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Saturday night: Surprises

Sakura and Madison were sitting in Madison's room while Sakura tried on
her newest costume. "Are you sure this doesn't look silly Madison?"

Madison smiled up at her and bit the end of her finger. "I think you
look just great Sakura. Incredible really."

Sakura blushed and looked down at the shiny pink thing she was wearing.
"Well if you say so I'll take your word for it Madison. But I can't
exactly sleep in this thing."

Madison giggled and began helping her out of her costume. "Alright.
There is a spare night shirt in the closet." She folded the costume up
while Sakura went to put the shirt of. "So who are you going to the
dance with on Friday?"

Sakura stuck her head into the shirt and said, "I don't know. I haven't
really given it much thought. Nobody has asked me yet. Who are you
going with?"

Madison bit her lip when Sakura stepped out of the closet. "Well... I
did have some ideas but I don't think they're interested."

Sakura looked at her amazed. "Really? But Madison you get asked out all
the time. Why don't you ever go out with anyone?" Madison blushed and
Sakura grinned at her. "Oh you have someone you like already huh? Who
is it? Lee? Zachery?"

Madison frowned at her. "No. Now stop teasing me."

Sakura laughed and shook her head. "Alright. But I'm going to find out
eventually. You know you never could keep a secret from me."

Madison looked at her with a self assured smirk. "Are you sure about
that?"

Sakura looked at her suspiciously, then lay down in the bed. "Fine,
don't tell me."

Madison giggled and Sakura smiled at her. Madison quickly turned off
the light and crawled into bed with her. "Good night Sakura."

"Good night Madison." Sakura yawned.

Sakura yawned and stretched. Looking at the clock beside the bed she
saw it was 1:14 in the morning. She glanced next to her at Madison, but
her friend wasn't in bed. "She must have gotten up to go to the
bathroom." Sakura yawned and noticed how dry her mouth was. Slipping
out from under the covers she walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

On the way she heard an odd sound from one of the doors. It sounded
like Madison. She stopped and looked around, noticing a light on under
the bathroom door and coming through the key hole. Madison's house was
very old and still had the old fashioned locks on the inside doors.
Sakura heard another low moan from the door and finally her curiosity
got the better of her and she bent down to look through the key hole.

Inside the bathroom she saw Madison sitting back on the toilet. At
first nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then Sakura noticed that
the lid was down. Madison had her right hand between her legs and was
holding a picture in her left hand. Sakura blushed realizing what her
friend was doing. She was about to leave when she heard Madison sob. "I
love you so much... I just wish I could tell you..."

Sakura bit her lip. Whoever it is she must really love him, Sakura
thought. She began to notice that her own legs had gotten a bit wobbly
and warm while watching her friend. She bit her lip and started to back
up when Madison let out a very loud moan and dropped the picture she
was holding. It floated to the door and slipped under right as Sakura
pulled back. Feeling a bit guilty for spying on her friend in such an
intimate moment Sakura leaned down and looked at the picture in the
light under the door... and gasped.

It was her, dressed in the cat costume Madison had made for her. Inside
the bathroom Sakura suddenly heard running water and without thinking
ran back to Madison's bedroom. She was under the covers and had her
eyes closed just as Madison stepped out of the bathroom and retrieved
her picture from the floor.

Sakura forced her breathing to slow down and her muscles to relax. She
heard a floor board creak under Madison's foot and felt the mattress
move as Madison crawled into bed with her. It was all Sakura could do
to keep her eyes closed and her face calm.

Suddenly she felt Madison's hand on her shoulder and felt warm breath
on her cheek as Madison leaned over her and whispered, "I love you
Sakura. Even if you'll never know it I do love you..." something warm
and wet dripped onto Sakura's cheek and Madison rolled back over to go
to sleep.

Sakura wasn't sure what she wanted to do. A part of her wanted to
comfort her friend. To tell her that everything was alright. But
another, more immediate, part of her was frozen stiff in shock. She had
always known Madison loved her, but had never guessed that she was IN
love with her. How could she miss something like that about her best
friend?

