Dreams Part 2

 

 	Megumi shivered as the cold night wind lightly blew against her and

 Kumiko. “I can’t believe we’re doing this, Kumi-chan. It’s late, it’s

 cold, and I’m tired. My parents are going to expect to see me in bed

 in..”, as she looked at her wrist, Megumi remembered that she

 actually didn’t wear a watch. She could hear Kumiko giggle slightly

 as if she knew that would happen. “Well, I need to be there in a few

 hours.” Not like they’d actually be home, but she wasn’t feeling very

 well and that pain in her chest was getting stronger again. It was a

 good enough excuse at any rate. At least, she hoped it was.

 	Kumiko sighed. “I know. I really don’t want to be here either, but

 I just have to learn something about those people in the tape.

 Remember, in the tape? That Sakura girl said that she always was

 recording her. So, if there was a tape in the camera, maybe there was

 another tape? Maybe there are a lot of other tapes. Maybe that could

 explain why I felt so..” she shook a bit, not wanting to think about

 it. “Maybe that could explain why I felt so attached to those girls

 in the video. That wasn’t just some normal deja vu. That was

 something.. special. What do you think, Megumi-chan?”

 	“Hmm?” Megumi looked up from the lamp she was toying with. “Well, I

 think that we shouldn’t be digging through some rich person’s trash

 can. That’s what I think.”

 	Kumiko stuck her tongue out at her. “Oh sure. I’m having lots of

 fun digging through the trash. Luckily, they’ve only seem to have

 thrown away most of the yard sale stuff so far. Seriously, what do

 you think? About the tape?”

 	“I.. I don’t know. I feel so many things about the tape. I feel the

 pain from falling, I feel the happiness from being with her, and so

 much more. It seems so sad when I think about it, though. Like

 something tragic happened to those people. Even though I don’t know

 them, and don’t even know what happened, it hurts. Like I lost

 something dear to me, but found it again. Like if you moved away and

 then came back, I guess.” Megumi ran her arm under across her eyes

 and was surprised to find that her eyes were wet.

 	Kumiko looked concerned and pulled her into a tight embrace. “It’s

 okay, Megumi. I feel pretty much the same way.  It’s really confusing

 to feel that way about someone you don’t know. I wish I had the

 answers, but I don’t. So, I’m looking for them. Do you think we’ll

 find anything? If we do, should we even look at it? With how one tape

 was, I couldn’t  imagine how a collection of them would be.” Kumiko

 slowly pulled away from Megumi. With a deep dramatic sigh, she threw

 her arms down in defeat. “Well, I give up. I’m not going to find

 anything digging around in the trash in the dark.” Kumiko started

 forward, but tripped and fell into Megumi’s arms, knocking them both

 off balance and sending them into the cold hard ground.

 	Both girls just looked into each other’s eyes, curious if the other

 was thinking the same thing they were. Kumiko opened her mouth in an

 attempt to say something, but stopped herself. After a few seemingly

 everlasting moments of silence, Megumi spoke up. “Are you okay Kumi?

 Aww.. you scraped your knee. Should I kiss it and make it better?”

 Kumiko blushed and nodded weakly. Megumi ever-so-slowly leaned

 forward and kissed the slightly injured knee. “There. All better? I

 really can’t stand to see you hurt, you know, Kumi-chan.” Megumi

 smiled proudly at the dark blush on Kumiko’s face. Quickly, she stood

 up and offered out her hand. Kumiko grasped her hand and squeezed

 reassuringly and let Megumi help her to her feet.

 	“I’ll come over to your house early tomorrow, okay, Kumi? Do you

 think the library will be open on the weekend?” Megumi asked

 curiously. She regretted saying the words shortly after they were out

 of her mouth. She -really- wasn’t feeling good. She needed to get

 home soon. And she really didn’t know if she’d be up to checking out

 a library the next day. The blonde was thankful for the darkness in

 masking her increasingly pale features. 

 	Kumiko nodded thoughtfully, brushing back a lock of brown hair

 behind an ear. “Yeah, it should be. We’ll head there in the morning

 and see what we can find. There has to be something on the girls in

 that video. Or at least I hope so.” Sighing, the teenager yawned

 exaggeratedly. “For now I’m gonna get some sleep. Do you think you

 could stay for a bit? I need to sneak back in anyway. Mom and dad

 still think I’m sleeping.” She smiled over at the blonde girl

 hopefully. “I always sleep better after I talk to you.”

