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rlm@0
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1 Dreams Part 2
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2
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rlm@0
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3 Megumi shivered as the cold night wind lightly blew against her and
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4 Kumiko. “I can’t believe we’re doing this, Kumi-chan. It’s late, it’s
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5 cold, and I’m tired. My parents are going to expect to see me in bed
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6 in..”, as she looked at her wrist, Megumi remembered that she
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7 actually didn’t wear a watch. She could hear Kumiko giggle slightly
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8 as if she knew that would happen. “Well, I need to be there in a few
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9 hours.” Not like they’d actually be home, but she wasn’t feeling very
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10 well and that pain in her chest was getting stronger again. It was a
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11 good enough excuse at any rate. At least, she hoped it was.
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12 Kumiko sighed. “I know. I really don’t want to be here either, but
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13 I just have to learn something about those people in the tape.
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14 Remember, in the tape? That Sakura girl said that she always was
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15 recording her. So, if there was a tape in the camera, maybe there was
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16 another tape? Maybe there are a lot of other tapes. Maybe that could
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17 explain why I felt so..” she shook a bit, not wanting to think about
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18 it. “Maybe that could explain why I felt so attached to those girls
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19 in the video. That wasn’t just some normal deja vu. That was
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20 something.. special. What do you think, Megumi-chan?”
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21 “Hmm?” Megumi looked up from the lamp she was toying with. “Well, I
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22 think that we shouldn’t be digging through some rich person’s trash
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23 can. That’s what I think.”
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24 Kumiko stuck her tongue out at her. “Oh sure. I’m having lots of
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25 fun digging through the trash. Luckily, they’ve only seem to have
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26 thrown away most of the yard sale stuff so far. Seriously, what do
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27 you think? About the tape?”
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28 “I.. I don’t know. I feel so many things about the tape. I feel the
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29 pain from falling, I feel the happiness from being with her, and so
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30 much more. It seems so sad when I think about it, though. Like
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31 something tragic happened to those people. Even though I don’t know
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32 them, and don’t even know what happened, it hurts. Like I lost
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33 something dear to me, but found it again. Like if you moved away and
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34 then came back, I guess.” Megumi ran her arm under across her eyes
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35 and was surprised to find that her eyes were wet.
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36 Kumiko looked concerned and pulled her into a tight embrace. “It’s
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37 okay, Megumi. I feel pretty much the same way. It’s really confusing
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38 to feel that way about someone you don’t know. I wish I had the
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39 answers, but I don’t. So, I’m looking for them. Do you think we’ll
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40 find anything? If we do, should we even look at it? With how one tape
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41 was, I couldn’t imagine how a collection of them would be.” Kumiko
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42 slowly pulled away from Megumi. With a deep dramatic sigh, she threw
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43 her arms down in defeat. “Well, I give up. I’m not going to find
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44 anything digging around in the trash in the dark.” Kumiko started
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45 forward, but tripped and fell into Megumi’s arms, knocking them both
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46 off balance and sending them into the cold hard ground.
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47 Both girls just looked into each other’s eyes, curious if the other
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48 was thinking the same thing they were. Kumiko opened her mouth in an
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49 attempt to say something, but stopped herself. After a few seemingly
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50 everlasting moments of silence, Megumi spoke up. “Are you okay Kumi?
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51 Aww.. you scraped your knee. Should I kiss it and make it better?”
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52 Kumiko blushed and nodded weakly. Megumi ever-so-slowly leaned
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53 forward and kissed the slightly injured knee. “There. All better? I
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54 really can’t stand to see you hurt, you know, Kumi-chan.” Megumi
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55 smiled proudly at the dark blush on Kumiko’s face. Quickly, she stood
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56 up and offered out her hand. Kumiko grasped her hand and squeezed
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57 reassuringly and let Megumi help her to her feet.
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58 “I’ll come over to your house early tomorrow, okay, Kumi? Do you
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59 think the library will be open on the weekend?” Megumi asked
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60 curiously. She regretted saying the words shortly after they were out
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61 of her mouth. She -really- wasn’t feeling good. She needed to get
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62 home soon. And she really didn’t know if she’d be up to checking out
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63 a library the next day. The blonde was thankful for the darkness in
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64 masking her increasingly pale features.
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65 Kumiko nodded thoughtfully, brushing back a lock of brown hair
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66 behind an ear. “Yeah, it should be. We’ll head there in the morning
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67 and see what we can find. There has to be something on the girls in
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68 that video. Or at least I hope so.” Sighing, the teenager yawned
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69 exaggeratedly. “For now I’m gonna get some sleep. Do you think you
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70 could stay for a bit? I need to sneak back in anyway. Mom and dad
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71 still think I’m sleeping.” She smiled over at the blonde girl
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72 hopefully. “I always sleep better after I talk to you.”
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73 Megumi returned the smile weakly and shook her head. “I’d love to,
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74 Kumi, but I’m not sure how appreciative your mother would be of me
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75 teaching her daughter all sorts of strange things this late at night.
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76 And I already know she likes me, so I can’t jeopardize that.” A laugh
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77 accompanied the hug she gave Kumiko. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kumi-
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78 chan. You have beautiful dreams in the meantime. I know you’ll be in
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79 mine.”
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80 The wind picked up slightly, blowing Kumiko’s hair around as she
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81 returned the hug. “Okay. Maybe some other time then. I’ll be thinking
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82 about you, Megumi-chan. Sleep we...” Before she could finish that
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83 thought, Megumi’s lips pressed tightly against her own. Her cheeks
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84 darkened as her eyes fell closed and she kissed back.
