"Papa!" the young girl screamed. "Papa!"
From within her family's garage stood her father. He looked up upon hearing the screams of the upset child. He ran out into the open and saw his daughter yelling and crying on the pavement. The young man approached her and kneeled beside the girl, looking concerned. "What's the matter, Sakura?" he asked.
The young girl sniffed and looked to her father's dark, brown eyes. "I-I fell off my bike." She sobbed clutching her knee.
Ken looked over the young girl for any signs of injury before slowly removing her small hands from her knee. Just below the kneecap was a large scrape that grew red from blood threatening to drip down her leg. "Come on, let's go inside the house and get this cleaned up."
"It hurts, Papa."
"Hey, I thought you were my tough little girl." He smiled as he lightly touched her cheek.
Sakura sniffed and blinked to her father. "But, it hurts." She whined again.
"I know. Will you be able to stand?"
Sakura nervously nodded. With the help of her father, she was able to stand off of the pavement, although she seemed to wobble slightly. "Papa?" Sakura asked.
"Yes?"
"Carry me?"
Ken smiled. "Of course."
The young brunette smiled as she was lifted into her father's comforting arms and carried into the house. Once inside, the duo entered the bathroom as Ken cleaned off the wound. Sakura hummed quietly as he tended to it. Ken opened the cabinet over the sink and tore open a band-aid to apply to the scrape. He secured the band-aid onto her skin and smiled to his daughter. "There. All better?"
"All better." Sakura grinned.
"That's good. Now go on back outside and play, okay?"
"Okay." Sakura stood up and hugged her father tightly. "Thank you, Papa."
X.X.X
The limousine drove along silently with nothing but the sound of tapping fingernails from the interior. Sakura watched as the scenery passed by them from the window. Multiple buildings and other vehicles caught her gaze. She tapped her fingers rapidly against the door handle as she used her other hand to wipe her eye once more. Her gaze traveled over to the young brunet beside her in the vehicle, whose arms were folded tightly in front of his chest. She turned back towards the window in deep thought. Her optimistic side told her things would turn out fine, but her logical side said otherwise. Strokes are rarely seen as a great recovery, she recalled in thought. People often lose some aspect of function. But, Dad is stronger than the average patient, right? She had doubts, but hope as well.
She watched as the limousine pulled into the hospital entrance and braked near the doorway to the ER. Sakura looked back to the young brunet beside her. "I can go in myself." She said. "You don't have to come."
Seto grunted. "Hmph, don't be ridiculous."
"Are you sure? Because-"
"I'm pretty sure you have more important things to worry about than a trivial argument like this."
Sakura sighed. "You're right."
The couple soon exited the vehicle and entered the hospital through the glass sliding doors. They approached the front desk as the receptionist greeted them kindly. "Hello, what can I do for you today?" she asked.
"We're here to see Ken Takahashi." Sakura replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She felt as though her stomach might be permanently knotted at this point.
"Alright, one moment please." The woman turned to her computer screen and typed the name into the database. "He's right down that hallway on the right. Room 158."
"Thank you."
Sakura sped down the hallway with Seto trailing her. She briefly but hastily scanned the room numbers as she rushed past them. She nearly slid off her footing when she spotted the room marked one-hundred and fifty-eight from her abrupt stop. She threw open the door as her eyes darted around the room carefully, but quickly.
The room was white and organized like every other typical hospital she had seen, but something about this one was different. There was a different vibe to it. Something felt ghostly, not just by aura, but the color seemed to reflect that feeling. Her gaze continued to look around until she saw a certain view in front of her. She took a step back to try and control her footing. She wanted to faint. Her eyes began to water until tears were now dripping down her face. All the optimism and hope she had previously had seemed to sink lower and lower within her until it was all but diminished.
She watched the two figures in front of her carefully. One was a woman, a familiar one, who was hunched over the bedside sobbing into the sheets. Next, she saw the person in lying on the bed. Again, this person was familiar. Their skin was pale, their hair seemed to have lost its gleam, and their eyes closed shut. The monitor beside them was already shut off. Everything seemed too surreal, but it was reality.
Tears began to overwhelm her as she lunged for the bedside. "No." she sobbed. "No, no, no!" This isn't real. It can't be! "Dad! Wake up, Dad!" she grabbed her father's arm and started shaking it in a desperate attempt to wake him. "You have to wake up!" She soon realized that her efforts were turning out to be in vain. "Papa-!"
