The Days Once Numbered
by Ukyou
______________
Part Six - Respects
The snow outside still falling, even hours after Syaoran had just disappeared. The sweet touch of his voice now gone, his very existance taken from me. I sat down on the bed, the air so silent, yet sharply cold. He was gone...
Kenshin didn't return until later that day, finding me upon the sofa, listening to the soft songs that played from our radio. I clutched a small picture, one of Syaoran and I so long ago. I knew I was crying, my eyelids feeling heavy to the touch. Kenshin tried to comfort me, asking me what was wrong. It was when he saw the picture I was holding that he decided to walk away, because obviously he couldn't do anything to help. I couldn't blame him.
I remained there for an hour, lying down, thinking, the reminiscence...
How had Syaoran returned...? Maybe...perhaps...he wasn't Syaoran at all...but the way he talked...the look on his face when he danced with me...
It...it was much too special to deny...
The very way he regarded me as I pretended to sleep, it remained in my mind. As much as I might have hated it then...I would give my all to see again.
...but my head...I felt as if someone had tied a weight to my neck, permanatly staring down at the floor. The radio continued to play, eventually reaching the final track. It was at that moment that I put on my jacket and walked back outside. It was cold, I could feel it even with my jacket on. The sky, dark with night, the lamps flickering was I walked down the untouched snowy sidewalk.
I didn't know where I was going at all, not at all. It seemed to me that it didn't matter at all, so I continued walking. The song that was playing as we danced...it was ringing in my head, I could almost hear the player's fingers touch the piano keys. It was beautiful...but all too bittersweet...
My walk was purely made up of thinking back. The street I walked upon had so many memories molded into it. I could remember the smell of the grass when we had moved into my home together. He carried a chair on his back...and, well, he pushed himself too hard, I guess. He fell over...and since then, the chair next to my bed has always been creaky.
The floors that day were completly empty and nonoccupied. The smell of a welcoming home consumed me the minute I opened the door, Syaoran right behind me. I had that sudden adventurous feeling to explore the home, opening every door I could find. It eventually grew into a hide-and-seek game, Syaoran scaring the life out of me when he jumped up from behind the counters in the kitchen. I can still remember the strange stares of the moving company men as we ran around the home, our laughing so loud that you could hear us down the street. Theres was always something about Syaoran, as cold as he was sometimes, just something....that made me smile.
A month later, in the same room, we celebrated his birthday, inviting countless others to join us. There was this one CD that he had, with possibly the most beautiful song to the ears. Its tune was as sweet as honey, and flowed through the ears like a calm stream in ths spring. He surprised me when he put it on and held out his hand to dance. I didn't know what to say back at all, I was somewhat nervous to dance in front of everyone with him, but I held his hand, and he swooped me into the dance, the others cheering us on as we did.
We deserved a spotlight for that performance, for after a few monutes of dancing, we spun me into his arms and we kissed. It was a kodak moment, the kinds that you look back and treasure forever.
Still, I knew I wouldn't forget when afterwards, we tripped backwards somehow into Tomoyo, which was actually pretty funny. It didn't seem to destroy our moment though, I helped him up, and we just stood together, myself in his arms. I just closed my eyes and waited for the time to pass by.
Those were good times...I could remember threefold that amount of moments that I never forgot. Five years ago, when he died though, I remembered how heartbroken I was...until I met Kenshin. Still, it was almost as if I had been trying to find a replacement for Syaoran all this time, which could probably never happen. I grew up with him, grew feelings slowly over time. It could never get any better than that, right?
Right.
I continued walking, until I passed by the cemetary, Syaoran's tombstone rising from the ground like a tree almost, slightly crooked. I opened the gates and walked towards it, the top of it brushed slightly with snow. I crouched down and put my hand on it, it suddenly growing warm.
The man whom had appeared at my house...could he have really been Syaoran? He told me he had been watching over me all these years, and he didn't understand how he returned either. The way he disappeared though....something about it didn't seem right. Was he forced back to where he truly belonged?
Then, it seemed to me that the air around me was getting warmer. Warm enough to be mistakened with spring, which was very strange. Just 5 minutes ago, the air was so unbearably cold that I had my hands in my pockets in order to stay comfortable.
I looked up, the sky parting away with the clouds, a bright light shining down. The sight was stunning, almost like the northern lights, but possibly more beautiful. The rainbow colors that eminated from it finally disappeared, revealing to me...
...oh my god...
Syaoran seemed to appear before me, walking slowly and wearing a white robe, holding out his hand towards me. I stood up, feeling a wind blow from his direction. It was almost like he was an angel, returned from his sleep. His entire body seemed to glow, his fingers drawing lines in the air they touched.
'Sakura' he said to me, slowly fading once again as he came closer to me. 'Sakura......let us fly...once again, together....'
I didn't quite get him at all. What was he trying to say? I tried to ask him to interpret, but he never did. He just smiled, and spoke again.