She peeked around at the dark room. She couldn't see much but
everything in it was all too familiar. The walls were covered with
pictures of her and Madison together. The desk was spilling over with
drawings of the costumes Madison had designed for her. And Sakura was
sure that the shelves of video tapes mostly consisted of herself
as well.

After a while Sakura rolled over and looked at Madison's face. Even in
the dark she could see Madison's pale skin. She wanted to talk to her
friend... but couldn't bring herself to do it. Now wasn't the right
time.

Monday: Confessing

Sakura yawned and stretched as her alarm clock went off. She had not
gotten back to sleep the night before and had spent most of Sunday
trying to act casual around Madison. She had not been able to find the
words to talk to her friend. Mostly because she wasn't sure of her own
feelings.

Next to her on the pillow Kero rolled over, "Would you mind turning off
the alarm. I would like to finish this dream I was having about
chocolate cake."

Sakura hit the clock and groggily rolled out of bed. And went to her
closet to get dressed. She stopped suddenly, running her fingers along
the fabric of the costumes she had in her closet. Madison's face popped
into her mind and Sakura felt a warm feeling in her chest. She couldn't
just let Madison keep torturing herself like this... but what could she
do about it?

As she changed into her school clothes Sakura thought long and hard
about how she could help Madison. The obvious answer was to love her
back. Could she do that? After all they were both girls... but then
Madison didn't seem to have a problem with it.

After breakfast Sakura put on her skates and headed outside. Madison
was waiting by the mail box. Sakura found herself smiling, even though
she still wasn't sure about everything. On the way to school she and
Madison talked about what they had done after they had gone home the
other day. Sakura left out a few choice fragments of course. How could
she talk to Madison like this without telling her that she had seen
her? What if Madison got mad at her?

When they got to school their friends were waiting for them outside of
the school. "Hey Sakura. Madison. How was your weekend?"

Sakura blushed, but thankfully Madison answered so nobody noticed. Once
they got into the classroom Sakura relaxed a bit. Miss Makinzy had
assigned some homework, which Madison and Sakura had worked on after
school on Friday. Sakura spent the rest of the day just sitting in
class and trying to pay attention.

At lunch Madison asked her, "Are you alright Sakura? You've been really
distant lately."

Sakura smiled at her. "I just have something on my mind Madison. Don't
worry, I'm fine."

In her last class Sakura had been staring out the window, still
thinking about what she had seen. She felt a shiver go down her spine
that had nothing to do with cold or distaste. She realized she was
actually kind of attracted to Madison. After all they had been close
friends for a while, had done pretty much everything together.

"Sakura class is over." Miss Makinzy said from beside her desk.

Sakura looked up startled and blushed. "Oh, sorry..." She gathered up
her stuff and put it in her bag.

Miss Makinzy smiled at her. "It's alright. I'm sure you have plenty of
things on your mind. Just try to be a bit more attentive in class
alright?"

Sakura nodded. "Thanks Miss Makinzy. See you later ok?"

She nodded. "Have fun Sakura."

When Sakura got to the front of the school Madison and her other
friends were waiting for her. "What took you so long Sakura?"

Sakura shrugged and put her pack on her back. "Oh you know me. I was
day dreaming and lost track of time."

Madison giggled and hugged her. "Yeah that sounds like you. Do you want
to come by my house this afternoon?"

Sakura blushed at the hug but quickly composed herself. "Um, sure
Madison. Sounds fun."

When they got to Madison's house Madison suddenly stopped and looked at
Sakura. "Alright, what's going on? You have been spaced out for two
days now."

Sakura blushed and looked at her. "I told you I've been thinking about
something..."

Madison smiled, "So what have you been thinking about? Clow cards? A
boy? The dance? What?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Well I..." She bit her lip. What could she say?
Madison deserved to know. But what if she got mad? If she had wanted
Sakura to know how she felt she probably would have told her.

