DISCLAIMER: The characters herein are used without permission. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Itch
By Erin Griffin
Something Eternal. My scar itches. It always does when I think about the past. Anthy... At night, I sometimes sit for hours, conjuring images of her to help me fall asleep, but it always seems so hard without ChuChu's rhythmic snoring sounds. Many habits have yet to be broken. Roses, searching for roses and duel invites, or perhaps my one and only Rose Bride. Though she'd betrayed me and gave me the scar I am trying so hard not to scratch, the pain of not seeing her is so much worse than the acts she'd done, somehow. I dream of that day I made my promise to Anthy, my promise to become her prince. Not a minute goes by that I don't wish I had remembered this while I was in Otori, fighting for someone else, fighting to impress my so called prince. Maybe then things would've ended up a little differently. Now, I am still a prince, who freed my princess from darkness and misery (or at least I hope I did), but there is no castle for us. No happily ever after. I wonder sometimes why I couldn't save another princess and try to find happiness with someone else. Something would always reply that I just couldn't. Anthy's the only princess I ever wanted to save, right from the time I was little to the time I entered the dueling arena to fight Akio. She's the only princess I could ever love. If only I'd known that earlier. Or maybe I had known, when Touga had won her after being engaged to me for so long, but in the end I'd lied to Juri. Anthy and I were.
I hear nothing outside my window but the occasional car that goes by. Taxi cab. My guess is that somebody had a good time in the downtown club district. 'I want you to know that the only time I was really happy was when I was with you..." It was true then, and it still rings true now. It always will. I haven't left this town since I got here almsot a year ago. Part of me feels she'll come looking for me, and if she does, she might find me eventually if I just stayed here. Once I left the hospital and called, I heard she'd left Otori Academy and hadn't been heard form since. When I left my name for the person who took my call, no one seemed to know me, though I'm pretty sure it was Nanami I had left a messege with. I know the girl never really liked me because of her brother, but she'd at least given me a snooty 'I don't know what you're talking about Tenjou," or something, which was oddly comforting, even if she dind't seem to konw me. The part of me that still believes in all of that talk of princess' and princes and castles far far away still has hope that Anthy will find me, that after all that we've been through, Fate or anything else just can't keep us apart. Maybe... Maybe she could save me this time.
The End