A/N
~While I was in Japan last month, I watched this (extremely) fluffy biography on TV that just moved my heart. I decided to do a Clora version of this, seeing how there wasn't another couple that I could think of that would fit this scenario.
...and bc there aren't as much Clora fanfictions.
...and bc I'm a Clora shipper.
~This takes place after Unwound Future and after Clive is released from jail (let's say it's been two years since he got out).
~My translations are horrible. Just warning you guys.
I don't own Professor Layton, Clive, or Flora. They belong to Level5.
I don't own this story. This belongs to Shinao and Ruri Saitou.
Please enjoy!
-Hikari R.
Clive Dove had recieved a letter from an unknown address one winter day.
"From... Flora Reinhold?"
"Dear Clive,
How are you doing? It's been a long while since we have kept in contact. Do you remember me? You may be surprised getting a letter from me suddenly. We had met in the Future London you had created. You actually kidnapped me as a bait for Professor Layton to follow you into the mobile fortress...
"Oh yes... I remember her," Clive thought.
"Please read this letter as a responce to your actions. I am still quite cross with you, but I'm glad that you have apologised about destroying London. The Professor and I do forgive you, but we'll see what Luke has to say.
-Flora Reinhold" (1/21/1965 Flora's 1st letter to Clive)
Clive was filled with a strange happiness from an uninhibitedly worded letter. He quickly picked up his pen and a peice of paper and wrote,
"Dear Flora,
As I read your letter, I'm not sure why, but I felt this strange happy feeling inside me. I actually enjoy people who respond to my actions.
I will respond to your letter now: Thank you for your forgiveness. I'm truly sorry for what I have done, and I regret doing such things. What a fool I was at thetime!" (1/28/1965 Clive's first letter to Flora)
Clive continued to write as he pleased. There won't be a response, he thought. But...
"...I don't like people who are very unclear. I also enjoy people who share their thoughts with others...
To a friend in my heart, Clive Dove
From Flora Reinhold" (1/31/1965 Flora's 2nd letter)
The number of letters sent to each other gradually grew, and they always recieved a letter every 4 or 5 days.
"...Don't you think that our way of writing letters to each other is a little different from others? We're complaining to each other; it's almost like we're fighting.
To an important friend in my heart, Flora Reinhold" (2/4/1965 Clive's 2nd letter)
"...My quarrel opponent, I will cry if you tease me too much. The tears of a lady are stronger than potassium cyanide, they say. Let's kindly argue with each other and continue our letter exchanging..." (2/9/1965 Flora's 6th letter)
Clive had always been embarrassed to speak to a woman, but he felt perfectly normal around Flora. He was able to frankly communicate with her. Even if they were nearly 100km away from each other, their friendship continued to grow. And at some point, the boy's feelings for Flora had turned into a love for her.
On the summer of 1967, Clive purchased a ticket for the Molentary Express with the money he had worked long and hard for. Finally, after a 25 hour ride on the express, Clive arrived at London's train station. When he stepped outside of the station, he noticed a familiar figure standing by the entrance.
"...Flora?"
She turned around and faced Clive and smiled. There was Flora Reinhold standing in front of him after 7 long years from the events at "Future London." There was an awkward silence between the two.
"I think I like the real you," Clive finally said.
Flora blushed a little bit and lightly pushed Clive's shoulder before he could complete his sentence.
"She's very cute," Clive murmured to himself.
Clive felt like he was dreaming during his 4 day visit at London. This was his first date he had ever had. He felt happiness he hadn't experienced in a long time when Flora was around him. Sadly, his time at London quickly ended; Clive couldn't tell his feelings for Flora.
"Goodbye," Professor Layton said to Clive as he stepped into the train, "Please, visit us again."
"I will, Professor. Thank you for your hospitallity."
Flora walked up to Clive and handed him a letter.
"What's this?" Clive asked Flora.
"Take care, Clive."
Before they had left the house, Clive had given Flora a letter.
"I love you, Flora. I would like to hear your feelings."
When Clive could no longer see London, he opened the letter and read the words,
"I love you too."
He couldn't believe it. A small love that slowly started. But the distance between them didn't shrink quickly. If the two would call each other, the phone bill would be incredibly expensive. Not only that, but calling a girl in front of your parents was a very difficult and embarrassing thing to do. Even if they had written letters to each other, they would have to wait for a whole week for a reply. Waiting was a pain that they both dreaded. But even the pain of waiting grew their love. At 10:12 PM, the two had promised to look at the stars and think about each other. Even if they couldn't meet each other, their love continued to grow and grow.
"...Are the mufflers warming you up for me?..." (11/21/1967 Flora's 101st letter)
"...Thank you for the white muffler, Flora. I felt very happy when I recieved it. It's like you are always near me, and it encourages me. To be honest, all I can think about is you..." (12/1/1967 Clive's 96th letter)
But this love for each other was about to face a wall that they almost couldn't climb over.
