|
rlm@0
|
1 Dreams
|
|
rlm@0
|
2 part 4
|
|
rlm@0
|
3 by Amazoness Duo
|
|
rlm@0
|
4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
|
|
rlm@0
|
5 http://fly.to/moonlit_nights
|
|
rlm@0
|
6
|
|
rlm@0
|
7
|
|
rlm@0
|
8 Perfect. Beautiful, dark brunette hair hung slightly lower in front than in back, framing
|
|
rlm@0
|
9 piercing amber eyes. A well built, thin, muscular body stood still in the dark room, lit only by
|
|
rlm@0
|
10 candles. He was hairless except for the hair at his head and between his legs. Clothes lay
|
|
rlm@0
|
11 folded on the floor nearby, yet shame didn't brush his handsome features in the least. Slender,
|
|
rlm@0
|
12 yet strong, he was a beautiful creation.
|
|
rlm@0
|
13
|
|
rlm@0
|
14 Sighing to herself, Ming Ue, current heir to the Li Clan, admired her handiwork. 'Gorgeous,' she
|
|
rlm@0
|
15 thought. Fingers reached out almost as if of their own accord, trailing ever so lightly over his
|
|
rlm@0
|
16 soft skin. Time was of the essence. But was it not honorable to make sure the body of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
17 revered ancestor was perfect? And perfect it was. The magical body that she had created had
|
|
rlm@0
|
18 taken every ounce of her concentration and all of her free time for the past month. All of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
19 work had not been unnoticed. Her parents were getting impatient with her lack of progress. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
20 explanation that she had to make sure their ancestor was recieved in the best body possible was
|
|
rlm@0
|
21 wearing thin. The ritual had to be completed tonight.
|
|
rlm@0
|
22
|
|
rlm@0
|
23 Kneeling in front of the still form, Ming Ue began to mark a rune into the ground around his
|
|
rlm@0
|
24 feet. It had been said that her runes were the most beautiful, that they were the writing of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
25 gods. And yet, sadly, even that wasn't enough to impress her parents. But that would change
|
|
rlm@0
|
26 shortly. Runes were the writing of reality. They were the messages that could shape the world
|
|
rlm@0
|
27 around us. Though not as direct a magic as more focussed forms, Ming Ue had grown to be quite a
|
|
rlm@0
|
28 powerful magician in her own right. Currently, she was the most powerful magician in all the Li
|
|
rlm@0
|
29 Clan. But even that wasn't enough in that day and age. The Li Clan, long the most powerful of
|
|
rlm@0
|
30 the magical families in Asia, had been losing its strength and prestige in the past two decades.
|
|
rlm@0
|
31 Now it was seen as little more than a joke, looked down upon by some of the current elite clans.
|
|
rlm@0
|
32
|
|
rlm@0
|
33 The job of rectifying the situation had been granted to Ming Ue. Not that she had wanted it. By
|
|
rlm@0
|
34 no means. Though a talented magician, she had never lived up to the hopes of her parents. Every
|
|
rlm@0
|
35 failure she had, every mistake she made, it was all her fault and her parents were quick to make
|
|
rlm@0
|
36 her realize that. So the thought of being the one to reclaim the Li Clan's lost honor worried
|
|
rlm@0
|
37 her greatly. Their one chance at regaining their power was to get the recently released Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
38 Cards, magical Cards that had originally been created by their descendent, Clow Reed. But even
|
|
rlm@0
|
39 her ancestor, Syaoran Li, had failed to capture the Cards. Some girl from Japan, Sakura
|
|
rlm@0
|
40 Kinomoto, had been the one to seal them. How could Ming Ue do it on her own?Suppressing a
|
|
rlm@0
|
41 shudder at her mounting nervousness, Ming Ue finished her rune. Glancing up at the figure, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
42 beautiful figure, she glanced up at a piece of anatomy she had been careful in crafting. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
43 cheeks flushed darkly as she quickly got out of her kneeling position. At least he wasn't alive
|
|
rlm@0
|
44 yet. That would have been embarrassing. The girl calms herself by focussing on the ritual at
|
|
rlm@0
|
45 hand.
|
|
rlm@0
|
46
|
|
rlm@0
|
47 If Syaoran Li couldn't capture the Clow Cards, then Ming Ue had few hopes that she alone would
|
|
rlm@0
|
48 be able to capture the Sakura Cards. She didn't have the confidence in her abilities to get them
|
|
rlm@0
|
49 on her own. So she had no intention of going on her own. When told by her parents that she would
|
|
rlm@0
|
50 go to Japan to recover their families ancient Cards, she had worried the problem over in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
51 mind night after night. Finally, it came to her. She would gain the assistance of someone with
|
|
rlm@0
|
52 great knowledge of the Sakura Cards, a powerful magician who could help her seal them and return
|
|
rlm@0
|
53 their family to greatness, an amazing leader of the Li Clan. Together, she knew they could save
|
|
rlm@0
|
54 their family's honor. She would resurrect Syaoran Li. Creating a body had been difficult, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
55 not impossible. Her ancestor, Clow Reed, had created a number of bodies in his time. Bodies for
|
|
rlm@0
|
56 his servants as well as for himself. And without having to create a soul to inhabit the body, it
|
|
rlm@0
|
57 became much more practical for Ming Ue. Research through the old library had taken her many late
|
|
rlm@0
|
58 nights to fill in the missing spells she would need. After many attempts and many mistakes, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
59 had finally brought the body to completeness. She had taken extra time to make sure it was
|
|
rlm@0
|
60 perfect. And beautiful. Her hand gently caressed his shoulder, her eyes gazing into his own
|
|
rlm@0
|
61 unseeing gaze. With a blush, she quickly yanked her hand away. The body had to be perfect so it
|
|
rlm@0
|
62 would be fitting for her honorable ancestor. At least, that's what she told herself. Being able
|
|
rlm@0
|
63 to spend so much time to create her version of the ideal male body had lifted her spirits. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
64 was like sculpture, creating perfection of the human body in stone. This was her sculpture,
|
|
rlm@0
|
65 beautiful and strong. She almost wished she could show it off, all of her work finally complete.
