Chapter 2: The Unspoken Goodbye

Amber eyes, cars crashes and cell phones plagued Sakura's dreams. What had began as a sweet daydream, cruising through a car with the mysterious stranger, turned into a nightmare as she crashed the car into Derek, who had appeared out of nowhere. Just as she witnessed the glossy white surface ram into Derek's helpless figure, she woke up.

"Where am I?", she whispered groggily.

Sakura surveyed her surroundings and saw that she was in an unfamiliar white-washed room. She saw Tomoyo was seated right next to her; donning an expression of unspoken sadness. Her puffy, red eyes and grim facial expression made Sakura feel uneasy.

Pushing herself up with her wrists, she took Tomoyo's hands.

"Is everything alright?". Even Sakura's words sounded hollow to her. When Tomoyo stared directly into Sakura's eyes and slowly shook her head, the events prior to her fainting spell rushed at her. The impact was far too severe for the weak Sakura to handle, so she clutched her head and released a moan of despair.

"Please tell me it was a bad dream, Please tell me that I just fainted and that Derek is waiting outside of the room ready to marry me," she faintly murmured.

Tomoyo clenched Sakura's hands even tighter and shifted her gaze away for a few seconds. She bit her lip, uncertain whether she should utter the next words, "The accident was real."

Sakura dug her french-manicured fingernails into her hand; she felt a sting of pain, but ignored it. There was a pain larger than the physical engulfing her.

After what seemed like an hour, Sakura spoke in a cracked voice, "Where is he right now?"

He's in a critical state right now. The doctors are trying their best, but…."

Tomoyo erupted into silent sobs. Sakura just stared on; the breaking point had not reached its saturation just yet.

"He's going to be alright Tomoyo. I have faith in my love."

Instead of feeling reassured, Tomoyo sobbed even louder. She knew Derek was breathing his last. How is Sakura going to handle this?

They both heard a knock on the door, and Tomoyo immediately wiped her tears and went to open it. Touya stepped in and rushed towards Sakura.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy? Can you see me properly?" he bombarded.

Sakura got out of bed and saw that she was still in her wedding dress. "I'm fine Touya. Tell me about Derek. Tomoyo is not telling me where he is. She keeps on telling me he's critical and then she starts crying. She's s emotional sometimes, right Touya?".

Sakura began to laugh sardonically, "As if anything could happen to my Derek."

Tomoyo and Touya looked at each other; concern was etched upon their faces.

Touya took the first step towards Sakura. He reached his hand out cautiously, "Sakura. Listen to me. Derek is…."

"Shut up Touya! Just tell me where he is!" Sakura screamed as she took a step backwards.

In response to her outburst, Touya did nothing. He merely stood there silently for a few moments before he stated, "He's next door."

Sakura smiled, "He woke up! See I knew he would be okay! My faith would never betray me! I have to run to him now-"

Sakura sprinted out of the room in her bridal dress, with the ripped train, trailing behind her.

After Sakura left, Tomoyo stared at Touya in disbelief.

She began to accuse him, "How could you let her leave like that? He's dying."

Touya cringed, "Because she would never forgive me if i didn't."

XOXO

Sakura ran out of the room like a starved peasant running after a loaf of bread; this time the only thing that would satiate her was to see Derek alive. She turned the corner to Derek's room and witnessed something that made her blood curdle, through the door's glass window; Derek writhing like a worm under the electric therapy. With saucer-wide, on the brink of tears eyes, she watched in horror as the doctors were attempting to breathe life into a dwindling Derek.

Derek, whose every breath was nearing his last.

"Hold" the doctor ordered out.

Derek, who opened his eyes to see Sakura.

"Hold".

Derek, whose eyes expressed guilt.

"Hold."

Guilt for leaving her like this.

"Time of death: 8 pm."

Sakura felt the tears leave her eyes, just as Derek had breathed his last.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," Sakura whispered into the glass. She slowly slid down the door and began to erupt into sobs in the shade of her wedding dress.

XOXO

The funeral happened the next day. Tomoyo, ironically, who had taken care of the arrangements for the wedding, had done the same for the funeral. And she left no stone unturned in making sure it was a fit tribute to Derek's legacy. Daisies, his favorite flowers were surrounding his mahogany casket; the effect made it seem as if he were simply sleeping in a meadow of gold. His bruises had been washed and covered with make-up as to making it seem as if he were never injured. Furthermore, he was dressed in what was supposed to be his reception tux; a sad legacy to a life that never was. The room in which his casket lay was filled with memories of Derek's short yet sweet life: a cute chubby baby staring confusedly at the camera, a proud toddler displaying a train-track smile, a teenager embarrassed in a shot next to his mother, and finally a confident adult kissing the cheek of the love of his life, Sakura. Sometimes the light of life is only to be seen for a short time…

A whole array of mourners sat in the somber funeral home, which was lit by several expensive-looking chandeliers. However, the light did little to reassure the darkened spirits of Deerek's parents who were hysterically sobbing over their son's corpse.