Madison looked at her worriedly. Finally Sakura just acted. She leaned
in and kissed Madison on the lips. "I love you too Madison."

Madison stood there stunned with her jaw hanging open. Sakura turned
and ran off, leaving her standing there. Madison put her hand too her
mouth as she watched Sakura run off.

When she got home Sakura slammed the door behind her and ran up to her
room. She buried her face in the pillows of her bed and just lay there
for a minute. "I can't believe I did that! What was I thinking? I am
such an idiot."

Kero flew up from his spot on the dresser. He had been taking his
afternoon nap when Sakura had run in. He landed on the bed next to the
lump in the pillows that was Sakura's head. "Are you alright Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it."

Kero sighed. "Well why not? Who am I going to tell? Come on Sakura you
can't stay under there forever."

Sakura moaned. "That was my plan. Maybe I'll have the sleep card put me
to sleep for few thousand years... or maybe I'll just jump off the
roof."

Kero took the pillow in hit teeth and pulled it off of Sakura's head.
"Come on now, tell me what's the matter."

Sakura looked up at him. Her eyes were red and she was crying. She
looked at the guardian beast. Suddenly for no real reason she started
telling him exactly what had happened.

"... and I just kissed her and ran off." She finished.

Kero rubbed his chin. "I don't pretend to understand love Sakura. But I
do know that if she really loves you she won't be mad. I think you
should probably talk to her."

Sakura blushed and lay down on the pillow. "How can I do that? I mean
she probably totally hates me now."

Kero was about to answer when the phone next to her bed rang. Sakura
just stared at it for a minute then reached to pick it up.
"Um...he-hello?"

"Sakura?" Madison's voice said.

Sakura blushed and said, "Yeah it's me Madison. Look... about
earlier..."

"No Sakura, please. Do you think we can talk in person?" Madison asked.

Sakura bit her lip and twirled the phone cord. "Alright. Where do you
want to meet?"

Madison thought about it for a second. "How about the penguin slide in
the park?"

Sakura nodded. "Alright I'll meet you there." She put the phone down
and looked at Kero. "You stay here."

"Why? I want to come along and see how it all works out." He moaned.

Sakura shook her head and put her pack down. Then she left the house
and started towards the park.

When she got there Madison was sitting on the swings staring out into
space. She walked up behind her and sat down on a swing next to her.
They both sat there quietly for a while, swinging slightly in the
breeze.

Finally Madison turned to look at her. "Did you mean what you said
Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, but kept staring straight ahead. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry
if..." She was cut off when Madison put her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Don't say you are sorry Sakura... I'm not." Madison whispered the last
part.

Sakura looked at her. "But I am. I should have known. I could have... I
don't know. But I might have done something to make you feel better."

Madison shook her head. "No Sakura... we were both a little young for
that. I loved every minute we had. You have always been my best
friend."

Sakura looked at her with sad eyes. "But you wanted more. If I had been
a good friend I would have known that."

Madison let out a laugh. "It's not like I told you Sakura. Not directly
anyway. I don't even know how you found out..." She looked at Sakura
curiously.

Sakura blushed and smiled. "Well..."

Madison smiled. "Don't worry, I won't get mad. I just want to know."

Sakura looked at her, her face turning entirely red. "I woke up about
one o'clock on Sunday morning and went to get a drink. I passed by the
bathroom and heard you moaning. I thought you might be sick or
something..."

Madison looked at her with her jaw hanging down, then looked quickly
away. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to gross you out or
anything. It was just you were there so close to me and..."

Sakura smiled. "I wasn't grossed out Madison." She blushed again and
mumbled, "In fact I feel kind of flattered and a bit..."

Madison looked at her, "A bit what?"

Sakura looked up at her and smiled. "It was a bit of a turn on."

Madison smiled at her. "Well that kiss of yours was pretty good. Kind
of short though..." She looked directly into Sakura's eyes and winked.

