Starrie: whoaaaa….after what seems like forever…I'm BACK!!! -cringe- I'm sorry for not updating in MONTHS! anywho, enough of my ramblings, here is Chappie 2, hope you enjoy!!

Chapter 2

"Sakura, I'm so sorry"
Chiharu hugged her friend who could not stop crying. Sakura's sobs became louder as she hugged her back tightly. The people that were at the funeral watched the sobbing girl with sorrowful eyes.

"Why did it have to be him Chiharu, why is life so cruel?! Kenshin didn't deserve to die that way!"

Chiharu separated from the hug and wiped away Sakura's streaming tears with a tissue.

"You're right, he didn't. Sometimes, things happen in life that you just can't understand. Do keep in mind that Kenshin loved you with all his heart and he wouldn't have wanted to see you like this"

"Why him, why did he have to die?! I should've gone with him. That's right; I should have been with him! Then I would be --"

"Sakura don't say that"

Chiharu whispered as she hugged her tightly once more. Sakura ripped away from her hug,

"But it's true! I don't want to live without him, I can't live without him!!"

"Sakura, Kenshin will always be with you in your heart."
Fujitaka said comfortingly as he came up from behind and placed his arms around his daughter's arms and gave her a gentle squeeze. He looked at Chiharu apologetically and gently led Sakura away. Chirharu watched with sad eyes as her friend slowly walked away. Sakura looked so frail, so distraught. Chiharu had never seen Sakura like this. Tomoyo came up next to her and gave her a sad smile. The two friends hugged each other and exchanged small quiet greetings. They walked to a small corner where they would not be bothered

"We're all worried about Sakura, this is taking a big toll on her emotionally and physically"

"Yes, I can see that. Oh god Tomoyo why did this have to happen to her? She doesn't deserve this! Kenshin was such a good person, Sakura's right, he didn't deserve to die that way.."
Tomoyo nodded,

"I agree. Fate can sometimes be very cruel."
Tomoyo turned to look at Sakura who was being comforted by her father and brother.

"When Kenshin died, a part of her died along with him. She'll never be the same again"

Chiharu looked at the beautiful glazed-mahogany coffin that was in front of the room. Flowers were placed around it and above the coffin stood an enlarged picture of Kenshin. Her eyes began to water as she thought back to the day that she first met him.

"I can't imagine that Kenshin's in there. I still can't get used to the idea that he's gon--"

Chiharu turned to look at Tomoyo who's sobbing had increased and her body had begun to shake.

"Tomoyo, what's wrong?"
Chiharu hugged her as Tomoyo continued to cry into her shoulder. After taking a few deep breaths, she moved away and wiped away her tears,

"I have to be strong for Sakura"
She said as she got her tissue out and dabbed her eyes with it. Chiharu looked at Tomoyo curiously,

"Something's going on that you're not telling me, what is it? Tomoyo I've known you for too long, you're hiding something."
Tomoyo shook her head,

"Please, not now Chiharu. I-I-I feel horrible."
Chiharu bit her lip in nervousness.

"It has to do with Kenshin doesn't it?"

Tomoyo looked at her and froze. A few tears slipped out of her eyes as she slowly nodded. Chriharu led out a deep sigh,

"I think I know what it is. Was Kenshin in the group that--"

Tomoyo's tears again began to fall as she nodded.

"We didn't have the heart to tell Sakura. she wouldn't be able to move on if she knew that--"

Her words were muffled as she buried her face into Chiharu's shoulder. Chiharu let out a troubled sigh as she tried her best to comfort Tomoyo.

"So everyone knows but her?"
Tomoyo sniffled as she moved away,

"Yes, we all do."

Chiharu nodded. She turned back to look at the coffin and bit her lip to hold back a sob,

"May he rest in peace, wherever he is."

