HANGING ON FOR HOPE

Author’s Notes: I’m SO sorry that this chapter is WAY too delayed… Got stuck in school and other offline life… And I was in writers block mode… I think I still am so forgive me it the ending is so crappy… So, I know you guys have been waiting for this chapter for the longest time so I won’t delay you any longer…

Thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter:

o--------- Musette Fujiwara
o--------- Dollie x0
o--------- Animefreakkagome
o--------- Izumethegreat

o ------------------ o

CHAPTER NINE: MIKOMI IS HIS NAME

o ------------------ o

It’s just me and my laptop; alone once again. Although I can’t say much that I’m not happy. It’s actually the opposite. Ever since that faithful day, I’ve never been happier.

Almost a month, since the time I told him that I love him. And right now, I’ve been with him for everything. I’ve been there to support him for everything that he plans to do, for all his projects, for all our defenses. Everything.

Tomoyo was right; love doesn’t come all the time. It comes once in a blue moon. And I think I got my blue moon. Just a little too late though, but still, I was able to capture it. And I love the result of what I caught.

Resha and Syaoran are now back in good terms since they saw us together the next day. I tell you, I think I made the right choice of friends. How do I say that? Well, they were about to clobber Syaoran the minute he stepped inside the classroom. If I hadn’t greeted him with a big smile on my face, he might have been ganged up or something.

I just don’t think I can still say that about them right now. Lately, they had been ignoring me every time they can. It’s like I did something wrong. Of course, only Eriol and Orhia did not ignore us. But for the others, it’s like we live in a separate dimension. Maybe it’s because that I have my own life right now, that I notice different people right now. But that doesn’t make them any less than my friends. Those that made me smile and laugh everyday. I wish I could still say that right now. Sadly, I can’t anymore. Those days are gone.

Since there are some courses that we take differently, I get to worry about him for his projects, making us not see each other much anymore, since dues are on the way. But that’s totally fine with me. I understand that he has a lot to do and that we can’t hangout for this certain day. All I can do then is to encourage him and make him work better.

It was all good.

“I talked to her today…” Syaoran said.

Sakura and Syaoran were once again under the tree, that beautiful place in their school. Sakura was leaning on Syaoran’s shoulders and Syaoran was leaning on Sakura’s head. “Hm? Who?” Sakura asked.

“Erica…”

Who is Erica you may ask…? She’s Syaoran’s ex-girlfriend before he started… Um… How should I say this… “befriending” Resha…? He and Erica were together during our first year in college…

Anyway, that’s who she is. They’ve gone out for only a couple of months but just by seeing her, I feel so intimidated. I feel like he still likes her since they broke up with an unclear understanding. He really didn’t understand her. He told me that she wanted to focus on her studies when he started dating her. But, she still went out with him. But, yeah. She’s the type of person who can’t quite make up her mind…

Anyway, on with the story…

“Yeah…?” Sakura asked as she straightened up and looked at Syaoran.

Syaoran on the other hand, looked at her as well. “Yeah… I just greeted her. Looks like she was busy with her project so I just didn’t mind her that much…”

“Oh…” Sakura added, who was now looking at the ground.

“You know what…?” Syaoran continued, knowing that Sakura was down. He placed 2 of his fingers to her chin and pulled her face to look at him, “I love you.”

That made her smile. “I love you too…”

“Don’t get too sad when I talk to her alright…? She’s a part of my past and I don’t want to dwell on that anymore. What’s important to me is my present and, hopefully, the future…” Syaoran said.

“I know… But, you know how I am Syaoran… I don’t know why, but I really feel sad if I see you with any of those that had an issue with you… I know it’s the past, but I feel like you still have feelings for her, or maybe for them.”

“Them…?” Syaoran asked as he removed his fingers from under her chin.

“Remember how I told you that I thought you liked Resha…? Well, I don’t know… Somehow I think you really do…”

“Sakura… We’ve talked about this before…”

“I know… And I’m sorry… I don’t want you to be isolated from your groups, I don’t want you to feel like I’m hogging you for myself. No. I just wanted you to be happy and actually talk to them than just to be with me… Although I admit, when you do I get saddened because then you rarely talk to me… But I don’t mind.

“But, is it really easy to suddenly forget that I’m there when we are with them…?” Sakura said.

Syaoran had to have some time given to him to be able to digest this. Then he finally spoke, “Baby, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… I just… Okay… For starters, I DO NOT love Resha nor do I have any sort of feelings towards her except for friendship. Next is, I am happy, just as I’m with you, I’m already satisfied. I don’t need them to make me happy. All I need is you…”

Cheezy, I know… But hey, he got me there.

---

I’ve been through a lot the past months that I’ve been gone. Syaoran took me to all his favorite spots (trust me, those are a LOT of spots), took out, we did a lot of things… To cut it short, we are happy.