She laid her head down upon the bedside and continued to sob. Wake up. Please, wake up. Please, please, please. She peeked up from the sheets to see no changes. She paused from her sobbing when she felt something warm touch her shoulder. She soon recognized the feeling as a hand; Seto's hand. Sakura wiped away some of her tears, but only more seemed to fall in their place. She grasped her father's hand tightly within her own, but it felt different. His hand now was stoic, cold, and lacked any sign of life he had in the past.
Everyone was soon interrupted from their mourning when there was a knock at the door. A doctor and two nurses soon entered the room. Sakura and her mother watched slowly as the two nurses came towards Ken's body and placed a sheet over his face. They then proceeded to unhook the bed from the wall. "What are you doing?" Jun asked.
"We're taking him to the morgue, Misses Takahashi." The doctor said.
"You can't just take him away! He's my husband! Her father! You can take him when we're ready."
"Ma'am, please calm down. We need to remove him to make room for more patients."
"We deserve to have him with us though!"
"The body will be returned to you once the death certificate is filled out and funeral arrangements are made."
"But-!"
"Mom." Sakura said through teary eyes. "It's okay. Let them take him."
Jun sighed and wiped tears from her cheeks. She strode over to her husband and lifted the sheet so she could view his face. She placed a brief kiss upon his forehead before stepping back and placing the sheet back where it was. Sakura gave her father one last squeeze on the hand before they wheeled away the bed. She took a few steps back until she was beside Seto, who was merely observing the situation from the sidelines. She sighed and leaned against his shoulder for support.
The doctor went to approach the doorway, but stopped. He turned back towards the trio still inside the room. "I'm sorry for your loss."
The trio merely stared to the man.
He then looked back up to them. "Do you have any information on how this happened?"
Sakura shook her head. She knew nothing. Jun, however, looked up towards the middle-aged doctor. "Yes, I do." She said. "He came home from work a few days ago and said he injured his head."
The doctor nodded. "Thank you, we'll take this into account once we run some final tests on him."
With that said, the doctor left, leaving Sakura, her mother, and Seto alone in the room. Jun suddenly began to dissolve into tears and collapsed in her chair once again. Sakura strode over to her as tears formed in her eyes once more. The two of them cried as she held each other close. They were the only ones left of their small family.
X.X.X
"'Where in the world did you come from?' Aunt Em cried." Ken read from the text on the page in front of him. Sakura smiled to herself as she listened to her father read from the passage. "'From the Land of Oz.' said Dorothy gravely. 'And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!'"
Ken smiled to his five year-old daughter as he closed the book. "Did you like it?" he asked her.
"Yeah! I love it, Papa!"
"I'm glad." He said ruffling her light hair.
The young girl giggled before grabbing the book from her father's hands. She slowly began to flip through the pages, looking at the occasional illustration. "The pictures are pretty." She stated.
"They are."
Sakura glanced to one picture of a young girl. "This is Dorothy." She stated.
"Yes, she's a lot like you are."
The girl's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course. You're a sweet little girl like her. Just make sure you don't go to Oz anytime soon." He said as he tickled her stomach.
The girl giggled. "I won't, Papa."
"That's good to know. Who do you think is most like me?"
Sakura thought for a moment, before turning the page to find another picture. "The Scarecrow!"
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah! He's really nice, but brave like you are, Papa!"
Ken chuckled. "I suppose so." He set the book down on the end table beside the bed. "Time for bed, Sakura."
"Okay." Sakura nestled down into the sheets as her father placed the warm and fuzzy blanket over her delicate skin. "Papa?"
"Yes?"
"Mama says you're leaving tomorrow. Why?"
"Oh, Sakura, I'm just going on a short trip for work. There's nothing to worry about. I'll be back in a few days."
"I'll miss you, Papa."
"So will I." Ken reached down to hug his daughter and kissed her forehead. "I'll always be here in your dreams though."
Sakura gave a light smile. "Okay! I love you, Papa."
"I love you too, Sakura. Good night."
X.X.X
Sakura stared to herself in the mirror. The first thing she noticed was her fatigue. She hadn't slept in days, and whenever she tried, she was plagued with nightmares. She blinked multiple times and tried to force a smile to appear more presentable. It was a failed attempt. Her blank gaze then turned to the short black dress she was wearing. Her father always said he liked it on her. She let out a sigh and strode around the room. She sat down upon her bed and stared around the room. Her gaze stopped when she noticed the picture frame upon the end table beside her bed. She picked up the photo and looked to the people smiling back to her.