'Sakura, don't try and understand it right now. Let it be like a dream...you just take it for what it is, because you know you will wake up.'
He rose his hand, and I could feel myself slowly lift into the air, magically.
'Come on Sakura, just follow me' he said, slowly rising into the air.
Somehow, I truly did accept what was happening to me. My body started to glow as well, and I followed close behind him.
I was flying.
He came to me and tried to hold my hand, but his still passing through mine. It was sad to see, but he was able to shake it off his head. We flew next to one another, almost as good...I guess.
We both flew over the town, the birds right alongside us. It was almost like I was in a movie, I could feel the magic in it all. Syaoran looked back at me and smiled once again, and stopped flying as we soon reached the ocean.
'Sakura, I cannot watch over you anymore' he told me then. '...but I want to leave you with a magical feeling, a dream almost, like our dance on my birthday.'
'Syaoran...' I whispered to him, silent, but yet he was able to pick it up in his ears. 'Syaoran, you never said goodbye when you left me.'
'Sakura, you know...right now, all I need is a hug...or something close it it, and I know I can leave without thinking that I needed to do something' he said back. '...but...I know I can't do that right now. I can't even hold your hand'
He held out his hand again.
'The least of my wants is to be able to touch your face again' he sighed. I reached out to his hand, knowing full well that it was in vain, but I could feel a thousand emotions when somehow, the coolness of his hand came into touch. I could...I could touch his hand. He lifted his head to me and then seemed to be overjoyed in a sense, both us of rushing in for the embrace.
'Sakura... oh my god...it's...it's a miracle' he said, his breathing getting faster...his heart beating furiously. I knew he was crying, I was as well. I held him tight, both of us floating above the shore, almost touching the clouds.
'I love you Sakura...' he said to me, and I smiled.
'I love you too' I said back, our endless dance finally comming to an end as he let go, our embrace becomming a courtship of the hands.
'I would have to guess that...I should go now.' Syaoran then said. His voice appeared to have a tone in which he had come to accept that years ago it seemed. I thought that I would probably have to act the same, as to not alarm him in any way. The look he gave me, it was almost ass if he knew otherwise, but never said it out loud.
'Goodbye Sakura' he said, disappearing in a decreshendo of feathers, falling slowly towards the sea.
It was then that I woke up, finding myself in the cemetary once again, lying down in front of his grave. I got up, not questioning what had just happened. Instead, I simply walked away, not even looking back at what I left behind.
It was all worth it in the long run, but it was time to close.
~fin
by Ukyou
______________
Part Six - Respects
The snow outside still falling, even hours after Syaoran had just disappeared. The sweet touch of his voice now gone, his very existance taken from me. I sat down on the bed, the air so silent, yet sharply cold. He was gone...
Kenshin didn't return until later that day, finding me upon the sofa, listening to the soft songs that played from our radio. I clutched a small picture, one of Syaoran and I so long ago. I knew I was crying, my eyelids feeling heavy to the touch. Kenshin tried to comfort me, asking me what was wrong. It was when he saw the picture I was holding that he decided to walk away, because obviously he couldn't do anything to help. I couldn't blame him.
I remained there for an hour, lying down, thinking, the reminiscence...
How had Syaoran returned...? Maybe...perhaps...he wasn't Syaoran at all...but the way he talked...the look on his face when he danced with me...
It...it was much too special to deny...
The very way he regarded me as I pretended to sleep, it remained in my mind. As much as I might have hated it then...I would give my all to see again.
...but my head...I felt as if someone had tied a weight to my neck, permanatly staring down at the floor. The radio continued to play, eventually reaching the final track. It was at that moment that I put on my jacket and walked back outside. It was cold, I could feel it even with my jacket on. The sky, dark with night, the lamps flickering was I walked down the untouched snowy sidewalk.
I didn't know where I was going at all, not at all. It seemed to me that it didn't matter at all, so I continued walking. The song that was playing as we danced...it was ringing in my head, I could almost hear the player's fingers touch the piano keys. It was beautiful...but all too bittersweet...
My walk was purely made up of thinking back. The street I walked upon had so many memories molded into it. I could remember the smell of the grass when we had moved into my home together. He carried a chair on his back...and, well, he pushed himself too hard, I guess. He fell over...and since then, the chair next to my bed has always been creaky.
The floors that day were completly empty and nonoccupied. The smell of a welcoming home consumed me the minute I opened the door, Syaoran right behind me. I had that sudden adventurous feeling to explore the home, opening every door I could find. It eventually grew into a hide-and-seek game, Syaoran scaring the life out of me when he jumped up from behind the counters in the kitchen. I can still remember the strange stares of the moving company men as we ran around the home, our laughing so loud that you could hear us down the street. Theres was always something about Syaoran, as cold as he was sometimes, just something....that made me smile.
