+A/N+
~The title "Heaven Can Wait" is a poetic rephrase meaning "to cheat death." Don't get it? Here's a brief explanation: Heaven is for dead people. Say, one is meant to die, yet is strong enough to overcome death so that one won't die. Therefore, "Heaven will have to wait." [*One* is a metaphor representing a certain character in this fic, whom I will not reveal :P] Still confused? Aw, screw it, just read on! ^o^ [Hehe, Seygull, sorry I turned your fun-loving site title into a bunch of serious philosophical crap *_*]
~Footnotes are still marked ~.~ [Ugh, this chapter's so sappy and corny... T_T]
Chapter 2: [Come Sweet Death]
"Otosan, ohayo[1]!" I greeted my father as soon as I stepped into the kitchen. The sweet aroma of pancakes flourished around me and aroused my hunger.
"Ohayo, Sakura-san." he returned the greet with a welcoming smile. "Hungry?"
"Yeah!" I responded, only to think back to oniichan, who was still in bed. "Otosan, could I bring a batch to oniichan's room first?"
My father resumed grinning. "Of course." He set a plate firmly in my hands and gestured upstairs.
As soon as I reached the last step on the flight of stairs, I suddenly found myself face to face with two hungry, devious miniature eyes.
"Nani, Kero-chan??"
"I was listening to you from up here. How come Touya gets food before me?" he whined.
"Kero-chan..." I giggled. "I felt bad for oniichan. He caught a sudden cold last night and won't be able to make it to school today. Don't worry, I'll be sure to save some of my pancakes for you."
That seemed to have relieved him, and so he fluttered back into my room with a triumphant and satisfied smirk.
Quietly, I knocked my fist against oniichan's door and waited for an invitation. When I was given no response, I simply let myself in.
"No one granted your request to come in." The first words my brother said to me that morning. He was already awake and was seated in his bed in an upright position against the wall with his arms folded.
"Ohayo..." I spoke quietly, unable to think of anything else to say.
"I heard you talking." he replied, bluntly.
I was abruptly shocked, almost unaware of the breakfast plate between my fingers. I worried about Kero-chan being brought to topic, but much to my relief, oniichan spoke of something otherwise.
"Why should you feel bad for me?"
Suddenly I was speechless. I rapidly racked my brain to think up an excuse, but unfortunately, none came to me. My hands started shaking and I could hear the fork clatter against the glass plate in a tense rhythm. Without words, I approached my brother and set the plate down on the bed-sheets beside him, glad to have gotten rid of the jingling beat that made my anxiety telltale. I then folded my hands together, partly attempting to halt my trembling and partly to wait... To wait for... um, for my brother to comprise an action maybe...?
No, there was nothing oniichan was going to do; he was expecting an answer from me.
"Oniichan," I breathed in a small voice. "I'm your little sister."
Narrow eyes suddenly pierced upon me. "I don't need concern from the entire world, you know. I'm fine on my own!" His voice sounded ungrateful and was beginning to rise.
"E, oniichan! I didn't do anything! Why are you so mad at me??"
His fists tightened around the sheets wrapped in his fingers as I continued to speak.
"The only thing I did was care for you, so why are you so unappreciative?! I mean, being sick is one thing, but you have no reason to--"
I was suddenly cut off as my brother jerked on his bed-sheets and sent the plate of breakfast to collide with the floor. The loud crash the dish produced when it shattered interrupted me in mid-sentence. Dark, viscous syrup flowed gradually to form a small sticky puddle over the clean, hardwood floorboards.
And then there was silence.
I couldn't help it- I only shook harder. When I looked down at my hands, I saw that they were trembling again, and much more severely. I had never seen oniichan like this before, and it scared me to think that- well... how long has this been going on for and how long was this going to last...?
I felt stinging tears in my eyes and wanted to release them, but I refused to let oniichan see me that vulnerable. I quickly stole a glimpse of him-- and realized that his expression matched mine. His fists, still clutching the sheets with ghostly white knuckles, were shaking much like my own; his eyes were no longer narrowed as they set gently upon me- blinking fiercely to hold back the moisture; and his lip, quivering silently, much to my surprise.
Neither of us made the next move. We were both suspended in stillness. But then I was brave enough to take the first small steps towards him. Slowly, I staggered in his direction and stopped as soon as I reached the edge of his bed.
"Sakura-san--" he began, and I cut short his speech by throwing my arms around him, finally letting my tears to fall freely.
"Gomen nasai~" he cried, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
"Oniichan.... oniichan..."
And we were suspended once again.
