A/N: Dear Readers, this is my 1st Sasame/Takako fanfic. I see this couple as doomed lovers, and in my current state of gloominess I remembered that I wrote something like this for a magazine. I thought it's perfect for Pretear, after a few tweaking here and there. It's post Pretear, different scenario, slightly OOC with OCs and one-shot. As always, thank you for reviewing and I hope you've enjoyed reading it, as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
I stood from afar, watching the funeral's progression. I stared unblinkingly at the mahogany casket as it was being lowered into its final resting place. In it laid, the love of my life, Takako. I realised that my cheeks were wet with tears. I sighed, clutching my chest. My heart throbbed painfully. I wished that things could be different. Father Asashi read the last rites and my eyes misted again as my mind traveled back in time to the unfortunate day of the accident.
I knew it was the intervention of Fate and Mother Nature to balance the wrongful deeds done to this world. As a revived Leafe Knight, my life was spared so was Takako's by the White Pretear, Himeno's pure heart. Yet, we knew it wouldn't last long. Fate was cruel towards those who've done a most grievous wrong, no matter how they've repented.
It was a sealed dealing that once a Pretear or Knight swayed to the other side there would not be any more chances. Once you have betrayed the pureness of your own heart, no matter the reasons even if those reasons were born out of goodwill, once you've surrendered to darkness, you have forfeited your lives. The tiny spots of darkness were parasites that fed on negative emotions that still resided in our hearts that couldn't be eliminated entirely by the White Pretear would in time grow again.
It was only just that Mother Nature was also as severe in executing punishments to those who've broken the Law of Nature. With their combined strengths, we were at their merciless grasp. As a Leafe Knight, my powers of sound that was once powerful were no match for their wrath. A tinkle to the life weavers under Fate's command with Nature hot in pursuit changed our lives forever.
"Look out!" Takako screamed, her eyes widened in panic as her hand gripped the dashboard. She was staring at the petrol tanker, which had skidded from the other side of the road, as two of its tyres burst. It roared past the divider on the North-South highway.
Then, flipped over about five or six times before it landed hard on the highway. There was a tremendous screeching friction and sparks flew from beneath the trailer as it skidded towards us. Everything happened so fast! Before I could brake and jump out with Takako doing the same, I could feel the weight of the trailer hitting the passenger's side. I could feel the whole car turning upside down and cracking as though it was in a compactor. As the windscreen exploded, little shards of glass flew right into my eyes.
"Ahhh!!" My vision blurred, my eyes smarted painfully, and my cheeks were wet with tears of pain, sweat and blood from my injured eyes. I nearly fainted but shook my head to clear the blackess out of my mind. My hands fumbled for my lover, "Takako…" My hands touched a limp shoulder and I shook it, "Takako…" There was no response.
With eyes shut, my hand searched. I found the side of her neck and searched for pulse. It was pulsating, but very slowly. And I could feel the icky wetness of blood on her face and head. It could mean that she had hit her head very hard on the dashboard, or the side of her head must have hit the car window because my fingers were cut by the shards embedded at the side of her face. Takako, my heart cried, please be strong… I'm with you so stay with me.
Then, I detected the smell of petrol but wasn't sure whether it dripping was from our car or from the trailer. Must get out of here, my mind rumbled on. I struggled out of the wrecked car window. My hands and body were covered with blood and grime. My eyes were stinging as I felt the glass shards cut the upper layers of my eyes. I knew then in my heart that my eyes were damaged. I clambered my way round to the passenger side, groping for Takako. I touched her hair.
"I don't know how…" I whispered to the unconscious Takako with grim determination, "but I'm going to get you out of here."
Suddenly, I heard the crackling of fire and coughed as fumes surrounded me. I didn't have much time left. I quickly held Takako under the armpits and pulled her out of the wreckage. As I heaved her to a clearing, I could sense that the trailer was fully ablaze, with my powers locked by Mother Nature, I could do nothing. I could feel the intense heat as the petrol trailing to our wrecked car caught on fire. Then there was a terrible explosion. I threw myself over Takako, as burning metal flew over us.
The burning metal seared my T-shirt and burnt my skin. And my blurry vision suddenly became pitch black as I fainted on top of Takako. But now, on the day of her funeral I am brought back to reality by a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned around and gazed upon the remorseful face of a middle-aged woman, Takako's mother. I didn't know what to say to her. No words of consolation could I contrive in that very moment. My head hung in sadness and I lowered my eyes as tears began to well.
Her hand still on my shoulder, "Though I've lost her, and thought of a thousand ways to have been a better parent to her yet…" She sighed then she held my hands with hers, "I'm proud of you, Sasame. It took a lot of gumption to do what you did." She smiled at me. "You saved Takako and brought her back to us. For that I thank you."
"But, not like this." I choked, but she shook her head and glanced heavenward reminding me of a much higher authority who'd already decided our future.
"Takako will always be with you, Sasame," She said as she nodded approvingly and looked at me straight in the eyes – the beautiful green eyes that had once belonged to her daughter, but was now transplanted into me replacing my damaged eyes. "Because you have her eyes." She then left me staring at Takako's burial ground.
Her eyes. I didn't want them. It was all right for me to be blind. What was the point of me having her eyes? I wanted her to be alive. I wanted her to be with me. Nothing meant anything to me now that she was gone from my life. I knew deep down the punishment from Fate was Takako's death. Takako was a former Pretear and had turned into the Princess of Disaster. Due to her negative emotions, it had weakened her in defeating her own demons. She had succumbed to the lure of the darkness within her.
Her fate was sealed to die in any way that fitted her abominable crimes at the hands of Fate. Mine would soon come. Since I was a Leafe Knight sworn to protect the current Pretear but had abandoned my post for Takako's sake, my punishment would come from Mother Nature. I clutched my chest because it felt tight. My heart was pounding erratically. I coughed, and looked at my hanky. Blood. I smiled sadly. Her law was just, as a traitor, an invisible thorn was placed at a strategic hidden part somewhere near my heart.
It would strike at any time, any day and anywhere. As it was I bled internally and was slowly dying. It would be a slow agonizing death for me, as each prick acted as a clear means of diminishing the parasidic darkness in my heart. At the same time, diminishing my life force. Such were the law to balance the anomaly plaguing nature. But I would leave this world with no regrets. In my heart, a rose of hope and happiness bloomed. Soon, my love, I would be with you.