|
|
rlm@0
|
66 Well, if Syaoran liked it, then that would be praise enough, she decided. Her beautiful
|
|
rlm@0
|
67 sculpture... Oh, he wasn't awake yet, so who cared if she got to ogle it a little longer?
|
|
rlm@0
|
68
|
|
rlm@0
|
69 Finally pulling away, Ming Ue stood before her creation. The body was finished. Now came the
|
|
rlm@0
|
70 harder part. Out of all the souls in the afterlife, she had to call Syaoran's soul back, to
|
|
rlm@0
|
71 bring it back to life in the body she had created for him. Chanting, she closed her eyes and
|
|
rlm@0
|
72 held out her hands, holding them together in focus. The rune beneath the body's feet lit ablaze,
|
|
rlm@0
|
73 overtaking the candlelight in the room. Wind began to pulsate as she continued chanting, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
74 hair and his waving about as if waiting for a storm to hit.
|
|
rlm@0
|
75
|
|
rlm@0
|
76 'Where are you?' she thought, the light of the rune now blinding even behind her closed eyelids.
|
|
rlm@0
|
77 'Can you hear me, my fierce ancestor? I need your help. Please, come to me. Please, help me.
|
|
rlm@0
|
78 Together, we can seal the Sakura Cards and return our Clan, your Clan, to glory...' Something
|
|
rlm@0
|
79 touched at the edge of her spirit, something not quite there. A flood of images deluged her. One
|
|
rlm@0
|
80 of the Clow Cards waiting to be sealed, Syaoran with his sword ready to cut down the magical
|
|
rlm@0
|
81 beast that stood in his way, Syaoran walking with a girl outside game shops, later days as
|
|
rlm@0
|
82 Syaoran and the woman, Meiling, were in charge of the Li Clan. That had to be him! Those
|
|
rlm@0
|
83 memories... She gasped as she finally came back to herself, out of the memories that had
|
|
rlm@0
|
84 coalesced around her for a moment. It took her a brief moment to remember who she was, and in
|
|
rlm@0
|
85 that moment, she was disappointed. Better to have been someone from those memories. But she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
86 no time to hold onto the feeling. Chanting faster, her rune began to spin underneath the feet of
|
|
rlm@0
|
87 her magical sculpture, drawing in the soul she had just connected with. Her rune worked to
|
|
rlm@0
|
88 infuse the soul into the body, trapping it inside the flesh so that it may live again. And with
|
|
rlm@0
|
89 a last wave of wind and light, it was over.
|
|
rlm@0
|
90
|
|
rlm@0
|
91 For what seemed like a long moment, Ming Ue could not see. The only way she could tell if her
|
|
rlm@0
|
92 eyes were open or closed was by the sound of her blinking. Annoyance bubbled up at herself at
|
|
rlm@0
|
93 the thought that she could have cast a spell around herself to disperse the light. But it was
|
|
rlm@0
|
94 too late for that now. And there were much more important things to attend to.
|
|
rlm@0
|
95
|
|
rlm@0
|
96 The room slowly came back into focus as the Li heiress took cautious steps towards the body. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
97 heart skipped a beat when she saw he was on his knees. And breathing! Licking her lips, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
98 contiued towards him, her heart pounding in wild excitement. It worked! It really worked! The
|
|
rlm@0
|
99 rush of accomplishment, of bringing her beautiful sculpture to life with the soul of her once
|
|
rlm@0
|
100 great ancestor, made her feel like she was floating. “Syaoran?” she asked cautiously, unable to
|
|
rlm@0
|
101 keep the smile off her face. He would make things better. With his assistance, they would have
|
|
rlm@0
|
102 no problem with the Sakura Cards. “Syaoran?” she called again.
|
|
rlm@0
|
103
|
|
rlm@0
|
104 The boy looked up in a daze, his eyes slowly adjusting to his surroundings. How long had it been
|
|
rlm@0
|
105 since he had used living eyes to see? The body felt awkward after so many long years of being
|
|
rlm@0
|
106 free from the confines of a body. And this one felt different... “Syaoran?” his voice got out,
|
|
rlm@0
|
107 straining.
|
|
rlm@0
|
108
|
|
rlm@0
|
109 Hands clapped excitedly. “You are here! I'm Ming Ue, your descendent, honorable ancestor. I have
|
|
rlm@0
|
110 been charged with capturing the Sakura Cards, just as you once were. I didn't know if I could do
|
|
rlm@0
|
111 it on my own, so I created a body for you and called you back. With your strength and knowledge,
|
|
rlm@0
|
112 I'm sure nothing can keep us from reclaiming what is rightfully ours.” Her words flowed out like
|
|
rlm@0
|
113 a waterfall, her heart still pounding in her chest. All of her hard work had paid off. The fear
|
|
rlm@0
|
114 of failing her parents for the last time melted away.
|
|
rlm@0
|
115
|
|
rlm@0
|
116 The art of making words with a human body was slowly coming back to the boy. That had been such
|
|
rlm@0
|
117 an unnecessary skill for such a long time. This body felt so different from the last one. His
|
|
rlm@0
|
118 mind was still trying to make sense of what he was saying. It was as if he had awakened from an
|
|
rlm@0
|
119 extremely long, deep sleep. Memories of the afterlife were fleeting, disappearing as some dreams
|
|
rlm@0
|
120 do upon waking up. All he knew was that he wanted to go back and that he wasn't happy about
|
|
rlm@0
|
121 being brought back. “Help you?” he got out. Frowned. Tried again. “Help you get the Cards? That
|
|
rlm@0
|
122 was...” He had to clear his throat. His voice sounded strange in his ears. “That was a long time
|
|
rlm@0
|
123 ago.” His head slumped forward, the body still exhausted from the soul being forced inside of
|
|
rlm@0
|
124 it. That's when he made a discovery that brought his voice back quickly. “What the hell?!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
125
|
|
rlm@0
|
126 “What? What?!” Ming Ue asked, panicked. Had she forgotten something? Did she make the body wrong?
