1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/ccs_kissfromrose.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,185 @@
     1.4 +Kiss from a Rose
     1.5 +A CCS fanfiction by Siobhan Pettit
     1.6 +tomoyo_daidoji_0903@yahoo.com
     1.7 +
     1.8 +
     1.9 +Daidouji Tomoyo sat down very carefully on the freshly mowed grass
    1.10 +of the park, straightening outwards the full folds of her frilly
    1.11 +English dress. Honestly, she doesn't want to crumple her delicate
    1.12 +white and black couture. Mother already underwent a great deal of
    1.13 +trouble considering what happened-giving her a lovely rite and buying
    1.14 +her this outfit and even a peaceful place to rest, not to mention the
    1.15 +grief she had given her Mother.
    1.16 +	Her dress, harked back to ancient times, was a Victorian-inspired
    1.17 +pinafore clothing of ankle-length skit and full-blown sleeves. It was
    1.18 +a French-maid-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland image, but its black and
    1.19 +velvet brocade materials made it more grown-up and serious. There was
    1.20 +nothing morbid in the dress. Even it was done in a Gothic fashion.
    1.21 +The look was gathered entirely in an elegant slant, and kawaii is the
    1.22 +major factor in the final ensemble. Mother was really an
    1.23 +exceptionally talented person when it comes to choosing what to wear.
    1.24 +Imagine, her daughter is a grown woman already in her early twenties
    1.25 +and yet, okaa-sama made her don for the last occasion a dress that
    1.26 +was childlike yet elegant in their tradition and detail. Something
    1.27 +that would be fixed in everybody's memory. Mother had even fixed a
    1.28 +ribboned Sunday hat on her head, with beautiful flowers in the brim.
    1.29 +The juxtaposition of the dress in her made her look like somebody
    1.30 +jumping out of a fantasy world, but she liked it altogether.
    1.31 +	Tomoyo raised her head towards the clear September sky. The sun was
    1.32 +getting higher now, yet the warmth was not unpleasant. It had been
    1.33 +eight days since the incident happened, but it seemed like an
    1.34 +eternity already had passed. Everything went by in a slow motion-the
    1.35 +visits from the family's acquaintances, the mass, and the final
    1.36 +rite…everything. Everyone came to see her. Yamazaki-
    1.37 +kun…Chiharu…Rikka…Naoko-chan. Even Eriol-kun and Mizuki-sensei was
    1.38 +there. And Meiling-chan. Her dear, good friend. It was the second
    1.39 +time she had seen Meiling cry like that-lost and very angry at the
    1.40 +same time. It felt so grateful somehow, the first time in her life
    1.41 +that all her beloved ones and everyone dear to her were gathered in
    1.42 +one place. And Touya too. Tomoyo smiled inwardly. Her arrogant and
    1.43 +emotion-free cousin wept silently while being patted in the shoulder
    1.44 +by an equally emotional Yukito. And Fujitaka-sama. The church was
    1.45 +filled with friends, visitors, flowers and beautiful music. All for
    1.46 +her, only hers. They were all there. 
    1.47 +	Except for one person.
    1.48 +	The lovely heiress stretched out her hand and fidgeted the bouquet
    1.49 +of red tulips and anthuriums her mother had brought yesterday. They
    1.50 +were almost dry and wilted. Nevertheless, it was a grand visit.
    1.51 +Sonomi told her in a cheerful tone that Sakura had arrived from Hong
    1.52 +Kong at last. Mother knew it would cheer her up too. No, Li Syaoran
    1.53 +wasn't with her, she said. That's sad. She wanted to see him too. But
    1.54 +Sakura told Sonomi personally that she would visit Tomoyo today. And
    1.55 +she would do it alone.
    1.56 +	Tomoyo's s smile materialized. It had been two years since they
    1.57 +last saw each other. And that had been in Sakura's wedding day. The
    1.58 +couple is living in Hong Kong now. Tomoyo chewed her lip. At least
    1.59 +she could get to see Sakura before living today. She missed Sakura so
    1.60 +badly.