 	Megumi returned the smile weakly and shook her head. “I’d love to,

 Kumi, but I’m not sure how appreciative your mother would be of me

 teaching her daughter all sorts of strange things this late at night.

 And I already know she likes me, so I can’t jeopardize that.” A laugh

 accompanied the hug she gave Kumiko. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kumi-

 chan. You have beautiful dreams in the meantime. I know you’ll be in

 mine.”

 	The wind picked up slightly, blowing Kumiko’s hair around as she

 returned the hug. “Okay. Maybe some other time then. I’ll be thinking

 about you, Megumi-chan. Sleep we...” Before she could finish that

 thought, Megumi’s lips pressed tightly against her own. Her cheeks

 darkened as her eyes fell closed and she kissed back. 

 	“Goodnight, Kumi.” And with that, Megumi was off.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 	Wet tears spilt down Megumi’s cheek to the bathroom tile beneath

 her. The tile was cold against the bare skin of her legs peeking out

 beneath her jumbled nightgown, but she’d long since given up on

 caring about such trivial discomforts. Her whole body was screaming

 at her, fire burning maliciously at all of her senses. Even taking

 her medicine hadn’t helped in the least. She should be in bed, but

 she couldn’t make it the short distance back to her bedroom. So she

 knelt on the floor in the bathroom, her head leaning against the

 cabinets under the sink. Her skin was deathly pale, nearly as white

 as the tiles underneath her.

 	“Daddy... Mommy... Somebody... please...” Her voice barely reached

 her own ears, seeming no more than a whisper. More cold tears fell

 down her face. Her parents weren’t there. Again. They were always

 working these days. To get away from her. No, that wasn’t true. That

 couldn’t be. They were both working to afford all of the medicine and

 the treatments and the doctors. Megumi shuddered violently at the

 memories. It always hurt so much. And the doctors had been pretty

 grim whenever they talked to her parents. She didn’t need to be a lip

 reader to know that she was dying. A cold hand was gripping her soul,

 frightening the poor girl even more. She didn’t want to die. She

 didn’t want to leave Kumiko. Kumiko... Of course she hadn’t told the

 other girl about any of this. It would only make her worry. And

 Megumi had long ago found out that there was nothing that she could

 do about it. So why worry Kumiko when it was so much nicer to see her

 smiling, happy face? 

 	A sudden fit of coughing shook the blonde girl’s small body as she

 reached up to her trembling lips. When she pulled them away, they

 were wet with fresh blood. The sight sent her into more tears. She

 was so scared but there was no one who would come comfort her. If

 Kumiko found out, she would be right over, but then she’d worry

 herself to death. Her parents were nowhere to be seen, so she was all

 on her own. Be a big girl, her mother had told her, several years

 before. Be a big girl and you’ll make it through this. Megumi didn’t

 want to be a big girl. It hurt too much. 

 

 	Kumiko yawned tiredly, rubbing the sleep from her violet eyes. Her

 long, dark brown hair was done up in braids today. Sleep had not been

 easy in coming to her the night before. Her mind kept going back to

 the girls on the tape and why it had seemed so familiar. Had

 something similar happened with her and Megumi, explaining the shared

 sense of deja vu? Or was there something deeper behind all of it? “I

 really hope we can find something here. And soon. I’m hungry. I

 didn’t get any breakfast before we left.” Megumi winced at the

 mention of food. The blonde girl really didn’t look very good this

 morning. Her skin was paper white and her lips were drawn tight. The

 sunglasses she wore looked cute on her and they hid her bloodshot

 aquamarine eyes well, but Kumiko could see them occasionally as the

 sunglasses almost slipped off. She sighed as they entered the

 library. Megumi looked like she was getting sick, but she looked like

 that so often these days. Her lover would always deny that anything

 was wrong besides a slight cold when Kumiko would ask her about it. 

 	Megumi shivered in the air conditioned building, rubbing her arms

 as she tried to keep warm. “It’s freezing in here. Let’s just try to

 get the information and get out of here. Mom wants me home early

 today so I can’t be out long.” It always pained her to lie to Kumiko,

 but she really didn’t feel like being out of bed at all today. She

 kind of doubted her mother would be home at any rate.

