Angel
Black-Angel-001: i decided li needs his pov, just to be fair. there will be one more chapter after this, and that will have a song as well. this chapter has the song 'paint me a birmingham' by tracy lawrence. if anyone knows where i can find a place to download the song or something, could you let me know when you review? thankies!
Angel
Nothing had changed. Well, a few buildings had been torn down and new ones added, but other than that everything was the same. Li passed by the school that he had attended for a while. Pausing he watched the kids play soccer and do other activities. A familiar tug went to his heart, memories surging through his mind. He walked quickly on. Too many places held something that reminded him of his time here. Li wandered a little more before he came to the beach.
A cool breeze blew in his face and made him shiver. White caps from far out in the water made a pretty picture.
((He was sittin' there, his brush in hand
Paintin' waves as they danced, upon the sand))
Li stood there a few minutes more, taking in the salty smell, the sounds. Gulls flew overhead, crieing out to something unknown. Turning on his heel Li left. The cobblestone clicked as he walked down the street of the market. Turning his head left and right he noticed a few more details than before.
((With every stroke, he brought to life
The deep blue of the ocean, against the mornin' sky))
He stopped to buy a peach to make up for a missed breakfast and almost missed lunch. He smiled grimly as he thought of what Melin would say on the subject of his not eating. If anything he wanted Sakura to say something about anything as long as she talked to him. That's what he wanted the most.
((I asked him if he only painted ocean scenes
He said for twenty dollars, I'll paint you anything.))
Across the street, Li saw Madison and Sakura walking together. Sakura was smiling and laughing. Something made Li go weak, feel as if this was were he truely belonged. He was only making it harder to leave. Sakura began looking in his direction. He remembered what had happened at the carnival and got out of eyesite quickly. He knew she could probably sense his presence, but that would be better than actually seeing him.
He walked around a bit more before returning to his hotel room. His room was pretty high up, so he had a good veiw. The veiw, of course, was of Sakura's house. He sighed and leaned his head against the cold glass. She had moved. Sakura, her father, and older brother Tori were now living in a cottage looking house, sitting near the edge of the town. It was white and light blue, a front porch included. He could just imagine Sakura sitting in the front yard, engaged in some form of activity.
((Well could you Paint Me A Birmingham
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch goin' all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it, early spring
For awhile she'll be, mine again
If you can Paint Me A Birmingham.))
Everyday Li saw Sakura somewhere-it was hard not to, considering what a small town this was. Of course, he also saw many of his other old friends. Zachary was still telling crazy stories and Niki still loved ghost stories. Rita was as quiet and sweet as ever and Chealse was still a leader in everyway. They didn't hate him for what he did, both all those years ago and last week. He was grateful for that. Only Sakura spoke no word to him.
Usually she was with a large group of friends or her brother and Julian. Those two hadn't changed-Tori still wanted to beat the crap out Li. Kero and Yue were willing to help out sometimes; Sakura is their master after all.
((He looked at me, with knowing eyes
Then took a canvas from a bag there by his side
Picked up a brush, and said to me
Son just in this picture, would you like to be
I said if there's any way you can
Could you paint me back into her arms again.))
Three days passed before Li couldn't take anymore. He packed up, arranged for a ticket on the next flight to Hong Kong, and waited. Only a few hours later, Li had a seat on flight number LC15709. For the last time Li strolled down the street, wondering if this was right. He came across Madison, alone, and told her what he was going to do.
"Maybe that is a good idea," she said thoughtfully. "Sakura...well, she's not doing very well, knowing that you're so close. But, Li, this time, if you're going to say goodbye, make sure you mean it for good."
The words cut deeply but she was right. It was only fair to Sakura.
((Paint Me A Birmingham
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch goin' all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it, early spring
For awhile she'll be, mine again
If you can Paint Me A Birmingham.))
On the day of he was supposed to leave, Li walked over to Sakura's house. In his hand was a stem of cherry blossoms, the first gift he gave her. Taking a deep breath he placed it on the front porch, turned and walked away.
((Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it, early spring
For awhile she'll be, mine again
If you can Paint Me A, Birmingham.))