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85 “Goodnight, Kumi.” And with that, Megumi was off.
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86
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87 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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88
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89 Wet tears spilt down Megumi’s cheek to the bathroom tile beneath
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90 her. The tile was cold against the bare skin of her legs peeking out
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91 beneath her jumbled nightgown, but she’d long since given up on
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92 caring about such trivial discomforts. Her whole body was screaming
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93 at her, fire burning maliciously at all of her senses. Even taking
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94 her medicine hadn’t helped in the least. She should be in bed, but
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95 she couldn’t make it the short distance back to her bedroom. So she
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96 knelt on the floor in the bathroom, her head leaning against the
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97 cabinets under the sink. Her skin was deathly pale, nearly as white
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98 as the tiles underneath her.
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99 “Daddy... Mommy... Somebody... please...” Her voice barely reached
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100 her own ears, seeming no more than a whisper. More cold tears fell
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101 down her face. Her parents weren’t there. Again. They were always
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102 working these days. To get away from her. No, that wasn’t true. That
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103 couldn’t be. They were both working to afford all of the medicine and
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104 the treatments and the doctors. Megumi shuddered violently at the
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105 memories. It always hurt so much. And the doctors had been pretty
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106 grim whenever they talked to her parents. She didn’t need to be a lip
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107 reader to know that she was dying. A cold hand was gripping her soul,
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108 frightening the poor girl even more. She didn’t want to die. She
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109 didn’t want to leave Kumiko. Kumiko... Of course she hadn’t told the
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110 other girl about any of this. It would only make her worry. And
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111 Megumi had long ago found out that there was nothing that she could
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112 do about it. So why worry Kumiko when it was so much nicer to see her
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113 smiling, happy face?
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114 A sudden fit of coughing shook the blonde girl’s small body as she
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115 reached up to her trembling lips. When she pulled them away, they
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116 were wet with fresh blood. The sight sent her into more tears. She
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117 was so scared but there was no one who would come comfort her. If
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118 Kumiko found out, she would be right over, but then she’d worry
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119 herself to death. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, so she was all
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120 on her own. Be a big girl, her mother had told her, several years
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121 before. Be a big girl and you’ll make it through this. Megumi didn’t
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122 want to be a big girl. It hurt too much.
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123
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124 Kumiko yawned tiredly, rubbing the sleep from her violet eyes. Her
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125 long, dark brown hair was done up in braids today. Sleep had not been
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126 easy in coming to her the night before. Her mind kept going back to
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127 the girls on the tape and why it had seemed so familiar. Had
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128 something similar happened with her and Megumi, explaining the shared
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129 sense of deja vu? Or was there something deeper behind all of it? “I
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130 really hope we can find something here. And soon. I’m hungry. I
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131 didn’t get any breakfast before we left.” Megumi winced at the
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132 mention of food. The blonde girl really didn’t look very good this
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133 morning. Her skin was paper white and her lips were drawn tight. The
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134 sunglasses she wore looked cute on her and they hid her bloodshot
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135 aquamarine eyes well, but Kumiko could see them occasionally as the
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136 sunglasses almost slipped off. She sighed as they entered the
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137 library. Megumi looked like she was getting sick, but she looked like
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138 that so often these days. Her lover would always deny that anything
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139 was wrong besides a slight cold when Kumiko would ask her about it.
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140 Megumi shivered in the air conditioned building, rubbing her arms
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141 as she tried to keep warm. “It’s freezing in here. Let’s just try to
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142 get the information and get out of here. Mom wants me home early
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143 today so I can’t be out long.” It always pained her to lie to Kumiko,
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144 but she really didn’t feel like being out of bed at all today. She
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145 kind of doubted her mother would be home at any rate.
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146 “Well, if you’re tired, you can always take a nap at my place when
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147 we’re done with all this, Megumi-chan.” Kumiko smiled brightly as she
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148 took her best friend’s cold hand. A sigh escaped her lips as she
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149 looked for a good place to begin their search. “Something tells me I
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150 should have just tried to look up all this stuff on my computer
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151 anyway. At least then I could go make some lunch.” Another uneasy
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152 look on Megumi’s face told her to drop the subject of eating. But she
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153 was sooooo hungry. “Here we go.” Finding a free terminal, she began
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154 searching for relevant information.
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155 Pulling up a chair, Megumi relished the feeling of being off her
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156 feet. The entire way there, she had felt ready to collapse. Her body
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157 was still aching from the night before, but she couldn’t let it show
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158 through. She didn’t want Kumiko to start worrying about this,
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159 especially when her heart was so set on finding out who the people on
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160 the videotape were. The sick girl wasn’t really sure she wanted to
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161 know, herself. It was all just too freaky. Who cared who some people
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162 on an old, dated video were? All she needed was Kumiko. As long as
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163 she had the other girl nearby, everything would always be all right.
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164 “Find anything?” she asked after realizing she had nodded off for a
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165 bit. She tried to suppress a yawn, but to no avail.
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166 Giggling at her friend, the brown haired girl nodded. “Yeah, I
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167 think so. Apparently the mansion had been owned by the Daidouji
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168 family previously.”
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169 Megumi gasped. “Daidouji? The Daidouji Company kind of Daidouji”
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170 Nodding again, Kumiko grew more serious. “Yeah, it looks like the
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171 place belonged to the Daidouji family for quite a while, but recently
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172 it had been sold by Daidouji Maya, the current head of the company.
