| Epilogue: Eriol sat up in his armchair, tons and tons of visions flying through his mind. A soft voice whispered in his mind, sounding remarkably much like his. My present to you. So that it never happens again… And he suddenly saw. Everything. Everything that shouldn't have happened but that had. To his counterpart, in a dream. He blinked, memories flying through his head and he couldn't catch them, not really, but he knew they would come again, when he least expected it. He watched as much as he could, experiencing the emotion and the utter sorrow of that dream world. "You don't have to say it, I know." "You don't know. You don't know what I feel for you because I never told you. Because I didn't want to ever be happy again and you always made me happy. Always. Half the time I didn't know whether to love you because you wanted to love me, or turn you away because you had no right to do so. And now, I don't want you to go. I'm scared to let you go." "You never held on. And I wanted you to, so badly." "I'm holding on now. I'm holding on now, Eriol, don't you feel me? Please don't let go now. Not now. Eriol…" "I have to let go." "Not yet. Not until we part. Not until then. I want to stay with you until I can't anymore." Eriol blinked, trying to understand, trying to place the other voice and only then recognizing it. Only then understanding that this was trying to tell him something. "I love you." With a start he rose from his armchair, looking around. What was this? "Tomoyo-san?" His voice came again, in his ear, bouncing around his head. "Be happy." And then, just as simple as that the voice was gone as was the strange presence he hadn't realized he had been feeling until it had gone. He inhaled shakily and reexamined all the new memories in his head. And only then did he lunge toward his front hallway, taking hold of his jacket on his way out of the house. Tomoyo opened her front door, eyes wide. "Eriol-kun?" she asked in surprise and she squeaked as he suddenly embraced her, his breathing labored in her ear. "I didn't know. I didn't know," he was murmuring. "Nani?" she asked and she pulled back a bit, hands lifting to his face. "Eriol, what is it? Calm down, what's wrong?" He gazed at her from inches away, trying to control his breathing. And then he suddenly didn't care, just as long as he didn't delay anymore. Delay the way he had in his dream. "I love you." Tomoyo stared at him, a deep crimson blush staining her cheeks. He knew what she was going to say. It was too early in the relationship to be saying that, he didn't know what he was thinking. He had been drinking perhaps? She was going to ask him to breathe again so that she could sniff for alcohol on his breath… "I love you, too." They both froze as she said it, both staring at each other. And then Tomoyo ducked her head, utterly and totally embarrassed but smiling nonetheless. Eriol didn't care. With an identical smile on his face he swept her back into his arms, practically twirling her around. "Eriol!" And he silenced her protest with a kiss. Sakura looked down at Syaoran's hand, fingers intertwined with hers. His engagement band shone on his finger in the red-gold of the sunset. She lifted her own hand, trying to make the gesture unnoticeable. Her own band also shone, reflecting the gleam of the evening star. She gazed at it for a long moment, fingers trembling the slightest bit. Syaoran's lips pressed to her cheek in a slow, tender kiss and she looked at him, turning her head in his direction. He smiled at her faintly, fingers massaging hers. "What is it?" he asked her quietly, shifting a bit on the park bench. She blinked, wide-eyed, and then shook her head, smiling back in embarrassment. "Iie. It's nothing," she murmured. He tilted his head, eyebrows drawing together. "It's about the battle. With our…future selves," he stated slowly, fingers tightening on hers. She shook her head again. "No-" "Yes," he cut her off and he leaned closer, drawing her near. "Yes, it is about that," he continued in that same gentle tone. He pulled on her, voice lowering. "It's about what happened between you and me. In a future that shouldn't have existed." She realized she was still disagreeing with him, motioning with her head. His hand caught her face, stopping her in mid-shake. "Yes," he declared and he let his thumb run over her cheek. "You're scared, still." She stared at him, looked into those eyes and she couldn't have lied to him about anything. She doubted she ever could have, much less have turned on him. Her lips trembled for a moment and he saddened instantly, fingers moving to her mouth. "Don't do that. Not that look. You scare me with that look." Sakura smiled half-heartedly at him. "I don't understand how it can happen, Syaoran. How I can ever hate you. Even if we weren't together, even if you were betrothed to someone else, I don't know if I could ever hate you." He gazed at her, eyes widening slowly. And for a moment he didn't say anything, lips parting but no words coming out. "We have so little time," she whispered. "So little time and so much to do." His expression wavered the slightest bit and he looked down at their hands still intertwined. Absentmindedly, the fingers of his other hand brushed over her cheek, tracing circles. And then he suddenly straightened, taking hold of both her hands and looking up at her as he rose from the bench to kneel before her. She followed his movements with her eyes, her own slowly growing bigger. "Marry me. Marry me now. Forget the wedding, forget the whole thing. A year is too long to wait," he whispered urgently, fingers so tight she feared he would break her bones. "Marry me now, this very minute." "Syaoran-" she gasped. He gazed up at her, jaw tight. "You said it yourself. We have so little time. So much to do." He shook his head. "I want to do all those things with you. I never want to be apart from you because…because I can't comprehend not being with you. I can't even think of what life would be like without you much less actually live a life like that. I can't." Sakura stared at him, struck dumb. And as he continued to gaze at her, her expression softened and she managed to pull her hands free, lifting them to cup his face tenderly. "Syaoran," she murmured, and she leaned forward, leaving a lingering kiss on his smooth forehead, "We have so little time, yes. But what matters is what we do with that time. Who we spend it with. Who we share it with. If we only had tomorrow, then yes, I would marry you today. Because I would be leaving this world with you. But there are so many other people we have to share the time with." She pulled back to look at him once more, fingers pushing away unruly brown hair and running over the fine lines of his face. "I'm only getting married once, Syaoran. That one time is with you. And I'm not going anywhere anymore. Not anymore." Syaoran gazed at her, as if seeing her for the first time. His eyes scanned every detail of her face, memorizing and storing away. "I think about it, also," he murmured. "About the life I would have led had we not been saved." He shook his head. "I die only thinking about it. Thinking you were dead somewhere, leaving me behind." Sakura nodded slowly, face mournful. "But unlike that life, we're going to be together in this one. Always." He nodded firmly. "Always." She smiled at him sweetly, caressing his face. And she leaned forward the rest of the way, dropping a soft kiss against his mouth. He rose the rest of the way to meet the kiss, hands cupping her knees. "Syaoran!" For a moment they stiffened in that exact spot, lips pressed together. Then, as the cry came again, "Syaoran! Where are you?" Sakura recoiled as if struck by lightning, eyes widening. "Oh, no," she whispered. Syaoran was already up off his knees, taking hold of her hand and yanking her to her feet. "Run!" he hissed as he pulled her along. And Meilin came out into the clearing, looking around the empty park with her hands on her hips. "Syaoran! I know you're here with her!" she shouted, feigning anger. "The least you could do is pick me up at the airport!" From behind a tree Sakura looked at him in disbelief. "You didn't!" she gasped, a faint smile curling her lips as he laughed silently. "You forgot?" "I did," he nodded. But a moment later she didn't care because he pulled her close again and kissed her, a long, breathtaking kiss. "Syaoran! Grr, when I find him-" And they laughed quietly, lost in each other's arms. FIN The song lyrics above are from a song called Everything by Lifehouse. Very slow at first. Very cool. ;) -Aeslinn |
| 'Cause you're all I want, you're all I need, You're everything, Everything How can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be Any better than this? |
| All images and works done/altered by ShiNoFuriko and TasogareBan. Please do not steal and always give credit to where it is due. |