She smiled sadly,

"Kenshin is now in a beautiful place along with his parents"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Syaoran turned his car off and let out a deep sigh. He fixed his tie and took out his dark sunglasses from the glove compartment. Opening his door, he stepped out into the gray, foggy weather. He looked at the funeral home in front of him and slowly made his way up the steps. A few people gave him questioning glances as he walked past them and into the home. As he walked deeper in, the more people he saw. He finally came into a room where there were chairs and a couple of people sitting down. He gave a sigh of relief that he wasn't late. He wanted to have a chance to pay his respects. It was the least he could do for Kenshin. Since his death, Syaoran could not stop blaming himself. If he hadn't bought that particular ticket, if only he had sent his friend away in a different plane. Instead he sent him off to his death. Syaoran entered the room silently and walked up to the front. He stared at the picture of Kenshin and blinked back tears that were threatening to spill out. He ran his fingers along the smooth surface of the coffin,

"I'm sorry buddy, it is my fault. I swear, if I could turn back time I wouldn't have--"

He stopped in mid-sentence and closed his eyes to keep his composure. He opened them once more and let out a deep exhale,

"Kenshin, you were always one of my best friends, one of the few actually. I'm so sorry for what I have done to you, I'm really, really sorry"

He smiled at the picture of his friend,

"I'll never forget you, Kenshin"

He turned around to walk away from the coffin when he caught sight of a small figure sitting down on one of the chairs. She was crying hysterically and was surrounded by at least five people. Syaoran felt himself grow nervous the minute he recognized her. She was the girl from the picture Kenshin had shown him back in Hong Kong. Her hair was tied back in a bun and he could barely make out her face. He slowly approached her,

"E-E-Excuse me, Ms. Sakura Kinomoto?"

Sakura held back a sob as she turned to look at the person who had called out her name. The people surrounding her looked at the stranger questioningly but did not say a word. They moved away to give the two some privacy. Sakura stared at the dark-haired stranger in front of her. She did not recognize him, especially since he was wearing sunglasses. Syaoran took off his sunglasses and put them inside his coat pocket. He admired her green-emerald eyes for a few seconds. They were beautiful, despite the fact that they were red. He bowed politely,

"My name is Syaoran Li, I'm a friend of Kenshin. I'm sorry about what happened and I would like to say that--"

"S-S-Syaoran?"

Her eyes suddenly filled with rage and her body began to shake furiously,

"How dare you even show up here! Get away!"

Syaoran was taken by surprise and froze. Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"You murderer!! Because of you Kenshin's dead! Get out of here, you shouldn't even be here!!"

"Ms. Kinomoto I-I-I'm sor--"

"Sorry's not good enough for you, you son of a--"

"Sakura, calm down"

Eriol came up next to her and took her hand,

"NO!!"
Sakura yelled as she wrenched her hand free from his grip. She turned back to glare at Syaoran.

"Didn't you hear me? I said get out of here!!!"

"Sakura please, pointing fingers is not going to solve anything"

Rika said as she stood between Sakura and Syaoran. Touya came up to his sister and wrapped her into a hug,

"Rika's right Sakura. Making a scene in Kenshin's funeral is not right. This is a place to honor him, not to make accusations"

Sakura began to cry once more as Tomoyo came up from her other side and gently rubbed her back,

"Get him out of here, I don't want to see him"
Sakura whispered in between sobs. Tomoyo nodded and walked to where Syaoran stood, still stunned from what had happened.

"I'm sorry about Sakura. She's just hurt by what has happened, she's really not like this."

Syaoran gave her a small smile and nodded,

"I understand."
He took a deep breath,

"She does have a point though. It is my fault. Her fiancee died because of me. She has every reason to hate me"

Tomoyo shook her head,

"It was nobody's fault. Sometimes, things just happen. Give it some time, Sakura won't hate you forever."

Syaoran shook his head,

"I'm afraid time is something I don't have. I have to go back to Hong Kong later today." He smiled at Tomoyo,

"Well, I think it's best I leave. Please tell Ms. Kinomoto I am deeply sorry for what happened"

Tomoyo nodded,

"I will. I'm sorry but I didn't get a chance to ask, what's your name?"
"Syaoran Li, it was nice meeting you miss..."