    1.61 +	Tomoyo was startled from her reverie when she heard a soft hum of a
    1.62 +car engine. She jerked her head towards the road in the distance and
    1.63 +saw a black Bentley Arnage snaking its way towards the gate and then
    1.64 +pulling down the curb. A minute later the sleek car screeched to a
    1.65 +halt. The driver's door opened and a brunette with a short, slant
    1.66 +hairstyle emerged into the sunlight. Li Sakura, now in her twenties,
    1.67 +was even more beautiful. She was dressed in an exquisite cream
    1.68 +Italian trenchcoat and black leather gloves. Sakura's attire was
    1.69 +subdued yet stylish and donned in good taste. Her child-like and
    1.70 +naïve features progressed to strong womanish facial expressions
    1.71 +through the years. Now, her resemblance to Daidouji Sonomi can be
    1.72 +distinguished with little or no effort at all. Sakura's likeness to
    1.73 +the Chairman of the Amamiya-Daidouji Corporation was so apparent that
    1.74 +they could be mistaken for a mother and daughter if seen standing
    1.75 +side-by-side.
    1.76 +	Sakura shut the door of the Bentley with a rather strong force and
    1.77 +it closed with a resounding thud. She approached Tomoyo in languid,
    1.78 +slow-paced steps.
    1.79 +	Tomoyo noticed Sakura's haunted gait. There was an uncertainty in
    1.80 +Sakura's appearance that made her shoulders seemed heavy as she
    1.81 +walked down the granite pathway.
    1.82 +	At last, the tall auburn-haired woman reached her destination and
    1.83 +stepped beside Tomoyo. Sakura gave a wan smile, but a cute one
    1.84 +nonetheless. Tomoyo can't help to smile back. Old habits die hard,
    1.85 +apparently.
    1.86 +	Sakura drew a tired breath. "Hello, Tomoyo-chan," she began. "It's
    1.87 +been a long time, wasn't it?"
    1.88 +	Tomoyo nodded in agreement.
    1.89 +	The brunette's lips suddenly trembled as if she was desperately
    1.90 +holding back her emotions. Sakura slumped down beside her carefully,
    1.91 +meticulously straightening too, the full length of her trench coat.
    1.92 +Like Tomoyo, Sakura sat with her feet clasped together at the sides.
    1.93 +The heiress couldn't hide another smile as her eyes noticed Sakura's
    1.94 +knee-high black suede boots peeking out behind the ankle-length robe.
    1.95 +She was quite impressed.
    1.96 +	"Prada, isn't it, Sakura-chan? And Milan, not New York?" Tomoyo
    1.97 +asked giddily, wanting to lighten up the mood and start a good
    1.98 +conversation.
    1.99 +	But Sakura never replied. Tomoyo's lips pursed, then she looked at
   1.100 +Sakura's guilt-ridden olive green eyes. But Sakura never returned her
   1.101 +gaze. The Card Mistress just kept staring down the ground.
   1.102 +	"I…I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan, if I wasn't present at the chapel. But
   1.103 +Sonomi-sama said that it was your wish not to inform me 'til
   1.104 +everything was over…"
   1.105 +	Tomoyo nodded again. Yes, it was her decision. She won't be able to
   1.106 +bear it seeing Sakura breaking down in the middle of the ceremony-
   1.107 +	"You cheated me, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed.
   1.108 +	The heiress was taken aback. No, Sakura-chan, she whispered. I love
   1.109 +you; I don't want to see you get hurt! I wanted to spare you the
   1.110 +pain… the misery, the same pain I felt when I watched you took the
   1.111 +vows with Syaoran-kun. It was the end for me. I was dying the entire
   1.112 +ceremony, one knife plunging into my heart after another. I don't
   1.113 +want you to undergo the same torture that I went through.
   1.114 +	Sakura's eyes began welling with tears. Her composure was now lost.
   1.115 +"You don't know what I felt when we parted, Tomoyo-chan. It was so
   1.116 +lonely, I missed you so much. Before I was glad because I know that
   1.117 +you're still here and just a phone call away. But now…but
   1.118 +now…everything's useless!"
   1.119 +	Tomoyo fought the urge to touch Sakura's face and brush those tears
   1.120 +away, just as she was fighting until now, the yearning to throw
   1.121 +herself in the arms of the Card Mistress. She wished that Sakura
   1.122 +would hold her, kiss her, and never let go of her again, whisper to
   1.123 +her ears loving words and assurances. But it was such a ridiculous
   1.124 +notion. Tomoyo doesn't have the right. Sakura has already a husband
   1.125 +that would do all those things. To hold her close, kiss her in a
   1.126 +fierce abandon.