Sakura blushed, then remembered that this was Madison. They had known
each other for their entire lives. She wasn't any different now than
she had been then. They just knew each other even better. Sakura leaned
closer to Madison who closed her eyes and puckered her lips slightly.
She felt Madison's warm breath on her lip and stopped, half an inch
away from her friend.

Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Madison's. Madison
let out a small moan and pushed back. Sakura felt something move
against her mouth and realized it was her tongue. For a split second
she panicked, unsure of what to do. Then she opened her mouth and felt
it slide in. Sakura let out a slight moan, and her hands came away from
the swing chain. She fell forward onto the ground, leaving Madison
sitting above her giggling.

Sakura picked herself up and laughed. "Boy I sure know how to ruin a
moment don't I?"

Madison hugged her. "You didn't ruin anything Sakura. That was probably
the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you Sakura."

Sakura put her arms around Madison's waist. "I love you too Madison."

They talked until the sun began to set and the girls reluctantly
started back home. On the way home Sakura felt a lightness in her heart
that hadn't been there before. Was this what it was like to love
someone and have them love you back? Sakura smiled and glanced back
towards the way Madison had gone. After a minute she turned and headed
for home again, feeling better than ever.

Wednesday: Real friends

Sakura hefted her back pack as she and Madison walked hand in hand away
from the school. They stopped when they heard someone call their names.
Turning around they saw some of their friends from school following
them. Sakura smiled and waved, "Hi, what's up?"

The other girls stopped and looked at them for a second, then Jessica
said, "Are you two alright? You've been acting kind of weird for the
last few days."

Sakura smiled and looked at Madison. "Well we've been working some
things out."

The other girls smiled and made varying sounds of acknowledgement.
Jessica smiled at them, "So you two are finally dating huh?"

Sakura and Madison looked at them surprised. "You... you mean you knew?"
Madison asked.

Jessica rolled her eyes and the other girls let out a collective
giggle. "Are you kidding? I think the only people who don't know are
those two new exchange students you are always hanging out with. We
were actually wondering when you two were going to get together, but
nobody wanted to say anything in case we were wrong."

Sakura and Madison were blushing bright red. Samantha, another one of
their friends, stepped forward and smiled at them. "Don't worry, you
two have nothing to be embarrassed about. We're your friends after all
right?" The other girls all nodded in agreement and made similar
comforting remarks.

Sakura and Madison smiled at them and said, "Thanks guys... we were
kind a little afraid of how you would react."

After a while the group broke up and began heading in different
direction. As they walked to Sakura's house Madison and Sakura were
quiet for a while. Then Sakura looked over at Madison. "That was...
awkward."

Madison nodded. "You said it. I mean I had no idea that they knew. I'm
sorry if I..."

Sakura smiled and shook her head, "Don't be sorry. It was going to come
out eventually anyway. At least our friends don't hold it against us
right?"

Madison smiled and nodded, leaning against Sakura's shoulder. "I guess
it could have been worse." She smiled and looked at Sakura's face.
"Think Lee and Maylin have heard about it yet?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. They are both pretty popular. I'm sure
they must have heard something. Don't worry about it Madison."

When they arrived at home Tory and Julian were sitting on the steps.
Tory looked at them, noticed how close they were, and shrugged. "Hey
squirt. What are you two up to?"

Sakura smiled at him. "We're just going to hang out and work on our
homework."

Tory nodded. As she passed them to go inside Sakura heard Tory say to
Jilian, "Alright, you were right and I was wrong."

She turned back and saw her brother hand Julian some money. Sakura
frowned and said, "Hey!"

Both boys looked guilty for a second, then Tory quickly closed the
door. Madison giggled. "Well at least he isn't teasing us about it."

Sakura looked at her and smiled grimly. "No, not yet anyway. I'm
actually wondering if we even need to tell our parents about this."

Madison laughed and poked her ribs. "I think if we just let things play
out they'll figure it out soon enough." She playfully kissed Sakura's
cheek, then sat down and pulled out her homework.