 	“Well, if you’re tired, you can always take a nap at my place when

 we’re done with all this, Megumi-chan.” Kumiko smiled brightly as she

 took her best friend’s cold hand.  A sigh escaped her lips as she

 looked for a good place to begin their search. “Something tells me I

 should have just tried to look up all this stuff on my computer

 anyway.  At least then I could go make some lunch.” Another uneasy

 look on Megumi’s face told her to drop the subject of eating. But she

 was sooooo hungry. “Here we go.” Finding a free terminal, she began

 searching for relevant information.

 	Pulling up a chair, Megumi relished the feeling of being off her

 feet. The entire way there, she had felt ready to collapse. Her body

 was still aching from the night before, but she couldn’t let it show

 through. She didn’t want Kumiko to start worrying about  this,

 especially when her heart was so set on finding out who the people on

 the videotape were. The sick girl wasn’t really sure she wanted to

 know, herself. It was all just too freaky. Who cared who some people

 on an old, dated video were? All she needed was Kumiko. As long as

 she had the other girl nearby, everything would always be all right.

 “Find anything?” she asked after realizing she had nodded off for a

 bit. She tried to suppress a yawn, but to no avail.

 	Giggling at her friend, the brown haired girl nodded. “Yeah, I

 think so. Apparently the mansion had been owned by the Daidouji

 family previously.”

 	Megumi gasped. “Daidouji? The Daidouji Company kind of Daidouji”

 	Nodding again, Kumiko grew more serious. “Yeah, it looks like the

 place belonged to the Daidouji family for quite a while, but recently

 it had been sold by Daidouji Maya, the current head of the company.

 She went there to move out some of the things that were important,

 but it looks like some of it got left behind and the new occupants

 are getting rid of it.”

 	“So does that mean that one of the girls on the videotape was from

 that family line? Is there any information on them? Maybe we could

 find some pictures.” Megumi’s heart was pounding in her chest. Part

 of her wanted to reach over and turn off the power on the computer,

 to tell Kumiko it didn’t matter who was on some stupid videotape and

 that she was the only one that mattered to her, but she was

 paralyzed. She didn’t want to know. She was too afraid to find out.

 But she couldn’t get herself to keep from hearing more.

 	“Yeah, that’s what I’m checking right now. They’re a pretty

 powerful family, so there should be a fair amount about them. I think

 one of them is in our class. That Sumire girl? The one with the

 glasses and the scary looking dark haired girl that’s always

 following her?” Glancing back at Megumi, she saw the blonde nod in

 response.  “Come to think of it, she does look a bit like the girls

 in the video. Though I can’t tell which she looks more like, so I

 don’t know who she’s related to. And I don’t know how she could

 possibly be related to both.” Oddly enough, the idea sounded right.

 She shook her head and kept looking at the screen. “Here it is.” A

 list was on the screen, showing the family line back for quite some

 time. “Yep, there’s Sumire. It looks like the first Daidouji on

 record is Daidouji Sonomi and she founded the company. She had a

 daughter, Daidouji Tomoyo. Apparently she had a daughter named Bara.

 And she had a daughter named Maya, the current head of the Daidouji

 Company. And she has a daughter named Sumire. Yeah, she’s in our

 class. There’s her picture.” Kumiko pointed at the picture of a

 frustrated looking girl in big glasses with dark hair done up in

 pigtails. 

 	Megumi nodded slowly, not sure if she could take much more of this.

 The anticipation was maddening. The sunglasses had slipped off her

 nose, but she hardly noticed. “Can you find any other pictures? What

 about the rest of them?”

 	Typing in another command, Kumiko looked back up at the screen.

 Pictures began appearing by the names, as well as links for more

 information on each member of the family. First a determined looking

 businesswoman with a slant style hair cut and then a beautiful pale

 woman with long dark hair that ended in curls with the same stormy

 blue eyes as her mother. The braided girl stopped there. “That’s

 her!! That’s the one from the videotape!” Her violet eyes went wide

 in shock as she stared at the screen. She was much older in the

 picture, a full grown woman as opposed to the teenager in the video,

 but it was obviously the same person. 

 	Feeling sick to her stomach, Megumi heard her ask a question she

 was dreading. “Does it have any information on her? Or who that

 brunette might have been?”

