This goes to faLLen-dreamz for reviewing so many of my fics and for being so supportive/hugs tightly Arigatou!

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Left Behind

It was like this when she left. Raining and cold and silent… and I were like this too. Sitting and watching the rain fall through the glass panes of the window. The garden is alive with spring unlike that deadness of winter.

The house is quiet. I am alone.

No one can hear me.

It is the solitude I crave when with other people. But when I am alone I want her to come and wrap her arms around me.

I need her warmth, her smell, and her presence.

This is not normal for someone who'd just broken up with his girlfriend three months ago.

I should've moved on… to forget about her.

But how could I? I lived and built my dreams around her. She was everything.

And I left nothing for me to hold on to.

It was a heartfelt sacrifice. One she failed to appreciate and see.

I've replayed that memory so many times I don't need to close my eyes.

The door opening, her waving to me, and the cold winter wind against my tearstained face… It's a little jumbled now. I see a flash of red, a long gaze from sad golden eyes. Maybe I couldn't see her anymore.

Her face remains in my mind. I wonder if she still has me in hers.

What she did was like it closed a door in front of me.

I am left behind as she moved on.

This is the pain all men feel. I am a mage but I am not exempted from it. After all, I am still a man.

The stairs are cold as I sat on the steps, staring blankly at the old wooden door. The mansion is vast and cold and hollow.

It used to stay alive and cheery with her sweet rosy scent. She was the bittersweet autumn gracing my home.

Finally the door opened to let in a raven-haired girl wearing a purple dress. Her boots were splattered with mud and her hair was curling because of the raindrops. She was smiling and her eyes were like the sweet violet of forget-me-nots.

"There you are!" she exclaimed and went towards me. She tracked mud on the marble floor but it was all right. Her presence was always welcome in this house. "Come walk with me!"

"In the rain?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, silly!" she giggled as she pulled me to my feet. My legs had fallen asleep and it hurt. Her hair had fallen away from its ribbon to frame her face. She was like a porcelain doll sometimes, delicate and lovely.

I allowed her to drag me outside and seek shelter from underneath her umbrella. My home was like a traditional English estate with a long avenue and a paradisiacal garden abloom with spring's bounty.

It was a slow rain and we enjoyed the silence as we walked on the gavel pavement.

"Let's go!" she laughed and went out into the open.

"Tomoyo…" I said softly as I watched her embrace the rain. Her laughter filled my ears as she twirled underneath the sky, extending her hands to catch the raindrops.

"Please Eriol-kun, join me!" she urged and laughed again as she bathed and danced like a child. It was a harmless game; I let go of the umbrella and joined her underneath the rainy sky.

"Come with me." She pulled my hand and took me to see the rosebushes. The roses were bejeweled with raindrops. The redness of their petals didn't ache.

My eyes softened as Tomoyo sat down on the grass and lay down, enjoying the rain. She was a child then a woman. Her beauty was something that Kaho never had.

Tomoyo was innocence and wonder; beauty and mystery woven together. I lay down beside her and closed my eyes.

It felt hot but it was okay. The rain washed the burning away from my cheeks. The roses were watching us.

She laid her head on my chest and listened to my heart beating. Her scent was like the sweet and intoxicating lavender. Her warmth was so different from the one I was used to but it was okay.

The sun chose that moment to shine and we sat in the sunshine while feeling the rain.

I opened my eyes again and saw everything in color again.

It is beautiful…

Tomoyo smiled and got up as the rain started to stop. But she didn't run away as I expected she would.

She took my hand and helped me up. Tomoyo always made sure I am never left behind.

She is both beauty and mystery.

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072105; 5.00pm

A/N: A short drabble to let out that idea I had about Tomoyo helping Eriol to move on from Kaho's departure. I hope you guys liked this one.