Derek's mother, a middle-aged beauty with short wavy graying hair cried into her grey handkerchief. "My baby! John…my baby….look he's lying there! Why won't he come talk to his momma? He always talks to me. He never says no to his momma John. He never leaves me alone John."

Her husband John, wiped the never-ending flow of tears beneath his square glasses and put his arms around his wife in a protective grasp. Smoothing her hair gently, he murmured, "Derek is just sleeping Darla. Look at how peaceful he looks. He's in a place of no pain right now. No pain…."

His voice cracked and he buried his face into his wife's shoulder. They both cried in each other's arms, over the son they had just lost. A son, who with his departure, left nothing but pain behind.

Sakura was seated right next to them, in the front row, and she just stared at the picture of Derek kissing her on the check. Not once did she gaze at the casket.

Tomoyo sat behind Sakura and constantly wiped her tears as the inflow of relatives came in and re-opened each wound of loss. Touya and Mr. Kinomoto sat in the row behind Tomoyo, where they just sat, staring down at their folded hands.

After a few hours, the time had come to close the casket and bury it in the cemetery across the funeral home. Everybody gathered in a crowd to offer their last prayers and farewells to Derek.

The distant relatives and friends went first: they took one look at Derek, wept a few tears, left a bouquet of flowers near his casket, and offered a few grievances to Derek's parents once more before they hurriedly rushed out of the melancholy arena of despair. For nobody likes to stay at such a gloomy place for so long.

Touya and Mr. Kinomoto then offered their farewells. Mr. Kinomoto lovingly patted Derek's head, "You'll always be a son to me."

Next, Touya, surprisingly shed tears and cried silently into his palms. He set down a bouquet of white lilies and left without saying a word. He gave Sakura one sorrowful look before he left.

Tomoyo walked slowly towards the casket. Since Tomoyo was afraid of corpses, she took a quick look at Derek, laid her final farewell and bolted from the room. She had lain a tiny origami swan of glittering upon his hand.

Next came Derek's mother and father, who caressed and kissed their only child in between sobs and painful cries of injustice and questions of "why?"

No time is ever enough to say goodbye to one's dead child. No time that exists realistically. Thus, even when one prepares for the goodbye, the pain of saying it never lessens.

When the funeral manager announced that the time for the burial was nearing, Derek's parents grew even more hysterical and his mother began to clutch Derek's body with more vigor. She didn't want to let her baby go. After much restraint from her husband, she kissed her son one last time and walked away from the casket.

Sakura was still sitting in the front row still staring at the once-glorious memory of Derek and herself. She only looked away when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced up to see it was Derek's mother. She immediately stood up and bowed slightly to acknowledge their presence. Derek's mother also bowed and lovingly placed her hands upon Sakura's cheek.

"Derek chose well."

Sakura's face contorted with unspeakable agony and she grabbed Derek's mother in a tight hug. Derek's mother, in turn, comforted Sakura by patting her back in circular motions. It had been so long since Sakura had felt as if she were in a mother's loving embrace…

As they parted from the embrace, Derek's mother placed a small object in Sakura's hands and kissed her on the cheek.

Before she left with her husband, she whispered to Sakura, "Derek's gift to you."

Sakura slowly opened her hand to reveal a swarovski rose brooch, the most peculiar shade of amber.

Swaying towards the casket, in an hall full of endless color, Sakura felt her world was spiraling into a whirlpool of darkness; cold, meaningless, and full of…guilt. With warm tears cascading down her gaunt face, Sakura lightly touched her lips to Derek's ice-cold ones.

Then she laid her "farewell" upon Derek's folded hands and left.

When the funeral manager came to close Derek's casket, he noticed a brilliant flash of blue emitting a blue aura around Derek's face, with the effect making him seem angelic, almost at peace.

A/N

I felt the earlier scene with Derek had too much dialogue and this one without words just seemed so much more powerful. I realized sometimes less is better. Hopefully, you guys like it! I'm hoping to have the updated chapter 3 up in 2 days or so. Until then, i must bid adieu my fellow readers. Thank you so much for reading this.