I should've been relieved, and I guess I kind of was, in a way. Relieved that oniichan still had an emotional side to him. The way he'd stroke the back of my head and assure me that he would forever be here for me- constantly reminding me that he was my big brother- as if I were a child again. And I liked that. I liked receiving that feeling where I knew I had someone to lean on. Funny how I wished to be independent, yet always had to come crying to my big brother.
He told me he'd take care of his own breakfast. "I wouldn't want you to be late for school," he explained.
And so I headed for the door, but glanced back at him before I closed it and gave him a caring smile in gratitude.
"Get well soon."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Ah, Yukito-san!" I squealed, suddenly flooded with joy. Hurriedly, I snapped my rollerblades on and strode towards him.
"Ohayo, Sakura. Ready to leave?"
"Ready," I responded, and raced down the road with Yukito-san behind me on his bike. I was late enough, but I just had to wait for Yukito-san to be right by my side so we could make conversation.
"Um... Yukito-san, can I ask if oniichan's been a little unusual around you?"
"Sakura... don't you think it would be better if you talked to Touya about it? Instead of me?" He blinked a few times.
"I tried to. But I just can't. His moods are so unpredictable! Mm, Yukito-san... I love oniichan... so much--" My voice was starting to quiver.
"He loves you too. A lot. You know that."
"I just can't help but feel concerned, even though I know he doesn't want me to. I mean, he's sick and--"
Yukito then released one handle on his bike to cover his mouth. The vehicle stumbled slightly as he sneezed.
"Excuse me," he apologized. "I think I also caught that cold Touya has."
I smiled. "You're strong, though. You'll recover fully by this afternoon!"
Yukito let out a small chuckle. "Thank you."
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "Yukito-san, you brought oniichan home early yesterday, is that right?" I had remembered otosan explaining to me that the both of them had fallen into the water.
"Y-yes..."
"You fell into the river? Both of you? Somehow I can't believe it. Yukito-san, what honestly happened? Please tell me!"
He looked away with disturbed eyes.
"What's wrong? ...Are you two in danger? Yukito-san??"
All of a sudden, he hit the brake and his bicycle came to an abrupt stop. I had to quickly extend my heel so that my blades would curve back to him.
"That's enough," he told me with a firm voice. His distant eyes were still away from mine. "What you want to know may be too much for you." Then he pointed forward. "Your school is just ahead, you might want to hurry if you want to make it in time."
He then steered his bike to the right and pedaled off without another word or a goodbye.
"Yukito-san...?" I called, but he was already out of site.
I took his advice and dashed into Tomoeda as fast as possible, barely making it into the classroom without being a minute too late.
"Sakura-chan, daijoubu[2]?"
"Oh, Tomoyo-chan. Yes, I'm- No... no I'm not." And I sighed. "But I don't feel like talking about it right now. Maybe I'll tell you some other time?"
"Sure." she nodded understandingly and took her seat, just as Terada-sensei walked in.
I glanced over my shoulder and found the desk behind me to be vacant. Li-kun must still be away, I thought. He had gone to Hong Kong some time ago for family purposes, and had not yet returned.
And so I turned my attention back to sensei and did what I could to concentrate, though my mind constantly slipped from me like sand through unstable fingers.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
There was a loud bell that cued for dismissal. Eriol stepped out of Tomoeda to find his companion amidst a crowd. Nakuru caught sight of him and approached him quickly. The both of them left the mass of energetic students and hid themselves behind a bare, lifeless cherry tree.
"I think it's time she received it." Eriol stated.
"Did you give it to her already?" Nakuru asked him.
Slowly, Eriol shook his head. "There's someone waiting for Sakura outside the school. He will act as our messenger and give it to her."
"Who are you talking about?"
"No one you would know. Just a random decision I made at the last minute. Someone will be there for her, trust me. She will receive it."
"Does the one you chose know about it, at all?"
"No. He is in only destiny's game, as we are. He knows nothing."
"Alright. I just hope you know what you're doing."
"I said trust me."
~~~~
"Tomoyo-chan, it seems today that the world hates me." I finally explained
"Just one of those days?" she asked.
I sighed. "I guess...?"
It was a strangely warm winter day that afternoon when we were walking home from school. The sun was beaming brightly, illuminating the fallen snow with a strong force of white light.
"You shouldn't worry too much about it." Tomoyo smiled. "A lot of people have everyday issues they need to deal with. They'll get around."
I nodded, just as Tomoyo stopped walking all of a sudden. She squinted her eyes and stared forward.
"Hey, look ahead!" she pointed a finger at a stand isolated along the road.
