Hello boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.
Thank you for those who read this story across the various platforms.
A special thanks goes out to . Your criticism is greatly appreciated. To be perfectly honest, I had difficulty coming up with an idea for chapters 1 and 3. So it's the reason those two chapters were lackluster. I hope to hear more honest feedback.
Chapter 4: Camellia
The yellow camellia represents longing.
Syaoran stared at his computer. It was opened to his email account. He had been stuck trying to compose an email to Sakura for the longest time. There were so many things that he wanted to say. Three weeks was a long time to be separated from his number one person. Next to his computer was the bear that Sakura gave him. It made him smile. Being away from her was painful but at least his feelings were returned.
His fingers motioned towards his keyboard but then he hesitated. Syaoran sighed. Writing something shouldn't be this difficult.
As the brown-eyed boy mentally berated himself, a notification popped up on his computer. It was an email. And not just any email. It was from Sakura. Like a bolt of lightning, he shot up and clicked on the email.
Dear Syaoran-kun,
It's been three weeks since you went home and I have to admit that I miss you. I was so scared that I wasn't going to make it on time to confess how I felt about you. I'm so glad that I got the chance.
I hope everything is going well for you at home. As for me, everything's the same. My dad has been helping me to cook more food. So the next time I see you, I'll be able to make a variety of things that you like.
Please don't overwork yourself. And if there is something on your mind, let me know. I don't know if I'm going to be able to help you but at least I can try.
Sakura
Syaoran couldn't help the smile that crept along his face. He knew exactly what to write now.
Sakura,
Everything has been going fine on my end. I've been devoting myself to my studies in the hope that I can quickly return to Tomoeda. (Originally, he wrote "return to you" but he quickly deleted that. It was too embarrassing.)
I was actually thinking about you today. The bear you gave me is sitting on my desk. Looking at it makes me smile because it was a precious gift from you. And I am looking forward to eating your food.
I promise not to overwork myself as long as you do the same. You can call me day or night if you ever feel like talking. And I promise to do the same.
Syaoran
Looking over his email, Syaoran felt it was insufficient to convey the emotion he felt. Even so, all of what he wanted to say was there. So he clicked the send button. After doing so, he mentally berated himself for overthinking what he wanted to write. This was Sakura. As long as she hears from him, it was okay to put in anything. But he caught himself. It was exactly because it was Sakura that he wanted to have the right words to tell her that he was always thinking about her.
The emails came easier after the first one. Soon, the two were sending them every other day if they couldn't talk to each other on the phone.
Dear Syaoran-kun,
Today is the first day of spring and the cherry blossoms are in bloom. My family and I are going to see it. I wish you could be here. I'm sure you would enjoy it. Do you have cherry blossoms in Hong Kong?
My studies have been going well, except for math. I can never keep the formulas in my head. They all meld together. Even with Onii-chan and Yukito-san helping me, I still don't get it.
Tomoyo came over the other day and made me watch her video of me collecting the Clow Cards. It was so embarrassing seeing myself. At least in some of the videos, you were there as well. And it makes me miss you more. I wish I can see you face to face.
Sakura
Syaoran couldn't help his face from steaming when she wrote that she missed him. Of course, he felt the same. Phones and emails were fine but, more than anything, he wanted to see Sakura's face. It's been more than two years since he left. He was getting closer and closer to being done with what he needed to do. So, for now, he had to be satisfied with just this.
Sakura,
I wish I could have been there to see the cherry blossoms with you. There are very few in Hong Kong. And there isn't an event like in Japan to see them.
I'm glad to hear that your studies have been going well. I'm sorry that I can't be there to help you with math. Enclosed, you'll find a list of formulas to common math problems and the tricks I use to remember them.
You told me that you missed me. I miss you too. Being away from you is hard. I'm almost done with the things I need to do here. Soon, we'll see each other face to face. I promise.
Syaoran
The more emails Syaoran wrote, the easier it was to say the things he wanted to say. However, there was still some things he never wrote, like how much he liked Sakura. Those were things he felt had to be said face to face. And soon, he would get that chance. He was close to being done with what he needed to do.
Dear Syaoran,
Tomorrow, I start middle school. I can't believe it's been three years since everything began. I hope I'm not late for my first day of school.
All my friends are going to be there, Tomoyo-chan, Chihara-chan, Naoko-chan. But not Rika-chan. She's going to a different school. It's sad that I won't get to see her that often.
I hope to hear from you again soon. Now that school's starting again. I expect you are going to be busy to write emails as consistently as before. That's okay. Just as long as you send me something at least once a week, I'll be happy.
Sakura
Syaoran didn't reply to this email. Instead, he wanted to surprise Sakura. He had finished everything he needed to do in Hong Kong so he could return to Tomoeda, and to her. He waited for her on the road to her school, knowing that she would cross by that way. When amber met emerald for the first time in years, the world disappeared for them. She ran into his arms and hugged him. Now they could be together forever.
And that's the end of that chapter.
I hope that the email format wasn't terrible. I'm trying to keep each story around about a thousand words.
Loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.
Until next time,
A. Angel