Forever in your eyes
Chapter 23
Eriol watched as the taxi driver closed the trunk. He finished loading the entire luggage. The late winter air hung above his head. He climbed inside the back seat, where Nakuru and Spinel, who was in her coat pocket, were waiting. The driver boarded the front seat. "Ready?" he asked them.
"Hai," Eriol answered.
As the taxi drove away and turned the corner, a dark green coupe pulled up in front of the house. Tomoyo jumped out of the passenger's side and ran to the front door of Hiiragizawa manor. She knocked. "Eriol! Eriol!" When she received no answer, she opened the door.
There was no sign of life. There were no shoes at the doorstep and none of the lights were on. Tomoyo stepped inside, her white heels echoing through the halls. "Eriol..?" she said quietly. Tomoyo felt her heart sink again; it did that a lot recently. She gave into her weaken body. She fell to her knees and pulled off her veil, throwing it to the floor.
"Dammit, I told Nakuru to lock the door..." came a voice.
Tomoyo turned and saw someone standing at the front door, looking at her.
Eriol, with his own blue eyes, recognized her as he approached the door. They stared at each other for a few moments, before he said "Tomoyo?" in disbelief.
She stood.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I..." her eyes turned away to him. "I...forgot my umbrella," she said, pulling out the same umbrella she used that one rainy afternoon. She left it there and never bothered to pick it up.
Awkward silence.
"O...k..." Eriol puzzled.
But she immediately dropped it. "That's not it. I..." she took a deep breath. "I couldn't marry Satoru-kun."
His grip on the doorknob tightened. "You couldn't?"
"I can't marry someone I don't love," she said. "But..." tears fell down her face, "If you and I...I'm dying and I don't know how long I'll live. I wouldn't want to leave you in any sort of pain. I don't want you to be lonely because of me..." she sobbed, burying her face in her white-gloved hands.
Eriol approached her. "Tomoyo, look at me," he requested. She continued to cry, shaking her head. "Tomoyo..." She looked up and Eriol pulled her in an embrace.
"Eriol..." she muttered.
"I know you don't have much time," he said. "But I would rather live every moment I can with you than not even bother to try."
They stayed in each other's arms until Tomoyo said, "I love you, Eriol."
The words made his heart soar. He pulled away and gazed at her. His eyes shined brightly with love for her and she saw her future: she saw the forever love between them in his eyes. Tomoyo pulled Eriol into a kiss, one that was meant for honest love.
Meanwhile, four figures watched them from the porch step. Sakura was content, with tears falling down her face. Syaoran smiled, holding his girlfriend close. Nakuru sobbed loudly, blowing her nose into her jacket sleeve. Spinel, whose head was poking out of Nakuru's pocket, sighed. "Finally," he whispered.
...fin =* )
Author's jibberish: That's it! Complete! I'd like to thank my little sister and beta reader, who kicked me to keep writing this story when I was lazy. Most importantly, I'd like to thank all of you who read this story. I'm very proud of this work, and it's one of my favorite pieces. I love reading reviews and it made me very happy that you all enjoyed it. E+T fans: rejoice! I have another story on the way...