Sakura groaned. "Oh I hate math!"

Madison smiled at her. "Well in that case let's get it over with fast
alright?"

Sakura sighed and the two of them settled down to study. Few hours
later they finally closed the books and put everything away. Kero flew
down stairs and landed on the couch between them. "Hey, what are the
chances of getting something to eat?"

Sakura and Madison laughed and Sakura got up to get Kero a sandwich.
She looked at Madison and asked, "Do you want anything?" Madison shook
her head no and Sakura disappeared into the kitchen.

After a minute Madison reached into her back pack and took out the
flier for the school dance. It was only a junior high school dance.
Nothing really important, but in her mind Madison could just see her
and Sakura together there.

She jumped when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Madison
looked up and saw Sakura smiling down at her. "You alright Madison?"

Madison smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright Sakura. I was just
wondering if..."

Sakura sat down next to her and looked at the flier. "If I wanted to go
to the dance with you?" Madison nodded sheepishly. Sakura smiled and
looked at her. "I would love to Madison."

Madison hugged Sakura tightly and kisses her cheek. Sakura smiled and
hugged her back. "Thanks Sakura."

Sakura laughed, "No problem. I just need to get a dress."

Madison shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I think I have the
perfect idea for a dress for you."

Sakura held up her hand. "Don't forget, you need one too."

Madison smiled broader and nodded. "Alright. I'll remember Sakura."
They both kissed again and hugged. "This is going to be perfect."
Madison whispered in Sakura's ear.

Sakura smiled and whispered back. "It already is."

Madison pressed closer and ran her hand down Sakura's back. Sakura
smiled and kissed Madison's neck. Madison gasped slightly and closed
her eyes. Sakura started kissing Madison's collar bone when she felt
Madison's hand squeeze her butt and jumped. Madison opened her eyes and
looked at Sakura. "Oh I'm sorry. Are you alright Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "I'm fine, you just startled me is all. In fact I'm
feeling a little bit better than fine." She ran a finger along
Madison's arm.

Madison closed her eyes and licked her lips, enjoying the feeling of
Sakura's fingers on her skin. Sakura leaned forward to kiss her again
when Madison's eyes popped open and she stepped back. "No, wait. I want
to wait a bit before we go that far Sakura. Is that alright?"

Sakura nodded and winked at her. "It's perfectly ok Madison. I'm not
even sure what I'm doing. I'd probably mess it up anyway."

Madison looked at her and shook her head. "You were doing fine
Sakura... incredible. I just want to wait. Plus I have to get home and
do my chores."

Sakura helped Madison pack up and saw her to the door. Julian and Tory
had left so the porch was clear. Sakura kissed Madison goodbye and then
slowly closed the door. Kero stuck his head out of the kitchen just
then. "Hey, can I have some more?"

Sakura sighed and nodded. "Alright, but this is it until dinner
alright?"

Friday: Finally the title makes sense.

Sakura and Madison had left from school separately, planning to meet up
later when Sakura's dad took them to the dance. Their parents had been
perfectly alright with the situation and had told each of them how
happy they were for the two of them.

Sakura got home and fed Kero, then ran up to her room. Madison had
delivered her dress the day before and had strictly forbidden Sakura to
open it early. All day Sakura had been imagining what was in the box
and had asked Madison for a little hint at least a half dozen times.
Madison had just smiled and said, "Believe me, it suits you." Sakura
had just had to take her word for it. Before getting the box out she
checked on the Clow cards and told them what was going on. She had
found that if she didn't report her day to them they would float out of
the book and circle her head until she did. Finally the cards were
totally informed and Sakura went to her closet.

Sakura picked the box up from in her closet and slowly opened it,
peeling back the paper it was wrapped in. When she got the last piece
of paper out of the way she saw the dress and gasped. It was the most
beautiful thing Madison had even made for her.