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173 She went there to move out some of the things that were important,
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174 but it looks like some of it got left behind and the new occupants
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175 are getting rid of it.”
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176 “So does that mean that one of the girls on the videotape was from
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177 that family line? Is there any information on them? Maybe we could
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178 find some pictures.” Megumi’s heart was pounding in her chest. Part
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179 of her wanted to reach over and turn off the power on the computer,
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180 to tell Kumiko it didn’t matter who was on some stupid videotape and
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181 that she was the only one that mattered to her, but she was
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182 paralyzed. She didn’t want to know. She was too afraid to find out.
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183 But she couldn’t get herself to keep from hearing more.
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184 “Yeah, that’s what I’m checking right now. They’re a pretty
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185 powerful family, so there should be a fair amount about them. I think
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186 one of them is in our class. That Sumire girl? The one with the
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187 glasses and the scary looking dark haired girl that’s always
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188 following her?” Glancing back at Megumi, she saw the blonde nod in
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189 response. “Come to think of it, she does look a bit like the girls
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190 in the video. Though I can’t tell which she looks more like, so I
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191 don’t know who she’s related to. And I don’t know how she could
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192 possibly be related to both.” Oddly enough, the idea sounded right.
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193 She shook her head and kept looking at the screen. “Here it is.” A
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194 list was on the screen, showing the family line back for quite some
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195 time. “Yep, there’s Sumire. It looks like the first Daidouji on
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196 record is Daidouji Sonomi and she founded the company. She had a
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197 daughter, Daidouji Tomoyo. Apparently she had a daughter named Bara.
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198 And she had a daughter named Maya, the current head of the Daidouji
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199 Company. And she has a daughter named Sumire. Yeah, she’s in our
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200 class. There’s her picture.” Kumiko pointed at the picture of a
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201 frustrated looking girl in big glasses with dark hair done up in
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202 pigtails.
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203 Megumi nodded slowly, not sure if she could take much more of this.
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204 The anticipation was maddening. The sunglasses had slipped off her
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205 nose, but she hardly noticed. “Can you find any other pictures? What
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206 about the rest of them?”
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207 Typing in another command, Kumiko looked back up at the screen.
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208 Pictures began appearing by the names, as well as links for more
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209 information on each member of the family. First a determined looking
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210 businesswoman with a slant style hair cut and then a beautiful pale
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211 woman with long dark hair that ended in curls with the same stormy
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212 blue eyes as her mother. The braided girl stopped there. “That’s
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213 her!! That’s the one from the videotape!” Her violet eyes went wide
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214 in shock as she stared at the screen. She was much older in the
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215 picture, a full grown woman as opposed to the teenager in the video,
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216 but it was obviously the same person.
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217 Feeling sick to her stomach, Megumi heard her ask a question she
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218 was dreading. “Does it have any information on her? Or who that
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219 brunette might have been?”
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220 “Let me see...” Biting her lower lip, Kumiko continued looking
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221 through the information. A summary of the woman’s entire life up on
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222 the next page was briefly skimmed through as her whole body
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223 threatened to shake. Being so close to all of this was exciting. She
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224 knew that what she was looking for was near, an answer to the
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225 question posed by the videotape. “Kinomoto Sakura! Right here. It
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226 says that she got married to Daidouji Tomoyo. Wait, that can’t be
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227 right. Yeah, it says that they got married and had a daughter. That’s
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228 bizarre. But here she is.” The slightly shorter girl moved to the
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229 side to give her lover a better look. On screen was a woman with
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230 fairly short brunette hair and a happy smile, looking out with
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231 emerald green eyes. It had to be the other girl from the videotape.
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rlm@0
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232 “How’d they die?” Megumi blurted out. “Maybe it was really tragic
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233 and they possessed the videotape or something. I thought they
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234 wouldn’t have lasted much longer past the videotape if it seemed so
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235 important.”
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236 Skimming the information, Kumiko shook her head. “It looks like
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237 they lived long, happy lives by all accounts. Daidouji Sakura... Oh,
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238 she must’ve changed her name when they got married. Anyway, she fell
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239 down the stairs when she was a grandmother. Daidouji Tomoyo died a
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240 few days later of no explained cause. Her daughter seems to have
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241 thought it was heartache over the loss of Sakura.”
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rlm@0
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242 Megumi shook her head, running hands through her curly blonde hair.
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rlm@0
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243 “None of this makes any sense. We know who these people are now, but
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244 that still doesn’t explain anything. Why do we know them at all?
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245 Maybe it was the camera angle. Maybe we just got so caught up in
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246 watching the old thing that we started thinking there was more to
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247 it.” She was shaking now, afraid. This was all too strange for her.
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rlm@0
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248 Kumiko took Megumi’s soft hand, trying to comfort her. “Megumi...
|
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rlm@0
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249 There has to be something to all of this. I know there is. It’s just
|
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rlm@0
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250 too much to be a coincidence.”
|
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rlm@0
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251 “How do you know, Kumi? Maybe that’s all it is...” Megumi’s voice
|
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rlm@0
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252 was unsteady and she couldn’t meet the braided girl’s gaze. She
|
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rlm@0
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253 squeezed Kumiko’s hand.
