DISCLAIMER: I do not own Strawberry Panic!
Introduction: SOOOoooOo this is the end of our delightful little ride lol. I hope all of you loved reading it as I loved writing it for you (^_^). Please, enjoy the last installment.
The faces all blurred together with the lights and the screeching of tires. All of her senses sounded off their alarms as the monster in steel collided with her slender body of mortal flesh. When her body met the vehicle, her lungs were the first to give out as her air was savagely ripped from her body and she felt herself collapse into itself as she flew back from the impact. Her mind began to shut down as she tried to figure out what exactly had happened but her vision had begun to blur and she felt pain in her side and she barely lifted her head from the blood-soaked asphalt to see her ribs jutting out from her white blouse. But the pain from her physical injuries were nothing compared to the pain her metaphoric organ of love that was called her "heart" felt. All Hanazono Shizuma wanted at that very moment was for the beautiful angel of death to come and take her away from the world of sorrow and betrayal that she seemed all too familiar with.
However, the angel of death had supposedly decided to ignore her pleas.
Foggy olive-green eyes fluttered open to the sound of soft beeps coming from a heart monitor and the soft sobs of a certain blue-haired female. Those green eyes studied the reason for her heartache cry with her head near Shizuma's right hand. Miyuki had buried her face in her hands as her sobs wracked her body, so did a dangerous quivering that came with each staggering breath she sucked in. Shizuma had half a mind to ignore her and lose herself in her medicine-induced drowsiness but the other half of her, the half that still hopelessly loved Miyuki, wanted to reach out and comfort her. The hopelessly-in-love part of her won and Shizuma found herself gently stroking Miyuki's hair. Miyuki jumped at the contact and her toffee-brown eyes stared at Shizuma wide-eyed. Without a word, she jumped on top of Shizuma, wrapping her arms around Shizuma's neck. Shizuma winced at the extra weight on her wounds but she managed to wrap her arms comfortingly around Miyuki's waist as the blue-haired queen began to mumble inaudible words through broken sobs and gasps of air.
Finally, she lifted her head from Shizuma's neck and stared into the dim, mossy-green pools that were Shizuma's eyes. "Sh-shizuma...that message from Shion...it isn't what you think. My darling, I would never cheat on you. You must believe me, my Shizuma...you must..." Again, Miyuki broke down into sobs and she buried her face back into Shizuma's warm neck.
Shizuma was not sure how she was supposed to feel at this point. Her broken conscience was going through a tug-of-war between accepting Miyuki's words as truth or hardening her heart and throwing Miyuki out of her hospital room. How is a person supposed to be able to function correctly when one's mind was so indecipherable? The former Etoile felt a warm sensation bloom from her chest and before she could mistake it for some metaphoric symbol she realized that Miyuki had cried so much that her tears had soaked a good part of her hospital gown. Shizuma's heart softened as she realized that from all the years she had known Miyuki; her tears were never wastefully spent. The silver-haired goddess cracked a small smile as she ran her hands up and down her girlfriend's back.
"Mi-yu-ki?" Shizuma whispered hoarsely.
Miyuki looked up and lost herself in Shizuma's eyes. "Yes, Shizuma?"
"I...I guess I jumped to conclusions...and...I'm sorry...I know you better than that...I just..." Shizuma's voice trailed off and she cleared her throat during the pause.
"I understand, Shizuma; your heart was just trying to protect itself from another heartbreak. I just want you to know that I could never do anything to hurt you; ever." Miyuki leaned down and she gingerly kissed Shizuma and the silver-haired goddess repaid the gesture in kind.
They laid together with only the soft beeps of the heart monitor and the sound of their breathing as the only background noises. Shizuma could feel Miyuki's breathing slow which indicated that she had fallen asleep and the silver-haired goddess gently stroked her hair. Did I forgive her too fast? Should I have drawn it out and made her beg? The thought of seeing Miyuki, broken-down and begging for forgiveness was not a sight that enticed Shizuma. She loved Miyuki for being strong and not as anything less than that.
The former Etoile lost herself in serious thought as her medicine-clouded mind tried to make sense of the whole situation, even though everything seemed to be smoothed out. Something bothered her and she wasn't sure if it was because she felt that their whole relationship had rocket-launched itself from the launch pad way too fast. Questions and foreboding thought circulated through her head and yet no solution seemed to arise from any of the problems she felt needed to be addressed. We fell in love way too fast...could that be it? We moved in together in a matter of days...could that be the problem? I found her immediately attractive after the first time I saw her...maybe that is it? Shizuma squeezed her eyes shut as a pounding headache began to announce itself and she let out an exasperated breath.
The silver-haired maiden tried to relax but her mind and the pounding headache would not allow her. Why can't things just be simple...I forgave her...but...I still can't bring myself to fully trust her. Shizuma tried to convince herself that Miyuki meant all that she said and that she had no ulterior motives. As the pounding in her head got worse, she decided to try and pause the problems in her life by losing herself in some much-needed sleep.