 	“Let me see...” Biting her lower lip, Kumiko continued looking

 through the information. A summary of the woman’s entire life up on

 the next page was briefly skimmed through as her whole body

 threatened to shake. Being so close to all of this was exciting. She

 knew that what she was looking for was near, an answer to the

 question posed by the videotape. “Kinomoto Sakura! Right here. It

 says that she got married to Daidouji Tomoyo. Wait, that can’t be

 right. Yeah, it says that they got married and had a daughter. That’s

 bizarre. But here she is.” The slightly shorter girl moved to the

 side to give her lover a better look. On screen was a woman with

 fairly short brunette hair and a happy smile, looking out with

 emerald green eyes. It had to be the other girl from the videotape. 

 	“How’d they die?” Megumi blurted out. “Maybe it was really tragic

 and they possessed the videotape or something. I thought they

 wouldn’t have lasted much longer past the videotape if it seemed so

 important.”

 	Skimming the information, Kumiko shook her head. “It looks like

 they lived long, happy lives by all accounts. Daidouji Sakura... Oh,

 she must’ve changed her name when they got married. Anyway, she fell

 down the stairs when she was a grandmother. Daidouji Tomoyo died a

 few days later of no explained cause. Her daughter seems to have

 thought it was heartache over the loss of Sakura.”

 	Megumi shook her head, running hands through her curly blonde hair.

 “None of this makes any sense. We know who these people are now, but

 that still doesn’t explain anything. Why do we know them at all?

 Maybe it was the camera angle. Maybe we just got so caught up in

 watching the old thing that we started thinking there was more to

 it.” She was shaking now, afraid. This was all too strange for her.

 	Kumiko took Megumi’s soft hand, trying to comfort her. “Megumi...

 There has to be something to all of this. I know there is. It’s just

 too much to be a coincidence.”

 	“How do you know, Kumi? Maybe that’s all it is...” Megumi’s voice

 was unsteady and she couldn’t meet the braided girl’s gaze. She

 squeezed Kumiko’s hand. 

 	“Then why do I know things about them that I shouldn’t? Things that

 video couldn’t have told me. That they came up with the baby’s name

 while strolling through a rose garden. That Tomoyo loved to sing to

 Sakura. That Sakura liked to cook for Tomoyo even though they had

 people who could do that for them. That the world looked all tumbly

 when she fell down the stairs.” Kumiko shuddered at the unbidden

 images in her mind. It all looked so real. Like she was reliving old

 memories. Even slipping down the stairs...

 	“Stop it!!” Megumi stood up suddenly, tears starting to form in her

 eyes. “Just stop it, Kumi! You’re scaring me...” Her voice went from

 a scream to a barely audible whisper in seconds. Shaking hands wiped

 at her eyes as she took a few weak steps back. Kumiko reached for her

 seconds before she collapsed. 

 

 	

 	“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” Kumiko demanded of the

 prone girl in her room.

 	“I didn’t remember..?” Megumi ventured after a moment’s hesitation,

 trying to smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

 	“Hmph...” Turning away from her, the slightly shorter girl crossed

 her arms. Megumi could tell that she was fuming.

 	“How did you find out?” the blonde asked quietly, almost ashamed.

 	“Your mother told me when I called and told her that you had

 collapsed at the library. I thought you’d just fainted from too much

 shock. But she said you’ve been sick off and on for the past three

 years. And that you’re getting worse.”

 	“That’s technically inaccurate. I’ve been sick since I was a little

 girl. It’s just been getting progressively worse for the past three

 years.” Megumi tried another smile, but it seemed to have no affect

 on Kumiko’s back. Sighing, she shook her head. She felt defeated. “I

 didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry about all

 this. I know how hard it is to know that you’re dying and that no one

 can help. I know how bad that feeling of helplessness is. And I would

 never want you to have to experience it. It makes you feel all sick

 and twisted up inside. Besides, your smiles have always been the best

 therapy for me. I don’t want them to be tainted with worry whenever

 you look at me.” Closing her eyes, the wind from the fan rustled the

 blankets over her. “It’s not like I could have hid it from you much

 longer anyway. It’s starting to get to the point where I can barely

 hide the pain sometimes. You would have found out sooner or later.”

 	“But you’re supposed to tell me everything! I’m your girlfriend! I

 love you! I can’t...” The anger in Kumiko’s voice drained away as she

 released a choked sob. “I don’t want to lose you... I... I need

 you... Megumi...” She collapsed to her knees, burying her face

 against Megumi’s side as she clung to her raggedly. “I love you... I

 love you too much to let you go..”