|
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rlm@0
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254 “Then why do I know things about them that I shouldn’t? Things that
|
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rlm@0
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255 video couldn’t have told me. That they came up with the baby’s name
|
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rlm@0
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256 while strolling through a rose garden. That Tomoyo loved to sing to
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rlm@0
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257 Sakura. That Sakura liked to cook for Tomoyo even though they had
|
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rlm@0
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258 people who could do that for them. That the world looked all tumbly
|
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rlm@0
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259 when she fell down the stairs.” Kumiko shuddered at the unbidden
|
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rlm@0
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260 images in her mind. It all looked so real. Like she was reliving old
|
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rlm@0
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261 memories. Even slipping down the stairs...
|
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rlm@0
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262 “Stop it!!” Megumi stood up suddenly, tears starting to form in her
|
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rlm@0
|
263 eyes. “Just stop it, Kumi! You’re scaring me...” Her voice went from
|
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rlm@0
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264 a scream to a barely audible whisper in seconds. Shaking hands wiped
|
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rlm@0
|
265 at her eyes as she took a few weak steps back. Kumiko reached for her
|
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rlm@0
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266 seconds before she collapsed.
|
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rlm@0
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267
|
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rlm@0
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268
|
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rlm@0
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269 “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” Kumiko demanded of the
|
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rlm@0
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270 prone girl in her room.
|
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rlm@0
|
271 “I didn’t remember..?” Megumi ventured after a moment’s hesitation,
|
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rlm@0
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272 trying to smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.
|
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rlm@0
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273 “Hmph...” Turning away from her, the slightly shorter girl crossed
|
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rlm@0
|
274 her arms. Megumi could tell that she was fuming.
|
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rlm@0
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275 “How did you find out?” the blonde asked quietly, almost ashamed.
|
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rlm@0
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276 “Your mother told me when I called and told her that you had
|
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rlm@0
|
277 collapsed at the library. I thought you’d just fainted from too much
|
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rlm@0
|
278 shock. But she said you’ve been sick off and on for the past three
|
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rlm@0
|
279 years. And that you’re getting worse.”
|
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rlm@0
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280 “That’s technically inaccurate. I’ve been sick since I was a little
|
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rlm@0
|
281 girl. It’s just been getting progressively worse for the past three
|
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rlm@0
|
282 years.” Megumi tried another smile, but it seemed to have no affect
|
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rlm@0
|
283 on Kumiko’s back. Sighing, she shook her head. She felt defeated. “I
|
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rlm@0
|
284 didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about all
|
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rlm@0
|
285 this. I know how hard it is to know that you’re dying and that no one
|
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rlm@0
|
286 can help. I know how bad that feeling of helplessness is. And I would
|
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rlm@0
|
287 never want you to have to experience it. It makes you feel all sick
|
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rlm@0
|
288 and twisted up inside. Besides, your smiles have always been the best
|
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rlm@0
|
289 therapy for me. I don’t want them to be tainted with worry whenever
|
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rlm@0
|
290 you look at me.” Closing her eyes, the wind from the fan rustled the
|
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rlm@0
|
291 blankets over her. “It’s not like I could have hid it from you much
|
|
rlm@0
|
292 longer anyway. It’s starting to get to the point where I can barely
|
|
rlm@0
|
293 hide the pain sometimes. You would have found out sooner or later.”
|
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rlm@0
|
294 “But you’re supposed to tell me everything! I’m your girlfriend! I
|
|
rlm@0
|
295 love you! I can’t...” The anger in Kumiko’s voice drained away as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
296 released a choked sob. “I don’t want to lose you... I... I need
|
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rlm@0
|
297 you... Megumi...” She collapsed to her knees, burying her face
|
|
rlm@0
|
298 against Megumi’s side as she clung to her raggedly. “I love you... I
|
|
rlm@0
|
299 love you too much to let you go..”
|
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rlm@0
|
300 Megumi couldn’t hold back her own tears as she gently stroked
|
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rlm@0
|
301 Kumiko’s back. “Kumi...” she whispered softly. This was exactly what
|
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rlm@0
|
302 she’d feared would happen if Kumiko found out, but she found herself
|
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rlm@0
|
303 oddly relieved to know that her love finally knew of her personal
|
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rlm@0
|
304 pain. It felt so much freer. Like it was finally all right to cry. To
|
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rlm@0
|
305 stop being a big girl.
|
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rlm@0
|
306
|
|
rlm@0
|
307 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
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rlm@0
|
308
|
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rlm@0
|
309 Sitting in the tree adjacent to the window, a woman watched the two
|
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rlm@0
|
310 girls in silence. She had been there for some time, but no one seemed
|
|
rlm@0
|
311 to notice her presence. Her eyes sparkled from behind her glasses as
|
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rlm@0
|
312 she continued her silent vigil. She had a keen interest in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
313 futures of the two girls inside the small room. But revealing herself
|
|
rlm@0
|
314 would be troublesome. They weren’t supposed to know about her.
|
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rlm@0
|
315 Especially not yet.
|
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rlm@0
|
316 Lavender eyes fell upon the sleeping form of Megumi. “Tomoyo-
|
|
rlm@0
|
317 chan...” the mysterious girl whispered softly. She had this all
|
|
rlm@0
|
318 planned out, but now it was almost impossible to continue on. Her
|
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rlm@0
|
319 heart ached too much to continue on this way. But it was because of
|
|
rlm@0
|
320 her that this was happening. Well, most of it. She had never planned
|
|
rlm@0
|
321 on Megumi getting sick. Or the girls finding out about their pasts.