   1.127 +	"Tomoyo-chan, why didn't you tell me?!" Sakura lashed, fighting
   1.128 +back the tears. At first, she was so shocked, learning Tomoyo's long
   1.129 +held secret from Sonomi herself-the secret that made Tomoyo finally
   1.130 +decide to part with her forever.
   1.131 +	The heiress shook her head and bit her lip. The words she wanted to
   1.132 +say were choking down her throat. No, Sakura-chan, she thought. Would
   1.133 +you dare cross the turbulent waters that separated us and risked
   1.134 +everything knowing that you're loving another girl? What if you don't
   1.135 +feel the same for me? I cannot bear to jeopardize your happiness with
   1.136 +Li-kun and ruin your relationship with him lest you don't feel the
   1.137 +same way. But at least, Sakura had realized now. It was never
   1.138 +useless, Sakura-chan. You can have a normal family, a child to bear.
   1.139 +It was better that way, she thought. She will wait for the time they
   1.140 +could be together again. Their love for each other could wait even
   1.141 +for an eternity. But not now, not yet. Their feelings for each other
   1.142 +were already bad as it is. And she couldn't let Sakura commit
   1.143 +adultery, could she?
   1.144 +	I'm so happy that you're here and I saw you at last, Sakura-chan,
   1.145 +Tomoyo thought. But I must go now, my time is almost up…"
   1.146 +	"I have something for you, Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura intervened, cutting
   1.147 +Tomoyo's thoughts. She reached for the inside pocket of her garment
   1.148 +and pulled out a long-stemmed English rose-a large, deep red one,
   1.149 +like those roses Tomoyo grows in the mansion's garden. Sakura kissed
   1.150 +the rose, imagining it was Tomoyo.
   1.151 +	But Tomoyo never reached out and tried to take it. Sakura bit her
   1.152 +lip to stop herself from crying, and put the rose on the ground.
   1.153 +Tomoyo, seeing Sakura putting up a brave front like that, broke her
   1.154 +tears at last. Now, her hand came up in its own volition and brushed
   1.155 +Sakura's cheeks. But she had forgotten. Her hand just went through
   1.156 +Sakura's face. Tomoyo curled her fist instead. She wished she could
   1.157 +touch Sakura even for the last time too.
   1.158 +	At that moment, Tomoyo felt the heavenly breath of the autumn wind
   1.159 +gently stirring her, beckoning and reminding her. It's time to go.
   1.160 +With a heavy knot in her heart, Tomoyo reluctantly stood up and began
   1.161 +leaving.
   1.162 +	Not forward, but upward.
   1.163 +	The breeze lifted and bore Tomoyo towards the sky. From her new
   1.164 +vantagepoint, she could see Sakura standing up too, her brown head
   1.165 +stooped low, staring down at the tombstone that bore Tomoyo's
   1.166 +epitaph. Sakura's shoulders began shaking with strong sobs. 
   1.167 +	"I…I love you too, Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura cried heavily, her voice
   1.168 +quivering wit the confession. She's so stupid! Why hadn't she
   1.169 +realized before? Her jade eyes squeezed tightly and more tears fell
   1.170 +to the dirt below. Yes, she knows it now. She really loved Tomoyo.
   1.171 +She still does. She always had. But she discovered it too late. Now
   1.172 +Tomoyo is dead! Life is so unfair! She'd do everything just to bring
   1.173 +Tomoyo back!  But that would be impossible. She felt useless. She's
   1.174 +the world's powerful sorceress yet she cannot do anything to righten
   1.175 +up her mistakes. Sakura's strength was snatched away from her legs.
   1.176 +For a moment she swayed dangerously, and then fell to her hands and
   1.177 +her knees, sobbing bitterly.
   1.178 +	"Tomoyo-chan…why? Why did you do it?! Why did you have to leave me?!"
   1.179 +	"But Tomoyo drifted farther and farther, her face serene. At peace
   1.180 +at last. She can rest now, savoring Sakura's words like lyrics from a
   1.181 +sad song. She will wait for the time they could be together again.
   1.182 +Her love for this girl can surpass even immortality.
   1.183 +	Up in the sky, Tomoyo could see the rose petals waving in the wind.
   1.184 +It was the first gift Sakura had given her out of carnal intentions.
   1.185 +	It was her first flower.
   1.186 +	Her first rose.
   1.187 +	
   1.188 +-Owari-
   1.189 \ No newline at end of file