Chapter 19
"So this is it."Eriol faced her sadly."This is
goodbye."
Her eyes welled up with tears.A lump formed in her
throat."Goodbye."she echoed.
He bowed and kissed her hand."Thank you for
everything."His grip tightened on hers.
Hers did too.
as if letting go would mean fading away from each other forever.
The price of loving the right person at the wrong time.
"Go."she ordered softly but firmly.
"But..but.."he protested.His deep blue eyes were
telling her something.
She stiffened.
"I love you Tomoyo."
She pulled her hand away."It's ok.You don't need to say
that.All that matters to me is that I made you happy."
"I don't understand-"
"It's better this way."She cupped his face."I was
just there when you needed someone to sleep with,but in
reality,you don't know what love is."
He looked crushed.
She stroke his cheek with her thumb lightly."Go home.Go find
yourself a devoted wife who will take care of you and give you
beautiful sweet kids.Your life is not here."
"You're wrong.You are my life."he protested softly.
"All aboard!!"A man announced as the train roared to
life.
She gently shoved him away."Sayonara."
He kissed her briefly."I'll never forget you."He
carried his suitcases into the train,with Nakuru trailing after
him.She saw the woman whisper something to her master's ear,and
he looked flabbergasted.
Tomoyo turned her back on the scene.She was afraid that she might
just call him back.
She heard the train move,and the gust of wind played with her
dark tresses.Finally,the dam of her tears broke.
"Kimi wo aishiteiru,Eriol.I love you."she
whispered,hoping the wind would be kind enopugh to bring her
heart's mute whisper and touch Eriol's ear,wherever he was right
now.
"So Nakuru was right.Kimi wo aishiteiru means 'I Love
you'."A voice said behind her.
She gasped.She must be hearing things!She slowly turned around.
Eriol was standing beside her,hands on his pocket and face
smiling wickedly like a cheshire cat."So that's why Nakuru
nearly smacked me when I asked her what those words mean.I told
her you said that before you brought me to bed."
"W-Why are you still here?"she asked.
"Nakuru reminded me about this."He fished out a paper
crane from his pocket."So I went out of the other side of
the train just to give you this."
She was puzzled."What will I do with this?"
"Open it."he instructed.
She carefully unfolded the origami work.Inserted carefully
between the paper was a glittering ring."W-What is
this?"
He took it and inserted it on her finger."A bond."he
said simply."I'm taking you with me."
"You need a geisha?"
"Well a wife would be nice too."
She was utterly shocked."I thought you don't like to be tied
down in a marriage?"
"Hey,I realized that being sentenced to a lifetime with you
doesn't sound so bad.In fact,even if I die and be born again in
another lifetime,I would still choose to be bound with
you."he replied."I'm not going anywhere without you.If
you don't want to go with me,then I'll stay here."
"The people will only kill you."
"What's the difference?If I leave you,I would die of
loneliness too anyway."
Her eyes shook."Then I'm coming with you."
"Y-You mean it?"His eyes widened.
"If you want to,that is."she said shyly.
"Want to?Want to?God Tomoyo,why would I not want to?Tomoyo,I
love you!"He clasped her to his chest tightly.
"I love you too Eriol."she whispered as her ring
glittered.
The End.
Epilogue
Tomoyo Daidouji looked at the ring on her finger blankly.
"So do you like it?"Eriol Hiragizawa asked eagerly.
She rolled her eyes."Nice."She threw the ring back to
him,to Eriol and the saleslady's horror.
He caught the ring."Tomoyo!This ring is an antique!Don't you
know that this ring dates back to the 1800s?Don't ever pull such
foolishness again!"
"Me,foolish?Hah!What about you?You're paying a fortune-your
3-month salary-just to buy your little goddess an old
ring?"She still couldn't believe that he dragged her from
her basketball pratice just to try on a piece of jewelry that
wasn't even hers!
Nakuru Akizuki snickered.
Eriol cleared his throat."We'll talk about this later,young
lady."He said,using his grown-up lecturing voice.
"Stop calling me that!"she snapped.
"Certainly,but you must behave first,ok?"He smiled
affably.
She quickly lowered the brim of her sports cap to hide her
slightly colored cheeks.
His smiles were always her weakness.She hated how they always
send her heart to merciless convulsion.
She watched with white-hot jealousy as Eriol paid for his
precious Yamashita artifact that he was going to offer to his
nymph.
Kaho Mizuki,the woman years older than him but managed to catch
Eriol's elusive heart.
It was obvious though that the woman didn't think of him
romantically.
But Eriol the Dense Master pursued in courting her.
Tomoyo sighed.She tried to advise him against it,but what did he
reply?
"I know what's best for me,Tomoyo."
She rolled her eyes again and started to sing softly under her
breath."I'm so young and you're so old,oh my darling I've
been told."
Eriol glared at her warningly."To-mo-yo.Stop_singing."
"You are so annoyingly bossy!"she whined.
He broke into a smile."You know my answer.I am-"
"6 months and 20 days older than me.I know."she
interrupted.
He laughed."And as your semi-elder brother tasked by your
mother Daidouji-sama to look after you while she's away,you must
do as I say."
She smiled sweetly."Yes,Big Brother."
Yes Big Brother.
Yes Big Brother.
Oooh,she hated him!
To Be Continued.