|
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rlm@0
|
322 They were supposed to be oblivious to what was really going on. That
|
|
rlm@0
|
323 was their single goal in life that she had set out for them. To eke
|
|
rlm@0
|
324 out lives for themselves, together. They weren’t supposed to get
|
|
rlm@0
|
325 involved. But seeing her lying there, being held by the brunette was
|
|
rlm@0
|
326 almost too much for her. How she longed to go inside there and take
|
|
rlm@0
|
327 Kumiko’s place. She had been so sure of her plans when she’d set
|
|
rlm@0
|
328 everything in motion years before. But now after all that she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
329 endured, she was having second thoughts. It wasn’t fair that she was
|
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rlm@0
|
330 supposed to be alone. That she was only here for a very specific
|
|
rlm@0
|
331 purpose. And the most painful part of it all was that she had brought
|
|
rlm@0
|
332 it all upon herself.
|
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rlm@0
|
333 “Tomoyo-chan... I miss you.” Long fingers wiped at the tears
|
|
rlm@0
|
334 building in her eyes behind the glasses. It was a bad idea to come
|
|
rlm@0
|
335 back. She should have known she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Why
|
|
rlm@0
|
336 had she come after all? Because she had to see her again. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
337 watching her in the arms of the other girl, dying, was just too much
|
|
rlm@0
|
338 to bear. A mournful sigh escaped her lips. This was stupid. She never
|
|
rlm@0
|
339 should have come. Standing on the branch she had been sitting on,
|
|
rlm@0
|
340 long wings unfurled from her back. “Sleep well, Tomoyo. I’m sorry for
|
|
rlm@0
|
341 hurting you.” Blowing a kiss through the window, she got ready to
|
|
rlm@0
|
342 push off when Kumiko turned around. Her heart skipped a beat. No, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
343 hadn’t noticed her. Her magic was still shrouding her. There was
|
|
rlm@0
|
344 nothing to worry about. Then their eyes locked.
|
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rlm@0
|
345
|
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rlm@0
|
346 Kumiko stared wide eyed at the red haired angel floating outside
|
|
rlm@0
|
347 the window. An uneasy feeling had been building in her chest for the
|
|
rlm@0
|
348 past few minutes and it had just reached a deafening crescendo. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
349 instincts had finally taken over at the feeling of being watched. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
350 she certainly hadn’t been expecting that. Kumiko had led a rather
|
|
rlm@0
|
351 normal life for the short time she had been alive. Nothing stranger
|
|
rlm@0
|
352 than a slightly eccentric girlfriend. But now there were videotapes
|
|
rlm@0
|
353 of long dead girls and deja vu from some past life and strange
|
|
rlm@0
|
354 feelings she couldn’t pinpoint. And now this. Her heart seized up at
|
|
rlm@0
|
355 the sight, as if her mind wanted to deny the very existence of this
|
|
rlm@0
|
356 girl. ‘No, she’s not there! Ignore her! Pretend that you’ve never
|
|
rlm@0
|
357 seen her and everything will go back to normal,’ her mind screamed to
|
|
rlm@0
|
358 her. And part of her knew that it was true. Everything could be the
|
|
rlm@0
|
359 way it used to be. All of this craziness could be forgotten. But as
|
|
rlm@0
|
360 she watched the girl outside her window, she found herself being
|
|
rlm@0
|
361 drawn closer. The angel knew. She knew all about what was going on.
|
|
rlm@0
|
362 And Kumiko needed answers. She bolted to the window.
|
|
rlm@0
|
363 The angel could easily have flown away by now, but she stayed where
|
|
rlm@0
|
364 she was, perched atop the branch and peering in. Her eyes followed
|
|
rlm@0
|
365 Kumiko’s every movement. The large, white wings moved ever so
|
|
rlm@0
|
366 slightly behind her as she shifted her balance. “You weren’t supposed
|
|
rlm@0
|
367 to see me, Kumiko. You weren’t supposed to see any of this. I should
|
|
rlm@0
|
368 make you forget about all of it.” Her voice was calm, even. Her eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
369 narrowed through the glasses, giving her a slightly menacing look.
|
|
rlm@0
|
370 The whole thing sent a shiver through Kumiko. She knew that the
|
|
rlm@0
|
371 angel in the tree could very well back up her claim. “Who are you?
|
|
rlm@0
|
372 What’s going on? Why is all of this happening?” she asked, heedless
|
|
rlm@0
|
373 of whatever danger she was putting herself in. It didn’t matter. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
374 couldn’t sit back while all of this washed over her. The only girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 she had ever loved lay dying in her bed and she was still so confused
|
|
rlm@0
|
376 about everything. And the firey haired angel was the key to it all.
|
|
rlm@0
|
377 The angel looked back at Kumiko through her glasses, lavender eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
378 meeting violet in an intense stare that neither was willing to back
|
|
rlm@0
|
379 down from. The angel finally sighed, shifting to the side as her
|
|
rlm@0
|
380 wings stretched out behind her. “Kumiko-chan, you really aren’t ready
|
|
rlm@0
|
381 for any of this. Just go back inside and hold onto Megumi tightly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
382 Love her. Hold her. Comfort her. That is why you exist.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
383 “So I can watch her die?!” Kumiko shouted, rage burning in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
384 heart. Her hands shook as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.
|
|
rlm@0
|
385 Her violet eyes were ablaze with the pain and anger that clung to her
|
|
rlm@0
|
386 heart like needles. “I exist so that I can watch my only love slip
|
|
rlm@0
|
387 away from me?! So that I can be there for her while she dies so
|
|
rlm@0
|
388 young?” Hot tears fell past her chin as she shook her head intensely.
|
|
rlm@0
|
389 “No!! That’s not it!! That’s not how things are supposed to work!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
390 The angel’s beautiful face turned cross as she flew up next to the
|
|
rlm@0
|
391 window in one long, graceful movement. The wings beat slowly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
392 luxioriously as she remained aloft in front of the startled brunette.
|
|
rlm@0
|
393 “Will you please be quiet? You’re going to worry Tomoyo-chan. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 needs her sleep right now.“ Closing her eyes, she chanted something
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 under her breath before motioning with her hand.