|
|
rlm@0
|
127 Was he displeased? She ran over, but the boy covered himself, cheeks darkening in what looked
|
|
rlm@0
|
128 like a mixture of shame and anger. Ohhh... She blushed herself, picking up the clothes. “I'm
|
|
rlm@0
|
129 sorry about that. I should have dressed you earlier. I was just worried about the clothes
|
|
rlm@0
|
130 getting in the way of the ritual,” she lied. It had nothing at all to do with her wanting to see
|
|
rlm@0
|
131 her beautiful nude sculpture alive. She mentally crossed her fingers. “I've got a dick!” He spat
|
|
rlm@0
|
132 out, glaring as he looked up, still trying to cover as much of his body as possible. This was
|
|
rlm@0
|
133 all wrong. His sharpened mental state from his shock only made it all the more disorienting. Why
|
|
rlm@0
|
134 was he here with this girl? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? And why in this body? Ming Ue
|
|
rlm@0
|
135 sweatdropped, the clothes still held to her chest. “Ummm... Didn't you always have one?” she
|
|
rlm@0
|
136 asked sheepishly. That hadn't really been one of her main concerns. It went to show that a male
|
|
rlm@0
|
137 ancestor would be happy with keeping his pieces intact. She could have made a girl body, sure,
|
|
rlm@0
|
138 and it would have been less embarrassing. But it would've been a lot less fun to make, too.
|
|
rlm@0
|
139 “No!!” The boy snatched the clothes from her, turning around and pulling them on quickly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
140
|
|
rlm@0
|
141 Ming Ue was disappointed to see him turn away from her. He was obviously confused and frustrated
|
|
rlm@0
|
142 and concerned. “Syaoran, I'm sorry for bringing you back.” Bowing low, she felt herself
|
|
rlm@0
|
143 beginning to lose her composure. He was angry with her. Now he'd never help her. What had she
|
|
rlm@0
|
144 done wrong? “But I really need your help. I can't do it on my own.” Tears brimmed in her eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
145 and she shut them immediately to keep them from showing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
146
|
|
rlm@0
|
147 “Syaoran...” The boy was silent for a moment, pulling the pants on. Finally, he whirled about.
|
|
rlm@0
|
148 “Whoever you are, you've screwed up. I'm not Syaoran. I'm Meiling.” Amber eyes narrowed as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
149 drove the point home. “I'm his wife.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
150
|
|
rlm@0
|
151 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@0
|
152
|
|
rlm@0
|
153
|
|
rlm@0
|
154 “Please.... Please don't tell my parents!” Ming Ue sobbed. Meiling paced around her room while
|
|
rlm@0
|
155 she sat with her hands on her lap, eyes downcast, her body shaking as she cried. Her parents
|
|
rlm@0
|
156 would kill her when they found out. The spell had worked, the body worked, but the reincarnation
|
|
rlm@0
|
157 spell had grabbed the wrong soul. This would be proof to her parents that she was a failure as
|
|
rlm@0
|
158 the savior of the Li Clan.Meiling sighed, pacing around the room. Her arms fell to her sides.
|
|
rlm@0
|
159 They had been crossed beforehand, but that was just an uncomfortable feeling. She was used to a
|
|
rlm@0
|
160 very different chest. Her eyes closed as she paced again, listening to the other girl sob.
|
|
rlm@0
|
161 Meiling had been resurrected and thrown into a male body and the girl who brought her back was
|
|
rlm@0
|
162 crying? This was very, very messed up. “How do I get out of this body?” she asked at last,
|
|
rlm@0
|
163 cutting to the point.
|
|
rlm@0
|
164
|
|
rlm@0
|
165 “When...” sniffle. “When it dies...” Ming Ue averted her gaze, her voice low. Her mistakes had
|
|
rlm@0
|
166 already been bad enough. Now they only seemed to be amplified. It had been her hope that Syaoran
|
|
rlm@0
|
167 would help bring the Clan back to honor with a second lifetime. But now she felt miserable to
|
|
rlm@0
|
168 tell Meiling she'd be stuck for another life.Gritting her teeth, Meiling crossed her arms. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
169 immediately uncrossed them. “Can you at least change it into a female body? I was pretty used to
|
|
rlm@0
|
170 being female seeing how I lived as one for a whole lifetime.” A voice so low that she couldn't
|
|
rlm@0
|
171 hear. “What?” she demanded.“I don't know how...” was Ming Ue's reply. She was dangerously close
|
|
rlm@0
|
172 to breaking out into fresh tears. If only she had waited for the right soul. Her impatience now
|
|
rlm@0
|
173 had her ancestor angry with her, her plan a failure, and her parents ready to exile her when
|
|
rlm@0
|
174 they found out.
|
|
rlm@0
|
175
|
|
rlm@0
|
176 Hands ran through much shorter hair than Meiling was used to, nearly trying to crush the skull.
|
|
rlm@0
|
177 This was too much to deal with all at once. Tilting her head back, Meiling let out a sigh. “So
|
|
rlm@0
|
178 you're saying I'm stuck here all alone in this crappy body...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
179
|
|
rlm@0
|
180 “It's not a crappy body!” Ming Ue interrupted, looking up for the first time since they'd
|
|
rlm@0
|
181 reached her room. “It's beautiful and strong and I spent so much time on it. And you're not
|
|
rlm@0
|
182 alone. I'm not much help, but I'm here and I'll help in any way I can to make your stay more
|
|
rlm@0
|
183 pleasant. And...” Meiling's hands on her face stopped her. Her words trailed off into an
|
|
rlm@0
|
184 ineffectual mumble. Her ancestor looked so handsome and dashing and protective in the body she'd
|
|
rlm@0
|
185 created and those amber eyes pierced deep inside of her, cutting off whatever thoughts she'd
|
|
rlm@0
|
186 held.