Reaching into the box she drew the dress out and lay it on the bed. The
material was a gold color, cut low in the front and back, but obviously
not showing too much. Long sleeves ended in attached golden finger
covers for her ring and middle fingers. The bottom half was in three
layers, with a silver edge running along the hems of the entire dress.
Running her fingers across it Sakura was amazed at how soft it felt.
She noticed that there were also matching shoes in the box and some
gold nylon stockings and a silver hair band. "Madison, you think of
everything." She smiled and set everything out on the bed with the
dress.

Sakura couldn't wait to put it on, but realized that first she'd need
to shower. Tossing her clothes on the floor she ran to the bath room.
Starting the shower she waited until it was warm then jumped in.

As the water ran down her body Sakura scrubbed herself clean from head
to toe. Then, as she started to rinse off, her eyes were drawn to the
toilet. The memory of that night she had seen Madison in the
bathroom... was it only five days ago?.. ran through her mind.
Unconsciously her hand slid between her legs and traced slow circles
through the small tuft of pubic hair she had. She closed her eyes and
bit her lip as her hand slid just a bit lower... then she shook her
head and stopped. She wanted to wait until Madison was there with her.
Just the thought of it made her shiver in a combination of anticipation
and uncertainty.

Turning off the shower Sakura stepped out and grabbed a towel, making
sure to dry everything. Then she put on her underclothes and stood
in front of the mirror. She couldn't do much with her short hair, not
like the styles Madison could pull off, but she promised to try
something special. Reaching for the hair drier and comb she got to
work.

When she finished she had managed to make her hair look a little
lighter than usual and had slipped on the silver hair band Madison had
left for her. At last she felt like it was time to put on the dress.
She undid the laces in the back that held it together and carefully
pulled it on, loving the feel of the soft fabric against her skin. Then
she slipped on the stockings and put her feet into the shoes. As
expected everything fit perfectly. Sakura stood in front of her mirror
for a while looking at herself. She felt like a princess and loved the
way the dress caught the light and shimmered as she walked.

Kero had flown into the room while she was in the shower and was
sitting on Sakura's dresser. Sakura smiled at him and twirled in her
dress. "What do you think Kero?"

The guardian beast looked her over. "Well I'm not really one to judge
human beauty Sakura, but from what I know you look great."

Sakura blushed and bowed. "Thanks Kero. I hope Madison likes it."

Kero smiled and shook his head. "She likes anything you wear Sakura.
Remember that jester costume she made you when you went after the water
card?"

Sakura blushed. "It was a good costume. Anyway I just wanted your
opinion on this one." She turned to leave the room. "I'll see you when
I get back Kero. Good night."

"Good night Sakura." Kero said, flying to the video game console.

As she walked downstairs and saw her father and brother sitting on the
couch. Tory whistled appreciatively. "Nice dress squirt. I have to
admit you look good."

Her dad nodded in agreement. "You really do Sakura. You look just like
your mother."

Sakura smiled at them. "Thanks you guys. You've been really great about
all of this. I appreciate it, I really do."

Her Dad hugged her, "Like we told you Sakura, we're just happy that you
found someone who makes you happy."

Tory nodded and tweaked her nose. "Besides I can find much better
reasons to tease you."

Sakura rubbed her nose and tried to look angry, but couldn't hold it.
"Thanks Tory."

Her dad smiled down at her. "Are you sure you don't want anything to
eat?"

Sakura looked at the clock. They were supposed to pick Madison up in
fifteen minutes. "No thanks dad. There will be food at the dance and I
don't want to take the chance of getting anything on my dress."

Her father shook his head. "Alright. Madison's mother is picking you
two up afterwards right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. She has an out of town flight at midnight so she's
going to drop us off at her house."

Tory smiled and elbowed her. "So you and Madison will be all alone
huh?"

Sakura blushed and her dad stepped in. "You promised not to tease her
Tory."

Tory shrugged and winked. "Alright, alright. But when you get back you
have to tell us everything Sakura."

