It was late on that particular October night. Well past midnight, anyone who didn't work at night and was in their right mind would have been asleep by now. Li, however, just could not seem to sleep this night. He was tired, he knew this, after such a long day of schooling and training. Still, he just could not seem to get his thoughts to be silenced once more.
It was Sakura, again. She had been plaguing his dreams ever since she had erased herself. Sakura must have known that he hadn't let her go, that he had shielded himself from the card. Every time she appeared in his dreams, she was asking him to just let the Erase work on him, that she should just be put to rest. Li, however, had refused to do so every night that she appeared. He knew quite well that it was foolish of him to mourn her loss alone, since no one else remembered the vibrant girl.
Yue detested the idea of having Li as a master, though he tried to be like Sakura and be the Judges friend. The two simply didn't get along at all. Kero, as well, was not quite fond of having to guard the little 'gaki,' as he pointed out every chance he was allowed to. Many times Li had come close to using the Silence on the stuffed animal-looking creature. He hadn't yet, though.
The two guardians soon noticed their powers were weakening due to two things, one being that the cards had not yet been transformed yet, and two being that their new master was loosing interest in his magic. Li couldn't possibly care less that his skills were fading, he would stay up for days on end with little or no sleep. Nothing seemed quite right for him any more. When Kero and Yue saw this fact, they took him to a doctor.
Now, Li slept only when he took a sleeping medication. Tonight, he had taken it, but still it didn't work like it should have. He laid there in his bed, staring up at the ceiling with wide brown eyes thinking of the past year. His mother had ordered him to go back to his training and studying, she had even sent an instructor to make sure that he did this. Li hated the man that watched him closely day and night. This night, however, the old man wasn't to be seen but to be heard. He was snoring loudly in the room next to Li's.
With a groan of displeasure, Li got out of his bed and slowly dressed. He took his house keys as he left and decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator to get out of the apartment building. He needed to move. He couldn't seem to sit still, something about tonight told him to just move. And so, he did. He didn't know where he was going to go, but decided it hardly mattered. He let his feet carry him where ever they pleased as he thought about the girl who had 'died' nearly a year ago.
It hurt him physically to walk by the park which he had last seen her. He could still hear her voice as she told him good-bye. Why didn't he try harder to stop her? Why hadn't he tried harder to help her? Why had she had to suffer like that when he probably easily could have helped her? Why was life so unfair....?
Sakura had been so innocent, so little, she shouldn't have had to go through that. She had, however. What was in the past was in the past, he should just forget it all. Maybe Sakura was right.
Li froze as he ran over his last thought once again, disbelieving that he had just thought that. He continued past the park, trying not to look back behind him at the last place she had been seen. Once again, Li became lost in thought as he wandered through the streets at night. Why was it they had had to be rivals? Why couldn't they have been friends? Or maybe more than that? Why hadn't he just ignored the Elders wishes and done what his heart told him to? God, he hated himself for all of that. It had all been his fault, anyhow.
A chill suddenly swept through his body as the icy night breeze nipped at his exposed arms. He hadn't bothered with a long sleeved shirt, or even a jacket. Quite stupid of him, really. Li hugged himself tightly and rubbed his arms, trying to regain a little bit of the warmth he had lost. That was when he stopped and looked up at where he was. A two story house with a nice front yard and a fence loomed over him.
A light was on upstairs, in her bedroom. 'Maybe... maybe she's back?' He thought hopefully as he once again found his feet moving their own way and realized he was heading toward the door.
How many times had he done this before? Just coming here in the middle of the night and knocking on her door, either because of a card, or and emergency. He smiled slightly as he rang the door bell and heard a muffled cursing coming down the stairs as someone came to answer the door. From the cursing, Li guessed it was Sakura's brother.
Sure enough, Touya opened the door, looking murderous as he laid on Li. No one should have woken him up.