 	Megumi couldn’t hold back her own tears as she gently stroked

 Kumiko’s back. “Kumi...” she whispered softly. This was exactly what

 she’d feared would happen if Kumiko found out, but she found herself

 oddly relieved to know that her love finally knew of her personal

 pain. It felt so much freer. Like it was finally all right to cry. To

 stop being a big girl.  

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 	Sitting in the tree adjacent to the window, a woman watched the two

 girls in silence. She had been there for some time, but no one seemed

 to notice her presence. Her eyes sparkled from behind her glasses as

 she continued her silent vigil. She had a keen interest in the

 futures of the two girls inside the small room. But revealing herself

 would be troublesome. They weren’t supposed to know about her.

 Especially not yet. 

 	Lavender eyes fell upon the sleeping form of Megumi. “Tomoyo-

 chan...” the mysterious girl whispered softly. She had this all

 planned out, but now it was almost impossible to continue on. Her

 heart ached too much to continue on this way. But it was because of

 her that this was happening. Well, most of it. She had never planned

 on Megumi getting sick. Or the girls finding out about their pasts.

 They were supposed to be oblivious to what was really going on. That

 was their single goal in life that she had set out for them. To eke

 out lives for themselves, together. They weren’t supposed to get

 involved. But seeing her lying there, being held by the brunette was

 almost too much for her. How she longed to go inside there and take

 Kumiko’s place. She had been so sure of her plans when she’d set

 everything in motion years before. But now after all that she had

 endured, she was having second thoughts. It wasn’t fair that she was

 supposed to be alone. That she was only here for a very specific

 purpose. And the most painful part of it all was that she had brought

 it all upon herself. 

 	“Tomoyo-chan... I miss you.” Long fingers wiped at the tears

 building in her eyes behind the glasses. It was a bad idea to come

 back. She should have known she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Why

 had she come after all? Because she had to see her again. But

 watching her in the arms of the other girl, dying, was just too much

 to bear. A mournful sigh escaped her lips. This was stupid. She never

 should have come. Standing on the branch she had been sitting on,

 long wings unfurled from her back. “Sleep well, Tomoyo. I’m sorry for

 hurting you.” Blowing a kiss through the window, she got ready to

 push off when Kumiko turned around. Her heart skipped a beat. No, she

 hadn’t noticed her. Her magic was still shrouding her. There was

 nothing to worry about. Then their eyes locked.

 	

 	Kumiko stared wide eyed at the red haired angel floating outside

 the window. An uneasy feeling had been building in her chest for the

 past few minutes and it had just reached a deafening crescendo. Her

 instincts had finally taken over at the feeling of being watched. But

 she certainly hadn’t been expecting that. Kumiko had led a rather

 normal life for the short time she had been alive. Nothing stranger

 than a slightly eccentric girlfriend. But now there were videotapes

 of long dead girls and deja vu from some past life and strange

 feelings she couldn’t pinpoint. And now this. Her heart seized up at

 the sight, as if her mind wanted to deny the very existence of this

 girl. ‘No, she’s not there! Ignore her! Pretend that you’ve never

 seen her and everything will go back to normal,’ her mind screamed to

 her. And part of her knew that it was true. Everything could be the

 way it used to be. All of this craziness could be forgotten. But as

 she watched the girl outside her window, she found herself being

 drawn closer. The angel knew. She knew all about what was going on.

 And Kumiko needed answers. She bolted to the window. 

 	The angel could easily have flown away by now, but she stayed where

 she was, perched atop the branch and peering in. Her eyes followed

 Kumiko’s every movement. The large, white wings moved ever so

 slightly behind her as she shifted her balance. “You weren’t supposed

 to see me, Kumiko. You weren’t supposed to see any of this. I should

 make you forget about all of it.” Her voice was calm, even. Her eyes

 narrowed through the glasses, giving her a slightly menacing look. 

 	The whole thing sent a shiver through Kumiko. She knew that the

 angel in the tree could very well back up her claim. “Who are you?

 What’s going on? Why is all of this happening?” she asked, heedless

 of whatever danger she was putting herself in. It didn’t matter. She

 couldn’t sit back while all of this washed over her. The only girl

 she had ever loved lay dying in her bed and she was still so confused

 about everything. And the firey haired angel was the key to it all. 

