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1 Kiss from a Rose
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2 A CCS fanfiction by Siobhan Pettit
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3 tomoyo_daidoji_0903@yahoo.com
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4
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5
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6 Daidouji Tomoyo sat down very carefully on the freshly mowed grass
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7 of the park, straightening outwards the full folds of her frilly
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8 English dress. Honestly, she doesn't want to crumple her delicate
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9 white and black couture. Mother already underwent a great deal of
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10 trouble considering what happened-giving her a lovely rite and buying
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11 her this outfit and even a peaceful place to rest, not to mention the
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12 grief she had given her Mother.
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13 Her dress, harked back to ancient times, was a Victorian-inspired
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14 pinafore clothing of ankle-length skit and full-blown sleeves. It was
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15 a French-maid-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland image, but its black and
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16 velvet brocade materials made it more grown-up and serious. There was
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17 nothing morbid in the dress. Even it was done in a Gothic fashion.
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18 The look was gathered entirely in an elegant slant, and kawaii is the
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19 major factor in the final ensemble. Mother was really an
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20 exceptionally talented person when it comes to choosing what to wear.
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21 Imagine, her daughter is a grown woman already in her early twenties
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22 and yet, okaa-sama made her don for the last occasion a dress that
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23 was childlike yet elegant in their tradition and detail. Something
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24 that would be fixed in everybody's memory. Mother had even fixed a
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25 ribboned Sunday hat on her head, with beautiful flowers in the brim.
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26 The juxtaposition of the dress in her made her look like somebody
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27 jumping out of a fantasy world, but she liked it altogether.
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28 Tomoyo raised her head towards the clear September sky. The sun was
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29 getting higher now, yet the warmth was not unpleasant. It had been
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30 eight days since the incident happened, but it seemed like an
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31 eternity already had passed. Everything went by in a slow motion-the
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32 visits from the family's acquaintances, the mass, and the final
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33 rite…everything. Everyone came to see her. Yamazaki-
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34 kun…Chiharu…Rikka…Naoko-chan. Even Eriol-kun and Mizuki-sensei was
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35 there. And Meiling-chan. Her dear, good friend. It was the second
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36 time she had seen Meiling cry like that-lost and very angry at the
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37 same time. It felt so grateful somehow, the first time in her life
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38 that all her beloved ones and everyone dear to her were gathered in
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39 one place. And Touya too. Tomoyo smiled inwardly. Her arrogant and
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40 emotion-free cousin wept silently while being patted in the shoulder
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41 by an equally emotional Yukito. And Fujitaka-sama. The church was
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42 filled with friends, visitors, flowers and beautiful music. All for
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43 her, only hers. They were all there.
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44 Except for one person.
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45 The lovely heiress stretched out her hand and fidgeted the bouquet
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46 of red tulips and anthuriums her mother had brought yesterday. They
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47 were almost dry and wilted. Nevertheless, it was a grand visit.
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48 Sonomi told her in a cheerful tone that Sakura had arrived from Hong
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49 Kong at last. Mother knew it would cheer her up too. No, Li Syaoran
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50 wasn't with her, she said. That's sad. She wanted to see him too. But
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51 Sakura told Sonomi personally that she would visit Tomoyo today. And
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52 she would do it alone.
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53 Tomoyo's s smile materialized. It had been two years since they
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54 last saw each other. And that had been in Sakura's wedding day. The
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55 couple is living in Hong Kong now. Tomoyo chewed her lip. At least
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56 she could get to see Sakura before living today. She missed Sakura so
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57 badly.
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58 Tomoyo was startled from her reverie when she heard a soft hum of a
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59 car engine. She jerked her head towards the road in the distance and
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60 saw a black Bentley Arnage snaking its way towards the gate and then
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61 pulling down the curb. A minute later the sleek car screeched to a
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62 halt. The driver's door opened and a brunette with a short, slant
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63 hairstyle emerged into the sunlight. Li Sakura, now in her twenties,
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64 was even more beautiful. She was dressed in an exquisite cream
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65 Italian trenchcoat and black leather gloves. Sakura's attire was
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66 subdued yet stylish and donned in good taste. Her child-like and
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67 naïve features progressed to strong womanish facial expressions
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68 through the years. Now, her resemblance to Daidouji Sonomi can be
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69 distinguished with little or no effort at all. Sakura's likeness to
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70 the Chairman of the Amamiya-Daidouji Corporation was so apparent that
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71 they could be mistaken for a mother and daughter if seen standing
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72 side-by-side.
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73 Sakura shut the door of the Bentley with a rather strong force and
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74 it closed with a resounding thud. She approached Tomoyo in languid,
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75 slow-paced steps.
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76 Tomoyo noticed Sakura's haunted gait. There was an uncertainty in
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77 Sakura's appearance that made her shoulders seemed heavy as she
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78 walked down the granite pathway.
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79 At last, the tall auburn-haired woman reached her destination and
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80 stepped beside Tomoyo. Sakura gave a wan smile, but a cute one
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81 nonetheless. Tomoyo can't help to smile back. Old habits die hard,
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82 apparently.
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83 Sakura drew a tired breath. "Hello, Tomoyo-chan," she began. "It's
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84 been a long time, wasn't it?"
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85 Tomoyo nodded in agreement.
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86 The brunette's lips suddenly trembled as if she was desperately
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87 holding back her emotions. Sakura slumped down beside her carefully,
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88 meticulously straightening too, the full length of her trench coat.
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89 Like Tomoyo, Sakura sat with her feet clasped together at the sides.
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90 The heiress couldn't hide another smile as her eyes noticed Sakura's
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91 knee-high black suede boots peeking out behind the ankle-length robe.
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92 She was quite impressed.