The ones pictured were a young couple and a little girl. The woman in the picture held the child in her arms, who was adorned in a cute, blue dress. The man had his arms around his family protectively, but lovingly. It was a time that seemed so far gone to her. They were happy then. It was before her traumas began. If only they had known that the man pictured would die so young. Sakura recalled the words of the doctor. An intracerebral hemorrhage. The stroke that had claimed her father's life because of his head trauma.
Sakura felt tears begin to well up in her eyes before shaking her head. She set the picture frame down with the photo placed face-down. She sighed and stood back up before exiting her bedroom. She went down the hallway and came to Seto's closed bedroom doorway and gave a knock to it.
"Come in." the brunet's stern voice answered.
Sakura entered his room to find the young CEO adjusting his tie in front of the mirror. She tried giving a smile to his dapper form, but her frown seemed to want to take over. "You look nice." She said.
"I appreciate the compliment." He replied still looking to the mirror.
Sakura approached him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "You don't have to come. I'll be alright, really."
Seto grunted. "Your lie is obvious."
Sakura frowned and leaned into his back. A silence fell over the couple for a moment. "How did you deal with it?" she asked.
"What?"
"When your father, your real father, died in that accident. How did you get over it so easily?"
She felt the brunet's muscles tighten. He released himself from her embrace and walked to the other side of the room with his back to her. "I had better things to worry about." He said.
"You make it sound like you didn't care."
"I did. But, that doesn't mean anything now. It's in the past."
"I'm sorry if I-"
"Drop it."
A silence once again fell over the couple. Sakura looked to the carpet and sighed. Seto glanced to the watch resting on his wrist. "We should go."
Sakura nodded and followed him down the hallway. The couple made their way down the stairs and went to the front yard where the limousine was waiting for them. They entered the vehicle and drove off to their destination. It would take nearly a half an hour to reach the cemetery. As time passed, Sakura stared out the window and watched the dull and seemingly endless scenery go by. She released a sigh and laid her head back against the seat. She took a quick glance towards Seto who was sitting firmly in his seat looking directly in front of him. Her gaze went back to the window.
Before long, the limo pulled into the gates of the cemetery and made its way down the narrow road. The vehicle soon parked besides a tall, white building. Sakura stepped out of the limo and stared to the chapel on the other side of the pavement. The white paint was chipped in some parts and was much too simple to hold a memorial service. Although, it did fit the depressing mood of the cemetery. Her eyes then noticed the array of people chattering in front of the chapel. Based on their faces alone, she recognized the people as family friends, and the others must've been coworkers. Most of her relatives wouldn't be there; they had already passed.
Her eyes darted among the crowd in search of a more familiar face. Seto stood behind her with his usual blank stare. To no avail, she couldn't see the person she was looking for. However, a voice grabbed her attention. "Sakura."
She turned her head in search of the voice. Her mother let herself out of the crowd and approached her daughter before hugging her tightly. "Hi, Mom." Sakura replied.
Jun sighed as her arms embraced around the young adult. It was just comforting for her to see her once more, even though they had just seen each other a few days prior. The duo parted from their embrace and looked to each other. "How are you doing, Sweetie?" Jun asked.
Sakura sighed. "I should be asking you that."
Jun cupped her daughter's cheeks. "I'll be alright. Once I realize that this is reality and not just a dream, I'll be fine."
Sakura nodded.
Jun let out a weak smile. "It'll be alright though. Now, come on, the service will start soon."
She nodded as everyone conversing in the crowd began making their way to the base of the cemetery. The large group trudged through the grass, which was still partially wet from the morning dew, as they dodged other headstones in their path. Everyone soon came to a significantly large hole in the ground with piles of dirt behind it. A casket lied a few feet away from the hole with a man standing beside it. He was assumed to be the pastor conducting the service. Everyone gathered around in circular rows as the service was conducted.
The pastor welcomed everyone kindly before thanking them for their presence. He proceeded on with multiple prayers as he wished for Ken to have a safe spiritual journey. He added in a couple words on his behalf, but it was nothing that anyone wouldn't have expected to hear. They were typical words for such an event. Once the pastor completed his sermon, he looked back towards the group of people in front of him. "Thank you." He concluded. "Misses Takahashi, I believe you wanted to say a few words."