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 Kumiko watched in shock as a gentle blue wave surrounded Megumi
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 before fading away. “What the hell did you do to Megumi-chan!?!” she
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 demanded furiously. She reached out and grabbed hold of the angel’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
399 blouse, holding on tightly. “You leave her alone!!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 The angel just watched Kumiko for a silent moment, her lavender
|
|
rlm@0
|
401 eyes betraying a deep loneliness in her heart. “I was simply putting
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 her to sleep. She’s in enough pain as it is. Now she’s dreaming, far
|
|
rlm@0
|
403 away from the pain. She doesn’t need you waking her up and
|
|
rlm@0
|
404 frightening her about all of this. All she wants is to be with you.
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 Don’t you understand? That’s all she ever wanted. And that‘s what I
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 gave her.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 Kumiko’s hands fell uselessly to her sides as she took a half step
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 backwards. “You... You planned all of this... You know what’s going
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 on, don’t you..? So, you know all about the videotape and the
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 memories and everything... Right?” The angel nodded slowly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
411 thoughtfully. “Then... Then you have to tell me! I need to know
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 what’s happening!! I have to!” She asked anxiously, her eyes welling
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 up as she collapsed against the window sill, barely supporting her
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 weight on her hands. “Please...?” she asked pathetically, her eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 begging the silent angel. “You have to...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 Closing her lavender eyes, the angel sighed, shaking her head. “It
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 wasn’t supposed to be this way. You weren’t meant to find out. You
|
|
rlm@0
|
418 were simply supposed to live your lives, to be happy.” Her eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 fluttered open, looking directly into Kumiko’s soul. She could see
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 every nuance of the girl before her, everything that made her what
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 she was. In a way, it was like looking into a mirror. Of course, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 life had changed certain things, forcing her to grow up very
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 differently than the girl before her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 Kumiko waited nervously through the scrutiny she was receiving from
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 the angel. It was with some surprise that she realized the angel was
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 younger than her. She looked no more than fourteen years old. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 even then, it still frightened her to see those piercing lavender
|
|
rlm@0
|
428 eyes focused so intently on herself. “You said... You said that it’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 why I exist... What do you mean?” she ventured, hoping that her
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 pleas wouldn’t go unheard this time.
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 Sighing, the angel pushed up her glasses, her red hair moving
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 slowly as the wind caressed it. In the blink of an eye, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 disappeared, Sakura blossoms floating gently to the grass below.
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 “No! No! Come back!! Please come back!!! There’s so much I need to
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 know!” Verging on panic, Kumiko leaned out the window and called
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 again and again for the firey haired angel. A tap on her back
|
|
rlm@0
|
437 startled her, almost to the point of falling out the window. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
438 heart pounded in her chest in shock as she finally turned around. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
439 angel stood before her without a trace of her beautiful wings. Kumiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 blushed in embarrassment, staring at the floor. “I thought that you’d
|
|
rlm@0
|
441 left...” she admitted sheepishly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 To the brunette’s amazement, the angel smiled softly. “Don’t worry.
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 I probably would have done the same. Which is why I know that I can’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 leave. You can’t hide from the truth, even if it is safer that way.
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 You would continue relentlessly pursuing it until it finally consumed
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 you.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 “You make that sound like a bad thing to be a little determined now
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 and then,” Kumiko said, frowning as she crossed her arms. This girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
449 knew all the right buttons to push.
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 “It can be. Especially when others are trying to protect you from
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 the truth. You don’t understand how brutal it can be.” The angel
|
|
rlm@0
|
452 looked over at the blonde asleep in the bed. “But you’re beginning to
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 get a taste.” Her glasses glinted in the sunlight as she turned
|
|
rlm@0
|
454 around. “My name is Meishi. I am the reincarnation of the sorceress
|
|
rlm@0
|
455 Sakura Daidouji.” She smiled again, gesturing to the mirror.
|
|
rlm@0
|
456 Kumiko’s eyes traveled quickly to it. Rather than the firey haired
|
|
rlm@0
|
457 angel, the girl Kumiko had seen on the computer earlier that day took
|
|
rlm@0
|
458 her place. She looked to be about the same fourteen years as the
|
|
rlm@0
|
459 angel. Confusion gripped her heart as she tried to make sense out of
|
|
rlm@0
|
460 what was going on. “But I thought... I thought that I was Sakura,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
461 she said quietly, her voice no more than a ghost. Wasn’t that what
|
|
rlm@0
|
462 her memories were telling her? What she had seen in the video? Wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
463 she that girl?
|
|
rlm@0
|
464 “You are a dream. Born from my love for the girl that you know as
|
|
rlm@0
|
465 Megumi. You are here to love her always, to be with her throughout
|
|
rlm@0
|
466 all her life. That is your lot in life. And I would give anything to
|
|
rlm@0
|
467 trade places with you.” Her small body shuddered almost imperceptibly
|
|
rlm@0
|
468 as she closed her eyes. When they opened, her lavender eyes shimmered
|
|
rlm@0
|
469 with unshed tears. Kumiko couldn‘t utter a word in response. A dream?