Sakura looked up at him and smirked. "I'll tell you what I think you
need to know and you'll like it."

Her dad laughed. "Alright you two, call off the dogs. It's time to go
pick up Madison anyway. Come on Sakura. Tory didn't you volunteer to
chaperone the dance? You should get going."

Sakura sat anxiously in the back of the car while her dad walked up to
the door. Madison's mother answered it and they talked for a second.
Then her dad came back and got in. "She'll be out in a minute. Her mom
says she was in the bathroom all afternoon trying to make sure
everything was absolutely perfect."

Sakura smiled and watched the door anxiously. Finally she saw the door
crack open and Madison step out. "Wow, she looks beautiful." Sakura
whispered in awe. Madison was in a dress that matched hers perfectly
except that instead of being gold with silver trim, it was silver with
gold trim. A gold hair band glittered on her head and Sakura's breath
caught in her throat as Madison began walking towards the car. She
noticed that Madison had permed her hair so that instead of hanging
down like it normally did it was in waves.

Her father nodded his agreement and smiled, watching his daughter's
face. She was so incredibly happy that she almost seemed to be glowing.
Particularly the key around her neck. In fact he was pretty sure... he
was snapped out of his thoughts as Madison opened the car door and
stepped in.

Once she was inside and seated Madison turned to look at Sakura and
blushed slightly. "Well, what do you think?"

Sakura was breathtaken for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "You
are gorgeous Madison. And I love these dresses."

Madison smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. "You look wonderful
Sakura. Even better than I imagined." She turned to Sakura's father who
was smiling back at them, and handed him a small video camera. "Could
you take some quick shots of us?"

He nodded and took the camera, focusing on them while they waved and
hugged. Finally he handed it back to Madison and turned back to the
wheel to drive them off.

When they arrived at the dance Sakura and Madison said goodbye to
Mr. Avalon and he drove off. Then, hand in hand, they walked towards the
school gym, blending into the crowd of kids heading in the same
direction. On the way Sakura looked around for their friends. She saw
Lee and Maylin walking in next to each other. Lee was in a tuxedo and of
course he still wasn't smiling. Maylin was wearing a white dress with
red Japanese dragons all over it. She was also wearing light blue
gloves. When she saw Sakura and Madison she waved and Lee glanced at
them, nodding politely. They looked around and saw Ann walking in with
Zachery.

At the entrance Madison and Sakura stopped short and looked at
each other. They were both plainly nervous and some how that made them
both feel better. Sakura squeezed Madison's hand and Madison squeezed
back and readied her video camera. Together they stepped inside.

Sakura and Madison had found their friends. The girls had broken off
into their own group, leaving their dates to talk with the other guys.
Maylin was there too. When they got close they found that everyone was
comparing dresses. Sakura smiled at them and said, "You all look
great."

Maylin looked at them. "Well we don't have anything on you two, you
look like a matched set."

Madison blushed as Sakura told them she had made the dresses. Everyone
congratulated Madison on a job well done and told her that they were
even more sure than ever that she'd be a great fashion designer one
day.

Sakura glanced around the room and saw Tory standing in the back,
wearing his best tux. He was talking to Miss Makinzy who had
volunteered as the second chaperone. He glanced her way and gave her
and Madison a thumbs up. Miss Makinzy saw them and immediately walked
over to talk to them. "My you all look perfectly lovely."

All the girls blushed simultaneously and thanked her for the
compliment. Then the D.J. that had been hired for the dance took the
stage. "Alright, now are you kids ready for some fun?" They all
answered yes at the same time. "Then why don't you each grab your
partner and come out onto the dance floor?"

The kids found their dates and walked over to the large space between
the tables on the basketball court. The first song to start was a fast
one, which everyone seemed to enjoy. The mirrored ball, strobe lights,
and lasers that had been set up made the room look like it was spinning.
After the first song there was a break, during which Madison and
Sakura headed over to the food table. Madison went to get some punch
while Sakura got them some plates of crackers and some cold cut
sandwiches.

