Until I Love
Created by: Yukimi Takiro
Prologue: Black Star, Old Memories
It was nearly dark when 14 year old Sakura Kinomoto arrived at home. She opened the door to her house. As usual her father was on a business trip and Touya Kinomoto was in College. Sakura was home alone although her father protested many times. Sakura got the door open, closed it and locked it tight. Her father told her to do that everyday he was gone only because he cared about her. As she was taking off her shoes the phone rang.
"I wonder who it is?" she thought. She slipped into her slippers and picked up the receiver.
"Hello this is the Kinomoto Residence. Sakura Kinomoto specking."
"Sakura Kinomoto, Mistress of the cards........your time is up."
"Who is this?"
"Just a thing in the past."
After that the phone was dropped and Sakura turned around instantly only to be shot with a dark arrow. Her screams echoed through out the house and she collapsed onto the ground.
Kero stopped his video games and stared at the door.
"SAKURA!" he shouted. He transformed and flew quickly towards Sakura. When he arrived he got in between a cloaked person and Sakura. "Who are you?!"
"Only just....a memory," he hissed. He laughed evilly and vanished in an instant. Kerberous turned around to face Sakura. The arrow seemed to have disappeared and no blood was seen. Kerberous widened his eyes as a small jewel flouted above Sakura's body.
"Is....this what he wanted? But......what is it?" he said to himself. The jewel then transformed into a bright light and vanished inside Sakura. But, why wasn't she waking up? "SAKURA!"
"Kero! Dad! Onii-chan! Anyone!" shouted out Sakura. She stopped shouting once she found herself in Penguin park. Sakura heard crying, she followed the sound into the forest behind the park only to find a little girl. "Is......that me?"
"What's wrong?" The little girl stopped crying and stared up at the 10 year old boy. He had dark purple eyes, brown hair and a deep voice.
"I....I'm lost," she cried. He held out a hand and she stared at it.
"I'll get you out and home. Come on," he said.
"My daddy told me not to go with strangers.......or talk to strangers," she said as she sniffed lightly. He smiled.
"Then we'll be friends. What's your name little girl?" he asked.
"Sakura.....Sakura Kinomoto," she replied smiling with tears still in her eyes.
"Sakura. I love that name, just like my favorite flower at spring," he said smiling. "My name is Aki Shiro. I just like being called Aki."
"Doesn't Aki mean autumn?" she asked. Aki smiled and nodded. Sakura smiled and grabbed his hand with her tiny hand. She had to only be three years old.
As Sakura watched she started to remember things she had never known before. But, those happy memories were corrupted as she remembered something else. It was raining that day.......a dark day when Aki suddenly vanished out of sight. Little Sakura cried in the rain. Touya suddenly came by and covered her with his umbrella.
"What's wrong Sakura?" he asked. "Why are you out here in the rain for?"
Little Sakura just cried on Touya's shoulder.
"I remember now......he vanished and I was very sad. I must have kept those memories deep inside my heart," whispered Sakura.
Sakura opened her eyes.
"So your finally awake," came a deep voice. Sakura sat up instantly.
"Aki! I missed you so much. Where did you go? You vanished without a word," cried Sakura.
"Sakura......look at your right hand," he said. Sakura didn't know why he said to do it but she looked and what she saw was a outlined star on her hand in black.
"What....what is this?" asked Sakura.
"It's the mark of the dark star. I'm sorry. I have one too and once the whole star is all black then that person is turned into a dark star. It's almost impossible to remove because......it feeds on emotional energy that of fear and anger," he explained as he showed her a black star on his right palm.
"You have one. So that day you vanished.....what you said," whispered Sakura.
"Aki-kun!" shouted out little Sakura. She ran up to Aki and hugged him in the rain.
"Why are you out so late?" he asked. Sakura looked up at him with her large emerald green eyes.
"I wanted to see you Aki-kun. You weren't at home today," she said. Aki looked down at Sakura with sadness.
"Only pain and suffering may come in the far future little Sakura. The agony of reality is cold and dark. All people have their own fantasy world, only can ones self brake away from that fantasy will their eyes truly see what this world is truly like," he said as he gazed up at the rainy sky. In his eyes was years of suffering, pain, regret and loneliness.
"Aki..........ah!" Aki clutched his chest in agony and fell to his knees. "What's wrong?"
"It's....time for.....me...to....leave this...place," he gasped in short breathes. Sakura cried.
" Aki-kun!" she screamed. Aki kissed Sakura's forehead and slowly started to fade in and out.
"I never regretted it, the day we became friends. I wish you happiness in the days to come, for the future of this world you must also let go," he said with his last breath. Afterwards he vanished and Sakura cried in the rain. She stared up at the sky, rain drops falling upon her face and washing away her tears.
"Why'd you have to go?" she asked.
Sakura hated that memory. It had to come out now. Over maybe 11 years and now.
"How did you get that mark?" she asked.
" Before I met you Sakura. A man covered by a thick black cloak pierced my heart with an arrow. Dark arrows," he replied. He pulled from out of his jacket a small pitch black arrow that grew to a normal sized arrow. " These arrows can only work by piercing the heart of a person but, that person must have experienced much pain and sorrow. Once all the star is all black then your heart becomes cold like darkness."
He crushed the arrow and stared at Sakura.
"Aki-kun. You've suffered so much. I feel your pain. Your eyes are always so distant and filled with sorrow, suffering, pain and even regret," she said. Aki kissed her forehead and looked deep into her eyes.
"For this world's future, you must leave him, you must let go."
Sakura awoke to the morning light. It shone upon the bed she laid in. Then a yellow animal with wings came up to her and smiled and so did Tomoyo.
"You okay, Sakura?" asked Kero.
"You were out all night," said Tomoyo. Sakura sat up in bed.
"I.........was it a dream?" asked Sakura. She turned her right hand over and saw something flash. Sakura widened her eyes.
"What's wrong? Is it your hand?" asked Tomoyo.
"Sakura...," said Kero.
"They...can't see it? It wasn't a dream," Sakura thought." Aki-kun!"
To Be Continued..............
Next time on Until I Love.......
The star upon Sakura's hand isn't visible to people except Aki who from time to time comes and visits Sakura in her dream. An unexpected long ago childhood friend and love comes back. He tells Sakura that he has no feelings toward her anymore when they were children. Sakura is heartbroken and slowly the star turns blacker and no one but her can see it. What is going on?
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