 	The angel looked back at Kumiko through her glasses, lavender eyes

 meeting violet in an intense stare that neither was willing to back

 down from. The angel finally sighed, shifting to the side as her

 wings stretched out behind her. “Kumiko-chan, you really aren’t ready

 for any of this. Just go back inside and hold onto Megumi tightly.

 Love her. Hold her. Comfort her. That is why you exist.” 

 	“So I can watch her die?!” Kumiko shouted, rage burning in her

 heart. Her hands shook as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

 Her violet eyes were ablaze with the pain and anger that clung to her

 heart like needles. “I exist so that I can watch my only love slip

 away from me?! So that I can be there for her while she dies so

 young?” Hot tears fell past her chin as she shook her head intensely.

 “No!! That’s not it!! That’s not how things are supposed to work!”

 	The angel’s beautiful face turned cross as she flew up next to the

 window in one long, graceful movement. The wings beat slowly,

 luxioriously as she remained aloft in front of the startled brunette.

 “Will you please be quiet? You’re going to worry Tomoyo-chan. She

 needs her sleep right now.“ Closing her eyes, she chanted something

 under her breath before motioning with her hand. 

 	Kumiko watched in shock as a gentle blue wave surrounded Megumi

 before fading away. “What the hell did you do to Megumi-chan!?!” she

 demanded furiously. She reached out and grabbed hold of the angel’s

 blouse, holding on tightly.  “You leave her alone!!”

 	The angel just watched Kumiko for a silent moment, her lavender

 eyes betraying a deep loneliness in her heart. “I was simply putting

 her to sleep. She’s in enough pain as it is. Now she’s dreaming, far

 away from the pain. She doesn’t need you waking her up and

 frightening her about all of this. All she wants is to be with you.

 Don’t you understand? That’s all she ever wanted. And that‘s what I

 gave her.”

 	Kumiko’s hands fell uselessly to her sides as she took a half step

 backwards. “You... You planned all of this... You know what’s going

 on, don’t you..? So, you know all about the videotape and the

 memories and everything... Right?” The angel nodded slowly,

 thoughtfully. “Then... Then you have to tell me! I need to know

 what’s happening!! I have to!” She asked anxiously, her eyes welling

 up as she collapsed against the window sill, barely supporting her

 weight on her hands. “Please...?” she asked pathetically, her eyes

 begging the silent angel. “You have to...”

 	Closing her lavender eyes, the angel sighed, shaking her head. “It

 wasn’t supposed to be this way. You weren’t meant to find out. You

 were simply supposed to live your lives, to be happy.” Her eyes

 fluttered open, looking directly into Kumiko’s soul. She could see

 every nuance of the girl before her, everything that made her what

 she was. In a way, it was like looking into a mirror. Of course, her

 life had changed certain things, forcing her to grow up very

 differently than the girl before her.

 	Kumiko waited nervously through the scrutiny she was receiving from

 the angel. It was with some surprise that she realized the angel was

 younger than her. She looked no more than fourteen years old. But

 even then, it still frightened her to see those piercing lavender

 eyes focused so intently on herself. “You said... You said that it’s

 why I exist... What do you mean?” she ventured, hoping that  her

 pleas wouldn’t go unheard this time.

 	Sighing, the angel pushed up her glasses, her red hair moving

 slowly as the wind caressed it. In the blink of an eye, she

 disappeared, Sakura blossoms floating gently to the grass below.

 	“No! No! Come back!! Please come back!!! There’s so much I need to

 know!” Verging on panic, Kumiko leaned out the window and called

 again and again for the firey haired angel. A tap on her back

 startled her, almost to the point of falling out the window. Her

 heart pounded in her chest in shock as she finally turned around. The

 angel stood before her without a trace of her beautiful wings. Kumiko

 blushed in embarrassment, staring at the floor. “I thought that you’d

 left...” she admitted sheepishly. 

 	To the brunette’s amazement, the angel smiled softly. “Don’t worry.

 I probably would have done the same. Which is why I know that I can’t

 leave. You can’t hide from the truth, even if it is safer that way.

 You would continue relentlessly pursuing it until it finally consumed

 you.”

 	“You make that sound like a bad thing to be a little determined now

 and then,” Kumiko said, frowning as she crossed her arms. This girl

 knew all the right buttons to push.

 	“It can be. Especially when others are trying to protect you from

 the truth. You don’t understand how brutal it can be.” The angel

 looked over at the blonde asleep in the bed. “But you’re beginning to

 get a taste.” Her glasses glinted in the sunlight as she turned

 around. “My name is Meishi. I am the reincarnation of the sorceress

 Sakura Daidouji.” She smiled again, gesturing to the mirror. 

