Disclaimer: I own nothing, but plagiarism is still a crime!
Seasons
Chapter 1: Hana
+ + +
Hana.
The sky outside was a brilliant blue, the sun and clouds laughing in their gaiety, mocking her in their happiness, in their joy. Violet eyes lifted up to meet the blinding light. They blinked back down, anger rising up in her chest. She bit at her red lips, but this time there were no tears.
She was clothed in all black, her shoes and dress stylishly pretty. Her white delicate hands clutched at a paper. Her shiny black shoes tapped lightly as she entered a shop. Fragrances filled her nose as she looked around at the multitude of colors that met her eyes. Through all the reds, greens, oranges, and yellow, she found what she was looking for. Pink.
Her feet moved as though involuntarily to the fragile pink blossom and her trembling fingers picked them up. Sakura. Her eye caught on something else that made her breath catch up in her throat. Peonies. Li.
She bit her lip again, but picked up the peonies too and went straight to the counter. The girl at the counter looked at her, startled. "Tomoyo-san?" the voice was gentle, kind. Tomoyo looked at the girl, brushing her long dark hair out of her eyes to see who would address her as such. The girl had brown short hair that curled around her face attractively with warm brown eyes, and her stomach bulging slightly.
She recognized her immediately. "Rika-san," she acknowledged, giving a brief nod.
Rika looked at her compassionately, but said, "Will this be all?" Tomoyo nodded, her beautiful hair falling back into her eyes. Rika rang it up on the register, and Tomoyo handed her the money wordlessly. The brown haired girl seemed to be contemplating something in her mind. "Tomoyo-san?" she finally asked, as she handed her the flowers.
Tomoyo looked at her. "Yes?"
"Naoko-san and Chiharu-san are planing a baby shower for me," Rika flushed at the word baby, "and I'm not supposed to know, but you know how Yamazaki-san is," she laughed. Tomoyo did and the realization cut through her like a knife. She wasn't suppose to be happy.
There was no answer. Rika paused, but continued, despite of the lack of response. "I was wondering if you would like to come?"
Tomoyo looked at Rika's fingers that were now curled proudly along the lining of the rounding in her stomach. She looked at the soft brown eyes of the expecting mother. Her eyes closed, her dark long lashes contrasting with her white face. "I offer you my congratulations," her lips formed the words instinctively, her voice taking on the cold polite shell, "but I'm afraid that I won't be able to make it." She turned before she could see the disappointment in Rika's eyes and walked out of the shop, not wanting to think about anything.
+ + +
Her feet took her swiftly past buildings and businesses, the tapping on the pavement light, but pounding in her ears. She stopped suddenly in front of a vast field, full with stones engraved with names.
She sucked in a deep breath, but went steadily on through the endless maze of green. Li. She looked at the telltale, pink, cherry blossom tree up ahead, in full bloom. Sakura. Sadness welled up inside her.
Her feet finally stopped in front of the beautiful tree. Under it were two slabs of stone. She put the cherry blossoms down on one, and the peonies on the other, then kneeled and bowed respectfully.
Engraved on it was the name of Kinomoto Sakura and Li Syaoran.
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"Sakura-san," her voice shook ever so slightly. "I brought you flowers today, not that you need them, since," she looked up at the blossoming cherry tree, "you have so many of your own, but I just thought that I would visit you and Li-kun today."
The graves were silent. She pressed her lips together and sighed. "It's been a month since…since you've gone. So much has happened. Rika-san is pregnant, Chiharu-san and Yamazaki-kun are engaged. Even Naoko-san has a boyfriend." Her voice cracked. "I…I miss you guys a lot. But I know that you're probably happy somewhere out there. Don't forget me okay?"
She could feel her eyes filling up with water, but she didn't want those, didn't want the tears. She wanted to be strong, to stay strong. But they just kept on coming.
+ + +
"But Sakura-chan," her voice was trembling. "I don't understand."
Her eyes were green, so green. So calm, beautiful. "I'm dying Tomoyo- chan. That's all there is to it."
He was silent. She turned to him desperately. "Li-kun, tell her to stop lying! Li-kun, she can't be serious!"
Syaoran had eyes for no one but her. He ignored Tomoyo's hysterics, and his steady brown eyes burned. "When?" his voice was strangled and forced.
An ironic smile formed on Sakura's face. "Tomorrow."
At this, Tomoyo burst into tears. "When did you know? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
Sakura bent and took her head in her lap. "I told Eriol-kun. That was enough."
Syaoran said nothing, but his eyes continued to burn with a sort of despair. "What kind of…disease is it?"
Sakura looked up. "Magic. All magic. No, Syaoran-kun, don't think that," she quickly said at the look on his face. "It was nothing like that. I've lived enough. My life has been with you, Tomoyo, all our friends. I don't need anymore. I'm just…just thankful that I had this long to live. To love."
"You've only lived for twenty years," Tomoyo protested, her eyes still full of tears.
Sakura ignored this statement, but told her, "Tomoyo, I want you to sing for me, at my funeral. And I need you to promise that you will live my life for me."
Her violet eyes flashed. "I'm not promising you that," she declared softly, locking her eyes with those wise green orbs. "I won't live without you."
"Tomoyo," Sakura pressed her hand on Tomoyo's, hard and begging. "Please, Tomoyo, I need you to do this for me."
She had never refused Sakura anything, never had been able to. And right when she needed to the most, her heart failed her. Sakura saw the submission in her eyes before she said a word, and she relaxed. Tomoyo bit her lip fiercely. "What does Hiiragizawa-kun say about this?"
"He knows," Sakura said simply. "He knew."
Syaoran bent also, down to her level. "He knew? What?"
Sakura ignored this too. "I won't ask you to live for me Syaoran," she now took his hands. His lips twisted in an ironical smile. "But you have to promise me not to suicide." He nodded. Sakura smiled, and finally cried.
+ + +
The day was cold, dreary, and dark, but she reveled in it. She wanted to be cold, to be sad, to be dark. She wanted to be angry too, but she couldn't be. She could only feel sadness and loneliness.
The funeral for Kinomoto Sakura was to be held at the actual burial grounds beneath a cherry blossom tree. How appropriate, she thought bitterly, but there was no reproach only sadness.
Li Syaoran died an hour after Sakura did. The doctors could find no cause. She could've told them. She would've died of a broken heart. But her heart was broken, and still she was not dead, like Syaoran. She had promised. Promised.
She stood in her black dress and walked up to the podium to deliver her promise. Her mouth opened, and she sang.
She sang in her sadness, in her despair, and gave everything she knew, she would ever know. When her mouth closed, she was nothing but an empty shell.
Daidouji Sonomi cried. Kinomoto Fujitaka cried. Kinomoto Touya cried. Great-grandfather Amamiya cried. Tsukishiro Yukito wasn't there to cry. Neither was Keroberos.
Hiiragizawa Eriol had no tears to shed. His guardians stood next to him in silent respect as Daidouji Tomoyo walked down. Her face, too, was dry.
+ + +
"I'm leaving tomorrow," she continued, the tears still pouring down from her eyes. "But I'll be back to see you. Wait for me…"
The wind blew around her, and she stood, letting her long, long hair get ruffled, looking wildly elegant. And she left.
The flowers left behind on the graves touched by the swaying of the wind and up they flew, together.
Hana.