ive got good news and bad news for you all.. first, the good news... (ehem*clears throat*) woohoo!! last chapter at long freakin last!! can you believe it??? i finished my first ever ccs fic!! if it werent for all the readers who backed me up when i battled with my "plans of stopping", this chapter would never be here.. so to all of you who supported this fic, THANK YOU!!!!! you guys know who you are... if it were up to me, id give each of you a million bux or something... words are not enuff to express my gratitude... and i appreciate the fact that no one flamed me... jokes aside, you guys are the BEST!
and btw, my sincerest apologies for updating sooo damn late.. as usual.. anywayz, this is the conclusion to my fic. no epilogues whatsoever. the bad news will come at the end of the story... love you guys!!ΓΌ
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
True Romances
Eriol was driving way past the speed limit already. He was much too eager to catch up to Tomoyo to take the annoying speed limit into account. Just as luck would have it, there was no policeman in sight. Eriol took advantage of this as he stepped on the acceleration pedal and the wheels screeched on the road. Eriol checked the time: half past 6 already. 'Damn, I have to get there on time,' he thought, impelling his car in between the other cars. 'I have to catch up to her no matter what!' Eriol told himself.
~*~
Meanwhile, Sakura wandered around in the park until finally, she arrived at the site of the cherry blossom tree. She sighed as she found a place to sit on. She had gone to that same place twice already. Sakura couldn't believe she actually forgot the things that happened there and the special people she was with. She scoffed to herself and whispered, "So this is what people call karma. This is what I get for hurting people, huh?" She sighed once more. "I guess you won't know your need for the person you love until the day that he'll be gone."
~*~
Eriol looked ahead of him. There he was, right in front of the airport but the god damn traffic won't let him through. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel and started cursing the cars, which were all in his way. It almost seemed as though the other drivers were intentionally blocking his way to the airport. He was so upset that he started honking like crazy. "Get out of the way! I have to get to the airport as soon as possible!" he yelled. The drivers of the cars in front of him all turned to him with a glare.
~*~
Sakura sat there in boredom, still feeling so downhearted. She realized that not only did she bring sadness to Eriol before but she also gave Syaoran a hard time. And with that, she lost both of them, leaving her all alone. She too was hurt and she thought that this must be God's way of making her pay for all the pain she had caused. Sakura could not believe that all this was happening because of her. She looked up at the sky, only to see it darken with clouds. It was dimming and in no time, the rain started to fall.
~*~
Eriol was getting impatient. He knew he was just wasting his time by sitting there in his car in the middle of a congested road. He started to worry if he'd even get to Tomoyo on time. He pulled out his cellphone only to find out that his battery needed charging. He shoved it back in his pocket and got fed up with all the trouble he was getting. He removed the keys from his car and put it in his pocket along with his useless cellphone. Eriol got out of the car just when it started drizzling. He grabbed his jacket and put it on him as he made his way to the airport on foot.
~*~
Sakura was stranded with only the thick leaves of the cherry blossom tree to shelter her from the rain. Never had she felt this forlorn in her entire life. Eriol left her because he loved her best friend. Sakura knew she just had to let go. There was no use for crying over a guy again. Somehow, she knew she had had enough of that. And besides, not even her tears could help make up for every stupid thing she had done in the past. Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from crying as she folded her knees to her chest and tucked her head in.
~*~
Eriol arrived in the airport in his now damp garments but he didn't care. He had to find Tomoyo or he might be too late to stop her from leaving. He quickly headed for the "customer service" stand and asked about Tomoyo's flight. "Is the plane for Paris still here? It's really important. My friend was scheduled for that flight so if you could please hurry up to see if it left by now," was what we said. He silently prayed it had not gone to its destination yet.
The girl in the stand then replied, "Sir, you might like to check the board up there." Eriol stared at her in disbelief. Couldn't she just have answered the damn question? He got the thought off his head and looked for the board the girl was referring to.
The plane for Paris has departed. He was too late.
If he had not wasted his time on the road, then maybe he could've caught up to her. Eriol clenched his fists really tight in anger. He found a chair to sit on as he thought about everything that happened. He screwed up big time and because of that, he was never going to see the one he truly loved.
~*~
Sakura checked the time on her watch and found out it was already 7:05 pm. 'I wonder if Eriol made it on time. I hope he did. So at least there will be one happy couple around,' Sakura thought. She put her feet back down on the ground. The grass was a bit wet and the soil was soft. Sakura watched as the rain did not falter. It just continued to shower as it was. Then all of a sudden, Sakura recalled something again. It was probably because of the rain that she remembered the night of the accident. The time BEFORE the accident...
~*~
"I love you," Syaoran suddenly whispered to Sakura. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise.
Sakura immediately pulled away and said, "What did you just say?"