|
|
rlm@0
|
470 She was only a dream? Some sort of puppet? “I knew that one day I
|
|
rlm@0
|
471 would have to set things in motion, that I would need to return to
|
|
rlm@0
|
472 finish what started with the Cards. But I also knew how difficult
|
|
rlm@0
|
473 that would be. I knew that I couldn’t leave Tomoyo behind. She means
|
|
rlm@0
|
474 everything to me. But I didn’t want to get her caught up in what I
|
|
rlm@0
|
475 needed to do. Too often she was nearly hurt because of my
|
|
rlm@0
|
476 carelessness. Her heart suffered the worst because of me. I wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
477 going to let that happen again.” She took the brunette’s hands and
|
|
rlm@0
|
478 pulled her gently closer until they were both in front of the mirror.
|
|
rlm@0
|
479 To Kumiko’s surprise, neither were present in the mirror. There were
|
|
rlm@0
|
480 instead two Sakura’s standing there, in the same positions that she
|
|
rlm@0
|
481 was in with Meishi. “So I created you to take care of her, to love
|
|
rlm@0
|
482 her, to be with her while I handled the magical side of things. It’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
483 something that I’ve come to regret now.” Her eyes once again settled
|
|
rlm@0
|
484 on the peacefully sleeping form of the blonde girl. “I never expected
|
|
rlm@0
|
485 her to get sick. I didn’t think she would die like this.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
486 As if snapping out of a trance, Kumiko took a step forward. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
487 couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So even though she’s your
|
|
rlm@0
|
488 Tomoyo, you’re still going to let her die? With all the magic at your
|
|
rlm@0
|
489 command, your not even going to try and save her life?” All the fear
|
|
rlm@0
|
490 and worry that had entered her heart at the mention that she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
491 created of a dream for Sakura’s purposes dissipated in an instant as
|
|
rlm@0
|
492 fury returned. “How could you say you love her if you aren’t willing
|
|
rlm@0
|
493 to do anything for her? How could you stick her with a dream and then
|
|
rlm@0
|
494 leave her to die?” Her voice was frantic, pained, but she forced out
|
|
rlm@0
|
495 the words.
|
|
rlm@0
|
496 Meishi slumped to her knees at Megumi’s bedside, holding her pale
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rlm@0
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497 hand tightly. Kumiko’s brazen words had cut her deeper than any knife
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rlm@0
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498 could. “You don’t understand. I’m the one who brought her back. My
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rlm@0
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499 magic is too strong. I can’t die. Not completely. But Tomoyo-chan...
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rlm@0
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500 She can die. She did die. So I brought her back. I reincarnated her.
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rlm@0
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501 Because I got scared. I couldn’t bear to be without her. She’s always
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rlm@0
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502 been there for me. Without her love and support, I’m nothing. I
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rlm@0
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503 couldn’t go on if she wasn’t there. So when I died and was
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rlm@0
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504 reincarnated, I brought her with me. I didn’t let her move on. I took
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rlm@0
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505 her with me. It was selfish. I came back in two bodies. This one,”
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rlm@0
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506 her free hand indicated herself before motioning towards Kumiko. “And
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rlm@0
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507 that one. You were supposed to find Tomoyo-chan’s soul in whichever
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rlm@0
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508 body it wound up in so that we could be together once more. I was
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|
rlm@0
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509 supposed to put everything in order with the Cards. But Tomoyo... She
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|
rlm@0
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510 came back in this body, but now it’s dying. I have to wonder if it’s
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rlm@0
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511 my fault. If she wasn’t meant to come back like this. I used my magic
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|
rlm@0
|
512 to bind her here, to bring her back to life. She wasn’t allowed to
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rlm@0
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513 move on. Because I couldn’t go on without Tomoyo-chan...” Tears fell
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|
rlm@0
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514 down from under her glasses as she watched the sleeping girl
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|
rlm@0
|
515 intently. “So now she’s hurting because of me. Now she’s dying all
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rlm@0
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516 over again because of my selfishness. So I can’t try and make her
|
|
rlm@0
|
517 better. Part of me wonders if I should let her live in such pain.”
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rlm@0
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518 “No!!” Kumiko shouted, reaching Megumi’s side in seconds. “I won’t
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|
rlm@0
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519 let you take her away form me! I know she’s in pain, but I...” Her
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|
rlm@0
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520 voice trailed off as it hit her. She was saying the exact same thing.
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rlm@0
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521 “I... need her...” she whispered, her eyes still wide. “I’m... I’m
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rlm@0
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522 doing the same thing... I’m hurting her, too...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
523 “Because we’re the same,” the red haired girl finished. “You can’t
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|
rlm@0
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524 live without her anymore than I could. The thought of going on
|
|
rlm@0
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525 without Tomoyo-chan by your side doesn’t make any sense. It’s like a
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rlm@0
|
526 world without love or without air. It would be completely desolate.
