Chapter 1: one-shot
(by ani, added on 2005-09-22 16:01:15 AEST) [Discussion Topic]
Smile
By ani aka Cherished Dreams
Disclaimer: I don’t own Cardcaptor Sakura.. XD
She ran out into the open crowd and shifted past strangers, to her to place where most of her childhood memories were made: the park. She had lost him for now, she knew. He would soon find her. He always did. There was no escaping him. A too deep bond had been formed between them.
She couldn’t bear to have him see the now huge teardrops falling from her large violet eyes. She hid underneath the slides, the place where she would have tea parties with her plastic Mattel toys and lifeless stuffed animals about ten or so years earlier.
The sun had finally set and the moon and stars quickly replaced the sun and sky. He found her sitting on the floor underneath the slides, hugging her legs to her slim torso, her head bent low. The dried autumn leaves crackled soundly under his shoes.
She started. She looked up at him sleepily. He exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding. She had been crying. It wouldn’t be obvious to a normal passer by; her eyes were fast healers, but the way her eyes were bigger and the fold just above her left eye gave it away to him, someone who had always seen her, after her tears dried up. She placed her head back on her knees and closed her eyes.
He stood there looking at her. Knowing from experience that she would get up herself, he stayed where he was, hands in his jacket pockets. But instead of getting up and coming towards him, she said in a small weak voice. “I’m cold.”
She did not ask for his jacket or move from where she sat. She merely moved her lips to form those two syllables. “I’m afraid, that after you leave me, I’ll still be cold, and never be as warm as you make me when we're together or apart.” He swallowed. He’d never seen her like this, never in their whole lives.
“You’re going to leave me. And..” She turned her head up and looked straight at his face. “and.. I don’t want you to.” Those last five words scared him and pleased him at the same time. He went cold then hot. Then back to normal. He mentioned her to shuffle over and after she did he seated himself next to her. He leaned onto her and she leaned back. They were each other’s wall.
The stars shone brightly at them and a few twinkled at the delight of seeing a wonderfully cute couple under the slides. But a couple they were not. They were merely childhood friends, with too big a secret in either one of them, to be able tell the other.
He sat there thinking about how different his friend was, compared to the way he saw her everyday. This girl was different, and somehow he could feel himself become regretful of his confession to her that morning. He wanted to stay, but he needed to leave. He needed to do what was bided to him. But it was something he had forbidden himself to tell her. Something that would break her heart. And he didn’t want to leave her heart more broken than it seemed it was, as they sat together under the slides.
The warmth was coming back to her, but her fingers, toes and nose grew colder, as the time she spent outside grew longer. Her breathing became deeper, her breathe coming out in small puffs of white air. She wanted him to stay, and she screamed at herself frustrated in her mind. He couldn’t just leave her here.
She was miserable, being the daughter of a highly successful business woman. Business parties and press conferences were all she ever went to the last past two years, but he being with her made everything bearable. Her secret was so much more important than that of his. But she kept it within herself. She didn’t want it to plaque him with burden. That and she as afraid of the consequences.
“I-- I'm sorry.” He whispered, feeling the frustration radiate from her. He didn’t want to leave. But her sake he had to. His mind travelled back to the meeting he had had with her mother, not too long ago.
“She’s dying. The best doctors don’t know what to do anymore. This condition.. its rare.”
He stood in front of his best friend’s mother listening. His blood was pounding hard enough for him to hear. His eyes were wide.
“Please help her.”
He had left that meeting with his spirits low and his heart sobbing.
He would help her. Even if it meant having to use his magic.
He felt her shift her weight beside him and watched her stand. Several thoughts came to his mind when she smiled down at him and held out her hand. He had noticed it several times before but her smile was always serene and sincere. It made him wonder what kind of person could be so kind and loving. Always happy. He wanted to know the reason why whenever he saw her, he would catch her wearing a smile on her face. He grasped her hand and she helped him stand.
He removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. And she smiled gratefully for the warmth it provided. No matter what, she thought, he would always be a gentle man. As he walked her home, both bathed in comfortable silence, he realized why he was determined to do the task he had set for himself. He wanted to keep that smile on her face, for much longer.
Arriving to the family mansion, they hugged and parted ways. He watched her be ushered inside the warm house by her servants, before turning and starting home himself. The stars twinkled above him as he walked home alone, a cold breeze rushing past him occasionally. He shot the house one last look and whispered “I’ll help you keep your smile… Tomoyo.”
A/N: Short and Sad.. Just how I like it. Tell me what you think |
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