|
|
rlm@0
|
187
|
|
rlm@0
|
188 Gazing deep into her descendent's eyes, Meiling tried to hold her attention. “I'm trying to tell
|
|
rlm@0
|
189 you that I'll help you with catching the Sakura Cards.” Eyes lit up in excitement, but Meiling
|
|
rlm@0
|
190 continued before the girl could interrupt her. “But you need to listen to me. I've done this
|
|
rlm@0
|
191 before. You haven't. I know what I'm doing. These things are dangerous. They almost did awful
|
|
rlm@0
|
192 things to me and Syaoran way too many times. So if we're doing this, we're going back to Japan
|
|
rlm@0
|
193 and you need to listen to everything I say.” The girl nodded quickly. Meiling's hands slid away
|
|
rlm@0
|
194 from the other girl's face. It had been a long time since she'd helped Syaoran go after the
|
|
rlm@0
|
195 Cards. But maybe she could make a difference this time. “And I need some decent clothes if I'm
|
|
rlm@0
|
196 going to be running around like this,” she finished with a sigh.
|
|
rlm@0
|
197
|
|
rlm@0
|
198
|
|
rlm@0
|
199
|
|
rlm@0
|
200
|
|
rlm@0
|
201 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@0
|
202
|
|
rlm@0
|
203 Meishi paced nervously, her hands clasped behind her back. She kept stealing glances of Megumi
|
|
rlm@0
|
204 from behind her glasses. The woman didn't look a thing like Tomoyo. Long, blonde hair and violet
|
|
rlm@0
|
205 eyes. Her skin wasn't the delicate pale of fallen snow that Meishi had gotten to know and love
|
|
rlm@0
|
206 so well as Sakura. But Meishi could see past the flesh as easy as if she were simply looking at
|
|
rlm@0
|
207 the surface. Her eyes saw deep into the woman sitting on her bed. And there was no way she could
|
|
rlm@0
|
208 keep from recognizing Tomoyo, her beloved wife, in everything Megumi said and did. That familiar
|
|
rlm@0
|
209 hanyaan feeling came bubbling up like a burst dam, flooding all of her senses. This was the
|
|
rlm@0
|
210 woman she loved, after all. The woman she had only been able to watch from afar for so many
|
|
rlm@0
|
211 years. It took all of Meishi's will not to run to the bed and leap into the blonde's arms,
|
|
rlm@0
|
212 telling Megumi, her Tomoyo, how much she had missed her. To be held in Tomoyo's arms again, even
|
|
rlm@0
|
213 in this new body, would be heaven. A heaven that she had specifically forbade herself. Or
|
|
rlm@0
|
214 rather, that Sakura had. When she had been Sakura, she had reincarnated herself as two parts.
|
|
rlm@0
|
215 The normal girl side, Kumiko, with the enviable job of loving Megumi forever and ever. And the
|
|
rlm@0
|
216 magical side, Meishi, with the job of ending the terrible cycle of the Cards so she could
|
|
rlm@0
|
217 finally die and so that another wouldn't be placed under their burden of power and immortality.
|
|
rlm@0
|
218 But, alas, for that mission, she had retained her memories of her past life. Most specifically,
|
|
rlm@0
|
219 her memories of her loving wife. A woman that she herself had reincarnated but never got to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
220 with. And it ate at her every day. Just as it threatened to overwhelm her now with Megumi so
|
|
rlm@0
|
221 close.
|
|
rlm@0
|
222
|
|
rlm@0
|
223 Megumi held the blanket to her lap, violet eyes slowly gliding left, right, and left again as
|
|
rlm@0
|
224 they followed Meishi's movements. Waking up in a strange bed with a younger, redheaded girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
225 kissing her and a pale, dark haired woman watching them, was a little... disconcerting. To say
|
|
rlm@0
|
226 the least. The fact that the younger girl, though looking nothing the part, reminded her
|
|
rlm@0
|
227 fiercely of Kumiko, helped none at all. Oh, the fact that the dark haired woman had large, black
|
|
rlm@0
|
228 angel wings didn't help either, now that she thought of it. Was she dead? Was the girl some
|
|
rlm@0
|
229 interpretation of Kumiko and the dark haired woman an angel? No, she hurt far too much to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
230 dead. Dying, maybe, but not dead. There went that idea. She was almost disappointed. It would be
|
|
rlm@0
|
231 nice to finally escape that pain. But she couldn't yet, could she? Kumiko still needed her. Or
|
|
rlm@0
|
232 did she still need Kumiko? Probably both.
|
|
rlm@0
|
233
|
|
rlm@0
|
234 “Dream Angel,” Megumi murmered, without fully realizing she had spoken.That's what this girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
235 remined her of and why the redhead seemed so much like Kumiko. They both seemed so much like her
|
|
rlm@0
|
236 dream angel, didn't they? When she had been young, she had often dreamed of a beautiful woman
|
|
rlm@0
|
237 with wings. The woman always came to her when she was very sick or sad or lonely. She had always
|
|
rlm@0
|
238 been there for her, if only in her dreams. A young Megumi had drawn her over and over in
|
|
rlm@0
|
239 pictures, almost obsessively. Her parents had thought it nothing but fantasy when their daughter
|
|
rlm@0
|
240 had told them quite certainly that her dream angel would come and see her someday. And she did.