When they were done eating a second, slower song had started. Madison
had convinced Tory to hold the video camera while she and Sakura
danced. Each of them had one hand on the other's waist and the other on
a shoulder. Sakura and Madison looked into each other's eyes the whole
time. It wasn't until much later that they noticed most of the others
had stopped dancing. In fact aside from themselves there was only one
other couple left on the dance floor: Lee and Maylin.

Sakura looked around and saw her friends smiling at them from the side
along with everyone else. She whispered in Madison's ear. "I think
we've been set up."

Madison nodded. "I think you're right."

Suddenly from the stage the D.J.'s voice cut through the music. "It
seems we have a bit of a contest on our hands. I have here a request
from the majority of the people here to keep playing music until I
either run out, or one of these happy couples drops."

Sakura and Madison glanced at Lee and Maylin. Lee looked back with his
usual stone face and shrugged while Maylin smiled at them. "What's the
matter Avalon, not up to it?"

Sakura glanced at Madison who smiled and nodded. She looked back at Lee
and Sakura and said, "You're on!"

The assembled kids cheered them on and started clapping their hands to
the music. A few of them joined in occasionally just for fun. As they
danced to the music Sakura and Madison stared into each other's faces.
Hours passed and the D.J. announced the last dance of the evening.
Everyone crowded onto the dance floor as a soft, slow song filled the
gym. Sakura and Madison stepped closer, leaning on each other as they
danced.

"This has been the best night of my life Sakura. Thank you." Madison
whispered in her ear.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Mine too Madison. Mine too."

Sakura looked up over Madison's shoulder and saw Maylin leaning against
Lee, obviously tired. Sakura was surprised to see Lee actually smiling
at Maylin. Sakura grinned at him and winked. Lee frowned and put a
finger to his lips. Sakura nodded softly and he turned back to Maylin.

Finally the song came to an end and everyone applauded. Sakura and
Madison took a seat and rested their legs for a minute. Tory came up
and handed Madison her camera back and smiled at them. "You two looked
great out there."

Sakura smiled at him. "Thank you Tory."

Madison smiled at him, "I hope it wasn't too much trouble taping us
like that."

Tory smiled and shook his head. "No problem. Just make a copy for
Sakura to show dad and me and we'll call it even alright?"

Madison giggled. "Deal. So what are you doing the rest of the night?"

Tory shrugged. "I was thinking I'd go home and watch some television."

Sakura smiled and checked her watch. "Well it's almost time for
Madison's mom to come pick us up. I'll see you when I get home
alright?"

He nodded and turned to walk off. As he did Sakura and Madison looked
around at the people filing out of the dance. The D.J. was packing up
his CDs and equipment, while Miss Makinzy and Tory began cleaning up
the dishes and tables. Lee and Maylin passed them on the way out and
Maylin actually smiled at them. "You two were great out there. Almost
as good as Lee and me."

Lee rolled his eyes along with Madison. Sakura looked up at Maylin and
said, "Thanks Maylin."

Sakura took Madison's hand and they walked out the door to the parking
lot. Madison's mother was just pulling up when they stepped out. She
smiled at them as they got into the back seat. "So did you two have
a lot of fun?"

Madison smiled at her. "Yeah, it was great. Wait until you see the tape
we made."

Her mother laughed. "You tape everything. I'm sorry I have to leave you
girls alone at the house. Are you sure you'll be alright? We could
always drop you off at Sakura's house."

Sakura shook her head, "No, that's alright."

Madison's mom glanced back at them and smiled. "I was just teasing.
Don't worry. You'll have the whole house you yourselves tonight. I
rented you a few movies and there is a pizza in the refrigerator if you
get hungry."

The ride back let Madison and Sakura rest their tired legs. The dance
itself had lasted for over four hours. When they were dropped off they
waved good bye to Madison's mom, then turned to go inside.