Story Name: Portrait of a Cherry Blossom
Author: DarkxDiamonds
Comments: Welcome to the final entry of Portrait of a Cherry Blossom! ^^ I hope this clears up some confusion. This is the epilogue chapter to the first story, Portrait of a Cherry Blossom. Portrait of a Little Wolf is the sequel that I am currently planning but is not up yet.
And while you may think that having Sakura and Syaoran not get married is cruel, think about it. Life does not always have happy endings and what people deserve is not always what they get.
Finally, my credits to several people. To "Mentalcat", Sutaru, Midnight Crystal, kikakai, SweetBabyGurl, S+S43v3r, AnimeObsessionFantasy, anjuliet, Onigiri Momoko, Sakura-Blossom12, yvonne, and especially DarkJaded Eyes. Thank you all for reviewing and keeping up with this story.
Epilogue // Chapter 16
// Sakura //
My name is Sakura Kinomoto. I am 17 years-old and I am a weaver. I make blankets, quilts, small designs and stitches. I used to work in the famous Li house. Used to. That was before a fateful day in the fall when my life got turned upside-down by one man.
It's funny looking back at it now. It's hard to believe that I would have changed so much just because of a love and of a confession. Hard to try and relive that moment of so much pain and yet so much joy. I can just see his eyes glowing with his life and his radience. Feel his warmth flowing around me and feeling his love encircle me. I was in such bliss...such a wonderful feeling it is to love one and be loved in return. Tomoyo-chan was right. She always is in the end.
I walk down these cobblestone streets. I retrace the steps that I had taken when I was first taken to the Li house. It has been four months. Four simple months where I learned almost anything important that I now know in life. I have learned the true skills to survive.
The lives of others? Tomoyo has been married to Eriol. Her wedding was a joyous day where I could only observe silently through a window. Syaoran was sitting near the front and you could tell that he was pleased with Tomoyo's choice. Meiling sat nearby him, her stomach round and full as she carried the life of Akito Li. She is happy to know that she has finally ensnared Syaoran. He cannot leave when she is with child and it would be a great disgrace on him. For that, she is very happy. I sometimes think that she is evil.
When I shop, I sometimes see him in the distance. But he does not sulk or frown at a stranger. He will smile at a young child, pat his or her head, and give them a small sweet. He waves at a man that he does not yet know, but will know in two minutes. He pauses by any woman and lady and bids them a good day and good health. Yes, I see that he has changed. But I wonder sometimes if it was just me that did all of this.
I walk down those streets time after time. I relive those days. They seem so far away. They seem so close. I must sound crazy, insane if you will. But things seem so different for me now. I'm still trying to adjust...still trying to push back those memories. There is a cabinet in my head...but sometimes, the memories have a will of their own. They will stay hidden when I need them the most and when I least expect, they will jump at me with full force. And they do, they leave me shocked, reeling, and hurt with all the pain and dreams that I used to have.
I know I sound crazy. I'm thinking about my life, my past, and my memories. But they are so complicated. I can't sort anything out and label one with anything. They are scattered. To you who know me so well and to you who think you know me...this is my life. I do not regret living this life, or feeling the emotions. I wave a final good-bye on everything and, with hope, I look clearly into the future. It's still unclear and misty...but there is a ray of light that shines through the darkness.
// Syaoran //
I am known to the world as Syaoran Li. Several months ago, I was a painter living in a small town, trying to make a living out of my paintings and drawings. But one painting and one life changed all that.
Hanging above the fireplace is a new painting. There is a girl with sparkling emerald eyes, a small and elegant nose, and lips that are as full and red as a cherry. Her brown hair seems to bob gently as her eyes gain an understanding of everything she views. But what enraptures anyone the most is the scene behind her. She is in a small and dreary room, but through all the darkness and pain, she still smiles. She seems innocent and unknowing to the chaos around her. But she knows. She understands better than anyone, and so she knows that the pain there is bound to be there. She knows the outcome of every battle and she knows that everything is meant to be.
I have been caught in her beauty and her grace. There is something behind that face that I still cannot reach, though I may try to capture the true feeling for my entire life. It cannot be percieved by a lowly painter by me. All I know is that the girl that smiles back at me every morning has changed my life. She has changed my heart, my mind, and my true soul. I see things the way that she might have. I feel the emotions that she might have. These were things I did not even know existed those few months in the past.
I sit at my window reading. The book lays motionless on my lap and as I glance up, there is a shower of cherry blossom petals. Identical to the ones that fell on both of us as we stared at each other that day. For some strange reason, I feel happy. Perhaps it is the happiness that spurts from the book or the joy that is on the painting. But somehow I know it is neither. For that girl, that girl that I can't forget, is happy as well.