Note:
None of these characters belong to me, except for Alanna and Kaori. The song is
called ‘Pikachu’s Goodbye’, from Pokemon, and is offset by
********************. The language in this fic is PG.
A Test of Heart
Part 2
By: A.J. Matthews
It’s
been three days… God, I can’t believe. Three days without talking to Tori and
being with him.
Tears
run down my face as I bury it in my hands. Gods, this hurts worse than when
I found out my grandparents died.
Damn
it, Sakura! Tell me why you’ve done this. I’ve never have believed you capable
of doing this. Even Kero can’t believe it. And I still don’t believe the weak
excuse that you gave me.
“God, Tori, this is tearing me apart…” I wept. I can’t
understand this. Why,
Sakura? What did I do to upset you so much that you’d do this?
I can see it in Tori’s eyes. This hurts him just as much as
me. Alanna has sensed something bad must’ve happened, but she doesn’t pry.
*******************************************
I
close my eyes and I can see
The
day we met
Just
one moment and I knew
You’re
my best friend
I’d
do anything for you
*******************************************
I clench my fists together. I love him so much, I can barely
stand it. Kero can tell that something is wrong. I refuse to speak to Sakura,
unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t speak to Tori, either. It hurts too
much to see him so sad. And I know just how he feels.
I can remember when he first find out about me. That I was
really Yue, Guardian of the Moon and Sakura. He sacrificed a lot for me. Hell,
he gave up being able to see his mother to save my life. And he continued to
save my life, at the times when I needed more magic. And then I broke up with him.
******************************************
We’ve
gone so far and done so much
And
I really feel like we’ve always been together
Right
by my side through thick and thin
You’re
a part of my life that I’ll always remember
******************************************
I
choke back tears. This hurts worse than even when Kaori vanished centuries ago.
I lost her then and now I’ve lost him, too. Maybe I’m just not supposed to be
happy with someone.
The
worse news is that the magic hasn’t been coming to me like it should be. I used
to receive magic from Tori on a regular basis. I flushed slightly as I
remembered how I’d received it that last day. That day when my existence seemed
to lose all meaning.
So
I’m facing the possibility of disappearing forever. And this time, I don’t have
the right to ask for help. Hell, I’m not sure he’d help me even if I did help.
I
slap myself mentally. Of course Tori would help me. He was a kind and decent
person.
Maybe
I should’ve defied Sakura. Every part of me shouts that what she did was wrong.
But… she’s my Master. I have to obey her. Why does this seem so familiar?
Because
Clow Reed did exactly the same thing to me and Kaori. He ordered us to break up
and care only for him. And then he sent Kaori away. I never found out why then.
I
don’t know. Maybe it was for the better. I did meet Tori and fall in love
again, after so long.
At
least I won’t have to watch as Tori ages before me and I remain the same. I
don’t care about that anymore. Magic could keep him alive longer.
It’s
ironic. The magic he used to use to save me could enable him to live longer.
And now, he will live longer.
Sakura
has been acting strangely lately, too. Kero has noticed that as well. She acts
kind of stuck up, and has blown off her friendships with Li and Madison. I’ve
vaguely felt some kind of strange power around her, but I can’t get seem to see
it.
Maybe
I should go back to the Book. At least then, it might not hurt so much.
“Julian?”
Kero asks softly, startling me. He looks at me compassionately.
I
look at him with misery on my face. “Hi, Kero.” My voice is quiet.
“Are
you ok?”
“Gods,
no, Kero!” I look at him. “I hurt so much… And I know Tori does too. What she
did was wrong.” I don’t mention my other problem.
“I
know. It’s strange. Sakura isn’t like that at all. It’s almost as if she’s a
different person,” Kero says thoughtfully. “But that’s not what I meant. You’re
disappearing again. You should tell Sakura or Julian. It’s because of the
strain on your relationship.”
“What
relationship? There is none! Because of Sakura! And I don’t have the right to
ask him for help.” I can’t handle this tonight. I’m about to change forms so I
can fly off when I hear a soft whisper.
****************************************
It’s
for the best, I know it
Who
could’ve guessed that you and I…
Somehow,
someway, we’d have to say goodbye
***************************************
“Julian?
Is that you?”
It’s
Alanna. Kero flies out of sight in the trees above me.
“Yes,”
I admit.
“Can
I talk to you?” She seems shy, almost hesitant.
“Sure.”
I jump out of the tree where I’d been watching the moon. It was beautiful
tonight.