|
|
rlm@0
|
241 Several years later, she met Kumiko. The beautiful, braided girl instantly reminded her of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
242 beautiful angel from her dreams. It had been love at first site, her love having grown over the
|
|
rlm@0
|
243 years for her dream angel, only to then find a home almost immediately in the cute, somewhat shy
|
|
rlm@0
|
244 girl who quickly became her best friend. And this girl, this younger girl in the glasses, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
245 felt exactly the same as her dream angel had so many years ago. And as Kumiko did everytime
|
|
rlm@0
|
246 Megumi was near her. That resonance scared her. How could she have found her dream angel twice?
|
|
rlm@0
|
247 But nonetheless, if she closed her eyes, it felt like her dream angel, her Kumiko, was the one
|
|
rlm@0
|
248 pacing before her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
249
|
|
rlm@0
|
250 Ears perking up at Megumi's soft voice, the Mistress of the Cards nearly
|
|
rlm@0
|
251 stumbled as she pulled to a halt and whirled around to face the bed. “Dream angel?” she asked.
|
|
rlm@0
|
252 Did Megumi remember her? Had she seen her in dreams, aloft on her magical wings? Her excitement
|
|
rlm@0
|
253 at the prospect was difficult to hold in check. If Megumi remembered her, even in part.... Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
254 hands clenched over her heart, fingers barely visible outside of her oversized sleeves,
|
|
rlm@0
|
255 desperately trying to keep her racing heart from escaping.
|
|
rlm@0
|
256
|
|
rlm@0
|
257 “You'd call her Sakura, I guess.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
258 Megumi rubbed her aching temples, wincing at the wave of dizziness that crashed over her at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
259 effort. “I never really had a specific image of her. She was more a feeling than an image. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
260 know how she made me feel. The same way you and Kumiko make me feel. She made me feel like
|
|
rlm@0
|
261 everything would always be all right. Her visits always gave me the strength to carry on, even
|
|
rlm@0
|
262 when my body would almost refuse. She would come to me when I would cry myself to sleep,
|
|
rlm@0
|
263 comforting me.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
264
|
|
rlm@0
|
265 Sweatdropping, Meishi rolled the information around in her head. The connection
|
|
rlm@0
|
266 between Sakura and Megumi's dream angel had come swiftly. It seemed that even in a new life,
|
|
rlm@0
|
267 Tomoyo had not lost her perceptive abilities. Part of her was just thrilled that Megumi had
|
|
rlm@0
|
268 remembered her, if only vaguely. “Why would you think that was Sakura?” she ventured.
|
|
rlm@0
|
269
|
|
rlm@0
|
270 Raising an eyebrow, Megumi couldn't help but smile faintly. “Because it's the same feeling I got
|
|
rlm@0
|
271 when I watched the videotape. Because Sakura is the key to all this, isn't she?” Her violet eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
272 traced the younger girl's for any reaction. She was pleased to see that it did seem to respond,
|
|
rlm@0
|
273 mulling over her explanation.
|
|
rlm@0
|
274
|
|
rlm@0
|
275 Meishi harumphed, crossing her arms. “I should really wipe your mind. You're getting too close
|
|
rlm@0
|
276 to all of this. I knew I should have stayed away.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
277
|
|
rlm@0
|
278 A mishievous smile lit up Yue's face as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
279 sat gracefully, watching the two humans. “But she won't, because she makes snap emotional
|
|
rlm@0
|
280 decisions instead of thinking them out fully.” The glare Meishi shot her only made her smile
|
|
rlm@0
|
281 more, turning her attention to her Mistress. “It's part of your charm, Meishi-chan.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
282
|
|
rlm@0
|
283 Tilting her head to the side, Megumi's mind immediately went to it's favorite subject, it's home. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
284
|
|
rlm@0
|
285 Yue giggled, turning her attention back to Megumi. “I would certainly think so.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
286
|
|
rlm@0
|
287 “Yue...” Meishi whined admonishingly. But her magical creation was correct, as usual. Why did
|
|
rlm@0
|
288 Yue always have to be right? It would hurt too much to wipe Megumi's mind of their meeting. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
289 reason was selfish, she knew, but she wanted to be in Megumi's memories. She wanted the other
|
|
rlm@0
|
290 girl, the love of her life, to know who she was. Even if Sakura had decided that Megumi would
|
|
rlm@0
|
291 never get to know Meishi. That had been a good plan from a planning viewpoint, but in all
|
|
rlm@0
|
292 actuality, it was hell. Meishi felt like Kero without the energy to atain his true form. Like
|
|
rlm@0
|
293 Yukito when Yue had been draining all his energy. She felt like she was a false form, everything
|
|
rlm@0
|
294 strained. Her power source, the light that bolstered her and made her strong, was Tomoyo.
|
|
rlm@0
|
295 Without her, Meishi had to struggle to keep going everyday. And now Tomoyo was so very, very
|
|
rlm@0
|
296 close... For a moment, Meishi was horrified that she would lose control of herself and end up
|
|
rlm@0
|
297 crying and clinging to Megumi for dear life.