Some times I even wonder if whether this is already my future; a future with him. That I cannot tell as of the moment. We don’t know, something might happen in the near future which would cause us to separate, or something…

But as of now, all I care about is the present. Both parties wishing that this would last forever, one will never leave the other for anything.

I must confess, I miss the times that I did everything all by myself. Lately I’ve always had him beside me doing all my chores like cleaning dishes, going to the supermarket, shopping, going to Touya’s place, sometimes even going home. I miss the times that I get to go out with Tomoyo and the others without him having to tag along. I miss being single, that’s what I mean.

Maybe it’s just because I have been way too close to him, and him being too over protective of me… I don’t know…

---

I just haven’t been myself lately… I haven’t been writing anything in my journal, of course I haven’t written anything in this online diary as well… But, if you’d actually analyze my current situation, I’m so much happy than before…

I’m once again sitting alone in my room, Tomoyo at her side, sleeping… It’s already 2 in the morning, nearing 3, and I’m still up, typing this… I owe a lot to all the readers reading my story anyway… So, I’d better send my apologies to everyone…

Syaoran…? Well, we are still together, if that’s what you’d like to ask… A lot of rough roads before, and I know that there will still be rougher roads ahead of us… It’s nearing a year since I started moping about him… It’s been a year since I started crying because I wanted to be with him, but he was with my friend… Which all turned out to be a misunderstanding…

Things are better now… Things are all settled… Even Resha has her own life right now… Everyone does… But we all stick together… Oh, remember the issue I had before with my friends… ? Well, everything is now resolved… As I said, everything is back to normal…

---

Love is in the air. Today is Christmas day and I was with Syaoran the night before…

I tell you, being in love and being with the person you love is a totally different experience… It’s like you have your own world to live, you have your own story to tell…

Love is something that is totally unpredictable… You never know what will happen when, where it will happen, and how… You’ll just suddenly notice, “Wow… That happened then…? How again?”

But the truth is, nothing is a coincidence as they always say… Everything was fated by destiny…? Is destiny really real…? How about fate? Or are they just the same…? Who knows… I believe in both of them…

It’s been years since after that incident where we had misunderstandings. It’s also been years since we both admitted feelings for each other and been dating ever since. Even though it was already long ago, it feels like it happened just a few weeks ago…

But, here’s one secret that I wanted to share…

I’m finally getting married…

After two more years, Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol, and the others had finally graduated and were off to see the real world.

Of course, Sakura and Syaoran were closer than ever after that fateful day. Each day that they had, they did nothing but be with each other. It’s like there’s no more tomorrow the way they acted. Everyday they hugged, comforting each other because of the different problems they faced, or because they just missed each other throughout the day. Everyday they kissed, like they won’t be seeing each other the next day anymore. Also, everyday, they quarreled. But not that explosive type of quarrels that usual couples have. Theirs is something that Syaoran usually teases her about, being way too dramatic for one thing which is just a joke.

They never worked in the same company, though they all lived together, Tomoyo, Eriol, Sakura, and Syaoran. Living in one apartment full of people who were in love was such a great experience…

But, just a few months later, Sakura and Syaoran found themselves alone in the apartment. Eriol finally had the guts to asked Tomoyo to marry him and they are now living abroad. That was their goal, the four of them. To be able to go abroad… Just to see how it is like to live outside their country…

Resha and the others? Even though they were close and could never be separated, in the end, that is what happened… Even though what they had told each other before that they would work in the same company, it never happened…

Resha worked at her mother’s firm. They say she’s happy for doing almost nothing and still being paid for “working”. Of course, she gets to tell her mom what she wants to do…

Oriha works with Jart, another one of their classmates, and is happy with him. Both had worked in the same company and just after graduation, both had admitted feelings towards each other although it was already obvious to the others that something was going on with them since their 3rd year.

Although they still often see each other to do things they normally do together; watch movies, eat out, laugh, talk… The usual things…

But, there was one meeting that was different…

Resha, being the one who usually sets all these meetings, called in everyone for a surprise and for a dine out as well.

When Sakura got there, no one was there… And she was supposed to be thirty minutes late… Also, it looks like the whole place was closed down, but they had let her in…

She tried calling Resha about it but she didn’t pick up. She tried Oriha as well, nothing. Then, she tried Syaoran. When his phone rang on the receiver, someone talked from behind her. “Who are you calling…?” it said gently.

As an instinct, Sakura turned around; her phone still on her ears if ever the person was someone who might want to do something to her. Seeing as it wasn’t so, Sakura smiled gently and hung up. “Syaoran… I was looking for you… Where are the others…?” she asked as she walked towards him.

“I don’t know…”

“Well, they can’t be any late that I am already… Especially Oriha…” Sakura said. “Wait, why are we the only ones here…?” she asked him.

“Because I wanted you alone for myself…” Syaoran said as he approached Sakura and hugged her from behind.

“Syaoran!” Sakura said childishly as Syaoran kissed her shoulders. “Seriously, where are they?” Sakura asked a few seconds later.