|
|
rlm@0
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527 Her heart warms you up that way, brightening everything in your life
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rlm@0
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528 to the point that you take her wonderful light for granted, not
|
|
rlm@0
|
529 seeing just how wonderful she makes it. Her love and support keep you
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|
rlm@0
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530 going when you would rather give up in defeat. It’s just the way she
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|
rlm@0
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531 is. Just as it’s the way we are to need her.” She sighed, looking
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|
rlm@0
|
532 infinitely older than the young girl that rested against the side of
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rlm@0
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533 the bed. “If I end her pain, I would send you along with her.” She
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|
rlm@0
|
534 shook her head quickly at the look Kumiko gave her. “You wouldn’t
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|
rlm@0
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535 want to live without her. Trust me. The last fourteen years have been
|
|
rlm@0
|
536 like a nightmare. My only happiness was knowing that the two of you
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|
rlm@0
|
537 were out here. Besides, I wouldn’t want Tomoyo-chan to be lonely on
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|
rlm@0
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538 the other side.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
539 A cold chill traveled up Kumiko’s spine at Meishi’s words. Despite
|
|
rlm@0
|
540 her confusion and her own fear of seeing Megumi in any more pain, she
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|
rlm@0
|
541 steeled her resolve. “I don’t care. I don’t care if you did make me
|
|
rlm@0
|
542 for this reason or if you screwed up when you brought Megumi back. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
543 won’t let you take her from me. She’s here now. That’s what matters.
|
|
rlm@0
|
544 I won’t let you or anyone else take her away from me. I love her too
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|
rlm@0
|
545 much.” Determination glittered in her violet eyes, her gaze never
|
|
rlm@0
|
546 wavering as the sorceress looked back at her.
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|
rlm@0
|
547 Giggling softly, Meishi stood up. “I’d almost forgotten what that
|
|
rlm@0
|
548 looked like. You really do have all of her love and support, don’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
549 you? I remember that determination from long ago. It took me a long
|
|
rlm@0
|
550 time to understand that she was the cause.” Her fingers trailed
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|
rlm@0
|
551 gently along Megumi’s pale cheek before brushing back some of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
552 curly blonde hair. Her heart seized up as she looked down at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
553 sleeping girl. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan... I miss you so much...” A half sob,
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|
rlm@0
|
554 half sigh escaped her lips. Her head nodded weakly. “All right. I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
555 leave her with you. But you better make sure that she’s happy. She’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
556 already in enough pain. I want her to die happily.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
557 “But... I don’t want her to die...” Kumiko whispered. She silently
|
|
rlm@0
|
558 berated herself. Her vision blurred as burning tears stung her eyes.
|
|
rlm@0
|
559 She clenched her fingernails into her palms in an effort to focus
|
|
rlm@0
|
560 past the tears. Meishi was right, the thought of living a life
|
|
rlm@0
|
561 without Megumi was a bleak as walking through an endless desert.
|
|
rlm@0
|
562 Megumi was her best friend, the girl that she loved. They were
|
|
rlm@0
|
563 partners. Neither was complete without the other.
|
|
rlm@0
|
564 “I don’t want her to, either. Please take good care of her for me.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
565 Hesitating for only a second, Meishi leaned down and kissed the
|
|
rlm@0
|
566 sleeping beauty, her firey red hair kissing Megumi’s beautiful blonde
|
|
rlm@0
|
567 hair. Her heart surged as she felt Tomoyo in the all too brief kiss.
|
|
rlm@0
|
568 She smiled sadly down at her love, her fingers trailing gently over
|
|
rlm@0
|
569 the blonde’s cheek as aquamarine eyes slowly blinked open.
|
|
rlm@0
|
570 Megumi strained to make out the blur in front of her as she finally
|
|
rlm@0
|
571 woke up. “Kumi?” her groggy voice asked. As her vision slowly
|
|
rlm@0
|
572 cleared, the figure that had been above her faded away. If she didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
573 feel so sick, she may have thought there had been someone over her a
|
|
rlm@0
|
574 moment before. “Kumi-chan?” she asked tiredly, trying to keep the
|
|
rlm@0
|
575 panic out of her voice as she searched desperately for the brunette.
|
|
rlm@0
|
576 “I’m right here!” Kumiko said quickly, taking Megumi’s cold hand as
|
|
rlm@0
|
577 she sat next to her on the bed. The jealousy she had felt when the
|
|
rlm@0
|
578 sorceress had kissed her best friend quickly faded away, replaced
|
|
rlm@0
|
579 with concern for her slowly awakening friend. “I’m right here, Megumi-
|
|
rlm@0
|
580 chan. I’ll always be right here for you.” She still didn’t know quite
|
|
rlm@0
|
581 what was going on with Meishi or what she had in mind, but that
|
|
rlm@0
|
582 hardly mattered at the moment. It didn’t even matter if she was
|
|
rlm@0
|
583 Sakura or just a dream. All that mattered was her best friend and
|
|
rlm@0
|
584 what lay before her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
585 Megumi offered a weak smile before coughing for a few moments. “I
|
|
rlm@0
|
586 know, Kumi. It’s part of why I love you so much.” She didn’t know
|
|
rlm@0
|
587 what had happened, but at least Kumiko wasn’t mad at her anymore. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
588 didn’t know how much more of that she could have taken before just
|
|
rlm@0
|
589 dying of a broken heart. Wet, cold tears splattered against her
|
|
rlm@0
|
590 cheeks from up above. Her arms wrapped around the brunette’s waist,
|
|
rlm@0
|
591 even though they felt like overcooked noodles.
|
|
rlm@0
|
592 Leaning down on top of her best friend, Kumiko kissed Megumi softly
|
|
rlm@0
|
593 again and again, sobbing quietly as she did. “I love you so much...
|
|
rlm@0
|
594 I’ll always love you... I promise... I promise we’ll always be
|
|
rlm@0
|
595 together... No matter where we are...” she whispered, giving Megumi’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
596 lips more feathery kisses.
|
|
rlm@0
|
597 “I know... I know, Kumi. Always.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
598
|
|
rlm@0
|
599
|