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93 "Prada, isn't it, Sakura-chan? And Milan, not New York?" Tomoyo
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94 asked giddily, wanting to lighten up the mood and start a good
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95 conversation.
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96 But Sakura never replied. Tomoyo's lips pursed, then she looked at
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97 Sakura's guilt-ridden olive green eyes. But Sakura never returned her
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98 gaze. The Card Mistress just kept staring down the ground.
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99 "I…I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan, if I wasn't present at the chapel. But
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100 Sonomi-sama said that it was your wish not to inform me 'til
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101 everything was over…"
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102 Tomoyo nodded again. Yes, it was her decision. She won't be able to
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103 bear it seeing Sakura breaking down in the middle of the ceremony-
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104 "You cheated me, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed.
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105 The heiress was taken aback. No, Sakura-chan, she whispered. I love
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106 you; I don't want to see you get hurt! I wanted to spare you the
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107 pain… the misery, the same pain I felt when I watched you took the
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108 vows with Syaoran-kun. It was the end for me. I was dying the entire
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109 ceremony, one knife plunging into my heart after another. I don't
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110 want you to undergo the same torture that I went through.
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111 Sakura's eyes began welling with tears. Her composure was now lost.
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112 "You don't know what I felt when we parted, Tomoyo-chan. It was so
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113 lonely, I missed you so much. Before I was glad because I know that
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114 you're still here and just a phone call away. But now…but
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115 now…everything's useless!"
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116 Tomoyo fought the urge to touch Sakura's face and brush those tears
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117 away, just as she was fighting until now, the yearning to throw
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118 herself in the arms of the Card Mistress. She wished that Sakura
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119 would hold her, kiss her, and never let go of her again, whisper to
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120 her ears loving words and assurances. But it was such a ridiculous
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121 notion. Tomoyo doesn't have the right. Sakura has already a husband
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122 that would do all those things. To hold her close, kiss her in a
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123 fierce abandon.
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124 "Tomoyo-chan, why didn't you tell me?!" Sakura lashed, fighting
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125 back the tears. At first, she was so shocked, learning Tomoyo's long
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126 held secret from Sonomi herself-the secret that made Tomoyo finally
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127 decide to part with her forever.
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128 The heiress shook her head and bit her lip. The words she wanted to
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129 say were choking down her throat. No, Sakura-chan, she thought. Would
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130 you dare cross the turbulent waters that separated us and risked
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131 everything knowing that you're loving another girl? What if you don't
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132 feel the same for me? I cannot bear to jeopardize your happiness with
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133 Li-kun and ruin your relationship with him lest you don't feel the
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134 same way. But at least, Sakura had realized now. It was never
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135 useless, Sakura-chan. You can have a normal family, a child to bear.
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136 It was better that way, she thought. She will wait for the time they
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137 could be together again. Their love for each other could wait even
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138 for an eternity. But not now, not yet. Their feelings for each other
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139 were already bad as it is. And she couldn't let Sakura commit
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140 adultery, could she?
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141 I'm so happy that you're here and I saw you at last, Sakura-chan,
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142 Tomoyo thought. But I must go now, my time is almost up…"
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143 "I have something for you, Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura intervened, cutting
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144 Tomoyo's thoughts. She reached for the inside pocket of her garment
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145 and pulled out a long-stemmed English rose-a large, deep red one,
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146 like those roses Tomoyo grows in the mansion's garden. Sakura kissed
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147 the rose, imagining it was Tomoyo.
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148 But Tomoyo never reached out and tried to take it. Sakura bit her
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149 lip to stop herself from crying, and put the rose on the ground.
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150 Tomoyo, seeing Sakura putting up a brave front like that, broke her
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151 tears at last. Now, her hand came up in its own volition and brushed
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152 Sakura's cheeks. But she had forgotten. Her hand just went through
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153 Sakura's face. Tomoyo curled her fist instead. She wished she could
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154 touch Sakura even for the last time too.
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155 At that moment, Tomoyo felt the heavenly breath of the autumn wind
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156 gently stirring her, beckoning and reminding her. It's time to go.
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157 With a heavy knot in her heart, Tomoyo reluctantly stood up and began
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158 leaving.
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159 Not forward, but upward.
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160 The breeze lifted and bore Tomoyo towards the sky. From her new
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161 vantagepoint, she could see Sakura standing up too, her brown head
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162 stooped low, staring down at the tombstone that bore Tomoyo's
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163 epitaph. Sakura's shoulders began shaking with strong sobs.
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164 "I…I love you too, Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura cried heavily, her voice
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165 quivering wit the confession. She's so stupid! Why hadn't she
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166 realized before? Her jade eyes squeezed tightly and more tears fell
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167 to the dirt below. Yes, she knows it now. She really loved Tomoyo.
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168 She still does. She always had. But she discovered it too late. Now
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169 Tomoyo is dead! Life is so unfair! She'd do everything just to bring
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170 Tomoyo back! But that would be impossible. She felt useless. She's
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171 the world's powerful sorceress yet she cannot do anything to righten
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172 up her mistakes. Sakura's strength was snatched away from her legs.
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173 For a moment she swayed dangerously, and then fell to her hands and
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174 her knees, sobbing bitterly.
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175 "Tomoyo-chan…why? Why did you do it?! Why did you have to leave me?!"
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176 "But Tomoyo drifted farther and farther, her face serene. At peace
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177 at last. She can rest now, savoring Sakura's words like lyrics from a
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178 sad song. She will wait for the time they could be together again.
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179 Her love for this girl can surpass even immortality.
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180 Up in the sky, Tomoyo could see the rose petals waving in the wind.
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181 It was the first gift Sakura had given her out of carnal intentions.
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182 It was her first flower.
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183 Her first rose.
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184
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185 -Owari- |
