Hey! This isn't Hidden Beneath right now, because she can't access on her computer... but anyway it's her cousin posting the story up for her. I helped edit it, so go read my stuff (pen name 'jumpofflove') haha just kidding.
One-Shot,
SS
Je
Crois en Toi (I Believe in You)
"And here we are, Room 509, the room that holds the most well-known patient for us, the staff of Tomoeda Hospital; the patient known as Silent Scrooge." The elder woman announced playfully, a dancing gleam in her eyes. However, look deeper and they held insightful knowledge; as if she knew a secret nobody else did.
The trainee in front of her giggled in amusement at her mentor's antics.
"Silent Scrooge?" the raven-haired adult asked.
"A nickname, obviously. His real name, however, is Syaoran Li." Seeing the quizzical look on the young one's face the elder sighed and turned to the girl with a sad smile "…you'll see for yourself Madoka."
"Mrs. Hiiragizawa?"
"Come along now dear."
The veteran opened the door and entered the room, Madoka not far behind; what they both entered to was the sound of a beautiful song.
Lonely
The
path you have chosen
A
restless road
No
turning back
One
day you
Will
find your light again
Don't
you know
Don't
let go
Be
strong
In the middle of the white-walled room, sitting up under the blankets of the bed, lay and elderly man with grey hair and whose eyes were closed; listening intently to the music that enchanted his ears. He looked so peaceful, so tranquil.
Both the nurses quietly walked over to their patient. The music suddenly cut off abruptly, and while Mrs. Hiiragizawa continued on with the check-up Madoka stood still, her eyes widened when the man opened his eyes to stare at the new occupants of the room.
'What happened?'
The man she saw only a minute ago, the one who looked pure, untouched by anything in the world, the one who had lines in his face indicating so much happiness and laughter; he was completely gone…vanished without a single hint that he was ever there.
In his place was a weary old man whose eyes looked so dead, so empty; nothing was there. His amber eyes looked so monotonous, dreary…cold. And Madoka could feel it clenching at her heart; the pain of this one single man made her feel that death itself seemed more inviting.
"Mr. Li, let me introduce you to a new addition to our staff. Her name is Madoka Suzuki." Mrs. Hiiragizawa introduced as she gently pushed Madoka forward.
"It's a pleasure sir." The adult responded, bowing slightly. Madoka looked up and the elder man gave her a slight nod of recognition. He then held the controls to the stereo in his hand and played the same song. Then the man closed his eyes and lay his head down on the pillow, pulling his blanket further to cover his body. He closed his eyes and journeyed into the blissful profound universe within his subconscious.
----------
"What happened?" Madoka mumbled as she closed the door silently.
"Sorry dear, I couldn't hear you clearly. Speak up and tell this poor old soul what's on your mind." The indigo-eyed nurse said.
"What happened to him, Mrs. Hiiragizawa?" she asked again.
Her mentor sighed, "There are many stories about Mr. Li that are told within this hospital. You must understand that he's lived for very long…and it isn't my right to tell someone else's story."
"But I want to know the one you believe in. I beg your pardon, Miss, and I'm sorry for being rude but you seem to want to let this story out, to tell people the real truth."
Looking out one of the many windows in the hallway she watched as the sky held kaleidoscopes of orange and purple overtake each other, as if a battle were feuding.
"That I do…" she said sighing and turned her head towards Madoka's direction, "…and it started on a sunset much like this one…"
----------
Eyes suddenly opened, seeing an aged white ceiling, running with yellow cracks. He sat up almost instantly; the sight that met him was of a young, attractive man who seemed so carefree…the prospect of how he used to be.
With the back of his hand he rubbed his still-sleepy eyes and threw the soft blankets aside. He brushed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger as he walked along a hallway and entered a familiar room. With a sigh the pressure on his eyes disappeared and both his arms lay at his sides.
Then…right there…he saw her…sitting on her favorite chair with a small blanket lying over her thighs. Her long, flowing auburn hair surrounded her soft face, which yielded the shining, mirthful emerald pools he so painfully missed. She was right there…in front of him…just like she always was in the past.
It was unmistakable, uncanny even. It was definitely her…the Sakura who he had shared the happiest moments of his childhood with…the Sakura he grew to love, then left to fulfill his dream…the Sakura whom he had almost lost to another man, then had won over again…and the same Sakura he married, whom he promised everlasting love to…and kept by his word.
Yet it was this Sakura he had seen every single day, years later, on a hospital bed, slowly wasting away…leaving him bit by bit …creating an empty shell that was once considered a human being. Her death had made him a living corpse. It clouded his entire world and although the tears he had shed from his eyes had long since dried …it continued to pour within his soul; the warmth he had once felt was washed away and the biting cold was all he could feel.
"Follow
your heart
Let
your love lead through the darkness
Back
to a place you once knew
I
believe, I believe, I believe
In
you"
All his senses suddenly snapped back to attention as he heard his angel's voice singing a verse from her favorite song. Her eyes were closed and her hands clasped in front of her chest. Turning her head, she looked right at him causing his breath to hitch and his heart to stop…all because of her majestic eyes. The deep emerald eyes that had illuminated so brightly even if all that engulfed her being was agony and affliction, even if all hope seemed to have been obliterated. This was exactly how he found her the night she—
"It is no use remembering that which has already passed. Why are you hurting so much, Syaoran?"
The amber-eyed man walked towards her, his every step took an aching eternity. Extending his hand, he slowly…gently…started to caress her, his thumb softly running over all her features; and he realized, he still memorized her…every dip, every line, every area…
"Syaoran?"
"Oh God, Sakura…" he said kneeling in front of her; staring, afraid that if he so much as blinked he's lose her again. "I missed you so much, love, why'd you have to leave me?"
Then, the beauty before him laughed...and seeing just that made him smile like he used to, as if the warmth of tenderness and affection had come back to him.
"Sweetie, I don't know what you're talking about…" Her laughter ceased while her eyes softened, "…you must be mistaken--"
"Sa--"
She quickly shushed him with her finger atop his lips; her mouth continued to move… yet no sound emanated.
But he understood…he understood completely. After all he'd been through; all the loneliness, grief and suffering…everything was finally going to be alright.
A drop of crystal blue -- containing all that had once suffocated his heart, escaped from the corners of his eyes … and Syaoran did what he hadn't done since, he felt, was a lifetime ago…
He wept.
----------
Syaoran…
I never left you…
Fin
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