’t you have work to do?”

“It can wait,” her mother said with a wink.

Tomoyo smiled as they walked to the kitchen hand in hand.

* * *


In the kitchen, Tomoyo hurried to find all the ingredients that her mother listed, reading the recipe aloud. Since Sonomi wasn’t a very good cook anyway, it made no difference to her what they prepared, so they settled for Tomoyo’s specialty: Italian food.

“I haven’t made lasagna in a long time,” Tomoyo said worriedly. “I hope it turns out alright.”

“I’m sure it will,” her mother reassured her. “Everything you cook turns out alright.”

Tomoyo smiled and blushed slightly. If she was good at cooking, it was because she put a lot of love in it.

If she put a lot of love in it, it was because she usually cooked for Sakura.

She enjoyed her experiments in the kitchen very much, that was true; but she hardly ever did anything without thinking of someone else. It was the way things had always worked for her. And, most of the time, “someone else” meant “Sakura”.

Tomoyo turned to the window instinctively. Still raining.
As she began preparing the sauce, she wondered why things were the way they were. She made gifts to other people all the time- be it food, clothes or advice, or merely being there. Why was it so difficult to do the same for her family? Tomoyo loved her mother very much. She just wished they were a little closer…

Sonomi was trying to help in her own way, mostly making a mess of things, but Tomoyo enjoyed the company. It wasn’t something usual. Suddenly she realized that she didn’t know if her mother even liked to cook.

She is truly making an effort, Tomoyo thought. She is doing this because she knows I like it.

The choice to make an effort of her own was only natural. Tomoyo saw this as the chance to finally make her mother a gift, even if it was on the shape of Italian food.

She looked up at Sonomi and smiled.

“It will turn out alright,” she said. “It will be the best lasagna ever.”

* * *


They were in the middle of the process when the phone rang. It was Sakura; Tomoyo rushed to the living room, where she could talk freely without being heard.

“So? Do you know what to do about the rain?” she asked.

“Er… not really,” Sakura admitted. Tomoyo could almost see her blushing face. “But we’re going to try to do something, anyway. People will start to get suspicious…”

“They already have,” said Tomoyo, remembering Naoko’s comments about “supernatural mysteries” from that morning. Suddenly she noticed something. “Who’s ‘we’? Is Li with you?”

“No, just Kero and Yue,” answered Sakura. “I was calling to see if you wanted to come.”

Tomoyo was about to shout I’ll be there in a second, but something stopped her. After all, she had just made a resolution…

Judging from the way things looked, Sakura was in for a whole lot of new adventures. She would have the chance to follow her friend around, to make her battle suits and record her heroic deeds, many more times in the future. She would always have her Sakura.

But what about spending some quality time with her mother? That kind of thing, as far as Tomoyo could see, wasn’t going to happen very often. She had to make the most of this moment. Most of all, she had to finish that gift.

“Thank you for calling me, Sakura, but I can’t go right now,” she said with a soft smile. “I’m cooking with my mother.”

* * *


Tomoyo didn’t regret her decision. She had her fun, working with her mother in the kitchen, laughing together for the first time in a long time. It was a rare thing, sharing with her, and she treasured it. It didn’t take long to make dinner; but those few hours were well spent.

It was what she did best, after all: giving affection. And it always had its reward.

“It’s delicious!” Sonomi exclaimed after the very first taste. “The best lasagna ever, indeed.”

Tomoyo smiled brightly.

“Thank you, mother,” she said, before trying a bit herself. Her mother was right, she had to admit. It truly was among the best things she’d ever cooked. The gift had served its purpose; Sonomi was enjoying it, and Tomoyo couldn’t have felt happier.

Suddenly her mother looked at the window and gasped.

“Oh, look! It stopped raining at last!”

Tomoyo turned to the window with amazement. She wasn’t surprised because Sakura had managed to use her magic again (after all, she was Sakura); she was surprised because she hadn’t thought about it since her friend’s phone call. It was something that didn’t happen often. But it meant that she really had dedicated that time only to her mother, and that was a good thing. She would be with Sakura next time.

Because there would be a next time. Tomoyo was certain about it.

The rest of the dinner flew by quietly. They didn’t talk much, but they both were happy and they knew it. There was no need to say anything.

Sonomi walked her daughter to her bedroom after they were done, another rare treat.

“Good night,” she said. “We should do this more often, don’t you think?”

Tomoyo smiled. It was her mother’s way of saying “I love you”, and she appreciated it more than she could tell.

“Of course, mother,” she said.

I love you, too.


Notes:
-I've used manga canon; takes place near the middle of volume 7.
-Character I've never focused on: Tomoyo
-Philosopher's quote: "Most people would rather give than get affection", by Aristotle
-Favourite book: "Little Women", and the "in the falling summer rain" quote belongs to that book, too.
-Unlikely gift: The lasagna for Sonomi ^_^