"Tomoyo Daidouji"

"Ms. Daidouji"

With that Syaoran turned around and headed for the exit. Tomoyo watched him disappear and then turned her attention back to Sakura. She was seated once again but was staring into space aimlessly. Tomoyo turned to the doorway and saw two men with dark suits enter the room. They locked eyes with her and nodded. Tomoyo let out a sigh and nodded back. Tomoyo walked up to Sakura and took a seat next to her. She took hold of her hand,

"They're here to take the coffin to the cemetery, Sakura"

Upon hearing these words Sakura jumped out of her seat. She looked at the two men who were rearranging the flowers to clear the path of the coffin. She shook her head in denial,

"No...no....no t-t-they can't take it! They can't take Kenshin!"

She ran up to it and threw her arms around the coffin as she began to cry and call out his name at the same time. Fujitaka along with Touya ran up to her and tried to peel her away from it.

"Sakura, it's time to let go"

Fujitaka whispered as he took hold of his daughter's hand. Sakura complied and cried as she watched the coffin being wheeled away. She tried to run after it but wasn't able to when Touya grabbed her and suddenly forced her into a tight hug. Sakura broke down in his arms, calling out the name of the man she loved...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where was he? He had no idea how he had gotten to this place. The room was dark, and yet he could see himself. It was as if his body was illuminated. Footsteps were calmly approaching him and he began to panic. Pit...pat...pit...pat...pit...pat...then they stopped.

"who's there?""

He called out in alarm. No one answered. Again, the footsteps resumed and like last time, they suddenly stopped.

"Syaoran"

He quickly turned around, yet he was still alone.

"Who are you? How do you know my name!?"
An eerie silence followed his question.

"you can't leave her, she needs you"

"Her? Can't leave whom? Who needs me?"
"She needs your help, don't abandon her. She's feels alone"

"Who are you talking about!"

"She is sad...sad...so sad...

Syaoran sat up gasping for air, his heart was beating fast and adrenaline was rushing through his body. He gripped his sheets tightly only to find them wet with his sweat. He fumbled for the pitcher on his nightstand, grabbed a cup and poured some ice cold water into it. Slowly getting up from his bed, he brought the cool liquid up to his lips and drank it up in one gulp. He glanced at the hotel's nightstand clock, its bright red letters were blinking 6:00am. The sun was barely peeking past the horizon and the first rays were hitting the foot of his bed. He put his robe on and slowly walked towards the balcony of his room. He opened the door and let the cool morning brisk engulf him.

'Whose voice was that?'

He thought to himself as he looked out the balcony. He watched as a paperboy bicycled down the street and as hotel employees walked in through the front door.

"who's she? The voice said the person needed me, that's she sad, feels lonely...I don't know--"

Syaoran's inhaled deeply as he thought of one person that fit that description perfectly,

Sakura.

'How am I supposed to help her though? I'm going back to Hong Kong today and I'll probably never come back here."

He thought back to Kenshin and how now, because of Syaoran, he was dead. That's when Syaoran realized whom the voice in his dream was. It was himself. His conscious was bothering him. Kenshin had been such a good friend to him and here was Syaoran, being selfish and leaving on the first plane back to Hong Kong. He owed it to his friend to stick around and watch over the person he loved. Kenshin's death had brought a lot of suffering to Sakura, and Syaoran was to blame for that too. It wouldn't be right if he just left her here, dealing with her own pain.

"But what can I do that her friends can't?!"
Syaoran asked himself in frustration as he stormed back into his hotel room. At the same time, he didn't see the point in staying. It was obvious she hated him and blamed him for Kenshin's death. How was he supposed to help someone who didn't even want his help? Syaoran frowned as he reached for the phone,

"What the hell am I getting myself into?"
He muttered as he began to make calls back to Hong Kong...

To Be Continued...

Starrie: okie so that all for now folks! I'll update soon cuz I already have the next chappie done and ready to go. Again, I'm sooo sorry for not updating in a loooong time! College life took me completely by surprise! o.O;;; that's the main reason why I stopped updating, sorry . review and tell me what you thought of this chappie! Or hehehe…to yell at me for disappearing. go on, I can take a lil ear pull hehehe! oh yeah, by the way, I'm no longer gonna email people when I update, this way I can concentrate on just writing and chapters will be up sooner. If you want to be notified when I update, just do it through the "email alerts" that's providedby this site, thanxies!! Till next time! .