Clive, who had enrolled into a top-class leveled school, had his doubts about his studies. His goal was to become a musician, and as he gained more interest in music, he had to repeat a year. On the other hand, Flora had been chosen to attend a college outside of London. The two were now experiencing a subtle gap between them.
"...I can't quite grasp how you feel. I can't understand what is going on. Right now, you are almost like a white cloud to me. I thought that I was walking along with you, but when I woke up to reality, I realized that I was becoming lonely and tired." (5/9/1969 Flora's 142nd letter)
And one day, when there had been a long pause of communication...
"W-what's this?!"
"Last Friday, I attended a dance party at my college. One of the men at the party asked me to dance with him. My first impression on him was quite well, so I accepted his invitation. I had danced with him until it was late at night." (7/7/1969 Flora's 143th letter)
Clive felt like Flora would go out of his reach.
"Flora,
I don't know how to accept your previous letter. I waited a long time for your letter, but now it makes me sad to read it." (7/8/1969 Clive's 149th letter)
It wasn't impossible. In the 5 years they had exchanged letters, Clive and Flora had only met once. (A/N: This is excluding Unwound Future events.) Flora, now becoming an adult, was too bright for Clive. He wanted to be with Flora right now, but there was a 100km distance between the two.
"...This may sound wierd, but if I develope a love for somebody, I'd like to talk to you about it first..." (7/12/1969 Flora's 146th letter)
"If you are going to write letters to me, I don't think I want you to write about other men. But if you cannot help yourself, I'm sorry to say this, but I would like to put a pause on writing letters to you." (7/29/1969 Clive's 150th letter)
The more the two wrote to each other, the farther away their relationship would become. Finally, the letter from Flora that would determine their relationship's fate had arrived at Clive's flat.
"How am I able to see our relationship become more distant? I don't need to be loved; I only want to love. Maybe we'll be able to meet by chance one day. Until that day, I wish you the best.
Goodbye.
Flora Reinhold."
Their love that had been raised by letters had now been put to a stop. From that day, Clive acted as if he never wrote letters to Flora. He studied hard for his exams and earned an excellent score. He was even able to become a member of a street band.
But Clive could never forget Flora's letters.
"Flora,
Are you well? I can't help myself. No matter what I look at or what I think, I cannot stop thinking about you. You won't go away from my thoughts. I'll go visit you this summer.(5/24/1970 Clive's 152nd letter)
While Clive had been performing, he always wanted to be with Flora. Even without a refply from her, Clive had got on board a train to meet Flora.
I don't care if Flora has a relationship with somebody else.
I just want her to know how I feel.
I can do this.
But his fate was cruel.
"Shit..." Clive cursed to himself, "Why now?!"
The train that Clive boarded on had stopped due to an accident at 5 AM. The appointed time to meet Flora was in 5 hours. Time passed heartlessly. Clive got onto a different tube that would get him to London as quickly as possible. But when he arrived, it had been 3 hours past the promised time. And just when he was about to give up and head back,
"Mr. Clive Dove, please come to the front gate. Miss Flora Reinhold is waiting for you there."
"It couldn't be..." Clive thought, "She waited for 3 hours?!"
As he ran to the front gate, one figure caught his attention.
"Flora...?"
He walked towards her, still in disbelief.
"Why did you wait for so long...?" he asked.
"It's no good," Flora replied, "Others are no good, Clive."
"What do you mean?"
"I... I don't think I can live without you."
"Please don't let go of my hand.
My heart is forever yours." (11/5/1970 Flora's 168th letter)
"I want to meet you.
I always dream about you and me walking along the streets side by side." (11/27/1970 Clive's 175th letter)
Their relationship had changed from a couple-like friendship to the point where they loved each other dearly. But this was when Flora had graduated from her college and started working as a librarian.
"Matchmaking, Professor?"
"Flora, you're nearly 24. You should be-"
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't accept this."
The professor slightly frowned. "Why not, Flora? Give it a try."
"I don't want to do this!" Flora said sternly.
Professor Layton let out a long sigh. He knew exactly what was holding her back.
"It won't happen, Flora."
"Wh-what...?"
"I cannot accept a marriage with Clive."
"I told him, Clive. I told him that I love you. But he said no. He said no because it would mean that I wouldn't be by his side anymore. He likes you too, but he said no." (11/05/1971 Flora's 213rd letter)
But Flora still continued.
"I will be waiting patiently. Even if it takes 2 years or 3, or even more, I'll be waiting if you are telling me to do so." (11/27/1971 Flora's 214th letter)
Flora recieved more and more matchmaking forms. Clive felt like he would lose her again.
"Even when I was in dispair and didn't write back, you still patient. You patiently waited for me to write.
All of your letters are a part of my trousseau." (2/14/1972 Flora's 234th letter)
But Clive could no longer withstand this situation. He made a decision and wrote back,
"I don't think I can have you as my girlfriend any longer.
I'm not asking you to forgive me or to understand me. I have chosen to completely close my heart towards you." (8/17/1972 Clive's 240th letter)
All Clive wanted to do was to pray for the best for Flora.
"If I lose you, I myself will be lost.
I wanted a child, a cotton candy-like child with small hands.