Sakuragi Kaori lay beneath a thin, white blanket that mirrored her own pale skin. Her usual deep, red-wine colored eyes barely held their usual sparkle and were a dull-crimson. Black, wispy hair that was usually always decorated with a red bow, clung to her cheeks in damp, unkempt clumps. Besides her sat a young Rokujou Miyuki in her St. Miator black dress and she desperately clung onto Kaori's limp, hand.
"You can fight this, Kaori; we all know you can beat this. After all, Shizuma needs you by her side now more than ever." Miyuki was referring to their landslide victory as Etoiles.
Kaori opened her mouth to speak but a heart-wrenching fit of coughs grabbed her lungs and she had to take a moment to recompose herself as best as possible. "We all knew that I am not going to be able to do any duties with her...she only did it because this signifies us as being married in a way." Kaori smiled weakly at Miyuki.
Miyuki felt a small wave of anger ripple through her body at those words. "How could you, Kaori...you're going to make her take up the whole mantle of Etoile all by herself and you're just content because this is like a marriage?"
Kaori's eyes grew wide at Miyuki's anger but she relaxed. "I know what you mean but I would never want to do anything to hurt Shizuma. I love her with all of my being and you know that, Miyuki. The only reason why I agreed to become Etoile with her was because I know that after I'm gone, she has YOU to make sure she doesn't completely lose herself in mourning."
Miyuki blinked but she felt Kaori's words struck home. She would never allow Shizuma to forget her duties as Etoile and she would always be there for her rebellious, Sephiroth-resembling friend. "What...what if I'm not enough, Kaori? You...you make her happy in ways that I can't...you make her as powerful as she is...you make her... perfect..."
Kaori smiled warmly at Miyuki and shook her head. "Miyuki, I know that you love Shizuma just about as much I do." Miyuki sucked in a sharp breath but Kaori kept smiling. "I also know that you'll always watch over Shizuma. She's somewhat of a child, even though she's omnipotent, and she needs you to always guide her, love her, and just be there for her. Please, I asked you to come here today because I need you to promise me that you will do these things for her when I'm gone."
Miyuki stared at friend and she felt her heart become heavy. She had always loved Shizuma, from the moment they met, and she had already made a solemn promise to herself that she would always be there for her. But, a part of her broke the day she found out that a sickly, dark-haired girl had captured the heart of the silver-haired magnificence and she wanted to hate Kaori so much for that but she had learned to forgive her for possessing the girl that she wanted as well. "Of course, Kaori; I'll do as you ask but not just because you asked it of me but because I would have done so anyways. Shizuma is my best friend and I would do just about anything to make sure she remains as beautiful and as powerful as ever."
Kaori couldn't help but grin widely at those words and she weakly nodded her head. She thanked Miyuki and the two girls changed the subject to reminiscing about happier times all three of them had shared together. As the girls lost themselves in conversation, a tall silver-maned girl stood by Kaori's bedroom door, and she smiled as she kept listening to the two most important people in her world exchange pleasant words.
Shizuma's eyes shot open wide as her mind reeled back from her dream. A cold sweat had formed on her brow and her heart was beating a bit faster than normal. That memory of Kaori and Miyuki had been buried deep within the recesses of her mind after Kaori had died and Shizuma and completely lost herself in agony and mourning. However, she felt that some burden was greatly lifted from her shoulders and she felt lighter and happier. That memory was what she needed to quell the confusion inside of her and she took in a deep breath as her soul seemed to fill with warmth again. She looked down at her chest and saw that Miyuki was still sleeping peacefully and Shizuma beamed with happiness as she gently stroked the midnight-blue silkiness that was Miyuki's hair. "I'm so sorry that I never realized how much you sacrificed for me, were the love that I had failed to see but my eyes are open now. I hope you know that I love you very much." Shizuma whispered, expecting her words to fall on slumbering ears.
"I will always be there for you, Shizuma. I love you too." Miyuki looked up and smiled lovingly at her silver-haired marvelousness.
The midnight-haired queen pulled herself closer to Shizuma and made sure that their eyes met and locked. Their feelings and emotions seemed to spark and crackle all about them as they exchanged silent words of I love yous. Miyuki placed her hands on Shizuma's cheeks and sealed their confession with a kiss that could ignite even the heavens alight.
It took Hanazono Shizuma a long time to see that true love was right in front of her eyes in the form of a beautiful best friend who never shied away from being the pillar to her power and elegance. However, her eyes were truly open now and the love that she had failed to see would never be invisible to her ever again. She made a promise to herself that she would be more in-tune with Miyuki's feelings and needs and stop taking her for granted. The former Etoile first tasted love with Kaori but the love she tasted with Miyuki was different in that it was sweeter and Shizuma realized why; it was because what they now shared could be safely called true love.
So I know that was a bit short but if I had drawn it out any longer, I was afraid that the story was going to lose its subtle beauty and just become too redundant. I want to thank all of you for your reviews and your words of support and especially for taking the time out to read my writing. Please. do not be afraid to contact me...I'm really nice, I swear :P and if you have any questions/comments/suggestions/please-write-a-story-with-these-characters, just send me a message and I will always reply (^_~). I might move onto Kannazuki No Miko for a bit but like I said before, my literary muse has left me and unless one of you push me down an avenue you want me to explore; this could be the last story for a while. Anyways, please take the best of care and again...thank you (^_^)