|
|
rlm@0
|
298
|
|
rlm@0
|
299 The former Mistress of the Cards tried to move her mind in a different direction. Anything to
|
|
rlm@0
|
300 escape the frightening prospect of losing conrtol. How much she should allow Megumi to know was
|
|
rlm@0
|
301 still being decided in her mind, but her curiosity welled up instantly. “If you felt that same
|
|
rlm@0
|
302 feeling when you saw Sakura as when you're with Kumiko, then why didn't you want to find out
|
|
rlm@0
|
303 about it? Wouldn't you want to know who they were? If they were the two of you?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
304
|
|
rlm@0
|
305 Lithe fingers brushed blonde hair away from piercing violet eyes. A small, sad smile graced
|
|
rlm@0
|
306 Megumi's lips. “There is a reason Pandora's box was never meant to be opened. Sakura and Kumiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
307 felt the same to me. But so do you. There's no guarantee that the feeling meant Kumiko was
|
|
rlm@0
|
308 Sakura. Or if it did, there was no way of knowing if I was the woman in the video. What if
|
|
rlm@0
|
309 Kumiko was Sakura? But what if I was someone else who loved her? What if she ended up with
|
|
rlm@0
|
310 someone else and I got her this time around? What would that mean to all of Kumiko's belief in
|
|
rlm@0
|
311 Fate?” She let Meishi take in her answer for a moment before continuing. “But most importantly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
312 I don't have time. I don't have time to go chasing the past. I don't know what happened in that
|
|
rlm@0
|
313 video or who those people were. But I do know that I love Kumiko. And I always will. I don't
|
|
rlm@0
|
314 have time for the past or for the future. All I have is right now. And I want to spend that with
|
|
rlm@0
|
315 Kumiko while I can.” Her eyes became downcast, her hands holding the blanket tightly. “If she'll
|
|
rlm@0
|
316 let me.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
317
|
|
rlm@0
|
318 “She's scared of losing you...” Meishi's voice was quiet when she replied. The feelings that
|
|
rlm@0
|
319 came at the thought of losing Tomoyo didn't come from her other half, but rather from the woman
|
|
rlm@0
|
320 of whom they were both shards. The fear and loneliness at losing Tomoyo was still a part of
|
|
rlm@0
|
321 Sakura's memories that lay within Meishi. Those feelings were why she had reincarnated Tomoyo to
|
|
rlm@0
|
322 begin with. So they could always be together. Sakura's immortality meant she couldn't die and be
|
|
rlm@0
|
323 with Tomoyo, but if she held on, if she never let go of her love, they would always be together
|
|
rlm@0
|
324 in this life instead. Now she saw what a grave mistake she had made. And that Kumiko was making
|
|
rlm@0
|
325 right now. “She can't bear the thought of going on without you. She's desperate. She'll do
|
|
rlm@0
|
326 anything, anything at all, to keep you with her.” Meishi's voice was distant now, lost in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
327 memories that Sakura had left her. It was happening again. But Kumiko didn't have the power to
|
|
rlm@0
|
328 keep Megumi with her. She could only hurt the blonde girl with her pain and anger that it had to
|
|
rlm@0
|
329 end this way. What had her mother told her father? Not to cry for him. She was happy for the
|
|
rlm@0
|
330 chance they had. Tomoyo was the same, wasn't she? But Sakura, in either of her forms, couldn't
|
|
rlm@0
|
331 promise not to cry. She couldn't just let Tomoyo go. It hurt too much. Maybe she took after
|
|
rlm@0
|
332 Sonomi more than she had realized. Could she really let go? She had to, though. She was hurting
|
|
rlm@0
|
333 Tomoyo by keeping her here in this limbo. But still...
|
|
rlm@0
|
334
|
|
rlm@0
|
335 “I don't want to lose her either,” Megumi replied, her violet eyes burning wetly. “I want to see
|
|
rlm@0
|
336 her smile forever. But it isn't my choice. I'm grateful for the time I had with her. She made
|
|
rlm@0
|
337 this life worthwhile. She made me so happy. It wasn't a waste at all.” Smiling, tears slipped
|
|
rlm@0
|
338 down her cheeks. I don't want it to end, but all good things do. I loved every minute of it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
339 Everyday was a carnival. Even the pain inside seemed to melt away when she would laugh or blush.
|
|
rlm@0
|
340 I don't want her to think it was pointless. Because it meant the world to me. She is my world.
|
|
rlm@0
|
341 And leaving it, my only regret is that she can't see how precious our time together was, even if
|
|
rlm@0
|
342 it has to come to an end.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
343
|
|
rlm@0
|
344 “Tomoyo-chan...” Meishi's heart sank at Megumi's words. Even a life removed, she was still the
|
|
rlm@0
|
345 angel that Sakura had always known. It broke Meishi's heart to see her like this, especially
|
|
rlm@0
|
346 knowing it was her fault. If she hadn't been so selfish, trying to hold onto Tomoyo's soul even
|
|
rlm@0
|
347 after the girl died, then this never would have happened... Seeing Tomoyo cry was a very rare
|
|
rlm@0
|
348 event. She had only seen her best friend, her wife, cry on several occasions. It always made her
|
|
rlm@0
|
349 feel like crying herself. Without realizing it, she was at Megumi's side, her smaller arms
|
|
rlm@0
|
350 wrapping around the blonde tightly. Her heart pounded against the older girl's side. “I love you
|
|
rlm@0
|
351 so much, Tomoyo. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.” Her own tears bled into the shoulder of
|
|
rlm@0
|
352 Megumi's blouse as she clung tightly onto the blonde.
|
|
rlm@0
|
353
|
|
rlm@0
|
354 For some reason, the thought that this wasn't Kumiko felt awkward to Megumi, as if it didn't fit
|
|
rlm@0
|
355 entirely. Despite her best efforts to reason out that this girl was someone else altogether, it
|
|
rlm@0
|
356 felt like she was holding Kumiko in her arms. Her soul felt balmed by the redhead in her arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
357 Her tears slowly faded and she felt a soothing calm trickle over her. Hands and fingers slipped
|
|
rlm@0
|
358 comfortingly up over the redhead's back, just as she had always done with Kumiko. It felt nice
|
|
rlm@0
|
359 to hold her this way, to feel the girl's heartbeat, her small movements in her arms. Fear tried
|
|
rlm@0
|
360 to instill itself in her that this girl could feel so much like Kumiko, but even the fear had a
|
|
rlm@0
|
361 hard time making it through the warm feelings the girl evoked inside of her. Her eyes met with
|
|
rlm@0
|
362 those of the dark haired angel sitting across the room from them. The woman smiled softly. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
363 could see it there in her stormy blue eyes, a resigned, unrequited love. The angel was in love
|
|
rlm@0
|
364 with the girl she currently held. Was it that the more you loved someone, the bigger the tragedy
|
|
rlm@0
|
365 that would accompany that love? Was this Fate's way of testing the hearts of those in love? If
|
|
rlm@0
|
366 so, Fate could be remarkably cruel. She offered an apologetic smile to the angel, but the dark
|
|
rlm@0
|
367 haired woman only smiled and shook her head, waving the apology off.