I wanted your child, Clive." (8/23/1972 Flora's 245th letter)
Yet Clive had chosen not to write a reply.
3 years had passed. It was now 1975, and Clive had applied for a job at the bank at his hometown. He worked hard from early morning until late at night. And one day...
*ring ring*
"This is Clive Dove.
...
F-Flora?!"
Flora had suddenly visited Clive from London. She said that she was taking a vacation from work, but that wasn't the only reason she had came.
"When I go back to London, I'm going to a matchmaking ceremony."
"You-... What?"
"The person I'm meeting... He is a great person."
No... Clive thought, Don't say that...
"And... I think I want to marry him."
At daybreak, Flora would go back to London. This meant an eternal farewell. Clive lied down on his bed, thinking about what would happen if Flora was no longer by his side. About what would happen if he could never see her again. About what would happen if she became someone else's.
"Goodbye, Clive," Flora said at Clive's house's entrance, "Take care."
Clive nodded, "You too, Flora," he said, forcing a smile on his face.
Flora grabbed her bags and smiled one last time at Clive. She turned around, waved, and walked away towards the station.
After Clive closed the door, he headed to his room and bumped his forehead against the surface of his desk.
I think I like the real you, Flora...
Others aren't any good...
I... I don't think I can live without you...
When I go back, I'm going to a matchmaking ceremony...
I think I want to marry him...
"No... It can't," Clive murmured, "It can't end this way!"
He slammed his palms against his desk and headed for the door. Clive ran. He ran desperately, not caring how hard the rain was pouring against his body.
When he finally reached the station, only one figure caught his attention.
"Flora!"
He ran towards her, almost tripping against the rows of chairs. Once they were face to face, Flora noticed how soaked Clive was (and how badly she needed a new pair of glasses) and how tired he must have been. She pulled out her hankerchief from her purse.
"What happened? You'll get sick running in the ra-"
Clive pulled her wrist and locked themselves in a tight embrace.
"Marry me," Clive said, "Please marry me, Flora."
Later, Clive and Flora had changed Professor Layton's opinion about Flora's marriage. They recieved his blessing two weeks later. And in March of 1976, the two held a marraige ceremony.
10 days before the marraige, Flora's last letter to Clive was sent along with her trousseau.
"I have recieved a total of 241 letters from you. The marraige ceremony is coming quickly.
I can't express how truly happy I am." (March of 1976 Flora's 250th letter)
Their married life together was wonderful. But their wish of having a child wasn't easily fufilled. But through encouraging each other, 6 years from their marriage, they had their firstborn son and a second son 2 years later. Even with the difficulties of work and raising two children, Clive and Flora were in the midst of happiness. Their loved one and family were with them. That was all that they needed.
26 years later from the marraige, Flora had become sick. When they had visited a doctor, they found a cancer in her. At one point, she had regained her health and was taken out of the hospital. But the cancer quickly came back, spreading throughout her body.
And at 5:00 AM on November 8 of 2003, Flora Reinhold Dove had given up her breath as if she were falling asleep. With 600 letters (109 which were seasonal cards) sent in 11 years, they met, separated, and loved each other. 11 years later from their first letters, there was no need to send letters to each other. Yet after Flora's funeral, Clive wrote a letter after 28 long years to Flora, who was now in heaven.
"Flora,
Are you well? I guess that another long-distance love has started again. But this time, no matter how many times I write, I won't get a reply. In other words, it's a one-sided love.
Are you happy in heaven? I always think about you, Flora. You won't even appear in my dreams. You won't even appear as a small sparrow. I used to think that there was no "absoluteness". But dying means that we will absolutely not meet anymore.
In the 59 years of my life, I was able to know and think about you continuously for 39 years. I know that I will continue to think about you until the day I pass, so I realized that my life is the same as yours. You may laugh this off, saying "That is so bothersome!". But I know that you will cry in the shadows. And to make sure that this isn't just some memory, I want to make what we have given each other my life.
To my beloved Flora, who is now in heaven.
Clive sorted out all the letters he and Flora had written and put them together in one book, titled "600 Love Letters." In this book, there was a message left for his two children:
Dear Children,
Your mother was a very strait-forward, beautiful, wonderful woman from the time we met. She may have been hard on herself. She was even strict on you guys, too.
Can you imagine loving one woman from age 20 to age 59? Will you be able to do it? Can you be able to love one person for all the days of your life? Flora was your mother, but she was the love of my life. Once you truly love somebody, you'll probably understand our feelings. I'll be waiting for that day, children.
A/N
Wow. My first 3k+ worded fanfiction. I cried while watching this on TV, and I cried again when translating this. I just loved this so much that I wanted to share it with you guys.
Again, I'm sorry my translations are horrible... OTL
Happy Valentine's Day! Did you guys get any chocolate? I didn't. I'm homeschooled. I'm my own classmate. So I could give myself chocolate. That would make me selfish. But I like chocolate. OKI'm gonna stop rambling now ^^
Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review! Your reviews will be my chocolates. They will make me happeee.