Title: Withered Petals

Summary: My dearest, don't cry, don't think, don't wait for me, please forgive me for this goodbye that I have struggled hard to say. One petal, dark and red, symbolizes my love and reluctance. Just to remember our so beautiful yesterday.

The rain splattered hard on the windows. Plitter, platter, plitter, platter. The sound was extremely disturbing, and it woke Ryoma up from his deep slumber. The first thing he felt was cold. The rain continued to hit mercilessly on his window glass.

Ryoma scrunched up his eyebrows. He hated rainy nights. And rainy days. As long as there's rain, he hated it. Too much. Far too much.

He sat up and couldn't sleep anymore. It was moments like this that he was reminded of that fateful night. He had given up completely that night. He didn't dare to hope anymore. She was gone. Just one night, and she had disappeared from his sight completely.

He looked around. No traces of her. She wouldn't return now, or come in and comfort him of his fears of rain since her departure. She had once been his source of happiness, but now, she was the source of his pain, of his fears. He wasn't brave enough to stand up again.

Ryoma looked sorrowfully into the darkness in front of him. She was gone. He remembered, a year ago, she decided to leave him and abandon him. She knew his weaknesses, he felt betrayed, as if he had opened up to be disappointed.

He had suddenly woken up on a rainy night not to find Sakuno beside him. In her place, was instead, an envelope. He opened it, to find it full of fresh plucked, dark red petals. A piece of paper fell out.

My dearest Ryoma,

Don't cry for me,

Don't be sad,

Don't think of me,

Don't wait for me.

Please forgive me for this goodbye that I have struggled hard to say.

One petal, dark and red, symbolizes my love and reluctance.

Just to remember our so beautiful yesterday.

Love,

Sakuno

Ryoma was torn between the urge to tear the paper in half and putting it back safely in the envelope. In the end, he managed to calm himself down and put it back.

He had saw it coming, but had held on to the hope that she might choose him instead of the other. But then, she didn't. She decided to be safely with him, who will not leave house that often for tennis. She wanted someone always beside her, and he couldn't do that. He could, though, and of course, she knew and chose him.

Suddenly, Ryoma was snapped back into reality as the lights were suddenly switched on.

"Are you okay?" Renika asked, walking towards him in her nightgown.

He nodded absently.

"Thinking about her again?" She asked gently, putting her arms around him. He snuggled deeper into her warmth and held on like a child to a mother.

"I hate the rain."

"It's all right, I'm here," She whispered softly this time, planting a kiss on Ryoma's forehead. "I'm here."

Ryoma marveled at how well his girlfriend was able to take in the fact that he was still thinking about Sakuno. Renika didn't seem to be angry with him when he talked to her about Sakuno and she even comforted him.

"Stay."

"Okay."

Renika got into bed with Ryoma. She didn't bother turning the lights off, and instead, just smiled peacefully as she watched Ryoma fall asleep.

(3 years later)

"Just look at those pretty dresses!" Renika squealed excitedly.

"Very nice," Ryoma smiled. "Unfortunately, I have no money."

"Liar," Renika poked her husband. "You're one of the richest tennis players in the world and you aren't even willing to fork out some money to buy pretty dresses for your wife?"

"You look pretty enough without dresses."

"Ryoma!" Renika rolled her eyes. She glanced around and her eyes lit up again. "I'll go get us some hotdogs! Wait here!" She literally bounced off.

He stared after her, a gentle smile on his face.

"Ano…Ryoma-kun," he heard someone stutter behind him. He nearly shuddered. What was she doing here?

He took a deep breath and turned around to face the devil.

She smiled weakly, "Long time no see."

He merely nodded. He wished Renika was here now, yet he dreaded the moment she was returning. He didn't really feel like having his honeymoon ruined right now.

"He…left. And left me…this."

She held out an envelope. Full of dark red petals.

My dearest Sakuno,

Don't cry for me,

Don't be sad,

Don't think of me,

Don't wait for me.

Please forgive me for this goodbye that I have struggled hard to say.

One petal, dark and red, symbolizes my love and reluctance.

Just to remember our so beautiful yesterday.

Love,

Hiroshi

"Pathetic, isn't it?" Sakuno tried to joke. She was failing miserably. "My love for you had never really changed."

Ryoma wanted to break down right then. What had he gone through? What did she know?

"Ryoma! Hotdogs! Eat them while they're hot!" Renika called from behind him.

She came to a halt when she saw who he was with. She smiled knowingly, and turned and faced them with her back.

Before Ryoma turned to reach for Renika, he took out the envelope that he had held on to so very intently.

"We could have worked it out. Instead, you left me to work it out myself."

My dearest Sakuno,

Don't cry for me,

Don't be sad,

Don't think of me,

Don't wait for me.

Please forgive me for this goodbye that I have struggled hard to say.

One petal, dark and red, symbolizes my love and reluctance.

Don't try to think of our so beautiful yesterday.

Love,

Ryoma

Out fell thousands of withered, dark red petals.

I wrote this because of the inspiration of a song written by Zhou Zhi Ping. This story is based on his song. It's really touching, I merely wrote it out on paper (or the net, you could say). Hope you have enjoyed this. Reviews are appreciated.

Alternate-Mysteries