|
|
rlm@0
|
368
|
|
rlm@0
|
369 Being held like this, feeling the woman she had loved through two lifetimes rubbing her back,
|
|
rlm@0
|
370 made Meishi's heart melt. How long had she dreamt of this moment? How many years had passed now
|
|
rlm@0
|
371 since she had anything but her memories of being in Tomoyo's arms? But now Megumi was awake and
|
|
rlm@0
|
372 holding her and Meishi never wanted to let her go, no matter how much was riding on it. If only
|
|
rlm@0
|
373 she could keep Megumi with her forever.
|
|
rlm@0
|
374
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 “You called me Tomoyo.” Megumi's statement was muffled by Meishi's fiery hair, but the sorceress
|
|
rlm@0
|
376 heard her all the same. Though she had expected as much, this was much more evidence to her past
|
|
rlm@0
|
377 life. It was hard to believe that the pale woman she had seen in the video could be her. If it
|
|
rlm@0
|
378 was true, did it change anything? Kumiko was the one who had wanted to know. Her love for Kumiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
379 had been much more important than any possible past life in her mind. But now... She had come
|
|
rlm@0
|
380 too far to back away from it now. No matter how much she may want to. This had to do with the
|
|
rlm@0
|
381 dream angel of her youth and why this girl felt so very much like Kumiko in her heart. “Am I
|
|
rlm@0
|
382 Tomoyo?” she asked at last, almost dreading the answer.
|
|
rlm@0
|
383
|
|
rlm@0
|
384 Head buried against Megumi's shoulder, Meishi nodded slowly. This wasn't supposed to happen. Megumi wasn't supposed to know the truth. But then again, was Megumi dying part of the plan?
|
|
rlm@0
|
385 The thought occured to Meishi that very few things were going according to plan. But then,
|
|
rlm@0
|
386 plans had never been her strong point. And lying to Megumi further would just make matters
|
|
rlm@0
|
387 worse. She never could lie to the girl she loved. How could she? Tomoyo was the sweetest,
|
|
rlm@0
|
388 gentlest soul she knew. It was like tearing off a butterfly's wings to lie to her. Sighing, the
|
|
rlm@0
|
389 young mage pushed back, looking up at Megumi. “Yes, you're Tomoyo.” Swallowing painfully, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
390 pushed her glasses up to try to hide the tears glistening in her eyes. She was sitting with her
|
|
rlm@0
|
391 wife after a lifetime, but the other woman hardly remembered her. The moment was incredibly
|
|
rlm@0
|
392 bittersweet.
|
|
rlm@0
|
393
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 A cold numbness spread through Megumi at first. So the girl in the videotape was her after all.
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 Kumiko had been right. Her mind tried to wrap around the concept of having another body, another
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 life before the one she found herself in now. Another thought broke through to the forefront,
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 one that demanded her attention. Her voice almost trembled as she asked. “Then Sakura is...?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 What if Sakura wasn't Kumiko? She had never wanted to go looking for these answers. All she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
399 ever wanted was wrapped up in the heart of the braided girl she loved. That wouldn't change to
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 her even if Sakura was someone else. She loved Kumiko. But it would break Kumiko's heart. Kumiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
401 was so desperate to believe that they had been together, that they always would be. Megumi
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 didn't want anything to jeopardize that.
|
|
rlm@0
|
403
|
|
rlm@0
|
404 “I am,” was the first thing out of Meishi's mouth. She hated being so selfish about it, but she
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 had to let Megumi, her Tomoyo, know who she was. That she loved her. But she could see the
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 conflict already tearing at Megumi inside. Sighing, her head slumped and her glasses slipped
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 down her nose. Tomoyo wasn't hers any longer. It wasn't her place to be with her. That was the
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 job of her other half. “So is Kumiko. Sakura was a powerful magician years and years ago. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 she was too powerful. She could see parts of the future she didn't want to see. Her magic
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 wouldn't let her die. She could change practically anything she wanted. It was difficult, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
411 she tried to live a normal enough life. But she still had to watch those around her grow and die
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 while she remained the same. And when her wife died, she couldn't stand it. She needed her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 Needed you. I needed you.” Her fingernails scratched against her thighs painfully, tears
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 dropping onto her glasses. “Sakura decided she couldn't go on without you. She had to get rid of
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 her magic power. So she came up with a plan.” Snorting mirthlessly, she shook her head. “Not
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 that she was ever good with plans. And without you, she was in an emotional cloud. She wasn't
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 thinking straight. She just did everything she possibly could, thinking she was fixing things.
|
|
rlm@0
|
418 She couldn't die, but she could start a new life. But she didn't think she could do it without
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 you. You were always her light, her strength, ever since she was a child. But she had risked
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 your life so many times with the magic she had to fight when she was younger that she couldn't
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 put you through that again. So she came back as two people. The girl, Kumiko, to love you. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 the mage, Meishi, to put an end to the Cards and get rid of her magic so she could finally die.
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 What she didn't realize...” Her voice broke, her fingers scratching up her legs until they
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 balled into fists. Tears dripped down her cheek, mixing with the small trails of blood on her
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 thighs. “What she didn't realize was that she couldn't just make one half of her heart stop
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 loving you. Not when she loved you with all of it. So while Kumiko has been able to have your
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 love all these years, I've been watching from afar, knowing you could never be mine, wanting to
|
|
rlm@0
|
428 gaze into your eyes but knowing it wasn't my place... You aren't supposed to get involved in all
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 this. Sakura didn't want you getting hurt...” She laughed bitterly, nearly shaking. “Ironic,
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 isn't it? She never wanted to hurt you, but she did anyway. You're dying and it's all her fault.
