This story is a songfic about ChibiUsa a while after Hotaru has died in a battle. The song is ‘Melodies of Life’, a beautiful song from Final Fantasy 9 sung by Emiko Shiratori and written by Nobuo Uematsu. The gorgeous characters were created by the wonderfully talented Naoko Takeuchi. Melodies of Life By Amazoness Quartet amazonessduo@hotmail.com ---------------- ~Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart To weave by picking up the pieces that remain Melodies of life--love's lost refrain~ Why did you have to leave me? I loved you so much. I still do. That’s why it still hurts so badly whenever I think about you. My mom says I’ve been growing distant, that I’m always lost in thought. That can’t be good for the next Queen of Crystal Tokyo. But I can’t help it, Hotaru. I miss you. When I close my eyes, I can still see that shy smile of yours, hear your soft voice calling me. I’ll always love you, even if we can’t be together. Why wouldn’t you let me come with you? Maybe I could have helped. And even if I couldn’t, at least we would have died together. You told me when you had grown up again that it was to fight alongside me. Why couldn’t I fight alongside you then? I know you wanted to protect me, but it hurts so much without you. It’s so hard to keep going. But every time I falter, every time I fall, I can feel you there with me, helping me make it through. ~Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told? Let them ring out loud till they unfold~ You were always so sad, Hotaru. Just lurking under the surface, like you could never completely escape it. Even when I could lure that smile out of you or hear your laugh, it was still there. I could never completely cure that sadness inside of you. I told you that we’d be together forever and you smiled a little sadly and didn’t say anything. I always wondered why you looked on the dark side of things so often, but I was determined to show you that things could work out. That you could have a happy ending. But now as I look back on it all, was I just naïve? Did you know all along that it would come to this? All the dreams we had shared will never take place now. All the promises I had made of our beautiful future together. I wanted to keep them so dearly, Hotaru. And I’d probably promise you them all over again if you were here, even after all that’s happened. ~In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name~ Looking around feverishly, I find myself once again in my bed. Looking next to me, I almost expect to see you there, asleep after a passion filled night, or maybe just reading a book as you watched me dozing. Your beautiful pale body seemed to shine in the moonlight, though I needed no such prompting to go to you. I swear I can hear your voice sometimes, even though Diana says she doesn’t hear anything. Careful not to wake my guardian cat, I sneak outside to the balcony. Its cold out, but I don’t care. Not anymore. I remember when I used to find you out here late at night, staring at the stars. I’d ask you to come back inside but you’d always say you weren’t tired. I would go back in for a few seconds and come back with a blanket for the two of us to share. Sometimes I’d ask what it was and other times you’d look like you didn’t want to talk about it. But it didn’t matter because we were together. Is that what you were trying to teach me whenever I’d feel bad about not being able to fix things for you and you’d tell me that wasn’t what was important? I hug myself tighter as the cold starts to set in. I don’t want to go back inside now. Not yet. ~A voice from the past, joining yours and mine Adding up the layers of harmony And so it goes, on and on Melodies of life, To the sky beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond~ When I look back on things, it seems like a blur sometimes. When we first met, when I saw you smile for the first time, when you returned to me, when we first kissed, when we would share our hopes and dreams in each other’s arms, when I saw you for the last time with that determined look on your face... I’m crying again, I realize. I should hide it before mother sees, but I can’t find the will. She wants me to be strong, to work my way through this, but I’m not as strong as you. You suffered through so much, Hotaru. You took it all and yet you continued on. You would never admit it. You never saw the strength in yourself that I always saw in you. ~So far and away, see the bird as it flies by Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings~ Sometime later, I find myself sitting barefoot on the hill where I spent so much time as a child, leaning against an old tree that has grown there. Here I can lose myself in my memories and forget all that’s happened. The birds are beautiful, Hotaru, but not as beautiful as the fireflies. Sometimes I’ll come out late at night and watch them. Sometimes I even think I see you amongst them, carefree and happy at last. It may last for just a split second out of the corner of my eye, but that sight alone gives me the strength I need to push forward. I know I can’t have you back, but sometimes its nice to pretend, ne? I smile a little as I watch the city in the distance. I don’t know what lies ahead of me, but I promise I’ll always remember you, that I’ll always love you. ~In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me? Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?~ I’ve lost you so many times. I had thought that this time would be no different, that we’d find ourselves in the other’s arms before it was through. But it didn’t work out that way. It was such a cruel trick fate played, letting me fall in love with you before snatching you away from me. But I would do it all over again if I had the choice. It was so painful, but the joy you made me feel was worth so much more. I know we’ll be together again. Because... because I know that you love me, too. ~A voice from the past, joining yours and mine Adding up the layers of harmony And so it goes, on and on Melodies of life, To the sky beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond~ “ChibiUsa-chan..?” I hear a soft voice whisper behind me, ripping me from my thoughts. That voice... My heart starts beating furiously as I sit up on my knees. It’s almost impossible to breath as I struggle to turn around quickly enough. It’s.. you... Standing up, I almost fall back down again. My vision blurs as tears start to form in my eyes. “Hotaru- chan?” I ask weakly as I stumble towards you. You merely smile, dark eyes shining with the inner beauty that made me fall in love with you in the first place. I throw myself into her arms, you stagger back under my assault. Sobs wrack my body as I hold onto you tightly. I’ve missed you so much. There’s been so much I wanted to tell you, but words escape me right now. I want to hold on to you for eternity, to never let go again. I can feel your fingers brushing through my hair and I feel myself sobbing more uncontrollably at the memories. Looking up, I see tears in your own dark eyes. Oh, Hotaru... ~If I should leave this lonely world behind Your voice will still remember our melody Now I know we'll carry on Melodies of life Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts As long as we remember~ I want to hear you promise me that we’ll always be together, that you’ll never leave my side again, but its enough for me just to have you here with me now. I know that this time we don’t need promises like that. Because this time I know that we’ll always be together, even if one of us dies. Because you were with me through every step I took while you were gone. Just as I’d be there with you. But I’m so glad to have you here like this nonetheless. Clutching onto you tighter, I bury my face against your shoulder. Your answer to all of my unasked questions sends a warm spark through my body as your lips press against my own. I feel myself kissing back with all the strength I can muster as the tension from the past few years drains away from me in the space of seconds. I feel alive again in your arms. Truly alive. “How..?” I ask softly. You just smile again and kiss me softly. “I love you, ChibiUsa-chan.” I love you, too, Hotaru. And I always will.