She
looks at me, her long hair flowing free in the night wind. Her question isn’t
what I expect at all.
“What
happened between you and Tori?” She bites her lower lip. “I don’t mean to pry…
it’s just that it’s so obvious that something happened and you’re both
miserable.”
I
look at her in surprise. She’s good. No one else had noticed that Tori and I
had had a very close relationship. I don’t know what to say to her.
“You
still love him, don’t you?” she asks in her soft voice.
“How
did you know-”
She
cuts me off.
“Remember
a few days ago when we were all in line to get our late slips?” At my nod, she
continues. “You never asked why I was late. I was at the park that morning, and
I saw you and Tori.”
I
feel embarrassed. I certainly had not noticed being watched. A flush appears on
my face.
“It’s
ok,” she says. “I’m not here to judge. I’m just worried about both of you. He’s
in as much pain as you are.”
“You’re
right. I still love him, but I had to break up with him.” I clench my teeth in
pain and sorrow.
****************************************
And
the courage to make my dreams come true
How
will I find another friend like you
Two
of a kind; that’s what we are
And
it seems like we were always winning
But
as our team is torn apart
I
wish we could go back to the beginning
***************************************
Agony
runs through my body. Agony of heart and soul. And the agony of disappearing
again.
“Why?
If you love each other…” Alanna says. “Love is very precious. Without it, the
world is a whole lot lonelier. Love can be wonderful, but sometimes it can
break your heart. But without the bad times, we wouldn’t appreciate the good
times.”
I
look at her. “How did you get so wise, Alanna?” I’m amazed. She seems to
understand what I’m going through.
She
looks back at me sadly.
****************************************
The
time has come
It’s
for the best I know it
Who
could’ve guessed that you and I
Somehow,
someday, we have to say goodbye
****************************************
“I
was in love once, but I was forced to leave him. I couldn’t tell him goodbye or
anything. And when I finally found him again, he’d fallen in love with someone
else,” Alanna says softly. “Believe it or not, I was truly happy for him. He’d
suffered because he missed me so much, so it was hard for him to open his heart
to love once more.” She looked at me. “That’s why you need to tell Tori that
you still love him. I don’t want you to go through what I did. How would you
feel if he started dating someone else? Fight for the one you love, Julian,
before it’s too late.” Tears shine in her emerald eyes.
Suddenly,
I realize, she’s right. Love is precious and I should fight for it.
I
smile at her; this wise human who understands my heart better than I could.
She’s helped me a lot.
“Thanks,
Alanna. You’re a true friend.”
She
smiles. “I’d better get home,” she says. Before leaving, she places her hand on
my shoulder.
I
feel a sudden jolt in magic. Alanna has a lot of magic around her for a human,
and somehow some of it just got placed into me. It must be because I’m so weak
without it, and my magic needs recharging.
She
sways slightly.
I
catch her before she falls to the ground.
“What
was that?” she asks. Alanna looks tired of all of a sudden.
“You’re
probably tired, Alanna,” I say gently. “I’ll walk you home.”
She
nods, and we set off.
After
seeing her home, I walk behind some trees. There, I change forms and fly up
into the night.
I
begin searching for Tori.
Somehow,
I’m going to make him understand.
But
before I can find him, an image appears before me.
It’s
Clow Reed. He looks a lot younger than I remember. But it’s him. The magic
feeling is exactly the same. Ruby Moon and Spinner are with him.
I
open my mouth in shock and close it again. How can this be?
“Master?”
I say, my voice trembling.
“Yue…”
His emotionless eyes look at me. “I hadn’t expected interference from a human,”
he says, looking down at Alanna’s house. “Or such magic talent.”
“What
do you mean?” I ask, feeling a coldness inside of me. He talks as if…as if… No,
it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t hurt a human.
Clow
Reed looks at me. “The human girl. I wanted you to figure it out on your own,”
he says. He snaps his fingers. “Sometimes, your Master may not always give you
an easy task. But you must follow do it nonetheless.”
I
get angry. “What is this?” I demand. I move forward to look closely at Clow
Reed, when Ruby Moon stops me.
“My,
my. You sound just like Kaori,” my former master says. “It was a test for you,
Yue. To see your loyalty to your new Master.” He looks at me. “Obviously, it is
lacking.” He sighs. “However, you can’t know that I’m alive again, Yue.” He
starts a spell.
I
try to back up, but Ruby Moon and Spinner block the way. I can feel the spell
doing… something to me. I go unconscious and fall back to the ground below.