A month later, in the same room, we celebrated his birthday, inviting countless others to join us. There was this one CD that he had, with possibly the most beautiful song to the ears. Its tune was as sweet as honey, and flowed through the ears like a calm stream in ths spring. He surprised me when he put it on and held out his hand to dance. I didn't know what to say back at all, I was somewhat nervous to dance in front of everyone with him, but I held his hand, and he swooped me into the dance, the others cheering us on as we did.
We deserved a spotlight for that performance, for after a few monutes of dancing, we spun me into his arms and we kissed. It was a kodak moment, the kinds that you look back and treasure forever.
Still, I knew I wouldn't forget when afterwards, we tripped backwards somehow into Tomoyo, which was actually pretty funny. It didn't seem to destroy our moment though, I helped him up, and we just stood together, myself in his arms. I just closed my eyes and waited for the time to pass by.
Those were good times...I could remember threefold that amount of moments that I never forgot. Five years ago, when he died though, I remembered how heartbroken I was...until I met Kenshin. Still, it was almost as if I had been trying to find a replacement for Syaoran all this time, which could probably never happen. I grew up with him, grew feelings slowly over time. It could never get any better than that, right?
Right.
I continued walking, until I passed by the cemetary, Syaoran's tombstone rising from the ground like a tree almost, slightly crooked. I opened the gates and walked towards it, the top of it brushed slightly with snow. I crouched down and put my hand on it, it suddenly growing warm.
The man whom had appeared at my house...could he have really been Syaoran? He told me he had been watching over me all these years, and he didn't understand how he returned either. The way he disappeared though....something about it didn't seem right. Was he forced back to where he truly belonged?
Then, it seemed to me that the air around me was getting warmer. Warm enough to be mistakened with spring, which was very strange. Just 5 minutes ago, the air was so unbearably cold that I had my hands in my pockets in order to stay comfortable.
I looked up, the sky parting away with the clouds, a bright light shining down. The sight was stunning, almost like the northern lights, but possibly more beautiful. The rainbow colors that eminated from it finally disappeared, revealing to me...
...oh my god...
Syaoran seemed to appear before me, walking slowly and wearing a white robe, holding out his hand towards me. I stood up, feeling a wind blow from his direction. It was almost like he was an angel, returned from his sleep. His entire body seemed to glow, his fingers drawing lines in the air they touched.
'Sakura' he said to me, slowly fading once again as he came closer to me. 'Sakura......let us fly...once again, together....'
I didn't quite get him at all. What was he trying to say? I tried to ask him to interpret, but he never did. He just smiled, and spoke again.
'Sakura, don't try and understand it right now. Let it be like a dream...you just take it for what it is, because you know you will wake up.'
He rose his hand, and I could feel myself slowly lift into the air, magically.
'Come on Sakura, just follow me' he said, slowly rising into the air.
Somehow, I truly did accept what was happening to me. My body started to glow as well, and I followed close behind him.
I was flying.
He came to me and tried to hold my hand, but his still passing through mine. It was sad to see, but he was able to shake it off his head. We flew next to one another, almost as good...I guess.
We both flew over the town, the birds right alongside us. It was almost like I was in a movie, I could feel the magic in it all. Syaoran looked back at me and smiled once again, and stopped flying as we soon reached the ocean.
'Sakura, I cannot watch over you anymore' he told me then. '...but I want to leave you with a magical feeling, a dream almost, like our dance on my birthday.'
'Syaoran...' I whispered to him, silent, but yet he was able to pick it up in his ears. 'Syaoran, you never said goodbye when you left me.'
'Sakura, you know...right now, all I need is a hug...or something close it it, and I know I can leave without thinking that I needed to do something' he said back. '...but...I know I can't do that right now. I can't even hold your hand'
He held out his hand again.
'The least of my wants is to be able to touch your face again' he sighed. I reached out to his hand, knowing full well that it was in vain, but I could feel a thousand emotions when somehow, the coolness of his hand came into touch. I could...I could touch his hand. He lifted his head to me and then seemed to be overjoyed in a sense, both us of rushing in for the embrace.
'Sakura... oh my god...it's...it's a miracle' he said, his breathing getting faster...his heart beating furiously. I knew he was crying, I was as well. I held him tight, both of us floating above the shore, almost touching the clouds.
'I love you Sakura...' he said to me, and I smiled.
'I love you too' I said back, our endless dance finally comming to an end as he let go, our embrace becomming a courtship of the hands.
'I would have to guess that...I should go now.' Syaoran then said. His voice appeared to have a tone in which he had come to accept that years ago it seemed. I thought that I would probably have to act the same, as to not alarm him in any way. The look he gave me, it was almost ass if he knew otherwise, but never said it out loud.
'Goodbye Sakura' he said, disappearing in a decreshendo of feathers, falling slowly towards the sea.
It was then that I woke up, finding myself in the cemetary once again, lying down in front of his grave. I got up, not questioning what had just happened. Instead, I simply walked away, not even looking back at what I left behind.
It was all worth it in the long run, but it was time to close.
~fin