Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Card Captor Sakura and all related art, characters and story are trademarks and property of CLAMP, Nelvana, Kodansha, NEP21, Tokyo Pop and associated parties. The characters of these works are used without permission for the purpose of entertainment only. I, Hally Dang, do not claim Card Captor Sakura and all related art, characters and story as my own property.
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Forsaken
by Hally Dang
They leave us so to the way we took,
As two in whom they were proved mistaken,
That we sit sometimes in the wayside nook,
With mischievous, vagrant, seraphic look,
And try if we cannot feel forsaken.
In Neglect, Robert Frost
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( Zero ) _________________________ Tales Painted on Porcelain ___ [ prologue ]
/I suppose you have decided?/ the question hung in the air like a foreboding storm. His words were received only by a deafening silence. He was not pleased. A dangerous fury radiated off of him like heat. He looked as though he was ready to strike out at something; but he did not speak again.
She bit her lip. This was much more difficult than what she had imagined. She remained in silence. He cast her an expecting glance. His eyes were of an inclement glacial blue. She shivered slightly under their intense gaze. But she did not yield to their coldness.
He did not like this. The raging silence clawed at him, for he knew its significance. He closed his eyes and let out a burdened sigh. His entire being relaxed with his exhaled breath. The clandestine chains were lifted off; now all that was left was he and he alone.
/I see. It has been determined./ he murmured softly. His voice no longer possessed his earlier severity. His face softened. There was nothing but a hallow desperation left in the air.
She suddenly made an almost violent turn to face him. Her dark curls made a graceful swirl in the air and settled gently on her shoulders. Her expression remained indifferent. Her amber eyes gave off a golden glow. She refused to speak still.
He stepped towards her. He reached out his arm to touch her. He was lost of his poise and assurance. /Is this where we end, Cecilia?/ he asked airily.
She remained motionless. A soft frown settled upon her lips but did not take away from her elegance. /Please. Do not do this to me./ she pleaded in an almost inaudible voice. Her eyes shimmered under the moonlight.
This time, it was he who beheld the reticence. He waited for her to once more.
She closed her eyes and bit her lip again. A forlorn grief replaced the apathy on her face. She was breaking slowly. /I'm sorry./ her voice was grating. /I am so very sorry, my Clow Reed./
He allowed the words to hang in the air before continuing. /I see./ he stated simply. His eyes held her for the briefest of moments. He could not stand for the despair laced within her words.
She turned away to avoid looking at him. There was a pause before her composure returned to her once more.
/There are times when matters are bigger than ourselves. We cannot be selfish when everything had come to this. It was inevitable./ her voice was rich and sonorous and amazingly neutral. He winced at her nonchalant tone. She did not look at him.
It took a moment before he could speak again. /So you knew./ there was hint of repentance in his voice. /You wound me./
She looked at him with accusing eyes. /I saw. In a dream./ she corrected him. /I never knew it would be like this. After all we've done to forestall his rising./
Her words were all lost upon him now. He did not care for it. He pulled out a chair from the great rose wood escritoire. /What did he ask of you?/ he asked in a listless voice barely distinguishable.
She could not see his face. He was sitting, now, with his back towards her. Her throat was dry and tight. She was unable to answer him.
/What on earth did you concede to?/ he asked again in a louder voice.
She took a step towards him. She placed a hand on his left shoulder as if to steady him for her response. His sorcerer robe felt rough and cold to her touch. She felt him shudder to the weight of her hand.
/This is the only way. You know as well as I that he will not stop until he has what he lusts./ her voice was barely a whisper. She knew he would not listen to her reasoning but she tried nonetheless. /This is all we can do to stop him now./
There was a pregnant silence between the duo in the athenaeum of the Reed Manor. The fates had passed their judgment. It was all lost now. Even an omnipotent magician could not hinder what was to be.
/When are you leaving?/ he asked in false aplomb. He was tormenting himself, he knew.
She backed away from his sitting form. She could not bear his malaise. /Dawn./ she managed to choke out of her aching bosom.
They did not have much time. It was past midnight and silence reigned once again.
He suddenly stood up from the escritoire in one swift graceful movement. He held her ochroid eyes. /Don't go./ he implored.
She shook her head. It could not be done. She had made her choice. /Forgive me, my dear Clow./
His eyes ached a bewitching blue. /Cecilia./ he spoke her name in a heartbreaking expression.
She tore her attention away from him. She could not look at him. /It had already been determined./ her words mocked his previous statement.
/Must this be our journey's end?/
/In our beginning there was our end./ she replied simply. He must have understood her allusion for he did not speak again. /Clow, let us depart in satisfaction. I do not wish to quarrel./ she said in a mild voice. She did not need this.
He nodded blandly. She saw the pain in his eyes, echoing her own grief. The air was so thick with despair that it was hard to see. She felt as though she might suffocate on all her sorrows. Perhaps she was already.
Neither of them spoke again. Suddenly, she took a step towards him. She warped her arms around his neck. Her sudden movements startled him. He lifted her delicate frame to him and bestowed her with a soft kiss. His hands clung to her, refusing to let her go.
She tore herself away from his embrace. She shook her head. A single tear escaped. It glistened faintly under the pale moonlight. She needed to let him go before she couldn't. She backed away.
He closed his eyes. He knew what this meant. The inescapable fate of those who are condemned with power; it was all lost now. Kismet had bequeathed him with many duties. Now it has asked of him the greatest sacrifice of all. He must relinquish her.
/Au revoir, Madame André./ he finally said. His voice was brimming with a dreadful hopelessness.
Her eyes were now red from weeping. She did not want him to see her this way. /Farewell, Clow Reed./ she returned.
She picked up her long gossamer skirts and turned away. She stopped at the door. She stole a final glance at the silhouette of her beloved before leaving him standing alone in the athenaeum with only the scent of lilacs in the air.
And it was done.
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Author's Note: You have no idea how much I've struggled with this prologue. I must have gone through five drafts before I settled upon this one. The first few drafts were of a letter written by Cecilia André explaining her relationship with Clow Reed and how they departed. However, I was not pleased by how it turned out. I couldn't capture the mystery and tragedy surrounding the two characters. That was why I decided to write about the scene where they said their final good-byes. Again, this version also took me through several drafts. It was a good thing I wrote this during the winter holidays or I would not have been able to finish it.
The entire plot of "Forsaken" alludes back to this prologue. The history behind Cecilia André and Clow Reed will be slowly revealed throughout the story. I've taken great care in fabricating the characters, plots, and themes of "Forsaken" so I hope you will enjoy the mystery and drama of it all. I promise, all questions will be answered by the end. All the pieces will fall into place.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I love constructive criticism. Tell me what you think of my writing. Please review before you leave.