"Um... Hi, Touya, is Sakura home?" Li asked automatically before he could realize what he was doing. The man in front of him glared daggers and looked all the more ready to kill.
"There isn't anyone here named 'Sakura,' gaki." He growled as he prepared to slam the door. Li quickly begged for him to wait a second.
"I-- I know I have to have the wrong house.... but.... Um, I'm sorry.... I-- I guess I can't say much more. Anyway, I'm sorry. Goodnight." Li whispered as he turned away from the door and started to walk away.
"Hey, gaki, come back when the sun's up. I almost feel like I know you, maybe we could talk then?" Touya called after Li, much to both their surprise. Li turned around and forced a smile, he nodded and then hurried away.
It had been a week since that night, and Li still hadn't returned to Sakura's old home to talk to Touya. It was too painful. He knew if he walked in that door, he would keep looking towards the stairs, expecting her to say good afternoon.
Now he sat at the kitchen table at dinner time, his old instructor was glancing at him every once and a while from the kitchen as Li played with his food. It was steak tonight, and Li couldn't help but pick up the knife and simply stare at it in his hand. Maybe he could just....
No, he couldn't' do that, it would be an insult to her. Right? It had been even harder for him to function ever since that night. It was so difficult to just look out the window and see the sun, knowing she would have loved the perfect day. Would it really be that hard to do as she had? To just disappear? Li suddenly stood from the table and walked back to his room.
"Master?" The aging man called after the boy as he left.
"Just going to my room. Thanks, for everything." Li called back over his shoulder as he entered the room that was his. On the bed sat the book of cards. He stared at it grimly and then opened it and pulled out his transformed sword from the book. As he touched it and brought it out, the sword became just what it was, a magical sword. Li regarded it for a moment before he raised it up above his head and aimed low. He felt it go through him and inhaled sharply as the pain registered in his mind.
Even if it was and insult to her, he still couldn't bear it any longer. He couldn't live with that pain. Let the eternity was it all away for him. He welcomed the darkness into his mind as he closed his eyes one last time, but as he heard the hurried steps of his instructor.
"MASTER!" He had yelled out, and that was the last thing Li had ever heard as he fell forward and landed on his stomach. Unlike Sakura, he would not be forgotten due to magic, but over time.... History always forgets you.
Li stared at the hill in front of him, sakura petals littered the green object and he smiled slightly as he inhaled their sweet scent, everything here was so bright. That was when he noticed her, she was standing among the blossoms, and grim expression on her face, along with a small smile. "Li... Why are you here? Did you....?" Her voice trailed off slightly as she motioned to the land around them. Li nodded slightly and started to answer her verbally, "Sakura, I--" "How could you! You shouldn't be here! No! Li, how could you do that to yourself?" Sakura cried, tears falling from her eyes as she watched her friend and rival walked toward her. "It hurt, Sakura.... Being there by myself.... I'm so sorry about everything.... It was all my fault.... I'm so--" "It wasn't, just shut up about it all. I never want to think about it again!" Sakura whispered to him as he put his arms around her and she leaned into him a bit. "I'm sorry..... but, I hope you can forgive me." Li whispered softly. "Of course I do.... But, Li, we both really shouldn't be here... My mom wants me to go back home, and you need to come with me. You belong there now, I guess." Sakura said as she leaned away from Li and looked at his face. Li nodded again and Sakura smiled widely. The two of them then disappeared in a bright flash, their laughter slowly fading away....
Two stories ended within a year. One was that of a young girl with a strong magical talent and instinct. The other was of a young boy who was a rival to this girl, and shared a magical talent with her. Their stories have now come to a bitter end....
Oi... So, how was that? This is quite seriously the end of the end. I hope you enjoyed it, if not then I apologize, just go with my original ending if you prefer that. LEAVE ME REVIEWS DANG IT! I wanna know what you think I did wrong/right or whether or not this was good or bad! Plllllleeeeeaaaaaseeeee tellllll meeeee!
-Bea