“Chased them all out, even the customers.” Syaoran said sarcastically where he received a slap in the shoulders. “What? Can’t I be with you even just for a nice dine out just the two of us?” he said looking at the giggling Sakura.

“Of course you can… But do you also know that you can actually ask me some other time, and not when we are meeting the others…” Sakura told him.

Syaoran looked a bit disappointed. Who knows if he’s faking it or if he’s really disappointed? But Sakura could see through him. “You’re being dramatic again…” she said.

With that, Syaoran smiled and lead Sakura to a table where 2 plates were set. “Let’s eat first okay…? I met with the others and they all said that they already ate. Just a few minutes ago, the restaurant closed but I asked them to wait up for my girl so that we could eat.” Syaoran said as he pulled out the chair for Sakura.

A few minutes later, both had their utensils settled by the side of their plates; they were done eating. They both talked about how their day went, before Syaoran had placed his hand on his pocket to remember something, which he planned to do that night.

Slowly, he reached to Sakura’s arm and held it tightly. “Baby… I have something to tell you…”

Even though Sakura does not know what it is about, something tells her that this is big news to tell everyone, that’s why she was so nervous. “Yes?”

Taking a deep breath, Syaoran started his ‘speech’, “Sakura, you know that you are the most beautiful girl in the planet that I’ve ever seen, and you are the only one who makes me happy… And I know that I have not thanked you enough for that, but I don’t care because I know that you will always be there for me. Sakura, I love you so much and you know that. I’ve been telling you that since the time you told me that I have a second chance, that you loved me as well. I’d like to end this now if I may.”

Syaoran reached out in his pocket for a velvet red box. Then he said as he opened the box, “Will you marry me?”

Looking at Sakura’s expression, it was like a mixture of happiness, excitement, and a lot of other things… Of course with a sudden proposal like that, who wouldn’t be shocked, right? Staring from Syaoran to the ring, and from the ring back to Syaoran, Sakura finally nodded her head and said the magic words that Syaoran had been waiting to hear, “Yes.”

Syaoran sprung up, hugged Sakura and kissed her like the world was about to end. Everything was perfect. All lights suddenly opened, revealing everyone that had been a part of Sakura’s life. Of course, without Tomoyo’s help this would not be the current situation.

Everyone started to gather around the newly engaged couple and started to congratulate them both. Looking at Sakura, she was tearful – very, very happy about her stand right now, about to marry the only man she ever really loved, and has loved her back.

---

2 years later, we find our characters in the hospital. Everyone was there – Tomoyo, Eriol, Resha, Oriha, Klart, Touya, Fujitaka… And of course, Sakura and Syaoran.

A scream was heard from one room as it passed through the walls of the hospital. Obviously, whoever that person was, looks like she is really having a hard time. Guess what everyone heard from the scream…

“SYAORAN!!! YOU GET BACK HERE!!!” Sakura yelled out. She was in the labor room, having their very first child. And guess where Syaoran was, mending his poor hand that was squished to the limits by Sakura’s hand as she was trying to push all her might for the baby to come out. “I SWEAR I WILL NEVER LET YOU TOUCH ME AGAIN!!”

Of course, that’s just something that a girl would say just when she is having a hard time delivering her baby. Otherwise, I’m guessing that it’s really a nice feeling when you actually get to hold your own child, from your own womb…

And yes, a few minutes later, everyone in the room heard the cry of a baby. It was a baby boy. Sakura, sweating from exhaustion, was being comforted by Syaoran who was smiling together with her as they both looked at their newly born son. By the looks of this baby, he had Syaoran’s looks… “I bet his eyes would be yours…” Syaoran commented as they both looked at the baby when the nurse gave it to Sakura.

“Mikomi… That’s his name…” Sakura uttered.

“Hope… That’s nice…” Syaoran replied. “I loved you ever since I met you… And I hanged on to that feeling, until now…” he continued.

“I know… We both hoped that one day this would happen, right…? Even in our dreams… And here we are now…” Sakura stated.

Both succeeded and got their wishes because they dreamed and they hoped that things would happen. It’s not wrong to dream; it’s free, isn’t it…?

o ------------------ o

Author’s Notes: That’s it! That’s the end of Hanging on for Hope, I hope you guys enjoyed the whole story and the whole plot… Most of the stuff that I wrote here really did happen… Won’t tell to who… Just that it REALLY is based on a real story… But on the real story, the person which was originally the character of Syaoran really dated with the person who’s character in this story is Resha… But we wouldn’t like that not would we… (grin) So, change of character basis… But the character which I based Sakura on is still the same character… (smile)

Anyway, I once again thank everyone who supported this fanfic… I don’t know though if I can still continue on with Country Roads cause I don’t know where I lifted from… But I will try to remember and think of a plot to finish the story… (smile)

So, I am aynechan, signing off from Hanging on for Hope. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! (smile)