Jun nodded and stepped forward while the pastor took a few steps back. She gave a sigh as she looked up. "I'm sure Ken would be happy to see all of you here today. I had some words planned out for this, but I can't recall them now. All I can say is that Ken was a wonderful person from the moment I met him. I'll never forget how supportive and understanding he was, and I want to thank him. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait many years to meet with him again. But, I'll still have those memories. I still remember the day we met," She let out a light chuckle. "I accidentally rear-ended his car. I suppose I'm lucky that he was so forgiving. And then somehow a year later, we were married and had our daughter. I couldn't imagine a more perfect father than he was. He always made sure Sakura was well-cared for and he couldn't resist seeing her whenever he could. I'm sure he's even watching us now, but even though he knows he's not with us, I doubt he's lonely. He always had a way of communicating easily with others. Although, I just wish his passing didn't come so soon." She took a moment to wipe her eye. "Even for just one last moment, I'd like to have spoken with him. I won't ever forget that day, October 5th, when my husband was taken from me and everyone else he knew. I'll never truly be content with any of it. But, maybe, just maybe, I'll find some sort of joy in the hope of seeing him again in the next world. Perhaps we all will, and I'm certain he'll be more than glad to see us."
Everyone bowed their heads at her words as a few nodded in agreement. Jun lowered her head and walked back to stand beside Sakura. The pastor nodded to himself before looking back to the crowd in front of him. "Sakura, is it?" he asked. She nodded. "Please, come up. You said you had your own way to honor your father, correct?"
She nodded once more and stepped over beside the casket. She took a quick glance towards it before looking away a second later. She straightened herself before taking a deep breath. It felt foreign for her not to have a piano in front of her at the moment, but she'd have to make do without it. She had already gone through the chords and lyrics multiple times, so she felt more comfortable. She slowly began to hum to give her a guideline before her voice followed.
"Na na, na na na, na na.
I miss you, miss you so bad.
I don't forget you, oh it's so sad.
I hope you can hear me,
I remember it clearly.
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same.
Oh…
Na na, na na na, na na.
I didn't get around to kiss you
Goodbye on the hand.
I wish that I could see you again,
I know that I can't.
Oh…
I hope you can hear me
'Cause I remember it clearly.
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same.
Oh…
I've had my wake-up.
Won't you wake up?
I keep asking why.
And I can't take it,
It wasn't fake-it,
It happened, you passed by.
Now you're gone, now you're gone.
There you go, there you go.
Somewhere I can't bring you back.
Now you're gone, now you're gone.
There you go, there you go.
Somewhere you're not coming back.
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same, no…
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same, oh…
Na na, na na na, na na.
I miss you."
Sakura lowered her head in silence. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye before stepping away from the casket. Her mother reached out to her and dragged her into a hug. The duo, along with everyone else, sadly watched as the casket was lowered into the grave. Dirt was shoveled on top of the hole until it began to obscure the view of the coffin. Sakura and her mother held each other as they cried watching the scene play out.
X.X.X
The sky shone orange as evening set in. Everyone had already left the cemetery long ago, with the only one left being Sakura. She slowly made her way across the grass until she reached the grave site. The tombstone was newly placed with patches of grass around it attempting to cover the dirt. There was a bouquet of white lilies placed in front of the head stone. Sakura let out a sigh before sitting herself down on the cool grass. She straightened out her dress before reading over the writing on the grave multiple times. It read: Ken Takahashi, March 12th, 1964- October 5th, 2012. If there is another world, he lives in bliss; If not another, he made the most of this.
Sakura smiled to the words. Every syllable of it seemed true. She let out a sigh soon after. "Hi, Dad." She said softly. "I hope you like how the service went. Mom and I worked hard to try and make it the way you would've wanted it. I wish I could talk to you in person. I miss you." She felt herself starting to choke up and tears wanting to spill over. "I hope you know that."
She used the heel of her palm to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
"I should go. Seto's waiting for me and I don't want to be too long. Next time, I'll bring Mom with me. I'm sure you'd like that." She stood up and fixed the wrinkles in her skirt. "Goodbye, Dad. I love you."
Sakura turned on her heels to head back to the chapel where the limo was waiting. Once the vehicle came in sight, she noticed Seto leaning against the doorway. He looked up as soon as he heard her approach. She stood next to him and looked into his stern, blue eyes.
"Can we go home now?" she asked.
He nodded before stepping inside the vehicle.
x.x
And there we go. This long, depressing chapter is over. The song I used was Slipped Away by Avril Lavinge and its beautiful, but real sad. I didn't expect to get this chapter up today, but I'm glad I did. This weekend was literally the only time I've had to write this week. Due to this, and the length of the chapter, I forgot for a second what else I wrote for this chapter besides the funeral. And I'm still not a doctor, so that's my excuse if my stroke info somehow isn't accurate. I think I had something else to say, but I forgot what it was... Anyhoo! I'd appreciate some feedback and I'll talk to ya'll next time!