 	Kumiko’s eyes traveled quickly to it. Rather than the firey haired

 angel, the girl Kumiko had seen on the computer earlier that day took

 her place. She looked to be about the same fourteen years as the

 angel. Confusion gripped her heart as she tried to make sense out of

 what was going on. “But I thought... I thought that I was Sakura,”

 she said quietly, her voice no more than a ghost. Wasn’t that what

 her memories were telling her? What she had seen in the video? Wasn’t

 she that girl?

 	“You are a dream. Born from my love for the girl that you know as

 Megumi. You are here to love her always, to be with her throughout

 all her life. That is your lot in life. And I would give anything to

 trade places with you.” Her small body shuddered almost imperceptibly

 as she closed her eyes. When they opened, her lavender eyes shimmered

 with unshed tears. Kumiko couldn‘t utter a word in response. A dream?

 She was only a dream? Some sort of puppet? “I knew that one day I

 would have to set things in motion, that I would need to return to

 finish what started with the Cards. But I also knew how difficult

 that would be. I knew that I couldn’t leave Tomoyo behind. She means

 everything to me. But I didn’t want to get her caught up in what I

 needed to do. Too often she was nearly hurt because of my

 carelessness. Her heart suffered the worst because of me. I wasn’t

 going to let that happen again.” She took the brunette’s hands and

 pulled her gently closer until they were both in front of the mirror.

 To Kumiko’s surprise, neither were present in the mirror. There were

 instead two Sakura’s standing there, in the same positions that she

 was in with Meishi. “So I created you to take care of her, to love

 her, to be with her while I handled the magical side of things. It’s

 something that I’ve come to regret now.” Her eyes once again settled

 on the peacefully sleeping form of the blonde girl. “I never expected

 her to get sick. I didn’t think she would die like this.”

 	As if snapping out of a trance, Kumiko took a step forward. She

 couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So even though she’s your

 Tomoyo, you’re still going to let her die? With all the magic at your

 command, your not even going to try and save her life?” All the fear

 and worry that had entered her heart at the mention that she was

 created of a dream for Sakura’s purposes dissipated in an instant as

 fury returned. “How could you say you love her if you aren’t willing

 to do anything for her? How could you stick her with a dream and then

 leave her to die?” Her voice was frantic, pained, but she forced out

 the words.

 	Meishi slumped to her knees at Megumi’s bedside, holding her pale

 hand tightly. Kumiko’s brazen words had cut her deeper than any knife

 could. “You don’t understand. I’m the one who brought her back. My

 magic is too strong. I can’t die. Not completely. But Tomoyo-chan...

 She can die. She did die. So I brought her back. I reincarnated her.

 Because I got scared. I couldn’t bear to be without her. She’s always

 been there for me. Without her love and support, I’m nothing. I

 couldn’t go on if she wasn’t there. So when I died and was

 reincarnated, I brought her with me. I didn’t let her move on. I took

 her with me. It was selfish. I came back in two bodies. This one,”

 her free hand indicated herself before motioning towards Kumiko. “And

 that one. You were supposed to find Tomoyo-chan’s soul in whichever

 body it wound up in so that we could be together once more. I was

 supposed to put everything in order with the Cards. But Tomoyo... She

 came back in this body, but now it’s dying. I have to wonder if it’s

 my fault. If she wasn’t meant to come back like this. I used my magic

 to bind her here, to bring her back to life. She wasn’t allowed to

 move on. Because I couldn’t go on without Tomoyo-chan...” Tears fell

 down from under her glasses as she watched the sleeping girl

 intently. “So now she’s hurting because of me. Now she’s dying all

 over again because of my selfishness. So I can’t try and make her

 better. Part of me wonders if I should let her live in such pain.”

 	“No!!” Kumiko shouted, reaching Megumi’s side in seconds. “I won’t

 let you take her away form me! I know she’s in pain, but I...” Her

 voice trailed off as it hit her. She was saying the exact same thing.

 “I... need her...” she whispered, her eyes still wide. “I’m... I’m

 doing the same thing... I’m hurting her, too...”

 	“Because we’re the same,” the red haired girl finished.  “You can’t

 live without her anymore than I could. The thought of going on

 without Tomoyo-chan by your side doesn’t make any sense. It’s like a

 world without love or without air. It would be completely desolate.