"What is it?" I questioned, stepping forward and stealing a better glance.
Failing to decipher what was before me, I took an extra few steps. "Waii~!" I suddenly exclaimed, clapping my hands together and grinning. "A travelling magician!"
In a single moment, I ran over to the booth and flashed a 100 yen coin in front of the black-cloaked man.
He eyed me for a second with a welcoming grin, accepting the coin in his fingers. He was a gentle looking man, around his fifties, with friendly blue eyes and small wrinkles that showed slight aging.
"Ah, Magician-san, show us a trick!" I requested delightedly, eyes sparkling. "I love magic!"
"Good afternoon," he greeted. "what's your name?"
My mouth opened to speak when I was suddenly stopped by a simple lift of the magician's hand.
"Your spirit is soft; graceful," he said, gesturing with waves of his fingers. "Like the gentle swift of a petal in the wind. Your aura emanates sweetness, like cherries. Your name- it must be 'Sakura.' And Sakura-san, I will show you your trick."
"Ara!" I squealed happily. "How did you know my name!?"
The magician simply held out his hand. "Please pass me something of yours."
"Oh," I shook my backpack off my shoulder and quickly opened it, thrusting my hand in and searching for a random object to retrieve. Eventually, my hand found a small, pink hairbrush, and it was that I took out to hand to the man.
For several minutes, he held the object in his palm and just stared at it, occasionally stroking it slowly with his fingertips. "You had a lot happen to you in your lifetime. Passing of a loved one?"
Okaasan...[3] Eyes dropping, I nodded, speaking in a quiet voice, "Yes..."
"But the most significant change occurred in the past year." He folded his hands. It seemed to me that his gestures and actions with his hands displayed his emotions. "From the looks of it, you are a very magical little girl yourself."
He smiled and I returned it.
"He's very talented." Tomoyo whispered to me.
The magician picked up my brush again and I thought he was about to return it to me when he flipped it into the air, allowing it to vanish within seconds.
"E!?" Tomoyo and I gasped in unison.
"Not to worry, it's returned to your school bag." he assured.
Surely enough, when I went to check, there it was.
"Wow~" I breathed.
"Amazing," added Tomoyo.
"Don't leave yet," he resumed. "I saw that there's something ahead of you. Don't expect it, you can't possible know what the upcoming brings- but it's there. Your future has a lot in store for you, Sakura-san."
"Ho-e?"
"I can't promise anything," he continued. "Oh, and before you go-" He clasped his hands tightly together, pressing his palms against each other. In a split second, a white cloud of dust appeared as he opened up his hands. Held in his fingers was an object in which I couldn't distinguish at first glance. He placed it into my own hands, with the words, "A gift."
Tan-coloured paper brushed against my skin. Old paper, at that, with two wooden knobs at opposite ends.
"A scroll?" I realized, unraveling the paper to view it surface. I didn't quite understand what I was looking at. It looked like symbols- symbols delicately printed out in thick, black ink. Wait- actually, I could read it- I recognized some of the symbols, but very few of them. "Kanji...?"
"Sakura-chan, that's Chinese." Tomoyo pointed out.
"Oh~! Thank you, Magician-san!!" I gave him a quick bow and he mirrored my move.
"No problem at all." he replied. "Goodbye now."
"Bye!" I waved my arm back at him as Tomoyo and I walked off.
"Chinese?" I asked. "I wonder what it says."
"Looks like a poem." Tomoyo suggested.
"Hmm... maybe I'll ask Li-kun when he returns."
"Oh! Do you know when he'll be back?"
"I'm not sure, hope it's soon though. Too quiet without him." I laughed.
Tomoyo agreed.
After a short silence, I abruptly stopped dead in my footsteps.
"What's the matter?"
"Tomoyo-chan...? Do you get the feeling that we're being watched?"
"Er, no..."
"Oh.... Never mind then. Heheh, sorry. Just an instinct I got." I let out a chuckle, but it was partly forced...
~~~~
"She got it."
"I knew she would."
"So how did you do it this time?"
Eriol stopped to stare at Sakura through thick lenses. "I," he began. "didn't do a thing. No, this was all planned for. Fate is taking its course."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[1] Father, good morning
[2] Are you okay
[3] Mother
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Wahh!! I still barely got to the plot! ;__; Well I tried making this chapter longer... but erm... it didn't work? LoL, I'll try making the next one actually GET TO THE DAMN STORY LINE! ^0^ As always, PLZ review, constructive criticism is welcomed~ Plz, if you have suggestions, tell me!