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 All my fault. Kumiko doesn't remember, so she isn't to blame. But I remember the thoughts that
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 went through Sakura's head as she cast the spell to bind you here so she could be with you
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 again. I remember because I'm her.” Her lips trembled as her tears spilled forth, her slender
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 body shaking under the emotional hurricane that battered her heart and soul inside. Her hands
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 initially resisted Megumi's hands as they took her own small fists, but she was too weak at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 moment to fight the blonde.
|
|
rlm@0
|
437
|
|
rlm@0
|
438 Megumi slowly managed to unclench Meishi's hands, holding onto them tightly with her own,
|
|
rlm@0
|
439 holding the cold hands to herself, trying to show the other girl that she was there, now. That
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 she was real. Head tilted low, her violet eyes slowly caught Meishi's. The girl in glasses tried
|
|
rlm@0
|
441 to avert her gaze, but the persistent blonde finally won out, holding Meishis' eyes with her
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 own. She smiled softly, stroking the mage's trembling palms. “It was incredibly sweet what
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 Sakura was trying to do for Tomoyo. I know Tomoyo must have been so happy that Sakura would want
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 to be with her again. And I know that she was trying to protect her by keeping her away from the
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 magic. And that she wouldn't want me to hurt in this life.” Her smile grew and Meishi could
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 swear she saw Tomoyo's glint in the blonde's eyes. “But it wasn't a mistake to bring me here.
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 Even if I am dying, even if it hurts, this has been such a precious gift to me. My life with my
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 dream angel. Sakura tried to do what she thought was best, but she ended up hurting herself.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
449 One hand let go of Meishi's and trailed up to the redhead's cheek, stroking tears away. “She
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 ended up hurting you to protect me. I'm glad she'd go through all that trouble for Tomoyo. For
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 me. But you shouldn't have to be so lost and lonely because of me.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
452
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 “But...” Meishi began, but Megumi's gentle finger on her lips silenced her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
454
|
|
rlm@0
|
455 “But you never got to ask Tomoyo what she thought. So you've been blaming yourself and trying to
|
|
rlm@0
|
456 stay away so you could keep me safe. I think I know what Tomoyo would say, if I really am her.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
457 Megumi's finger slipped into the other girl's fiery mane and pulled Meishi's forehead against
|
|
rlm@0
|
458 her own. “This was not a mistake. It doesn't matter if I'm dying. It's been worth every minute.
|
|
rlm@0
|
459 And I never would have wanted you to suffer on your own. I never would have wanted to have left
|
|
rlm@0
|
460 your side. You were trying to protect Tomoyo, but if you ever asked her, I know I would have
|
|
rlm@0
|
461 told you not to hurt yourself like that. Let me help you, Meishi. Don't push me away.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
462
|
|
rlm@0
|
463 Meishi shook her head weakly, Megumi's thumb pushing her glasses back up her nose. She had to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
464 strong, but it was so hard to stop crying, to try to fight Megumi's logic. She wasn't supposed
|
|
rlm@0
|
465 to be near Megumi. She was supposed to keep her safe. “But you're in pain because of me. You've
|
|
rlm@0
|
466 always been so selfless, Tomoyo. I don't want to be selfish about you. If I keep you here,
|
|
rlm@0
|
467 you'll keep hurting. What if trying to keep you here only hurts you more? I should let you go...
|
|
rlm@0
|
468 So you'll never hurt again because of me...” A sob broke through as she closed her eyes tightly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
469 “And I shouldn't let you get near the magic. I don't want to put you in danger again.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
470
|
|
rlm@0
|
471 “You really are my dream angel, aren't you?” Megumi whispered softly. This girl was so sweet,
|
|
rlm@0
|
472 always trying to protect her, just like her dream angel. She was that girl from her dreams. Just
|
|
rlm@0
|
473 as Kumiko was. “I'm so glad you'd want to protect me. But it's my choice. I'd suffer through a
|
|
rlm@0
|
474 thousand deaths to be by my dream angel's side. I don't care if I end up hurting again because
|
|
rlm@0
|
475 of it. You... The two of you are more important to me than that. And I'd risk any danger. You
|
|
rlm@0
|
476 can't push me away because you're afraid of what might happen, Meishi. The things that mean the
|
|
rlm@0
|
477 most are those worth taking risks for. It's my life. It's my pain. And I'll accept it all
|
|
rlm@0
|
478 gladly.” Her own violet eyes closed and she smiled. “I know it's what Tomoyo would want.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
479 Opening her eyes, the sparkled like twin suns as she gazed into Meishi's eyes, awakened from
|
|
rlm@0
|
480 what seemed an age old slumber. “It's too sad for you to have to be all by yourself. You're the
|
|
rlm@0
|
481 other side of the girl I love. I don't want to sit back while you suffer. I'm willing to do
|
|
rlm@0
|
482 anything to help. If I end up dying over and over, so be it. You're not the only one who can
|
|
rlm@0
|
483 fight, Meishi. I'll fight for us, too. So don't give up on us.” Her lips grazed Meishi's. “Not
|
|
rlm@0
|
484 now. Not ever.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
485
|
|
rlm@0
|
486 “Tomoyo-chan!!” Meishi flung herself into Megumi's arms and for the first time in the years she
|
|
rlm@0
|
487 had spent as the redhead, Meishi felt at home again. She was in Tomoyo's arms once more. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
488 would fight, too. “Everything will always be all right,” she whispered. And she'd give it her
|
|
rlm@0
|
489 all to make sure that was the truth.
|
|
rlm@0
|
490
|