"Sakura, I think I'm in love with you..." Syaoran repeated himself.
"Have you gone mad or something?" Sakura beamed out.
"No, I feel like I do love you. I don't know why but hell, I know that's what I really feel about you," Syaoran talked back. Sakura started to walk away but barely keeping him behind. He followed her until they got outside.
"Syaoran, there's a difference between liking and loving sosmeone. When you think you have feelings for someone, you ought to have realized that there are certain risks in every step you take," Sakura told him.
"If you love someone, you wouldn't care about those risks," Syaoran said, causing Sakura to go silent for a short while.
"You do not know what you're talking about," she replied, putting emphasis on the words "do not".
"What if I proved to you that I do?" Syaoran told her when he took Sakura in his arms by surprise and kissed her. Sakura pulled back and turned away. Syaoran had no choice but to release her from his firm hold. Sakura said nothing but instead, climbed in her car and left the area.
~*~
Sakura was having sudden difficulties with her breathing but shortly after that, she was back to normal. "I remember now. He told me that he was in love with me but I was refused believe in him at that time-" Sakura uttered to herself. "-all because I was still hurt then and I didn't want to give love another shot," she continued as tears began to fall from her eyes. She put her hands on her face.
~*~
Eriol looked down on the floor, refusing to face reality. He gravely regretted the fact that Tomoyo was gone, after all that they had gone through as just friends. Eriol felt a few tears build up in his eyes. He wiped them away, not allowing himself to let go of his feelings. His diginty was the only thing he had left after all.
And just then, he heard someone call his name. The voice was very familiar. He looked up and saw a raven haired girl standing right in front of him. She was wearing the same old smile Eriol had always loved to see on her. It was her...... Disbelief shot through Eriol for a split second.
He stood up and said, "Am I dreaming? Tell me I'm not dreaming. Is that really you, Tomoyo?"
Tomoyo sighed. "No, you're not dreaming but yes, it's me. I'm still here, Eriol," came her reply.
"But why? Didn't your plane leave already?" Eriol asked, puzzled by her presence.
"Yes but I couldn't bear to not say goodbye at least," she said.
Eriol smirked and answered, "I guess not." With that, he put his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Tomoyo. All this time, I've been so blind as to who I really love. But now I know better than to let this chance slip away from me again......"
"I love you."
~*~
Sakura kept crying as if the world was about to crash down on her at that very moment. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by the rough hands of pain. For that, the tears would not stop falling. Then suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a figure of a person coming towards her. He came closer and Sakura instantly knew who it was. 'Syaoran...'
"I tried calling you but you weren't home. Then my best bud told me what happened. So, I figured you'd be around here," he spoke up first.
'Best bud? Is he talking about Eriol?' Sakura thought. "What... what happened to him? And what are you doing here in the first place?" Sakura hesitantly asked, refusing to look at him with her tear-streaked face.
"Eriol and Tomoyo are on their way here and as for me, I had something I wanted to return to you," came Syaoran's reply as he tossed something over Sakura. She caught it in her hands and as she opened them, she found the necklace Syaoran had given her before.
She looked up at Syaoran. "But... why?" she croaked in wonder, attempting to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Listen. There's something I've always wanted to tell you. I'm in love with you. You make me feel unlike any way I have ever felt before. I'm madly and painfully in love with you. I just wanted you to know that, still hoping that you feel the same way," Syaoran replied. For the sake of her pride, she had to turn away. Sakura commanded herself to listen. She told herself to believe him.
And she did...
Sakura tried to smile but her smile faded away into a pained expression as she threw her arms around him and started to weep. "Did I do something stupid again?" Syaoran just had to ask as he tried to make her calm down.
"No. It's because you came when I needed you the most... and because I realized that I'm in love with you too.." Sakura answered as she let go of Syaoran. That's when amber crashed with emerald and the two were drawn into a fervent yet gentle kiss. That empty place in both of their hearts was finally filled. This love was all they ever wanted. This feeling of completion was all they ever needed. The rain was still pouring and they were both soaking wet but at that moment, nothing really mattered anymore. What was important was that they finally found what they both desired... a love worth living for.
~**THE END**~
did you like the ending? i hope none of you are disappointed/frustrated... im just glad i got through all that in one piece despite all the s+s fans' attempts to massacre me.. hehehe..lol.. and yet, i live!! wahahahaha!!! (ehem) excuse my hyperness.. anywayz, on to the bad news...
if you guys read one of my previous authors' notes, you wouldve known about my upcoming ccs fic... which i decided not to pursue for certain acceptable reasons.. yes, i know... not that devastating, huh? but i still consider it "bad news" nevertheless... so shoot me! no wait... *runs away* on second thought... hehehe... that's all folks!
see you guys next time!!! mwaaahhhh!!!! luv, alexis