 Her heart warms you up that way, brightening everything in your life

 to the point that you take her wonderful light for granted, not

 seeing just how wonderful she makes it. Her love and support keep you

 going when you would rather give up in defeat. It’s just the way she

 is. Just as it’s the way we are to need her.” She sighed, looking

 infinitely older than the young girl that rested against the side of

 the bed. “If I end her pain, I would send you along with her.” She

 shook her head quickly at the look Kumiko gave her. “You wouldn’t

 want to live without her. Trust me. The last fourteen years have been

 like a nightmare. My only happiness was knowing that the two of you

 were out here. Besides, I wouldn’t want Tomoyo-chan to be lonely on

 the other side.”

 	A cold chill traveled up Kumiko’s spine at Meishi’s words. Despite

 her confusion and her own fear of seeing Megumi in any more pain, she

 steeled her resolve. “I don’t care. I don’t care if you did make me

 for this reason or if you screwed up when you brought Megumi back. I

 won’t let you take her from me. She’s here now. That’s what matters.

 I won’t let you or anyone else take her away from me. I love her too

 much.” Determination glittered in her violet eyes, her gaze never

 wavering as the sorceress looked back at her.

 	Giggling softly, Meishi stood up. “I’d almost forgotten what that

 looked like. You really do have all of her love and support, don’t

 you? I remember that determination from long ago. It took me a long

 time to understand that she was the cause.” Her fingers trailed

 gently along Megumi’s pale cheek before brushing back some of her

 curly blonde hair. Her heart seized up as she looked down at the

 sleeping girl. “Oh, Tomoyo-chan... I miss you so much...” A half sob,

 half sigh escaped her lips. Her head nodded weakly. “All right. I’ll

 leave her with you. But you better make sure that she’s happy. She’s

 already in enough pain. I want her to die happily.”

 	“But... I don’t want her to die...” Kumiko whispered. She silently

 berated herself. Her vision blurred as burning tears stung her eyes.

 She clenched her fingernails into her palms in an effort to focus

 past the tears. Meishi was right, the thought of living a life

 without Megumi was a bleak as walking through an endless desert.

 Megumi was her best friend, the girl that she loved. They were

 partners. Neither was complete without the other. 

 	“I don’t want her to, either. Please take good care of her for me.”

 Hesitating for only a second, Meishi leaned down and kissed the

 sleeping beauty, her firey red hair kissing Megumi’s beautiful blonde

 hair. Her heart surged as she felt Tomoyo in the all too brief kiss.

 She smiled sadly down at her love, her fingers trailing gently over 

 the blonde’s cheek as aquamarine eyes slowly blinked open. 

 	Megumi strained to make out the blur in front of her as she finally

 woke up. “Kumi?” her groggy voice asked. As her vision slowly

 cleared, the figure that had been above her faded away. If she didn’t

 feel so sick, she may have thought there had been someone over her a

 moment before. “Kumi-chan?” she asked tiredly, trying to keep the

 panic out of her voice as she searched desperately for the brunette.

 	“I’m right here!” Kumiko said quickly, taking Megumi’s cold hand as

 she sat next to her on the bed. The jealousy she had felt when the

 sorceress had kissed her best friend quickly faded away, replaced

 with concern for her slowly awakening friend. “I’m right here, Megumi-

 chan. I’ll always be right here for you.” She still didn’t know quite

 what was going on with Meishi or what she had in mind, but that

 hardly mattered at the moment. It didn’t even matter if she was

 Sakura or just a dream. All that mattered was her best friend and

 what lay before her.

 	Megumi offered a weak smile before coughing  for a few moments. “I

 know, Kumi. It’s part of why I love you so much.” She didn’t know

 what had happened, but at least Kumiko wasn’t mad at her anymore. She

 didn’t know how much more of that she could have taken before just

 dying of a broken heart. Wet, cold tears splattered against her

 cheeks from up above. Her arms wrapped around the brunette’s waist,

 even though they felt like overcooked noodles. 

 	Leaning down on top of her best friend, Kumiko kissed Megumi softly

 again and again, sobbing quietly as she did. “I love you so much...

 I’ll always love you... I promise... I promise we’ll always be

 together... No matter where we are...” she whispered, giving Megumi’s

 lips more feathery kisses.

 	“I know... I know, Kumi. Always.”