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She's no dummy, she knows why Tomoyo asked her to come along on her shopping trip. I could use a set of fresh eyes to help me pick some fabrics, she'd said, and Meilin knows what those fabrics are for. Costumes for Sakura, because Tomoyo is as devoted to Sakura as Meilin is to Syaoran.
But Sakura asked Syaoran to the aquarium with her, and he was blushing bright red when he said yes. Tomoyo knows what's happening, so does Meilin, and the shopping trip is just a distraction.
"What about this one?" Tomoyo asks, holding up a length of something in various shades of orange. "Halloween's coming up, and I've yet to make her a pumpkin-themed costume!" Pumpkins come in other colors, she wants to grumble, not understanding the appeal of the whole pumpkin thing anyway. Jack-o-Lanterns are fun, but otherwise it's just a big overgrown squash.
"Why not just dress her up as an actual pumpkin?" she mutters, then immediately feels guilty. "Sorry." But Tomoyo just giggles.
"Nothing could be cuter than a Sakura-pumpkin! But she'd have a hard time moving in something so big, or getting it through any doors or windows!" she says. "I've made her some elaborate outfits, but they need to be practical, too. After all, she's an amazing magical girl, not a runway model!"
And Meilin remembers trying to make a costume for Syaoran when he declared his intent to find the Clow Cards. But she can't sew, she kept pricking herself with the needle, and eventually all she could do was watch quietly in a corner while his sisters did everything.
Tomoyo, meanwhile, could make a full set of costumes for a stage show and still have time left to hem the curtains.
"You really put a lot into making these for her." Tomoyo smiles.
"It's all I can do, you know? I don't have any magic abilities, I don't know martial arts, I don't fully understand the history of the Cards or how they work," she says. "But I can make sure Sakura looks her best while she's doing her best."
"But...you're always there for her when things get difficult, you cheer her on, you're always telling her how wonderful she is," Meilin ventures. "You do plenty for her." You're so patient, unlike me who gets into trouble trying to help Syaoran. More than once she'd needed to be saved because of her own impulsiveness, thinking she was the one protecting or saving him.
Tomoyo idly strokes the orange fabric, closing her eyes.
"And I always will. Her happiness is the most important thing to me, no matter where she finds it. But in the meantime if I can make her smile and remind her of how wonderful she is, then I'll do just that."
Her words strike a chord in Meilin. The tone of her voice, the look on her face, the sheer devotion, and Meilin realizes this trip wasn't just a distraction for her. Tomoyo isn't the jealous type to mourn if someone she loves prefers someone else, but she's not above feeling wistful over it.
"Listen," Meilin says, placing a hand on her shoulder, "no matter what happens between those two, you'll always be super special to her. You're her best friend, and nothing can replace that." Tomoyo's face brightens, and she nods with a cheerful hum.
"Right. Just like you're Li-kun's family, and no matter what he says or does, you're just as important to him!"
Meilin smiles, nodding a little.
"I know." She eyes the fabric. "I think if you want to go for a pumpkin look you should stick to a single shade. Otherwise it looks like it's starting to rot in places," she said. Tomoyo gives it another look, then giggles.
"You're right! Okay, then how about this one?" A brighter shade, and it looks just as sturdy but a lot softer. Meilin makes a peace sign with her fingers, holding up some green wool.
"And this for the gloves?"
When it's time to pay, Meilin notices some red silk and various embroidery thread among the purchases. The next day, Tomoyo invites her, Syaoran, and Sakura over for tea and alongside the beginnings of the costume lies a length of the red silk with the beginnings of a yellow sun stitched into it.
And there's a plate of Meilin's favorite peach buns alongside the usual cookies.